Letter from Burma 21
By jeand
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Heinda Mine
Tenasserim
Southern Burma
September 5, 1935
Dear Dorothy,
We had an interesting time meeting up with an American minister and his brand new wife, John and Vivian Cady, who are at Judson College at the University at Rangoon, but are on a tour of the southern areas at the moment. They arrived in Burma on July 28th, having visited in China and Japan. Vivian wrote up her expereinces and when they were here she told us how worried she had been. I am quoting from her writing, so you will see that she agrees with me in many of her statements about her first impressions of this place.
They changed boats at Hong Kong and Penang, and eventually reached Rangoon. It was the height of the monsoon rainy season, and she said the five mile ride to the University campus traversed a drenched city with a population far more Indian than Burmese. The street traffic included rickshaws, freight cars being pulled by coolies, pony drawn gharries, and slow moving ox-carts.
On the roads they had to dodge past goats, dogs and cows standing calmly on the roadway. Yellow robed monks from the golden covered pagoda shrine trail about in single file from place to place, giving the people a daily opportunity to continue and accumulate merit. Just across the road skirting the pagoda with its massive buddish imagery in an 18 hole golf course. She mentioned modern talkies compete with snake charmers for audiences. The whole is a mingling of east and west. Much in Burma is permanent and unchanging from the golden pagodas and the variegated dress to which the people cling, to the beautiful tints of the sunsets. Burmese are a mirth loving people, intelligent and friendly but lacking political experience and capacity in economic affairs. The spirit of nationalism is definitely abroad, largely racial and religious in character and to predict the outcome is difficult.
Vivian said, “One likes to think that Christianity will contribute much that is indispensable to the future well being of Burma but the impact of Western civilization will demoralize and enslave these people economically.”
The Cays were in lower Burma to get a close look at the delta countryside during a visit to the Thonze mission station where their friends the Lattas are in charge. John told us that Mr. Latta explained the natives are faced with a collapsing world market for Burma's surplus rice. Feeble governmental efforts to promote the availability of cooperative credits for faltering paddy farmers has left them with no alternative but to solicit loans from Indian Chettyar moneylenders, who charge high interest rates and foreclosed promptly on unpaid mortgages. For Burmese to abandon their cultivation means competing as common labourers with alien coolies from Indian who earned only eight annas (19 cents) a day. During recent depression years, the Chettyars have acquired title to an estimated one quarter of the vast riceland of Burma delta areas, and they hold mortgages on much of the remainder.
The Cays say their health objectives include improved sanitation and water supplies, correction of digestive disorders, eye and skin infections. The Rangoon Red Cross and governmental health services provided transportation and visiting specialist. Vivian helps by keeping medical supplies in order and by offering instruction to village women in sewing and clothing care.
We are having Hilde over for a few days.
One of our chicks has died.
Love,
Gwenllian
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Comments
'Vivian said, “One likes to
'Vivian said, “One likes to think that Christianity will contribute much that is indispensable to the future well being of Burma but the impact of Western business civilizatatiin will enslave...' Hopeful, yet observant.
Loved the colourful scenes you painted, Jean.
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I love the scene painted with
I love the scene painted with words of the busy traffic John and Vivian Cady saw on their journey, then having to dodge past goats, dogs and cows standing calmly on the roadway. How wonderful the yellow robed monks must have looked leaving the golden covered pagoda shrine, to trail about in single file. It must have been a sight to behold. With the description I felt as if I was there.
Thank you for sharing this letter Jean.
Jenny.
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Interesting picture of
Interesting picture of Rangoon in the 30s in the monsoon!
Problems of fair cooperative credit and helping farming crises, and high-interest money lending ever lurk. Rhiannon
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another fascinating slice
Hi Jean - - what a sharp eyed observer G is, and she writes so well. History is endedted to people like her! So interresting. simon
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I wondered where the material
I wondered where the material for these came from. I really enjoy reading collections of letters like this as they really do give subsequent generations an insight into life in different eras and different countries.
Alan
Ringwood
Great Britain
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Hello again
Hello again
Coincidentally my family has very strong roots in Canada where I was born.
My father is nearly 92 and it is only now that I am getting him to open up about family history based around Calgary, Le Duc, Peace River, Edmonton, Peace River and Dawson Creek. My great grandfather ran a saddlery shop in Le Duc at the time of the gold rush in the 1890's and that is a story in progress.
It is important to know where we have come from to understand who we are and where we are going.
Keep those letters coming.
Alan
Alan
Ringwood
Great Britain
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Hi
Hi
My writing about Canada is not on line yet.
I am planning to spec some short articles and then submit them to the papers over there and see how it goes.
Will put the drafts on line soon.
Alan
Alan
Ringwood
Great Britain
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Thank you Jean.
Thank you Jean.
My email is alanrussell682 at btinternet.com
I have some family tree files Dad has given me and will go through those when I get the chance.
Dawson Creek, my parents moved there in 1946 after Dad served in WW2 with the RCAF and had married my Mum from Bournemouth. He worked for the Northern Alberta Railway in Daeson Creek and then in Edmonton until we came back to the UK in 1963.
Good luck with all of your research.
I am going to keep the discipline of writing something every day either as Onar's Diary or other material on ABC Tales and other self publishing outlets.
Alan
Alan
Ringwood
Great Britain
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canada
good luck alan, looking forward to them - - - simon
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Good news
Hi Jean sorry to get wires crossed -- it came up in my email but I was going to get back you about your tragic and colourful stories (best I can do is a couple of great uncles disappearing in Mexico!) but anyhow I didn't want to go over old ground but now I read you are going to put your writing skills to fray some of the archival edges and that's great news --- --- really looking forward to it -- best wishes -- simon
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