Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1911-01-11
DIVORCE IN ISLANDS
IED-ES" c.V-Y rs-S yn E!SiTS
OF CHILDREN.
Vixen a sc"ara:ion Of an Igarrote
Coupls Is '-cvitahIe, Both the Hus.
band a"d Wife Share Equal
" the Property.

III you women want equal rights,
-" better 20 out to Luzon." The man
cn' the Philippines had been listen
l. { TO the militant suffragist for the
it"s hour and Il half and had just got
IL MS word. UP in the province of
teiguet there, where the little Igar-
"c',s live, they've got It down to
=" roint. Remarkable people those
mountain savages
They've already settled a lot Of
things our Socialist friends are trying
now to get the rest of us advanced
en"' gh to accept They're so progress.
sivc in these things that they're clear
bacH at the beginning again. For in.
stance, they've got George Mercdith's
{; n-Eear trial marriage beat by a one
year eriment. It's very success.
ful. too. And divorce-that's the sim.
plcst thing in the world with them
and quite fair to the woman, too
1T doesn't happen very often. but
when II does the community steps III
to see that there's fair play The
buknans, or chiefs, act as judges in
the matter; not to decide whether
they have right to part that's en-.
lrely personal matter for them to
scttle-but to see that there's Il fair
division Of the children ana the prop.
erty. There was divorce case on
while | was up there in funny little
village of wooden huts. perChed up
higher In the mountains than ever the
pines care to climb.
The couple were separating on the
score Of incompatability--yes they're
progressive enough for that-and as
the land up so high is pretty arid Il
didn't take long to- go into the prop.
erty question. There were four chill
dren. so that was all right, too
don't know what would bppren if
there were three or five In such n
case; perhaps they'd resort to a Solo
mon Judgment.
AT any rate. the hitch came In the
question Of the house. There was
only one OF 1t and naturally both
needed II. or course, you think the
man should have given way, but won.
ans equality is too absolute out there
to Lave any nonscnsical notions about
chivnlry
well. It ended quite peaceably. at
any rate In their honcymooning days
th"y mad built the house together, so
now they simply repeated the perform.
anc" with equal labor. hanging . G..
ond little wooden hut with q shagg
ROOF over th"ir perpendicular cOmotc
bed. Whether they were reunited by
this reminder Of tloir youth and early
love Is more than can say. though, Of
course. that's the proper sequel TO the
tale.
The women have the same indie
pendent rights of earning money or
food as the men and they 20 about II
In the same. way You can see them
any day d.gginS up the sweet pota.
toes that grow In little patches all
over IT." mountain ridges, or wadiur
waist d" = In the mucky rice fed
mat teriac" the slopes or climbing ur
tn" Fatha with Il loaded wicker cage
on their backs IKE any man DOlIsta.
Sometimes II is father and some.
times mother who looks after TN,
house after the hOuscwork and the fat.
naked babi"s-somciimcs the Iear
family dogs II all dcrends on which
member OF the household is the tired
est--that one gets the easy work foi
awhile. It's very pretty to see the
way baby girl IS welcomed into n
family Her Igarrote parents are quite
as delighted WITH her rs II she were n
boy-therc's no disadvantage to her IN
her sex; that II. as far as her people
are concerned"