Exerpt: concluding paragraphAnd as the sunset fires flow from the west like liquid gold, we tremble when we think how far this flood of golden light has journeyed over trackless oceans to touch and glorify these tiny dots of earth in the midst of the greatest ocean on our globe. We catch our breath at thought of all the leagues of barren waters that stretch away to north and south and east and west; of the everlasting surrounding deep that washes both the shores of Asia and America and rolls its might volume from continent to continent and pole to pole. A great loneliness sweeps over us as we gaze out upon the empty sea. And as we stand on this Hawaiian shore, so far from our own land, a stranger passes, asks us if we have heard the news brought by the latest steamer from America, ---and in a dozen words he gives us hastily two bits of information, the like of which are seldom given in two simple sentences. One is: "Cervera's fleet has been destroyed at Santiago," and at his next words, "Annexation is an accomplished fact," we fix our feet more firmly on this lava shore, for we, who a moment since were as strangers in a strange land are now at home----Hawaii has become part of the United States.The first 112 pages of Burton Holmes' travelogue are dedicated to his tour through the Hawaiian islands. The work published in 1920 by the Travelogue Bureau, also included Holme's tour to China and American occupied Philippines. The excerpt above reminded me weirdly enough of Perry Miller's Introduction to An Errand into the Wilderness. This kind of expression, of the weirdly exotic and exoticized locale of Hawai'i never quite transforming the author until he realizes that as an American possession, he has in fact been transformed from a foreigner and stranger into a native---------is a commonplace trope of colonial travel. This piece was so classic in form that I wanted to post it.Here's another excerpt about U.S. troops taking leave in Honolulu en route to Manila.The war, of course, wrought havoc with the postal service, the steamers being all taken by the government to transport our troops to far-away Manila, but although the regular service was interrupted, ships came in swift succession, loaded down with gallant Boys in Blue, to the wharves of Honolulu. And how they were welcomed! Recent history affords no parallel to the unbounded hospitality and enthusiasm manifested by the people of Hawaii to these, our soldier boys...The ship is met by a most terrific storm of shells--cocoanut shells; a rain of grape-shot---real luscious grapes, shot from eager hands; volleys of mangoes, broadsides of bananas, followed by scattering discharges of pineapples and papayas; and the boys hurl back, between the luscious mouthfuls, broadsides of cheers of gratitude.Then later in the day, a thousand men or more are marched to the bathing-beaches about four miles from town. Cheered by the populace, followed by children of every age and color, stared at by Chinamen and Japanese and natives, who thus receive an object-lesson in the strength of the United States, our boys march on at a swinging pace, happy to have escaped from the ships in which they have been stowed like bales of merchandise for seven days and to which they must return in crowded confinement for thirty days or more.
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