LITTLE JOURNEYSTHROUGH PARADISE.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 4, Issue 18, 5 March 1915, Page 7 (Supplement)

LITTLE JOURNEYSTHROUGH PARADISE.

No. 5

(Rights reserved.)

By Jas. H. Stevens

Literature of, concerning, or by Hawaiians is of a high class. There are many native or other writers who deal with, legend and story, history and poetry from a high plane of thought, and to wander at will through the Bookshop-library of .Air Thrums, a personal friend of R.L.S. the beloved, and himself an unassuming man of letters, is pure delight. In that shop, Stevenson biowsed day after day, and ; n reply to enquiries by an attendant said, "I only want to be at home lad." Books are dear, nothing less than a dollar. We see none of Nelson's, Scott's, Methuen's, Hodder's or other pretty little sevenpenny or ninepenny editions of good works; but then in this land, who wants to read, except from men and trees? The newspapers are wealthy in a land where the minimum coin or price is There is good stuff in them, but to us they are spoiled by the startling head lines and a want of classification of subjects. Music too is more advanced than that of our country. The natives have their own songs, many of which are used by our people in stave or gramophone. A lovely little instrument like a half-sized fiddle, the ukulels, is much used, and from its soft tone, is specially suitable for accompaniment. The native mothers patiently teach the children to softly and sweetly sing melodies before they can lisp the words. The Royal Hawaiian Band of 35 natives was conducted by Captain Bcrger for 42 years, whose birthday celebration we saw. Tin?" ceremony was presided over by the ex-Queen, the Governor, the ex-Pre-sident and a Judge of the Supreme Court. The conductor was a FrancoGerman war veteran, loaned by the German Emperor to the King of Hawaii. This band is said to be one of the finest in the world. It is proudly and generously maintained by the Government. On one occasion we asked if visitors should contribute; but the manager said no local institution ever sent round the hat, and, in fact, he said not even the churches here preach begging seimon=. For teacher's play, our Education Department should follow the example of the United States, who send parties of teachers out every vacation to broaden their minds and impart their impressions to their receptive pupils. Twenty of them sang their farewells here recently to patriotic music:

"I love you Honolulu, and I hate to say good-bye; I love your purple mountains and your rainbow tinted sky. 1 love your charming people, and your music is divine; I lovo your surf boat riding, and I love your tropic clime."

Local politicians and the Press would appear to be Immune from the law of libel. A speaker described his opponent as the meanest creature that walks, and was brought to book by a local ncT7;paper thus: "Mr. J Is grossly misleading the electors, for we happen to know that his opponent Mr. F does not walk, at least not uprightly. He is the meanest crawler we know."

Utifenced gardens and open verandahs to cottage or mansion give the stranger in the street the Impression that all is his for the venture In. All classes of homes are represented, almost from the feudal castle when all had slaves, the stately mansion when all had cheap labour, to the modern bungalow, a bunch of conveniences to the lady who loves to run her own house—and has to. The hot water service is in many cases by roof reflection. Street numbers. We sliould fellow their rational method in numbering the houses, by which the street number indicates both ths location of the block and the position of the block and the position of the house. Boginning at the west or south, bouses in block 1 are from 1 to 100, if there are that many In the block, which seldom occurs; those in block 2 arc from 101 to 200 and so on.

Cash on delivery is largely i sed and is fostered and assisted by the U.S. Government. Shoal 1 any odd account remain unpaid for a month, the debtor receives a card inscribed simply "Please," if for two months "Please Mr.," and three months "Pleose Damn You," what happens then, I know not. Others again stamp the account thus, P.D.Q., which means "Pay D Quick." Some classes of work are done very cheaply and well; but one needs to enquire. A firm employing 10 typists asked me 30'. for certain work, mt a skilful Chinaman did it in first-cU-M style for 3/8. Business, evm in the average poor premises, partakes of a refreshing spirit of service, and Is run for the comfort of the client and the profit of the proprietor, not, as often with us. for the owner's or Ms manager's convenience. There is an entire absence of "keep off the grass' restrictions, with a direct invitation to walk in and take your ease. Who in our country woulcl think to adorn all the working parts of machinery, flywheel. ioilh, and walls with white enamel, making the machinery shop as inviting rs a first-class hotel lounge? The briilUn* combination of business abi'ily shown by the Americans and Chiiu.se la everywhere in evidence. Their decimalcoinage with a week's tuition is ideal.

Their tram collection system without tickets, five cent faros (2V 2 d) any- ! where to a terminus up to about ten miles, registered on a miniature totalisator, showing the tahi.ißH of the trip and the clay; change given from spring holders on the beU without looking at it. transfei card to any other Hue from any plai\-> between terminals. The city gram?d a ;'•') > tars' concession to the trim ways company, who use the overhead system. This company pays 8 per cent, to its shareholders, after which further proh'.s are divided with the city, which for several years has received from three to four per cent., without invest'ng a penny of capital, the company meanwhile' getting through the agreeuert with an eye to the future by building new lines out of profits to the extent of a still further 5 per cent. There are 30 street cars, each earning £'r> per day for seven days per week that is £1 per head per annum for the r.0,000 inhabitants. They have aban. cloned motor busses for passenger traffic and say there Is no track in the world so efficient and economical as steel rails, and 1 have no doubt of it. Molokai. Sixty miles from here is

I the battle-ground of heroism and self- ' abnegation, of which we never hear. Hawaii is the home of leprosy; but we see or hear nothing of it, because directly the first dark, sign shows on the ear lobe, the fated one is segregated on Molokai. Eight hundred men and women are there without a hope of departure, not because of there being much danger of infection or contagion as we supposed, but because it is transmissible. This being so, 'tis strange that It has not been stamped out or materially diminished since the days of the Pharaohs. It is the oldest known disease in the world'; history. The settlement is undo.' the care of Roman Catholic priests, and is supported by the Government ot Hawaii. The people will not talk of it, or do so with a linger on the lip. Quite recently a student in the research laboratory located the germ. He and his assistant are now engaged in the attempt to discover an antitoxin, and they deal daily with several animals in their experiments, so far unsuccessfully. The story of Father Damien's self Immolation first brought Molokai before the world. Let us hope that modern science will soon dispel this ancient mystery and so perform another modern miracle. Another remedy than isolation suggests itself, but men have not taken kindly to it. In leprosy, there are three distinctive phases, nervous, tuberculous, and these two combined; in all cases hopeless, until by the extensive vivisection experiments now being conducted on .Molokai, the anti-toxin is discovered. The doctor says that if the hysterical anti-vivisectionists had their way in the past twenty years, each town would now have to purchase a new cemetery lot every five years. The disease, like tuberculosis and cancer is believed to be disseminated largely by house Infection, where the germ may lie dormant many long years. Leprosy, like diphtheria, scarlet fever, or small-pox receives drastic treatment and short shrift by the health authorities here. On the occasion of an outbreak of diphtheria in these islands, the medical health officer swabbed the throats of the ten thousand people within the infected area in one week. The strenuous objectors were simply told that the "Black Maria" would bring them along, and it did. The outbreak soon yielded.