Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1913-01-18
Association Has Record Ex-
tending More Than 20
Years
BY W. d. WESTERyELT


Historical Society
On the evening of Jan. II, 1892. the
present historical society was organ
lied. In the first year ,utal OF 2,247
books, pamphlets and newspapers had
been collected. The collection was
made with the excellent ideal in view
that nothing ever printed in this
country, even an ephemeral handful,
Is without ultimate historic interest,
and there is destroyed every month in
this community materials that would
be of permanent interest and value on
the shelves of our library"
In accord with this ideal, large ad-
ditions have been made to the library,
but the fact remains that many PAM
phlets, handbills and newspapers have
not been secured and 1t would be we'll
worth while, ii every household in the
Hawaiian islands instead of Destroy
ing any such papers printed in Eng
lish or Hawaiian. especially Of the
very old printing, would send the en-
tire lot to the Hawaiian Historical So
ciety to be sorted over. Even the
Paradise of the Pacific previous to
1901 is an incomplete set and many
ANIMALS and pamphlets are lacking.
Donations of every kind would not be
amiss.
This society celebrates its twenty
first birthday tonight. All through
these years the Honolulu Library As
ISOLATION and the Hawaiian Historical
Society have lived and worked togeth-
er almost as II they were the same Or
ganization. This close cooperation
was secured in the first year of the
society's existence and is tonight con-
summated by our continued dwelling
together In this splendid new library
building on the same conditions prac-
tically as during all the years past.
II will be well worth while this an
niversary evening to look back be-
yond the organization of our society
to the beginning of whatever work
has been done toward recording Ha-
waiian history and the effort put forth
to have some organized body system
atically undertake historical research.
This leads to the first Hawaiian His
! torical Society and its origin.
In 1888 the first history of the Ha-
waiian people was published by the
Mission school printing press at La
hainaluna 1t was called ''Ka Mooielo
Hawaii 1.-THE History Of Hawaii. 1t
was very small book of 116 pages.
1t had this inscription on its title page
Written, by some of the scholars
OF the great school and corrected by
one of the teachers" ~ ....... 4. =, =.
That teacher-was Rev. Sheldon Dib-
BILE, who used this small history as
the foundation of the larger book pub
lished in English in 1S43 and re-pub-
lished by Mr.. Thrum in 1909. In the
preface OF this history Mr.. Dibble
tells how he worked with his pupils
to gather the material upon which all
Hawaiian history has been based.
He says: an 1886 made some eff
fort to collect the main facts of Ha-
waiian history. Most important events
were afloat In the memories of the
people and fast passing into oblivion.
If they were to be preserved it was
time they were collected"
Dibble drew up a list of historical
questions and selected the ten most
promising scholars in Lahainaluna
school, then set them at work He
says, 81 formed them into a class of
inquiry. ] gave them the first ques-
ton and conyersed freely with them
upon il !. then requested them to
go separately to the most knowing of
the chiefs and people. gain all the in