El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-03-19
Copyright, 1910, by Frank G. Oappenter.)

: roundings were formed by enforced
! gifts from the worshipers of Buddha.
/ The labor upon it was voluntary, and
when the king sent out notice that it
| was to be built, money and jewels
1 Moved into him from all parts of Bur-
ma The monument is kept up by the
freewill offerings of the people. 1t
has been plated with gold leaf again
and again, until the brick and stucco
/ OF which it is made contain more of
the precious metal than the best ore of
our big western mines.
| One OF the last kings of Burma once
made a vow that he would give his
weight in gold to the monument. At
ter he had taken bath, and scrubbed
| himself down to the lowest possible
number of pounds, he jumped on one
side Of the scales and piled up gold
| on the other. 1t took just enough to
make it cost him $4,000. With the
| money more gold leaf was bought, and
the upper part of the pagoda received
| fresh coat. I say fresh, but 1 doubt
whether even then the new part could
have been distinguished from the old.
The whole mighty monument has hard
( ~ a furnished spot on ii. 1t is covered
with gold, purer than that of an Amer
| lean gold eagle and it shines like a
I
! the structure is much like beehive.
1t is terraced around as it goes upward.
! growing smaller and smaller until it
ends in the spire.
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 10 the two Burmese brothers
w 1n MA Cd
many years ago, and since then the
| followers of Buddha have come here
to worship The first pagoda was erect
ed on the site SIS years before Christ
was born, and the present structure
was already in place 100 years before
! Boston was founded.
Today the Buddhists consider it an
almost sure passport to heaven to erect
a small pasoda about the base of the
great Shwe Dagon; and now there are
hundreds OF little temples most ex-
quisitely carved and often plated with
gold running clear around the great
monument. These are on the average.
l should say, something like 80 feet
nigh, ending in spires plated with gold.
J they are much like chapels and inside
each Of them is sitting statue of Bud
dha, often Of more than life size Some
OF these statues are gold plated, others
are OF silver, and not a few of ala
/ oaster or marble. They hug the base
/ of the mighty pagoda
The Third Biggest Ben OF the World.
] Round the edges of the platform.
1 leaving a court several hundred feet
wide between, are other temples of
exquisite carving. some of which have
reclining Buddhas a hundred or more
! 1eet 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. II weighs ~ tons.
and it would take something like 81
horses to haul II if it could be put
upon wheels and dragged over the
| reads. 1t is so thick that the yellow
goWred priest who acts as my guide
can just touch the inside Of the rim
with his fingers while the outside rests
IN the crook of his elbow. He strikes il
with deer horn and the sound, booms
out on the air.
This bell was presented to Buddha
by native king about 20 years ago
When the English took the country
they decided TO carry it off to London
as trophy. They got the bell down
as FAR as the Irawadi river, but in at
tempting to load it on vessel it fell
INTO the stream and their engineers
some Burmans came up and asked if
they might have the bell If they could
PUT 1t back in its place The English,
with sheer, granted their request
having no idea that .they could sue
ceed The BurmanS went at once 10
work They used no machinery, but
oS means OF thousands of men working
tosether they lifted the great mass up
the banks and carried it back TO where
II now stands on Pagoda hill.
Buddhists at Prayers.
but let US stroll around the pagoda
platIerm and have look at the people
al prayers. All the worshiping is done
III the open. There are scores of men.
women and children kneeling on the
pare Dicks Their hands are folded
ana they look up at the spire as they
pray Ihey are not idola tiers. They do
NOT worship the spire nor the images,
u"t come to this holy place to renew
thelr vows, to think upon Buddha and
repent OF their sins. Their worship is
isai' see this woman kneeling here at
my fishl- Her pink silk gown is
wrapped tightly about her body, and her
pare feet stick out behind. She is ris-
ing and falling and counting her beads
as she sings out her prayers. She has
1 , IN ner hands, and as we watch
she rises and lays them on the lap of q
buddha in one of the chapels.
On the other side of us are three
Dcuuhist nuns. They are dressed in
pam yellow cotton and have little more
thah sheet of this stuff wrapped
around them. Their heads are shaved
crosse They hold out cloths, upon
when the people throw offerings as
Iney pass by Each nun has a rosary
ABOUT her neck, and she tells her beads
as She prays
women and Their Sins.
Inc buddhist religion takes but small
account or women, and the rules are
such that monk cannot reside under
the same roof with a nun. He cannot
lravel IN a cart or boat with woman,
ana one Of the books of the law says
that he must not touch her, and that If
any woman, even his mother, should
fall into ditch, he must not offer his
hand to help her out. He may hold