Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1915-09-02
A. P. Taylor Sends whitening
Letter to Manager of Alleged
Hawaiian Show at Frisco

In the belief of Al. p. Taylor, acting
secretary of the Promotion Commit
tee, the alleged Hawaiian show at the
exposition is really not a Hawaiian
show at all, and so firm is Mr.. Taylor
in this opinion that he is putting
forth every effort to rid the exposi
ton grounds of the attraction"
| Comments from Honolulu people
who have visited at the fair, and who
have Witnessed the Hawaiian show in
the amusement zone, have led Mr.
Taylor to an investigation of the con
iitions that exist there, and his in
vestigations have led him to feel that
the sooner the show Is removed, the
better it will be for Hawaii and com
mon deceney. ehsns e,.TsE zs -.,. =. ~
In reply to a letter that, Mr.. Taylor
sent to II. L, Leayftt, manager of the
Hawaiian show. the latter has stated
his view OF the mattertin no uncer-
tain terms. and tries to4put the Pro
molten Committee man fright" on the
question s s65. oh 81 r +. +
"For your informal ion.P ssays Mr..
EeaTitt, Eve wish to state that we are
staging dance knownnas the Hula.
Hula dance We have endeavored at
all times to make this dance as faith.
full a reproduction of the original as
possible. except that we have adopted
certain notifications out of difference
to the prejudices of a few individuals.
and in order that there might be no
possible grounds for complaint or cri7
ticism. sfsi> - ID .ett.E% -
eve were forced to discontinue the
services Of some Of the original mem
bers OF the company continues Mr..
Leayitt, "and it may be that several
performances were given which we're
not up to the standard we wish to
maintain, but everything is now work
ing smoothly and satisfactorily. Sew
eral members of one of the most in
telligent audiences we have had, ap-
preached us last Sunday, August Is.
and voluntarily stated that they were
pleased with the performance and had
no criticism to offer except that they
thought in yielding TO, possible preju.
dice we had gone a little too far in
the matter Of propriety." 49,. 80
In reply to Mr.. Leavitt's letter. and
warmed by a letter he had just receiv
ed from II. 7.AWood, who Is at the
exposition and who had taken occa-
sion to describe some of the disgust
ing features of the Hawaiian show"
Mr. Taylor made reply in part, as fol-
lows:
81 will call your attention to some
other facts. Your barker or ballyhoo
artist announces to the passing crowds
that the real hula dance will be Civ.
en- in the lower theater, because II is
in what he calls, it's original state.
You also parade on a platform
alongside the barker, several perform
ers whom you call Hawaiians. I'm.
derstand that the majority of these
people at least are not Hawaiians,
but Octoroons, and even Filipinos.
Your barker misrepresents facts in
very glaring manner when he says
that this and that performer is des-
cendant of members of the royal fam.
lily of Hawaii, that one is Prince So.
and-so, and the other Princess So-dnd.
so, and that they are compelled to
give their national dance because they
have been reduced to poverty"
Referring to the audience mention
ed by Mr.. Leavitt, Mr.. Taylor remarks
that he does not know who was in
the audience. but that such persons