South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1922-06-04
REMOTE ISLAND TO
HAVE A MISSIONARY
And RADIO OUTFIT
British Island of Tristan Da
Cunha Has Only 80
Inhabitants.

MONTEVIDEO. April 5.-CBy
MaiD-The British island Of Iris
tan da Cunha. in the middle OF the
South Atlantic with its 12O odd
souls. mostly descendants Of Ma
poleon's St. Helena guards. who
hardly hear from civilization more
than once in two years. is at last 70
have missionary and radio COM
munication
For more than Is months an
English clergyman named Rogers
and his wife have been trying 10
reach the island from Cape Town
and finally induced the captain OF
the japanese steamship Tacoma
Maru, which left Cape Town on
March % for the River Plate. 10
deviate from his regular course and
land them at Tristan de Cunha
w. Denis Myers, a passenger on
the Tacoma Maru and a lawyer OF
Cape Town. who has just arrived
here. tells of the vessels call at the
island with Mr.. and Mrs. Rogers
and thinks the population is truly In
need Of a missionary.
The student or evolution. the
psychologist as we'll as the mission
airy, would find much to interest him
in this curious. forgotten communi-
ty," says Mr.. Myers. The settle
ment originated it is said. when a
detachment OF sol1iers who were
despatched 10 Tristan da Cunha 70
forestall the remote possibility that
Napoleon might attempt 10 escape
St Helena, laid the foundations OF
one of the strangest settlements in
the world.
From time TO time shipwrecked
mariners have added 10 the inhabi-
tants on the island. who have mar
ried and intermaTried till relation
ship after a century has become a
hopeless tangle. Nearly all the
present population were born on the
island and have a colored strain in
their blood. They speak English
with a peculiar drawl, resembling
West Of England speech There is
one old Italian among them. ship
wrecked from sailing vessel. who
appears 20 have forgotten his own
name and in fact his mother tongue.
Continued intermarriage has in
this generation produced some pit
ifUl children Some Of them are
idiots. some lack limbs. some are
deaf and dumb. The population does
nothing agriculturally except TO
cultivate potatoes. On this food. to-
gether with fish and penguin eggs,
they chiefly exist. There are few
wild cattle and a few sheep and out
OF the wool Of the latter the women
knit rough wooden stockings. That
is their only manufacture They
wear old clothes. mostly seamen' s.
begged from the ships. usually
wandering windjammers. that visit
the island al rare intervals There
being no commerce. there is no need
FOR money.
The islanders attitude toward
visitors is curious. As ne stands be-
fore one his head droops. his arms
fall listlessly 10 his side and he
answers Imply and uninterestedly
questions as 70 his life and mode OF
existence He seems TO have no
other interest than 10 trade a pen
quin. an albatross skin, or a seals
flapper for an old shirt. q little to-
baccO, or anything from civilization
that would be useful He articu-
lates slowly and with difculty as II
he had almost forgotten speech. ]
did not see one smile
Tristan de Cunha is a mountain
1000 feet high rising out Of the
ocean wastes like an inverted
pudding bowl. and as we saw IL.
was wreathed in swirling mists. The
little colony lives IN stone huts on
a green strip OF pasture land az the
foot OF the mountain
Having no commerce and no
money these people certainly can
not worship Mammon. but Il Is
doubtful 4 they worship God. The
two plucky missionaries who have
exiled themselves among them for
a least two years viii try 20 teach
them. They brought large quanti-
ties OF supplies and civilized COM
forts and a radio set. so that hence
forth Tristan de Cunha VIII not be
cut of entirely from the outside
world
Actual documents OF Aztec history
are available 70 the history student