The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1921-08-12
MISS MILLER TO SAIL FOR
BURMA AS MISSIONARY
stamford Interior-JournaD

Miss Miller was educated at Ken
lucky College for Women, and
Georgetown College, taught at the
university of Tennessee, and is a
graduate of the Teachers College
Columbia University. She was a \
w. G. A. worker in France during
the war. China was Miss Millers'
choice as mission field, but on ap-
plication, she was asked to go tu
Burma, and agreed to do so. She will
teach English in mission school.
Her first task will be to learn the
language, one of the three thousand
dialects spoken in India Her school
will not be assigned her uuntil she
reaches Rangoon, a modern Burmese
seaport of 100000 people.
Questioned as to her preparations
for leaving, Miss Miller said that the
details of her outfit and the ire
mendous amount of red tape incident
to her departure made her feel as if
she were going to housekeeping.
Each missionary is allowed two tons
of freight, which must be completely
invoiced. Among the articles en-
phasized in the lengthy list sent for
her assistance were bed, lamps, mir
rors, keys and books. Among other
things, her will must be made out,
copy taken with her, and a copy
left at headquarters. White clothes
are used largely in Burma, though
not entirely. Clothing must be
changed daily. When laundry time
comes, the wash man takes the gar
ments to the river and beats them
out on the rocks. While many Euro
pean articles may be purchased ir
. Burma, very little American goods
is available. The typical mission
aries house, made for two, is a cross
between native and English archi-
lecture Each side is occupied by
one worker, with a common apart
ment in the center. The bathroom
is a tin sprinkling arrangement,
with a sloping floor off which the
water drains. Venetian blinds are
used instead of glass windows. The
/ walls never reach the ceiling. Mis-
sionaries are given a short summer
vacation in the hills during April
and May, the disagreeable part of
the year. After five years work,
they may have a years leave of abb
sence with full pay.
Miss Miller, through interviews
with returned missionaries and with
Burmese delegates to the Baptist
convention at Des Moines, has
learned much concerning the Burma
people.
The Burmese, of whom there are
100000, are a cross between the
Chinese and Hindu races. They arc
happy-go-lucky sort of people
fond of singing, dancing and drama
The women are not secluded as in
other Asiatic countries. Rice and
tobacco are the chief products
Women smoke as much as men. l.
sense it is the U. S. of Asia-tht
get-rich-quick-coun ON account
: of it's great natural resources, rubies
gold, oriental goods, and tropica
fruits. Insects swarm in everything
for the Burmese, since they ar
Brahmans, will destroy no ANNA
life. Yet they do not hesitate t.
buy meat of butchers. Their plan o
eating would suit many an American
boy-at five a. m. they have "litti
: breakfast" and at eleven "bi:
breakfast" After a two-hours
, siesta at noon, they have early tea
at five o'clock formal tea, dinner a
eight, and supper at bed time. Il
the Burmese written language, Their
are no vowels and no space between
the words; they write from right t.
left, thus making it very Difficult
for a foreigner to learn.
The Karens, or hill people, tn
first inhabitants of the country, ar
more open to Christianity than tn
+. others. A tradition was held amoni
them that once their race had ha'
the pure and undefiled religion; tina
by some mischance the Word wa
lost. and that some day white maj
would come and bring it back t
!, them. When Adoniram Judson, tn
first missionary to Burma, came II
j. lisp. they received. him as this long
looked-for man.
In Burma, as everywhere else, ed
> ucation and progress go hand i
hand with Christianity. Ninety pc
cent. of the students in the school
= are from Christian families. Tn
schools are nodded after Amer
e lean and English institutions. TIL
sexes are educated separately unit
II they reach college age. Judson Co
. Ilege, at Rangoon, does as high elias
> work as Oxford or Cambridge. A
y schools are required by the BIRTHS
government to take certain exam
y ination; if they pass this, they al
given government support.
) Mission work in Burma ls almos
exclusively Baptist. Bengal Bay
known as Baptist Bay, for this d'
nomination has circled the Bay. b