Morning journal and courier., 1891-08-06
Where The Women Run Things.

A country where the women own the houses and lands and where gold and sil- yer arc common as the flowers in the spring, and where everybody is happy and nobody does wrong, is the burden of the story that w. J. Shaw brings from far-off SumAtra. 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 settled the validity of settlers titles and resulted in the Van Ness ordinance; and he served as state senator in 1854, when it was more of an honor to be legislator than it is now.
 "1n all my years of travel, 1" he said yes- terday, 'T never found happier people than those who live in SumAtrs, in the middle part of the island The people all over Sumatra are believers in the MohAm- medan religion, but the peculiar customs which make this particular people unique and different from all others are confined to one community. It would not be cor rect to term this branch of the Sumatra people tribe, for they do not live in tri- bal relations at all, although there is @ chief and under chieftains. These rulers. however, are not despots, and iS the peo- pie do not like the way in which they man age things they dispose of them very shortly and put other men in their places.
 Although men are the ostensible chief tains, the women are the real rulers. The customs of the country forbid the giving of mans property to his children 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 nUEfnff1 that is ing over of all the wealth of the country to the women. 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 Mohammedsnism are followed upon the question of divorce. The hus- band has the right to divorce his wife whenever he chooses, but must allow her to retain the property in her possession Divorces are not frequent though, and believe that in proportion to the populs- ton, divorces in this part of Sumatra are not one in sixteen compared to the num- Der in California. "The people are happy there-happy as they can be. The child ren 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 up her children. This custom of course, results in forming large com munities where there are many children. I knew one of these communities where there were mother and several daughters living with their children. The original house had grown with each marriage until is spread over large piece of ground.
 "When the boys get old enough to leave home they are taken to 8 compartment house which is set aside as home for them until they wish to marry. The girl has the right to choose whom she will wed, a privilege delegated to her in few Moham- medan countries. Once married the hus- band for the rest of his life is his wife's lover He lives apart from her and visits his home only in the evening to chat with her and the children All the money he gets-and there is plenty of money of Dutch coinage there-he turns over to his sweetheart. She dresses herself and the children, and shoulders all the petty fam fly cares.
 to pay for the things they eat and wear. To get things for them to eat need not worry him much. The portion of Sumstrs in which these people live is very fertile and productive. It is fine country, with beautiful mountains and streams and mag nifcent scenery. All sorts of fruits are grown, and in the higher attitudes many of the grains.
 ''To find dresses for the family must be a different matter, for I never saw such elegantly attired women as in these com munities. They are very beautiful, boast ing the fairest and finest compilations and the brightest eyes. 1 have seen women there wearing dresses of pure gold, and others wearing silver gowns. Both these metals are mined there in Sumatra, and the natives possess sufficient knowledge of the arts to smelt and form the ingots into wire. The weaving of these handsome and costly cloths is quite the principal occupa- ton of iboth the women and the men. Never in Christian countries do women dress as extrayantly"