The Hawaiian gazette., 1908-12-08
MUCH PRAISE
FOR ISLANDS

"0f my impressions of vour volcano
cannot trust myself to speak. Per.
haps the paramount one is of WONDER
wonder not alone because of the mar
velous things was privileged to see
but because all the world does not fiocI,
hlther to see world in the process of
making. Mrs. Katharine Lent stew
enson.
Mrs. Stevenson, the official represen-
tative of the Woman 8 Christian Tenn
perance Union, who has been in Hawaii
a short time, stopping here on her way
to the Orient, where she will attend
the. World IS Anti-Opium Conference at
Shanghai, sails today on the Mongolia.
She is gifted writer and speaker and
the favorable impression Hawaii has
made upon her will result in much of
a favorable nature to be spoken and
written by her. Concerning her i'm.
pressiens she said yesterday:
II have not yet had time to classify
my many impressions of Hawaii. Its
beauty OF scenery must always strike
the tourist, as well as the salubrity
of climate which makes its title, "the
Paradise of the Pacifc' most appro.
pirate one. / shall carry with me i'm
perlshable memories of bold mountain
peaks and flaming sunsets; of deep. cool
valleys and giant pricipices; of a sun
shine singularly caressing and an air
perpetually balmy.
VI my impressions of your volcano
l cannot trust myself to speak. Per
maps the paramount one is of wonder
wonder not alone because of the
marvellous thing 1 was privileged to
see, but because all the world does not
Hook hither to see world in the proc
ess of creation. If one IS pen could but
portray this marvel as it is, your Is
lands could not hold the eager null
tltude who would hasten to you.
4 have been charmed with the hos
pltallty of your people, and with the
simple, gracious friendliness which
seems your native atmosphere. have
been deeply impressed with the broad
catholicity of your interests-with the
many lines of Christian, moral and phi
lanthropic work you are carrying for
ward. Surely the activity of the peo-
pie here does not suggest the tropics.
nor would any one think of applying
the adjective 'insular' to the range
of your interests.
u have been especially pleased with
your school-system, as / have been
privileged to see ats working and 1 feel
that in this, as in other thing. You
are laying broad and deep foundations
for the splendid future superstructure
of the new State of Hawaii.
But my most profound impression
is of your strategic value to our ma
ton, and to the world. Not as a mill.
tary post, holding the key to the Paci-
fic, but as an experiment station in the
development of world-citizenship.
The marked absence of racial preiu-
dice, the justice of treatment which
you accord to all, gives you a vantage
point to which the rest of our country,
alas. has not yet attained. I shall
never forget seeing 600 of your school
children salute the American flag. 1t
was like the fulfillment of the
prophecy when God shall gather into
one all nations which are scattered
abroad. 1 believe your contribution
to racial unity and to world-civ-
| ilization is to be most valuable one
and while / leave the Hawaii of today
in sorrow, / salute the Hawaii of to-
morrow in great joy, for I believe
that under God, when you shall have
freed yourselves from the curse of the
legalized liquor traffic and some other
survivals of barbaric past, you are
to do great things to hasten the reign
of peace and righteousness.