A Woman's Journey Round The World, From Vienna To Brazil, Chili, Tahiti, China, Hindostan, Persia, And Asia Minor By Ida Pfeiffer
- Page 155 of 708 - First - Home
An Evening's Amusement Of This
Description Often Lasts For Hours.
The younger members of society
very seldom take any part in the dances.
It is a great question whether the immorality of these islanders has
been lessened by French civilization. From my own observations, as
well as from what I was told by persons well informed on the
subject, I should say that this has not yet been the case, and that,
for the present, there is but little hope of its being so: while,
on the other side, the natives have acquired a number of useless
wants, in consequence of which, the greed for gold has been
fearfully awakened in their breasts. As they are naturally very
lazy, and above all things disinclined to work, they have made the
female portion of the community the means of gaining money.
Parents, brothers, and even husbands, offer to their foreign masters
those belonging to them, while the women themselves offer no
opposition, as in this manner they can obtain the means for their
own display, and money for their relations without trouble. Every
officer's house is the rendezvous of several native beauties, who go
out and in at every hour of the day. Even abroad they are not
particular; they will accompany any man without the least
hesitation, and no gentleman ever refuses a conductress of this
description.
As a female of an advanced age, I may be allowed to make a few
observations upon such a state of things, and I frankly own that,
although I have travelled much and seen a great deal, I never
witnessed such shameful scenes of public depravity.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 155 of 708
Words from 41370 to 41642
of 187810
