The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1910-04-26
GIRLS OF MANDALAY
By Frank @. Carpenter.

"oie d ~ecklac Of pearls to which
nuhs pendants of amber. and
e 0'iliS OF pearls fell as low as
Ilef waist. She had seven gold hr,
leis on each Of her wrists > ,3ia-
hiohu ring on her finger and diamond
piuSs IN her ears. She was. i7,aga
ABOUT fifteen years of age but nir1s
mature here at thirteen, ard She vas
d woman grown
Ear Plugs and Woinanhood.
All the girls here wear ear plugs.
theS cahhot inter society without
- AS q maiden approaches the
age OF coming out, which is usually
at twelve or thirteen. her ears arc
pofed. ana the is as i'm
poftaht 10 her as the first long dress
is TO her American sister. The cere-
mony is formal and it must be done
When the stars are propitious. The
family consults the fortune teller for
inns occasion, and q big feast is pre-
pared. All the relatives and friends
attend IN their best clothes to wit
ness the piercing. his is done by
a professional earborer, who uses
needles of pure gold for the rich and
silver ones for the poor.
When the exact has ar
rived the girl is laid down upon a
mat IN the back of the room and her
relatives hole her there While the ear
borer thrusts the golden needles
through the lobe and twists it around
into q ring. This he leaves in the
ear The other ear is treated like
wise.
While his is going on the bands
play. and after it there is a feast.
1t takes the ear some time to heal.
When ii is quite we'll the process of
charging the hole begins. The needle
is pulled back and forth until the
sore heals. 1t is then taken Qua
and a little cylinder Of finely rolled
gold is pressed in. This is gradually
opened from week to week, stretch
ing the hole larger and larger. the
cylinder being kept III until it grows
to the proper size. Such people. as
cannot afford gold or silver, put
stems Of elephant grass in their ears.
inserting stem after stem until at last
the hole in the lobe viii contain a
bunch as big around as your thumb.
After the ears are we'll healed the
plugs or hollow pipes are inserted.
Some of the women stretch their
ear holes until they grow to an in
conceivable size. | have seen peas
ant girls with ear holes SO large that
d napkin ring could be THRIFT
through one. and it is not uncommon
to see a Burmese maid with a big
cigar thrust through one ear. There
was not a merchant in the bazaar at
Mandala 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.
The Girls All Smoke.
Speaking Of tobacco. all Burmese
women 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 | see fo~ur-year-old boys
putting cigarettes. The average cigar
used by the women looks much ike
a long ear of popcorn with the musk
on. 1t is made of other leaves IL
connection with tobacco: 1t IS loosely
rolled and is often tied with a string,
All the girls are adept in making
,cheroots, and at q party one girl may
roll FOR the crowd, h big cigars
passed about from one guest TO an
O her. each taking a Whit. IN court
ing. doubt not, the girl makes the
cigar and the two take loVe-smokes
in turn.
Love and Marriage.
And this brings me to marriage in
Rurma. The customs here are faf
different from those of Japan emma,
Korea or the other countries nave
visited during this trip around t1e
world. The japanese Slrl mas q nus
band picked out by a nla'chlhahei
the Korean takes one at the dIcta-
ton of her parents. While the thlnese
maiden is often sold, and, If maffled'
becomes the slave OF her motiler-in-
law The Siamese girl is nonlinal3
the property Of the king, and the Md
layan is shut up in q Mohamfneuan
harenn. as are millions of women OF
India, Egypt, and Turkey. The bur
mese girl goes about as she pIeases
and narries whom she VIII. i1arlhs
her childhood she associates WIN tit
norc and after marriage she IS look
al mon as a conrade and often rules
the household. She is the business
man of the establishment. she usd-
; alIy makes the money, ana away
carries the purse.
The Burmese marry etriH ="
~ ia maid if not married before
ar+ IF the teens. During the court
shin he young man brings pfesent'
of range and candy; he writes -
l -: ,,raicn- Of lis laIN s pea ~