The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1892-09-13
THE IsLIP BAYMEN.

The eastern end Of Long Island Is Eng
lish by descent, and claims more affinity
with Connecticut than New York The
western end was Dutch originally, ex-
cept the town OF Grayesend, which was
settled by forty English families under
the patronage OK Lady Moody. This old
town still stands exactly as 1t was first
laid out, its streets forming a square for
defence ag inst Indians, aud enclosing
the church yard and night pastures for
cattle. The line fences of the farms still
run rs they did $50 years ago. raging out
from the centre like gigantic pie cut IN
forty pieces. This was so that each of
the forty could live within the square aud
have access to his land.
Dutch Long Island, the northwe western
ex remity. has become n great city.
Gravrsend and the towns to the east on
the south shore. and from Smithtown TO
the east on the north, remain as stolid,
unprogressive. Ignorant, criminal, selfish
and generally good-for-nothing, as a stag
nant population always does become out
of the track of progress and ideas In
b eeding has here produced its baneful
results as it does on Martha's Vineyard.
The regard for education and public i'm
provements is small, and the community
Is prolific in brutal and shocking crimes.
There are families which practically In
habit whole townships and every mar
riage is union OF distant relatives.
Like Ceylon. however, is the south
shore in that every prospect pleases.
The parallel might be carried farther.
The old sea-faring activity has died out,
and Sag Harbor Is no longer mercantile
rival OF New York. But New York men,
millionaires, men ike Austin Corbin, w.
h. Vanderbilt, Henry B. Hyde, Salem ii.
Wales, and hundreds of others, have
hntt al al 81.
and energetic tradesmen have immigrated
into the old villages. Babylon, Islip,
Easthampton are transformed into mod
ern towns, but the old shiftless popula-
ton hangs on the outskirts and earns
precarious livelihood by fishing in the
bay or gathering water lilies for sale at
the trains, sometimes by fullgIown men
who often flap barefooted on the station
platforms and usually look fully like the
poor specimens they are;
This rabble of degenerate natives Is the
natural prey or mountebanks aud dema-
gogues, and sensible people have to give
way to their whims. They are precisely
the people who might be expected to form
mob at Fire Island to keep away the
suffering cabin passengers OF the Nor
MAMMA. They may be ignorant enough
TO fear the cholera. They may fear the
depreciation of the properly of the sum
mer people," The more intelligent resi-
dents OF course do not sympathiss with
either feeling. Tbs rich cottagers are not
fools.
The leader OF the mob IL apparently
their counsel, Judge" Reid. know the
man well. He Is one OF these loud
mouthed. ignorant, illiterate fellows who
sometimes get n reputation for cleverness
because they can SPEAK twice as many
silly words TO the minute as Choate or
Webster could wise ones | once heard
the fellow make an address TO large au-
dience which had just listened 10 DIR.
Talmage. Af,er n little the people be-
came restive. as the'train which was TO
carry them away was nearly due. Don't
40 yet, he shouted. "pll lc. You off I'm
tine for the train" and by uttering l25
words to the half minute he did, Just
about as the whistle blew.
Judge Wilmot NJ. Smith is a different
man altogether, clean cut, intelligent
lawyer VINO has done good service as Dis
trict Attorney. Probably he had no
alternative but TO issue tho order asked
forbv the Islip health board.
There will be no fighting at Fire Island.
III the naval militia come ia sufficient
force the baymen will talk loud till the
range Is reached aud then 70 awsv-