WHAT A LADY FROM JAVA SAYS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 593, 23 August 1909, Page 3

WHAT A LADY FROM JAVA SAYS.

' Most of us aT© , possessed, even obsessed, by the desire-'to'travel in other countries, '■.-'• particularly: the .distant East) but : unfortunately, .that desire, through adverse cir- '.-.■ ' cumstancesj^is-often doomed un- '■. : satisfied. next' ;b.est';tning; is -to meet. ,'with peopleiwho.have come fromrthose parts :■ and'-gather,\,seoond-hand,f a picture of the. ; life that;,goes.onvJnVthem. Mrs. de.Weyer, a>'lady.who I ,was born and brought up in. .: . Java,-has ■ been paying .-her ; first visit, to . New "'.:; ; Zealand and has some,interesting, things .to, say about- Javanese, We.'/-... ■'■■;;■-. ■- r ,, ■ : , "People,".^.she.:-'said ■'.'in -her .somewhat >'■;■'.: broken-English;. : ,"have , an., idea.that it" is too hot to;do, anything.there—that al ; the life is taken?out' of it. is not so. We V.. get.up very .early. l in. the .moaning, breakfast, ■'■; and: my-husband,, who is notary public ■',: in .;■'.-• Pek'alpiigaji;,. ; goes off ■tc at; half- .".;■ '.past' seven, and Iworks .till one. lien he has > ';■■'■ .'finished 'his .public .work 'for ■the day,■'.and ; . time is-fis;owh, From two' to four wo alj go '.-.' and, rest.,-:- After 'that-.we go'out .visiting', ■'J - -driving,, playing tennisj: or. whatever amuse- ;•;' ment ; ' we' feel disposed to. go. in ior. ', We ■ : dress "very lightly indeed, just'the thinnest ;.of materials:... In the morning the,Eurppenn lady "(much7 of --tho : white; ; population is ; Dutch'or of Dutch descent).wears the hand- ■' .printed/skirt that' the : native. woman ; wears, . a .bright-coloured isaroiig; twisted round her '..waist,, and'a little loose .'jacket of .thinnest, •/••■' nainsook or silk, either, embroidered.or lace- • edged.' -It is most loose and comfortable .That is only for the morning though." 'You.have iio bother abou'£ : servants, I . ' Buppose?- asked the intorviewer. !;■'■; - :' '■■■' 'No!.;Very . little.';'The natfves make,mo3t ■■': excellent iservants if. you :treat' them kindly. ■.- ...arid firmly.'i', .They "are good. at.their-work, course labour.is'very cheap there. They think themselves -..well paid if they get :.-'-, £1- a month. ;. I had .'liii'-pld. nurse! ; who was a ,■■ . : thcm ; are—and.-.sho ■' Was what; you -call very: ;her prayc ere five.times, a day, and,often half an hour \ for each': prayer.-.. Wheh-. they say, -two dr. • three prayers at-a" time,- well,r—"> and . a , . shrug'.of.-the •shoulders .completed. tho. sen-., ■;■•. I tence. "There' arp niissionaries there whoi. "' try., to convert them, bul).'; they aro. niuch .happier, and.better; .with their own ' religion. ■ . It.suits;their natures, so' ~why..distiirb.theni?'! . iWhat'.sbrt .of .lives do the'natives lead? ■' ■• '.-. -'■ ;"They..,are, mpst'industiious.. y Tlie men are. . /very, clever-wof.kmen—tjieyi/can.. make, almost ■ •.';; ,i(nythingv You fshonldseo;the''thing's -.th'cv! turn out: from ;bamboo—from houses' beauth; ••■ fully. fitted .-together : 'fp' the tiniest basket or cabinet..., They carve --well,.'too,', arid '"when ', you sec .the; wprkHhey do wi|h they, '~''■ use you '.woulo" b'(v''ast'onißn'ed. ? .'For' weaving- :. , clotlijiwhich , . the women. do,,ithey /'.have -,■. a' .'.'.•' ..very,-simple cpmb; "arid they;, do 'such ifino ■''■_.'■ work;; we 11... Tlisn .they ..han'd- . ' print and,.work;.the colours.'.in' .;.Ce'rtain"colours belong • to .certain parts' .of the'country, . as'in ' Djocdjacarta'ana in Solo. All the prints.for dresses; ara coloured r; iri '■.■:■ light ■ arid ; dark ■'. brown." ~ "■ -;':<': : . :'•-,. ..' :'."■,,'<.'. •' ' .; .. Do women do the hardest part oLthe.work v ; generally? ■'. ..v..";; ■'. ■./::/' ; ' ."Yes'.vThey; : spjn and weave and look ;' after. : their"children and; homes; and ,do ~a great deal of the agricultural work—supplying the markets-with- fruit'and vegetables. The'men prepare the,ground,and,the women "'■■ no all' the /rest'.' , '. Take the rico, for instance, llie ground.is prepared -for>,it, then- the , women plant:it, look after- itrj: gather it in, .; ' and .:finally stainp on, the .husks .to get-'the ■ "seeds out. The Javanese are very superstiti- , dus,-full of, fears of,evil spirits and devils, which,, according to them, are -everywhere around. .If a, rich man dies; hie relatives have' to give'a feast to all tho.men in the compound. Women are riot in this. The f<x>d is divided into portions, and each man ■ gges off with' it. V;Aftor. ; another ten;-,days ,-, another feast!is given, and;this goes on till about' a hundred; days have/gone by. Then a.'buffalo is killed, and at last thev soul of the' dead man has a chance to escape from the fiery regions. 'He mounts upon the spirit of ,th« buffalo and is swiftly carried ■; away into a'happier spirit country. It is ■ ■; rather a , cbsllyv,business , ; for the relatives, tend they often;, fall; into reduced circumstances. -Now and again, inuch, more often in/Malay than in Javaj you may come across e case, of latali, a most curious ne'rvo trouble , , that falls upon, the'natives. Cooks ' ''get.-.it. more ofteii than any others. It puzzles everyone. They ;begin to imitate anyone -arid, everything, around them—can- . Jipt help themselves;' ; whatever vou do they tho .waving- of a branch of "a tree, if , it;catches their eye, they must;wave too. If. they ari) leased, and they often 'are, they ~ become worse,. and end .by being completely wrecked in .health. Leave'them, alone and they oftori recover. , : . • * "When you travel be sure-you go to Java. It, is beautiful—at least I think so, and per-l-naps'-you. will think so : ,t00." ; ;.',., . ; ; ■ Dl AN A- OF DOBSON'S SUCCESS. ; ■ The author': of clever and .popular, play rDiana of Dobson's" is about to isaue a book jrhicH should .prove'■ lively reading. It 'is entitled 'Marriago as'a "i'rade." The subject :' opens -up_ a 'wide''avenue fur , the modern' wo- . rndii's■ views, on .the question'-of marriage' . which, until quite recent times, it was customary to designate "the only profession open to women." - - -'..,' : ■■■'. Mies Hamilton is keenly; interested in . all questions affecting the status of women, and give* a good deal of her.time to the suffrage Sovement. • She is chairman' of committee of ie Women Writers' Suffrage' League, aud her, jeu d'esprit, "How the Vote was Won," is pold for the good of the league. - One lias beeii told that ..women have no hurrioui;' until one almost■. jcame to believe.it, but the woman's tnovement; has now developed a bright and lively side,' anl Miss, Hamilton takes a. foremost place , as a woman suffrage humourist. Her Suffragette Waxworks are very popular as an,entertainment and afforded great amusement et. the reception to the International ielegates. at the recent congress. '-Arguments' ,la favour of women's suffrage are monotonously familiar,- and-Miss-'Hamilton's introiluction of the 'comic element into tho controversy is a trelcpmo diversion. She has the hftppy gift of driving ' home tefious. lessons by means of extravaganza' and V humorous situations, and her forthcoming-bonk on .marriage will- not fail. to bo* entertaining end to' provide food : for reflection. MiasvHimilton has had a hard-working and -'Varied--career -as' actress, journalist,, and piny- '■'. wright, and knows full well tho striiggles anddangers which beset the'.girl, working for-'a living. . Sho has'persevered with indomitable pluck until now sho is beginning: to reap sucsess. V '. ~..:■ ."■/■■ .:'.•:..■ ...