The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-05-30
COSMOPOLITAN
HONOLULU
Full of Odd Things, but an
Up-to-Date American
City Also
advertiser Correspondence, Copyright
by Frederic J. Haskin)

advertiser Correspondence, Copyright
by Frederic J. Haskin.)
HONOLULU, T. H, May 14-Beauti-
full Honolulu, the metropolis of the
mid-Pacific, disputes with ancient
Babel for the polyglot championship of
the world. Within a stones throw of
the capitol of Hawaii, formerly the
palace of the queen, is a vacant lot
in which is displayed a warning pla-
card which screams defiance in seven
languages. Not a public highway"
That is English. "Kapu." That is Ha-
waiian. Mao Sc passe aqui." That is
Portuguese. and then the hysteric
paint brush says the same thing in
Chinese, Japanese and Korean, and
slang and says, "Skidoo, 3D. This
property owner, in his desire to keep
the wanderers off his grass. has paid a
great tribute to the cosmopolitanism of
have received the enormous influx of
a European immigration are today
enormous congresses of all nations but
it must be remembered that Honolulu
has only 10000 inhabitants.
Truly cosmopolitan as it is, it is also
very metropolitan in many of it's as
poets. Despite it's great Oriental popu-
lation, it's Buddhist temples and Shinto
shrines: despite it's sitting under an
extinct volcano; despite it's blue tropic
skies and it's luxuriant tropic foliage,
Honolulu is truly American city.
modern and up to date, and it looks
the part.
Probably not more than 5000 of it's
inhabitants are American or British in
blood. Nevertheless the American ele-
ment dominates, as it has dominated
ever since a little band of New England
missionaries landed here lightweight
years ago. One of the most interesting
of the sights of Honolulu is the Ka-
.sulani School, one of the public schools
named in honor of the beautiful Prin-
cess Kaiulani. who was heir apparent
to the Hawaiian throne when Queen
LiIiuokalani was dethroned. The Kaiu-
1ani School is attended each day by
about six hundred embryo American
citizens There are 59S of these six
hundred who are of non-American par
'entage. Just two of the six hundred
10 CirnifInnnf facf
that these two American children are
dominant in their respective grades, |
and are the leaders in the games and |
embryo organizations which the chill |
dren have
There is no attempt at uniformity of
costuming in the American fashion.
There are Japanese boys in skirts and
Chinese girls in trousers. There are as
many styles of hair dressing in Kaiu-
lani School as there were in the ruffled
brain of him who invented the undula-
ton Marcel. japanese girls with hair
on paper trusses; japanese girls with
a la Illinois; Korean boys
with topknots; and Korean boys with
ndIr III tAC |
girls with bangs and bow tows; and
Chinese girls with kid roller curls.
In the morning the children in the
receiving room," where a Hawaiian
girl is giving the infant class its first
dose of English, have a
song the burden of which is Good
Morning. This simple salutation is
sung first in English, then in Hawai-
an, Japanese, Chinese. Portuguese and :
sometimes in German. Swedish Span
sh or French for the sake of variety.
After the days work in this school is
done, the Japanese and Chinese chill ,
iren scamper off for another set-to in ;
he schools of their own people, while ,
Ill the Occidentals go to play. The
I'D adage that "all work and no play
makes Jack a dull boy is a bit OF
Occidental wisdom which cannot be
stretched to apply to the Oriental.
Notwithstanding the American APP
of that part of Honolulu
which is blessed with modern Office
buildings and towering hotels, which
makes this a truly American city, one
las TO wander but few squares away