Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-07-15
But the People on Tangier Island Are
Thoroughly Contented.
WHICH is SAYING A GOOD DEAL
Keep Well Up to High Standard
of Morals.
THEIR MANY SUGGESTIONS

at the same place" is certainly practiced
by the people of this island. body OF land
three miles long and one mile wide. II
there is a spot on earth where one is made
TO feel that he is entirely out of the world.
Tangier Island surely must be that place.
There is population here OF about LEGO
people old and young, male and female,
and many of these people have never been
off the island, and know as little about the
civilized world as child. Men and women
i now on the shady side of life have spent
their entire existence on this small piece
OF land, and to some of them this island
embraces the whole world. Yet they are
happy and contented in their primitive
manner of living and have no desire to
| know what is going on in the great throb-
blng, busy world which lies beyond their
water bound surroundings.
| On this island the British invaders made
headquarters for several days in 1874 and
not tar distant is Deals Island. where good
old Parson Joshua Thomas was Informed
by the British General Ross that IL was his
INTENTION to eat supper that night in Bal
timore or In hell" The man of God prayed
| that Gen. Ross might not reach Baltimore
and as the general was killed at North
| POINT before reaching Baltimore, the peo-
pie were quick to believe that Parson
1homas prayers had been answered
| How much farther back than this did the
people of this region put implicit faith in
prayer the writer does not know, but he
does know that the inhabitants of Tansfer
| Island are intensely religious, and at the
same time the most superstitious people in
the world. As illustrative OF their religious
convictions it need only be stated that a
Few years ago they were worshiping in a
| small, ramshackle cabin but a preacher
from the Virginia conference was assigned
| to the island, and he has succeeded I'm
| working up one of the best charges in the
conference district.
| A Church-GoinR People.
| Where the small cabin stood is now a
| handsome $4,000 building, and the preacher
| receives more than 81 900 a year to look
| after the spiritual affairs of the inhabi-
| tants. The islanders are always ready TO
| contribute literally whenever the parson
| finds ii necessary to have the contribution
| box passed.
The church is the biggest thing on the
| island, and more interest is taken in IL
| than anything else. Whatever the parson
| says is law and gospel, even with the
| rcuShest oystermen and cTabbers who will
| occasionally smuggle whisky the island.
| The very strictest prohibition laws are en-
| forced, not by officers, but by the church.
! me n. During a recent protracted meeting
| and they are of frequent commemorative
| roughs carried canoe of whisky and beer
| to the island for the purpose of selling H.
| but crowd of church people-men and
| Women-captured the beat, threw the wills
| KY in the bay and administered sound
| thrashings to the rum traders who were
| glad enough to escape.
The women nearly all go barefooted.
| When they attend church thew carry their
| shoes and stockings in their hands until
| the church is reached, when they sit down
| and put them on, removing them as soon as
| service Is over. Their dresses are of the
| pldlhest callcoes or ginghams, and are cut
| without hounces and frills. Bustles or tie
backs are something they never heard Of
| There is, however, an abundance of gay
| riDpons IN the makeup of the Sunday cos
| tune. Equally plain and old-fashioned IS
| the dress of the men. They are satisfied
| with copperas or jeans pantaloons which
| are always cut on the high-water princi-
/ never reaching below he To h.
| men wear shoes on any occasion. there Is
| nearly always an absence of socks and the
| shoes are the regulation brogans. Their
coat or Jacket is a cross between a bows
| blouse and the old-fashioned round bout
| coat seasons come and seasons 60 but
| the regulation clothes for both sexes of
1 Tang1er Island never change For ages
| they have dressed this way and but few
| attempts have been made to change When
ever young Tangier Islander strays over
| to Crfsfield, Nd and is persuaded by some
| of the merchants to invest in some gar
| ment other than the regulation he IS
| laughed and jeered at so much that Il Is
| soon discarded. There is one article of SER
| wee and adornment that a male inhabitant
OF the island is never Without red hand
| kerchief. 1t is always with him. around
| his neck, sticking in his nocket or IN bis
hand.
| Simple Dwellings,.
| The homes on the island are of the rudest
kind-mostly log cabins-but the interior is
| always scrupulously clean. The furniture
is often not worthy of the name Many OF
| the bedsteads are of the crudest kind made
| by the head of the family with no tools
| save saw and an ak. Usually the home
| Is too small for bedsteads IL the family is
| large, and they sleep on mattresses and
| quilts spread on the floor. The cooking is
| done IN the fireplace, the utensils consist
| ing of a frying pan, a kettle an oven and
POSSIBLY few pots. Cooking stoves sew
| ing machines and such modern conven-
| fences are unknown to many of the fnhabi-
| tants. A large number of the people both
OLD and young, cannot read. but the new
preacher has succeeded in advancing edu-
| cation to large extent
| Girls here sixteen years old will measure
SIX rect and weigh two hundred pounds
Ihey are strong and healthy, well man.
| nered, and, above all, are taught from
earliest childhood to regard virtue as above
everything in the world. For twenty-eight
years past there has not been an iIlegiti-
mate birth on the island. The men are
peaceable and quiet, but there are two
| Things for which they will fight Quicker
| than any other. 1t is death to the man
VINO attempts to or succeeds in despoiling
a nome, and crabbers and oystermen who
poach on the grounds near the island are
sure to get into serious trouble There have
neen Few occasions for trouble from the
Iorner cause, but IN years agone IT was
almost weekly occurrence to have desper-
ate and bloody battles about the latter
| In recent years these have become far less
numerous, but occasionally blood is made
| to flow. Only a few days ago Balm Web
ster, Deals Island FISHERMAN was shot
ana k1lled on the Somerset county shore nv
the mate of police boat. This war has
been going on for years between the peo-
pie OF this region and many lives have
been lost
Their Many superstitions.
These people live by Grabbing and dredp-
ing for oysters and interfere with no one
SO long as they are let alone They are
as stated, very superstitious. They have
signs for everything, and almost worship
the moon, by which they foretell storms
and all kinds of disasters They have a
mortal dread of an owl. and the hooting
of one by day or night is an omen of III
luck If it is heard at night and answer
ed by the howl of dog, il is a sign that
one of the family will die soon. As soon as
the boot of an owl is heard a chair or
stool is overturned, and if the hooting
ceases at once IL is sign that the danger
has been warded off for a time but IL the
hooting continues there is weeping and
wailing in the home of the islander The
bowling of dog at night is the omen of
ill-luck also, but it is not a sign Of some
impending danger unless 1t is answered by
the boot of an owl. Bilousness is cured
by boring three holes in a carefully select