Evening star., 1902-08-14
WHERE LIFE IS EASY
Existence in the Tropics Not
a Burden.
PROBLEM OF CONTROL
AMERICANS MUST UNDERSTAND
THE CHANGED CONDITIONS.
People Cannot Be Much Influenced by
Their Wants and Desires-Some
Things to Be Learned.

'It will take Americans some time to un-
derstaDd their insular possessions and to
learn how to govern the people," said an
Englishman who for many years lived in
Jamaica and Travelled for an English firm
through the West Indies. There is no such
thing as a strenuous life, and it is difficult
to control people by their wants or desires
when they do not want much. The luxury
of taxation and the expense of government
they do not care for, and they would much
prefer to be left to their own re-
sources. This is natural result of the cli-
mate and the possibility Of cheap living in
it, and this must be taken into considera-
tion in creating a system of government for
them.
Providing a Home.
Take the matter of home, for instance,
that means in many cases no outlay of
cash whatever. The homeseeker picks out
bit of ground containing four or FIVE
acres. This is called a canucho. The own
ership is immaterial where much of the
land is unclaimed. He selects a high and
fertile wooded spot. perhaps in the center
Of forest, and above high water mark.
He invites his friends to the clearing and
there Is rum. which he has made from the
refuse or the sugar cane, an abundance Of
fruit gathered wild and dancing Between
times the clearing and fencing Is going on
with the aid of his guests. When the ca
nucho Is cleared and fenced by the logs and
vines taken from the clearing 1t is planted
and that ends the dancing and the labor as
far as the crop Is concerned. Several va
-rletles OF products are put out and it be-
comes race between the crops the weeds
ana the trees 1t Is all matured in four
months or less, and, strange to say. fur
nlsheS food for the owner almost from the
start and leaves him enough to sell to finish
oul tne year. II the owner is extravagant
he tears down his fence and makes char
coal or the posts and rails. The young
trees come UP quickly. so that at the end
or the year he is ready to give another
ntousewarming: 4t Charcoal sells at once in
the market. 1t takes about three days to
get 1t ready and market it. so that 1t is the
main standby when a little cash is needed
RMS anc the fodder. which Is half grown
cosasIaiks. ea ~ are the main dependencies. The
Fodder Is given no attention and is gathered
When 1t Is less than a month old.
In the Matter of Clothing.
THE matter Of clothing does not give
much more concern. A single garment oft
suffices for the women. and the men sell
dom In the country wear anything but a
pair OF overalls. The material In both IN
stances is the same-cheap jeans-and they
are worn for two or three years. until they
fall to pieces. The women gather these
skirts around their hips when walking.
that the edges may not be frayed by the
brush and cactus plants which abound
for them to wade with dry skirts They
thus preserve them for a long time
ou see how easy it is for them to live
without money and without labor. That
Will always be the difficult proposition for
the United States to fully appreciate. 1t
Will take years of education to effect a
change- And. in fact the years of educa-
ton in the past have been just the re-
verse in many Of the countries
I'm former days the man who accumu-
lated anything was quickly robbed by Of
ficers In authority. The owner of a few
cattle was drafted by some high official
in the province where he lived and when
he returned after a year or two Of service
in the army he found his cattle gone and
no one willing to give him any clew He
might be told that his property had been
legged offense. but no redress was ever pos
sible, and the custom of officially robbing
a man became so common that 1t occa-
stoned no comment.
Custom of officials.
Il recall a case where man and woman
living in their usual marriage -by-agree-
ment style quarreled and agreed to sepa-
rate. They were unable to divide the cat
tie satisfactorily. as each had brought
some to the common home. The matter
was referred to one Of these high officials,
who divided the cattle into three equal
herds. giving the man and woman one each
and keeping one for his services as referee
Strange to say, all parties were pleased
with this decision.
'These remarks do not apply to Jamaica
so much and l am not speaking of that
country English rule there has done much
to dev op the island and educate the peo-
pie. J here is much discomfort there and
talk of annexation to the United States
but that comes from business stagnation
The sugar industry is ruined by European
beet sugar bounties. You have a revolt
against your party in power when times
are hard, and the people of Jamaica are
very much like the people of the United
States in that respect. Conditions are far
better there than anywhere else in the
West Indies, and my comments apply
rather to the other islands.
Tropics Rich in Foods.
'In the matter os natural foods requiring
no planting and no cultivation these islands
are rich, and that Is another cause Of the
indifference of the people to accumula-
tions of wealth There Is no. danger of
starvation, work not work, and most
Of the inhabitants are of the network
kind. 1 recall an Englishman, a planter,
who sought in vain for labor to inclose a
tract of land he had himself cleared. He
got some promises. but, as usual in such
cases, the people failed to come. Finally
he found a man who said he wanted to buy
q revolver and that he would work until
he got money enough. He did just what he
agreed to do. Nothing could induce him
to continue work after the revolver was
earned, and the field had to be abandoned
for that season, as the Englishman had
not the time to do the work himself. A
French lady wanted a field grubbed and
had the same trouble She waited for
many who promised to come and finally
succeeded in getting three men to start at
the work. In half an hour they asked
for some food, and after that was eaten
asked permission to sleep under the back
porch until the sun was down little. They
did no more work and slept there off and
on for three days until they were driven
away. It was impossible to clean up the
field and the cultivation Of it was also
abandoned.
1.-THE plow is unknown, the machete OF
warfare is the only farm tool, and by it's
use the native lives. 1t is his plow, his
spade and his hoe, his pick and his ak, his
cleaver and his sword By the use of 1t he
gathers his fodder and his food cuts trees
for his charcoal and digs roots for his
bread.
Fruits Not Exported.
Bananas, oranges, cocoanuts and other
tropical fruits well known in the states