Evening Republican, Volume 22, Number 209, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 August 1919 — Samoan Politeness Costly. [ARTICLE]

Samoan Politeness Costly.

Conceptions of politeness run many freakish gamuts but In the opinion of Lieut. Com. Stanley M. Mathes, a visitor in Honolulu, the palm goes to the Samoans. When a man tendered*his Samoan .servant a pack of cigarettes from which to extract a smoke, Com tnander Mathes grinned broadly. “Yon can’t do that with all he. “Their conception of the proper thing to do is to take not one cigarette, but to take five.” Frequently when. Samoan chiefs visit the naval officerat Pago Pago they demonstrate how polite they can be. For instance, whet i a box of cigars is placed on a table, the guest takes as many as he can get into one handful. When he is about to depart he goes to the box and takes another handful, a token of politeness. And be it said for the Samoan that when a visitor enters a Samoan home said visitor is expected to be lavish in