Читать книгу Burma and the Karens - Dr. San C. Po C.B.E. - Страница 8

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You can work it out by Fractions, or by simple Rule of Three, But the way of Tweedle-dum is not the way of Tweedle-dee. You can twist it, you can turn it, you can plait it till you drop, But the way of Pilly-Winky's not the way of Winkie-pop. Kipling.

The Karens have been living for many centuries in Burma under Burmese rule, but they always managed to live apart by themselves, and to retain their nationality and characteristics. Then again, under British rule during a period of more than one hundred years, there has been frequent contact and often long association, in one place with other nationalities, yet they have kept their nationality intact by avoiding inter-racial marriage. They cannot yet intermingle with other races with any mutual benefit or good result. Undoubtedly, villages inhabited solely by Karens thrive and progress far better than those in which the two races are mingled.

The Karen is shy and backward, and often lacking in the spirit of competition, while a Burman is usually assertive, forward and aggressive. The natural consequence is that a Karen is always at a disadvantage when he has to compete with a Burman for any post or favour from Government. It has been seen over and over again that a Burmese boy with a Middle School qualification will obtain a post in preference to a Karen boy who has passed the High School Final. Obviously, there can be no keen co-operation between two individuals or two parties as long as one of them feels himself unjustly treated, and nurses a grievance.

A police official of high standing, hero of many fights during the troublous times of 1885 in Burma and on the frontiers, once made an interesting comment while on the subject of Burmo-Karen relations. He said: "The Burmese people can never be a great nation, nor can they expect other nations to co-operate with them wholeheartedly unless and until they can eliminate the idea that they are superior in every respect to other nations and races."

A deplorable trait in the Burmese youth of a certain type may be noted. The tendency to make fun of other people sometimes in a spirit of joking but more frequently with the intention to insult and provoke. Almost any day can be seen young Burmans strolling the streets deliberately insulting by their actions and foul language young women who happen to pass by. The victims are usually unoffending women and girls of other races, but occasionally even their own women folk and European women are not exempt. Certain very intimate and highly esteemed Burmese friends of the writer have time and again condemned the objectionable ways of the Burmese youth, and for that reason do not care to send their daughters to schools where there are Burmese boys or to attend which daily the girls have to cover a distance with the possibility of meeting groups of boys of that type on their way. The sight of young women, instead of arousing in them a spirit of respect, the spirit of chivalry with which the youth of many other nations are imbued, seems to have just the opposite effect.

And at the police training depôts a casual observer may witness sentries on duty running to their places to salute a passer-by whom they have mistaken for one of their immediate superiors, only to laugh on discovering their error and make all sorts of insulting remarks. Such behaviour is, unfortunately, too common among the Burmese police and reflects most unfavourably on the Force. All these little objectionable traits make it difficult for others to co-operate with people of that sort.

Recently a case came to the notice of the public, creating a great stir in the local Karen world. It may be cited as an example of many other similar affairs. A young Burmese clerk on a steamer plying between Bassein and a district village was in the habit of calling at the latter place on a young Karen friend who had a sister. After a short time the clerk made advances to the girl through her brother and, the suit being favourably received, took her to wife. Some time later, however, the clerk was transferred to another route, whereupon he with the consent and sanction of his family took another wife, this time a Burmese girl. The deserted Karen wife and her brother heard of this marriage, and the brother went quietly to the man and, reminding him of his promises, remonstrated with the latter about his conduct to his sister who was now in a condition to become a mother. The brother was insulted and roundly abused for being an ignorant jungle Karen, and was told that he and his sister, having made fools of themselves, must abide by the consequences. The girl then went personally to plead with her husband, but she, too, had the same reception. Some few days later as the steamer on which the clerk was working landed at Bassein a young man was seen to rush at the clerk, stabbing him with intent to kill. Fortunately for the victim the knife broke and the wound did not prove fatal. The Karen lad immediately gave himself up to the police, declaring that he had done it to avenge his sister who had been dishonoured. The accused has been sent to prison for four years.

A Karen, whether Christian, Buddhist or Animist, regards marriage in any form whatever as a sacred and solemn act, and the vows never to be broken or dishonoured. It was natural, therefore, that the Karens when they heard of the affair showed silent approval, finding justification for the act, though it was legally culpable, in the dastardly behaviour of the clerk.

The Burmese people, however, very often make light of marriage and promises to women, and a case like the above, which a Karen regards as a great moral wrong, is treated lightly by them. The marked difference in the attitude of the two races on a point of this nature--on a point, in this instance, which concerns the home life of a nation--this difference in moral outlook is a serious obstacle to co-operation. It deters a Karen from associating more freely with a Burman.