The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1895-09-15
AMONG THE MALAYS.
Their Customs Observed by the
British Resident.
REVENGE THE NATURAL IDEA
Frank Athelstane Swettenham, Oil
cier d'Academie, Tells of Their
SuperstitiOns and Proverbs.

Many years spent among the Malays,
the later ones as British resident in
Perak, gives Mr.. Swettenhom the right
to speak with authority on his theme.
He writes of race and of times which
are rapidly changing. The Malay Is stlll
what he has been these hundreds OF
years. But the hand of civilization is
upon him and upon the places where he
lurked so long unnoticed. 1t is varied
scene to which the author turns the at
tention of his readers. The ordinary no.
ton of a Ma.ay is that of murderous
cutthroat whose conduct furnished the
English language with the phrase run
ming amuck." But there appears to be
much that can be said for him in ad-
dition to q description of his doings as
man of blood. Even what he calls
meng amok becomes interesting in the
description of 1t which Mr.. SWettenham
gives. TO a Malay in his right mind the
idea of revenge is natural. If one OF his
relatives is murdered it is his duty as
a member cf the clan to aid in killing
the SLAYER. The process is one liable to
indefinite extension. One homicide Is
likely to be the precursor of many. An
Insult is likely also to lead to murder.
But when the conditions are such that
direct vengeance Is impossible, The VIC
tim of a wrong, real or fancied, becomes
in time a different sort of person. The
author, speaking of the relations OF the
sexes, remarks that all forms OF madness,
mania and brain softening are rare. But
his own narrative suggests that running
amok is usually the result of something
very like insanity. When the mailman
cannot kill whom he would, he slakes
his thirst for blood by killing all whom
he can reach. He means to be slain him
self. and he keeps on Staying until
thrust or a blow ends his life.
This is the most dangerous aspect OF
the Malay character But it is less re-
markabe than another form of mania
which resembles hypnotism. person
subject to this is said to be latah.
look or touch is sufficient to make such
a person the victim of any suggestion
that may be made to him. 1t Is not even
necessary that there should be any hu-
man agency in the matter. Mr.. Swetten-
ham had an orderly subject to this dis
ease. Once he observed the man stop
under the branches of a small tree, move
his arms like a man striking an invis-
ible enemy, and finally throw whatever
missiles he could find at the tree. His
initiative mania had been aroused by the
movements Of hornets which darted as If
they were thrown from their nest. He
began to make the same thrusting mo-
tions, and soon had the hornets about
his ears. Others had to bring him away
from the place. If this man was told
to strike any one he repeated The sug-
gcstion in the exact words given him,
eNr tha
If the person who was hit turned on him
he would say, 1T was not who hit you,
but that man who ordered me-" Mr.
Swettenham has no doubt that he would
have committed q murder instantly If he
had been told to do so while in the
latah condition.
Though they are Mahometans, the Nal
sys continue the practice of their pagan
Sc rcery and Mr.. Swettenham has a story
to tell which rivels those of other travel
ers in the East Crystal-skrying, or what
amounts to the same thing, gazing at
a mirror or at the rejecting surface OF
a liquid is as familiar to them as to
other races. When the question was one
of discovering the name of thief,
native chief sat down, with the Koran on
a reading stand beside him, while two
men balanced between them an earthen
bowl, filled with water and covered with
a piece of white cotton cloth, on the
bent foreingers of their right hands.
Mr.. Swettenham wrote names on separ-
ate pieces of paper, which he folded
and placed on the cloth one at a time.
For each name the chief read passage
from the Koran. When certain name
was placed on the cloth and the reading
began, the bowl turned and finally fell
en- the floor Mr.. Swettenham had the
experiment tried several times and he
vouches for it that the bowl was sem
sitive only to one name, and that was
in every case the same. The names
which he wrote were known only to
himself, and he dM not know one from
another when the papers were folded.
Another trick of the wizards Is to draw
water from sword by pressing the fin
gers on the steel and moving them slowly
up and down the blade. THIS Is said
to take the temper out of the steel. But
Mr.. Swettenham apparently does not de-
scribe this feat from the evidence Of
his own eyes. Malays In general be-
,ieve that there Is one tribe in Sumatra,
the members of which can transform
themselves into tigers. They also believe
that a person can take up his own shad-
ow-Chamisso would have been delighted
nth this superstition-and can thus pos
sess himself of a familiar spirit. Those
who succeed in this conjuration never
afterward cast shadow. There Is
s'mething else to be done when the
shadow has been disposed of. "Go
home," said a feminine expert, "and in
the night, whether sleeping or waking,
the form of child win appear before
you and put out it's tongue; that seize,
and 1t will remain while the rest of the
child disappears. In a little while the
tongue will turn into something that
breathes a small animal. reptile or in
sect, and when you see the creature has
life put 1t in a bottle and the pelsit
(spiriD Is yours"
Malays are rarely the victims OF either
liquor or opium. But they are inveterate
gamblers, and they are passionately fond
of cockfghting They like to borrow
money, and they hate to pay 1t back.
They have an endless store OF proverbs
while you carry the kings business
on your head, don't forget to keep your
I own under your arm" is one of the say
ings which Mr. Swettenham quotes. Its
/ application to a disappointed and dis
graced official Is obvious. 1T is some
times ones own forefnger that pokes
one in the eye." is another homely ex-
ample. In short, Mr.. Swettenham finds
| the people charming when they have laid
] aside their weapons. No race enjoys a
I picnic or a hunt for turtles eggs or a
days fishing better than the Maiays,
and on such occasions whole villages go
on an excursion together.
|
BOON TO MOTHERS.