Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1913-01-18
BY SCOUT COMMISSIONER JAMES
A. WILDER


HAMA, Maui, Jan. 14.--Alert, Maui
first! The deed is done. A troop of
Boy Scouts is organized and work
ing in this very out-of-the-way village.
, Kauiki, ancient Hawaiian citadel, i'm
pregnable fort of the days before
Captain Cook, lying in the breakers,
so the old song says, Mehemanuala or
''as bird" looks down again on de-
voted bands OF boys practicing. the
feats of strength, cunning and dis
cipline which made Hama a dreaded
name. Beneath this old, blood-stained
rock the scouts have lined, up learn
ed of the movement" and under two
enthusiastic acting scout-masters,
piloted and advised by the commits
sioner, have formed a full troop of
twenty-four. On the side, and of
burning desire to join, are two dozen
Filipinos alas over age"-all over
eighteen and not eligible. They will
however, practice scouting as an indie
pendent branch, on their own hook,
they say, and will do all they can to
help their fellow-townsmen the regu-
lar Boy Scouts OF Hama.
They know the salute, the signifi-
canoe of the badge and have been in
structed to bone up on the history of
the national flag and to learn the
scout laws, so as to be ready to take
the promise this very month. One
thing can already be said of the Hama
troop-they are an exceedingly hand
some and manly looking set of lads
straight standing and alert. They are
already wonderful swimmers, outrig-
ger canoe men and fishermen. 1t is
the intention Of Mr.. Geo. Cooper; head
scoGt,master to be. to make life say
ing and first aid come first in drill.
Hama has been the scene of many
chance / for able-bcdied scouts. A
hoatlead of starving sailors came
ashore here not far back and they
were so swollen and blistered with
Galt and thirst that the clothes they
wore had to be cut off and as usual
they all but died from taking too
much water at the start. Along this
lonely coast a smart troop of scouts
will find plenty TO do. 1t whole-heart-
ed enthusiasm means anything they
will have in Messrs. Cooper and Haia
a pair of instructors hard to match.
On January z, after the steamer
Claudine had gone on to Kanpo, we
met i'm the temporary headquarters Of
the Hama troop, that is on the
wharf" I-dcubt If the scout move
rlent can have ever been found
terminating in like place or under
such conditions The old hay stack
meeting in Connecticut was a cinch.
Some acetylene jets, used for night
cargoes, illuminated the landing place
where, under a wide shed, were lined
ND Hana's proudest An outrageous
storm was on-torrential rain and
huge combers mingled in the fight
to drown us out The thunder of the
srf-the inky darkness outside and
grim Kauiki, like Gibraltar, looming
large above us, made our meeting
seem like the first act of Macbeth
Serious work was impossible but /
managed to shout above the gale the
outlines agreed on between the scout
masters and myself. Loyalty-bang!
Courtesy-boom! Helpfulness-crash!
Our faces were in a bunch but / saw
them and time hope will prove the
prophesy true, that Hama is all right.
i explained some scout games and
taught them how to go about winning
the badge-how they must earn the
money to buy an outfit themselves
each for himself and how to win the
cooperation of older citizens and the
respect Of the community|"Boy scout
he no all same mother kind of boy
IL gentleman" My voice having
wiItCd to a whisper the scout salute
vas given ard the gas turned off.
blow. blow. thou wintry wind.
Lucky for us it was warm wind, warm
rain and only coolish spray.
School having commenced and wish
ing to go. slow. a scout game was set
for the following week, and handbooks
promised.
now continued my missionary
Journey" along the coast, in the foot
steps Of MIR. El!is-oh. l don't think.
lie went in q canoe 100 years ago. !
went on a mule. The road to kaupo
is certainly fierce. Canyons where the t!
lilrrid waters are wont to murmur
were now bowling for my bones. The
lain and wind, the up and down trails |
down to the sea to skirt a bluff. up
= thousand feet to weather cateract |
made it a perfectly good test of the |
thirteenth Scout law-be patient. Thel
mule praCticed that law. / practiced