Passed On, He has Gone

We had no clue that the Angel of death was so close to the door of the bodily home of one of the finest fathers, that being our friend, Charles P. Mahi. The English messenger of Hilo announced that he left this worldly life.

Because of our fondness for the character of this fine father, we therefore publish a little thing so that the multitudes may know of the true nature of this father.

We report that Charles P. Mahi, or Leone perhaps he was called by those familiar to him by that name, was from the bridged cliffs of Hamakua all the way to Puna.

This father was a man who greatly prized our mother tongue which we nevertheless are neglecting these day. He placed much value on our mother tongue. And because of this affection, he commanded his children to subscribe to Ka Hoku o Hawaii, so that they would have something to enlighten them in our mother tongue. He requested us to send newspapers to each of his children, and this was fulfilled. He wanted his children to read the newspaper so that they would become competent.

We compare him to other Hawaiian fathers, and he will not be reached by some, because the mother tongue became for him like his very own wife.

This father is someone who we should learn from, to follow after his footsteps, and to teach our children the mother tongue. And yet we are being careless with our prized language.

He will not ever be seen again, and the seeds he planted in his children are still fresh, and we hope that his deeds will become a beacon for us, O Hawaiians, living today. Our mother tongue is perhaps going to disappear. How regretful.

(Hoku o Hawaii, 11/29/1944, p. 2)