The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1917-03-06
ISLANDS CHANGED \
since HER VISIT |
MANY YEARS AGO
Wife Of Admiral Symonds Recalls
Honolulu When kaIakaua
Ruled In Palace
HAWAllANS WON HEART
By SIMPLE HOSPITALITY
Chinese and Japanese Scarce
and Few Haoles Then
H.. Lived At Waikiki a..

/
To very few Is afforded the oppor.
tunity of returning to Hawaii mel after
an absence Of more than forty years
and comparing the dolce far niente
conditions Of those early days with the
metropolitan atmosphere Of the present
day G
A guest at the Royal Hotel is Mrs.
r. NJ. Symonds, wife of Real. Admiral
Symonds, who was here aboard the u.
>. $, Mohican forty-two years ago.
Mrs. SymOnds, who Is accompanied
BY her daughter, Miss +. M. Symonds,
Is resident of Galesburg, Illinois. She
arrived by the last Sierra, and win
leave for the Coast by the same vessel
or April 3. Accompanying Mrs. and
Miss Symonds are Mr.. and Mrs. Henry
4. Bennett, of Pasadena, California.
who viii return to San Francisco by
the steamer Matsonia on her next trip.
Changes Are Great A., .
SIT was forty.two years ago when
WIS Inst in these islands, said Mrs.
Symonds yesterday, "and naturally
lind things greatly changed. My hus.
band, the admiral, who is at present
farming in Wisconsin, was aboard the
station ship Mohican when was last
in Honolulu q tElE r.
Hawaii is today part of the repub.
he, but when i was here last King
kalakana was on the throne. The pal
ace which now ornaments the Capitol
grounds had not been built at that
time. In its place was bungalow. I
Used to stay in the old Royal Hawaiian.
Hotel, which was on the same site as
the present edifce, and remember
looking into the palace grounds from
the lanai of the hotel. o ~. ~
"There used TO be band in those
days which gave concert every day
IN the palace grounds. The conductor
was a man named Berger--I wonder IL
he is still alive. rEE4 ~ :.
King Kalakaua and his queen en-.
tertained on large scale in those
days, and 4 remember that Mrs. Dom
iris was her assistant in matters OF en-.
tortainment. ##.#. f'u +s ..
No Rapid Transit Then 49,.
There were no rapid transit carr
in those days, and as far as I can rec.
oiieet there were only two white fami.
lies living at Waikiki.
"When my husbands vessel, the
Mohican, left for Samoa, I went to live
at Waikiki, and / especially remember
the Wilder, Monsarrat, Judd, Castle
and Dole families Of the early days.
"Forty.two years ago there were no
boarding houses or hotels at Waikiki.
only fishermen = shacks, Waikiki was
as picturesque as ever in those far
days. Near where the Moana Hotel
stands was a beautiful grove of rowan
palms, owned by King Kalakaua and
called Kings Grove
There were not a dozen Cinnamon
in Honolulu in those days, and the few
Japanese who we're here were employed
on sugar plantations. The Hawaiian
were the people. 1 well remember
them as they were in that distant day.
fhey used to go hand in hand, laugh.
ing and singing, with leis round their
neeks and on their heads, and with not
a care in the world. They were as
happy as children and their hearts
were free from guile. They enter.
tanned the stranger royally-indeed, 1
nave never met a people that was SO
lnstinctively gentle. In the old days
the Hawaiians certainly led an ideal
life, ana hope, before I return to the
Coast, to meet some of them living
happily, apart from town, and preserV.
ing the splendid ideals of their noble
race, which were much more evident
forty-twO years ago than they are to,
day. +
Life Different Then -
Life was much different here forty.
two years ago. Then everybody knew
everybody. The port WAS full of YES.
sells of all nations, and there was en-
Pertaining and counter.entertaining all
the time, life being one continual
round Of pleasure. '. 'r... .,E {.
1.-THE judiciary building of TODAY
was the parliamentary building when
/ was here before, and well remember
attending a ball there. About the
time left for the Coast, Princess Kai
ulani, heir apparent to the Hawaiian
| throne, was born.
~ came out to Honolulu in the old
bark ID. G.. Murray, and / wish that
could remember the name of her can,
tain. He wis very good man and
never cursed or swore, as ia believe
the unfortunate habit of seafarin9
men. We made the voyage from San
francisco in fifteen days, which, be.
time. ..,I'
"The port was full of sailing YES.
sells, principally whalers, in those days,
and l well remember the captain Of one
OF the vessels, though his name Is LOST
to me, He was a Veritable aristocrat,
courtier and o parlor knight, and
the last person in the world whom one
would suspect Of being the captain Of
whaier. often wonder what be-
came Of him. .i.s. #.# ~ =.
Honolulu has grown greener than
when was here before, but / reeog,
nize quite number of flowers and
plants. When / was here the night.
blooming eereus was an attraction,
every now and again, on the stone
walls of Oahu College, and the bon.
gainvillea and the trumpet vine were
still eourting attention when spring