Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1874-07-03
Literary CannlbaIS.

In the Olserrr, the Rev. Charles +. Bush,
u. D., gives an interesting account of some
remarkable Sa,ages which have come under
his notice
The beautiful Island of Sumatra. two and
a half times as large n all New England, is
inhabited by 1 4.j00,O0O of people, among
whom hardly any missionary effort has, a
vet. been made Parts of me island were
in possession of the Dutch, and other parts
We're inhabited by independent tribes or
principalitic-, among whom the Batta people,
or BataAS, were represented H. the most in
tellisent and interesting tribe or nation
of about 800 ,o00 souls occupying the intcri-
or central portion of the island, immediate
ly south Of the AeheneSe. with whom the
Dutch are now at war
The Batak~ were generally mild and in
offensive, though fierce and reyengetul in
time OF conflict In one respect they We're
the most remarkable people anywhere to be
iound-elucated CannibalS They had a
written language and books. and most of the
people could read and Yet they were can
nibals. They had an alphabet of their own,
consisting of twenty-five letters and five
vowel points Their language was quite orr
ginal, yet simple and melolious. much like
the Italian, written like our own, from left
to right. and easily learned, and much used
in all that region.
Their books are written on the inner bark
Of 4 species of palm tree, their pen CON
sisting of a mere twig, or fibre Of n leaf /:
their ink made OF 4 certain gum and the
Juice of the sugar cane. For ordinary pur-
poses they also wrote upon smooth bamboo
sticks, sometimes two inches in diameter and
two or three feet long, making n letter, it
might be, big enough to knock person
down-conyenient for lovers delivering their
own epistle if they should not be graciously
received.
Their literary works were really numerous
and vet not very wise, consisting largely Of
books of diyination, jugglery and the most
absurd fables about the origin and destiny of
the great Batta nation. 1t will be seen,
therefore, that they had some ambition. If
they should receive the Gospel they were in
a good position to give it to Others. Besides,
much of the island was nominally Moham-
mcdan. and, 50 far as the Dutch had sway,
thev had agreed to protect the Mohammedan
religion from all assault or interference from
without hut the Battas were simple heath
en-. and beyond Dutch control. They be
believed in TWO Gods, one above and one be
low-one good and one bad but their ideas
were very vague and uncertain, and they
felt bound to pay greater homage to the
evil spirit than to the good, as they had most
to fear from him.
And vet, strange enough, French infdeli-
ty and iniidel books had found their way
into that country. The missionaries met
one of the former, who denounced the Bible
as "all a lie, although he confessed that he
had never read it, but boasted that he had
read No!taire's insane TRADE against it no
less than ten times.
And. after all, this cannihalism was of n
modified type. They did not seem to feed
on human flesh for mere love of it; nor was
it their settled habit, as with some other
people, to have regular feasts; but portions
of the flesh of their enemies, slain in war,
were tasted, as if in revenge, or as denoting
complete triumph. The missionaries were,
however, invited to one feast. for which n
boy seven years of age had been seized and
killed and roasted, to be eaten for the sins
of his father, committed six years before the
little fellow was born. The missionaries
respectfully declined the invitation.