The morning call., 1894-10-21
A NATION IN ARMOR.
Strange People Who Live in the
Caucasian Mountains.

Among the many diverse races that occupy
the Caucasus the Danish traveller, Olaf Lange.
describes the Chevsurians, pagan people, who
appear TO be distinct in religion and habits
from The people OF the Caucasus generally, but
of whom almost nothing is known In Europe.
| We condense somewhat his description pub
ished in Naiuren og MeDDeskeI. He says:
The Caucasian mountains Anatorls-gele,
! ATchOtis-tavi and Tscha-uchi, rising 10 an cle-
walton of from 10000 TO Il 900 feet. inclose a
| basin, the home Of The Chevsurians, who num-
! ber about 5000 souls.
The Chevsuriaus are pagans, and one may
get general idea OF their civilization when II
| is related that their miserable huts are lighted
| only by means of pine torches.
They are a people in arms. The men never
/ lay aside their heavy iron armor nor their
weapons; even while plowns in the fields
! they carry them. The mail gives Them a
medieval appearance, yet the Door cover
| ing Of the leg shows barbariSm. In a strap on
| The back every man carries whlp heavy and
| strong enough to break an arm On the mum b
| he wears an iron riug-SaZeruii-with a rough
surface, that lie may leave an everlasting
mark in his enemy's face when he strikes him
| with il.
| The Chevsurians. like the old lberians, the
modern Basques and other people who pre-
| serve traces OF matriarcha order OF society,
| have peTpeiuated the custom OF the faiher
| "lying-ln" on the birth of Child, as evidence
| OF paternal parentage. The women are lso-
! lated al pregnancy IN special quarters known
as the ''Sal scnechI," ana cannot return to their
| own residences until after a ceremonial purh-
cation.
! a Cheysurian father has his trials, too. He
| must live very abstemiously for seven weeks,
while friends and relatives are treated with
liquor ana beer In abundance. IL Is believed, or
the belief Is pretended, that the fathers diet re-
| acts on the cnid'S health. The chlidren's names
| aie drawn directly from nature. The boys are
| named after animals and the girls after sun,
moon, stars or flowers.
Pubic opinion among the Chevsurians de-
mands that no child be born till four years after
! the marriage, aud that after that there must be
| three years, al least, between births; ana no
family ought TO have more than three children.
! Thus The Mathusian laws rule these poor
people as severely as The Code Napoleon"
/ rules the French peasants, who lear too great Il
| subdivision OF their farms.
! Tie main work of The girls ts 10 collect the
| cows eXcremenIS and TO dry them Tor fuel.
| The boys are trained In eloquenc- aud the use
OF arms. boy 10 10 years old endeavors 10
| initiate the grown man,
The vendetta takes a peculiar form among
! the ChevsuItans. As soon a murder Is Ie-
| ported. ali the relatives of the deceased go 10
| the village or the murderer and burn ms mouse.
| The murdeTers relatives dare not show them
selves for year lest they be killed. At he
| end OF one year the murderer. in company of a
brother, arrives secretly at the altar OF MS
! victim 10 make an offering of atOnement and
ask protection. Word Is sent 10 the family OF
the dead one that The ASSASSIN wishes 10 paw
the penalty for his deed. They all come lush
ing ana crying "BlOOd for blood" but enter
upon peace negotiations.
II Is agreed that the slayer shall make a me-
| mpfldi ltAsl anu Ud1 flO SHccp, lHC regular
price for homicide. Every year thereafter he
must sacrifice sheep 10 the memory OF tile
slam one. Only one exception Is made 10 the
paying OF that great penalty III one OF the
family OF the deceased Is dangerously i'll The
peacemaker announces that the sick one Will
| die unless the murderer Is forgiven This /.
done; the slayer pays smaller penalty. and
IN this case, TO the maternal side of the family
| This custom or paying 10 the maternal side 1.
| undoubtedly a survival from The matriarchica
times.
The Chevsurians have no money The stand
/ ards OF value are the OK, The COW. the sheer
and the horse. A stallion is equal 10 four cows
! i mare 10 six. cow 10 four sheep. wound
| in the head which exposes The brain Is worth
| sixteen cows; the same price Is assessed Tor an
! Injury 10 Il leg or an ann. IL one destroys the
use Of thumb he must pay the sufferer five
| cows, four for the next 1nger, three for the
| neXi, two for that after and one for the last
An eye costs thirty cows.
IL A owes one sheep and does not pay, i
may select {. who pays him the sheep, and re-
qulres two from A. Ii A does not pay may
/ 20 TO ID 10 get his TWO SHEEP while demands
/ four from y. and thus ad infnitum.
J Very prominent among the Cnevsurians are
7 the kadagenS or soothSayeTS. Next IN I'M
| portance are the Dasturiens, or sacrifcal
priests. Their religion is manly pagan, with a
| few Christian and Mohammedan ceremonies.
| They are not monOtheists. Sacred groves and
! affairs everywhere To the gods OF trees, etc
! prove that. The God OF the cas- and west
| inent deities. The cat is an accused anlma
! among them.
AS TO the race afinities OF the Chevsufia ians
| Olaf Lange concludes that they are niiXturt
| of Georgian, CircaSsian and OSsets. with TIT
! first element predominating.-Litera Digest