The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-03-02
MORALITY AND CLOTHING.
More Evidence From Africa That Morality
Does Not Depend on Dress.


Sir Harry Johnston Is the latsst TO declare
that there Is no connection between the
moral sense OF a people or the degree OF
modesty they possess and the amount OF
clothing they wear.
When Spoke discovered the very inten-
gent people OF Uganda, on the northern
shores OF Victoria Nyanza. he found TO
his surprise, that they were clad from head
TO foot in bark cloth. They took the fbrous
inr or bari OF a certain tree and by pounding
and working II made a fairly s~ervioeaole
substitute for cloth.
Spele had seen no other natives, on his
long African Journey who We're not rather
scantily attired. But the Baganda be-
lieve in garments that cover them rom
neck 20 heel. In fact, there were very rev
tribes throughout tropical Africa tina are
30 completely clothed as the Baganda.
When Stanley visited the same people
years later, he found that Arab merchants
had carried tons Of cotton cloth to the
great lakes. Well-to-dc Baganda were
wearing flowing robes OF Manchester cot
tons or 'Merikani' as they called the prod
uct Of our New England looms. Every
man and woman was fully dressed. all
wanted cotton cloth and Stanley predicted
a great market for cottons as o as cheaper
Transportation should lessen the cost.
The railroad Is now completed though
not vet open to freight traffic. The Baganda
will be soon able to buy all the cheap cotton
cloth they want, for freights will be re-
duced TO about one-fourth OF the proe
charged these many years for costly car
rage on the backs OF men
After living among the Baganda for a
long time Sir Harry Johnston has reoently
returned to England. He has some in
teresting facts to tell about these hundreds
Of thousands Of people who live on the
shores of the greatest African lake.
He says that though they arr a very
carefully clothed nation and are almost
more squeamish about any exposure. or
the person than Europeans are, still they
are very lax in morals. They are decidedly
tribe who live to the southeast of them.
The Kavirondo, in fact. are quite punctil-
Gus in their department.
The interesting distinction to be made
between these tribes il that while the
Baganda, one Of the few completely dressed
code worth mentioning. as far ms relations
between the sexes are concerned, the
Kavirondo, one Of the few tribes in tropical
Africa that wear no clothing OF any. de-
scription, maintain a comparatively mig
tandard Of morality.
The contrast between these two peoples
il the most striking illustration yet ad-
duced In support OF the assertion, often
made. that the moral standards In vogue
among the barbarous peoples Of Africa
cannot be measured by the amount OF
clothing they wear.
east. are completely differentiated from
their half-clad sisters of other tribes by
the fact that no women in the world are
more completely clothed than they are.
Every line Of their forms is entirely yelled
by the flowing robes that are fastened
around their necks and drop TO their feet:
but no one has ever thought that h Nasal
women were at all prudish.
Atraveller who has recently returned from
the line Of the Uganda Railroad says that
a section Of the Nasal people seems TO he
threatened with extinction. The daughters
and mothers among them took a great
fancy To the Indian coolies who graded
the road bed; and when the work was done
and hundreds Of the natives Of India left
the Nasal country a great many OF the ma
tive women went witt them.
Sir Harry Johnston says that through
the efforts Of tho numerous missionaries
who are working among them, the Ia,
panda, on the whole. are moving toward
a higher plane Of morality. These excellent
men who have AZ least nominally, converted
many thousands OF the natives to the Chris
tian faith, are relieved Of one burden which
their brethren in some other parts OF Africa
have thought Il important to asSume. As
the Baganda are fully clothed IL il not neces-
sary to agitate in favor Of clothing reform.
At many Of the Congo mission stations, on
the other hand. the teachers, whether
wisely or not insist in dressing the children
of their schools much MS country boys and
girls in America are dressed. Not a Few
supporters Of missionary enterprise are
inclined 70 think that these teachers arc
making a mistake in view Of the fact that
scanty attire in that region does not pro-
mote immortality or suggest improprlety
and that the little boys and girls are I'M
doubleday uncomfortable in a lane Of steady
heat 10y being compelled to wear clothing
that is better adapted for n temperate
climate