Telegram-herald., 1889-12-10

tess uix ixrare ~ races 9hlel make up lhs
pouular.ou ~ tie United et2tss ths
May occaples al interesting II uot =
PROMINENT place. Though az unknown
6.gllrs Ia social economy t~snLy years
sgo, ths Malay face Is nov - familiar
IN tie great seaDoaEd cities as ~ excite
neither surprise nor comment How
many members of the bFOWn skinned race
are IA the United States lt is hard - deter
mine. Both census officials aad custom
house authorities display superb iguoT-
ance as - oriental races. and cEedIt the
MALAY e. China. Japan. HindOoslsn.
Arabia. EgYpg aud Ethiopia with ad-
ulra1le disregard If truth. The trouble
Ia the matter j. that the Malay Is noE
pure bloodei r-ce In Manila his blood
Is 50 mixed wlth Chinese. Spanish and
Anuamese as 10 oe physiologic mosaic.
Tie ManiIese may for this reason
present the appearance Of MougCl,
Castilan or a West lu1ian haif-breed.
Ia Java and Sumatra lie has been crossed
with Hsldo0stanese, ,Seuites aud negroes.
Immi -ralnts from these lands resemble
mu.altoes. Arats and inhabitants or
Ben aL
OF the thousau. a the United States,
large fraction c.--isys ~ cigarmakers
who have learned tac.r trade in Manila
and other eastern manufacturing cities,
and who now make a comparatively
handsome living IA the New World by
making cAero1ss. cigarettes, stoSies.
tobies anl cigars. Another body Is COM
posed o. cooks aal stewards who have
guarreled with ship captains, or who
have grown weary OF life Oh the sea and
have settled down 10 other pursuits
Others arc runners for seanen's boarding
houses, peddlers Of oriental goods,
"bOuncers" in sailors gambling houses
and attaches Of low dance halls, cheap
groggeries, vile slop shops and other
places 10 which the newly arrived mari
ner bends his way. \ still larger num-
ber is Of sailors on foreign ships. Just
as the poorly paid scandinavian seaman
has driven the American out of business,
and is now doing the same thing with
the British jack tar. so he in turn is SUI
fering the same experience at the hands
of the still more poorly paid Lascar,
+ Manillese and Malay.
I The ships engaged in the Asiatic trade
I are now largely manned by this race.
Some, indeed, employ none but Malays.
In the Atlantic marine the proportion Is
not 50 great, but even here are employed
thousands. This great seafaring popula-
tion is what has built up Malay colonies
in New York, Boston, Baltimore, New
Orleans, San Francisco and Portland.
/ The largest is naturally in the first named
city, and varies. according to the ships
that may be in the harbOr from a few
hundreds to about two thousand. Most
OF il is TO be found in the boarding
houses for sailors that make so promi-
nent a feature in the streets that adjoin
the East river, New York.
While the Malay has no distinctive re-
ligion, he still preserves a rude faith in
the ancient Sanskrit doctrines. Con-
quests and missionaries from everywhere
have exerted a profound influence upon
his mind, and left it in a hopeless mud
die wherein Buddhism, atheism, mate
rialism, MOhammedanism, COnfucian-
ism, Roman Catholicism and Protestant
ism occupy equal places. They have not,
however, rooted out the belief which the
Brahmanic people stamped ages ago
upon the Malay intellect. This crops out
here and there, and finds its best express
sion in the Feast of Roma or Rahma,"
which corresponds closely to our Christ
! mas and the Chinese winter festival.
! While Roma is no one less than the old
Indian demigod, whose labors and ex-
! ploits have been immortaliZed in the
great epic the Ramayana, he Is viewed in
all sorts Of lights by his believers. Ac-
cording to some Malays. Roma is the
| same thing 70 an educated MALAY as
Santa Claus TO an American. Others
take a different view in declaring that
Roma is another name, or else the Malay
name. for Quong Tai Gong. the favorite
for God IN Chinese, while still others
are Of the opinion that Roma was their
god long ago. when they believed in
gods.
| The feast occurs in December, between
the 11th and the 23d days of the month,
and is determined by the position Of tho
moon just prior TO the winter solstice
| In the east it is celebrated with all kinds
Of queer ceremonies. Edward Michael,
New York journalist, says: The feast
| of Roma in the Malay countries Is an
| interesting mixture Of observances. On
/ tho religious side are any amount Of
! ceremonies which seem midway in char
acter between those Of Christianity and
/ Buddhism. More singular than the re-
/ ligious is the secular phase. For many
days the people stop work and indulge
in turtle fighting. quail lighting, cock
roach. spider and scorpion fighting. The
wealthy and nobility set apart three
/ DAYS for bl0odlett.ng. in which animals.
| tame AMI wild. are killed in the Crueiest
| manner bv the continued iufictlon Of
| small wounds recall one B0rnese
| prince who killed two tigers In this
way. and who. in the frenzy which
( seemed 90 possess him. deliberately Cut
/ and stabbed himself 50 as 20 increase
the bloodshod It Is not an uncommon
| occurrence for a ceielrant. crazy with
/ excitement and fiery rice brandy. 70 in
/ tlict fatal wounds upon himself during
| this mad feast. 1t was from this re-
markable festival. probably. thar the
expression arose Ok Malay running
amuck TIE bloodletting must have
/ an historical origin. and doubtless com
memorates the wounds and su1srings q
| tho Sauscrit di~iaity Roma.
While th- Malay Christmas Is cele-
brzied IN every place where there are
gembers q thas race. tie Celebration
/ has none Cf fhe sauEuilsr7 features Z
( she native larfs Tn New Yo-- last ~-1r
/ n va cheerrsl IN AZ lsasr Tire rLares=