The Carbon County news. [volume] (Red Lodge, Mont.) 1924-1931, 1931-01-22


among the Karens. In the main the
Burmese have chung to their re-
ligion with great tenacity. They
have even borrowed modern west
ern methods in an effort to revivi-
~ it. A Young Mems Buddhist as
ISOLATION which seeks to hold the
interest of the younger Burmese in
the old religion has become active
in recent years.
Where Burma touches India prop.
er on the latter's eastern border
1t is bounded by Bengal and Assam
Farther to the north it touches
southeastern Tibet. Along its east
ern border Burma is in contact
with China for a considerable dis
lance. The Chinese at one time
claimed sovereignty over the land
The lower part of Burma's eastern
boundary is formed by French Co
chin China and Siam; and to the
south and west lies the Bay of
Bengal. The total area of Burma
| is slightly less than that of Texas.
While its population is in excess of
12,000,000, several million more
than that of our most populous
state, New York.
The greater part of Burma is in
the tropics and during half the
year much of it is very hot. This
heat is especially trying to Euro
peans in parts of the delta region
where the humidity is high. In
some sections more than 20 feet of
rain falls each year. There is con.
siderable loss of life among natives
in some parts of the country from
snakes, spiders, poisonous insects
and wild animals.
Poor Travelling Facilities.
Travelling arrangements in Bur.
ma, as in most eastern countries.
are poor. The best facilities are to
be found along the Irrawaddy river.
the great highway of the country,
and along the comparatively few
miles of railroad Even there,
however, hotels are seldom avail
able. Throughout most of the
country travellers must depend on
the British government bungalows.
and must carry bedding and take
with them a servant to obtain and
prepare their food Springless
bullock carts, humping over roads
that are little more than paths and
trails, furnish the principal method
of transportation in the interior.
Perhaps the most Characteristic
concomitant of the Burmese men.
women and chiIdren's appearance is
the inevitable "whackin' white
cher0ot." 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 lady
would start on dress parade with
out taking a necessary stock of
Smokes to supply her while she
is out. This cheroot is more like
an over-grown cigarette than any
thing else, and is said to contain
but a small portion of tobacco.
Another Burman custom common
to boys, girls, men and women is
kun-chewing. The Burman has been
said to smoke between cheWs and
chew between 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
damned into the mouth together
Social Customs.
Courtship in Burma is more
open and natural filtration than il
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
lady with a bevy of her friends is
awaiting him. He means business,
however, and If the families con.
sent he persuades her to eat meal
with him in public, and by virtue
of this procedure his bachelor
hood is brought to an abrupt end.
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. ca.
pable 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 al
the present time, and many an old
Burmese lady uses hers as holders
for her cheroots, somewhat after
the American doughboy's conceit of
wearing a fag behind his ear.
A dead man in Burma always
pays his fare across the mystic riv.
er of death with small coin which
he carries in his mouth. The curse
that rests on grave-diggers as q
class probably comes from the fact
that most of the men of this trade
have no scruples about digging the
poor wretches up for their coins
1t is believed that this causes tht
spirits of the disturbed ones to re
turn to this world to suffer all thu
Ills that the Burmese imagination
can conjure up for them.