Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1914-11-21

In a humorous and spicy address
r. o. Matheson, editor of the Pacific
Commercial Advertiser, proved the at
traction at the weekly Ad Club lunch
con Tuesday. Mr.. Matheson spoke on
the progress of the newspapers of Ha-
wall and furnished considerable infor
matien that proved news" to the ''old-
est inhabitant" From the cradle to
the graYe-of many of them--he
traced the life of Journalism in Hawaii,
concluding his remarks with a high
tribute to the newspapers published at
the present time in English. ~
Among the interested guests at this
luncheon we're Tue members of the
visiting Venice baseball team.
Mr.. Matheson said: .s-.s>.g
The representative of the Ad Club
committee. to whom, in a moment of
weakness, 1 gave my promise. TO APP
pear on the chair here today, invited
me to deliver a dissertation on The
History of the Honolulu Press no.
tice that the postcard notices of to.
days meeting say that my subject is
to be The Progress of the Press, .
and the switch in names has thrown
me out of my stride.
/ is history also progress? / doubt
IL the press of Honolulu has ever pub.
lished news item transcending in
importance the news published for the
FIRST time in Honolulu in the first
1 newspaper that ever came off local
4 press. That was in 1922. The first
printing was done here that year, be,
il ing the pages of a spelling book In
Hawaiian, and the first newspaper
/ followed the spelling BOOK, as even in
these days the news LraiIed the job
work. And what was the first printed
news given to an anxious Hawaiian
public? 1t was story or something
that had happened good while be
fore. 1t was short. boiled-down de
scripticn Of the trip Moses took to the
top OF the mountain to receive the
Ten Commandments, ana the .Deca
logue was given in full.
It is an old newspaper joke tina
the story of the creation was writer
In q paragraph. The tale Of the com
mandments took several paragraphs
but on one small page was given tn,
whole OF the Christian law, and !
feel safe In saving that nothing NOR
important TO Hawaii has since appear
led in print.
But even IL we have not progress
/ ed since the days of that first editiDl
tof that frst Hawaiian newspaper, ",
have had plenty Of history, the pres
recording considerable suppressin,
Il considerable and contributing its shar
off ifs own bat.
The first real newspaper of Homo
lulu was Kumu HaWai, THE Teache
of Hawaii published N Hawaiian
from the missionary press. This wa
not the FIRST n Hawaii however, Lam
Hawaii having made its appearance
from Lahaina, Maui, in January, 1926
Now one newspaper does not thriV
well. Like nan, it is net well for
newspaper to. i've alone, and befor
there could be real press in the Isl
aIds there had to be stsne opposition
so In 1886 the Sandwich Island Gs
zette was born II was antfniissior
arr and It lasted as long as II could
until the French massnes wfthdre,
their bayonets and left Hawaii 10 1895
Then It died and started HonoluIu,
journalistic graveyard. Today dotte
with the scores cf unpainted board
marking the. graves of misbegotten E.
Il forts. Sc ss.slssssss, 50
From that time On, however; Hene
lulu never lacked its press. The Ia
waiian Spectator, which said for itsel
that it was conducted by an associ;
tion Of gentlemen was a quarterl!
which came in 1898 and quit in 1873!
What became of the gentlemen is nc
/ recorded. 1.-The Sandwich Island Mi
| ror proved almost stillbirth. runnin
for only few issues in 1889. Tn
| Polynesian appeared In 1910, unde
/ the editorship of James Jackson ia
/ Wis. the historian. AS an indeRendcr
venture it did not last long. but wa
} taken up by the government and b,