are not largely with the Burman— to whom the presence
of the inferior immigrant from India is not something
of an offence.
The real fault of the Burmese character lies in its
lack of “ grit” ; not in any of those other qualities
TH E OLD MAN
which are drawn like a red herring across the scent,
in popular estimates of it. Continuity of purpose,
steady determination, the faculty of depth these the
Burman lacks. And the explanation simply lies in
this— that he is racially still a child; a very clever
and promising child, with great aptitudes, with much
44
latent power and singular sweetness of character ; but
with the faults— the passionate temper, the cruelty,
the want of self-control— of a child. Here is no effete
race, a people who have lived their life, a people to
be superseded and wiped
out; but a people to be
fostered, to be encouraged,
to be helped on their way
for what they must ultimately
contribute to the
pleasure and the happiness
of the world. In this I
do not merely speculate,
for the" Burman has
already done much to
justify a good opinion
of him.
To pass him over without
mentioning his wife
and daughter would be
uncivil, and also in this
case dull ; for the sex
contributes greatly to the
G IR L A T TH E PAGODA
liv e lin e s s and charm
of the country. Burma, as in many other things, is
in advance of more reputedly civilised countries in the
status it accords to its women. The infant marriages
and shutting up -in walled houses, the polygamy, the
harems, the social punishment of widows, the • denial
of spiritual rights, which prevail in the neighbouring