Arizona republican., 1921-08-30

strength making foods. A man will carry eight punches of 'fei," wild bananas, weighing between 300 and 400 pounds, from the hills on days trip. Boep men and women are neat and very clean in their habits. At home they wear only the peru" which is a long strip of cloth. and wrapped, in the case of women, about the breast and hanging like a skirt to below the knee. while the men wrap it around their waists and let it hang also to the knee.
 In town, however. the native men wear white shirts, trousers and coats and a straw hat, while the women dress in neat gowns. On gala occa- sions they wear dresses of China silk richly embroidered. They are peaceable in disposition and have a deep love for their homes. There are Christian, Catholic, Mormon and the Seventh Day Adventist churches hav- ing representation among them in ad- dition to other divisions of Chris tianity.
 But sensational reports of the is- Ian and of other islands of the South Seas are to be discounted, according to Dr. Messinger, as they are doing a real harm to the islands and to the people who believe in the wild stories that are told and the surpass- ing wickedness that is portrayed in them. The French govern the is lands strictly, and the proportion of wild women" there is not greater. if it is as great, as it is here. The natural beauties of the islands and the magnificence of their productive powers exceeds all that could be writ ten of it. but the people. according to the returned travellers. are just about the same there as they are any where else.
 Temperature Always 80
 The climate of the island averages about so degrees. while the water of the numerous streams remains at about 70 degrees throughout the year. The rains in the wet season are heavy but there is no thunder nor lightning at this season of the year. The na- tives disregard the rains entirely and go about their business in the hard est shower as nonchalantly as if the skies were clear and the sun shin ing.
 Dr. Messinger and his family lived after leaving Papette at Arue, three and one-half miles from Papeete. and then at Papeari, about 25 miles away. | where they took up their residence ] among the natives. staying there for about a month. They found the na- tives very hospitable and courteous, with a complete disregard for money | and a sincere desire to be as pleas ant and helpful as possible. In Arue and Papeari the Messingers lived en- | tirely upon the native foods. while | the children even lived the lives of | the native kiddies, becoming expert | at climbing cocoanut trees and do- 1 ing the thirgs that the young Maori 1 does, while in turn they taught their dark skinned friends the noble game | of baseball and otherwise traded l ideas. as has been the usage of chil- dren since the beginning of things.
 In closing his interview yesterday 1 Dr. Messinger and Mrs. MessingeI were particularly definite in their | praise of Thomas White. their inter-
 preter. during their stay in Tahiti
 who made every effort to have theil
 stay on tle island a pleasant one
 He spoke English. French and Ta- | hitan fluently, and gave Dr. Mesingel and his family the benefit of more | than 30 years experience there.