100 



KNOWLEDGE. 



[May 1, 1900. 



But ancestor-worship may be taken as presumptive 

 evidence of tho idea of a future existence ; and we may 

 perhaps best define the Papuan religion as in a rudi- 

 mentaj-y condition. Belief in sorcery and witchcraft is 

 rampant; and both sickness and lunacy are regarded 

 as due to the latt-er influence. 



In certain districts tatooiug is practised; but, with 

 the exception of the short skirts of fibre worn by the 

 women, the wai-drobe of a Papuan is of the most limited 

 description ; the adornment of the hair being the chief 

 sacrifice to fashion. It should, however, be added that 

 the cartilage of the nose is frequently perforated to 

 contain a boar's tusk, or a long pin cut from the giant 

 clam (Tridacna.), while shells of various descriptions are 

 also worn a.s ornaments. No account of the Papuans 

 would be complete without some reference to their pile- 

 dwellings, which recall the habitations of the ancient 

 Swiss lake-dwellers. These pile-villages, which are built 

 in sheltered bays and suppoiied on mangrove stems, are 

 generally surrounded by water at high tide, but left 

 more or less completely dry at the ebb. The coast tribes, 

 who are in constant "fear" of those living more inland, 

 are accustomed to escape from an attack by taking to 

 their canoes before the enemy has time to gain access 

 to their houses. But, as Dr. Semon remai'ks, in respect 

 to the villages of Port Moresby. " the advantage of the 

 plan seems impaired by the circumstance that the 

 desired protection is rendered futile during ebb-tide, 

 and I am sure that the wisdom of even a Papuan chief- 

 commander will lead him to defer his attack till low 

 water. Moreover, the inhabitants of Port Moresby are 

 known as valiant warriors, and it is perhaps owing to 

 ancient tradition rather than to fear of their enemies 

 that thev build their houses on piles and into the sea. 

 never giving a thought to the original reason of this 

 system." 



WHERE THE DAY CHANGES. 



By Dr. A. M. W. Downing. 

 Crossing the line for the first time must always be an 

 experience of great interest to the traveller. Indeed, in 

 former times the experience must have been a veiy dis- 

 agreeable, as well as an interesting one, on account of 

 the unpleasant character of the ceremonies that were 

 considered appropriate to the occasion, and in which 

 the tvro took unwillingly somewhat too prominent a 

 part, "in the bad old times to which I refer, people were 

 known sometimes even to speak disrespectfully of the 

 Equator. 



But the Line of which I wish to speak — with entire 

 respect — on the present occasion is not the Equator, but 

 a line, in the neighbourhood of the 180th mei-idian, on 

 which the dav changes for the portions of continents 

 and the groups of islands that lie thereabout, and which 

 is, in consequence, called the Date Line. It is scarcely 

 necessary to point out that to the Eastward-going 

 traveller the local time is ever later and later, whilst to 

 the "Westward-going traveller it is ever earlier and 

 earlier, than the time of the initial meridian. So that 

 when the traveller, in the first case, reaches the 180th 

 meridian his time is twelve hours later than that of the 

 1st meridian, and when the traveller, in the second 

 case, reaches the same meridian his time is twelve hours 

 earlier. The respective times of the two travellers 

 (supposing them to meet on the 180th meridian) differ 

 therefore by a day; that of the one coming from the 

 Asiatic side being a day later than that of the one 

 coming from the American side. "When it is Thursday 

 (suppose) on the American side, it is Friday on the 



Asiatic side. To set things right it is necessary for the 

 traveller coming fi-om the American side — in the case 

 supposed — to skip Friday altogether, and to pass from 

 Thursday to Satui-day, "whilst the traveller from the 



NORTH ; PA CI 

 Se ASIATIC DATE 



FIC OCEAN 



AMERICAN OATE 





4- '' , % 



•■^N 



Ncrtk 



3e 



U 



F.mtfitcT 



SciiOi. 



30- 



S6 



18- 



POSITIONS ASSIGNED 

 T O OATE LIN E. 



Wharton 



Smith- 



Stiele:r's Hand Attas map n 

 Darid^on elsewhere 



E.CLSt 



I6fi .150 lec. 



-rc 



ISP- 



'S [I332J 



may be takgn tc Cojncide nvthWtartan 

 West 



I7C. 



160, 



iSO. /6S 



The Date Line. 



Asiatic side must have two " Fridays " in succession. 

 This is the practice followed on board ocean-going ships 

 when crossing the 180th meridian, and is as interesting 



