New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-08-20
LIRE IN A MAINE VILLAGE.
From The lib0Ay Journal.


To properly Understand the foik-fe Of this simple
village, one must know first that it, best elements
have been Slapped OF yearly .Or at least the space
of a generation, by emigration. Tuere is a steady
annual exodus Cf the bright active. ambitious
young men and women 20 better fields. Only the
billiards remain on the native soil Ana a queer
communit, these latter make.
The chief feature of this life IL its total lack Of
concentration What little there Is Of individual
energy is dliused over the whole sphere OF activity
The ieweller OF TN" town Is also the barber. the
general mechanic and the tinker; he likes 10 hay
it, little, to ish little 70 berry u niue,
and 10 RAISE some garden truck. He - sample.
and "a pleasant one. of all his fellows. N theY arc
trairsmen thew keep little OF eYeryihihgi TX
mechanics. they turn hand 10 a niue OF every.
thine: if dav iaborers they want 70 shift around
iuto a dozen more varieties Of work during inc
year. No one works hard. flsh. clans ana Feget-
ablcs are the food staples. Perhaps t . inps'lDic
to base labor upon these perhaps 10 Is the inilueuce
of the lazy atmosphere perhaps again. II - IN the
breed. Bnt whatever the cause. the result j. very
clear; no eastman knows what the wort work
means Tie stores open IN an incident manner nc
. so in the morning. They close with mo-e
prOmptneSs at noon; reopen sleepiy about TWO
hours later and thenceforward likely to shnt mp
at any time. There Is delightful uncertainty
about every phase OF what they call business IL -
the exception TO md a merchant in his own store.
even in the busiest times; the tn>nl'h. ms boy
will tell you may be over ~ the butchers nerhaps
you could find him m the drug store possibly he -
on the wharf; there Il chance OF eHcoun'eiDs
him at the hotel. What j. trde of the Unsinth ~
true of all the Others. The leading manufacturing
establishment Of the vlllage-almpst the Only ono
j. a Gaming factory, where Holsters, nackerri,
clans etc are pnt up for q h. market. There Is
steady demand tor the goods Of this factory, 10
which il seems utterly indifferent: When the
village boys feel like working at that particular
thing. the factory opens. and STAYS open untli tho
boss take notion to 20 fishing or haylng or mining
for there are mines IN these parts lhen' "boly
REGARDLESS OF the state of the market, It's demand
or It's supply the factory stops. Here labor ~
autocratIc. Ii chooses its own times hours ana
fields When IL Is iethargIc. no inducement ~
strong enough. no emergency grave enough 10 stir
There il absolutely no enterprise or suggestion Of
ENTERPRISE among the natives. The loDsiet-pots
are set in the places. the mac kerel-boas go To
the same YES year after year. II the Holsters 30
not come INTO the pots II the mackerel 40 not be,
80 much tine worse; nobody looks for them any,
where else. Once on time Castne had go0d HeaI
OF business; now she has neat 10 none. NoDoly
thinks of asking why. az least OF GONG out AFTER
the rctreating trade aud striving TO bring II back:
Traffic is now altogether local. and a. marrow and
shOrt-ranged as may be. Castne man. " III $500
worth OF fish hand. which were on the very
verge OF talnt. found another willing TO purchase
There was L difference of 80 between thelr views,
and 40 sale made that day. Inc next DAY
there was only difference OF SIS, but 10 s3le.
That nlgnt the owner OF the hsh hau 20 thivW rue
whole lot into the sea. lie was rather prond tnah
otherwise Of his refusal TO be cheated out oi Tle,
though The people there know no steaN-cut save
the tough TOurd. They bay that DecauSe thcie IL
no bone in IL the pOrteIhOuse Is sold for rOasts;
they like 70 better for steaks, they say put canuct
afford to buy 80 much bone. LIVING. however ~
exceedingly cheap there and all through ms section
cheaper than in any other part OF the country
perhaps.
-Ucial Slte or TINS slilaGf - WY ii'aEip
and cold The women riir matters here very gem
orally The men OF snap and ,tnf having sought
their fortunes elsewhere. those VINO T.. AN htc
easily dOmnecret by thtlr wives mo'heiS auu
sisters This fact account, for much That l. other-
wise odd in Names condition. Dancing II almost
lost art here Music j. sober aud s''TiOus. NeW-
YOrKers are regarded with uHeasuess The wilder
Western man II looked upon with positive disttust.
person who cOntc-scs TO liking Tor laJrr-Ocer -
viewed In Castluc a. confirmed Opium-cdter
would be Ia Albany. The gregarious instinct or
the two finds vent IN mite societies singing
classes and a gsud camp. meeting once = wear.
Camp meetings reach their climax OF popularity Ia
Maine. here IS not much re lgOus eryOr OF excite
meut in them, but much sedate and gulct comfort,
for the women at least. As tn masculine DIVERSIONS
It IL not easy To hit upon their identity. The men
of the village do not seem 10 get much iun ler-
haps their sport is spread evenly through their
llstless lives along with their labor that there II no
call to break out IN spots Certainly theie II no
such thing as hIarity among Them After supper
they wont to stand SIT IN little groups 81 Two
or three IN front OF the closed stores on the nam
street talkiug little. chew ns Or smoking tobacco
inv ariably, laughing never