The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1908-12-03

North America, when the belated
| working of the French law against
religious instruction in schools
was put into effect, may be only a
forerunner. The Perrois, as the
French call the islanders, may do
more than to carry the American
flag and demand annexation to the
United States, with Liberty or
DEATH" They are fight-lovers.
The hasty action of France in
appointing Governor Carde to St.
Pierre, with instructions regard
ing the school problem and orders
to sail Immediately for the isl
ands, shows the gravity of the
matter, in the governments esti-
nation.
The Perrois are as stormy as
the Newfoundland banks, where
they fish. When they are winter
bound in their island, they are
usually peaceable, and 1t is fortu-
nate that the school matter rose
at this time of the year when the
5000 or more rowdy fishermen
from all parts of the world have
departed from the islands, leaving
only st. Pierres usual population
of 5000 persons. But the men of
the 5000 have learned from the
5000 how to fight.
When Governor Carde arrives
he will find the $50 fishing vessels
of the island, chained in a long,
solid line, in the bay before the
city. The citizens of ST. Pierre,
with the winters leisure before
them, will be~ready to take up the
school problem with Governor
Carde, with no rough, outside ele-
ment ready to enter into the dem
constructions.
The folk of st. Pierre are old
French. Among them are descend
ants of the farmers who were driv-
en- from Grand Pre-, progeny of the
kin of "Evangeline," immortalized
by Longfellow. Their devotion to
the Catholic church makes up
their lives. Under the shadow of
the cathedral they are born; to
the church they take their sor-
rows, sins and pleasures, and, in
the cathedral the priests arrange
their hereafters. The St. Pierre
cathedral Is crowded every Sun
day morning, at II, with a well
dressed congregation. In st. Pierre
every Sunday evening there is a
great ball. They in Paris could
not be gayer.
But, in the Perrois, there Is a
sterner strain than in the Partisan.
His life business is either rough
fishing or smuggling; Yankees,
Quebeckers, Observation-Disclosures and
Nova Scotians encourage him to
the latter. On land he moves about
over stones. A flower garden Is a
luxury because the earth must be
brought to the island by ships, On
the hillside back of the town, all
summer, the cemetery sexton digs
unordered graves. He does not
know who will occupy them;
neither does anyone in the village.
But the winter frost will make dig
ging impossible and graves must
be ready.
The village life abounds In an
cient customs. Religion is part of
the life OF every man, woman and
child. Church ceremonies are the
village fetes.
Between May and October every
year many fishermen come to
Miquelon and at st. Pierre they
riot, drink and fight, Thus the
Perrois have learned the toughest
customs of the outside world and
they are not the peaceable men
that l4ongfellow described the
! AcaJians to be. In the late fall
and early winter the drying and
piling OF Goldfish is the village toll
II is not improbable that France
will have greater difficulty In en-.
| forcing the anti chmeh law IL 81
Pierre and the Miqnc.Ca n,ovincc,
than she a.. ia he. oSn miGS..