Carrie Chapman Catt - Diaries, India, January - February? 1912 (Box 1, Folder 5)

108

...at nine. By the time we were through it was hot. I sewed a little, mended, etc., then we lunched at 12 and immediately took off every dud and went to bed where we staid until 4:30. Usuually I fanned myself all the time. By 5:30 we were dressed and went into the garden where it was beginning to cool. The nights were charming, the days dreadful. However, it was most unusually hot they said. On Wednesday April 3, the ladies saw us off at 9:30, presented us with flowers and we came to the S.S. Van Noorth of the Royal Dutch Packet Line. As soon as the ship started there was a nice breeze. After lunch I had a nap on a settee on deck and read an Indian novel. After dinner I finished the novel and had another deck nap. With a fan my room was comfortable and I slept well. Today Thursday April 4 I have been bringing this record to date. Tonight some time we shall reach Singapore and Sunday morning early we shall reach Batavia - the hottest place on earth they tell us.

109

In Medan we had delicious pineapples and Suwal Manilas - a fruit which looks like a potato but has a soft delicious pulpy interior. In Penang we went to market and bought some fruit of new variety which we had not seen. They told us there will be a much greater variety in Java. Mrs. Kunst brought us fruit and coffee extract and brought tea to each of us a package of postals. We had not been able to find any ourselves. I called her the Dutch Angel. About 5 o'clock Miss Van de Cappelle the sister of the manager of the tobacco plantation telephoned to invite us to go motoring. We accepted and were soon on the way. We rode until 7:30 and had a glorious time going to the foot hills of the Batak mountains. We saw the sunset and the moon rise. I sat in front so as to allow the Dr. to talk Dutch with the hostess and I liked the freedom from conversation. I shall not forget the long avenues of palms meeting overhead, nor the tobacco covered terraces of the mountains. Great...

110

...blue mountains rose in an impressive range. The tobacco of Sumatra is sent all over the world to be used as covers for cigars, but they only get a crop once in eight years, the other seven, the land lies idle. Then they burn it off and plant it. The planters are making immense fortunes nevertheless.

Thursday 5 pm April 4, 1912 On Board Van Noort Royal Dutch Packet Line En route Belawan, Sumatra to Batavia, Java

Carrie Chaman Catt

Diary illustrated by 176 postals and 87 photos

A group of fanatical Mohammedans known as Padris had entered the country and had conducted an active revival of the Mohammedan religion which these people had long espoused and finally had aroused the considerable portion of the inhabitants to active rebellion with the purpose of reorganizing the government and rejecting everything social and political which was not in strict accord with the Koran. The Dutch accepted the appeal for help and for 17 yrs conducted a war against the Padris. When in 1838 they were at last victorious and the Padris expelled they expected to annex the conquered territory but this proposal met with a new rebellion...

...and it was not until 1899 that complete pacific calm was effected as the result of the promise to treat the people in possession of [illegible]. Since then a railroad has been built into the heart of the Kingdom and a network wagon good roads make it comparatively easy matter to reach any party of the territory. The double system of administration Dutch and Native which is in operation in other parts of the Dutch East Indies has been established here and the country seems now to be entirely loyal to the overlords. The secrets of this imperious kingdom have been revealed and altho it has not yet received the scientific study it deserves, the main facts are common knowledge. Its institution...