Evening star., 1938-02-13
publicized, patronized and, in the end,
destroyed. At least as he knew It.

destroyed. At least as he knew it.
7 USTY sailrs OF square-riggers
and tramp steamers had left
their mark on Hawaii even before
this veteran tourist knew 1t, but the
pre-war traveller, especially those Of
the 1905, found native life not
wholly subjugated by the civilization
Of his day. 1t took the later tourist
horde to drive the true hula hula into
hiding, hedge in Honolulu's streets
with stores, dress the Hawaiian in
our conception Of what clothes ought
to be, put traffic cops at intersections
and wake up sleepy Waikiki Beach
with poppy. American chatter and
horseplay. Hawaii became simply an
outpost of Americas commercial
progress. These are the old-timer's
regrets. And they are neither silly
nor in vain.
He has friends, powerful friends,
who are protecting cast areas with
in the United States from exploitation,
from commercialism- -run-riot in the
form Of hot-dog stands, filling sta
tions, billboards, souvenir shops,
streamlined hotels and in some cases
even hard-surfaced roads. Horse-and-
buggy mindedness? Such a criticism
is almost too much of compliment,
for these benevolent autocrats believe
in things as they were before the horse
was known in America. Their theory
and their goal Is to allow Natures
works, not mans, to prevail Thus
have the National Parks Service and
its policy makers preserved the primi-
tive grandeur Of Americas National
Parks. More than 10000, 900 persons
paid tribute to that ideal during the
1897 season in visiting the parks and
smuggling close to Nature.
CHIDED for his sighs by those who
take their travel fun on beaten
paths and point out. in truth, that
foreign atmosphere still lives, the old
timer need not succumb to the
thought that he Is an old fogy. He
has more friends than he suspects.
and he can turn to several current
travel books to find varying degrees
Of discomfort with tourists who de-
spoil scene like a picnic crowd at a
dogwood tree.
In THE Spotted Lion" Kenneth
Gandar Dover sets out on an expedi-
ton to Africa with the fear that
modern tourism and commercial de-
| velopment have taken the mystery
| out Of the Dark Continent. He finds
| justification for his fears and takes
| the country to task for its motor
roads. educated" big game, business
like Safaris. But the book has a
| happy ending-its author finds in
the mountains of Kenya Colony the
adventure packed Africa he thought
had disappeared. Satisfied by his
guelling quest Of the mythical spotted
lion, he returns to report that he
who has the will still can find thrills
in Africa. And for the ordinary tour
ist there are plenty.
Island in the Sum-" by Godfrey
and Kit Bret Harte, was inspired by
a honeymoon couple determined to
! find congenial place uninhabited
by tourists. They found it, oddly
enough, not far from one OF the
more famous paradises Of tourism
the Isle of Capri. They make nc
secret Of their discovery, reveal the
name Of the tiny island-1schia. In
the Bay of Naples-and paint such
delightful word picture that nigh,
cause its shores to be overrun with
the same ham-and-eggs-f for break
fast tourists they sought to avoid
The authors lived in an old castle
bathed in the sun and in the blue
Mediterranean and studied the quaint
customs of the islanders. They liked
it. Who wouldn't?
In Miguel Covarrubias' book, Island
Of Ball." the author brings to the
public's attention (old-timer, please
note) that the Netherlands govern
ment is concerned with the harmful