The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-09-30

wv s:s:;%,;; :;: Ss,;.s ,,,:' !, | NN ritory of the united states. and most important strateg- icallv of the lands of the Pacific Is not alone interesting because or US military and naval value to ohcie I Sam" says a bulletin from the | Washington, headquarters or the Na- tional Geographic society.
 Ut is in many ways literally an island paradise. Scarcely anywhere else in the world may one roam through tropical Jungles with never A. thought of poisonous insects or snakes. Such creatures do not exist in these fair islands. Even poison iyv and similar plants are unknown 1 And though in the edge Of the trop- les. Hawaii has . cooler temperature by 10 degrees than any other iano in the same attitudes. Moreover, one may change his climate at VIII bv tourney of few miles; for the northeastern half of each island' swept by the trade winds, Is rainy and heavily wooded. while just over the mountain ridge is drier. warm CT region.
 .In a way. the United States may we'll thank Boston and it's daring traders and missionaries of the early days for the fact that Hawaii now | flies the Stars and Stripes rather than tn etri-color or the British un- ion jack. A Spanish navigator first discovered the islands in 1853 but his country laid no claim to them ana they were practically forgotten. The British Captain Cook visited the Ha-, waiian group in TITS and named them | the Sandwich islands. Still the is lands were practically unknown.
 Then, following the close of the American Revolution, American ships began to sail the seven seas in growing numbers, and in 17s9 the first ship flying the Stars and Stripes-from Boston-visited the Hawaiians. It was the first of many from the same port, carrying | traders, whalers and adventurers; and soon the natives had learned of the republic on the continent to the east, and came to consider United States, and Boston synonymouS
 "The Boston traders found each of | the islands under separate king. with two rival rulers on Hawaii, the largest of the islands. One of the latter obtained firearms and ammu. | milton from the traders and got their assistance in building navy With this American help he became the Napoleon of the Pacific, conquered the other islands. and as Kamehame- ha I, ruled over the consolidated Kingdom.
 .The Americans found the Hawaiian trade a good thing. They sold tho king and his nobles everything from clothes and jewelry to billiard ta- bles and steam yachts. and in return carted away shiploads of valuable sandalwood. Strong liquor was not forgotten among the imports, and in Honolulu among the naturally light hearted natives the American sail- ors contributed to the creation of g gay Pacific resort, sort of fore runner of San F'rancisco's Barbary coast of later decades.
 | "Desetretrs from American shops in the delightful haven of barbarous l Aat hn fox or the infamy of the Honolulu of those days. The situation became such that in 1920 President Monroe sent an agent to reside in Honolulu and look after American interests in regard to commerce and seamen.
 A shipload of missionaries. also from Boston, arrived in the islands | in 1920 much to the disgust of the traders as well as those who had de- serted the sea to tread Hawaifs primrose path. The complaint of the traders was that the missionaries taught the natives the value of things and so made, trading unprof- itable. American ways and teach ings at their best made a great inn pression on the more thoughtful Aawaiians and when they reshaped their government they made the Ten l Commandments the basis of their laws.
 1 More and more Americans visited and settled in the islands and the Hawaiians looked upon America as their best friend among the nations. When pioneers from the United States were pushing west toward California just before the Mexican war which added that state to the union. 8 British naval commander in the Pacific, realizing the strategic importance of the Hawaiian group, seized the islands. but his country promptly disavowed his act. After