The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1913-01-25

eyeu though the costume might leave one in
doubt: for in Burma Siam and Java the men ana
women dress so much alike that practically the
only distinguishing feature is the turban usually
worn by the men. When 1t comes 10 Duroeh
bearing. however, there can never be any doubt
as to sex regardless of costume, for the orientai
woman almost invariably carries everything upon
her head while the man, just as Invariably, pears
every kind of burden swung across his snouf
ders from the ends of bamboo pole
: So much has this become second nature 10
the4f>that l have seen Burmans and Javanese
tie a stone or other useless weight to one emo OF
their shoulder pole in order to balance some
Indivisible load at the other end, thus doubling
the weight of their load in order to carry IL IN
the customary manner. And the oriental WOMAN
exhibits the same reluctance with reference 10
carrying any kind of a burden, whether large Oh
mali in anv manner except upon her head. the
sole and solitary exception being her baby. winch
Is usually tied upon her back We are sometimes
amazed by the size and weight OF the ioaos oorne
upon the heads of these women OF the east out
At the same time IL is not at all unusuai 10 see
these same women carrying upon their heads
empty dishes fragile glassware. things eashy
broken and of practically no weight but habit
Ia so strong with them that every object. no mat
ter what its character, must be borne upon the
head.
II is this habit OF carrying heavy loads upon
heir heads that gives such superby erect and
The far east The drawing of water seems to be
their peculiar task, and Palestine is not alone
with her Rebeccas at the well. While the veiieo
women of Egypt and Syria ELL their great kuilens
NJ Nile clay and the little brown girl wives OF
india dip their shining brass water pots IN the
temple tanks or in the sacred Gauges; the merry
graceful little girls and women of happy Burma
favored above all the women of the east, gather
IN a social sort Of way at the village fountains
and spend long hours in the gossip so dear 10
feminine hearts before they fill their lat brown
schatties' with the water for their nousenoio
needs And there is here no suggestion OF DO
nestle slavery or unhappy household bondage.
"a these slender brightly clad little daughters
Of Burma balance the dripping chatties upon
their great coils Of beautiful hair and bear them
happily back to the little basket homes under the
xhadowy groves of plantains and areca palms,
which are so generally the abode OF sweet con-
tent
When an oriental man bears water 1t is usually
In black Shiny grewsomelooking pgskin or
voatskfn slung across his shoulders and looking
for all the world like the corpse OF some drowned
thing These are the "sakkas" or water men OF
Egypt and Turkey. who carry water for. sprn,
cling the roads to lay the dust In the vicinity OF
the bazars and to supply also the ordinary wants
Of the oriental household. To the same class
belong the .bhistis' of India, who form sepa
rate religious caste by themselves and who carry
the water in their Shiny goatskins every morn
Ing to fill the huge tin dishpan. which In inoia
serves you as bathtub
There are also other water bearers among tnt
men o. tAe orient. but these have nothing to az