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THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



are in the main well preserved. In 

 another group of ruins is found a well- 

 executed representation of three women 

 popularly known as "the three graces." 



After an hour's repose in a rest-house 

 near the ruins, we entered carriages 

 drawn by four stout little ponies and 

 sped along over well-kept roads toward 

 Djokjakarta, the seat of the second so- 

 called independent prince. The main 

 roads in this part of Java are lined with 

 noble trees and the ride in the late after- 

 noon was one of pure delight. We passed 

 many villages and marveled at the density 

 of the population and the fertility of the 

 land which nourished all these teeming 

 millions. 



JAVANESE DANCERS 



Arriving at last at Djokjakarta, we 

 established ourselves at a comfortable 

 hostelry and put in two days in viewing 

 the sights of this historic locality. This 

 was the last citadel of native rule on the 

 island and after the final conquest of this 

 eastern empire, in the Mataram war of 

 1825, Dutch control of Java became su- 

 preme. The present Sultan is nothing 

 but a puppet king; but, with the large 

 annuity paid him, he is able to maintain 

 an outward show of royalty, as is evi- 

 denced by a showily-uniformed body- 

 guard and a small army of native officials. 



These people are passionately devoted 

 to the form of dramatic art known as 

 the Wajang Wong, and to the dances 

 given by their Bejadas, or ballet troupes. 

 Some of my readers will doubtless recall 

 having seen the performances of one of 

 these troupes at the Chicago World's Fair. 

 Their dancing is of the measured, ser- 

 pentine style, with many graceful turns 

 of the hand and postures of the body. 

 No account of Java would be complete 

 without some reference to the Wajang 

 Wong. There are two forms of these 

 plays, one in which leather puppets are 

 employed, and the shadows of these pup- 

 pets are thrown on a curtain and the 

 talking is done by a man behind the 

 scenes. In the other form of this drama 

 the characters are taken by living per- 

 sons. In both instances the plays deal 



with mythological subjects and serve to 

 perpetuate the ancient epics and legends 

 of the people. I attended one of these 

 performances at the house of a rich na- 

 tive. Of the seven actors, four were 

 women, and music was furnished by five 

 performers. The leader of the orchestra 

 recited the words of the archaic drama, 

 modulating his voice according to the 

 character. All the actors wore masks 

 with prominent hawk-like profiles. The 

 action of the play related to the doings 

 of gods and mortals. The masks were 

 of dififerent colors : gold for gods, white 

 for giants or great men, red or black for 

 devils, and brown for Javanese. 



THE GLORIES OE BORO BOEDOER 



Just after sunrise one morning we 

 started in carriages for the site of the 

 most famous of all the ruins at BorCK 

 Boedoer. It was exhilarating to roll 

 along through this region of mid- Java,, 

 illustrating the perfection of tropical 

 landscapes. We encountered hundreds 

 of natives hurrying along, carrying their 

 burdens to a near-by pasar or market. 

 On reaching the village of Temple, "where 

 the market was held, while the horses 

 were being changed we had an oppor- 

 tunity to observe hundreds of these 

 brown-skinned people trafficking in their 

 farm produce and exchanging the gossip 

 of the neighborhood. Resuming our 

 journey, we would come at intervals 

 upon villages buried away in the shade 

 of dense tropical forests, and whose ex- 

 istence was unsuspected until we arrived 

 in their midst. Here, in his humble 

 home, the happy, care-free native lives 

 close to nature's heart and concerned 

 with nothing but the performance of his 

 share in the cultivation of the village 

 rice-fields. 



The glories of Boro Boedoer have been 

 amplified by every traveler who has 

 visited this ancient shrine, and it would 

 take an entire paper to do justice to its 

 many marvels. 



I shall quote a short passage from a. 

 recent description of the ruin : "The tem- 

 ple, which is believed to have been built 

 during the end of the ninth century, was 



