Weekly Trinity journal., 1869-09-11
NUMBER 36.
The Javanese.

All the natives are remarkably short in stat
ure, the male sex averaging not more than FIVE
feet three inches in height, or four inches less
than that of Europeans The face is somewhat
lozenge-shaped, the cheek-boues high and prom
inent, the mouth wide, and the nose short-not
fat as in the negroes, or prominent as in the
Europeans. They are generally of mild dispo-
siton, except the wild tribes in the mountainous
parts of Sumatra Borneo, Celebes, Timor,
Ceram, and a few other large islands. The
coast people are invaribly hospitable and trust
worthy. They are usually quiet and extremely
indolent They all have an Unsuitable passion
for gambling, which no restrictive or prohibitofy
laws can eradicate. They are nominaly Ma
hommedans, but have none of the fanaticism of
that sect in Arabia They still retain many of
their previous Hindu notions, and their belief
may be properly defined as mixture of Hindu
ism and Mohammedansm. A few are " Chris
tians," that is, they attend the service of the
Dutch church, and do not shave their heads or
file their teeth. They are cleanly in their hab-
its, and scores of all ages may be seen in the
rivers and canals of every city and village, es-
peclally IN the morning and evening. The
rong, their universal dress, is peculiarly fitted
for this habit When they have finished theft
baths dry one is drawn on over the head, and
the wet one is slipped off beneath, without ex-
posing the person in the least. The females
wear the sdrong long, and generally twist it
tightly round the body, just under the arms.
Occasionly it is made with sleeves like loose
gown. A close fitting jacket or 6cju is worn
with it. The men have but few hairs for
beard, and these they generally pull out with
pair of iron tweezers. The hair of the head in
both sexes is lank, coarse and worn long.
Each sex, therefore, resembles the other SO
closely that nearly every foreigner will, at first,
find himself puzzled in many cases to know
whether be is looking at or woman.
This want of differentiation in the sexes possi-
bly, indicates their low rank in the human fam
lily, if the law may be applied here that obtains
among most other animals. Every day l went
out to collect the peculiar birds and beautiful
butterflies of that region, my favorre place for
this pleasure being old Chinese cemetery just
outside the city, where, as the land was level,
the earth had been thrown up into mounds to
keep the bones of their inmates from "the wet
unfortunate places" just as in China, when far
from any mountain or hill. Malay servant
followed, carrying my ammunition and collect
ing boxes. At first | supposed he would have
many supersttous objections to wandering to
but, to my surprise, found his people cultiva-
ting the spaces between the graves, if they,
at least, did not consider it sacred soil yet
eral times. when we came to the graves of his
ancestors, he was careful to approach with every
manifestation of awe and respect. A small piece
OF land, bamboo hut and bassslo comprise
all the worldly possessions of most coolies, and
yet with these they always seem most enviably
contented.- .-7raveis in the East Indian Archipei.
ago, by Albert s. Bickmore, 4. III.