The Elbert County tribune., 1913-01-10

though the costume might leave one In
doubt: for In Burma. Siam and Java the men and
women dress much alike that practically the
only distinguishing feature is the turban usually
worn by the When 1t comes to burden
bearing. however. there never be any doubt
as TO sex, regardless OF costume. for the oriental
woman almost Invariably carries everything upon
her head, while the man. just as invariably, bears
every kind of burden swung across his shoul-
ders from the ends of bamboo pole.
So much has this become second nature to
them that have Burmans and Javanese
tie a stone or other useless weight to one end 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 1t In
the customary manner. And the oriental woman
exhibits the same reluctance with reference to
carrying any kind of a burden, whether large or
small in any manner except upon her head, the
sole and solitary exception being her baby, which
10 usually tied upon her back. We are sometimes
amazed by the size and weight of the loads borne
upon the heads OF these women of the east. but
at the same time II is not at all unusual to
these same women carrying upon their heads
empty Dishes fragile glassware. things easily
broken and of practically no weight but habit
is so strong with them that every object no mat
ter what its character must be borne upon the
head
1t is this habit of carrying heavy loads upon
their heads that gives such superbly erect and
queeniy carriage to practically all the women of
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 veiled
women OF Egypt and Syria fill their great kuehs
of Nile clay and the little brown girl wives OF
India dip their shining brass water pots In the
temple tanks or in the sacred Ganges; the merry.
graceful little girls and women of happy Burma,
favored above all the women of the east. gather
in social sort OF way at the village fountains
and spend long hours in the gossip dear to
feminine hearts before they fll their fat brown
.'chatties" with the water for their household
needs. And there is here 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
ahadowy groves OF plantans and areca palms,
which are SO generally the abode of sweet con-
tent
When an oriental man bears water It s usually
in a black slimy grewsome-looking pgskin
goatskin slung across his shoulders and looking
for all the world like the corpse of some drowned
thing These are the "sakkas' water men of
Egypt and Turkey. who carry water for sprin
king the roads to lay the dust in the vicinity of
the baxars and to supply also the ordinary wants
OF the oriental household. To the same class
belong the "bhistis" of India. who form n sepa
rate religious caste by themselves and who carry
the water In their slimy goatskins every morn
ing to fll the huge tin dishpan. which In India
serves you oathtub
There are also other water bearers among the
mon OF the orient. but these have nothing to do