The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1906-01-07

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ono
tive pests. Cheap Chinese labor is tn
saving feature of these plantation
schemes. If the planter does not care
to bother with subsidiary crops, ht
sublets his land to a Chinaman fol
from three to ten dollars per acre pei
: annum, and the latter agrees to keeI
the estate free from weeds and to SET
: that the drains are always in goOC
working order
The cause of education has met will
little encouragement in the Malay
States. Schools have been establish
ed in the villages and country centers
wherever il was thought possible to get
thirty or forty pupils together II
some places the parents take advan-
tage of the opportunity to secure edu-
cation for their boys, While in other
localities the holy men interfere and
warn the people that the children
should be kept at work in the rice fields
when they are not studying the Koran
The attempt to instruct girls in sew
. ing, weaving, and other feminine &C
complishments has met with very lit
tie response from the people. It is I'M
likely that there will ever be much en-
/ coura cement to the cause of female
education. The prejudice of the people
may be overcome in time. but the out
/ lcok is very discouraging.
MALAYS VERSUS FILIPINOS.
/ One of the great hindrances to the
! advancement of the country is the same
that confronted our authorities in the
Philippines. namely, the use of SO many
different dialects among the popula-
ton. The difficulty of teaching Eng
/ lish to the Malay children is that they
have so little opportunity to speak the
/ language out of school hours. A suf-
ficient number of them cannot be in
duced to attend school to warrant the
hope that it will ever become the COM
mon language. In one thickly settled
locality an English school had to be
abolished because only three pupils
attended It developed that these were
the sons of the Sultan, and as soon as
the novelty wore off they lost interest
and failed to attend.
AS an encoura ging contrast to this
may be cited the increase of desire for
education in the Philippines, where
over 5000 children of the masses are
in daily attendance at the common
schools. The difference is accounted
for by the fact that the Philippines are
1dllDIlcS anu Tie -hclie1S al { 49,
Whatever may be said in disparage-
ment of Spanish rule in the southern
archipelago, there can be no discount
ing the credit due the friars for intro
ducing Christianity. The Filipinos are
not the highest type of believers, but
they are better appreciated after see
ing the Malays.
One of the advantages to be found in
the Malay States is a good system or
public roads The highways are main
tanned at the expense of the govern
ment without any toll being charged
for their use. The bridges are of a SUD-
stantial character and are capable or
sustaining all kinds of wheel traffic.
The roads are durab BILE on account OF
being surfaced with granite or lime
stone, and are generally kept in good
order. Where the traffic is not SUM-
cient to warrant the construction OF
roads, hundreds of miles of bride paths
have been constructed. On the Whole
the system of roads in the Malay States
is probably unsurpassed in the East.
MALAYs ARE FISHERMEN.
A large portion of the east coast
Malays depend principally upon the
fishing industry. On account OF their
catch being used almost entirely for
home consumption, there are no re-
strictions in the way Of taxes There
are hundreds of kinds of sea fish in the
waters along the coast and they are
Cbtaina BILE in large quantities, but TINS
supply is not available for the use OF
the inhabitants of inland districts, per
Cause it is impossible to Keep the nSh
fresh for more than a few hours. IN
the interior all Malays have equal right
to fish in the rivers. but each owner OF
a swamp or pond maintains the exclu-
sive right to fish in his own property.
The fishermen in most of the eastern
countries are known as a bad lot, ana
there are often serious disturbances
among them.
The national sport of the Fflipinos is
cock-fighting. but the Malays amuse
themselves by matching pugnac1ous
little fishes called Karin. These tiny
warriors are so vicious that when two
Of them are pitted against each other
they Will fight to the death. Great in
terest is displayed in a match of this
kind, bets being freely laid on the out
come. A popular form of fishing which
is now prohibited by law, was drug
ging the fish by means of the tuba
root, then spearing them as they float
ed helplessly on the surface. Before
the prohibitive law was passed a tuba
fish was the stock entertainment Of the
Malay Rajas on their state occasions.
A TREASURE MOUNTAIN.
The State of Pahang boasts the high
ra1O