The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1891-01-28
LIFE IN BURMAH.
CURIOUS REASONS WHY HOUSES
ARE ONLY ONE STORY HIGH.
Farmers Wives Enjoy Uncommon Priv.
Ileges.

| - NANN"P AZ ~ VI ihNii
Fruit grows without cultivation, anC
a little rice and curry make up the
meal for the farmers family. A fin,
quality of Tobacco is raised, and will
his rice, his curry, and his tobacco the
farmer is content. Twenty-Five OF
fifty dollars will put up a good farm
house, and the average farmers hui
is made of plated bamboo wall,
matched with palm leaves. The rAf-
tiers look for all the world like fishing
poles, and the usual house is of one
story, built upon foundation of piles
so high up that one can walk under
the first floor without STOPPING, and s.
arranged that the farm animals can
be kept under the house at night, thus
saving the expense Of barn.
Most OF the cooking is done out OF
doors, ana the Burmese farmers wife
usually builds her fire on the ground.
Her cooking utensils consist of two or
three earthern pots, and the family
gets along with cocoanut ladle for
tin cup, dipper and tumblers. There
are no knives and forks TO wash, for
the Burmese do not use them, and as
to plates, a huge platter OF wood or
china contains the rice which forms
the meal tor the family land each man,
woman and child grab for themselves
There is nc drinking during the meal
and at the close of teach Ale takes the
cocoanut ladle, goes to the water jar
drinks his fill and rinses out his mouth.
speaking OF the houses being OF but
one story, this custom came about
through the reign of the kings who
considered its presumptuous for any
# their subjects to put up a house
smeh might approach in grandeur
their palaces aud besides the Burmese
W id consider it great indignity to
have any one walking with his feet
,bove his head as he might have in
Ease bo had u two storied house.
There is no furniture to speak OF
n the Burmese house. The family
sleeps upon mats, and pillow their
heads Oh blocks OF wood or frames
Of bamboo. The cl)thing of the far
mel and his wife Is much the same,
and the poorer classes usually wear
but one garment consisting OF single
piece Of colorcd cotton cloth about
yard and half wide aud of such
length that it can be wound around
the chest or waist and fall to the feet.
The higher classes of women have a
short silk Or ootloN sacque which COW
ers the shoulders and arms, and the
better classes wear the brightest OF
silks.
Some of the ladies' dresses consists
ing of this single strip of silk cost
hundreds of dollars, and some of the
fine silks of the world are made in
Bdrmah, The men are rs gorgeous
in their costumes as the women. Their
gowns are wound about the waist and
tied in big ki OF at the front. Most
men wear bright handkerchief tied
around the head, and inside of this
put their long hair. Both classes wear
their hair long, and both classes wear
earrings or ear plugs.
The Burmese farmers wife has a
hole in the lobe of her ear as big
around as the thumb, and in this she
has a round plug Of colored glass or a
wide ring OF gold or silver. These
holes are so large that they are some-
tines used for the carrying of the CT
CARS or cigarettes of the women, and
the Burmese cigar is often an inch in
diameter. | saw woman one day
with cigar in her ear, and oae ear
noticed had a hole almost as biz
around as napkin ring.
Another strickin, thing about the
farmers is their legs. Every Burmese
farmers boy is tattooyd from the waist
tq the knees withalI SORTS OF figures,
which are supposed to act as charms.
The farmers vie in Burmah has
more rights than any other woman of
the tar East, and thiak she has more
to say Ill the management OF the bust
uess than The wife OF the American
farmer. AS a rule she controls the
pHcketbook and buys the seed rice.
Like as not sue manages a little es,
tate Of aer own, and if she does, the
profits iron it all 20 to her, and her
husband cannot touch t1em. If he
gets sick and does not attend 20 the
planting she can get divorce on
that ground, and Ii he is Idle and La.
zy and does hot support her the Bur-
mese law will give her her freedom,
In case of IA divorce she gets back all
the money she brought into the iami
y and halt Of the joint earnings.
She has fully equal rights with the
man in every respect, save according
to Il e Buddhist religion she is sup,
posed to commit infinitely more sins