Liberia 



(*- 



the men amongst the common people have at most two legitimate 

 wives, and even the chiefs seldom maintain a household of more 

 than ten. A big chief, nevertheless, especially if he is the head 

 of a tribe, may put no hmits to his harem — a hundred, two 

 hundred, and so on. Still, in this country large establishments 

 of wives are not the custom, nor are they really necessary to 

 the peasants. No boy or man need look fiir for female favours, 

 nor need any husband who yearns tor variety fear to be seriously 

 repulsed in any direction, especially if he is sufficiently well 

 off to distribute presents. From this it may be argued, and 

 with truth, that the sexual morality of Liberia is a little lower 

 than that of average Europe and America, and perhaps much 

 lower than the morality of India. ^ 



7 he l>irl/i customs are usually simple. In all cases the 

 woman works in and out of doors at her accustomed tasks 

 until the pangs of labour begin. In some tribes it is customary 

 then for the women to g-o into the bush to be delivered, or 



' Most of the tribes do not consider it wrong to continue sexual intercourse 

 uith their wives after pregnancy up to witliin a short time before the birth. 

 But in no tribe (except of course amongst the Christians on the coast) is it 

 permissible to resume sexual intercourse with llie wife until after the child has 

 been weaned. This long period of separation between husband and wife is 

 at least eigliteen months in duration, and this custom rr.akes polygamy as an 

 institution absolutely necessary to uncivilised Negroes. Authorities like Dr. Blydcn 

 have discussed whether for this reason it may not be necessary for a civilised 

 State or a Christian Church to recognise polygamy as a lawful institution. Dr. 

 Blyden maintains that children reared under these circumstances —namely, the 

 mother remaining apart from the father, and suckling the cliild as long as 

 possible — produce a stronger and healthier race. It is doubtful whether there 

 is validity in Dr. ]51yden's aiguments, as the physique of the American and 

 West Indian Negroes does not seem to have suffered by their cleaving more or 

 less to one wife and resuming sexual intercourse soon after the birth of a child. 

 One reason of the fine pliysique of most of these aboriginal Negroes in Liberia 

 is the rude law of the survival of tlie fittest. The mortality of their young 

 children is as great as in other parts of Africa, and only the strongest can survive 

 the experiences they go through. Deformed or defective children are no doubt 

 usually put away more or less quietly. 



1048 



