New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-05-21
WOMEN OF LABRADOR.
Their Desolation and Isolation-Mother Of
Seventeen Children.

Grim. cruel. unrelenting-a land OF Cain over
which the veil OF desolation and isolation has hung
for centuries-thar Is Labrador" said Miss Isabel
Rogers Edgar IN the course Of lecture last night
at the Hotel Martha Washington. But il is upon
tie women that the sadness and cold and loneliness
Of this barren land tell most" she added
''Of course every one wants 10 know, the very
first thing what made me choose such an unattrae-
tive spot for my travels. said Miss Edgar. as she
began her story. Well the first time II was work,
and the second time fl was pleasure. The first time
went as a press correspondent FOR an exploring
party Then. the year after, my sister being out
OF health I proposed 10 her 10 spend the summer
IN Labrador. We had q hard time Of II, We two
women alone in that bleak country don't know
THAT should care 10 undertake II again''-and she
shook her head doubtfully-"and yet We enjoyed II
Tremendously while il lasted, and II did my sisters
nerves world Of good.
Labrador Is hard on women I went into one
Of their little graveyards Il is so hard and frozen
there that II the soil had been brought Tor the
graveyard 7 hardly know where they would bury
heir dead u this little cemetery am speaking
OF went from grave 10 grave. reading the names
or the slate hea6stones, and all but three were Ie
graves OF women and children.
Then Miss Edgar told about one Of the labrador
women she knew
.Sra was The mother Of seventeen children
Think oe what that means IN a country where IN
I'll Ten wears ago there was no medical assistance
o. any kind 70 he had She only sixty years
old. but she was terribly broken Her husband,
son ana nephew had gone down almost before her
eyes-a sorrow enough 10 break any woman They
were salmon fishing. and had Ted their dory 10 an
iceberg The iceberg turned over, dragging the
boat down with H. Nearly all the Labrador men
are drowned. sooner OF later The graveE-ards
claim the women. the sea claims the men Most
of them are fishermen. and. though they may san
their boats and draw in their fish in safety voyage
after voyage. al last there comes d voyage from
which they Go not return. This brave soul had
ion u VIZ and native hunor left that would IT
times creep our through her grief, and she learned
10 read the Bible from The torn leaves Of Bible
that was washed ashore. LaboriousIy she spelled
Out The words. syllable by syllable. asking here,
guessing there putting two and two together until
she had mastered it, But think n the resolution and
ambition II must have takeut'
Although Labrador has twelve hundred miles OF
the most dangerous coast IN the world. there are
no buOys. IEhIsllius or lighthouses 10 lessen its
dangers Settlements are scarce. Along al this
coast there are only Two hospitals which are con-
nected with deep sea fishing stations and five
Morarisn missions. There are no hocks or herds
met men seveUtE-lve and eighty years old who
had never seen a horse a COW. The natives 0f
Labrador fan into three classes There are the
EsquiTnsus, once very numerous. now dwindled TO
d few and there are rowing bands OF Indians who
are being driven further and further north every
year N the wake Of The wild game. And then
fAere are the Livyers-a corruption Of Live Here's
ne descendants q fishermen, hunters Portuguese
sa.lors-almost everything. They are rniserably-
poor and their lives are sordiG and hopeless"
some singular IDEAS prevail among the Esquimaus
q L--oT-dof- For instance. a baby Is always
named FOR relative. no died last irrespective of
sex.
j knew the dearest little cir" said the speaker
who was called Jacob Jacob being the name Of
an Uncle who had died a Jew months before she
Was horn"
Another queer custom is that Of rating a woman's
a'iractiVeaess By the amount Of skin she can
chew
! once Photographed az Esquimau woman. Oh!
ne no good. she cried
on yes. YOU are ! replied
-le no can chew she explained.
--ir women chew the skins from which their
.-y-aefs aAc boots are made. and valued &C
lung ~ thCir ability IN this direction This one
'-sI pst ner teeth; hence her self-depreciatiou."
&c horror u living IN a country where the ther-
.,3lltler crops 10 50 degrees below and where
b.ssleltrs and trained nurses are TO be had only
-s ~
Now the lecturer said, there IS. in addition TO