Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1891-08-20
WHERE WOMAN RULES.
eUMATRA ISLAND IS A PLACE WHERE
WIVES RUN THINGS.


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 tho 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 ont 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 a state senator in 1854, when
itwas more of an honor to be a legislator
than it is now
I'm all my years Of travel, he said,
II 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-
pie unique and different from all others
are confined to one community.
1t would not be correct to term this
branch of the Sumatra people tribe,
for they do not live in tribal relations at
all, although there is chief and under
chieftains These rulers, however, are
not despots, and if the people 40 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
giving Of mans property to his chill
dren after his death If man dies the
property he owns is given to his father
and mother. The wonan'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.
1T 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
wife whenever he chooses, but must al
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 M
uer cnlidren ins cIlstOnla OF coDrse,
results in forming quite large communi-
ties where there are many children.
Il 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 it spread over a large
piece of ground
when the boys get old enough to
leave home they are taken to a conpart-
ment house which is set aside as a 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 Mohammedau countries
Once married. the husband 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 be gets
and there is plenty of money Of Dutch
coinage there -he turns over to hissweet-
heart. She dresses herself and the chill
dren and shoulders ali the petty family
cares.
He is bothered only to earn the
money to pay for the things they eat
and wear.
"To get things for them to eat need
not worry him much The portion Of
Sumatra in which these strange people
live is very fertile and productive 1t is
a fine country, with beautiful mountains
and streams and magnificent scenery.
All sorts Of fruits are grown, and in the
higher attitudes many Of the grains
DRESSES or THE WOMEN
.'To find dresses for the family must
be different matter, for never saw
such elegantly attired women as in these
communities They are very beautiful,
boasting the fairest and finest complex
ions and the brightest eyes.
"Never IN Christian countries do wo-
men dress as extrayagantly
II remember TINT once the chief told
me he would have two pretty maidens
dress as they would on their marriage.
The two bright eyed girls were gone
some time, and came back wearing, one
dress Of gold and the other one of sill
yer. They had bracelets one above an
other from the hands ana above their
elbows. At the elbows they wore pecu-
har bracelets, jointed to permit easily
moving the JOINT. In brief, their arms
were armored with precious metal. They
had necklaces of gems and other costly
ornaments, and the cloth-of-g gold and
cloth-of-silver dresses were made loosely
fitting above the waist, and The skirts in
hounces.
They are not an ignorant people, for
the children are taught IN their homes,
and many learn to read the Koran They
observe the proprieties too, as is appar
ent from the rule as to widows.
"When womans husband dies she
plants a post in front of her particular
door in the family house and hangs .
Gag upon it. While the flag waves she
may not marry again But when the
winds. blowing softly OF the sea. have
torn 1t into shreds and scattered the bits
on the ground her term OF mourning is
over, and she may accept q second lovers
proffer - San FranciSco Examiner.
FIN, FEATHER AND FUR.
A fish with two tails is the leading curl
osity at Madison. Ga
There Is carniverous COW in Randolph
county, NO. which deyours young chick
ems and goslings.
At Dunedin, Fla. James Barnes and
Billy Marston succeeded IN landing fish
called the nurse. which was estimated to
weigh over 300 pounds
The Hobart Mercury reports an extraor-
dinary manifestation Of evolution in the