Feliciana sentinel. [volume] (St. Francisville, La.) 1877-1892, 1891-06-13
SINGLE TAX DEPARTMENT.
"TABoO" LAND,

If there be in this universe superior
5ntciligences engaged, with higher pow
ers IN the study of its infinite marvels,
who sometimes examine the speck we
tenant with such studious curiosity as
our nicroscopists watch the denizens Of
a drop of water, the manner in which,
in such Il country as this, population is
distributed, must greatly puzzle them.
In our cities they find people packed to-
gether so closely that they live over one
| another in tiers; in the country they sec
| people separated SO widely that they
lose all the advantages of heighbor-
| hood. They see buildings going up in
the outskirts of our towns, while much
more available lots remain vacant
They see men going great distances 20
cultivate land while there is yet plenty
| of land to cultivat, in the localities
from which they come and through
which they pass. And as these higher
intelligences watch this process of set
tlement through whatever sort of micro
scopes they may require to observe
such creatures as we, they must notice
that, for the most part these settlers,
instead of being attracted by each
other, leave between each other large
patches of unused land, If there be in
the universe any societies which have
the same relation to us as our learned
societies have to ants and aninalculir,
these phenomena must lead to no end
of curious theories
Take in imagination such a bird's-eye
view OF the city of New York as might
be had from balloon. 7 he houses are
CHM bing hcavenward-ten twelve, even
fifteen stories, tier on tier of people,
living. one family above another. with
out sufficient water, without sufficient
light or air, without playground or
breathing space. SO close is the build
ing that the streets look like narrow
rifts in the brick and mortar. and from
street to street the solid blocks stretch
until they almost meet: in the newer
districts only a space of twenty feet. a
mere crack in the masonry through
which at high noon a sunbeam can
scarcely struggle down, being left to
separate the backs of the tenements
fronting on one street from the backs
of those of another street Yet, around
this city, and within easy access
of its center, there is plenty of va
cant land; within the city limits
in fact, not onc-half the land
is built upon, and many blocks of tall
tenement houses are surrounded by va
cant lots, If the improvement of our
telescopes were to show u. on another
planet. lakes where tho water, instead
of presenting Il level service, ruff}ed
only by the action of the wind, stood
up here and there in huge columns, it
could hardly perpleS It's more than these
phenomena must pcrplex uch extrarnun-
dane intclligcnces as have supposed.
How is it, they may we'll speculate,
that the pressure of population which
TSies families, tier on tier, above each
other, and raises such towering ware
houses and workshops, does not cover
this vacant land with buildings and
with homes? Some restraining cause
there must be; but what, it might well
puzzle them to tell.
a South Sea Islander, however-one
of the old heather sort, whom. in civil
izing, We have wcll-nigh eNtcrminatcd,
might make Il guess. If one of their
high chiefs ia aboocd a place or object,
no one of the common sort of these SUI
perstitiCus savages dare use or touch it.
He nust go around for miles rather
than set his feet on n ia boocd path:
must parch or die with thirst rather
than drink of a taboocd spring: must
go hungry though the fruit of a tabooed
grove rotted on the ground before his
eyes. \ Sonth Sea Islander would say
that this vacant land must be "ta boo
And he would be not far from the truth.
This land is vacant, simply because it
is cursed by that form of the taboo
which we supcrstitiously veneratc I'M
der the names of private property" and
vested rights