The daily Alaskan., 1906-03-07
THE MEDITERRANEAN
HER STRANGE POSITION AMoNeM MANY
 OF THE WORLDS PEOPLES.

Races Where she Is Neither Permit
 ted to Speak Co Nor Look Upon the
 Husband Of Her Daughter-TheOries
 About This Queer Custom.
 Among the Arawaks of South Ameri- ca 1t is unlawful for Q young man to see the face Of his mother-in-law. If they live in the same house a partition must be set up between them. If they so in the same boat she has to step in first, so as 10 keep her back turned on him. Roche6ort says; Among the Ca ribs all the women talk with whom they will, but the husband dare not converse with his wIfe's relatives ex- .cept on exU&ordinGry. occasions.
 In many parts of Australia a woman VII not look at her daughters husband a , all hazards. SAe hides whenever he comes near her, going out of hcr way 70 avoid him, and if 1t is impossible she Hides her face with her cloak She would not mention bis name for any thing in the world. The Ea.6r woman hides LcAiud bush a8l holds a sh.c.a to her face SEe would far rather speal; to stranger than Q Ter s.u-U. law.
 Franklin. who gave much Cmg 10 tao studies of the North American liiau. assures us iJ Is c5Dsitor-i eS.r mal. improper for a woman e apeaE 10 her sou-julaw. and when she has aug i'm port0nt communication 10 make lt is considered proper for her to turn her back on him and speak by means of g third person. The s0UsC jaw hold good among the Sioux and Dakatas, md t violated the offender is pumstd d by having his garments torn iron his back and thrown away. With the Oma. has neither the father nor mother has anything to do with the son.n-!aw nor he with them. They will not look at ole another or speak his name.
 In his travels to TimbuCtoo Caillics uarrates that from the moment Of be trothal the lover is careful not to see the father and mother of the bride. They avoid each other all the time. He says. "I tried in vain to discover the origin ot the whimsical custom, but thc only answer | could obtain was. It is our way.
 This custom extends beyond the re latiOus. It the lover is of different camp he avoids an the inhabitants of the wou.-as camp, except a few mti- mate friends whom he is permitted to visit. A little tent is generally aet UD for the sou-iu-lUw, and when ae Is obliged to cross the camp he covers his face. This custom exists among In- dian tribes and extends far beyond.
 In the tribes of New South Wales the young man. when courtlng girl avoids her mother as much as he can and grows more distant after he is married. With some Victorian tribes the arrangement Is even greater-the mother and aunt as well may not look at the young man nor speak to him from bctrothal to death, When they speak before each other they have to use turn language, Under no con ditiou would the young man dare to speak to his wifcs mother.
 Macluau. who studied this custom among the Zulus of Africa, says a daughter-iu-law must cut herself of from her husbands relatives. She is not allowed even to pronounce their names mentally. This statement shows that in some countries the girl must ignore her husbands relatives as much as he does her mother, but this is less frequent.
 In Asia among the MOugols and the CalmuCks a woman dare not speak to her fathcr-in-,aw nor sit down In his presence. UalIas in an interesting work ou the Ostaks Of Siberia declares that a young married woman avoids her father-m-luw whenever she can, especially during the early years of her married life. In the meanwhile the husband is not expected to see any thing of his mothcr-in-iaw. lf be meets ucr by chance he hides.
 In China. after the wedding day. a man never sees the face of his daugh- ter-In-law. A similar custom exists iu BorueO and the Fiji islands
 Some people consider 1t absolutely criminal for a young man even to give a stray glance to his mothcr-in-l0w, however good looking she is. They say that they must not look on her lest they go mad. It Is the fashion with some tribes in central Africa to sit with bent knees in their presence and not to put their feet out. A hougo proverb states: My mother-in-law is angry with me but what do l care? We do not eat from the same dish.' Some men will speak to their mothers by marriage, but will not call them by name. This is true of the people of the Torres strait.
 Many more instances might be men toned, but these are enough to show that the position of the mother-in-law among many peoples is strange. The cause for 1t Is not positively known. Sir John Lubbock feels that its origin lies in capture where a man really seized his wife. This aroused the in- dignation of the girls parents, who re sented bis doings by treating him with great scorn. Gradually this capture