Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-09-26
The Hawaiian Invasion
BY Frederic ]. Haskin !

! Washington, d. G., Sept. 22.-During
! the last few months, Hawaii seems to
have invaded the United states. The
ukulele, which was almost unknown
at this time last year, may now be pur.
chased in every music store from Tai
lahassee to Oshkosh, from Tombstone
to Patchoque. and has at least one
devotee in every boarding house. AL.
legged Hawaiian melodies, which are
syncopated limitations OF the native
musical reviews in New York are feat.
uring Hawaiian acts, and there are
.Hula-hulas to be seen in all the cab
aerts. Nearly all of the magazines
ARE carrying articles about Hawaii,
and an Hawaiian play recently made
' record run.
1t is hard to explain. The Sand
witch islands have been there all this
time, but apparently we have just be-
gun to notice their existence. They
are enjoying popularity such as they
have not known since Captain Cook
discovered them. or at least since
Mark Twain rediscovered them and set
the world laughing with his famous
lecture half century ago.
Despite the wide advertising which
they have been given recently, how
ever. the Islands are really almost un-
known to the general public. The
average citizen is aware that the Ha-
waiian ladies wear short skirts made
of a good grade of Kansas hay, and
that they play ukuleles and slide
around in the ocean on fiat boards
and that is about ALL Little known
is the wonderful story of the Hawaiian
people, who have advanced within
century from harbarism to cfviliza ton,
who have lived under a barbaric en-
.pire, constitutional monarchy, and
a republic. and have finally become
srart of the United States-and mean
time have been slowly disappearing.
The Hawaiian story has. been one Of
pathos. nature people of unusual
mental and physical endowments. they
tried to meet civilization halfway
When it came to their islands; but the
contact proved fatal. The outside
world brought them wealth and knowl-
edge but also disease and vice and
alcohol When Captain Cook discov-
cred the islands in 177S he estimated
that there were nearly half million
people living upon them. Now there
are not ten per Gene of that number
of pure FLOODED Hawaiians.
F.. The Hawaii that makes such a good
subject for songs and stories and
plays, the Hawaii that takes such
ready hold OF the popular magma
ton, is that of over a century a"",
when first the islands were discovered
by white men. "The paradise of tho
Pacific at that time to some oxto"t
deserved it's name. The islands bnl
a remarkably healthy and erua'lo cii-
mate: they were beautiful as ALWAYS:
and they We're devoid of all large and
dangerous beasts; while sweet pota-
toes. vans. cocoanuts, and other tTon
ical products could be raised by mod
crate labor. AS result Of these con
ditions. life was easy and safe; the
people were largely vegetarians.. al
though they had few pigs and dogs:
they had neither to hunt nor to fight !
largely vegetable diet was to make (,
them even tempered, fat and easy go
ing. They had to work just hard
enough to keep them from idleness;
but not hard enough to make life
burden. They had abundant opportun
ity to develop their wonderful barbar.
ic gift for music and literature. to tell |
their folk tales. and sing their songs
into which they wove the voices OF !
surf and forest. making plaintive
and unique sort of melody that will
live when all Of them are gone.
They were a tall fine people. with |
great beauty of skin and feature. al /
though their ideals of feminine beauty |
somewhat from ours in that !
they considered large abdomen an |
essential to physical perfection. The !,
ruling class were vastly superior to all !
Of the other people. both physically ,
and mentally. and this was the natIr- /
al result of centuries of the most abb ,
sol,ltez rule in the world. The power
Of the Hawaiian monarch was abso.
lutte, and his person was the most
sacred thing known to his subjects.
T. oil ,irh M