New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-08-26
The MATTITUCK PLAN.

An unbrided press has, during the inSt C"o
or three weeks, contained many illusions 10 q re-
cent Presbyterian church-fair ut Matutuck, H. l.
The reader may may not hav" seen accounts Oh
H. To be on the safe side we will say that the
feature Of the fair which awakened general In
terest was what will call the osculatory pro-
ceedincs, dozen of the best-looking of the Mat
ttuck Presbyterian young ladies screened theni-
selves Off in one corner and allowed any Mattituck
Presbyterian man, young or old, to KISS one Oh
them once for % cents, ridlculously low figure
we may remark in passing. The plan was great
success. and of the $500 raised by the fair, $3.50
came from the kissing operations, leaving only
$40 TO be credited 10 the ice cream, lemonade,
tides. slippers flowers, fish-pads, grab-bags, ana
so forth: all of which speaks well for the taste
and discretion of the men Of Mattituck. The oc-
currence becoming public through the active
agencies of the Associated Press, they have awak-
ened much comment and not little adverse
criticism.
II seems TO MS that this adverse criticism Is
unjust The end justified the means, If they
needed any justification. But what was the end
Nothing less than the clothing of the natives OF
the Boolibool Islands, a small Pacific Ocean group
in . degrees north latitude. The unclothcd CON
diton OF these islanders has long been notorious
I'm Mnttituck Most of them il is known, have
been partially converted TO Christianity, but moth
ing more can be done without clothes. Besides.
winter is coming on in the Booliboo Islands and
winter where the second degree Of north latitude
comes in the back door and goes out the front
window OF n mans house is something To be
dreaded, 50 Il is whispered in Mattltuck. laggl-
vagg the head chief, needed a fall overcoat
He is more nearly converted than many OF the
others and il is advisable 10 cultivate him. Each
Of his i25 Wives needed bOnnets, or some sort
of head-covering His 4S7 children lcensus OF
1880 needed shoes and stockings. Old Naggi-
yaggi is not SO well able 20 provide for his family
ms hc was, having overworked himself III
June. while on a little excursion 20 a ncighborng
island al the plcasurablc task OF cutting of the
heads Of the other islanders previously knocked
down by his own followers. The eXertion brought
ON decline, and without winter overcoat and
other clothing 10 match, another spring may see the
largest collection Of royal widows and orphans ever
known in Booliboo, All Of these facts, or at
least a foundation for them. were conveyed 10
Mattituck by a young man who formerly lived
there. but who is now laboring as missionary
in the Booliboo Islands. or course, feminine in
trrcst was Immediately aroused. especially when
H. WAS known that that horrd second degree OF
north latitude ran right through the islands The
moor natives must I've clothed before winter II
every man in MattuclS had 10 be held and forcibly
kissed and his pockets picked of the fee. pro-
cceding which. fortunately for the good name of
Mattituck men, was found unnecessary.
To-day there is $3.50 in the foreign mission fund
which would not he there had IT not been for the
briaht idea of the Matituck girls Ia kiss the Natt-
tuck men at % cents apiece. Besides 1t is limited
that the girls rather enjoyed it themselves and 10
find fault with the plan is absurd. Let them
oroanize another fair, advertise it in the New
York papers and clothe all Of the islanders from
Alaska 10 the Antarctic Circle.