The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1909-12-31
Burma Is the Heaven of Oriental Women

All Of us who were singing con the
Road to Mandalay" few years ag0-and
there were mighty few Of us who let it
alone vocally-wiil be a bit surprised to
be informed that RangoOn, where the
dawn comes up like thunder and other
interesting things happen, looks TO the
approaching tourist like an up-to-udt5
American business center
In fact, according TO a writer IN lhe
Southern Workman, the capital of Burma
has many American towns beat a mile IN
the civic Improvement line. 'lJs elecLlc-
lighted highways, all broad, neatly paved
and well drained, its brilliant Illuminated
bOulevards, with rows OF graceful We'll
trimmed trees bordering both sides its
blocks of buildings. all laid out after a
carefully considered plan, showing httie
of architectural beauty but must OF aus
tere regularity, astOnish the stranger
when you take into consideration lie
fact that RangoOn hast system OF PARKS
and paTkWays with beautiful shade trees
choice flowers and crystal lakes, arIu-
ciai and natural, dotted about them and
that IL provides breathing spaces tor PEG
pie living in cOngeSted dlsllcts you can
not but form a good idea of the aliVenesS
of the municipal corporation. A 6oOd
horse carriage service now being rapidly
superseded by the trolley, makes trans
pOTtatiOn easy and cheap. The city mas
provided splendid schools and play
grounds. Yet SO years ago Rangoon was
a mere fishing village.
One item from Mr.. Kipling's picture Of
RangoOn referred to the elephants haul
ing taakwood i'm the slushy. smudgy
creek" Well, they are still at it, working
with wonderful precision and an apparent
sense of responsibility. They don't Try
to soldier, never get in one anOthers way
or mixed up with the machinery, no mat
ter how cramped they may be for room.
Some of them take the teak logs which
have been flOated down the river and
tow them ashore. Then they drag them to
the sawmills, either rolling them with one
foot while they walk on three, pushing
them with their tusks or pulling them
with a chain attached to "a breast plate.
Inside the mill an elephant selects a
log. picks it out with his tusks, kicks il
up to the saw with his toes, then, tying
his trunk into a kind of knot around the
long. holds il against the teeth of the saw
while it is made into boards. pushing
aside to the outside slabs as they are cut
off and adjusting the log TO make boards
of the proper thickness.
Then he piles the boards up neatly,
standing off to examine the effect, and if
ne finds a board out of line carefully adj
justing il. Sometimes a pair Of elephants
working together exchange peculiar
gTunts, as if they were giving and recetv-
ing directions.
They are used in Burma for various pur-
poses. The young calves are ridden Ike
horses. with soft pad and stirrups.
They are found especially valuable IN BAD
country and may be ridden % or 50 miles
a day. A tap on the side of the head,
slight pressure of the knee or a word
whispered into the ear is all that is re-
quired to guide them
1t is not at all a difficult matter for an
elephant in prime condition TO Outrun
fast horse, but they cannot jump. A deep
ditch only six or seven feet wide is i'm
passable to them.
Working elephants are in their prime
when they are p years old. They are eX-
pensive to feed il being declared i'm Ran
COON that an elephant eats a quarter of
his weight in feed every day. An average
day S food for one Is certainly NJ pounds.
Socially, Burma is unlike other oriental
countries. Men and WOmen-eVen young
men and wOmen-Walk together IN the
streets and mingle i'm social gatherings.
COuTtShiD always preCeGeS the marriage.
The Burmans are ardent lovers, and
when young man and woman find that
their parents do not approve of the
match they usually repair TO the woods
and return after day OF two as man
and wife sure Of parental forgiveness.
Marriage among Burmans is an extremely
simple affair The only ceremony per-
same bowl of rice. Usually feast is
given to the relatives and friends of the
families concerned. No sacrifices are Of
fered, no services are performed.
A woman is as much privileged to seek
and obtain a divorce as is a man. All
that is required is to lodge complaint OF
marital infelicity with the village elders. |
They make inquiries and seek to recon
ellie the couple I'm most cases the family
feUd is ended by their Intervention, but
if reconciliation is out of the question the
marriage is annulled and a divorce is
granted.
The Burman wears a smile on his coun-
tenance, laughs and looks upon life
through rOse-cOlOred speCtacles. Both the
women and the men wear Tich-hued silk
en- clothes. But while there is gaiety there
is no indeCOrum or impropTiety-
For women Burma is a little heaven on
earth, if we are to believe enthusiastic
writer's Mrs. BuTman is ubiquitous. Jew
elFy stores containing untold wealth in
pearls. rubies and other gems are IN
charge of women. Markets and fruit
stalls are run by women.
At the railroad station a woman sells
YOU the tickets and another one is
ready to take dictauQn and to do your
tNDeWritlng. Not long ago a woman
stock broker died leaving @ fortune
which she had made herself But the
Burmese woman does not let business
interfere with motherhood She runs
the shop with one hand and the chill
When she marries the woman retains
her own name and any property she
may have inherited or acquired. When
divorced she is expected to support
her children, but this is no hardship
for her, since she cared for them when
she lived with her husband. The Bur
mese child rarely sees the father, but
is brought up to look to its mother for
guidance and support.
The Burmese woman takes a great
interest I'm public affairs, and the pOT-
tails of the University of RaugOon have
been open to her for a number of
years. Her Intelligence, her beauty,
her freedom from racial caste preju-
dice all make her an acceptable bride
in the eyes of foreigners who so to
Burma.
Marriage with a foreigner means as
a rule that she can live in plenty and
comfort without working. Naturally
she looks upon such a marriage with
favor. The Burmans are of MongOlian
origin. and consequently the Chinese
and Burmese marriage prouuces a
viTile race. With this exception the
of races in Burma has not
proved desirable.
This is especially so I'm case Of mar
riaEes between Europeans and Bur
mans. The offspring of such marriages
are termed Eurasians. who unfortu-
nately seem TO be looked down upon