Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1914-01-24
MRS. fSOBEL STRONG
TELLS OF OLD TIMES
UNDER THE MONARCHY
CONTINUED from page thirteen)

tionery of the royal household.
To converse with Mrs. Strong con-
corning her early residence in Honolulu
years ago is something more than
mere pleasure; it is a realization
one which takes the listener back to
the days when Honolulu was vastly
different socially than it is today.
Hardly a story is related by her but
that there crops up some little Incl
dent. either humorous or pathetic.
which is vastly interesting and which
holds the listener until he or she car
almost I've the days.
Doubtless every kamaaina will re-
member, the coronation ball, held on
the evening of the day when Kala-
kaua was made king of Hawaii net.
The story of that ball is one which
Mrs. Strong processes she will never
tire of telling, she says. A large paw
lion had been erected in the yard of
the palace grounds to be used for
dancing On the evening of the coro-
nation all Honolulu came to either
dance or look on. The brilliant uni
forms of the foreign officers, as we'll
as the members of the kings staff,
contrasted prettily with the beautiful
gowns of the women. AS Mrs. Strong
puts it, Everybody in the world and
his wife were there" The music COM
menced, the dance was on, and it seem
ed as if nothing could occur to mar
the spirits of the happy throng. But
suddenly, in the middle of one of the
dances, it began to Tain-one of those
tropical showers which drenches Ho-
nolulu and then ceases as quickly as
1t makes its appearance. There was
no cover over the pavilion, and Mrs.
Strong declares that the oldest inhab-
liant was wont to admit that never
had Honolulu been visited by such a
rainstorm
1t was no slight rain, but perfect
torrent of water which burst down up
on the dancers. Immediately every
thing was in confusion; the musicians
ceased to play and, with their instrIl-
ments, hustled upon the lanai Of the
palace. The men dancers picked their
wives up bodily and carried them in
to the building. When all had got.
ten inside, the king threw open the
doors of the throne room and babe
the dance go on there But despite
the bad luck caused by the rain, worse
was to follow. 1t happened that the
floor of the throne room had been
vanished but few days before and
the stain was still slightly sticky but,
in spite of this, the musicians struck
up a lively waltz and, paying no heed
to the condition of the floor, the
dancers resumed their fun. - ~!
I'VE had just as good a time as
IL the floor had been newly laid with
hardwood and waxed to perfection -
declares Mrs. Strong.
The inauguration of King Kala-
kaua's> royal navy, the launching of
I the Kaimiloa, is another story of keen
interest which Mrs. Strong tells. The
! sailors Of the vessel were recruited
from the reform school, she says, and,
| soon after they had been drilled in
their various duties, she received an
order from Kalakaua to letter the
| bands for the sailors hats which ICON.
sumed yards of black ribbon and guam.
titles of gold paint" as she puts it.
According to Mrs. Strong, it was
King Kalakaua's idea to send the IA.
simiIoa to visit the various South Sea
islands with view to establishing a
sort of royal protectorate to include
Samoa, Tahiti, Fiji and other islands
of which he would be the head.
| The scheme, although in the end
| it proved a failure, was believed by
many to be a very good one, became
the theme of many jokes, ard much
ridicule was heaped upon Kalakaua
when it became known that the mis-
sion of the vessel had accomplished
nothing" AYERS Mrs. Strong. And
then she says, ut was the drunken