Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-07-18
LONELINESS CROWS
The Desire for Solitude Keeps
Getting Stronger.
THE JAMAICA COLONY
AN OXFORD GRADUATE WEo
LIVES ON A SOUTH SEA ISLAND.
Man Who Hesitated Between Being
Alone and Marrying, and
Lost the Girl.
THE JAMAICA COLONY
Copyright, 1908, by William Thorp.)

novelist has told how the man, the
morning after the wreck, puts up tall
pole on the seashore and ties his shirt to
it in order to attract the notice of passing
ships For months or years he lives upon
the island, utterly miserable because he is
isolated from his kind. and when at last
the long-lookedfo sail rises above the
horizon he goes nearly mad with joy
That is the way of the imaginative novel
list. The truthful novelist would show
Robinson Crusoe who grew to love his is
land solitude. and hated the idea of leaving
it and mixing with his fellow-men again.
Everybody who has travelled in out-Of
the way places knows that solitude has
wonderful fascination over almost all men
after they have experienced it for some
little time and got over its strangeness.
There are thousands of men in various
parts of the world who would live lives
solitary as did Robinson Crusoe simply
because they prefer such existence to the
society of their fellows.
A Man Who Fought for Solitude.
The captain of a West Indian banana
ture which happened to him in the South
seas when he was first mate of a British
tramp.
On a voyage from Cape Town to yelling
ton. New Zealand. his vessel passed close
to coral lSlet. Looking through lis tele
scope. he saw white man clothed il rags,
standing on the beach. knowing the place
to be a desert island, til" captain cOuclud-
ed that the man was castAway, and sent
boat ashore under command of the first
mate to rescue him.
AS soon he the boat leave the
ships side the man ran away into the
jungle. which covered most of the slct.
Thinking he was mad. the boats crew
searched for half an hour until they found
him concealed beneath some bushes.
Come along. my man said the mate,
gently and soothingly why did you
away? We want to take you home
Il do not wish to GO replied the man,
in an educated. refined voice. Il shall not
go unless | am carried. | came mere ten
years ago, because | wished to be alone
and quiet. l have everything l wish for,
thank you except solitude at this present
moment. Pardon me if l seem nhospitable,
but will you be good enough to take what
you want and go away? l may explain that
the craving for solitude is almost mono
mania with me-
But why earth did you run away?"
don't want to take you If you don't
want to come
You are more considerable than most peo-
pie. then was the reply. Several ships
have stopped here during the last ten years
and usually the captains seemed inclined to
take me away by force. They thought ne
mad which l am not. I only escaped aD-
duction last time by hiding
Can we do anything for you? Provi-
sions? Tools? Books?.' the mate quered
The man smiled
You are very kind" he said, but l have
all l require. l have read all the books |
wish to read. l have not opened 4 book
since / left oxford eleven years ago.
But how do you pass the tine?' he
was asked.
In my leisure moments | usually write
poetry. 1t would be very kind of YOU to
give me some pens, ink and paper. Ny
last supply. secured from German war
ship. which happened to call here. is al
most exhausted"
Writing materials We're given him, and
as they parted the mate asked:
Can | take any message to your people
at home? Things may have happened
which would induce you to return"
You are very sympathe tic, but no hidden
tragedy in my life has driven me to this;
place" was the answer. Il am here sim
ply because l prefer it, and | do not con-
template ever wishing to return
A Man Who Clings to Isolation.
This man is by no means rare char
acter. On the contrary most men who live
alone are like him. a few weeks ago an
American passed by Sombrero Island on a
voyage from Trinidad to New York. 1t is
a precipitous rock on which the British
government maintains Il light house. and is
the most northerly of the Caribbean Is
lands.
What a lonely spot for a light housa
keeperr' exclaimed the passenger He
must be miserable man
Not at all said on" of the ships Off
GERS. He enjoys it. He's the only man on
the island, and he never cares to leave it
He's been there for years, and absolutely
refuses to take wife or a mate to live
with him. He is entitled to regular hoii-
days. but he won't take them. The gov
eminent, fearing that he will go mad, al
most begs him to take change now and
then but he always says he'd rather stay.
"Once he persuaded to go to M
euila for months holiday. Anguilla is a
tiny island with about two thousand inhab-
itants and you would think it the quiet ast
place on earth. But in less than a week
the light house keeper said there was too
much noise and hustle, and went back to
Sombrcro'
This man passes the time by tanning the
sea birds that swarm around the lght
house. He loves them better than his
fellow men.
Jamaica, the Land of Solitude.
In the Island of Jamaica there are scores
ot Englishmen, Americans and Scotchmen
living lives almost solitary as If they
were on a desert island They are the
planters or overseers Of coffee. fruit and
cocoa estates. They live in tbs great
he use" of the plantation as the negroes call
it. and their nearest white neighbor lives
perhaps twenty or thirty miles away. Most
Of them young, unmarried men. but
scme are gray-bearded veterans of solitude.
who have lived alone all their days and
could not live any other way. Such men
as these to be found in all undevcloped
or half-deveoped countries; but Jamaica is
one of their strongholds.
During the five years that he spent in
that island a man now in New York be-
came acquainted with several of these soli-
taries of 1.-The BUSH the wilder parts of
Jamaica are called.
They frequently do not see another white
face for weeks. even months, at time
There is nothing to prevent them from mix
ing with their kind. if they chose. In the
country districts of Jamaica somebody is
always giving a ball or dinner or a tennis
party All that man has to do. If nc
tires of his company, is to saddle his
pony and ride ten or twenty miles to an
other plantation. He is warmly welcomed
in the hospitable Creole fashion. and given
a pleasant evening with music and CONVEX
sation But the man of solitude prefers to
sit on his own veranda after dinner smoke
his cigar and try to count the firefes fit
ting through the chocolate trees. This he
does year after year. until he becomes an
old man.
II Went ont to dinner last week old
man." said one of these Crusoes of the
bush" First time for over year I'd left
the plantation. Wish l hadn't. Good din
ner charming people. Dear old lady the
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