El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-03-19

the sins of the worst man are a thou
sand times less than those of the best
woman that ever lived. Nevertheless
there are numerous converts all over
this country, and nuns are everywhere
found.
We see many priests worshiping
about the pagoda- Here comes one
now. He must be so years old, and his
brown face is withered, his neck
shrunken and his thin legs seem to tot
ter. He is clad only in two strips of
bright yellow cotton, his right shoulder
and arm being bare In his left hand is
pair of old sandals, the sweaty out
lines of his foot marked on the yellow
leather, and in his right he carries
small bunch of roses. He kneels on the
bricks with the tropical sun beating
down upon his shaved head, and holds
up the flowers as he prays. After
time he goes to a chapel and lays them
on the knees of a great golden Buddha-
There are many family parties pray
ing, men, women and children kneeling
together. They all act as though their
religion was one of rejoicing. They
laugh and smoke on their way to and
from prayers. They hold their heads
high, and are evidently proud of both
Buddha and Burma.
SuperstitiOus Worshipers.
But what is this coming around the
corner from the other side of the great
golden spire- 1t is a middle-aged man,
alternately rising and falling. He
| wears a turban and waist cloth. and
his skin is as dark as that of a negro.
He is a Buddhist from India, and he
must have something of the Hindu in
his religion, for ne is prostrating him
self on the brick platform and measur-
| ing the distance around the pagoda with
his half-naked form, saying a prayer
every time he spreads himself out with
| his face to the bricks. He Hes>flat on
| the floor and puts his bare arms as
| far out as he can reach. stretching
every muscle from the ends of his toes
to the tips OF his fingers. He presses
his fingers hard upon the bricks, and
marks his limit of reach with candle.
He then rises and walks to this candle.
He picks it up and then prostrateS him
self once more on his face and prays,
using the candle TO mark the spot
where his finger-tips rest. He goes
fast, the whole circuit of the pagoda
being covered in less than an hour
We watch him at the end of his jour
! ney. AS he completes the circuit he lies
praying for three or four minutes, and
then rises with, a beatific look upon his
face evidently believing that he has ac
CURED merit
About the Shrines.
Later on we make a tour of the
shrines. There are hundred or more.
all ending in spires of gold far below
the spire Of this great golden mountain
All are beautifully carved, and some
are walled with colored glass, so set in
golden wires that when the sun shines
they show the many splendors of the
peacock's tail. The Buddhas within have
offerings of flowers, fruit and rice ly-
ing before them At some candles are
burning. and on their laps offerings of
brocades and silks have been placed
We are touched by the sentiment
shown by the worshipers. They are of
all classes and conditions; some poor.
sick and sad. but most are rich and
well dressed and apparently joyful
All seem self-resp ecting, and 1T would
be unfair to say that they are not in
earnest in their religion. l am told
that the Burmese are naturally reli-
gious. They are charitable, and when
ever one has a surplus he spends it in
erecting resthouses, or places along the
road where travellers can have a cool
drink of water. They have spotted the
whole country with pagodas; they are
to be found in every town and village
and on almost every hill. There are
monasteries everywhere and the coun-
try has more religious monuments, per-
haps, than any other of its size in the
world. census taken some years ago
showed that there are more than $4,000
monasteries, and that Burma had on
the average one for every SO houses.
At that time there were 1000 men in
the nonasteries. or more than percent
of the whole population.
The Monks of Burma.
1t must be remembered, however, that
the personnel of the monastery is COLI
stantly changing. Men come in and go
out. Boys put on the yellow robe of
the priesthood and lay it aside in or
der to marry. According TO the faith
as taught here, every Buddhist man or
boy must be a monk before his soul can
be born. Until then he is a beast, and,
If he dies, is sure to be reborn in some
filthy body in his next transmigration.
When a boy enters a monastery he
lays aside his good clothes and puts on
a single sheet Of rough yellow cotton.
His head is now shaved, and he goes
forth to beg. No matter what his cir
cumstances may have been, while he is
in the monastery he must live upon
the gifts OF the people, and he goes
forth daily with his begging bowl and
takes what is offered He does this. no
matter how high he rises nor how long
he stays.
The usual time for entering the mon
astery is at the approach of manhood.
The youth are admitted on probation,
and they first act as servants. or
chelahs, for the monks having about
the same place as Kim had with the old
abbot in Rudyard Kipling's delightful
novel of Indian life. Once admitted.
the boys are supposed to devote them
selves to holy living. thinking and do
ing. They are taught the principles
of Buddhist faith and are urged to
spend their lives going about doing
good Some of them take the priest
hood as a profession, and others stav
but short time, for they can come and
go at will
Life in the Monasteries
have visited some of the inconsistencies
during my stay in Burma The life In
them is by no means exciting. The
monks are awakened at daybreak nv
wooden bell, and are supposed TO he ar
their prayers as early as $50 in the
morning As soon as he rises evarv
monk washes his hands and face ana
rinses his mouth. He then smoothes
ont the robe in which he has silent over
night and goes into prayers. After thot
he takes up his duties about the
,,,o-o-+fc ecfa hIi huaDt- ha No.