The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1910-04-19

| Asia. Long before the town came -
SIGHT we could see the tall splfe OF
the Golden PagCda, and as we steam
ed closer another shaft OF gold came
into view. 1t was that or the soule
Pagoda q Burmese which
rises high out OF the business blocks
in the very heart OF the city. our
ship came right up to the WflaiNeS
and we stepped out into one OF the
oueerest crowds to be found IN al
Asia.
Cosmopolitan Rangoon.
This city is more cosmopolitan lhah
Calcutta, Cairo or Constant1nople II
is East Indian rather than burmese.
and it has people Of every nation ana
Of almost every tribe Of the Asiatic
continent. It has $4,000 Chinese, a
large mum Der Of Malays. 1000 Euro
peans, and more than 100000 lnulans
from all parts OF Hindustan. me
people are OF all cOlors, black, White,
yellow and brown, and they wear all
sorts Of costumes. The East Indian
coolies are naked, except for a cioth
around the waist and a red or White
turban. Their black skins shine like
Jet under the tropical sun. Many Oh
the Chinese are rich. and they are
clad in silks or fine ccttons while the
Burmese strut about in silk skirts or
the most delicate cOlors, their heads
covered with gorgeous silk turbans.
They wear jackets Of silk or fine cot
ton. and move about like human out
terties here and there through the
crowd. In addition there are tall-hat-
ted, Iong-coated Parsees from BON
bay, worshipers Of fire, who are de-
voted to banking and trading, and
lean, skinny black Chetties, money
lenders from Madras, who wear only
a sheet OF cotton wrapped around
their bare persons There are Indian
>r- " no1- IF Old fhrAo orr
Jackets and waist cloths; Hindoo wo-
men with rings in their noses, and
Burmese girls clad in cotton or silk.
with plugs in their ears. The cos
tunes are 50 many | cannot describe
them.
On the Streets.
The traffic about the wharves and
through the city is carried on by
strange m and in strange We
hicles. The passenger cab is the
gharry, a yellow or black box hauled
by an Indian pony and driven by q
HindOO or Burman. The heavy
freight is dragged over the roads in
carts by the bumped cattle Of Hindus-
tan. and great loads OF goods are
pushed and pulled along by half
naked men. The men work as hard
as the animals. and the white sweat
stands out upon their black skins as
they drag the freight inward. There
are also fine carriages, owned by the
Europeans, and even automobiles,
With HlndOo chauffeurs in turbans I
ride about in a gnarry at a cost of
about 10 cents a trip, and my baggage
was carried from the steamer to the
hotel on a cart drawn by breech-
clouted Hindoos. On the way I saw
a Burman riding a bicycle plated with
nickel. He had pulled his red silk
skirt high up his thighs, and l OBJ
served that he had silver clasps on
each leg, just over the knee, to hold
1t. He wore a turban and jacket. and
sat straight as he rode.
This afternoon / took q street car
trip out into the country. The rail
way was an overhead trolley, and the
cars were divided into two classes. the
first of which costs double the price
OF the second. In order to see the
people, rode second class, sitting be-
tween a Bengal Hindoo in Jacket and
calico trousers, and a Burmese girl.
dressed IN a cotton sarong, a jacket
and a pink shawl, which was thrown
over her shoulders. She had a fat
cigar IN her hand, and asked me to
smoke. Behind me were two Hin
docs wearing skull caps embroidered
with gold, and d Burmese gentleman.
we'll clad and wearing amber pl,ps in !
MS ears. In front was a Burmese
WoHan with a baby in her arms.
l ne enid head was shaved clean. ex-
ceptlhg a patch on the crown the size
OF a dollar. And then there were
MonaTlrneoan women close yelled,
Arab. in fez caps, East Indian soldiers
IN turDans. and Chinese with queues
hanging down their silk gowns at the
pack. AS we rode or we passed the
carriage OF the governor, a magnif-
cent landau, hauled by white horses.
WIN coachmen and footmen gorgeous
IN livery, and a troop Of outriders in
lTOilt. W. went bV rice mills and /