8
THE GARDEN ISLAND, TUESDAY DEC. 10. 1918
ANCIENT CIVILIZATION OF HAWAII i
Mr. Augustus Knudson delivered a
very Interesting address with tho
above title before the recent teachers'
convention. Ho spoke substantially
as follows:
"Wo are apt to think of the early
Hawailans as a savago race. Rut
this la not so. Many years beforo the
advent of the missionaries to these
Islands several competent scientific
Investigators came hero and made
moro or less careful s'tudles of tho
condition and attainments of the peo
ple, and reported them to the world.
Evidence of- Early
. .Navigators
beginning with Cook, these Investi
gations wore continued oven moro
carefully and Intelligently by Van
couver and La Perouse. And these
visitors roport very favorably of tho
advanced condition of the people.
They recommend the Polynesian Is
lands as safe to visit, so much so
that Cook gave the distinctive name
"Friendly Islands" to ono of the
earliest groups ho visited. In the
other Islands of the Pacific they found
no government, no proper authority, no
law and order, but In tho Polynesian
Islands they found these essential
elements of civilization well develop
ed. "The population of the Islands when
Cook visited them was probably a
million and a half; the Island of Kauai
having 100,000. That a million and
a half human beings should exist and
thrive on so limited an area, and
with such limited resources, involves
a large degree of organization.
"In some respects, to be sure, thoy
were crudo and brutal, just as a
great deal in the Bible seems crude
and brutal. They lived in a different
age and had a different outlook on
life.
An Educated -. .
People
"They wero an .educated people.
They did not have any books to bo
sure, but books are not essential to
education. Some years ago an onto
mologist came to tho Islands to make
a collection of bugs and beetles.
When he came to Kauai we hunted
up an old Hawaiian who was familiar
with these things in a Hawaiian way,
and he gave him a long list of Ha
waiian bugs, and told him how and
where he could find them. Acting on
these instructions the collector went
out, and after a long and careful
search found about one third of them;
ana many of these were now to
science. When President Jordan, of
Stanford, the great authority on fishes,
was here on the Islands, some ono
told him of a sea-snako that was re
ported to be found in our Island
. waters. Jordan simply scouted the
idea. It could not bo found in these
latitudes. They got hold of an old
li&berman at tho market who assured
tlicm that there WAS such a snake,
gave it a Hawaiian name, and said
lie would get ono for them. Ho sent
word to Kaneohe and ono or two
other places on the Islands, and in a
few days they had specimens from
each of the places. Tho same is true
of the birds, and of tho plants. Tho
old Hawaiian botanist would go into
the mountains and no single plant
would faze him. He would know them
all, and havo names for them all.
"They wero an educated people.
And education for them did not mean
a few years of schooling, which they
promptly forgot when they got out of
Echool, but It was a life long devotion
lo tho absolute mastery of tho art
ir profession which they had under
taken. Favored Position of
Women
"Another significant evidence of a
high degree of civilization was tho
favored position of women among
them. Actually the Hawaiian woman
possessed more freedom and was
treated with more consideration, than
is her modern sister In these days,
say in England. She was never tho
chattel of man, as sho is in too many
so called civilized lands. Sho was
also entitled to the care and disposi
tion of her children.
"1 admit that there are some Indi
cations which seem to contravene
this point of view. Recently when I
j.'ave this same talk beforo tho Hono
lulu Historical Society, I was unguard
wanted to ask any questions I would
(! enough to suggest that if any ono
endeavor to answer them. And this
question was put to mo, 'Why then
were women not allowed to cat ba
nanas?' I confess that I was non
plussed for the moment, and couldn't
give any satisfactory answer. But
thinking it over since I havo come
to tho conclusion that bananas would
be too fattening, and for that reason
thoy wero tabued.
"Tho old Hawaiians wero a busy
peoplo, much lean given to idleness
than they are now. The monumental
works of a public nature fish ponds,
terraced and walled up taro lands,
roads, ditches, etc., aro an eloquent
testimony to the tireless industry of
tho race. Alexander Campbell, a sail
or who was unfortunate enough to
havo both his feet frozen on tho
North-West Coast, so that they had to
bo amputated, and who came to ho
Islands In 1S09, and remained hero
for a year, moro or less'ln tho employ
of Kamohamcha as a minor chief,
speaks in tho highest terms of tho In
dustry of tho people: ho know of no
land in any part of tho world which
equaled theso Islands In the industry
of Its people.
Richness of the
Language
"We aro apt to think of tho Hawai
ian language as mdngro and defective,
inadequate to the expression of tho
finer shades of thought and meaning.
But this is a mistake. It was a lan
guago wonderfully rich and floxiblo
for tho needs of the peoplo, and along
many lines it outran oven the English
in variety and fullness of expression
That tho language of tho modern Ha
waiian Is cramped and poverty-strlck
en, this is no reflection on the lan
guago of his fore-fathers. They were
woefully handicapped in an industrial
and constructive way by lack of met
als. Thoy had no Iron, or copper, and
were thus precluded from tho large
Industrial possibilities which go with
theso valuable metals. They had
nothing but wood and stone, and the
stono was of poor quality. Where
others had obsidian, jado or flint, tho
Hawailans had only lava, mostly soft
and porus, and at best, in the basaltic
form, unable to take much of a cut
ting edge. Yet, notwithstanding these
handicaps, consider what tho Hawaii
ans wero able to accomplish by means
of industry and skill, the great canoes
thoy heaved out of koa logs, and tho
beautiful calabashes and other articles
of furniture that they fabricated with
rude stono adzes that would seem to
us unfitted to cut butter.
Wonderful
Navigators
"As navigators they hold very high
rank. In their frail canoes they fre
quently made distant voyages across
tho trackless Pacific extending to
-'000 or 3000 miles. And they did
this not by blind chance, or phenomi-
nal good luck. When they set out for
Tahiti they knew which way to go,
and just how to get there. To find
such small islands in the wide waste
ui sua, wunoui cnart, compass or
chronometer, this manifestly betray
ed a large amount of skill. Thoy did
It as tho best navigators do today, by
the stars. They wero no mean as
tronomers, in their way. They knew
that the world was round; they knew
tho stars and constellations, and had
given names to hundreds of them.
Artistic
Sense
"Thoy were keenly alivo to a sense
of beauty, and largely appreciative of
the things of beauty. You all know
how passionately fond of leis tho Ha
waiians are, and how the vines and
flowers of the forest appeal to them.
In the olden days feather work was a
fine art, much cultivated, and the
feather leis, and feather cloaks of
those times vie in beauty and value
with tho gems and Jewels, and royal
regalia of modern courts.
Lillha Trains for
Court
"When Bokl and Lillha accompa
nied Lihollho on his trip to Sngland,
accustomed to wearing only the most
abbreviated skirts then current in Ha
waii, Lillha made up her mind that
sho must acquire the art of handling
long skirts and trains; so sho had
sail cloth skirts made on board ship
and practiced with them, and with
such good success that when sho
landed in London and was invited to
a Court reception sho bore herself
with such grace and dignity that
a prominent lady of tho Court said,
"Would that our European princesses
could carry themselves with tho grace
ana dignity of this dark-skinned
beauty!"
Why a Decadent
Race
"How is it. you may ask. that so
sturdy and so intelligent a peoplo
wont to tho wall so easily? Why was
it mat so highly civilized themselves.
they wero not able to stand tho civili
zation of tho world around them?
Well, they fell an easy prey, I believe,
to tho evils of civilization, to physical
disease and destruction because of
their age-long protection from theso
things. Through exposure to genera
tions of contact with physical diseaso
a certain hardness has been developed j
in the modern civilized races. They '
havo become immuno so that they can I
resist tho epidemic that attack the
world. But tho Hawaiians had a pure,
unsophisticated blood, so to speak, 1
which had not doveloped tho neces-'
sary serum to render them immune, i
consequently they fell an easy prey to 1
tho epidemics, and tho constantly
prevalent diseases, to which contact
with European civilization cxnosed
them, and which tho whito man
could resist much moro successfully
because of his long exposure to them.
A Sturdy
Race
"That tho Hawailans wero physical
ly u sturdy race, no ono who knows
them will deny. No sailors that wont
up to tho Arctic In the old whaling
1 days stood tho cold and oxposuro llko
, (,ho Hawallausj And none 'of tho
various pcoplo3 who havo como to
theso Islands ns laborers can com
pete with tho Hawailans In tholr
ability to perform the arduous tasks
of the "uku-pau."
The Key Word:
"Aloha"
"Hawaii has taught tho world a
wonderful lesson of hospitality and
fellowship, In welcoming to her shores
the various races that arc gathered
here, and of treating thorn with that
courteous and kindly consideration,
which has mado them, ono and all,
our brothers. And so doing she has
but signified, in these modern days,
the characteristic virtue of her an
cient civilization, which finds expres
sion In that significant word sho has
given to tho world Aloha."
:0:
THE FORNANDER FOLK-LORE
An additional volume of tho Fovn
arrier eoltjetio of h ..ull.ui Anti
quities and Folk-Loro has just been
published by tho Bishop Museum. "
Fofiiandor, bo It said for the benefit
of our malihlnl readers, was a clrcut
Judge, resident at Lahaina some 30
or 40 years ago Who devoted his spare
time most assiduously to the study
of the legendary and early history of
Hawaii, and to tho collection and
preservation of Hawaiian moles and
legends. Much of this material 'he
embodied in his monumental work,
"Tho Polynesian Race," but ho left,
In addition, a great mass of more or
less undigested original material
which finally came into tho possession
of the Bishop Museum, and Is now
being put into shape, translated, and
published. Tho editorial and trans
lation work has been done by Thos.
G. Thrum, one of the very few men
fitted for such a task. Tho present
volume of 225 quarto pages is tho
socftnd of the series. It consists of
tho legendary stories of famous he
roes and demigods of Hawaiian his
tory.
Among those, that of Kowolo, is of
particular interest to us, since tradi
tion ascribes to him tho conquest of
Kauai, and a romantic reign over the
Island with his royal residence at
llanamaulu.
IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE
FIFTH CIRCUIT, TERRITORY OF
HAWAII AT CHAMBERS' IN
PROBATE.
In tho Matter of the Estate of
Manuel Ferreira, late of Kapaa
Kauai, Deceased.
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
Notice is hereby given by tho under
signed Adm'nlstrator of tho estate
of Manuel Ferreira, deceased, to all
persons having claims against said
decedent or his estate to present Mm
same, duly authenticated, and with
proper vouchers, !f any exist, to the
undersigned Administrator, at his
ofilce in Kapaa, within six (G) months
from December 10, 1018 (tho dato of
the first publication of this notice!
or they will bo forever barred.
Dated this 10th day of Dec. A. D
191S.
M. S. HENRIQUES,
Administrator of tho Estate of
Manuel Ferreira, deceased.
P. O. Address Kapaa, Kauai.
Steady
Power
ye Gasoline
ifQuaiity
A continuous, uni
form chain of boil
ing points makes
"Red Crown" de
pendable. No "mix
ture" can give the
same satisfactory;
results. Look for the
Red Crown sign be
fore you fill.
STANDARD OIL COMPANY
(Californii)
IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE
FIFTH CIRCUIT
Territory of Hawaii
At Chambers In Probate, No. . .
Ill tht Mailer of the Kstnto of
l'lniu-isco Ferreirn, deceased.
Order of Notice of Petition for
Allowance of Accounts, Determi
nation of Trust and Distribution
of the Estate.
On Rending and Filing the Peti
tion and accounts of Louis A. Ca
bral, Administrator of the Estate
of Francisco Ferreira, deceased,
wherein petitioner -asks to be al
lowed S1S5.9S, and charged with
8 l2o7.2!5, and prays that his ac
counts be examined and approved,
that be and his securities be dis
charged from all further responrfi
bilitii'g concerning said estate and
that a final order of distribution be
made of the pioperty remaining in
his possession to the persons there
to entitled
It is ordered, that Saturday, the
21st day of December A. D. 191S,
at !):!50 o'clock A. M. at the Court
Hooni in Lihue, Kauai, of this
Court, be and the same hereby is
appointed the time and place for
hearing said Petition and Accounts,
and that all persons interested then
and there appear and show cause,
if any they have, why said petition
should not be granted, and present
evidence as to who are entitled to
the said property.
Dated the 14th day of Novem
ber, 1918.
(Sgd) LYLE A. DICKEY,
Judge of the Circuit Court of tho Fifth
Circuit.
Attest:
(Sgd) D. WM. DEAN,
Clerk of tho Circuit Court of tho
Fifth Circuit.
Nov. l!)-2fi, Dec. 3-10.
FOR SALE
..Buick Six, newly painted and In
first-class, condition. Price, reason
able. Apply to Garden Island for
information. tf.
FOR SALE
Ford Touring Car Dody, set
33x4 Non-Skid Chains. Enquiro
this office.
.K' x..k
k
T
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t
Chris
tmas
, Oriental Wares fffi
A half year's journey by our representatives
to tho Orient has yielded the many striking
examples of artistic merchandise now display
ed hero.
You will . enthuse over our Satsumn and
Kulani Wares. Figures, Bowls, Vases and
Koros. Bronze Animals in great variety, etc.
A more fit ting Christmas gift cannot be pur
chased than a Thermos Bottle; it keeps liquid
hot or cold for 12-1 hours. Price from 82.50 to
10.00.
W. W. Diraond & Co., Ltd.
The llnusc of JFouseirarcs
!l5 (ii H. King Kt.
HONOLULU, HAWAII
A
r mm-wx-WKM im mu v m
iT When in Honolulu
tSl t stop at
Tlia 13 H 11
EUROPEAN riAN
r
1
Running water In every room; rooms
singly or with baths; comlortable beds;
close to best restaurants and all car
lines. Highest class service.
Centrally located In the theatre and
J. F. CHILD. Proprietor
Mr. A. T. R. Jackson, who recently
look charge of tho Ahuklnl landing
far Lihue Plantation, has been very
busy looking after several improve
. r.ionts being installed there since hfs
of arrival. A"mong other things Mr.
at Jackson intends to make tho location
a more attractive ono. Ho has al
- w -
Celebrate our great victory by mak
ing appropriate. Christmas gifts to your
family and friends.
Our display of Holiday Goods is
most complete and you will be sure lo find
something appropriate for everyone you
wish to remember.
J. L SILVA'S Eleele
ri bmi
shopping center.
ready done somo grading between
tho main sugar house and the land
ing, and made a graded cinder path
to tho landing. Later on ho will
plant grass and various shrubs on
the former eyesoro to those who at
some time or other had to -crawl up
tho bank on all fours whllo burdened
with heavy luggage.
J t J 1 !
$ i
immsm
MAS
i
i
t
Store.
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