THE CITY OF PAPEETEPapeete is the capital of Tahiti, the seat of government of the entire archipelago, and the principal commercial city of the French possessions in Oceanica. It is a typical city of the South Sea world, as it is viewed from the deck of the steamer and while walking or riding along its narrow, crooked streets. From the harbor, little can be seen of its buildings, except the spire of the cathedral and the low steeples of two Protestant churches, the low tower of the governor's palace, formerly the home of royalty, the military hospital, the wharf, and a few business houses loosely scattered along the principal street, the Quai du Commerce that skirts the harbor. The residence part of the city is hidden behind towering cocoa-palms and magnificent shade-trees among which the flamboyant (burau) trees are the most beautiful. It is situated on a low plateau with a background of forest-clad mountains, the beautiful little harbor, the spray-covered coral reef, the vast ocean and the picturesque outlines of Moorea in front of it.PALM FORESTIN THE SHADOW OF THE PALM FORESTPapeete has no sidewalks. The streets are narrow, irregularly laid out, and none of them paved. Most of the houses are one-story frame buildings, covered with corrugated iron roofs. There are only two or three large stores; the remaining business-places are small shops, many of them owned and managed by Chinamen. The present population, made up of natives of all tints, from a light chocolate to nearly white, six to eight hundred whites and about three hundred Chinese, numbers in the neighborhood of five thousand, nearly half of the population of the entire island. There are about five hundred Chinese in the island, who, by their industry and knowledge of business methods, have become formidable competitors of the merchants from other foreign countries. Their small shops and coffee-houses in Papeete and the country districts are well patronized by the natives.Papeete is the commercial center of Oceanica. There are no department stores there. Business is specialized more there than perhaps in any other city. All of the shops, even the largest, look small in the eyes of Americans. There are dry goods stores, grocery stores, millinery shops, two small frame hotels, the Hotel Francais and another smaller one, both on the Quai, a few boarding-houses, two saloons, and no bank. The scarcity of saloons can be explained by the fact that the natives are temperate in their habits. According to a law enforced by the government, the native women are prohibited from frequenting such places.The public wash-basin, supplied with running fresh water from a mountain stream, is a sight worth seeing. From a dozen to twenty native women, and a few soldiers, may be found here almost any time of the day, paddling knee-deep in the water, using stones in place of washboards in performing their arduous work. This primitive way of washing gives excellent results, judging from the snow-white, spotless linen garments worn by the Europeans and well-to-do natives.The little plaza or square in the center of the city is used as a market-place where natives congregate at five o'clock in the morning, to make their modest purchases of fish, plantain, pineapple, melon or preserved shrimp done up in joints of bamboo. This is the place to learn what the islanders produce, sell and buy.The public buildings are well adapted for a tropic climate. The most important of these is the palace of the last of the Tahitian kings, now used as the office of the government. It is a handsome white building, surrounded by ample grounds well laid out, and beautified by trees, shrubs and flowers. The government schoolhouse is an enormous frame building, resting upon posts, several feet from the ground, with more than one-half of its walls taken up by arched windows, the best lighted and most thoroughly ventilated building in the city, an ideal schoolhouse for the tropics. Among the churches of different denominations, the Catholic cathedral is the largest and best, although in the States it would not be considered an ornament for a small country village.The city is well supplied with pure water from a mountain stream, but lacks a system of sewerage. The gardens and grounds of the best residences of the foreigners present an exquisite display of flowers that flourish best in the tropic soil, under the invigorating rays of the tropic sun, and the soothing effects of the frequent showers of rain, which are not limited to any particular season of the year.Papeete, like all cities in the equatorial region, is a city of supreme idleness and freedom from care. The citizens can not comprehend that "The great principle of human satisfaction is engagement" (Paley). This idleness is inherent in the natives, and under the climatic conditions, and I suppose to a certain extent by suggestion, is soon acquired by the foreigners. Contentment and absence of anxiety characterize the life of the Tahitian. He has no desire to accumulate wealth; he is satisfied with little. He is "shut up in measureless content" (Shakespeare); he is inspired with the good idea that "he that maketh haste to be rich, shall not be innocent" (Proverb xxviii: 20). The merchants open their shops at sunrise, lock the doors at ten, retire to their homes for breakfast, take their two-hour siesta, return to their business, suspend work at five, and the remainder of the day and the entire evening are devoted to rest, social visits and divers amusements. The social center of the foreigners is the Cercle Bougainville, a small frame building which serves the purpose of a club house. Bicycling is a favorite means of travel and sport for the Europeans as well as the natives of all classes. This vehicle has found its way not only into the capital city but also into the country districts throughout the island. The splendid macadamized road which encircles the island furnishes a great inducement for this sport. Two of the wealthiest citizens travel the principal streets in the city and the ninety-mile drive in the most modern fashion by riding an automobile.There are few if any door locks in private residences, hotels and boarding-houses, the best possible proof that the inhabitants are law-abiding citizens. In the boarding-house in which I lived, the main entrance was left wide open during the night, and none of the door locks was supplied with a key. The native women wear Mother Hubbard gowns of bright calico; the better class of men dress in European fashion, while the laborers and men from the country districts wear a pareu (loin-cloth) of bright calico, with or without an undershirt. The average Tahitian does not believe in:We are captivated by dress.OVIDIUS.THE S.S. MARIPOSATHE S.S. "MARIPOSA" LEAVING THE HARBOR OF PAPEETE, November 13, 1903
THE CITY OF PAPEETEPapeete is the capital of Tahiti, the seat of government of the entire archipelago, and the principal commercial city of the French possessions in Oceanica. It is a typical city of the South Sea world, as it is viewed from the deck of the steamer and while walking or riding along its narrow, crooked streets. From the harbor, little can be seen of its buildings, except the spire of the cathedral and the low steeples of two Protestant churches, the low tower of the governor's palace, formerly the home of royalty, the military hospital, the wharf, and a few business houses loosely scattered along the principal street, the Quai du Commerce that skirts the harbor. The residence part of the city is hidden behind towering cocoa-palms and magnificent shade-trees among which the flamboyant (burau) trees are the most beautiful. It is situated on a low plateau with a background of forest-clad mountains, the beautiful little harbor, the spray-covered coral reef, the vast ocean and the picturesque outlines of Moorea in front of it.PALM FORESTIN THE SHADOW OF THE PALM FORESTPapeete has no sidewalks. The streets are narrow, irregularly laid out, and none of them paved. Most of the houses are one-story frame buildings, covered with corrugated iron roofs. There are only two or three large stores; the remaining business-places are small shops, many of them owned and managed by Chinamen. The present population, made up of natives of all tints, from a light chocolate to nearly white, six to eight hundred whites and about three hundred Chinese, numbers in the neighborhood of five thousand, nearly half of the population of the entire island. There are about five hundred Chinese in the island, who, by their industry and knowledge of business methods, have become formidable competitors of the merchants from other foreign countries. Their small shops and coffee-houses in Papeete and the country districts are well patronized by the natives.Papeete is the commercial center of Oceanica. There are no department stores there. Business is specialized more there than perhaps in any other city. All of the shops, even the largest, look small in the eyes of Americans. There are dry goods stores, grocery stores, millinery shops, two small frame hotels, the Hotel Francais and another smaller one, both on the Quai, a few boarding-houses, two saloons, and no bank. The scarcity of saloons can be explained by the fact that the natives are temperate in their habits. According to a law enforced by the government, the native women are prohibited from frequenting such places.The public wash-basin, supplied with running fresh water from a mountain stream, is a sight worth seeing. From a dozen to twenty native women, and a few soldiers, may be found here almost any time of the day, paddling knee-deep in the water, using stones in place of washboards in performing their arduous work. This primitive way of washing gives excellent results, judging from the snow-white, spotless linen garments worn by the Europeans and well-to-do natives.The little plaza or square in the center of the city is used as a market-place where natives congregate at five o'clock in the morning, to make their modest purchases of fish, plantain, pineapple, melon or preserved shrimp done up in joints of bamboo. This is the place to learn what the islanders produce, sell and buy.The public buildings are well adapted for a tropic climate. The most important of these is the palace of the last of the Tahitian kings, now used as the office of the government. It is a handsome white building, surrounded by ample grounds well laid out, and beautified by trees, shrubs and flowers. The government schoolhouse is an enormous frame building, resting upon posts, several feet from the ground, with more than one-half of its walls taken up by arched windows, the best lighted and most thoroughly ventilated building in the city, an ideal schoolhouse for the tropics. Among the churches of different denominations, the Catholic cathedral is the largest and best, although in the States it would not be considered an ornament for a small country village.The city is well supplied with pure water from a mountain stream, but lacks a system of sewerage. The gardens and grounds of the best residences of the foreigners present an exquisite display of flowers that flourish best in the tropic soil, under the invigorating rays of the tropic sun, and the soothing effects of the frequent showers of rain, which are not limited to any particular season of the year.Papeete, like all cities in the equatorial region, is a city of supreme idleness and freedom from care. The citizens can not comprehend that "The great principle of human satisfaction is engagement" (Paley). This idleness is inherent in the natives, and under the climatic conditions, and I suppose to a certain extent by suggestion, is soon acquired by the foreigners. Contentment and absence of anxiety characterize the life of the Tahitian. He has no desire to accumulate wealth; he is satisfied with little. He is "shut up in measureless content" (Shakespeare); he is inspired with the good idea that "he that maketh haste to be rich, shall not be innocent" (Proverb xxviii: 20). The merchants open their shops at sunrise, lock the doors at ten, retire to their homes for breakfast, take their two-hour siesta, return to their business, suspend work at five, and the remainder of the day and the entire evening are devoted to rest, social visits and divers amusements. The social center of the foreigners is the Cercle Bougainville, a small frame building which serves the purpose of a club house. Bicycling is a favorite means of travel and sport for the Europeans as well as the natives of all classes. This vehicle has found its way not only into the capital city but also into the country districts throughout the island. The splendid macadamized road which encircles the island furnishes a great inducement for this sport. Two of the wealthiest citizens travel the principal streets in the city and the ninety-mile drive in the most modern fashion by riding an automobile.There are few if any door locks in private residences, hotels and boarding-houses, the best possible proof that the inhabitants are law-abiding citizens. In the boarding-house in which I lived, the main entrance was left wide open during the night, and none of the door locks was supplied with a key. The native women wear Mother Hubbard gowns of bright calico; the better class of men dress in European fashion, while the laborers and men from the country districts wear a pareu (loin-cloth) of bright calico, with or without an undershirt. The average Tahitian does not believe in:We are captivated by dress.OVIDIUS.THE S.S. MARIPOSATHE S.S. "MARIPOSA" LEAVING THE HARBOR OF PAPEETE, November 13, 1903
Papeete is the capital of Tahiti, the seat of government of the entire archipelago, and the principal commercial city of the French possessions in Oceanica. It is a typical city of the South Sea world, as it is viewed from the deck of the steamer and while walking or riding along its narrow, crooked streets. From the harbor, little can be seen of its buildings, except the spire of the cathedral and the low steeples of two Protestant churches, the low tower of the governor's palace, formerly the home of royalty, the military hospital, the wharf, and a few business houses loosely scattered along the principal street, the Quai du Commerce that skirts the harbor. The residence part of the city is hidden behind towering cocoa-palms and magnificent shade-trees among which the flamboyant (burau) trees are the most beautiful. It is situated on a low plateau with a background of forest-clad mountains, the beautiful little harbor, the spray-covered coral reef, the vast ocean and the picturesque outlines of Moorea in front of it.
PALM FORESTIN THE SHADOW OF THE PALM FOREST
IN THE SHADOW OF THE PALM FOREST
Papeete has no sidewalks. The streets are narrow, irregularly laid out, and none of them paved. Most of the houses are one-story frame buildings, covered with corrugated iron roofs. There are only two or three large stores; the remaining business-places are small shops, many of them owned and managed by Chinamen. The present population, made up of natives of all tints, from a light chocolate to nearly white, six to eight hundred whites and about three hundred Chinese, numbers in the neighborhood of five thousand, nearly half of the population of the entire island. There are about five hundred Chinese in the island, who, by their industry and knowledge of business methods, have become formidable competitors of the merchants from other foreign countries. Their small shops and coffee-houses in Papeete and the country districts are well patronized by the natives.
Papeete is the commercial center of Oceanica. There are no department stores there. Business is specialized more there than perhaps in any other city. All of the shops, even the largest, look small in the eyes of Americans. There are dry goods stores, grocery stores, millinery shops, two small frame hotels, the Hotel Francais and another smaller one, both on the Quai, a few boarding-houses, two saloons, and no bank. The scarcity of saloons can be explained by the fact that the natives are temperate in their habits. According to a law enforced by the government, the native women are prohibited from frequenting such places.
The public wash-basin, supplied with running fresh water from a mountain stream, is a sight worth seeing. From a dozen to twenty native women, and a few soldiers, may be found here almost any time of the day, paddling knee-deep in the water, using stones in place of washboards in performing their arduous work. This primitive way of washing gives excellent results, judging from the snow-white, spotless linen garments worn by the Europeans and well-to-do natives.
The little plaza or square in the center of the city is used as a market-place where natives congregate at five o'clock in the morning, to make their modest purchases of fish, plantain, pineapple, melon or preserved shrimp done up in joints of bamboo. This is the place to learn what the islanders produce, sell and buy.
The public buildings are well adapted for a tropic climate. The most important of these is the palace of the last of the Tahitian kings, now used as the office of the government. It is a handsome white building, surrounded by ample grounds well laid out, and beautified by trees, shrubs and flowers. The government schoolhouse is an enormous frame building, resting upon posts, several feet from the ground, with more than one-half of its walls taken up by arched windows, the best lighted and most thoroughly ventilated building in the city, an ideal schoolhouse for the tropics. Among the churches of different denominations, the Catholic cathedral is the largest and best, although in the States it would not be considered an ornament for a small country village.
The city is well supplied with pure water from a mountain stream, but lacks a system of sewerage. The gardens and grounds of the best residences of the foreigners present an exquisite display of flowers that flourish best in the tropic soil, under the invigorating rays of the tropic sun, and the soothing effects of the frequent showers of rain, which are not limited to any particular season of the year.
Papeete, like all cities in the equatorial region, is a city of supreme idleness and freedom from care. The citizens can not comprehend that "The great principle of human satisfaction is engagement" (Paley). This idleness is inherent in the natives, and under the climatic conditions, and I suppose to a certain extent by suggestion, is soon acquired by the foreigners. Contentment and absence of anxiety characterize the life of the Tahitian. He has no desire to accumulate wealth; he is satisfied with little. He is "shut up in measureless content" (Shakespeare); he is inspired with the good idea that "he that maketh haste to be rich, shall not be innocent" (Proverb xxviii: 20). The merchants open their shops at sunrise, lock the doors at ten, retire to their homes for breakfast, take their two-hour siesta, return to their business, suspend work at five, and the remainder of the day and the entire evening are devoted to rest, social visits and divers amusements. The social center of the foreigners is the Cercle Bougainville, a small frame building which serves the purpose of a club house. Bicycling is a favorite means of travel and sport for the Europeans as well as the natives of all classes. This vehicle has found its way not only into the capital city but also into the country districts throughout the island. The splendid macadamized road which encircles the island furnishes a great inducement for this sport. Two of the wealthiest citizens travel the principal streets in the city and the ninety-mile drive in the most modern fashion by riding an automobile.
There are few if any door locks in private residences, hotels and boarding-houses, the best possible proof that the inhabitants are law-abiding citizens. In the boarding-house in which I lived, the main entrance was left wide open during the night, and none of the door locks was supplied with a key. The native women wear Mother Hubbard gowns of bright calico; the better class of men dress in European fashion, while the laborers and men from the country districts wear a pareu (loin-cloth) of bright calico, with or without an undershirt. The average Tahitian does not believe in:
We are captivated by dress.OVIDIUS.
We are captivated by dress.
OVIDIUS.
THE S.S. MARIPOSATHE S.S. "MARIPOSA" LEAVING THE HARBOR OF PAPEETE, November 13, 1903
THE S.S. "MARIPOSA" LEAVING THE HARBOR OF PAPEETE, November 13, 1903