The Lamar register., 1899-08-02
FOR BARREN ISLAND.
PEOPLE TO HAVE SCHOOL
HOUSE AND CHURCH.
Three saioons Kioortshinx-No P,..,
kise for Young Men to Go-Th.y
Learn TO Drink for want of some.
thing Better to Do.
New York I,et,er.l


Barren island. on the New England
coast. Is at last TO have a school house,
and the board OF education has prom
ised that K shall be ready by fall. 1t
VIII have four rooms. one OF which viii
be devoted to kindergarten work. The
women who live on Barren island are
anxious that It shall be known by its
oid-time Indian name. Equendita
throken lsndl, rather than by It's pres
snt title. which Is. they say. garbled
from Barn Island The Lott family.
who formerly owned H. used the land
for pas.ering young cattle. and from
the large barn which was erected upon
Il came the name OF Barn Island Bar
ren island. as Il IS now known. has a
population of more thca 1000 persons.
Some Of those we're born there. and
have never known another home, and
there are those who have not been to
the mainland Tor twenty-five years.
One OF these women said TO a repor-
ter.
! would no, live In the city for
anything Why nots Because It's
tpS stFS tutlt Nh hnt spoht snf
stood Ia the doorway OF her tiny cot
,azc and sa-st tondly across the marsh
which the outgoing tide had lett with
an unretroshIus odoT Most OF the
houses on the island are one-story high
Ani have nai roofs. Many OF them
are ~hi;ewashed and have little gzr-
Gens On the north side they are gem
orally built in continuous. unattrae-
tiys rows There are no vines or trees
to shelter them and they are exposed
10 the bleak wiaa= o, winter aud the
siArias suH Of summer. which Is In
tsnslaea BY It's reflection from the
burning sand In one Of these houses
there are three families with a total
OF thirteen children living
Farther up the island there are signs
OF prosperity. The houses and gar
trps are tidy and veil kept aud an Oc-
casIonai one u story and a bali in
hslxAi. and has gable roof These
are occupied By the old residents.homs
Of them are fishermen and oyster plan
iers BY the side OF one Of these
homes stands ships cabln. purchased
fQT ~ bpAa hntHf anu NAIAA eAIaA@
.ith fresh phltehouse There are
dainty curtains at ali the windows and
the listie Eardcn is pruusd beyond the
suspicion Of a weed The cabin Is
rsntsd TO IodSer. The thrifty house
wife scrubs her COWS as regularly as
her hous. and 1t Is sAid that they can.
Tor tha, reason. be recognized in any
part o, the Island
There are three saloons In a nour-
lshlHE condition on Barren island. but
although Il haz been populated for nifty
years, there has never beea a school
house or a eharrh. An Imprinted. un-
slightly structure. condemned by the
authorities, was used for the school
uHtIi las, winter. when the teacher, an
Old man. became Insane. or this
teacher one OF the resldents-a father
uho had brought up eight children
there-sald.
HE bad probably been good
enough teacher in his day. bu, he was
wora oct when he came. You know
this Is the dumping ground for worn
ont stun and anything IS thought to
be good enough for us
when the school was lett without a
teacher the people demanded a school
house and refused TO allow their chill
dren's lives TO be endangered in the
rIcke,y building again. Through the
Efforts OF Miss Matte Smith the fcun-