, 1885-07-09
JEWS AS FARMERS.
THREE HUNDRED RUSSIAN exiLes IN
SOUTH JERSEY.
Visit to the Colony Near insiAnd-H How
the annIs Pay for Their Homes
Iniersiswtng.a Member Of
the Community.


lNineland N. ~ Correspondontl
The colony Of Jewish refugees from
Russia established three years ago on
], 100 acres OF land near here. purchased
by the Hebrew immigration society OF
New York and the Jewish society Of
London. hAs outlived the hardship OF it,
first years. and is beginning TO be a pros
porous community. The land Is n rolling
sea Of little scrub oaks four or five feet
high. punctuated with erect dead pine
trunks. Scattered here aud there among
the hills aud hollows OF the tract. the
sixty frame shanties In which the colonists
live are hardly noticeable. The little
patches OF neld. on which the ~grubbinR
up OF the oaks has exposed a light. sandy
soil thai every breeze raises In a cloud OF
dust. seem mere occasional scratohings up
Of the face Of the barrens There are no
street, no church. no stores. mills or facto-
ries, nor any other indication except the
scattered houses that 800 people are there.
Since the first year, when all lived to-
gether In barracks. the land has been di-
vided. Each family has about fifteen
acres. Each plat cost the societies from
$50 TO 100. and the occupant is to pay
for It onehalf the cost. They must pay 8
per cent n year upon this price and this
Interest il credited upon the principal. so
that they practically have thirty three
years In which to pay for their homes
tnder this arrangement the colonists take
more interest In their work. and although
they were all natives OF cities, tradesmen.
artisans. and mechanics and know little
Of farming. they have got their small
clearings into q fair state OF cultivation.
and will this year raise an abundant crop
Of strawberries. raspberries. and black.
berries.
These small fruits are all the land can
ha mazda N Rrn1nra pronfahlv Etpdtnn
the colony In the wilderness Is like look.
ing for a four.leaved clover. A query ad-
dressed to the open door OF a white washed
shanty apparently several miles from any
where recently: as there a Russian
Jew colony anywhere aroundf" brought
out a iiaxsn haired man. q dark wife, with
a red handkerchief hood fashion on her
head. and two children. Smiles were the
prominent Characteristic OF the group
The man talked English. The rest jab-
bered.
-Ye.es a. tnees ees Get
Are you one Of themf"
-Ye.es a. y with a double-sized smile
How are you getting along nova
dAysr"
-Coo-oom-a cen an see, = and the wife
and children repeated the invitation in
Russian. while the man led OF the
visitors horse 10 a convenient tree. In-
side the one chair was carefully wiped
with a towel before the visitor was al
lowed to Sit down. The man sat on a
bench and contemplated a bowl Of milk
and some bread on the table. He hoped
the gentleman would him II he
went on with his dinner: he had TO get
back to work a While the wife and
children smiled ~contentedly with re-
fiecled satisfaction OF hunger. and neigh
bors peered In at the door and window,
between bites and smiles, In his slow, I'M
certain English the man said the
sixty families In the colony were get.
ting along frstrate nov. with the money
they got from their berries and from work
ing for other berry growers In summer and
chopping wood In winter. They liked
the country vera moe ooch; oh, 70 moo.
ooch better than cen Russia They were
all going tn vote as soon as they got their
papers They have no church, but the
rabbi holds services around In re houses
every Saturday Their children all go to
a district school. The wife-neighbors
~iabbered apparently approving comments
as this information was given. When
the bread and milk and the information
gave out. the whole party stood outside
and smiled as the stranger drove away.
the wife insisting on shaking hands as she
said;
90 Dom a a aBo-e en-
Further on a slender. dark e~olonist.
with a brogue like \ ilain Macavi In
e allied Back. " said he was a cloakmaker.
aud couldn't farm; 70 he got cloaks from
hiladelphia and made them up All he
aud his family could earn was 81 so a
day. -Wo ould l like to go back TO
d oosiai Oh. wo-o uld l.. p" he exclaimed.
In answer 10 a question. and then his
English gave out for q while Bud
where ish de ~mo-ooneyl" he resumed.
-Ah. mo- shall die here We zhall all die
here And We are yroom de citiesiT And
the maker OF cloaks looked mournfully
away over the scrub oak loneliness and
went back TO work
The owner Of the sole mill and store In
the vicinit, said that the colonists were
doing well considering that they had been
ignorant Of agriculture. They were
orderly, honest. and industrious. and
would make. he thought, good citizens
They never quarreled with their neigh.
bors. and rarely among themselves. and
always paid their debts