QQ Art. Vn. — A. Matsiimura : 



the removal of one testicle has nothing to do with the question 

 of population, but that it is a mark of honour from long usage, 

 indicating bravery or the full attainment of a man's status. 



It may be argued that while the Australian aborigines are 

 the most uncivilized in the world, the natives of Ponapé stand on 

 a higher plane of civilization, it is therefore not right to compare 

 the customs of the latter to those of the former. So far as I 

 know, the initiation ceremony does not exist in Ponapé. Nor do 

 I mean to imply in the least that the customs of the native 

 tribes in Australia and those of the natives of Ponapé are of one 

 and tlie same origm. The custom of injuring the genital organs 

 among the Australians is adduced simply as an instance that this 

 has nothing to do with the suggested prevention of pregnancy. 

 But we should not be surprised to find that the said customs in 

 Ponapé and Australia are of the same origin. 



Among the customs of the various races which mutilate parts 

 of the body for ornamental purposes, or as a symbol distinguish- 

 ing a certain class, there are some wiiose meaning it is impossible 

 to ascertain. It may be remarked that not every custom of a 

 tribe or a nation agrees with the general level of their civiliza- 

 tion. For instance, women in Europe use the corset to compress 

 the waist. They fully realize that the corset is harmful to health, 

 but that does not make them give up the practice. It is difficult, 

 therefore, to infer or deny from the general level of civilization 

 the existence of a particular custom in a particular region, especi- 

 ally in view of the fact that uncivilized tribes are possessed of 

 strange customs. So it is small wonder, if the natives of Ponapé 

 have customs resembling those of the Australian aborigines. 



When I had written so far, I obtained A. Cabeza Pereiro's 



