Evening star., 1901-09-07

a good-looking man. The people are
about as tall as the Japanese, their aver
age height being little more than hve
feet Both sexes are plump and well
shaped and exceedingly straight. They
have slender limbs, small wrists and an
kles and long. slender fingers. They look
not unlike the Filipnos, save that their
foreheads are, If anything, higher, and
they are of a more pronounced Malay type.
Many of them have high cheek bones and
their eyes are a triffe aslant, making you
think of the Chinese. They have thick
lips, though nothing like so thick as the
negroes
The women as a rule are not as good
looking as the men. although many of the
young girls are pretty. Those of the bet
ter classes are often fine looking, having
high, narrow foreheads. fairly good noses
and luscious red lips. They are particular
as to matters of etiquette, and are uni
versally polite and wen behaved. This Is
SO of both sexes.
They Marry at Twelve.
The women marry very young. Girls are
often mothers at eleven or twelve years of
age, and old maids are almost unknown.
Among the poorer classes the women do
as much work as the men. The whole fam
lily in manner takes care of itself, and the
more children a poor man has the richer
he is. 1t Is not uncommon for woman TO
have a dozen children, although owing to
sanitary conditions the families are not as
a rule much larger than ours, many or
the children dying in infancy. Many of
the people are Mohammedans, but as
rule they have but one wife, more being
common only among, the chiefs and mobiles.
| am told that the women believe In love
potions and that there are witch doctors
who sell stuff which introduced into the
food or drink of a man will make him your
lover. 1 should think the recipe for this
might be valuable to the patent medicine
men of our country. The women are very
jealous. They understand poisons as well
as love potions. and such of the Dutch
officials and soldiers as form matrimonial
alliances are careful in breaking them, for
desertion may bring about a terrible re-
venge on the part of the woman.
They Are Business Women.
Come with me to the bazaars and take
look at the business women of Java. They
do the greater part of the buying and SELL
ing, and they are as sharp traders as you
will find anywhere. The only women like
them are those of Burmah, who look and
act much the same.
The most of the business of this part of
the world is done in great bazaars or vast
department stores under one roof. 1he
OEly difference between our department
stores and the baZaars is that in the latter
each counter has its own merchant VINO
owns the goods piled about him, and that
there are hundreds of merchants selling
the same kind of goods in the same place.
Sometimes the bazaars cover acres. AT
BuitenZorg they are in the form or mol
low square, the roofs being upheld by
white pillars In the center OF the square
Is a court filled with market men and
women who have temporary roofs to shield
them from the sun. The bazaars proper
are paved with red brick; they run in one
lcng aisle, lined with stores around the
great square. The goods are spread out
on little counters, piled up on the floor, or
hung up behind she merchants, or more
often if l may use the term, merchant
esses, who squat on the bricks.
One section is given UP to the cloth ba-
Zaars Here the gayest of calicoes hang on
poles about the walls. There are blue, red
and yellow goods oi all kinds forming
striking background to the brown-faced.
bare-ankled. bare-footed women, who Sit
there and sell. Farther on are the taflors.
There are dozens of shops. each owned by
a male or female ,lresSmaker who is work
ing away. How an American tailor would
laugh at the sight, They are using sew
ing machines, but the machines are all
worked by hand, and they rest fiat on
boards On the floor, and not on stands, as
with us. Here is Il girl sewing on silk
Jacket. She sits cross legged on the floor,
with the machine in front of her. Now she
has stopped sewing and is reeling a spool
OF pink silk on the bobbin. She holds the
machine between her bare toes as she
works She is bare-armed and bare-shoul-
dered and she has beautiful hands.
In the next shop is prettier woman,
dressed in a cream colored jacket and
bright red sarong. 4 fierce Malay man.
wearing a turban, 4 red jacket and black
gown, sits beside her. 1t may be her hus-.
band or possibly customer waiting for
that skirt on which she is sewing. Notice
the jewelry which the woman wears. She
has half dozen bracelets of silver and a