NOTES ON BURMA 



853 



A BURMESE FERRY BOAT 



Phis curiouslv shaped sampan is the river ferry of the common people. The man rows stand- 

 ing up and pushes against the oars 



relics already rested, and that in 588 B. C. 

 the original pagoda, about 30 feet high, 

 was erected. This has been cased over 

 by successive layers till now it has a cir- 

 cumference of 1,355 feet and towers 370 

 feet in air. It is kept brilliantly gilded 

 by subscriptions from the faithful. The 

 surmounting umbrella was made from 

 material valued at $250,000, given by 

 Mindon Min when king of Upper Burma. 

 The labor was voluntary, so the making 

 cost nothing. 



The many surrounding pagodas and 

 shrines vary so in size, shape, and style 

 that their description belongs only to the 

 detailed guide-book. Suffice it to say that 

 the near-by view is most impressive about 

 dark, when beggars and candle grease are 

 not very evident. Then the shadowy 

 forms of the praying people and the quiet 

 chanting of the monks cause one to 

 stand still, and the true glory of the 

 Schway Dagon pierces one's inner being 

 as does the heavy booming of a great 

 cathedral bell. 



The people who are known today as 

 Burmese are themselves a composite peo- 

 ple, but only the most skilled anthropolo- 

 gist or linguist is able to pick the true 

 Burmese of Lower Burma from the 

 Taking. Their outward appearance is 

 very similar and merits passing mention. 

 Europeans will tell you that they have 

 more than their share of the most com- 

 mon Eastern failing — laziness. This may 

 be so with the men. They are never- 

 theless a race of true sportsmen, enjoying 

 a good pony as we often think only a 

 European can. 



The women are the trades people of the 

 whole country, and, as caste is non-exist- 

 ent, they are as free to live their own 

 lives as with us. Neatly dressed in pleas- 

 ing silk and linen they come nearer to 

 our Western ideas of what a charming 

 woman should be than do most Orientals. 



The dress of the two sexes is essen- 

 tially similar. Many of the illustrations 

 show this more or less distinctly. A 

 leneth of cloth with the ends sewn up, 



