INDO-CHINA
771
INDO-CHINA
natives, are being at present exploited by a French
company. The domestic animals are the buffalo ox
horse, and pig. In the unpopulated districts of the
interior, the tiger, leopard, elephant, stag, peafowl
and numerous species of reptiles abound. The wild
game includes teal, snipe, wild-goose, and quail.
A little space may be devoted to a description of the domestic organization of Annam, which formeriy ex- tended (and still extends with modifications more or less serious) also to Tong-king and Cochin-China. The whole constitution is patriarchal, i. e. the sovereign— the "son of heaven", the "infalUble one"— is re- garded also as the father and high-priest of the com- munity. The emperor thus enjoys at least theoretic- ally absolute authority; his acts may no more be questioned by his subjects, than the actions of parents by their children. He is assisted by a Co-mat, or secret council, without whose advice he gives no important decision. Apart from this idea of absolute authority rather sentimental than really operative, there is com- plete equality among registered citizens; all are eligi- ble for public office, and the only social distinctions are the adventitious ones of fortune and office The inhabitants are divided into two classes: the registered {mscrits, Dzan-bo) and the non-registered (non- mscnU Dzan-lan). By the latter are meant the citi- zens who are considered too poor to be placed upon the roll of ta.x-payers. The registered citizens alone enjoy civil rights, and only of their number does the government keep a record. It is on these Usts of ta.x- payers that every estimate of the population is based the ratio between the assessable and the non-assessa- ble citizens being accepted as one to fifteen. Only the registered citizens can become "notables" {{ e hold oflice). According to the importance of then- ottices, the notables are divided into two classes, maioT a.nd minor. The notables, who are appointed by their predecessors for a fixed period (though varying in different localities), constitute the Conseil de commune m which the minor notables may advise but have no vote. In addition to his duties as councillor, each major notable fulfils some special function in the com- munity. The mayor, who is nominated by the major notables, is the only official whose election must be submitted for the sanction of the government He is neither the head nor president of the council but merely its agent. It is his duty to execute all the orders ot the Government respecting his commune to collect taxes, and, as chief of the commimal police to bring to justice all delinquents. The constitution of the higher councils is analogous to that of the com- munal, and their powers are strictly defined by law and custom. ■'
In Annam legislative and judicial powers are never separated. Every legal action, criminal and civil begins in the commune and is first investigated by the communal administration, which, having heard the evidence, either pronounces sentence, or, if the matter be grave, refers the case to the tribunal of the sul> prefecture or of the prefecture. The competence of every court is carefully defined by Annamite Law Very grave matters must be referred to the governor of the provmce, and every penalty of death must re- ceive the emperor's sanction before being put into exe- cution. In civil matters disputes between members of the same family are usually decided by the head of the family, against whose decision there is rarely an appeal. •'
There are very few countries in which education is held in higher esteem than in Annam, and very few in which the instruction is less scientific and less practical Almost every village possesses its school, and illiteracy IS extremely rare among the natives. Although all state functions are open to public competition the instruction is confined to the history, customs,' and laws of the country, and the tenets of Confucianism ii>ven among the most accompUshed there is an abso-
lute and universal ignorance of our physical, mathe-
matical, and natural sciences. Although attendance
is not compulsory, few children absent themselves from
the communal schools kept by private teachers de-
pendent on the contributions of parents. On leavmg
these primary schools, those who wish to continue their
studies attend the district schools, the principals of
which are appointed by the state. Provincial exam-
inations [Khoa) are held periodically, and successful
students are exempted from portion of the militarv
service. •'
The Annamite is of low stature; his Imibs are short his body well-made but ungraceful, his hair black and coarse, his mouth big, his hps thick, his nose flat, and his nostrils dilated. His skull is short and rather wide, his cheek-bones protrude, his eyes are loz- enge-shaped, his complexion varies from brown to yellow. In Annam both men and women wear their hair rolled up in a chignon, but in Tong-king the women wear theh- hair in coils around the head. The great blot on the Annamite character is an overpow- ermg propensity toward deceit and dishonesty, which Christianity— as attested by hostile French ofiicials— has done much to remove. In general sober and indus- trious, the .\nnamite is greatly attached to his family and his home, and, though naturally of a gentle and tunid disposition, exhibits on occasion a courageous scorn of death Devoted to song, poetry, the theatre, and leasts, his hterature is composed mainly of ballads dramas, romances, and legends-almost all of which are borrowed from the religious traditions of the Khmers —and countless philosophical treatises. Though theoreticaUy the Annamites, as Buddhists, should not believe m a God (at least m the Western acceptation of the term) they pray to the Ong-phat (the Supreme Being , the Governor of the worid, whose image one remarks on the altar at the hearth in almost every home Nor are they free from superstition, the fear ot maleficent genii dominating even the most highly- educated To-day, indeed, the absolute idea of the Buddhist Nirvana exercises as little influence among the masses of the people as Confucianism does among the rich. The real religion of the Annamite is ances- tor-worship. Every house has its altar consecrated to the ancestors, before which on fLxed occasions (e g the beginning of the new year, on the anniversaries of the death of his paternal ancestors for four genera- tions) the head of the family prostrates himself m the presence of all his kinsmen, and on which he burns otterings of wine, rice, and odoriferous twigs. These ceremonies are performed in the mornmg when the manes are supposed to arrive, and again in the evening when they take their departure. At Tet— the begih- mng of the year— they are performed on three con- secutive days. In rich families a certain portion of their property is reserved for the necessities of this worship, and the greatest concern of the .Ajinamite is to leave a son— smce females are ineligible to officiate- to discharge his obsequial honours.
Polygamy is recognized by Annamite Law, but the first wife alone is married officially and with all the formal rites. Should the first wife die, the husband may take another official wife, even though he has wives of second rank still living. On the death of the husband the whole management of the family devolves upon the official wife, except in the matter of the sacri- fices, which are performed by the eldest son. Even on his marriage the son seldom leaves the house of his parents: to leave home without his father's permis- sion IS contrary at once to the laws consecrated by cus- tom and those enacted by the State. It is this very principle which constitutes the sharp distinction be- tween Annamite and Western legislation. To the Annamite legislator individuals and their interests are no concern- the defence and preservation of these he leaves to the family and the commune. The office of the laws of Annam is to watch over the family and
