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Show NEW GUINEA HOUSES HOMES OF HALF-CIVILIZED NATIVES NA-TIVES BUILT IN TREES. Jf") Placed Higher In Earlier Days to Prevent Pre-vent Surprise by Enemy Life In Far-Off Country Ideal for Savages. A Boston. Of all the habitations pi man nono Is moro strange to the vl'i of a civilized person than tho hous 1 In Now Guinea, tho largest Island K tho world. Lying north of tho continent of Aus' tralla, and south of tho Philippine?, Now Guinea is poopled by Beml-sav-ago tribes, to whom tho ways of whlto mon aro as yet so now that many of thei'r ancient customs survive Among theso is tho building of houses In trees, or on pilings over tho land or the water. In somo parts of tho Island aro whole villages built half a mtlo from shore. Everywhere in the Interior of tho Island tho houses aro built sovcral feet abovo tho ground, and In certain communities tho trco house, a survival of tho days when tho tribes woro usually at war with ono another, may still bo seen. Tho primary purpose of tho treo houso is to protect its owner against Burprlso from an enemy. In war time ho takes his family, .arms and provisions, climbs to his house and j draws tho ladder up after him. But why cannot his enemy cut down tho treo, may bo asked. Such a thing would bo simple It tho trco cutter could wear a suit of armor and have ' an ax that would resist tho dulling effects ef-fects of wood as hard as lignum vltao. Tho tribes of New Guinea havo no moans of protecting themselves against the poisoned arrows of an enemy en-emy except tholr shields, and a shield would bo rather awkward to manage when cutting down a trco having a family at tho top dropping down stones, hot water and poisoned darts and arrows. Besides, the savages had only stono axes In tho days when tho trco houses were used as fortresses. fort-resses. In theso days tho trco houses of Now Guinea servo tho sanio purposo j as all tho other clovated dwellings on tho island they keep their occu pants snfo abovo the favor-soaked ground, with its deadly night mists,-and mists,-and they also keep oft deadly bcaBts. Life hi New Guinea, for n savago, is Ideal, since it is not ncccssury to work for a living, nnd tho wearing of cloth os is not considered necessary. Tho forest supplies food In abundance, abund-ance, In Uie wny of bananas, yams and eago, while hogs flourish In tho wild growth, and form the stnplo meat diet of the people. Cocoanuts, which grow abundantly U over tho Island, aro much used for d, and the milk of tho young nut common drink. Tho meat of tho ., when dried, Is a staple article of imrtcr with traders. In tho homes of Now Guinea housekeeping house-keeping is reduced to its simplest clc- Tree House In New Guinea. mcnts. Tho cooking utensils aro earthen pots. Tho stovo is a little clay platform In the middle of tho houso floor, surrounded by a fender of saplings, woven and smeared with clay. For beds hammocks made of vegetable vege-table fiber are generally used, and arc best suited to tho climate. Bedding is not necessary. Sinco nobody wears clothing, tho housewife need neither sow, darn nor mend. As a cook her accomplishments accomplish-ments need not extend beyond tho preparation of sago porrldgo and tho roasting of a pig. The houses aro mudo of palm leaves woven into a thatch for tho roof, and sides of bamboo. Tho floors are split bamboo, laid flat sldo upward. |