The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1909-10-29
NEW GYMNASIUM
THROWN OPEN
Continued from Page one.)

I
ing of it all, pushed his way back to
find out what the cryptic message
| meant. but was handed another strip
| of paper on which was written, "show
me first" Concluding that he was the
one who needed to be shown, he gave
it up and allowed himself to be carried
by the pressing throng back into the
center of the room.
In one corner an orchestra could be
seen, bravely but Intellectually trying
to make itself heard above the bedlam
of sound that arose from the crowd.
Everywhere swarmed children, children
of both sexes, all ages and apparently
| every nationality under the sun. Every
one appeared to be yelling at the top
of his voice, but the man who could
make out what they were saying would
have had to be endowed with the gift
of many tongues. But it was evident
that everyone was happy.
Several young ladies seemed to be
trying, with sporadic success, to bring
order out of the human chaos. But
| their success did not seem to be long
lived. A herd of restless young ones,
| carefully marshaled in one corner,
would suddenly break loose with wild
| yells and break for another corner in
which was table piled high with
doughnuts and apples. The crowd was
about as easy to handle as a bag\o
| cells.
In the center of the room stood a
tall man with police whistle at his
| lips which he appeared always on the
| point of blowing. But if he blew it,
no sound seemed to issue from it. Or
if there We're any sound, it was lost
in the pandemonium of laughter, yells
and chatter.
Finally the tall man-Superintenden
Rath of the Palama Settlement-climb-
ed the stairs to the balcony, where he
could be seen by everybody, and, wav-
ing his arm wildly, succeeded, with the
aid of the police whistle, in bringing
n semblance of order out of the chaos.
"Boys," he called, "choose your part.
ners for the grand march,
The Parade of the Nations.
The volume of sound sweled again
to an uproar, and there was a great
scurrying about the floor. Superintendent
Rath waved his hand to the orchestra
leader, and the musicians could be seen
vigorously lingering their instruments
Presumably they were playing.
Someone took the lead; the babe
died down to moderate proportions;
the music of the orchestra could be
heard at frequent intervals, and the
grand march began.
1t was the triumphal parade of the
nations. There We're Chinese marching
arm in arm with their haole teachers;
| L. y+a,, wit Ion
Koreans marching side by side with
Portuguese. There were Hindus and
Porto Ricans, Spaniards and Germans
White, black, brown and yellow, will
all the intermediate shades of color
they marched around the room to tn,
rhythmic beat of a juggling two-step.
Another Milestone.
And the superintendent of the Pa
lama Settlement looked down upon i
all, and it was good in his eyes.
) Surely it ought to be, for the scene
represented one more milestone in the
) progress of the settlement The mill
depot, the children IS playground, tn,
dispensary, day and night schools
lodginghouses, cottages, all have come
one step at time, and now there il
the gymnasium.
And cracking good gymnasium il
is too, by long odds the biggest and
the finest in the city. 1t cost about
$4,000 to build and equip it, the money
being contributed by people who have
realized the value of the work that is
being done so quietly down in Palama
On the ground floor are the bowling
alleys, regulation length, well finished
and the swimming pool, twenty-five by
fifty feet; also iron lockers, a rowing
machine and other athletic apparatus
The Gymnasium.
The second floor is taken up with
the gymnasium proper-a big, high cell
ing room, the floor marked off fol
basketball, the rafters hung with ropes
and rings. There are wrestling and
vaulting mats, vaulting horses, horizon
tai and parallel bars, dumb-bells and
wands, and all the other usual equip
ment of gymnasium.
And everywhere were the children OF
Palama, the children whose welfare
both spiritual and physical, it is the
business of the settlement people to
look ont for. That they are looking
out for it by modern, up,todate
methods, the opening of the new build
ing abundantly bears witness.
1t is not a money making scheme
"The people who come here said Mr.
. Rath, Cannot afford to pay much; they
cannot even afford to pay by the month
/ in many cases, We charge the boys
!. and girls under twelve fifty cents 6
j. year. Older boys and birls pay littl,
more, as much, sometimes, as two dol
lars year, We have about 200 regular
,, attendants now.'
. The Palama Settlement gymnasium
: promises to be a very popular institu
: ton in that part of the city. 1t de
serves to be.
Al AhHEnA LAO