The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1893-02-16
MANY STATUES OF euDDAH.

The burmese Line Their River Banks
With Images OF the God They Wor-
ship.
The Buddhists Of Burmah for many
ages have been carving innumerable
figures of Buddah on the rocks that line
some Of their important rivers Robert
Boyle, who has just published little
book entitled "A Sanitary Crusade
Through the East and Australasia" has
given description of a number of these
rude carvings, many of which are very
impressive. On the Irriwadi, below the
city of Trome. is n cliff about two miles
long and three hundred feet high, on
the face OF which hundreds Of figures Of
Buddah are carved. The entire face Of
the rock In covered with these figures,
arranged In tiers from top 70 bottom.
and many Of the figures are not less
than twenty feet high Most of them
are richly gilded, and the whole forms
"a very brilliant and curious sight"
Here is one Of Mr.. Boyle's illustrH-
tions showing the great recumbent
figure of Buddha in the province of
Pegu. Mr.. Boyle says this figure meas
ures about two hundred and fifty feet
in length and is seventy feet high at
the shoulder. The remarkable monu-
ment Is of brick, and is we'll proper
toned throughout. 1t is supposed to
have been in existence for nearly four
hundred years, but. strange to say, it
was for long time hidden from view
by jungle, and was entirely forgotten
until, in 1881, it was accidentally dis
covered by railroad contractor. The
theory of the Buddhists is that these
numerous statues keep thoughts Of re-
ligion ever present in the minds Of the
people and incite to morality and re-
| ligious observances.
Among the Catskills in our own coun.
try there is some sculpturing of the
rocks on very small scale. Such rocks
| are found at Prattsville, and were
carved at the expense Of the eccentric
tanner and capitalist, the Hon. Zadoc
Pratt, who thus COMMUNICATED the
heroism of his son, who fought in the
civil war, and the exploits of MIR. Pratt
himself as stock raiser, dairy farmer
and tanner They are unique, attract
some visitors to Prattsville. and are
rather better executed than most of the
sculptures that adorn the cliffs along
the rivers OF Burmah.
Mr. Boyle visited the orient, not for
tho purpose OF collecting such curious
facts as these, but to study sanitary
science and prepare the way for the in
PRODUCTION Of ventilating and sanitary
appliances Among the striking facts
he observed are those relating to
leprosy, which he believes Is spreading
to an alarming extent all over the
world. In Burmah the evil has as
sumed very great proportions He says
the steps of the great Shwedagou
pagoda at Rangoon to which Buddhists
make pilgrimages from all over Indo
China, were. when he visited the
pagoda, lined from top to bottom with
lepers The victims were suffering
from the disease in it's worst form and
most advanced stages No provision
had been made for their sustcnance anC
they depended upon mcndicancy fol
existence. He saw similar horrors a.
Mandalay, where the entrance of the
great Arakan pagoda were crowded by
hundreds of lepers SO that the visitor
had to pick his way carefully among
them. In the Hawaiian islands, also
Mr. Boyle was greatly impressed with
the frightful ravages the disease is
making among tie native population. =
| N. Y. Sun.
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