Judge — October 26, 1912 — page 11: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This illustration depicts Hawaii undergoing modernization ("Modernism's thrifty hand") while the poem expresses anxiety about cultural preservation. The image shows a central female figure surrounded by flowing tropical imagery and what appear to be attendants or dancers, representing Hawaiian culture. The accompanying verse suggests tension between economic development and native Hawaiian identity. The phrase "races you now entertain / Defy assimilation" indicates concern that despite modernization, Hawaiian and other Pacific Island peoples resist being absorbed into Western culture. The poem critiques how commercialization co-opts "tropic moods and dances" for profit while native populations maintain distinct cultural identity—a commentary on early 20th-century American colonialism and cultural commodification in Hawaii.