18 
resemblance existing between the hair of these people thus 
dressed and the conventional representation of hair in the 
Assyrian sculptures, with which we are all familiar. When 
allowed to grow naturally, the hair of the Papuans is always 
frizzly. 
In the features of these people there is considerable dif- 
ference. In a typical specimen the lips are somewhat 
thick, the nose is broad, often arched and high, but coarse. 
Their jaws project, and they may, as a rule, be said to be pro- 
gnathous. They are generally small in stature ; but in some 
islands the natives are comparatively large. Where, however, 
they are of large size, we almost always have other evidence 
of their mixture with another race. Speaking, therefore, of 
the typical Papuans, we may say they are small, with thin 
limbs, and are physically weak. In their natural condition 
they are a savage, bloodthirsty race : one of the most savage 
races of men living. They are invariably cannibals. As far 
as I know, we have never yet come to know any portion of 
the race without finding them addicted to this horrid custom. 
They are also always broken up into small hostile tribes, 
holding no intercourse with one another, except by warfare. 
This is one of the most constant characteristics of the race. 
The different languages spoken by them are very numerous, 
owing, no doubt, to their hostility towards one another. A 
missionary may learn the language of a tribe living in a par- 
ticular valley, and on gaining access to a tribe in the next 
valley, only a few miles distant, may find himself unable to 
communicate with the people, owing to their language being 
so different from the one he has learnt. In the grammatical 
structure of these languages there is a considerable resem- 
blance, as would naturally be expected ; but owing to long 
isolation through the savage disposition and hostility of the 
people, the verbal differences have become very great. 
Among them women hold a very low position. They are 
merely the slaves and tools of the men. Nearly all the hard 
work falls to their share, the men devoting themselves chiefly 
to warfare. The women work at the plantations, carry the 
burdens, wait on the men, and take their food from the leavings 
of the lords of creation. The men will think they do well if, 
with their arms, they protect the women from the attacks of 
other tribes. 
You may well imagine such a people to be in every respect 
low in the scale of humanity. They are low socially, as we 
have seen. Their family life is not greatly elevated above the 
relationships existing among the lower animals. The relations 
between the sexes are of the most degraded character, with a 
