PHYSIOLOGICAL IGNORANCE 259 



Engano, according to Modigliani, what we understand 

 by morality does not exist ; and he gives reasons for 

 believing that even quite young children (bambine) 

 could give points to the most abandoned women of 

 Europe. 1 In the Barito River Basin of Borneo chil- 

 dren are often married at three or five years. After 

 marriage they are indeed often, but not always, 

 separated until puberty. At every opportunity how- 

 ever their mutual relation is revealed to them. 

 " Besides, they frequently meet each other ; and it is 

 seen with pleasure when there arises a certain 

 familiarity not agreeing with our ideas of morality." 2 

 The Banyanese of the same island marry in their 

 eighth or ninth year. 3 Among the Achehnese where 

 child-marriage is frequent girls of eight to ten, nay even 

 of seven years of age, are actually handed over to their 

 husbands even when the latter are adult or elderly men. 

 So universal is this custom that parents whose 

 daughter at the age of eight to ten years does not 

 occasionally share her husband's bed are greatly con- 

 cerned thereat, unless there are special reasons for her 

 not doing so, as where though formally married to 

 a man at a great distance he has not yet arrived to 

 take possession of her, being prevented by the dis- 

 tance or by the small local wars so frequent before 

 the Dutch succeeded in establishing their rule. 4 In 

 several districts of the island of Serang girls' teeth are 

 filed before puberty. When the work is accomplished, 

 the patient goes to bathe and is clad in festival array 



1 Modigliani, Isola, 139. 



2 Roth, Sarawak, ii. clxxix. translating Schwaner. 



3 Ploss, op. tit. i. 394, citing vaguely Finke. 

 * Hurgronje, i. 295. 



