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Manners Of The Burmese

Manners Of The Burmese image
Parent Issue
Day
31
Month
December
Year
1880
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

Perhapa there are uo people in the world wliii'h as a whole are so thoroughly gentlemaiilike as the liurinese. A man coming froiu India, and accustouied to the slavish, crawling manner ol' the people lliere, ia equallj aatoniahed aud pleased with the respeoifo] yet Belf-respeoting demeanor of the Barmeae. Their manner seems to ac Icoowledge tha sup riority of the Kuropean but at the same timo gently to assert that thcy themselves are DOt unworthy of the oourtesy which thcy are bo vnlling to aooord. Whilo you c:ii the mastai of' ihe house bimself will ttaod in raadinesa aud get you anything you ma; want, while the olher laembeis of' the household go outide so that you aiay be entirely atyour eaae. The perfect f'reedom oí the wonao, and the unconstrained way in which they answer your questions and ask others ot' you, is particularly pleasaot to a Btraoger, and very different t'rouj the state of affaire whidi yon would timl in India. No eastern nation gives its wonieo adoh perfect f'reedom as the Burniese. The Rurnie&e matron is virtual miatre.ss of the house and djes not permit male nterferference in domestie uiatters, while to com plete the similarity with Occidental nations, a henpecked hu.sbaud is not by any meaná upknown. One of the ujust remarkable traits of the people ia tli" perfect equality of all olaaaea. They are perfectly republioan in the freedom with which all ranks minglo together and talk with one auother without any marked distinctiiin in regard to dill'iirt'tice of rank or wealth. One cause of tlii is that tbere are no regular werking men. A Barman 11 teil you tliatthcrc are tliree "oastes" among his country men, A-tuyat, A-Iop and A-yop, mcaniug respectivcly the gentry, the middlc clas.--, and the working men, but the distioction iü parely imaginary and oever opcnly raeogo i.nl. Nobody works regularly. Now an.l then a man will get a job at building a house nr some other carpentry work, or will bire bimaelf out in the addy aeaiou, but as soon is be pets bis firat pay, hu throws thu business up, and 9 U good a niau as any of ihoni.

Article

Subjects
Ann Arbor Courier
Old News