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About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 31, 1905)
THE SUNDAY OREGON! AX, PORTLAND, DECEMBER 31, 1903. vVcrr A. SULLXV, REVODiNCFUL FEPFIX- BUT THKimX , JflDOLXSIT AND PEACEFUL- t PENA2CG, Nov. 21 (Special Correspon flence.) Tho Slalay Federation consists o( the four states of Perak, Selangor. Ncrl fiembllan and Pahanc They occuW the ' 'greater part of tho Malay Peninsula, which lies between the Straitp of Ma lacca on tho vest and the China Sea on the cast. Tho first three named have a .combined coast line on the Straits of Malacca of about 1SK) miles, -while the lat ter borders on the China Sea and has a coastline of about 130 miles. The com bined area of the four states is a little less than that of the State of Maine. The whole of tho peninsula is tropical in character and is well watered by Innu merable streams, some of which are nav igable for steamers of light draft as far as GO miles from the sea. An agreement was signed in July, 1BS5, between the rulers of the Malay States and the EngliBh government, whereby the federation was formed and the dif ferent countries passed under the protec tion of British rule. The arrangement Is simply that the rulers of the above-named states agree to accept an English officer, to be styled the Resident-General, as the agent and representative of Great Brit ain, and to follow his advico In all mat ters of administration other than those touching upon the Mohammedan religion. The necessity for federation resulted from constant quarrels and factional fights be tween tho different states. It has proved to bo a great Improvement over the old Teglme. Tho disbursement of public money k so arranged that a shortage In one state Is made good by unother In more prosperous circumstances. Malays Xot Industrious. Tho population of the Federated Malay fetatcs is a little less than -700.000. The , Malay is not industrious. As far as his capacity as a workman is concerned he Is numbered among tho most unreliable rapes in the Orient. He labors at agri culture In an indifferent way, and devotes -some of his time to the collection of for est produce. He engages in fishing and boating, being particularly export In the latter. It is said that he is always a good sportsman, working harder and with ropre enjoyment with that object In view than for the sake of promoting his own profit. Those who know them best despair of the Malay ever being capable of much improvement. The lower tribes are so shiftless and lazy that they are satisfied with a bare existence. The better classes liavo more pride, but are still too Indo lent to work, preferring to live by taxing the Chinese, who control nearly all the business of the country The Malays are tanerally misunderstood. Instead of be ing the sullen, revengeful characters com monly portrayed in books of travel, they are merely a thriftless, indifferent race, 3iavlng too little ambition to bo ordinarily rinythlng but peaceful. They have so little energy that they show no resent ment whatever toward foreigners for tak ing the leading part in tho commercial, agricultural and mining pursuits of their jcountry. The Chinese are In the lead In almost every branch of trade and industry. In numbers they outstrip every other na tionality and their domination is almost complete, This Is not surprising. The result has been the same wherever the lmrd-worklng, economical Celestial has been permitted to try conclusions with any race on Its native heath. That easy going child of the Jungle, the Malay, could nanny ue expected to resist the rivalry of tho Chinaman when the strongest na tions are crying out against his wearing competition. Chinese Control Tin Mines. The Chinese practically monopolize the tin mining Industry. Although they work "with the most primitive appliances; IBelr system Is so economical that they are able to realize a profit from land -which un European could not work at all. The tin fields are found In alluvial flats with tho ore-bearing stratum resting on a llp of gray or white clay bottom, vary ing in thickness from a few Inches to six or eight feet. The method of working, tho mines Is to remove the earth cover ing tho tln-bearlng strata, then raise the "wash dirt" to tho surface, where it Is separated by exposure to a stream of wa ter. Tho coolies raise the ore In baskets and tho water they use Is generally pumped by old-fashioned Chinese overshot water wheels and endless chain pumps. Most of the Chinese mining is done on tho truck system, all food and supplies being furnished by tho mlneowner. or those who advanced the money to work the claim. Many of these mines are op erated that could not be worked If it were not for tho gain derived from the Tale of food to the coolies. Nearly all the men engaged In this work are brought Into the country on what Is known as the contract system, their fare being paid by someone who controls their wages until the obligation is discharged. An other arrangement is for a money-loaner io ..advance the capital for a- crowd of coolies to work a claim, and after settling with him for tho price of foo.d and all supplies, whatever profit remains Is di vided equally among the men. Agriculture Is Primitive. Only a very small area of land 1 under cultivation, in the Malay states. Agri culture- is In a very primitive state. ThI -is explained y the scant pofwt&tteB. an4 the -ease with wWcfe the natives can sk- - tain Hfe. la seme districts -the e4ty is ealy six to the sttare mite, or ene to every aw acres oi srround. jh some mt ' .fjofis of the country the traveler will not w "n v n i . v u ' fit i s :wr' h k.- mvmmmmm hkvj: mm.- k ; . iHW;.v aj&. i yrz5 TWVWV 1 1 nm B-M-mV&m 1 Jtt ImK&KmumnMtinssk fl - I Mil- LlHUl JZZT acxjto THl ; .. f I ,i I rf i i , Ksra,???; - I see a human habitation for Aays. By working at intervals la the mtnee, or by keeping a small garden or patch f rice land, tho ordinary Malay secures enough money to make his existence comfortable and easy according to his standard of life. Although corn Is grown In considerable quantities. It in always of a very poor quality. Potatoes cannot lx raised except in the higher latitudes. Such vegetables as onions, carrots and tomatoes can only "be cultivated at an elevation, and the seed must ba imported. "When the farming methods of the na tives arc considered it Is not surprising that their efforts bring ho Httlo return. The plow they use is a clumsy wooden implement which little more than scratches the surface of the soli. In har vesting they use a xmall hand blade which cuts only one stalk of grain at n, time. This process is so slow ald labori ous that a crowd of Held hands wlH work half a month in clearing up a piece of grain that ono of our modern reapers would cut in two or throe hours. The Malays use water buffaloes as work animals, and suffor great loss from the frequent attacks of rinderpest. Instead of protecting their fields with fences they stretch strings of charms on poets around the cultivated patch and believe tliat splr- THE MAKING OF AN ORDINARY COOK SCAITjOPD Dishes Dishes of this class offer opportunity for tho use of left-over vegetables, as well as meat and fish. Fish is particularly good for this purpose. The sauce used may also be a "left-over" and so may the bread crumbs. Browned bread crumbs are rpn prllv used for the surface, but when used to any extent to make up bulk In the dish, white crumbs are more delicate. I find It convenient in ray own house keeping to keep on hand secral grades of breadcrumbs. (1) Dry. white crumbs, from the crumb of left-over slices of bread. (2) Mixed crumbs, made from crusts and crumbs dried and pounded to gether. (3) Browned crumbs made from toast, crusts or pieces of bread that have been browned In tho oven. The bread Is drlod and crushed in the mincing ma chine or with a rolling-pin. The crumbs are then sifted and put up In properly labeled cans ready for use. Croquettes, cutlets, fried fish and other egg-and-crumb dishes are thus easily and quickly prepared, as well as scallops, puddings, dressings, etc In the latter dishes the use of sifted crumbs will make all the difference tee twee n the "resurrection pud dings" so generally despised by children and boarders, and a fresh, attractive, wholesome dish of unsuspected an cestry. For particularly good pud dings or dressings. I prefer Vo use rehly-Md6 vMM cnturiw from the center f a leaf Scalloj dtois &re9rh.pff mot attractive hn xamil In dividual sfctlis or ektau. cases. If a largvr ii vvi.it h v ygr m.n Mr will prey upon anything that dares to nuuumnuumnuur lanuufinC tm-ry- VTSs. pass under these charms. Rats, mice I mnuuuuuuuuufalmnuuT'mi t'aTmnumnuuuuuunuuuuunnBnV HKTfx and bats arc other enemies of the crop?. mnuuuuummnf -"mmuuWuV Jm. tmmuuuuuu'"PW23 KJBhJfjf ifV ' A bt the farmer takes no precaution i BVfl'r iHSnlf' ' rt-JWS i 'WT'i t agln.t these except to perform certain" IBC r 'f t i33"'r ' " ' ' T;f ?4jm ' "I'jrt ' fj Incantations and maxic ceremonies which ! 9!.,! " 1 1 ' ' ' '.lffv?i 6' ' are a. part of his religious belief. The., BflMrii -TT1 , -Jjf, ' 'jHBkJ; Vj:l 1 fact that his fleldn cantlnue to suffer iBHGftw " 'li'vyf :Kmticki''t from the ravafres of such vermin does not LLB9Hk&L- " "s jj ife y to his in the efficacy lViHPR(jjkp ''BfV White B -alKlliV 'lllP sBPilfc'll vsr' ::; " HlllllllB kII "Whlte planters who open up cocoanut or rubber plantations manage to derive proflt by utilizing the land between the young trees by planting various subuldlary crops, such as bananas. Chinese yams aad vegetables. In clearing a piece of land for a plantation, the dead wood Is nTcd and burned on the ground, because theashes enrich the soil and tend to de stroy the breeding places of white ants and cocoanut beetles, which are most de strucllve pests. Cheap Chinese labor Is the aaving feature of these plantation schemes. If tho planter does not care to bother with subsidiary crops, he sublets his land to a Chinaman for from $3 to HO per acre per annum, and the latter agrees to keep the estate free from weeds and dish is used, take care that It Is not J too deep, so that the middle layer may i be warmed through without too great drying of the outside. Grated cheese Is a very good addition to many kinds of meat and vegetables. The term "au gratin" Indicates its use. Thus, "cauli flower au gratia" means cooked cauli flower broken in pieces and reheated in cream sauce, -with grated cheese be tween the layers and buttered crackers or bread crumbs protecting tho top. Parmes-au cheese (a very hard green ish Italian cheese) Is very generally used, but good American cheese will do. If It is thoroughly dry and hard so that It can be properly grated. 5. Creamed dishes These ara so gen erally known and easily prepared that little comment Is necessary- Proper preparation of tha fish, flesh or vegetable to bo reheated and careful seasoning are the main points. Ready-prepared roux Is sometimes convenient for cream as well as for brown sauces. It can. bo asado when butter is cheap, and if put up in small covered Jars will keep for several months in a cool place. I have Wert asked to give exact directions for making It. General directions have already seen given: (1) Clarify the sutler: that is. melt it. sklai ana pour away the clear oily part, leaving behind any uttroUIk or sedi ment present. (2) Put tke clarMcd suiter In a clean nan and. nM an esual tuantftr rr. sirred Astir. (X) stir until Ins ftsur Is cooked, sut "t brown. This gives "Monde roux." used for white sauces. Pour into Jars at this point if blonde roux" Is needed. If you want roux proper, for brown sauces Cas mentioned in the last lesson) take the next step. (4) Allow the flour to brown slowly in the butter, stirring vigorously all the time, and occasionally removing the pan from the fire. If liked, a little onion may be added to Improve the color and flavor. Do not let it brown too much, or a bitter 'flavor will result. "Strong cof fee with a little cream in It" Is a good description of the color you should aim for. Blonde or white roux will require 10 or IS minutes cooking, and brown roux 3) to S minutes. A soup or sauce thickened with this has a much richer flavor than one thickened with raw flour. It may be quickly melted, and the liquid added, or it may be stirred Into hot (but not boil ing) liquid. Ia any case, tho sauce should be allowed to boll several minutes to thicken: but (as stated In a previous lesson), the boiling must be before, not after the addition of msat, fish or eggs, when any warming over is done In sauce. 10. Curries There are at least as many kinds of curry as there are "kinds of pie and I believe that Is saying a good de&L Taken in moderation, they are generally wholesome: but "a great heap oC rice and a small nsrtlen of currie" should be the rule. Curries are best nude fvsm frees, materia Is. but many left overs (meat, ash cr vegetables), can be utilised In tMs way. A rich sauce is made, the chief narerrag of which ht "curry po-wser'.whicli comes ready pre pared, and. of course, far inferior to tha 1 freshly ground spices which go to the ; otuiuns oi jl. in x-uuia. une important Ingredient Is turmeric, which gives the characteristic yelldw color. Many peo ple who dislike curry as ordinarily pre pared, enjoy it when made with the prop er seasonings, but less powder, so that it is not so hot. Remember that brown gravy with curry powder stirred into It Is not curry. The flavor of curry may be varied almost Indefinitely, but speak ing generally. It should be spicy and hot. with a flavor of onion, a faint touch of acid (to be obtained In this country by sour apple or lemon Juice) and often with a vague suspicion of sweetness. A few raisins are helpful in securing this last. Fresh grated cocoanut or a few shred ded almonds aro good additions. The ac companying rico is all-Important. This must be hot. dry. and white, each grain being distinct. To achieve this buy good "boiling rice": wash It in several waters (but do not soak. It), and put It Into a large quantity of fast-boIIlng salted water. This Is one of the few Instances where a. "galloping pot" Is allowable tho motion keeps the grains separated. In about 20 or 23 minutes test a grain by rubbing between finger and thumb. If soft, drain, the rice ki a colander (the rice water can be kept for soup) -and. af ter draining pour over it a little cold water, or aHsw water frsnt tb faucet to run .thraugn K. This washes away seme of the siarck and prevents stick iness. Xen keep! It in a warm place cov ered with a ctoth, to dry Hke potatoes. Give It a little shales occasioaally. In J. Using Leftovers, Continued, by Miss Lilian E. Tingle, Director of Portland School of Domestic Science serving make a border or mound of Vice and pour the curry In the middle. A bor der mold Is useful In making a neat dish. 11. Fritters and Kromeskles. Fritter batter Is usually prepared In one of two ways. In the first and easiest, a little baking powder 13 added to the flour, which is sifted (with salt) Into a mixing bowL A hole Is mado In the middle and an unbeaten egg (or eggs) with a very little milk Is added. The mixture Is beaten with a wooden spoon to break up all lumps. This Is best done at the "sticky stage," before very much milk has been added. Milk Is added until a batter Is obtained of such a consistency as will easily coat the object to be fried. Sugar and flavoring may be added for sweet fritters. In using the second method, you sepa rata the whites and yolks of the eggs. Mix a batter, as above, with the yolks, using no baking powder, and add a little melted butter or olive oil. Then beat the whites until quite stiff, and fold them Into the mixture. For the latter tho pro portions would be two eggs, one-half cup milk, one cup flour, one-fourth teaspoon ful salt, two tcaspoonfuls oil. For the former, one egg, one and one-third cups flour, two teasfoosfuls baking powder, one-fourth teaspoeaful salt and two thirds of a cup of milk. Remember that the plainer the batter (as regatta eggs) the stiffer fc needs to be. In making fritters you nay either have the mate rial In lame slices, and coat the pieces one at astime. or have it added to the bat ter in very smsll pieces, and drop It ftito the fat by spoonfuls. .Be careful in the to see -that the drains are always in good working order. The cause of education has met with little encouragement in tho Malay- States. Schools have been established In the Mi lages and. country centers wherever It was thought possible" to get 35 or 40 pupils together. In some places the parents take advantage of the opportunity to se cure education for their boys, while In Other localities the holy men interfere and warn tho people that the children should be kept at work in the rice fleld3 when they are not studying the Koran. The attempt to Instruct girls In sewing, weaving and other feminine accomplish ments has met with very little response from the people. It is unlikely that there will ever be much encouragement to the cause of female education. The prejudice of the people may be overcome la time, but the outlook Is very ; discouraging. One of the great hindrances to the ad- vancemcpt of the country is the. same that- confronted our authorities In the Philippines, namely, the use of sQ many different dialects among the population. The difficulty of teaching English to the Malay children Is that they Have so Httlo opportunity to ?peak the language out of school hours. A sufficient number of them cannot be Induced to attend school to warrant tho hope that It will ever be come tho common language. In ono thickly settled locality an English school had to be abolished because only three pupils attended. It developed that these were the sons of tho Sultan, and as soon as the novelty wore off they lost". Interest and failed to attend, As an encouraging contrast to this may bo cited the Increase of dei:rc foV educa tion in the Philippines, where over 500.000 children of the masses are in dally at tendance at the common schools. The difference is accounted, for by the fact that tho Filipinos are Catholics and the Malays are not. Whatever may be said In disparagement of Spanish rule In the southern archipelago, there can be no dis counting the credit due tho friars for in troducing Christianity. The Filipinos are not the highest type of believers, but they are better appreciated after seeing the Malays. One of the advantages to be found m the Malay states Is a good system of pub lic roads. The highways are maintained at the expense of the government with out any toll belrfg charged for their use. The bridges are of a substantial charac ter and are caDable of sustaining all kinos of wheel traffic. The roads are durable on account of being surfaced with granite or limestone, and are generally kept in good order. Where the traffic is not suf ficient to warrant the construction or roads hundreds of miles of bridle paths have been constructed. On the whole, tho system of roads in the Malay state is probably- unsurpassed In the fcast. Malays Are Fishermen. A large portion of tho east coast Malays depend principally upon the fishing indus try. On account of their catch being used almost entirely for home consumption. there are no restrictions in the way of taxes. There are hundreds of kinds of sea fish In the waters along the coast, and they aro obtainable In large quanti ties, but thig supply Is not available for the use of the inhabitants of inland dis tricts, because it is impossible to 'keep the fish fresh for more than a few hours. In the interior all Malays have equal right to fish in the rivers, but each owner Of a fc swamp or pond maintains, the exclusive right to fish in his own property. The fishermen in most of the eastern coun tries are known as a bad lot. and there are often serious disturbances among them. The national sport of the Filipinos Is cock-fighting, but the Malays amuse themselves by matching pugnacious little fishes called Karln. These tiny warriors are so vicious that when two of them are pitted against each other they will fight to the death. Great interest Is dis played In a match of this kind, bets being freely laid on the outcome. A popular form of fishing which Is now prohibited by law was drugging the fish by means of the tuba root, then spearing them as they floated helplessly on the surface. Before the prohibit'. vo law waii passed a tuba fish was the stock entertainment of the Malay Rajahs on their state" occa sions. The State of Pahang boasts the highest summit of tho peninsula. It is called "The Mountain of Opposition." and has never yet been ascended by man. The nearest that any expedition has ap proached to the summit is a dis tance of ten miles. This mountain is set apart and does not appear to belong to the range which penetrates the country. The natives believe that there Is a great store of treasure on top of this impregna ble pile which is being Jealously guarded by demons. It Is also believed that the spirit guardians never sleep and have tho power of visiting bodily harm on any human being who attempts to rob tho mountain of Its treasure. This opinion was very much strengthened, by the re cent death of a European who was drowned while endeavoring to cross one of the upland streams. Included In the population of tho Malay states are several tribes of aboriginals, who aro never seen in the vicinity of towns or villages. They live entirely In the jungle. They wear no clothes at all except twisted strips of bark for waist cloths. Their weapons are bows and blow pipes, from which they eject poisoned arrows and darts. For taking larger game they use poisoned bamboo spears several feet In length. It Is said that the vocabulary of their dialect Is so small that they have no words to express numbers higher than three or four. These Jungle dwellers avoid the approach of strangers with the Instinct of wild ani mals. FREDERIC J. HASKIN. latter case that you do not make the bat ter too thin. Deep fat is necessary for successful fritters. Instructions for deep frying have already been given. Test as for "uncooked mixtures": fry a delicate golden brown, and drain - oh paper. Greasy fritters are unwholesome an.d al together Inexcusable. There Isa fascinating Italian dish that might be Imitated with advantage. You are served with a 'heap of golden brown fritters of different sizes and shapes, gar nished with parsley and sprinkled with grated cheese. On Investigation you arc likely to find several different kinds of vegetables and meat (fish, too, some times), all served together, and Kromeskles are small portions of sa vory mince wrapped In very thin slices of bacon (often in pork-caul also), dipped In batter and fried like fritters. 12. Forcemeats, and Dressings. These admit of so much variation that special rules can hardly bo given. A knowledge of general principles and good taste In seasoning will insure success. Avoid soggy mixtures "soaked crusts" are often responsible for too much moisture and" remember that finely chopped suet Is a great help In securing a. light dressing. The art of fine forcemeat making really belongs to "hlgh-classcookery." A. culinary authority for whom I have the greatest respect says; "We' know that the most can never be. made of scraps by tbsse'who are tied to a few.cut-and-dried recipes. Thla is of. all other the branch of cookery in which common sense Is th most important ingredient," UXJAN" "Xr.TINGiaB.