ises only three
kinds of men: the good man, the indifferent man, and the bad man.
Women, though recognised solely in their relation as wives, are placed
in seven classes: the mother-wife, the sister-wife, the daughter-wife,
the friend-wife, the master-wife, the servant-wife, and the
slave-wife. Manu holds that the last of these, the slave-wife, is the
best wife. It is, however, certain that the interpretation of the code
in Burma was entirely opposed to any subjection of the wife. That
mother-right must have been once practised and was very firmly
established is proved by the occurrence of brother-sister marriages.
The queens of the last rulers of the country, Minden-Min and Thebaw,
were either their own or their half-sisters, and the power of
government seems to have been almost wholly in the hands of these
queens. The patriarchal custom, so far as the position of women was
concerned, is but a thread, binding them in their marriage, but
leaving them entirely free in other respects. The Burmese wife is much
more the master than the slave of her husband, though she is clever
enough as a rule not to let him feel any inconvenience from her power,
which, therefore, he accepts. The exceptional position of the women is
clearly indicated by the fact that they enter freely into trade, and,
indeed, carry out most of the business of the country. Nearly all the
shops are kept by women. In the markets, where everything that any one
could possibly want is sold, almost all the dealers are women. All
classes of the Burmese girls receive their training in these markets;
the daughters of the rich sell the costly and beautiful stuffs, the
poorer girls sell the cheaper wares. It is this training which
accounts for the business capacity shown by the women. The boys are
trained by the priests, as every boy is required, "in order to purify
his soul, to acquire a knowledge of sacred things." This explains a
great deal. It would seem that religion enforces the same penalties on
men that in most countries fall upon women. The Burmese women are very
attractive, as is testified by all who know them. The streets of the
towns are thronged with women at all hours of the day, and they show
the greatest delight in everything that is lively and gay.

Given such complete freedom of women, it is self-evident that the
sexual relationships will also be free. Very striking are the
conditions of divorce. The marriage contract can be dissolved freely
at the