Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1884-07-17
LIFE IN INDIA.
A Chat About the Social Customs in
Burmah-Eighty Thousand Young
widows,
any powde
Louisville Courier Journal

widows.
Louisville Courier Journal
A little man with long black hair
done up in Langtry fashion, an olive
complexion and bearaless face threw
himself gracefully into cushioned
chair at the Gait house, last evening,
and pulled contentediy at a very
mean cigar. His dull brown eyes,
behind a pair of pebble spectacles,
wandered dreamily about the room,
and finally rested on buxom
chambermaid just outside the door.
The little man was Sau-ah- brah, or
Mr.. Abraham, as he called himself in
English. He was arrayed In Prince
Albert coat, and called attention to
the fact that he wore no jewelry and
was unmarried.
Mr.. Abraham was born in Bur
nah, India, in 1850, and at the age of
30 sailed for America, where he has
since pursued his studies at Brown
university, Newton Theological SEM
mary, and Jefferson Medical College
lie holds a certificate as graduate
of medicine, and expects shortly to
return to his native land and set him
self up in a doctors shop. His man
ner is graceful, easy, and polite, and
his conversation is full of general in
tellignnce. He speaks English fluent
| ly and takes great delight in describ-
ing the manners and customs of his
people.
The celebrated Burmese welcomed
a reporter of The Commercial last
evening. He said there were many
interesting things about his country
which few Americans knew or under
stood
II have heard" said Sau-ah- brah
with a sly glance at the chamber
maid near the door, ''that there were
a great MANY widows in this country.
In nay country there are to-day $4,000
widows from to years of age, and,
although very young, they will never
be married. In India, as soon as a
child is born a match is made by the
parents. If the boy dies, the girl be-
comes a widow, and must go in
mourning for her intended as long as
she lives.
Sau-ah- brah said that the Burmese
in their conversation us ed categorical
sentences almost exclusively and
rounded an argument with compari-
sons and parallels. The language, he
said was monosyllablic, and allowed
no play on words. The only convey
ance for humor was anecdotes, and
these were often dry and uninterest-
ing.
H'In fact" he said, "the people in
India vigorously observe the adage,
Never speak unless spoken to, and
this precludes gossip and mirthful
words. If a man were to perpetrate
willful joke there he would be lucky
to escape unhung.
Our favorite diversions are cock
fighting, bull races, and prize fight
ing. [ saw Sullivan last winter, and
as big and ugly as he is, | half wished
that the champion pugilist of India
would come to America and lay the
Bostonian out. [ believe that any
Burmese prize-fghters can do this.
Going to the theater in India and
attending one in America is very diff
ferent In India the shows are all
free. The curtain rolls up at o'clock
at night and never comes down until
the next morning. It usually re-
quires seven nights to present a drama.
People generally take their beds with
them and 60 to sleep between the acts.
The favorite play IN India is the pre-
sentation of the exploits of some god.
Sau-au- brah congratulated the
American bartender on his success
in mixing drinks. THE national ber-
erage in our country" he said. 'is
palm milk. A few people drink dis
titled rice Water, but very few. Inevel
saw an intoxicated man in India. and
the women there never think of tick
ling their dainty palates with any
thing but pure water and the simplest
food. Burmese women, as a rule, are
very religious, and know nothing
about flirting. They would scorn tC
make mash, and feel lnsulted if a
stranger looks at them.
IF America was properly named. ,
continued the Burmese humorist, il
, would be called the country of shams.
It has often been insisted by people
who pretended to be my friends that
I should remain longer at their house
when the fact was that they were
anxious to see me go, and would have
called a patrol-Wagon had / dared tc
inger.
1.-The funniest experience ever hac
was while on shipboard coming te
America. One Of the passengers be
came seaslck. The next day I saw
| him and in broken English inquired
: how he felt. He replied: 'Hunkidorf
5 understood but little English, anc
5 concluded that 'hunkidorf' was
: some fearful disease. went about
the steamer telling the passengers