The evening times., 1899-05-06
SOUTH SEA TENNIS PLAYERS.
The Game Regarded az Step to
Social Position in samoa.
Trom the New York Tribune.)

-NtW hoih Aiipuhc-J
Samoans have taken kindly to cricket be-
cause the equipment for the game entailed
no expenditure Of cash. which they usually
do not have. Bats and stumps were easily
whitfield out of the forest abundance, and
IL the ball was lost the game could be con-
tinued Just as well with unripe oranges.
which might be had for the plucking. With
tennis. which the missionaries tried TO in
troduce at the same time. the case was dif-
ferent; both racket and ball were beyond
the reach of the Samoan substitutes and in
volved more money than the Samoan will
ingly spends on anything other than some
thing to eat. The game. too. did not af-
ford such favorite opportunity to make a
noise and was therefore deficient in one
great element Of island popularity.
Tennis. therefore. is held to mark a step
upward on the social ladder: IL is the game
of the half-castes and the Samoans who
are married to white men; 1t goes with
hats and shoes and stockings as an index
of rank. For that reason those who are
entitled to play are enthusiastic about the
game, but they are correspondingly anx-
ious that all others shall remain in ignor-
ance They say il is not a game for the
natives. and if one wishes to have an ex-
ample of fine scorn he should listen TO some
Samoan women, married to white men,
speaking those two words, the natives.
From this 1t may be inferred, and proper
ly, that the players care more TO be seen
carrying their rackets on the beach than
for any accuracy of service and volley.
Once in a while they admit to their Sc
lect games some fayorite village maid,
not so much to give her chance to ac-
Quire the game as that they may prove
to her HhSt it is sport which iits only
with the higher civilization and at which
she can never hope to amount to anything
so long as she goes barefooted. rubber
soled shoe can have no great advantage
In the game over the callous Samoan sole.
but they all think that it has: the sover-
eign sway Of beach custom will not allow
the barefoot Samoan woman to go shod
until she has earned the right to have un-
comfortable feet by marrying a white
man in the permanent bonds which only q
consul can tie.
The most popular court is in the COM
pound of the London Mission. close to the
most frequented landing place on the
beach Here on fine afternoons a game is
always in progress. The most enthusias-
tic player of all has been for years the
postmaster of Samoa. whose official head
has Just been cut off In one of the up
heavals of island politics. Daily he pre-
pared himself to meet all corners. Samoan
or white, and the height of happiness was
attained for him II he could get up
match with the officers Of a visiting war
vessel. The postmaster could easily play
tennis without interfering with the duties
of his office. for there were but two days
In the month when letters came to Apia
This court at the Mission was as good
grass court as could be had In a country
where lawns are the next thing to an i'm
possibility. owing to the strength with
which the coarser grasses kill out any
thing that might make a sod. 1t was al
ways we'll patronized during the hours of
play, and II the local players were not the
most skilful they had a good opportunity
to show off before their barefoot compa-
triots the sports and pastimes of the high
er culture which could be attained only
through the right to wear shoes and
stockings.