The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1891-06-05
THE MOTHER-lN-LAW.
Her Standing Among Certain Tribes
Savages.

The Egyptians often gave any rela-
tive whom they disliked the title OF
rnother-in-law, and the Chinese have
the following proverb: 1.-The spring
sky often looks like the face of a
mother-in-law." There is much con-
troversy over the justice of this widely
spread opinion, and the unprecedented
maintain that the mother-in-law is bet
ter than her reputation.
But there are a number of savage peo-
pies, among whom the little family
scenes between the mother-in-law and
the daughter-in. law are impossible,
since custom forbids intercourse be-
tween them. This prohibition-which
is certainly calculated to preserve the
peace of families-sometimes includes
both parents-in-law, and sometimes is
limited to opposite sexes; for instance,
the daughter-in-law must keep out of
the way of her father-in-law, the son-in-
law must avoid his mother-in-law.
Sometimes this Introduction is for life,
sometimes for fixed period-perhaps
till the mother-in-law becomes a grand
mother.
Family intercourse between the MEM
bers of savage tribes is often very
complicated affair.
Among the Omaha Indians woman
never appears, if it is possible to avoid
doing so, in the presence of her daugh-
ter's husband. The son-in-law tries to
avoid entering any place where his
mother-ln-law is alone. In Dakota the
Ponca chief, Standing Buffalo, noticed
that his mother-in-law was sitting in
the room. He turned, drew his blanket
over his head, and went to another part
of the house.
In Port Lincoln, Australia, a young
man, at the chance approach of his
mother-in-law, was surrounded by a
dense circle of women, and he himself,
thus warned, covered his face with his
hands, while the old woman turned in
another direction.
The missionary Van Hasselt tells an
anecdote of one of his pupils in Dareh
New Guinea) boy six years old who
during his lesson, dropped like log I'M
der the table because his brothers
mother-in-law happened to pass.
Among other tribes the prohibition
relates to mentioning the parents-in-law
by name. Whoever does it is regarded,
according to their code of etiquette, as
an extremely ill-bred fellow. This is
even carried SO far that even words of
similar sound must not be uttered, thus
making it rather difficult to carry on a
conversation. especially when the wife
is forbidden to name any of her hus-
bands male relatives. This often leads
to strange turns of speech like the one
in a story told by Vambcry of the
kirghiz people among whom this Gus
tom exists.
A kirghiz had five sons, named re-
spectively Kol Qake), Kamisch (reed),
kaskir (wolf), Koi Sheep and Pitschak
(llnife). One morning his daughter-in-
law went to the lake, and seeing wolf
there eating sheep ran back scream
ing: Down yonder by the glittering,
among the waving, a beast of prey is
eating the bleating," thus cleverly avoid
ing the use of the words which were the
names of the male members of her hus-
bands family.
For the consolation of mothers-in-law
it may be added that there are also
tribes among whose members love and
respect for parents-in-law are strictly
And among civilized nations
we may cite the well-known German
proverb: "An aged mother in the house
is sheltering wall around tn. Y.
Tribune.