The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-05-27
WOMEN FORBIDDEN TO PRAY
1T is A PRIVILEGE RESERVED FoR
MADAGASCAR MEN.

Their Wives Must Be Content tn
Worship the DeviI-Mothers Nevar
Know whether the Priests WIN
Allow Their babies to Live or Not
and Must Bury Alive Those Child
rem Cursed by GOd-Queer Custom,
in Grave Clothes.
New York, May 25-'"rhe women NJ
Madagascar are not allowed to pray to
God. They must pray to the devil, as the
men alone are privileged TO address tha
great judge as the supreme being ia
styled" said Mr.. E. H. Low of NORWAY
who was among The missionaries attend
ing the ecumenical conference in New
York city, and who was the first wbits
man to go to Madagascar as a mission
2:v.
Girls are given in marriage very
young. The ceremony consists in smear
ing the front part of the bodies of both
the bride and gr-o with the blood of an
cx killed for the occasion. This OK is CIV
en- by the groom just as an American
would buy a license. Madagascans do nor
buy their wives, though they pay for
them when the women are killed or in
jured. If man kills his wife, her father
or his r prI sen tative demands thirty oxen
and receives them. If he Injuries her in
any way he must pay fifteen oxen. These
two penalties are about the only protec-
ton woman has against her husbands
cruelty.
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
whom the priest declares is cursed nv
GOO is buried alive or placed on an ant
hi as soon as its fate is decided. The in
slant child is born a near relative ~
the family runs to the priest and ac-
quaints him of the fact. He reads the
stars, or pretends to, and sends back
word to the parents whether the child ia
favored or hated by their God. If hated
the infant is killed, as I describe; If IA
vored it is allowed to live and becomes
the object of the greatest solicitude Not
until six months after its birth is thu
mother allowed to stir out of her hut or
DO any work. During that time her hus-
band and some of his other wives must
work for her while she devotes herself
to the care of the child. Many of the ba-
bies suffer from sore eyes. caused by
Keeping them so long in a dusky hut and
around smoky fire
VI COuTSt, IHe women are the slaves
Of the men. That Is invariably the case A
uncivflized countries Wives plant and
gather the rice, attend to all household dUl-
ties and weave the cloth. This weaving.
by the way is one of the simplest and
most interesting operations / have ever
witnessed. The cloth, both silk and cot
ton, is good to look at and durable.
Among the unenlightened people, mean
those who have not come under the inlu-
nd fraS sarS fhexy
are never clothed until after death During
life they go entirely naked, except for
grass mats worn around the waists and
strings of beads and charms worn around
their necks and bodies. But when they die
the bodies are often wrapped with as m ny
as forty robes, which they call lamtas.
These lambas are like sheet and are wo- 4
ven by the women and laid aside to bs
used as winding sheets. The richer man
is the more lambas he has. They are OF
both silk and cotton. The silk may be any
color. But you must not imagine that
these lambas are used when woman dies.
On, no, they are not wasted on women
Only the men are buried in clcth wrap
pings, but the women take great pride IN
making them. When a woman dies she
is put away 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 It.
Whsn man goes 10 war MS WHY'S
must not light a fire in their hus nor par
take of any food until his return. After
the war party leaves the wives of the war
riors all assemble at the palace, as they
call the Kings hut although 1t is anything
but palatial in appearance or size, anu
led by the several queens, these wom'h
perform the most curious dance TheN
heads and bodies are decked with green
leaves, and they go back and forth sing.
ing and gesticula Ding, weaving in and OUT
until it makes ones head swim 10 look az
them. This performance is carried on un-
til the war party is sighted or heard sp-
preaching when the whole company goes
forth TO meet them, shouting and singing.
Fortunately, these war excursions never
last long, as the men always return hom'
at nightfall." Lafayette McLa"S