Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-09-27
EASY LIVING IN THE TROPICS.
Food, Shelter and Clothing Cost Al
most Nothing.

| 1t Will take Americans some time
| tc understand their insuiar possessions
/ and learn how TO govern the people,
Esaid syan~ Engfshrnan who for many
years lived In jamaica and travelled foi
an English firm through the West In
cGiesS There is no such thing as a
strenuous life, and it is difficult TO. con-
/ troll people by their wants or desires
when they do not want fnueh.a~fft1e
| luxury of taxation and the expense OF
government they do not care for, and
| they would much prefer to be left to
| their own resources. This is natural
! result of the climate and the possibility
of cheap living in it, and this must be
taken into consideration in creating u
| SYSTEM of government for them.
Take the matter of home, for in
| stance; that means in many cases no
| outlay of cash whatever. The home
| seeker picks out bit of ground con-
tanning four or five acres. This is
called a canucho. The ownership is
immateIial where much of the land is
| unclaimed. He selects high and fer
tile wooded spot, perhaps in the center
of a forest and above high water
| mark. He invites his friends to the
clearing. and there is rum. which he
has made from the refuse of 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 can
ucho is cleared and fenced by the logs
and vines taken from the clearing, it
is planted. and that ends the dancing
and the labor far as the crop is con-
are put out and it becomes race be
tween the crops, the weeds and the
trees. 1t is all matured in four
months or less, and, strange to say,
furnishes food for the owner almost
from the start and leaves him enough
TO sell to finish out the year If the
owner is extravagant and his food sup
ply does not last the year he tears
down his fence and makes charcoal Of
the posts and rails. The young trees
come up quickly, so that at the end Of
the year he is ready to give another
housewarming. Charcoal sells at once
in the market. 1t takes about three
days to get it ready and market it. so
that it is the main standby when lit
tie cash is needed. This and the fod-
der, which is half-grown cornstalks,
are the main dependencies. The fod
der is given no attention and is ga
thered when it is less than a month
old.
'The matter of clothing does not
give much more concern. single
garment oft suffices for the women,
and the men in the country seldom
wear anything but a pair of overalis.
The material in both instances is the
same-Cheap jeans-and they are worn
for two or three years, until they fall
to pieces. The women gather their
skirts around their hips when walking,
that the edges may not be frayed by
the brush and cactus plants which
abound everywhere, and there is no
puddle too deep for them o-wade with
dry skirts. They thus preserve them
for a long time.
You see how easy it is for them 10
live without money and without labor
That will always be the difficult propo-
sition for the United States to fully
appreciate. 1t will take years of edu-
cation to effect a change. And, in fact,
the years of education in the past have
been lust the reverse in many of the
countries.
In former days the man who ac-
cumulated anything was quickly
robbed by officers 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 clue. He
might be told that his property had
nv hp q for
some alleged offence, but no redress
was ever possible, and the custom of
officially robbing a man became so
common that. it occasioned no COM
ment.
Il recall a case where a man and
woman living in their usual marriage
Engagement style quarreicd ana
agreed to separate They were unable
to divide the cattle 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, CIV
ing the man and Woman one eacn and
keeping one for his services as referee.
Strange to say all parties We're pleased
with this decision.
In the matter of natural foods re-
curing no planting. and no cultivation
these islands are rich, and that Is
another cause of the Indifference Of the
people to accumulations Of wealth.
There is no danger of starvation, work
or not work. and most of the inhabi-
tants are of the network kind. / re-
call an Englishman. planter, VINO
sought in vain for labor to inclose n
| tract of land he had himself cleared.
| He get some promises, but az usual
! in such cases, the people failed to
come. Finally he found a man who
said he wanted to buy revolver and
that he would work until he got money
enough. Nothing could induce him 10
continue work after the revolver was
earned, and the field had TO he aban-
doned for the. season, as the English
man had not the time to do the WORK
himself. A French lady wanted Held
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 per-
mission to sleep under the back porch
4 LITTLE They