TALK BY A TRAVELLER

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 20, 18 October 1918, Page 8

TALK BY A TRAVELLER

ORNATE BUILDINGS

IN THE EAST AND THE WEST

The members of the Early Settlors'

Association met last evening to hear a lecture by Miss Holmes, "of Thoruden, on some remarkable buildings she had seen in the course of her many travels in different parts of the world. Tho president of tho association (Mr. J. E. Jenkinson) presided, and there was , a very good attendance of members.

' Miss Holmes said she landed in Dun- , edin in and spent her girlhood there. She liad lived in Wellington for many years, and if anyone decried Wellington she would nob turn a hair, but if anyone decried Dunedin she would think that person devoid of discrimination. The first building she referred to was' the great prison of the Puujaub, situate at Montgomery, to the north of Lahore. It was at an out-of-the-way place, and camels were extensively used as beasts of burden. . The prison accommodated two thousand, and was self-supporting. The prisoners were allowed to shorten their terms of imprisonment by doing useful work: Many of the old men were not prisoners at all. It was explained that when an offence occurs in a village the elder men get together, and decido that it would be against the community interest of the village to send a young man to prison, so they decide.that it would be to the interests of all if an old man were, sent instead. They select one, and put tho case to him, and after some pursuasion he consents. ■ When the district officer calls at the village and sets up his court the old man is produced as the offender; he pleads guilty, all the evidence to sustain his plea of guilt is forthcoming, and the original criminal thus finds a proxy. Miss Holmes then took her to Java, which she said was a perfect goldmine to the Dutch. ' Sho briefly referred to the magnificent work done by Sir Stamford Baffes both in Java and among the Malays. Java was three times invaded, and the religion- .of the Javanese was three times changed. When the Buddhists invaded the country they built numerous temples, many of them of ornate architecture. There were a great many statues of Buddhn. Tho Javanese were not a bigoted race. Traces of their various changes of religion were to be seen there. They were now Mahommedans. The temple at BoroBudur was built before the Javanese knew anything about niortar, consequently they had to build with stone fitted together. It was not until the Mahommedans came to tho country that the Javanese knew anything of mortar.

Miss Holmes then dealt with the buildings in Belgium. She said she travelled in a river steamer from Namur to Dimant, and she paid a very high tribute to the general good behaviour of the passengers on the steamers. The Meuse runs through the richest alluvial land, the river was constantly eating deeper and deeper, and on landing Miss Holmes said she went up quite a. number of steps, and ■was surprised to find when slio got to the top she was looking on flat land. She went through the fort, and was told by the officer that the Germans would destroy the place' in a few years, and as a matter of fact the Huns destroyed it the following year. She referred to the beautiful buildings in Brussels, particularly the Hotel de Ville, where she saw a civic marriage, which she said was the custom of the place. Tho young coupjes did not go to a dingy registry office, but went to this beautiful civic building with its magnificent wooden roof. Edinburgh, Miss Holmes said, was tho most beautiful city in the world, at least she thought so. Miss Holmes was very beartily. thanked for. her talk, which indeed was very interesting throughout.