Polynesian., 1860-11-24
No. so.


daily applications Of the expressed juice Of the taeric
tubers. which, combined with long, ety resses tastiy
knotted up, and retained by fragrant wreath, pre-
pared by the gently taperng fingers Of the beauty her
self, completes the beau ideal of Ponapan nymph.
The children are often remarkably attractive. The
hin pale skin, the bright dancing eye. the exquisite
mould Of body and limb, with the instictive grace,
guitless Of bashfulness when nude, make ones
heart yearn to guide them to something higher and
purer than they possibly receive from dark-minded
parents.
But to be particular and to state the more gen.
orally prevalent characteristics:
The hair of the Ponapan is Jet black generally quite
straight, but often somewhat curly, and occasionally
very much so. His skin is that which should think
properly called copper-eolOred Il may be of slightly
lighter shade than is the prevalent through Poyne-
sa, but NJ Lessons term citron yellow" is too strong
either for the inhabitants Of this island Of the other
Micronesian groups though, when protested the COM
pexiOn does indeed lose its deeper tnts is also
Of all the Maays-POynesan races. And, to complete
the parallel there individuals born before the dis
eovery Of the islands, and not in the slightest degree
more exposed than the mass, whose skin very much
darker to suggest the possibility of negrtc nfa-
sion from the large Melanesian islands few degrees
to the SOUTH think these varieties of tint any
thing more, however, than that which is always found
in the different members of almost every and par
ticularly those Of the Pelagian family.
In stature the Ponapisn is slightly below the Euro
pean average, which comes as in the New Zeaander,
from shortening of the leg. There many large,
strongly built men, but the prevailing type is that Of
wry agility think it palpable that the size Of the
males in particular is decreasing from contact with civ
iliZation.
The eerebal developments are good The frontal re-
gion seldom retreats in any marked degree and it is
often finely protuberant The parietal diameter IS,
think rather small and the anterior posteror somewhat
prOlOngated yet not decidedly to require that they
be termed more than slightly prognatious.
There is something pleasing in the general cast Of
their cOuntenances The jet black eye, the regularly
formed face, but slightly broader than with ourselves
the nose somewhat heavy low and coarse though bat
seldom repulsive the perfect teeth and the small deli
catey attached when arti6cially deformed Is
the portrait of islander possessed of more than usu
al attractiveness and intelligence
The mental characteristics of this people are favor
able their physical Like their bodies their minds
are more quick and sprghty than strong and forcbe
There is very little of that stodity so frequent among
the degraded races, and very little Of that power found
among Others Their temperament is mercural. In
matters of any interest at all to them they readily
quire knowledge for instance the acquisition Of
the English language. Very many of them quite
familiar with that sailors q lingo which is almost
the only one they have heard Those few individuals
who have been to among the very quickest Of
islanders in picking up facts and making themselves
useful. They are usually fayories wherever they go
abroad from their native island In teaching them to
read though there are various grades of sprghtlness
and readiness, there general quckness Of appre-
henson that makes the task most pleasing. In train
ing the youth to domestic services they find any
difficulty in performing all the various duties Of cooks
and stewards, the only drawback being that all but
nvincibe independence Of feeling which to be .
servant for any towards whom they contrive to
exercise any feeling of equality The processes Of ed
ucatOn have not yet been carried sufficiently far to test
the suppOsition, but there is no reason to suppose
that this readiness will extend the abstruse sciences
probably as in all similar races their minds stop short
Of the deeply ratiocinative
1t is hardly just decide upon the full power Of the
native mind from the generation the stage, so
greatly has 1t been deterorated from contact with the
civilized world during nearly thirty years. Being
so small body of people, they have very severely felt
the full stream Of foreign contaminatons and have not
had the requisite vigor for reacting under it, The pro-
cess Of decay has been very marked during the last
seven years. Occasionally even now exhibitions are
however made Of contemplate power and ingenuity;
but it is the evidence from former times that is concu
sive of no mean measure Of enterprise and ability.
The largest of their present will carry from ten
ten to fifteen but during the generation before their
discovery their larger craft well deserved the name OF
prOas, do those made at the Marshall and the
western Caroline Islands There still remain few
fine specimens of native architecture in large feast
house and royal dwelling two and the finish Of very
many Of their houses speaks Of more than ordinary
nicely and mechanical resource but the exhibitions IN
this line very much less remarkable than formerly,
both IN magnitude and hnish- An examination OF the
noted sO-caed 'ruins' OIL Ponap amply demonstrates
that this people had originally slight measure OF la
borious energy. And the voyages they performed
to MOOkil, Pngelap Ngatik, and perhaps even to Ku
sale, tell of bold nautical knowledge and enterprise not
a whit behind that of any of the Micronesians-
Morally, the Ponapian has many pleasing character
iscs, though dashed by defects and obiques that in
dubitaby establish his moral unity with the human
family in other
Ii may quite safely be said they are destitute Of pure
moral principle. When truthful, honest and vrtuous,
is because present interest constrains and generally
the strongest Of even present interests will not
such high principed action. Their minds have but the
butte of savages. All is contracted like their slandt-
self Eberaity in sharing food is forced upon them by
Natures beraty in giving it but in little else gen.
erOsity Gifts it is true constantly made
with great prodgaliy but they either semforced
contributions to superior, even larger returns are
without fail to be expected. There is something
which might be hastily termed transparent candor and
openness of character incapable OF Deep dark crimes,
necessitaDg coneealment but that they cannot keep
secrets from want Of mental character sufficient
to retain them. seems loosely bound and a secret
escapes simply because there is mode Of detainng it,
They sectiOnate and kind within the bonds Of close
relationship. but outside Of their hearts in gener
al callous those Of the socaed civilized worlds that
visit them from whom they have learned to be espe-
cially unkind and unsympathzing to all foreigners.
Their minds extremely prone to suspicousness and
displeasures, but thr to be basis for the
darker shades Of sulen moroseness and consequently
they plcabe and their alterations healed with
comparative only however TO dsengage the mind
for other frivolous contentious. Seldom do hear Of
erOcious revenge, but the art of coniriving adrot
Sights and insults is carried very considerable
perfection. The Maayan trait of deception is carried
on far as their loose characters permit They might
be termed cheerful people, sgtated by frvent pas
sons, but there constant smmering Of low intrigue
and jealousy through every grade Of their limited So
cety, that eectuay destroys the exaberant efer-
vescence of pleasure Of deeper passion
Let US look at infancy and childhood. But imagine
babe unceremoniously born in the corner Of un-
partitioned hut During the 6rst moments Of its lie
it feels the application Of dirty, moist sponge and Is
shortly taken probably by the mother herself to some
pool or stream Further imagine It's ear
in skad ond