Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1902-12-11

MCGrath in the Chicago News, one
of the strangost Is the garb Of the
women. 1t Is "a mistake TO suppose
that the people there are clad IN iurs
On the contrary, they never wear
these except IN midWintcr, and Their
real preference If for soldiers coats
the red ones Of the British army
Now that Tommy Atkins has been put
into knaId the familiar red coat Ii
rather at discount. Reserve stocks
OF these garments, lying idle IN the
army BtOrurUOms, are auCtloned from
time to time and can be got for Il
song. A medical mission snip, man
tanned by English phlIanthroplslS, car
ries ON her wOrI Of mercy along That
coast in summer and among other
Things distributes clothing among the
destitute coast folk, Of whom there
are ali too many.
These people never use any coin;
all their transactions are IN the FORM
III barter, fish being exchanged Tor
everything they need to eat and wear.
When the fishing Is bad they have to
20 without these neCossarlcs. Then
IT. rs that the mission comes to their
aid. 1t does not pauperlze them; II
requires every family to cut wood TO
feed the steamer boilers IN return for
grants OF ClUlhlng aud food. The
later Is not usually given, being lett
mainly to tho government to provide,
but clothing Is distributed, with pTn-
dent generosity. IhE soldiers coats
are most eagerly sought being warm
ana wen maze, Men and women both
wear them and declare them very com
Portable. The nrst sight Of re
spoclable mother OF u family, with one
OF these snowy articles adapted to her
portly figure, is rather startling, but
as the visitors cruise father along the
inCOnRruous aspect OF the thing Is
lost sight Of, as nearly all the settlers
arc thus CARRIED.
RCu-COalud men In the fishing boats,
roa-COated women in the cottages, red.
coated and trouRCIod children in all
directions. There rs no clement OF
humor IN this, but the fiber of grim
tragedy. The testimony Of mis-.
stones and visitors Is all alike as to
tins, An Anglican cleric, VINO made n
trip up tho coast two years ago, re
ported on his return that he had seen
children In several settlements run
ming about naked, and on inVestiga
ton found that the parents had no
clothing to give them. His appeal to
his friends in England resulted in
large shipment of articles suited IOi
little folks, but ordinary cloth wears
out so quickly that army cloth Is
found to be the most durable and Is
converted into garments for both the
boys and girls.
or course the mission gives It's
donation gratis to families without
maIo members, and in every case tries
to serve the needs OF the women and
children before supplying the men,
but it Is unfortunately the case that
even with the contributions available
there are many cases of urgent import
which cannot be adequately relieved.
Lack Of bedding and eoyerlots is also
general and the misery of the coast
Is most abjoCt.
1t Is n remarkable fact that while
virtually every resident of Labrador
has ben bitten by the savage dogs ol
that region There has never been
case of hydrophohia there. This fact
Is attcstcd by Dr. GrenIeli, the sup
Crtntcndont of the English medical
mission thCrc who has now spent 10
years on the coast and treated over
10000 patients. He cannot explain
this singular circumstance; It may be
due TO climatic conditions, but II Is
moro probable the result of the wolish
strain in the breed of the dogs The
extraordinary part of it Is that such
condition should he found allied with
the most absolute savagery ON the
part of the animals. They are the
forccst of any brutcs trained to be of
service to mankind, they will attack
anything they believe weaker than
themselves, and they are only kept in
subjocuon by the mcesing use of the
lash.
They are cross between the
wolves and the earlier Newfoundland
dogs brought there and by this time
almost all but the wolnsh char
actoristics are eliminated, The coast
folk find them Indispensable yet live
In fear of them No man ventures
abroad without his whip; every WON.
an carries u stout club It is death to
a chilu to get among them. Only last
month the little son of the agent of
Hudson BAY Company post ut Sand
which inlet was attacked by these
brutos. Within u minute they had in
nIcted over 60 bites ON the child and
but for Che devotion of pet retriever
dog and the lads mother promptly
flying to the rescue he must have
been literally torn TO pieces, He was
taken 20 the hospital at Indian
Harhor. where he is making quick
recovery This was a more fortunate
outcome than was the case Mt Cart
wright last year A child wandered
from home and when the distracted
mother flew TO where pack of angry
dogs were ravening she found nothing
but tho hnpSe gr bar prTgnrinp A