The Florida star., 1901-03-22
GNl[l HE@O lid


Special Correspondence Of The Florida Star.
Corn coAsr. West Africa, Jan. s1.--
Perhaps the lives Of black babies and
their heathen mothers are not so pre-
clous as those OF white ones or perhaps
fetch priests and their ordinances are
stronger than the English government
At any rate. child murder among the
negroes OF the British Guinea Cold
Goast Protectorate is frequent. and the
marriage OF little girls. the merest IN
fants. Is as common as II is IN India 70
this day. A fact for ethn0logists TO
note is that child murder and child
marriage have been for ages prevalent
alike among the brown people OF India
and the blacks OF Africa.
One Of the revolting superstitions OF
the Gold Coast demands the murder OF
a mothers tenth child. Plurality OF
wives Is one OF the amiable fashions OF
the negroes OF the British protectorate.
That is quite correct. but IL Is the crime
objectionable for one mother to have
10 children. although she may have q
dozen or IS afterward. and all Is well.
The unwelcome tenth must be put to
death at It's birth In one OF three ways
lit. may be drowned In a calabash OF
water. it may be strangled or II may be
buried alive. but murdered IL must be.
The belief Is fixed as iron that a tenth
child Will bring bad luck and disaster
not only on its own family. but on the
whole village and tribe to which It's
parents belong.
The hapless Guinea mother whose
tenth child will soon be born must
make an offering to the head men or
chiefs OF the village. The degrees OF
rank In a barbarous African tribe are
as sharply defined as in Germany. First
there Is the king. then next under him
the chiefs or captains. To all these the
eSpectant mother OF a tenth makes her
offering OF. say. three sheep and dou-
bic flask OF gin. alcohol being as potent
in black heather politics as In that OF
white republics OF the forefront OF civ
ilization. So soon as the Guinea poll
ticlans have received the negro moth
er's contribution she is driven OF into
the bush away from her people. Only
after her child is born and put to death
and other children.
II before the child is born the mother
conceaIs herself from the head men or
II, knowing OF the affaiE her family
and relatives still harbor her In def
ance OF custom, then both she and they
are subjected TO a heavy fine. and she
Is cruelly punished and driven OF new
ertheless. Another inexorable law
among the Guinea savages is that a
babe making it's appearance on the
earthly scene within less than a year
after the birth OF previous child TO
its mother must also be put out untime-
ly In the same way. These awful un-
written ordinances are enforced with
out stint or mercy over one-third or the
whole British Gold Coast Protectorate.
Child murder keeps down materially
the population OF the provinces. which
now numbers 100000.
Christian mothers have small knowl-
edge or the awful fate OF Gold Coast
women. Besides the murder OF their
babes. they are subjected TO pains.
hardships and brutal treatment un-
namable. to separation from their
homes and families, to exposure and
hunger.
The murder OF the innocents and the
separation OF women from their homes
have been practiced so many ages
among the Guinea negroes that the
origin OF these customs Is lost. The
murder of infants under given condi-
tlOns in a family may have arisen In
the first place from scarcity OF food.
but there IS not any longer even a ira
ditiOn concerning IL. IL this was the
case. So Ii has been; so IL will be- until
the English government suppresses the
inhuman rite by force. as II did In In
dla. The word 'protectorate" Is a
mockery unless IL protects these bloody
heather from their own superstitlons.
Behind such atrocities are the fetch
priests. themselves the gods OF super
stition, forcing the natives TO obey their
commands under pain OF dreadful pun.
ishment. What Is a fetch? A fetch
Is anything one chooses TO adopt as a
medium OF communication with the
Deity II may be a mountain or a riv-
er; IL may be an old shoe. whatever the
devotee fancies. He pays to II his VOWS
and devotions; he pours out upon II his