South Australia and the gold colony of Victoria never were penal

settlements. The deficiency of respectable young women was very much felt

by the colonists, and the home government made many well-intentioned

efforts to supply the want. A large number of young women went out from

Great Britain, under the charge of matrons and medical officers, and, in

the majority of cases, their arrival was hailed with great satisfaction.

It was no unusual thing for a young man, a settler far away up the

country, to come down to the government depôts at Adelaide or Melbourne on

the arrival of a female emigrant ship, and then and there to pick out his

partner for life. Of course, the greater number were hired out to service

by the colonists, and, in the order of events, passed from service to

independence. Parental care and precaution were exercised by the

authorities over the young women thus sent abroad. They were not allowed

to hire into dram-shops or lodging-houses: the parties who hired them

required to be known: they had liberty to remain at the depôt for some

months if not suited, and for any length of time in case of sickness on

arrival; and afterward, during good conduct, the depôt was an asylum for

an indefinite length of time. Notwithstanding all these safeguards, there

was a constant supply of prostitution. The good intentions of the

emigration commissioners in London were too frequently neutralized by the

depraved character of officers of the vessels in which females were sent,

or by the interested conduct of the local authorities in England. A good

reputation was essential to the intending emigrant, but frequently masters

of work-houses and parish officers shipped off unworthy or troublesome

characters, who were better got rid of at any price.

During the gold mania, prostitution in Australia was rampant. The enormous

gains and flaunting extravagance were a great temptation to young women

who could not readily suit themselves with situations, and who disliked

the moderate restraints of the depôt. The persuasive arts of the procuress

and brothel-keeper were not wanting. It was a singular fact that at one

time all the public vehicles were owned by brothel-keepers. The profits of

these joint callings were perfectly fabulous. It was an every-day sight to

see a party of prostitutes in the most gaudy costumes parading the streets

in open carriages. Indeed, it was generally understood to be part of their

contract that they should have unlimited clothing, of the most garish

colors and style, and expensive material, and also Sunday rides in open

carriages. The police authorities did what they could to check this

shameful display, but they were powerless before the reckless extravagance

of the miners and the influx of women. It is believed that this excess has

now toned down, and miners having taken to buying land and to marriage,

order is once more resuming sway, and prostitution in the gold colonies,

though not at an end, is much shorn of its public show and display.

POLYNESIA.

The principal groups of the Polynesian Islands are the Society, Friendly,

Samoan, Sandwich, and Marquesas. These last have been rendered famous of

late years by Mr. Hermann Melville's Typee and Omoo.

The South Sea Islands were usually depicted in the most glowing colors by

early navigators. The lands were the fairest on earth's surface; the

climate was unsurpassed, combining the genial warmth of the tropics with

the fresh breezes of ocean; the soil spontaneously bringing forth in

luxuriant abundance the loveliest and most valuable vegetable productions;

and, finally, the inhabitants were fitted both in person and disposition

to tenant such an Eden.

It is easy to comprehend the frame of mind which led to these

descriptions. The seaman, after wandering over the pathless ocean, with

only the dark waste of waters in view, might well recognize a paradise in

the green hills and shady groves of the islands of the Pacific, and angels

in their dusky denizens. But these pictures were eminently fallacious: the

virtues of savage life disappear on close acquaintanceship. Implacable

ferocity among themselves; sanguinary and exterminating warfare;

cannibalism; unbounded licentiousness and its concomitants of unnatural

lust and lasciviousness; debasing and horrid idolatry; infanticide; the

most grinding tyranny of the strong over the weak, and of the man over the

woman, who is not permitted to live in the same dwelling, eat the same

food, cook at the same fire, or even use the same dish as her lord and

master: these enormities are the ordinary conditions of savage life. Some

local modifications may be found, but such were the main incidents in

Polynesian life and character.

It is true that in the first instance the natives received the whites with

all friendship, and evinced toward their visitors much hospitality and

gentleness of demeanor. This is to be attributed to the wonder and

reverence with which they regarded foreigners, looking on them as superior

beings of another sphere, and awestruck at their wonderful powers, at the

astonishing engines they wielded and managed, and at their unknown

attributes. But familiarity lessened respect; some ill-advised and

unjustifiable tyranny brought out the offensive points of savage

character, and theft, treachery, and murder were soon practiced as freely

against the whites as against each other whenever fear of consequences

did not restrain them. The murder of Captain Cook and the attack on La

Perouse were remarkable cases on account of the boldness of the savages,

and the public loss in the death of the great navigator, but they were not

isolated outrages. Many a small and feebly-manned vessel perished among

the islands, and, on repeated occasions, when landings were effected, the

mariners ran great risks from the uncertain despotism of the natives.

Whatever may have been their other qualities, either among themselves or

in their intercourse with foreigners, licentiousness was the universal

characteristic of the South Sea Islanders. It was not merely polygamy or

excess among a few of the more powerful members of the community, but the

ordinary habit among all classes. Chastity, whenever met with, was not a

customary part of woman's life, but only an incident dependent on

particular circumstances; in fact, an abnormal condition. It was

associated with either marriage or betrothal. A peculiar institution of

all these islanders was the _tapu_ or _taboo_, a semi-religious ceremony

performable either by priest or chief, whereby places, persons, or

property could be rendered unapproachable by other than the lawful owner.

The breach of this law has always been the greatest violation of propriety

and public feeling of which a native or foreigner could be guilty. When

young girls were betrothed at an early age, either to boys of

corresponding years or to older persons, such females were _tabooed_. This

insured chastity until they had reached a marriageable age. As this

betrothal system was almost exclusively confined to chiefs, it follows

that the obligation to chastity was very limited. The farther inference

would be, that chastity was associated rather with property in the female

than propriety in the woman.

Another institution of the South Sea Islanders was that of the _Areoi_.

These were a body of men and women banded together for certain purposes,

which had originally been of a religious character. They had probably been

once _Obi_ men, medicine-men, or wizards, as among the negroes and

Indians. The custom, so often observable among heathen nations, of

incorporating amusements and festivities into religious rites, had been

taken up by these Areoi, and in process of time they degenerated into mere

mimes or buffoons, and yet preserved to themselves by prescriptive right

all the immunities and privileges otherwise accorded to priests. They

traveled about from place to place, and sometimes from island to island.

Their observances yet retained a trace of their religious origin, inasmuch

as they commenced with a sacrifice to the gods, after which they

entertained the people with theatrical performances, in which obscene

songs and lascivious dances formed the chief features. They gave dialogues

and recitations, in which they freely satirized all classes, not excepting

the priests. They were every where gladly received, and had a right to

free quarters wherever they stopped. It is said the members were usually

the handsomest of both sexes, the women being the most profligate among

the inhabitants. Tradition maintained that these persons had been

originally incorporated by the gods, and that one of their rules was

perpetual celibacy, and that they should have no descendants. This, though

it might perhaps in the outset have been a prohibition intended for pure

purposes, has ended in the perversion of such an intention. In their

present condition, whether degenerate or not, the inhibition is not taken

to exclude them from sexual intercourse and enjoyment, but from its

natural consequences. Their lives were accordingly most abandoned, and

abortion and infanticide were invariably practiced. Nor were their

enormities confined to their own body: after their representations the

wildest excesses were perpetrated in all quarters. Resistance or

retaliation was impossible by the sufferer, on account of the fear these

wretches excited by the mysterious powers with which they were accredited,

and which were, in reality, the secret affiliations of all the bands.[362]

When performing, the Areoi painted their bodies black and their faces

scarlet; they wore dresses of bright-colored plants and flowers. They were

divided into several classes, named after some particular ornament; and,

taking into account the subordinate members of the troops and the

attendants who performed the menial offices, they must have been

exceedingly numerous. Places were specially built for their reception, and

for the greater convenience of their representations.[363]

Candidates for admission into their number were received by secret

ceremonies akin to the mysteries of paganism. Solemnities intended to awe

the vulgar were performed, and the idea of special reservation of the

blessings of a future elysium to these deceivers was promulgated and

believed.

The existence of such organized societies could not but be in the highest

degree subversive to all order and decency. Accordingly, when the

missionaries first arrived, they found the general depravity of morals the

greatest difficulty they had to encounter. Obscenity, libidinousness, and

incontinence were so ingrafted into the very nature of the people that

they seemed almost ineradicable. Accordingly, we find it narrated of an

intelligent convert that he expressed his conviction that "the people

ought to be induced to discontinue infanticide, human sacrifice, and demon

worship, but that preservation of female virtue and Christian marriage

would never be obtained."[364]

The Society Islands are said to have been formerly proverbial, even in

Polynesia, for the licentiousness which is still remarkably prevalent

among them. The missionary regulations have apparently mitigated the

evils, and they have succeeded in establishing laws on the subject, which

are not, however, binding upon strangers. The foreigners who come to these

islands, while denouncing the conduct of the inhabitants, are too often

the chief instigators to vice, and, finding themselves checked in their

misconduct, they vent their disappointment on the missionaries.

The foreign influences at work in these islands are of a two-fold nature;

one striving for the improvement of the natives, and the inculcation of

virtuous principles, and the encouragement or enforcement of virtuous

practices; the other including all the base and sordid passions and

motives of seamen and whalers bent on the reckless enjoyment of the

passing hour; of traders and adventurers eager in quest of gain; and among

the worst specimens of runaway seamen, and even convicts from the

Australian settlements. All these influences combine to check the

advancement of the natives.

The beauty of the women in these islands has been much exaggerated.

Commodore Wilkes says,[365] "I did not see among them a single woman whom

I could call handsome. They have, indeed, a certain sleepiness about the

eyes which may be fascinating to some, but I should rather ascribe the

celebrity which their charms have acquired among navigators to their

cheerfulness and gayety." Others, who visit them with equally cool

judgment, tell us that they were disappointed in their appearance, for

"there were few who could be called handsome; nevertheless, they had

eminent feminine graces, their manners being affable and engaging, their

step easy and graceful, their behavior free and unguarded, their temper

mild, gentle, and unaffected, slow to take offense, easily pacified,

seldom retaining resentment or revenge, whatever the provocation."[366]

There can be no doubt that their demeanor was winning and affable, and

their conduct sportive and playful. Their industry was not very great, the

few wants of the islanders being amply supplied by nature. The women

prepared the poe from the bread-fruit and the ava, and, till Europeans

introduced the hog, this was their usual diet, if we except the cannibal

feasts of the warriors, in which the women took no part. The female

occupations were weaving flowers and grasses into garlands and mats. Their

chief amusement was paddling the canoe or sporting in the surf, for all

the islanders took to the water, and the women were, perhaps, from the

greater buoyancy of their persons, better swimmers than the men. Before

the arrival of the missionaries, it was customary for the women to swim

out to a ship and swarm on board, where scenes of debauchery and indecency

commenced, lasting as long as the vessel lay in the harbor, and the

fascination of which worked so powerfully on the excited passions of the

seamen that desertions and mutiny were continually occurring.

The earliest intercourse of whites has never yet been beneficial to the

untutored savage, and, had these occurrences only taken place on board the

ships of foreigners, it might have been laid to the account of foreign

corruption. But this was not the case. The gains derivable from the white

men's visits might give profligacy a greater zest for both sexes of the

natives, for indiscriminate intercourse was a time-worn institution ere

yet the European came.

The South Sea Islanders are no exception to the general rule of keeping

their women in a subordinate and inferior condition. A chief is sometimes

_taboo_, and his women may not approach him; he may see them when he

pleases; at all times the woman is in bondage. Those of the chief live in

separate apartments from their master, and are not permitted to associate

with him on equal terms excepting when the female is of high blood. In

this case she is perfectly independent, can exercise the same powers as

her husband, and in some particulars can even throw off her allegiance to

him.

Polygamy was, and still is, practiced among the chiefs. Even where

missionary influences have been successful, the chiefs look upon the

abolition of polygamy as a most objectionable innovation. They look back

to their past liberty with regret, and can not understand why they are

restricted to one wife. Polygamy could, of course, only be practiced by

the powerful at the expense of the weak. Already, from various causes

operating among savages there was a preponderance of males over females,

rendered still more great by polygamy. This again depreciated female

virtue, justifying illicit intercourse to those who lived in forced

celibacy, and in its consequences came concealment and infanticide. To

such an extent was illicit intercourse carried, that some writers assert

that no girl ever reached the age of puberty a virgin. The nature of the

marriage bond is very uncertain. The husband could get rid of the wife at

pleasure. There seems to have been a slight distinction between marriage

and concubinage. Most of these social institutions are extended over all

the islands alike, with very few local differences. Infanticide, for

example, has been practiced in most of the islands, but not invariably so.

At Tutuila,[367] one of the Samoan group, it had never obtained.

Circumcision was common among most of the natives.

Among the Samoans the women are treated with consideration.[368] The men

do all the hard work, even to cooking, while the women perform only

in-door labor, attend to the children, and prepare the food for the fire.

In the Sandwich Islands there is no such chivalrous sentiment. At the

arrival of the missionaries there were no marriage institutions among

them. The only laws were such as to regulate somewhat their

licentiousness. There were traditions to show that at some past time,

before the discovery of the island, the marriage tie had been held in

respect by the natives, and that the marriage ceremony had been an

important one. At present, personal chastisement of the wife by her

husband is not infrequent, and it is spoken of by them as a matter of

course.

The relations of parents to children differed much at different periods.

The Samoans seem to have been the most observant of moral obligations and

natural ties. Among them it was the usage of the mothers to suckle the

children for several years, and to bring them up with great care and

attention, so much so that a crippled child was sometimes discreditable as

evincing a degree of culpable carelessness in the mother.

The Society and Sandwich Islanders, whose lives were habitually dissolute,

shunned all trouble which interfered with their freedom of intercourse,

and children were considered especially burdensome. Infanticide prevailed

to a frightful extent among them, and, as if the ordinary dissoluteness of

the people had not been ample inducement to this most flagitious crime,

the tyranny of the rulers invented a poll-tax, in whose operation children

over ten were included. The poorer inhabitants of these blissful regions,

who already felt the rod of oppression too severely, found in this an

additional motive to child-murder. But in its operation it was even more

cruel than infanticide, for many children who had been suffered to live

were put to death as they approached the period when they would be liable

to taxation. The murder was consummated sometimes by the parents, at times

mercifully, and at times horribly. There were a class of persons who

practiced child-murder professionally.

In the Samoan group the girls are often early betrothed, without reference

to years, the girl being taboo until of marriageable age. During the

intervening period the bridegroom accumulates property. The marriage

festival is held with all circumstances of uproar and debauchery, and the

guests stay as long as there is any thing to eat. The consummation of the

marriage and the virginity of the bride are published by the proofs

required in the Jewish law.

When a man in this group wishes to take a wife, he must ask the chief's

consent. This obtained, he presents to the girl of his choice a basket of

bread-fruit, by accepting which she accepts the donor. The husband then

pays the parents a sum of money for her, according to her rank and

estimation; sometimes the courtship is to the family, without consulting

the girl, who is expected to conform to her parents' will in the matter.

A Samoan may repudiate his wife and marry again on certain conditions, but

the woman may not leave her husband without his consent.

Adultery among the Samoans was formerly punished by death, and the

marriage vow is strictly observed by them. It is considered highly

discreditable for a young woman to form a connection with a native before

marriage, although temporary intercourse with a foreigner is not

considered objectionable. It may be that such a distinction is in

compliment to the conceded superiority of the white; but the explanation

of a chief would rather put the question on convenience than morality,

for he objected to native young men as always hanging about the premises,

and attaching themselves to the young woman, whereas the foreigner gave

his presents and sailed away when the period of his stay was ended,

leaving the object of his choice free again.

The Marquesas Islands have a singular institution, similar to one

prevalent among the ancient Lacedæmonians. A woman has more than one

husband. This has been called polyandrism, but it does not seem precisely

such. A wife of a young warrior unknown to fame is honored by the advances

of a more distinguished individual, by whom children may be begotten. The

superior chief takes the wife and her lawful husband under his protection

and into his hut.

The population of some of the districts in the Sandwich Islands is rapidly

decreasing. By a register kept in Hawaii, it appears there are three

deaths to one birth. This disproportion is attributed to low habit of

body, the consequence of venereal disease. Syphilis was introduced into

these islands by Cook's expedition, and the whole of the natives in some

districts are now said to be reduced to a morbid, sickly state, many of

the women being incapable of child-bearing, and but few of the children

attaining maturity.

There are other concurrent causes to contribute toward this decay, among

which the difference of food, and the introduction of clothing, and

consequent diminution of ablution among a people who spent half their

lives in the water, are not unimportant; but the district of Hanapepe,

where the decrease was most rapid, was that in which the virus was first

introduced, and here it is still most virulent in its action and effects.

Whatever the causes, the same effect is in powerful operation, though not

to the same depopulating extent, in other places. At Waialua, in 1832, the

population was 2640; in 1835 it had fallen to 2415. There had been no war

nor epidemic. It was the ordinary condition of the people. Sterility and

abortion are considered the most potent causes. Abortion is very common,

and there are cases in which women have had six or seven, and sometimes

ten in as many years, and no children.[369]

Personal and mutual abuse had been much practiced in early life among the

settlers, and is a cause of sterility.

Previous to 1840, infanticide was, as we have shown, common. But here, as

elsewhere, the marriage regulations which have been enforced by the

missionaries and adopted by the converted natives are already operating in

a reactionary manner against the decrease of population, and infanticide

is almost unknown. The poll-tax for children over ten years of age has

been repealed, and in its stead premiums are given for rearing large

families of legitimate children.

It is admitted by all that licentiousness prevails extensively among the

people even at present, but to a far less degree than formerly, when

promiscuous intercourse was universal. Men were living with several wives,

and _vice versa_. All improvement in this respect is to be ascribed to the

labors of Christian missionaries. To them the Sandwich Islanders owe their

moral code, and the enactment of laws respecting marriage, as well as

their political institutions.

The observance of outward morality and decency of behavior has, as we have

mentioned, been made compulsory in those islands in which the missionaries

have permanently fixed themselves, and acquired sufficient power to make

their regulations respected. They have interdicted public gatherings for

the purpose of amusement, and even suppressed private games and

diversions. This has been objected to as an interference with innocent

recreation and pastime, and as encouraging formalism.

But the missionaries had no choice in the matter. Paganism was deeply

rooted in the daily life and habits of the people. In all religious

festivals, feasting, dancing, and diversion formed so prominent a part,

that the only method of eradicating the attachment of the people to their

heathen practices was to abolish the usages which made the worship

attractive. The dances are always immodest, often lascivious and grossly

indecent. They consist of little more than contortions and twistings of

the limbs and body, and of throwing themselves into postures which, as

they are mostly performed by females, are highly conducive to immorality.

Even among the Samoans, the dances, as performed by the women, are of the

same libidinous character with the others, though the dances of the men

are not indecorous.

The diseases generally prevalent are skin affections. From the delightful

climate and simple diet of the people, these are not of a very severe

character. The islanders have been no gainers in this respect by their

intercourse with Europeans. The venereal disease has been introduced,

and, from the deficiency of medical treatment, makes great ravages.

Secondary syphilis is sometimes severe. At Tutuila, one of the Samoan

group, it is said that venereal disease is entirely unknown, while in the

other islands of the group it is very rare.

Political circumstances; the introduction of new elements into Polynesian

life; the daily increasing intercourse between the islanders and

foreigners, all contribute to make the alterations in the social aspects

of the South Sea Islands very rapid, so that every year may work new

changes. Some recent writers affect to doubt the benefits of missionary

labors among the islanders, who, as they say, have been thereby diverted

from their innocent and simple habits of life; in place of which, it is

alleged, a harsh and hypocritical austerity has been adopted; the purity

of their morals and the vigor of their constitutions have been sapped and

destroyed by the contact with Europeans and Americans, and the whole

result of foreign intercourse has been unmixed evil. We reject these

conclusions, as savoring too strongly of party prejudice and class

antipathies. The tendency of the Gospel always is to purify and elevate

savage tribes. The missionaries have, perhaps, overestimated and

overstated the extent of benefit accomplished by them, and the gayety and

cheerfulness, so pleasing in appearance to the casual visitor, yet so

deceptive in reality, may have been diminished. But the purity of savage

life is a delusion, and something has been achieved if only an outward

conformity to the laws and dictates of Christianity has been produced.

WEST INDIES.

A very slight notice of the West Indies will suffice, for of the savage

races scarcely a vestige remains; of the negro population a general view

is all that is required, and the civilized colonists retain so much of the

impress of the countries whence they came as to require no special

remarks. When Columbus first visited these beautiful islands, he found

them inhabited by two classes of men--the savage Caribs, who delighted in

war and preyed upon the weaker tribes; and the simple communities, whose

pacific habits made them victims of their violent neighbors. The people

were alike distinct in the treatment of women. The peaceful islanders

admitted females to a participation in all the delights of their rural

life, allowing them to mingle in the dance, to inherit power, and to share

all their pleasures. Among the cannibal Caribs a different fashion

prevailed. The handsomest of their war-prisoners were retained as slaves,

the rest were drowned. The lot of these exiles, as of the Carib women

themselves, was hard enough. The nation was low and barbarous, and its

women were treated accordingly, the men regarding them as an inferior

race, whose degradation was only natural. A wife was her husband's slave,

and all the drudgery of life fell upon her. She approached him with abject

humility, and, if she ever complained of ill-usage, it was at the risk of

her life; her children, however, were loved and watched with tender care.

The original inhabitants of the West Indian islands have disappeared, and

are succeeded by a mixture of races, of whom the negroes claim our

attention now. Among the blacks of Antigua, as an example, immorality is

characteristic. Infanticide is frequently practiced, even since the

Emancipation Bill was passed. The reason for this is clear. Under slavery,

negroes could not contract a legal marriage; they therefore cohabited, and

the union lasted as long as their affection or appetite existed. No

disgrace attached to a woman who had borne children to several men. Now an

idea of female virtue has been awakened, and they seek to escape the

consequences of an illicit amour by destroying its offspring, upon the

principle that where no tangible evidence of a crime exists, no crime has

been committed.

During slavery, concubinage was general; and although many masters offered

rewards to such as lived faithfully with one partner, the vice was all but

universal, and a permanent engagement between a man and woman was seldom

formed. Two females frequently lived with one man, one being considered

his wife, and the other his mistress. When the negroes were emancipated in

1834, many were anxious to be legally married, and others put away the

partners of their compulsory servitude and took new companions. Bigamy was

not uncommon then, nor is it rare now, many devices being adopted to elude

the stringent laws on this matter. Concubinage is less general than

formerly, but the marriage covenant is by no means respected, nor is

chastity much esteemed.

In St. Lucia sexual intercourse was unrestrained and almost promiscuous,

and the negroes of the island are, even to this day, averse to matrimony

and inclined to concubinage. In either relation they are equally

faithless, the only redeeming feature being love of their children.

The same low state of morals is observable in Santa Cruz, but in Jamaica

the negroes are mostly married and faithful to their engagements. Formerly

the intercourse of the sexes was loose, profligate, and lewd. When the

missionaries attempted to reform this, any who submitted to their

teachings were ridiculed by the demoralized of their comrades. It must be

admitted that Europeans have not shown any good example to the negroes,

but, on the contrary, have encouraged their vices.

JAVA.

A curious system of manners now prevails in Java. Hindoos have been

succeeded by Mohammedans, and they, in turn, have given place to Dutch,

each having impressed some characteristic on the people. As elsewhere, the

condition of the female sex will indicate the general character. The

institution of marriage is universally known, if not practiced or

respected, and the lot of women may be considered fortunate. They are not

ill-used in any manner, and the seclusion imposed upon the more opulent is

rather a withdrawal from the indiscriminate gaze of the people than that

lonely secrecy exacted by jealousy in some parts of the East. The

condition of the sex in Java is an exception to the habits of Asiatics.

They associate with the men in all the pleasures and offices of life, eat

with them, and live on terms of mutual equality. They are sometimes

permitted to ascend the throne, and, in short, nowhere throughout the

island are they treated with coarseness, violence, or neglect. They are

willing and industrious, and are admitted to many honorable employments.

Men sometimes act tyrannically in their households, but this only shows

the fault of an individual, not of a class.

Polygamy and concubinage are practiced by the nobility without reference

to public opinion, but are not generally adopted, being regarded as

vicious luxuries. The first wife is always mistress of the household; the

others are her servants, who may minister to her husband's pleasures, but

do not share his rank or wealth. No man will give his daughter as second

or third wife, unless to some one far superior in rank to himself; and a

woman considers it dishonorable, not, in the abstract, to prostitute

herself, but to form a connection with any man of humbler birth than

herself.

But, though polygamy and concubinage are seldom known in Java, their

absence must not be considered as implying superior morality. On the

contrary, it is the most immoral country in Asia. A woman who would not

condescend to be the second wife of a chief would not scruple to commit

adultery with him. In general terms, both sexes are profligate and

depraved, although the islanders boast the chastity of their women as a

distinguishing ornament, because a married woman would shriek if a

stranger attempted to kiss her before her attendants.

Divorce can be procured in Java with the utmost freedom, and is a

privilege in which the women indulge themselves to a wanton degree. If a

wife pays her husband a sum of money, he must leave her. He is not legally

bound to accept her offer, but public opinion considers it disreputable to

live with a woman who has thus signified her wishes for a separation, and

he yields to general sentiment what is not exacted by law. The husband is

often changed three or four times before the woman is thirty years old,

and some boast the exercise of this privilege twelve times. As the means

of subsistence abound, and are procured as easily by women as by men, the

former are independent of the latter, and find no difficulty in living

without husbands. Unfortunately for the theories of some female reformers

of the present day, who imagine that such independence foreshadows the

millennium of woman's rights, it must be admitted that, where the

experiment has been tried, the sex are proverbially dissolute.

Among the wealthier classes the utmost immorality prevails, and in the

great towns the population is debauched to the last degree. Intrigues with

married women continually occur, and are prosecuted almost before the face

of the husbands, who are often so tame and servile that they dare not

assert their conjugal rights. Travelers have noticed flagrant instances of

the looseness of Japanese manners, but one case will suffice. One of the

princes, who had seduced a married woman, and was in the habit of visiting

her at times when her husband, an officer in the public guard, was on

duty, was surprised in her company on one occasion, the chief having

returned home earlier than was expected. He knew the rank of his visitor,

and discreetly coughed, so that the prince had time to escape. He then

went to the chamber and flogged his wife. She complained to the prince,

who was particularly desirous, at that time, to conciliate his subjects.

He sent for the husband, made him many rich presents, and allowed him to

select the handsomest woman in the royal household in place of the frail

one who had betrayed him. The husband accepted the peace-offerings,

allowed his wife to return home with him, and all the parties were

satisfied.

In Java women are usually married very young, as their chastity is in

danger as soon as they reach maturity. At eighteen or twenty a girl is

considered to be getting old, and scarcely any are unmarried after

twenty-two. Yet age does not exclude a woman from the probabilities of

matrimony, for widows often procure husbands at fifty. The preliminary

arrangements are made by the parents, as scandal would not allow the young

people to take any part in a transaction in which they are looked upon, as

the natives express it, as mere puppets. The father of the youth, having

made a suitable choice, proposes to the parents of the girl. If they are

willing, the betrothal is ratified by some trifling present, and visits

are made, that the intended nuptials may be publicly known. Subsequently

the price of the lady is arranged, varying according to the rank and

circumstances of the family. Sometimes this is plainly called the

"purchase-money," and sometimes by a more delicate term, the "deposit." It

is considered as a settlement for the bride. The only religious feature in

the marriage ceremony is an exchange of vows in the mosque. This is

followed by many observances of etiquette and parade. Finally, the married

couple eat from the same vessel, to testify their common fortune, or the

bride washes her husband's feet in token of subjection.

The Javanese support a large class of women as public dancers. The

inhabitants are passionately fond of this amusement, but no respectable

woman will join in it, and all its female partisans are prostitutes; in

fact, the words _dancer_ and _prostitute_ are synonymous in their

language. A chief of high rank is not ashamed to be seen with one of these

women, who figure at most large entertainments, and frequently amass

enough money to induce some petty chief to marry them. So strong, however,

is their ruling passion, they soon ascertain that domesticity is not their

sphere, and become tired of their husbands, whom they divorce without

ceremony, and coolly return to their public life. The dress in which they

perform is very immodest, but they seldom descend to such obscene and

degrading postures as may be witnessed in other Eastern countries.

European example has not done much for Java. The Dutch merchant has

usually a native female called his housekeeper. In every city public

prostitutes abound, while about the roads in the vicinity may be found

others ready for hire. Their disguise as dancers is thought to conceal

their profligacy.

SUMATRA.

The population of this island is divided into several tribes, slightly

differing in their manners. The Rejangs, who may be supposed to represent

its original inhabitants, are rude barbarians, scrupulously attentive to

the show, but wanting the spirit of delicacy. They drape their women from

head to foot, dread lest a virgin should expose any part of her person,

and yet modesty is not a characteristic of the people in towns and

villages. Those in rural districts who are not so rigid as to costume are

more distinguished by decency.

The customs of Sumatra are of a peculiar character, great importance being

attached to required formulas; and the ritual is more essential than the

principle. It is curious to examine the intricate details of a Sumatran

marriage contract, which appears to be so little understood even by the

people themselves that, we are informed, one of these documents is

sufficient to originate an almost endless litigation.

There are several modes of forming a marriage contract. The first is when

one man agrees to pay another a certain sum in exchange for his daughter.

A portion of the amount, say about five dollars, is generally held back,

to keep the transaction open, and allow the girl's parents a chance to

complain if she is ill used. If the husband wound her, he is liable to a

fine, and in many ways his authority is controlled. But if he insists on

paying the balance of the purchase-money, her parents must accept it, and

then their right of interference ceases. If a father desires to get rid of

a girl suffering from any infirmity, he sells her without this

reservation, and she has fewer privileges in consequence.

In other cases marriage is an affair of barter, one virgin being given for

another. A man having a son and a daughter will give the latter in

exchange for a wife for the former; or a brother will dispose of his

sister in the same way. Sometimes a girl evades these customs by eloping

with a lover of her own choice. If the fugitives are overtaken on the

road, they can be separated; but if they have taken refuge in any house,

and the man declares his willingness to obey existing rules, his wife is

secured to him. The Jewish custom of a man marrying his brother's widow is

in force among the Sumatrans, and if there be no brother, she must be

taken by the nearest male relative, the father excepted, who is made

responsible for any balance of her purchase-money which may be due.

Adultery is not frequently committed under this system, but when it is,

the husband chastises his wife himself, or else forgives the offense. If

he desire to divorce her, he may claim back the purchase-money, less

twenty-five dollars, which is allowed her parents for depreciation in the

woman's value. If a man who has taken a wife is unable to pay the whole

price, her friends may sue for a divorce, but then they must return all

they have received from him. The ceremony of divorce consists in cutting a

ratan in two in presence of the parties and their witnesses.

Another kind of marriage is when a girl's father selects some man whom he

adopts into his family, receiving a premium of about twenty dollars. The

father-in-law's family thus acquire a property in the young husband; they

are answerable for his debts, claim all he earns, and have the privilege

of turning him out of doors when they are tired of him.

The Malays of Sumalda have generally adopted a third kind of marriage,

which they call _the free_. In this the families approach each other on an

equal level. A small sum, about twelve dollars, is paid to the girl's

parents, and an agreement is made that all property shall be common

between husband and wife, and if a divorce takes place it shall be fairly

divided. The actual ceremony of marriage is simple: a feast is given, the

couple join their hands, and some one pronounces them man and wife.

Where the female is an article of sale, little of what we call courtship

can be expected. It is opposed to the manners of the country, which impose

strict separation of the sexes in youth; and, besides, when a man pays the

price of his wife, he considers he is entitled to possession, without any

question as to her predilections. But traces of courtship may be met with.

On the very few occasions when young people are allowed to meet, such as

public festivals, a degree of respect is shown to women contrasting very

favorably with the observances of more civilized communities, and mutual

attachments sometimes spring from these associations. The festivals are

enlivened by dances and songs. The former have been described as

licentious, but an English traveler says he has often seen more immodest

displays in a ball-room in his native country. The songs are extempore,

and love is the constant theme.

Polygamy is permitted, but only a few chiefs have more than one wife. To

be a second one is considered far below the dignity of a respectable

woman, and a man would demand a divorce for his daughter if her husband

was about to take an additional companion.

Marsden, the traveler already mentioned, says that in the country parts of

Sumatra chastity is general; but the merit is lost when he adds that

interest causes the parents to be watchful of their daughters, because the

selling price of a virgin is far above that of a woman who has been

defiled. If a case of seduction occurs, the seducer can be forced to marry

the girl and pay her original price, or else give her parents the sum

which they would lose by her error.

Regular prostitution is rare. In the bazars of the towns some women of

this class may be found, and in the sea-ports profligacy abounds, troops

of professional courtesans parading the streets. No one would estimate the

morality of a country from the spectacles exhibited in maritime cities. As

a general rule, the Sumatran is content to marry, and is faithful to his

wife. This may proceed from temperament rather than morality, as their

ideas on the latter are not very rigid. This is shown by their opinion of

incest, which they regard as an infraction of conventional law, sometimes

punishing it by a fine, and at other times confirming the marriage, unless

it occurs within the first degree of relationship.

BORNEO.

Notwithstanding the attention which has been drawn to the island of Borneo

within the last few years, it is yet but little known to the general

reader. The investigations of Sir James Brooke and others have enabled us

to discern many of its social features. Most of the inhabitants of Borneo

are in a state of barbarism. Some wander naked in the forest, and subsist

on the spontaneous productions of the earth; others cultivate the soil,

dwell in villages, and trade with their neighbors. The river communities

are more advanced than those who live inland, and the inhabitants of

sea-ports are more educated and more profligate than any. These have been

farther debased by the abominable system of piracy, which, until recently,

was their occupation.

Among the Sea Dyaks, or dwellers on the coast, there is no social law to

govern sexual intercourse before marriage, nor is the authority of parents

recognized in the matter. The Dyak girl selects a husband for herself,

and, while she remains single, incurs no disgrace by cohabiting with as

many as she pleases. After marriage she is subject to more stringent

rules, for, as a man is allowed only one wife, he requires her to be

faithful, or in default punishes her with a severe whipping. If he is

incontinent he incurs a similar penalty. Cases of adultery are not

frequent, though they sometimes occur in time of war.

The ceremony of marriage is as simple as possible. The consent of the

woman is first obtained, then the bride and bridegroom meet and give a

feast, which completes the contract.

If a girl becomes pregnant, the father of the child must marry her, and

this is a common way of securing a husband. A man and woman live together

for a time, and separate if there is no prospect of a family. During this

probation constancy is not considered indispensable. The fear of not

becoming the father of a family, a misfortune greatly dreaded by the

Dyaks, favors the loose intercourse of unmarried people. In some tribes

the duties of hospitality require that if a chief is traveling he shall be

furnished with a _pro tempore_ female companion at every place where he

sleeps.

Among the Dyaks dwelling on the hills morality is of a higher standard.

Single men are obliged to sleep in a separate building, and the girls are

not allowed to approach them. Marriage is contracted at a very early age,

and adultery is almost unknown. Polygamy is not allowed, but some of the

chiefs indulge in a concubine, for which they are generally blamed. There

are certain degrees of consanguinity within which marriage is unlawful.

One man shocked public feeling by marrying his granddaughter, and the

people affirm that ruin and darkness have covered the face of the sun ever

since that act of incest. As they marry constantly within their own tribe,

the whole commonwealth is in time united by ties of blood, and to this is

ascribed the insanity common among them, a conclusion warranted to some

extent by the imbecile state of well-known royal families condemned to

perpetual intermarriages.

It is said that many prostitutes may be found among the people of the

South, but this rests on doubtful testimony, and in the Dyak language

there is no word to express the vice.

The Sibnouan females are neither concealed from strangers nor shy before

them. They will bathe naked in the presence of men. The unmarried people

sleep promiscuously in a common room, but married couples have separate

apartments. The labor of the household is allotted to females, who grind

rice, carry burdens, fetch water, catch fish, and till the ground. They

are not so degraded as in other barbarous nations. They eat with the men,

and take part in their festivals as well as their labor.

Among the Mohammedan Malays there is more civilization and more

corruption. They are polygamists, indulge in concubinage, encourage

prostitutes, and ill use their wives. An English physician lately received

a message from the wife of a chief appointing a secret meeting. He was

punctual to the assignation, and met the lady, who asked him for a close

of arsenic to poison her husband, as he ill-treated her. Report says that

the Englishman was disappointed in the nature of the interview, but firmly

refused to grant her request.

The rich Malays allow their wives to keep female slaves, and the jealousy

of the mistress renders their situation any thing but pleasant. They

sometimes serve as concubines, in which case the law renders them free,

but many refuse to avail themselves of this advantage.

We have no definite account of prostitutes in sea-port towns, but they

appear to be of several classes: those who cohabit temporarily with the

Malays, those who prostitute themselves indiscriminately to all comers,

and those who are supported by sailors and profligate Chinese, who

invariably create such a class wherever they settle. It is certain that

women of this class exist in considerable numbers in Borneo.

CHAPTER XXXI.

SEMI-CIVILIZED NATIONS.

Persia.--Afghanistan.--Kashmir.--India.--Ceylon.--Ultra-Gangetic

Nations.--Celebes.--China.--Japan.--Tartar Races.--Circassia.--

Turkey.--Northern Africa.--Siberia.--Esquimaux.--Iceland.--Greenland.

PERSIA.

Women occupy an inferior position in Persia, where they are literally the

property of men. The lower classes consider them valuable for their labor,

the rich regard them as instruments of pleasure. While Persian poetry and

romance are devoted to the praise of female charms, the realities of

every-day life prove that the sex is held in slight esteem. The wives of

the Shah vegetate within the walls of a luxurious prison; and if one is

ever permitted to breathe the air outside, she is paraded in solemn

procession, guarded by a troup of eunuchs armed with loaded muskets, in

order to drive off any curious wayfarer who might be tempted to gaze on

the charms of a royal mistress. Nor is this isolation peculiar to them; it

pervades all the upper classes, and brothers are not allowed to see their

sisters after a certain age.

This jealousy is not decreased by the polygamy which is common in the

country. The religious laws limit a Persian to four wives, but allow him

to keep as many concubines as he can afford; and, in pursuance of this

privilege, the harem of the palace is said to contain at times more than a

thousand women, who need a stringent discipline to keep them in order.

They are arranged with a strict regard to precedence. The chief favorite

lives in splendor, her attire is covered with costly jewels, and she has

the privilege of sitting in the royal presence. Her inferiors are subject

to much rigor, and the eunuchs preserve decorum by administering personal

chastisement with the heel of a slipper on the face of a refractory woman.

They seem insensible to any degradation. Many of them lead a pleasant,

idle life, lounging for hours in the warm bath, and emerging with

enervated frames to deck their pretty persons in order to render

themselves attractive to the Shah. They court his favor as much as they

fear his frown, and with good reason. The former can raise them to the

summit of their ambition; the latter can condemn them to be fastened in a

sack and thrown from a lofty tower.

Common usage permits a Persian to take a woman in three different ways: he

may marry, purchase, or hire her. In the first case, betrothal sometimes

takes place in infancy, but it must be subsequently confirmed by the

parties. In this they seldom fail; for if a girl shows any repugnance to

ratify her father's contract, he whips her until she consents, and she

requires little of this kind of argument to induce compliance. The nuptial

ceremony must be witnessed by two persons, one of whom is a legal officer

to attest the contract. This is delivered to the bride, and by her

carefully preserved, as it proves her title to provision in the event of

widowhood or divorce. Though a man has the right to put away his wife when

he pleases, the attendant expense and scandal render it a rare proceeding.

Mohammedan jealousy farther protects the woman, as no one will willingly

allow a female with whom he has lived to fall into the hands of another.

In addition to this, interest restrains a husband from using his

privileges in a direct manner, as when he takes the initiative he must

pay back the dowry he received with his wife. If she applies for divorce,

he is free from this obligation. The advantage being thus on the man's

side, a species of tyranny is frequently practiced until the woman is

forced to open the suit, when he gets rid of her, but retains her

property.

A Persian may purchase as many female slaves as he desires. These acquire

no advantage of position by being his concubines; he may sell or otherwise

dispose of them at any moment he thinks proper.

The custom of hiring wives still prevails in Persia, though strict

Mohammedans abhor and condemn the practice, which was prohibited by Omar,

the successor of Mohammed. In operation, it is an agreement made by a man

and woman to cohabit a specified time for an agreed sum of money. The

children springing from this union must be supported by the father. If the

man terminate the connection prematurely, he must still pay the whole

stipulated amount, and the woman is restrained from accepting any other

protector until a sufficient time has elapsed to prove whether she is

pregnant by the former. Although these contracts are ranked as marriages,

few readers will be inclined to think them any thing but systematic

prostitution.

Formerly there were numerous open and avowed prostitutes in Persia, among

whom the dancing girls were conspicuous for the beauty of their persons

and the melody of their voices. They had considerable sway until the time

of Futteh Ali Khan, who crowded his palace with concubines, and from among

them issued edicts to suppress immorality, prohibiting the dancing girls

from approaching the court, and exiling them to the distant provinces.

Social life was most depraved under the Sefi dynasty. Public brothels were

very numerous, and largely contributed to the national revenue, no less

than thirty thousand prostitutes paying an annual tax in Ispahan alone.

The governors of provinces allowed similar privileges for money, and there

was scarcely a town which had not one licensed brothel at least, whose

inmates (also licensed and taxed) were known as _Cahbeha_, or the

worthless. As soon as the shops were closed these houses were opened, and

the women repaired to particular localities, where they sat in rows,

closely veiled. With each company was an old harridan, whose business was

to show the faces of her troop to any man desiring a companion, and to

receive his payment when the selection was made. Under the reigning

family this system has been checked; no licenses are now given, and

prostitution has retired to secrecy. But the vice has in no way decreased,

and public brothels abound in all the cities of Persia.

AFGHANISTAN.

Marriage in Afghanistan is a commercial transaction, the women being sold

for prices varying according to circumstances. This system is carried to

such an extent that if a widow marries, the friends of her first husband

can recover from his successor the amount originally paid for her. The

necessity of purchasing a wife renders many of the poorer classes unable

to marry until well advanced in years, in opposition to the custom of

their wealthy neighbors, among whom bridegrooms of fifteen and brides of

twelve years old are common.

The prior intercourse of the sexes is regulated by various circumstances.

In crowded towns men have little opportunity of associating with women,

and there professional match-makers exist. Their functions are, in the

first place, to see and report upon any girl whom a man may wish to marry;

then to ascertain if her family would agree to the match, and, finally, to

make arrangements for a public proposal. This is made by the suitor's

father, in company with a number of male friends, to the father of the

girl, while a similar deputation of females waits upon the mother.

Presents are made, the selling price determined, and the couple are

betrothed. Soon after, the parties sign a mutual contract; stipulation is

made for provision for the woman if divorced; a festival is given; the

bridegroom pays for his wife, and she is delivered at the dwelling of her

future master. Similar formalities take place in the country, but, as the

social intercourse is less restricted there, marriages frequently spring

from attachment, and the negotiations are mere matters of etiquette.

A romantic lover may obtain his mistress without the consent of her

parents by tearing away her veil, cutting off a lock of her hair, or

throwing a large white cloth over her, and declaring her his affianced

bride. These proceedings do not release him from the obligation to pay for

her, which is only evaded by an elopement, a serious step, considered by

the girl's family as equivalent to murder, and revenged accordingly,

unless the couple secure shelter and protection from some neighboring

tribe. Sometimes a man never sees his bride until the marriage is

completed. In certain districts where this rule nominally exists it is

practically violated, secret interviews between the bride and bridegroom

being tolerated, and called "the sport of the betrothed." The young man

steals after dark to the house of his charmer, affecting to conceal his

presence from the men, and is introduced by the mother to her daughter's

room, where the couple are left till the morning undisturbed. The ordinary

result of this is the anticipation of nuptial privileges, and cases have

been known where the bride has borne several children before she has been

formally delivered to her husband.

Polygamy is allowed, but is too expensive to be practiced by the majority

of the people, although some rich men maintain a large number of

concubines in addition to the four legal wives.

The social condition of females is low in Afghanistan. Among the more

barbarous tribes they labor in the fields. With the poor all the drudgery

of the house falls upon them, while the rich keep them secluded in the

harems. The law allows a man the privilege of beating his wife, but custom

is more chivalrous than the code, and considers such an act disgraceful.

Of avowed prostitutes in this region we know but little beyond the bare

fact that such a class exists, and that their profligacy is materially

aided by the ignorance and insipidity of the wives and concubines, when

contrasted with the knowledge of the world and comparatively polished

manners exhibited by courtesans, whose society is frequently sought as a

relief from the monotony of home.

KASHMIR.

Unoppressed by any rigid code of etiquette, and naturally addicted to

pleasure, the people of Kashmir find much of their enjoyment in female

society, and from the earliest times have been noted for their love of

singers and dancers. In former days the capital city was the scene of

constant revels, in which morality was but a secondary consideration, and

now the inhabitants relieve the continual struggle against misfortune and

despotism by indulging in gross vices, and drown the sense of hopeless

poverty in the gratification of animal passions. The women of this

delightful valley have long been celebrated for their beauty, and are

still called the flower of the Oriental race. The face is of a dark

complexion, richly flushed with pink; the eyes large, almond-shaped, and

overflowing with a peculiar liquid brilliance; the features regular,

harmonious, and fine; the limbs and bodies are models of grace. But all

writers agree that art does nothing to aid nature, and it is not unusual

to see eyes unsurpassed for brightness and expression flashing from a very

dirty face. Among the poorer classes filth and degradation render many

women actually repulsive, notwithstanding their resplendent beauty.

Travelers always remark the dancing girls who have acquired so much renown

in Kashmir. The village of Changus was at one time celebrated for a colony

of these women, who excelled all others in the valley; but now its famous

beauties have disappeared, and live only in the traditions of the place.

The dancing girls may be divided into several classes. Among the higher

may be found those who are virtuous and modest, probably to about the same

extent as among actresses, opera singers, and ballet girls in civilized

communities. Others frequent entertainments at the houses of rich men, or

public festivals, and estimate their favors at a very high price, while

the remainder are avowed harlots, prostituting themselves indiscriminately

to any who desire their company. Many of these are devoted to the service

of some god, whose temple is enriched from the gains of their calling.

The Watul, or Gipsy tribe of Kashmir is remarkable for many lovely women,

who are taught to please the taste of the voluptuary. They sing licentious

songs in an amorous tone, dance in a lascivious measure, dress in a

peculiarly fascinating manner, and seduce by the very expression of their

countenances. When they join a company of dancing girls, they are

uniformly successful in their vocation, and have been known to amass large

sums of money. Now that the valley is in its decadence, their charms find

a more profitable market in other places. The bands of dancing girls are

usually accompanied by sundry hideous duennas, whose conspicuous ugliness

forms a striking contrast to their charge.

The Nach girls are under the surveillance of the government, which

licenses their prostitution. They are actual slaves, and can not sing or

dance without permission from their overseer, to whom they must resign a

large portion of their earnings.

In addition to these, who may be styled poetical courtesans, there exists

a swarm of prostitutes frequenting low houses in the cities or boats on

the lake; but of them we have no distinct account. It is certain that they

are largely visited by the more immoral of the population, and an accurate

idea of their _status_ may be formed from a knowledge of the fact that

the traveler Moorcraft, who gave gratuitous medical advice to the poor of

Serinaghur, had at one time nearly seven thousand patients on his lists, a

very large number of whom were suffering from loathsome diseases induced

by the grossest and most persevering profligacy. In short, there can be

but little doubt that the manners of the inhabitants of this interesting

and beautiful valley are corrupt to the last degree.

INDIA.

India exhibits, in its different communities, many aspects of social life,

but it may be said, in general terms, that the state of woman is degraded,

as she is absolutely dependent upon man, and can do nothing of her own

will. She must approach her lord with reverence; is bound to him so long

as he desires it, whatever his conduct may be; and if she rebel, is liable

to be chastised with a rope or a cane in a cruel manner. Debarred the

advantages of education, not allowed to eat with their husbands or to mix

in society, women are yet not treated as abject slaves; and from the few

revelations of the zenana which have been made, it may be inferred that

its inmates receive considerable deference and attention.

Polygamy is permitted in India, but not encouraged by the religious law,

and only sanctioned in certain cases, such as barrenness, inconstancy, or

some similar cause, and then the wife's consent must be obtained before a

second and subordinate wife can be added to the household.

Marriage is viewed as a religious duty by the Hindoos, only a few being

exempt from the obligation. It is forbidden to purchase a wife for money;

but the girls have little choice as to their destiny, being usually

betrothed while young. A father has the right to dispose of his daughter

until three years after the age of puberty, when she may choose a husband

for herself: not many remain single till that time, as celibacy would be

accounted disgraceful, and few men would marry a maiden so old. In Bengal,

betrothal takes place with many rites and much ostentation. The girl-bride

is taken to her future husband's house, and remains there a short time,

when she returns to her parents until mature. The anxiety to dispose of a

daughter as young as possible arises from the fact that her birth is

regarded as inauspicious, and even as a domestic calamity, from which her

parents are glad to escape. Hence the character of the bridegroom is a

secondary consideration, and marriage often results unhappily. In fact,

little else can be expected where the parties are absolutely strangers to

each other until the union is effected. The uneducated wife, without a

gleam of knowledge, amuses herself by a thousand trivial devices, such as

adorning her person, curling her hair, or listening to the gossip of her

slaves. It is, nevertheless, generally admitted that the majority of

Hindoo women are faithful to their marital vows. The severe laws against

unchastity are framed more for preserving _caste_ than morals, and

severely punish any woman detected in an intrigue with a man of different

grade to herself.

Divorce may be easily effected by the husband, but the wife has no

corresponding power. A man who calls his wife "mother," renounces her by

that act. A barren wife may be superseded in the eighth year: she who

bears only daughters, or whose children die in the birth, in the eleventh

year; and one of an unkind disposition may be divorced without any delay.

The customs that prevail in different provinces respecting wives and their

treatment may be described in a few words. In Arracan, when a man wants

money, he pawns his wife for a certain sum, or else sells her altogether.

In the southern parts of the peninsula polygamy is largely practiced. The

Shaynagas of Canara are not allowed to take a second wife unless the first

be childless. The Corannas, the Panchalura, and other tribes, permitted

polygamy and the purchase of wives. Among the Woddas every man had as many

wives as he pleased; all worked for him, and a lazy one was divorced _sans

ceremonie_. The Carruburru took no notice of an act of adultery if the

wife was a hard-working woman; otherwise she might live with any man who

chose to keep her. In Rajpootana woman holds a higher position, and

exercises considerable influence on the actions and tastes of men, for a

Rajpoot consults his wife on every important occasion. The estimation in

which they are held is indicated by a national proverb, which says, "When

wives are honored the gods are pleased; when they are dishonored the gods

are offended." This district exhibits the Hindoo women in the most

favorable circumstances, and even here they hold but a subordinate place,

as must always be the case where polygamy is tolerated. It is scarcely

necessary to review all the local peculiarities of so extended a people:

enough has been said to show the social condition of married women. It

remains to give some account of prostitution.

Some of the dancing women and musicians of Southern India were attached to

every temple; a portion were reserved by the sensual Brahmins for their

exclusive pleasures, and the rest hired themselves out indiscriminately.

Each troop was under a chief, who regulated their performances and prices.

In the temple of Tulava, near Mangalore, a curious custom existed. Any

woman could dedicate herself to prostitution by eating some of the rice

which had been offered to the idol, and was allowed her choice to live

within or without its precincts. In the former case, she received a daily

allowance of food, and her prostitution was limited to the priests; in the

latter, her amours were unrestricted, but a stipulated portion of her

profits must be given to the temple. In Sindh every town has a troop of

dancing girls, many of whom are very handsome. Before the British conquest

the vice was largely encouraged; numbers of the women acquired

considerable fortunes, and their political influence was potent in the

_durbars_ of the debauched Amirs. An evident reform has taken place of

late years.

The lascivious scenes of the southern country are not enacted, at least to

the same extent, in Hindostan proper, where the interest of the English

government has been directed against immorality. Toward the close of the

last century an official report was made on the morals of British India.

It was bad enough: much laxity prevailed in private life; receptacles for

women of bad character abounded; prostitutes had a place in society, made

an important figure at great entertainments, and were admitted to the

zenanas to exhibit their voluptuous dances. Contrasted with former years,

a great improvement is now perceptible, and the profligacy of large cities

scarcely exceeds the vices of European communities. Thus Benares, with a

population of 180,000, had 1764 prostitutes; and Decca, with nearly 67,000

inhabitants, had 770 prostitutes.

Apart from governmental influences, it can scarcely be denied that

Europeans have contributed to the advance of vice by taking temporary

companions. These _liaisons_ were scarcely considered improper. The custom

was to purchase girls from their mothers. Many of them were faithful and

attached to their protectors, but their extravagance and propensity for

gambling made them very costly adjuncts.

The religious ceremonies originated by the Brahmins were often but scenes

of the wildest debauchery, rivaling the ancient Egyptian festival of

Bubastis, and no good would result from an extended description of dances

performed by nude or semi-nude women, of the desecration of wives by a

licentious priesthood, or of the disgusting polygamy of the Brahmins.

Suffice it to say that such customs existed, but are now yielding to more

refined observances.

The general profligacy of the country has introduced syphilis in most

parts of Hindostan. Some assert that it was carried there after the

discovery of America, but neither history nor tradition warrants this

opinion. It may be noticed that it is not called by any Sanscrit word, but

is known by a Persian appellation.

Our notice of India would be incomplete without an allusion to the

_suttee_, or burning of widows, and to infanticide. The Shastres are full

of recommendations to perform the first of these shocking observances, and

promise ineffable bliss to the voluntary victim. It was carried to such an

extent that fifteen thousand women are reported to have perished in one

year in Bengal. This is doubtless an exaggeration, although the number was

confessedly very large. Among the horrible details of the practice we find

that betrothed children of eight or ten years old, and women of

eighty-five, have alike been thrown into the burning pile. Fearful scenes

have been witnessed on these occasions. A miserable wretch has twice

escaped from the fire and clung to the feet of a traveler, vainly

imploring him to save her; and then, naked, and with the flesh already

burned from parts of her body, has been bound and thrown into the flames

by the frantic relatives. Let British rule in India be what it may, no

man, no "Aborigines Protection Society," can regret its spread, in

conjunction with the services rendered to our common humanity by the

abolition of the _suttee_.

Infanticide formerly prevailed to a great extent, but is now almost

extirpated from British India. The crime was sanctioned by custom, but not

by religion or tradition. Its victims were chiefly females, and their

murder was in consequence of the difficulty of marrying them within the

required bounds of _caste_, or of the ruinous expenses which fashion

required should be incurred at the wedding ceremonies, rather than from

any other cause. It appears to have been the custom among the ancient

dwellers on the banks of the Indus for the father of a female child to

carry it to the market-place, and publicly demand if any one wanted a

wife. If the reply was in the affirmative, it was betrothed at once, and

carefully reared, but otherwise it was immediately killed. Wilkinson

asserted twenty-five years ago that twenty thousand children were annually

murdered in Malwa and Rajpootana, but by the system of rewarding parents

who reared their offspring, and the gradual introduction of salutary laws,

a mighty reform has been effected.

CEYLON.

Under the original institutions of the Singhalese, they never licensed

public prostitution, nor made brothels of the temples, as in India.

Whatever effect the Buddhist religion produced was in favor of virtue, but

the character of the people is naturally sensual; profligacy among men and

want of chastity among women are general characteristics, and even those

who profess Christianity and acknowledge the moral law of England are not

free from this stain.

In Ceylon, as, indeed, in most parts of Asia, marriage is contracted at an

early age. A man "attains his majority" at sixteen, and a girl as soon as

marriageable by nature is marriageable by law, at which time her parents

or relatives give a feast, inviting a number of single men. Soon after, a

man who may desire to marry her sends one of his friends to her parents to

mention, in apparently a casual manner, that a rumor of the intended

marriage of his friend and their daughter is in circulation. If this

announcement meets a favorable reception, the father of the bridegroom

calls, inquires the amount of the dowry, and carries the negotiation a few

steps farther. Mutual visits are then exchanged, preliminaries settled,

and an auspicious day fixed for the wedding, which takes place with much

ceremony. The stars are consulted in every step, and should the

bridegroom's horoscope differ from the bride's, his younger brother may

act as his proxy at the ceremony. The whole Buddhaical ritual is a tedious

succession of formalities, entails enormous expenses, and can not be

followed by the poor. To those of low caste it is positively forbidden,

even if they are rich enough to meet the outlay, and with these marriage

is limited to a simple agreement between the parents of the young couple.

Among the Kandians polyandrism prevails to a great extent, a matron of

high _caste_ being sometimes the wife of eight brothers. The people

justify this custom upon several grounds: among the rich, because it

prevents litigation, saves property from minute subdivision, and

concentrates family influence; with the poor, because it reduces expenses,

and frequently where one brother could not alone maintain a wife and

family, the association of several can command the means. This plurality

of husbands is not necessarily confined to brothers, for a man may, with

his wife's consent, introduce a stranger, who is called an "associated

husband," and is entitled to all marital rights. This practice does not

extend beyond the province of Kandy, although it was formerly prevalent

throughout the maritime districts of the island.

Another Kandian peculiarity was a kind of marriage called "Bema," in which

the husband lived at his wife's house. He received but little respect from

his relations, and could be ejected at once if unpopular. There is an

ancient proverb in reference to this dubious arrangement, which says that

a man married according to the Bema process should only take to his

bride's house a pair of sandals to protect his feet, a palm leaf to shield

his head, a staff to support him if sick, and a lantern in case he should

be expelled in the dark, so that he may be prepared to depart at any hour

of the day or night.

In Ceylon, women frequently seek for divorces for the most trivial causes,

and as separation can be attained by a mere return of the marriage gifts,

it often takes place. If a child is born within nine months from this

separation, the husband is required to support it for three years. If a

married woman commits adultery, and the husband is a witness, he may kill

her lover. When a man puts away his wife on account of an intrigue, he may

disinherit her and the whole of her offspring, even if the latter were

born before any crime had been committed by their mother. If he seeks a

divorce from caprice, he must relinquish all his wife's property, and

share with her whatever may have accumulated during their cohabitation.

The Singhalese do not always exercise their privileges, but are frequently

indulgent husbands, and forgive offenses which most people hold

unpardonable. In proof of this, a Kandian asked the British authorities to

compel the return of an unfaithful wife, pleading his love for her, and

promising to forget her frailty. English jurisdiction did not extend so

far as this, and the woman coolly turned her back upon her husband and

accompanied her paramour, whom she soon after deserted for a third

partner. Many instances of this kind have induced the native poets to

produce a number of satirical effusions upon woman's inconstancy, and a

traveler translates the following specimen:

"'I've seen the adumbra-tree in flower, white plumage on the crow,

And fishes' footsteps on the deep have traced through ebb and flow;'

If man it is who thus asserts, his words you may believe,

But all that woman says, distrust; she speaks but to deceive."

To understand the first clause, it will be necessary to remember that the

adumbra is a kind of fig-tree, and the natives assert that no mortal has

ever seen it in bloom.

Infanticide was at one time common in Ceylon, and all female children,

except the first-born, were liable to be sacrificed, especially if born

under a malignant planet; but latterly the British government have

denounced the crime as murder, and punished it accordingly. This has had

the effect of gradually abolishing it, and the population has increased in

consequence.

The social condition of the Singhalese women is not so degraded as in

other parts of the East, but their moral character does not correspond.

Profligacy is prevalent. Open and acknowledged prostitution is rare,

excepting in the sea-port towns, and of its extent there we have no

reliable particulars. Under the Kandian dynasty a common harlot had her

hair and ears cut off, and was publicly whipped in a state of nudity.

ULTRA GANGETIC NATIONS.

In this division we include the immense tract lying between Hindostan and

China. Although these countries present some variety of customs and

degrees of progress, yet, generally speaking, their manners are uniform.

In all, the condition of women is extremely low. They are held in

contempt, are taught to abase themselves in their own minds, and employ

their license by degrading themselves still farther. The effect of Asiatic

despotism is plainly visible: every man is the king's serf, and the

support of the community devolves upon the women, who, in Cochin China

especially, plow, sow, reap, fell trees, build, and perform all the other

offices civilization assigns to the stronger sex.

The marriage contract is a mere bargain. A man buys his wife, and may

extend his purchases as far as he pleases, the first bought being usually

the chief. A simple agreement before witnesses seals the union, which can

be dissolved with equal facility, the only requisite in Cochin China being

to break a chopstick or porcupine quill in presence of a third person. A

man has also the privilege of selling his inferior wives.

The unmarried women are almost universally unchaste, and do not incur

infamy or lose the chance of marriage by prostituting themselves. Custom

allows a father to yield his daughter to any visitor he may wish to honor,

or to hire her for a stipulated price to any one desirous of her company,

and she has no power to resist the arrangement, although she can not be

married against her will.

A wife is considered sacred, more as the property of her husband than from

respect to her chastity. The theory of the law is, that a man's harem can

not be invaded, even by the king himself; but Asiatic absolutism was never

famed for its adherence to law when personal interest was in the other

scale, and there is but little exception in this case.

Adultery is punished in Siam by fine, and in Cochin China by death. In

Burmah executions of females are very rare, but they are disciplined with

the aid of the bamboo, husbands sometimes flogging their wives in the open

streets.

Although professed prostitutes exist in large numbers throughout the

region, still there are not so many as might be expected, because no

single woman is required to be chaste. Little is known of their habits,

peculiarities, or position, except that in Siam they are incapacitated

from giving evidence before a justice. This restriction does not seem to

arise from a consideration of their immorality, but from local prejudices,

and the disability under which they labor is also extended to braziers and

blacksmiths.

CELEBES.

Leaving the Asiatic Continent for a short time, we will now examine the

condition of the inhabitants of Celebes. This island is noticed here

rather than with Java, Sumatra, and Borneo, which are included in the list

of barbarous nations, because it enjoys a considerable degree of

civilization, and in its political and social state is far in advance of

other countries of the Indian Archipelago. The idea of freedom is

recognized in its public system, and its institutions have assumed a

republican form.

Women are not excluded from their share in public business; and though

their influence is usually indirect, their counsel is sought by the men on

all important occasions. In Wajo, they are not only elected to the throne,

or, rather, the presidential chair, but also often fill the great offices

of state. Four out of the six councilors are frequently females.

Their domestic condition, to some extent, corresponds with their

political privileges. The wife has the uncontrolled management of her

household, eating with her husband, and mingling freely with the other sex

on public or festival occasions. The women ride about, transact business,

and even visit foreigners as they please, and their chastity is better

guarded by the sense of honor and the pride of virtue, than by the

jealousy of husbands or the surveillance of parents.

This is the bright side of the picture. For the reverse, we find the

barbarian practice of polygamy, which is universally permitted, under

certain restrictions. The most important of these is that two wives seldom

inhabit the same house; each has usually a separate dwelling. The men can

easily procure a divorce, and, if the wish to separate is mutual, nothing

remains but to do so as quickly as possible. If the woman alone desires to

be released from the matrimonial bond, she must produce a reasonable

ground of complaint. Concubinage is rarely practiced, although some man

may take a woman of inferior rank as a companion until he can marry a girl

whose birth equals his own.

The morals of both men and women are superior to those of any other race

in eastern or western Asia. Prostitution is all but unknown. The dancing

girls are generally admitted to be of easy virtue, but even they preserve

decorum in their manners, and dress with great decency, although their

public performances are of a lascivious nature.

CHINA.

In the immense empire of China a general uniformity of manners is

observable, for its civilization has been cast in a mould fashioned by

despotism, and the iron discipline of its government forces all to yield.

There is great reason to believe that prostitution forms no exception to

the rule. We know that a remarkable system exists, that frail women abound

in the Celestial Empire, and form a distinct class. We know something of

the manner in which they live, and how or by whom they are encouraged, but

no traveler has as yet given any lucid account of the vice and its

connections, and our comparatively meagre knowledge is drawn from a

multiplicity of sources.

The general condition of the female sex in China is inferior to the male,

and the precepts and examples of Confucius have taught the people that the

former were created for the convenience of the latter. Feminine virtue is

severely guarded by the law; not for the sake of virtue, but for the

well-being of the state and the interest of the men. But national

morality, inculcated by codes, essays, and poems, is, in fact, a dead

letter, for the Chinese rank among the most immoral people on the earth.

The inferiority of women is recognized in their politics, which embrace

the spirit of the Salic law. The throne can be occupied only by a man, and

an illegitimate son is more respected than a legitimate daughter.

The paternal government of China has not failed to legislate on the

subject of marriage. In this contract the inclinations of the parties

themselves are practically ignored; parental authority is supreme, and it

is not unusual for weddings to take place between persons who have never

seen each other before the union. Matchmaking is followed as a profession

by some old women, who are remunerated when they succeed. When two

families commence a negotiation of this kind, all particulars are required

to be fully explained on both sides, so that no deceit can be practiced.

The engagement is then drawn, and the amount of presents agreed on. This

contract is irrevocable. If the friends of the girl desire to break off

the match, the one who had authority to dispose of her receives fifty

strokes of the bamboo, and the marriage proceeds. If the bridegroom, or

the friend who controls him is dissatisfied, he receives the same

punishment, and must fulfill his engagement. If either of the parties is

incontinent after betrothal, the crime is punished as adultery. If any

deceit has been practiced, and either person has falsely represented the

party about to be married, the offender is severely punished, and the

marriage is void, even if completed. In spite of all precautions, such

instances sometimes occur. It must be noticed that, though betrothal binds

a woman positively to her future husband, yet he can not force her from

her friends before the stipulated time has expired, nor can they retain

her beyond the assigned day.

Polygamy is allowed under certain restrictions. The first wife is usually

chosen from a family equal in station to that of the husband, and acquires

all the rights and privileges which belong to a chief wife in any Asiatic

country. The man may then take as many more women as he can afford to

keep, but these are inferior in rank to the first married, although the

children have a contingent claim to the inheritance. This position, if it

brings no positive honor, brings little shame. It is sanctioned by usage,

but was originally condemned by strict moralists, who designated the

arrangement by a word compounded of _crime_ and _woman_. It is a position

which only a poor or humble woman will consent to occupy. A national

proverb says, "It is more honorable to be the wife of a poor man than the

concubine of an emperor." The social rule which makes all subsequent wives

subordinate to the one first married may probably have had some effect in

forming this opinion.

The Chinese system is rigid as to the degrees of consanguinity between

which marriage may be contracted. In ancient times the reverse of this

seems to have been the rule, and tradition says that much immorality was

the result. The law now prohibits all unions between persons of the same

family name, and is attended with some inconvenience, because the number

of proper names is small. If such a marriage is contracted, it is declared

void, and the parties are punished by blows and a fine. If the couple are

previously related by marriage within four degrees, the union is declared

incestuous, and the offenders are punished with the bamboo, or, in extreme

cases, by strangling or decapitation.

Not only are the degrees of relationship definitely specified, but the

union of classes is under restriction. An officer of government must not

marry into a family under his jurisdiction, or, if he does, is subject to

a heavy punishment; the same being accorded to the girl's relations if

they have voluntarily aided him, but they are exempt if their submission

was the result of his authority. To marry a woman absconding from justice

is prohibited. To forcibly wed a freeman's daughter subjects the offender

to strangulation. An officer of government, or any hereditary functionary,

who marries a woman of a disreputable class, receives sixty strokes of the

bamboo, and the same _modicum_ awaits any priest who marries at all, he

being also expelled from his order. Slaves and free persons are forbidden

to intermarry. Those who connive at an illegal union are considered

criminals, and punished accordingly.

According to Chinese law, any one of seven specified causes are allowed to

justify divorce, namely, barrenness, lasciviousness, disregard of the

husband's parents, talkativeness (!), thievish propensities, an envious,

suspicious temper, or inveterate infirmity. Against these the woman has

three pleas, any one of which, if substantiated, will annul the husband's

application. They are, that she has mourned three years for her husband's

family; that the family has become rich, having been poor at the time of

marriage; or, that she has no father or mother living to receive her.

These are useless when she has committed adultery, in which case her

husband is positively forbidden to retain her, but under other

circumstances they present a check to his caprice. In cases of adultery, a

man may kill both his wife and her paramour if he detect them and execute

his vengeance forthwith, but he must not put her to death for any other

crime. In the same connection may be mentioned a law denouncing severe

penalties on any man who lends his wife or daughter. This is not an

obsolete enactment against an unknown offense, for instances do sometimes

occur of poor men selling their wives as concubines to their richer

neighbors, while others prostitute them for gain.

From this view of the social condition of women and the laws of marriage,

it is necessary to pass to a subject which has given China an unenviable

notoriety, namely, the custom of infanticide. Two causes appear to have

encouraged this practice: the poverty of the lower classes, and the

severity of the laws respecting illicit sexual intercourse. The former is

the principal cause. When the parents are so indigent as to have no hope

of maintaining their children, the daughters are murdered, for a son can

earn his living in a few years, and assist his parents in addition. Among

this class the birth of a female is viewed as a calamity. Several methods

are adopted to destroy the child. It may be drowned in warm water, its

throat may be pinched, a wet cloth may be pressed over its mouth, it may

be choked with rice, or it may be buried alive.

When Mr. Smith, a missionary, was in the suburbs of Canton in 1844, he

made many inquiries as to the extent of infanticide. A native assured him

that, within a circle of ten miles' radius, the children killed each year

_would not exceed five hundred_. In Fokien province the crime was more

general, and at a place called Kea King Chow there were computed to be

from five to six hundred cases every month. A foundling hospital at Canton

was named as preventing much of the crime, but it seems to have received

only five hundred infants yearly; but a very small proportion of the

births. The Chinese generally confess that infanticide is practiced

throughout the empire, and is regarded as an innocent and proper expedient

for lightening the pressure of poverty. It is not wholly confined to the

poor; the rich resort to it to conceal their amours. The laws punish

illicit intercourse with from seventy to one hundred strokes of the

bamboo. If a child is born, its support devolves upon the father; but in

cases where the connection has been concealed, this evidence is usually

destroyed.

Prostitution prevails to a prodigious extent. "Seduction and adultery,"

says Williams, in his Survey of the Chinese Empire, "are comparatively

infrequent, but brothels and their inmates are found every where, on land

and water. One danger attending young girls walking alone is that they

will be stolen for incarceration in these gates of hell." This allusion

may be explained by the fact that in 1832 there were from eight to ten

thousand prostitutes in and near Canton, of whom the greater portion had

been stolen while children, and regularly trained for this life. Many

kidnappers gained a living by stealing young girls and selling them to the

brothels, and in times of want parents have been known to lead their

daughters through the streets and offer them for sale. A recent visitor to

Canton describes the sale of children as an every-day affair, which is

looked upon as a simple mercantile transaction. Some are disposed of for

concubines, but others are deliberately bartered to be brought up as

prostitutes, and are transferred at once to the brothels.

Of Chinese houses of prostitution we have no particular description, but

one singular feature is the brothel junks, which are moored in conspicuous

stations on the Pearl River, and are distinguished by their superior

decorations. Many of them are called "Flower Boats," and form whole

avenues in the floating suburbs of Canton. The women lead a life of

reckless extravagance, plunging into all the excitements which are offered

by their mode of life to release themselves from _ennui_ or reflection.

Diseases are very prevalent among them, and visitors suffer severely for

their temporary pleasures. They are usually congregated in troops, under

the government of a man who is answerable for their conduct, or for any

violation of public peace or decency. The last can scarcely be considered

an offense, for the Chinese make a display of their visits to brothels.

Persons pass to and from the Flower Boats without any attempt at

concealment, and rich men sometimes make up a party, send to one of the

junks, retain as many women as they wish, and collectively pass the time

in debauch and licentiousness.

This is not the only form prostitution assumes in China. Women of the

poorer classes, whose friends are not able to provide for them, are lodged

in prison under the care of female warders, and these employ their

prisoners in prostitution for their benefit. An incident which occurred at

Shenshee a few years since reveals another phase. A young widow resided

there with her mother-in-law, both being supported by the prostitution of

the former. Her charms failed, she was deserted by her visitors, and

starvation seemed inevitable. The old woman would not recognize her

daughter's inability to support her, and flogged her. The prostitute, in

attempting self-defense, killed her mother. She was convicted of the

crime, but, as the victim had acted illegally in endeavoring to force her

to prostitution, the sentence of the court, which had ordered her to be

hewn to pieces, was commuted into decapitation.

As before remarked, it is much to be regretted that we have not more

reliable information of the vice, which is acknowledged to be all but

universal in China.[370]

JAPAN.

The recent connection established by American enterprise with the

semi-fabulous empire of Japan (the Zipangi of Columbus) makes the

institutions of that country more than usually interesting. From the

earliest accounts of the Dutch and Jesuit writers to the present time, we

know that the Japanese, like the Chinese, have attained a high degree of

civilization, and among both, the vices which, in the present experience

of mankind, seem the accompaniments of that improvement, have been

developed in a remarkable degree.

Among savage tribes female honor is held in very little esteem; the woman

is merely property. As we advance in the scale of intelligence they take

higher grade, and virtue and modesty are more cherished. Our information

concerning Japan is, even yet, comparatively limited, but no circumstance

of its ordinary life seems more clear than that female virtue among the

higher classes is much valued, and that, at the same time, there is an

enormous extent of public prostitution, in which men of all ranks indulge.

The Jesuit Charleroix, Koempfer, Adams, and some Dutch writers, have given

accounts of Japan from the sixteenth century to the present time. Like

most Oriental nations, the manners and habits of the Japanese have

undergone so little change, that the practices of a century ago are the

fashions of to-day. The most recent traveler (for those who composed

Commodore Perry's expedition can hardly be said to come under that

denomination) is Captain Golownin, and he had opportunities for close

observation not equaled since the times of the early writers. He was

commander of the Russian sloop-of-war Diana, and visited the Japanese

empire in 1811. Having paid a visit of ceremony ashore, he was induced, by

the duplicity of the Japanese, who are adepts in all the political arts

of lying and hypocrisy, to trust himself in their hands a second time

without arms or escort. The Japanese had an old grudge to settle with the

Russians on account of injuries done them by certain individuals of that

nation, and took the opportunity of rendering a _quid pro quo_ by

entrapping the unlucky Golownin, who was thus made prisoner. He was

treated at first with much indignity and severity; afterward with more

indulgence, but did not regain his liberty for upward of two years.

The Japanese can marry only one wife, but have as many concubines as they

please. The precise value of the distinction is not readily appreciated,

as the concubine does not lose caste by her position. There are great

facilities of divorce, and without cause shown; but a gentleman who

exercises this privilege loses his character as a husband, and can only

procure another wife or additional concubines by paying a large price to

his father-in-law. Adultery is punished with death, either by law or at

the hands of the husband. Japanese husbands are represented as jealous,

and as keeping their wives and women in strict seclusion. This strictness

is relaxed in the cases of the middle and poorer classes, the necessities

of the household removing those artificial obligations imposed on the

higher ranks by pride or fashion. But even the women of the humbler ranks

do not converse with, or even speak to strangers, unless in the presence

of their husbands.

An anecdote is told in Adams's narrative which somewhat resembles that of

Lucretia in Roman history, and which would imply great self-respect among

the high caste of Japanese ladies. A nobleman made dishonorable advances

toward a lady of rank during her husband's absence on a journey, and,

notwithstanding a repulse from her, seized an opportunity to gratify his

passion by violence. On the husband's return the wife treated him with

reserve, and declined any explanation of her singular conduct, which,

however, she promised to afford at a banquet to be given the following

day. Accordingly, during the feast, at which the author of the outrage was

present, when the guests had satisfied their appetites, the lady made her

appearance. She told her husband and his friends what had happened,

denounced herself as unworthy to live, received the caresses of her

husband and relations, by whom, however, she refused to be comforted, and

then leaped from the parapet of the house, and so killed herself.

Meanwhile the criminal had escaped; but when the horror-stricken guests

rushed out to pick up the devoted wife, they found the nobleman weltering

in his own blood at her side. He had ripped himself up, the ordinary way

of committing suicide in Japan.

The Japanese brothels are of great splendor, and very numerously

frequented, containing thirty, forty, fifty, or even a larger number of

women. Every place of public entertainment or refreshment maintains

prostitutes as a part of the establishment. On stopping at a tavern, it is

customary for the courtesans of the house to come out, painted and

bedizened, and set forth the claims of their house to the traveler's

patronage, exhibiting themselves as one of the items of the bill of fare.

No village, however insignificant, is without one or more houses of ill

fame, and there are villages on much-frequented roads, in popular

districts, the whole of whose female inhabitants are prostitutes. Two in

particular, Agasaki and Goy, are thus described by Koempfer. The females

are designated _Keise_, which literally signifies a castle turned upside

down. It is uncertain whether the government licenses these places, or

merely tolerates them. The former is the more probable, when it is

considered that in their mythology they have a goddess analogous to the

Corinthian Venus, in whose worship prostitution is a recognized part of

the ceremony. Attached to the temple of this impure deity are a large

number of priestesses, six hundred or upward, who all prostitute

themselves to the worshipers. Notwithstanding this large force, there are

constant offers to recruit the ranks by young girls.

The extent of this vice, which is universal throughout the empire, would

cause it to be taken as a regular institution of Japan. Nothing is done

_sub rosa_. Courtesans form part of a pleasure party; parents sell their

children to brothel-keepers, or apprentice them for a time to such places,

and at the expiration of their term they resume (it is said, but this is

doubtful) their places in society without any stain on their reputations.

Husbands make bargains for the transfer of their wives' charms, which is a

legitimate charge over and above the gratuity to be accorded to the lady.

Koempfer, in describing the prostitute quarter of Nagasaki, says it

consists of very handsome houses. The poor people sell their prettiest

daughters to the brothel-keepers, who bring the girls up with various

accomplishments. The price of these women is regulated by law, and many of

the prostitutes are enabled to abandon their calling, for their good

education and agreeable manners procure them husbands, and in their

married condition they are fully as good as others.

In his lifetime the brothel-keeper is said by some writers to rank with

the skinner or tanner, an opprobrious calling, while others say he ranks

with merchants, and his company is not deemed objectionable. This latter

statement, if true, may be owing to the circumstance that he holds a

government license. In Japan, as in China, the crown is the fountain of

all distinction, and every government official has peculiar privileges and

a distinct position in the social scale. After his death, however, the

brothel-keeper is held in great disesteem. The sanctity of the

burial-place, to which particular reverence attaches, would be polluted by

his unholy presence, and his odious remains are denied the rite of

sepulture, and are dragged in the clothes in which he died to a dunghill,

there to be devoured by wild beasts and birds of prey.

Prostitution as a public institution is said to have been introduced into

Japan by a certain warlike emperor or usurper, who, leading his troops

from one place to another in the empire, feared lest, from want of home

comforts and domestic ties, they might become disgusted and abandon his

service. Accordingly, as a substitute for lawful enjoyments, he had

stations for bands of prostitutes at various points, to the nearest of

which he led his fatigued soldiers after his engagements.

Another statement as to the origin of this system is that, on one occasion

during a revolution, the spiritual emperor having fled, attended by his

foster-mother and a numerous band of female attendants, temporary nuns,

the emperor and his foster-mother drowned themselves in fear of capture by

the enemies; whereupon the attendant nuns, cut off from all other

resource, adopted libertinism as a means of livelihood, and this gave the

first public example and sanction to a reprobate state of life.

There are in Japan various religious institutions of a character similar

to convents and monasteries. The vow of celibacy and chastity is one of

the requisites of this state, yet, notwithstanding this vow, the monks are

described as living very intemperately, seducing both women and girls, and

committing other shameful enormities.[371]

Among the mendicant religious orders to which both sexes belong, the nuns

are numerous. They are described as being very fine-looking women. They

are generally the children of indigent parents, and good looks are

essential to success in their calling, between which and prostitution

there seems no difference save in name. Indeed, many of these mendicant

nuns go direct from the brothel to their new employment, which, combining

various qualifications, is probably more lucrative.

We have been unable to find any information as to the nature or extent of

venereal diseases, if any, in Japan. Of infanticide also we have no

account.

Commodore Perry, in the Narrative of his Expedition, confirms the facts

above stated so far as his opportunities for observation extended.

Difficulties were at first thrown in the way of his seeing the Japanese

women, and when he walked about the interpreters preceded him, and, under

a show of doing him honor, ordered all the women into their houses.

Afterward, on the commodore's remonstrance, the women were allowed to make

their appearance, and their manners and looks were not by any means

unpleasing. When the officers of the expedition were entertained, they

sometimes waited on the party with tea, coffee, and other refreshments.

Their manners were mild, their countenances were soft and pleasing, the

only objectionable point about them being the abominable habit of

blackening their teeth with a highly corrosive pigment partly composed of

iron filings and a fermented liquor called saki, which affected the gums

very offensively, and caused an appearance and odor decidedly unpleasing

to the tastes of Western travelers.

The women of the working classes were engaged in hard field and out-door

labor, but not to a greater extent than in densely populated countries in

most parts of the world. Commodore Perry assumes that licentiousness must

be prevalent in large cities, but he bears his testimony to the good

conduct of the women whom the people of the expedition met while on

shore.[372]

The opportunities of information and particular inquiry were, however, not

very great, owing to the more important political objects of the visit,

and the not very protracted stay of the squadron in Japan.

Not content with the excess of incontinence in which the Japanese as a

nation indulge, they largely practice unnatural vices, and the youth of

the province of Kioto, which is the peculiar appanage of the spiritual

emperor, are celebrated on account of their beauty, and command a high

price in this horrid traffic.

TARTAR RACES.

Central Asia is but little known and seldom visited. Among the most

remarkable of its people are the Kirghiz Kazaks, who form a nation of

shepherds. They dwell in huts, or temporary habitations of wicker-work

covered with fleeces, and are a robust, hardy race, addicted to sensual

enjoyments. Their manners as to the treatment of the female sex are

coarse, but it is curious to remark that, while the men are indolent and

licentious, the women are fond of exertion, for which their only

recompense is to be treated as slaves.

The Kirghiz, when rich enough, eagerly avail themselves of the privilege

of polygamy; indeed, this part of the Mohammedan creed is the one they

have embraced with most ardor, yet few possess sufficient wealth to marry

more than one wife. The price paid for a woman will range from five or six

sheep among the poorer classes, to two hundred, five hundred, or even a

thousand horses among the rich, to which are added different household

effects, and occasionally a few male or female slaves. A considerable

share of these payments is absorbed by the Mohammedan moolahs, who find a

profitable source of revenue in marrying these people. They consecrate the

union as soon as projected, and immediately the amount of the _kalym_, or

price, has been arranged between the parties, the moolah solemnly asks the

parents of the bride and bridegroom, "Do you consent to the union of the

children?" repeating the question three times to each, and then reading

prayers for the happiness of the couple to be married. No marriage is

complete till the whole of the stipulated amount is paid, but neither

party can honorably retract after the first installment has been offered

and accepted. From that time the bridegroom has leave to visit his bride,

if he engages not to take away her chastity. In cases where this liberty

leads to an anticipation of the final ceremony, the unpaid portion of the

_kalym_ is not allowed to protract the union, which is hastened as much as

possible. If a man find his wife to have been incontinent before he

married her, he may return her to her parents, and demand the restitution

of her price, or the substitution of one of her sisters. If he actually

detects her in the commission of adultery, he may kill her, otherwise the

adulterer is fined, and the wife may be divorced or chastised.

The morals of the Kirghiz are good. Chastity in the woman is highly

prized, and the sensuality of the men is served by prostitutes, who live

in each camp, either in companies or in separate tents. Numbers of these

women appear wherever the Russians have encampments, and virulent disease

among them has tended rapidly to thin the people. The prostitutes are

composed of two classes--widows and divorced women, who have no other

means of subsistence, and linger out a miserable life in dirt, rags, and

contempt; and a few who addict themselves to prostitution from mere

licentiousness.

CIRCASSIA.

The race known as Abassians, considered the aborigines of the Caucasus,

were described by Strabo as a predatory people--pirates at sea, and

robbers on land. These characteristics they preserve to the present day,

but otherwise they are a virtuous nation, strange to the worst vices of

civilized life, and humble in their desires. Their religion permits

polygamy, but as wives are costly, they are usually contented with one,

who is the companion rather than the menial of her husband. The women are

industrious, are allowed full liberty, and are free in their social

intercourse, the veil being worn only to screen their complexions, and not

for seclusion.

Their laws against immorality are stringent. An act of illicit intercourse

is punished by fine or banishment. A dishonest wife is returned to her

parents, and by them sold as a slave, as is also a wanton girl.

Illegitimate children can not claim any relationship, and if sold as

slaves or assassinated, no one is expected to redeem them in the one case,

or avenge them in the other. When a man desires to divorce his wife, he

must give his reasons before a council of elders, and if they are not

satisfied, he must pay her parents a stated amount to recompense them for

the burden thus thrown upon them. Should the woman marry again within two

years, this sum is returned.

Among the Circassians themselves women are not secluded. A man will often

introduce his wife and daughters to a traveler, and unmarried women are

frequently seen at public assemblies. They observe one singular custom: a

husband never appears abroad with his wife, and scarcely ever sees her

during the day. This is in accordance with ancient habits, and is a

prolongation of the marriage etiquette, which requires a man, after he has

removed his bride's corset of leather, worn by all virgins, for some time

to refrain from openly living with her.

Throughout the Caucasus a high state of morality is found. Open

prostitution is unknown, and any girl leading a notoriously immoral life

would be compelled to fly beyond the bounds of the territory, if she

escaped being sold as a slave or put to death by her indignant friends.

There is a general opinion that Circassians will sell their daughters to

any Turk or Persian who wishes to buy them, but this is not the fact. They

are particularly careful as to the position of any one who wishes to

intermarry with them. Great precautions are taken to insure the happiness

of the girls, and long-continued negotiations frequently lead to no

result. The majority of females sold as Circassians are either children

stolen from the neighboring Cossacks, or slaves procured from those

Circassian traders who own allegiance to Russia.

TURKEY.

Proud, sensual, and depraved in his tastes, the Turk is too indolent to

acquire even the means of gratifying his most powerful cravings.

Satisfying his pride with the memory of former glories, his lust looks

forward to the enjoyment of a paradise crowded with beautiful ministers of

pleasure, and he passes his time in an atmosphere of Epicurean

speculation, lounging on cushions and sipping coffee with a dreamy

indifference to all external objects. Even the poor indulge in this

idleness. They measure the amount of labor necessary to keep them from

positive want, and spend the rest of their time waiting the sensual heaven

promised by their prophet. In such a lethargy the most violent passions

are fostered, and when these become excited the Turk can not be surpassed

in brutal fury. All his fancies are gross; moral power is an

incomprehensible idea, and he can conceive no authority not enforced by

whip or sword.

The Turkish character thus exhibited corresponds with their estimate of

the female sex. The person alone is loved; intellect in a Turkish woman is

rarely developed and never prized. She finds her chief employment in

decorating her person, her sole enjoyment in lounging on a pile of

cushions, and admiring the elegance of her costume. Turkey is literally

the empire of the senses.

Polygamy is now growing into disrepute there. Recent laws have conferred

many privileges upon women in matters of property, and their comparative

independence has rendered them averse to a position in which they only

acquire secondary rank. Men who marry wives of equal rank to themselves

frequently engage in their marriage contracts not to form a second

alliance, and this stipulation is very seldom violated.

The customs of the country do not permit a man to see his wife before

marriage. She may gratify her curiosity by a stealthy glance at him, but

this privilege is seldom used. In consequence of the separation of the

sexes, a race of professional match-makers has arisen, as in China, who

realize considerable profits from their calling. Children of three or four

years old are sometimes betrothed, marriage taking place about fourteen.

When a wedding is contemplated, each family deputes an agent to arrange

preliminaries, the terms of the contract are embodied in a legal document,

and the woman is then called "a wife by writing." This is concluded some

days before the actual wedding, but the interval is occupied with

rejoicings and hospitality, on which the bridegroom generally expends a

year's income. The union is a mere civil contract blessed by religious

rites. All concubines are slaves, even in the harem of the sultan, since

no free Turkish woman can occupy that position.

The morals of Turkish women are generally described as very loose. Their

veils favor an intrigue, the most jealous husband passing his wife in the

street without knowing her. The places of assignation are usually the

Jews' shops, where they meet their lovers, but preserve their _incognito_

even to them. Lady Mary Wortley Montague imagined "the number of faithful

wives to be very small in a country where they have nothing to fear from a

lover's indiscretion."

The dancing girls of Turkey are prostitutes by profession. Their

performances are much enjoyed by all classes, and they dance as

lasciviously in the harem, where they are often invited to amuse the wives

and concubines, as before a party of convivialists in the kiosks. Their

costume is exceedingly rich, both in color and material. During the day

they resort to coffee-houses, where they attach themselves to companions

whom they entertain with songs, tales, or caresses until night, when their

orgies are transferred to houses belonging to their chiefs. Many of these

habitations are furnished with every possible luxury.

Another form of prostitution is temporary marriage. For instance, a man on

a journey will arrive in a strange city, where he desires to remain some

time. He immediately bargains for a female companion, a regular agreement

is drawn up, and he supports her and remunerates her friends while he

remains. When he is tired of her, or wishes to leave the place, she

returns to her friends, and patiently waits for another engagement of the

same kind.

NORTHERN AFRICA.

A very brief notice only is required of the semi-barbarous states of

Northern Africa, particularly as an account of Algeria under the French

has already been given. The mass of the population are Moors, and

therefore our remarks will mainly apply to them. Like the Turks, they are

proud, ignorant, sensual, and depraved, and their treatment of women

exactly accords with this character. They regard the female sex but as

material instruments of man's gratification; and this idea is become so

generally received, that the sole education of a girl is such as will

render her acceptable to some gross sensualist. Intellect and sentiment

are not the possessions which will recommend her: _to be attractive, she

must be fat_. A girl of such bulk as to be a good load for a camel is

considered a perfect beauty, and, accordingly, the mother does not train

her daughter in seductive arts, but feeds her into a seductive appearance,

as pigeons are fed in some parts of Italy. She is made to swallow every

day a certain number of balls of paste saturated with oil, and the rod

overcomes any reluctance she may have to the diet.

The Moors are extremely jealous of their enormous wives. Some have been

known to kill their women before proceeding on a journey; others have

forbidden them to name an animal of the masculine gender. They are

entirely shut up within the walls of the harem, where they pass their time

perfuming and decorating their persons, to attract the favor of their

lords.

The general marriage laws of Mohammedan countries prevail in the Barbary

States. Four wives and as many concubines as he pleases are the limits

within which a man is confined, but few men marry more than one woman.

An extensive system of prostitution prevails in all the cities. The low

drinking-shops are crowded with women. The public dancers, who all belong

to the sisterhood, exist in large numbers, and are very much encouraged.

Their society is a favorite recreation with Moors of all classes. A man

entertaining a party of friends will send for a company of dancers to

amuse them. There, amid the fumes of tobacco, and sometimes of liquor (for

the precepts of the Koran are disregarded on such occasions), the women

practice the most degrading obscenities, and the orgies become such as no

pen can describe. These prostitutes are of various classes, from the low,

vulgar wretches who exist in misery, filth, and disease, to the wealthy

courtesans who live in luxury and splendor.

A late traveler was introduced by a friend to a "Moorish lady." He was

ushered into a spacious apartment hung with rich-colored silks. Reclining

on a splendid divan, with every appliance of wealth around her, was a

woman of extreme loveliness. Elegant in her manners and address, she

seemed a model of feminine grace, nor did the visitor discover until after

he had left her that he had been conversing with a Moorish prostitute.

SIBERIA.

The state of manners to which the population of these snowy tracts has

arrived is very low. They are rude, ignorant, and gross. The condition and

character of the female sex correspond with that of the male. In the

perpetual migration of tribes they bear the heaviest burdens, and in their

habitations the man regards his wife as a mere domestic slave, to whom it

is unnecessary even to speak a kind word. There are some exceptions to

this rule, especially toward the centre of the district, removed from

Russia on the one hand and the sea on the other, where more equality of

the sexes is observable.

A wife is generally obtained by purchase, and if a man is not rich enough

to pay the sum demanded by the parents of a girl for the privilege of

marrying her, he hires himself to them for a term ranging from three to

ten years, according to an agreement, and his services in that time are

considered equivalent to the value of his bride. These contracts are

faithfully observed, the woman is invariably given up at the specified

time, and the man released from his servile condition, and admitted to all

the dignities and rights of a son-in-law. Where the bridegroom is in a

condition to pay for his bride, the preliminary negotiations are managed

by his friends and her parents; they are very quietly arranged, but the

spirit of bargaining is strong on both sides. The stipulated amount must

be paid before the marriage is completed; and if a man steals away his

bride before he has paid the full cost, the father watches an opportunity

and recaptures her, retaining her in pledge until the balance is

forthcoming.

The marriage ceremonies vary in different tribes. With some there is no

feast or form of any kind; with others every marriage must take place in a

newly-built hut, where no impure things can have been. The most detailed

account of marriage ceremonies we can find is among the Tschuwasses. They

offer a sacrifice of bread and honey to the sun on the betrothal, that he

may look down with favor on the union. When the wedding-day arrives, the

bride hides herself behind a screen while the guests are assembling. When

the party is complete, she walks three times round the room, followed by a

train of virgins bearing bread and honey. Then the bridegroom enters,

removes her veil, kisses her, and they exchange rings. She is now saluted

as the "betrothed girl," and is again led behind the screen, whence she

emerges wearing a matron's cap. The concluding rite is for her to pull off

her new husband's boots, thus promising obedience to him. In this tribe

the husband can divorce his wife by merely taking her cap from her head.

Polygamy is practiced by many, though some prefer to take one wife for

another as often as inclination prompts them, rather than take charge of

several at the same time.

Jealousy is little known among any of the races of Siberia. Modesty is not

a female characteristic, nor is chastity very highly prized. If a wife

commit adultery, the husband usually exacts a fine from the paramour for

invading his rights "without permission." Their barbarous manners would

not induce us to expect any refined modesty. A traveler was introduced to

the family of a rich man, the head of a tribe, and upon entering his

low-roofed but spacious habitation, found himself in company with five or

six women, wives and daughters, all entirely naked, who appeared

excessively diverted at being discovered in such a state. The dancing

women are as lewd as can possibly be conceived; indeed, obscene postures

are the principal features of their entertainments.

A licentious intercourse between unmarried persons is almost universal.

With some, religious dissensions are extremely bitter; but profligacy is

more powerful, and a woman who would rigidly refuse to eat or drink with a

man of some other creed, will prostitute herself to him from sheer lust.

Abandoned women reside in all the towns in large numbers, and are scarcely

reprobated by other classes. The education of a Siberian girl appears to

be simply telling her that marriage is her destiny, and that her husband

will require her to be faithful. With this view she forms acquaintances,

is seduced by one and yields to another, until her profligacy becomes so

notorious that no one will purchase her as a wife, and she follows, as a

means of living, the habits she had resorted to for the indulgence of her

vicious appetite. It is said that many prostitutes become so from this

cause.

ESQUIMAUX.

The Esquimaux require but a very short notice. As a race, they are dirty,

poor, and immoral. Dishonesty is a prominent characteristic, especially

manifested toward any strangers coming within their reach. The lamented

Kane, in his "Arctic Explorations," mentions the trouble to which he was

exposed in guarding his stores from their pilfering propensities; but,

after he had administered one or two lessons of chastisement, they

abandoned this habit, and became of great assistance to him. He says,

"There is a frankness and cordiality in their way of receiving their

guests, whatever may be the infirmities of their notions of honesty;"[373]

and when he parted from them on his perilous journey south, he remarks,

"When trouble came to us and them, and we bent ourselves to their habits;

when we looked to them to procure us fresh meat, and they found at our

brig shelter during their wild bear-hunts, never were friends more true.

Although numberless articles of inestimable value to them have been

scattered upon the ice unwatched, they have not stolen a nail."[374]

The Esquimaux women are not absolute slaves; their duties are almost

entirely domestic, and during the winter especially their life is one of

ease and pleasure, so far as their notions can comprehend such advantages.

Crowded inside a low hut, two or three families together, they spend their

time in eating and sleeping alternately, both sexes being perfectly naked,

except a small apron worn by the women as a badge of their sex. This

nudity arises from the excessive heat of their cabins, which are rendered

impervious to the cold outside. Dr. Kane mentions one occasion on which he

was a visitor when the thermometer outside stood at 60° below zero, and

inside the temperature mounted to 90°, and says, "Bursting into a profuse

perspiration, I stripped like the rest, and thus, an honored guest, and in

the place of honor, I fell asleep."[375]

Respecting the morality of the men or the virtue of the women little is

known. Parry says that husbands frequently offer their wives to strangers

for a very small sum, and also that it is not uncommon for a change of

wives to be made for a short time. He adds that in no country is

prostitution carried to a greater extent, the departure of the men on an

expedition being a signal to their wives to abandon all restraint. Lust

rules paramount, and the children are taught to watch outside the hut,

lest the husband should return unexpectedly, and find his habitation

occupied by a stranger. Their marriage contract is a mere social

arrangement, easily dissolved, but this is rarely done, the general custom

being for a man to chastise his wife when she displeases him. The usual

form of matrimonial discipline consists in forcing her to lead the

reindeer while he rides at ease in the sledge. Their laws permit any man

to have two wives, and a regal perquisite of the great chief was the

privilege of having as many as he could support.[376] These brides were

not uncommonly carried off from their parents by force, the ceremonial

rite following at the convenience of the parties. Such attempts are

sometimes resisted. An aspirant for the favors of the daughter of a chief

succeeded in conveying her to his sledge, but the father pursued with such

alacrity that the adventurous lover had to abandon the fair one, and made

his escape with some difficulty, leaving the equipage as spoils to the

victor.[377]

Dr. Kane is of opinion that the services of the Lutheran and Moravian

missionaries have produced a beneficial influence on the morals of the

people. What may be called their normal religious notions extended only to

the recognition of supernatural agencies, and to certain usages by which

these could be conciliated. Murder, incest, burial of the living, and

infanticide, were not considered crimes, and these have aided exposure and

disease (the small-pox has made fearful ravages among them) to thin their

numbers, and impress them with the idea that they are so rapidly dying out

as to be able to mark their progress toward extinction within one

generation.[378] This is more applicable to the northern tribes, removed

from the effects of civilization, among whom murder and infanticide still

exist, though not to so great an extent as formerly, while in the southern

latitudes, where it was formerly unsafe for vessels to touch upon the

coast, hospitality is now the universal characteristic; and truth,

self-reliance, and manly honest bearing have been inculcated with

considerable success, though not enough to render their notions of

property accordant with those of civilized nations.[379]

ICELAND.

This country is inhabited by a serious, humble, and quiet people. Isolated

from the rest of the world, they remain to this day in an almost primitive

condition, and nine centuries have produced little change in their

manners, language, or costume. The condition of the sexes is somewhat

equal; the men divide their labors with the women, but do not oppress

them. Both are alike filthy and coarse in their habits. Their hospitality

assumes some singular forms. Women salute a stranger with a cordial

embrace, but their dirty habits generally render him anxious to escape

from their arms as quickly as possible. A missionary was upon one occasion

especially scandalized. He was visiting at the house of a rich man, who

treated him liberally, and upon retiring to his room at night was followed

by his host's eldest daughter, who insisted upon helping him to undress

and prepare for bed, declaring that it was the invariable custom of the

country.

Few absolute laws regulate the intercourse of the sexes. Christianity has

abolished polygamy, and public opinion holds a strong check upon illicit

intercourse. With the exception of their sea-ports, the people may be

called a moral race. The proportion of illegitimate to legitimate children

is about one in every seven.

Lord Kames relates an anecdote which would stamp the Icelanders of one

hundred and fifty years ago as any thing but moral. He says that in 1707 a

contagious distemper had cut off nearly all the people, and, in order to

repopulate the country, the King of Denmark issued a proclamation

authorizing every single woman to bear six illegitimate children without

losing her reputation. Report says the girls were so zealous in this

patriotic work that it soon became necessary to abrogate the law.

GREENLAND.

The population of Greenland is partly composed of European colonists and

partly of Esquimaux. They are a vain and indolent people, whose virtues

consist in the negation of active vice. Their women occupy an inferior

position. Marriage is essentially a contract for mutual convenience,

dissolved when it ceases to be agreeable. It is considered etiquette for a

girl, when any man demands her in marriage, to fly to the hills and hide

herself, in order to be dragged home with a great show of violence by her

suitor. If courted by a man she dislikes, she cuts off her hair, which is

a sign of great horror, and usually rids her of her lover.

The Greenlanders consider themselves the only civilized people in the

world, and consequently pride themselves on decorum. They do not allow

marriages within three degrees of affinity, and consider it disreputable

for persons who have been educated in the same house to marry, even if no

relationship exists between them. Prostitution prevails to a considerable

extent, widows and divorced women almost invariably adopting it as a means

of living. There are numerous habitations in the large communities which

can only be considered as brothels, but the life of an abandoned woman is

generally reprobated, and those following it incur the most undisguised

odium of the people at large.

CHAPTER XXXII.

NEW YORK.--STATISTICS.

Schedule of Questions.--Age.--Juvenile Depravity.--Premature Old

Age.--Gradual Descent.--Average Duration of a Prostitute's Life.--

Nativity.--Proportion of Prostitutes from various States.--New York.--

Effects of Immigration.--Foreigners.--Proportion to Population.--

Proportion to Emigration.--Dangers of Ports of Departure, Emigrant

Ships, and Boarding-houses.--Length of Residence in the United

States.--Prostitution a Burden to Tax-payers.--Length of Residence in

New York State.--Length of Residence in New York City.--Inducements to

emigrate.--Labor and Remuneration in Europe.--Assistance to emigrate;

its Amount, and from whom.--Education.--Neglect of Facilities in New

York.--Social Condition.--Single Women.--Widows.--Early and

Injudicious Marriages.--Husbands.--Children.--Illegitimate Children.--

Mortality of Children.--Infanticide.--Influences to which Children are

exposed.

It is to be hoped the reader has already perused the introduction to this

volume, containing a description of the _modus operandi_ adopted to obtain

the necessary information from the prostitutes of New York City. The

following schedule of questions was prepared for this purpose, and the

ensuing pages present in tabular form the answers received thereto.

"How old will you be next birth-day?

"Were you born in America? and, if so, in what state?

"How long have you resided in New York City?

"If born abroad, in what country?

"How long have you resided in the United States?

"How long have you resided in the State of New York?

"What induced you to emigrate to the United States?

"Did you receive any assistance, and, if so, from whom, and to what

amount, to enable you to emigrate to the United States?

"Can you read and write?

"Are you single, married, or widowed?

"If married, is your husband living with you, or what caused the

separation?

"If widowed, how long has your husband been dead?

"Have you had any children?

"How many? -- Boys -- Girls

"Were these children born in wedlock?

"Are they living or dead?

"If living, are they with you now, or where are they?

"For what length of time have you been a prostitute?

"Have you had any disease incident to prostitution? If so, what?

"What was the cause of your becoming a prostitute?

"Is prostitution your only means of support?

"If not, what other means have you?

"What trade or calling did you follow before you became a prostitute?

"How long is it since you abandoned your trade as a means of living?

"What were your average weekly earnings at your trade?

"What business did your father follow?

"If your mother had any business independent of your father, what was

it?

"Did you assist either your mother or your father in their business?

If so, which of them?

"Is your father living? or how old were you when he died?

"Is your mother living? or how old were you when she died?

"Do you drink intoxicating liquors? If so, to what extent?

"Did your father drink intoxicating liquors? If so, to what extent?