Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-09-29

or son. All the domestic duties are at
tended to by her. The cattle are driven to
the sewing, knitting, cleaning, cooking,
washing and ironing, Is her portion, and
always these duties are In addition to the
care Of her children. Here Is found the in
evitable and ubiquitous baby.
/ never saw a Hatteras woman idle. For
her there Is no spare time" from daylight
to dark. The men undergo hardships and
labor uncomplainingly at their calling. but
while at home are nothing but idlers. 1t
would seem that this state Of affairs Is but
the continuation of customs and habitshand-
ed down from the Indians, who originally
occupied Hatteras. this being most IA
vored spot for them, the ocean and sound
supplying them with fish and fowl and the
land with flesh. The early white settlers
naturally caught their ways and such hab-
its strengthen with growth. and 1t would
be a brave "reformer'' who would attempt
an innovation In such glorious liberty as
the men here enjoy. But these women do
not realize their condition. They accept
life and Its demands unquestioningly and
uncomplainingly, and are presumably con-
tent
Life is not a struggle for bare subslst-
ence to them. They have shelter, fuel and
food for the taking, and being in ignorance
isfied iongings. The men are all. perforce,
watermen, there being no industry, outside
Of the government service, in which man
could make a living on the land. Agricul-
ture does not warrant attention or toll.
The little patches of corn and struggling
vegetables take daily chances Of being
smothered with the sand. There used to be
groves of splendid live oaks at Hatteras,
which protected the island from the en-
croachments of sand and sea, but this wood
its knees and forks'-is peculiarly
adaptable for shipbuilding, and. with the
usual shortsightedness of man. where the
present penny outweighs the possible pound.
the islanders fell upon their natural pro-
tectors, the trees, and laid them low, and
from that time the sand gradually swal-
lowed up every vestige of vegetation. On
every side the waste nat lands stretch out
in desolation, the unsightly stumps of the
faithful oaks making mute but unavailing
protest.
At the breaking out Of the war the peo-
pie of this section were divided in senti-
ment. Some volunteered into their state
regiments, but the majority pursued the
hoisted the national colors on a Flagstaff
near his house and endeavored to raise a
company for the Union army. The con-
federates sent force from Roanoke Island
10 conscrfpt the last man of them. The
attacking party approached in a sloop, with
company of infantry and one piece of ar
t;llery. Their advent caused a f1utter such
as Hatteras rever witnessed before or since
A few men were secured, but the many,
panic-stricken at the noise and roar of the
cannon, took to their boats and actually
put out to sea, nor did they return for sew
eral days.
After the first year the islanders, as a
general thing, enlisted in the federal serv-
Ice. and made fine guides, fishermen and
scouts.
Those readers of The Star who note with
interest the sporting reports from the rivers,
forests and heather, have rarely, II ever,
seen the name Of Hatteras mentioned in
this connection. Yet, at some seasons, Hat
teras has no superior as a game preserve
on this continent
The ocean and the sound and It's estuaries
afford feeding and resting grounds for num-
berless wild fowl, while the flight Of bay
birds and snipe surpass computation. The