Western sentinel. [volume] (Winston [i.e. Winston-Salem], N.C.) 1856-1886, 1880-06-10
Customs in Africa.

Rt. Rev. G. G. Penick .Protestan,
Episcopal missionary to West Al
RIGA, delivered an interesting lee,
ture last evening as the Church oi
the Messiah, corner Gray aud Fay
cite streets. A large congregation
was present aud the speaker inter.
ested his auditors for nearly an
hour and a half, describing the life,
character and habits of the natives
of Liberia aud West Africa. Com
mencing bis lecture with the earli-
est phases of human life, he said.
that female child rem in Africa were
more highly priced than the boys,
becausewhen they grew up they
were a source of profit to :heir par
ents. who sold them for wives, at
prices ranging from SIS to $50. ac-
cor6ing to their beauty. They gen
orally marry at the age of Is or 16
years, and the young men who
purchased them did not end in the
barter, for they were compelled to
open their purse strings at the beck
and call OF their mo.hers-in>Iaw.
The mothers are very tender and
watchful oftheir little ones although
wheh they are growing up, not
only do the parents correct and
punish them for misdemeanors, but
any neighbor can, with the ap-
proval Of the parents, chastise them
also. AS soon as they are old
enough to work they are put TO
work in the fields, keeping rave
nous birds away from the rice
stalks. The principal study of tt 9
boys is learning to figh'. They
have regular pugilistic schools, in
which they are taught wrestling
and scientific pugilisln. This sort
OF exercise wonderfully develops
their muscular strength and n axes
them agile aud active. As the
young gi,ls grow to maidenhood.
their ankles are incased in iron and
brass to make their limbs erow
straight, and they adorn the mselves
with strings of beads. old money
and leopard's teeth. They have as
much love for jewelry and decora.
tions as young ladies have in the
civilized world. The gi,ls do all the
fishing, going into the water above
above their waists and wading
with nets, in which they catch the
fnny tribe.
When IL CIR 13 years of age they
are taken iuto a woman's secret
society called "The Devilhooa"-
a very mysterious organization = in
which they are educated to become
wives. No man is ever allowed to
enter the sacred precincts Of this
society, in which the girls remain
nearly four years. A. NJ. Gray, a
weli-kn"wn Lutheran missionary.
however, through the influence of
one Of the head old women of the
institution, once obtained admission
to the society, ,and afterward stated
that abou: the only thing he ever
saw was the old women with great
long Whips, driving the gils around
in u circle and making them dance
and sing and play on the boards.
When q married man does not
treat his wife properly, he is tried
by the society of the DeviIhood,
and, if guilty. is condemned to die,
and poisoned. OCe of the ea,lies'
instructions to the young is teach-
ing them to "steal plenty" plenty
which is considered a useful art.
After they are married the wives
generally perform all the work ex-
cept the sewing, which is done by
the men. 10 concluding his lecture,
the Bishop spoke eucouraglDgly OF
the missionary wolk k iu Africa, stat
ing that the Protestant Episcopal
missions were particularly prospe,
Gus aud thrivins.-Philadelph
Taper.