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[Illustration: Yours truly
W. J. Bryan (handwritten signature)]
THE OLD WORLD AND ITS WAYS
by
WILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN
Describing a Tour around the World and Journeys through Europe
[Illustration: logo]
St. Louis
The Thompson Publishing Company
1907
Copyright 1907
by William Jennings Bryan
Author's Preface
This volume is published in response to numerous requests from many
sections, and my purpose is to put in permanent and convenient form
the observations made during travels in the old world.
The illustrations will throw light on the subjects treated and it is
believed will add much to the interest. The photographs from which
they were made were collected at the places visited or taken by
members of our party. Chapters one to forty-six were written from
time to time during the trip around the world.
I was accompanied on this tour by my wife and our two younger
children, William J., Jr., and Grace, aged sixteen and fourteen
years respectively. The trip was taken for educational purposes and
proved far more instructive than we anticipated.
We left our home September 21, 1905, sailed from San Francisco
September 27, and arrived in New York August 29, 1906--the day
before the date fixed for the home-coming reception in that
city--and reached Lincoln September 5, sixteen days less than a year
after our departure.
While most of our travel was in the North Temperate Zone, we were
below the Equator a few days in Java and above the Arctic Circle in
Norway.
In this narrative I fear I have sacrificed literary style to
conciseness, for I have endeavored to condense and crowd into the
space as much information as possible. The statement of facts may be
relied on, being based either upon observations gathered at first
hand from persons worthy to be trusted, or taken from authoritative
writings.
Mrs. Bryan assisted me in the collection of materials and the
preparation of the matter, and I am also indebted to the American
Ambassadors, Ministers and Consuls, as well as to the officials of
the countries which were visited, for valuable information.
I have included a series of articles written during a former visit
to Europe in 1902. As I have avoided in the World Tour Narratives
the subjects treated in these previous European articles, the two
series are appropriately published together.
All of these are published with the more pleasure because I believe
they will give the reader increased admiration for American
institutions and a larger confidence in the triumph of American
Ideals.
WILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN
Lincoln, Nebraska, 1907
CONTENTS
AUTHOR'S PREFACE 5
CHAPTER I--Crossing the Pacific--Hawaii 15
CHAPTER II--Japan and Her People 25
CHAPTER III--Japanese Customs and Hospitality 37
CHAPTER IV--Japan--Her History and Progress 49
CHAPTER V--Japan--Her Industries, Arts and Commerce 61
CHAPTER VI--Japan--Her Educational System and Her Religions 69
CHAPTER VII--Japan--Her Government, Politics and Problems 80
CHAPTER VIII--Korea--"The Hermit Nation" 90
CHAPTER IX--China--As She Was 101
CHAPTER X--China--As She Was--Part Second 112
CHAPTER XI--Chinese Education, Religion and Philosophy 119
CHAPTER XII--China's Awakening 127
CHAPTER XIII--Chinese Exclusion 137
CHAPTER XIV--The Philippines--The Northern Islands 151
CHAPTER XV--The Philippines--The Moro Country 177
CHAPTER XVI--The Philippine Problem 186
CHAPTER XVII--The Philippine Problem--Continued 197
CHAPTER XVIII--Java--The Beautiful 205
CHAPTER XIX--Netherlands India 215
CHAPTER XX--In The Tropics 223
CHAPTER XXI--Burma and Buddhism 234
CHAPTER XXII--Eastern India 247
CHAPTER XXIII--Hindu India 260
CHAPTER XXIV--Mohammedan India 273
CHAPTER XXV--Western India 285
CHAPTER XXVI--British Rule in India 295
CHAPTER XXVII--Ancient Egypt 312
CHAPTER XXVIII--Modern Egypt 321
CHAPTER XXIX--Among the Lebanons 331
CHAPTER XXX--The Christian's Mecca 341
CHAPTER XXXI--Galilee 349
CHAPTER XXXII--Greece, the World's Teacher 358
CHAPTER XXXIII--The Byzantine Capital 366
CHAPTER XXXIV--In the Land of the Turk 376
CHAPTER XXXV--Hungary and Her Neighbors 385
CHAPTER XXXVI--Austria-Hungary 396
CHAPTER XXXVII--The Duma 403
CHAPTER XXXVIII--Around the Baltic 417
CHAPTER XXXIX--Democratic Norway 425
CHAPTER XL--England's New Liberal Government 435
CHAPTER XLI--Homes and Shrines of Great Britain 445
CHAPTER XLII--Glimpses of Spain 456
CHAPTER XLIII--A Word to Tourists 464
CHAPTER XLIV--American Foreign Missions 470
CHAPTER XLV--World Problems 478
CHAPTER XLVI--A Study of Governments 485
CHAPTER XLVII--The Tariff Debate in England 492
CHAPTER XLVIII--Ireland and Her Leaders 498
CHAPTER XLIX--Growth of Municipal Ownership 504
CHAPTER L--France and Her People 510
CHAPTER LI--The Republic of Switzerland 521
CHAPTER LII--Three Little Kingdoms--Denmark 525
CHAPTER LIII--Belgium 527
CHAPTER LIV--The Netherlands 529
CHAPTER LV--Germany and Socialism 533
CHAPTER LVI--Russia and Her Czar 542
CHAPTER LVII--Rome--The Catholic Capital 549
CHAPTER LVIII--Tolstoy, The Apostle of Love 559
CHAPTER LIX--Notes on Europe 567
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
PAGE
William Jennings Bryan Frontispiece
Leaving San Francisco on the Manchuria 16
Surf-Riding in Hawaii 19
Our Party 21
Hawaiian Foliage 24
A Picturesque View 26
At Miyanoshita 29
A Japanese Family 31
Dwarf Maple--50 years old 36
Japanese Geisha Girls 38
Yukio Ozaki--Mayor of Tokyo 40
In Count Okuma's Conservatory 43
Marquis Ito 44
Count Okuma 45
The Guest of Gov. Chikami at Kagoshima 50
Japanese Lady in American Dress 53
A Japanese Maiden 54
Yukichi Fukuzawa, Jr. 57
Sumitka Haseba--Japanese Statesman 59
Japanese Water-Carrier 64
A Visit to Count Okuma's School near Tokyo 70
Japanese Stone Lantern 74
Korean Lion--Yes 75
Korean Lion--No 75
In Front of Nikko Temple--Japan 76
Admiral Togo 82
President of Diet--Japan 84
Baron Kentaro Kaneko 85
Mr. Okura, a Successful Japanese Business Man 87
A Shinto Gate at Nara 89
Two Korean Families 91
In Korea--Group of Natives 92
A Korean Scene 95
American Hospital at Seoul--Korea 99
Doing the Family Washing 100
A Group of Chinese--Pekin 103
The Wall at Pekin 105
A Street in Pekin 107
Chinese Emperor 108
The Father of the Chinese Emperor 109
Empress Dowager--China 110
One of the Principal Streets of Pekin 111
House Boats at Canton 114
Yuan Shi Kai--Viceroy Tientsin and Pekin 117
Altar of Heaven--Pekin 123
Illustration of Foot-Binding 125
Traveling: in North China 126
Viceroy Chang Chih Tung 129
Wu Ting Fang 130
Chinese Cart at Pekin 133
Chou Fu, Viceroy of Nanking 134
A Canton Bridge 136
Manchu and Chinese Women--China 139
The Chinese Wheelbarrow 143
Fashionable Conveyance at Hong Kong 147
Colossal Statue of Ming, Ruler of China 150
A Filipino Village 152
Filipino Houses 153
General Emilio Aguinaldo 154
Filipino Boys with Blow Guns 155
Group of Filipinos 156
In the Philippines 157
The Accomplished Wife of a Filipino Official 159
Filipino Night School--American Teachers 161
A Filipino Belle 165
Emilio Aguinaldo, Mother, Sister, Brother and Son 167
A Filipino Teacher 169
Hauling Hemp 170
Moro Huts 176
Threshing Rice 176
Moros 182
Moro School--Zamboanga 185
Henry C. Ide, Gov. Gen. Philippine Islands 187
Datu Piang and Grandson 188
Dr. G. Apacible 191
Plowing in Sulu Land 193
Sailing in Manila Bay 195
Carabao Cart and Driver 198
Harvesting Sugar Cane 199
The Rice Harvest 200
A Driveway in Botanical Garden--Buitenzorg 206
Extinct Volcano, Salak 207
A Java Road 210
Temple at Boro Boedoer 213
A Native 216
A Group of Javanese 219
In the Tropics 224
The Lake at Kandy, Ceylon 226
Singalese Chief's Daughter--Showing Jewelry 228
Singalese Carpenter 229
Tamil Girl--Ceylon 231
An Elephant at Work in Rangoon 235
The Park at Rangoon 236
Five Hundred Pagoda at Mandalay 237
Burmese Woman with Cigarette 238
Buddhist Temple 239
The Shwe Dagon Pagoda 240
Burmese Family 242
Gathering Precious Stones in Burma 245
Bronze Image of Buddha, Built 1252 246
Calcutta Burning Ghat 248
The Maharaja of Mourbharag--An Indian Prince 250
Indian Princess 251
The Great Banyan Tree--Calcutta 252
A Calcutta Street--India 253
Keshub Chunder Sen 255
The Bull Cart in India 256
Thibetans, as Seen at Darjeeling 257
View of the Himalayas, as seen from Darjeeling 258
The Camel in India 261
Cultivating Psychic Power on Spikes at Benares, India 262
Bathing Ghat on the Ganges 263
Pundit Sakharam Ganesh 264
Hindu Types 266
Hindu Fair at Allahabad--India 267
Hindu Fakir 268
Mrs. Besant's College 269
A Gala Day in India 270
Cremation of Dead Bodies--Burning Ghat 271
Hindu Group 272
Angel of the Resurrection 274
The Honorable My Justice Badruddin Tyabji 275
Ruins of the Residency--Lucknow, India 276
Pearl Mosque at Delhi 277
Gokale--Prominent Indian Reformer 278
A Pool at Lucknow--India 279
Mohammedans at Prayer 280
Klanjiban Ganguli, Supt. Instruction 281
Taj Mahal, Agra 283
Street in Jaipore--India 287
An American Maid in Parsee Costume 290
Maharaja--Jaipore 291
Mohammedan Lady, Bombay 292
Elephant Parade 293
Assembling for the Bombay Meeting 294
His Excellency the Earl of Minto 296
Viceroy's Palace at Calcutta 298
Sir James Diggs La Touche 300
Sir Andrew Frazer 302
Lord Curzon 303
Gov. Lamington--Bombay, India 307
Indian Students 309
Famous Asoka Pillar 311
Karnak Temple 313
Mummy and Wooden Statue 314
The Pyramid and the Sphinx 319
A Sphinx 320
Climbing the Pyramids 322
The Ostrich Farm near Cairo 323
Egyptian Ladies 324
An Egyptian Merchant 325
Khedive of Egypt 328
Reunion on the Desert 329
Temple at Baalbek 332
The Giant Stone at Baalbek 334
Cedars of Lebanon 336
Beyrouth--Syria 337
The Big Tail Sheep 338
Damascus Dogs 339
Mount of Olives 344
Wailing Place of the Jews 346
A Jewish Rabbi 347
A Bedouin 351
At Breakfast 352
An Arab Maiden 353
The Bedouin Shepherd and His Flock 354
Salim Moussa, with Party of Tourists 355
Mary's Well at Nazareth 356
The Parthenon 359
The Acropolis at Athens 360
Mars Hill 362
Demosthenes' Platform 363
Frieze of the Parthenon. 365
St. Sofia at Constantinople 367
The Bosphorus at Constantinople 369
Smoking the Hubble-Bubble Pipe 371
Robert's College near Constantinople 373
At the World's Breakfast Table 375
Sons of the Sultan. 378
Turkish Officials 381
The Danube and Parliament Building--Budapest 387
A Street in Budapest 388
Budapest 391
Prime Minister Wekerle--Hungary 393
Count Apponyi 394
Minister Kossuth 395
Carlsbad 399
Count Ignatieff 404
The Palace Where the Russian Duma Meets 405
Prof. Serge Murmetzeff 407
Editor Paul I. Miliukoff 408
Some Members of Russian Duma 410
Members of the Russian Duma 411
Maxim Winawer 412
Group of Russian Duma with Mr. Bryan in Center 413
Ivan Petrunkevich 415
A View of Stockholm 418
King Oscar of Sweden 420
The Viking Ship at Christiania 426
In Hjorendfiord 427
Troldfjord 428
Ole Bull 430
King Haakon and Queen Maud 433
King Edward VII 436
Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman 438
House of Parliament, London 439
John Morley, M. P. 441
John Burns 443
Melrose Abbey 446
Birthplace of Robert Burns 449
Shakespeare's Birth-House Restoration 450
Hawarden Castle--Home of Gladstone 453
W. E. Gladstone 454
Windsor Castle 455
The Old Bridge at Cordova 458
The Alhambra--Spain 461
Resignation 463
Vesuvius as Seen from Naples 466
Mission School 477
Four Statesmen of England 493
Irish Patriots 499
Charles S. Parnell 502
Meeting of the Waters--Killarney 503
The Broomelaw Bridge at Glasgow 505
Napoleon Bonaparte 511
Napoleon Bonaparte Crowning Josephine. 514
Avenue Champs-Elysees--Paris 516
Tomb of Napoleon 518
King Christian and Wife 526
Palace of Justice--Belgium 527
The Hague 529
The Market Place at Amsterdam 530
A Netherlands Statesman 531
A Dutch Windmill 532
The Reichstag 533
Leipsic University 534
The Rhine 536
Kaiser Wilhelm 538
Breton Peasants 540
The Czar of Russia 543
Russian Beggar 547
Kremlin of Moscow 548
Coliseum--Rome 550
Pope Pius X 551
Naples 553
Grand Canal--Venice 555
St. Peter's at Rome 557
Madonna 558
Count Tolstoy 560
Goddess of Liberty--New York Harbor 575
[Illustration: ROUTE TRAVELED.]
CHAPTER I.
CROSSING THE PACIFIC--HAWAII.
There is rest in an ocean voyage. The receding shores shut out the
hum of the busy world; the expanse of water soothes the eye by its
very vastness; the breaking of the waves is music to the ear and
there is medicine for the nerves in the salt sea breezes that invite
to sleep. At first one is disturbed--sometimes quite so--by the
motion of the vessel, but this passes away so completely that before
many days the dipping of the ship is really enjoyable and one finds
a pleasure in ascending the hills and descending the valleys into
which the deck sometimes seems to be converted.
If one has regarded the Pacific as an unknown or an untraversed
sea, the impression will be removed by a glance at a map recently
published by the United States government--a map with which every
ocean traveler should equip himself. On this map the Pacific is
covered with blue lines indicating the shortest routes of travel
between different points with the number of miles. The first thing
that strikes one is that the curved line indicating the northern
route between San Francisco and Yokohama is only 4,536 miles long,
while the apparently straight line between the two points is 4,791
miles long--the difference being explained by the curvature of the
earth, although it is hard to believe that in following the direct
line a ship would have to climb over such a mountain range of water,
so to speak, as to make it shorter to go ten degrees north. The time
between the United States and the Japanese coast has recently been
reduced to less than eleven days, but the northern route is not so
pleasant at this season of the year, and we sailed on the Manchuria,
September 27, going some twenty degrees farther south via Honolulu.
This route covers 5,545 miles and is made in about sixteen days when
the weather is good.
The Manchuria is one of the leviathans of the Pacific and is owned
by Mr. Harriman, president of the Union Pacific and Southern
Pacific Railways. The ship's crew suggests the Orient, more than
three-fourths being Chinese, all wearing the cue and the national
garb. There is also a suggestion of the Orient in the joss house and
opium den of the Chinese in the steerage.
In crossing the one hundred and eightieth meridian we lost a day,
and as we are going all the way around, we cannot recover it as
those can who recross the Pacific. We rose on Saturday morning,
October 7, and at nine o'clock were notified that Sunday had begun
and the remainder of the day was observed as the Sabbath (October 8).
[Illustration: LEAVING SAN FRANCISCO ON THE MANCHURIA.]
According to the chart or map referred to there are three centers
of ocean traffic in the Pacific. Honolulu, the most important of
all, the Midway Islands, 1,160 miles northwest of Honolulu, and
the Samoan Islands, some twenty-two hundred miles to the south.
The Society Islands, about the same distance to the southeast of
Honolulu, and Guam, some fifteen hundred miles from the mainland of
Asia, are centers of less importance.
Our ship reached Honolulu early on the morning of the sixth day out
and we had breakfast on the island. The Hawaiian Islands (inhabited)
number eight and extend from the southeast to the northwest,
covering about six degrees of longitude and nearly four of latitude.
Of these eight islands, Hawaii, the southernmost one, is the
largest, having an area of 4,200 square miles and a population of
nearly fifty thousand. Hilo, its chief city, situated on the east
shore, is the second Hawaiian city of importance and contains some
seven thousand inhabitants. The island of Oahu, upon which Honolulu
is situated, is third in size but contains the largest population,
almost sixty thousand, of which forty thousand dwell in or near the
capital. The islands are so small and surrounded by such an area
of water as to remind one of a toy land, and yet there are great
mountains there, one piercing the clouds at a height of 14,000 feet.
Immense cane fields stretch as far as the eye can reach, and busy
people of different colors and races make a large annual addition
to our country's wealth. On one of the islands is an active volcano
which furnishes a thrilling experience to those who are hardy enough
to ascend its sides and cross the lava lake, now grown cold, which
surrounds the present crater. Each island has one or more extinct
volcanoes, one of these, called "The Punch Bowl," being within the
city limits of Honolulu. On one of the islands is a leper colony,
containing at times as many as a thousand of the afflicted. During
campaigns the spellbinders address the voters from boats anchored at
a safe distance from the shore.
As the Manchuria lay at anchor in the harbor all day the passengers
went ashore and, dividing into groups, inspected the various places
of interest. By the aid of a reception committee, composed of
democrats, republicans and brother Elks, we were able to crowd a
great deal of instruction and enjoyment into the ten hours which
we spent in Honolulu. We were greeted at the wharf with the usual
salutation, Aloha, a native word which means "a loving welcome," and
were decorated with garlands of flowers for the hat and neck. While
these garlands or leis (pronounced lays) are of all colors, orange
is the favorite hue, being the color of the feather cloak worn by
the Hawaiian kings and queens in olden times. The natives are a very
kindly and hospitable people, and we had an opportunity to meet some
excellent specimens of the race at the public reception and the
country residence of Mr. Damon, one of the leading bankers of the
island.
When the islands were discovered in 1778 by Captain Cook, the
natives lived in thatched huts and were scantily clothed, after
the manner of the tropical races. They were not savages or
cannibals, but maintained a degree of civil order and had made
considerable progress in the primitive arts. In their religious
rites they offered human sacrifices, but they welcomed the white
man and quickly embraced Christianity. American influence in the
islands reaches back some seventy-five years, beginning with New
England missionaries, many of whose descendants have made permanent
homes here. Some of these, mingling their blood with the blood of
the natives, form connecting links between the old and the new
civilization. Foreign ways and customs soon began to manifest
themselves and long before annexation the native rulers built
buildings after the style of our own architecture. The Capitol
building, erected twenty years ago for the king's palace, is an
imposing structure, and the Judiciary building is almost equal to
it. The parks and public grounds are beautiful and well kept, and
the business blocks commodious and substantial. In short, Honolulu
presents the appearance of a well built, cleanly and prosperous
American city, with its residences nestling among palm trees and
tropical plants. Good hotels are abundant. The Alexander Young hotel
is built of stone imported from the States and would do credit
to a city of half a million. The Royal Hawaiian hotel, even more
picturesque, though not so large, and the Moana hotel, at the beach,
vie with the Young in popularity.
The program for our day's stay began with a seven mile automobile
ride to the Pali, the pass over which the natives cross to the
farther side of the island. The road is of macadam and winding along
a picturesque valley rises to a height of about 1,200 feet. At this
point the eye falls upon a picture of bewitching beauty. Just below
is a precipitous cliff over which a conquering king, Kamehameha
the First, about one hundred and ten years ago, drove an opposing
army when he established himself as ruler of the islands. To the
east from the foot of the cliff, a thousand feet down, stretches a
beautiful valley with an endless variety of verdure; and beyond,
a coast line broken by a rocky promontory, around whose base the
waters reflect from their varying depths myriad hues of blue and
green. There are ocean views of greater expanse, mountain views more
sublime and agricultural landscapes more interesting to a dweller
upon prairies, but it is doubtful whether there is anywhere upon
earth a combination of mountain, valley and ocean--a commingling of
the colors of sky and sea and rock and foliage--more entrancing.
Twice on the way to Pali we passed through mountain showers and were
almost ready to turn back, but the members of the committee, knowing
of the rare treat ahead, assured us that Hawaiian showers were of
short duration and "extra dry." When we at last beheld the view, we
felt that a drenching might gladly have been endured, so great was
the reward.
The committee next took us by special train on the Oahu railroad
to one of the great sugar plantations of the island, a plantation
outside of the trust, owned and operated by a San Francisco company.
This company has built an immense refinery upon the plantation and
the manager showed us the process of sugar making from the crushing
of the cane to the refined product, sacked ready for shipment.
[Illustration: SURF-RIDING IN HAWAII.]
The stalks, after passing through the mill, are dried and carried
to the furnace, thus saving some sixty-five per cent of the cost of
fuel--an important economy when it is remembered that all the fuel
for manufacturing is brought from abroad. Until recently, several
hundred thousand dollars' worth of coal was annually brought from
Australia, but California oil is now being substituted for coal.
The refuse which remains when the sugar making process is completed
is returned to the land as fertilizer. The economies effected
in fuel and in fertilizer, together with the freight saved on
impurities carried in the raw sugar, amount to a considerable sum
and to this extent increase the profit of the business. While at
the sugar plantation we were shown an immense pumping plant used in
the irrigation of the land. The water is drawn from artesian wells
and forced to a height of almost six hundred feet, in some places,
and from the summits of the hills is carried to all parts of the
plantation. Some idea of the size of the plants can be gathered from
the fact that the pumps used on this plantation have a combined
capacity of sixty million gallons per day.
Speaking of irrigation, I am reminded that the rainfall varies
greatly in different parts of the island. At Honolulu, for instance,
it is something like thirty inches per year, while at one point
within five miles of the city the annual rainfall sometimes reaches
one hundred and forty inches. The sugar plantation visited, while
one of the largest, is only one of a number of plantations, the
total sugar product of the islands reaching about four hundred
thousand tons annually.
Next to the sugar crops comes the rice crop, many of the rice
fields lying close to the city. Pineapples, bananas, coffee and
cocoanuts are also raised. Attention is being given now to the
development of crops which can be grown by small planters, those in
authority recognizing the advantage to the country of small holdings.
The labor problem is the most serious one which the people of
Hawaii have to meet. At present the manual labor is largely done
by Japanese, Chinese and Koreans--these together considerably
outnumbering the whites and natives. Several thousand Portuguese
have been brought to the islands and have proven an excellent
addition to the population. On the day that we were there the
immigration commission authorized the securing of a few Italian
families with a view of testing their fitness for the climate.
The desire is to develop a homogeneous population suited to the
conditions and resources of the islands.
We returned from the sugar plantation in automobiles, stopping at
the country home of Mr. Damon, which was once a royal habitation.
The present owner has collected many relics showing the life, habits
and arts of the native Hawaiians.
Still nearer the town we visited two splendid schools, one for
native boys, the other for native girls, built from the funds left
by native chiefs. The boys and girls were drawn up in front of one
of the buildings and under the direction of their instructor sang
the national anthem of the natives, now preserved as the territorial
hymn. They were a finely proportioned, well dressed and intelligent
group and are said to be studious and excellently behaved. Nothing
on the islands interested us more than these native children,
illustrating as they do, not only the possibilities of their race,
but the immense progress made in a little more than a hundred years
of contact with the whites. The museum, the gift of Mr. Bishop, now
of California, who married the widow of one of the native chiefs, is
said to contain the best collection of the handiwork of the natives
of the Pacific Islands to be found anywhere.
The public reception at the Royal Hawaiian hotel gave us an
opportunity to meet not only the prominent American and native
citizens and their wives, but a large number of the artisans
and laborers of the various races, and we were pleased to note
throughout the day the harmonious feeling which exists between the
whites and the brown population.
Political convictions produce the same results here as in the United
States, sometimes dividing families. For instance, Prince Cupid, the
present territorial representative in congress, is a republican,
while his brother, Prince David, is an enthusiastic democrat.
The luncheon prepared by the committee included a number of native
dishes cooked according to the recipes which were followed for
hundreds of years before the white man set foot upon the island.
The health of the guests was drunk in cocoanut water, a nut full
of which stood at each plate. Poi, the staple food of the natives,
was present in abundance. This is made from a root or tuber known
as taro, which grows in swamps and has a leaf resembling our plant,
commonly known as elephant's ear. This tuber is ground to a pulp
resembling paste and is served in polished wooden bowls, in the
making of which the natives exhibit great skill. Next in interest
came the fish and chicken, wrapped in the leaves of a plant called
ti (pronounced like tea) and cooked underground by means of hot
stones. The flavor of food thus cooked is excellent. The crowning
glory of the feast was a roasted pig, also cooked underground--and
a toothsome dish it was. Besides these, there were bread fruit,
alligator pears and delicacies made from the meat of the cocoanut.
The salt, a native product, was salmon colored. The invited
guests were about equally divided between the American and native
population. But for the elegant surroundings of the Young hotel,
the beautifully appointed table and the modern dress, it was such a
dinner as might have been served by the natives to the whites on the
first Thanksgiving after the New England missionaries landed.
[Illustration: OUR PARTY:
W. J. BRYAN MRS. MARY BAIRD BRYAN
GRACE DEXTER BRYAN W. J. BRYAN, JR.]
After a call upon Governor Carter, a descendant of the third
generation from missionary stock, we visited the aquarium. When we
noticed on the printed program that we were scheduled for a visit to
this place, it did not impress us as possessing special interest,
but we had not been in the building long before we were all roaring
with laughter at the remarkable specimens of the finny tribe here
collected.
Language can not do this subject justice. No words can accurately
portray what one here sees. The fish are odd in shape and have all
the hues of the rainbow. The tints are laid on as if with a brush
and yet no painter could imitate these--shall we call them "pictures
in water color?" Some were long and slim; some short and thick. One
had a forehead like a wedge, another had a very blunt nose. Some
looked like thin slabs of pearl with iridescent tints; others had
quills like a porcupine. One otherwise respectable looking little
fellow had a long nose upon the end of which was a fiery glow which
made him look like an old toper; another of a deep peacock blue had
a nose for all the world like a stick of indigo which it wiggled as
it swam.
There were convict fish with stripes like those worn in
penitentiaries and of these there were all sizes; some moving about
slowly and solemnly like hardened criminals and others sporting
about as if enjoying their first taste of wrongdoing. One variety
wore what looked like an orange colored ribbon tied just above
the tail; the color was so like the popular flower of Hawaii that
we were not surprised to find that the fish was called the lei.
In one tank the fish had a habit of resting upon the rocks; they
would brace themselves with their fins and watch the passersby. At
one time two were perched side by side and recalled the familiar
picture of Raphael's Cherubs. Besides the fishes there were crabs
of several varieties, all brilliant in color; one called the hermit
crab had a covering like velvet, with as delicate a pattern as ever
came from the loom. And, then, there was the octopus with the under
side of its arms lined with valve-like mouths. It was hiding under
the rocks, and when the attendant poked it out with a stick, it
darkened the water with an inky fluid, recalling the use made of the
subsidized American newspapers by the trust when attacked.
No visitor to Honolulu should fail to see the aquarium. Every effort
to transport these fish has thus far failed. To enjoy the dudes,
clowns and criminals of fishdom one must see them in their native
waters.
The tour of the island closed with a trip to the beach and a ride
in the surf boats. The native boat is a long, narrow, deep canoe
steadied by a log fastened at both ends to the boat and floating
about ten feet from the side. These canoes will hold six or seven
persons and are propelled by brawny-armed natives. Our party clad
themselves in bathing suits and, filling three canoes, were rowed
out some distance from the shore. The natives, expert at this sport,
watch for a large wave and signal each other when they see one
approaching, and then with their big round paddles they start their
canoes toward the land. As the wave raises the stern of the canoe,
they bend to their work, the purpose being to keep the canoe on the
forward slope of the wave. It is an exciting experience to ride
thus, with the spray breaking over one while the canoe flies along
before the wave. Sometimes the boatmen are too slow and the wave
sweeps under the canoe and is gone, but as a rule they know just how
fast to work, and there is great rivalry between the surf riders
when two or more crews are racing. It is strange that a form of
sport so delightful has not been transported to the American seaside
resorts. There is surf bathing the year round at Honolulu and few
beaches can be found which can compare with Waikiki.
The Oahu railroad, which carried us out to the sugar plantation,
and which has seventy miles of track on the island, passes within
sight of the Pearl harbor, which is the only large inlet in the
islands capable of being developed into a harbor. The United
States government is already dredging this harbor and preparing
it for both naval and commercial uses. The Hawaiian Islands occupy
a strategic position as well as a position of great commercial
importance, and as they are on a direct line between the Isthmus of
Panama and the Orient, their value as a mid-ocean stopping place
will immeasurably increase. The islands being now United States
territory, the advantage of the possession of Pearl harbor is
accompanied by a responsibility for its proper improvement. No one
can visit the harbor without appreciating its importance to our
country and to the world.
When we departed from the wharf at nightfall to board the Manchuria
we were again laden with flowers, and as we left the island,
refreshed by the perfume of flowers and cheered by songs and
farewells, we bore away grateful memories of the day and of the
hospitality of the people. Like all who see this Pacific paradise,
we resolved to return sometime and spend a part of a winter amid its
beauties.
[Illustration: HAWAIIAN FOLIAGE.]