The Lambertville record., 1889-09-18
.A-.4z.4.-s
QUEER SALUTATI0NS.
MANNERS OF GREETING OBSERVED
BY DIFFERENT PEOPLES.

DIT OirFEnENt fEOTLEO.
Rubbing the Face with a Welcome Friends
Foot-Compliments That Chinese Eft
quctte Prescribes--Ths Welcome That
DIR. Livingstone Got from Africans.
Connected with the welcoming of
guests and the greeting of friends
throughout the world are some of So
ciety's most singular customs In script
ural days the usual form of salutation
among the Hebrews was "Shalom LEX
ha,v or peace be with thee" The same
expression is in vogue today among the
Arabs, who in response to it say, with
thee be peace" The formal salutations
of the orientals are quite profuse, being
accompanied with various ceremonies;
oftentimes they will embrace and kiss
one another, and an inferior will bestow
a kiss on the hand or beard of q superior.
To such q degree was formality carried
in tho Bible lands that we are told that
the prophet who sent his servant in great
haste to lay his staff upon the dead child
forbade him to salute anybody on the
way lest he lose precious time. For
similar reason the Saviour bade the sew
enty to salute none while on journey.
One of the prevailing modes of saluta-
| ton among the Hebrews was the obei-
sance which brought the person making
it to the ground. his beard literally
| touching the dust.
The Philippine Islanders rub their
faces gently with the hand or the foot
| of the person whom they salute. II the
foot is chosen The visitor is put to -lzuoh
/ personal discomfort, and travellers have
/ found it difficult to maintain their equi-
| librium during the ceremony. 1t takes
| practical acrobat to submit to the code
| Of salutations in use among the people
| of the Straits OF the Sound. We have IL
| from Houtman that '.they raised his left
foot, which they passed gently over his
| right leg and thence over his face" This
| Is little more complex than our uni
versal Yankee method of shaking hands.
| and not near 80 desirable.
IN THE TLowERY KINGDOM
Some Ethiopians rob their acquaint-
ances Of their robes, which they coolly
| tie about their own waists, thus leaving
| the saluted individual half naked in his
| presence. The Japanese, more polite,
| only take off slipper, and the Arracans
doff their sandals when they salute in
| the street, and their stockings when they
meet in the house.
The Chinese possess a code Of saluta-
tions which is zealously adhered to in
nearly every part of the Flowery King
dom. IL two persons meet after q long
separation they celebrate the event by
falling on their faces to the earth sever
al times in succession. A Chinaman 10
apt to indulge in what we would term
putting il on" Ask one how he finds
himself in health, and he is likely to an
swer, Very well, thanks TO your abund-
ant felicity" Chinese etiquette pre-
scribes the use of salutations and compli-
ments with minuteness that staggers
one who wishes to become perfect in
them. 1t tells where the stranger is to
be seated, how many bows he Is to re-
| ceive, and when the welcome Is to be
given with the right hand, and when tho
left. The lower class of Chinese respect
these punctilios, and ambassadors must
practice them for forty days before they
| can present themselves at court.
| It is to the wild nations, however, that
| we go for the curious In salutation.
| When two New Zealanders come togetb-
| er they go through an outlandish cere-
| mony called tangi. They first cover
themselves with mats that envelop the
whole form, except one eye, squat ON the
ground facing each other and weep CO.
| piousIy. This is carried on for some lit
| tie time, when they shorten the distance
between them, and at last press their
noses together, all the time giving utter
ance to expressive grunts. This last per-
| formance seems TO satisfy New Zealand
etiquette, for the partiesthen give them
selves up to lively conversation.
Among the people of New Guinea the
greeting ceremony consists of pinching.
The person who bestows the welcome
pinches the tip of the others nose with
the finger and thumb of the right hand.
while with the left he pinches the mid
die of his own stomach, muttering over
and over the word "Magasuka." The
reader will see from this that while Pa
puan etiquette isn',t intricate, the pinch
ing part is not very desirable.
ROLLING IN THE SAND.
The Batoka people, who live along the
banks of the famed Zambesi, have an odd
method Of expressing their feelingsin the
way of welcoming people to their good
graces. The women usually clap their |
hands and utter a strange sound, and the |
men stoop and strike their hips with their
palms. But when the Batoka gentlemen
| wish TO show off in the way Of salutation
they drop on their backs and roll over in
the sand ,slapping their thighs vigorously,
| and crying out, "Kina-bomba! Kina-
bombalD at the top Of their lungs. DIR.
| Livingstone was diverted by the un-
wonted spectacle of score or more of
naked sable giants going through this
| singular ceremony, and tried to stop
them; but the more the explorer pro-
| tested the heartier grew his reception,
and he had to wait patiently until they
| announced that he had been thoroughly
welcomed to Batoka land.
The Nuehr tribe of the Nile country
have mode of salutation peculiarly their
own. When Petherick, the traveller, came