0 ECLECTIC SCHOOL READINGS ALICE'S VISIT ΤΟ THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS BY MARY H. KROUT AUTHOR OF "HAWAII AND A REVOLUTION," "A LOOKER-ON IN LONDON," ETC. NEW YORK ·:· CINCINNATI .:. CHICAGO PREFACE SINCE The Hawaiian Islands have now become a part of the United States, and henceforth their history will be a part of our own, it is important that the children in our schools should learn something of the geography of these islands, and of the manners, customs, and history of the people who inhabit them. In writing this imaginary journey to the Hawaiian Islands I have described the country and the people as they were studied by me during two actual visits. The volcano of Kilauea was at the time of my visit in a state of great activity, and the account which I have given of the wonderful spectacle was prepared from notes written within sight of the crater. The history of the Hawaiian Islands, though restricted as to scene of action, has been as stirring and as dramatic as our own. Within a century the islands were conquered and brought under one government, during which time the race advanced steadily from barbarism to civilization. The people are now to undertake that last and greatest of political experiments, self-government, for which their alliance with the United States during the past fifty years has been an excellent preparation. The study of Hawaiian evolution affords such a variety of incident that it is somewhat difficult to decide, in the preparation of a book for children, what to reject and what to utilize. It is necessary, on the one hand, to consider the importance of customs in shaping the destiny of the people, and, on the other hand, to bear in mind the consequence of filling the impressionable minds of children with painful images and with facts that they cannot reconcile with justice. What has been said of the influence of the American missionaries, as the first educators and lawmakers among the Hawaiians, is simply a statement of facts which may be corroborated by reference to the archives of the country. Among books that have been especially helpful in the preparation of this work have been J. J. Jarves's "Hawaiian or Sandwich Islands," W. D. Alexander's "A Brief History of the Hawaiian People," Mrs. Judd's "Honolulu," Mrs. Isabella Bird Bishop's "Six Months in the Sandwich Islands," and "The Hawaiian Annual." M. H. K. |