The Washington herald., 1909-03-07
VIEWS ON WOMAN MORALITY.

pected in barbarism as in our civilized
life. but conditions vary from one peo-
pie TO another too much 10 permit Of a
definite statement IN our brief space
Where monogamy exists and the woman
owns and rules the house, conditions are
simple. The husband who does not suit
! is sent home. and both parties are free
10 contract new relations Although d.
vorce IS so easy in barbarOUs life. mar
riages often are perTnansnt-perhaps as
much so as IN Chicago or Dakota,
wives Are "SOId" Here.
This description OF easy divorce and
buying wives sounds strange enough. But
divorce IS quite as common in Dakota as
among the savsges OF Central Africa. and
women. after AL are sold as wives quite
as openly IN Chicago as in the heart o.
the Dark Continent
OF the similar commercial instincts OF
/ African and American women he says
In the markets OF Central Africa most
/ OF the sellers are women II is they who
I bring IN the products Of their fields and
/ the fish they have caught IN the sale q
these they develop that feminine economy
L
/ among Us IN civilization For haggIine
! and getting bargains the barbaric woman
I is as notably her husbands superior as
our women. To visit an African mar
ket IS as interesting as 10 stand al a
/ bargain counter in New York Il IS
true that in lower culture the high
strung feelings Of the buyer lead TO the
actual performance OF what among our
people usually ends in desire. And even
at our bargain counters we have heard
! or shopifting practices. The bargain
morals are the same.
Prof Starr declares that he encounteref
great difficulty in trading with African
women because Of their dishonest desire
10 hold back a part OF the purchase. and
remarks.
/ mis- IS q constant experience in dealing
/ with the blacks They are never hqn7v
/ unless they can retain something OF rbe
I thing they have sold. To deliver a MR..
chase entire 10 the buyer betrays lack O.
J business sagScity. II is needless. 10 draw
sharper parallels OF the trading morals o.
/ savage and civilized women In a time
when trading stamps form chief eIe-
rlent IN our feminine commercial transac-
tons
! women Rule Households
IN Tehuantepec the women ara no,
only rulers in the market: they also rule
the household. They are quicker. more
intelligent. shrewder. prompter in deci-
sion than their husbands. To the inquiries
Of stranger a husband never makes 70.
Spouse until his wife has spoken. No
matter Of consequence is decided BY hin
until IL has been referred TO her sac
holds the purse One may encounter the
same relation in households among Us OF
civilization
Among the Tlingits Of Alaska the men
are not much considered BY their chill
dren- A man who proves unwilling OF IN
able 10 do his share IN securing food for
the family or in protecting its interests IS
sent home 20 his mother. In such q house
group the vast importance OF the mother
in-law is clearly seen. and certainly the
| ill-natured stories tod by US about that
maligned woman point back 10 a former
condition among ourselves analogous To
that found among the Tiingits. In fact
many might say that the actual survival
still exists IN many cases.
Here and in Africa.
] Prof Starr MAKES the following
comparison Of African and civilized so
ciety women:
a woman well got up in Central Africa
is actually a work or art Her body is
! smeared from head to foot with a thick
/ coating Of redwood dust, mixed with OIL
1 ZigZags. spirals. stripes and chickering's
made by scraping through this coating.
| show handsomely in brown from the skin
! cOl0ring below Her neck may be loaded
Z It'll
| and white in color. her arms and legs
heavy with rings Of copper. brass. ard
/ iron. The glrdle Of her waist may ter
inmate in front with a little apron OF na-
! tive cloth In her lower lip Is thrust :
| plug OF ivory. half an inch or more
across. Her nose carries q peg OF wood
thrust through the septum- Her hair,
/ deliberately dressed, represents many
I hours Of labor by q friend Such a
woman, in THE careful detail Of her
makeup. Is At for comparison with her
white sister ready for charity ball"
Defended as Modest.
Prof. Starr defends the naked At
rican women from charges OF immodesty,
declaring:
''Nakedaess is not immOdesty. We use
the word naked with care. b. Il we
mean the absolute absence Of dress Or
1 ornament. A woman who wears a string
OF beads about her neck IS not actually
naked. OF truly naked people there are
but few. Upon the roads in Central Az
rica one rot infreqCently meets with
/ Ngombe women carrying burdens. who
are absolutely naked But Il would be
a mistake 20 think that these Ng0mbe
women are immodest or that morally
they suffer from the nudity On the
contrary. tn their manners and conduct
tbsy are as reserved as can b asked"