Year: 1867

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Courtship in Greenland.


There is something exceedingly melan-
ancholy in the accounts which are given
of the custom OF courtship in Greenland.
Generally women enter upon the. blessed
estate with more willingness and less So
licitude than the men. The women of
Greenland are an exception TO this rule.
A Greenlander, having fixed his affections.
upon some female acqnaints his parents
with the state of his heart. They apply
to the parents of the girl, and if the par
ties thus far are agreed, the next proceed
ing is to appoint two female negotiators,
whose duty it is to broach the subject to
the yonng lady. The lady ambassadors
do not shock the young lady by any sud
den or abrupt avowal of the awful subject
of their mission. Instead of this they
launch out in praises of the gentleman
who seeks her hand. They speak of the
splendor of Lis house, the sumptuousness
of his courage in catching seals, and other
like accomplishments. The lady. pretend
ing 10 be atfronted even at these remote
hints, runs away, tearing the rinslets of
| her hair as she retirrs, while the ambass-
adors. having got the consent of her pa
rents, pursue her, drag her from her con-
cealment, take her by force to the house
of her destined husband, and there leave
her.


Compelled to remain there, she sits for
days with disheveled hair, silent and de-
Jected,. refusing every kind of sustenance,
till at last if kind entreaties do not pre-
vail, she is compelled by force, and even
blows TO submit TO to the detested union
In some cases, Greenland women faint at
the proposal of marriage in o hers, they
fly to the mountains, and only return when
compelled 10 by cold and hunger. If one
cuts off her hair, it is a sign that she in
tends to resist todeath, All this seems so
unnatural to us that we seek for reason
for such an apparent violation of the first
principles of human nature. The Green
land wife is the slave of her husband,
doomed to life of toll, drudgery and pri-
vation, and, if he die, she and her child
rem have no resource against starvation.
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GossIPING.-Stop it! Stop talking
about your neighbors, every one of you,
and get up series Of festivities of some
kind or turn your attention to something
else that will dispose of the idle hours
that Satan is supposed to monopolize.
There can be but little enjoyment in this
everlasting abuse of each other, and it
amounts 10 nothing except running the
req iutation of some innocent persons now
and then, which, although it may be con-
siderable, is poor compensation for the
energy displayed. Don't you see, if there
was any merit in this gossiping business,
that those who are the most jealous would
deserve the most credit and you all know
that these common carriers" are gene
rally despised. Who ever knew one Of
those news yenders, that stands ready
sponsor to every knock kneed baulting
that madam rumor brings forth, TO have
any friends, or get anything but curses for
her pains ? When you have deposited the
filth that you have been enabled to collect.
and are gone, your confidant turns round
and tattoos you with bad names, and in
dulses in unkind suspicion about you, that
are but poor pay for all you have sacri-
feed TO become go between. You neg
lee. your duties at home; lose your self
respect; become sneaking, social spy;
lay yourselves liable TO suspicious that our
modest pen leaves you to imagine, and
then get nothing for it but metaphorical
kicks from all good ople. Better stop
| it, and take stock in this new Women Suf-
frage business; circulate petitions; call
meeting-; and get up an excitement;
wear boomers and write poetry, or dispose
of your superabundant cussedness in some
way that will pay better than eossiping.
And you that are not quite SO far gone,
stop where you are, and if you have more
leisure than you can dispose of, then get
up some rational amusement-sing. dance
pay whist, skate or do anything else that
is sensible, but don't gossip, and for your
own sakes when one of these social dirt
gatherers calls TO empty her scavanger
at your feet, send down not at home,
in Italics Wabasha Herald.


Pure ARA little sink near a kiteb.
en- doorstep, inadver'antly formed, has
been known, although not exceeding in its
dimensions single square foot, to spread