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Editorial Iou:ImS01
VOL. XXXV-NO. 49.
OMAIJA, SUNDAY MOKXINO, MAY 27, 10)G.
SINGLE COPY FIVE CENTS.
AROUND THE WORLD WITH WILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN
Distinguished American Travels "The Road to Mandalay" and Tells of Many Interesting Things He Noted in Burmah, Although He Missed the Flying Fishes Referred to in the Kipling Song
The
rt ALCUTTA, India, March 1. (Special Correspondence
' of The Bee.) Burma IS another country which was
Added to our list after leaving home, hut as lta people
X are quite distinct from the Inhabitants of India, and
as it Is one of the strongholds of Buddhism, we turned
aside to vltlt it en route from Ceylon to Calcutta. On the map it
occupies a part of the east side of the first of the three great penin
sulas that stretch down from Asia to the Indian ocean, and is sepa
rated from India proper by the Bay of Bengal. Its principal jtream
Is the Irrawaddy, famed in story for the magnificent scenery along It"
course, and for the fertile valley through which it passes on its way
to the sea. '
Rangoon, the seaport of Burma, is situated some 20 miles inland
upon a river of the same name, and has a harbor quite different
from those of Singapore and Colombo. At those places the passen
gers on the incoming and outgoing stumers amuse themselves by
tossing silver coins into the transparent waters and watching the
divers catch them before they can roach the bottom, but at Ran
goon the water is so muddy that a diver would have difficulty in find
ing an electric light. The deptl of te water, too, is Insufficient,
except when the tide is high. ,
But the city of Rangoon is substantially built and has a num
ber of fine business blocks and excellent public buildings. A munic
ipal hospital, now in course of construction, surpasses anything
which we have seen 'n the east. The park system at Rangoon is
very attractive, aua one sees the well-to-do-element of the city fully
represented there in the early evening. The roads about Rangoon
are good, but not equal to those of Ceylon and Java. Thave already
spoken of the Java roads, and those of Ceylon are not behind them.
No one can see these well-graded, well-drained and beautifully
shaded highways without having his interest in good roads
quickened.
Elephants at Work in Burmese Lumber. Yards
At Rangoon we saw the elephats at work in a lumber yard,
and they did not attract anything like the attention from the natives
that "Jumbo", and the ,rBaby Elephant" did iu the United States
during my boyhood days. It is not necessary here for the head of
the family to take his wife and all the children to the circus in order
that the younger members of the family may catch a glimpse of one
of these ungainly beasts. . In Burma the elephant Is simply an every
day beast of burden and earns his food as faithfully as the horse or
the ox. We saw three at work in the lumber yard, which we visited,
the oldest of which is more than three score years and ten. and has
labored industriously for more than fifty years. A native rides upon
his back and directs him by word, sometimes emphasized by an iron
pointed stick, and the huge fellow lifts, pushes and twists the logs
about with almost human intelligence. The elephant has an eye
for neatness, and one would hardly believe from hearsay with what
regularity and carefulness he works, moving from one end of the
log to the other until it is in exactly the right place. In lifting he
uses his tusks, kneeling when his work requires it. In carrying
large blocks of wood he uses both tusks and trunk. Sometimes the
elephant pushes a heavy log .along the ground with one of his fore
feet, walking on the other three, but generally the logs are drawn
by a chain attached to a broad breast strap. An 18-year-old ele
phant, working in the same yard, was thus drawing heavy timbers
and went about his work uncomplainingly so long as he was per
mitted to draw one at a time, but when two of these timbers were
fastened together, he raised his voice in pathetic lament which grew
even more touching when he received a pointed suggestion front his
driver. These trumpetlngs were really terrifying to a stranger, but
did not seem to alarm the Burmese. The ears of the old elephant
showed signs of age; in fact,they were thin and frayed with flapping
and looked like drooping begonia leaves.
. Eight Hundred Pounds of Feed a Day
The elephants which we saw weighed about two tons each and
consumed about 800 pounds of feed pier day. When I was informed
that an elephant ate regularly one-fifth of his own weight per day,
I could understand better than ever before what it means to "have
an elephant on one's hands." The fact that they can be profitably
used in business shows their capacity for work. The old song that
credits the elephant with eating all night as well as all day Is
founded on fact, for the animal requires but two hours' sleep out
of twenty-four, and when not otherwise employed he puts in his time
eating.
The elephant, notwithstanding his huge bulk and massive
strength, is a very timid animal, and can be put to flight by a dog,
or even by a rat. A short time ago a drove of Rangoon elephants
was stampeded by an automobile. As is well known, the shipping
,ot an elephant Is a difficult task. The elephant has a small hole,
resembling a knife cut on the side of the head, and at times a watery
fluid is discharged therefrom. For some reason, apparently un
known, the animal 1b subject to frenzy during the period of ttfts dis
charge and must be kept in confinement. '
No Fishes Flying on the Road to Mandalay
Mandalay, the second city of Burma, is 386 miles north of
Rangoon by rail, and situated on the Irrawaddy river. Kipling in
his poem declares that "the flying fishes play on the road to Man
dalay," but he has been guilty of using poetic license. The captain
of one of the steamers warned us in advance that no flying fish wouldr
be seen on the river, and an Englishman went so far as to saythat the
poet had never been in Mandalay. We planned to take a ride up -the
river, but our purpose was thwarted by a sandbar, which detained
our boat from noon until the next morning, so that our view of the
river, while .very thorough at that point, was not very extensive.
Most tourists go to Mandalay by train and return as far as Prome
" by boat, but the scenery is finer in the defiles above Mandalay.
In going by land from Rangoon to Mandalay one sees nothing
but rice, and this piled along the road in seemingly inexhaustible
quantities. One is reminded of the wheat and corn states of our
own country as he sees the piles of sacks and loose grain awaiting
shipment. While there are other industries in Burma, the rice fields
and the piles of teak wood are most in evidence. In northern Burma
there are some rich ruby mines, and the jewelry stores are as fas
cinating as those of Ceylon. ,
The gongs of Mandalay are famous throughout the world for
richness of tone, and carving in ivory, teak and sandalwood gives
employment to many artisans. Elephants and images of Buddha
in wood, brass and alabaster are exposed for sale in all the shops, .
and the Bilks are delicate in texture and beautiful in color and
design.
. Local Customs and Appearance of Burmese
The Burmese have a large mixture of Chinese blood, as is
shown by the features and traits of character, but they are darker in
color. They are a cheerful and docile people, 'and their women
have never been the victims of the seclusion that burdens the life
of the women of India. Both men and women wear gay volors, which
lends picturesqueness to the scenes of the street., In China and
Japan we were amused at the small pipes used by the men. In
Burma one is' amazed at the enormous cigarettes six inches long
and an inch thick which the women smoke.
In Burma, as in other oriental countries, the streams are the
w&ahtubs of the nation, and a flat stone takes the place of a wash
board. It was wash day on the Irrawaddy when we' started on our
boat ride, and the bank of the river looked like a flower ted, so
bright and varied were the colors of the turbans and dresses of the
long rows of washers, swinging the clothes high above their heads
and beating them upon the stones.
Pagodas Where the Temple Bells Ring
Burma is the home of the pagoda; one is never out of sight of
them, but they differ in shape from those seen in China and Japan.
The Burmese pagoda is usually circular, though sometimes octagonal.
The largest of these is known as the Sbwe Dagon goda. at
Rangoon. It is a solidly built pyramidal cone, with gradually dlmln-
lahiug outlines, ami Is suriLyuutei Ly a U or "umbrella," slre ot
Twentieth of This Series of Letters Twenty-First
Letter Will Appear in The Bee Next Sunday
- j; : .;... """N.' ' " '
.V im ia . i. V'!A
ELEPHANT AT WORK IN BURMAH -"BLOOMIN' HATHIS PILIN' TEAK."
of King Thebaw. In the center of the group is the usual pagoda,
and around it in parallel, rectangular, rows, are small square pa
godas, each terminating in a graceful tower and contalnig a slab in
scribed on both sides. .These slabs together contain all the writings
of Buddha, and the smallerNpagodas, viewed from the central one,
concentric iron rings, from which hang little bells which tinkle when
moved by the breeze. This pagoda has a circumference of 1,355
feet at the base, rises to a height of 370 feet and stands upon a
terraced mound which is itself 160 feet above the level of the
country around. The upper part of the pagoda is gilded and its
base is surrounded by many elaborate shrines containing Images present an imposing spectacle. These pagodas are well kept, and
of Buddha. Here the faithful offer their devotions during the day
and evening, and the vendors of candles, incense and flowers do a
thriving business. Here, also, assemble the lame, the halt and the
blind, to gather their penny tribute from the passerby.
: Mandalay is still more liberally supplied with pagodas. At the
largest, the Aracan, one sees repeated the scenes of the Shwe Dagon,
only the beggaxs seem more numerous. At this pagoda there is a
filthy pool in which live a number of sacred turtles, and they must
have charmed lives to live at all in so foul a places They rise to
the surface when food is thrown into the water, but they are" so
slow in their movements that the kites which hover about the place
generally snatch up the morsels before the turtles reach them.
Burmese Pagodas in Good Condition
Far more beautiful than the Aracon pagoda is the group known
as the 450 pagodas. This remarkable group which actually numbers
729, stands at the foot of Mandalay hill and was built by an uncle
all the buildings are snowy white. I emphasize the fact that these
are in good repair, because so many of the Buddhist pagodas and
monasteries are in a state of decay. Whether this is due to decrease
in the zeal of the followers of Buddha or to the fact that the Bur
mese king, Thebaw, has for more than twenty years been a political
prisoner on the west coast of India, I do not know. A writer for
one of the Rangoon newspapers naively described the annexation
of Burma by the English as "necessary," and this "necessity" has de
prived the Buddhist buildings of the governmental patronage which
they formerly enjoyed. " .
Temple that Ruined a' Monarch
About six miles above Mandalay, near the Irrawaddy, stands the
foundation of a pagoda which Its builder Intended should be the
largest In the world. It was begun by King' Bodopaya In 1790,
after an unsuccessful campaign against Slam. In his disappoint
ment his mind turned to religion, and he hoped to "acquire merit,"
Cemeteries Wherein Repose the Nation's Brave
Roster of National Graveyards, Their Location, History and .Governmental Supervision
PROBABLY half a million graves of Boldlers and sailors will
be decorated in the cemeteries of the United States next
Wednesday. From the Atlantic to the Pacific the nation's
heroes will be honored by a loyal and loving people. From
the time the sun rises over the hills of Maine until it sinks to rest
beyond the mountains of California the vast extent of our land will
echo with the bugle call and the booming of cannon. The youth
of the nation will get their best lesson in patrotisnt when they lay
a wreath of flowers on the stone that marks a soldier's grave. ,
It is at the present time impossible to state exactly how many
soldiers' graves will be decorated, as no record has been made of
them for several years. -
Of course, the number of graves has Increased since then. The
veterans have become fewer and fewer. They have not fallen as
rapidly as they were mowed down before the death-dealing fire of
Gettysburg, nor as they fell in the awful charges of Bull Run, but
their ranks have been thinned by the grim reaper, and for each one
State. It Is a magnificent burying place on slightly rolling ground,
well kept aud planted to all sorts of flowers and evergreens. Over
3,000 are burled ere.
A little further to the south and national cemeteries are very
close together. At Philadelphia there is a beautiful burying place,
where about 2,500 sleep, and Just to the northeast of town is pretty
as the Buddhists say, by the erection of this temple.
The structure begtua with four galleries; the first Is 600 feet
square, and each sucreodlns one is a Mttle higher, but fifty feet less
in diameter. Then the ba.'O of the pagoda proper, about 260 feet
square, rises to a height of 100 fwU The entire building as planned
would have reached to a height of 500 feet, but the labor expended
had become so great that the people complained and he was com
pelled to abandon his enterprise. He was warned by the experience
of a former king, whose extravagance gave rise to the proverb, "Ths
pagoda is finished ai?d tlie country is ruined." King Bodopaya is
not the only "captain of industry" who has attempted to "acqulrs
merit" by constructing monumental buildings with tho labor ot
others, but he was not so successful as some of our trust magnates
have been
To match this great pagoda a bell was cast, weighing ninety
tons, said to be the largest sound bell in tho world. The great bell
of Moscow Is larger, but is cracked. The MIngoon bell, ns this one
near Mandalay is called, is eighteen foot in diameter at the base,
nine feet at the top and thirty-one feet in height to the top of the
shackle. It was formerly supported on immense teakwood beams,
but the foundation of one of these gave way, and for years one side
of tho bell rested on the ground. Lord Curzon, while viceroy of
India, caused the bell to be suspended from iron beams and put a
roof over it.
Mandalay a Mecca for Buddhists
The Buddhist priests seem to have made Mandalay their Mecca,
for of the 67,000 in Burma, more than 7,000 reside there. The
Buddhist priesthood is tho greatest mendicant order in the world,
the members of It being pledged to live by begging. Having occa
sion to ride out early one morning .we saw 100 or more, bare
headed, barefooted, their only garb a yellow robe, carrying their rice
bowls from door to door. They cannot ask for food by word of
mouth; they simply hold out the bowl and if food is denied they
move silently to another house. They are permitted to own no prop
erty except a robe, a bowl, a leather mat, a razor, a needle, a fan and
a filter cup.- They must live under a tree unless some one furnishes
them a house, and must live on roots and herbs unless better food
is given them. They have no parishes or congregations, but are ex- .
pected to spend their lives in meditation, free from all wordly cares,
except when engaged in expounding Buddhistic writing or in teach
ing the young. They live, as a rule, in monasteries, built for them
by pious Buddhists, and from what we saw of these buildings no one
.would accuse them of being surrounded by luxury. These monaster
ies rests upon posts some distance above the ground, and each room
has an outside door about large enough for one to enter upon his
hands and knees.
I visited one of these monasteries at Rangoon in company with
a native Christian whose father was half Chinese. To my surprise
the first priest whom I met was an Englishman,' who turned Budd
hist five years ago and donned the yellow robe. While I waited for
the native priest, to whom I had a letter, this Englishman gave ma
something of his history and a brief defense of his new faith. Ha
came from London six years ago as a ship carpenter and a year after
adopted Buddhism, Which, he explained to me, does not require
one to believe anything. While his parents were members of tha
Church of England he has never connected himself with any church
and, being an agnostic, the doctrines of Buddha appealed to him.
He described his adopted religion as one of works rather than
of faith, and declared that the slums of Christendom had no counter
part in Burma. The visitor, however, sees everywhere poverty and
squalor which can only be paralleled In the most destitute portions
of our great cities, and nowhere the comfort and refinement whicU
are general In the United States.
Analysis of Buddha's Cult
Buddhism Is reformed Hinduism, and In its teachings presents
a higher system of ethics than the religion from which it sprung.
Gautama, called the Buddha or the Enlightened, was born between
500 and 600 years before Christ, and was of the Brahmin caste. Not
satisfied with the teachings of the Hindu philosopher concerning
life, he went into seclusion at the age of 29, and devoted himself
to meditation. Six years later he announced his doctrines, destined;
to impress so profoundly tho thought of the orient. Accepting the
Hindu theory that the soul passes from one person to person, and
even from the human being to the animal and back, he offered
Nirvana as a final release from this tiresome and endless change
Nirvana, a state of unconsciousness which follows the absorption of
the individual soul in the soul of the universe. This was the end to
be sought, and no wonder it came as a relief to those whose phllos
ophy taught perpetual transition of the soul through man and beast
and bird and reptile. TJie means of reaching Nirvana was through)
the renunciation of self. Life, he conceived to be prolonged misery.
Infinitely drawn out, and lovo of self he declared to be tha root of all
evil. So long as one loves life, he argued, he cannot escape from tha
bondage'of existence. - In the entire relinquishment of a desire for
separate existence here or hereafter in this alone could he find
a path to Nirvana.
The next forty-five years of his life he spent In expounding
Beverly. Only 1C4 are buried here, but it is one of the most beau
tiful cemeteries In the country certainly the most beautiful of its and elaborating his doctrines. In formulating rules and in nerfertina
tho details of his system. Many of his precepts are admirable. For
size.
In the immediate vicinity there is the Gettysburg cemetery,
Antletam, Balls Bluff, Grafton and Winchester. All these are
much alike in general appearance. About 14,000 are burled in
all of them.
The shores of the Chesapeake in Virginia are fairly lined with
national cemeteries' About 60,000 are buried in this vicinity, and
the graveyards are almost exactly alike in appearance. They are
not as well kent as some further north, but nature has done an much
that passed away there has arisen another mound to be decorated ,n tho way of ,uxurlant vegetatlon that this Is hardly noticeable.
Wednesday. jhe most Important of these cemeteries are Fredericksburg, Arllng-
Nationai cemeteries, as is, pernaps, wen Known, are nurymg
places maintained at the expense of the United States government,
and wherein only soldiers are burled. Many of these-are near some
military post, but My far the larger ones are located In the vicinity
of the big battlefields. Some of the heroes were buried near the
spot where they gave up their lives for their country, and numbers
were taken to as near their homes as possible. In the national
cemeteries near tBe battlefields most of the graves are unnamed.
Only a number and a tiny stone tell where a hero lies sleeping.
When shells and shot mowed men down by the thousand it
frequently happened that there were none left to identify the bodies.
In most cases it was known to what company certain men had be
longed, although each could not be identified individually, and in
such cases all are buried in groups and the names of all the men
who were mUsing after the battle are Inscribed on a single shaft.
National Ceneteries
There are in all about ninety national cemeteries in the United
States, and so scattered that each presents an entirely different ap
pearance. Could pictures of them be viewed one after another they
would present a panorama of our country. Each characteristic
would be shown. There would be cemeteries far out on sandy
wastes where the sun "beats down mercilessly and the dry desert
wind carries the hot sand in blinding clouds over the shiny stones
that mark the graves. There would be cemeteries in mountain
wilds and on boundless western prairies. There would be peaceful
little spots sheltered 'neath church towers, and vast stretches of
beautiful park where thousands He buried.
The most easterly of the national cemeteries is the one known
as Cypress Hills. It is located not far out of the city ot Brooklyn,
and is a typical eastern burying place that contains some of the
finest monuments that are placed over soldiers' graves in the coun
try. The natural aspect of the country at Cypress Hills is some-,
what flat, but the cemetery has received so much attention and art
has done so much for it that the flatness is not noticeable. It'ls
a most beautiful spot, where 5,000 heroes are burled.
jyoodlawji I the name ot tho aaUftfial cem&terjr ot Raw. Jork
ton, Culpepper, Richmond, Cold Harbor, Petersburg, Yorktown and
Annapolis. Most of them have streams of water running through
them that greatly add to their natural beauty.
A Southern Type
In North Carolina the most important national cemetery is
Salisbury. Nearly 13,000 are burled here. This cemetery is lo
cated in a spur of a mountain range and is a most beautiful spot.
In general appearance it is entirely different from any other national
cemetery in the country. From almost any part of it a view extend
ing over miles and miles of country that in war time was the scene
ot many important battles can be obtained. It is a most impressive
place to visit at any time of the year. The other cemeteries in
North Carolina "are Raleigh, New Berne and Wilmington. About
7,060 are buried in these three.
Almost at the southern tip of South Carolina is the most beau
tiful national cemetery In the country. It Is known as Beaufort aud
about 10,000 are burled there. Although it is in South Carolina,
Beaufort might be said to belong to Savannah, Ga. The perfect
city of the south is Just a few miles away, across the river that
divides the two states, and it is from there that the crowds of peo
ple will come who will decorate its graves today. . Hundreds of the
sons of Savunn-h are buried in Beaufort.
In general appearance Beaufort might be said to be a typical
southern cemetery. It Is kept in the most perfect order and looks
like a glimpse of a tropical paradise. Broad drives of m beautiful
red gravel extend beneath over-arching oaks and sycamores, from
which long streamers of moss depend. Palms of many kinds grow
on all sides, and tho air Is heavy with the perfume of magnolias.
Here and there are tiny lakes, bordered by smooth, green lawns.
There are some magnificent monuments raised over the graves of
famous soldiers In this cemetery; but Just as much care and atten
tion is given to the nameless graves that are marked only by a
small stone and a number.
For picturesqueness the national cemetery at St. Augus-
Instance, he divides progress toward ths blissful state Into threa
stages. In the first he puts those who abstain from evil through
fear of punishment; these he commends, though he considers tha
motive comparatively low. In the second stage ara those who, pass
ing from negative harmleseness to helpfulness, do good from hop
of reward; these he praises as acting from a hlger motive than tha
first. In the third state the seeker after Nirvana does good, not foe
hope of reward, but for the sake of love alone. The last gift lova
has to give is to give up love of life itself and pass from furtheB
change to changelessness.
At one time Buddhism spread over, India and promised tha
conquest of Asia. Two hundred years after the Buddhist's dearth aJ
great king, Asoka, sent out 84,000 missionaries, and the doctrines
ot Gautama were accepted as far east as China and Japan and as
far south as Java. But the wave receded; India returned to Hindu
ism, China to Confucianism and Japan to Shintoism, and Moham
medanlem now outnumbers Buddhism on the Ganges. The Buddhists
still hold Burma, Thibet and C'pylon, but even In these countries
there is evidence of decline. Kandy, the capital city of Ceylon, has
the distinction of guarding a "sacred tooth," thought by the lgnoran
to be one of the eye teeth of Buddha. It is kept in a gold and Jew
eled casket enclosed in six larger ones, and Is an object of worship,
but the more intelligent Buddhists know that lt,ls a fraud.
At Rangoon I found a Baptist school, conducted by Americans,
with nearly 900 pupils, and learned of the gratifying success which
has attended missionary work in Burma. .
And yet, there Is a Buddhlat propaganda in Europe and
America! In a review called Buddhism, published at Rangoon by
the International Buddhist society, I read that Kaiser Wilhelm Is
"alarmed" at the progress that this cliglou Is making in Germany,
and I also read that our country offers a promising field for Buddhist
missionaries.
As a religion of agnosticism, requiring belief in neither God
nor immortality, nor yet in the morality taught by Christ,, it may
appeal to some who, like the Englishman whom I found in tha
monastery, have already rejected Christianity, but it is not likely
to appeal to those who have had a religious experience. Those who
emphasize good works, and fall to recognize the need of an in
spiring faith behind the works, may take refuge in the teachings
of Buddha from the more exacting requirements ot the Nazarene,
but no one is likely to be led astray who compares altruism, tha
philanthropy and the benevolences of Christianity with the fruits
of Buddhism. To live, even in poverty, upon tee labors ot others
with a view to gaining thus an earlier entrance into blissful un
consciousness is not so unselfish, after all, as to spend oneself
In the service ot his fellows and to convert life into an exhaustlet
i
I !
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Continued en P2 Xhie4