Evening star., 1903-07-06
THEIR LIVES4ARE HARD
nnwrourD1A,p 4 FISHERMEN
EASILY IMPosED UPON.
Advantage Takes oe5 the Simple Ma
Oh
turs q tip Bold
seamsn.
From the Worlds worx.

St- johns. ". FL Hve0 Dy tno nShef1e0s
nothing worth while Il produced there. but.
according to the unsophisticated stranger.
there is noisy and vituperative wranglins
over the wealth that comes down from the
coast. There are SOME few factories. to be
sure. but they are too ingeniously managed
by half. For instance, q certain brand OF
tobacco. made at st. Johns and exclusively
consumed by fishermen, is sold In the
French Island Of ST. Pierre for half what
1t costs the Newfoundland "bay noddie:"
and the manufacturers pay SIS. 900 yearly
to the proprietor of a rival concern to in
duce him to keep his plant shut down. At
st. Johns too, is the aristocracy Of the
colony-merchants. middle men, lawyers.
physicians. Office holders. tricky and abu-
sive politicians and colonial knights (the
visitor may observe on a signboard above
little corner store, ,"Sir Robert Morburn.
grocer. Cheap teas.') There is neither
sympathy nor mercy for the fishermen here,
though there Is q most enthusiastic recep-
ton for what he takes from the sea- he Is
regarded as legitimate prey. Is most mar
velously lied to before election, and abused,
rtdiculed and reviled afterward. But
through 1t all he preserves a humble faith
in ''au those set in authority over him."
Pitiless Physician.
A doctor Of the outports-the incident is
related because, though 1t may appear an
extraordinary case. 1t yet aptly indicates
what has for years been the attitude Of the
upper classes toward the fishermen.
without whom Newfoundland would lie
waste and deserted, the shame OF the fair
called to q little white cottage where three
children lay sick OF diphtheria. He was the
family physician; that is to say, the fisher
man paid him so much by the year for
off 40 n,yf Snfo 0f
antitoxfn is surgical operation" and
therefore not provided for by the annual
Geo.
This" said the doctor. will cost you s2
an injection, JOHN
oh iss. zur," was the ready reply. "rll
pay you. zurr. Go on, zur!'
But you know my rule. John-no pay. no
work. 1 can't break it for you, you know.
or I'd have to break 1t for half the coast"
"Oh, ay Tis all right. l wants un cured.
I'll pay you when sells me fish
But you know my rule. John-cash
down.
The fisherman had but "a. no more: nor
could he obtain any more. though the doc
tor gave him ample time. l am sure that
he loved his children dearly. but unfor
tunately, he had no more than 81, and there
was no other doctor for fifty miles up and
down the coast.
-Four dollars" Said the doctor. two chill
dren. Which ones shall it be. John?"
Which ones? Why of course, after all,
the doctor had himself to make the choice.
John couldn't. So the doctor chose the
''handiest" ones. The other one died.
We'll" said John. I resentfully. the day
after the funeral, II s-pose a doctor have q
right t. be paid for what he does. But"
much puzzled. tits kind O. queerr'
Bold Adventures.
The Newfoundland outporters are hardy.
courageous. boldly adventurous, simple
lived, Godfearing, warm hearted-a physi-
cally splendid race Of men. Cowards and
weaklings have for 400 years been the unfit
Of the place; they occur, Of course. in the
best regulated families: but do not long
survive. for exposure kills of the weak
lings. and in the midst Of many dangers the
towards lose their liyes.5 Children learn to
sail punt at six or seven years old, and
at every age they are encouraged to play
at the highly dangerous game (called copy
ing) of prancing about on floating ice: the
skill acquired IN leaping from one sinking
block to another. would make the trumpet
ed river driver look like blundering child.
AS men, they know their punts as intimate
ly a cowboy knows his horse. and they
oil say Of their boats in gale, Il thought
same unconcern that a cowboy might say
Of his horse. He nearly throwed me that
time" The race is truly hardy and cour-
ageous 1t was John Butt. with nothing
more than a broken collarbone and split
forehead to show for it, who survived two
wild, snowy nights and a day a twenty
foot icepan, over which for many hours
broke great seas, heavy with jagged frag-
ments Of ice, and 1t was a reckless Green
bay skipper who let the wind blow the
masts out OF his schooner rather than reef
her. because he had been told that his
crew thought him "nervous''-a mad sort of
courage. to be sure. but proof positive for
all time that he was no coward.