The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-05-27
FORBID WOMEN 10 PRAY
Madagascar Men Reserve That
Privilege for Themselves.
Their Wives and Daughters Must BE
Content to Worship the Devil.
Mothers Never Know Whether
Their Babies VIII He Allowed to
Live or Ordered to He Buried Alive

| 1.-The women Of Madagascar are not al
the devil. as the men alone are privileged
to address the Great Judge. as the Su-
preme Being is styled" said Mr.. E. H.
! Low, of Norway, who was among the mis-
| sionaries attending the Ecumenical Con-
! ference in New York city, and who was
| the first white man to go to Madagascar
as missionary.
Girls are given in marriage very young.
| The ceremony consists in smearing the
| front part of the bodies Of both the bride
and groom with the blood of an OK killed
for the occasion. This OK is given by the
groom just as an American would buy a
license. Madagascans do not buy their
wives. though they pay for them when
the women are killed or injured. II man
kills his wife. her father or his repre-
sentative demands thirty oxen and re-
ceives them. II he Injuries her In any way
he must pay fifteen oxen. These two PEN
alties are about the only protection q
woman has against her husbands cruelty.
1.-THE parental affection. at least for
those children who are allowed to live. is
beautiful. They treat them as their most
precious possessions, but the one who
the priest declares is cursed of God is
buried alive or placed on an ant hill as
soon as its fate is decided. The instant
child is born near relative of the family
runs to the priest and acquaints him OF the
fact. He reads the stars, or pretends to.
and sends back word to the parents
whether the child Is favored or hated by
their God. II hated, the infant is killed.
as I describe; IL favored. 1t is allowed to
live and becomes the object of the great
est solicitude. Not until six months after
its birth is the mother allowed to stir out
CT her hut or do any work. During that
time her husband and some of his other
wives must work for her while she de-
votes herself to the care of the child.
'Of course. the women are the slaves of
the men. That is invariably the case in
uncivilized countries. Wives pant and
gather the rice, attend to all household
duties and weave the cloth. This weaving,
by the way. is one Of the simplest aa1
most interesting operations have ever
witnessed The cloth. both silk and cotton,
is good to look at and durable.
Among the unenlightened people, mean
those who have lot come under the infiu-
ence of the missionaries and traoers-they
are never clothed until after death Dur
ing life they go entirely raked. except for
grass mats worn around the waists and
strings Of beads and charms ysf- around
their necks and bodies. But wtei they ole
the bodies are often wrapped wit . many
as forty robes, which they c. lambas.
These are like a sheet and are woven BY
the women and laid aside to be used as
winding sheets. The richer a man is the
more lamtas he has. They are o; both
silk and cotton. The silk may be any color.
But you must not imagine that these
lambas are used when a woman dies.
Oh. no. they are not wasted on women.
Only the men are buried in cloth wrap
pings, but the women take great pride in
making them. When a woman dies she Is
put way with almost no ceremonies, and as
soon as possible. They do not dig graves.
but place the body on the ground and heap
up stones and earth above 1t.
when man goes to war his wives must
not light fire in their huts. nor partake
Of any food until his return. After the
war party leaves the wives OF the war
riors all assemble at the palace. as they
rail- the Kings hut. although 1t Is any
thing but palatial in appearance CT sze
and led by the several Queens these
women perform the most curious dance
Their heads and bodies are decked with
green leaves. and they go back ard forth.
singing and gesticulating. weaving in and
out until 1t makes ones head swim to look
at them. This performance is carried on
until the war party is sighted or heard
when the whole company soes
'orth 10 meet them. shouting ard singing
these wer excursions never
asst long. as the men always return home
1t nightfall-''