Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1913-01-09

even though the costume might leave one in
doubt; for in Burma, Siam and Java the and
women dress much alike that practically the
only distinguishing feature is the turban usually
by the men. When it comes to burden
bearing, however, there can 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 invariably, bears
every kind of burden swung across his Shout
ders from the ends of a bamboo pole.
So much has this become second nature to
them that l have seen Burmans and Javanese
tie stone other useless weight to one end of
their shoulder pole in order to balance some
indivisble load at the other end thus doubling
the weight of their load in order to carry it in
the customary manner. And the oriental
exhibits the same reluctance with reference to
carrying any kind of burden, whether large
small, in any manner except upon her head, the
sole and solitary exception being her baby, which
is usually tied upon her back. We 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 it is not at all unusual to
these same women carrying upon their heads
empty dishes, fragile glassware. things easily
broken and of practically weight; but habit
is SO strong with them that every object 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 yelled
women of Egypt and Syria fill their great kullehs
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 of the east, gather
in a social sort of way at the village fountains
and spend long hours in the gossip dear to
feminine hearts before they fill their fat brown
tchatties' with the water for their household
needs And there is here no suggestion of do
mestic slavery unhappy household bondage
as these slender. brightly clad little daughters
of Burma balance the dripping chatties upon
happily back to the little basket homes under the
shadowy groves of plantains and palms.
which are so generally the abode of sweet
tent.
When oriental man bears water it is usually
in black Shiny, grewsomelooking pgskin
goatskin, slung across his shoulders and looking
for all the world like the corpse of some drowned
thing These are the "sakkas' or water of
Egypt and Turkey, who carry water for sprin-
king 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 sanse class
belong the ''bhistis' of India. who form a sepa-
rate religious caste by themselves and who carry
the water in their Shiny goatskns every morn.
ing to fill the huge tin dishpan. which in India
serves you bathtub
There are also other water bearers among the
men Of the orient. but these have nothing to do