The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1943-04-08
Natives Of
Samoa Most
Generous
Have No Understanding
OF What Private
Property Means.
KINDLY, COURTEOUS,
QUICK TO LEARN

QOllh IL LChnN
Would it be happy land in
which your neighbor felt entirely
free to help himself to anything you
possessed and on the other hand,
you would feel equally free to help
yourself to anything your neigh
Dor called his own? Would it be
enjoyable to live among people who
have no word for private, where
there is no privacy, and where there
is reilly no understanding of the
term private property as the white
man understands it?
Well, whatever your answer may
be, that is one of the outstanding
characteristics of the happy, low
able and generous people of the
Samoan islands as pictured by Ser
geant Fred Metzger of the u. S.
marines who recently returned to
Libby on sick leave after having
served in the islands from 1910 un-
til few weeks ago.
Wanted Marines Bicycles
I'VE had lot of trouble in keep
ing those fellows from stealing our
bicycles" said Sergeant Metzger,
.but we finally made some prog
ress. The white man would call
their admiration of our bikes as
stealing but one can hardly apply
that word to the Polynesian. Their
idea of property is SO different from
ours. never saw q more affection
ate or more generous people. a
friend is perfectly welcome to any
thing they have Take it and use
it if you want to-that apparently
is their philosophy And the OPP
posite is likewise true. The Poly
nesian acts freely on the idea that
since anything he has is yours for
the taking likewise anything you
may possess is his for the taking
They simply do not understand the
meaning of privacy or private prop
erty as the white man has con-
ceived it for ages. For that rea-
son it is hardly fair to call them
thieves when they make way with
something of yours that they may
desire.
Deeply Religious
another characteristic of these
happy people is that they are very
religious" continued Sergeant
Metzger. Il don't believe | ever
saw any of them sit down to meal
without first offering thanks. They
also have their morning devotion
ais at time of arising and evening
prayers for about an hour every
night before going to bed. Catholic,
Church of England and few other
missionaries have worked among
them for years and they are really
deeply religious.
THE people Of Samoa-the orig
inal Polynesians-ar very intelli-
gent and have keen minds. They
learn very easily and take ITO mill
tary training rapidly. The navy
conducts schools there, and all OF
the natives can read and write
their own language, which is easy to
learn. It only has % letters.
would say that 90 per cent of the
adults can speak English well
enough to conduct a conversation.
Some Of them are highly educated,
being graduates of the university at
Hawaii or of one at New Zealand.
Learn Quickly
'sAs an example of their quick
ness irel learning. have seen the
navy unload heavy machinery there
to be Used in construction work,
such as bulldozers, road maintain
ers and similar machinery This
was type of machinery the natives
had never seen before yet they
would be operating them expertly
within a few weeks. They seem tc
like that work and take to it rapid
ly, And they are wonderful work
ers if you can really get them tc
work. But life has always been sc
easy for them, Mother Nature has
supplied them with nearly every.
thing they need, and there is quite {
streak of what might be called lazi.
ness. But many of them do develop
into fine workers.
1.-THE native Samoans of today
have very nice dwellings. Many o
them are quite artistic, with Won
derful wood carvings. They alst
excel in mat weaving. The Poly
nesian life is based on the famil,
and everything is grouped arount
that foundation. The grandfathe
or oldest male member of the fam
lily rules it in a patriarchal way ant
the others look to him for ,advic
and council. They have very larg
families, with from eight to 20 chill
dren, but the death rate is high an,
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