Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1908-08-28
ON THE ROAD
TO MANDALAY
Once Forbidden Burma Now a
Resort of Tourists
Thebaw's Palace.

Burma, once forbidden. has become
attractive to tourists. Steam ships from
Liverpool run directly to Rangoon, the
great city Of the country, and a book
has been published for the use of tray
elers for pleasure, There is much 70
see that is novel in Burma and visitors
rave only to plan their journey Tor
the cooler months between November
and March to nave a good time.
Travellers are cautioned not to make
personal remarks about the Burmans
they may meet. The more intelligent
natives probably understand English,
and in any case they are very SEN
sitive to ridicule.
The women OF the country are very
charming at a distance, but do not
bear close inspection. They are quite
as naive as the Japanese and far more
free In their ways, but they greatly
resent familiarity.
They are the merchants Of the mar
ket places, and the traveller must have
his wit about him or ne will be over
reached In trade The government has
found IL necessary 10 war all white
corners against the intelligence and
business capacity of these women mer-
chants.
You may travel by rail or steamboat
up the majestic Irawadi to Mandalay,
the capital OF Upper Burma, in the
heart of the country. You may steam
up that river to Bhamo, far above
Mandalay. on the splendid steamers
that ply from Rangoon to the head of
navigation.
Rangoon has become a great COM
mercial city, as much European as
Burmese, so that IL does not offer the
surprises that are found further in
llnd, though its pagodas are among
the most magnificent in Asia. For mas
sive grandeur the Shwe Dagon pagoda
with Its huge dome overlaid with gold
leaf, has few equals In the world and
the Burmese take special pride in 1t.
For $50 miles up the river from Ran
COON the country may be said to be
n vast rice field. Burma is the largest
producer OF rice, and for several
months during the shipping season
tourists see at every railroad and
steamboat station long lines OF rice
bags piled up eight feet high awaiting
transport to the rice mills and the
docks OF Rangoon.
The greatest objects OF interest at
Mandalay are King Thebaw's palaces,
where lived that weak ruler n his
handsome queen, who controlled him
and melted the bloody deeds that made
him infamous. The palaces stand in a
walled enclosure four miles square,
pierced with guard gates and sur
ounde by a moat. Thebaw and his
queen now live in India, prisoners OF
the British government.
Today there is not an article OF the
furniture In any Of the palaces. A part
or the queens palace was used for a
while as a club for Europeans, blu Lord
Curzon ordered it to be given up, as
all the buildings are Of teal and a
fire might easily destroy everything.
Nearly every building his its curious
history. One of the structures is q
watch tower OF solid wood, started and
completed in one day by Thebaw's
father, who told the builder that unless
he completed the structure in "A hours
he would be beheaded.
All visitors have a talk with Cap
tain Reoman, who was imprisoned with
other Europeans by Thebaw. For q
week he and the other whites were
led out every day to be beheaded. but
for some reason were remanded to
prison. They were all released when
the British forces came up, but the
strain was too great for one of the
unfortunates, who went mad in that
week.
1t was Thebaw who, melted by his
wife, put to death under circumstances
OF great brutality between 10 and 80
princes, princesses and high officials
In February. 1879. The outburst OF
horror and indignation which these
massacres caused led soon after TO the
overthrow of Thebaw and the occu-
patton OF his country by the british.