The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-03-19
ODD CUSTOMS
 OF HE ESK|MOS No C0urtship Among Deni- zens of Frozen North THE BRIDE IS WAYLAID And Kidnapped if She Is Caught-The Suitor Must First Show Courage
 and Strength-Chase Is
 Spectacular
THE BRIDE IS WAYLAID

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 From the Kric,serbocker Press.
 If what certain scientists say regard ing the marriages of the future being few and far between or what modern philoso- phers and modern sociologsts suggest about love being an evanescent thing which is liable to pass away, along with much else that is disappearing from sight in this progressive age, is true, how will it affect the Eskimo courtship and mar riage? Will the advance of the nations. in this particular feature if in none other. pass these people by?
 These questions are agitating the minds of all those who believe we are on the eve Of a mighty upheaval to a consider able degree; those who see unavoidable signs. so they believe, of loveless fu- ture, the whole trend of our social, in dustrial and educational modern life seeming to point to just such state of existence.
 And who is there that will undertake to solve the problem for them?
 Cupid, so it seems, is not the same roguish little sprite .aawhen journeying through this far-away country, as he re- veals himself to be elsewhere.
 Up in the frozen north he simply all lows his office to go by theft.
 For courage and strength, and not Cu- pid's dart, win out in this icy region.
 Unlike Any Other Ceremony
 The Eskimo marriage is unlike any other on the face of the earth It is not entered into for the caprice of mo- ment, nor fora freak Of fancy. Nor is 1t ever entered into in spirit of idle fes- tivity. Nor for the qualification of pride and ambition. It is a display of manly courage and strength, and nothing else. The bride surrenders only after she falls down from sheer exhaustion.
 Owing to this the Eskimo marriage has given rise to great wonder and no end of curiosity on the part of those who have witnessed the amazing spectacle. Is tho wooing, if such it may be termed, real or simulated, they ask.
 When the bridegroom sets out in pur- suit of the bride, Is it all a surprise to her, or Is she prepared for his coming, and so on the lookout, and all ready to act her part In this strangest of all strange marriage ceremonies and which has been in vogue ever since the Eskimo first thought of contracting a marriage.
 Which ever way 1t may be, and there is pretty good ground for believing that the whole affair Is strictly literal and in no way different from what it appears, mar riage without a wooing is the way the most sacred tie of life is formed among those people,
 And whether the future holds a more tender courtship for the Eskimo time alone can tell.
 Groom Must Show His Worth
 The parents of the couple make the match. But only after the suitor has shown that he possesses manly courage and strength.
 As an evidence of these talents he must go out and capture a polar bear. Then he is told that he may take to himself a bride
 But no bachelor can marry until he has shown that he Is possessed of these qual- iflcations.
 As soon, however as he has thus dis tinguished himself, he is urged to marry
 But no Eskimo lover ever condescends to say the pleasant and considerate things to the woman he seeks to woo, and which lovers in all ages of the world, and In every station of life, have found 1t so easy to say, notwithstanding their mode of expression may vary in almost every instance.
 Although matrimony is what he is bent upon accomplishing, there Is no wooing about 1t.
 Will the home be cheerless and deso- late, or does happiness wait for the com- ing of the happy pair? is a question that never enters his mind The lifelong friend ship may turn to be something far beyond his fondest hope. or 1t may dwindle down 10 an indifferent sort of comradeship. What matters 1t to the Eskimo bride groom? He has shown that he possesses pride and ambition. which all along its people have been calling the finest ex- pression of perfect manhood.
 It would seem that these denizens of tho frozen north have no wish whatever, nor do they consider it wise. to yield to captivation of external charms in select ing a partner for life.
 Having captured his polar bear, the largest and most terrifying he can hunt down, the Eskimo lover sets out upon his matrimonial capture. animated by the same spirit of victory that spurred him on to the chase.
 Running the Gantlet
 Very cautiously he approaches the home of the object of his choice. Having ar rived there he conceals himself behind the only door with which the dwelling Is supplied. And here. he patiently waits until the Eskimo maiden comes out.
 It often happens that his first attempt at capturing his bride goes unrewarded, i'll the event of which he steals away as guardedly as he came
 But the Eskimo bridegroom knows no defeat. Having qualified himself with honors, he is bound to succeed, though days in hiding are the price he must pay for his bravery. The maiden will, sooner or later. come out of her home.
 The moment she does emerge therefrom he pounces upon her with as great a show of skill and dexterity as the cat falls on the mouse 1t is determined to seize
 Then he undertakes to carry her to his