The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1906-02-09
MAN MUST PROVE HIS WORTH
II the Customs Of Many Countries, Be-
fore He Wins q Bride.

their worth before they can MARI,
says the Chicago Tribune. This is II,
among the F'uegians, who say that
man is not fit to have wife unLH /
shows by hunting and fishing ,nut +
can support her. An Englishman e.
story of a young Fuegian who wa
desperately in love with a girl, but h
could not marry her. The native Wa
a splendid huntsman, but when
came to catching fish fortune wen
against him. He was in great despaI
and finally told the Englishman, m
never catch fish for me girl-you cate
fish and me give you beads-plent!
beads, axes, knives and fruit"
The Englishnan remembered TIL
hard times he had enjoyed with hi
father-in-Iaw, and caught a dozen Of
more fish for the native. When the
delighted old Fuegian saw that the
young man was an angler he allowed
him to have his daughter.
Even when men and women are be-
trothed as children this test is not for
feited Among the Indians of Guinea
boys and girls usually arr betrot lei al
an early age, but the boy brings hel
father the game he shoots. Whe.1
81 own he is free to select the wife he
WILL if he returns the gifts and proves
that he is a man and can do a man :
work Without f1inching he endures
wounds to be made in his flesh or he
allows himself to be sewn in a ham,
mock filled with fierce ants. Some
times the test is limited to clearing a
space in the forest to be planted with
cassava and to bringing as much fish
and game as he can.
Many men feel it is right for them
to suffer these tests as it is wrong for
them to marry women unless they can
support them. This sentiment abounds
among the California Indians. A Cali
fornian begins by making a mat, re-
pairing the cabin of his wife, or con>
structing a new one. When he cannot
do this work alone he asks his friends
to help him.
The Nairs consider it a mans duty
to provide food clothing and orna-
ments for a wife. When they go a
counting they always learn which man
can give them most fnery and select
accordingly In selecting her lover a
Nair girl thinks that it is far more
important for a man to support her
than to love her, and never forgets
to question him carefully regarding
MS unancldl SIdnQlnS.
Although in Burma the man does the
and their women make devot-
ed wives, Burmese girl can get di-
vorce for nonsupport, and this is one
Of their chief grounds. a pretty Bur-
mese girl left her husband and when
a friend asked the reason she said:
Me like my husband Logo; he was
handsome, nice manners and good. But
he could buy me no pretty clothes. My
man may buy me pretty clothes; me
nave ten suitors; me marry one and
he buy me lots of pretty Clothes
The tests put on some peoples often
are more severe than buying of finery.
Among the Dyaks of Borneo, the Nages
Of upper Assam, the Affina of Ceram.
no man can marry unless he has many
neaas in his possession. Wheneve>
sutton expresses a wish to marry a
girl he is called before the rajah and
the young man is bound to declare in
he presence of his father-in-law how
many heads he already has, which
must be half the number in the possess
sion of the father-in-law. In default
If this number he starts out with his
companion on a head hunting expedi- |
ion, and many months often pass be- |
,ess for women and children are not |
allowed as trophies The hill Dyaks |
show their ability to support a wife |
~ less cruel means. When young |
nan likes a girl he goes out of his |
way to perform services for her. He !
'ften assists her when she is at work |
n the fields, carries loads of wood and |
vegetables to the house, and is anxious
ic-
The test is not always to show how
much cruelty a man can infiict; some-
lines it is what he can endure. Among
he Arabs of upper Egypt the man
nust suffer a whipping by the re-
atoms of the girl to show his courage.
he wishes to be considered worth
ne having he must suffer the chas-
isement in silence. An amusing story
5 told by an Arab who met; some !
riends, and they saw he was so buoy
mt they asked: You've been to thea
r?''
No" he answered.
You've been to dance?" they than
sked.
NO" he answered.
'Tou'v been drunk they then said,
ertain they were right
They piled him with questions until
was forced to say: 81 have not (
cen to theater, to dance, and drunk,
ut had lots of fun. My friends gave
lie "a whipping and it was such a good
hipping it made me glad all over.
m TO be married to a nice girl, so /
Ike good whipping Z
Some days after his friends asked .
Did you like the whipping?" +
No. he exclaimed, emphatically
1t made me smart all over. I made
elieve [ liked it because the girls
lther was standing there
1t is a common custom among peo- I
les for a young man to prove his ]
orth by rendering service to a girls I
-ther-he goes and works as a SER
ant Money cannot always save
oung man from this kind of servitude ]
10 he often works a long time before
can marry the girl. This practice
prevalent among such rude races as