126 
COMPENDIUM OF GEOGRAPHY AND TRAVEL 
figure as learned men, and are held in great respect by 
the simple-minded Javanese, There are probably under 
15,000 of this race, who are thus numerically far inferior 
to the Europeans. But as among the Chinese are reckoned 
the half-bred race who, little by little, are becoming insen¬ 
sibly mingled with the Javanese, so the term European 
embraces all those who can claim European blood for two 
generations. Throughout the archipelago there is none 
of the feeling towards the Eurasian which is so marked a 
feature in India, and people of mixed blood are to be seen 
at almost every social gathering in the large towns—a 
result to which the long term of service without furlough 
endured by the Dutch officials has helped to contribute. 
Yet, despite this classification, the Europeans in Java are 
far from being numerous. Had the island been an English 
colony it would long ago have been the home of large 
numbers of planters, engineers, and professional men and 
artisans. The Dutch Government, however, have, until 
lately, discouraged the settler in every possible way, 
making the island, as it were, their private property. 
Even now, although these difficulties have been removed, 
and European immigrants are permitted, it cannot be said 
that much in the way of help or encouragement has been 
afforded them, and the settler is rarely permanent. 
Of all the languages spoken in Java, Javanese is the 
most important and most widely employed. Its alphabet 
is peculiar, it is based on the Dewanagari, and \s found 
in inscriptions and manuscripts of the 12 th century, 
although in its present form it is not more than 400 
years old. Professor Keane considers the language to be 
the most cultivated of all the Malayan tongues, and inter¬ 
mediate in structure between the simple Malay and the 
more developed Tagalog of the Philippines. Omitting the 
kawi , or ancient language, there are two distinct forms 
