Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1917-02-22
DIRECTOR FORD
|. SAYS PIONEERING
WORK NOW DONE
Next Pan-Pacific Pageant VIII
Profit BY Mistakes Made
This Year
Honolulu. Hawaii. Feb. 81. 1917
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Editor HonClulu StarBuiletin.
Dear Sir: ! have lust read your
editorial of last evening. a Pioneer
ing Achievement That Is what il
was. Someone must break the ice. at
the risk of falling through. so in Of
fering to take charge of Pan-Pacific
Day, | stipulated with the Carnival
directors that the Pan-Pacific Day
must have free hand. financing its
own day and the dioramas.
This was agreed 10 and could have
been insisted ON, yet. in point OF fact.
the directors did assist Today there
is force OF men in Honolulu who
can run a big pageant I should not
have 70 try il again. could now pick
cut the men to handle different de-
partments. But had TO learn this and
the Carnival committee could mot
have forced assistance upon me with
out annoying and lettering me. The
splendid men on the board recognized
this and withheld their hands as long
as ! was making progress. but at the
critical moments they were az my
elbows and they pulled It through at
the last moment
Many promised drays did not arrive
until an hour before the start and the
floats had to be lacked upon them,
and it was then too late to get them
just in line Again the holes in Allen
street wrecked some of the floats. and
they had to be repaired and pulled
into line later.
Placards were made for each float.
al knlf af EaK lakn
exhibit the floats in one OF the public
squares. It was urged that they be
tackled to the floats, but argued that
IL would detract from their beauty,
and It is entirely my fault that they
were not on the floats during the
parade Drivers were instructed to
lead their teams af0ot, bat many OF
them refused. and in the confusion
caused by the abominable roads out
of Fort Armstrong, there was not time
20 argue with them.
The net result OF this pioneering.
however, apart from what the pageant
itself may or may not have been. is a
staff Of leading workers and artists
who now have learned something OF
the game. They should be placed at
work at once on next years pageant.
Now is the time to work cut all de-
tails, obtain financial support and pick
the men who are to do the actual
work
The Pan-Pacific Club. if Il is to
have aught to do with a 1918 page
ant, will order It's own wheels and
axles and in fact already has quota
tions en- these and Is planning for cos
tuning drivers who WILL NOT ride
The lack of system lies with me.
needed more time than was at my
disposal in which to raise some $780,
0G0 for the pageant, the an-Pacific
pavilion and the dioramas, besides get.
ting artists and workers together to
create and produce. My artists pro-
tested that was doing them an in
justice and I knew it; but was
pioneering. training them for greater
things. | know now that there is won
derful material here and marvellous
potentialities for 1920 Exposition, as
well as a 1878 Carnival, and | know
better who the men and women are
who can and win help. My pioneering
experience in the Carnival has been
pleasure and delight for three months
q should have had nine) and few
there were who were asked for sup
port and did not give it cheerfully. I
had only to ask and often was too
tired to do this. Let's get together
next Monday and see what We can do
to help those who are to head the
1918 Carnival. It win be none too
soon
Sincerely,
ALEXANDER HUME FORD. /.