Omaha daily bee., 1910-03-12
Some Things You Want to Know
The West Indies

Ever since the Panama canal became a
certainty, American interest I'm the West
Indies has grown steadily. until now Il Is
probably greater than at any time since
the American flag was to be seen on every
ocean and American bottoms carried more
than their share Of the worlds
Americans resemble the Athenians In al.
ways seeking some new thing, and In theii
restless search more and more OF them ere
beginning to appreciate the delightful
voyag that may be made from their east
ern coast through summer seas at com
paratively low prices. An evidence OF this
was furnished this winter when the first
strictly excursion ship, carrying a full
quota Of passengers, left New York tc
cruise among the West India islands and
down the coast Of South America as far
as the Straits Of Magellan.
The West Indies are distinctly the habitat
Of the negro. There are all kinds of the
voodoo woTshippers in the interior Of Hayti
and San Domingo. to the cultured. highly
polished, ever %hospitable college graduates
Of the English and French islands. rhe
first desire OF the American traveller is 10
compare the negroes and men of color in
the islands with those he is familiar with
in his own country, and he is almost in
v~ariably surprised at the difference. Laugh
ter, unprovoked mirth and an utterly
happy-go-lucky disposition as Characteristic
Of the American negro of the south, but,
as a rule, the natives Of the West Indies
take themselves much more seriously.
They are exceedingly voluble when aroused,
but the chattering gayety is lacking. The
nearest approach TO the American style OF
1910 To- O.
Lucia, who, as they VIM in and out from
the coal piles of the ship, maintain an in
cessant flow of banter and chaff.
Al one time or another France owned
nearly every island In the West Indies,
but its possessions there are now limited
to Martinique, Guadalupe, st. Bartho.
lomew better know as st. Barts) and a
part of st. Martin, the other portion OF
which belongs to Holland. England has
persistently Angelicized its islands until the
French suzeralnty has been almost for.
gotten, yet 1t is a curious fact that q
French patols is the language of the ma.
tives OF nearly all the English island below
the Virgin group. The people are b~illngual
using the patois among themselves, but all
having just as good a m OF English.
In the Danish islands Of st. Thomas and
st. Croix (Which is better known as Santa
CRUZ the b~Rck-country natives have a
patois which is not Danish, although the
Danes have owned the islands for 25(
years. Danish is now taught in the public
school Of these islands and the children
speak it, as do the government officials,
but all speak English as well.
West India brings thoughts Of rum-the
rum that has cut a figure in history and
is famous the world over. In the early days
the exchange Of West India rum with At
rican chiefs for slaves for the western
world was a regular and enormously profit
able business. Slavery passed, but the rum
remains-millions of gallons Of it. The ma
tives, foreign residents and tourists drink
rum In all the islands. Special brands are
spoken Of with pride, and thousands OF
bottles are carried away every year by
tourists ss precious gifts for friends at
home. This exists everywhere except
among the whites and higher classes of
British Guiana, which, although on the
mainland OF South America, is always
counted as one Of the islands. For some
strange reason, in British Guiana it is con-
sidered extremely blebeian to drink rum
The people there drink gin and Scotch
whisky. Perhaps the explanation of this
popularity is the fact that back in the al
most impenetrable wastes of British Gui-
ana the natives make 'moonshine' rum
like the mountaineers of the southern states
make "moonshlne" whisky.
1t would be advisable for all Americans
going to the West indies to lay in a supply
of English money before starting. Travel
ers landing with nothing but American
coins will be greatly inconvenience unless
they are of gold. Every island varies more
or less in its willingness to accept American
silver, although the gold and bank notes
are readily -exchangeable at the banks. In
Antigus, for instance, not even the street
peddlers are willing to accept American
silver at all If they can possibly get Eng
fish money. The Danish islands nave a
special coinage Of their own, which is cur.
rent nowhere else. Guadalupe and Mar
Unique each has a coinage, but Martinique
silver does not pass in Guadalupe, or vice
versa. The small s~hepkeepers pass off this
local coinage as frequently as possible, and
travellers who hav made purchases seldom
leave without taking more or less Of II
from every island, some as souvenirs ano
some through carelessness. 1t would be in,
teresting to know how much of the locaI
coinage disappears forever in this manner
Demerara presents still another peculiarly
in that while it's medium is English money
prices are all computed In dollars and cents
To the ordinary man the thought o.
shooting a monkey would be abhorrent, bu
the natives of St. Kits have no such
scruples. The island has long been famous
for it's wild simians, the hill behind Basst
Terre. the capital, being called Monkey hill
When the rains are on and water plentl