The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1899-11-19
mrs. MOSELEY WRITES OF
PARKWAY SINGAPORE


Stat consul general at Singapore, has
WRIT for this department the following
letter, aidh is full of interest regarding the
social of the most important city in
the straightforward Mrs. Moseley, who
is one cine brightest of all newspaper
women, Is in Charming manner of
picturesque ngapSre, and her letter will
be read wlth'eat pleasure by her friends
all over thelte:
Singapore, t. 5.-You have been so long
hearing frous you. no doubt, think we
have mel under the fierce heat of the
Malay sun" al writers of this part of the
worl'ke to describe it. as though the ball
of frhat here turns the very atmosphere
into great white light, were the special
prerotive of the Malay Peninsula. 1t is
aboub hot from 10 until 4 O'Clock, day in
and { out, as a hot June day at home
that IN the sun. But as there is a con-
slant, sc cool breeze, and the houses are
built to ait its free circulation, and 9TH
erwise dsned to shut out the glare and
heat, weeep entirely comfortable by
staying doors during the interim. That
is generf. For the opposite rule prevails
here to t In Java where all business
stops dug. the middle of the day to be
resumed the Afternoon when the heat
is less ofessive. In Singapore stores and
offices open, ten and closes at five o'clock;
so that one ft brave the sun when shop
ping is to be be, while the men are in
the city -durinhe most trying part of the
day. Still thpnsul-general, with his Of
flee facing thea gets the breeze full, and
under his sw2g punkah does not COM
plain. Every j or two there are showers
of varying lSth which do much towards
keeping the cool. AT night it is always
pleasant anpt infreanently we have re-
course to tbsVool blankets.
The mo wild tales related us about
the clouof mosquitoes the lizards that
drop inyour plate during meals and the
mold th,covers your shoes in a night are
yet to proven. The mosquito is ever
with us.lt not so numerous as his Ala
bama rive, nor so loud of voice. In
fact, 1 oot remember hearing one since
I came, he has no day habits. Lizards
are in a2dance, but as they destroy all
flies thsenture hither, they are quite a
blessing. never see them in the living
rooms, bthear them often making the
peculiar M which has named the species
"gecko' 'aie moisture, of course, is quite
a featunendering 1t necessary to give
every thsplenty of light and air. which
precautf,wgiile Troublesome, is effectual.
But wis Singapore like? you are say
ing. Gently under the sun and moth
ing in peculiar. AS you come into harbor
and lo} across and over the Chinese
jnnks. Malay praus, the japanese sam
paus, thtarships of Russia, England, or
Japan, fEmore peaceful ships of almost
every n5nality, you see a number Of
spires rhing up to the brilliant sky in a
most ttern manner. Never on land does
such aSn sfnailitude suggest itself. The
panorafs slow moving multitude makes
You refnber that you are at the neither
most fnds of the earth, while the build
fngs. ny of them pretentious. do not re-
mind yof America or Europe, but rather
of India9th their long, narrow lines OF
in-built findahs affording to passers
way sfered from the sun. instead of
the custary sidewalk that we know.
Meanwa those churches whose spires
lowered homelike afar at sea, there is
the Englisathedral. damp dark and gray
as thouRwo hundred years old instead
of sixtne, with its great park sheltered
with baa and other topical trees; two
Roman tholic cathedrals lifting slender
spires a'e strange, luxuriant foliage; the
Presbyian church, trim and austere as
from soIScotch kirlSyard behind fringe
of traves palms like gigantic fans out
spread Ay homogeneous they look as the
heather piles pass and repass beneath
them iuhoble toll or foolish pleasure.
There aother places of Christian wor-
shin. uuly the Methodist the A~-nenian
and Porese churches. The congregation
of the lai is composed chiefly of the
descendafof those Portuguese, who lit
tie earpchan the time of Columbus con-
uuerefld settled Malacca without much
-tmp Eoyr the Malay character of the in
hab2tane
tectS,rpsell as in ritual, reflect the east
ern a,Ses of their congregations. While
the Tag that leisurely moves along one
or thther of the great thoroughfares on
whiejhese stand--how infinitely varied,
how tipoda1 to our previous experience!
Most 'Quitous are the Chinese from the
lightlyH rickshaw runner to the Million
aire in ken trousers and blouse, the lat
est styf Derby hat surrounding his pig
tail, sng in the handscmest landau be-
hind finest pair of horses in town, and
drivi-up and down the Esplande in the
aftoons with an air of nonchalence truly
Aderful. The Esplande is the road along
/ sea and by the great plain where the
4ng Englishmen play cricket. tennis and
ktball. The drive about it, being always
In with the carriages of the friends or
raj, Il of the players is fine one for
ITO like to show Off"
nv, ext most conspicuous elements Of
a. long are the Malays and very brill
~ r notes they furnish the polyglot
sobn, In their sarongs OF every bright
~ Cir white Jackets or "pabayas" and
k5o1d caps. Most often they are bare
straight of Limb and graceful car
er them come the kings from
utheastern Asia and other Hin
Madras or Calcutta. The ma
ese are coolies with no garments
e black skins Gas different from
gro, black as can be-, and scar
cloths and turban. They are
rs working the roads and on
works. And they drive the
p-wheeIed bullock carts. urging
Z 'tbea sites" with harsh cries,
hip strokes, climbing out on the
igging into the tough dun sides
sts and toes.
these black fellows go about
les of white scarf draped from
about the hips. its ends sway
eeze, and they are money len
bf them very rich. They also
ht venetian blind hacks, called
in this case they adopt the
me.
1cea seless stream there come
ans. Egyptians Siamese. Japa-
IS and Representatives of every
Found between the Mediterran-
fc on one hand and Thibet and
nm the other, besides of al