The Dalles daily chronicle. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1890-1948, 1891-08-18
WHERE WOMAN RULES.
sUMATRA ISLAND is A PLACE WHERE
WIVES RUN THINGS.

Customs That Diner from ThoSe OF ANY
Other Christian or Mohammedan Peo-
pIe-The Wife Is the Property Holder.
She Never Leaves Her Home.
A country where the women own the
houses and lands, where gold and silver
are common as flowers in the spring,
where everybody is happy and nobody
does wrong, is the burden of the story
that W. J. Shaw brings from far off Su-
matra.
w. j. Shaw is one of the men who
modelled things in this country when it
was young and pliable. He came from
New York in 1S49, and was about the
first man to hang out lawyers sign in
San Francisco He won the cases that
resulted in the Van Ness ordinance, and
he served as a state senator in 1854, when
it was more of an honor to be a legislator
than it is now.
sIn all my years of travel" he said,
Il never found happier people than
those who live in Sumatra, in the mid
die part of the island. The people all
over Sumatra are believers in the Mo-
hammedan religion, but the peculiar
customs which make this particular peo-
are confined to one community.
'EIt would not be correct to term this
branch of the Sumatra people a tribe,
for they do not live in tribal relations at
all, although there is a chief and under
chieftains. These rulers, however, are
not despots, and if the people do not like
the way in which they manage things
they dispose of them very shortly and
put other men in their places.
although men are the ostensible
chieftains, the women are the real rulers.
The customs of the country forbid the
dren after his death. If man dies the
property he owns is given to his father
and mother. The woman's property, on
the contrary, is given to the children.
Probably that is the custom that is re-
sponsible for the turning over of all the
wealth of the country to the women.
TREATMENT OF THE BOYS AND MEN.
''It is the constant aim of the men to
enrich their wives. Each man has but
one wife, and each wife one husband,
and they live perfectly moral life. The
teachings of Mohammedanism are fol-
lowed upon the question of divorce.
The husband has the right to divorce his
low her to retain the property in her pos
session Divorces are not frequent,
though, and believe that, in proportion
to the population, divorces in this part
of Sumatra are not one in sixteen COM
pared to the number in California.
"The people are happy there-happy
as they can be. The children live at
home with their mother-the boys until
| they are thirteen or fourteen, and the
! girls until they marry.
When the daughter gets married she
does not leave her mothers house An
addition is built on-a new roof, as they
call it-and the newly married girl
makes her home there, and brings uI
her children. This custom, of course
results in forming quite large communi
ties where there are many children.
81 knew one Of these communities
where there were mother and several
daughters living with their children.
The original house had grown with eacE
marriage until it spread over large
piece of ground.
when the boys get old enough tc
; leave home they are taken to compart
ment house which is set aside as home
for them until they wish to marry. Tht
girl has the right to choose whom sht
will wed. a privilege delegated to her il
, few Mohammedan countries.
''Once married, the husband for tn,
] rest of his life is his ,wife's lover. Fl,
? lives apart from her and visits his hom
e only in the evening to chat with her an,
r the children. All the money he gets
e and there is plenty of money of Dutcl
] coinage there-he turns over to his sweet
3 heart. She dresses herself and the Chill
t dren and shoulders all the petty famil,
s cares.
q HE is bothered only. to earn tn
: money to pay for the things they ca
: and wear.
ITO get things for them to eat nee
not worry him much. The portion @
Sumatra in which these strange peopl
i live is very fertile and productive. 1t
t fine country, with beautiful mountain
e and streams and magnificent scenery
y All sorts of fruits are grown, and in tn
T higher attitudes many of the grains.
It DRESSES OF THE WOMEN.
J. 'sTo find dresses for the family mus
d be different matter, for / never say
e such elegantly attired women as in thes
It communities. They are very beautifu
: boasting the fairest and finest complies
ions and the brightest eyes.
'sNever in Christian countries do We
= men dress as extravagantly.
g 'sI remember that once the chief tol
{, me he would have two pretty maider
: : dress as they would on their marriag,
. : The two bright eyed girls were gor
: . some time, and came back wearing, OF
:, dress of gold and the other one of 81
= Ver. They had bracelets one above al
other from the hands and aEcve the
elbows At the elbows they wore peel
h liar bracelets iointed to hermit eaSil