The Dickinson press., 1888-12-22
Characteristic Features of the Burmese
Templcs-Ghastly Humanity.

leulnlcS-uiaStly humanity.
But however different may he the individ-
nal details of the great Burmese temples,
there are three characteristic features which
are never wanting to any of them, viz. bells,
flags and besgars. The flags in particular
are quite Il speciality, for as the commoncst
form of Offering in Burmal is n piece Of si!-
yer paper or Il strip Of colored cloth, every
shrine is n perfect rag fair of fluttering
shreds of red, green, blue and white, fastened
to long slender saplings or to tho ratings of
the shrine itself. AS q matter of course,
these impromptu pennons become dirtier and
dirtier as time goes on, til, at length the neu-
trail tint fairly masters the original color.
Tn ~bells-which arc usually about half
the height of an ordinary man, and bear an
inscription setting forth their weight, the
date of their casting, and the namo of tho
person who presented them to the temple
are suspended n few feet above the ground,
between two upright posts, along the sides of
the paved platform already described. Be-
side each lies a stout club or the horn of an
elk, which, when struck with force upon tho
edge or side of the bell, draws forth volume
of ound that fully explains the name of
"Mnlla Gunsa great sweet voice., given to
their largest bell 10y the people of Burmah.
IN u vi III iiiEillS 10 Tx puE3
lude to the recital of ~ prayer by amy devout
Burmal, and serves-accorlin. TO Burmese
ideas ut least-as Il kind of telephone signal
to apprise tho Mats guardian spirits, whom
he addresses that he is going to begin. and
wishes them to pay attention to his words.
Unlike the majority of devotccs, who resent
iierccly the Intervention of any unbclievcr
in their worship, these orthodox Buddlists
are. as Il rule, rather pleased than otherwise
should a passing European happen to strike
II bell while they are at their prayers, argu-
i'm, with some show of reason, that the
greater the noise produced, the more likely
are the spirits to he on the lookout.
AS for the bcggars, any one who has
walked round the Mosque of Omar at Jeru-
salem or the Shir-Dar at Samarcand, may
multiply his worst experiences by fifty, and
fall short even then Of tho horrible phan-
taSmagoria of human squalor and human
misery that rises ghostlikc amid all the bar
barrie magiiiiicence Of n great Burmese
pagoda. The pool of Bethesda itself never
mustered amid its CHASTITY host Of ''maimcd,
halt and blind" such loathsomc detormitics
rs those which startle the eye here at every
turn. Dwar1ish, shapclcss figures, bent and
twisted out of all scmblancc of humanity;
swollen, cyclcss ~visagcs, black and foul with
frightful sores, upon which the venolnous
:. tropical flies settle dow in clouds; lcpcrs in
the last and worst stage of their awful dis,
ease, white, spectral, hideous, whining with
lipless mouths for charity, and stretching
out tingerless hands to receive it. llat
Michael Angelo ever been i'll Ransoon OF
Prone or Mandalay, lie might have save(
, hims.lf the trouble of seeking the inspiration
of the plague hospitals for the multiplied
, horrors of his dreadful masterpiece. -Davit
!. kcr in New York Times.