The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-03-20
ONE OF THE CHAPELs, SHOWING
THE CARVING.
This 10 plated with gold and has .
golden sitting Buddhs lnslde. A1H.

ONE OB THE CAAFEL9Sd odOW1N0 4
THE CARVING.
This 10 plated with gold and has .
golden sitting Buddha lnside. Mr..
Carpenter at the right.
is terraced around as It goes upward.
growing smaller and smaller until It
ends in the spirc.
Eight Holy Hairs OF the Prophet.
The monument stands over certain
relics Of Buddha, including eight hairs
which the prophet pulled from his head,
and gave to the two Burmese brothers
who planted them here. That was
many years ago. and since then tho
followers OF Buddha have come here
to worship The hrst pagoda was
erected on the site SIS years before
Christ was born. and tho present struct-
ure was already IN place 100 years be-
fore Boston was founded.
To-day the Buddhists consider It an
almost sure passport to Heaven to
erect small pagoda about the base
OF the great Shwe Dagon; and now
there are hundreds OF little temples,
most exquisitely carved and often
plated with gold. running clear around
the great monument. These are on the
thirty feet high, ending in spires plated
with gold. They are much like chap
els, and inside each OF them IS a sit
ting statue OF Buddha, often gilmore
than life size. Some of these statues
are gold plated. others are Of silver,
and not few OF alabaster or marble.
They hug the base OF the mighty pago-
da.
The Third Biggest Bell of the World.
Round the edges of the platform.
leaving a court several hundred feet
wide between. are other temples Of
exquisite carving. some Of which have
reclining Buddhas hundred or more
Ireet in length, and at the back at one
corner Is the great Buddhist bell. which
| is said to be the third largest OF its
! kind in the world. It weighs forty
two tons. and 1t would take something
like eighty horses to haul TIT itcould
| be put upon wheels and dragged over
the roads. It Is SO thick that tho yell
1 low -gowned priest who acts as my
\ guide can Just touch the inside OF tho
rim with his fingers while the outside
rests In the crook OF his elbow. He
strikes 1t with deer horn and the
sound booms out on the air.
This bell was presented to Buddha
lby q native king about seventy years
1 ago. When the English took the coun-
try they decided to carry it Oft to Lon-
i don as q trophy. They got the bell
down as far as the Irawadi River, but
4 In attempting to load 1t on a vessel It
fell into the stream and their engl-
neers could not raise It again. Upon
this, some Burmans came up and asked
IL they might have the bell II they
could put 1t back in It's place. The
English. with sneer, granted their
4 request, having no idea that they could
i succeed. Tho Burmans went at once
to work. They used no machinery. but
by means Of thousands OF men work.
tup the banks and carried It back to
where 1t now stands on Pagoda ELL.
\ Buddhlsts at Prayers.
But let us stroll around the pagoda
4 platform and have a look at the people
at prayers. All the worshiping is
done In the open. There are scores
OF men, women and children kneelins
on the bare bricks. Their hands are
folded and they look up at the spire
as they pray. They are not ldolaters.
They do not worship the spire nor the
images. but come to this holy place Q
renew their vows. to think upon Budd-
ha and repent OF their sins. Their
worship Is real See this woman
kneeling here at my right Her pink
silk gown Is wrapped tightly about her
/
hind. She is rising and falling and
counting her beads as she sings out her
u prayers. She has flowers in her hands,
and as we watch she rises and lays
4 them on the lap OF Buddha in one OF
{. the chapels.
4 On tho other side OF us arc three
= Buddhist nuns. They arc dressed in
4, plain yellow cotton and have little
4 more than sheet Of this stuff wrapped
Il around them. Their heads are shaved
sIclose. They hold out cloths, upon
!! (which the people throw offerings as
!, they pass by. Each nun has rosary
4 about her neck, and she tells her beads
as she prays. 81
I Women and Their Sins.
The Buddhist religion takes hui
Il small account Of women. ana the rulers
iare such that monk cannot reside
/, under the same rood with a nun. HI
J, cannot travel In a cart or boat with q
woman, and one Of the books Of the
u law says that he must not touch her
! and thatsIf any woman. ever his moth
!. er. should fall into ditch. he mus
not offer his hand to help 8iler out, r.
. may hold forth q stick, but u sht
grasps 1t he must imagine hosis pull
ing at a log Of wood, 4A g ding 70
Buddhist saying the sins OF the Wors
! man arc thousand times less thai
those OF the best woman that eve
lived. Nevertheless there are numer
Gus converts all over this counsry i AM
nuns are everywhere found
J. we see many priests worsh lplni
, about tho pagodn. Here comes on
now. He must be sixty years old. an
: his brown face Is wlthered. his necl
shrunken ana his thin logs seem to tot
Ter. He is clad only on two strips 70
!, bright yellow cotton. his right shoul
J, der and arm being bare. In his lef
!, hand is a pair OF old SANDALS. tn
!, Hweaty outlines ofShis foot marked q
! the yellow leather. and in his right y
! carries q small bunch Of roses. II
1 kneels on tho bricks with the troplca
.suR beating Avwp upon his shave!