Women in Burma.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 7725, 30 January 1905, Page 4

Women in Burma.

I Burma, as "in many other things ,is in advance of more reputo<llv civi lised countries in the status it ac cords to its women (writes Mr V. C Scott O'Connor, author of "The Sil | ken Kast.") The infant marriage and shutting up in walled houses the polygamy, the harems, the so eial punishment of widows, the cU nial of spiritual rights, which pr ( vail in the continent of Jndia ar unknown in Burma. Here womei marry when they are of age, and af ter thry have seen somewhat of til world ; they marry, for the mos part, whomsoever they will, and for love. They are not handed over as chattels to a man whom thev know not, but arc courted and won. The Married Women's Property Act, a recent flower of British legislation, has in effect been established for centuries in Burma. In this country, where the women earn so much, the woman's earnings arc her own The lightness of the marriagx; laws and the readiness of the Burmese women to enter into an easy alliance, shock the virtue- of the strenuous foreigner ; but within her ideals sho is a perfectly proper, modest, and well-mannered woman. She is of the world to her finger-tips, and a t theatres and elsewhere her appreciation of the sallies of the actors is of Klizabethan frankness ; vet her conduct there is beyond reproach. Amorous vulgarities in public are unknown in Burma. A little Burmese girl or boy is the most doll-like creature in the world Children's clothes are unknown ' in the simple economy of Burma, and every little girl is dressed like her mother, from her sandals to thi flower in her hair ; and every little boy like his fatther, in n tartan kilt, a wltite muslin jacket, and flaming gaung-baung on his headthat is, when he is dressed at all. In the country and within the precincts of his own home, he is apt to go about with nothing on at all.

idol of his country. Scotsmen had only these two festivals. The interjval between the two was spout in 'recovering from the J'vst ivit it-s of t.he |last, lie did not know if ihe Chinese Minister had tasted their na- ] Uonal delicacies lliat evening. If he had, he would uwlel'stand why it was that a long period of recuperative repose was necessary after one 01 their national celebrations. Their history was a somewhat mingled one. They were once the subject of invasions, more or less successful, on the part of their Southern ! neighbour, on whose dominions they 'had met that evening. iiut for ] ; three centuries the invasion had been all the other way, and had .been eminently gratifying to Scotslmen on the one side and universally beneficent to, the invaded on the [other side. Jt was a curious fact that Secretary Cecil, the ancestor of the present Lord Salisbury, in 1567 had a return taken of the as they would be called now, and whom we were now, as he believed they were then, endeavouring to keep out. A return was taken of the aliens inhabiting the Metropolis. The return showed that there were 512 Frenchmen, 29V8 Dutchmen, high and low, and 30 Scotchmen, all told, in London. Today they had' changed all that What a miserably small leaven 30 Scotchmen were for so considerable a lump as the population of London ! He thought th«y would all agree with him that London would not be what it was to-day if the 'proportion of Scotsmen had reninin'ed what it was then. The question arose, Did Scotland stand to(day where it stood then ? The answer must be that Scotland stood imuch better than it did. Their prosperity was the marvel of the world. • He knew that in these days one must i speak about national prosperity (without a pocket hand kerch ief in one • hand and a potsherd in the other, i but at their dinner that evening they ; might be allowed the liberty. They ; had a Scotchman us Prime Minis- I . ter, and in every other department i they had their share of the good I j things of this life.

colony. All softs oi excuses liave been made to. AcI count .for the >;coming upalhy, but ; nothing can explain away the fact jthat .111 scholastic attainments our youths are indeed backward. Oi course there are a few exceptions, and the exceptions have proved ones. It is always a pleasure to read of our Sew Zbaland sons gaiiing distinctions and honour, but ,wo contend that most of our intelliigent youths are letting slip their opportunities. The chief reason giving for such a state of affairs is jthat they are saturated with a di sire foil sport and pleasure. When w consider the race meeting:, held o th« Coast we cannot shut our eve to tlvo fact that they are too inan.\ JHuing the holiday season there Wei eleven raco days, starting at Wewi port and winding up at Uokitika.