?0 AROUND THE WORLD VIA INDIA. 



The educational advantages of Tutuila are as yet 

 in their infancy, a defect which should soon be reme- 

 died, as the children are very fond of school work. The 

 Catholic Sisters are here, and, as on so many other 

 frontier lines, they are the pioneers in placing within 

 reach of the ignorant children the means of obtaining 

 an education. They have opened a school in a village 

 near Pago Pago, which is already filled to overflowing 

 with the little dusky scholars. All of the inhabitants 

 are nominally Christians, but religion has failed to 

 wipe out many traces of paganism. There are very few 

 legal marriages consummated. The native custom still 

 prevails. Man and wife consent to live together, and 

 continue to do so as long as the matrimonial sky is 

 clear, but should anything occur contrary to the expec- 

 tations of the husband the tie is severed by returning 

 the wife to her parents or relatives. The children are 

 always provided for. Unless other arrangements are 

 made which are satisfactory to both parties, the sons 

 remain with their father and the daughters accompany 

 their mother (Fig. 16). 



The kahuna, or native medicine man, remains, and 

 has not lost his influence among his people. They con- 

 tinue their mysterious ceremonies and the use of herbs 

 and roots in battling with the diseases they are called 

 on to treat. The remarks of Father Damien concerning 

 the native doctors of Hawaii apply to the kahunas of 

 Samoa : "We have to fight their doctors, who are gen- 

 erally nothing but sorcerers. In cases of sickness idola- 

 trous sacrifices are still in use. All diseases are at- 

 tributed to mysterious causes. It is very hard to dis- 

 abuse these poor people of such superstitious notions." 

 Superstition remains unshaken by the teachings of the 

 gospel, a strong proof of the truth that 



"Nothing has more power over the multitude 

 than superstition; in other respects powerless, 

 ferocious, fickle, when it is once- captivated 

 by superstitious notions, it obeys its priests better 

 than its leaders." — Quintus Curtius Rufus. 



