Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-04-24

buTihese dress was well ntted TO snow
all her beauties. The women here are
Glad in two garments. One of these is a
jacket OF silk, cotton or gauze which
reaches to the hips. and the other
bright silken skirt which is wrapped
around the waist and falls to the feet
This skirt is square; it is about five feet
In width. and Is fastened by a half hitch
with an opening down at the front. The
skirt is so tight that when the girl walks
rapidly she shows her bare legs to the
knee: but by throwing out the heels and
going pigeon-tOed the folds are prevented
from parting to an immodest degree. In
lower Burma many of the skirts are now
sewn together at the front on account of
the comments which foreigners have
made upon the costume.
X
These dresses are of different lengths,
and the richer women often have skirts
which trail upon the ground. The colors
are those of the rainbow. the most deli
cate hues being used. My fair merchant
wore jacket of gauze, and her skirt
reached as high as the armpits. The
jacket was so thin that the brown skin
could be seen through the meshes, expos
ing the neck, shoulders and arms. She
had beautiful face. Her eyes were
large, soft and brown with eyelids just
trif1e oblque and high-arching. delicate
brows. Her hair, which was glossy black,
was rolled up in pyramid on the
crown. and fastened there with a bright
golden comb. She wore a necklace of
pearls. to which were hung pendants of
amber. and double string of pearls fell
as low as her waist. She had seven gold
bracelets on each Of her wrists dia-
mond ring on her finger and diamond
plugs In her ears. She was. I judge
about fifteen years of age. but girls ma
ture here at thirteen, and she was
woman grown.
All the girls here wear ear plugs. They
cannot enter society without them. AS
maiden approaches the age of coming out
which is usually at twelve or thirteen
her ears are bored. and the ceremony is
as important to her as the first long dress
is to her American sister. The ceremony
is formal, and il must he done when the
stars are propitious The family consults
the fortune teller for this OCCASION and
big feast is prepared. All the relatives
and friends attend in their best clothes
to witness the piercing. This is done by
a professional earborer. who uses needles
of pure gold for the rich and silver ones
for the poor.
When the exact moment has arrived the
girl is laid down upon mat In the back
Of the room and her relatives hold her
there while the ear-borer thrusts the
golden needle through the lobe and twists
it around into ring. This he leaves In
the ear. The other ear is treated like
wise.
y
While this is going on the bands play,
and after it there is a feast. 1t takes
the ear some time to heal When 1t Is
quite we'll the process OF enlarging the
hole begins. The needle is pulled back
and forth until the sore heals. 1t Is then
taken out and a little cylinder of finely
rolled gold is pressed in This is gradual
ly opened from week to week, stretching
49, 1lv,1n
being kept in until 1t grows to the proper
size. Such people as cannot afford gold
or silver put stems Of elephant grass in
their ears, inserting stem upon stem until
at last the hole in the lobe will contain
bunch as big around as your thumb. After
the ears are we'll healed the plugs or hol-
low pipes are inserted
Some of the women stretch their
ear holes until they grow to an in
conceivable size l have seen peasant
girls with ear holes large that nap
kin ring could be thrust through one,
and 1t Is not uncommon to see a Burmese
maid with big cigar thrust through one
ear There was not a merchant in the
bazaar at Mandalay who could not have
used her ears for cigarette holders, and
but few who had ear plugs less than the
size of their finger tips.
Speaking of tobacco, all Burmese wom-
en- smoke, and a girl learns to puff at a
cigar long before her ears are bored.
Children are taught the habit as soon as
they are able to walk, and I see four
year-old boys putting cigarettes. The
average cigar used by the women looks
much like a long ear of popcorn with
the husk on. 1t is made of other leaves
in connection with tobacco: it is loosely
rolled and is often tied with a string.
All the girls are adept in making che
roots and at party one girl may roll
for the crowd, the big cigars being passed
about from one guest to another, each
taking q Whit. In counting, l doubt not,