The Story of the Philippines Part 35

The star spangled banner should have been waving in peaceful triumph over our central possessions in the Pacific for five years. Now Old Glory has ascended the famous flag-staff, from which it was mistakenly withdrawn, and is at home. Its l.u.s.trous folds are welcomed by a city that is strangely American, in the sense that it is what the world largely calls "Yankee," and does not mean bad manners by the most expressive word that has so vast a distinction. The shops of Honolulu are Americanized. There is a splendid blossoming of the flag of the country. The British parties of opposition have faded out. There is the wisdom in English statesmans.h.i.+p to be glad to see us with material interest in the Pacific Ocean. In this connection there is something better than a treaty.

Do not misp.r.o.nounce the name of the capital city of the Hawaiian Islands. Call it Hoo-noo-luu-luu and let it sing itself. Remember that this city is not on the larger of the islands, but the third in size. The area of Hawaii, the greater island, is 4,210 square miles. Oahu, the Honolulu island, has 600 square miles, with a population of 40,205, and Hawaii has 33,285 people. The area of the islands, told in acres is, Hawaii, 2,000,000; Nani, 400,000; Oahu, 260,000; Kauai, 350,000; Malokai, 200,000; Lauai, 100,000; Nichan, 70,000; Kahloolawe, 30,000. The dimensions of the tremendous volcanoes that are our property now are startling:

_Dimensions of Kilauea, Island of Hawaii._ (The largest active Volcano in the World.)

Area, 4.14 square miles, or 2,650 acres.

Circ.u.mference, 41,500 feet, or 7.85 miles.

Extreme width, 10,300 feet, or 1.95 miles.

Extreme length, 15,500 feet, or 2.93 miles.

Elevation, Volcano House, 1,040 feet.

_Dimensions of Mokuaweoweo_.

(The Summit Crater of Mauna Loa, Island of Hawaii.)

Area, 3.70 square miles, or 2,370 acres.

Circ.u.mference, 50,000 feet, or 9.47 miles.

Length, 19,500 feet, or 3.7 miles.

Width, 9,200 feet, or 1.74 miles.

Elevation, 13,675 feet.

_Dimensions of Haleakala_.

(The great Crater of Maui, the Largest in the World.)

Area, 19 square miles, or 12,160 acres. Circ.u.mference, 105,600 feet, or 20 miles. Extreme length, 39,500 feet, or 7.48 miles. Extreme width, 12,500 feet, or 2.37 miles.

Elevation of summit, 10,032 feet. Elevation of princ.i.p.al cones in crater, 8,032 and 7,572 feet. Elevation of cave in floor of crater, 7,380 feet.

_Dimensions of Iao Valley, Maui._

Length (from Wailuku) about 5 miles.

Width of valley, 2 miles.

Depth, near head, 4,000 feet.

Elevation of Puu Kukui, above head of valley, 5,788 feet.

Elevation of Crater of Eke, above Waihee Valley, 4,500 feet.

Honolulu's importance comes from the harbor, and the favor of the missionaries. As to the general judgment of the work of the missionaries, there is nothing better to do than to quote Mr. Richard H. Dana's "Two Years Before the Mast." He said in that cla.s.sic:

"It is no small thing to say of the missionaries of the American Board, that in less than forty years they have taught this whole people to read and write, to cipher and to sew. They have given them an alphabet, grammar and dictionary; preserved their language from extinction; given it a literature and translated into it the Bible, and works of devotion, science and entertainment, etc. They have established schools, reared up native teachers, and so pressed their work that now the proportion of inhabitants who can read and write is greater than in New England. And, whereas, they found these islanders a nation of half-naked savages, living in the surf and on the sand, eating raw fish, fighting among themselves, tyrannized over by feudal chiefs and abandoned to sensuality, they now see them decently clothed, recognizing the law of marriage, knowing something of accounts, going to school and public wors.h.i.+p more regularly than the people do at home, and the more elevated of them taking part in conducting the affairs of the const.i.tutional monarchy under which they live, holding seats on the judicial bench and in the legislative chambers, and filling posts in the local magistracies."

Take away the tropical vegetation and the gigantic scenery and we have here, in our new Pacific possessions, a new Connecticut. The stamp of New England is upon this lofty land, especially in Honolulu, where the spires of the churches testify. There is much that is of the deepest and broadest interest in the possible missionary work here, on account of the remarkable race questions presented. Here are the nations and the people of mixed blood--the Chinese, j.a.panese and Portuguese--a population immensely representative of Oriental Asia. The measure of success of the missionaries under our flag in dealing with these people can hardly fail to be accepted by the world as a test of the practical results of the labor with the Asiatica. In this connection, the figures following, from the Hawaiian Annual of 1898, furnish a basis of solid information for study:

_Table of Religious Belief, By Nationality_.

(So Far as Reported in Census Returns, 1896.)

Roman Nationalities. Protestants. Catholics.

Mormons.

Hawaiians................... 12,842 8,427 4,368 Part Hawaiians.............. 3,242 2,633 396 Hawaiian born foreigners.... 1,801 6,622 15 Americans................... 1,404 212 34 British..................... 1,184 180 7 Germans..................... 592 83 2 French...................... 6 57 .....

Norwegians.................. 154 8 .....

Portuguese.................. 146 7,812 1 j.a.panese.................... 711 49 4 Chinese..................... 837 67 49 South Sea Islanders......... 178 42 3 Other nationalities......... 176 171 7 ====== ====== ===== Totals............... 23,273 26,363 4,886

_Note_.--This table shows but 54,522 of the population (just about one-half) to have made returns of their religious belief. With 21,535 j.a.panese and 18,429 Chinese (probably Buddhists and Confucians) unreported because not provided for in the schedules, the great difference is largely accounted for.

The latest census returns show that of the whole population, 109,020, there are: Males, 72,517; females, 36,503. The latest information of labor, under contract for sugar-making, make the number of males on the island more than double that of the females. There has been an increase of population of more than 50,000 in the eighteen years from 1878 to 1896. The census of the several islands, taken September 27, 1896, shows:

Population. Dwellings.

Unin- Male. Female. Total. Inhab- habi- Build- Total.

ited. ted. ing.

Oahu.... 26,164 14,041 40,205 6,685 1,065 60 7,010 Hawaii.. 22,632 10,653 33,285 5,033 955 35 6,027 Molokai. 1,335 972 2,307 651 92 3 746 Lanai... 51 54 105 23 13 .. 36 Maui.... 11,435 6,291 17,726 3,156 650 18 3,824 Niihau.. 76 88 164 31 3 .. 34 Kauai .. 10,824 4,404 15,228 2,320 299 8 2,627 ====== ====== ======= ====== ===== === ====== 72,517 36,503 109,020 17,099 3,081 124 21,104

Hawaii's annual trade balance since 1879 is a notable record:

Excess Export Custom House Year Imports. Exports. Values. Receipts.

1880 $3,673,268.41 $4,968,444.87 $1,295,176.46 $402,181.63 1881 4,547,978.64 6,885,436.56 2,337,457.92 423,192.01 1882 4,974,510.01 8,299,016,70 3,324,506.69 505,390.98 1883 5,624,240.09 8,133,343.88 2,509,103.79 577,332.87 1884 4,637,514.22 8,184,922.63 3,547,408.41 551,739.59 1885 3,830,544.58 9,158,818.01 5,328,273.43 502.337.38 1886 4,877,738.73 10,565,885.58 5,688,146.85 580,444.04 1887 4,943,840.72 9,707,047.33 4,763,206.61 595,002.64 1888 4,540,887.46 11,903,398.76 7,362,511.30 546,142.63 1889 5,438,790.63 14,039,941.40 8,601,150.77 550,010.16 1890 6,962,201.13 13,142,829.48 6,180,628.35 695,956.91 1891 7,438,582.65 10,395,788.27 2,957,205.62 732,594,93 1892 4,028,295.31 8,181,687.21 4,153,391.90 494,385.10 1893 4,363,177.58 10,962,598.09 5,599,420.51 545,754.16 1894 5,104,481.43 9,678,794.56 4,574,313.13 524,767.37 1895 5,714,017.54 8,474,138.15 2,760,120.61 547,149.40 1896 7,164,561.40 15,515,230.13 8,350,668.73 656,895.82

The percentage of imports from the United States in 1896 was 76.27; Great Britain, 10.54; Germany, 2.06; France, .25*; China, 4.17; j.a.pan, 3.86. In 1895 the export of sugar was 294,784,819 pounds; value, $7,975,500.41.

Nationality of Vessels Employed in Foreign Carrying Trade, 1889-1896.

1889. 1890. 1891. 1892.

Nations. No. Tons. No. Tons. No. Tons. No. Tons.

American 185 125,196 224 153,098 233 169,472 212 160,042 Hawaiian 44 56,670 35 43,641 21 26,869* *21 4,340 British 22 21,108 16 22,912 33 52,866 30 58,317 German 5 3,337 9 7,070 9 9,005 5 5,978 j.a.panese .. ....... ... ....... 5 8,239 3 4,701 All others 9 12,268 9 9,980 10 8,401 11 8,201 === ======= === ======= === ======= === ======= Total 269 218,579 293 236,701 311 274,852 722 242,579

Bonded Debt, Etc., Hawaiian Islands, June 30, 1897.

Per Cent.

Under Loan Act of 1876 7 $ 1,500.00 " " " 1882 6 67,400.00 " " " 1886 6 2,000,000.00 " " " 1888 6 190,000.00 " " " 1890 5 and 6 124,100.00 " " " 1892 5 and 6 82.100.00 " " " 1893 6 650,000.00 " " " 1890 5 222,000.00 ============= 3,337,100.00 Due Postal Savings Bank Depositors 782,074.25 ============= $4,119,174.25

Number and Nationality of Sugar Plantation Laborers.

(Compiled from latest Report of Secretary Bureau of Immigration, December 31, 1897.)

Hawaii- Portu- j.a.pan- S. S. All Islands. ans. guese. ese. Chinese. Isl'ders. Others. Total.

Hawaii 594 980 6,245 2,511 24 232 10,586 Mauai 580 526 2,010 1,114 45 110 4,385 Oahu 197 211 1,331 973 16 55 2,783 Kauai 244 551 3,307 1,691 30 203 6,026 ===== ===== ====== ===== === === ====== Tot.1896 1,615 2,268 12,893 6,289 115 600 23,780 Tot.1895 1,584 2,497 11,584 3,847 133 473 20,120 ===== ===== ====== ===== === === ====== Inc.1896 31 ..... 1,309 2,442 ... 127 3,660 Dec.1899 ..... 231 ...... ..... 18 ... ......