126 THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



buildings are very unpretentious in character, the chief expense being 

 the teacher's salaries. Private schools are more elaborate and Hawaii 

 has two, which as far as architecture is concerned, are unsurpassed by 

 buildings elsewhere. The fact that, in spite of the mixed population, 

 English is the language taught in all the schools, will do much toward 

 bringing the different races together. The children learn at school and 

 carry the language into their homes, where sooner or later it will be 

 spoken. 



Communication between the islands is by steamer and telephone. 

 In short, thanks to the influence of Americans and Europeans, the islands 

 are not half so uncivilized as has been claimed. 



According to the Handbook the Hawaiians v, ere never savages, 

 even in ancient times, but barbarians, there being a shade of difference in 

 the meaning of the two words. Their early government was very des- 

 potic in its nature, the people being divided into three classes; the nobil- 

 ity consisting of the kings and chiefs; the priests, including also doctors 

 and sorcerers; and the common people, or laboring classes, between 

 whom and the chiefs a wide and impossible barrier existed. The king 

 obtained his right by heredity. Each island had its chief and bitter 

 wafs were waged between them. In 1894 there was a cruel civil war to 

 decide who was to inherit- the throne, the dead king's son or his 

 brother. And what with the wars and the disease and liquor introduced 

 by foreigners, the common people were so wretched that it was thought 

 -they would be completely exterminated. 



They had any number of gods and many savage customs among 

 them that of human sacrifice. In 1819 the king Liholilio, Kamehamtlia 

 II, abolished many of their superstitions, and burned the idols and tem- 

 ples. Great progress was made between the years of 1850-1860. 



In 1854 annexation to the United States was strongly agitated by 

 the people and favored by the king. A draft of an annexation treaty 

 was made, but before negotiations between the two countries were com- 

 pleted, the king died and the son who succeeded him was not in favor of 

 it. 



The year 1873 saw the end of the Kamehamelias, the last of the line 

 dying without issue. A successor was elected aud he, too, died without 

 leaving an heir to the throne. He was William Lunalilo, and was the 

 founder of the home for aged Hawaiians, a beautiful building, a picture 

 of which is given in the booklet. Another king was then chosen, a 

 brother of the noted "Queen Lil," who afterwards succeeded him. Both 

 he and his sister strove to regain the power that the earlier kings had 

 enjoyed and tried by dismissing the ministry to restore absolute mon- 

 archy. The failure of their plans is too well known to need mention. 



The present republican form of government was formally proclaimed 

 July 4, 1894 and despite hostile influences, not alone from within, has 

 been maintained. 



And so we will say in closing that the little booklet has taught us 



