The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1882-09-06


Not only for entertaining Quakers, il
would seem, but,
The cause of this their suffering
Was not for any sin,
But for the witness that they bare
Against babes sprinkeling."
If the Pado-baptists of that day Joined
in the prosecuting raid they well deserved
Peters poetic rebuke.
But lest he should appear to be want
ing in respect for the powers that be, he
goes on to say:
would not have you for to think
Tho have wrote so much
That hereby do throw a stone
AT magistrates as such"
And then he lays down the true doc
trine in these words:
But that which intend hereby,
Is that they would keep bounds,
And eddie not with Gods worship,
For which they have no grounds"
One more element of interest in the
early history of Nantucket, is the strange
fate of the aborigines Although there
were only about 1900 Indians on the
Island at the time it was settled by the
whites, segregated as they were from the
rest OF the world, and constrained as one
would think by their very isolation and
loneliness, to live in harmony with one
another, they nevertheless waged wars
" Rivers lnterposed make enemies of ma
tlons, but these poor creatures of one race,
without any such natural barrier between
them, were divided into two hostile
camps-not the sectional division, this
time, between North and South, but be-
tween East and West, until peace was
made by the marriage of the king of the
West to the daughter Of the king of the
East, and the further precaution taken of
drawing a line across the Island over
which no member of either tribe was al
lowed to pass without permission. But
even this did not end their troubles
Their number had already been reduced
to 358, and of these between two and
three hundred were swept away by an
epidemic in a single year, so that by the
close OF the century there were but three
wigwams remaining.
The chief attractions Nantucket now
presents to the visitor are its pure air
and pleasant temperature. Here one
finds the genuine breeze and brine.
Since my sojourn here of fortnight the
sky has been constantly clear and the
average reading of the thermometer
about 7O0. One soon gets tired of the
town itself, despite its quaint old houses,
and the public crier who from his perch
In the church-steeple watches the ap-
proach of every vessel and descends to
rush through all the streets to announce
It's coming, and to communicate in a
loud, cracked voice all such notices of
meetings, sales, excursions, etc., as he
tancies may be interesting to citizens and
strangers.
Among the disadvantages, of the place
may be mentioned the fact that few of
the clearinghouse command a view of
the water. People expect Just the con-
trary in coming to town on the edge of
an island. 1t is true, by crossing the
island to Sconset' or Surf Side" one
has splendid view of the ocean, but
there the clearinghouse are inferior,
and the surf Is too rough and dangerous
Tor bathing, at least for women, children,
or lnvalids. No where does the beach
equal that of Cape May or Cobb's Island
The price of board is still moderate, but
for other things if city charges are signs
Of civilization, Nantucket is coming to
the front. a carry-all with one horse
costs dollar an hour. A little railroad
two and half miles long runs to Surf
Side If gentleman takes his wife
and two children, the excursion costs
him dollar and forty cents. The price
OF a sail-boat to the Rips" for a DAYS
fishing is eight dollars. This is not cbeap
even though the skipper and one atten-
dant goes with it, as they retain and sell
the fish which are caught, often bringing
them three or four dollars more.
And here / may say that Nantucket
affords no pastime equal to these 6shinp
excursions, to those who are fond of such
sport. The place called "The Rip" is
about ten miles distant. These Rips"
are breakers on shoal not very far from
Jhe shore, about two miles long and pro-