Volume 14 Australasia - dana ward's homepage

IXILIBITAXTS OF JAVA. 173The first law for all Europeans is to uphold the prestige of their race, and tomaintain their ascendancy' by a sort of religious terror. Till lately the nativeswould fall prostrate by the roadside at the approach of a white in his carriagethose carrying an umbrella hastened to close it, at the risk of a sunstroke, and inthe presence of an oiEcial the masses still preserve a solemn silence. For thesame reason, no European could accept servile work, and when condemned for abreach of discipline the military were sent to Holland to undergo their sentence.Before 1864, no Javanese was allowed to learn Dutch, or send his children to awhite school. An exception, however, was alwaj-s made in favour of the Malavsproper, whose language has long been the lingua franca of the Eastern Archipelago,as well as the official idiom for the transaction of public business and theadministration of. justice. Till lately it was always written in Arabic characters,which are now being gradually superseded by the European orthographic system.The Dutch government also discourages the Christian missionaries, so that theJavanese, nominal Mohammedans, are still pagans at heart, worshipjDcrs of theirancestry and of the forces of nature, and attributing to the spirit world all theevents of their daily existence. But they have also preserved numerous Hindupractices, while still celebrating the Mussulman feasts with ever-increasing fervour.Amongst them have sprung up some fanatical sects, notably that of the Xaksyibendi,and since they are now permitted to make the pilgrimage to Mecca, somethousands return yearly from the Prophet's shrine dressed as, and calling themselves,Arabs. The Mohammedan schools are "continually more and more frequented,and most of the peasantry observe at least the evening devotions.Some Christian legends have also been introduced into the national mj'thology.Like their remote kindred, the Madagascar Hovas and the natives of the Moluccas,the Javanese would have embraced Christianity had their rulers commanded themto do so ;but the very opposite policy has been pursued, and missionaries, unlessof Dutch nationality, have often been refused permission to settle in the country.Scarcely 11,000 Javanese are classed in thq census papers as members of anyChristian church.In order to avoid all needless contact with the natives, the Dutch ofiicials carryon the administration largelj- through the agency of local chiefs. Certain Javanese" Regents," descendants of princely families, have preserved a semblance ofauthority, upholding their rank and dignity by means of rich emoluments and ashare of the public revenues. But in return they have to accept the advice ofthe Dutch " Residents " stationed at their courts. The action of the real rulersis thus masked from thenatives, who have themselves no share in the choice oftheir ofiicials. They are, however, allowed to elect the village- chiefs entrustedwith the distribution of lands, public works, statute labour, and salaries ;but thesechiefs or communal mayors are liable to be removed at any moment, shouldtheyfail to satisfy the central authority.