South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1921-10-24
ROMANTIC ISLANDS
IN SOUTHERN SEAS
OWNED BY FRENCH
Land Area of Possessions
Small But Are Rich in Ro-
nance and Poetry.

OF commercial worth and military
advantage IN the Pacific, France has
accrued the islands OF romance and
poetry fact entirely in keeping
with national character. notes one Of
series OF bulletins from the head
quarters Of the National Gcogra phic
society dealing with the spheres Of
influence Of various world powers IN
Oceanica.
To France belong Tahiti and the
Marquesas group. immortalized By
Stevenson. Melville. and latterly pop
ularized by a rhapsodic coterle Of
South Sea writer's. She holds New
Caledonia. the largest island except
for New Zealand IN the south Pa
cIhc, and also large numbers Of the
smallest and least known OF the land
points that seem like tiny pan picks
on a map Of the vast ocean expanse
east Of Australia. All her posses
sions are south OF Australia, none OF
them. except the Marquesas group,
lies beyond parallels Of latitude
which pierce sydney and tho north
ernmos, point Of Australia.
Holdings In Three Zones.
a cataIog OF French holdings, by
able. and "a list OF them would mount
into the hundreds. Yet. exclusive Of
New Caledonia. the land area of all
the South Sea French possessions is
scarcely more than 1900 square
miles and they fall readily into three
zones. with a fOuth. New Hebridcs,
in which France divides sovereignty
with Great Britain.
Directly east Of Queensland, Aus
tralia. is the first Of these easily re-
membered zones, which is dominated
by mountainous New Caledonia,
Siberia OF the South Seas. both in
respect 10 its one time use as
penal colony. and in its future eco
nOmic promise. Within this first
circle OF French possession also are
the low-iying Loyalty islands. with
their Chrictianized Melanesian can
nibals; the Isle OF Pines. with its
coral caves and gaunt, sentinel-liko
trees: the barren Huons, and several
lesser groups.
Northwest of New Caledonia are
the New Hebrides Jointly admins
tered by France and Great Britain.
Recent years have brought many adj
venturers and colonists 10 the South
Seas. and the white population OF
many islands is extremely variable.
As recently as 1908 there were only
500 French settlers and fewer than
200 Englishmen in the New Hebri-
des. And the majority Of the latter
were missionaries.
siberia of the South Seas"
Since then New Hebrides has been
recognized as q land Of promise.
Both its beauty and its fertility have
\ been magnets for Europeans. Three
crops Of maize may be grown in
year. the coffee raised there Is es-
teemed highly. and nowhere else ex-
cept in the SolOmons are cOconuts
which spell copra commercially. so
prolific. The worst thing about the
island Is the native population.
Murderous treacnerous, wndictive
they are called. vet they have ono
virtue. that of honesty. even TO
scrupulous refusal 10 regard finding
as keeping when they pick up the
smallest trinket All such articles
are placed in the cleft of "a stick
and left for the owner TO recover
them.
Life for the native New Hebri-
sweet song. He is lazy and sensual
% an amazing degree. His neigh
bors on Tanna to the south. are re-
puted just as murderous, but much
more vigorous. because living is
harder 70 get. Two customs always
come 20 mind IN connection with the
New Hebrides people They wind
their babies head round and round
with cord and produce conical, or
eCC-shaped skull Thei wives plight
their roth, not with a wedding
ring but BY having two front teeth
Knocked out by older women.
Wallis Islands Unimportant.
As noted. the New Hcbrides zone"
lies northeast and contiguous 20 the
New Caledonia zone" and again
TO the northeast. but separated BY
the British-owned Fills, is rhe Wallis
archipelago. This archipelago Is the
second or the French circles OF zoneA
\ eastward from Australia.
The Wallis Islands have a total
area OF about 40 square miles and
fewer than 5000 Polynesians. mild
hammered and hard working, live on
them. To the south, IN this zone,
are the Horne Islands. with about
a fourth OF the people Of the Wallis
group.
Again moving eastward there lie
the last island groups before the vast
expanse OF almost unbroken ocean
between these French possessions
and South America. a great heart
pelagoes. Most numerous. and least
important or these groups. are the
Tuamotu or PaumOtu islands. North
OF the Tuamotu double chain are
the Marquesas. west OF them are
the Society Islands which include
beautiful Tahiti. and TO the south
west are the Tubuai Islands.
Chief Produce Is Romance.
About TAHITI and the Mnrquesas
books have multiplied amazingly
within the last year. Ii would seem
that after the war pRngs OF civiliza-
ton the human mind yearns for the
primitive simplicity OF savagery. The
experiences OF al artist were novel
ICED. the ell but forgotten classics
OF Melville have been revived, and
"reminiscences OF many casual travel
ers have been printed
Tahiti is the most important Of
the Society Islands. and from its
principal city. Papee<e, one may see
Morea Island. capped BY the stately
AIauaroa mountain. With its in
dustry OF pear fishing the famous
society Of the Areois. who cultivated
the arts and killed new born babies,
| and its Quit OF fire walkers the So
eiety Islands abound in the fascinat-
Ing and the frea kish.