Norwich bulletin., 1920-02-28
IN THE DAYS NEWS
Benin.

Archeoigists think that Benin, Afri- ca, may be a land where records of an earlier civilization than that of Esypt are to be found.
 "Whatever the antiquity of Benin. it's present day interest is scarcely to be surpassed" says a bulletin from the Washington, D. C., headquarters of the National Geographic Society.
 Here are to be found a people so benishted that until a quarter of a century ago, they put a taboo upon exportation of all their products ex-f cept palm oil, and practiced human sacrifice to an appalling extent; yet so advanced that they knew the pro- cesses of weaving, and the arts of carving and metal work long before the white man came.
 "Concerning an early attempt to Christinize the Beni there is a story of tragic human appeal. Portuguese missionaries were working on the out skirts of the Benin country. which lies west of the Niger, in what now is the British protectorate of South ern Nieeria The Benin monarch heard of these activities, and sent word that in exchange for one white he would enroll all his subjects in the Christian church. member of the ststerhood volunteered to accept the 1 hand of His sable Majesty, and he is said to, have treated her most kindly, though her sacrifice wrought no appreciable change in the native relision.
 "The high cost of clothes bothers the Benin boy and girl not at all. for they wear none, in token of allegiance to their king. When the king provides a youth with clothes he becomes a cit izen and usually with the bestowal of the clothes the king also selects for him a wife, in token of his maturi-
 tY, The man may choose as many ad- ditional wives as he wishes, and can
 support A woman may not wear
 clothes until they are presented by l their husband.
 Obviously, then, the clothing prob , lem in Benin is one that only the ' bachelor maid need worry about-but ! for her it may be a serious matter, i indeed. Naturally, under such econ i onic presslide, and with polygamy 1 permitted, there are few old maids in l Benin. h Even the undraped maid of Benin i does rot rely alone on natural charms ! A fashion reported at a Benin sub-de- butante ball would have plenty to
 write about concerning the seasons
 fashions in necklaces of eeral, often l exquisitely carved, arm rings of iron
 or copper, spiral puttee-1iko bands of ! metal On the legs and copper rings
 that crowd the fingers.
 Less esthetic. though, is the native i habit of cutting the body, and fre- l quently the fact, to denote tribal mem- ! bership-a self inflicted practice sug- 1 gestive of the branding of cattle or
 our western plains.
 l "Thoroh poygany is practiced al
 most | z ersally, infidelity is punish
 able by death. Of the upper classes
 one traveller said that he never hat
 met with any black princes so sen
 sibIe and well informed as these men
 who had so noble and commanding al 1 appearancel' In some parts of Benil his religion will not permit the nativ
 to strike a white man, but poisonin. is resorted to instead. Most explorer have attested to the kindness and generosity of the natives, also to thei
 light fingered qualities, and all agre that to infringe upon their religion , beliefs is sure route to the sacri
 fcial crosses where human crufxion practiced by the wholesale.
 'HThe use of the present tense in al
 that has been said about Benin wa , wholly justified until 1897. when, be cause of the massacre of Europeans, British expedition was sent fror Gwato, the port city of the Beni country, to Benin city, 25 miles in , land Since then the fanatical sacri fees have been virtually eliminated and native practices that violate civ l i!i1 ed ideas modified. But enough ( ] tho old time customs remain unaltere to afford an unusual opportunity t , study primitive civilization in many ( it smost vivid, interesting and signfh f cant aspects"