The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1920-08-09

Is at soerabaya.
lumbus discovered America, Hindu In
fluence was dominant in Java, and
then the bolsheviki came over from
Arabia and messed things up. This
was in 1477.
The Portuguese peeked in at one or
two of the ports in 1911 and said:
"Sh-h-h! Quiet now, fellows. We
won't do thing to this place" But
they did.
How Spells Were Divided.
From then until 1929, it was nip
and tuck between the Spanish and
the Portuguese as to who could rob
the natives the more efficiently. The
contest ended in a draw and a treaty
gave rights of robbery in the Indies
10 the Portuguese and similar rights
in the Philippines to the Spanish.
The Spanish got the best of the bar
gain, because they were not disturbed
until 1898. while the poor Portuguese
we're kicked out of their territory by
the Dutch in 1896, before they had
i.alf time to skin the natives.
Then the Dutch took over the no
BILE work and drew up trading treaties
FOR presentation to the natives. To
all questions raised by the party of
the second part one reply was used
sign here" When the natives
showed a reluctance the blunderbuss
or long sword made the fairness Of
the treaty perfectly clear, as was Gus
tomary among the conquerors of those
early days.
Dutch Rule Now Kindly.
From then until 1895 Holland and
England fought like country cou-
sins over possession of the islands,
and they finally whacked up and called
quits. England took parts of Africa,
all of Ceylon and spots along the
China coast, but left the Indies to
| Holland, after taking a slice off Bor-
neo and an end off New Guinea.
SO we find the Dutch in possession
of Java and through their courtesy we
visit the island. Here we are in Ba-
tavia, community of many peoples
enjoying peace and prosperity under
the kindly Dutch rule.
The first thing to find is hotel.
The finding impresses US with the in
dividuality of the country.
On three sides of square is two
story building. Each room has a spa
cious veranda in front, facing the
walkway which runs along the entire
length of the hotel. On the veranda
is a table and a big chair. If the
chair had wheels and a top it would
look like one of those victorias so
much used by old ladies and small
town doctors, when the latter drove
horses, charged dollar for house Wis
its, 90 cents for Office calls and fur
nished the pills as sort of premium,
! Instead of the wheels and the top
/ the chair has extension arms about
four feet long, which swing out to
provide an elevated footrest. The
| higher the temperature the more will
| ing you are to sprawl as per the pos
siblities. 1t is on the veranda that
guests are received and siroopen and
soda is served. Great life.
At the back of the veranda is the
| bedroom-for GOODNESS q rugless, pic
tureless, cherries place, with a skinny
iron bed, covered by a canopy of net,
sort of fertilization against the mos
quitoes. Notice, l say sort off,
In every bed is a Dutch wife. Oh,
| it's quite properi This lady thing
is merely an elongated pillow, hard
and round, upon which to rest one
knee. This position IS cooler for
sleeping than to rest all on a level.
Ont back of the rooms is another
, walkway used by the boys Boys in
4 Java may be anywhere from sixteen
to sixty assto age, but just so long as
they are servants, they are boys.
BOY" is the "call of the East"
Somewhere along this wallzway is
1 the bathroom, one of the most popular
recreation rooms In the hotel The
water is in a pen built up in one cor
ner On the floor are duck boards.
| Somewhere around is a tin or wood
en- bucket The bath is taken by Dip
ping water from the pen and pouring
it where most desired. Very satisfy
j ing and refreshing.
Some hotels boast shower baths.
| supplied from tank on the roof. A
shower in the early morn is all right,
but usually by midday and certainly
by night, the sun has made the water
too hot for comfort.