Pueblo chieftain., 1922-01-15

s. passenGer cars valued at $ls.s25:
Rockcastle, 103 passenger cars valued
at $3s,e7o: jackson. three passenger
cars valued at $T0o: Nagonin, Tour
passenger cars valued at 800, ana
Breathltt, six passenger cars valued
at So, 2,l60.
All of these counties are in the
mountainous section Of the state.
see the nrst 100 miles but the remain
ing 1SS was teak forests and jungle
and rice nelds; rico fields predominat-
some vegetables and everywhere the
bumped cattle and patient ounalo.
Again / was in Ransoon. Two things
have been persistent In my mind slnce
childhood about Rangoon, the ShuS
Dagon and elephants handling teak
wood. I went first to the gTeet peso1a.
At the foot OF the stairs ! must take
off shoes and stockings. II was not
pleasant for II was far from clean. II
had rained but an hour before ana
the hundreds OF feet had carried dlrt
and gravel and ! asked to leave my
stockings on but no use, 6uooA muss
be respected. The stairway - covered
in, first a stairway and landing ana
on every landing are sellers OF nowers'
goald leaf. candles. incense STICKS,
sweets and eats, while Few WOOD.
metal, ivory and tortoise shell workers
ply their trade. At the top OF the stairs
on the level you are at the foot OF the
great paEoda all around which arc
temples. shrines. pagodas and Buddas
of which the guide said there were
37s4 big, little. middle sized. In WOOD.
marble, alabaster. stone and plaster.
some plain but most OF them highly
ornamented and q few with real dia-
monds and rubies but most OF them OF
glass and gilt. some Of them badly
neglected, many rich men have built
temples and shrines about there cost
ing from 100000 to 100000 rupees. One
little shrine that was protected oy
railing. = glass and the doors were
locked for It had of Buddas hairs in
It. My guide had seen them Just once
and from his description I would say
they were about four OF the hairs from
the tall OF a giraffe rolled In one for
diameter and three for length, but OF
course sacred things must be big. In
front Of another shrine I saw many
wisps OF human hair suspended and
those werc the offerings to Budda OF
the very poor who could not buy now
ers, incense or candles. saw little
girl not more than six at prayer. She
was in dreadful earnest and talked out
loud sometimes reaching a,scream and
yet not all her mind was on her petit
tion for she took time to stop twice
to look at rue. Any Of your readers who
arc interested can hnd from the en-
cyclopedir.s tho history and description
of this the greatest the richest the
most popular Of all Burmahs temples
and not to be outdonc by their Chris
tian brothers with electric crosses tho
whole top being lighted with 900
electric lights.
1t was my last day in Ransoon and
must see those elephants at work
SO got up at 8 a. m. and taking a post
card of them got the nrst street car
to Ahlone and after some trouble
found a black man who said "rll send
a little boy with you" but / thought II
quite useless and started off at a fair
walk and had gone somc distance
when ] looked behind and there was
a bright eyed classic faced little black
boy Of about six years with pleading
eyes and the whitcrt teeth. He at once
saluted and said Yes Sir" and those
were his English vocabulary but no
master and guide were ever on better
terms than we. wo talked? Certainly.
to everything 1 said he said Yes Sir"
We found the elephants. In all the
pictures I had ever seen they were
with sawn umbers but found
them in a swamp OF mud water and
lotus plants In maze Of logs and two
man who directed them with words
grunts and blows. Each had a broad
collar with chains for traces. The
chains wcro made fast to a log and
he would pull 1t out OF the water and
getting It In between other logs where
there was no room to pull It would
push 1t with his head. When II was
to be rolled over he put his tusks un-
der It and 1t rolled. II II was to be
put on top OF other logs he put II on
his tusks and his trunk over II and
carried it and then showed It around into
place. What huge logs they move in
mud to their knees and pull 1t until
the square end pushed up n huge pilo
he could not move would go back and
turn It over and then straighten his
claims before he offered to pull. He
would kneel TO get his nose or head in
position TO push. He would pull until
his belly touched the ground and then
make hunch and IL IL did not come
he Strengthened up and gavo 4 Rrowl
az much as to say Il can't and then
the driver did not urge any more.
When the drivers wanted backshecsh
they came close to me and made the
salam. Tho elephants great strength.
their docility. their knowledge of their
work. the interest they seemed to take
and their keen intelligence all amazed
me and gave mo an hour of keenest
pleasure. And now the visit to Bur
nah Ia done. Twenty hot helpful, in
teresting days well worth the time.
vored by nature. with fertile soil,
wealthy forests aud mines, splendid
fruits, great and beautiful rivers, a
climate varied enough to bc habitable
by any people. happy non-prosres-
sive people who have denied them
selves of everything except the pleas
ant shelter and simple food and put |
the savings of nearly 5000 years into
monuments to their god. who taught |
that self denial was the greatest of |
virtues and doing something for their |
gods the greatest gain and Heaven |
but tho vision of fulfilled desire"
Sincerely yours,
ANDREW McCLELLAND. |
Rangoon, Burma, Sept. "a 1921.