The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1883-06-17

their children without remembrance or delay
Undcr the system OF debt slavery. which has
done Q great deal TO degrade Malay women.
and Il largely chargeablo with the exodus from
the native States. q man owing trifing debt
can be seized by his creditor and b0 hold. to-
gother with his wife and children. In perma-
nent bondage. 1t Is customary In such cases
for the creditors to compel the wives and
daughters OF their slave debtors to earn money
BY the most dobasing Of all vocations.
Mrs. Bishop tells us that the Malays. like tho
Japanese. havo . rigid epistoary etiquette.
and set forms for every species OF missive.
Letters must consist 1t seems. OF six parts.
and are no highly complicated that the profess
sional soribcs who indlte them are looked
upon ~ literary men OF considerable distinc-
ton. There arc strict conventional rules
regarding envelopes and waters. the number
and color Of which vary with the relative POSI-
tons Of the correspondents. and any error In
these details is regarded - an insut. Tho
fact IL that etiquette In general is. among the
Malays. elaborate and rigorous 70 degree Of
which we can scarcely form conception. and
there Il no doubt that ignorant breaches OF its
prescriptions on the part OF Europeans have
occasionally cost them their lives. Indeed.
considering how punctious and courteous
tho Malays arc and how rough and brutal
in manner are many OF the British
officials In the East and how moon
sidorate British sailors show themselves
in regard 10 tho customs OF foreign peoples.
especially with reference to the seclusion OF
their women. we may we'll account it wonder
full that bloody outbreaks OF reyonge are not
more common than they are. On some points
Malay is excessively sensitive about his honor.
and to wipe out stain upon II by assassinat-
ing tho offender 10 considered rs correct and
perfectly In accordance with etiquette as duel
ling once was In England. In cases however.
injured man. and apparently invunerabIe. the
Inter In despair sometimes PUSHES forth In a
upon. This indiscriminate Staying is the dmOk
proper Discussing the curious custom OF
out tint q or nsr s
Mrs. bishop remarks that some people
by unprepared constitutions. and others to mo.
lomania arising from a. Anomalous form o.
acute observers. whom the traveller met In tho
peninsula preferred to explain the curious
propensity to rromscuous homicide by an in; n,
cerebral sxcitoment He was Of the opinion.
we are told. that the an'ok had Its origin ~ the
handed il down to his highly sensitive success
sors. and that his example was at first habitu,,
as the right thing to do by those WHO nre OK
cited TO madness through apprehension or
through some injury that they re.;nru as DEAD
ly and only to be washed out by blood.
We have here merely brought together some
OF the more important or striking facts set
forth in Mrs. Bishops narrative. We need not
her agreeable book about japan that. within
certain limits. she is snguInriy keen Observer
and crisp. entertaining rnrontW. But. OF
course. the range OF her observations is bound
ell by her knowledge OF what to look for. She
has so far as we can discover. no scientific or
classical acquirements-inderd. She seems to
Imagine that "A Greek geographer would use
Latin adjective, viz. Amea Ch'1soRes0s "
but it Is Just because her education is no
broader or denper tinn that of the average
English gentlewonan that we are impressed
by her ability to make hor books useful we'll
rs pleasing. In this instance. moreover. she
has Il fresher theme than in the case OF her
previous ventures In bDokmaking.