, 1890-12-11
The Cheerless Lot Of These
People.
HOW THEY LIVE WHEN AT HOME
Their Food, Dress and Amuse-
ments Observation-Disclosures
Festivities.
Especial correspon denco REVIEW. |

IlnNluS ehoWn III my pit''N'ht
article the extraordinary Importance
to Scotland of her herring fisheries,
an industry now annually provid-
ing for the worlds food supply over
100000 barrels of cured herrings,
some account of the everyday life
of the 10000 or 10000 people who
practically devote their lives to this
one vocation, will be of interest to
American readers. Flve-sixths of
all the behring's taken are landed
within the seventeen fishing dis
tricts Of the east coast. Three
fourths of these are taken oil the
Aberdeen, Banff, Elgln, Ross, Suth-
erland, Caithness, Orkney and
Shetland shores; and of the fisher
men and "curers' crews" requisite
for labor In this imperial domain of
the herring, fully two-thirds come
here every summer season from the
fisher-crofter hamlets of the Scottish
west coast, from all the contiguous
coastwise Islands north Of the Null
of Cantyre, from Syke, from Harris
and Lewis, from North and South
Uist, and from all the little ocean
girdled specks fringing the outer
Hebrldes.
After these men and women re-
turn to their western homes, In
September, the crops OF their little
crofts are to be gathered. These
comprise oats bit Of sickly grass
for the hay Of the 'beasties" in win
ter, potl toes and the universal
Scotch ''kail' or cabbage. Then
the women take to their knitting
and land-looms, and II there be
WINTER HERRING FISHING
In the sea-lochs near their homes,
this Is prosecuted by the men in
small open boats of eighteen to
twenty-five feet keel, at much
bodily risk and under tortuous
seventies of wind and weather.
In these boats all the fire they
can have for cooking and
warmth is carried and kept in
huge iron pots; and In
sleeping they tumble down any
where in their sea clothing and oil
skins and cover themselves with
rags or sails. If likely to remain
for q time on the lochs, they build
sod huts alongshore, thatching them
with "bracken," q coarse fern also
used In thatching their'homes. If
there be no fishing, the natives
have little or nothing to do from
the "harvest' until March and
April, when the cutting of seaweed
for manure begins, and later, when
the annual cutting of peats for fuel
is done. Among these primitive
people the "rights" of women to at
least labor were long since beyond
gainsaying. have seen the hus-
band lift half-barrel (seventy
pounds) upon his wife's back and
calmly walk home beside her. In
peat-cuttlng time, when the days
work Is done, the husband will
throw the crooked wooden spade
over his shoulder, and the wife,
gathering her skirts into an ample
sack, will carry sometimes for miles
to the croft weight of peat for i'm
mediate use under which q High
land sheltie would stagger.
And my friend, David NJ, Rosie,
o fishery board officer to whom /
am indebted for much exact inform
alton, tells me of an incident of sea-
weed cutting where crofter's wife,
with rope tied about her waist,
was lowered over a crag to gather
sea-weed among the slippery, spume-
covered rocks, while her philosophic
husband, safely ensconced In sun
ny cleft above, was quietly enjoying
his pipe. But neither the Highland
nor Island crofter must be Judged
by our standards. No human beings
love their wives and homes more
Loyalty than they. All lowly classes
following the sea or the lives of
fisherman regard the mans labor
done when his vessel is anchored in
port, or his fishlng-buss ia beached
at the fishing hamlet shore; so that
the fishing crofter and his spouse
are contentedly additionally correct
In their adjustment of labor and
duty.
HOMES OF THE wEsTERNERs.
The home of the western High
land and island fisher-crofter is
much inferior to that of the east
coast fisherman or even of the
northern Highland crofter. Nearly
all their cabins are built on a line
with the slope of brae or hillside,
the rear roof-slope forming an OBJ
tuse angle. The walls are never
more than six feet high, oftener but
five; but they are frequently four
feet thick. They are built of round
or rubble stone. Some of the walls
are double with layer of earth be-
tween for additional warmth. The
roOf-beams rest on the middle of the
walls and are laid at the same angle
on three sides, with "a lesser
angle on the hillside incline.
Some are neatly thatched with
straw, but many are GOV.
cred with bracken or heather.
You can never effect an entrance to
one of these structures through the
single door without pushing aside a
COW, "A sheep, or some manner of
"beastie, " sheltered in the capacious
doorway or occupying part OF the
hut itself, meagerly partitioned off
for byre. On entering you are
nearly suflocated with smoke. The
place is dark. There are two or
three small windows. Often there
are none; small apertures, closed al
night, admitting such light and air
as can penetrate. The fire is seldom
A..