Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-03-03

SunclenI lOr the SuStenance OF bueiA 10y
owners during three parts of the year. For
the other four. if needs be, they starve a NJ
tie, steal more, and beg most of all. FOR
beepary in Ceylon. as in all Eastern cities,
is the most obvious social evil. The swarthy
naked children, loliing upon their moth-
er's knees, lif. their puny hands to passers
by for aims. When they are able to run
about they take to the street, dodge between
the wheels of the bullock carts, and clamor
for aims: They have sweet faces (alDelt
somewhat dirty) and most beseechlng way
of saving. "Backsheesh, master; me poora
how. no fad'r, no mod'r. You greata Merl-
can master: YER rich, ver' great," and so on,
as long as the victim will listen or until he
Yields up coin.
PERSISTENT MERCHANTS.
The Cingalese is a merchant, too, and in
the most primitive way follows the various
arts of commerce The sight of white man
infames his appetite for coin. Presuming
upou the reputation his country enjoys as
producer of precious stones he buys or makes
glass rubies, sapphires, catseyes, moon
stones. torouoises and diamonds. As you
walk the street he creeps up stealthily be-
hind you and thrusts these fictitious wares
in vour face. "Buy 6na stone, Master
gooda catseye, YER cheap" If you are wise
YOU drive this merchant off with your stick.
If you have not been told that no genuine
catseyes have been found in Ceylon for two
wears or more back, you may stop TO inquire
the price. If Master Cingalese says 81 be-
ware of offering him 2 shillings, he might
take it, and you then become possessed OF
some precious bits of glass that would be
dear at a farthing each. Failing to make
YOU his customer Cingalese will offer to be-
come your guide, and, willy nllly, Will
follow you so long as you withhold your
stick from his back, not forgetting when
you have reached your journeys end to
remind you of his presence by implorlng
Master for few annas or rupee.
Through these ana countless other expert
ences the members of the Spalding party
passed the morning of that busy day in Co
lombo. The greater number went hrst OF
all to famous Buddhist temple, seven miles
distant from the city, which is solemnly
sworn to be 2, 400 odd years old, and to con-
tain a portion OF the sacred bones OF the most
sacred Buddha. The beggars invaded even
the temple, which was reached after an
hours drive. The priests themselves, of
whom there are score or so in the inclosure
surrounding the main pagodo, were oeggars,
too, for that matter. One of their number
received the party as they came up, in sec
tions, and Inducted them to the inner shrine
or as near to it as the uninitiated are al
lowed to come.
1t may interest those intellectual persons
in New York and Boston who affect
theosophism and the religion of Buddha to
learn that these priests wore dirty brown
robes, went barefooted, and chewed the dis
gusting betel nut; that their hands were
dirty, their nails black, and their faces un-
washed, and that they did not disdain, but
rather solicited, a rupee all around Cinclud-
ing the high priest) as a return for their
services. The Theosophist would have been
moved, too, by the sight of the great Buddha
himself, supine in gilded wood, Is cubits
long behind glazed case, and surrounded
by gallery of tawdry pictures depicting
the four virtues-Fortitude, Temperance,
Prudence, and What-you-call-'em.
WARD TAKES OFF HIS SHOES.
Returning to the city, there was still time
(for an early start was had) to visit before
luncheon a Hindoo and Mohammedan
temple. There is no lack Of religion in
Colombo-and he must be hard to suit who
cannot find it to his liking. Entrance to
the Hindoo temple is not allowed. Bald
win and 1, who drove up to the entrance in
bull cart, were stopped by a burly black
clad in a napkin. We bade our guide ask
the fellow what price was set on the modest
privilege we craved. The black waved his
arms and shouted something, which the
guide said was equivalent to protestation
that not hundred pounds would swerve
him from his duty. We did not tempt the
fellows virtue further. John Ward gained
entrance to Mohammedan temple for him.
self, but not for his boots. which he was
obliged to leave at the door. He came
away looking much edited.
The week passed in transit from Colombo
to Alden, Arabia, was as quiet as Phila-
| delphia Sunday, and as devoid of incident.
Except for the first day of the week il
might without loss be blotted from the cal.
endar of tine trip without loss. This was
the birthday of the Emperor William, as
was announced with proper patriotism on
board the Salier by the firing of two guns
This furnished occasion to Fogarty and
Lynch, the only two who were on deck, tc
create panic by rushing down into the sa
loon and crying "PiraJesl" Everyone else
! was asleep, until the noise of the guns
awoke them, dazed by the unaccustomec
sound. The cry of "pirates" following i'm
mediately after had Its effect upon several
of the party, notably on Anson, who
jumped out OF his berth, and in his terror
slipped on his wife's dressing gown, showed
into his mouth such jewelry as that capa
door prepared to sell his life as dearly as
possible. The sell was speedily exploded
and its perpetrators narrow escaped fat
not much,preferable to slaughter by pirates
THE BOYS IN ASIA.
On Friday, February 1, the Saliel
rounded Cape Gaudafn, the extreme east
ern point of Africa, and such of the party
as had read "She" were able, or fancIet
they were able, to make out in one of the
rugged heads on the coast the profile of the
Ethiopian head so vividly described by Mr.
Haggard in that remarkable event. On the
afternoon following we sighted Alden, thai
oasis of English military rule in the desert
of Arabia. In the evening the Saliel
dropped anchor, and an opportunity wa;
afforded those who wished it to 90 ashore
and touch the continent of Asia.
The entrance to the Red Sea, through the
Straits of Babel Mandeb Gateway oi
Death, is considered so important an event
that ii it occurs at an early hour in the
morning, a gong is sounded on board
ship to notify curious passengers of their
opportunity to come on deck and see two
continents at once. A score or more of en-.
thusiasts came shivering up on deck in theil
paiamas in answer to the summons. 1t must
be owned that the game seemed hardly
worth the candle. Neither continent, from
the front it showed to the Salier's pas
sengers, seemed more imposing ol
half as pretty as the heights at Fort Wads
worth, say, or any one of thousand similar
elevations on the seacoast.
Last night we passed within sight o.
Mount Sinai; but a few miles to the north il
the spot where Moses led his people across
the Red Sea; not far away is the rock which
tradition points out as that which the SANE
leader smote with his rod and made tn,
waters flow; everything about reminds u
that we have come from one of the newest tt
the oldest ri civiIizatio on earth