The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1906-08-13
THEY NEVER LAUGH
vEDDAs OF cExLoN ARE A
SINGULAR PEOPLE
Almost Extinct Tribe Preserves
Characteristics Psculiaririss 0f
Twenty Centuries or
More Ago.


Eors Ago
Oaly one tribe Of people IN an TIE
world never laugh
he people N-ith whom TIE cachina-
ton Is unknown. 70 whom q grin 5
= phenomen0n. and q smile an m
hsard-0f thing are the ysddas-zhe
aboriginal Inhabitants Of ceyion- every
man. woman and child OF which IS IS
solemn A. q hardened old frst nighter
al = musical comedy.
And bearing out the truth Of the
pr0Yerb. -lsbgh and grow fat the
Veddaz are the slsnderest. most ema-
ciatsd people IN the world-so thin
that the man Who could not tell wheth-
sr he had a st0mach-ache or lumbzgO
would Be called plump among them
For nearly 2.080 years. according 70
the best chronicles. these people. nov
almost extinct. have preserved the
same characteristics. and no one. -
far As history reveals. has ever ssss
= smile on the face Of one Of them. OF
heard = laugh while in their section of
CeyioE-
The yeddas are divided into three
distinct groups. the rock yeddas. Who
dwell almost entirely among the Bin
tenne jLlgles. II caves or clefts in the
rock and who are skiIlful archers.
bringing down bats. owls. Crows and
kites. which constitute their prinei-
pal food: they will not for religious
reasons. touch the bar. elephant or
buffalo. The secOnd group Is the vii
laEe yeddas. who live in small colo
nies along In, eastern coast and cliti-
vate grain 10 a small extent; and the
third are the coast Vedtas. nnE nun
hering less than so. who have settled
down in the coast tu-sses and exc our
an existence by helping the MOors cut
timber or aiding the fishermen
These three small groups are all that
remain Of the original inhabitants. and
they have no intercourse with each
other.
The veddas q the rock are. II pos
sible. the mos solemn group Of The
three. and all efforts 70 teach them
even to smile have proved unavailing
Why these people do not smile is q
mystery. They alone OF all the peo-
pie OF the earth know nothing Of ths
sensation OF laughter An English
scientist. who recently jOurneyed q
Ceylon for the purpose Of investigat
ing this question. persuaded some Of
the rock Veddas to permit him e
tickle them in the ribs ard in tbs
middle Of their feet with straws. snl
never caught even the flicker Of |
. smile on their faces. nor did he evel
succeed in making one OF them squirn
and laugh aloud during the opera
, tion.
They are not only as absolutely lack
ing in humor as the recent farce come
dies. but appear to lack the physica
power to express any feeling akin L
humor
Another strange thing about thi
veddas. and the one which may pos
sibly be connected with their lack o
humor. is the fact that every one o
them Is a George Washington. an
unable to tell a lie or to conceive o
!. anyone else telling a lie. They can
not even believe that anyone woull
take the property Of anyone else. an
association with civilization has faile'
to convince them that It Is possible
When anything is missing since tn
Z advent OF other peoples into Ceylon
{. the fact that II is missing is charge
Z Z to the article itself
II is probable that their lack Of hu
NOR and consequent inability eithe
I. \ to lie or TO laugh results from thei
lack OF imagination. They seem n
tsrly unable 10 imagine anything
they have no god. no belief in o
thought OF a future life. no religion
no ceremonies. no temples. no idols. n
act Of worship. and, on the whole. the
~ are as unimaginative as the ordinar
short-story writer.
With all this-or. rather. without a
= this-the Veddas are a peaceable. ger
J, tie. quiet people. They take wive
without any marriage ceremony, an
= are faithful and constant 70 them, sur
porting them to death. When thei
wives are unfaithful they take theE
y back. and the wife's relatives punis
the man.