The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-11-08
A BAsKETWoRk SETTLEMENT.
heJavsnese village at the Worlds Fair

Imagine a playhouse village made of
baskets and you have the Jaaynese SET
Element. 1t had basket fence all a about
it, wrought out of split bamboo. This
did not in the least hide the nest-like
homes within. On the contrary it offered
constant temptation to peep through it's
wide meshes to see what might be going
on along those glaring white roads and
behind those rush-lace-screened veran-
das. Dolls might live there, or possibly
real children just for play, but what odd
homes for grown-up, busy people doing
genuine, humdrum work!
1t is curious idea to weave houses
just as kindergarten children weave
bright-colored papers, Yet that is the
way the little brown. people from Java
make theirs.
They came to the Plaisance, and set
to work in an easy-going, cheerful man
ner, as if they had never heard the word
"hurryn In the semi-idleness which
they are used to in their far-otf, lovely
andsfertile island, they whitfield out the
frames for their dwellings, braided the
wallis Ill gay -CO1OIC0 IllOSd1CS. LQdCcnGQ
the low roofs, and outlined their slant
lines with black cocoanut fibre. They
set up the hummingest little corn-stalk
weather vane that ever whirled a merry
tune to the wind. AS they worked the
ground was strewn with a rubbish of
dried palm and chipso of bamboo; but a
gang of men followed them everywhere
with sort of palanquin or litter, upon
which they placed the odds and ends
md io1 off Tn
was,kept'a clean as swept floor
These Java PEG. lie were very much the
color of their own coffee They were tins
gentliest, thriftiest, most cordial and
amiable little creatures that ever reared
a city out of strsTs. They dressed in
fragments of bright uotton, with bare
feet thrust into small-toed sandals, the
soles of which tapped at every step.
They had a way of taking these off for
comfort, while they sqatted cross-legged
at breakfast or dinner upon their veran-
das, and the shoes were strewn about
among their dishes. The floor was their
table, and the Javanese palate did not
seem to be disturbed by trifes. Some
times they ate their rice and curry with
strips of tin torn from old tomato cans.
But II that were not expeditions enough
little black hand and five fingers made
very proper spoon. They drank their
coffee from cups made of bamboo Joints,
and covered their cigarettes with bam-
boo leaf held in place by bit OF Irvine. g
Like Chicago!- vers5 good Chicago!p
was their chief conversation.
In the centre of their town stood the
chapel. Near it was a small thatched
pagoda. This was the house of "Claas, y
the fou -year-old baboon Claas was til
terror the Plat ance He looked like
very short and slight, very long-armed,
very hairy and very homely brown old
man. His upper lip formed more than
half his face. His eyes were close-set
and small and his expression stupid and
evil. Day in and day out he swung by
one hand round and round an upright
pole, chewed at a part of his bedclothes,
and seemed to be thinking daily over his
own strange fate.
The JavaDese musical instruments are
made mostly of bamboo. They also
played upon pipe OF whistle, which
was about three feet long and six inches
across. This sounded like the hollow
roar.o lion. Another was bundle OF
tubes of different lengths, which covered
the small boy who carried it Ikea bic
saddle. A log hewn out, with two
strings stretched across it, served as a
drum. A either of sixteen strings and
a mandolin of two completed their out.
door band, while inside one could heal
their music made by gongs of wonder
fully pure and beautiful tone.
These gentle people had much of sor-
row in Plaisance land. Antonio lost he1
baby, and afterward& of grief fol
it. The funeral procession, passing
through the fantastic street of the
Plaisance, received the awcd reverence
of the motley inhabitants. -Novemb e1
St. Nicholas.