The star. (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1874-1875, 1875-01-14
A Race Of Educated Man Eaters.

The beautiful island of Sumatra, tw
and halt times as large as all New Eng
land, is inhabited by 4,5O0, 900 of people
among whom hardly any missionary ell
fort had, as yet, been made. Parts O
the island were in possession of th,
Dutoh, and other parts we're inhabited
by independent tribes or principalities
among whom the Batta people, or Ba
taks, were represented as the most in
teligent and interesting; tribe or ma
| tion Of about 100000 souls occupying the
| interior central portion OF the islaad, i'm.
| mediately south of the Achenese, with
whom the Dutch are now at war.
The Bataks we're generally mild and
in0tfensiye, though fierce and reyengeiul
in time OF conflict. In one respect tuey
were the most remarkable people any
where to be found-euucated cannibais,
They had written language, and books,
and most Of the people could read, and
yet they were cannlbals. They had an
alphabet Of their own, consisting OF
Twenty-Five letters and i've vowel points.
Their language was quite original, yet
simple and melodious, much like the
Italian, written like our own, from left 10
right. and easily learned and much used
in all thatregion.
Their books are written on the inner
bark OF species of palm tree. their pen
consisting of mere twig, or fibre of a
leaf; their ink made oil certain gum
and the juice OF the sugar.cane. For Or
dinary purposes they also wrote upon
smooth bamboo sticks, sometimes two
inches in>diameter and two or three feet
long, making a letter, it might be, big
enough to knock person down--conye.
nient tor lovers delivering their own
epistes if they should not be graciously
received.
Their literary works were really nu.
| merous and yet not very wise, consisting
| largely OF books of diyinatIon, jugglery
| and the most absurd tables about the
origin and destiny OF the great Batta ma
| lion. 1t will be seen, therefore, thai
| they had some ambition. LII they should
receive the gospel, they were in good
position to gave it TO others. Bes, ,des
much of the island was nominaliy Mo
hammedan, and, SO far as the Dutch had
| sway, they had agreed to protect the
| Mohammedan religion from all assault OF
| interference IRON without; but the Bat
| tas were simple hcathen, and beyonC
Dutch control.
They believed in two Gods, one above
| and one bel,W-one goOa and one bad
but their ideas were very vague anC
uncertain, and they ielt bound to pay
greater HoIuaSe W lue eVIl splrlb than u
The good, as they had most to fear iron
him. And yet, strange enough, French
intidels ana intidel books had found theil
way into that country. The missionaries
met one of the former, who denounced
the Bible as sail lie," although he con
lessed that he had never read it, bu
boasted that he had read Voilaire's in
sane TRADE against it no less than ter
times.
And, after all, this cannibalism was Of
modified type. They did not seem tt
iced on human flesh ior mere love of it
nor was it their settled habit, as with
some other people, to have their regulal
| ieasts; but portions OF the flesh Of theii
enemies, slain in war, were tasted, as i
| in revenge, or as denoting complete tri
umph. The missionaries We're, howev
er. invited to one feast, for which a boy
7years OF age had been seized and killet
and roasted, to be eaten Tor the sins o
his father, committed six years before
the little fellow was born. The mission
aries respectfully declined the invita-
| tion.