Liberia •- 



Mr. McConnell, writing of the Kru people about fifty 

 years ago, states that as a rule young men (or the parents of 

 young men on their behalf) purchase their future wives when 

 they are little children : in fact, carry out the idea of infant 

 marriage ; but the girl does not come to live with her husband 

 till she has reached the age of puberty, which may be some- 

 where about twelve years. 



Amongst the Kru people circumcision is rarely practised 

 in the men, and apparently clitoridectomy is not in favour, 

 so that there is less reason for holding these initiation schools 

 for boys and girls. In the Sikombe country, however, behind 

 the Kru coast, and also in the adjoining country of Putu, and 

 indeed wherever one can gather information of the customs 

 of all the races belonging to the Kru stock in the basin of 

 the Cavalla River, the licence permitted to unmarried women 

 takes the following strange form. A girl having been pledged 

 from early childhood to her future husband is nevertheless 

 allowed to take an official lover when she wishes between 

 twelve and fourteen. This lover cohabits with the girl until 

 she proves to be pregnant, and then she is taken over by her 

 lawful husband, who has no commerce with her, however, until 

 she has not only borne a child to her lover but duly weaned 

 it ; so that the husband and wife do not come together until 

 the latter is, for Negroland, quite a mature young woman, say 

 sixteen or seventeen years of age — equivalent to our twenty- 

 seven. As the husband no doubt in his time has been a 

 lover, the system works out equitably all round. 



Amongst the Mandingo, boys and girls are allowed to 

 cohabit before marriage, but the female companion provided 

 for a boy by his parents is no doubt very often a young 

 slave. When a Mandingo youth or man desires to become 

 definitely married he gives the girl that he fancies a present 



1042 



