The Madisonian., December 23, 1913, Image 14

About The Madisonian. (Richmond, Ky.) 1913-1914

Image provided by: University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY

                
T H ;M A P I SON I A N
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Christmas Ranks First in the
MincJs of the Island People.
An Interesting Medley of Little Folks
of Many Races and From Many
Lands Participate in the Joy
ful Yule-Tide Celebrations.
By KATHERINE POPE.
A S in all other Christian lands,
Christmas is the greatest of
f the many holidays in Hawaii.
To realize the importance of
the religious festival as compared with
others I will mention a few of the
others first - " '
The birthday of Kamehameha III.,
on the seventeenth of March, is cele
brated by a display of bunting and the
wearing of gay Ieis (wreathe) of flow
ers. Decoration day is made much of,
by both the white and the brown folk
Kamehameha day, June eleventh, is a
big day with the natives, a day in
honor of their great king, Kamehame
ha I., sometimes styled the Napoleon
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Christmas Tree of Hawaii.
of Hawaii. July Fourth, which now
has double meaning in Hawaii, has al
ways been the American resident's
great day.
"One learns to skate in summer and
to swim in winter," and one learns pa
triotism in a foreign land." At home,
save in stirring times of war, one's
heart is not apt; to quicken its beat
at the sound of "The Star-Spangled
Banner; at home in "midsummer one
does not of ten" brave heat and crowd
to listen to the reading of the Declara
tion of Independence; at home one
does not flaunt red. white and blue on
hatband and with badge; but we all
know how the American in London
and Berlin comports himself on this
day, which when at home he tries to
run away from. In the little land of
Hawaii the citizen bom In "the
States" is not behind the American in
London and Berlin. All muster , to
make of the day a glorious Fourth, and
no one is in the least blase or indif
ferent about the celebration. The na
tional songs rise lustily, 'way up above
the palm fringes; the clearest voice
in the land reads the immortal words
of "When in the course of human
events," and reads to reverent listen
ers; the most inflated American glory
ing is accepted as the day's due; very
genuine feeling swells the volume and
interprets the meaning of "My coun
try, tls of thee."
November 28 Is Hawaiian Independ
ence day, a holiday to commemorate
t"hat on the twenty-eighth of the elev
enth month of the year 1853 France
and England announced, in a joint dec
laration, their consideration of the
fine fishing; faw indoor dances, bat
many picnics at Waikiki, where the
seaside residences are and the beach
which ie the great water playground
for the people of the city.
In Hawaii we are made aware of the
approach of Christmas day all the pre
ceding night. All night the Hawaiian
warblers are abroad, all night the toy
cannons boom, the firecrackers pop.
The newcomer feels the midwinter
holiday has changed places with the
midsummer one, and wonders if a per
son can stand two "Fourths" in a year.
Where I live In Honolulu sleep on the
night before Christmas is impossible.
Fortified, not for resistance but for a
show of truce, with scores of oranges
and innumerable sacks of candy, I go
to my room and await, with as good
grace as possible, the coming of my
visitors. -About -nidnight I hear the
6ound of many footsteps on the gravel,
stifled mirth, the testing of strings,
and then burst forth, "A ruby lip
to kiss, love," and other songs of that
ilk. The newcomer is surprised and
asks if these be Christmas wait6; says
she is reminded rather of a crowd of
Romeos besieging a Jultet. The Ro
meos at the .particular balcony of
which I speak, never found Juliet un
responsive, and' into outstretched
hands always fall a rain of goodies.
There are hearty thanks called up to
the windows, and many pleasant
voices raised in "Merry -Kreesmus!
Merry Kreesmus!" The giver feels
I repaid, and philosophizes that the loss
of one night's sleep is not so very seri-
OUS. t
On the islands there is an attempt
made to copy the Christmas of the
lands where the .white man abounds;
gift-making, church-going, plum-pud
ding and greens are used to help it
out. Manyof the gifts are such as
you of cold climes have toys, games,
books, flowers, pictures, dolls, jewelry.
finery; but, as was suggested above.
there is no call for skates, sleds, muf
flers,- furs . or velvets. The church-
going Is a6 it is with you; early mass
for the Catholics, early service for the
Episcopal church folk, church festivi
ties for the little ones and the poor.
The going out into the highways and!
hedges is literally followed in Hono
lulu at this season. Brown babies
from hovels hid at the foot of Diamond
Head, big-eyed Portuguese girls and
boys from the slopes of Punch Bowl,
children sheltered in hutB dotted
among the lantana thickets of Kalihi
valley, little aquatics from Waikiki, all.
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I $8 1
? Typical Native Boy.
"Sandwich Islands as an independent
state." Close to Independence Day
comes Thanksgiving, , which .is cele
brated by all, the divers races in Ha
waii uniting to make a holiday f the
', New Englander's harvest festival.
V And now for the one great holiday
of all the year. . J:
- With, us islanders, as with you of
the States, Christmas is the holiday
' of all the year, is long looked forward
to. Ions: kept in recollection. No man
so hoary, so superstitious, so clothed
about with the old Hawaiian fears of
eviL but that bas heard of the magi
and the Child; no little one in all the
land but feels some influence, of the
spirit of the giver.,
Thoush there Is much of real Christ
mas in the air in the way of unselfish
giving of pleasure and of renewal of
Youthful feelings, to you the tweniy-
fifth of December In Honolulu prob-
'ably would not seem .very much iiK9
Christmas. The gownare white, the
hats' summery: many fet are bare,
and at the beach: considerable of the
body of the native fisherman is also
harp. The hibiscus hedges are aflame
v.incenms.' while the odors- of
violete. stephanotis, heliotrope,
pluiaarias and carnations muke the
air heavy with fragrance. Ther are
no sleigh bells, but masy merry corse-ba-ck
parties; there Is eo skating, but
A Christmas Shopping Scene.
are Invited, to all the church portals
are flung wide on Christmas eve. Cen
tral Union church, the stately cathe
dral, Kawaiahao, as well as the chap
els at Makiki, Kalihi and Palama,
bring them into the charmed circle ol
the Christmas tree.
Little Ah Oi and Ah Ooe, Safeto and
Yokomitso, too, are not forgotten or
treated unfairly. Queues and kimonoa
have their trees, their gifts, Christmas
songs writ in their tongues, patrons
to act for them the Dart of St. Niche-
las. When we peep in at this church
and at that, see Saxon and Hawaiian,
Portuguese, Japanese, Chinese, South
Sea Islander, care for, happy, rejoic
ing, we seem to find some real mean
ing In "the brotherhood of man;" w
repeat softly:
"The angels song rings everywhere
And all the earth is holy land."
COUNTING THE MINUTES
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What He Wanted to Know.
Millionaire (to his daughter) Tell
me, child that young man who wants,
to marry you this Christmas, has hti
got any money?
'Miss Innocence Money,; lather?
Wliy, he. has just given me a cluster
diamond ring studded with pearls.
'Millionaire-Yes, I know. Has he
any money left?
WHY TOMMY VEPT.
Nurse Why, what's tha matter.
Master Tommy? .
Tommy Boo-hoo! Now I've got a
gun at last, an' I'll just bet there ain't
no bears around her sr bs w
fckoot! ;
TELLING THEIR WANTS
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Raihorine Unpson
(CoDyright. 1913.)
ILL the stores along
Main street were gay
with Christmas decor
ation. - Even the win
dow of Scarvin's curio
shop bravely flaunted
some brilliant holly
wreaths.
Edwin Lander paus
ed before this window
and stood for a long
time apparently lost in
contemplation of the
filigree bracelets displayed there. At
last he roused himself with an effort
and opened the door. At "his en
trance, old Scarvin, the dealer, came
smilingly forward rubbing his wrink
led hands.
"What may I do for you this after
noon?" he suavely asked, while his
shrewd, beady eyes noted every. detail
of his customer's tall, well-dressed
j figure. ' '
"I should like to look at 6omething
tnat would be suitable as a Christ
mas present for a lady," Lander an
swered briskly, but a keen observer
would have noticed that his cheerful
ness was forced, and in his eyes was
a look of utter weariness.
"Certainly, certainly, right over
here," said Scarvin, leading the way
to a case where some quaint necklaces
were displayed. "This amethyst, one
Asa
HIS FIRST CHRISTMAS SURPRISE
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Spread Open the Book Enticingly.
setting that is
with her sympathetic volco and reatfal ,
ways who had made it seem eo. Not '
matter how tired she might be with
her day in the schoolroom, she was;
always ready to rejoice or sympathize
"I'll send her some roses the finest
can find," he declared with a sudden
rush of remorseful tenderness. He en
tered a flower 6hop and bought a huge
bunch of velvety American Beauties.,
Send them to this address," he told.
the dealer and gave him a card.
Next door was the establishment of
an expensive iurrier, ana a tauuer
passed the window, heaw Marguerite
Fenton looking at a set of brown lynx.
The rich tones went well with her
brown eyes and tawny hair. Ae she
stood there with the soft furs about
her, she reminded ' him of some bar
baric princess. Ever 6ince he had first
met her at a dinner given at the home
of the senior member of the firm.
Lander had been greatly fascinated, 1
and felt that her beauty and position
fitted in with his ambitious dreams.
Yet, strangely enough, today her beau
ty did not make its usual appeal to
him that mingled with 1 her dnuous
grace, was also something of felino
cruelty.
"Those furs probably cost more than
my month's salary," he muttered. "Her
insatiable craving for luxury would
fasten itself, vampire like, pn the lite
blood of the man who marries her!"
He strode down the street, feeling
that the crowded cars would stifle hiin,
and longing for the sense of physical
motion and the stinging air. against
his face. Wh.en he reached his rooms
he found . on the table an invitatioa
from Mrs. Dane, a prominent society
hostess, Inviting him to attend a din
ner she was giving- that night.
VThat doesn't fit in with the load of
work I must get through with before
office hours tomorrow." Wearily he
laid a package of business papers on
the table and rested his read in his
hands. "What does it all amount to
what does life amount to?" he ques
tioned despondently. "These people
who invite me do not really care for
me. It is merely because I fill in and
make an agreeable dinner guest, and
for that I have practically given up
my old friends.".
He reallze-d that his present mood
was the reaction from exhilaration of
conquest which the past year of al
most spectacular success had given,
him. '-'
"I'd lik to chuck the whole thing,
and go bawk. If only I could have a'
talk Avith Mice in- the old way, I'd feel
myself ajPin." He sat up with new
energy. "t wonder if she'd let me
come?"
There wis need to look In the tele
phone booc for the familiar number.
With brathles3 suspense he waited
while th-2 landlady called Miss Glea
son to tl'e 'phone, and at the 6ound of
her voice his heart began to pound
boyishly. She was serenely gracious,
yet he oVected a note of surprise as -he
asker f"ermisEion to call. Then she-'
Epoke o? 'he roses, and added:..
"I car't begin to describe my delight .
over tbf.t quaint old English book. It
filled a lr-ng-felt want for the posses
sion ot a real first edition."- Mechan-
icaliy Tre responded, questioning him-
self "Jn while: "WThat book? Did L '
mate nistake and send Miss -Fen-ton's
Tristmas gift,-to Alice? -In :
my dcrgd weariness I must have giv
en the dealer the wrong address." He
thongft )f Marguerite's demand of the
bes. 7?er due, and a sense of impish '
joy ?r-rpt over him at-, the mistake
which I-ad defeated. the usual order. .
fl Bnt a messenger boy . with a
not. ;D Mrs. Dane containing regrets
for tf-e dinner, then dressed and hur
ried o the lodging house . on Fleet
6trsef-
"f'rrtTre, and you're' a stranger
thefle ays, Mr. Landers," remarked
tae T ilid who opened the door. As
she fnt upstairs to call Miss Glea-
son Ire? round Irish face reminded him
of si jheery full moon. He glanced it
the r-fm old haircloth sofa, and cen
ter fiMe strewn with magazines, the
fftniikr shabbiness of the little par
lor mnde the past year seem as unreal
as a teverish dream.
When Alice entered she seemed to
brlng with her an atmosphere of se-;
renity and peace. Eagerly he rosev '
then sank back on the sofa, lis face"
has the antique
much in vogue."
Lander gravely touched the silver
links and thought: "My affair with
Marguerite is what Aunt Collins would
call 'between grass and hay.' It is
past the candy-and-flower stage; but
has hardly arrived at jewels "
Then aloud he said: "No, I had in
mind something different a book per
haps."
"Ah, the very thing!" Prarvin dived
into ft dusty corner and brought iortL -.-Vent white and everything blurred be-
a foreign-looking volume, -"-hose brown fore him.
leather binding was curioasl) , Aiii
with pearl. .
"Early English poems, after., the
old missal style, and hand illuminat
ed," the dealer spread open the book
enticingly. .
Lander turned over the leaves with
interest "Yes, I believe this is unique
and costly enough to please even the
fastidious Marguerite," fcis thin lips
curved in. a cynical smite. -"Ill take
It," he" remarked with the brevity'of
the average -masculine shopper when
he finds something which strikes his
fancy. . : x '
Ae he threw down a bill he was an
noyed to . see how his hands shook.
"Burning the cs.ndle at both ends has
had an effect," he thought, and as he
left the shop, added: "This mixing of
business and society is the pace that
kills. I euppose stimulants will be the
next resort."; ; . . J -" '
TTa recalled last Christmas at his
former boarding place, and of the
friends ! there especially Alice G lea
son. - Whenever he thought of her
now, it was with a sense of remorse.
They had been very warm friends, but
since his sudden advancement in busi
ness had necessitated more commodi
ous surroundings, he had seen little of
her. . He had really not meant to neg
lect the old friends when he began to
go more into society and make new
ones, but unconsciously he bad drifted
away from the little circle on Fleet
street - - ' ' '
. . . . 1 t . 1 . 1 .
ine suaooy oia.ptace sttictu
more like home than my new quanta
ever will," he muttered, and a real:
tlon came to him that'll Wrag1. Alice
"What Is it, Edwin, are you ill?" she
cried, in her alarm the old. name'
slipped tfut unconsciously. .
He passed his band over his eyes it
a dazed fashion. ,"No it Is nothing,"
he muttered. Then, earnestly, 1 am
tired weary with life as it is. It i
you only I want, Alice, you, ajone Id
the wide world that L love. Is there
ay hop?" .
:,. His voice sank almost to a whisper ;
and for one tense moment there was -silence
In the little room." Then, bv wav
of .answer, she drew the poor, tired !
M 1 ., . ... S
tact? at, juhi uer ureasi wim 'a ges- -
ture of ineffable tenderness. '
In thai moment, Lander felt that to
his weary questionings as to what was
worth ..while, the answer was not ma-
terial success, but love which means '. ;
life in its fullness. : - .
Curious: Christmas Superstition. l.
On Christmas eve, at midnight, coun !
try people in England believe that the
Christ child revisitB the earth. Some- ,
times, therefore, if there is a sick V'
child in the-house, the mother will 1
take the little one to the door, just be-
fore ?nidnight, and wait till the hour J
strikfs. If the child recovers, It is be I
cause the Babe of . Bethlehem has V
touched It with healing fingers during
the earthward journey. But If the
child sickens and dies, all is well, for
the mother heart is comforted by the
thought that the little one was called
by the Christ child to h his "p'ftr
mate" in heaven.
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