The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1912-05-22
THE CLEVELAND'S HISTORIAN
l.. GETS IN SOME INTERESTING
IMPRESSIONS OF HONOLULU

c.. pulled one another out of bed and
climbed into the fastest steam launch
in the harbor without waiting for the
health officer, a man named Wood
and another named Jordan climbed
over the ships side like South Sea
buccaneers and began to pin badges
and buttons upon every passenger
caught standing still, at the same time
stuffing his pockets with literature
about the Paradise of the Pacific"
Then came another launch with
cargo of Hawaiian girls, each dusky
beauty loaded down to the gunwales
with flowers. In an incredibly short
time these (the flowers) were hanging
about the neclls of the passengers.
Then, the Royal Hawaiian band broke
loose-but why go on? We all know
the symptoms of a dynamo in action.
Suffice it to say that, among lot
of other advertisements and advertis-
ments, the H. p. c. engineered Ha-
waiian musical at the opera house,
with reserved seats down front for
gentlemen passengers travelling alone.
A glee club of native young men sang
Hawaiian songs for an hour and pick
ed sundry tunefui selections from the
strings of guitars and baby guitars.
Then came the real show-the hula"
dance.
To have visited Honolulu and come
away without seeing the performance
that has made the islands famous
that would have been a misfortune. So
reasoned the passengers, and so had
reasoned the H. P. c. But when the
committee of joyful yells let it be
known in Honolulu that hula" was
scheduled, another crowd of strong
lungers was heard from. THE hula
is all right in it's place. said the meg
aphone, but it's place is in some low
dive at the end of dark alley!" The
H. P. c., somewhat experienced with
the mental processes of the world
tourist, decided that Chis fact, if true
would be only another reason why
some of the Cleveland's passengers
would care to see it. They also fig
ured it out that our sociological edu-
cation (begun at Cairo would have a
yawning gap in it without an advanc-
ed course in hula" And then the
spinal column of the II. p. G. became
ankylosed and the dance remained on
the program.
And it wasn't so wicked, after all!
In fact, it was not wicked enough to
please the men down front, but it had
the genuine Hawaiian atmosphere
about it. A troop of about a dozen
girls could be dimly seen upon the
darkened stage as the curtain went up,
swaying and chanting to the music of
Il couple of tom-toms. Little by little
the light was turned on as the gentle
men in the front seats made signs of
impotence, and then it could be seen
that the girls were young, dusky, good
looking and mischievous.
The dance was directed by Madame
Puahi, who was one of the retainers
of the court in the old Hawaiian days.
The years have left their impress upon
her handsome and intelligent features,
but life is still in her blood and the
light in her eyes. She had her heart
in her work and so did the girls-but
there was a suspicion that the police
were also on the job. In the phrase
ology of the society reporter, the
dancers were simply and attractively
gowned. They wore short green skirts
covered over with green fiber, bril-
liantly red waists festooned with |
wreaths Of yellow flowers, and their
own hair. Their feet and ankles We're
bare-at least, this is the substance of
the report of the gentlemen who uccu- ,
pied the front seats.
The hula" dance-accordin to DIR. |
Emerson, a distinguished gentleman
of Honolulu, who has collected all the .
varieties-is a religious performance
with infinite variation. We saw only
one variety, but could guess the rest.
1t is far ahead of the Cairo perform
ances, for the Egyptian dance is a solo
and has no rhythm. 1t is superior to
the nautch and the Cingalese dances,
because there is no listlessness in the
movements. And, partly for
the same reason, it has the geisha
beat mile. The nearest thing to it is
the Cairo dance, however But while
the Egyptian stands still in her tracks,
the hula" girl is circling about the
stage and swaying in perfect time
perhaps chanting at the same time
After it was all over, the front row
pronounced the dance "all right"
But no one, so far as the investiga-
ton has yet gone, agrees with Dr.
Emerson that the "hula" Is essentialIv