Page:Africa by Élisée Reclus, Volume 3.djvu/47

 tour of the world. Amongst the rural classes marriage is nearly always an affair of pure convenience and interest. A few traces still survive of the former seclusion of the women, noticeable in the construction of the houses and especially in the costume. Enveloped in their large hooded cloaks, the Azorian women seem to flit about like phantoms. Many of these hoods are still so contrived as to meet in front, leaving only a narrow opening for the wearer with which to see without being seen. In the district of San Miguel the wife, when paying a visit or going to mass, may not walk by the side of her husband, who struts majestically a few

paces in front. Formerly the ladies in the towns could not even go abroad to make their purchases, but had to do all their shopping at home, never leaving the female apartments except to visit the church. At the approach of a man it was even etiquette to turn towards the wall in order to avoid a profane glance.

The population increases rapidly by natural excess of births over the mortality, families being very numerous, and the death-rate amongst children relatively extremely low. At the same time the survival even of the weaker offspring tends apparently to bring about a general degradation of the race, and men are no