November 1928
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The Unoccupied Fields of the Dutch Indies B y R. A. J affray Wuchow, So. China
ism of Malaysia is of a less bigoted type than is found elsewhere in the world, yet through the ministry of Arabs and others, the influence of Mohammedanism is being felt, and is rapidly spreading throughout the islands of the Dutch Indies, among the native islanders, the Dyacks of Borneo, etc. M elting P ot of F ar E ast This part of the world promises to be, as it were, the great melting pot of the Far East, lying as it does midway between China and India, and drawing the various faces
N three previous articles, entitled “Debts and Blood Stains,” “The Call of the Dyacks,” “The Sons of Sinim in the South Seas,” I have tried to give an account' of a recent trip through these unoccupied parts. Before leaving the Dutch Indies I was priv ileged to spend three days in Batavia, or rather in the Dutch suburb of that great capital city, Weltevreden. My object during these three days was to get in touch with the responsible heads of the Dutch State Church and Mis
from all parts of the world to its great centers. Singapore is perhaps the most cosmopolitan city in the world. The languages spoken among these islands are many, includ ing Javanese, Sudanese, the lan guage of the Baliks, the five dialects of the Chinese, the lan guages of the Dyacks, Arabs, Indians, etc. It is said that over one h u n d r e d languages are spoken in these islands, but, most fortunately for the spread of the Gospel, the Malay lan guage, comparatively easy to acquire, is understood almost universally, There is more missionary endeavor in Java than in any other part of the Dutch pos sessions. Our object being to seek the unoccupied parts, we may consider that Java, as a mission field, i s , f a i r l y well occupied. - There is, however, a new world of unoccupied territory among these islands, where lit tle or nothing has been done to bring the Gospel to the people. The Dutch Indies comprise in- __ numerable islands, including two of the largest islands in
sionary Societies, the workers of the Methodist Episcopal M i s s i o n , and particularly to consult w i t h the Missionary C o n s u l , ■Dr. Slotemaker de Bruine, with regard to tbe pos sibility of opening work in the neglected parts of the Dutch Indies. The time spent was, we believe, profitable, and what fol lows in this article, will cover the results of our investigations. Before proceeding with the subject of this article, we might say that from Batavia we re turned to Hongkong via Sing apore, Saigon and other Indo- China Mission stations, hold ing services at various places en route. The total population of the Dutch East Indies is over fifty million, the little Island of Java being by far the most populous, with about forty million inhab itants. Java is one of the most densely populated parts of the earth. The main ports of Java are B a t a v i a , Surabaya, and Semarang. A large proportion, however, of the population of Java do not live in the cities. The trade and population of the i s l a n d has greatly increased
Herbert Photos LOOK AT THE SIN-SCARRED FACE OF THIS MEMBER OF THE PAPUAN TRIBE OF NEW GUINEA AND YOU WILL BEGIN TO APPRECIATE MR. JAF- fray ' s APPEAL FOR THAT NEEDY FIELD.
the world. Exclusive of Australia and Greenland, New Guinea, or Papua, and Borneo are the largest islands in the world. T h e I sland of B orneo BORNEO.—The Island of Borneo, politically, may be divided under several heads. In the extreme north is British North Borneo, and under British rule, there are two other States, namely Brunei and Sarawak. The remainder of the island is a Dutch possession. Borneo measures six hundred and ninety miles by six hundred and five miles, and has a total area of nearly three hun dred thousand square miles. Its interior is comparatively little known, but is composed of rich forests. Teak, ebony, ironwood, sandalwood are found here. Other products of the island are coal, gold, iron, antimony, mercury,
during the past ten years. It is estimated that there are sixteen million acres of the most fertile land in the world in Java. The main products are rubber, cocoanut, sugar cane, peppers, tin, etc. The inhabitants of Java have for many years had a large mixture of Chinese. Hundreds of thousands of Chi nese, mostly from Fukien Province, have migrated to this island, married native women, and have been absorbed as a part of the population. The inhabitants of Java are the most intelligent, and the most aggressive of any of the islanders of the Dutch Indies. Nominally speaking, the religion of Java is Mohammedanism, but the Moham medanism of Java is hot of the strictest type. Nowhere perhaps in the world have Mohammedan women greater freedom than in these parts. Though the Mohammedan
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