The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-03-20
on THE pAGoDA PLATFORM.

wonderful structures which form its
base. The sides OF the ehill-are cover.
ed with carved buildings each Of which
is a Jewel, and a gorgeous covered ave-
nue. of gold, with a ridge roof upheld
by white marble pillars, leads by
| stairways to the platform above. The
4 platform itself covers fourteen acres,
1 or as much space as the Pyramid Of
| Cheops. and 1t is from this that the
gold spire starts.
But first let. US make our way up
through the arcades. There is no road
on earth more curious than that which
leads to the shrine. Its stone floor has
throughout the ages been polished by
the bare feet Of the thousands who
have tranlped up to pray. The wor-
shippers take off their sandals as they
come to the entrance, and walk on with
them in their hands. We foreigners
keep our shoes on and mix with the
crowd. AS We go in we hear the birds
sing. Thousands Of them have made
nests In the carvings, and they fly
back and forth through the arcades
and about the pagoda from daylight to
dark At night they roost on the gold.
According to the tenets OF Buddhist
religion. it is a sin to kill anything
that has life and the birds know they
are In the house of their friends.
Burning Away Ones Sins.
Going onward we pass booths all
the way. Pretty Burmese girls with
plugs of gold. silver or glass as big as
my thumb in the lobes OF their ears,
sit cross-legged on the mats, selling
offerings for Buddha- The candles are
OF all sizes. from tapers as, thin as the
finger Of q two-year-old baby to great
cylinders of wax as tall as the girls
who are selling and. az thick as their
waists. I buy a, bunch Of the tapers
and give them over to one OF the wor-
Slippers. She smiles with delight at
the thought OF the sins that Will be
washed away as thoy burn, and thanks
me profusely.
"A littlo beyond this we are stopped
by priest with q nicl1el-in-t he-slot
string. He has a little brass triangle
tied to his right index finger, and he
strikes upon this as he prays, making
a sound like O bell, The passersby
drop coins into the slot, and thereby
acquire merit and prayers.
Upon reaching the top Of the avenue,
which is about one thousand feetlong.
we turn and look back upon the gay
crowd passing through. tits q mass Of
bright colors. The Burmese wear the
most delicate pinks. yellows and greens.
| The men have silk turbans as gay as
a rainbow. and the whole Is kaleido-
scope which makes tho dark avenue
q mass Of bright hues.
Budlhn's Golden Mountain.
But como out on the platform and
look up at the pagoda. despair OF
describing It, It is a mountain OF gold
which ends In spire nearly 400 feet
high. The stone platform where we
are standing would make halt doz-
en- blocks OF one our cities, and the
monument alone has at the base cir
conference Of q quarter Of mile
That golden umbrella which you see
on the spire looks small from this
point. 1t Is big enough to cover q
good sized house. and It Is studded with
Jewels. Listen to the golden bells
which hang around Its rim, tinkllne
In tho breeze. The sound is mingled
with the singing Of birds and the rus
Ting Of palm leaves. That umbrella
cost more than 100000 when 1t was
made. something like a generation
ago. " i4
A Free Gift to Duddha.
This great structure and all Its sur