Show F H I The South Pacific Islanders pr Prepared pared f for r the Natural History Society of Utah Ji IV f The Ille Savage and the tIle Civilized I According to tradition the Maoris of New Zealand came from generally thought to be the island of Hawaii At any rate they came from a tropical region and must necessarily have experienced a very perceptible change in climate and the kinds of food obtainable In their ancestral home little clothing was wa was needed and their food was such as could be obtained with very little labor Arriving in a temperate region without houses or any of the necessities of life and in a country where there were few wild animals these idle children of an indulgent l. l parent nature must nature must have f found und themselves themselves themselves them them- selves suddenly confronted with many difficulties But they brought all their old customs with them and as they came in con contact tact with none except i inferior inferior in in- n- n races they were able abIe to adjust themselves to these new conditions Idle hands learned to work to till the soil to build houses and canoes to tomake tomake tomake make clothing fishing nets and numerous numerous numerous numer numer- ous weapons of war The result was an increase of physical a and rl mental eri energy When the Maori race became known to Europeans they were pronounced one of the finest physically developed races in the world Men and women alike alike- w were re l large rge straight a and d powerful in muscle And this p perfection of body body- was well preserved in age there were no bald heads or toothless mouths It Itis Itis Itis is claimed for or them that they lived to ta tabe tobe tobe be a hundred 3 years ears old and had sound teeth at that age Their age however had to be guessed as they did not keep strict account of the years But whether or not correct estimates of age age- were made it is certain they retained vitality and perfection of body after they had passed the allotted age of ma man man J. J On comparing the physical state of these then savage people with that of the races now con constituting civilized society the question arises Is there not some serious defect in modern social life With the evolution of the race is isit isit isit it designed that with the increase of mental power there shall be a corresponding corresponding corresponding corre corre- decrease of physical And this lack of muscular strength is is too often accompanied by bodily derange derange- ment Headaches toothaches and stomachaches are so so commonly heard of that their presence is coming to be looked upon as belonging to the natural condition of man Students and professional professional professional pro pro- men shut themselves up away from the pure air and sunshine that gives health until their physical powers are enervated and the organs of the body cease to perform their functions properly the result is premature old age and years of suffering which the physician tries in vain to relieve by doctoring up a perverted nature with patent medicines Modern society demands demands demands de de- mands at least learning and social standing if not wealth and to the attainment at at- at- at attainment of these the youth bends end all his energies He must attain them or fall by the wayside a martyr to his ambition As a college student J he has no time time for for recreation he must eat his meals in a hurry and allow no time for his food to be digested he must burn the midnight oil and forego the hours of sleep that nature demands The over-conscientious over young woman must prepare her pages of Greek or French if she does not live to do another thing on earth She never dreams that perhaps these these accomplishments accomplish accomplish- ments will not not- be required at the gates of Paradise where she is soon to go if she continues to disregard the laws of nature When th the physical powers give way the attainment of the best development of ot mental strength is almost impossible because the latter is based on the soundness of the former and that strength and vitality imparted by nature if once destroyed cannot be restored by artificial means It can be regained only by renouncing worldly ambitions and submitting to the slow process of nature It is true that the unfortunate are supplied with wigs teeth and glasses It remains for Yankee ingenuity to invent a rubber stomach and means of inserting it and adapting it to the function of digestion These evils existing among civilized races are here mentioned for comparison compari compari- son with the physical state of the savage that it may not be thought that primitive man man has no superior qualities that the civilized man possesses all the good good- and can learn nothing from the untutored inhabitants of remote islands The operation of the law of the survival survival survival sur sur- vival of the fittest has has proved that the white man is superior to the native islanders Contact with civilization has hasa a tendency to destroy the great fabric of tradition and su superstition by which the native races have been upheld Their minds are not prepared to grasp to any great extent the truths of Christianity and the religions of civilized peoples They cannot compete with the whiteman whiteman white whiteman man in business society or government In short when thrown in the midst of civilization they cannot adjust themselves themselves themselves them them- selves to their surroundings and consequently consequently conse cons they go down and their downfall downfall downfall down down- fall is hastened by the unscrupulous methods of enlightened civilized men and governments with whom they are forced to deal It is true that contact with civilization has done them much good It has checked war and rapine and h has caused the horrors of cannibalism cannibalism cannibalism canni canni- and human sacr sacrifice fice to be relegated relegated relegated rele rele- gated to the past But along with the good has come much evil Drunkenness Drunken Drunken- ness gambling and numerous vices of the age are introduced and prosecuted with as much vigor as are the elevating principles of religion and morality The government takes little interest in them only as it would keep them from open rebellion All else is left for the churches If these send out missionaries ries to tell tell- the poor native how to live to be patient and bear up under tribulation tribulation tribulation tribu tribu- lation the government and the people feel that nothing else need be done Scientific societies are organized d for forthe forthe forthe the protection of birds and bugs and for securing legislation to prevent their extermination j but what interest do these hese societies take in the perpetuation of races of men and races too that have many admirable qualities both physical and mental Scientific societies societies soci soci- do take an interest in studying them and in tracing th through ough them the evolution of the race but should not these societies be equally interested in inthe inthe inthe the protection and preservation lof Hof of these children of nature I t f Milton oll Bennion I t |