The Maui news. [volume] (Wailuku, Maui, H.I.) 1900-current, 1919-10-24
Our Contemporaries
And Pan Won BY A Giggle
CHilo Tribune)

(HilO Tribune)
Feasts of Reason are usually passed
up when they come in competition
wit hfare that is easier to take. Run
ming concurrently with horse racing,
baseball, side shows, diving boats and
such advertisements the highbrow end
o fthe big show gets the go-by. 1t is
but natural that such should be the
case. 1t would be asking more OF
human nature than human nature has
to give to expect anything else. Lives
there a savant with soul so fusty that
he wouldn't desert the forum for a
good lively dog fight? We wot not.
The solution appears to lie in staging
the heavy stuff and the light stuff so
they do not get in each others light.
The Civic Convention last week on
Maui is a case in point. As a Civic
Convention it was a corking good
circus, and people as a rule do not at
tend a circus with intent to conduct
themselves with solemnity. Excellent
papers were prepared and some OF
them were read-to empty benches
and some of them did not get to a
reading at all. There was too much
doing on the Midway. This is mani
festly unfair to the Civic Convention
idea, which should be encouraged az
a clearing house for inter-island prob
lens. To invite an august body to
conference and debate and then crab
the act by putting on a comedy in
competition with it is, to say the least,
d~iscourteous.
We do not mean to criticise Maui in
this. Maui was as much surprised and
taken aback as the next one at the
failure of Minerva and Pan to work
in harmony. Maui folk enjoy a wide
reputation as hosts. Their hospital
ity is proverbial throughout the Terri
tory and o a visitor returning from
the fete but would trounce anybody
who dared g~ainsay it. Not lack Of
hospitality, but the very opulence OF
II, was NHdJ put d JlhN vi amy Nh'
course at the Civic Convention.
If the next convention is held at
Hilo, as proposed, we should proftby
the lesson of the one just closed.
While the wisdom of running sports
and exhibits concurrently with a Civic
Convention is open to question, there
to 40 lAr;aa1 nhinptinn fn GI1ph n nTqnt-
ice if the Convention is given first
place on the bill. Sufficient time
should be set aside for its delibera-
lions and the side show held off until
adjournment of the main feature.
The suggestion hat papers be print
ed and distributed before reading on
the floor of the convention is a good
one and we propose an amendment
hat reading of the papers then be
held unnecessary. The time saved by
reason of prior publicity could be oc-
cupied in discussion if, as we suppose,
the object of the symposium is eX-
change of ideas and the making of
ItOOllllOHO. w hllC PuBNIo " pbN
meetings are almost alawys prepared
by men thoroughly familiar with their
subjects, it does not follow that the
authors are trained writers or fluent
public speakers. Most papers are too
lengthy, yet it requires a keen news
editor to cut without killing the
patient, All delegates are not en-
dowed with a powerful speaking
voice and therefore nine-tenths of
what is read never reaches the audi
ence The subject of the paper may
be of great interest, but its kernel is
faulty enunciation that few auditors
discover it.
When we get the Civic Convention
here it might be well to insure its
success by employing a vaudeville
manager to bill the acts in proper
sequence, an editor to prepare the
papers for publication and the co.
operation of the press in acquaintine
the delegates and public with the sub,
jects proposed for discussion. A Civic
Convention is capable Of accomplish.
ing a lot of good, but not in competi
ton with advertisements of a lighter
and more tempting nature.
CHANGES IN RESERVATIONS