138 SCHOOLS AND STATE OF EDUCATION 



this account they will long endure oppression without 

 complaint, or that they will allow themselves to be en- 

 tirely trodden down without resistance. The history of 

 the settlement proves the contrary, and the tyrannical 

 sereibs and pangerans, who formerly governed the coun- 

 try, now perhaps regret the measures they pursued, and 

 envy the prosperity of the settlement which they had 

 well nigh ruined by the civil wars their extortions 

 occasioned. At the present time, Sarawak presents 

 the rare prospect of a government, the people living 

 under which are prosperous, contented, and happy; 

 and when the state in which it was found by its rajah 

 nine years ago is considered, the English nation may 

 well admire the energy and enterprise of Mr. Brooke. 

 Many schools are established in Sarawak for the 

 education of the children, as the neglect of providing 

 instruction for those of the better classes reflects 

 disgrace upon the parents. The sons only are edu- 

 cated in these establishments, which are generally 

 kept by priests : their course of instruction comprises 

 the reading and writing of their own language, the 

 reading of the Koran in Arabic, and the repetitions of 

 the various forms of prayer enjoined by the Maho- 

 metan religion. The children are not supposed to 

 understand a single word of the book, nor could their 

 teachers translate it; and as it cannot be translated 

 into any language and remain pure, according to the 

 instructions of the prophet, the forms of the religion 

 are preserved by the oral precepts of the hadjis who 

 have visited the holy city. The children in the schools 



