The Hawaiian gazette., 1911-09-15
HULA, MNMIEI,
HAEA-HAEAS, ETC.
Civic Federation Discusses TIE
Interesting and Wicked
Native Dances.

Most educational and Instructive was
the presentation Of the fine aud super.
fine points Of hula dancing, At the meet.
ing o. the executive committee OF the
civic federation at the Public Service
Association rooms yesterday, aud such
authorities as Professor Cooke. Profess
sor Guliek, Professor Ford, Professor
Green and Professor Bryan dweit upon
the attractions or debated the wicked
ness Of the hula.hula in all Of its phases.
The interesting question was brought
to the surface Of serions affairs by Pro.
fessor Cooke. who rather severely lam.
basted local theater for presenting
this " disgusting" spectacle, or rather
proposing to do so; something to cor
rupt the morals of innocent youth and
shock the 'sensibilities Of the respecta-
bles. .'lt aN
/ Then into the ring jumped Professor
Ford with an imprisoned appeal to the
community at large for purifying the
hula, and making IL such an attraction
that the fame of this native and once
national dance wonld- extend to the
.farthest corners of the earth and tour
lists would flock here to see the grace.
full manipulations of the arms and eye
lids Of the dancers as they sit in row
on colored mats in all of their pristine
Innocence. 1t brought down the house.
International Combination.
But it is not the hula-hula alone that
Professor Ford advocates. Such thing
as a lone hula is apt to become stale
and Improbable if persisted in all the
time. No, indeed; but why not com
bine with the graceful hula the ravish-
ing mikimili Of Fiji, the haka-haka Of
Maori Land and the geisha dances of
NipponH
Finei Professor Gulick spoke in fav-
or of the geisha, and he knows, for he
has been a missionary in japan. The
only trouble, he said, was that while
the geisha performance is all right, the
performers may be Objectionable.
An exceedingly instructive talk fol-
lowed on these points, and it was fn-
ally decided to the satisfaction of
would be- really a delightful affair if
the dancers could be eliminated.
Artistic Rikimiki.
AS for the mikiniili, it was pointed
out that in the original cannibal is
lands it was most artistic in its presen-
tation before admiring throngs of tour
lists who were Always sure to depart
overwhelmed with a consciousness Of
superior goodness, which is a most de-
lectable frame of mind to be in.
Professor Bryan had a word to say in
this regard that was very instructive
and in all respects it was decided that
the -milximih should have a chance in
the great international dance combina
ton under the auspices of the civic
ederation-should the occasion ever
present itself.
Then it was the turn of the haka-
haka to be purified in the fires of elo-
quence. Professor Ford started the dis
cussion in neat little peroration upon
the educational features involved
There is nothing wrong about it, he
said, unless you look at it from that
point of view.
His remarks brought Professor Green
to the center of the stage and he ex-
planned that during his four years resi-
dence in New Zealand he had heard
that the haka-haka was a real motion
picture of grace. Even the government
officially protected it and it was one
of the greatest attractions presented to
-tourists-7for a price.
A Refined Proposition.
But to come back to the hula hula,
which was the main point Of resistance.
Professor Ford announced that the Lii.
liuokalani hula was a most refined
proposition. He explained that the
dancers sat on the floor and wiggled
their arms, ETC., and it was as chaste
as it was interesting.
But Professor Cooke took exception
to other kinds of hulas. He aeknowl-
edged that he did not know much about
the Iiiiuokalani one, but he had heard
that there were others not half SO
chaste in oppression and he felt that it
was up to the federation to eliminate
the hula from the ken of future genera
'iG -Bat profesa6a do0Ag Esss.SatlsS in
minority, so far as elimination was
concerned. 0n-the contrary -rhe advo.
Gates for thernurifeation of the hula
may start crusade for the introduce
ton of refined hula at ali public re-
eeptions and thus establish in the eyes
of the world that Honolulu is the real
simon pure artistic center of the Pa
cific