Omaha daily bee., 1910-03-06

Singapore. says that he has TO get Chimes.
coolies TO do his work, for his own men
will not labor.
1 nave visited some of the Malay viii
lages' Their houses are scattered about
unoer the trees near the roads. They are
usually huts about fifteen feet SQUARE.
maze OF bamboo or boards with a tbstob
OF palm leaves. The average house bas
only one or two rooms, the people eating
or sleeping where the cooking is dona
Their kitchen furniture is an iron nnr
ana a cocoanut ladle. with perhaps n NOT
Tor their soups and stews. The he'd iS
mat spread on the floor. and the family
sprawl there at full length while resting
The people of the interior live not unlike
the poorer classes of our Philippine Is.
lands, and their customs are much the
same. Nearly every one chews the beteI
nut, and men. women and children srnoka
cigarettes and cigars. 1 have seen girls
OF five and six with cigarettes in their
mouths, and the babies are taught n
smoke by the time they are able to crawl.
AS to the betel habit, this is universal.
1t consists Of chewing the nut of tba
Arepa palm mixed with tobacco and lime.
AS the people chew they spit, and their
saliva Is the color of blood. The habit
turns the teeth black, swells the tonR,.
ana puffs out the lips and makes them
crack. The chewing is said to take RJyav
munger ana fatigue, and the habit once
acquired Is seldom broken. I see old women
pounding the nuts to a powder. that +boy,
masticate them between their tooth
less gums. The better classes have batsI
spittoons, and betel boxes for the lime
leaves and nuts. Some high officials have
their chewing maads-girls who carry about
the betel sets, and offer the delicious ma.
tertals to them from time to Tina present.
Ing the spittoons at intervals.
Malay Women. y
These Malays. like our Moros. arc Nm.
hammedans. They study the Koran. keep
Ramazan. and II they can afford it hays
several wives. The girls are especially finM
looking They have light brown skina
long black hair and beautiful eyes. TheiY
noses are inclined to be flst, but theiH
.eeth are like pearls where they are not
oetel ohewers, and they have high fora
heads and good faces. Many have small
waists and small feet with square toes
They are sometimes married NJ Il hut
the more common age is from II to %. The
parents arrange the marriages, and tho
wedding is long. tedious and EXPENSIVE.
wedding presents are usually in money.
and 1t is expected that every guest wifi
give what he can.
AFTER the marriage the husband fire.
quentiy leaves his wife with her parents
Tor several months, and then takes her
He Is expected to have one bopso
Tor each wife, and 1t is his duty to treat
each OF his four wives alike, and TO divide
u his time equally among them. II he
makes a present to one, he ought to give
q present TO each Of the others. and IL he
does not there is arouble.
divorce is quite as easy in Malaysia as
IN other Mohammedan lands. but the
malay woman has the right of her own
vohtlon to free herself from her husband.
ohe need only wait 100 days before she
may marry again. The married women
are to a certain extent Independent MANY
them assist their husbands, and in some
OF the states offices with salaries are given
TO the ladies' connected with the court
FRANK G. CARPENTER