Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-05-31
DR.. VINCENT WIJETuNGE, A MA
TIVE OF cEYLoN, TELLS THE
STORY OF THE ISLAND.

FIRST CEYLONEsE
10 VISIT OTTUMWA
Highly Educated and Much Travelled
He Still Looks With Proud Eyes
Upon the Land of His Birth. the
Worlds Garden Spot
we are too rich III natural re-
sources to stand alone against the
greedy entertainments of the European
nations, and hence we must accept the
protection of Great Britain although
that protection is at the expense of the
greatest boon a nation can have-a
public school system" Thus Dr. Vim
cent Wijetunge, the first native of Cey-
lon TO visit Ottumwa and until few
months ago one of the only three of
that fertile islands people in the Unit
ed States, sums up the situation in his
fatherland. Dr. Wijetunge is in the
city for a few days on business and
when interviewed by Courier repre-
sentative spoke interestingly of Ceylon,
its people, religion, history and Gus
TOMS
Although Americans have penetrated
to almost every nation on the globe
and travel to such an extent that they
have come to be known as "glohe-trot-
ters,' very few have visited Ceylon,
and those who have stopped in their
travels for sight of the island have
received according to DR.. Wijetunge,
but meager idea of it's people and its
possibilities. For that reason it is I'M
usually interesting to hear from the
lips OF native of the land of spices
and cocoa the history of the little
country that proudly claims the dis
tinction of being the only one in the
great far east which has never been
conquered.
A Nation Never Conquered.
THAT is an interesting story" said
DR.. Wijetunge, when asked the rea-
son for this boast at includes a his
tory Of the Singhalese people running
back for hundreds AMI hundreds of
years. In the first place you must
know that the ruling race in Ceylon
does not descend from the aborigines.
| The Singhalese, my people, are the de-
scendents of a tribe which lived in
| Wauga Desa, northern India. A great
lion that devastated wide territory
and defed the, proves of many war
riors, was finally killed by prince
named Sinhabahn, who was from that
tirr,a ao1lnJ u; t.,
warded for his noble deed and his peo-
pie were honored in many ways by the
tribe His son, Prince Wiju, was dar-
ing like his father and under his lead
ership a band of Singhalese (from
singha, meaning lion, and hala, to
| felD invaded Lanka Dwipe, as Ceylon
was then called, defeated the aborig-
| ines and set up a government Of their
own.
For many generations Prince Wiju
and his descendants ruled Ceylon but
about 100 years ago one of the kings
| became SO tyrranical that council of
the chiefs was called and it was decid.
ed that he must be deposed. The peo-
| pie had learned that they could not
hold their own against the European
nations longer and accordingly they
called upon the British government to
establish proctectorate and plant the
English flag in Ceylon. This was
done, peacefully and according TO the
wishes of all the people of the island,
and the king and his family we're ban
| ished to southern India.
Modern Methods in ceyIon.
"Then the new progress of Ceylon
began. English customs were introduc-
| ed, English business methods replaced
| the native ones, English officials came
| to Colombo. established colonial gov
eminent and administered English
laws. We now have council compos-
ed largely of native representative of
the people and having two branches
corresponding to the senate and house
of representatives in congress or the
houses of lords and commons in the
English parliament. Though we re-
tain our own language in our homes
and always shall, English is the com
merclal tongue and is spoken by nearly
all the inhabitants Of Ceylon in addi-
ton TO the native language"
DR.. Wijetunge is a member of one
of the richer families of Ceylon and
is of the nigh caste of natives. He is
a remarkably well educated young
man, having completed the course at
forded by the schools of his native land
including ST. Thomas college at Col
ombo, before coming to England and
America to finish his education.
After year at Cambridge where he
received degree, he came to New
York and has Just graduatd from a
New York medical college. After a
few months in America he expects to
return to Ceylon, there to practice his
profession. He is modest and diffident.
reserved in speech until he becomes
interested in conversation. when his
face lights up and his words flow with
the rapidity of a Frenchman. In ap-
pearance he resembles an Italian rath-
er than an oriental.
The Curse of Ignorance.
This representative of an almost I'M
known people has travelled much, stud
led much and learned much. More
than anyone who does not have it
brought home 10 him can, Dir. Vile
tunge realizes what a detriment to a
nations progress is the lack OF a pub
lie school system which is Ceylon's
greatest burden. Since being in Amer
lea this has been especially strongly il
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