The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-07-23
How the People Of All Glasses Dress and
Don't Dress In Sierra Leone.

[Monrovia Cor. Charleston News and Courier.l
| The dress of the fishermen generally con-
sists of O. rag about the lOinS. The ordinary
| labOrers, DOrterS and 'lOngshoremen usually
wear loose thin shirts and trousers, although
| they frequently have only the latter, and in
| other instances what resembles long bag cut
| open at the ends, with two holes cut above for
the arms. All are barefooted, and most are
barelegged below the knee The almost in
variable head covering is skull cap Of
gaudy color. Clerks, messengers, store
and shop-keepers, and those belonging to that
| class, usually wear clothes OF European cut
| and make, of different cOlors and fashiOnings,
with shoes and hats like anybody else. Then
come the Mussulmans, dressed in long, pure
| white and flowing robes, not unlike an Epis-
copal minister s surplice with sandals secured
across the instep with huge buttons, and tall
| brimless linen or cloth caps. These are
the fellows who come in from the country
and are mot at work to-day" Their
| humber brethren who are at work Ia
condition of life in which a Mussuman
never is If he can possibly help himself)
dirty, but of the same shape. Not only these
| followers of the Prophet, but many others of
the colored citizens Of Sierra Leone, have
| suspended around their necks leather
pouches, bits of stone, etc, containing
charms. The dress of the women is as
diverse as the mems. Sometimes they wear a
single long, loose garment Of thin cotton
gathered in at the waist. Others have q
gaudily -colored robe wrapped around their
waists and falling below their ankles, with q
spare piece hanging in front which they pull
over their bosoms when strange man is ap-
| preaching. Very frequently an infant is
| bound up in the folds of this garment, rest
| ing quietly behind and forming hustle The
mother always looks profoundly unconscious
of this burden, which is invariably quiet.
Everybody, unless engaged in commercial
| pursuits, manages to get some bright color
| introduced In his or her dress, except, the
/
and even his cap is often bright red or scar
| let.
| The Iaboring people Of both sexes are gen.
| orally very erect and walk with what in a
white man would be q swagger, but in them;
with their free limbs, is merely a graceful
business mans usual stoop, meth0dical walk
and steady look and generally carry an UNI
brella and wear @ broad hat | think these
natives are usually very strong, and some OF
them are magnificently shaped, especially the
women. The most beautiful and massive
pair of female shoulders | have ever seen /
saw here. Their owner had a heavy load on
| her head, but walked under it as straight as
an arrow, and the shoulders just spoken OF
were studies for an artist, being straight,
square, clean-cut and well-rounded- alto
gether perfect. Almost all the overland
| transportation is done on human heads, there
| being only three horses in the entire colony.
A woman will walk into town at q good
a child swinging at her back and from
thirty to seventy pounds of produce on
her head, carrying herself as well and
showing as little fatigue as an average
American or English woman would after
q miles unencumbered stroll. What the
men can carry am afraid to say. saw one
start home with two huge iron pots balanced
on his head, weighly probably one hundred
pounds, and he looked as if he hardly felt
them. The labOrers whom we met at the
wharf bore two two-gallon demiiohns of rum
in each hand and another on their heads;
saw no woman whose dress would forbid her
appearance on the streets Of an American
city The children to about eight years oid
wear verv little-very often nothing at all
Now you have the people as they appear Oh
the streets.