The Maui news. [volume] (Wailuku, Maui, H.I.) 1900-current, 1922-10-03
HULAs AND R A SKIRTS.

Efforts on the part of L. \. Thurston to enlist the Honolulu Ad
Club in a campaign against the Commercial Hula as he called it.
failed at the luncheon of the Club last Wednesday noon. At that
time he presented a proposed resolution which he offered for adop-
ton and the motion was seconded by Rev. a. w. Palmer, the latter
speaking only briefly in support of the motion. The next speaker
was Charles Frazier who said if any steps were to be taken it should
be done through legislation and the legislature was not to be in SEES
sion for several months. He also spoke of the feeling among some
IIawaians thu" the campaign was not for the suppression of the hula
so much as for the eliminating of things Hawaiian. He moved to
table the resolution and the motion carried by a very. large majority
on the call for the ayes and noes.
Mr. Thurston explains that his objection is not to the old hula
in which the dancers wore garments Of tapa but to the form Of the
dance that arose in the days of Kaakaua, a combination of the hula
and war dance with variations. Ii is to the wigge and cOntOruOns
Of the abdominal muscles and to the grass skirt that he objects.
AS to the grass skirt Mr.. Thuston claims it is not Hawaiian per
Sc but an adaptation from a costume that was brought from the
South Seas. 1t is the suggestiveness of certain types of the hula that
he objects to.
On the subject the IIawaians themselves appear divided. Prob
ably as large a proportion of Eawaians as haoes object to the sug
gcstiveness that is sometimes introduced into the dance and which
furnishes an Eat effectiveness to a certain class of curious sight seerS
Where any immodesty or vulgarty is INDUCED in, right minded per-
sons Of all natonaities will admit his criticisms are well directed and
they will also agree that exhibitions Of that sort are not good adver-
Using for these Islands or any other place. Such dances would at
tract a certain number Of tourists perhaps who would not otherwise
come but they would also tend to lower the community in the eyes
Of decent minded persons. Without doubt the visitor would like to
see something that would depict the Hawaii of other days. Such en-
tertainmentS should be arranged as was the recent one on Maui.
Such criticism as has been directed against the one feature Of the
Maui entertainment has been through misunderstanding only. 1t was
not what Mr.. ThurStOn characterizcs as the Commercial Hula. AS
planned it was not designed to cater to the prurient minded. 1t diff
fered little if any from such dances IS re improviscd at many of the
luauS. Without doubt some of the visitors did not like it. Also with
out doubt some visitors do not care for luauS. 1t is impossible to
please every member Of a party of 300 persons. Certainly it was
never the intention of Maui to offer anything Objectionable to any
of the residents of Los Angeles "the chemically pure, as the Angel
City was characterized by a prominent writer of a few years ago.
At a recent "shindig' of the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce
at the Alexandria Hotel it is reported that two purpOrted Hawaiian.
reported that such exhibitions are staged in that city by the jonathan
Club "JnX."