Pueblo chieftain., 1921-03-15
By Frederic ]. Haskin.

Washington, u. c.. March E,-Thou-
.ands OF wealthy persons are now
booking trips to Hawaii and a good
many to Tahiti and other South Sea
Islands. These places of which you
seldom heard n few years ago, are
now in all the prints. Numerous books
are written about them. Pictures OF
them are painted. They are the fad.
And tho romantic element in each Of
these placcs--the real center OF inter
cst-is "A native population which still
wears picturesque clothes and follows
picturesque native customs. The civ
ilizod man seems suddenly to have dis
covered that the primitive man Is an
Interesting chap worth knowing for
his own sake
When you come TO think about It.
this attitude toward tho Tahitians and
tho Hawaiians Is probably the begin
ming OF a great change In tho attitude
of civilization toward savagcry. only
consider what the attitude toward the
savage has been in the past. First he
must bc conquered Every savage or
primitive people on the face OF tho
globe has been moro or less shot up
by some civilized nation. Then tho
savage must be civilized. He must
no given clothes and religion. He must
bc taught to farm and make change.
Incidentally he has nearly always been
introduced to ~hiskcy, morphine. CO.
pcrqusitcs of civilization.
Tho civilizing process has been al
most as hard on tho savage as being
conquered. Tho classic case of the
Hawaiians who vcro Iduccd by the
missionaries to wear clothes, with the
result that they all caught cold and
many OF them died. is typical. II may
be said that almost no part OF civiliza-
ton has really bcncntcd tho savage.
iio simply isn't ready for 1t. His only
hope Of survival is to he allowed to go
on being n savage In peace And that
is what at last the civilized man sccris
Inclined to let him do.
The Cas- of GauEuin
I. really seems TO hc the artist who
has como to tho rescue OF the savage.
Take the case OF Tahiti. Some years
ago French painter named Gauruiu
went to that remote island. lie stayed
there tho rest OF his life living with the
native. and painting them. He be-
came famous. Hc suddenly called tho
attention OF the civilized world TO tnr
fact that the Tahitians were n most
picturesque and beautiful people. who
should be preserved AZ they are. like
any other wonderful nature. not con-
vcrtcd into commonplace civilized pcr-
sons Then Somerset Vaughan. an
/ English novelist. wrote n novel based
on tho life or GauEuin. and in this he
! told most effectively how the great ar
ti-t. battered by tho uglincss OF com
morcialism. had found beauty and
peace In tho tropical island Third
camo another artist in words Fred
criclS O'Bricn. and whoto n book about
/ Tahiti and noiEhboring islands which
| was ono Of the most popular travel
/ books over written. In effect all three
Of these artists were apologists for the
savage as he is. They said in the first
4 al. -. - A..
icresttng fellow. who is not bothcrinE
anyone. and who ought to be allowed
TO live his life MS he plcasrs both for
his own sake and for that OF the rest
OF humanity. In tho second place.
these artists intimatcd that perhaps
civilization iH not such a blessed thing
as ii is cracked up to bc-that possibly
tho civilized man could oven learn
something about the art OF living from
tho savage. Such a thought would
have bccn considered insane n Ecncr-
alton ago. To-day Il is merely re-
sardeJ as mildly hcrctical
The now and thriving science OF an
thropology also comes to tho support
OF tho artists in this contention. The
apthropologists have been studying
primitive man with unusual zeal. They
md that in some respects at least hc
may bo considered tho superior OF tho
civilized man. For instance tho prim-
ltlNc man mas bcttcr sense OF beauty.
HIS pottery. his wosNinEs, his dwell
ings. his dances. his ceremonies arc
all picturesque and often Of high ar
tis.ic merit. In civilization tho real
appreciation OF beauty seems to be
limited to a very few. Tho majority of
| us have lost all taste. The things We
| use and wear, tho houses wo live in
our dances. and ceremonies arc for
tho most part ugly and often even gro
| tCsquc.
Nose Rings md Iobbic skirt.
ono woman scientist, Elsie Cicws
Parsons. has gono still further and
shown that most OF the queer beliefs
| customs. taboos and supcrstitions Of
| primitive life. which We ridiculc, sur
vivc in sone form in civilization. Shc
has shown that tho huhhlo skirt Is a
worry near relation to tho nose ring
Some of our lively parties" are saN.