Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1883-08-30
The Women of Burmeh.

The Women Of BUrmHhs
The Burmese women are noted for
their well-proportioned though small
figures. To one accustomed to seeing
the regular features so prevalent among
the many pretty Indian girls, the
MongOl-like features of their Burmese
sisters look ugly and repellant, but after
while this impression wears off; the
women of the country have many pretty
little ways and they are very clearly.
Their hands and feet are small and well
shaped, arms symmetrical, the head
well put on the neck; their carriage is
erect; they allow no hair to grow any
where except on their heads, where it is
most 1uxuriant, and is taken the greatest
care of, tied up a Ia chinoise, with
wreath or garland of flowers entwined;
they disfgure their ears, which are
naturally small and pretty, by boring
huge holes in the lobes, and wear in
them either gold or amber cylindrical
shaped earrings; they cover themselves
over with necklets, bracelets, rings, etc.,
and the Burmese gold and silver smiths
are nearly as good as those in Cuttack,
TrichinOpoly or Delhi
A Burmese girl who wishes to kiss
presses her nose up against face and
shifts! She is a born coquette, and
will spend hours in adorning her per-
son. Their dress consists of a tight
under-jacket to support the bust, and
loose and flowing jacket over for show,
a gaudy scarf hangs down over the
shoulders; from the waist they wear
either a many-colored silk thamine,
which exposes the inside of one leg
half way up the thigh, or ''loongie, "
which is more decent, being a sort of
petticoat, fastened round the waist and
exposing no part of the person. All
the women smoke and chew betel-nut,
but have nice, white, even teeth; they
can swim, as rule, and delight in
dabbling in water, and invariably battle
once, perhaps oftener, during the day.
The Burmese seldom have more than
one wife, and she reigns supreme in the
house, and conducts the purchase
or sale of all necessaries. A girl S
great ambition is to keep a stall in a
bazaar; it is her introduction into society,
and is equivalent to our own girls be-
ing brought out. They are merry,
pleasant race, and many of the fourth
Seikhs, when they returned to the
Punjab, took back with them Burmese
girls, prefering them as wives to their
own far comlier women.
There is not a prettier sight in the
world than a crowd gathered round
a pagoda on gala day, with the
men Respondent in gorgeous APP
parel, the women and chill
dren in their best, pretty, plump,
well made figures, smiling faces,
banners streaming, flags flying, backed
by the beauty of the scenery and the
grand proportions of their numerous
/ pagodas. On these occasions the people
are as merry as crickets, are constant
| ly on the move, and thoroughly enjoy
| themselves. The women cannot as a
| rule either read or write, for their
! priests are not allowed to teach them.
| A few have been educated by well-mean-
ing missionaries, but whether from
coming in contact with native children,
or some other reason, these girls toe
! often are not as conducted as their more
! ignorant sisters.
Every Burmese girl is a born actress,
and delights in taking a part in poey,
or national drama There is no stigma
attached to women who take part in
these performances, as there is to dane
ing girls in India, and they are inva-
riablv well conducted, modest girls.
Like the men, the women are inveterate
gamblers; at a boat or pony race the
men and women bet together freely,
and often girl, after losing all she
possesses, will stake herself against
what she considers her value, and if she
lose, she follows the winner, and be,
comes his wife. On the slightest prov
ocation woman will commit suicide
generally by means of opium, which
thanks to paternal government, car
| be purchased without restriction in every
bazar.-HGrper'S Bazaar.