Queer Features of a Native State in Java
HK'J'nWw' TIbbH IbH
OIJAIID OP THE SULTAN.
(Copyright, 1901, by Frank O. Carpenter.)
s
IOI.O, State of HacrKnrtn, Jitva, Oct.
1. (Special Corrcspnmlonco of
Tho Ilee.) Havo you over heard
or Did sultan of Solo? I don't
moan tho miltnn of Sulu. Tho lat-
tur Ih ii little hIx hy nlno nabob In tho lower
part of thu Philippine islands. The sultan of
Solo Is tho KreatcBt native ruler of Java,
lie hnH mil llaits of subjects In his own
province of Boorkartn and tho moat of thu
Zli.OCO.OOO of Javancto pcoplo look up to him
as the successor of Mahomet and tho In
termediary between them and their god. I
havo written something of tho sultan of
Djokjakarta. TIiIh Hultnn Ih a much greater
man. Ills capital city Ih tho largest native
city In Java anil It has In tho heart of It
a vast palaco Inclosure containing thousands
of nobles, servants and slaves. I am told
that thoro nre 2,",)00 pcoplo living Insldo
tho palaco walls. These Include tho princes
nuil nil tho other relatives of tho Imperial
family and their rotlnucs.
They nlso Incloso a vast femalo popula
tion. All Mohammedans havo tho right to
moro than one wife nnd tho sultan can
have as many as ho wIbIich. IIo has one
head wlfo and numerous concubines, as well
ns many femalo slave and servants. The
women of tho harem proper seldom come
outside thn palace and thoy are not soon by
tho mou who call upon his majesty. The
ttultann, or head wife, often takes a party
with her when alio goes out driving, but at
other times tho closor forms of Mobnmmo
dnn seclusion nro preoorvod. Tho most of
tho women In tho palaco aro noblo women.
They aro tho daughters of tlo natlvo chiefs
and tbey esteem It an honor to bo chosen
as wives of his majesty.
How (In- I.iKllt'H Ureas.
I havo described tho dross of tho ladles
of tho Djokja court. If Is much tho Bamo
In Solo. According to law tho thousands
of women Insldo tho palaco wear decollete
dresses. All, except tho sultana and tho
princesses, aro porfoctly baro as to tholr
Bhoulders and arms. They havo a special
pattern of dress which Is not permitted to
bo worn outsldo tho palaco, and tholr sar
ongs, although mado of calico, nro very cx
ponslvo, for thoy nro nil decorated by hand
by tho r.rtlstlc printers of tho kingdom.
Tho woman's dress Is somowhat as fol
lows: First thoro Ih n strip of calico orna
mented with original decorations about
thrco ynrds long nnd n foot wide, which Is
wrapped round and round tho body Just
under tho arm pits, binding tho breasts so
tightly that It Is ofton Injurious to health.
Tho upper part of tha shoulders nnd arms
havo no covering and thero Is a strip of
baro yellow skin from three to six Inches
wldo hotween tho breast band and tho
narong-llko skirt which forms tho rest of
tho costume Tho skirt Is also bound vcrv
tightly about tho body and tho waists are
considerably compressed. Tho Javanese
girl Is qulto ns proud of her small waist as
her American sister, and sho Is vory par
ticular as to tho pattern of her sarong.
Illnek Teeth Are KiMtilunnlile.
Sho spends much tlmo also upon her
tcoth; not In making them whlto, but In
giving them the Jet black huo which Is
.fashionable among tho natives of this part
of tho world. Doth hero nnd In tho I'hllln
pines both Boxes blacken their teeth, and
almost evory trlbo has a different method of
filing them. In Mindanao I saw hundreds
of men nnd women who had their tooth
hollow ground, Just ns though they had
taken a rat-tall file and scooped out the
front of tholr teeth. In Java tho men
sometimes file their teeth to a point, so that
tho upper nnd lower Jaws each contain n
rngged saw, tho teeth of which fit Into
ono another llko a steel rat trap. Tho
women fllo their teeth off straight and
sometimes cut them down at tho sides
so that they aro almost square. They laug'.i
at tho whlto teeth of tho forolgners, and
say that wo have teeth llko dogs, for do3
havo whlto teeth. They sometimes fllo off
or pull out tho cntllno teeth becnusn thtsi
teeth rcsemblo dog teeth. A well-filed sot
of teeth Is a girl's badge of womanhood. It
Is her coming-out dress, ns It were. After
a girl's teeth have been filed sho is sup
posed to bo rendy for marriage, and tho
hoys begin to moko shcop'H ryes at her.
Tho filing Is a pnlnful ordcnl, nnd It Is not
all dono at onco. When It is first begun
It Is In tho presence of n fnmlly party, and
n feast follows. After this tho teeth nro
blackened with n mixture of soot nnd Iron
filings, which makes them shino llko po
lished Jet.
Aiikiiik the SnrotiK Mnkcm,
In going througn tho palaco grounds I
found mnny women at work In their homes
printing tho sarongs or skirts which form
tho chief dress of tho people. Koch sarong
Is about two yards In length and about a
yard wide. It Is merely a strip of flno
whlto cotton, upon which tho designs aro
sketched out for tho printers. Tho designs
nro mado with melted wax flowing from a
llttlo pencil with a bowl of liquid wax in
tho end. After tho design Is sketched the
dyo will only tnko In tho unwaxed parts of
tho pattern, so that It must bo carefully
put on. Soma of tho designs require weeks
and months to complete nnd the skirts
when finished nro nltnost as costly as an
Amorlcan gown. Tho strip of cotton In the
beginning Is perhaps worth 30 cents, but
In tho hands of a flno artist it may bo so
printed that It becomes worth $30 or more.
Tho commoner designs sell for 2 or $3,
but there arc many which nro very ex
pensive. Tho work Is vory hard on tho oyes and I
noticed that many of tho women had on
spectacles. Some of theso sarongs are
printed by machinery, but tho handmade
ones nro moro beautiful and nro In great
demand. Thero nro streets In tho bazaars
which sell nothing clso. Thoso worn by the
men nro much tha samo ns thoso of the
women and thoro nro millions of such
skirts sold every year.
In n Jiiviinesc Court.
Tho sultan of Solo controls all executions
nnd to n largo extent all tho punishments
of his people. Ills control, however, Is
moro nominal than real. Thero Is a Dutch
resident governor hero who telle his maj
esty how ho should act and tho Dutch really
run all tho sourts and Impose the fines. I
saw fifty men and women with ropes
around their necks all tied togcthor await
ing trial the other day In front of one of
tho government offices. They were In
charge of natlvo policemen and were sur
rounded by natives, but tho Judgo Inside
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DUTCH HE3IDKNT, CROWN
the court was a Dutchman and It was he
who Imposed tho fines.
It was a curious sight. The fifty wero
roped togcthor In such a way that ono
coutd not run without dragging tho whole
crowd after him. On the veranda in front
of them were natlvo scribes In turbans and
sarongs with krls-liko swords In their belts
at tho back. These were tho clerks of the
court. Each had a great pile of coppers
bcsldo him, tho collections of fines and tho
fur.du for making tho change. Tho veranda
was filled with natives of various ranks.
I mado my way through tho crowd and was
admitted to tho court room. Tho Judge
was a good looking Hollander dressed in
whlto duck, with a handsomo young native
In turban nnd sarong squatting on tho floor
near his feet. Tho natlvo was tho prose
cutor and Interpreter. As I wnltcd a crim
inal was summoned. IIo was mado to
crawl In on his heels and ho sat on his
heels whllo ho was cross-examined, the
witnesses coming In nnd sitting on their
heels nbout him.
As far as I could sco tho Dutch Judge
did his best to get at tho truth. Ho was
looked up to moro as a father than n Judge,
and this is tho relation that the govern
ment tries to maintain with tho people.
Tho enses wero potty ones. No fines cf
moro than $10 was Imposed during my stay
In tho court room, and some of the fines
wero but n few cents. Ono man had been
out without n lantern. A Jealous woman
was arrested for an assault upon her lover
and a very pretty girl was sent to prison
tor potty larceny. I watched the clerks
paying tho witnesses. They received 2
cents for each mllo they had traveled In
coming to tho court, and weru paid In cop
pers. Tho Sultan of Solo has n largo rcvenu?.
Everything In tho country nominally be
longs to him. Ho owns all tho lands and
rents out a Inrgo part of them to foreign
planters. Ho receives 125,000 guldens a
month from tho Dutch government and a
great deal from his own people. Ho can
levy tnxes with tho approval of tho Dutch
resident and ho keeps up a llttlo army of
his own. Ho has a troop of thirty cavalry
of Dutch soldiers, which alwnys forms his
escort and which would In case of troublo
with tho Dutch promptly capturo him and
tnko him prisoner, for they aro really tho
servants of the Dutch.
NuHiiii n Hleh Nil Holt.
Tho sultan has vast treasures in gold and
Jewels. His women nro gorgeous in silver
and gold and tho princes and princesses
woar diamonds galore. He has his own
zoological garden and bis Btablcs contain
the finest of horses.
Tho states of Djokja and Solo are In the
richest part of Java and thoy practically
belong to their sultans. Tho sultan of
Djokja gets 30,000 guldens a month In money
rents. Ho leases his lands out to foreigners
on twenty-year leases. The samo Is done
with tho sultan of Solo. In these leases the
sultans engage that tho natives of the
vicinity shall work for tho planters one
day a week without pay. This Is on con
dition that the rlco lands, consisting of
halt tho rented estates, shall belong to
thorn. According to custom, half the land
shall bo planted in sugar and half In rlco
and native food crops. Theso crops are
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JAVANESE CRIMINALS
alternated every year, so that there Is a
rotation of crops, which Is best for both
planter and native. The contractor knows
that ho Is to get but halt tho land at ono
ttmo and tho rent Is arranged accordingly.
Tho pcoplo work tho lands as villages and
communities, dividing tho crops. Whilo
cultivating tho rlco they have their own
head men, but on tho sugar plantations
they aro governed by tho planters' over
seer and ho uses them practically as ho
pleases. Each planter has his own watch
man furnished frco by tho sultan. In case
of fault he can only punish through tho
sultan, or rather tho resident. A largo
part of tho labor Is frco at least one day
In seven. This Is due to tho sultan as a
tax and ho transfers It to the planters.
Tho hours of work aro from 6 to 6, with
two hours oft at noon.
He's an Expensive Guest.
These planters live In great state and
when tho sultan visits them they spend
large sums In his entertainment. I recently
visited a sugar factory, tho lands about
which were leased of his majesty. Tho fac
tor expected to havo tho sultan go over his
plantation and ho was anxious to make a
good Impression upon him. He had put up
a pavilion at tho railroad station as a sort
of a rest houso for tho sultan and bad
erected triumphal arches along the lino of
march. I was told that his majesty's enter
tainment would cost at least $1,000 and that
there would bo parties, receptions and
other gay doings. Whilo I was on the es
tato one of tho sultan's officials came out
to look Into tho arrangements for tho Im
perial entertainment. As tho official stepped
from tho railroad car ono of his servants
held a great umbrella over him to shield
him from the sun. Another followed car
rying his sword, another with his Bpear,
whilo tho fourth camo along bearing his
cane. Tho official was In his bare feet and
tho contrast between his gorgeous retinue
and his own slovenly appearance was strik
ing. It Is a striking commentary on the ex
cellence of the Dutch rule In Java that the
natives of tho two states ruled by sultans
aro much poorer than thoso of tho states
governed almost entirely by the Dutch.
The most of the people here dress In blue
cotton. They are so poor they cannot wear
the beautiful printed goods tbey make, al
though their manufactures are sold In the
other states.
Indeed, tho women of the lower classes
are very beasts of burden. I see them
everywhere walking along under heavy
loads. They carry fruits and vegetables to
market on their backs and on poles over
their shouldors. Thoy work In tho fields
nnd they nro the porters of the markets.
Tho women do the most of tho soiling In
the markets. Thoy peddle about all kinds
of wares and havo meat shops, dry goods
stores, basket stores and vegetablo booths.
The druggists are fomales, the Jewelers are
females and in fact tho most of tho busi
ness seems to bo done by women. Just
outside tho palaco city In Djokjakarta there
are a scoro or moro booths where women
nre selling Jowelry and powder nnd palm
to tho women and others who go in and
out of Uio palace. Thoy sell also costly
sarongs and othor articles. I tried to buy
a few specimens as curios, but found that
LAllKLKU Fun jaiu.
tho women wero entirely tco shrewd ns
traders for my limited purse.
In (lie .Solo llnrketM.
The women nro equally shrewd hero at
Solo. Thero nro thousands of them dolne
business In tho markets. Theso consist of
vast sheds divided up Into booths and of
open courts covered with great umbrell
mado of palm leaves, with long handles
driven down Into tho ground. Every mnr
kct woman carries her umbrella to the soot
she has rented and plants it. Sho then
spreads straw mats about It and arrances
her wares upon thorn, leaving spaco enough
for herself to squat among them cross
legged. Tho umbrella shades her and It U
made so tbnt It can be inclined to faco tho
sun. Thero aro hundreds of such um
brellas In tho market place.
Stroll with mo through tho great court
and tako a look at them. We aro In a
field which seems to bo growing umbrellas
and under each umbrella Is a black-haired,
yellow-faced woman, surrounded by piles
of vnrlous articles. Here Is one squatting
down among green corn, string beans and
other vegetables, thore is one selling to
bacco and farther on is ono who has noth
ing but corn husks, to bo used for clgaretto
paper. On the opposlto sldo of me Is a
girl selling tea. Her stock Is plied up on
a mat on the ground In front of her and
sho Is measuring It out with a little co
coanut shell. I point to tho shell and
ask how much and sho replies 2 cents,
using the Javanese language.
Land of Fruits.
What a lot of fruit peddlers there are
everywhere. Here Is ono at my feet with
a heap of pineapples boforo her. The plnss
are dead ripe. They aro Just fresh from
the fields and the rich odor of the fruit
fills the nlr. I pick up ono of the largest
and the girl tells me It Is worth 5 Javanoso
cents, equal to 2 cents American. As she
talks I make a note of her dress. Sho Is
clad like hundreds of othor women In tho
market and Is a fair typo of tho maidens
of Solo. Her complexion Is of the color
of rich Jersey cream. Hor hair Is black,
long and straight, it is greasy with oil
and Is combed tightly back from her fore
head and tied In a knot under the crown.
Her ear lobes aro filled with brass plugf
as thick as my thumb, the outer end of
each plug set with red and whlto glass to
Imitate rubles and diamonds. She haB on
a blue cotton Jacket and a sarong. Her
(Continued on Eighth Pago.)
in the coffee bin not
a pleasant thought,
yet when coffees are
kept open in bulk who
knows what different
;'things" come climb
ing and floating in ?
Lion Coffee
put up in sealed packages insures
cleanliness, uniform quality,
freshness and delicious flavor.
,.xJ i "
