Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1909-05-28
DR.. Edwards Letter.
Special Correspondence.


and variuos other sports were carried
on during the morning hours, the af
ternOons and evenings being giver
over to general merrymaking. l fine
that humanity is much alike all ovel
the world, and there is little differ.
enee between the Tahitian method Of
amusement during festival and that
of any other people I have ever seen
1t may be mentioned, however; that
the people of these islands do moi
find it necessary to get drunk in order
to have a good time. During the en-.
tire fete / have seen but three drunk.
en- natives, and these were being care.
fully taken home by friends. l can
not say as much for the whites, fol
quite a number of them, and this is
especially true of the crowd of hood
lums that came down on the Mariposa
from San Francisco, got disgustingly
drunk every night.
! l was walking down the street with
Salmon when we reached a block that
was prohibited to vehicles. The
street was lined on each side with
booths and the roadway was crowded
with gaily dressed natives and whites
"This," said Salmon, sis the
Street of Joy. You do not have to
60 there if you do not want to, but if
you do go you must take everything
in the carnival spirit, and do not get
angry if you receive treatment that
you think does not comport with your
sense of dignity. The people are all
having fun and mean no'Offense."
! l remembered the carnival of New
Years Eve in San Francisco, and felt
that if Salmon could have seen that
exciting time he would not have was
ted his advice on me. The scene on
the Street of Joy was very similar tC
that on San Francisco's Market
street on New Years eve.
The booths of the Street of Joy
were filled with cheap and gaundy
trinkets, and with things to eat and
drink. One enterprising individual
had a wheel of fortune, and if you
were lucky at it you might get any.
thing from a fan to a sack of -four
At the stands where eatables were
sold there weas pitiable display Of
wares, and for one centime, or one.
tenth of cent of ''good money" as
! American coin is called, one could gel
anything in stock. Tahitians are a
happy-go-lucky people, and never
look forward to tomorrow or the pos.
sibility of needing anything in the
future. Living here is reduced to &
minimum of cost, and for a few cents
one can get on nicely all the yeal
round. The native will work only
when it is absolutely necessary, con
sequently they make few articles thai
can be called curios or souvenirs. A
few woven fans or hats, and strings
Of shells or seeds in the form OF
necklaces, sums up all that one cal
get, if you do not count mats, whicl
they use on their floors, and whicl
many people buy as curios for SAX,
of something better!
The reason for this condition is ex
planned by the cheapness of livin!
and the ease with which one can ger
his living in these islands. For cloth
ing, all they need is the pareu, o.
loin cloth, and for food, they can get
all the fruit or coffee they want for
the picking, and for meat, the sea anC
the rivers teen with fish to be had fol
the catching. My driver told me tha
he made seven dollars "gOOd money
while the steamer was in port, an(
this would keep himself and famil!
well supplied with what they wanted
, for two months. The Philosophy o.
the islands is a good one. WHY
should people work when there is n,
necessity for it?
! The curios are scarce worth takin!
away, and were it not for the fac
that one always desires to take some
thing home to his friends nothin!
, that is for sale here. if we excep
, pearls, would be given room in tn
baggage. Prices charged for tn
, simple things sold are out of all pro
portion of their value, but even a
that one could not spend an hundre,
dollars for such things here if h
) tried. Druing the festival, ever,
e thing on the island is unnatural an,
artificial. One does not see the ma
tives as they are in their regular live
e for they are all excited over the fes
: tival. Farms are deserted and every
e body goes to town to stay until th
D festival is over. 1t was only afte
e they returned to their homes that
2 was able to learn anything abou
b their habits manners and customs
n and in my next letter I shall tell o
me queer ways and beliefs they have
v CLARENCE E. EDW0RDS
s Rev. Sutherland is able to be ou
o again after several days sicknes
q d,,n Il n1.nLl .ll.-I 4