Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1905-08-11

eatables. The more loudly he shouts
the more highly he is esteemed by his
comrades. Should he omit that i'm.
/ portant office or duty, if detected, he
will he i'll dlsfavor with the rest oi his
! tribe and household. This practice is
also common among other savage
/ tribes in South Africa. kolben, a
German authoity, in speaking about
liottentot customs, remarked: "Their
word is sacred they know nothing OF
| the corruptlons and faithless arts of
Europe; they live in great tranquility
and are seldom at war with their
neighbors; are all kindness and good
will towards one another. One
OF the greatest pleasures of the Hot
tentots certainly lies in their gifts and
: good offices to one another"
Among the Eskimos of the far
North, all that is obtained by hunting
belongs to the clan. Through Danish
| influence certain features OF private
property were introduced among
them. However, they are too dis
Greet to allow the accumulatlOns Of
private property into individual hands
to undermine the practice Of solidarity
which for centuries has been we'll pre-
served in their midst. When one of
their number has become wealthy, a
public meeting Of his clan is convened,
at which great feast has been pre-
pared; the rich individual then dis
tributes all of his wealth among the
other members; takes pride in his
poverty. After having made the dis
tributlOn, says something like the fol-
lowing: "Now | am poorer than any
OF you, but have won your friend
ship"
Some eminent writer's maintain that
the redistribution of personal property
among tribes of savsges is q very old
institution, invoked for the purpose of
maintaining the integrity OF the clan.
Thus, according to al ancient Jewish
law, all land titles were cancelled at the
expiration of every fifty years. The
land, thereupon, reverted to the orig
inal owners. The eminent Russian
missionary, Veniaminhoif, in 1910,
noted the high moral standard of the
Aleoutes of Unalaska, allied closely to
the Eskimo tribes. This party had re-
sided among those people for more
than ten years. Among other state
ments pertaining to their customs he
said THE Aleoute is with difficulty
moved to make promise, but once he
has made it, he will keep it whatever
may happen" An Aleoute made
Neniaminhof present of some dried
fish, but in the hurry of his departure
the fish was accidentally left on the
beach. Several months thereafter, at
the first occasion, it was sent to the
missionary intact, Notwithstanding
that in the interval there had been a
great scarcity of food among the ma
tives. This Same writer also noted
that among $500 Aleoutes not one
common law crime had been commit
ted for forty years; that scolding and
rough words were unknown in their
language. (See Dall's Alsska.)
A prevalent custom among some Of
the tribes of the far North is thus il
Illustrated: II all individual while eat
ing with his comrades should show
signs OF greediness, his companions
shame him by offering him their
provender.
Some OF the readers of the STAND.
ARD may think have only picked out
isolated instances of good fellowship
found in animal and in human life of
the lowest types; that tooth and claw,
bow and spear, rule i'll the natural
state; that the survival of the fit
test," which commonly means the
strongest and most cunning, rule the
roost, so to speak; but illustrations
can be given almost indefinitely that
such is not the rule of life; that the
important factor of development and
the preservation of the species, tribe
and clan is sociability and mutual
help.
Having laid the foundation for
the further consideration OF this inter-
esting subject as applicable to mans
past and present status here upon the
earth, propose TO submit some ad.
ditional data taken from authentic
sources in afuture article accompanied
with some remarks of my own, show
ing that heretofore the vast majority
OF historians have given too great
prominence to wars, rulers and the
privileged classes instead of treating
about those matters and conditions
which concerned the interests and vel
fare OF the plain people.
To look at the better side OF human
nature is we'll calculated to do good to
all who may indulge in the practice,
which gives us favorable opportunity
to investigate the useful and wonder
full manifestations in the divine econ.
'omy which has ordered all things we'll.