THE
PACIFIC TRIANGLE
ERUPTION OF VOLCANO ON THE ISLAND OF KYUSHU, JAPAN
To the world a symbol: to Japan a fact
THE
PACIFIC TRIANGLE
BY
SYDNEY GREENBIE
AUTHOR OF "JAPAN: REAL AND IMAGINARY"
ILLUSTRATED
WITH PHOTOGRAPHS
NEW YORK
THE CENTURY CO.
1921
Copyright, 1921, by
The Century Co.
Printed in U. S. A.
TO BARRIE
WHO DID HIS BEST TO
PREVENT THE WRITING OF THIS
BOOK, IN THE HOPE THAT HE MAY
SOME DAY READ IT AND REPENT OF HIS SINS.
PREFACE
This book is an attempt to bring within focus the mostoutstanding factors in the Pacific. With the exceptionof Chapter II, which deals with the origin of the Polynesianpeople, there is hardly an incident in the wholebook that has not come within the scope of my own personalexperience. Hence this is essentially a travel narrative.I have confined myself to the task of interpretingthe problems of the Pacific in the light of the episodes ofeveryday life. Wherever possible, I have tried to letthe incident speak for itself, and to include in the picturethe average ideals of the various races, together withmy own impressions of them and my own reflections.The field is a tremendous one. It encompasses the mostimportant regions that lie along the great avenues ofcommerce and general intercourse. The Pacific is agreat combination of geographical, ethnological, and politicalfactors that is extremely diverse in its sources.I have tried to discern within them a unit of humancommonality, as the seeker after truth is bound to do ifhis discoveries are to be of any value.
But the result has been an unconventional book. ForI have sometimes been compelled to make unity of timeand place subservient to that of subject matter. Hencethe reader may on occasion feel that the book returnsto the same field more than once. That has been unavoidable.The problems that are found in Hawaii are essentiallythe same as those in Samoa, though differing indegree. It has therefore been necessary, after surveyingthe whole field in one continuous narrative of my ownjourney, to assemble stories, types, and descriptionswhich illustrate certain problems, in separate chapters,[Pg viii]regardless of their geographical settings. If the readerbears this in mind he will not be surprised in Book Twoto find himself in Fiji, Samoa, Hawaii, or New Zealandall at once—for issues are always more important thanboundaries.
The plan of the book has been to give the historica