The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-10-04

text figures and the many run page IL
Illustrations produced by the best art II
tricolor printing of halftones OF the
very finest screen. The mechanics of
the work Is of such surprising excel
Ience as to be credit to the German
masters Of book making: we find pleas
ure in observing that the editor assigns
due credit To the paper maker. TO the
photographer Of the haftones. to the
printer, To the binder this IL n very
proper tribute, for the editor. the sew
oral authors. the several mechanical
establishments, have been n band of fell
low workmen engaged tremendously in
the production of work which as II
is great is very properly sumptuous.
Too mannerly to be ribald. the
Samoans have a boat song that Is at
least jocose and full Of merriment-
Mr. Weber and the tin NJ biscuit" As
the boats skim over the still waters OF
the lagoons behind the coral reefs
some one is sure to pipe up this song,
narrative Of balladry which goes on
gleefully forever. TO the great Joy OF the
singer and 10 the merriment OF all
those who hear and join In with
burden at stanza intervals. The story
Of the song is of the slightest-some
Samoan seized the opportunity 20
empty a tin of biscuits in Mr.. Weber's
shop. n huge tin marked three stone NJ
bareback tare and tret. In place OF the
biscuit he set an equal weight of rock;
Mr.. Weber discovered the larceny and
was moved to wrath, Juror tcutonicus.
Renedicite. how sinfully he did swear
and what gloe IL was 10 the unprofane
mi
lies in the Samoan name OF the song.
"lHsi tcbd ma lc dpdmdsi." and more
distinctly in the fact that Weber was
called by Samoans Mist always Mister.
The islanders have q fine wealth OF
courtesy dctlon for themselves; there
is wealth Of titles and honorific
names But the outlander title has
never made its way. The missionaries,
rather presumptuously lording II IN
what they have always sought TO make
theoCraCy, have insisted on being
Mustered: and the title has been extended
to their wives, with the somewhat ludi-
crous result that the evangelical house
holds must he distinguished as Mister
male and Mister female. Consuls and
High Commissioners never were ad-
mitted to such exalted mastering; the
best they could obtain was either a
purely Samoan name or else a distor-
ton of their foreign surnames as for
instance in the case of two American
representatives in the time OF greatest
coumotion. Sewall and Blackjack. Suaesi
and Pilakiloka respectively.
II is indicative of much that 20
Samoans Weber was Mist Ueba, a trader
hut as high as a missionary, therefore
at the top Of the tree: II is proof of an
rnnlH ha taA
which worked itself through into an
other civilization. Theodor Weber first
came to Samoa as the factor OF the
great Hanseatic house OF merchant
princes, John Caesar Godeffroy. The
Godefrroy argoses laid the world under
tribute in the middle OF the last CEN
fury. The men who served the Godef-
frogs were keenly active traders, the
hest that could be developed in the CEN
turtles when the Hanseatic League had
done the commerce of the seas. The
Hamburg Senate had its eye upon the
men OF It's merchant princes wherever
they might be; II took toll OF their abil-
ity, 1t rewarded them generously with
honors. In no long time Theodor
Weber, Godeffroy factor at Apia. keeper
Of a shop whence Samoans might with
luck steal the biscuits out OF a box
sui of the free city OF Hamburg fo
Samoa and for such other Of the South
Sea islands as he might visit In his
keen zest OF commerce, for he was 9
peder by sea.
His Germany OF a score OF petty
kingdoms and duchies grand and not sc
grand, the Germany of Schwarzbrod
pumpernickel and Observation-Disclosures n
was consolidating at home while thu
Consul of Hamburg was becoming Mis-
Ueha on the beach of Apia The chang,
at home worked abroad to promote hin
TO be Consul of the North Germar
Confederation. still the Codeffroy factor
selling trumpery wares and buyinl
dried cocoanut and always letting ID,
Samoans run most gleefully into deb
and effecting a composition whenever
he was ready by carefully written decd
to land in the name OF his firm. Vol
Moltke and Bismarck won Sedan anC
created an empire solely 10 make thi'
energetic trader yet one more Consul
Consul OF the German Empire
We opposed Theodor Weber. Datinf
from the whaling days we had a con
sulate in Samoa, we had shadow,
rights 20 the harbor OF Pagopago for
place OF naval retitting; we could no
tolerate the accumulation OF Samoan
lands by Mr.. Weber. Therefore Webe
had the idea in his head, being a ma
OF great intelligence he had the plal
completely wrought out In mind. tina
his new German Empire, flushed wit
victory, should assume the rights whic
he had so carefully bought for tn
Godeffroy house, should take over tn
land and administer a colony there II
the heart of the South Pacific Jus
where 1t would be thorn In the diplo
matte flesh Just about this time tn
Firma Godeffroy went down in CONNER
cial disaster 1t had been caught over
extended in the wild speculation whic
followed the war OF 1870; II was carry
ing tho burden OF Westphalian Goa
mines and Of an oversee commerce wit
the River Plate IN dangerous competi
ton with the British. In the bank
ruptcy II was shown that the Pacfi
Island trade OF the Firma Godefrro
Nod q.