Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1921-11-03
MYSTIC BURMA
MAY GET POWER
OF GOVERNMENT
Great Britain Considers Cues
ti0n of Autonomy in ORR
entail Country.
OLD BURMESE CUSTOMS

WASHINGTON, Nov. S-The pro-
pOsaI to give a greater degree Of au-
tonomy to Burma has been referred to
committee of the British Parliament,
which is now making painstaking
study Of the whole situation and, ac-
cording to advices here from London,
will shortly make a report. 1t is con-
sidered unlikely that this report will
recommend as complete a degree of self
! government as has been urged in some
| quarters, but it is regarded s almost
| certain that the committee will favor
! granting a constitution and great deal
more freedom than has existed hereto
fore.
In the past few years remarkable
progress has been made in Burma, large
| " as a result of the efforts Of the British
administration, but the country still re-
! tains many OF its curious pagan customs.
For example, no amount of Occidental in
J fuence appears to be able to break men,
women and children Of the habit Of smok-
! ing, at all times and places, the
"whackin' white cheroot," made famous
! by KipIing's Burma girl. 1t is said that
mother often transfers her lighted
cigar from her own mouth to that Of the
wee child in her arms, and no Burma
! lady ever goes calm without an ample
/ stock of Smokes"
GIRLS, WOMEN
AND BOYS SMOKE.
The habit of kun-chewing is common
/ to Burman boys and girls, girls, men and
women of every age and condition of
seryitude The Burman has been said
/ to smoke between chews and chew be-
| tween smokes, but to have little time
for anything else. The betel nut is
chopped fine, a red lime paste is spread
on certain kind of astringent leaf, and
all are jammed into the mouth together.
/ To extract the last bit Of flavor from the
combination the chewer comforts his face,
while his cheeks puff out more and more,
until finally discomfort compels him to
start again with a fresh charge.
One respect in which the Burmese shine
as a people among all other Orientals
is in the position Of their women. Though
they consider a man far superior TO a
woman. and though her fondest hope is
that she may be born to this high estate
in some future existence, she walks the
streets in absolute freedom and puffs her
cheroot to her hearts content. She takes
part in, and quite often had complete
charge Of. the business affairs of the
family, retailing her wares in a stall in
bazaar or market, figuring her accounts
in her head for she never has any
schooling, and meeting her husbands
friends on the same plane with him in
the household.
DINING OUT
IS FATAL. r.
Courtship in Burma is a more open and
natural Irritation than 1t is in almost
any other part of the east. The young
man usually manifests his interest at one
Of the pagoda feasts by shy attentions.
He then calls in company with his boy
friends TO find that the young woman,
with bevy of her girl friends, is await
ing him. If the families consent he per-
suades the girl of his choice to eat a
meal with him in public, and by virtue Of
this procedure his bachelorhood is
abruptly ended.
Before the young girl in Burma makes
her debut she must have her ears
pierced for earrings The holes are kept
open and enlarged By wearing In them
glass or metal tubes Of increasing size
until they are half an inch in diameter,
capable Of carrying weights similar to
the decorations worn by the South Sea
Islanders. In olden times the fashion
demanded much larger holes than those
in vogue now, and many an old Burmese
woman uses hers as holders for her che
IOOLSs dS lAS aLLlCLACdu ADOS OALS4
carried his cigarette behind his ear.
ROB THE DEAD
OF FARE.
a dead man IN Burma always pays his
fare across the mystic river Of death
with small coin which he carries in his
mouth. The curse that rests on grave
| diggers as a class probably comes from
the fact that most of the men of this
trade have no scruples about digging
bodies up for the coins. It is believed
that this causes the spirits Of the dis
turbed ones to return to this world to
suffer all the ills that the Burman imagi-
nation can conjure up for them.
The Burman is the cleanliest and
dressiest Of the races Of his country,
out his gaudy silk shirt is no indication
that his pockets Will give forth the merry
tinkle Of coin. He has a pride that makes
him in his own estimation second to
none on earth. He is descended from
angels who came on earth and gradually
adopted the ways Of human beings.
There is no elaborate caste system
among the Burmans such as that which
proves a curse among the Hindus, but
certain classes are outcasts. The pagoda
slave remains a pagoda slave generation
after generation; a grave digger never
hopes to rise above his occupation and
lepers beggars and the deformed or
manned are believed to suffer the stigma
nf some terrible sin of a former exist