WHERE WOMEN PROPOSE.

King Country Chronicle, Volume V, Issue 344, 11 March 1911, Page 7

WHERE WOMEN PROPOSE.

In the remote, island of Nov.- Quinea it is leap year all the time in one important sense, for out there all the proposals of marriage are made by the women. It is considered beneath the digmty of the male inhabitants of New Quinea to even notice a woman, and consequently the women perforce must notice the men anc must start any idea of weddings,&c. Ho when the belle of New Quinea becomes in love, she promptly sends a piece of string to the sister of the lucky man. If he has no sister, she sends it to his mother, or anyhow to some female relative. This, because the man and his male relatives are assumed to be above taking any steps towards acquiring a wife. Then the sister says to the man involved, "Brother, I have news ; so-and-so is in love with you." If inclined to matrimony the man makes an engagement to meet' the enamoured lady. When they meet, it is alone, and they decide either to wed or drop the entire proposition at once. There is no courting, for the man is not allowed, theoretically at least, tc waste any time on a woman—not even enough to allow her to make love to him. The betrothal is announced, and the engaged man in New Quinea is branded on the back with charcoal, but the woman's mark of engagement tc wed is actually cut into her skin and is never allowed to completely vanish If either one decides to break the engagement nothing can be done by the offended party. If the girl decides that, after all, she sent the little piece of string by mistake, the man is apt, however, to catch her sometimes alone and beat her. If the man jilt the woman her relatives often hunt him up and administer a sound drubbing.