The morning times., 1896-08-16
STRANGE STORY OF AN
ALMOST UNKNOWN PEOPLE
The Venerable DR.. Bastian Starts for Central Asia
to Study the Miao-Tse.

/
fleets upon the widow as desirable spouse.
However, if she murries within o few
hours after her husbands death it stamps
her at once as one of the Miao-Tse 400"
and a leader of society.
Old maids are almost unknown When
by any chance maid passes her youthful
| days without securing 4 husband there is
| only one thing left for her to do il she
would escape complete eontumely and alb
solute degradation and want. That is to
| flee to one OF the outlying clans where
polygamy exists and attach herself to some
train OF concubines. Nevertheless pOlyg-
amy is by no means popular among the
people and is countenanced simply as a
safeguard against the so-called social evil,
j which. by the way, does not exist at all.
/ and as a resort for supertluous females.
Children born to polygamous wife are
not recognized as heirs In any sense to the
male parents estate or his name Names,
though. count for nothing. There are no
family names handed down. Each man
is known by some popularity of his per
sonal appearance, trait OF mind or ex-
perience. His wife and daughters take their
name from him. We're there a society
paper published in Miao-Tse a wedding
| announcement would read something like
this:
| The wife OF Mr. Small Legs announces
| A. p;r KIN ,,, CO.., oe NJ. Sn,.,,..,
Voice"
| There is another peculiar burial custom,
,,;r,d ;,,,, ,i,,,,,ors and o,.;.n, h,s.or;o.
90 ,ra n, 49,, h, 90 ho,.,, ,,n.,,, ;, .ooo,,t
| for ybn,.y.r a or,v. 10 s.,.c,.a an
| eg,. is ,,ssaa uno, tn, r-o,na I,nhr,a.,
il Is co., s;de-od a, ,n,,,c,-, o,,,,, ~ m.
deceascd and son,,. o,ber sn,. ia tri.d
| And so ~ tho land b,nnops 70 n. stony .,
| tho hons bav. nao,actaa tba,r ,uty In -.
| snact 70 sba,,s a e.,,a,ory nrosn.o.;,,,
Marry u.;,, roa,, ,ro,rd a, PC s,nas,;ns
| egrs al, oy.r tho surrounding country nm.
| til a good soft snot * found
Their. arc lots of cpstors ,mouy rb.
| Miao Tso which arc entirely nn.ASia,;c
| and suqges,s a Euroneap origin As o,,r
| halliday season liz nj the end If the wear So
| ,oo is theirs They tsyot, the whole of
| thc eleventh month which is thu. last IN
Measure The idea or Measure is reast
! ing and aeepinr So for a month they
shut themselves up in their homes and let
L
body is everybody's friend during that
time Dr. Bastian Intends to take advan-
| Ia ge of this annual spree next fall to make
his entree among them.
An unauestionabie EuropeSn custom
which is one of their rational institutions
| is the Nav role II ia called the Devil
staff" and is set up in the "leapiny month
NAV. Then IL is that the young folks
do their love making and mating with
songs and music. In this 'leaping month
mooplig mt picnics and revels are the order
of the day. or the nigh, rather The young
| men and girls gather in secluded clens
and while the SWANS twang guitars the
maidens sing. She who sings best to his
fancy is the chosen wife, provided he is
strong enough to get her. for naturally
under such conditions strength and lack
| of formality are potent factors. The girl
! has pothing to say about it.
| Many curious marriage customs are in
| vogue. as there is no religious rite what
ever. Ii girl drinks out OF the same
| horn with a man she then and there be-
| comes his wife. Another way OF choosing
a wife ia the tossing of Colored balls with
strings fastened 10 them to the girl wanted
If the strings are tied il is considered sure
| and fast marriage Marriage was undoubt-
| edIy at one time conducted by CAPTURE for
in some clans it is still the custom for
the bride to appear in bare feet, DISNEY.
| eIed hair and negIigee attire, as though
she had lust been seized from her couch
and carried off
Immsdiately that a girl is married her
| from. teeth are pul,ed out This hit OF
| refined crua,tv is done for two -reasons
| First that she may NOT h. able TO bite her
husband in any little domestic quarrel:
and. second that sine hav lose her at
tractiveness for other men. The same
nr,nc;n,e oht.ins fin Iapan. where brides
arc comneIlcd tn hIacken their teeth.
n. an ,re oraer tbprs in Noo. T.e ,he
,..-, ,na.rest is tho conduct of tho busb.,nd
| ,,,hanav.r n,s ,,,ife GIVES birth 70 child
| s.-,, nc tho child ia horn tho mother
| cots ~, and attends to her bousebo,d duties
Ill. ~, f.,,nar ,a,,e ber ,,ace in bod win
| -. -, ua s,avs ttere for i, month
,,t,,,o vi, wife nurses hin, assi,Iuorslv nj,
| On, - tn, ,,o,,, bs cot.
- ..,,,,,,no.s that no is ouite u-e,, and
| ~ .na ,ho-o ,s corora, r.-
i,icinp. This period is called the "cou-
r,de...,
wh,,, little ,e,oion there is is confined to
| ,,,,,, ,,.,rsni, and tho sacrifice If white
huus ~ Inc p,emorx of ancestors. There
= L. con-, --oI;o;o,s rite or Diminishing
d., Iii, ,,or, n lad for which straw
-, =. a,a,. ,,a,rrto, throny,, tho s,reets
IND srhsa.re ntIr set ON fire by the hoy.
the government is purely patriarchial.
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