Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1878-05-23

graved on his chest, gold pins are stuck
not into his scarf, but lnto his Iimbss
and his movements are hampered BY
fetters Of sea-shells. The effect, L
may be frankly admitted. is sdmrsbles
but il is produced after Months, " not
years, ofInteuse pain. Let any member
Of the Anti Vaccination League think
what the feelings must be OF q person
vaccinated for years al over the body.
This is but a feeble way Of expressing
the discomforts caused by the demands
Of savage fashion. Man, being lin q
state Of nature) the vaInest OF animals,
does not encourage woman to tatto herr
self. If Mr.. Darwin is right, the males
of the race should be born with natural
decorative patterns, Just as the peacock
has his elaborate tail feathers.
Tattooing, the epuft dress Of the state
Of nature, has obviously its diseomforts!
Buteven the most ordinary processes
81 the toile are .fnhre disagfeeable iE
savage lha11n elssA-9 eie' MilS
lions Of our feliow-ereatufes shave With
stone raEofs. The thought is a stupen-
dous one, proving anong other things
that, when primitive man has an ideal,
when he thinks it the thing not TO wear
a beard, his sense of duty Is all-Power-
full, and he shrinks from no incOnVe4
nience. Probably q shark shell makes
a better razor than the edge OF a Aints
and bronze is, no doubt. still bettet thar
either. Yet even In The bronze age the
barbatlah who A6uld have / smoothc
chin needs a good deal Of FesolutiOn.--
Travellers describe the brave throwing
himself on the ground and allowing .
tribesman TO shave him almost without
a sruah. When the business Is done,
the tribesman lies down in turn. and
endures the barber's Office like a lamb.
Moreover, as good society often demands
sharp-field teeth as well as 4 clean
shaved face, the ngonies OF the fashions
able are increased by one of the keen
est Of minor torments.
The discomloris of savage love affairs
and marriages are sufficiently well+
known. They do not greatly differ front
what is endured by civilized people Who
intend to enter the state Of maitimohy;
The engaged young man is placed with
his bride in the centre OF a crowd OF the
lady's relatives, who throw spears at
the interesting couple. This clOsely
answers TO the criticism OF modern kins|
folk; bu; the savage ordeal IS soon over
and leaves no malice nor longing GOf,
revenge. The bridal ceremonies are Of
various degrees Of Painfulness, though
they are not so bad perhaps As Iashiona-
BILE weddings among Gs. CuriOusly
enoGgh Il ls common in New Zeland
and the adjacent isle tosteal, after "aus~
picious events" oil the portable prop
crsy OF the Happy man. Our BURGLARS,
who invariably pilfer the jewels oi the
bride during the honeymoon, have res
vived a practice which to omit ial some
countries would be 10 show gross rude
ness and ignorance OF the custvihs
oi society. When the young peoPhS
have reason 10 expect an addition 70
their circle, the husband is treated with
almost cruel kindness. He is not allowed
TU r~IL run. ne may not hunt, he
NAV not eat hare lest his son si~~I3
prove a coward, nor pork lest he be serf1
sual, nor chameleon IA great dainty
lest his character turn out uRstable.-
The unhappy man is confined 70 his
bed, and when, after ALL his child Is
born. the tribe Of the mother comes
down, breaks the pottery, tears up. the
plants in the garden, kills the pig, car
ries of the furniture, such as Il is, and
steals The firearms, bows, clubs and
spears. 80.
Savages on whom this hard life tells
had better conceal their inhTmities. If
they do not, the doctor arrives, an sw-
full figure, clad in the skin oi u bsssi,
and hung about with all manneF Of gtls|
ly odds and ends. He beats drum az
the bedside, he dances and howIs, he
lights q bundle Of eVil-smelhBg herbs,
he goes into an ePilePtIc fl, and then
declares he has done his best, and sends
in his bill. If the patient rec0Tefs,
well; IL not, IL is necessary 70 torture
70 death some one who has bewitched
him, perhaps his old aunt OF grandmoah-
er. After all If the sick man dIes-and
he must have Il pretty good constltnI
ton If he survives the medicine mans
visit-his funeral is made most uncom-
Portable TO the mOurners by heather et@
tiduette. In one set Of Polynesisn is=
lands food is prepared, with mystic
rites, for the numerous attendants al fu-
neral. They are not allowed TO touch
the viands with their hands, bot must
sit with these folded before them. An
officer then comes round with meat 80
long spoon, and after uttering a mYste-
rIous formula, makes shot at the mouth
Of the hungry person. II the shot ls
straight, If the spoon does not touch the
cheek or lips or nose, the operation ~
repeated. Bet If the attempt fails by
ever so little, If tire spoon does not go
direct to the mark, the luckFess AhOGfB-
ers mist wait ill all the cooking cefe-
monies are performed afresh and then
the feeding begins anew, and perhaps
once more fails.
If Nicholas Antoine Boulanger bad
considered in detail the etiquette snd
ritgal Of The barbarous life, sHd had
studied all the social demands which
are made on the savage, he woufo
seen that the memory and dread Of 49,
food wGs a superhOoes hypothesis
Whist civilized humorist would have
had the heart to be merry if he were
on the point Of being shaved with a stone
razor before going to the funeral ola eous-
in fourteen times removed? These vast
numbers Of recognized relatives are,
perhaps, not the least OF the dig feFis
Of saVagery.