CUSTOMS OF HELIGOLAND.

Auckland Star, Volume XXI, Issue 270, 15 November 1890, Page 4 (Supplement)

CUSTOMS OF HELIGOLAND.

Sabbath Begins at Six o'clock Saturday

Evening.

It mtust be noticed,, however, says the London "Times," ihai their Sabbath begins, afc 6 p.ro. on Saturday, when the church, bell is tolled, and ends on Sunday at tha same hour. Formerly no vessel could leave poirfc between these hours. Marriage cancels every other engagement, so that there can be no ibreach of promise brought against a man wh*en once he is married. The inhabitants have a strange cusbom on New Year's Eve. Tbe>y then perambulabe bhe streets witifo broloan pots and pans, which bhey place before their friends*doors, and bhe man who has the largest, heap before his cottage is considered the mosb popular. The people rarely lock their dooxs, but when they do they leave tbe key where ib can be reached by anyorse seeking admission. The fishergirls baib tlie hooks 4md carry thean in a large wooden basket;* filled with sand, fco the fishermen oil the beach. This is by no means a light; burden, yet they may be seen cheerfully (jJhafcbing wifch their companions as fchey msurch onward wifch woollen shawls over lAheir heads. The streabs bear English names, as Leopold, Berlin, Church, August la, Thames, Short, O'Brien, Prince of YYalss, Princess-siroet, etc., but the natives have their own names for fchem. Heligoland has a smalL prison or lockup, bub fchey rarely lock any one up, as fchey do noo care to board the prisoner. There is also a small cottage hospital ready for use if necessary, but patients are few and far between. There is also a poorhouse. Here poor people live rent. free. The plan adopted ia for parents an»d children to go before the magistrate, when the former resign any little property vfchey may possess to their children, who, in their turn, promise to find them in food. When the .husband dies fche wife takes his proporty, a nd ab her d«cease ib ia equally divided between the children. There are no horses or donkeys on HeligOland, for they would be useless there; buvb bhere are eight cows a»d about thirty sheop tethered and milked, the milk being cons iderod superior fco thafc of cows. There are three policemen, the junior being known by tho extra amount of gold lace worn by him. The coastguaxd consists of five Englishmen, who are nofc permitted fco act as constables. There ar« also sixteen active native coastguards and sixteen in the reserve. When there is a wreck the whole island claims the salvage. Most of the .inhabitants are behind wifch their rates, but fchey are never prosecuted, for when a settling takes place after the season is over what remains is left in hopes of being recovered next year. The debtors are engaged to work on wrecks, and then old scores are wiped off and the balance handed over to fchem, The natives only are permitted to rent small poba,bo patches, which are much valued, bufc ihe sovernmeHb reserves tho mosb of the* land for its own purposes.