New-York tribune., 1886-02-04
4 URETCHED PEOPLE.

TIE BASKET-MAKER5 OF ROCKLAND COUNTY
[FRoM Az OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENTS or THE TMnUNE.I
EYACK, n Y, Jan. 29.-Ihe road up tne
mountains has to au end IN tangled WILDWOOD
Here half hidden by aud rocks, Is roughly Duit
log cabin It door hung at an opening 100 10"
for IA man without STOPPING The roof Is parity
shinglcd partly covered with rude thach and Is so
buried In earth am that the whole thing appears
10 be portion OF Iture's haudIwOrk II seems Moss'
grown and ancient enough to have been but when thc
PERCEPTIONS rocks about 1t came into EXISTENCE lno
chimney built OF rough stones cemented In clay Inc
door does swing hinges, for 1t never bad any;
1t is lifted bodily fro It's place. as 1t mas been daily Tor
perhaps fifty years past The room looks like cave
for one opening with four paucs lets in bat tte
light wan aud lid gard woman sits on the hOor her
dress is torn aud Insufficient to cover her fOrIp as
gpses of cutico sadly show u.s. she Is surrouhdca ny
an assortment OF children ragged unwashed' unkeihpI
The woman does rse-when we see her poor
garments excuse her-and scarcely looks at us ;
she work weaving baskets. One or two Ot the Older
children are helping her. Everything In the room be-
tokens abiect poverty. A broken stove into which
small boy Is constantly pushing pieces OF "oou
Is nearly hot. On the apology Tor
chair the visitor scarcely trusts himself 10 sIt'
A heap Of IN corner Is supposed 10 dc
tho bed This wr.tched hovel ia OF many similar
houses wherein dwell aad suffer the poor basket makers
of Rock and County The ancestors OF some " these
people have from Long island In the
last century descendants OF persons who Tor
safety bcook themselves to the mountains during the
Revolutionary War The number OF families was OrS-
inaly small aud through marriage and iu-
termarriage ia tho second generation nearly
all became related They dl not always trouble thefu-
selves Their isolation with tho forms OF matrinohy'
and i, became difficult sometimes tO determine the de
grees sanguny Of young persons who sOdsht To
united for better wOrsr henco the union Was very
The mean, FOR support life in this region are
but meagre. The men have found employment IN cut
nI and. Mt IIp
ii ,, i',r. ,,,. ar "A stard Their only RESOURCES at
present the picking OF berries IN Summer ana tue
Tlo iron company has failed. and the works
CLOSED The rr stores where tickets received for Ia
rv'n,v C0nsruniv Inc re- ha. been serious suffering
in -omc eases almost starvation The cabin which we
visited to-day stands alone; mite away Is us neatcS
irigbhor These PEOPLE seem like elbow room. aud
are widely scattered tbrOu2h Ia" mountains for many
mics. Ihs Isolation makes their case the NOR
dspurabe tncil rcIicf The dlcat l Is grievous
10 sad larcs, 10 hear ine unison Key IN "eh me
pitche. and thcr most h0pe,rss TAX fOr
these poor mountaiueers the wr-to-i" farmers OF Tie
valley. aud p.ius below have a supreme contempt.
The, considered "A community OF ouicasts: ,,.
Few years ago the Rev. l.. cay lr.. OF lOnRIhS
Cove opened on the edge OF those mountains home
Tor TIE care and cdnc'uon OF dest ute children ana
utsion To THIS lrupir soon "Ii' the nome Whs opened
u uI0uutain woman appeared wl'h hleyeir,oid 10Y
iittle giris-wrre btonsht rom ne same mus ahu rh
come boys whose father Ia dled at Ana rsonVe
Mr Gay instituted thorough visitation OF the people
aud iouhd thrl poor I'm, nlNv.' io , ~ @
hr would preach them under the trees. and they came
%
Hundred a.scmbl ed most Of wnom walked many miles
through the wood roads, aud rocky paths Many u!
tbetu came with little clothing thIi II was question
whether it wnnd last Till they reached home. Mr.. Gay
aud uis devoted wife who aids him In all bis work ap
p.ac to personal friends FOR clothing, HuG the
enabled them to distribute hundreds OF garments.
families OF children received the first shoes they had
ever worn Secondhand clothing was freely gwen. but
IL was at once that njiscflinuatr giving wOud
turu the population into community Of begGHrs. Mr..
cav desired adopt means for the social moral ana
rel gluus elevation OT the people.
He AT once establish 4 sunday schools and religious
services together vi huu>co-housc vsl alton ana ln-
strutinn The people Thus many were led Ia improve
their dwellings and to adapt themselves To better
home lfc. \ system ot barter for thrlr baskets ana
yunl,u are WA, int reduced. New clothing aud blank
cts were exchanged for their handtwOtk They were
shown specimens cf finer and more tasteful WORKMAN
sp which they learned to initiate. fhc children.
now being clothed we're tn many cases Induced 10 ~
the public schools some or the SICK were hrolSht
down the hospital at the Home uf Tn" Gno shepherd
Tor care ana treatment. one man ttrllDy eaten win
cancer was on "a" point OF gong lht0 r "oos 10 ue
MS prrsrncc lie received into the hospital and his
last days sOpthed with tender miHistrations. \ little
crild abused hy heather stcpmothrr, was also res
cucd though only ~ die IN peace after weeks of suher
little girl made totally blind through the ignorance
OF her mother taken 10 the home ana after lew
Years gentle nurture to the Asvum for th1 Blind
where SHE l. now a promising pupil.
Thus people have learned To look to the Home OF
the Good shepherd for sympathy nnd aid ana to Mr.;
and Mrs Gay as friends In every house the Rlhle and
otter books have placed. aud IN most Of the families
there Is come member who has learned To read.
At the beginning OF the present winter. with MI
labor stopped aud demand Tor their baskets,
there was but a gloemy outlook for these peo-
pe I'm answer to published appeal consider
MIL amount clothing and provisions have been sent
to Mr. GAY for dstrhutiuu. At Christmas good dinner
women and children down. AL of whom had travelled
from eight To siXtcen miles To Oo present