﻿26 
  

  

  THE 
  NATIONAL 
  GEOGRAPHIC 
  MAGAZINE 
  

  

  apply 
  to 
  British 
  subjects 
  beyond 
  the 
  

   British 
  Isles. 
  There 
  are 
  some 
  small 
  parish 
  

   dues 
  which 
  the 
  land-owners 
  pay, 
  but 
  they 
  

   are 
  insignificant. 
  Nowhere 
  in 
  the 
  world, 
  

   I 
  venture 
  to 
  think, 
  are 
  the 
  taxes 
  lighter 
  

   than 
  in 
  the 
  islands. 
  

  

  Under 
  these 
  circumstances, 
  with 
  the 
  

   government 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  and 
  the 
  control 
  where 
  

   it 
  is, 
  we 
  are 
  not 
  likely 
  to 
  see 
  a 
  change. 
  

  

  The 
  people 
  one 
  meets 
  there 
  as 
  a 
  visitor 
  

   are 
  agreeable 
  ladies 
  and 
  gentlemen, 
  of 
  

   cultivation 
  and 
  refinement. 
  They 
  keep 
  

   abreast 
  of 
  the 
  times, 
  but 
  they 
  are 
  content 
  

   with 
  what 
  they 
  have. 
  Trollope, 
  who 
  

   visited 
  the 
  islands 
  in 
  1858, 
  was 
  not 
  very 
  

   gracious 
  to 
  them, 
  but 
  one 
  thing 
  he 
  said 
  

   of 
  them 
  has 
  much 
  truth 
  in 
  it 
  : 
  

  

  "To 
  live 
  and 
  die 
  would 
  seem 
  to 
  be 
  

   enough 
  for 
  them 
  ; 
  to 
  live 
  and 
  die 
  as 
  

   their 
  fathers 
  and 
  mothers 
  did 
  before 
  

   them, 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  houses, 
  using 
  the 
  same 
  

   furniture, 
  nurtured 
  on 
  the 
  same 
  food, 
  and 
  

   enjoying 
  the 
  same 
  immunity 
  from 
  the 
  

   dangers 
  of 
  excitement." 
  

  

  The 
  beauty 
  of 
  the 
  island 
  scenery 
  and 
  

   its 
  unique 
  character 
  need 
  but 
  a 
  word. 
  

   The 
  prevailing 
  background 
  in 
  every 
  land- 
  

   scape 
  is 
  the 
  green 
  Bermudian 
  cedar, 
  or 
  

   juniper 
  tree, 
  and 
  dotted 
  in 
  this 
  general 
  

   background 
  are 
  the 
  white 
  houses 
  of 
  the 
  

   cities 
  and 
  the 
  country. 
  

  

  The 
  beautiful 
  roads 
  add 
  to 
  the 
  daz- 
  

   zling 
  white 
  of 
  the 
  picture. 
  They 
  are 
  

   made 
  of 
  coral 
  rock, 
  which 
  packs 
  and 
  

   cements 
  itself. 
  Mark 
  Twain 
  said 
  that, 
  

   after 
  thinking 
  over 
  what 
  it 
  reminded 
  him 
  

   of, 
  he 
  hit 
  upon 
  exactly 
  the 
  right 
  descrip- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  its 
  color 
  and 
  effect 
  when 
  he 
  called 
  

   it 
  icing 
  on 
  a 
  cake. 
  

  

  The 
  roads 
  are 
  not 
  wide 
  enough 
  and 
  the 
  

   curves 
  are 
  too 
  sudden 
  for 
  automobiles. 
  

   The 
  chief 
  objection 
  to 
  them 
  is 
  their 
  slip- 
  

   ping 
  character 
  after 
  the 
  frequent 
  rains. 
  

   Horses 
  frequently 
  fall 
  on 
  a 
  down 
  grade. 
  

  

  The 
  cities, 
  Hamilton 
  and 
  St. 
  George, 
  

   are 
  not 
  large, 
  and 
  the 
  population 
  is 
  well 
  

   distributed 
  through 
  the 
  islands. 
  In 
  most 
  

   countries 
  the 
  population 
  of 
  1,000 
  to 
  a 
  

   square 
  mile 
  is 
  thought 
  to 
  be 
  fairly 
  con- 
  

   centrated, 
  and 
  that 
  we 
  have 
  here. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  early 
  days 
  the 
  colonists 
  lived 
  in 
  

   houses 
  built 
  of 
  cedar. 
  Now 
  they 
  live 
  in 
  

   houses 
  built 
  of 
  coral 
  rock. 
  It 
  is 
  usually 
  

   cut 
  on 
  the 
  premises. 
  As 
  Howell 
  says 
  : 
  

  

  "What 
  will 
  be 
  said 
  to 
  you 
  when 
  you 
  

   tell 
  that 
  in 
  the 
  Summer 
  Islands 
  one 
  has 
  

   but 
  to 
  saw 
  a 
  hole 
  in 
  his 
  back 
  yard 
  and 
  

  

  take 
  out 
  a 
  house 
  of 
  creamy 
  sandstone 
  and 
  

   set 
  it 
  up 
  and 
  go 
  to 
  living 
  in 
  it?" 
  

  

  There 
  are 
  two 
  things 
  in 
  the 
  islands 
  

   that 
  determine 
  much 
  of 
  social 
  economy: 
  

   One 
  is 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  this 
  building 
  ma- 
  

   terial, 
  which 
  can 
  be 
  sawed 
  out 
  with 
  a 
  

   hand-saw 
  and 
  after 
  some 
  exposure 
  is 
  

   ready 
  for 
  use 
  (see 
  illustration, 
  page 
  8), 
  

   and 
  the 
  other 
  is 
  the 
  total 
  absence 
  of 
  wells. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  necessary 
  to 
  get 
  all 
  drinking 
  water 
  

   from 
  the 
  clouds, 
  and 
  that, 
  as 
  a 
  measure 
  

   of 
  health, 
  requires 
  that 
  every 
  roof 
  from 
  

   which 
  the 
  water 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  derived 
  should 
  

   be 
  kept 
  clean 
  by 
  whitewash. 
  

  

  The 
  palace 
  of 
  the 
  rich 
  man 
  and 
  the 
  

   hovel 
  of 
  the 
  poor 
  man 
  are 
  equally 
  white, 
  

   equally 
  substantial 
  looking, 
  and 
  equally 
  

   clean; 
  and 
  this 
  circumstance 
  furnishes 
  

   singular 
  superficial 
  evidence 
  of 
  the 
  fairly 
  

   equal 
  distribution 
  of 
  wealth 
  and 
  comfort 
  

   in 
  this 
  little 
  community. 
  

  

  LESSONS 
  IN 
  THE) 
  PURSUIT 
  01? 
  HAPPINESS 
  

  

  From 
  the 
  happiness 
  that 
  seems 
  to 
  pre- 
  

   vail, 
  from 
  the 
  philosophic 
  contentment 
  

   with 
  which 
  the 
  people 
  of 
  these 
  islands 
  

   look 
  out 
  upon 
  the 
  rest 
  of 
  the 
  world, 
  we 
  

   may 
  derive 
  many 
  lessons 
  with 
  respect 
  to 
  

   our 
  pursuit 
  of 
  happiness, 
  which 
  the 
  Dec- 
  

   laration 
  of 
  Independence 
  postulates 
  as 
  

   one 
  of 
  our 
  rights. 
  

  

  Notwithstanding 
  the 
  close 
  business 
  re- 
  

   lations 
  between 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  and 
  the 
  

   people 
  of 
  Bermuda, 
  they 
  are 
  English 
  in 
  

   their 
  traditions, 
  their 
  descent, 
  and 
  their 
  

   sympathies. 
  They 
  were 
  the 
  center 
  of 
  the 
  

   blockade-running 
  during 
  the 
  Civil 
  War, 
  

   and 
  their 
  prominent 
  people 
  made 
  a 
  great 
  

   deal 
  of 
  money 
  out 
  of 
  that 
  industry; 
  and 
  

   while 
  in 
  the 
  result 
  they 
  lost 
  much 
  of 
  what 
  

   they 
  had 
  gained, 
  their 
  attitude 
  of 
  mind 
  

   continues 
  to 
  be 
  one 
  of 
  attachment 
  toward 
  

   the 
  Mother 
  Country. 
  It 
  fits 
  into 
  all 
  their 
  

   traditions, 
  and, 
  as 
  I 
  have 
  indicated, 
  tra- 
  

   ditions 
  with 
  them 
  are 
  as 
  binding 
  as 
  steel. 
  

  

  The 
  suggestion, 
  therefore, 
  that 
  has 
  

   been 
  made 
  by 
  some 
  of 
  our 
  public 
  men, 
  

   that 
  we 
  might 
  buy 
  the 
  West 
  Indian 
  pos- 
  

   sessions 
  of 
  Great 
  Britain, 
  including 
  Ber- 
  

   muda, 
  in 
  part 
  settlement 
  of 
  the 
  war 
  debt 
  

   which 
  Great 
  Britain 
  owes 
  us, 
  has 
  been 
  

   made 
  without 
  knowing 
  at 
  all 
  the 
  temper 
  

   and 
  feeling 
  of 
  Bermudians 
  in 
  respect 
  to 
  

   such 
  a 
  severance. 
  

  

  Great 
  Britain 
  would 
  not 
  think 
  of 
  giv- 
  

   ing 
  up 
  the 
  islands, 
  and 
  the 
  Bermudians 
  

   would 
  not 
  think 
  of 
  being 
  given 
  up. 
  

  

  