The Coconino sun., 1925-05-01
CEYLON WONDERFUL
ISLAND
Bombay, India, March Z.

pees. Rupees are the national dish
here and are traded on about the
same basis, 38 American cents to a
rupee or one of our dollars equal two
rupees and sixty cents in their money.
When our whirlwind gang of expert
shoppers hit the Isle of Ceylon you
could feel the place tilt toward the
shore and the glass merchants dug up
all the old jewels that had been laying
around since the last tourist boat left.
The Empress of France and another
large tourist boat came in the morn
ing following, hooked onto the place
and turned loose their gang of sore
eyed sightseers on the town of CO.
Jumbo.
The city of Columbo and the Island
of Ceylon most agreeably surprised
our gang after visiting Calcutta with
its burning CHATS, filthy streets, ST.
lent, sullen fanatics and general mel
ancholy aspect. The Sengalese we're
clean, comparatively speaking, cheer
full, pleasant and welcomed all hands
with a military salute and a wide ex-
panse of white teeth. There are many
Hindus or Indians here, but they are
in minority and are looked down upon
by the Sengalese, who were the orr
ginal owners and rulers of the island.
The Sengalese is proud of his knot
of hair, twisted up on the back of his
head very much in the style affected
by old ladies, and his shell comb,
which fits around his head like a
crown, open in front. From the front
it looks as though he had a couple
sharp horns on his head, but he calls
it his Grown"
The Sengalese wears pretty much
the same uniform as others, except a
little more so than the Indian. He
wears a shirt of some kind and the
usual sarong-or about two short
yards of cloth wrapped about his hips
in such a way that it is almost inn
possible to tell whether it is a skirt
or pair of pants or both. He goes
barefooted, of course. All the black
gang does, except favored few who
probably were caught young and
broken to wear shoes.
The native women here wear sorter
hit and miss affairs. (Oh, shut up! !
guess in the interest of science / can
explain their dress without getting
rude). You see, the waist is tight
and skimpy, east and west, just suf-
ficient to braziere the figure. Then
north and south it is abbreviated,
leaving quite a large expanse of ma
tive color exposed between it and the
skirt below. This exposed natural
color does not seem to fade and it is
claimed that the sun helps to digest
the food, if you get the idea. Cal
loused feet are mainly used, though
some of the more forward young ladies
wear shoes of some kind or other and
are probably just as uncomfortable
as their white sisters. | would have
liked very much to have interviewed
some of the young ladies, but for OBJ
vious reasons had to refrain; but one
can smile back and wave friendly
hand in return while passing splendid
pulchritude without creating a sensa-
tional scene-it's not only the costume
but the custom of the country.
1t must have been very prosperous
year here last year, and young women
along the. way seemed pleased and
proud to wave their shiny little off
spring out at you to admire as you
went along.
The most fashionable clothing
have seen here for children is a small
piece of twine about the size druggists
use to wrap up small bottle with,
which delicate string is tied around
the child at about his or her equator.
/ was unable to find out whether this
was for adornment, to keep off the
sun or for Identification. However.
the poorer children, those probably
born in abject poverty, could not af-
ford this evidence of affluence, con-
sequently were turned loose in the
streets completely minus-"just as
was as it were.
Ceylon is not a political part Of
India, politically speaking, but the
same British hand rules here as in
main India. 1t was under Dutch rule
from 1856 to 1895 and before that un
der Portuguese. rule. Ceylon, like
Burma, is mainly of the Buddhist per-
suasion as to the hereafter, while
Brahaminisp predominates in India
Nobody but a barefaced liar would
go so far as to say you can't raise
coconuts, tea, rice and jewels on this
island. One part, the southern sec
ton, grows coconut trees like we have
pine trees in northern Arizona, only
more so. There are three kinds, ac-
cording to our native guide-king
queen and common. The 'king" coco
nut is the one that produces the best
meat, oil, coconut fiber and copra
There is an odor about the coconut
oil foundry not calculated to cause q
congregation Of polite society, but it
/ is profitable product and because Of
which does not affront native en-
ployed in corraling the commodity at
1 the ruling wage.
The famous tea that Lord Lupton
has run his racing "yot". on for SO
many years, is grown here, where he
has a factory for compiling the plant
leaves into different grades of tea. II
was mussy looking process. Damp
ened tea leaves, looking like stripped
alfalfa were being ground with
process not unlike wheat in a flour
| mill, but not so fine. 1t seems that
steam, water and baking processes
are necessary to bring out the flavor
of the tea ready for use before being