The Washington herald., 1908-07-26
THE LONG ISLANDER OF OLD.
A Man of Religion and Philosophy,
Too. Who Is Now Passing Arrav


He was Of a younger generation. and as
he sat or the verau5a OF his sumner
home II 6 village e. the eastern end Of
Long Island facing one q the w.ndmiIls
that date back 70 the eighteenth century
he ruminated aloud 20 his guest. SAYS. the
New York Sun
Long Island" he observed, putting
hard at his pipe, "is seeing better days
now than Il ever saw before. Real estate
Is rising Ike bread dough with the yeast
working in Il People OF all sorts are
coming out here. and people Of the right
sort are coming together in the happiest
way; but the Islands losing something
it'll never be able 10 get back"
What Is thet?'' asked the guest. for he
knew that Z what his friend had said was
enigmatic. a very real truth lay ready 70
be revealed 70 him
Why. the islands losing IT'S old-tin-
ers," his host replied The older genera
ton. of which ny gra1dfsther-yes. even
MY father-was q typical example Is
[ passing away There are q few vet
/ erans left here at the eastern end Of Long
Island, a few old whaIers left IN sag
{ Harbor- not 70 mention Cap'n Gabe Ed
wards and his seventy-year-oId son n
7 AuaEalsett-
1t is 2 vast irreparable pity. this de-
z parture OF the older generation They
I were Long ISLANDERS. The sons OF Long
{ Islanders. and the grandsons OF Loag
/ Islanders. Their ancestors were born and
F bred on Long Island. the descendants Of
E the men who came oveN from Ipswich.
I Norfolk, and the shire OF Kent. in Eng
{ land.
They varied their blood by internarrv-
{ ing North Siders and South Siders. and
I everybody was everybody eise's fourth OF
I fifth cousin I'm OF that race, TOO. and 7
T hold a brief for them
They never achieved any fame, but
now. On the eve OF their disappearance.
{ fame is begining 70 be thrust upon them.
IN the last six months three novels of the
I best-seiler type have been published
I whose plots center on Long Island They
+ lean TO the hfe-savers, and the life-ssv-
7 ers, you viii please reflect, are nothing
but Long Islanders born and graduates
I Of Pecouic. ShilneCOCk. and the Great
/ South bays.
/ Z suppose that from now OF desperate
/ and halfway successful efforts viii be
made 70 catch the type Now the Long
{ Islanders were so picturesque. varied.
I easy-going. and human and fervid that
no one short OF Mark Twain could posi-
[ bly, have put their nUltitu6inous facets
on paper
Unfortunately Mark Twain was born
Z IN another section Of the country. and II
I IS too late for him 10 begin again. !
wrote q letter 70 him expressing my re-
1 sret that he should have been born on
[ the Mississippi when he might have been
| born OF Shinnecock Bay, and he wrote q
[ letter hack 70 me saying that he regret
/ ted It, 700. but that II he transmigrated
I or was reincaruated he would make q
/ point OF re-enterfng close to the sand hills
and the ocean
Tt vas ny grandfather who. by virtue
i perhaps OF his Welsh ancestry. excelIed
I in versatility. He was & blacksmith and
[ later a whaler. Il was his custom each
[ morning after breakfast TO read a selec-
I ton from the Scriptures. followed By
| prayer Bzzt he had such an active mind
[ that not even the Good Book could claim
all his attention When he finished the
[ Scripture passage he would like enough
say:
Joe. did ye let the calf out into the
corner lot2'
| " No Joe would say.
Gosh darn it, grsndad would ex-
claim: let US pray
/ Now, don't set dGgeJy- Remember Tn
a Long Islander born end bred myself,
I and If thers IS one thing IN oualinsd 70
do it Is 70 point neral and a6orn q
tale"