The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1910-04-19
would be given a job at the hauling
The ROYAL Beasi Of siam.

IN fact, about the only place whore
the White elephant has any semhlance
OF royalty left is Siam. Tine common
people there worship him. and the
king nov and then rides out unon one
IN great state. The national coat al
arms is a picture of this royal beast.
It has its place upon the flag and ais"
upo the principal coins. With the
awakening OF the country ana the new
movements. however. supsrstitions are
passing away. The better classes
think much as we 0o, and his MAJESTY.
the king. keeps his white elephants
only out OF sentiment and respect for
the beliefs Of his people. He has ele-
phant stables connected with his
palaces. and there are several Of these
so4calIed white animals IN the stalls.
| visited them during my last sta. IN
BANGKOK. They We're chained 70
stone posts and were watched by
keepers. who chewcd the betel and
spai on the ground as they made the
elephants perform for me.
These beasts We're Of an ashy gray
olor and they looked dirty rather
than white. ] am told that their
color comes from a disease somewhat
like leproSy, and that this sometimes
causes the animal affected 10 SO crazy
Indeed, a white elephant j usually a
rogue elephant, or one which should
always be watched and never allowed
to go loose.
Tt elephants row in the Stables at
Hankkok are from the northern part
Of Siam. All those OF the country
belong to the king. but the man who
can send in a white elephant is still
rewarded, and the advent Of Il new
one causes general rejoicing. for II IS
looked upon IS a sign of good luck
and prosperity.
The Gateway to Sootia Asa.
I write this letter in What is the
most up-to-date booming city Of the
for taCE 1CnOnnn jC tho tlDjial of
Burma. II is growing faster than
Calcutta.
1t already stands third among the
great ports Of the indian empire,
crowding the heels Of Bombay, and
there are many who ~prophesy that IL
Will eventually be the biggest city Of
Southern Asia, lying here at the
mouth Of the Irawadi. il forms the
only gate to one Of the richest valleys
Of the world. and in time. by railroads
already projected, it will be the gate
way to western China as we'll. The
city has now a population Of 3Go.oto.
1t runs for miles up and down the
river and extends back into the fat
a~lluvial Irawadi delta. 1t is backed
by some OF he biggest rice lands Of
the world, and it exports more rice
than any other port on earth. The
amount to be shipped this year Is
valued at $65, 600 ,000, and the river
is now filled with great steamers
loading for Japan, China, Australia
India. CuIope and North and South
America Among them are river
boats and barges which have brought
rice in from the country. and there
are great fleets at the mills loading
and unloading their carSoes Rice
o is the money crop of the country, and
g it make the Burmese comparatively
k rich.
n Burma in a Birds Eye.
g But before l go farther, let me give
YOU q birds eye view Of this country
v You all know it's location. Better
perha ps than the Bostonian, who,
when asked where it was, replied:
a Burma, Burma? OF course ]
# know where it is. have a cousin on,
there, but he calls it Bermuda
h The Burma from where / am
writing is away off here on the oppo-
site side of the world. 1T lies near the
eastern shores of the bay of Bengal
several hundred miles south Of the
Hinlalaya mountains, and just across
the way from the peninsula Of Hin
- dustan. on the north it runs close
to Thihet: and on the east it skirts the
Chinese province of Yunna and
French 1ndo-China, with the Sianese
states on the south. The country IS
as long as from Canada to the MeN-
is can gulf. and wider than from New
York to Cleveland. 1t is bigger thar
d France, Germany or the Spanish
peninsula. and it has a population OF
y ten millions, of whom eight million:
ere the ~proudest. best dressed anl
most lovable people of Asia.
|. On the Irawadi.
came into Burma up the IraWad
river. The capital. RangOOn. from
where ! write. lies about twenty miles
from the mouth Of one of the stream:
forming the delta. The IraHadi is
one of the greatest of the world
q great rivers. It rises somewhere il
Tibet and flows a thousand mile
e through this country before it rcaches
n the sea. 1t carries down SO mucf
silt thai the blue waters OF the Bay O
It Pengal are made yellow by II II
o coming here we travelled Tor hour:
q through what looked like pea soui
st before We caught sight of land, and IL
l. the river itself the water Was d:
', brown as oatmeal Cruel and almost a:
a thick. 1t left a r.ch sediment in thu