The New York herald., 1921-09-04
PUT BACK
AFTER A START FOR
Land OF NO TAXES
Londoners Tired Of Present
Conditions Are to Found
South Sea Colony.
TWO HOURS WORK A DAY
Rough Seas Halt First Voyage,
but Leader Is Confident Of
1000 Followers.

1000 Followers.
Copyright, 1921, by THE New YoRK HERALD
New York Herald Bureau.
London. Sept. 3.
Long before they encountered trori-
cal malaria. black water fever and
South Sea mosquitoes a small party
Of pilgrims who set out from England
to form a new colony, where they
hoped to escape "tho vexations of
modern civilization" has turned back
to this land because Of weak stomachs.
The sood ship Medora, Of 16s tons.
encountered rough seas off Southamp-
ton as she began 10000 mile voyage
to the South Sea Islands, and the
rocking and the tossing of tho vessel
was too much for the pilgrims who had
determined to wear palm leaf clothes
and at the same time escape the in
come tax collector.
So they still are paying a share of
their earnings to the Government while
T. F. Rhodes Disher. young pickle
manufacturer who headed the party, is
trying to recruit others to inhabit his
summer isle Of Eden"
The voyage is postponed indefinitely.
but is not abandoned. 1t may be weeks
probably next spring-before the
Medora weighs anchor again. but It Is
stoutly maintained that the pilgrims
have not lost their ardor. -
Work Two Hours n Day.
The clan was orgarized a year ago
last spring by Mr.. Rhodes Disher, 80
years old. who has made fortune in
the last ten years. However. he in
sists that business cannot be carried on
in England now, and he wants to escape
from "the oppressive annoyances of civil
ization. He conceived the idea Of oc-
cupying an island in the Marquesas
group. OF working only two hours a
day. wearing pajamas and bathing suits
and living the simple life. He advertised
in the London Times for the names OF
persons who were interested in form
ing a simple life colony on a tropical
island and got mere than q thousand an
swers. An advance delegation visited
the South Pacific Islands and returned
here enthusiastic. like Robert Louis
Stevenson. Jack London and Earl Penn
broke. They told romantic tales OF the
islands made famous by Herman Mel
Vile. the American sailor, half a century
ago.
A ship was purchased and fifty hardy
pioneers. including men and women from
e.. At .r&.~ <.nt.
of them putting up a hundred pounds
sterling. 1t was resolved that there
would be no politics In their colony
and no city life worries.
However. the Government would not
do anything to aid these pilgrims. while
the Overseas Settlement Committee said
the scheme could not be "of permanent
advantage to those participating In It
and might involve serious difficulties"
Women Join Party.
Women Joined the party nevertheless.
unmindful of the heavy mortality
among European women in the South
Seas and their loss of beauty. But
their enthusiasm soon waned when the
Medora, under command of Capt
Charles Kerry. who has been around
the Horn thirteen times, ran into its
first gale.
Now Mr. Rhodes DIsher wants twelve
more pilgrims. his resolve to carry
through his adventure being undimin-
ished. However. he insists that every
rflgrim be good tempered, temperate.
tolerant, prepared to wear light weight
clothes and to work only two hours a
day. to live on milk. water, fruits. vege-
tables. poultry. eggs and fish and to
have protection against the weather.
81 fnf l.
that his party did not abide by his
decision to wait for suitable weather
conditions before setting out on the
voyage. He declares he will start from
here again in few weeks and will
travel by way of Cape Verde. the West
Indies and the Panama Canal. He de-
clares that this first party will estab
lish a settlement, and that the colony
will soon number a thousand souls. who
will live happily together and shape
their own lives. meanwhile living and
dressing as they please without having
to paying an excess profits tax or wear
insane European clothes.
VIII Have Last Laugh.
"They think me fool. but will
laugh last" Mr.. Rhodes Disher said to-
day. There Is no encouragement In
business or in life itself here In Eng
land. The high prices and the enor-
nous demands by labor, backed by
strikes, destroy honest endeavor. There
viii be none OF that In my colony. We
will live as humans were meant to
live-happy. content and free from
worries"
Mr. Rhodes Disher Is married and has
two children. He has travelled widely.
particularly I'm the tropics. He Is
handsome and energetic and Is the kind
OF man who can laugh at taunts and
gibes. Until he conceived the idea Of
establishing an English speaking col
ony in the tropics he owned a prosper
Gus business. but he has sold out all his
interest.
He insisted there was no financial
speculation connected with his coloni-
zation scheme and that II was merely
"a quest for free and natural exist
ence. which Is impossible In London"
He does not drink or smoke. but he will
not bar from his colony persons who do.
He refused to talk about hardships
In founding such a colony, declaring
that all such problems would solve them
selves.
II was said that he had obtained an
option on 1000 acres OF land in Tahiti
and that when his party starts out
again there will be in II no women or
children.
n mill ho fn