--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Lyman, Richard R. collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 28 number: 2 published: 1924-12 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: "Richard R. Lyman, “A Visit to Hawaii: The Land of Flowers, Sunshine, and Unbounded Hospitality,” *Improvement Era 28, no. 2 (December 1924)*: 95–105." source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera2802unse transcription: Transcribed from the Internet Archive scan of each issue (the item for each issue is named in the issue's own source); unnumbered advertising leaves are omitted, printed page numbers are kept as page markers. identifier: improvementera2802unse start_page: 95 end_page: 105 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1924-12) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera2802unse publication_year: 1924 note: The Internet Archive item metadata carries a blanket "© Copyright by Intellectual Reserve, Inc." notice. The library owner judged it inapplicable because this issue was published in 1924, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # A Visit to Hawaii: The Land of Flowers, Sunshine, and Unbounded Hospitality Improvement Era Vol. XXVIII DECEMBER, 1924 No. 2 A VISIT TO HAWAII The Land of Flowers, Sunshine, and Unbounded Hospitality By Richard R. Lyman, of the Council of the Twelve, and! First Assistant Superintendent of the Y. M. M. I. A. It is no wonder that our missionaries from "the islands" all havei a love for that land and all desire to return to it, for Hawaii is the land of music, sunshine, flowers and friendships. Its people extend a hospitality that can be understood only by those who have had the pleasure of enjoying it. These islands are like a cluster of rich jewels set far out on the shining Pacific — two thousand miles from the United States — the nearest neighbor. They are of volcanic origin. The mountains of. black rock form a rich background for their heavy covering of tropical verdure which is such that, at a distance, the trees and delicate ferns look like rich, clean moss, on an equally clean stone foundation. Those in the party which left Salt Lake City, July 7, 1924, were President A. W. Ivins, his wife, Mrs. Elizabeth Snow Ivins, their daughter Fulvia, Miss Bae Williams, daughter of Mr. W. N. and Mrs. Clarissa Smith Williams, the writer and his wife, Mrs. Amy Brown Lyman. A group of California relatives and friends were at the dock in San Francisco to provide us with flowers, tell us good-bye and wish us good luck on our sea journey. Before the sixth and last day of our journey came and we realized that we were but one-third the distance across this great ocean, we saw the humor in the words of a sight seeing guide in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, who said, "Ladies and gentlemen, the body of water before you is the Pacific Ocean, said to be the largest body of water on the Pacific Coast." The outstanding feature of our trip going came Sunday when President Ivins, on invitation of Captain Charles Peterson of our Entered at the Post Office, Salt Lake City, Utah, as second class matter. Acceptance for mailing at special rate of postage provided for in Section 1103, Act of October 3, 1917 , authorized on July Z, 1918, $2 per annum. Address Room 406 Church Office Building, Salt Lake City, Utah. 98 IMPROVEMENT ERA steamship Matsonia, delivered an address on what I shall call "The Divine Authenticity of the Bible." This address was a clean-cut, wise, and, to my mind, unanswerable appeal to those who have no faith in the contents of this sacred book. On this occasion President Ivins received another rich reward for the life time he has devoted to a careful study of the Bible and of the world's history. Day after day we sailed along on the blue of the great Pacific. We were approximately five miles above the surface of the earth, or otherwise stated, we were at an elevation above ground nearly twice as great as the greatest elevation yet reached by any flying machine. Early on the morning of the sixth day we caught our lirst glimpse Elder Henry J. Dehaun. President E. J. Neff, Elder Walter N. Steffens, Elder Wm. W. McCune, Elizabeth Snow Ivins, President A. W. Ivins. Fulvia Ivins, Bae Williams, Elder Richard R. Lyman, Vilate Romney Ivins, Amy Brown Lyman, Hawaian kids and girls. Roadside, Kona, Hawaii. of the Hawaiian beach with its beautiful fringe of cocoanut trees. A little way from the shore the land rises abruptly. The first sight of the rich verdure is thrilling. Soon our boat glided by the promontory Diamond Head, and the City of Honolulu came in sight. Among the small group who came out in a launch to meet the steamer were President Eugene J. Neff, of the Hawaiian mission, and Manager Antoine R. Ivins of the Laie Sugar Plantation. At once these friends took us and our affairs in hand, so that all the members of our party had to do was to watch with ever-increasing amazement and pleasure the way in which visitors to this island are received. The A VISIT TO HAWAII 99 celebrated Royal Hawaiian Band, as is its custom, was there furnishing its enchanting music while we were greeted by a host of relatives, missionaries and other friends who in their enthusiasm almost buried us in beautiful Hawaiian leis or wreaths. It was while laden with these numerous expressions of affection that the members of our party were brought together in a group and photographed by a representative of one of Honolulu's daily papers. By automobile we v> ere given a ride about this interesting city, and were taken to the mission home where Mrs. Neff and a fine dinner awaited us. That same afternoon we were driven to Laie where we had our first view of the temple, in its setting of tropical splendor. It stands out in that far-away land of beauty like a specially polished diamond surrounded by a cluster of other rich jewels. Artists are thrilled by the beauty of this scene. Church members look upon it with grateful admiration. We had heard so much of the temple and its surroundings that we were anticipating the unusual beauties of this sacred spot, but I think no member of the party anticipated the thrill that came at the Pali. The Pali is the pass or summit between Honolulu and Laie. We were told that Pali means the god of wind. If so this is an appropriate name, for the wind at the top of this precipice, twelve hundred feet high, is certainly severe, and it is said to continue without ceasing. From this point the view presented of the black volcanic moun- tains on the extreme left, the blue Pacific with its white caps on the extreme right, with tropical vegetation, the yellowish green of the cane fields, the gray of the pineapple areas, and the streaks of brilliantly red soil between, present, as one author has said, "one of the most un- expected and amazingly beautiful views in all the world." In the early evening of the day on which we came to Laie we had our first introduction to a great Hawaiian luau. If you yourself have not seen one of these great Hawaiian feasts you can hardly imagine how much food these good people put on a table. The recreation hall was filled with tables and the tables were filled with food. As we entered we were all lavishly decorated again by Hawaiian girls, with brilliant leis as the music played a welcome. All seats, but those reserved for our party, were already filled. Over the front of the building in beautiful letters, worked out with brilliant flowers, was the word Aloha. The word and the leis were expres- sions of the love and welcome of the people. Aloha means love, welcome, or farewell. For every plate at this great feast was a large bowl full of poi. Poi looks like the "big white gravy" of pioneer days. If it had been gravy each individual had enough for the average family. It hardly seems possible that one person could eat so much poi, even if no other food had been provided. The poi, however, was merely a side dish. iOO IMPROVEMENT ERA Well, that banquet! The meat, it seemed, was beef and pork combined. It had been cooked with hot rocks underground in what appeared to be large corn husks, but I think they are island ti leaves. We also had fish and chicken, Irish potatoes, and sweet potatoes, and bread and butter and dessert. The lemonade had a color as brilliant as the landscape and the flowers. The musical program was continued on the lawn after the feast was over. The music outside was fur- nished and directed mostly by "Prince Lealini," a Hawaiian with a. princely appearance and a most remarkable voice. Near Laie we visited one of the great sugar factories of the islands and learned from Mr. Peck, chief chemist, who was in charge, that there is not even a chemical difference between cane sugar and beet sugar. He insists that sugar is sugar, and that no chemist by any known analysis can find any difference between that which is made from the beet and that which comes from cane. He says either can be made with any desired degree of fineness. Honolulu and Laie are on opposite sides of the island of Oahu. From Oahu we went by steamer in a southeasterly direction to the island of Hawaii, the largest of the group on which the city of Hilo and the volcano Kilauea are located. Missionaries and Saints, and other friends, a host of them, met us in a rain storm at Hilo. It has to be a heavy rain in the islands to be called anything more than "liquid sunshine." The "liquid sun- shine" may come and go half a dozen times in a single day. It is perhaps this frequent spray or sprinkling that keeps the country every- where clean and green and beautiful. In any event the rather heavy rain falling in Hilo did not seem to dampen in the least degree the welcome we received. When the sun began to shine a discussion arose concerning the directions in Hilo. Some said one direction was north while others insisted that it was another. Some tried to tell the directions by using the shadows and a watch, others examined the trees, like boy scouts, asserting that the heaviest moss always grows on the north side. We had all noticed, too, and had discussed the fact that at noon there was no shadow either pointing north or pointing south. But, and I am ashamed to acknowledge it, it had not occurred to any of us that where the shadow is zero at noon, all shadows at other hours point either east or west — one way in the afternoon and the other in the morning. (Be sure, if you tell this to any boy scout "to tell him not to tell.") The trip from Hilo south, thirty-one miles along the east shore of the island of Hawaii to Kilauea, which is said to be the greatest valcano in the world, was full of interest. The road, much of it paved, is a good one. The trees and brush and shrubs and ferns form a foliage on either side so dense that walking or climbing through it would seem to be impossible. A VISIT TO HAWAII 101 Our first sight of the volcano was the great cloud of steam that was escaping from the crater. Underneath all of this volcanic country there is, I presume, a great net work of "lava tubes" or channels through which lava, under tremendous pressure, has moved from one place to another as sausage moves through a sausage grinder. Our party walked four hundred feet through one of these lava tubes. It is probably thirty feet in diameter. If it were straight this gigantic tube might be compared with the barrel of a cannon. The darkness in it, both ends being far below the general surface of the country, is as black as ink. It was after dinner, and in the darkness, that we drove some seven miles from the Volcano House, which is located north of the rim, around the east side of the great crater to the point on the south of it from which, most conveniently and satisfactorily, the boiling sea of molten rock can be seen. The great furnace had been quiet for weeks. As if for our personal benefit, and just three days before our arrival, the grand old operator put on this glorious exhibition. The volcano was hot, boiling and beautiful. It was said that some of the lava in the bottom of the gigantic crater was being thrown to an elevation of three hundred feet and that the stream of red molten rock we could see moving was probably thirty feet wide. The whole performance was so far below us that it was difficult to estimate distances. Look- ing into this great crater was like looking into the white heat of a furnace filled with molten metal. For a long time later in the evening we sat on the porch of the volcano house, two miles in an air line from the volcano, and looked at the steam from all those acres as it rose from the fire slowly and moved upward all aglow with the bright red reflection of the molten rock. Like the expanse of the universe with its millions of stars this great phenomenon of nature fills man with wonder, fear, and admira- tion for the creative power divine that makes all this possible. The ride west and then north from the volcano on around the island is through and over numberless lava flows. The tremendous extent of some of these and the newness of others (one as late as 1921) surprised and thrilled us. We could only imagine what tre- mendous commotion was created when these great flows of molten rock, miles wide, ran into the ocean. That day we traveled 150 miles, most of the road being over lava beds or through those in which heavy cuts have been made to build the road. That night, July 24, brought us to Kamuela, headquarters of the famous Parker ranch. Under the direction of Mr. A. W. Parker, manager of the ranch, we were shown dairy barns, and pasture lands and pure bred horses and cattle "on the range" equal to stall animals here. There green grass grows and animals feed on it three hundred and sixty-five days in the year. Where there is winter, animals get 2 <" c 6 i! § ■•.a a 3 jg if' •J J3 <5 P3f ' h a, < h lu h< _) WO, pi w ^ xo ^ w us << ^< I h o < ej SI 3 i-3, e !> m ^2 l-Ss .2 D-i :S 0< J3 0-1 W h .2 -0 x; **■ DO M -£.*>- J EG A VISIT TO HAWAII 103 a set-back. The perpetual summer of the islands certainly produces phenomenal horses, cattle and sheep. Mr. Parker gave an elaborate banquet in his palatial ocuntry home to all the members of our party. He appears to have a special fondness for and interest in our missionary boys. All of those in the neighborhood were invited. It made a group of seventeen. We enjoyed the feast of wild turkey and other delicious delicacies. We went next to the island of Maui. The good-bye at Hilo, like that a Maui later, can never be forgotten by those on board. Mul- titudes came to say farewell. Loaded with decorations we waved from the steamer while those on shore sang and waved. The song Aloha grew dimmer and dimmer as did the waving hats and handkerchiefs. A few minutes and neither could be distinguished. Thus the sweet, never-to-be-forgotten good-bye had ended. We landed at Laihaima on the island of Maui. Here as else- where, we found royal friends to entertain us. We were taken around the island through a country of beauty to Wailuku. Mutual Im- provement and other officers, Church and State, entertained and cared for us. Among these was Pia Cocket, county assessor, and John Ferreira, legislator. Twenty-five were seated at the fine luau given by the legislator. While the landscape on Maui, trees, flowers, mountains and ocean, are beautiful and all full of interest, the spot most sacred, the place of greatest interest to us is where the late President George Q. Cannon, in 1851, performed the first baptism in the islands. His labors here began in December, 1850. The large pepper tree which marks the spot is slightly behind, and a little to one side of the meetinghouse at Pulehe. President Ivins and I were invited to speek at the meeting of a troop of boy scouts. It was gratifying to see the excellence of their work. Later at Laie President Ivins with his fine scout spirit, offered a silver coin to a Japanese boy scout if he would climb the tall, slender cocoanut tree nearby. The tree was about sixty feet high with a diameter of eight or ten inches. From the ground to the umbrella- shaped top there was no limb against which to lean, there was no protection on which to stand and rest. He put the bottoms of his bare feet on opposite sides of the tree and up he went in leaps like a frog. The sixty-feet of climb completed, he reached far out to a large cocoa- nut and continued to tug at it until it was broken loose and came crashing to the ground. The feat was performed so splendidly that President Ivins gave the boy double the amount promised. If space would permit I would present here the names of all the missionaries in the islands. They numbered sixty-four. They are fine workers giving wonderful service and getting an equally wonderful experience. It would be a pleasure, too, to give here the names of the great host of Saints and friends who entertained us, but time and 104 IMPROVEMENT ERA space will not permit. Think of Saints who have for thirty years continuously entertained the elders. A rich blessing is surely in store for all such. I must mention the banquet given in our honor by Henry Aki. He is a full-blooded Chinaman who is an excellent Church worker. He told us how when a boy he worked ninety days for ninety dollars. At the end of the time he had the whole ninety dollars and with it he started in the restaurant business. During the war he bought prop- erty, real estate, for $10,000 and constructed a building on it for $6,000. The stock, equipment, land and building together have cost him more than $30,000. His wife, half Chinese and half Hawaiian, has been, he says, a real helper all the time. The articles in the Era, especially those by Dr. George H. Brimhall, he says, have been his greatest inspiration. This splendid man stands ready, he says, to preach the gospel in his native land or elsewhere if the Church authorities desire to have him do it. Another outstanding feature of our trip was the Hawaiian feast, or luau, given by Elder James L. W. McQuire and his charming wife. Seventy-five were seated at one long table in the dining room of their spacious and palatial old time mansion. The dining room is 38 feet long, 21 feet wide and 12 feet high, while the great reception room across the whole front of the building is 60 feet long, 35 feet wide, and 20 feet high. The house was profusely decorated with ferns and flowers of splendid varieties. He has many large glass cases filled with rare and valuable Hawaiian relics and curios. This splendid man and his wife who was educated in Germany are effective assistants in the Church. The husband, who was once private secretary to the late queen, is a pronounced success as a missionary among his own people. I congratulate the Church upon having Antoine R. Ivins in charge of its plantation in the islands. He is a man who, by training, experience, and natural ability, is unusually well qualified to do his work. He has been educated in the Juarez Academy law school, in the City of Mexico, the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, and the Utah Agricultural College. He was graduated from the University of Utah with the class of 1909. Since childhood, too, he has had experience in agricultural work and stock raising. As manager of the Church plantation he has ample opportunity to use all his training and all his experience. The splendid condition of the plantation tells more forcefully than any words how efficient he is as a manager. He has the affairs of the plantation in hand in a masterly way. Under such able leadership it is sure to succeed. His wife, Vilate Romney Ivins, is also an efficient worker in the Church organizations in Laie, as well as one of the leading lady workers in the temple. As mission president, Elder Eugene J. Neff is a pronounced success. He is a man of unusual vision. He has at home managed A VISIT TO HAWAII 105 his affairs with marked success, and he is managing the affairs of the mission in the same way. The splendid way in which he had all our trips planned is evidence of his planning ability and efficient leadership. In her place in the mission home Mrs. Louie Chamberlain Neff gains the affections of everyone. She is a calm, wise and effective worker. To all the missionaries she is a real mother. Mrs. Elizabeth Snow Ivins, worthy daughter of her pioneer father, Erastus Snow, and Mrs. Amy Brown Lyman, worthy daughter of her pioneer father, John Brown, both rendered excellent service in teaching lessons of health, religion, and cleanliness to Relief Society Kauai conference, August 4, 1924, left to right: Ernest A. Nelson, Fred E. Lunt, O. Leroy Sanders, outgoing conference president; President Anthony W. Ivins, Elder Richard R. Lyman, President Eugene J. Neff, president Hawaiian mission; Albert W. Elvin, Stanleyv F. Scholes, incoming conference president; Donald McCormick, president Oahu conference. workers. The infant death rate of more than 300 per 1000 births among the natives and the fact that the number of deaths among them is 60 per cent greater than the births, are reasons why these topics were discussed. When as a young man George Q. Cannon began his religious work among these people, and when Joseph F. Smith at the age of fifteen began preaching to them, who had vision enough to see the fine religious condition ahead that prevails in the islands today? The native population is some 36,000 — roughly one-third of these are members of the Church. These people try to be real Saints. They are full of faith. They pay their tithes and their offerings. Their sick are healed. They honor their leaders. They take pride and delight in discharging religious duties. 106 IMPROVEMENT ERA Everywhere we found our places of worship filled with the faithful Saints and their friends. They were patient and attentive listeners. All were aglow with delight when President Ivins spoke to them representing the Presidency of the Church. When he, a member of the First Presidency, left his blessing with the people, they were deeply touched and greatly built up in faith. These faithful Saints had waited a long time to have the chapel at Honolulu dedicated. It was dear to all of them, elders and Saints, because, into its construction had gone not only their money, but their very selves, great numbers having contributed liberally of their time and effort. At last President Ivins had come to dedicate the building, to appeal to our heavenly Father for blessings to come to those who had given; for the house to be made truly sacred, for the Spirit of the Lord to abide in it always; for those who worship in it to have their faith built up; for the young people who come under its roof to be preserved by divine power from all evil; for these young people to be brought up religiously, in the sacred house, that they will bring great honor and credit to their parents, the Church and their native land. Anticipation stirred the people so profoundly that on Saturday before the dedication the Relief Society conference filled the building to its capacity. Many had to stand also at the priesthood meeting, Sunday morning. Sunday afternoon finally arrived. From north, south, east and west the people came until even the yard surrounding the building had in it a multitude of people. The preparations for this dedicatory service had been under way so long that they were well nigh perfect. The appeal in the dedicatory prayer of President Ivins was clear- cut, simple, beautifully forceful, and impressive. To the excellent prayer were added numerous selections by the well-trained Hawaiian choir. Like the prayer, one anthem sung without instrumental accom- paniment, stirred within all present profound religious emotions. All the members of the party were deeply indebted to President Ivins for his splendid company and leadership. His life-long devotion to study has prepared him well to answer questions whether they pertain to doctrine, history or the laws of nature. He made friends of every one, whether on the train, in the steamer, among the mis- sionaries, among the Saints, or among strangers. The elaborateness of the farewell party that was given in our honor on the spacious lawn, near the mission home, I shall not attempt to describe in detail. I must say, however, that the Hawaiian Royal Band was there in full white uniform, a most interesting pro- gram of music and songs and speeches was rendered. Once more dancing and singing to splendid Hawaiian music, native maidens representing the various islands of the group, loaded us with lets both r A VISIT TO HAWAII 107 brilliant and numerous. The swaying of the tropical trees, the electric lights, and the moon, all combined to make a most beautiful setting for the last great farewell, the final singing of Aloha Oe. Only tears and heart throbs can express the intensity of this and the final parting next day at the ocean's edge. It was a brilliant climax of songs, flowers, presents and tears, to the receptions and entertainments which began with great enthusiasm and continued to increase in intensity and splendor to the last. God bless the land Hawaii and with all its people and all their friends. Jap planter, wife, (baby inside tent) President A. W. Ivins. Pineapple fields. Laie, Oahu A Sonnet Above the lofty pinnacles of snow, How broad and vast the blue ethereal cope Extends its borders to the distant slope Where sky and earth merge in the rim below I Of such great views, as here before me rise. My eyes are powerless to grasp the scope; Sublime, the distances in grandeur ope A sense of feeling that transcends surprise — The feeling that inspired fair Sappho's heart Mid seas and mountains of her Grecian home; Or Petrarch won amid the peers of Rome Crowned with the laurel of poetic art. Here heaven opens wide domains unknown, And faith through inspiration gains a throne. Albuquerque, N. M. JOSEPH LONGKING TOWNSENIX