IN THE DIM, BEAUTIFUL EAST.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 592, 21 August 1909, Page 11

IN THE DIM, BEAUTIFUL EAST.

•'';■. ',' : • ■, -A-LETTER. :■;.■.: ~: ; A girl writing from Pahang, Malay,, where she is' at present. living -with her brother, says:—"Quite:• recently we visited Penang, not a vory interesting place by any means— just the usual collection of Chinese, Malay and Tamil "kadeis," with, a few European officers, arid about two large stores. There is nothing to see—the' residential streets are planted, and the houses are 'just what'you, see in any of the small villages about: in this country,, very unpretentious'.. Narrow winding lanes intersect the principal ; street, s and have the same population as any fairsized town in the■'.JP.M.S. There are trams, but a European cannot use them unless hewishes the company of an unpleasant Tamil or fatj oily "cfietty,". or an excited , jabbering Chinaman.■■■■ While there, we went to see a noted temple of Confucius—l forget the name. We were carried in chairs up several flights of stairs before we reached the temple proper, through walls covered with grotesque carvings of dragons, birds and beasts, as well as'unoouth.gods. Half way up we.were taken into.a room where two priests received us, and escorted • us the rest of the way. When we reached the top the view of the open; roadstead _or harbour, and the country round about, simply filled us' with: admiration, it was so beautiful. ■ The: interior of the temple was very dimly lit, and air about ■were carvings of gods and etatues. ranging from 'three' feet in height to five or six, or even'nine. A thing that simply took my breath away was a gigantic statue of Buddha with that still- inscrutable look of wisdom on the face, that, once seen, haunts one ; for-ever. Imagine: seeing a. statue of Buddha in a temple devoted to Confucius 1. was hot the only thing that'astonished us.' '."The.'priest became: far, more , prostrate; in his devotions than he had been for the gods, and : solemnly -struck;'.a great, gong'that was placed in front of the statue, and muttered, many prayers. ' ;■."..•'■ • As we came down again, we were shown • several statues of various notabilities—Li Hung-Chang for oner—and also several of the | neighbouring rajahs. If the.statues were a. good likeness,.there must.bo some frightfully ugly people yet to be; seen about here. We were taken into the half-way room again, and treated to either, coffee or tea and. biscuits, good ones, too, abd then, requested ■to sign a book devoted to visitors', names. We happened to .'see the.'Prince of Wales's; name there, too. Oh the .fly-leaf, to which our attention was politely shown, we saw a little' notice'to. the effect that, as .the temple was .in debt^wing.to'repairs that 1 had uoen/effee-: ted recently, a'ny 'little bequest .would ho weir corned.'The same, old cry—East or. ! yon. see'.' Of course,' we did our dutyj and finally'departed, having acquired.much merit in,the almond eyes 'd our. guides'. ' . .■..,.■ . This -is....Hugh Clifford's..own particular country," and : ..we ■a.ro .staying' withih fifty miles \o\ his favour)te;scenes'—the '.Tembeling River!-The , natives simply worship.'th» very sound of his namer-indeeu, not' only the natives but; the white residents as well, , and he.:has. largely'made'Malay !the country that it now isr—one -of tho /most prosperous , and contented , of England's many dependencies. As you know, ; the;-country nas no national debt, rather a big : contrast to New Zealand, isn't ,"ifc? ■ Women • out: here live a• very idle

indolent; life—they have no servant /troubles' .',: whatever,' for all ,the work: is done ! by;,the ''■!' natives,','and occasionally time'.bangs. some-'. ' what heavily upon their hands.- \However, as a rule; things.are;kept : what: with club' life arid its leritert'ainmefttß,. ; tennis, golf, dances, and'gymkhaiias:'?'iti'.'ia;.: '.', ;rather "a, changb to'lifo'in-lJN'BW"Zealaiid;<;CP i? , There 'are only;three roads ini.this''pa'rt-of; ;>• •the■.'country, and most"'.of the.'traffic;is 'So'lib; . by .motor ;bus.v . If you ''have. iierves;;/don't, - travel;', for.: the Malays are: the most reckless". ... driversyou can find anywhere, and''tear along at* a. furious rate on'roads that are anything •■ but one■■",!straightv-lino-.'. They; are" Mob am-.' - medans, and anything that' happens is vFato. .Naturally .one. does not care'for that:pointof,view, '■■.'■.fc'NV'-"':'\ ■''■■■<; ..,/ : -;.^ l.^heh.l-first caino out hore, -I thought for . a long tiiuo.that the charm of the'East'had .' been ,;greatly;. pvei>ralced-; by Kipithgv and ' .others;': but'now I, :too, am.falling, a-slave to ;. it. 'There; nothing very beautiful; aboiit ■the', country;.in. this 'part. It really answers ' to the;;Uruwera in' New Zealand. . Feathery J palms, -the 'scents: are not al-'/ ways ;balmy, 1 ; as the duriari .(a local; fruit}"... abounds.; It. is a much-esteemed luxury, by . Malays, Bengalis, etc.,' a'nd.ev.en by an.uniber of Europeans/ but'th'e odour of it, is. siuiply unbearable. When ■ cut,,..' it is .enough, to. make .one faint: and--its. devotees ■should certainly be ■ avoided 'for.hours!. Theuj . apart.from .this, ~a favourite dish of , ; the natives .is, fish -that /are not too fresh,' and for yards and" yards about' ,the markets the odours":bt.theseVahd.other objects .aro. both; ■ rich, and varied. "Spicy garlic smells": (as Kipling calls them) is an'example of/poetic license,, and is worse 1 license than poetry, I . can: assure, you.*.- J". •', ... -,-. .But. the' nights here* are-glorious, .especially 1 ,,; moonlight nights'. ;; It .is 'pleasantly ,warm"with just a faint breath of wind. how. and then, cicados,: etc;, are' chirping '■', and tho little green lizards are;barking;while pursuing their'daily ayocatioris','that of ..dinner- : huntuig: Then the light'is,as'clea'r: as-day-light,-and the jungle; hills look darkly mys-: teriou's, 'and all that; sort 'of "pidgin.. 1 '• .Fire-. .flies flit across, the' view,'; and' it,is then"that one 'febls something of t'he glamour; of: the • East. .: The; regular ..beating of "a tom-tom \omes to'the ear, softened,',perhaps, by'.distance; and also some Chinese coolie or.Bengali; bullock; carter is singing somewhere about.- It is r'l very barbaric and Eastern, and, in 'the c.nd, it throws its spell over ono completely. WHAT SHE WOULD DO. A little incident will tend to show how much importance a child may attach to neatness of dress, says an American writer. At a family gathering the different members were discussing their ideas of philanthropy and tolling what they would do if they had sufficient money, when,tho little daughter of the house said: "I know what I would do if . I ever had enough money." <Of course, all the elders were anxious to hear the youthful idea. "Well," said she, "if I had a whole i lot of money; I'd buy a house, and ail the • poor little children I sec.in the streets with their stockings down, or thoir petticoats i hanging, of .their coats without buttons, I'd bring them into this house. Then I would have a woman there who would sew all the buttons on their clothes nnd their garters so that their stockings wouldn't hang down any-more. "And when'she had their ) clothes fixed on them all right, they could . go out again and play." And parents still i assert that /'children don't understand." t ' ■__ t