Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 76.djvu/156

152 upon rare occasions at any other time than immediately after birth, and when the mother thought she was unable to care for the babe. The killing of the new-born child was thus an effort at kindness on their part and to them was certainly devoid of cruelty, since they believed the spirit part went back to the spot whence it came and was subsequently born again to the same woman. Twins were killed as unnatural, a practise to be explained in part by the natives' dread of everything uncommon or rare. On infrequent occasions a young child of a few years was killed that an older but weaker child might eat it and thus get its strength. Howitt mentions the same practise among the southeastern natives (p. 7-19). He also says that in some places infants were eaten in especially hard summers. Sometimes, also, after the family consisted of three or four, all additional children were killed because they would make more work than the women could manage. Among the Kurnai, infanticide unquestionably arose through the difficulty of carrying a baby when there were other young children, some of whom might be unable to walk. Infants, under these circumstances were simply left behind when they were on the march, it not being regarded as killing to dispose of them in this way (Howitt, p. 750). Palmer, writing of the natives of Queensland, says that the killing of a new-born child was lightly regarded, but not common. On the lower Flinders River the fondness of the natives for their children was noted (Palmer). Spencer and Gillen say that, with rare exceptions, children were kindly and considerately treated, the men and women alike sharing the care of them on the march and seeing that they got their proper share of food. Howitt mentions the case of a mother watching a sick child, refusing all food, and, when it died being inconsolable (p. 766). One woman for nineteen years carried about a deformed child on her back (Fraser; vide Henderson, p. 121). Natural affection was certainly keen and much grief was manifested over the loss of children.

In the aborigines' treatment of the old and infirm most observers depict them in quite a favorable light. Dawson, it is true, reports that the natives of Victoria killed them, but this is certainly not a widely prevalent custom. Lumholtz (p. 183) says that the Queenslanders were very considerate of all who were sick, old or infirm, not killing them as with some savage peoples (cf. Bonney, p. 135). In northern parts of Australia there were many blind and they were always well cared for by the tribe, being often the best fed and nourished (Creed, p. 94). In the central tribes the old and infirm were never allowed to starve. Each able-bodied adult was assigned certain of the older people to provide with food, and the duty was fulfilled cheerfully and ungrudgingly. In some tribes the old and sick were