The Daily Missoulian., 1918-04-25
Sure Cure for Washers Brought
TO America From South Sea
Daring United States Woman
Adventurer, Back From
Cannibal Islands, Ready to
Introduce Bachelor Ia
boo" Against Women Og-
lers as It Is Practiced in
Solomon Jungles.
BY JACK JUNGMEYER.

San Francisco. April "A. This
promises to be a hard season for the
strcet-corner gallants.
Mrs. Osa Johnson is preparing to in
troducc into this country the dread
ful cure against mashers practiced by
the cannibals of the South Seas.
II is the Bachelor Taboo" support
cd by dire punishments.
Mrs. Johnson has just returned after
IL years wandering in the Solomons
New Hehrides and adjacent groups,
where she and her husband hunted hu-
man big game in the jungle with the
motion picture camera
She is the first white woman to
have penetrated many OF the forbid
den cannibal districts, and to bring
out weird rites Of those shadowed
lands.
TN the islands we visited" said
Mrs. johnson whose appearance was a
seven-day wonder among the savages
laws are enforced by the wide spread
taboo
Spite is wreaked through it. Love
is largely controlled by it, In fact,
the entire life OF the native is subject
to taboo'-the thou shalt not of
these savage people.
Il hadn't been there an hour before
! bumped into IT,
Il couldn't enter a canoe, because
that was taboo for women, | had to
be carried across streams because wad-
ing was forbidden. / had to stay on
certain sides Of village streets for the
same reason.
In fact the men have a sort Of un
written law which goes, Spare the ia
boo and spoil the women And the
women retaliate in kind Both thcr
wash their hands of further RESPONSE
bility. leaving enforcement largely t,
the devil-devils that haunt the land.
i wish. we could transport some Of
onr mashers, our street corner gal.
lants. to those islands and have tn,
Bachelor taboo placed upon them
It's bitter medicine, but very effective
"Thousands OF savage men live i.
lifetime in thes brush, away. from IN,
villages, forhidden to even look at !;
woman. Some are .fffus afflicted by ia
boo at birth. Others Warrant 1t a,
they grow into manhood
FOR oiisfni,fs d Sasvr.asEsens woul,
have to be reckoned with, Or If the,
did put one over on Il doing devil
devil. the, maintenance of tradition
would demand forfeiture OF their life
The poor fellows NOPE around il
the jungle outside the villages an,
make the best OF their alot. though
suspect they do steal a glance at In
ebony bellies of the Jungle once in
while. Sort Of peeping Toms of tn
Dush-if they can square it with thei
demons
These life bachelors organize club
and have their smokers and gossi
TESTS, tearing their more fortunate fel
lows regulations to shreds-very mucl
after the fashion of our own ertmp,
woman hating clubmen In their pala
tial retreats.
Il felt rather sorry for them, espe
cially when they couldn't look at tn
only white woman they'll probab
ever have chance to sec"
Mrs. johnson, %. petite and easy t
look at chnckled reminiscently.
1T was lugubrious" she resumed. II
watch them trying to make their eye
behave when my husband and | pho
tographed some OF these tabooed ont
casts.
Others, however, gav" the self RS
TEEN OF my sex il rude shock. Tho
actually seemed happy in their hachrl
orhood and probably were glad fat
had driven .he Ewes of their garden ou
of their ken.
NO errands to run, no spring nose
Plugs to buy, no floor waii1in~ wit
crying children. no nranglrs wit
neighhors over trnspaSein1 chickens
nothing to do but sleep .ua fish au
shake the cocnanut tree.
The women of NmCri,l tnin.. -l.-