The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1907-02-26
LEAD SIMPLE LIFE
CUSTOMS OF THE NEGROES OF
THE GOLD COAST.
Divorce is a Rare Occurrence-Moth-
er Love One of Their Strongest
Points-Strict Laws as to
Property Rights.

1t is said that divorces are rare
among those tribes who lead simple
life undisturbed. As with civilized
people, marriage cannot be dissolved
without formality. Processes of the
gold coast only have the privilege of
separating from their husbands with
out formality. Some white clay hand
ed to the husband is a sign of dis
missal
Common people, on the other hand,
have to appear before the chiefs, who
decide the case. If they present the
wife with a piece of white clay, she
must mark the trees of the principal
streets of the village as a sign that
she is no longer a welded wife. If
the divorce is granted to the man, the
wife's family must return the equiva-
lent of the purchase money.
Old age among the true negroes, as
among many other peoples, is held in
high esteem, says the Southern Work.
man. Contrary to the popular notion
the family life of many African tribes
before they came in contact with
European civilization was beautiful
The large family prevails.
There is probably no race in which
offspring is so highly priced as among,
the negroes. Infanticide is rare here
in comparison with Polynesia and
Melaneisa. They rejoice at the birth
OF child. In this respect they are
much like Europeans. Mother love
is very strong, If a mans mother and
his wife, they say, are on the point of
drowning and he can save only one.
he must save the mother. for if the
wife is lost he may marry another, but
he will never find a second mother.
The original right TO private owner
ship of land is acquired, as with us,
either by fee or allodium. 1t is said
that tenure of land among the Daho-
meys and Bechuanas is in fee simple.
In asst Africa it is everywhere allodial.
On the gold coast property in the soil
is acquired by bringing it under culti-
walton. All the land in the neighbor-
hood of a town is. considered as be-
longing to the inhabitants generally
and the man who first cuts down the
bush and grows a crop is regarded as
the proprietor of that portion.
Among some west African tribes
there is under native law, no COM
munity in goods between a man and
his wife. Each keeps separate estate.
women owning and holding property
under identical conditions with men.
The laws of inheritance vary. In
some cases the brother inherits: in
some the eldest or most infiueAtial
son; in some the chief slave. The I'M
DERIVING idea in the inheritance of
property seems to be to keep the
wealth of the house, i: e., the estate.
together. This is somewhat similar
to the idea underlying the English law
of inheritance. The strong and the
cunning, as with us, defraud the weak
out of property, particularly women
and children who have no powerful
relatives.
In spite of abuses there is a definite
and acknowledged law, to which an
appeal can be made by persons of all
classes, provided they have the means
of setting the machinery of the law in
motion. There are wills, but they are
not the rule. Gifts take the place of
wills. A rich man gives things dur
ing his lifetime to his friend or favor
lite wife or child or slave, so that he
can see that they get what he wishes
them to have.