The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1889-04-04
THR BARBOUR COpNTr aUNRAS
some Additional Rasts About the Peculiar
PeOpls..StFRnEs Social hRhlta.

hey bring him an:extra drink Of liquor
or, maybp, q triAing present from the
slOTekeeper or some momentarily
iorgetiul citizen, Election days and the
days which immediately precede them
are times TO which the Guinea looks for,
ward with great impatience, and which,
when they finally come, he enjoys with
Excess. His vote is on the market from
the opening till the closing OF the poll.
ing place, and he not infrequently sells
II over and over again, the price received
yRryinglrOm u halt,pint OF cheap whisky
y dollar In cash, paper money being
preferable. A price higher than one
Is rarely given q Guinea for his
vote, for, after all, he will vote accord.
ing to his conviction-perhaps prefer
eRCG more nearly expresses it-and he
nearly always sticks to his party, the
majority OF them being Republicans.
But these days are as nothing COM
pared 10 those which mark q birth, q
marriage or a death in his family. These
are events IRON which no dates every.
thing clse-landmarks he never forgels,
There is no event ina Guinea family
80 important as q birth, For days be-
lore the expected arrival not only those
Immediately interested, but the relatives
to the remotest cousin are nervous with
excitement, The house is decorated TO
the EXTREMIST extent OF the means OF the
head OF the family. From the walls OF
the interior depend bright-Colored stutis,
which are believed to iavorably affect
the after life Of the newcomer,
From u short pole Immediately In
front 1.-THE door float three white stream
ers, which constitute a sign, 10 any seer,
OF what Is looked forward to within the
hut. The addition OF a Colored stream
announces the birth and good health Of
the youngster. A black streamer tells OF
death
Why three white steamers are used
can not DO told; but there seems to be
some hint Of the Trinity In tia mute
prayer TO all three Of the holy person
ages for protection.
More important at a birth than the
physician is tho preeence OF the eldest
man and woman relative OF the baby. II
the newcomer be q girl, then the man
kisses 1t, bathes its forehead with water,
mumbling the while some unintelligi.
BILE jargon. II II be q boy, the woman
performs the important ceremony. This
form is believed TO insure happy mar
riages.
The next regular meal after q birth,
be 1t breakfast, dinner or supper, Ia
made u feast, Of which every relative
partakes. This feast ia an Important
one, and the family sometimes nearly
bankrupts itself in an effort to excel,
Every guest gives the child q gift, and
the night following the birth the next oil
kin is in duty bound to give u dance "a
the whole family, and the day breaks
over the hilltops before Home, Sweet
Home" is played.
Though ushcred into life so romantic,
ally the little one finds existence prosait
enough,
In babyhood he disputes with the
chickens the dust heaps, and fights the
ours away from his food. As he grows
older he Is given tasks, and young man
hood finds him %sun.tanned, callous'
handed and used to rough labor. Then
Cupid shoots his arrow, and the GuineS
becomes n dusky Romeo woolng q will
ing ] uliet. They court while working
ing In the fields or rambling through
the woods-arely at the sweetheart'l
home. Finally the wedding day Ii
named, for an elopement Is an unknown
delight in Gu~inealand.
As soon US formally engaged, the to.be
bride makes known the fact by bedeck-
Ing the llrst finger Of her left hand with
a multiplicity Of rings-as many Us the
generosity OF the lover and the wealth
III the father provide, for the father IL
expected to give at least one ring. The
wedding day is ushered in with every
preparation made. Fowls arc cooked in
many ways, and a variety OF other meats
And place in the banquet. Cakes-huge
In diniensiOns-pies, jellies aud sweet.
meats are provided In abundance. The
marriage occurs always before noon, for
TO be- welded after tho sun had crossed
the noon limo would be to invite o short
married life. The groom and bride In
or near a doorway-symbolizing their
departure from an old and entrance into
a new life. A Justice OF the Peace
usually performs the ceremony, the
Guineas having a profound respect for
that, representative Of the law, though
the native preacher Is always present
prays. After the rite and the wedding
feast, the afternoon Is spent In games In
which 1t is sought to keep the bride and
groom as much as possible apart. The
elderly married folks 90 home curly,
taking care TO touch some article worn
by the bride or groom TO bringgood luck,
Night Is scarcely born ere dancing be-
gins. At first there Is some attempt at
forms, but us the hours 20 by each one
dances moro and more for himself, and
by midnight the persplnng throng i
simply swaying back and forth 10 musiC
that has grown weird and strangely sug.
pestiYe Of barbartc abandon.
Some OF the girls have o dreamy look,
and 1t Is plain they do not sec what is
about them. The more UNREASONABLE
men are in much the same state, and
now and then u snatch oil wild song,
half incoherent, bursts forth.
Soon after midnight the couples form
a lane leading to tho brides room, the
girls on one side, the men on'the other,
and tho bridal Air pass slowly down,
each guest making some remark intend.
ed TO be Congratulatory. Once inside
their room an oak branch Is laid in front
Of the door to keep bad spirits away
from the groom and bride, and the
dancing goes on till morning. Upon
leaving, each girl guest Is given a bit Of
cake, baked by tho bride, and each man
losses u grain Of corn in front the door
OF the groom's room.
Only the immediate family must DO
present at breakfast the succeeding day,
and II perChance a stranger comes, q
Chicken'is at once killed, probably In
remembrance Of an ancient superstition
that On evil spirit came In the morning
10 disturb the happy pair, and II could
only DO banished BY the sight Of blood.
After breakfast the young couple 20 70
tho groom's home, where another feast
.NJ DIknr nivht nj hahHinR awaits them,