| Show The Stronghold of I 1 By William Jennings Bryan r r q qI S Sa SZ St I a Z f s t t f a 3 t L t y C M 3 of S 5 rt q K S 4 y r 4 Q AR Y 55 i a r 4 A b Y ilk 4 J e i iJ J aft fib S a n x 55 5 5 Se s y fro i c S 5 L La a Yay 54 g 45 M 55 t l e 4 t c 45 45 4 r Calcutta India ln t March 1 is rother a country which h was as added to our list leaving home but u as its axe are quite distinct tr from m the or of India and as it is 18 one f or of the str strongholds of Buddhism we turned d aside to visit it en route from S Ceylon tt to Calcutta On the map maD it a pert part of the east side of the first drat o the three great rat pe peninsulas s that stretch h down from ASIa to the Indian 5 ocean and Lc is separated from India proper b by th the Bay Ba or of Bengal Its l stream Is t he tam famed d lu hi storY for or the S scenery along It its course an and for the fertile valley alIey through which It t on n Its W wt to the sett 1 Rangoon R ngoon the S seaport I OIt of Burma iti is 1 situated t d 5 some orne 20 miles Inland UJO I a river of t th the same name and b has II a quite different from those t at p re and C Colombo l At tb those pla places es the n s on Incoming and Outgoing QU g steamers amuse them I s by tossing silver stiver coins Into the transparent trans Arent waters terr and Watching the divers catch them before th v can an I teach reath the bottom but at Rangoon the wat water r is so lO muddy that a would have hav ditl in nn J lin in eI light Th The depth of I the Wat r t tat n s 11 except when Ja n the tide is high But the cit eit of Rangoon M built and has a nUMber o of fine business blocks blO ks and excellent public f buildings A murl hospital no now In of f surpasses s anything which we J haY have seen l in the East ast The Tb park S1 system t m a at t Ran Rangoon on is ver very 2 md and One ne sees IKS the well I to of th the Mtv city re rented thEre In the early arly e evening Th The roads b bout ut Ran OOn are good but not equal to three of Ceylon and Java Jav I have havo already spoken s1 ken of the Java Tava roads and those of are not behind them Xo No one nf carp n see these well gra d w and beautifully shaded highways highway without t having hIs in good goads ds quickened At R Rangoon goon We rAW the ele elephants hants at work to in a 8 lumbar yard and ana they did didi i not attract anything like attn atten attention tion from the natives that Jumbo an and the Baby by Et Elephant ph lt did In thA United stat States d my od oddLY days It it is not noces necessary ry here for the or of the family to take his wife and andaU 4 aU all the n to t the circus n ord order r that the u get members Of f the fain faintly may catt h b a gl e of f one or of ort t these p un ungainly S In Burma the thed d elephant is simply an be beast t Gf cf burden acid em earns hta food feed as I s faith falth faithfully fully at as tb he bt br the ox We Ve saw MW th three te at work I in the lum lumber r yardy yard y which we visited the oldest of which Is Bore that score e years e rs and ten and hay hai b industriously for more than ie years e tI A n native the rides upon his bek k and directs him b by byC C t word E Sl d by an n 1 stick k and i the hu huge e fel fei fellow low jaw lifts pushes pU bs and twists the fl lo logs s bout with lm st human l Intelligence t The elephant has an eye pye for neatness ri And nd one n mould l hardly b believe from hearsay with what wh t regularity and carefulness he workS m moving vin from one end of the log lag to ih the other until It ItIs itIs Is In exactlY t the i t place In lIft lifting ing he uses big hla tusks kneeling when his work t U tt In carrying l large rge bloats of W 4 hn he uses US both f tusks tuska and ane ink ks S the e et hant pushes a envy o os aJ along Dg the with one of his forefeet lug on n the other three but generally th the logs Jog ar are df drawn wn b by a chain at attach attached I tach to a 8 broad breast strap An el elephant In th the I same yard ard wan wall thus drawing heavy timbers sod went about his hie work In so long as I he be was Yas per permitted permitted to dra draw w ore at a time but when two of at these timbers were fast tut fastened ened n d together h he d his voles In pathetic lament which grew even eV n more mort touching when h n he received a Joint pointed d suggestion from hi his driver These s were ere re really terrIfying to a stranger trang r but do not net seem to alarm the Burmese The ears of tb the old elt eI showed ti signs rs of age in n fact they were thin and lid frayed with flap flapping flapping ping and looked like drooping bego beao rou ria leaves The el elephants which we e MI saw w weighed boLt t two tons each find and con consumed umed bout about BOO i of feed per day When I wa was informed that an elephant ate regularly of his own weight er day I could under stead bett better r than ever before b fure what jt it means to have an elephant on n ones hands The fact that t they can be used in business shows theIr capacity for work The old son song that credits the elephant with eating all ni night ht as well u as all 11 day is founded on fad fact for the animal requires but two h hours UrB sleep out of 4 and when hen n not t otherwise employed he buts DUts In his time eating The elephant notwithstanding his hie huge bulk and massive strength is a avery avery very timid animal and can be put to flight by a dog or cr even n by a rat A short time ago a drove droe of Rangoon elephants was stampeded by an auto uto automobile mobile and as S is well ell known the ship shipping ping of an elephant Is a difficult ta task k The elephant has a small hole resent resembling bung bling a mite knife cut on the side of th the head bead and at 1 times a 8 watery fluid is discharged For some rea reason son ron apparently unknown the animal t is subject to frenzy during the period of this dl discharge cb and must be Kept in confinement S a Mandalay n aJay the second 6 ond city ot of Burma Is miles north ot of Rangoon b by raft raU and is 18 situated orr or the river KiPling In his hie pee poem Jl declares that th thc flying fishes S play oil the toad road to Man Mandala Mandalay dala dalay but he be has bas been guilty of poetic license The captaIn or of one or of orthe the ste steamers mers warned us In that n no flying fish would be seen on the river and one Englishmen went so 50 far as to say that the p poet et h had d been In fn Mandalay andalay We Ve planned t to take a ride U ut the river but our purpose was Wag thwarted by a sandbar which detained our boot boat from noon until the next morning so that our vieW of the tite river while very vry thorough at that point was not very e Most tourists go to Mandalay by train end and return as tAr far as Pr me by bo boat t but th the scenery is fin finer In the defiles above Mandalay In gOIng by land fr from m Rangoon to tc Mandalay ore one sees nothing but rice but this is plied piled alon along the ro road d in quantities One i is hoUnded of th the wheat and c corn rn or of our own country QS as he seES the plies piles of t 8 sacks and loose grain nt While there Ar are ether Indu industries lle In Burma thE rice fields and the pit f feak t Wood ar are Ji it In e Burma there iM ife rich nth nt r T ii l P and ande he e je jeweh 7 stores are as 6 fascinating as Vii w The bongs g s of are famous I k throughout the world for richness of t tone and carving in Won ivory te teak k and sandalwood gives ment n t t to m many ny artisans Elephants and Images s of in wood br brass ss and al bat r rate ate are exp exposed for s Sale le in all the shops and the silks are delicate in texture and beautiful in color and design The Burmese e have hav a l large rge mixture of Chinese se blOOd as Is shown shou b by r their features and traits of t character but they are d darker In color They at are a cheerful and docile people pe pl and their women ha have ve never been the of f the seclusion s th that t burdens the life Ufe of the women of India Both men and women wear ear gay colors which 1 lends to the scenes of the street In China And JaPan we were amused at th the small mall pipes used by the themen themen men In Bu Burma m one Is amazed zed at the enormous ci Inches long l ng and an In Inch h the women sm smoke ke keIn In Burma as 85 In other OtI Oriental nl l Coun Countries oun tries the streams ue are the washtubs of the and a flat stone takes the place of a washboard It was wash washday washday day on the when we ie started on our boat ride and the bank of the tho river looked like a flower bed so bright and vari varied d W were re the colors of the turbans and dresses ees of the long roWs of washers swinging ing the clothes high above their heads and beating them upon the stones Burma is the b home me of the p pagoda g da daone one is never out of sight of th them m but the they differ In sha shape from those seen Men in China and Japan The Burmese pagoda d Is usually circular though sometimes octagonal The largest of these Js Is known as the Shwe Dagon pa pagoda goda at Rang Rangoon n It Is a solidly built pyramidal cone with gradually dimIn outlines and Is s surmounted rm by bya a U tl or umbrella spire of concentrIc Iron rings from which hang little bells which tinkle when hen moved by the breeze breez This pagoda has a circumference ence of 1359 feet at the base rises to a height of feet and stands upon a terraced mound which Is itself feet above the level el ol of the country around The upper part of tile the pagoda is glIded gilded and Its base is surrounded by many elaborate shrines 8 containing images of Bu Buddha db H Here re the f faithful offer th their lt dev devotions U fi during the th day d and nd evening and th the vendors fendors of l candles s lh incense eite and d flowers do a thriVing busi busine neets ne here l et also als ass assemble the tame lame the halt the blind t to gath gather r th their lr penny tributes from the S r Mandat is sUB still m afore t lib liberally t ll sup supplied plied with pagodas At th the largest laig st th the Ata n on one sees se s repeated tep t the thes s scenes n s of t the he D only the begg beggars rs seem mot more nUni t 1 At this pagoda th there t Is a filthy pool t in which h lire a of sacred d s fled hd th they y must have lives 1108 t to live at all in SO S tout foul a pla place theY rise to the surface C when f food o Is thrown n Into the thew ter r but they are i s o l W In ht their lr move m eitts th that t the kites kU s WhiCh h hover ver about th the pl place gen generally r t h tIp up the b before t t the turtles s re teat eh t m mF F Far r fi r l th than fi th the P pagoda g a is tg the group roue i as s the 50 p pagodas This rem remarkable tk bl group ff up which tu numb numbers rs st Stands ii st at atthe the f fOat t ot of y hilt spa and W t S bUnt built 1 by y sit an of king Icing to the ct enter ht t Gt o the gi group is th the Usual l pago pagoda da and around it In parallel rectangular Jar lar rows are small square pagodas pagodas i each bt tt h a gr g C fUI t W Wand and containing a slab inscribed on both sides Those These slabs together tamp tain all the writings or of Buddha ate 11 the smaller p pagodas gooss view d froth frem th central l one present an imposing sper I These pagodas are well kept and aU all the buildings ate are snow snowy white I emph the fact that these are in goOd r repair p ir because so m many ny of the Buddhist pagodas and mOnasteries ate are I In a 8 state of deca decay Whether r this is due to decre decrease se in the zeal or of the fol lowers of Buddha or to the fact tb t the Burmese Burmes king has for mote more than twenty years fears been a political poli prisoner on the west nest coast of In dia I do not know A writer for on one Of the Rangoon newspapers naively de described scribed d the annex annexation tion of Burma by the English as necessary and this ne necessity has deprIVed the Buddhist buildings or of the governmental Patron Patronage patronage age which the they formerly enjoyed enjo ed Ab About ut six aIx miles above Mandalay near the stands the foun dation of a pagoda da which Its builder intended should be the larg largest st in the world It was b begun gun b by King Bodo Bod paya In after an unsuccessful campaign a against Slam Siam In his his mind turned to religion and he e b hoped ped to acquire merit a as the Buddhists say by the erection t c this temple The structure b begins with four ga series the first is feet square an anea ea each h succeeding one Is a little but fifty feet lees lea In diameter The Th the b base of the pagoda proper they o feet square rises riMs to a height of U it feet The entire building as t would b have ve mashed to a height of f feet but the labor expended had ll come sv so great that the people Con and he be was compelled t abandon n his enterprise He wa e I w warned rn d by the experience of a forme king who whose e extravagance gave rise t the proverb The pagoda is finished and the country is 15 ruined King Bing Bo Is not the only captain of in who ho has bas attempted to ac acquire acquire quire merit by constructing Ung monumental monumental mental buildings with the labor ot of others but he was not S so successful as s some seme ot of our trust magnates have been To match this great p pagoda a ben bell was cast ast weighing ninety tons said to be the largest sound bell In the world The great ben bell of Moscow Is larger but Is cracked The bell as this one near Mandalay is called is eighteen eight eighteen een feet In dIameter at the base nine feet at th the top and one feet In t to the top of the shackle It was formerly supported on Immense te teak teakwood k wood beams but the foundation of one of theSe gave way and for years one ne side of the bell rested on the ground L Lord rd Curion white viceroy pf Of India c caused us d the b bell to b be suspended from Iron beams and put a roof over ver it its s The Buddhist priests seem to have made Mandalay their M Mecca cc for tor of the in Burma Bunna more than re reside side there The Buddhist Priesthood od is the greatest greatt mendicant oril order r in the world the members or of It being pledged to live by begging Having oc occasion f n to ride out ut early on onO tn morning we saw or more b bareheaded d bare foot footed their only garb a yellow robe Carrying their rice bowls from door t to door They cannot ask for food by word of m mouth they simply hold out the bowl and If fO foul d is d denied tl they y move t to another it ly house botte ara Ar p r to own b hd 11 O Orty t exE i pt t a Continued nU on P Pa ge g gf e a 5 f I BURMA STRONGHOLD S OF BUDDHISM Continued from Page 4 O robe a 8 bowl Il a leather mat a tuner a needle a fan and a filter cup They must live under a 3 tree unless some someone someone one furnishes them a house aDd ad m mast t live on III roots anti and harbS hed an 8 has better d Is given tk THY They ba have ve no parishes hes or c lre tion but are expected to their thel lives In meditation free f treat aU 11 worldly n cares except when engaged in writing or In tile the young They Ther live It as a arule rule In monasteries built them by plow Buddhists tas and front from what wP sew MW of these no He ese Quid ouid accuse them of beIng nurr mind by y luxury These monasteries r 1 apes pOSts some dIstance above the grova and aDd each earb room has an ti Or dior about large eno enough h for one on te outer upon his hands handa and 00 knees I visited one of these tb at atRa Ra 1 In n company with a native tITe Christian e rather father was wall M f hose To my surprise the priest whom horn I met was waB an Engl Englishman who turned Buddhist live ye years rs ge and donned the th yellow lm robe While 1 waited for 01 the native priest to 1 wham I had a letter pU th this Englishman give me t somethIng of hi his history and aft A Ab b brief defense e of b his I new faith He came Casio from London six mx years year go ago as a ship carpenter end and a |
