The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1899-03-31
DYING PACIFIC PEOPLES.
An Investigation of the Causes o.
Their Disappearance Is Now
in PrOHress.

| 1t has been known for years that the
native population of the beautiful
Polynesian islands is growing smaller
and that the day is not far distant when
the aborigines will become extinct. as is
already the case in Tasmania. Mr.. r.
Mailer has been making an exhaustive
study of the causes that are plotting
these peoples out of existence and has
printed his voluminous memoir in the
''1nternationales Archiv fur Ethnog-
raphie.''
he says that even at the time when
Europeans began to visit the islands
comparatively few of them were inhab-
tied. This fact was partly due to their
isolation from other lands and partly
to natural phenomena unfavorable to
| human life, such as hurricanes, volcanic
eruptions, drought and other causes
that tended to exterminte or drive out
the natives. The number of islands,
however, which had never been visited
by human beings was very small. But
since the white race appeared among
the Polynesian groups the number OF
inhabited islands has greatly dimin-
ished. Some of the islands have lost all
their native population, while in others
| only a feeble remnant remains of the
large numbers who formerly lived on
them.
Mr.. Mailer gives the following as the
chief reasons for this depopulation: In
the first place contagious maladies in
troduced by the whites have destroyed
large numbers of the natives. Then
spirituous liquors have been introduced
III many islands regardless of the con-
sequences to the natives, and the drink
habit has claimed many victims. Then
the wars that have been waged by the
natives against the whites or with one
another, have been made far more de-
structive by the introduction of fire.
arms. ~.
| Another cause of depopulation has
been the expectation of many natives
of some islands to labor on the white
plantations of other islands, often far
from their homes. Many of the deport-
ed islanders die in this service, many
others are never returned to their
homes and the entire enforced labor
system in the Pacific is merely dis
| guised form of slavery. The crowding
of the natives back into less fertile re-
| gions in order to make room for white
settlements in the best part of the is
| lands is another fruitful cause of the
| native diminution.
The white man is still assisting effec-
lively in the extinction of the natives
which. Mr.. Mailer thinks, will be COM
pletely accomplished in the course of
the next century. The fine Polynesia
race, so interesting in many aspects.
will be completely replaced by the
white races. particularly by the Eng
lish and Germans, and some of the is
lands will be occupied by the japanese
| and Chinese. The natives will disap-
pear first from the largest and most
fertile islands, but they may have a
somewhat longer lease Of life on the is
lands that are less attractive because
smaller and less productive.
The appearance among them of the
whites produced great changes in the
distributions among the natives of the
island areas. For instance, in former
times the need of protection was great
and many villages were hidden in the
forests or perched upon elevated rocks.
The whites now maintain peace in near
" all the islands, and a great many OF
these protected villages have, there
fore, been abandoned. The natives have
sold many of their best lands to Euro.
peans or have been forced to abandon
them, and on account of their decreas-
ing numbers Polynesians have aban-
doned a large number of villages they
formerly occupied.-N. Y. Sun.
He Wa. nm Expert.
| There was a case on call in Justice
Teagan's court, but the defendant
failed to appear. The prosecution in
sisted that the case go on and the
justice was about to give verdict by
default, when a ply stefan appeared and
said that the defendant was unable to
appear, being confined to his bed.
what is the matter with him 90
asked the court.
He is ILL.,
With what?"
"Booze.'
"Are you an expert on boozology ?''
ST am
"The case may be adjourned. DEE
troit Free Press.
No Use for 1t.
! n