The Savannah morning news., 1901-03-24

glasses here" remarked the lady to her
young escort. She remembered afterward
that the child's face fell
1t was at the opening Of the third act.
The curtain was raised up on a gorgeous
ballet and not a sound was heard in the
auditorium but the soft music of the
dance and the swish Of the dancers dra-
peries. Suddenly clear voice piped:
"oh, Aunt EN-, give me those glasses
quick. I can't see half well enough"
Now, isn't he bright bOy?" asked the
father as he related the tale.
But really, children should not be taken
to the theater." commented the aunt.
Not even TO hear the cute sayings?"
was asked. But the question was passed.
as beneath notice.
The weirdest and most unique marriage
celebration in the world has just been
discovered by Prof W J. MCGEE. the
well-known ethnologist Of Washington,
among the COcopahs, a queer people liv-
ing in Lower California. who has returned
from an interes ting visit among them. He
is the first scientific man to have studied
them and to have noted their remarkable
customs.
These people are ostensibly monoga-
NOUS" said Prof. MCGEE. ''Of their po-
lygamy, in which state they formerly
lived openly. there are yet traces, kept
in the background out Of Difference to the
Mexican law
They have prescribed a strange ordeal
which must be undergone by every Coco
pah girl before she can be considered
marriageable. When she is ready to take
a husband, a hole is dug in the ground
and in it is built fire. kept burning until
the surrounding earth has been thorough
ly warmed. The fire is then extinguished
and the bride elect placed in the pit. She
is buried to her neck and in this condi-
ton is left standing overnight. After be-
ing dug ont the next morning she is ready
for the connubial state.
Each Cocopah family is bound by a
strict law pertaining to property rights.
Strictly domestic property belongs to the
women, farmstead property to the men.
For the purpose of buying some articles
Ter my collection l visited one hut while
the husband happened to be away. The
wife was willing to sell me her pottery
her squash vessels, her mill or the grain
which she had ready for grinding in the
latter But in the absence of her susband
she had no authority to sell me the grain
in the granary or the granary Itself.
II don't know what has come over the
husbands of this town." said a Fifth
avenue miliner to New York sun re-
porter the other day. They are display
ing a more pernicious interest in their
wives hats this year than have ever
known them to do before In my twenty
years experience in New York.
In past seasons, the women have been
i'm the habit of dropping in here ami pick
ing out their own hats without men S as
sistance, but not this season. ME- than
half of my customers who have husbands
have come in to look at the spring styles
with their husbands tagging along behind
I'm sure 4 can't explain why this
should be so. 1t certainly doesn't mean
that hard times have come and the men
are trying to hold their wives down tc
buying cheap hats, for ii is a fact hat
hey WI pay more for the same hats than
a woman will. There is no disposition on
the part Of the men to get the milline- to
knock off a few dollars on the first price
as there is with women.
No matter how much money woman
has, If you tell her that a hat is worth $40
she will try and buy 1t for $50. Men wont
do that. They take II for granted that
tire irst price is the only price and IL II
is too much for their pockets they try
some other hat Then. too. a man If he
likes a hat on his wife is pretty likely to
so ahead and buy it, regardless y the
price. He doesn't have to stop and think
whether it comes within the dress allow
ance and in this way we are the gamers.
1T does take more of our time, how
ever to sell a hat to a man aud his wife
than it does to sell to the wife alone be-
cause there are two to please instead OF
one. What suits her often does not suit
him and 50 we have to hustle around ard
find something that does But on the
whole l don't know that we object to
their coming in pairs. What | should like
to know is how they happen 10 be doing
It this year when they never have done
It before. te