The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1909-01-09
LARGEST woMANs cnuB.
On the West African Coast and He's
Eleven Thousand Members.

On the West African Coast and He's
Eleven Thousand Members.
The largest woman's club in the
world is In Sierra Leone, on the west
coast OF Africa. II "a called the
"Bandu" and has 1900 members.
Before ever a woman's club was or
ganized in the United States, says
the Chicago Tribune, the Bundu had
obtained entire and absolute control
over the females of the tribe, estab-
lished the code OF morals, and was
in practical control OF the education
of the children. II established and
enforced the segregation of the sexes
during the educational period, com
PEELED the men of the tribe to obey
their rules concerning marriage and
divorce, and gained almost an equal
voice in the tribal government.
Their madam president, although
they do not call her that, acts as the
Bundu devil, and attired in her robe
Of offices exercises her power over
spirits, good and evil.
A couple of years ago one OF the
leaders OF clubdom in Chicago sug-
gested that children should not be
raised in the home at all, but should
be placed in a sort of asylum where
they would be assured of scientific
feeding, care, education and protec-
tion, trained in the domestic arts
and sciences, and taught their re-
sponsibillties toward their fellow.
Her ideas created quite sensa-
tion. yet she was proposing exactly
the thing that the Bundu voted upon
perhaps 200 years ago and has done
ever since.
The mother who is a member Of
the Bundu keeps her young children
at home during the time that her
care is essential to their we'll being.
After that time they are sent away.
II they are boys they are sent into
the "Poro BUSH" an encampment in
one of the beautiful dells in the
forest. There the boys are under the
charge of the ancient and wise men
of the tribe, and there they are
trained in hunting, fighting, dane
ing, singing, cooking. The Poro bush
is the mans college of Sierra Leone
II the child is a girl she is sent
into the Bundu bush, hidden and
secret encampment in the forest
where the old women and strong
young women, slaves or paid work.
ers, care for them, and educate them
In the domestic arts.
No man may approach the Bundu
bush except on pain OF death, so the
female seminary OF the Bundu goes
unmolested, no man daring to ap-
proach. The parents of the children
must pay for the care and training
and feeding of their children.
Occasionally there is a public ex-
hibition OF the girls from the Bundu
bush, a sort of commencement day
exercise. The girls are handsome If
rather barbaric looking. The dane
ing costume consists of short white
cotton skirts, draped with palm
leaves, and from the edges OF the
skirt are supended thin pieces of iron
that jangle muslcally as the girls
dance.
They not only dance cleverly in
ballet formations, but they execute
| ulHCull pas Stulb III CIbulldDlt anu
graceful manner. The women OF the
tribe, members of the club only, Of
ten show great enthusiasm over the
grace of some exceptional dancer
and show their appreciation by rush
ing forward and embracing her
: After the dances the girls are led
back to their secret retreat.
, The clubwomen of Sierra Leone
are resourceful. They have made
possible the education OF all girls OF
good families, even when the famil,
les are not able to pay the expenses
) Of sending their girls away to the
| college or convent in the bush. In
, such cases the parents arrange the
girls betrothal to some wealthy
young man, or to a child whose pa.
rents are wealthy, and the betrothec
pays the expenses, claiming hei
when her education is complete.