The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1885-08-06
JEWS AS FARMERS.
Three Hundred Russian Exiles Who Are
Doing Pretty Well in South Jersey.

Il
Three Hundred Russian ExiIes Who Are
Doing Pretty Well in South Jersey.
The colony of Jewish refugees from
Russia established three years ago on
eleven hundred acres of land near here,
writes Vineland, N. j., correspond
ent to The NeW York Sun, purchased
by the Hebrew immigration Society, of
New York, and the Jewish Society, of
London, has outlived tho hardships of
its first years, and is beginning to be
prosperous community. The land is
rolling sea of little scrub oaks, four or
five feet high. punctuated with erect
dead pine trunks. Scattered here and
there among the hills and hollows of
the tract the sixty frame shanties in
which the colonists live are hardly
noticeable. The little patches of field,
on which the grubbing up of the oaks
has exposed light, sandy soil that ev-
cry breeze raises in a cloud of dust,
seem mere occasional scratchings up
of the face of the barrens. There are
no streets, no church, no stores, mills,
or factories, nor any other indication,
except the scattered houses, that three
hundred people are there.
Since the first year, when all lived
together in barracks, the land has
been divided. Each family has about
fifteen acres. Each plat cost the soci-
eties from $3.50 to $400, and the occu-
pant is to pay for it one-half of the
cost. They must pay 8 per cent. a
year upon this price, and this interest
is credited upon the principal, so that
they practically have thirty-three years
in which to pay for their homes. Un-
der this arrangement the colonists
take more interest in their work, and
although they were all natives of cities,
tradesmen, artisans, and mechanics,
and knew little of farming, they have
got their small clearings into a fair
state of cultivation, and will this year
raise an abundant crop of strawberries,
raspberries and blackberries. These
small fruits are all that the land can
be made to produce protitably. Find
ing the colony in the wilderness is like
looking for u four-leaved clover. A
query addressed to the open door of
whitewashed shanty apparently several
miles from anywhere yesterday: 'Is
there Russian Jew colony anywhere
around?" brought out a tiaxen-haired
man, dark wife, with a red hand
kerchief hood-fashion on her head, and
two children. Smiles were the promi-
nent characteristic of the group. The
man talked English. The rest jab-
bered.
"Ye-es-a; thees ees eet."
''Are you one of them?"
"Ye-es-a," with double-sized
smile.
"How are you getting along nova
days?"
"Coo-oom-a cen an see," and the
wife and children repeated the invita-
tion in Russian, while the man led off
the visitors horse to a convenient tree.
Inside the one chair was carefully
wiped with towel before the visitor
was allowed 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 ex-
cusea him if he went on with his din
ner; he had TO get back to work-a.
While the wife and children smiled
contentedly with reflected satisfaction
of hunger, and neighbors pcered in at
the door and window, between bites
and smiles, in his SLOW, uncertain En-
glish, the man said the sixty families
in the colony were getting along first
rate now, with the money they got
from their berries and from working
for other berry-growers i'll summer and
chOpping wood IN winter They liked
the country ''ver-a moo-oOch; oh, 20
moO-ooch better than cen Russia"
They were all going to vote as soon as
they got their papers. They have no
church, but the rabbi holds services
around in the houses every Saturday.
Their children all go to district
| school The wife-neighbors jabbered
apparently approving comments as
| this information was given. When the
bread and milk and the information
gave out, the whole party stood out
| side and smiled as the stranger drove
away. the wife insisting on shaking
hands as she said:
'COo-OOm-a-a age-e-enm
Further on a slender, dark colonist,
with brogue like Villain Macavi in
Called Back" said he was a cloak
maker, and couldn't farm; so he got
cloaks from Philadelphia and made
them up. All he and his family could
earn was $3.50 day. "Wo-ould 1
like to go back to Roosia? Oh. wo-ould
l." he exclaimed, in answer to a ques-
ton, and then his English gave out for
awhile. bud where ish de mo-ooney?"
he resumed. "Ah, no! 1 shall die
here! We shall all die here! And We
! are vroom de citiesr" 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 vicinity 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 cit
izens. They never quareled with their
neighbors, and rarely among them
selves, and always paid their debts.