Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1922-09-18
Eskimos Happy
People, Mate of
Macmillan Declares

WlScdSset, Me-, Sept. 16.-'ESkimos
are honest" asserts Jot Small Of
Provincetown,' Mass, mate OF the
Bowdoin. the Macmillan Arctic explo-
ration vessel. new in port here, after
IA months in the region. of Baffins
Land. Jot. who, DR.. Macmillan says
is the most efficient man for northern
exploration work whom he has ever
met. has made four trip into the Arctic
ice, and while he now says that it is
uncertain whether he will 60 back
again. Macmillan smiles and says: ~"No
need to worry about Joe. He'll be here
when the Bowdoin sails in July. 1928"
Eskimos are a favorite topic Of con-
versation with Jot. if you can get him
talking, which is not easy. A sailor
man by heritage, he has always fol-
lowed the sea, but has never gained the
habit Of loQuaciousness characteristic
of sailormen.
He got warmed up on his favorite
theme about the Eskimo the other day
and their natural honesty.
They're honester than the aver
NhltS loIhS, L IL say, liz NY
clared. continuing: "How many of
us white folks when hungry would
see good eats laying round and not
take them? Not one. I'll say: we'd
dip in and help ourselves. An Eski-
mod do nothing of the sort. He'd
wait until YOU gave it to him or he'd
starve. and if YOU don't think that
= e1-
pie. Their ways of living are differ
ent from yours and mine. because
conditions are different from what
they are here. They live according
to their understanding and l don't
believe that there is a happier peo-
pie in the world than they"
What do they live on?" he was
asked
Jot squinted his left eye. took a
couple of puffs at his pipe and said
that the Eskimos didn't have many
strawberry shortcakes to live on, but
that meat and eggs constituted the
greater part of their food supply.
Game is plentiful and they are great
hunters. The eggs. he explained. are
ducks eggs. The eggs are collected
by the natives during the spring
season and are very good eating.
Contrary to the general understand
ing the Eskimos do not eat much
fish. Jot says. They may have fish
couple Of times year" said he.
that will be in the summer when
they can catch some trout in the
lakes. These trout aren't much
good: they taste a good deal like a
dried cedar shingle'
In support Of his claim that the ma
tives of the Arctic region are intelli-
gent Jot tells of an experience which
he had on one { his four voyages into
the Arctic zone. Il had rife" said
he, (which was fitted with first class
peep sights. One of the Eskimo boys
was much impressed with those sights
and studied them carefully and soon
learned their superiority over the ordi-
nary sights on his rifle. A few days
later he appeared with his gun fitted
with peep sights which he had made
and adjusted. I tried them and they
were perfect. He had done it without
knowledge of mathematics and without
calculations such as l would have had
to make to have fitted Them
Or. Macmillan says that one of the
reasons why Hot Small of Province
town, Mass, is so valuable a man on
an Arctic expedition is that he is a
great philosopher. "On our trip to
Crocker Land" says DIR. MacMillen
Jot and 1 were out on an ice hummock
scanning the southern horizon in the
hope of sighting the. expected relief
expedition.
Suddenly one of the Arctic birds
swooped down and almost grazed
Jot's head as it passed him. The bird
was going like race horse. Jot fol-
lowed the birds course with his eyes
for a moment and then remarked:
That fellow won't live long
Why not, Jot?' I asked.
Jot got down on all tours and
loisurely walk of an elephant. That's
the elephant said he, and the ele-
plant moves with moderation and
certainty. He lives to be hundreds
of years old. The turtle is one of the
slowest moving animals and it lives
to great age: an eagle will fly for
hours with scarcely motion Of it's
wings and it has long life. I've not
iced that the animals which are in
such a great hustle don't live to be
very old. but that those which take
their time. go slow and make sure.
live for years and years: that's why
I've made up my mind to go a little
moderate"