The Real Malay

… the ignorance of all Europeans in the colony concerning their near neighbours in the Malay Peninsula almost passes belief.

… Mysterious Malaya was a terra incognita to (the) official and trader alike. There were no reliable books on the subject, the whole country was an absolute blank on every map; even the names of the States and the titles of their rulers were not known to more than half-a-dozen Englishmen. Of the nature of the country, the character of the people, their numbers, distribution, sentiments, or condition, there was an ignorance, profound, absolute, and complete.

… The first requirement (for the British official) was to learn the language of the people to be ruled. I mean, to speak it and write it well. And the first use to make of this knowledge was to learn as much as possible about the people — their customs, traditions, characters, and idiosyncrasies. An officer who has his heart in his work will certainly gain the sympathies of those over whom he spends this trouble.

Short stories, anecdotes, culture and history.