The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1906-01-23
TAYLOR
DESCRIBES
JAMAICA

OF the West India Islands Jamai-
ca is one Of the smallest and being
also one Of the healthiest i one Of
the best health resorts in the South
Seas. The temperature i always
about the same, 70 to 50 degrees
Fair. Its next neighbor to the
North is Cuba, which is about 10
times larger than Jamaica. .Iamai-
Gag principal products and exports
are tobacco, ginger, sugar, rum,
oranges, bananas. pineapples and
logwood. The island Is Inhabited
almost entirely by negroes. II be-
longs to England and although the
poor negroes are taxed very heavily
almost three times as much as va
are in this country-th do not
complain, and believe there is no
government so beneficcnt as that Of
England, and think King Edward
III as very nearly equal 10 the Su-
preme Being.
Wages are small. Men get only 4
shilling day-2i cents IN Amcr-
can money-while' the women get
half as much. Carpenters are paid
two shillings day. About half the
work done on the public roads Is
done by the women. They carry
all the stones that are put on the
roads in baskets on their heads, and
in the same manner the vessels are
loaded with coal that made Jamaica
a coaling station. 1t is quite il
sight to see rs or 100 women filling
the hold Of a vessel with coal. There
will be a<string going to the ship
with their loads and another com
ing back with their empty baskets.
Each basket holds about bushel Of
coal and after it is set on their
heads they never touch it with their
hands until they get on board tile
ship, when they lift it down and
empty it without any assistance
whatever. While they are going
along with their loads they will be
and swinging their hands,
and talking and sometimes quarrel
ing and very often fighting.
As rule the Jamaica negroes are
very polite and have great respect for
white people. They think white men
should not do any work at all, that
they were made 10 boss the negroes.
They are great after liquor Of any
kind-rm especially. If a white
man has a piece Of land he wants
cleared, nothing suits the negroes
better than for him tomake a frolic
and have lots Of rum and good din
ner and invite the negroes to take
part in the cleaning, they will take
their hoes and axes, whichever they
need, an 90 to the place where they
IRE to work, Among them will he
one good singer, and he will take his
stand on big stump and commence
10 sing, and then they will com
mcnce to work and keep time with
their hoes and axes and fall in with
the chorus and make all kinds OF
Aourishcs with their axes and throw
them in the air. As soon as the cf
rccts of the rum leaves them they
will commence to sing for more and
taking another drink they will work
md swing and sing again as before
and 50 keep on all day, and they
will do more work that way than if
they were getting paid for their
labor.
The natives live IN little mts
built ont Of grass and palm leaves.
They wear very poor clothes through
the week and 60 barefooted, but on
Sunday they will come out Of their
little shantics dressed in white
clothes that are starched 50 stiff that
they would stand alone. They will
carry their shoes until they get
nearly 10 church and then put them
on an 90 into the church looking
like saints, although the majority Of
the men had been drunk the night
before, but they always save money
enough 10 give the parson a penny
in the collection plate, Hardly one
third Of them ever get married,
They only live together as man and
wife as long as they can agree, and
when they disagree they separate
and take unto themselves other hus-
Ibands or wives.
As a rule they are very supcrstlt-
l;a,, ;,,sI,,l ~ ,nlI;pr II y,;tnhprn III