The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1922-11-16
Gives Accountof
Life in Hawaii
Brookings Girl Describes
Strange Customs a n d
Dress in Honolulu Where
She is Sojourning.

SllC ID OOJOuI IllIIS.
Through the courtesy of DR.. and Mrs.
a. w. Hyde the Register is privileged
to give its readers some first hand in
formation in ragard to life in Honolulu.
The following are extracts from letters
received from their daughter, Miss Hal
lie Hyde, who is sojourning in that in
teresting place.
Among other things she says, "To-
day is Monday" wash day the same
here as elsewhere even in the army.
1t just poured rain this a. m. so we
have our clothes out this p. III. 1t has
showered several times since. Any
way it kept us from ironing. Instead
we finished eighteen glasses of orange
marmalade 50 that we could have some
spread for breakfast, and that just
about ended the afternoon when | had
dinner done.
Tuesday and Thursday Ada Erwin
teaches a millinery class and | go
along-alsO make hats-so | won't
have to pay $500 for any more lids.
These same mornings we try to buy
up food enough for the week. We
have to shop at the old Jap or Chinese
markets or else the Hawaiian. The
Chinese merchant is the Jew all right.
We had a lot Of fun with one last
week. He cut prices and gave us an
orange and an extra & and so on
until we had saved quite a little. We
Wnra uninp IN hIu Snma cnnnGhU thing
and he said, You no Likely, just Chi
nese eat them"
We manage to get home about n
for lunch, pack another lunch and by
4:30 dash off for the beach. 1t takes
about half an hour to get there and by
the time We get into the ocean it is
$50. / think | like the ocean the best
Of anything we do. 1t is salty as can
be, doesn't taste very good, but is
warm and floats one very easily tho
not quite like Salt Lake.
Some. Of the beaches are very nice.
The sand is nice and smooth. Other
parts Of the beach have coral reef
which breaks off and washes toward
Tic Dioit IL lib IidhcS IL udlu W
keep a good swimming beach, conse-
quently some of them are not very
good.
Our maid lives down at the beach.
We joined a beach club so that we
could have some service and we don't
have to wash dishes down there. They
care for our suits, furnish dishes, ia
bles and care for them so we get out
of considerable work. We try to go
three times a week but it looks as if
W. might miss it this week. A Col
Iege Womans Club meeting tomorrow,
also a piano concert, Thursday p. NJ.
a tea, but I'd rather go to the beach.
Last week we spent some time bum
ming about in the Chinese and Jap
anese shops. We saw hundreds Of
Obi ribbons, some gorgeous ones, but
none Of the design and color we want
ed.
The only typical thing which the ma
tive Hawaiian people seem to do Is
Lahala grass weaving. They make all
kinds OF fiat beskets and mats with a
simple under and over pattern. The
other thing they have is topa cloth.
1t is bought in large pieces which may
be cut up for table covers or book
covers and the like.
The Hawaiian people around here
are interesting looking and they really
seem to have an interesting history.
They are very dark skinned and round
faced. Some of them are huge men
and women but they say they are not
so large as they used to be. Some of
them are very handsome especially
when they get some white blood in
| them. They surely have a queer Ian
guage made up Of five vowels and sew
en- c~onsonants. You may imagine the
/ repetition and the few words in their
= vocabulagies. Such words as the fol
5 lowing are seen on street signs: Wal
: kiki, Kaimuki. Kahala, Kaui, Kilauea
Kahuhu, Kehaha and so on
The Hawaiian women wear whal
they call holakee. They look like the
old time wrappers m used to wear
with a yoke, ruffled around. They al
!, SO have trains which keep the streets
: nice and clean. They wear all colors
; white, black, red, yellow, striped, silk
} and cotton. Sometimes they have
l great big hand woven hats on. They
look very strange and old fashioned
This is the ~cleanest town you ever
7 saw, no dust at all. We only dust
: once per week and then it isn't dusty
8 1t is a fine country to CAD in every day
especially II you have an auto.