ABSTRACT
T HE IBO CONFORMS to rules of conduct, and it is useful to have some acquaintance with them in order to be familiar with the proper procedure in certain circumstances.
It helps considerably, for instance, to place a visitor at ease, if he knows what is likely to happen, and what is expected of him. The code is not exactly catalogued; it is no more tangible than manners are systematised among civilised races, yet the appropriate customs are well known, in fact they are part and parcel of daily life. The well-conducted Ibo is as clearly recognised as the cultured man in any other country. Proper behaviour is instilled rather than taught; it develops from childhood, and becomes part of his subliminal consciousness. Old people seldom fail to conform to the traditional conventions ; the younger generation is becoming less particular, a trait which brings displeasure to their elders. This tendency to laxity is to be deplored, and supplies another indication of the changes brought about by foreign contacts. Progress is blamed unjustly for effects of which it is not actually the cause. There is too great a readiness to shed old customs for the mere sake of new fashions.
