Ka Nupepa Kuokoa, Volume XXIX, Number 23, 7 June 1890 — Our English Column. [ARTICLE]
Our English Column.
4 7n Ycuth PriPJrt /«> r Ma*
UNCI K PHII/S I)ESIC We wil! bear from Halawa, Molokai. tbts moroing, young lnendv How well Unele Phii remcmbers tbat beautiful vaUey, *ometimes bis home in >ean long gone b> I-ong befors anr o( >ou were born, and befmt m*Bf of youT father* and roothers were bora, Halawa was one ot the pldnnt p{aces where Vn« Ie PhiM (atbei would often take his family, and spend soree weeks We stopped in a 6oe large natire house on tl« house side of tbe ri\er, close to the oeean, where we rould hear the thun der of tts bi»ows r and see them a* the> dasbed in on tbe ro* kv And then we bo>s thought it was grtat fun to *ee tbe fishing ranoes go out of tbe river, orer the wares, on to the great oeean. Sometimes the waves would be very high, an<l rhase eaeh Otber to the sbore like wild hones. Then we rould sce how ycry jkilfu! tbe eanoe men were, waiting for a •roooth nme, and then paddling with witb all their might to escapc thc break ing waters whieh might overturn their eanoe*. For they had no whale*boats in tbose days. And how bcautiful were the falls as we saw them in the early shining like two bits of silver ribbon far awiy! Then, after breakfa?>t we would borrow a small eanoe, and pad dle up tbe river as far as the t anoe would go, and tben eome home hungry as pigs, and sit down to a dinner of fine amaama, takcn out of the pond in front of tbe house, and eaten «ith the best of Halawa poi and kalo. And what sweet poi that was : Ab, you Ha lawa boys and girls, think of Unele Pbil when you eat your next dinner of poi, and fish baked in ki leares.
Then when tbe ohias began to get ripe, away we would go to the falls in the upper part of the valley, and just feast on the fine red ripe fruit! l>o you know, boys and girls of Hawaii, that the ohia tree of these islands, is one of the most beautiful trees that Ciod ever planted on the earth f Well, it ii, and Unele Phil has scen a great many fruit trees in other parts of the world, So, the next time you boys and girls of the Halawa school go up to the woods to get ohias, and see a fme large ohia tree all full of sweet, ripe, red fruit, whilst the green fruit and red flowers peep out here and there at the satne tirae from amongst its branchcs, just think to yourselves, is one of the finest sights in all the world among the trecs of the fields'. Tbere! what a talk I have given you •bout Halawa; but you must pardon me for that, because Halawa was one of my Molokai home* in roy boyhood's years. And now we will eome to the ktten;
Halawa, Molokai, Mav 15th, 1800. Unele Vhil, Hilo, Hawaii. Dear Sir: lam one of the pupils in the Halawa English School, on the iMand of Molokai. I read in the newsp»per M Kuokoa", last Friday, one of your stories, called 4, The Indian aqd the pieee of tobacco". I ihink he wanted to have another pieee, was the reason why he asked to bt »ent again to the store. Am 1 not right ? I remain, Your young friend Feter Paskel KahananuL Yts» vo« are right, Peier; indians are very fond of tobacco. Your letter, 100, is very well written. Write to Unele Phil, next time, about the ohia tr«es, and the falK and in what part of thc valley you live. Halawa, Molokai, May 15th, 1890. Unct< Phil, DeavSir: I was reading tht last Krkiay some o( the questions m our "English Column M of tbe M Kuokoa", of May 3d, and I saw that you asked «9 to write to you. • ♦ ♦ Tbc lndian returned and t«ld the man to givc him another note, and if the tutler gave him another pieee 0( tob«cco then he wou!d believe him. I thh)k the reason was» he wanted sone mort tobacco. I'm a scholarof the Halawa EngUsh School I rematn, Your yoonng friend, Moaes Akawa.
Right, again, ti to the hidian's rtuotL Moao, I do oot priot the whol« of roor ktter t bectoae the story hii betn told bcforc. You hivc made OM or tvo mbttktt, whieh you vill eorrect as yoo go looger to acbool So tty igUA, Uoele PhH likea to heer troa 700. Hcre ia a )etter from the tearher of Uie Halawa Kagtish School whieh Uoele Phil will put into the "eolumn" heeauae ie »how« that the teacher« are heaoaftin| iotera«tcd aod are eoooorag*
injj th<ir popi!* to «riie, ir,d that » jo*t what thc f>F is for, to pat the ktteri of Hawiiiin bcr* *n<! itv "Un*le Phil," 'Ak>ha oc". Allow me to coogratulate )rou for rour $arressfa» inio£urition ot tbe F:ngli»h eolumn in the •'Kuokoa". It rottti a long fe!t want with a r»nain das* of natires. I roake use ot it as āvxi)i2Tj or trial reading or. Fri«Jiy aftemoon». and find thetn ver> noueh intcrested. Al«o I ge: the paxents to a<k ?*eir rbiidren to tell the "nuhou haole" In this wa> tbc rolumn is oi assistance to the rhUdren in thcir tisk ot' obtaining a Vr.owledge ot Eng* li*h I hare advised my pupils to wri:e to you. as \ou requested in the first numher; and hope soroe wili bare the courage to do «a Hoptng that you may he long %pared ro cantinue >our work of lo\e, and that we ma> meet "Uoele Phii" around his de<k for many vears to eome. I remain. RespeMftjll> your*. J. H. van (»ierv>n, Prin. Halawa EngUsh School. There : we bave one teacher who is doing a good thing by his pupils. How many olher tearhers will "go and do hkewise ?