The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-09-03
PUT THEIR TRUST IN SIGNS.
Quaint Nirginians Who Live in Primitive
Fashion.

| abroad at the same place" is certainly
practiced by the peculiarly queer peo-
pie of Tangier island--a body of land
three miles long and one wide. If there
is spot on earth where one is made
TO feel that he is entirely out of the
civilized world Tangier island must be
| that place. There is a populatio of
about 1900 people, and many of these
people have never been off the island
and know as little about the other part
OF the world as a little child. Men and
women now on the shady side of life
nave spent their entire existence on
this small strip of land. and to some
this island embraces the whole world.
Yet they appear happy and contented
in their primitive manner Of living ami
have apparently no desire to know
what is going on in the great busy
| world which lies beyond their water
surrounded homes.
On this island the British invaders
made headquarters for several days in
| 1914, and not far distant is Deals ISL
and, where good old Parson Joshua
| Thomas was informed by British GEN
eral Ross that it was his intention ito
eat supper in Baltimore or in hi"
The man of God sent up fervent
| prayer that General Ross might not
succeed in reaching Baltimore. and as
he was killed at North Point. before
reaching Baltimore, the people were
quick to believe that Parson Thomas
prayer was answered. How much far
| Their than this did the people put i'm
plicit faith in the efficacy of prayer
cannot be said, but to-day the inhabi-
| tants of Tanger island are still in
| tensely religious, and at the same time
among the most superstitious people in
| the world.
| AS illustrative of their religion it need
only be said that a few years ago they
| We're worshiping in small ramshackle
| house, but the Virginia conference as
signed a preacher to the island and he
has succeeded in building a $4,000
church. and the charge Is now one of
| the best in the conference district. The
| minister receives more than $1,G0) a
| year to look after their spiritual af-
| fairs, and for the small number of peo-
| Pile it is doubtful if any such church
| work can be found on record. They are
| always ready to contribute literally
whenever the parson finds it necessary
| to have the contribution box passed
| around. The church is the biggest
thing on the island, and more interest
| is taken in it than anything else.
| Whatever the parson says is law and
gospel, even with the toughest oyster
| men and crabbers, who will occasion
| ally smuggle whiskey on the island.
| The very strictest prohibition laws are
enforced, not by officers, but by the
| church people. During a recent pro-
| quently-some roughs carried boat of
| whiskey and beer to the island, but a
| crowd of church people-men and
| women-captured the boat. threw the
| whiskey and beer in the bay and ad
ministered sound thrashng to the vio-
lators of the law. The women nearly
| all go barefooted. When they attend
church they will carry their shoes and
stockings in their hands until they get
| near the church, when they will sit
| down and put them on, removing them
as soon as they start for home. Their
dresses are of the plainest calicoes or
| ginghams, and are made without
fiounces or frills. Bustles or tie-backs
are something they never heard of.
| There is, however. an abundance of gay
| ribbons in the makeup of their Sun
| day costumes. Equally as plain and
old-fashioned do the men dress They
| are satisfied with copperas or jeans
| clothes. Their pantaloons are always
cut on the high-water principle. the legs
| never reaching below the ankle. If the
| men wear shoes on any occasion there
| is always an absence of socks, while
the shoes are the regulation brogans.
Their coat, or jacket is the funniest
| of Notwithstanding like a cross be-
| tween boys blouse and the old-fash-
| Toned roundabout coat. Seasons
| come and seasons go, but the fashions
| on Tangier island remain the same. For
| ages they have dressed this way, and
| but few attempts have been made to
| change. Whenever young Tangier
| islander strays over to Crisfield, Md,
| and is persuaded by some of the mer-
| chants to invest in some garment other
| than the regulation he is laughed at
| and jeered so much that it is soon dis
| carded. There is one article of service
| and adornment that a male inhab.tant
| of Tangier island is never without-a
| red pocket handkerchief 1t is always
with him-and around his neck, stuck
in his pocket or in his hand.
The homes on the island are Of the
rudest kind, but the interior is always
clean. The furniture is often not
worthy of the name. Usually the home
is too small for bedsteads if the family
is large, and they sleep on quilts and
mattresses on the floor. An entire fam
lily, often 10 or more persons, eat and
sleep in one room. The cooking Is done
on the open fireplace, the utensils con-
sistins of frying pan, "a kettle, an
oven and possibly a few pots. Cooking
stoves, sewing machines and such mod
ern conVenienceS are unknown to many
of the inhabitants. A large number
of the people, both old and young, can
not read, but the new preacher has sue
ceeded in advancing education to a
large extent.
Counting and lovemaking on Tangier
island is nearly always done under
great uiilCultleS ana what to most of
the world would be exceedingly embar-
RAISING situations and surroundings |
AS stated, the dwellings seldom have |
more than one room and it sometimes |
in fact, nearly always-becomes nee |
essary for the young people to do their |
lovemaking in the presence of the old |
folk and children. The young New |
Englanders in the early days got |
around this embarrassing situation by |
using what they called a whispering !
rod, but the people of TanGier island |
solved the difficulty by permitting the
young people to seek seclusion by sit
ting or lying on the bed and pulling the
cover over them. Thus shut out from |
view, then can bill and coo to their |
hearts content, while the old people |
sit around and talk about the crab and |
oyster catch or the outrages perpetrat-
ed by the pirates from Somerset coun- |
ty, Maryland. Girls here Is years old |
will measure six feet tall and weigh |
200 pounds. They are strong and |