Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1911-01-14
DIVORCE IN ISLANDS
"IGDcCS" ccLY PASS Srt RISHTS
OF CHILDREN.
When a Separation Of an Iearrote
Couple Is Inevitable, Both the Hus-
band and Wife Share Equal
Iy the Property.

III you women want equal rights.
Ecu better so out to Luzon." The man
from the Philippines had been listen
Ing to the militant suffragist for the
last hour and half and had just got
IN his word. up in the province of
Eenguet there, where the little Igar-
rot's live. they've got II down to a
I've point. Remarkable people those
mountain savages.
They've already settled lot of
things our Socialist friends are trying
now to get the rest of us advanced
cno' gh TO accept. They're so progres.
sive in these things that they're clear
back at the beginning again. For in
stance, they've got George Meredith's
tcn-year trial marriage beat by one
year experiment. It's very success.
ful. too. And divorce-that's the SIM
plest thing In the world with them
and quite fair to the woman, too.
ut doesn't happen very often. but
when 1t does the community steps in
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-
tirely personal matter for them to
settle-but to see that there's fair
division Of the children ami the prop.
erty. There was a divorce case on
while ! was up there. in a funny little
village Of wooden huts. pcrchcd up
higher In the mountains than ever the
pines care to climb.
THE couple were separating on the
score OF incompatability-ye they're
progressive enough for that-and as
the land up so high Is pretty arid 1t
dlont 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 happen If
there were three or f1ve In such a
case; perhaps they'd resort to 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 1t. or course. you think the
man should have given way, but wom-
ans equality is too absolute out there
10 have any nonsensical notions about
chivalry.
We'll. 1t ended quite peaceably, at
any rate. In their honeymooning days
they had built the house together. so
now they simply repeated the perform
ance with equal labor, hanging u f. C..
ond little wooden hut with q shaggy
roof over their perpendicular comote
bed. Whether they wore reunited by
thiS rpminhpr nf not
love is more than | can say. though. OF
course. that's the proper sequel TO tho
tale
The women have the same indie.
pendent rights of earning money or
lood as the men and they 20 about It
In the same way. You can see them
any day 8ging up the sweet pota.
toes that grow In little patches all
over IN" mountain ridges. or wadIng
Wais; deep in the mucky rice fields
that terrace the slopes or climbing up
the paths with a loaded wicker cage
on their backs like any man pOlista.
Sometimes It Is father and some.
time5 mother who looks after the
house after tn" housewOrk and the fat
naked babi' s--sometimes the lean
family dogs. It all depends on which
member Of the household is the tired.
"s,~-ihat one gets the easy work for
awhile. It's very pretty to see the
W." baby girl Is welcomed into n
family Her Igarrote parents are quite
AZ de GIFTED with her ~ II she were n
boy-there's no disadvantage to her in
her sex: that II. az far as her people
are concerned"