Evening star., 1899-01-28
CHARMS OF CEYL0N
Would Be Unlimited We're 1t Not for
the Beggars.
MENDICANCY As A FINE ART
A Visit to Buddha's Temple and
the Sacred We'll.
INDIAN OCEAN MONSOONS
From The New York Times.

From The New York Times.
With the breeZcs of the warm Indian
ocean waiting through thousands OF acres
81 spices and citron groves; with noun
tains and valleys wild grown with palms
and flowers in infinite variety; with hooks
where the hot sun seldom penetrates: with
deIIs and da,es that are like unto the fa-
bipf homes of the fairies; with sparkling
streams that seem to flow DER spheric
stones. with sunlight and moonlight and
mosquitoes and mousoons and other of ma
turc's untold blessings in bewiidering ar
ray. CeyIon. the shining island of the
Hindus. would be great and glorious
place if it were not for its beggars.
IN London begging is pastime, in Fiji
it is a necessity. in Genoa it is a pleasure
and in Shanghai it is a crime; but in Cey-
lon it has achieved the most glorious acme
that the combined forces of science and
art can possibly reach. Begging is not
praCticed in CeylOn. IT has reached the
great stage of perfection. Rich and poor
alike beg with equal facility. The first
thing ina; the wee. bronze babies are
taught = 10 hold out their hands for the
cOpperS of the kind-hearted traveller, and
even the gray-haired, yellowgowned priests
of Buddha Will appeal for pittance with
look of remOrse that would stagger the
starved deniZens OF the Bowery. The Cey-
to n red-hut stove. He will leave a square
meal TO beg for an old coat, and the more
one refuses him the more persistent be-
come his efforts.
Indian MOnsOons.
The approach to CeyIon is really the
greatest charm that accompanies visit to
the island. 1t is even money that the
steamer Will pass through a monsoon be
fore reaching Colombo. the chief port of
the Red sea. and then the heat of this
water Of biblical renown is just teFri-
Tying and twice as diSagreeablc. The mon
SOonS OF the Indian ocean come and go in
side of tn hours. The heat OF the Red sea
is eternal But coming out of monsoon.
after ths steamer has been tossed and
twisted and its decks swept from stem to
stern with the angry seas. after the umid
women have finished crying and the Skepti-
cal finished praying. and the purser braveIy
Ills how h. passed through ten times
aS bad. tie shores of Ceylon look like the
realization of fond nope. There is a long
stretch Of siIvery beach. surmounted with
t6" seemluGly tmpreguahle groves of citrou
ard cinnamon. cocoa and palms, and in
IhHir midst Colombo appears like fairy
city with its myriad spires of oriental de-
sign studded with giided balls glittering in
the sun.
Just as the steamer phys slowly past the
breakWater then comes the first phalanX of
r-=&aTS- Crowded in long. narrow canoes,
,Hatteriug. jaobering, pushing one another
INTO rh@ water. they paddle with feet and
HIUds to meet the big liner regardless of
the danger Of The propellers or the sharp
Nuw. All of a sudden they yell with one
accord 81 mething that sounds like 'Di di'
which is meaningless to the visitor, but
which a kind and COnSiterate steward, al
ways trying 10 make himself heard. says is
an appeal for some passenger to throw
penny into the water and see them dive
Icr it,
Deep Dive for Pennies.
:" some passenger, more ambitious than
TN rest. takes from his boarded wealth a
brown British copper. filings it into the
water. and Immediately the entire lot. may
BE- hundred or more. plunge into the deep
and wriggle Ike polliwoss to the bottom,
j"stling and fighting for the sinking penny.
The lucky one brings the coin to the sur
1@c" IN his teeth. and the crowd is gener-
ally rewarded by a shower of pennies from
JA" deck of the steamer.
But the CeylUnese is not behind times. AS
soon as he sees that coppers are plentiful
Nc refuses {" dive for them, and will go
into the water for othing less than piece
of silver Tacy will let the pennies go with
ou' an effort to catch them; they know
that they are safe at the bottom of the bay
ana that they can return and get them
after the ship has sailed.
Once anchor * dropped they swarm over
the side, crazy, chattering mass, with
baskets of fruits, jeweiry, trinkets and
nuch-heard-Of magicians who make plants
crow on the deck from little handfuls Of
sand. drag snakes from the pockets of the
}''tSSeuSers ahd perform other feats of the
Hindu wizard too numerous TO mention
In. dealers in jeweiry and iaces are the
most accomplished swindlers in the world
however Everything they have to sell is
rated at price So far beyond its actual
Naiu" that one marvels at their nerve in
HSkiuA such a price. Clever people can't
hT.it thHm down. as the term goes. btEt
lh'Fe ar others who are willing to pay $40
1of "a mtX-ceuJ fan lust to say that il came
from colombo And 1 knew of one young
woman who actually paid so for an alleged
S''i ring that turned black within four
hyurS after the steamer had LEFT port
The supreme sight in Colombo is rho
tempt" at Buddha. Ii is with awe that one
approaches this place of worship where
me mS. painted god. glass cased and in
'HiyS dlHeient postures. rules over the
spiritual deStinieS of his people. OF course
1he temple Is not reached without A strug-
gle II l. on the road to Handy, the ancient
capital OF Ceylon and it Is Fo~. -,-,1.e
,h'lr Ihe visitor hires a carriage in Co
l"hh". four-wheeled. ancient eduinape
Drawn ny pair of small shaggy ponies
'hat would not take a fourth prize in A dog
SNOW Ihe driver is a Hindu. He will let
i iu" n.'e the carriage for day for dol
TAR. tat at the same time he will beg for
hl$ aged mother his poor brother and his
SlS'e ef~il-law and his whole family arI Won
.Ht iScNy II you can get into the carriage
N'hout hrst parting with s..
An Undesirable Escort.
one" the start is made, a hundred bagrars
boys girls. men and women: some Grin
pies some blind, and some naked-rrsb
from under the canOpies that shade the
-tof"S- and surround the carriage and CRY,
III p!ainuve tones Tor a penny ..Whip nm
the horses. You yell to the driver but thai
i no Use. The ma tiveS can run faster than
ihr horses They follow the carriage for
miles and miles. others Join in the chase
crowds rush down the road TO meet 1t ana
They Chamber around the wheels and sav 10
IN visitor. My good papa my dear Daps
klnln" "A penny, and Just one penny nv
Gear papa II Is no use TO give them any
IhinS for II only makes them worse but
their persistent and untirins energy and
thcir wonderful ability as sprinters create
admiration.
II mist not ue wondered ar that fhev
SPEAK English, because they live in a Brit
lSh possession, and ! want to say right her.
I'l,'t. a'ter making long tour of the world
mover visited 4 -sritish possession but the
natives had been educated In the value of
Ilo.irN ana begged for it continually In
'lt i' sessions Of the other nations the ma
ilE'N nave been taught the more valuable
IIH'llHeS OF domestic economy Take the
i"nch and German possessions In the
So Sr9s as an instance. Money there is