Omaha Daily Bee Newspaper, April 24, 1910, Page 22

Woman’s (Copyright, 1910, by Frank G. farpenter.) ANDALAY, 1910.—(Special Corre- spondence to The Bee.)—Comé with me to the bazars and have a look at We are in the old capital of walk buildings which lundreds of sitting upon platforms with goods piled around them s one selling silks. She has the most dellcate pinks, blues, yellows and greens, all striped with Ray They are in- tended for skirts, and will be wrapped tight around the person and fastened with a knot at the walst a girl has come up and 18 making a purchase. The fair merchant takes a cigar as big as my wrist out of her mouth and lays it aside while she measures the goods with a yardstick. A half dozen girls sitting heels watching the sale the girle B rma, Ing through filled with stails laughing women Here aro on_their nearby Thelr backs are turned, and I observe their silk skirts glued to their plump bodie nelther corset straight that they silk. The The ald wears skirt falls the legs so wrapped in 1y clad Burmese 1 bustle. The nelosing look like, double nor to the feet pipe upper part o be and shawl Now are the lobes, in look at the ears of those girls. They except at which are elongated and plugged with cylinders of gold, silver amber They are bare-headed and their long black locks are dons up In a knot on the crown. Every girl we bracelets, and a diamond ring sparkies on the hand of the merchant as she measures the cloth shaped like beautiful shells, rs two or more e Women Do Business. Now turn about and look through the bazars. There are thousands of women buy- ing and selling, and hundreds of moving about with tra Hers comes one with f peddiers their heads She has a of cocoanuts and bananas and cries out her wares as she goes. Behind her is a flower peddler, and further on are maid- ens with vegoetables, fish, fruit and all sorts of things, A fish woman is selling a trout from which she has chopped off the head The fish bleeds as she handles it. She has plugs in her ears and her lips are wrapped around a mighty cigar at which she puffs as slie weighs out the fish We go to the street of the tallors. girls psh fruits. howl Here on machines worked by make you before are sewing hand. They will you wait. We weller and a send home. a dress while a pretty silk vellow striped skirt to her feet, her stop buy a The girl sits on little brown toes peeping out of the pink skirt which Is wraped tightly about her She looks Innocent and 1 feel safe In mak- ing the purchase at her she offers me a whiff from her handle the goods and upon my refusing gives it to her sister and then comes down to business. She out piece of bright silk after another and explains the §ood points of each, laughing and chatting the while. In the end 1 find that I have paid three times what I should, but the girl was so charming it was money. own price cigar as T worth twice the Belle of This girl Bazars, was one of the belles of the bazar, and typical of the fair maldens of Burma. She was as stralght as a post and as plump as a partridge, and her rich Burmese dress was well fitted to show all hor beautles. The women here are clad in | two garments. One of these is a jacket of silk, cotton or gauze, which reaches to the hips, and another has a bright silken skirt which Is wrapped around the waist and falls to the feet. ‘This skirt is square; it is about five feet in width and is fastened by a half hitch { with en opening down at the front. The ekirt s so tight that when the girl walks .rapidly she shows her bare legs to the knee, but by throwing out the heels and going plgeon-toed the folds are prevented from parting to an immodest degree. In lower Burma many of the skirts are now sewn together at the front on account of the comments which foreigners have made about tha costume. The dresses aré of different lengths, and the richer women often have skirts which trail upon the ground. The those of the rainbow, the most te hues being used. My fair merchant wore & jacket of gauze, and her skirt reached as high as the armpits. The Jacket was #0 thin that the brown skin could be seen through the meshes, exposing the neck, shoulders and arms. She had a beautiful face. Her eyes were large, soft and brown, with eyelids just a trifle oblique and high- arching, delicate brows. Her hair, which was glossy black, was rolled up in a pyra- mid on the crown, and fastened there with & bright golden comb. She wore a neck- lace of pearls, to which were dants of amber, and a double string of pearls fell as low as her waist. She had seven gold bracelets on eadh of her wrists, 4 & diamond ring on her finger and diamond plugs In her ears. She was, I judge, about 15 years of age, but girls mature here at 13, and she was a woman grown. s ritiae Ear Plugs and Womanhood. All the girls here wear ear plugs. They | eannot enter society without them. As a maiden approaches the age of coming out, which is usually at 12 or 13, her ears aré ‘bored, and the ceremony is as important to Mer as the first long dress is to her Amer- fcan sister. The ceremony is formal, and | it must be done when the stars are propi- tious. The family cosults the fortume- teller for this occasion, and a big feast is prepared. All the relatives and friends attend In their best clothes to witness the plercing.. This is done by a professional | earbor who uses needles of pure gold for the rich and silver ones for the poor When the exact moment has arrived the §irl is lald down upon & mat in the back of the room and her relatives hold her thero while the ear-borer thrusts the golden needle through the lobe and twists it around Into a ring. This he leaves in the ear. The other ear is treated like wise. While this is golng and after it there s a feast. It takes the ear some time to heal. When it quite well the process of enlarging hole begins. The needle pulled back and forth until the sore heals. It is then taken qut and a little cylinder of finely rolled gold is pressed in. This is gradually opened from week to week, stretching the hole larger and larger, the cylinder belng kept in until it grows to the proper size Such people as cannot afford gold or sil- ver put stems of elephant grass in their eurs, Mmserting stem after stem, until at laét the hole in the lobe will contain a bunch as big around as your thumb, After the ears are well healod the plugs or hel- low pipes are inserted. Some of the women stretch holes until they grow to an inconceivable slze. I have seen peasant girls with ear holes s0 large that a napkin ring could be thrust through one, and it is not un- common to see & Burmese maid with a big cigar thrust through one ear. There was not a merchant in the bazar at Manda- Jay who could not have used her cigarette holders, and but fe ear plugs less than the size of thelr fin- ger tips. Bpeaking of tobacco, all Burmese women colors arg delic: hung pen- on a the bands play, the is thelr ear smoke, and a girl learn long before her ears taught the habi able walk, and 1 see 4-year-old putfing cigarettes. The average cigar used by looks ‘much like a long ear of with the husk on. It is made of leaves in connection with tobacco; olled and is often tied with All the girls are adept in making cheroots, and at a party one girl may roll the crowd, the big cigars being padlled about from one guest to another, each taking & whiff. In courting, I doubt not the girl mukes the clgar and the two take love smokes in turn Sl Love and Marriage. And this brings me to marriage in Burma, The customs here are different from those of Japan, Ching, Korea or the other coun- tries 1 have visited during this trip around the world. The Japanese girl has a hus- band picked out by a matchmaker, the Korean takes one at the dictation of her parents, while the Chinese malden fs often sold, and, if married, becomes the slave of her mother-in-law. The Siamese girl is nominally the property of the king, and the Malayan s shut up in a Mohammedan harem, as are the millions of women of India, Egypt and Turkey. The Burmese girl goes about as she pleases, and marries whom she will. During her childhood she associates with the boys, and after mar- rlage she 1s looked upon as a comrade and often rules the household. She Is the bus- the establishment, She usu- the money, and always carries to puff at a cigar bored, Children are boys are are as soon as they to the women po a striv for iness man of ally make: the purs: Marriage Ceremony En The Burmese marry early and one is an old maid if not married before she is out of ‘the teens. During the courtship the young man brings presents of oranges or candy; he writes verses in praise of hls lady’s beautiful ear plugs, and she in re- turn gives him cigars and, perhaps, a tur- ban or shawl knit by herself. The marriage is little more than a festi- val at the house of the girl Here the young couple cat rice together, join hanc aud say they intend to live man and wife They are supposed to bill and coo, feeding one another as birds do; and they drink tea with their parents and parents- in-law. The groom makes the girl a pre: ent conslsting of a silken skirt or piece of Jewelry, and he is supposed to furnish the wedding breakfast. After marriage the two_go into seclusion for a honeymoon of sevlh days, and they then take up their home in the house of the bride. It is p sumptuous for them to set up their® own establishment immediately after marriage, as the man is supposed to work a certain time for his wife. I understand that there-are many matches in Burma, and that where par- ents object the young people elope and g0 off to themselves. There are few mar- riages for money. The marriage is a civil ceremony and it has nothing to do with religion. It is a social and Dbusiness partnership rather than & moral contract, and many mar- @iages are entered into without any cere- mony at all. Among some people the wedding is kept secret for a time, for the young people do not like to be stared at nor have stones thrown on their house- roofs, as is sometimes the custom. A girl does not change her name when she mar- ries, and there Is nothing about her to show whether she is married or not. She wears no marriage ring, and she still, as I have sald, keeps her own property. She can act for herself in a business way and she frequently acts for her husband. She can sign deeds, lend borrow money and make any kind of arrangements as to buy- ing or selling. With all this the women do not mix in public affairs. hey make no fuss about their rights, and the Burmese suffragette is love or SUNDAY MOR! G APRIL 24 yet unborn. Such girls as T have seen are modest and lady-like. They are specting, but not independent nor forward. self-re- w ‘s Rights | rights of a woman a well protected. The the chief workers and money-makers, and a woman hold property distinet from her husband. She manages her own mdney, and has an equal right with her h all that they make together during married life. She has a right to own earnings, and if divorced she takes back all the money she has brought into the family and half what has since the wedding As to divorces, these are not difficult of obtainment on either side of the family. Any discontented husband or wife may go before the elders and claim a separation, and it is seldom refused. There also special grounds for di- vorce. 1If the husband is idle or lazy the wife can claim a separation. If he is unable to support her, If he is always aillng, or becomes & cripple after his marriage, she can demand that the marriage tle be broken and the same is true i he fil-treats her in any way. On the other also, plenty " Burma. The her er mar= are women are can sband in their or of been accumulated are hand, the of grounds fo; husband divoree has, it wife does not love him, if she visits places to which he objects, and if she persistently disobeys him, may his freedom. The same is also true if she gives him no boys. Notwithstanding all this divorces are not much more common than in the United States. They are hardly respectable, and the man who enters a monastery to get rid of a wife is called a runaway, while a di vorced woman is said to be always anxious to marry agaln. Indeed, ms sidered the state for their prove being as follows “Monk are beautiful when they four-footed animals wh he claim of best woman, one bs At lagn, 1 they are fat, men ‘A CLASS IN ARITHMETIC" the are 1 when they are learned and women wnen arried.” asy Housekeeping. The Burmese wife has fewer housekeep- ing troubles than her American sister. If she to the well-to-do classes she has servants, and If not, she has but little hard work. The ordinary house is built of wood bamboo upon posts about eight feet apart. It has a veranda in front, with steps leading to the rooms overhead The floors are of thin planking or bamboo canes, and the roof is of thatch or leaves. he whole is simple to an extreme. Tho belongs or rafsed mouse has no rurniture in our sense of the word. The people sleep upon mats and rest thelr heads on bamboo pillows. Thero is little sweeping to do, and the most of the cooking 1s on fires out of doors. The ing utensils usually consist of two or thres earthen pots, In addition to which are some jars for water and several cocoanut ladles Most of the people use neither knives nor fork: The staple food of the Burmese is rice. which is bofled or steamed, and eaten with fish paste and peppers. Nothing s drank with the meals, and aften them only But few of the Burmese eat meat, wate: for it Sunny Scenes and Memorable Events in MeKinley's Dying Prayer. N the afternoon of his last day on earth, writes James Creel- man in his “On the Great High- way,” the president began to realize that his life was slipping away, and that the efforts of science could not save him. He asked Dr Rixey to bring the surgeons in. One by one the surgeons entered and approached the bedside. When they gathered about him the president his eyes and sai It ought The dying man his hands on breast and half closed his eyes. There Wus a beuutiful smile on his countenance, The surgeons bowed their heads. Tears streamed from the eyes of the white clad nurses on either side of the bed. The yel- low radiance of the sun shone softly in the room. were opened is useless, have gentlemen; I think to prayer. crossed ‘Our Father, which art in Heaven the president in a clear, steady * said voice, the surgeons moved. “Hallowed be Thy name. Thy come. Thy will be done—" The sobbing of a nurse disturbed still air. The president opened his and closed them again. Thy will be done in Heaven." A long sigh. The sands of life were run- ning swittly, The sunlight died out, the raindrops dashed against the windows Give us this day our dally bread; torgive debts as we foegive debtors; and lead us not into but deliver us from evil." Another silence. The surgeons looked at the dying face and the friendly lips. For Thine is the kingdom, the and the glory, forever, Amen, “Amen,” whispered the surgeons. kingdor the eyes earth as it is in and our temptation, us our power Dolliver and the Plekpocket. The most consplcuous opponent of Sen- ator Aldrich s the tariff struggle, relates the Natlonal Magazine, was Jonathan P. Dolliver of Towa, but despite that senator's wit, eloquence, and undisputed talent he found himself outnumbered in the votes which carried the bil through to & bril- liant finish. Senator Dolliver is & born orator and seldom writes an address, pre- ferring to deliver It straight from the shoulder In massive periods. He more olosely approaches the glant stature of ' Webster in this respect than any man now on the floor of the senate. The lowa boys always remember Jonathan P. Dolliver as & popular speaker, though he insists that his speeches “are written out in the agony of toll, under of gas jet." The son of a Methodist minister, ator Dolliver entered early upon a political career; he had the old-fashioned way of using ancedotes filustrate his points, which was then considered effective, though he may have changed his style with the times. He is one of the orators who frankly admit that they ‘“like talk,” & taste he thinks he may have in- herited from his father and grandfather— the latter a Massachusetts seafaring man, whose cargo of cotton during the war of 1812 was confiscated by General Jackson; if he had his grandson’'s eloquence it is prob- able that he made some remarks that would have been worthy of preservation. When preaching on a large circuit in Vir- ginia, and often riding 200 miles in a weok, Mr. Dolliver's father met the lady who be- me his wife, and that is the reason that the senator hails from West Virginia, and was educated at the State university ‘there. After his graduation, at the age of 17, the young man decided to migrate to Illi- nois. He tells thus of this first western visit: ‘Standing in the railway station of Col- umbus, O., a policeman tapped me on the shoulder, and with a warning glance said: “'You have just been talking, my bo; with one of the most dangerous pick- pockets In the United States.' *‘One of the most dangerous pickpockets in the United States has been talking to a country boy who has not a red cent to his name,’” was my reply.” the: heat and glare the to to Retirement of Buifalo Bill, Buffalo Bill's withdrawal from the arena, say the New York Times, will mark the passing of the most picturesque personality in public life—hunters of wildbeeste and digdig not excepted. It's doubtful if any other man save George Washington has en- Joyed In such degree the universal adora- ton of American youngsters and the na- tlon-wide admiration of American grown ups. Even today affection or Abraham Lineoln, Uiysses S. Grant and Robert K Lee has its sectional lmitations; that for Colonel Cody knows no boundaries. To the youth of the land he has been from his earliest fame, and always will be, the dar- ing, the dashing, the debonair Buffalo Bill, intrépid pursuer of the hearth-rocking bison, relentiess and alwayi triumphant redskin, breaker of bronchos, monarch of cowboys, king of horsemen and prince of scouts. Andrew Johuson's Education. In Harper's Magazine are published some personal recollections of Andrew Johnson which give a4 new and most interesting ac- count of this uniquely remarkable man, who rose in a few years from a tailor bench to the presidency. His pride in hav- ing been a tailor and his free admission of filiteracy are particularly interesing. “About a vear before the civil war Judge Pepper, who had been a blacksmith before he became a lawyer, sent Johnson a set of fire-irons, which he had nfide himself, says the writer of the recollections, and the gov- ernor presently sent the judge a coat which he had.made for him. When he told mother of the incident, she sald: “Did ernor you really make the coat, gov- ‘I put some stitches in it,’ he said; ‘Pep- per shouldn’t get ahead of with the people. When I was a tailor I was a good me one.’ “He refuséd an Invitation onde to dine with A. V, Brown, a leader of the democratic party In Tennessee and afterward Buchan- an's postmaster general, although all of the guests were to be fellow democ s, and let them know that on that day he had dlned with his washer woman, off bacon cabbage. “He made no secret of his unlettered youth, and once brought my mother & mag- azine containing a sketch of his life, which it was stated that his wife, Flora McCardle, had taught him to after they were married, when he was twenty- one years of age. He sald the statement was inaccurate but substantially true; that when they were mairied his wife brought her school books to their new home, his study of them aided his education ma- terfally. After he rose to prominence his adn used to point out that he had made few mistakes In grammar and that his English was pu but he never learned to divide his in writing, and sometimes made ludicrous mistakes in quotations. Once in a public he spoke of the Lays of Ancient Rome as hav- ing been translated in Macauley; and in another speech he quoted “‘And the stern joy that warriors feel In foemen worthy of their steel, as Shakespeare says and in read and words correctly a speech Chamber! s Bank Fallure. Senator Chamberlain of Oregon, who re- cently made his first extended speech in congress on conservation, has reminded an old friend of Chamberlain's own experi- ments in conservation. When Chamberlain was running for the senate,” #ald this friend to a Washington Times reporter, “the opposition went over his record with a fine-tooth comb to find something injurious to him. One day oue my, Lives of Prominent People of the strikers that he had it “Chamberlain when he wa was rushed in and announced was president of a bank a young man; it busted and a horrible wreck.” “Dig it up quick,’ palgn manager. The The most announced* the cam- story pank was looked up and was true. ad failed and 1- sets, there were no They were just ready to put out th story when an old friend of Chamberlain's came along and advised against it. Won't do you any good,” he insisted. “Take my word for it.” But the campaign managers had to do something, und so the story of the busted bank was given cut and got due publicity in all the'anti-Chamberlain papers. Next day the Chamberlain” commitice gave out statement signed by and @ lot depositors said: “It s true that president of the that time he was He bad never b the bank maneg a all of directors ban 1t the a of the Mr. Chamberlain was bank when it failed. At & man of some property. en actively connected with ment and when he learned that it was closed and hopelessly insolvent he turned over erty and personally paid all Whereupon the started hunting for-a new when election day came the man whose bank had failed inglorlously was tri- umpkantly elected senator his depositors.” anti-Chamberlain people roorback, and Eapany Beaten by His Storie, Think of a man belng defeated for con- Bress because somebody swiped all his be; Jokes! A visitor from Minnesota in Washington the other day told a little crowd at his hotel that Adam Bede missed re-election in the Eighth Minnesota district the last time for just.that reason It seems, according to the visitor's story, that @ fellow by the name of Barker, who is a sort of boss of the Eighth Minnesota district, not at all for Adam Bede, Now, as everybody knows, B was garded as of the chief wits of gress. He always had more stories to tell than any seven other men engeged in the nationgl legislation. He would send his crowd heme In a good humor and they would vote for him Well, Barker thought and thought how to defeat Bede. One day at 3 o'clock an idea came. He made a deal with one C. B. Miller to oppose Bede and the fight on. Bede started to make & few speeches in & remote corner of his district, and Barker sent & stenographer down with in- cares de re- structions to take down all storles. Then when the fight grew warmer Barker billed his friend Miller just about one day ahead of Bede in each town. When Bede arrived and began to tell his jokes the crowd would act bored, for they had heard the samb storles the night before Bede dug up some new ones, but I had arranged that they should ahead of Miller. After about & week of this Bede a fallen idol. They man who appeared block in Jede's funny wrker be wired became for along Joke refused to the to vote trailing rear the a be about one parade Today Miller house of occupies Bede's representalives. Pastor's Puzzle Made Plain. The pastor of a West Phil: was very much surp Sunday service a Iphia church ised o the and seated The service continued with congratulating himselt large congregation opened and a man stuck d pleased last night when in crowd tered W course the fully forty themselves of ns strong e the rear p the clergyman his unusually suddenly the in his head “‘Here she comes,” whisper. Instantly the late comers and rushed to the door. Th perplexed at the strange occurrence after service he spoke to one of the vestry Who had been standing by the door Don't you know the vestryman, laughingly ‘No,” answered the would ltke to." Why, in on when he announced in a loud arose en masse pastor was so what happened?”’ asked clergyman, “but I a car broke down right the church. Iverybody got out afte few minutes, and, seeing a down,” they all n man on watch.”—~Philadelphia R~ ather Give in of chance t g elegraph sit cam, here I one Making A Washington tather of several boys, to whom the greatest freedom is accorded. He was recently some putation, being at the the window of his when a shrill cry of “Dad, dad!” fr est born, who was playing with nelghbors children outside. “What & trial my children ar mured the distingulshed man, as he thrust his head out of the window. “Well, Har- rington,” he asked, “what is (t7" Whereupon the lad, who was standing In the center of & group of youngsters, re- plied: “Willle Johnson wouldn't hadn't & halr on your head. dad."~Lippencott’s, Proof. sclentist is the engaged time ¥ he m his youl home, heard mur belleve That's you all, fs contrary to the — ddhist refligion te consume anything that has life, the chief excoption being fish, which is eaten fresh, drfed and also when rotted by burying it in the sand. A favorite dish is a fish curry with rice. The family usually sit around the rice having a little bowl for and a larger one for rice. Everyone lhelps himself taking from the rice platter as much as he can his hands. He conve the food to his mouth in his hands. At e of the meal everyone is expected sh his own dishes and each er jar to rinse his like dish each curry squeeze in the cl to w g0es to the w ut mouth, than The meals anything else. are more vicnics o} Until the the fewest write. entl British of the There are The of Women, came to Bu women could 1 na only ad and who can do so has established in the large towns, they exist, and the the girls as they do Ing to the laws of the Bud- every boy must go into a does 5o at the age there learns to read are very few nunneries country, the glrls have nowhe Their mothers are ignorant an is the esception to find a na tive girl outside the o not many 0 government girl but in the villages seldom monks cannot t the boys. Accor dhist religion, monastery. He usually of 8 or 9 years, and, he and write the and clse to Ko therefore it cities who is ab > British officlals are trying to remedy this, and there like 70,000 glrls al only eleven girls of educated, and only and high wre now something in nent the gov one of every is being the schools, though school ab age it 1,000 are in se ondary During my stay many of in Burma I have visited these. 1 find the little ones quite American children. They diligently and recite well. 1 remember arithmetic which 1 heard in was composed of eleven Bur- mese girls of about 10 years performed in addition tion at the command of thelr recited the multiplication table in tor s bright as our study a class in Rangoon. It wge. They subtrac and Jurmese sums and teacher my edification How Girls Are the names of a number red to soled Named, sehools of the L queer Ing names for is named about two at at & meeting friends, name ix wccording to the day™ o child was born, ¢ used for each ;oing for Burmese of the The begin with a letter day on which she Sunday girls 1d Wednesday Saturda: da M with while N's may Durlng my stay in told the and the teacher the their weeks of the refe custom have in girl Burmese eh after iren birth, atlons and the which the weel day and the vowel first must da day wee little ve was horth Monday girlly Thursday, whatever are called. to th thu: longing Tu Friday day irls, and girls the week 95 Wednesday R or Y, the the Mi; The b be Burmese All the little beginning Th and H Ts, D's und poetic, a girl fume, Miss Perfoction or Miss Like-What- There-Is-Not. At the moment of a child's birth the astrologers noto its horoscope ang pick out the stars which are to go with it through life. At time birth burnt before Buddha, and o@fthe same days candles of red ellow wax are similar candles are lighted at the shrines 8 of have names with Saturdays are often Miss Per- Pridays nantes are the sene made or