Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1872-11-22
LIFE In ABYSsINIA.

Internal government is conducted by
the rulers of provinces, who receive
from holders of land one,ffth of the
produce, and who pay one-tenth to the
King. Every man is bound to serve in
the army, if wanted, and all from their
youth up are necessarily trained to
arms, if only for the purpose of their
own defense from local invaders. About
2400 infantry and 5000 cavalry are en-
ployed as the King guard Each prince
of the provinces maintains as many sol
diers as he can. The soil of Abyssinia
is Of a most fertile nature. Red and
black loan, heavy clay, chalk, sandy
soil, and slate are found in different re-
gions. Land is cultivated with rude,
homemade plow of wood tipped in iron,
and drawn by two or four oxen. Farms
pass from father to son, the holder pay
ing, as already mentioned, one-tenth of
the produce to the King, and one-ffth
to the Governor Of the Province.
Dwellings are built to contain barn,
stables, mill, kitchen, or cooking place
and living-room, all under one roof.
Light is admitted by apertures indiffer-
emily protected but as the climate is
mild and warm, little, if any, inconve-
nience is felt from draughts Whole
families eat, driuk and sleep in the
same room, the beds Of the diff
ferent members of the household
being merely separated by cotton cur
tains. Yonths of both sexes mix freely
in sports in the villages, but care is
taken to check immortality, and, as a
rule, the Abyssinian Christians seem to
figure rather favorably in this respect.
The young women, especially those of
the Woollah Gallas, are handsomely
featured and well formed, of from five
feet to five feet FIVE in hight, and they
have remarkably small hands and feet,
and well rounded limbs. Their skins
are of warm, reddish copper-color,
teeth white and regular, hair black and
plated at the back. The interior women,
who are employed in cooking, drawing
water and fetching wood and in doing
the drudgery of the household, seldom
" do their hair more than once week.
Ladies of quality do it at least once
day. The regular dress Of woman
is sheet Of white cotton, covering all
the person from the neck to the ankle.
The match, or silk cord, is worn around
the neck as a token of Christianity
Ladies of higher rank wear a mantle as
well, ornamented with jewelry of silver
and gold, and have shoes on their feet.
The poorer classes go barefooted. There
are, in fact but two classes in the coun-
try--the governors and the governed.
The men are wiry, agile, keen in the
chase and clever in feats OF horseman-
ship, but are lazy in point of industry
the fruitful land yielding them all that
they require with very little labor.
Marriages are arranged by the parents
Of bride and bridegroom, the young
couple being generally disposed of in
matrimony about the ages of sixteen or
seventeen, A prime consideration is
that each of the contracting parties shall
be able to bring into the matrimonial en-
gagement an equal amount of posses
sions in cattle, horses, grain or other
property. These little matters being
settled satisfactorily between the par
ents, the consent of the priest and elders
of the village is obtained, and day is
fixed for the ceremony. On that day
feasts are made at the houses Of the
parents of the bride and bridegroom,
each party giving the best entertainment
they can afford, and inviting as many
friends as they can. After the feast the
bridegroom goes to the house of the
bride, where the priest gives her to him,
and he takes her home. A peculiar pro-
vision, the prudence Of which in more
civilized countries might be doubt
fully. regarded, is made in Abys-
sinian contracts of marriage. If, after
living together for some time, the hus-
band and wife do not agree, the husband
brings back the property the woman
brought with her, and then goes to the
priest and asks for separation; but so
little is the liberty taken advantage Of,
that only two cases of separation came
under the notice of General Kirkham
during his five years residence in the
country. When the married pair have
taken the sacrament, however, as they
usually do two or three years after mar
riage no legal separation can take place
between them. In cases where family
have come before separation, the hus-
band keeps the boys and the wife takes
away the girls. A child born out of
wedlock, il boy, must be supported by
the father-when he can be found; if a
girl, the mother is hardened with the sole
charge.