The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1919-04-25
WEIRD TALE OF !
LAND OF SLAYER
----s----l---l---
POIyuamy and Wtchifaft FlsQ
Ish in IsIahd Of Su.
tnatra.
VAST MIXTURE or RAcl
Has Population 81 100000 and Co
Easily support 1oo,ooOioOo- Mis-
slonary Gives Some interest.
ING Facts and Figures.

------
New Yosk.-tvelrd Is the story a
land where slavery, polygamy I
witchcraft are acufishing. which 81
r. Hibbard. 1rst white missionary q
senr 10 southern SuInatra, a vi
Island southeast Of ASIA, told here
Gently upon his arrival in New YorI
Picture land where alleged L
giclans known as pawangs, who 4
said to he able to call crocodiles I'll
the rivers and wild beasts from
jungles, are believed to have cond
over evil spirits, and you will cal
glimpse Of the island Of super
ton In the Pacific.
"rhls curious land" said Mr.. 3
bard, ''ts destined to be one Of
great countries of the globe. 1t |
100000 population and could ca
support lOO,OOO.O0O. or all the PEG
of the United States"
Mr.. Hubbard Is head Of the Met
dist school in Palembang, and
runs a prosperous Christian chuT
The leading Christians are Chine
Chinese are crowding the island i
idly; many Of them are wealthy y
chants.
'NOur island is roughly as long
from New York to Chicago and (
miles broad" said Mr.. f1ihbard.
"Palembang has 5000 people,
which 600 are whites. There is Of
one white doctor for the whole ct
All the rest Of the medicine and 4
gerry there are in the hands
witches.
Mixture Of Races.
There is vast mixture Of rad
In my church, where | preach in
Malay tongue, we have noted att
single service AmEonese. Menadene
Japanese, MalayS British India
Chinese and Javanese, besides Duj
and English, not forgetting that
pastor is an American.
"'Thc people, religiously, have ST
low. Most of them are Nfohammeda|
but of a debased form. Idolat
witchcraft and animism are rni{
with their Mohammadlsm. The (
gicians, called pawangs, who call
crocodiles to the banks of the rlv|
and the Wild beasts from the jung
AMI who pretend to have the evil 81
its under their control, are higI
thoughts of.
IF Ighave an enemy and will \
q pawang high enough he will 81
magic, invisible poisoned arrow
hOntu or evil spirit to kill the h
son / desire slain. so the natives d
Every. year great pilgrimage ID
ing tw9.dlays. is made to the topI
Gunong5 Dempo. highest mountain
the island and an active volcano. 4
in a shrine there the evil spirits
propitiated.
"Polygamy Is common. Wives
put away on Slight cause. Vol
are heId'aightly, although they do
wear thesEeil and have more freed
than in other MoSlem lands.
Slavery also has not been stamI
out. Our Christian people fight |
and Of course the Dutch adminisi
tion gives It no legal sanction.
1t is there. In one case young 4
who had become a Christian cont
bought o little slave girl to save
from horrible fate.
Interested In America.
'"The wealthy classes of Pnlemh
are the Arabs and the Chinese.
"rhe school OF which I am primo
is self-supporting. We have
teachers and 100 pupils. and teacl
primary and some high school
jects, including typewrifing.
Included among tile pupils
Chinese, Arabs and Dutch, besides
natives.
Here, as throughout the East,
IS the most intense desire to
English.
Everything American is
sought after; goods, clothing,
lures, sewing machines and espea
stereopticon and rnoying.picture
hibitions. One young Arab asksd
to bring him back an American
always get an enormous crow
one of my Illustrated lectures.
"The natives. knowing I au
American, often come to ne with
troubles. They pour into my 90
sorts OF stories, especially their
plants against the government
the whole, the Dutch treat them
Much OF Java is still wild land
hahited by wild men. In the
the Ashinese never have been
quered, although the Dutch
fought them for 500 years. There
number of other backward q
1--WE have great tigers. which
Times cone right into the spplFl
Palembang; wild elephants and
rious, toothed bird living NJ
which has no English name 9
] am aware"