The broad ax., 1899-05-23
oAoKD WOMEN OF SOUTH SEA
wives TrAissA frsn InfAaey - OBEY
Futuzs Hnsban6

wives TrAissA frsn InfAaey - OBEY
Fstazs Hasbas6
How would the modern American
girl enjoy Life In . Gags. following the
example Of the modern woman Of the
south sea Islands? At any rate, there
are ne breach Of promise suits on the
Island OF New Britain In the South
sea. The natives, In the simple Poly
nesian way, have solved the problem
that worries 20 many American moth
ers Of young daughters. and the maid
ems Of the island never get into bad
company or entanglements Of any sort
up to the day Of their marriage. These
natives are q simple sort Of folk, II
simplicity can be used IN connection
with q people that renouneed cannibal-
Ism only within the last fifteen years.
They are OF q dark brown color. me-
dium height, and they would rather
eat than fight II was not so long
ago that q feast followed every fight
on the island, and the edibles were the
roasted or fricasseed bodies OF the
vorsted combatants In the battle. But
now the tribes no longer make war on
one another. Instead they loaf and
eat and do as little work as they can.
Their ideas Of morality could be given
In . very short ehapter-almost as
short as the famous one about snakes
in Ireland-but they are great sticklers
for their complicated and peculiar mar
riage customs. There are two classes,
and q man may not marry out Of his
class. Girls become wives at IL or
II years Of age, and their wedding is
literally their coming out party"
From the age Of one year to the date
Of their marriage these poor little
maidens are kept In wicker cages in
side the small thatched huts. They
are as much prisoners as any unfor-
tunAte criminal behind prison bars.
The cages, to be sure, are light and
airy, and the occupant Is able to see
all that Is going on in the free world
outside. But they can't come out and
play" and all the pleasures OF child
hood-eVen q south sea ehildhood-are
denied them This is not such hard
ship as would seem at first eonsidera-
ton, because the little ones are i'm
INJURED In their cages at such an early
age that they grow up without think
Ing to rebel against their enforced cap
uVtty. Once q day only are they
taken from their cages TO be washed.
Food II given them through the inter-
sdees, which are plenty large enough
10 admit the little fresh air that gains
to the low cabins The girls
grow fat and healthy on this sort Of
lie, and these are doubtless the quail
lies deemed most desirable in a south
sea Wne- But to an American II
seems almost ineomprehensible that
people living almost altogether out OF
ioors In an equatorial climate should
10 bring up their young females Still.
ne plan has its advantages There
5 no fear Of the frisky maidens stay
ns out too late at night, nor need
.ner parents be alarmed lest the
daughters get into bad company.
when the ardent young man finds a
'rl Enom he would like to make his
.ife ne Is compelled to do his wooinE
nroush the bars Papa's chairs are
lever broken because Of having TO
AIRY double weight, and all the court
ng Is necessarily done In the daytime.
Is consequence. when the young girl
caves her cage to become a wife the
iusoand Is possessed Of none Of those
arassing doubts that come with
lgher civilization And they make
pod wives. too. and are ready. should
ne fates bring them daughters. to
eep them close within the same cage.
I'll, the south sea girls Of today are
lckier than those or thirty years ago.
hey were not brought up at all then,
n simply killed at birth, and the
ouns men Of the tribe went to neigh
oring Islands for wives. So the
lareh Of civilization has the island
New Britain in its path after all.