The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-09-01
sTRANGE i BURMAH.

arc strange sounds.
l was talking few days since to
Prof. ). 5. Baldwin. the famed travel
e., so well known throughout the east
by the title of The White Mahatma. "
Said he: ''Burnah Is what an Americ-
an girl would call "a funny country "
! Rangoon is an attractive city of beau
tiful buildings, stately pagOdas and
long avenues. overhung with magniti-
cent shade trees, vet right through the
center OF one of these beautiful boule-
! wards runs a sluggish open stream of
the nature of a sewer. in which dead
/ dogs, cats and rats make the air redo
! lent with Il perfume that Is not at all
/ suggestive of ''Araby the Blest."
At Rangoon is the great golden
/ pagoda. situated at the top OF hill in
! the outskirts of the city. The roadway
| from the valley to the top of the hill
! consists of a series of irregular steps.
/ some ten or twelve feet wide. and from
/ three 10 ten inches high. These steps
/ are entirely inciosed on the left side
/ (as You proceed towards the top, and
/ are covered with an arched and vaulted
/ roof. On the right side the roof is sup
/ ported by pillars and arches opening
! out on terrace of gardens snd walled
! Enclosures. This stairway is about
| one-eighth of a mile long, and at the
1 bottom on each side are two enormous
/ dragons, some thirty or forty feet high,
| carved out of brick and plaster work.
/ These dragons have immense mouths
/ wide open, showing horrible fangs and
a protruding tongue, while the tail of
! the beast is curled and forked, like
! that of the traditional devil The
architecture is extremely quaint and
| interesting, as well as beauti-
| full. The pagoda itself is built in
the center of, and surrounded
by, an immense garden of palm
trees, in one of the most beautiful
if the place and the approaches were
kept clean it would be a lovely spot.
But at the very entrance of the stair
way, each side is simply lined with the
most disgusting naked beggars
women and children. but mostly men
and women-with barely rag thrown
around their IOinS. thin and attenuated
and mostly with some portion of their
body half eaten away with leprOsy.
These people simply swarm around the
traveller, clamoring for aims. thrust
ing their mutilated arms and limbs.
that have been partially eaten off by
the ravages of the disease, fairly into
ones face: sometimes an eye Will be
gone or portion Of the jaw. If chart
tv is given to one, ii is almost a neces-
sity to give it TO all ,his comrades, for
they crowd around YOU like flies, and
fairly bar your passage.
Most English tourists before visiting
this pagoda, which at one time was
deemed so wonderful and beautiful
that it was included in one Of the lists
of the seven wonders of the world, are
cautioned to take with them a stout
stick, also light rattan switch. The
stick is intended as a defense against
the pariah dogs, with which the place
is overrun. The light rattan is 10 be
used to keep the beggars at a distance,
for, cruel as IL may seem. often the
only way to keep them from absolute
annoyance is By vigorous slashing at
their bare backs or nude limbs, and
then they VIII often stand at a little
distance and spit at the traveller and
overwhelm him with curses and inpre-
cations. As the beggars are all religious
mendicants, they are looked upon by
most OF the natives with perhaps some
what Of a spirit Of modified veneration,
and unless the English traveller Is ac-
companied by party sufficiently large
to be perfectly a ble 20 take care Of them
selves it Is just possible he might he
roughly handled by the natives IN case
Of any hurt 10 one OF the beggars.
Should the tourist be accompanied by
a native policeman. which IS often the
case. the policeman has no hesitation
al all in pushing the beggars right and
left as if they were nine pins. 81 that
they generally keep at 4 respectful dis
tance.
II is said that II costs some eighty or
ninety thousand dollars to gid the
dome of the large pagoda, but this Is
done every two years or Whereabouts.
This IS usually the gift 81 religious
Burmans a. an Offering 70 Buddha.
Prof. Baldwin. who has had very /
many years Of oriental travel. states /
that one OF the most peculiar things I
which he has ever seen is the rocking /
pagoda AZ q Burmese village many /
miles up the IrawaCdy.
This pagoda was originally bullt on I
the top % a very large bowlder Of gran !
ite. some sixty or seventy feet high. (
After the pagods vas built the lower 4
part 81 the bow der was gradually rc- Z
moved and rounded until row j. serr1s 4
Is II The pagods was resting upon an 4
enormous ball or globe - solid roc'r I
The rock Is 80 nicely balanced that q 4
heavy wind ~ the exertion - a person 4
pushing strongly or the roek tviil cause 4
j. 20 slightly o<ciIlsts u does rot - +
far enough 20 cause any damage. but 4
rolls and rocks backward ard forward &
like an ez8grnogs rocking chair his i
pagoda IS kept exclusively for the
priests. TIE Only a~crss % . being by 1
means ~ a roge ladder. which Is drawn
ID after them, they a-e TINS kept from
annoyance
The phoonRvi, or priests. are ve-v
numerous, each father, especially
among the better class. making everF
effort 50 that one son - least shall te-
long 20 Tie order. They sre = iazv and
inLolent lot and 20 The European Oh
-erver n>v.r --rua % - engaged in any
special duties exsept S51st,lng on theis
Launches ana holding c1EFr-sat ton
with each ether. or els- sguafteri ~ n
The sarc position Tor buur~. gaziur
Grrzuslv intn rh- 6lstance and @ur-
-e7---ss 20 Il. cccssIz g.s.s.s.z tFee Fsr.usss