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41
1

1W)

THK CURIOUS RACK OF ARCTIC HIOHLANDHRS.

BV I.RWia I.INDSAV UVCIIR.

f" Ml-: Arctic Highland-
ers, the most north-
ern inhabitants of the
j^IoIk'. are not so called
because they dwell in the
liij;h lands, but iK-cause
of the high latitude in
which they live. Like all
other ICskitno tribes they
cling to the coast. Their settlements, a
few igloos (stone or ice-huts for winter),
or tuples (sealskin tents for summer), are
scattered from CajH.* York, 75° .S5 '. to Htah,
78° iS', on the shores of Koulke Fiord.
Though these jx'ople s])read over a consid-
erable territory, they number only alxjut
three hundred souls. Inglefield (lulf
might be considered as the center of
their settlements, each of which usually
contains fnmi two to a dozen families.
The.se settlements are more permanent in
summer than in winter, for in the sum-
mer the ice is continually breaking up .so
that the people cannot travel far with the
dog sledges, which are their sole means
of taking long journeys. They ]M)ssess
kayaks, it is true, but these are rude,
clumsy, and ill-shaped, as compared with
those of the liskiuios in central and
southern Greenland. The latter have tight
skin coats which fit them so closely

about the head and wrists, and are tied
so tight about the rim of the kayak — the
aperture which the kayaker enters— that
no water can possibly get into the boat.
But the Highlanders know not of such a
garment, and .so only gj out in their
kayaks when the .sea is suiooth. In fact,
there are but two months in the year,
Jidy an<l August, when it is possible for
these i)eople to use their little boats, for
during the remaining ten months the sea
is for the most part covered with ice.

With dogs and sledges, however, the
Highlanders are experts. The dogs were
originally domesticated wolves, but since
Kane and other exj)lorers entered the
country, taking dogs with thetu from
Kuroj)e and America, tlio I'lskimo wolf-
dog lias been nii.sed with other strains of
blood. However, the wolfish nature still
remains, and the dogs yelp and howl
like wolves. Six dogs constitute an
ordinary sledge team, and will pull a
load weighing from tliiee hundrecl to a
thousand pounds, the condition of the
snow and ice of course to be taken into
consideration in loading. The sledges vary
from three and a half to five and a half
feet in length, and from si.xteeii to twenty-
eight inches in width. The runners are
generally made of a great number of

small
secur
sealsl
ivor>l
Lij
worl<|
and
have|
and
covei
were!
were!
tlieyi
and
on HI
ever!
they
dene
tlieii
agin
the «
the
amo
hav(
deiu
api>;
that
T
broi

5
4

THE CURIOUS RACE OF ARCTIC HIGHLANDERS.

229

"i<i .ire tied
kayak— till.-
filters— that
1" the l)oat.
'>t of such a
"t in their
''• In fact,

I the year,
'ossible for
-■ boats, for
tils the sea
ith ice.
Hever, the

<iojjs were
. ''lit since
itered the
itni from
iiiio wolf,
strains of
itiirc still
:«ii<l howl
titute an
' I'lill a
lied to a

II of the
'-en into
I^esvarv
'1 .1 Iial'f
>twenty-
iiets are
inber of

sinall pieces of wood and bone, all drawn
securely together by means of strings of
sealskin rawhide, and shod witli strips of
ivory or bone.

Living isolated from the :vst of the
world, and struggling againsi a harsh
and difficult eiiviionment, these ])eople
have cleveloi)ed some strange customs
and beliefs. When they were first dis-
covered by Sir John Hoss, in iKiS, they
were much surprised to learn that there
were other inhabitants on the glolie, for
they knew not even of other lilskimos,
and thought thcm.selves the only jK'ople
on the face of the earth. This fact, how-
ever, did not make them proud or haughty ,
they were open to conviction on the evi-
dence of their senses, and .so modified
their ancient belief. This mania of im-
agining themselves the oul\' ])eople on
the earth is not one that was jK'culiar to
the Arctic Ilighlander.s — it exists still
among certain civilized people whom I
have visitc<l, who will not accept evi-
dence of their sen.ses, and who are
apparently entirely oblivious of the fact
that there are others.

The Kskimo iiiter])reter whom Ross
brought with him from South (Vreenland

soon recognized the Highland speech as
his own, and had no trouble in making
hini.self understood and welcome among
his distant cousins. In fact, numy of
their customs were identical with those
of the more .southern i)ortion of the race.
They are separated from their nearest
neighbors on the (Ireenland side by the
wide expanse of country that extends
from Cape York through the Melville Hay
region as far south as Upernavik. But
they have no intercourse with, and ex-
cept from hearsay, know nothing of, their
southern neighbors. Tliey are separated
from the i)eople on the North American
side by Uaniu's Ha\'. The Ivskimos on
the west side of Davis Strait, however,
have in recent years l>een known to fol-
low up the coast toward Cape Sabine
and then to cross over, and there are now
two or three Ivskimos living among the
Arctic Highlanders who came from the
American side.

These |)eoi)le are perhaps the oldest
race on the face of the globe, and dwell
nearer the original habitat of man than
any other people. We are told that the
earth cooled off at the poles first, thus
making jK)ssible jilant and animal life;

AN AKCTIC IIK.III.ANDKK " TUPIC."

ajo

THE CrRlOUS RACE OF ARCTIC HIGHLANDERS.

couni
theni
but
they I

ized
Itl
Eski
isteii]
liar

■K\\
>vith|

WATllll.M. HKTt'KN

thence those forms of life moved south-
ward. It seems fairly well established
that the human race originated in the
lM)lar rejjious. Tlie jilace 5)re])ared by
nature for the first life would naturally
Ik' the first habitation of man. The place
where plant and animal life first oriji^i-
nated would naturally be the cradle of the
race. The life zone would work south-
ward, but some of the hardier forms of
animal and i)lant life woulil adjust them-
selves to their environment and still re-
main in the polar rej^ions. The polar
bear, the arctic fo.v. and the reindeer are
nearer the original home of these animals
than any other species or variety, altliou>;h
they must have utulerj^otie difierentialion
in order to keep pace with a chaujiint;: en-
vironment.

Thus it is a tenable supposition that
the ancestors of the race may all be
buried under the snow and ice of the arctic
regions, and that the man of science will
be com])elled to come here tf) dig uj) the
missing link. However this may be,
the Ivskimos are an iiiter.sely interesting
people, and no satisfactory explanation
has yet been given for their e.xi.stence
in the extreme north.

Some m.iintain that the Ivskimos are

KKO.M A M'.\l. WVSX

the most considerable remnant of that
nameless jirehistoric race of fishers and
hunters who once clung to the coasts of
ICuroiM? until thev were imshed away into
the nooks and corners, and to the very
verge and edge of the great continents
by the successive bands of Arian migra-
tions, until they found their way to the
uidiospitable northern regions. Some
believe that they were forced thither from
the coasts, both of Asia ;iiul America, by
the migration of Indian ;iud Mongolian
tribes ; but it is not improb.d)le that they
have lived from time immemorial amid
the ice. I'p in these regions we still find
stunted growths of the i)iiie, the willow,
anil the birch, and of other growths that
now attain their full (levelo])ment under
mure congenial suns. It ma' )e that
like these the Ivskimos have remained in
the frozen north, unable to attain any
high developnient on account' of their
hard and didicult surroundings.

ihit certain it isth.-it the Ivskimos have
worked out the jirobleiu of existence amid
surroundings which would have baffled
the efToits of the most civilized people.
For the latter are <mly able to live for
a year or two at a time in the arctic
cirr'e, and must depend, not upon the

\'S.

THE CURIOUS RACE OF ARCTIC HIGHLANDERS.

231

lant of tli.it
lisluTs aiKl
lit- coasts of
■il a\va\ into
to the very
I'oiit incuts
rian niij^i;,.
way t<i the
'lis. Some
hither from
\nierica, by
Monjroiian
<-■ that they
">rial amid
i-e still ilnd
he willow,
"Wilis tliat
itnt under
i: ")e tliat
"liimed in
tttain an\'
t- of tliei'r

inins have
tnccamid
ve baffled
'1 pco|)le.
o live for
he arctic
"I*"" the

country, as do the Ivskinios, to supply
them with food and fuel and raiment,
but upon supplies and e<iuipments which
they have carried with them from civil-
ized communities.

It is interestinjf to study the wjij' these
Ivskinu)S work out tluir probUm of ex-
istence, the manlier of life, and the pecu-
liar custoujs which they have develoi)ed.

They eat almost nothing but flesh,
»vith very little fish. Most of the meat
is eaten raw and without salt. They do
not eat blubber, as rejjorted, nor do they
drink oil. Tliiy enjoy a jtorlion of fat, as
we do; but for the most i)art eat the lean
meat, with much Rristle, bone, and car-
tilage, as well as the skins of animals,
especially that of the whale, of which
they are very fond and which they al-
ways take r nv. .\fler a little j)ractice I
did not object to the raw whale meat
myself It is a little tough and leathery,
but a person with good teeth can grind
it up by giving it more attention and
power than is bestowed on a |)iecc of

diet almost exclusively of meat, mostly
eaten raw, would develop some peculiar
and fierce traits of character. Animals
such as the wolf, lion, hyena, tiger,
et cetera, who live upon such diet, as a
rule are lean, hungry, and savage. The
American Indian who subsists on (lesh. is
treacherous and warlike in disiH)sition.
Uut on the contrary, the Arctic High-
landers are a most amiable people. They
not only seldom quairel but are of a kind
and gentle disposition. They a])pear very
happy in their marital relations, and
though they swap wives now and then,
this does not indicate any particular dis-
satisfaction among the parties concerned,
and the original husband and wife will
generally return to each other.

Love, such as is known as a potent in-
fluence in more southern climes, seems
here to have little or nothing to do with
tying the marital knot. Hi.t as the little
blind god is .ilways represented, to say
the least, in an exceedingly light costume,
it may be that the rigorous climate ex-

(>Kori> or eiilLi>Hi-:N.

ordinary meat. After eating a meal of
whale skin the appetite seems to be sat-
isfied for at least twelve hours. Blub-
ber is used for the most part for fuel,
either being burned in the lamps in the
igloos, to make heat and to melt ii-e. or it
is mixed with moss and made t<i burn
under a stone, for cooking or heating
purposes.
It would naturally be suppcsed that a

eludes him from the arctic circle. Among
the Highlanders, the women who are in
the greatest demand for wives are the
ones who are the best seamstresses, who
can make the best gar 'uts, and who can
clean and tan skins Iter the most ap-
jiioved fashion. Out e other hand. thoFe
men are considered .he most desirable
husbands who are the best hunters, those
who can capture the most seals and bears.

2^2

THE CURIOUS RACE OF ARCTIC HIGI/LANDERS.

WhcMi a yoniiR man has
ninde up his mind that it
is not ^iH)(\ for him to live
alone, he casts hiseye(which
is uniiilluenctHl by l)eanty)
uiM)n some proniisinjj young
seamstress, and goes and ex-
plains matters to the father
of the girl. If the father
considers that the young
man possesses qualities as
a hunter which eijualize or
surpass the talents of his
daughter, and the daughter
herself is willing, the young
man is allowed to take her
as his wife. Siie may, how-
ever, return to her father if
dissatisfied with her hus-
band's acquirements, and
may return to her husband
later -f he has iK'tter luck in luciiii.ANi.i

the chase; or, if still dissatisfied, she may
take anothc husband. The girls are
usually given in marriage when aljout
si. \ teen years of age. The men are
usually over twenty l)efore they l)ec(mie
husbands. The women, as a rule, are
over twenty before they Ix-ar children.
When ;i man dies and le.ives a widow,
she is usually taken without formality
by .some man in the triln; who wants
a wife. If two or more men desire the
same woman, they usually .settle the
matter in a friendly conte.st, by wrestling,
j)ulling fingers, or other trials of strength.
To the victor "..elongs the sjxiil, and no ill-
feeling appears to be cherished by the
defeated catulidate. The trading of wives
usually takes j)lace when a uuirried couple
is traveling alnrnt.

r •

Oflen when n man and hi.s
wifeiomcto a settlement not
their own, the mail will trade
his wife for that of another
man's, aiul leaving his be-
hind him go away with his
new companion. Hut this
union as a rule l:ists only
until the two couples meet
again, and then the original
mates return to each other.
The women clo not seem to
care where or with whom
they live .•^olongassuflicient
food and skins are brought
into the household.

The.se i)eople seem to have
IK) laws or any very definite
rules o: regulations. Xeitlitr
do they have law-makers,
chiefs, or rulers. The ange-
u WOMAN kok. or d(x-tor, a .sort of

spiritual doctor oi magician, has some
influence among then:. He works spells
upon the sick by singing and chanting
and Ix-ating on a piece of skin the si/.e
of a dinner-plate. The doctor neither
cits nor sleeps during the performance
of liis duties, nor <loes he allow his
patient to do .so until the latter says that
lie is Ix-tter or well. It is needless to say
that under this treatment the patient
will ultimately confess to at least an
improvement in his condition.

The Highlanders havj, however, some
understandings or regulations of the most
simple kind, and to these they strictly
adhere. A)! small .seals and lesser an-
imals .ue at once the property of the
man who ca|)tures them ; l)Ut if a whale
or walrus is liarpooned it is the conimon

pro

hoi

nni

ha<

the

gre

ant

tol

the

sh;

not

fail

HI'.Ml AS |) W IN ( IW H'M->i;,

A'.V.

THE CURIOUS RACE OF ARCTIC HIGHLANDERS.

233

n a man and his
a.settleiiuntiu.t
iia.i will Ir.ule
lliitl of aiiotJicr
Ieaviiij,r lijs 1,^.

away with his
"<""■ Hilt tliis
Mile lasts only
<) I'onpUs nii-et
un the on),rii,(,i

to lach (itht-r.
lo not stem to
:>r with whom
nuassiiflicient
ns are I)ioiij;ht
lehold.

e seem to have
y very (iefiiiite
itions. Neither
lawmakers,
rs. The an>rc-
lor, a sort of
in, lias some
'i works si)ells
and chantinj,'
skin the size
loctor neither

performance
lie allow his
itter says that
eedless to sav
I the patient
at least an
)n.

owever, some
IS of the most
they strictly
d lesser ;ni-
perty of the
tit if a whale
the common

property of all present. Nevertlieless,
in tile tlivision of a narwhal into which
an Ivskiino had thrown a liar]>oon, and
whicii 1 had shot and killed ahoiit an
hour later, I observed that when tlu
animal was hntchered, the man who
had thrown the harpoon took some of
the choice parts for himself, sncli as the
jjrcat mass of skin which covered the tail,
and the sinew from the back, in addition
to his share of the meat. Hut thoiiKli
the hunter may have a rij^ht to a larj^er
share in the ^fame he has captured, he does
not e.xercise this rij^ht should want and
famine be around him ; for it is an un-
known thinji: ainonjr these people that

becoming costumes. The women make
up with great skill and taste the beau-
tiful white and blue fo.xskins into short
trunk trousers, bleiKling the two colors
deftly so as to get tlie best effect. .An
ICskimo woman with a foxskin jacket and
trousers, and .sealskin boots with white
bearskin fringes at the to|), not merely
for ornamental pniposes, but to keep out
the blowing snow, possesses as handsome
an<l comfortable an outfit as has ever been
devi.sid for a woman. It would niiike an
ideal bicycle suit, and is excellently
adapted for all kinds of exercise and
travel. Nor does it lack in value accord-
ing to our standards, made as it is fronj

C.l.AClKK ll.OUl.Nd IN

some shoidd want while others are living
in plenty. If one family has an abundance
of Seal meat or i)lenty of bearskins,
every hungry family in tlie neighborhood
will be fed, and the bearskins will al.so
be divided. The Ivskimo will shave his
last bit of meat with his neighbor in
want. He does not need a missionary to
preach to him "love thy neighbor as
thyself" l''or among these peojjle wliom
we fain would look upon as barbarians,
some of the noblest teachings of Chris-
tianity are in force— not in words but
in acts.

The Hskinio women liave no Worths or
Kedferns to plan gowns for them, and yet
nowhere do you find prettier or more

TO UKANVn.LK llAV

the finest and highest priced furs known
to the world of commeice.

The women are really the heads of
the family. Marriage d(K\s not .seem to
lie a very ceitain bond of uni<m until
children are born. After that the trading
of wives, which I have before mentioned,
is rare. The men furnish the food, and
the women prepare it. They also make
and keep the men's clothes and boots
in repair.

The parents are extremely fond of
their own children in particular, and
of all chihlrcn in general. It is seldom
that more than four children are to be
found in one family. The children are
treated with great tenderness, and are

234

THE CURIOUS RACK OF ARCTIC HIGHLANDF.RS.

themselves Kcntlennd well-bclinvetl. They
play with each other without qtiarrelini;
or fightinK. and in their vocahtiUiry they
have no bad names or threatening; epithets
to apply to each otiier. Mothers carry
their babies on their backs in a sort of
pouch made in their garments. The small
children dress in fox or birdskin jackets,
made with hoods to cover the heads,
leaving the faces free. The jackets come

The women do a great deal of work.
Not only do they take care of the skins
and make all the clothing and lK)<)ts. but
they remove the hair from the stal.skiiis
by dipping thenj in hot water and thin
scraping. They chew the skins a^ain
an<l again so as to render them soft and
pliable.

ICntering a tupic at Ca])e York. I found
three of the women chewing skins ;ind

CAMIMNO OrT

down as far as the hips. The child is
carried in this fionch mo.'rt of the time
until two or three years old, when it
is finally dressed — if a Ijoy, just as a man ;
or, if a girl, just as a woman, and allowed
its freedom about the igloo or tupic.
Small children are taken out of the pouch
at least twice during a perio<l of five
hours and allowed to nurse. The children
fret at times, but .seldom break out in
loud cries or yells. I have .seen mothers
chew meat carefully and place it in the
mouths of their children.

That I'indness and patience which the
Eskimos .«\how to their children is dis-
played also towards their dogs. They
spare the rod yet spoil neither child
nor dog, and so put to shame some
of our wise saws and old-fashioned
maxims.

three engaged in sewing. One woniau
was chewing on a large sealskin which
she was gradually liringiuK to flexihility.
Two of the women were chewing and
sucking the fat out of .some little auk
skins. I tried one of the little auk skins
my.scif, much to the amii.seiiient of the
women, and found that the fat did tint
have a bad ta.ste, and that the task of
chewing a skin was not as disagreealile
as one would at first imagine. After
the skins were thoroughly gone over
they were hung up to rlry with an occa-
sional rubbing between the hands to make
them soft. I watched the women who
were sewing. One was working on a
kamik. or sealskin boot, and it was
surprising to see how easily she pushed a
small needle threaded with a fine string
of sinew through the double thickness

It dial of work,
an- of till- .skins
K and IkmUs. I.nt
111 tlif sialskiiis
water and thtfi
'k- skins ajiain
■r them soft and

K- Vork, I foiin.l
viii«- skins an<l

One woman
ilskin wiiiili
to nc.\il)ility.
rhfwinjj and
IK-' little auk
tlu aiik skins
nient of tlie

fnt did not

tlK- task of
disagreeahk'
s'iiif. After

jionc over
itli an occa-
inds to make
vomen who
rkinp on a
ind it was
he pushed a

fine strinjj
e thickness

r///i CURIOUS R.iCR or .ikxric ii/gi/l.-inpers.

'35

HIUHLANII VII.I.A>>K /.T CAPK %'UKK.

of sealskin, sewin^r a seam as fine as
any machine could make. Her tliimlite,
secured from .some whaling vessel, or,
jKWsihly, from one of the I'eary p.irty,
was worn on the first finjjer. 'I'he women
who were sewinjt had their kamiks off,
anil held the skins Ix'twcen the first (the
preat) and second toe. It was surprising
to .see how deftly they could u.se their
toes, it seemed as if they were supplied
with a veritahle third hand. One woman
was sewiiifj little auk skins toRcther into
a K-'iriiifiit which would eventually l)e use<l
as .m under jacket or shirt. These shirts
are worn by both men ami women, with
the feathers next to the lK)dy. I showed
one of the wtnuen how to ])in the jjar-
ment to her imot and thus save the
trouble of using the toes to hold it. She
seemed pleased at first, but soon jiitched

the b(K)t off and again jjicked up tlie
garment with her toes. One old woman
amused me. and in fact everv ImmIv in the
tuj)ic, by pulling off her long boots and
throwing one foot over her '.ead without
touching it with her hands. She then by
using her hands place<l the other foot
behind her head and gave vent to a
satisfieil "peuk," an expression meaning
••good." or ••isn't this fine.'" We all
laughed our approval, ami she .seemed
much i)leased.

This '(Kcasion seemed to be a formal
.sewing-bee. Whale skin and boiled whale
heart were pa,sse<l around. I l(M)k my share
of the whale skin but nibbled rather deli-
cately at the heart, which had otdy l)een
dipped in boiling water and was very
tough.

I desire<l to take a photograph of

An inqloo at disco

3.^6

THR CURIOUS RACE OF ARCTIC HIGHLANDERS.

ooine of the children, nnd indicnted tlint
I \vante<l thi-ir faces \vashc<l. The iimthci
took hird.skins. spat ti{>i>ti thcin, and with
the skins thus iiioistiiicd washcil the
children's faces. Water is scarce with
them— very Hcarce durin^r ten months of
tile year.

It JH necessary to hiirti Mnhher in
order to melt the ice, tliere l)ein)j no
otiier fuel in the c<Hintry. Hence nieat
economy must Ik? piactised. If the cold
snow and ice is put into the mouth and
s\vallo\ve<l when meltin);, ton>jue and
throat are I'fTectjd, iK-cominn sore and
swcllinjj Mp. Yet these jieople are not

The younjj women, as a r\ile, are
rather >»<k><1 lookinjj and well formed, the
women averajje heinn about four feet leu
inches in height and the men about five
feet four inches. The foimer weinh alK)Ut
one hundred an<l eighteen |K>unds and
the latter alM>ut one hundred and foity.
They are not the short, thick, chubby
)<eople that they are j{enerally representetl
to Ik.-.

The I';skinU)s eat when they are hungry
and sleep when they are sleepy, but have
no regular time for jK-rforminji the.se func-
tions. While traveling, they put •') a
tupic, or build a snow or ice ijjioo if

STKAMSIIII' Kill.— Tin: TKARV lu I 1 1 I

nearly .so dirty as I expected from the
stories about tliem that I had rea<l ; for
there is but little dirt or dust in the
country.

Nor are these ]K;ople fat as is usually
reiK)rted. I was sur])rised to see what lean
and spare frames they really possessed.
Their faces a])pear larjie and fat, but this
is mainly due to the develoi)meiit of the
muscles used in workinjj the jaws in
chewinp: the skins. Their hands atid feet
are small and well formed ; their hair is
lon<j and black, and their skin is not
nearly so dark as that of the American
Indian.

the weather should turn bad; but with
clear weather they lie down and sleep
an\\vhere (m snow or ice. IJut at home,
in a tupic or iRloo, they take olT all
their clothes rollinjj them.selves up
in deer or bearskins when reatly to
sleep.

They have no form of worship, but l)e-
lieve in ;i future state, and extend this
belief to the lower animals. They believe
in sj)irits, the chief one beinjj the jjreat
spirit, the Ko-ko-yah. The Ko-koyali
may act in the capacity of both pood and
evil spirit. They do not seem to have
any idea of future punishment. Perhaps

.^A^«5fV -: > J*-. ««*(•

* * « »iirt «. i> tp'w^"^ -a v^ T*«w«-jiv *,>:■■-

lis n nilc, nre
pll foriiud, the
rut four ftct ten
Jiiuii iilMMii live
jiir wiinh jilKUit
"n |x)iin(ls niid
I'litd and Anty.
tliitk, i'liul)l)y
|iill.\ ri-pii-stiitod

luv aif linnjjry

Kfpy, but liavf

(linn tliescfiinc-

(Hkv put •••> a

It icf i;;|.„) if

l>ad; hut with
i\vn and sk-t])
Hut at home,
take off all
(.nisi'lves np
itn ready to

isliij). lull I)c-
1 extend this
They l)elieve
njjT the )jreat
le Ko-kc) yali
oth nood and
eeni to liave
nt. Perhaps

THE CURIOUS RACE OF ARCTIC HIGHLANDERS.

it is only those people who are con-
scious of committing sin that have such
ideas.

Their present environment appears to
satisfy them entirely, and they make the
Ittsl of it. Thev have no lon);in); for
another and a lietter world. ■■ The desire
of the moth for the star" (Uk'S not trouble
them. They sometimes imagine that
tiiey see spirits, or the Ko ko yah ; the
latter may ap|R'ar in different shajies
. id in (liffereiit ways. The sick are
under the inflneiue of llu- evil si»irit, and
as the anjj^e'kok, or doctor, i.s sup|X)se(l to
enjoy intimate relations with the Ko-ko-
yah, we have the .secret of his iK)wer over
the sick. It is very difficult to Ret an
Arctic ni^hlander to speak of the sick
or the dead.

.\ >jie,il advantage of the community
of property which exists anion^jst the
Arctic Hifjhlanders is the total absence
of litigation and law. There can be no
(|iiarrcliii;j about proia-rty which is vested
in all alike. Some one has said that his
idea of ])aradise was in a state of society
where there were nocoiirts t)f justice; well,
anions the inhabitants of the frozen north
this ideal state of society is to be found.
Nor do societies for the suppression of
this, and the prevention of that, exist

WAIIi \T IMANNIIl.

anionpr them. .\s they are kind to both
childre'i and animals such societies are
not necessary. As they ha\e no mone>
nor means of :tC('uniulntin;; wealth, their
plan of existence is a combination of
socialism ;»iid individual liberty. We
may call them savayi'S. because they do
not possess the arts and relinei'.ients of
modern life, but in the conduct of life
it.self they can teach us by mere force of
example some useful lessons.