The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-05-13
CRITICISES DUTCH COLONIAL
SYSTEM IN EAST INDIES.
BRYAN

Il
quito different in its methods from the
systems adopted by other nations,
have thought it WORTH while to make
some inquiries about it.
The Malay archipelago, which might
also De described IS a continent cut -up
into Islands, has furnished a farm on
Which several nations have experiment.
ed In cOlOnialiSn1, but the Dutch, both
In length of occupancy and in the num-
ben OF people subjected to their rule,
are easily first The archiDelago IS
more than 1000 miles long from east
to west. and il the Philippine islands
are included, LEGO miles wide. Some Of
the islands are larger than European
states; Borneo and New Guinea each
have an area greater than the British
Isles. On the may the islands of the
archipelago look like stepping stones
connecting Asia with Australia. but
some writer's, arguing from the fauna
and flora as well as from the depths Of
surrounding waters, contend that the
western islands are an extension of
Asia and the eastern ones Of Australia.
Alfred Russell Wallace. for instance.
points out that the animals. birds and
natural products Of the two sections
differ so much as 90 suggest that one
group is much older than the other.
This archipelago is the home of one
Of the branches into which the human
family is divided, viz, the Malay or
brown race These people are distinct
in appearance and in many Of their
characteristics from the yellow and
black races. as well as from the white
race. There are in some of the islands
remnants Of aboriginal tribes. but the
'MalayS from time fmmemorial have fur
nished the prevailing type. They have
shown themselves caDable OF confirm
Gus and systematic labor where they
have been subjected to coercion, or
where q sufficient inducement has been
presented s a stimulus, but the de-
pressing influence of a continuous sum-
n he IF ha
les, has naturally made them less in
dustrtous than those who live in the
temperate zone. The clothing re
Quired by the Malay is insign ficant in
amount and value. The little children
are bare and seem to enjoy 4 shower
as much as ducks do. In Sourabaya,
the second city in Java, We saw a
group of them naked sliding on their
stOmachS on the marble floor Of an
open porch during heavy rain. This
seemed a fairly satisfactory substitute
for the ice ponds of the north.
The adults. both men and women,
wear sarons Except when the men
content themselves with a breech-
clOuD. The SaTOng, a simple strip of
cloth, is draped about the figure with
all the fullnesS in front. and fastened
in some mysterious way without the
aid of buttons, hooks or pins This
garment. if garment ii may be called.
gives opportunity for the eXerc Sc Of
taste, and the range i'm price is sufTi-
Gent to permit of some extravaganza
I'm dress. The best native SarongS are
more expensive than silk. the cloth
being OVerlaid with wax. upon which
the pattern is traced and the dyes ap-
lied by hand. The uses use q cheap
cotton print manufactured in Europe.
one of the striking DeculiaTities of
Javanese life IS the adoption of the
sarOng by the European women for
morning wear. Ladies who appear at
dinner in full evening dress may lie
LsTr ~,
the morning hours. clad in loose hang
ing sa-ongs and thin dressing sacQues,
their bare feet encased in sandals On
the Dutch boat upon which we left
Batavia we saw posted notices desig-
mating the hours during which the
SarOHg could be worn. and giving per-
mission to men TO wear a palama-like
outfit during the same hours.
The Malay women wear no hats, but
the men usually wear a tuTban, the
tying Of which is a great perplexity TO
the foreigner.
The natives of the Malay islands an
pear to be a mild-mannered and peace
full people. although fighting tribes have
been encountered in the mountain re-
gions, the suppression of which cost the
Dutch many lives and large outlay Of
forms. In Sumatra there are sections
that have never been subdued.
The Chinaman is to be found
throughout the archipelago; in fact,
he far outstrips all other foreign ele-
mentS The population of Java is
given as 2S,T47,CG i'm the government
statistics, and of this total, 277. 600 are
Chinese. The number of Europeans
is given as 62.47I, and the number. of
Arabs at $4,000. while d little more
than 5000 come from other Asiatic
countries. I was Informed that the
g., 600 described as Europeans included
the half castles. who number more than
10000, the number of real Europeans
being about 20, 600. In the other islands
controlled by Holland, the population
IS given at a little more than five and
q half millions. and the number Of
Chinese at go. 900. while the European
population is estimated at 10000 the
Arabs at $1,000 and other Asiatics at
10000 It will be seen from these fig
ures that the Chinese form the chief
foreign ingredient in Netherlands IN
dia. as they do i'm BorneO and the
Straits Settlements. In Java. where
we had a chance to observe them, we
found that the Chinese mOnOpolized
the mercantile business, except where
they were compelled to share il with
Arabs ard Indians. We also heard of
them as money loaners. the rate of in
terest being generally usuriOus. Vt
may be said TO their credit, hOwev
that as ShylOcks the Arabs can surpass
them. The superiority of the Arab in
this respect has given rise to the say
ing among the natives that the China
man leaves "A native with nothing but a
sarOng. while an Arab strips him bare
Many Cinnamon have grown rich and
have permanently identified themselves
with the country, and of these some
have discarded the queue entirely
while others have retained it in di-
minutive form, a little wisp of hair
growing from a spot not much larger
than dollar and heightened out with
silk thread.
Apropos Of the Chinese agitation
against our exclusion act. it is inter
esting TO know that the Chinese borr
in Java presented a petition to the
governor general a few years ago ask