The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1890-02-24
LIFEIR the BARBADOS.
Happy DAYS Among the Sugar
Plantations.

mercial acii,ii} greater than has so far
appeared po-,iule in the other Of these
islands. lis island has become the dis
tribnling point &C the region. and has. in
COILS sWeacc, attracted and held together
apopnlatlon larg a, rropoYtionately than
any OF the Other j.iands The streets of
he capital ares Use ~ilh busting trades.
her buildings h.,r evidence that land is
Valuaolc, her re-. !a;o;4d is alive with for
eigh shipping. and The annual addition TO
herpopulaiion a@vears 10 gohand in hand
with the increase of her material pros
perity, while c-Ler islands, notably St.
Lucia, have b, "a sacked and pilaged for
100 years l.'ior 30 the openingo OF this CEN
tury, conquered first by one power and
then hy the other. Blrbadoes has. since
1928, developed rs peacefully and nor
mally rs New England, and is today. in
spite of the low price Of cane sugar, one
Of the happieat little countries in the
world.
FOR MALTHUsIANIsTs.
Barbados has only 1876, 900 acres on
which TO support a population Of nearly
t72,OO0, giving only one square mile of
elbow room TO each 1000 inhabitants-a
'tate of density that should reassure the
saost pessimistic Chinaman of Malthu-
sian disposition. She raises nearly ST.
O00,0G5 year in revenue, has public
debt of only $lj0,000, has about $1,000
il her savings banks, has a good water
supply and complete constitutional lib
erty. Could any man want more? And
yet her chief port is a mere open road
stead; nor does she differ materially from
the other Caribbean islands in climate or
soil
1t is the one island of the West Indies
that has the appearance of belonging to
England; not only by the presence of
British men-of-war in the roadstead and
British soldiers about the streets of
Bridgetown, but from the fact that the
English people here control local affairs,
take pride in identifying themselves
with the colony, and by their geograph-
ical situation are the center of the best
English social life in this quarter of the
globe. The Royal Mail steamer from
Jamaica to Southampton, bearing the
families of planters, army and navy Off
GERS, civil officials and tourists, stop at
Barbados long enough to refresh body
and mind in the society of fellow coun-
trymen. From Barbados ply the small
Ter connecting steamers that distribute
passengers to the neighboring islands as
far north as st. Thomas and south to
Demerara. The governor of the island
unites in his drawing room-or, to speak
more accurately, on his lawn tennis
courts-Englishmen from every corner
of the queens dominions whose ways
cross at this little point. If the Bar
badian does not keep up with the last
fad from Piccadilly it is merely because
he cannot or will not appear at Govern
ment house.
ENGLIsHMEN FEEL AT HOME.
In other islands of the Caribbee group
the exiled Briton broods in misery sur.
rounded by mob Of hopelessly unintel-
ligent blacks. Here, on the other hand,
his beloved ensign greets him at every
turn, assuring him that he is on soil that
is English more than merely in name.
The governors residence, known as gov
eminent house, is in a handsome park
approached by an avenue of grand trees,
guarded by a sentry at the lodge gate
and by very majestic household func-
tionaries at the hall door, Visitors in
scribe their names in book kent for
that purpose, and nothing is emitted to
impress them with the fact that they are
here dealing with the representative of
royalty. But government house in the
British West Indies is more than a for
NAL official residence. The governor is
expected, if not to govern, at least to be
an important factor in the politic;. ana
social life of the island; he is to be a man
above party, able to unite under his roof
the leading people of the place; to medi-
ate between the crown and tho people.
His wife, on the other hand. is expected
to be the pattern of good breeding, the
arbiter on all social points, assisting her
husban in making Government house a
colonial court.
To do all this the government allows
$4,000 a year for entertainment alone,
$4,000 a year as salary besides his resi-
dence, handsomely furnished, represent
ing for. this little island about double
what is furnished to the United States
minister to England. When my ricketv
conveyance drew up before the great en-
trance of the Dlrbadian palace l handed
to one Of the Respondent servants a let.
ter of Introduction and then proceeded
to write my name in the visitors book.
Before | had completed this important
task the illustrious footman returned,
and, with some appearance OF having
made more haste than usual, showed
me into a large, shady, cool morning
room, where the first lady of Barba-
does and Sir Charles Lees, the governor,
babe me welcome.
AT THE GOVERNMENT HOUSE.
The lawn of Government house
stretches away from the open doors and
windows to the shade of graceful trees.
When l arrived tennis was well under
way. Ruddy, we'll built men and grace
full women, all in comfortable hannels,
were struggling for success with a vigor
not readily associated with the tropics
Officers from the squadron as well as
from the local garrison We'd with one
another in entertaining all such as wore
petticoats, while groups of very impor-
tant looking men chatted together here
and there-made up, it was plain to see,
Of local officials. The governor and
Lady Lees lost no opportunity of adding
to the pleasure OF their guests either by
saying "A few words Of welcome to a new
arrival or introducing those who APP
pe2red tortured by the know nobody
feeling. The black chief Justice of the
island was away on official duties, much
to my regret. Officially he holds a most
exalted post and receives the highest
lonors; socially he cannot enter the
dining room of the meanest white trader.
Consequently we have the comical pict-
ure of a negro ostracized by the poorest
white clerk, yet a frequent guest of the
first lady of the island-not merely on
her law n, but at her table. The attorney
general, by the way, told me many
things about the negro that confirmed
my suspicion that in spite of centuries
of Christian rule devil worship was a
fact in most Of the islands, and even
here under the eyes of an American
bishop.
The Violin Makers.
In Markneukirchen with its surround
ing villages, Klingenthal, Fleissen, Rohr-
back and Graslitz, in Saxony, are about
fifteen thousand people who do nothing
aIaa nek hui x-iplinq