The Garden Island. [volume] (Lihue, Kauai, H.T.) 1902-current, 1920-04-20

What one single observer. however
favored, can see of great program
like the Mission Centennial, is neces.
sarily so fragmentary and limited,
that it may seem to be hardly worth
while. Yet individual Impressions
sometimes have value and an inter-
est, just because they are Individual.
The Diplomat Preacher
True to the traditions of the mis-
sionaries | attended the services OF
Central Union, Sunday morning and
found it necessary to be there early
to secure seat, an unusual expe-
rience in church services,-but this
was a special occasion.
The waiting interim of half an hour
or so was veritable social, in which
everyone visited with his neighbor,
and the hum of chatter and laughter
filed the great auditorium like tho
distant roar of Niagra. / wonder
what the missionary fathers, Bingham
and Thurston and Coan would have
thought of such levity and frivolity in
the house of God on the Sabbath day!
The speaker Of the occasion was DR..
Henry Van Dyke, poet, novelist, dip,
!omat and preacher,-a dapper little
man that on the street one wouldn't
have taken for any one of these pro-
fessions, but for broker or real es-
tate agent. AS speaker he is scarce
ly an orator, but he is original and
vigorous with sudden quick surprises,
and cleaning turns of epigram-
matte wit which drop out of clear
sky when you least expect them, like
the crack of a whip. A Presbyterian,
and claiming to be orthodox, he Is yet
very liberal in the interpretion Of the
faith, and ready to shock you by the
things he will do.
The Armory Lunch
A public lunch is the last place in
the world to get anything to eat,-I
suppose everyone knows that,-and
the bigger the affair the less you get.
| This .one was true to type,-an ex-
treme example. But you don't go to
such a lunch for what you are going
to eat, but for what you are going to
hear,-and to be with the crowd. And
it was a crowd, over a thousand TIC
kets issued, and everyone was there.
Even with a ticket it took you half an
hour or SO to get in.
The speakers were Admiral Wyllie,
DR.. Van Dyke, and Prof. Cross of Yale,
the first to spoke on the manoeuvers
of the navy, the second on the exprien-
ces of diplomat, and the last on
Americanization. With the charac-
teristic grace,-and wisdom, of finish
ed speakers the first two tactfully
avoided their subjects, of which they
disclaimed any knowledge and barney
ed each other, and the missionaries and
Hawaii and everything in sight, and
sat down in roars of laughter, and ap-
plause.. Prof. Cross took the occa,
sion more seriously and told us some
real, and perhaps unpalatable truths
about the superficial and hyprocritical
sort of thing that is commonly known
as Americanization. To be worth
while. at all any Americanization ef'
fort must involve painstaking and
long continued education which, OF
course, cannct be accomplished in
day. and cannot be put on like gar
ment.
The Mission Children Contest
From this lunch we proceeded leis'
urely to the mission childrens meet
ing. This venerable society, organ
lied nearly C hundred years ago. in
the days of tho first generation Of mis-
sion children, holds its annual meet
ing about this time every year, and
takes account of stock in more ways
than one.
From the rs or so original mission
aries of the various contingents, the
present living descendants number
1893. OF course these are very wide
ly scattered, and some doubtless have
been lost sight Of. Naturally the meet
ings of these Cousins have always
: been interesting and popular, but they
: have become very much more so OF
! late years since the roll call feature
has been emphasized, and strong
rivally between two or three large
! families has developed.
J Beginning with the first company
the descendants of the Binghams are
/ called upon to rise, and they are
} counted-6 or perhaps-next the
Ruggles-and there are none-theI
r the Holmans with the same report
/ then the Thurstons and the number
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