Transcriber's Note
This book was transcribed from scans of the original found at the Internet Archive.Variant spellings are not corrected. Some illustrations are rotated.
TAHITI
THE
ISLAND PARADISE
BY
NICHOLAS SENN, M. D., Ph. D., LL. D., C. M.
Professor of Surgery in the University of Chicago
Professor and Head of the Surgical Department in Rush Medical College
Surgeon-in-Chief of St. Joseph's Hospital
Attending Surgeon of the Presbyterian Hospital
Lieutenant-Colonel and Chief of the Operating Staff with the Army in
the Field during the Spanish-American War
Surgeon-General of Illinois
WITH FIFTY HALF-TONE ILLUSTRATIONS
CHICAGO
W. B. CONKEY COMPANY
COPYRIGHT, 1906,
BY
W. B. CONKEY COMPANY
The far-away little island of Tahiti is the gemof the South Pacific Ocean. If any place in thisworld deserves to be called a paradise, Tahitican make this claim. This charming spot in thewide expanse of the peaceful ocean hasattractions which we look for in vain anywhere else.From a distance, the grandeur of its frowningcliffs rivets the eye, and, in coming nearer, itstropic beauty charms the visitor and imprintsupon his memory pictures single and panoramicthat neither distance nor time can efface. Thescenic beauty of this island is unsurpassed. Thecalming air, redolent with the perfume of fragrantflowers of exquisite beauty, on the seashore, inthe valleys and on the precipitous mountainsides; the luxuriant vegetation; the forestfruit-gardens and the sweet music of the surf remindone of the original habitation of man. Thenatives, a childlike people, friendly, courteousand hospitable, are the happiest people on earth,free from care and worries which in other lessfavored parts of the world make life a drudgery.
Tahiti is the only place in the world wherethe people are not obliged to work.