llianlohnson Curtis
n n ji_ n_^-fL_^__ *g
REESE LIBRARY
OF THK
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA
Qass-
The Laos of North Siam
BY
LILLIAN JOHNSON CURTIS
WITH INTRODUCTION BY
ROBERT E. SPEER
ILLUSTRATED FROM PHOTOGRAPHS TAKEN BY
THE AUTHOR
Philadelphia
The Westminster Press
M CM II I
>
COPYRIGHT, 1903,
BY LILLIAN JOHNSON CURTIS
PUBLISHED, MAY, 1903
C?
fto m IbusbanD
and
Iparents,
TKHbose faftbtul Devotion ma^e tbe writing
of tbte booft possible, is it affec*
tionatel^
124
flntrofcuction
There is no other mission field which has had
to wait as long as Laos for an adequate account of
its condition and needs as seen by the missionaries.
Indeed there are only half a dozen books which deal
with these northern states of Siam and their people.
One of the best of them, Mr. Hallett's A Thousand
Miles on an Elephant, is written with cordial appre-
ciation of the missionaries. Indeed it is dedicated
to them and to the neighboring Baptist missionaries
in Burma.
"TO
THE AMERICAN MISSIONARIES IN BURMA,
SIAM, AND THE SHAN STATES,
I DEDICATE THIS BOOK,
AS A MARK OF THE
HIGH ESTEEM IN WHICH I HOLD THE NOBLE WORK
THE AMERICAN BAPTIST MISSION AND
THE AMERICAN PRESBYTERIAN MISSION
ARE ACCOMPLISHING
IN CIVILIZING AND CHRISTIANIZING
THE PEOPLE OF INDO-CHINA."
An old book entitled Siam and Laos as Seen by
American Missionaries is full of valuable informa-
tion, and Miss Fleeson's Laos Folk Lore pre-
serves some of the simple stories of the people.
v
VI INTRODUCTION
But none of these or of the other books on Siam,
attempt any full treatment of the Laos people and
religion and government.
Mrs. Curtis is well qualified to write a book to
fill this vacant place. For four years she was a
missionary at Lakawn, and combined with excep-
tional opportunities a quick discernment and a
kindly interest in the people. Far away from the
currents of travel and intercourse, the Laos states
are practically unknown save to the lumber mer-
chant and the missionary. And of the two it is the
missionary who masters the language, enters into
the life of the people with the sympathy which is
essential to knowledge, traces up the secret of
custom or idea or institution, and strives to under-
stand the hearts and minds of those among whom
he dwells. As in almost every other part of Asia
and in Africa, so here we owe our first and often
our fullest and most reliable knowledge of the
people and country to the missionary.
The two founders of the Laos Mission, Dr. Mc-
Gilvary and Dr. Wilson, are still connected with the
mission. It is to be hoped that some day their
autobiographical reminiscences may be made avail-
able. The only difference between these two ven-
erable missionaries loved throughout the Laos
states by all, rulers, common people, and merchants
from the West and missionaries like Moffett and
Paton, is that these old Laos missionaries are un-
known to the world. In character and accomplish-
ment they rank with the missionary saints and
apostles. Mrs. Curtis has done a good service in
INTRODUCTION Vll
telling as much as she has here told of their life
and work.
An account like this is an encouragement to faith.
But it is also a summons to duty. The work for
the elevation of this remote people has but begun.
It should be carried forward to completion. Into
these poor lives and open hearts we are charged to
bring that gospel, which will deliver them from
their fetiches and their fears, which is the promise
of the life that now is as well as of that which is
to come.
ROBERT E. SPEER.
New York.
Butbor's Untro&uctton
IN this day of travel and books it is as easy a
matter to feel acquainted with our antipodes as it
is with our next-door neighbor. So enterprising
have tourists to the East been that they have
pushed their way into central China, across Siberia,
and even into Tibet, and so faithfully have they
written of what they have seen, heard, and ob-
served that we, sitting in our easy-chair at home,
can all but believe that we, too, have been there.
But there is one fair land that is yet closed to
the reading world, a land that at once charms and
interests, but which is so shut in by its mountain
walls and distance from the sea that it is practically
inaccessible to the tourist. Readers of current
missionary literature know of the Laos people, as
there is a most successful mission among them; and
those who have been following the trend of eastern
politics of the past few years know that Siam has
recently lost to France all her land east of that
noble stream of waters, the Me Kawng, or Cam-
bodia, most of which is inhabited by the Laos.
Aside from this, but little is known of the Laos,
save by those few men and women who have come
into direct touch with them, principally as mission-
aries or foresters. A few men have entered or
ix
crossed their country in an official capacity, and as
a result we have from the gifted pen of Colquhoun
an excellent work, Amongst the Shans, and from
Mr. Hallet as reliable and interesting a book, A
Thousand Miles on an Elephant. But these books
and others barely touch upon the Laos, and
nothing but a mention is made of the mission
there.
The author has recently spent four years among
this people as a missionary under the Northern
Presbyterian Board, not only living in the larger
cities and towns, but touring among the remote
villages, living in close touch with the people, and
often spending days and nights in their own homes.
Thus she feels that she knows them, and loving
them as she does she wishes to bring them before
the American public, that they, too, may become
interested in them and may have their hearts stirred
to do something toward sending to them the Word
of Life.
It is the writer's purpose to give concrete facts
and incidents which will be illustrative of the Laos
people as a whole. It is a difficult task to speak
of a foreign people and not to do so from a
prejudiced point of view, especially when they have
so many moral anomalies and contradictions as have
the Laos. But this, too, has been constantly borne
in mind by the writer.
It is with pleasure that I acknowledge my indebt-
edness to the Rev. W. C. Dodd, of the Laos Mis-
sion. Though in the United States on a brief
furlough, he has taken time to read the manuscript
AUTHOR'S INTRODUCTION xi
of this book and to give me many valuable sugges-
tions.
And so with this word from the author to the
reader, we will turn to Laos-land with all its
witchery of tropical splendor, and with all its dark-
ness of demon worship.
LILLIAN JOHNSON CURTIS.
Winnabow, N. C.
Unfcer
PAGE
Introduction by Mr. Robert E. Speer v
Author's Introduction ix
CHAPTER I
THE SHANS
Reign of Pra-Ruang; early Shan history; principal
branches of Shans; original home; pushed south-
ward; gunpowder; Ayuthia founded; the term
"Laos"; under four flags; Laos provinces; tribu-
tary to Siam; cruel treatment of king; government
of Laos provinces; Laos Shans superior i
CHAPTER II
SIAM AND ITS CAPITAL
Kingdom recently delimited; territory governed by
Siam; King Chulalongkorn I; effect of union
of church and state; palace life; visit to palace;
Wat Pra Kian; royal white elephants; things that
bind to the past; location of Bangkok; the Me
Nam; river scene; trolley line; floating houses;
shopping in Bangkok; owes existence to trade;
yet not traders 9
CHAPTER III
SIX WEEKS IN A SIX-BY-SEVEN
How to reach Laos-land; Laos boats; distance; poling
of boats; boat life and crew; journal; leaving
Bangkok; first night out; royal procession;
Czarewitch; hot weather; first Sabbath out;
thieves; a leper witness; follow canal; drinking
xiii
XIV INDEX
PAGE
river water; language; second Sabbath; unique
church service; a mountain climb; ruins; glorious
view; fever; nearing Pak Nam Po; value of mos-
quito net 25
CHAPTER IV
FROM PAK NAM PO TO RAHENG
At Pak Nam Po; in the Me Ping; a pleasant change;
stop at wat; sick ones better; night stop at sand
bar; third Sabbath out; soft sunsets; Chinaman's
boat from Chieng Mai; cooler nights; crew fish
daily; a narrow escape from capsizing; a second
danger; in a village below Raheng; spinning,
broken leg; fourth Sabbath from Bangkok; de-
scription of Raheng ; leaking boats ; mishap to boat ;
party divides 49
CHAPTER V
THE END OF THE JOURNEY
On the Me Wang; compared with Me Ping; fifth
Sabbath out; fever; in a village; industrious Laos
family; fever worse; in the mountains; the rapids;
beautiful scenery; crew and morning plunge; in
Laos-land at last; river very low; river gardens;
reed-blowing; a log jam; at Lampang Kang with
Christians; nearing Lakawn 63
CHAPTER VI
THE FACE OF LAOS-LAND
Laos roads; physical features; the climate; seasons;
the damp; lavish nature; rapids of Me Nan;
ferns and orchids; vegetables; curcuma; palms
and their uses; bananas; mangoes; the tamarind
tree; pineapples and other fruits; valuable woods;
teak; upas; gamboge; lac insect; bamboo and its
uses; slaple crops 74
INDEX XV
CHAPTER VII
THE FACE OF LAOS-LAND (CONTINUED)
PAGE
Range of animal life; tigers and stories; water buffa-
loes; leaf insects; chakims; butterflies; "white ants"
or termites; elephants; white elephants; elephant
characteristics; camel-like; mineral wealth 90
CHAPTER VIII
V'THE HEART OF LAOS-LAND
Marriage as a foundation; the Laos as a race;
woman's position; not due to Buddhism; custom
of wooing and wedding; divorce laws; property
in hands of women; illustrations; dress of men;
hairless skins; dress of women; black teeth; betel
chew; young women attractive; change in dress;
homes of the Laos; house-building; furnishing of
houses; kitchen; food; ha a delicacy; a table;
cimex lectularius; free from both cares and joys of
civilization 99
CHAPTER IX
CHAUS AND SERFDOM
Idea of greatness; corvee laws; wealth of chaus;
slaves; chaus refined, but self-seeking; a parasitical
life; illustrations; story of Ai Phat; when in
public; Prince Damrong's visit; diplomatic re-
ceipt; bribery; secret of state of stagnation 120
CHA'PTER X
v CHARACTERISTICS AND AMUSEMENTS
The voice; markets; force of custom; lying; idea of
heaven; New Year festival; Loy Katong holidays;
end of Lent; his majesty's birthday; theaters;
dancing at palace; how girls are obtained; ba-taw;
footfall of people; deft in carving; noted for
geniality J 3I
XVI INDEX
CHAPTER XI
LANGUAGE AND A TRIO OF UNIQUE CUSTOMS
PAGE
Grammatical construction of language; the tones;
consonants and vowels; pronouns; poetically para-
phrastic expressions; choice of names; prefixes
for males; for females; tattooing; methods of tat-
tooing; burial of dead; wailing dead; cremation;
preparing body; the catafalque; services at crema-
tion; cost; smoldering ashes 143
CHAPTER XII
OCCUPATION AND INDUSTRIES
No corporations; petty trading; Yunnun and Burmese
traders; silver and goldsmiths; paper manu-
facture; lacquer ware; rice cultivation; sprouting
beds; transplanting; irrigation; harvest; cattle
trains; portable restaurants; literature and art.... 159
CHAPTER XIII
CHILD LIFE
A land of children; treatment at birth; care of mother;
flat heads; games; rhymes and jingles; folk-lore
stories; cut leaves from flower stems; education
of boys 169
CHAPTER XIV
A LOOK AT BUDDHISM
A Buddhist nation; Buddist beatitudes; extracts
from Dhamma-pada; eightfold sacred formula; in
form; in nature; meat-eating; drinking; no
soul; re-incarnation; "incomprehensible mystery";
merit; "grapes of thorns"; a selfish religion 178
CHAPTER XV
LAOS WATS
The three tenets of Buddhism held; wats pleasing to
eye; more a monastery than a temple; the wihara;
INDEX XV11
PAGE
display of gold; idols and shrines; dormitories;
wat luangs; libraries ; drum towers ; prachedls;
sand festival; footprints of Buddha; wats are also
inns; a dedication of an idol; merrymakings;
fireworks; wats typical of heart religion 193
CHAPTER XVI
THE SHAVED HEAD AND THE YELLOW ROBE
Vows not for life; ceremony of receiving into order;
to full ordination; robes of monks; the color; a
monk's possessions; abbots and how appointed;
laws and rules that bind monks; nonobservance
of laws; supposed daily routine of monks; novi-
tiate's duties; exceptional monks; why they do not
influence their fellow-men 211
CHAPTER XVII
SPIRIT-WORSHIP AND TREATMENT OF THE SICK
Why Buddhism was adopted by Shans, and not Chris-
tianity; all unusual occurrences accounted for as
supernatural; house blown down; preparations for
a journey; spirit charms; ta leo; Chau Chiwit and
charms; drowning; spirit groves; threatened
. famine; Kwan; origin of spirits; magic; cave at
Chieng Dow; amulets and omens; two kinds of
disease; first class treated by doctors; second
class by spirit-doctors; exorcism; treatment of
witches; awful shadow over life 224
CHAPTER XVIII
THE ORGANIZATION AND EARLY DAYS OF THE MISSION
The Laos have a knowledge of sin; need of Christi-
anity; mission an outgrowth of Siam mission;
Roman Catholic missions in Siam; testimony
XV 111 INDEX
PAGE
of government to Protestant missions; Dr.
Gutzlaff; dark days for Siam mission; Fah
Mong Kut ascends the throne; a new era for
Siam; Ann Hazeltine Judson; Messrs. McGil-
vary and Wilson assigned to Siam; points of
interest in their lives; John Leighton Wilson; Dr.
Lefevre; Mrs. Wilson's death; Dr. McGilvary's
marriage; assigned to Petchaburee; tour into
Laos; 1867, Laos mission established by Dr. Mc-
Gilvary; early days at Chieng Mai; medical work;
coming of Dr. and Mrs. Wilson; building of
bridge; two years in sala; difficulties and en-
couragements; foundations laid 244
CHAPTER XIX
THE FIRST GROWTH AND PERSECUTION
First convert; story of conversion; death of His
Majesty Mong Kut; seven converts; sickness and
death; first persecution; martyrdom; heavy cloud
over mission; commissioner sent from Bangkok;
interview with king; apparent failure of mission;
faith of missionaries; God's deliverance; Dr.
House's visit; effect of persecution 263
CHAPTER XX
THE SECOND PERSECUTION AND EXPANSION
First medical missionary; tour of whole country; some
conversions of 1876; second persecution; marriage
of Kam Tip; proclamation of religious liberty;
organization of Bethlehem church; Lakawn
church; story of first member there; death of Nan
Inta; new missionaries; Lakawn station estab-
lished; Me Dork Deng church; new missionaries;
year of grace; church at Chieng Sen; Lampun;
mission moves forward 281
INDEX XIX
CHAPTER XXI
CHIENG MAI. THE FAIR CITY OF PALMS
1 AGJl
City of Palms; Doi Su Tep; tea gardens; points of
interest about Chieng Mai; mission press; its
work; medical compound and immense work
there; work among lepers; prisoners; mission
work, evangelistic and philanthropic; parochial
schools; theological and training schools; Dr.
McGilvary's home; work among the Ka Mus;
"P. H. and P. A"; Chieng Mai church; last look
at city 292
CHAPTER XXII
LAKAWN, PRE, NAN, AND CHIENG RAI
At Lampun; greatest missionary trial; rest at Me Ta;
climb over the mountains; Lakawn; industrial
farm; north compound; medical work; Dr.
Wilson's house; the church; work of the wives;
famine; visible changes; at Pre; one man for a
whole year; at Nan; encouraging features; at
Chieng Rai; strategic importance; Musiis; de-
velopment of Laos church; need for missionaries;
Laos days of isolation past; dangers; obligations
to Presbyterian Church 311
APPENDIX
Chart of Tai Race 331
List of Laos missionaries 333
The Shan uprising 336
Xaos of IRortb Slam
CHAPTER I
THE SHANS
"Ix was in the one thousandth year of Buddha,
A. D. 457, that the great and fearful King Ruang
lived. His advent and the glories of his reign had
been previously announced by Gotama himself.
His father was King of Haripunxai. One day he
retired to a quiet mountain for meditation and there
met the Queen of the Nakhae*, whose beauty and
charm won his heart. She became his wife and
brought forth a son whom she placed upon the
spot where she had first met the king, then disap-
peared, after having placed upon the child's finger
a ring given her by the king. Now a certain hunts-
man accidentally discovered the child with the royal
ring, and brought him up. The youth having one
day entered the court the whole palace trembled;
the king recognized his son, and acknowledged him.
In time he became king under the name Pra-
Ruang. He threw off the yoke of the King of
Cambodia, and reduced to his authority all the
sovereigns in his vicinity. In the year one thou-
*The Nakhae are a fabulous race dwelling under the
earth.
I
2 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
sand of the era, Pra-Ruang abolished the Buddhist
era, and ordained a new one; which is the era of the
Siamese and is called Chulasakkarat, the lesser era.
Incensed because the Emperor of China would not
unite with the other kings for the purpose of
abolishing the era, Pra-Ruang, having embarked
in a ship with his brother, reached by some won-
derful means the presence of the Emperor of China,
who professed himself to be his disciple and gave
him his daughter in marriage. Pra-Ruang re-
turned with a large retinue of Chinese; introduced
the characters of the Siamese language, and ap-
pointed his brother King of Chieng Mai. In
consequence of these and other great merits he was
favored with the possession of an immense white
elephant with jet-black tusks. Proceeding one day
to the river the king disappeared; it was thought
that he had rejoined his mother, the Queen of the
Nakhae, and would pass the remainder of his life
in the realms beneath."*
The early history of the Shans is lost in the mists
of antiquity and this touch of color from the pages
of their chronicles, now kept in the Royal Library
of Bangkok, reveals how hopelessly interwoven are
the facts of their later history with the unreal, so
much so that the one cannot be satisfactorily dis-
entangled from the other.
To-day the Shans are settled over the main part
of Indo-China, reaching over into Burma and up
* See Bowring's translation of Bishop Pallegoix's Chro-
nology.
THE SHANS 3
into China. Though English writers know this
people as Shans, they call themselves Tai Free
People. There are two principal divisions of Shans,
namely, Western Shans and Eastern Shans. The
eastern branch includes the Siamese and the Laos
Shans. It is among the Western Shans that the
American Baptist Missionary Union has so success-
ful a mission and into whose dialect of Shan Dr.
Gushing has translated the Bible. The Northern
Presbyterian Board has had a mission among the
Siamese Shans for nearly sixty years, and among
the Laos Shans for over half that time. These
three principal branches of Shans have much in
common, especially in vocabulary, characteristics,
and customs, their chief difference being found in
their written dialects.
Though so little is accurately known of early
Shan history there are a few facts of which we can
be sure. We have such authority as Professor
Terrien de La Couperie, and other students of
ethnology, for affirming that originally they came
from China and are of old Aryan stock, and recent
missionary exploration has also established the
fact that they are still immigrating annually from
Yunnan Province, China. Certain it is, though, that
they are not of the same race as the Chinese, and
there is much more in common between them and
other branches of the Indo-European races than
between them and the Chinese. Professor La Cou-
perie proves conclusively that this Shan people was
settled within the great valley of the Yangtsi at
the time that the first wave of Chinese migration
4 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
swept over the northwest corner of China. It is
thought that this event was simultaneous with the
appearing of the Aryans upon the frontiers of
India, which date is usually fixed at 3000 B. c. In
the reign of Yaou, 2356 B. c., we find that the
Chinese have crossed to the south of the Yangtsi,
so the Shans must have been pushed first to the
southward about this time. We can think of them
as moving farther and farther southward, ever since
the time that Abraham was leading his pilgrim
life in the land of his adoption. From this time
on down the centuries until about one hundred and
fifty years before Columbus discovered America,
the Shan history cannot be accurately given. There
are, however, a few facts about those early days of
which we may feel sure, namely, that the Shan
kingdoms reached great power and splendor;
walled cities were built; wise laws were made; Bud-
dhist monasteries were reared, and kingdom fought
against kingdom with immense armies. Guns and
gunpowder are mentioned long before the discovery
of the latter in Europe. The same year, A. D. 1584,
there is mention of the capture of Portuguese ves-
sels which had taken part with the Cambodians
against the Siamese.* However, we may be sure
that a high degree of civilization was never reached,
and that the people were heartlessly sacrificed to
the whims or caprices or necessities of the rulers.
In A. D. 1350 the old capital city of Ayuthia was
founded, and from this date we have an authentic
* See Bowring's Siam, Vol. I, p. 54.
THE SHANS 5
history of Siamese Shans, which necessarily em-
braces more or less of Laos Shan history.
The Laos Shans, or simply the Laos, to-day
number between five and eight million souls.
There is absolutely no method of obtaining a cor-
rect census and so the number is variously esti-
mated. The figures quoted represent the limit of
both extremes. The term "Laos" is an arbitrary one,
being the French spelling of the name of a single
tribe of Laos, namely, the Lao tribe. But the
Siamese call all the Laos in their kingdom and all
in French territory Lao. And so for want of a bet-
ter term, the Laos Mission voted in 1897 to "use the
name 'Laos' for all who use the written character
that we have in our mission." This includes not
only all the Tai tribes within the areas mentioned
in the following paragraph, but also the non-Tai
hill tribes: because the written language of such of
them as have a written language at all, is Laos.
Thus the term "Laos" is generic and includes a
large number of branches of Shans which all speak
dialects of a common language and have marked
family resemblances, so much so that they can be
classed under the common name, Laos Shans. The
mass of them are nominal Buddhist, but a few of
the tribes are not. Tattooing is not common to all,
and the men of a few of the tribes wear their hair
long. The dress and many of the customs vary;
and we could go on enumerating differences, which
nevertheless are but varying traits and characteris-
tics of the same great family of Laos Shans. There
are six principal branches of Tai Laos and several
O THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
Laos hill tribes. These will be found classified in
a chart in the appendix of this book. The language
written and spoken by the Yuan Laos is recognized
by all branches as the ''Mandarin" language of the
Laos. Some of the hill tribes speak dialects of
their own, but many of the men of the tribes and
some of the women understand the Laos vernacular.
The non-Tai hill people are thought to be the re-
mains of once mighty empires.
The Laos are living under four flags. On the
north they are under Chinese rule, on the west
under British, on the east and southeast under
French authority, and on the southwest they form
a part of the Siamese nation. They are scattered
over the immensely rich valleys of the upper courses
of the Salwin, Me Ping, and Me Kawng rivers.
From two to four millions of the Laos the Yuan
Laos live under Siamese rule: and to this branch
of the family the Presbyterian Church has hitherto
confined its organized work, and it is this same
branch with whom this book deals. This people
will be spoken of by their generic name, Laos, as
they are so known in all American current and mis-
sionary literature. It will be readily seen that the
mission includes as yet only a small part of the
Laos.
As thus restricted, the term Laos includes the
people of seven principal provinces, namely, Chieng
Mai, Lakawn, Pre, Nan, Chieng Rai, and Chieng
Sen, each of which takes its name from its capital
city. The city of Chieng Mai marked Zimme on
old maps is now the largest and most important,
THE SHANS 7
though the youngest. In A. D. 1293 when Europe
was in the throes of the dark ages it was destroyed
by the West Shans of Muang* Mau. A few years
later it was rebuilt by the son of the King of
Lakawn and upon the same site. The Laos have
many a wonderful tale that they tell their children
concerning those days, especially of one of their
kings who even as an infant showed such physical
power and such an unruly spirit that he broke every
cradle in which he was laid, until finally an iron one
was made which withstood him. This king lived
before the destruction of Chieng Mai by the West-
ern Shans of Mung Mau: so we see that the present
custom of placing babes in a swinging bamboo
cradle or basket is one of very ancient date.
In the seventies of the eighteenth century, these
states became tributary to Siam. But troubles
arose and the reigning sovereign of Siam, Chau
Prasat Tawng, invaded the Laos states, laid the
country waste, plundered the villages, and brought
away many thousand captives to be slaves forever
more. The king of the Laos escaped into Cochin
China, but was betrayed into the hands of Siamese,
arriving in Bangkok about the close of the year
1828. He here underwent cruelties of which it is
a shame even to speak. We will quote only in part:
"He was confined in a large iron cage, exposed
to the burning sun, and obliged to proclaim to
every one that the King of Siam was great and
* "Muang," or, as the West Shans say, "Mung," means
province.
8 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
merciful, that he himself had committed a great
error and deserved his present punishment. In this
cage were placed with the prisoner a large mortar
to pound him with, a larger boiler to boil him in, a
hook to hang by, and a sword to decapitate him:
also a sharp-pointed spike for him to sit on. His
children were sometimes put in along with him. He
was a mild, respectable-looking, old gray-headed
man, and did not live long to gratify his tormentors.
His dead body was refused cremation or burial and
was hung in chains on the river bank below
Bangkok."*
Since then there has been no trouble between the
provinces and the capital, and gradually Siam has
weaned them of their state power until at present
every province has a Siamese royal commissioner
appointed directly from the throne in Bangkok.
He is not only responsible for good government
and collection of taxes, but he keeps the king in
touch with the spirit of the provinces.
Though the Laos and Siamese are both Shans
and have much in common, a stranger would note
at once many marked differences in natures, habits,
and customs of these two peoples. It is conceded
by all that in morals, and refinements of life as well,
the Laos are superior.
* Bo wring's Siam, Vol. I, p. 62.
CHAPTER II
SIAM AND ITS CAPITAL
To know and understand the Laos it is necessary
to be familiar with Siam as a whole. So many ex-
cellent books have been written recently on Bang-
kok or Siam that it is unnecessary to spend much
time upon the subject. We will only touch upon it
sufficiently to enable us to understand the Laos
people.
The kingdom of Siam, including necessarily its
provinces, has suffered much within the last few
years by loss of territory. Its boundary toward
Burma was somewhat contracted in 1891 by a
commission; and the famous treaty of 1893 granted
to France all Siamese territory east of the Me
Kawngj and on a twenty-five kilometre strip on the
west of the river, France feels at liberty to erect
stations, although the treaty provides that this strip
shall be a neutral zone. Much is involved in these
simple statements, for politically Indo-China is in an
unsettled state and is full of very "ticklish" prob-
lems.
France has appropriated in all three hundred
thousand square miles of Indo-China, while Siam
now claims but two hundred thousand. By the
agreement of January, 1896, between England and
France, they guaranteed to Siam the integrity of
territory embraced in the basins of the Me Nam,
9
10 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
and Me Klong, Pechaburi, and Bangpakong rivers,
together with the coast from Miiang Bang Tepan
to Miiang Pase, including also the territory lying
to the north of the Me Nam basin, between the
Anglo-Siamese border, the Me Kawng River, and
the eastern watershed of the Me Ing.* This
amounts to territory about the size of Germany,
with a population of some ten millions or more.
The ruler of this realm is by name, Prabat Som-
detch, P'ra Paramendr, Maha Chulalongkorn, Bau-
dintaratape, Mahar Monkoot, Rartenah Rarchawe-
wongse Racher Nekaradome Chatarantah Baromah
Mahar Chakrapart, P'ra Chula Chaumklow, Chau
yu huah, but he is called by foreigners simply King
Chulalongkorn I. In appearance he is handsome,
and bears himself with genuine kingly dignity. He
has a magnetic charm of manner that has won for
him the personal devotion of everyone with whom
he comes in touch. He is a well-read and well-
traveled man, his last extensive tour having em-
braced the greater countries of Europe. He reads
English with ease and speaks it fluently, though it
is etiquette that all the court language should be in
Siamese. This fact often misleads a foreign visitor:
for King Chulalongkorn, like all orientals has a
marvelous command of his features, including even
the play of the light in his eye; and under the most
trying and extraordinary circumstances can keep
his countenance as imperturbable as rock. Thus a
visitor would never have the slightest hint from
* See the Statesman's Year-Book, 1900, p. 1014.
SIAM AND ITS CAPITAL II
the expression of his majesty's face that his words
are understood until they are rendered again in
the vernacular by the palace dragoman.
It is difficult to convey to a democratic people the
degree in which the king is the head of the state.
According to Henry Norman he can say with literal
truth, L'etat, c'est moi. To quote further:
"To every Siamese the king is not alone the ruler
of the land, but the actual possessor of it, of its
soil, of its people, of its revenues. Omniscience,
omnipotence, and absolute Tightness are the in-
herent attributes of the king. To illustrate this,
here is a perfectly true story. A Siamese prince re-
ceived from London a packet of Christmas cards,
one of which bore the text, 'Glory to God in the
Highest!' Without in the least understanding the
sacredness of these words to Christian ears, and
without the remotest intention of irreverence, he
erased the word 'God' and substituted the word
'King,' and sent it to the palace. He had simply
been struck with the peculiar appositeness of the
expression, and the card gave the liveliest satisfac-
tion in royal circles."*
This ultra veneration for his majesty comes
largely from the unity of church and state. They
are absolutely one. The king is crowned with the
most impressive religious services and thereby be-
comes Pra Chau. By this coronation there gathers
about his majesty the sacredness of a god.
* The Peoples and Politics of the Far East, Henry Nor-
man, p. 434.
12 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
There is around palace life in Siam as much
splendor and picturesqueness as we read of in the
Arabian Nights. This book, by the way, is much
liked by his majesty, and was translated by him
for his merry group of children before they w r ere
old enough to read it in the English. The palace
itself, with "its graceful pointed spires of the grand
halls of audience; and the gleaming tiles of the
golden pagoda, and the many-colored roofs of the
Royal Temple, give a richer effect than anything to
be found east of Calcutta."* It is a city in itself,
surrounded by strong, thick walls, with gates
guarded by day and night. Within these walls are
found all the various offices of the government de-
partments. Beyond them, and hid completely from
view by the imposing towers of the audience halls
and other buildings, lies the portion of the palace
where dwells his majesty. Here is located the im-
mense harem into which goes every pretty girl that
appeals to his majesty's fancy, or who is sent to him
as a present by some aspiring subject.
The day I first visited the palace was evidently
an "off day." Sleepy' guards lounged around the
gates, sitting either on empty coal-oil tins or on
chairs which had to be placed against the wall for
support. Their long trousers and bare, dusty feet
gave them an exceedingly slovenly look. We were
allowed to enter, after we had given a tip to the
guard, and for several hours roamed around in the
outer buildings that are nearly always accessible to
* People and Politics of the Far East, Norman, p. 412.
SIAM AND ITS CAPITAL 13
sightseers. We were told by our cicerone, an old
foreign resident of Bangkok, that whenever some
visitor of note was expected, or the day was a fes-
tive one, then presto! The guards became erect
and smart looking, and everywhere would appear a
hurry and skurry of coolies, which in a twinkling
would transform the place into a fairyland of out-
ward splendor and beauty, rich in color, imposing
in architectural effect, and dazzling in the gold and
jewels of princes and nobles. But we had to con-
tent ourselves with Siamese royalty in repose, which
allows dust to accumulate, cobwebs to form, lamps
to burn into the day hours, until they go out for
lack of oil, and a general look of disorder and stag-
nation to appear on every side.
We first wandered into that most noted of all
Siamese shrines, Wat Pra Kian, wherein is found
the Emerald Idol. This wat is also famous as
being the king's own place of worship, and because
it is here that occur the great Siamese ceremonies
of state, such as drinking the water and taking the
oath of allegiance. The wat courtyard is paved
with slabs of white stone and marble, and from
about the center of it rises a prachadee, or pagoda,
which towers high above all surrounding shrines
and sacred buildings, a mass of resplendent gold.
From the archway where we entered it was glori-
ously beautiful and graceful, the many white spires
around and the brilliant-tiled roofs forming a pic-
turesque setting. But as we neared I was disap-
pointed that in detail the work was poor, and in
places the gold tiles or slabs were broken and
14 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
nicked. In the crevices spiders were peacefully
spinning. The wat proper, or wihara, is to one
side of the court, and is imposing in architectural
effect. The windows and doors are deeply set and
appear heavy as they swing slowly upon their gilded
hinges. The material appears to be ebony, but is
in fact black lacquer, exquisitely traced in mother-
of-pearl. At the far end of the oblong building,
arose the various gold idols of Buddha, arranged in
a pyramid form. Above these idols, away up in the
shadows of the roof, rested the idol which is claimed
to be hewn from emerald. It dropped from heaven,
so the story goes, in one of the Laos states, and was
brought from there and placed in this royal temple.
Its eyes are made of diamonds, and in the center of
its forehead is a third diamond, at least this is the
claim, but occidental eyes cannot vouch for its
being true; and even the tourist's spyglass fails to
reveal the glories attributed to the idol. About the
base of the pyramid are to be seen the gold and sil-
ver trees which used to be sent down by the old
Laos kings as tribute; also exquisite wax-work,
made by the ladies of the palace. Back of the altar
there were several museum cases filled with jewels,
the majority poorly cut and so covered with dust
that we could not discern their beauty. The walls
and ceiling were painted in a bold manner, with
scenes from the life of Buddha and Hindu myths,
and, as in all Siamese art, perspective was entirely
lacking. The general effect, however, was rich.
This Wat Pra Kian is situated so as to be easily
accessible to the ladies of the royal harem, and it
SIAM AND ITS CAPITAL 15
is here that his majesty makes his offerings of
flowers and waxen tapers and performs his daily
devotions.
Next we went with feelings akin to awe to see
the royal white elephants, of which we had heard
and read so much. But, alas! to our utter amaze-
ment we found, instead of marble floors and ivory
pedestals and gold trappings and handsome grooms,
a stable which would really have shamed the mule
of a down-South darkie. But our cicerone re-
minded us that this was not a gala nor sacred day.
Had it been, we should have seen these most royal
elephants dazzling in splendor and swaying their
trunks graciously towards the multitudes of kneel-
ing worshipers.
But it is not the purpose of this book to speak at
length of Bangkok or we would never reach Laos-
land. We must hasten northward; first, however,
there are a few more words that must be said about
this walled palace. Is it to be wondered at that the
recently appointed cabinet has accomplished so lit-
tle? and, excepting the office of Minister of the
Interior, which is filled by his excellency, Prince
Damrong, is but a paper cabinet? Is it to be won-
dered at that his majesty, who was so full of prom-
ise, has disappointed, in many respects, his Euro-
pean and American friends by his failure to insist
firmly upon progress and good government? Are
these things to be wondered at when within the
palace walls stand towering wats of Buddhism
binding with unbroken chains the present to the
past, and within the very center of these grounds,
l6 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
where his majesty is known to spend the greater
part of his time, is a harem, rich in beautiful young
women, with halls and courts cooled by sparkling
fountains, dazzling in silver and gold and gems,
and fair with palms and flowers and silken couches,
with ease and self-indulgence everywhere? Is it
to be wondered at? No; and what has been ac-
complished is simply marvelous when balanced
against such fearful odds.
Bangkok is some thirty miles from the coast as
the river winds, but only about half that distance as
the crow flies. It is situated upon the Me Nam,
sometimes called Me Nam Chau Paya. As there
is much contradiction as to the correctness of the
name Me Nam, a special word of explanation will
here be in place. The late king wrote for the Bang-
kok Calendar as follows:
"The word Me Nam in Siamese is a generic name
for river, and one of the names of the Bangkok
River. But as the Siamese call all rivers Me Nam,
and the word is used by them in the same manner
as 'river' in English and Nudi in Hindustani and
Pali, it is wrong for Americans and some other
nations to call the Bangkok simply 'Me Nam/ for it
has a specific name, same as the Amazon, Ganges,
and so forth. It is the custom of the Siamese to
call the stream nearest to them Me Nam, and add
the name of one of the principal towns or villages
on its bank to it, as Me Nam Bangkok, Me Nam
Kung, Me Nam Ta Chin, etc. The true name of
the Bangkok River is Me Nam Chau Paya, but it
has become obsolete."
SIAM AND ITS CAPITAL 17
The last clause is significant, and the river is
now so well known as Me Nam that usage must be
accepted as authority. To the Siamese there
gathers about this noble stream a sweet sacredness,
for to them it is a life-giver, a life-sustainer of the
land, being in reality, not in sentiment, to the coun-
try what the Nile is to Egypt and the Ganges to
India.
If you come to Bangkok by way of Singapore or
Shanghai or Hong Kong the first view is disap-
pointing. It does not stir the heart with rapture
as does Singapore with its exquisite setting of ever-
green hills and its tranquil bay reflecting back the
beauties of earth and sky; neither is the scene im-
posing, as is the river front of Shanghai; neither
do you see an immense city reaching afar up upon
the hills at the back as in Hong Kong, for Bangkok
is built upon a dead level, and there is little to be
seen from your steamer deck, save a towering wat
spire here and there, and the dazzling towers of the
Halls of Audience. The homes of the one-half
million souls of Bangkok are found principally
beneath a canopy of green trees, among which the
palm and palmetto are conspicuous for their great
height.
The river scene is as busy a one as can be found
anywhere the world around. Upon the bosom of
the wide stream can be seen every kind of a boat
from the tiny cockle-shell canoe to the large steam-
ers from Singapore and Hong Kong. There are
steamers from England unloading iron, wrought
and unwrought, machinery, cotton goods, hard-
l8 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
ware, cutlery, and kerosene. There are other
steamers loading with rice, teak, pepper, and cattle.
Chinese junks, used much as transports for carry-
ing down rice and hewn teak across the bar for
the larger steamers, are conspicuous for their num-
ber as well as for their gesticulating crews; gondola-
like boats, propelled by women or men, are coming
and going on business or pleasure, and always with
ease and grace; Chinese boats are bobbing about
with their ever-present eyes looking comically out
from the prow, for, according to Chinese belief, a
boat "No have got eye; no can see; no can go."
Women and children in dugouts are paddling fear-
lessly in the wake of steamers, trying to sell their
load of fruit and sweetmeats; saucy, noisy steam
launches are here, there, everywhere, tearing up
and down the river like mad; and altogether the
scene is as busy, as restless, as mottled, as industri-
ous, as persistent, as is street life on down-town
Broadway. Nor is all this bustle confined to the
Me Nam, for the city is intersected by creeks and
numberless canals, which are the real highways of
the place. Every house has a boat of some kind,
according to the financial standing of the owner,
and so the canals are pulsing with life, especially
during the hours of high water.*
This eastern Venice is built chiefly on the eastern
bank of the Me Nam. Its main road runs for about
six miles, the bridges over canals and creeks being
high enough not to interfere with water traffic.
*The tide rises some six or seven feet.
SIAM AND ITS CAPITAL IQ
There are also other good streets, especially about
the palace walls. However, we must admit that
they are due not to Siamese industry, but to the
fact that for the last ten years his majesty has had
many Europeans in his public works depart-
ment. The Bangkok Directory, for 1897, contained
some two hundred names of foreigners under
Siamese employ, and the number is yearly increas-
ing.
Along the full length of this main road runs an
electric trolley line, whose cars are always crowded,
and which annually turns into its shareholders a
dividend of thirty-four per cent. I have never felt
so much like a sardine in a box as when upon one
of these cars, but the most annoying part of the
ride is that the fare has to be paid in immense
copper coins, which are heavy and cumbersome, and
are really filthy to the touch. Or if you per-
chance give a small silver coin you will receive in
change from the conductor a handful of the above-
mentioned pies. This road was originally a horse-
car line, and was changed in 1892 into an electric
trolley, the fortunate concessionary being a Dane,
M. de Richelieu by name. Immediately following
the change the natives would not ride upon the
cars, but in superstitious dread, born of an unscien-
tific mind, they would hug the walls or fences as the
cars whizzed by, muttering to themselves: "It is
the devil's carriage; it is the devil's carriage!" But
love of ease is the most evident characteristic of a
Siamese, and so before many more suns had boiled
down upon him as he trudged along, he yielded
2O THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
fear to convenience, and thence became a constant
patron of the trolley.
Since 1894 the palace has been illuminated by
electricity, and lately a Siam Electricity Company
has been formed, and is doing a good business,
paying a semi-annual dividend of four per cent
on ten thousand lamps, with a capacity for several
thousand more. Telephones and other modern in-
ventions prove that Bangkok is trying to follow
the lead of western nations, while more than three
thousand bicycles spinning about the city give evi-
dence of the same. The king himself owns a wheel,
and Prince Damrong is president of a club of sev-
eral hundred members. Free public schools are
found about the city, and in fact are established now
in centers throughout the kingdom. In 1899 a
royal decree was issued, making Sunday a legal
holiday, so nominally all government business is
suspended on that day.
These signs of progress give promise of great
things for Siam. Yet the stranger is apt to attach
too much importance to them. With all due ap-
preciation of their worth, the fact remains that they
are only upon the surface. The foundation re-
mains as when the doors of Siam were closed to
the world, for the mass of the population is un-
touched by them.
The palace, legations, and principal residences
and business houses have their fronts upon the
Me Nam, and also an entrance upon the main
street in the rear. Our United States legation is
pleasantly located, but an American notes with in-
SIAM AND ITS CAPITAL 21
jured pride that the grounds and building cannot
compare with those of many of the European lega-
tions and consulates. The buildings of our Pres-
byterian Mission are centered about four different
localities, two of them being upon the left river
bank. The Press and Christian high school are
on the east side, admirably situated.
The most unique feature of Bangkok is its house
boats, real houses floating about, buoyed up on a
raft of bamboo poles. Thousands of these floating
houses are in Bangkok, and in many respects they
represent the happiest phase of life among the
plebeians. They are entirely safe, as their moor-
ings hold them in place; and they are more healthful
than the land houses, for the current bears away
all refuse and makes better sanitation than is pos-
sible ashore. There is no need to feel concern for
the children, as they no more fall into the water
than do our American children walk into the fire.
Usually there are three or four generations living
in one house.
These house boats, or floating houses, line the
banks of the river on both sides, leaving free only
the landing places of residences or business houses.
Up and down the banks they extend for many miles
above Bangkok, rising and falling with the tides, in
the rainy season making fast their moorings because
of the strong downward current, and in the other
season being content to lie stranded on the dry
river bed if necessary, because of the narrow con-
fines of the river. A very delightful feature of this
floating-house life is the ease with which a family
22 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
can move. Many families pole their houses up to
the rice plains during the planting and harvesting
seasons, and during the other months spend their
time in the city suburbs, converting the front room
into a shop for selling their wares.
To illustrate more fully the water life of Bang-
kok, I will give an experience in the summer of
1895. We found to our dismay upon reaching the
city that our boxes containing Bedding, camp
chair, camp table, dining outfit, tinned goods, and
other things indispensable for the river trip before
us, had been delayed and might arrive next week,
next month, next year, or not at all. There was
but one thing to do, buy more; for the Laos
flotilla of boats had arrived, and all the party but
my husband and myself were in readiness for the
journey. Through the courtesy and kindness of
Dr. T. H. Hayes a steam launch was put at our dis-
posal, and we started forth immediately after break-
fast to purchase a second supply of goods. Our
little launch, as it tore along, left behind a swell that
tossed the children in their cockle-shell canoes, as
well as the old people in theirs, making the former
scream with delight and the latter shower upon us
curses and uncomplimentary ejaculations. We
spent the day shopping, and bought everything
needed from a can opener and matches up to a
mosquito netting, and yet we went everywhere in
our launch, alighting only at the landings of the
larger stores. At the small stores, which were
usually floating, the launch would pull up along-
side; and immediately before us, spread out on the
SIAM AND ITS CAPITAL 23
floor and shelves, could be seen the whole stock of
goods and ware. The experience would have been
very delightful had there been one price upon the
goods, but true to oriental business principles, or
lack of principles the first named price we knew
to be exorbitant, and served only as an introduc-
tion to a long series of offers by the salesman, to
which must be lent a deaf ear until a reasonable
sum is reached, reasonable for Bangkok, I should
add.
It is to trade that Bangkok owes its existence
and Siam its place among the nations. Yet,
strange to say, the Siamese are not the traders, but
pushing, energetic foreigners from the West and
Chinese from the Celestial empire. If there be one
word a Siamese detests above another it is
"routine." He can hustle when preparing for some
festivity, and make a great show of energy and en-
terprise, but when the occasion is passed, he must
lie down in the shade and recuperate. If he wishes
to engage in any undertaking of whatsoever nature
it may be, he must first discover by means of sooth-
sayers or astrologers which will be the auspicious
day. All this takes time and causes delay, which
exasperates an occidental beyond endurance. A
Siamese merchant must never be tied to his busi-
ness, but be free to close his shop when he pleases,,
and go to a merit-making season at some wat for a
day, a week, or more, as he likes. But there is an-
other reason stronger than either of these which
has made it difficult for Siamese to become traders,
namely, the laws of corvee, or a system of forced
24 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
labor from one to three months of each year. This,
when combined with the indulgence of Mother Na-
ture, who gives to her children of this land a living
for the mere asking, makes it difficult, probably im-
possible, for Siam to become a business nation.
The conditions must first be changed. Of this
corvee and serfdom we will speak fully in a following
chapter.
CHAPTER III
SIX WEEKS IN A SIX-BY-SEVEN
THERE is but one way of reaching the land of the
Laos, unless, indeed, you may wish to go to Burma
and take the tedious and expensive overland trip
either by pony or elephant. If you follow in the
footsteps of those who have gone before, you will
go to Bangkok and there take passage in one of the
unique Laos boats that come down to trade each
year on the high water.
The upper reaches of the river are exceedingly
dangerous, as many rapids and narrow rocky
gorges are found in the mountain-passes. These
Laos boats are built with an eye to those places,
and can ascend them with comparative safety when
manned by their skilled Laos crews. It is inter-
esting to know that the original model for these
boats was a fish. The Laos, wishing a boat larger
than their canoes and dugouts, studied what charts
they had in their school of nature, and decided that
a fish should be their model. They certainly suc-
ceeded in evolving a boat admirably suited for their
needs, and graceful as a swan when seen moving
upon the bosom of a broad stream. The Laos con-
sider these boats the most perfect of their architec-
tural creations, and especially do they esteem the
uplifted tail, both for its grace and imposing ap-
pearance.
25
26 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
The tiny cabin in the rear is usually about eight
by nine feet, and occupies all the space in these
boats available for a cabin. No matter how much
one may wish to travel in ease and comfort, no mat-
ter how much money he may have at his disposal,
he must adopt this primitive, simple mode of travel
if Laos-land be his destination. In but one way
can he make the trip more suited to his taste, and
that is in the matter of time. By hiring a steam
launch to tow the boat to Pak Nam Po and from
there on using a double set of polemen, the journey
can be cut in time to some eighteen or twenty days.
But this is costly.
The distance is some five hundred miles in an air
line, six hundred or seven hundred as the river
goes, and by ordinary travel it will take from five
to seven weeks to cover it, according to the stage
of the water. The trip downstream is made in
from ten to twenty days, as the boat is borne along
swiftly by the strong current, aided by the oars of
the boatmen. In ascending, better time is made
by poling instead of using oars. The poling is done
with bamboo poles, about ten or twelve feet in
length, one end of which is spiked with iron. One
by one the men ascend the elevated "nose" at the
bow, with quick eye select the best place for their
pole, and with a dextrous movement thrust the
spiked end upon it. Both palms are then folded
upon the end of the pole, and the body swung
around upon it, with the hands resting against one
of their shoulders. All the strength and weight
of the body is thus playing upon the pole, and
SIX WEEKS IN A SIX-BY-SEVEN 27
down the front of the boat comes the tramp, tramp,
of the bare feet of the poleman. When he reaches
the cabin, he pulls out his pole, and swinging it in
both hands high above the heads of the other pole-
men bent at their task, he marches up again to the
front. It takes a strong muscle, well-developed
body, endurance, and skill, to pole one of these
Laos boats. To the traveler in the cabin there is al-
ways pleasure and interest in watching the boatmen
at their work, and, too, there is the spice of excite-
ment, for the unpracticed eye cannot decide upon
the best place for the pole to be thrust. Even a
skillful poleman is often deceived, and throws his
pole upon a limb or stump too frail. Inevitably he
plunges into the stream amid the pleasant taunts of
his fellows, but before the boat has time to pass
him, he is back again safe, with his pole, and none
the worse for his unasked-for ducking. If a pole
will not pull out when jerked, the owner seldom
lets go his grasp, but springs into the water, dis-
lodges the pole, and with a few long, swinging
strokes is back again to the boat.
A glance at the illustration will aid in under-
standing the economy of the boat, which is interest-
ing, for not an inch of space is lost to use. The
floor is made of small pieces of movable plank,
which can be raised and goods stored below. Thus
an ordinary boat with passengers is able to carry
about two tons, measured forty cubic feet to a ton.
Such a boat needs a crew of five men, four pole-
men and a captain. The captain stands in the
cabin to the rear, just under the flag pole. He
28 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
holds firmly in his hands the long, blade-like rud-
der, which passes out a hole in the rear of the
cabin, at the left-hand corner. The captain's eye
is before him, watching the currents of the stream
steering the boat ever into water of just the right
depth, avoiding rocks and snags and shoals, and
giving orders with as much authority as the com-
mander of one of our trans-Atlantic liners. And
in proportion there is as much need for it. One
false move and the boat is swamped, goods lost,
and passengers probably drowned. .But so skillful
are these captains that an accident seldom occurs,
though the way is not without its grave dangers,
especially among the rapids and within the limits
of Bangkok's busy water life. The crew sleep at
night upon the floor of the boat in front of the
low freight cabin, unless, indeed, they are so for-
tunate as to have been beside a dry bank or sand-
bar when the sun sank. Then the softer ground is
their bed. If it rains, the extra pieces on top of
the freight cabin are pulled forward.
The cooking is done on a box filled with earth, on
which are placed stones to support the kettle, sauce-
pan, and skillet. This primitive stove is placed
just before the freight cabin, and the cook must
see to it that he does not get in the way of the
busy crew. When not squatting before his stove
box, he is usually found lounging in the doorway
of the freight cabin. Along each side of the freight
cabin, just above the gunwales, runs a wide board
which forms a passage-way between the passenger
cabin and the front of the boat. The boatmen are
SIX WEEKS IN A SIX-BY-SEVEN 29
clad simply in a loin cloth; and a small piece of
cloth tied loosely around the neck serves to wipe
the face when dripping with either perspiration
or with water got by a ducking. Their tattooed
legs give the impression of trousers to the knee.
There is nothing immodest in being thus scantily
arrayed, for neither custom nor climate demand
clothes for "every day."
The front of the passenger cabin is open and has
no means of being closed save by the dropping of
a cloth curtain from the top. This falls immediately
behind the captain and shuts the passenger into a
space of some six by seven or eight by nine feet.
This curtain is dropped at night and the bottom
tucked beneath the foot of the bedding. In the
morning the crew are stirring with the first glow of
dawn, and the passenger is awakened by the creak-
ing of the rudder as it plays in the hole. When
dressed, the curtain is raised and the long day
begun, a day in which there is no privacy: for we
are in Siam where privacy is unknown.
But though the trip is a long one and a strange,
trying one in many respects, it need not be an un-
pleasant experience, for if one has good books, a
palm-leaf fan, a mosquito bar, open eyes, alert
mind, warm heart, love of fun, a good cook, and an
agreeable traveling companion for, know ye, that
the luxury of a cabin all to one's self is all but un-
heard of on these waters the journey will be rich
in adventure and full of the charms of a tropical
land and a strange people.
In the fall of 1895 I made the trip for the first
30 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
time, and kept a full journal, from which I will quote
in part, as it will give a better conception of the
pleasures and trials of such a journey than could
otherwise be given. The personal touches will
not be wholly eliminated from it, as later on in
this book a history of the Laos Mission will be
given, and these few glimpses of the men and
women who have helped to make that history, will
draw the personages nearer to the reader and add
understanding to the history.
There was a large party of us, sixteen in all,
counting the children. Four of us were new mis-
sionaries, namely, Miss Hattie E. Ghormley, the
Rev. William Harris, the Rev. L. W. Curtis, and
Mrs. Curtis. The others had been to America on
furlough and were returning to their beloved work
and people. These were Dr. and Mrs. James Mc-
Kean and two children, the Rev. and Mrs. W. C.
Dodd, and the Rev. and Mrs. D. G. Collins and four
children.
October ifth, 1895. We left Bangkok yester-
day at 3 o'clock. Our leaving caused quite a bustle
and excitement at the Wang Lang Compound
where we had been so graciously entertained, for
our party was large, and there are always many
things to be done at the last minute. Finally good-
by's were said, and we were all in our boats. One
by one they pulled out from the landing, until the
whole flotilla of eleven w r ere moving upstream.
There were six house boats and five freight boats.
From each of the house boats floated our dear na-
tional colors, and never before had the Stars and
SIX WEEKS IN A SIX-BY-SEVEN 3!
Stripes seemed more beautiful to me. I felt the
force of what they stand for when I noted how the
many Chinese junks and various crafts made way
for us instead of annoying by blocking our way as
they did the freight boats. In Bangkok I had
heard the senior members of our party regretting
that there was a scarcity of flags, and I now un-
derstood why. We made slow headway, for the
river was full of boats and craft of all kinds, and
our men had to row. Pulling these heavy boats
against the current is difficult and tedious work.
So busy were we watching the ever-changing river
panorama, that we were surprised when our boat
pulled up at a wat ground and we saw that the sun
was setting. In a few minutes evening had
". . . let her sable curtain down,
And pinned it with a star,"
and darkness settled, shutting out the view. But
it could not drown the jargon of sounds, the bark-
ing of dogs, snarls of pariah curs, sharp voices of
old men and women, the merry laugh of children
mingled with the cries of others, the scream of
steam launches, the wierd chant of monks at their
orisons, and the near-by clashing of wat drums and
cymbals, as though striving to drown all the dis-
cordant noises around; all these and other sounds
came rolling into our little cabin, driving away
sleep until away past midnight.
Our boats had pulled up side by side so that
we could communicate with each other. As soon
as we stopped, our cook, Miian, came in to the
32 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
cabin and by signs and meaningless words, an-
nounced that supper was ready. I shook out the
little camp table, laid the cloth, and he brought in
the repast, simple, indeed, but passing wonderful
to us, when we knew the stove and kitchen he had
at his disposal. When we had finished our supper
and the table was cleared, we talked a while with
our seniors, and it was decided not to hold evening
worship with our crews until the noisy and danger-
ous city and suburbs were passed. We were told
to go to bed early as we must be up with the sun.
And' what a bed it was ! No bed at all, until
made. We first folded up chairs and tables and
stowed them away to our side. Next our thin cot-
ton mattresses, called sails, were pulled out from
the low freight cabin and spread upon the floor.
They completely covered the floor, for our cabin
is by actual measurement only six by seven feet.
We have the smallest house boat of the flotilla, as
we go to Lakawn, and the river leading there is
shallower than the one to Chieng Mai. After mak-
ing the bed, we hung the mosquito net, and then
came the almost impossible feat of getting under it
without letting in a score or more of these sly,
persistent mosquitoes. That accomplished, we had
to take our first lesson of undressing in bed, Our
clothes were folded and laid behind the pillows.
Toward morning, a noisy thunderstorm arose,
this is the fag end of the rainy season and our
boat cover leaked in places. There was not much
chance to get away from the drip. The worst leak
was at the foot of the bed. W put the wash
SIX WEEKS IN A SIX-BY-SEVEN 33
basin there to catch the water. The plan worked
admirably until after the storm had passed over and
we had dropped asleep, and in turning he knocked
the forgotten basin over upon me, making the sec-
ond state worse than the first. To-day I have had
the cover hanging out of the window drying.
Afternoon. The bedding is dry and is stowed
away for the night. The day is cloudy, and so is
fairly pleasant. Have suffered very little with the
heat. We are tied up to a bank, as the men are
taking their afternoon rest. This is a gala day
with the Siamese. It is one of the days of the
great Tot Katin holidays and the king has gone up
the river to worship at one of the wats.
The royal barge was dazzling in its beauty as
it passed us. A wealth of sunshine was flooding
down at that time, and the gilded oars of the
seventy oarsmen, clad in livery of brilliant red,
were resplendent as they rose and fell in perfect
unison. I have often read of this royal barge, and
am delighted that I had so near a view. It ap-
peared to be about one hundred and fifty feet in
length and six or eight feet wide. Fore and aft,
the barge gradually narrowed and tapered up-
wards above the water level some ten or twelve
feet. Hanging from the stem and stern were two
large white tassels which looked soft like silk* and
also a golden banner, the inscription of which could
not be seen. The uplifted bow was designed after
* I afterwards learned that they were made from the
hair of the Cashmere goat.
3
34 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
a monster dragon of some sort, and the stern was
his raised tail. The whole boat was richly carved
and so gilded as to represent scales which were
inlaid with gems and stones. These shone rich and
rare in the sunlight.
About amidship was stretched a canopy of cloth
of gold, beneath which was a throne, and seated
upon it was his majesty the king. We had only
a partial view of him, as rich curtains hung at the
sides and partly concealed him. There were sev-
eral persons with the king, but what was their rank
or station we could not tell. This peep at royalty
is surely very gratifying after our disappointment
a few days ago in the palace.
Preceding the royal barge were several guard
boats, about a dozen, I think, each built on the
same general plan as the royal barge, but not so
large nor so richly ornamented. They also dipped
their oars in perfect unison, but I noted on each
boat a man standing amidship with a baton in
hand, beating time by dropping it perpendicularly
upon the deck. Following the royal barge were
what appeared to be the private barges of nobles
and princes. The procession gradually diminished
in splendor until a lot of small boats brought up the
rear, very much as the ever-present crowd of small
boys does in America.
While in Bangkok we were told that when in
1891 the Czarowitz now Czar of Russia visited
Bangkok, he was met at the mouth of the Me Nam
by these royal barges of the king, and was rowed
up to the palace in them. He certainly must have
SIX WEEKS IN A SIX-BY-SEVEN 35
been impressed with the oriental magnificence of
Siamese royalty when it has its face washed and
hair combed.
October i8th. No rain last night, I am glad to
say. We had fresh fish for breakfast that Miian
bought from a market boat that came alongside.
We are now away from the city, and so our boat-
men pole. There can surely be no more interest-
ing mode of locomotion than this poling. The
old Greeks would have gloried in it, for it brings
into play all the muscles of the body and de-
velops forms of beauty and symmetry.
October ipth. It has been extremely hot to-day.
We have done little but fan. At noon we stopped
in the sun for dinner, as there was no shade upon
the rice plain we were crossing. It became so hot
that our crew threw water upon the roof of our
cabin, which cooled it off and for a while we were
more comfortable.
Monday, October 2ist. The day is still fresh and
cool, for the sun is not more than an hour high.
We stopped Saturday night at an old wat ground
and found it to be a delightful place to spend the
Sabbath. The grove was large and the ground
covered with grass. The place seemed to be no
longer in use, as no monks nor cloisters were to
be seen. Besides the crumbling wat there was a
large, open building, more like our American
pavilions than anything else, and which is called
here a sala, or rest house, built by merit makers for
the use of the general public. Over in one corner
were three dust-covered idols. It was in this sala
36 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
that we held services, the first one just after break-
fast, before the heat of the day; the second in the
cool of the afternoon, and the third in the evening.
Nearly all the boat crews attended. Each man had
donned either a gauze vest or a white jacket, and
as they sat Turk-fashion on mats spread upon the
floor, they made an interesting picture. Many of
the men are Christians, and nearly all read, so the
responsive part of the services was repeated by
many voices. Mr. Dodd preached the morning
sermon, and I never before saw an audience give
better attention to a speaker. The services were
all in the Laos tongue, so that we new arrivals
could not understand, but the hymn tunes were
familiar, and I enjoyed playing them on Mrs. Col-
lins's baby organ, and thinking the familiar words.
After the benediction of the morning service, we
had a little song service in English. One of the
songs was "J esus Shall Reign Where'er the Sun."
It had new meaning as we sang it for the first
time in the presence of gods of stone, with natives
around who had already bowed the knee to him
and acknowledged him Lord of lords.
The afternoon service was informal and con-
sisted chiefly of explanations of large picture
charts. This drew a larger crowd from the vil-
lage than the morning service had done. The
evening service was conducted by one of the Chris-
tian natives, and took the form of a prayer meeting.
Monday Afternoon. A short time after writing
the above, Mr. Collins, whose boat was following
ours, signaled us to stop. We did so, and soon all
SIX WEEKS IN A SIX-BY-SEVEN 37
the boats of our flotilla were brought together by
signals and calls. Then the word went around
that thieves had been at work during the night, as
Mr. Collins's gun was missing. We all began to
search at once to see if we, too, had been robbed.
It was discovered that Mr. Dodd had lost his purse
and camera, Mr. Harris a lamp and gun, Miss
Ghormley a few pieces of clothing, and Mr. Col-
lins his gun, two satchels of clothing and a Hitch-
cock lamp. Two boats, Dr. McKean's and ours,
had not been touched. We decided to drop back
to our Sunday stopping place, and upon reaching
it, Mr. Dodd, Mr. Collins, and Mr. Harris at once
started off to find the chief of the village. He re-
ferred them to the kwen of the province as the
proper authority, but as he is at a distant village
attending a wedding festivity, they sent messengers
with our passports for him.
October 22d. The kwen arrived a little after
dark and W and I joined the others ashore to
hear the investigation. It was certainly a strange-
looking hall of justice and a unique procedure. On
one of the limbs of a wide-spreading Po tree hung
a lantern. Beneath it on the ground burned a
lamp. The lamp was the center of many concen-
tric circles of people. The most conspicuous per-
sonages of the assemblage were Mr. Dodd and the
kwen, who sat upon chairs in the inner circle.
Around to Mr. Dodd's right our chairs were ar-
ranged, and from the kwen's left ran rows of natives
seated upon the ground in crosslegged fashion.
The kwen was a fine-looking Siamese, with a dig-
38 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
nity of bearing and ease of manner which formed
a marked contrast with many of the rude natives
around him. He was dressed in a plaid trouser-
arrangement cloth, and a white jacket. His two
attendants also wore jackets, and sat on the ground
at his feet. Immediately to the left of the kwcn sat,
or rather crouched, the principal witness, a leper
who lives on the wat ground and cares for it. I
was shocked at sight of the creature so near, but
Mrs. Collins whispered to me that there was prac-
tically no danger from this form of leprosy. He
had an uncanny look, and the gleam in his eye was
at once pathetic and desperate. His ringers were
all gone and also much of his feet, so that he could
no longer walk, but crawled as a child. I did not
understand the proceedings, but I have learned
since that our boat captains thought that the leper
knew the names of the thieves, as he was seen talk-
ing late Sunday afternoon with some very sly-
looking young men. Afterwards the young men
came down to Mr. Collins's boat, and asked to buy
books, though all the time they were using their
eyes looking about the cabin. When told that
this was the Sabbath day they seemed reluctant to
go, even after having received some books of
Scripture as a gift. The leper was very much
excited and tangled himself up in his testimony,
for at times all our crew would cry out aloud in
protest at some statement of his, and they would
jabber like angry monkeys until either Mr. Dodd
or the kwen spoke, when they would become quiet,
respectful, and attentive again.
SIX WEEKS IN A SIX-BY-SEVEN 39
The kwen wrote down the evidence, and said
that he would return "to-morrow," which is to-
day, and hoped to report that our goods were
found. But nothing has been heard from him as
yet. The men went gunning this afternoon, and
we ladies sat beneath the trees and read, sewed,
wrote, or played games with the children. But
it was intensely hot, as a dead calm reigned. I
tried a game of crokinole with Mrs. Dodd, Miss
Ghormley, and Mrs. McKean, but it was too hot
to enjoy the game.
Our crew have found an old wat drum and they
are having a sword dance, much to their enjoy-
ment, as well as ours. Two of the men are
especially skilled as dancers, and why they do not
cut each other with their swords is a mystery to
us newcomers. They flourish them around each
other in an alarming way. If some of our strug-
gling sculptors in New York or Paris could repro-
duce these perfect physiques, as they are poised
in the dance figures, their fame would be secured.
October 2$d. We are on our way again. The
kwen's mission was unsuccessful.
Siamese are skilled in the art of rowing and
paddling a boat, so much so that they can come
up to a house boat at night, cut the cords that
fasten the window shutters, reach in their hands
and get what is within reach, close the shutter and
push off into the darkness. It is not surprising that
none of our party were awakened by the thieves,
with our American ears as sentinels, but these
Laos, children of Nature that they are, know the
40 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
art of sleeping soundly and yet keeping open a
"weather" ear; yet not one of our crew was
aroused, which seems to prove that these thieves
were exceptionally deft in their trade.
October 26th. We are still following the canals,
to escape the swell of launches and boats. Houses
are now beginning to be grouped in villages along
the bank instead of being in continuous rows, as
they were for many days after leaving Bangkok.
We see buffaloes all the time. They lie in the
water with only their noses out, reminding one of
the alligators of our southern swamps. An im-
mense herd has just been driven down to the river
by some children, and they are now bathing. The
boys and girls perch upon their backs, as they lie
under the water, and play with them as does my
brother with his dogs.
We have to drink the river water now, as our
rain water we brought from Bangkok is all gone.
Our cook allows the water to settle and then boils
it vigorously in the kettle, from which he strains
it into porous clay bottles, where it cools nicely.
We then drink it, trying to forget that it ever had
any connection with the muddy stream beneath us.
We are adding words to our vocabulary, and are
now able to understand many of the things our
captain tells us, probably, though, more from his
facial expression and signs than from words. W
and I study every day, and there is no need to deny
that the language is difficult. It seems to be built
upon tones, the same combination of sounds mean-
ing different things according to the tone given it.
SIX WEEKS IN A SIX-BY-SEVEN 4!
To illustrate, ma means "to come," when the tone
is straightforward; when rising, it means "dog";
and when emphatic, it becomes "horse." The ear
has to be as alert as the mind, if one would conquer
this language.
There is a fine breeze blowing to-day. We are
gradually leaving the low swamps behind, and now
our morning and afternoon stops are sometimes
made beside banks, so that we can go ashore and
stretch ourselves while the boatmen are resting.
Mrs. Dodd was crossing over to Mrs. McKean's
boat this morning to chat with her awhile, and fell
in the water. No harm done, save a slight wetting.
Monday, 28th. We spent yesterday at a very
poor place, for there was little shade, and we suf-
fered with the heat. The morning service was the
most novel one that I ever attended. There was
no sala, and only a tiny thatched shed by the road-
side was available. Beneath this, we placed our
chairs, and the natives spread mats under the
banana trees to the front. The houses near by were
all perched up on poles, some six or seven feet
from the ground, which seems to be the approved
Siamese method. To reach them, one must climb
up a ladder-like stairway. Mr. Collins conducted
the service. The opening hymns drew quite a
crowd so that when Mr. Collins arose to announce
his text, more than half of his audience were listen-
ing to gospel truths for the first time. We all felt
the impressiveness of the hour, and even the irrev-
erent Siamese were subdued for a few minutes.
But hardly had Mr. Collins begun his sermon
42 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
when a noisy mother hen, with a large brood of
young chicks, came clucking down the middle of
the road and stopped to scratch just at Mr. Col-
lins' feet, much to the merriment of a group of
children near by. They laughed outright and made
remarks which drowned Mr. Collins' voice, and so
distracted the audience that he had to reprove the
children, who quieted down for awhile. In less
than five minutes, and for some unaccountable
reason, the dogs of the neighborhood set up a howl.
At once the strangers in our midst began to shower
down upon them lumps of clay and such things
within reach, emphasized with threats and ejacula-
tions which, from the tone, I judged anything but
complimentary. Of course, the sermon was in-
terrupted, but Mr. Collins waited patiently until a
state of semi-quiet again prevailed. The sermon
proceeded, and all, even the children, were giving
excellent attention, when a woman appeared on the
outskirts of the crowd, with two children. Some
one sitting near the front called out to her in a
loud voice to come, sit down, and listen to what
this teacher was telling. She did so, and the ser-
mon again proceeded. By this time old King Sol
had crept up quite a bit in the heavens, and was
beaming down over the banana groves upon the
front row. It took only a few minutes for him to
drive the men and women to the rear. Instead of
retiring quietly, they deemed it necessary to make
explanation as to why they did so. When they
were reseated, the sermon proceeded. But not for
long, as a man came up the bank from his canoe,
SIX WEEKS IN A SIX-BY-SEVEN 43
with paddle in hand, and was hailed by some half
dozen men in the audience. They must have told
him to come and listen, for he did so, and the
sermon proceeded, and for some minutes, too. Mr.
Collins was evidently making the best of his time,
and perfect quiet reigned. It was broken, though,
by an old woman who got into a coughing fit and
lost her chew of betel. This amused a group of
children, who giggled, and then scampered away
toward the house, and climbed up the ladder like
monkeys. The sermon then again proceeded, and
was soon brought to a close. I inquired after-
wards as to whether this sermon was a typical one
or not; and have been told that it is usual for
Siam, but that among the Laos, a missionary has
a more respectful audience. Though the seed-
sowing was so unsatisfactory, we pray that it may
bring forth fruit.
We entered the river this morning, just after
breakfast, and are now going into another canal.
There are hills about us to-day, and how beautiful
they are! The mountains around the old capital
city of Ayuthia have been pointed out to us in
the distance to the east. This scenery is restful
after so many days of dead level.
Afternoon. We stopped for our afternoon's rest
at the foot of a steep mountain, which rose almost
alone from the plain about it. A fourth of the way
up was located a wat, the best-kept wat I have
yet seen. A long series of brick steps led from
the bank to the wat. Here we found a large
number of novitiates and other boys at their les-
44 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
sons, studying out loud at the top of their voices
in the approved manner of Siamese. In the wat
were people worshiping. We were told that at
the very top of the mountain was a deserted wat,
and that we would be free to take away as curios
any old relics that we might find there. The
ascent looked forbidding, but we thought of the
likelihood of rare curios, and so Mr. Dodd, Mr.
Harris, W , and I left the others and started up
the steep, rocky, overgrown patch. It was stiff,
hard climbing, but the goal was finally reached, and
we stood upon the old ruins, which had crumbled
to the ground and lay moss-covered and vine-
draped, not even a shadow of the glory that once
existed. We found not a single thing that was
worth picking up or carrying away. We all seated
ourselves upon the fallen wall to rest, and to let the
peaceful beauty of the place sink into our souls,
and to give play to the thoughts which the scene
aroused. Thoughts so different from those stirred
by ruins like those of old Melrose! For here we
were witnessing the efforts of the children of men
of past generations as they reached up from the
darkness which enveloped them toward "the un-
known God." In ignorance and in superstition
were their children now worshiping, still believing
that the "Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or
stone, graven by art and man's device." And I re-
membered how it is written of that thrilling scene
on Mars' Hill, that "some mocked: and others said,
We will hear thee again of this matter, while
others clave unto Paul and believed." And I
SIX WEEKS IN A SIX-BY-SEVEN 45
thought that though the times change, still the
same problems of good and evil, choice between
God and mammon, exist as of old, for daily now
do I see that event on Mars' Hill repeated, and
but from below came softly, sweetly, the full, mel-
low notes of our boat gong. Our captains were
impatient to be moving. We all sprang to our
feet and pushed our way through the brush toward
the pathway. Suddenly there burst upon us a
vision of the wide stretch of country before us,
reaching afar off into the distance until lost in the
haze of the horizon. Flowing across the land, with
a broad, majestic sweep, shining like silver in the
slanting rays of the afternoon sun, was the Me
Nam, "Mother of Waters." It looked as though
she were reluctant to leave her beloved offspring,
Siam, whom she nourished and cherished, for in-
stead of going straight for the sea, she wound in
and out, making bends and curves, and here and
there turning round about as though determined
to seek again the far north. She seemed lovingly
to caress the villages clustered about her banks,
and smiled upon their beauty, their palm trees, and
fruit groves.
We were very quiet during our descent. The
way was precipitous and dangerous, and we each
had our own thoughts.
". . . And God's own profound
Was above me, and round me the mountains, and under,
the sea,
And within me my heart to bear witness what was and
shall be."
46 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
Upon reaching the boats we were mute to re-
proaches for staying so long and coming back
trophyless. We each felt that we returned loaded
with rare and rich gems.
The sun is now sinking. What a grand spec-
tacle it must be from that mountain top! The
river is turned into gold, for the sunset glow is
saffron. Here it is simply the same old muddy
stream. I shall try and learn a practical lesson
from this afternoon's experience, and when life
seems ordinary and commonplace, will fly in spirit
to some mountain top and see it turn into silver
and gold.
October 2C>th. Several of our party are sick with
fever. Dr. McKean thinks that there are no seri-
ous cases. My ducks are all gone, and the chicken
coop is nearly empty. We have got beyond the
reach of market boats, and these villages we are
passing have no markets whatever, and a villager
will not sell his eggs nor chickens nor fruit for love
nor money. I begin to look forward to Pak Nam
Po where we hope to buy a fresh supply.
Wednesday, ^oth. Two weeks out from Bang-
kok to-day. Mountains are now piled up about
us, not great towers of strength, but far too
imposing to be called hills. At morning and
night the shadows and lights upon them are beau-
tiful. We have just had pointed out to us a
Catholic church and school. We have passed sev-
eral since nearing Pak Nam Po. The buildings
are all large and fine looking, with crowds of school
children about them, clad in cassocks. A gilded
SIX WEEKS IN A SIX-BY-SEVEN 47
cross looks down from the top of each building.
I can readily see how the Siamese with their
love of show and ceremony, would be attracted
by the ritual and pomp of the Roman Catholic
Church.
The days seem to be as hot new as formerly,
but the nights are much cooler. During the heat
of the day we often hang up wet sheets or towels
to the side of our cabin, which reduces the tem-
perature. A handkerchief wrung tightly from
water, waved briskly in the air, and laid upon the
head, is very refreshing, and enables us to study
our language lessons with .better results.
Yesterday we emptied a tin of milk, and W
wished to clean it out to use as a cover for our
water bottle. So when we stopped for dinner and
one of the crew threw waiter on the cabin to cool
it, W caught the first of the drip in the tin, and
the water was hot enough to melt the milk from
the grooves.
Thursday Morning. Passed a restless night, as
mosquitoes got in our net. They had to stay in,
for we could not see to kill them, and outside they
were buzzing in swarms so that we did not dare
try to raise the net to strike a light. I find that in
some places where we stop they are so much worse
than in others. I have also discovered that this
mosquito net of ours is good for other purposes
than the keeping out of these pestilent little vam-
pires. The agile centipede is our bitter enemy;
and the more innocent, though more numerous
cockroach, has been known to bite as I can attest;
48 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
lizards and mice have a way of making themselves
at home in these boats, and altogether we lie down
to more peaceful slumbers when beneath our
netting.
CHAPTER IV
FROM PAK NAM PO TO RAHENG
THURSDAY, 3isx, Pak Nam Po. We reached
this place this morning. It is pleasantly situated
at the conjunction of the Me Ping and the Me Nan
rivers, which two form the Me Nam. The Me
Nan is thought by many to be the main stream.
It is navigable at all seasons, not being dependent
upon the annual rains for its water supply. It is
up this broad stream that the Nan and Pre mis-
sionaries go, though the latter have to make a
short overland trip after leaving it at Ta It. Pak
Nam Po is like Bangkok, on a very small scale,
partly upon the water and partly upon land, though
it cannot compare with the capital in picturesque-
ness. We have been lying here for several hours,
as each family had to send to market to buy what
could be found to eat. Our cook bought some very
nice pumaloes, and bananas, oranges, and cocoa-
nuts, also eggs and lard. He could get no chickens
nor ducks. So I look ruefully at the almost empty
coop perched up on top of the freight cabin and
hope the few chickens therein will last to Raheng.
It is not aesthetic, I know, this practical providing,
with chicken coops forming part of every landscape
and appearing more attractive to me when full,
but it is really quite an unavoidable state of affairs.
Miian took advantage of the long stop to scour the
4 49
5O THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
floor of our cabin. He did it with the end of a
cocoanut husk, and the result is entirely satisfac-
tory. I notice that the husk lathered slightly like
soap. Mrs. McKean says that all the natives scour
this way, when they scour at all.
Afternoon. We are again on our way, and so
now "good-by" Me Nam, and gladly "good-by"
steam launch and Chinese junks. The junks have
a way of coming up in large companies to
load with rice and fruit. They string them-
selves together and hire a steam launch to tow
them. To me such a procession in a river
bend or narrow pass is an unpleasant experience.
Above Pak Nam Po, the river is so shifting in its
current, and shallow, except at flood times, that
launches and junks never venture into it. Our
captains seem to be very glad to have passed Pak
Nam Po. They say that when they pass Raheng
then "pleasant truly" as all fear of Siamese and
robbers will be a thing of the past.
Just in front of me are three boat houses. Chil-
dren are sitting round on the gunwales with feet
dangling in the water. One large girl is bathing,
by pouring water over her body from a cocoanut
dipper. There! If every one of them has not
dropped into the water and now all are bobbing
about like ducks! A woman is going up the bank
with two water baskets hung from a bamboo pole,
which is laid across her shoulder. I say "water
basket," for it seems to be a basket dammared
with resin of some kind.
Friday. One of the varieties of banana that I
FROM PAR NAM PO TO RAHENG 5!
have eaten is slightly acid, and when fried or
roasted is delicate in flavor, being really delicious.
It makes an excellent pie when mixed with tam-
arind. This is not a caprice of my palate, for W
and all of our party are with me in this decision.
The country is beautiful, hills and mountains
about here and there, and the river banks rich in
all shades of green, having for a border at the top
the nodding silver and tan heads of grasses. The
stream is wide, but the current is not very swift, and
the men touch bottom with their poles in mid-
stream. I am glad that we are now able to make
stops at places other than villages. The constant
sight of so much dirt and betel-chewing is oppres-
sive. And the incessant chatting in high-pitched,
harsh tones of the plebian Siamese has been a
severe strain upon our nerves. Our captain has a
way of saying baw moan, "not pleasant," when we
are in the midst of so much disturbance. The vil-
lages are yet every mite as unpleasant, but they are
fewer, and water life is reduced to a minimum.
Our morning stop was on the right bank at a
village wat, which was the trimmest, best-kept
wat I have seen, and the most pleasing in its set-
ting of wide spreading trees and tall palms and
palmettoes. Some one had made good merit, for
the whole ground was freshly swept. From the
wat came the sound of many voices chanting in
regular intonations. We drew near, but found all
the doors and windows closed. Usually these
wats have an unclosed front or side, but this one
could be tightly closed. A monk lounging near
52 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
by said that it would be perfectly admissible for
us to peep in if we wished to. This we did. At
first we could see nothing, as it was too dark, but
gradually I noted that men, women, and children
were seated in rows upon the floor and were bow-
ing their heads in their folded hands until they
touched the floor, before the staring image of
Buddha in the rear. A few tapers burned at the
foot of the altar and gave the only light in the
room. An abbot sat close by and evidently was
conducting the service. The monotone of the
chanted service was very weird, and the dim room,
the staring idol, the waxen tapers, all gave a som-
ber, even spectral aspect to the whole. The chil-
dren looked frightened, and I did not wonder that
they should be so impressed. Without in the
beautiful grove we saw the robes of a monk hang-
ing upon one of the trees. So the order has re-
cently lost one of their brethren in death.
Saturday, November 2d. All the sick ones are
better, excepting Mrs. Dodd, who is not yet able
to sit up all day. She lies much of the time on a
couch made on the floor at the rear of their cabin.
To-day a fine breeze is blowing. In the distance
toward Raheng are mountains which look like
palisades, and are as purple as are the Blue Ridge
of my dear native State. Much of the mountain
land that we pass through is of barren rock, the
strata of which rises perpendicularly in immense
columns. The country grows more and more
beautiful, the mosquitoes less troublesome, and the
days cooler.
FROM PAK NAM PO TO RAHENG 53
Last night we stopped beside a wide-stretching
sand bar. It gleamed white and enticing in the
starlight, so all decided to have evening worship
there instead of in our cabins. Of course, we new-
comers cannot yet speak the vernacular, so always
go with our crews to the cabin of some one of our
seniors for the evening prayer service. We had
last night what might be termed a union service,
and after the closing hymn and prayer we all sat
chatting for a while, enjoying the calm peace of a
tropical night. The charm of the sky was inde-
scribable. It was thickly studded with the very
brightest of stars, which steadfastly refused to
twinkle, but which won our hearts by their soft
glow, a glory all their own, which is unknown to
our home-land clime. How I have learned to love
the liquid light of these southern stars! Before
we came to our cabins, the men of our party had
a brisk game of leapfrog. They looked like a
crowd of college boys instead of dignified men. A
bath or swim in the clear shallow water surround-
ing the sand bar now forms a part of our evening
pleasures. The men have been plunging in all
along, but we ladies have not until recently.
Monday Morning. We spent a profitable and
happy Sabbath, though both Mrs. Collins and Mrs.
Dodd were confined to their cabins with fever.
The river is rapidly falling and large portions of
its bed are left bare and dry. These sand bars
make ideal places for stopping at night. During
the day they are so hot that the sand actually burns
when touched.
54 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
Tuesday, $th. Every afternoon as the sun nears
the horizon W and I crawl out on top of our
freight cabin and sit there until
"Light thickens; and the crow
Makes wing to the rooky wood";
when the boats all tie up for the night and we
come in to supper. The glow of sky and earth at
sunset makes of earth a fairyland. Not rich and
resplendent as are the sunsets at home, but soft
and mellow, and wooing with tints of yellow and
saffron and green, such bewitching hues, that one
is reminded of a perfect spring time before the
richer blooms of June have come.
Our boat crews evidently enjoy this river life.
They are merry all day long, and I have yet to
hear the first quarrel. Like children they seem
to think only of the present hour, and unlike us
they are not always reaching out for something
beyond. Plus ultra is meaningless to them, not
so much for being in the Latin tongue as for ex-
pressing a condition utterly beyond their compre-
hension. W and I have noted with pleasure
that this does not apply to our Christian converts.
They love to lie flat on their backs reading and
pondering over one of the gospels, or committing
to memory the catechism, or reading some one of
the several little books printed by the mission.
A Chinaman's boat from Chieng Mai has passed
us. It stopped us, and the Chinaman delighted
our hearts by delivering to us letters from the mis-
sionaries there. He also had a supply of good
FROM PAK NAM PO TO RAHENG 55
things for the inner man that Mrs. McGilvary in
thoughtful love had sent to the party. Eggs! how
welcome! a jar of tamarind sauce for each family;
cocoanuts, and a large cake! I did not know be-
fore how good cake could be.
The nights are cold and we sleep under blankets,
though the thermometer has not gone below 56.
It must be our nearness to the water that causes
us to feel the cold so keenly. One must needs pass
restless nights bathed in stinging perspiration to
realize the luxury of drawing up a light-weight
blanket. By noon, though, the perspiration runs
down our faces in little rills, if we exert ourselves
ever so little.
At every stopping place our men cast their nets
for fish. The small ones they chop up and put in
the curry pot, and the large ones they split and
sun-dry. The river fairly seems to teem with fish.
I wonder how much I will have to unlearn about
Buddhism and this people. They eat all the meat
they can get, putting it into their curry pots, even
being ravenous about pork, and many of the men
are the staunchest of Buddhists, and have served
terms in the wats.
Each crew does its own cooking. They steam
rice once a day, usually in the early morning hour,
before the first glow of dawn. After breakfast it
is packed into little baskets and eaten cold the
remainder of the day with hot curry.
Wednesday. My heart has stood still twice to-
day. First when we were passing through a line
of bamboo sticks driven into the river bottom to
56 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
obstruct the downward passage of fish, and force
them into traps. These sticks are usually pliable
and bend as the boat pushes against them. We
pass through many of them daily, but this time
our boat caught on a stiff one, a veritable pole,
pitching the boat over to one side. All our books
and toilet articles on the shelf to the back of our
cabin, came showering down upon our heads. I
saw Tennyson's Poems and my darning gourd dive
through the window, and I held tightly to the side
to keep from following them. In a twinkling the
men had the boat off the pole and we were trying
to restore order, while Miian fussed and grumbled
at his upset dinner, and lost saucepan. Both
saucepan and soup had gone overboard. Alas!
that soup contained my last tin of tomatoes!
The second fright occurred in the bend of the
river, where the stream was swift and narrow, and
the banks high, so that our crew could not see a
raft of teak logs above. We met directly in the
bend, and for a few seconds we thought that we
were lost. Our captain shouted orders and swung
to his rudder, and the polemen worked like Tro-
jans. As the raft swept by, it missed us less than
a foot.
Saturday, pth. We are nearing Raheng, and the
villages on the river bank are nearer together,
almost continuous. Our morning stop was beside
a pleasant bank, so we all went ashore. Several
of us wandered into the village. Beneath one of
the houses a pretty Siamese girl was weaving cloth.
As a child I have often watched weaving in the
FROM PAK NAM PO TO RAHENG 57
poor homes about my father's plantation, but the
looms could not compare in crudeness with this
one. It is true that it had all the essentials of a
good working hand loom, and that the cloth she
was making was really beautiful, smooth, and even
in design. The girl was deft in throwing the shut-
tle and in reversing the healds by means of treadles.
She made a pretty picture as she sat there upon
her three-legged stool, apparently all intent upon
her work, yet watching us from beneath her long
dark lashes, and pleased, too, at our words of ap-
proval which she understood as though she had
known English. There is one language that is
common to all races and peoples.
In the house above lay a lad with his leg in a
splint. A few days before it had been broken by
a buffalo. Only a few days, but he was pitifully
emaciated, the lines of suffering upon his face be-
ing deep. His mother asked Dr. McKean to come
and look at the limb to see if he could do any-
thing for the child. There was nothing he could
do under all the existing complex circumstances,
save to encourage the poor boy and speak a word
of cheer to the mother. I noted that he left with
them some booklets and one of the gospels with
a word pointing to the Great Physician. The
mother offered us her betel tray with the invitation
to chew. Mrs. Dodd explained that it was not our
custom and begged to be excused. The woman
looked puzzled and asked: "Then pray what do
you chew?" When told, "Nothing," she looked
astounded and incredulous. She felt our clothes,
58 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
admired our white skins, and asked questions by
the dozen. She explained that never before had
she seen foreign ladies. When little Kate Mc-
Kean, who is a winsome, fairy-like blonde, ran up
to bid us come to the boats, the woman exclaimed
that she must be a holy being of a heavenly race.
Monday, nth. Yesterday was the quietest Sab-
bath we have had, for we stopped at an island in
mid stream. Dr. McKean conducted the Laos
service, preaching upon the necessity of the new
birth. It was a most impressive hour, and after
the benediction by Mr. Dodd several of the heathen
men of the crew remained to talk further, and they
seem to be honest inquirers of the truth.
Afternoon. We reached Raheng at noon. How
beautifully located this city is! Built upon the
east bank, it overlooks the broad stream and moun-
tains beyond. These mountains are never the
same, but all day long keep changing their hues
and aspects as the clouds and shadows vary. I
have seldom seen a more beautiful location for an
inland city. Excepting the scenery there is little
which is beautiful and interesting to be seen. The
city is made up of native huts, crowded with peo-
ple. The latter form a most interesting study, for
the population here is about half and half Siamese
and Laos. There are many very apparent differ-
ences between the two peoples for all that they are
related and live under the same flag. I have not
noted a single difference which is not in favor of
the Laos, unless, indeed, it be tattooing. The
Laos men tattoo their legs, and it seems to me
FROM PAR NAM PO TO RAHENG 59
now to be a rude and barbarous custom. I must
find out why they do it. The women look both
graceful and modest in their skirts, which come to
the ankle, and with their long, heavy hair coiled
upon their shapely heads. The short hair and
man-like dress of the Siamese women contrast
harshly with it. The Siamese women are mascu-
line in muscle, as well as appearance, for the many
years spent in the idle monkhood seems to sap all
virile qualities from the men. True, the women
enjoy a considerable degree of freedom, very un-
like most oriental countries, but they have to work
so hard that I have felt very pitiful toward them.
I have seen women plowing in the fields while
in the house lay men smoking and lounging and
chewing. This betel is chewed so constantly by
men and women that their mouths become dis-
figured by its use. Except among the gentry and
Christians of Bangkok, I have not seen a good-
looking middle-aged Siamese. They are old,
haggard, and cross-looking at thirty. Nature tries
to set things right in each successive generation,
for the children are pretty, bright-eyed, and attrac-
tive. They all run around perfectly nude, except
for silver anklets or necklace.
Raheng is about a hundred miles, a little north
of east of Maulmein. I cannot ascertain its popula-
tion, but it must be very great. Up and down the
river bank it runs for some ten miles, but in depth
it is only a hundred or so yards. It is the great
postal-service center, for mails from Maulmein and
Bangkok are here distributed to go all over the
6O THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
north country. The various British timber com-
panies manned by foreigners, usually cultured and
courteous Englishmen, have here large compounds
for their headquarters. Many hundred elephants
are employed by them to work timber in the ad-
jacent forests. It is at Raheng that the teak logs,
which are cut in forests in the north of the Laos
provinces and floated down with the currents, are
collected in rafts, and set to Bangkok. Each raft
has several natives to steer it and guard it from
robbers. Above Raheng there are no rafts, for the
rapids would tear them to pieces. Besides being
a center for timber men, there seems to be a good
trade in stick-lac, gums for dammering, hides, to-
bacco, and such things, carried on by natives and
Chinamen. If the country were opened up by a
railroad it would bound forward and become one
of the garden spots of the East. Much of the fer-
tile land lies wholly untilled. The rice plains are
worked only sufficiently to supply the local de-
mand.
I was surprised to find that Indian rupees were
more acceptable in the market than Siamese ticals.
The Bombay Burmah Company kindly gave us
rupees for our ticals, as from now on only rupees
can be used in buying from natives. So here we
are living under the flag of the King of Siam, and
buying our food with good English rupees.
Tuesday. One of our freight boats and Mr.
Dodd's passenger boat were found to be leaking,
so we had to lie over to-day and have them dam-
mered. The day has passed pleasantly beneath the
FROM PAK NAM PO TO RAHENG 6l
trees of the Bombay Burmah Company's com-
pound. Part of the time the shadows lay so that
our chairs were beside the river path, which seems
to be the principal highway. Not a person passed
us without bowing his head and bending his knees
almost to a crouch, even those with loads upon
their shoulders. Both Siamese and Laos have
great veneration for authority, and it is etiquette to
never allow their heads to pass above the head of
an equal or superior. They do this so easily and
gracefully that it is a becoming custom.
I have enjoyed watching elephants work the long
teak-tree trunks into rafts. I did not believe be-
fore all that I had heard of their sagacity. But it
is every word true and more. I was amused by a
baby elephant. He walked beside his mother with
his little trunk around a log as was hers, apparently
feeling that he was helping. He seemed to be full
of mischief, and afforded merriment for the natives,
as well as for us.
Wednesday. Our boat dipped water last night,
and how much damage is done we cannot tell, but
we are now tied up to a sand bar, with the crew
unloading our boxes. It will be over two weeks
before we reach Lakawn, and if any of our goods
are wet they will be ruined with mildew before then.
It was with full hearts that we saw the Chieng Mai
boats pull away and leave us, for we will not see
them again, as we turn off into the Me Wang, just
above Raheng. W and I will be alone now until
we reach Lakawn. I am glad we like our captain
so well and are on such friendly terms with our
62 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
crew. Our flotilla is now reduced to three boats,
our own passenger boat and two freight boats con-
taining goods for the Lakawn missionaries. The
freight boats are like the passenger boats, only
smaller, requiring three polemen and having no
cabin at the rear.
Later. Very little damage was done, excepting
to my box of chemicals and paper for photographic
work. W thinks that I can get Mr. Dodd's sup-
ply, as his is useless without his camera. I have
heard, "Tis an ill wind that blows nobody any
good!"
CHAPTER V
THE END OF THE JOURNEY
NOVEMBER i6TH. On the Me Wang. This
stream is much smaller than the Me Ping, and is
more tortuous in its course. Our evenings are
wonderfully pleasant, as we can indulge in the lux-
ury of sitting up awhile after dark, for the mos-
quitoes and flying insects trouble us but little now.
Until recently they would swarm as soon as our
lamp was lighted.
We have just passed a wat. A number of
monks were on the bank shaving the heads of sev-
eral boys who were entering the order. Since
leaving Pak Nam Po we have not seen so many
monks as we saw below that place. For the first
two weeks they were to be seen everywhere at all
times of the day, especially, though, in the early
morning hours, when they would go forth from
their wats in tiny boats from house to house, would
hold out their bowls and receive into them several
spoonfuls of rice from the women who had been
watching and waiting for them. This is merit on
the part of the woman, so the monk neither bows
his head nor speaks a word of appreciation, for it
is kindness on his part to allow a woman to make
merit upon him.
Monday Morning. We see elephants constantly.
They go up and down the river, pushing stranded
63
64 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
logs into the stream again, and breaking jams.
With their drivers perched upon their heads they
make a picturesque scene, especially when heavy
jungle growth forms the background. All day
yesterday they worked about us. We had to
observe our Sabbath in the midst of everyday
life and occupations, as, indeed, have all of our
Sabbaths been, excepting the one spent upon the
island.
I had a touch of fever yesterday, and had to lie
down the greater part of the day, but I' was able to
sit up through the morning service, which the
Christians of our crew conducted. Many villagers
gathered and remained long after service to talk
of this, to them, new religion. The Christians
seem to find their greatest joy in talking to their
fellow-countrymen about the "J esus religion." In
the cool of the afternoon I felt better, as I was free
from fever, so W and I walked out into the vil-
lage. It is somewhat like Raheng in being a mix-
ture of the two peoples, but the Laos now predom-
inate, and we noted many changes in ways and
customs. The women were beating out rice from
the paddy, but unlike the Siamese who use a hand
mortar and pestle, they have a very convenient ar-
rangement of mortar and long hammer-like pestle
which can be worked with the foot. We passed a
woman who was in the first stages of leprosy. She
begged us for medicines to heal, but we were pow-
erless to help. If this people were as eager to be
rid of their spiritual sorrows and diseases as they
are of their physical, it would not be long before the
THE END OF THE JOURNEY 65
whole land would be cleansed and healed by the
touch of the Great Physician. Fiat lux.
Under a house near by was a loom, at which sat
a Laos woman. Beside her a young girl was spin-
ning, and within touch of her crouched an old
woman seeding cotton by means of a tiny hand gin.
It consisted chiefly of two rollers which were turned
by a crank; these caught the lint and tore it from
the seed, which was left behind. It looked very
much like a crude clothes-wringer. On a scaffold
in the sun, cotton was drying, and near by it was
packed into large hampers for spinning. In the
yard were dye pots and from a rattan rope hung
many hanks of yarn newly dyed in bright orange,
blue, purple, and brown. One of the girl's hands
was horribly stained by the dye. The yard about
the house was well kept, and a large fruit grove
stood to one side. On the veranda were pots filled
with flowers which were blooming beautifully.
Upon the richly-loaded orange trees I saw ripe
fruit, blooms, and buds. I asked if the buds would
mature,, and the woman said, yes, if the tree was
watered during the dry season. I am glad to say
that this industrious family were Laos, and that
there were many such in the village.
Monday Evening. We have passed a stupid day,
as both W and I are full of quinine. We both
have fever now. One's physical condition surely
has much to do with their impressions when travel-
ing. I have never been especially attracted to the
half-savage dogs of Siam, but have given them little
thought one way or another. However, to-day
5
66 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
they have sprung into giants and have become
legion, and whenever our boat touches the bank
they come down to the water's edge and snarl,
growl, bark, and fight. Such voices! Our captain
assures us that we have seen unusually few to-day.
The glare of the noonday sun, naked children and
bare bodies of men, unkept streets and yards, the
barnyards beneath houses, with the necessarily ac-
companying fumes, the incessant betel-chewing
and smoking, the loathsome sight of lepers and
women with immense goiters; men, women, and
children all crouched in the sun, shivering with
chills and fevers; the jargon of an unknown tongue,
and eyes everywhere staring straight at me, as
though I were a monkey in a cage, all these things
depress and weigh upon me as though I should
suffocate. W says that he is affected in the
same way by them. The sun is now setting. I
had hoped we would stop in the woods, but we
cannot escape the villages. I dread the night with
the dogs. Last night, either dogs were barking
or cocks crowing all night. A cock in our coop
was as impudent as could be. I had Muan make
him into soup for dinner.
Tuesday Afternoon. Fever and quinine! Sun
glare and dogs and eyes!
Thursday. The mountains! Fever is gone!
Deo gratias.
Tuesday. What shall I say? Words fail me. I
have not written in my journal for several days, as
I have had no patience with my pen, and even now
it seems cold and indifferent to my thoughts.
THE END OF THE JOURNEY 67
These noble mountains piled up so high are the
natural and political boundary between Siam and
Laos. The river narrows at the passes and tumbles
downwards over rocks and bowlders in a mad rush
to meet the level below, where it widens out again
and becomes passive. There were some thirty of
these rapids, all of which thrills one with awe. At
the smaller ones the men bent to their poles and by
great strength and skill pushed the stubborn boat
upward. At the larger ones, the crews of the three
boats united and by the triple power the boat was
got up. But at the largest and swiftest ones, we
were asked to land and lighten the boats that much,
while a long, strong rope was firmly tied to the bow
of the boat, by means of which it was dragged up.
This was hard, tedious, and slow work, and only
one boat could go through at a time. The cap-
tain's skill is very manifest here, and the muscles
of his body rise up like cords. One false turn of
the rudder on his part and the boat is dashed to
pieces. In some of the rapids we noticed that the
pass between bowlders hidden only a few inches
beneath the water's surface was only sufficiently
wide to admit the passage of the boats. When we
were forced to land we enjoyed the climb up the
mountain's side, and the walk in the unbroken
forest around the rapids. We found few flowers,
but the forest growth was heavy and luxuriant.
We came across several snake skins. One meas-
ured eight feet. In keeping with the spirit of the
mountain wilds, I wound this skin around the brim
of my hat, letting it fall in streamers behind. Our
68 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
captain afterwards informed me that it was ex-
tremely "good luck" to find such a skin and wear
it. Wild chickens of a small breed abound. Pea-
cocks and parrots and other rich-plumaged birds
are abundant. One bird, shaped like a swallow,
only larger, is of a brilliant blue color, and skims
the water like a gull. We have picked up some
very beautiful shells, larger than one's hand, and
lined exquisitely with mother-of-pearl.
We sleep under blankets, and the days are fresh
and bracing. The mornings are really cold. We
wrap ourselves snugly in coat and jacket, and I
add my shawl. Often W pulls out his steamer
rug, too. We eat our hot breakfast and are still
cold. A fire would be acceptable. Yet our pole-
men wear but their one garment. A few have
donned a gauze shirt; but the first time they get
it wet, off it must come. They say nao, nao, "cold,
cold," but they do not appear as cold as we feel.
They plunge into the stream the first thing in the
morning, to warm themselves, as they express it,
and the water is like ice to the touch. When we
stop for rest they at once wrap a blanket about
themselves.
Wednesday. The mountains are now behind us,
and the stream is becoming very low. Yesterday
and to-day our crew spent much of their time in
the water, pushing the boat off sand bars into the
narrow channel. At times, there appears to be no
channel. Our hearts are stirred with strange
thoughts, as we realize that at last, after three
months of constant travel, we are nearing our des-
THE END OF THE JOURNEY 69
tination, and that even now we are in Laos-land,
and are among the people to whom we have conse-
crated our lives.
The river has already left much of its bed dry,
and the natives have utilized it for garden spots,
planting principally cucumbers and mustard. The
soil must be exceedingly rich, judging from the
luxuriant growth it brings forth with so little culti-
vation. Every morning and evening men and
women water these gardens by using a scoop at-
tached to the end of a bamboo pole about as long
as a broom handle. They stand in the river and
toss the water upon the beds. A man and woman
are now wading across the river in front of our
boat, and in the deepest place the water barely
comes to the woman's waist.
How these people love the water! We see bath-
ers all day long. The women come down to the
water, step in, and before our very eyes, by a quick
movement raise the skirt to the head, twirl it around
so as to form a turban, and drop into the water.
The thing is done so deftly and so quickly that the
only impression received is a blurred vision. The
little girls leave their skirts on the bank and skurry
down like ducks.
If I could make a book of my journal I could
probably tell half of the things I see and hear in-
stead of the scattering few. But I must not con-
tinue to neglect speaking of reed-blowing. The
reeds are in sets, and are made with holes like a
flute and a mouthpiece similar to that of a flageolet.
There are several sets among our crew, and on
70 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
moonlight evenings since we have left the droves
of mosquitoes our men sit on the sand bars and
blow them. The various sizes and lengths of the
reeds govern the pitch, and when a sufficient num-
ber is used, the combination makes a curious reed
organ, which is smooth and mellow and plaintive
in sound, withal, exceeding pleasing, even if tinged
with a sweet sadness. The range of the organ is
limited and the musicians go over and over the
same strains, apparently having few tunes. We
have come to love this soft, tuneful music and are
glad in the evening hour to see the men drawing
from the freight cabin their reeds. The tranquil
stars above, the calm night about us, and then,
along the bank, "the dulcet measures float in many
a liquid winding note/'
While in the rapids we came one morning to a
standstill, as before us there arose forbiddingly a
log jam, apparently containing hundreds of logs.
W looked at the captain inquiringly, who touched
his ears and pointed toward the jungles with a
nod. We listened, and softly came through the
trees the soft tinkle of several brass bells. In a
few minutes an elephant pushed through the un-
broken jungle growth and was shortly followed
by some four or five others. They all walked
slowly and sedately toward the jam into the water,
and some above and others below the jam, they be-
gan work. In less than twenty minutes by the
watch, the jam was broken and the logs were float-
ing downstream. It was to us wonderful to see
with what ease an elephant would tighten his trunk
THE END OF THE JOURNEY 71
about a log and send it off swiftly downstream.
They seemed to know exactly the right spot in the
jam to weaken in order to break the general sup-
port. I was interested to see how skillful the ele-
phants were in turning away floating logs, which
threatened to crush them. The drivers on the ele-
phants' heads gave few orders, as the huge beasts
seem to understand perfectly.
Thursday Morning, November 2pth. Thanksgiving
Day. We are nearing Lakawn. Our captain says
we will be there this afternoon. How fitting that
this is Thanksgiving day!
Last night we stopped at a sand bar beside a
large and prosperous village, which our captain
said, with evident pleasure, was Lampang Kang.
We knew from him that he had acquaintances in
the village, and that there were a few Christians
there, but we were not prepared for the surprise
that awaited us. After supper W waded to the
sand bar, as the water was so shallow our boats
could not touch the bank, and two men carried me
out in a chair. We always have prayers ashore
when possible. I saw that there were strangers
in the group, but that is the usual thing. Imagine
my surprise when, before I was out of the chair,
they pressed forward and, grasping my hands, ex-
claimed, "Ah, Me Ku, sabai ka, saba'i ka?" And
in the moonlight I saw bright, earnest faces, with
a look of welcome, that did my heart good. W
had stopped to speak to one of the men, but he
then came up and we sat down to talk as best we
could with them. The group consisted of two
72 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
grown men, one elderly woman, a middle-aged one,
two young women, and a little girl. These were
the first middle-aged women I had seen who had
good, bright, happy faces. Among other things,
they told us how glad they were to be the first to
welcome us to the land of the Laos. They had
feared that we might slip by in the daytime, when
they were busy at work, without their seeing us.
We found out their names and their relation one
to another, and learned that Mr. Taylor often comes
down to visit them, spending several days at a time
teaching and preaching. The girls said, with
pleased looks, that they had been to school in
Lakawn to Miss Fleeson, and that she had taught
them "many things." They also told us that on
every Communion Sunday they walked up to
Lakawn to church service. I glanced at the old
woman, and she nodded, and said, "Yes, she went,
too." She then asked me if I had known Mrs.
Taylor when we were in the "Outside world"
together. I had to say "No," and at a glance I
saw that she thought that I had missed half of
life. She repeated her name and said something
which we could not understand, but the language
of the face and eyes expressed love and admiration.
All of the group nodded emphatically at her words,
and signified hearty approval.
But the evening was slipping away and we were
forced reluctantly to bring it to a close by having
evening prayers. We saw with pleasure that sev-
eral of the little group had brought their hymn
books and Bibles along. We had a delightful
THE END OF THE JOURNEY 73
service, the women in their turn reading the Scrip-
ture lesson, and doing so as well as the men. After
the closing hymn, one of the maidens pulled out a
rough yellow booklet from her Bible, and with an
air of triumph showed it to our captain. He cried
out with joy and began excitedly to explain to us
that it was a few proof sheets of the new Laos hymn
book. How eagerly and joyfully we looked over
those pages! As we glanced up, the dark eyes
around us were fairly beaming with joy and pride.
The longed-for hymn book was now to be a
reality, and the old Siamese copies could be dis-
carded. No more struggling now over Siamese
characters in order to read hymns, but each person
could have a book in his own tongue. No wonder
we were all so happy and thankful. W handed
the sheets back to the women, asking them to sing.
They at once complied, and sweetly rose the song,
"I Need Thee Every Hour." Through the mist
that gathered I could hardly see the faces about
me, and thoughts crowded in, and before me came
all the millions of souls in this land that never raise
their voices to God in song or prayer, and do not
grow old beautifully as do these Christians, and
who have neither the hope nor the peace that is
theirs; and the words as they fell had a deeper
meaning than ever before, an added sweetness.
But we are nearing the city, and we must prepare
to leave the boat. This little six-by-seven was very
strange to us six weeks ago, but now it is as an
old friend, and we step from it out into the un-
known future.
CHAPTER VI
THE FACE OF LAOS-LAND
LAKAWN is situated geographically to the south
of the center of the Siamo^Laos provinces, at the
intersection of some of the great roads of the
country. These roads are not worthy of the term
as we know the name, for in the main they are but
footpaths, made by the constant passing of men
and cattle and elephant trains. They are very tor-
tuous, for rather than remove undergrowth or build
a bridge the Laos will swing several miles from
their course. When a stream is reached it must
be forded. During the rainy season a traveler
often gets weather-bound between two streams,
which have risen too high to ford, and are too bold
to swim. I have many times known of mail car-
riers being thus delayed for several weeks. In
such a case there is but one thing to do sit down
and wait for the water to fall. This condition of
roads does not imply a total lack of bridges. There
are a few here and there. Usually they are made
by felling trees, squaring their trunks, and letting
two or more run parallel and closely together across
the stream or gorge. I knew of one gentleman, an
Englishman by birth, who came to such a bridge
which, however, had not been made closely
together. He started across astride of his pony,
but halfway over the pony beneath him decided to
74 '
THE FACE OF LAOS-LAND 75
try the other tree trunk, and before he knew what
was up, our hero found himself wildly striving to
balance his body as he stood a la Colossus of
Rhodes. When he thought to look down for his
pony he beheld him mildly cropping grass in the
ravine below. Recently ten-yard wide government
roads have been built to connect some of the large
cities, and there is a promise of better things for the
future.
Roughly speaking, the country inhabited by the
Yuan Laos is an immense plateau, interlaced with
mountain chains, which naturally divide the coun-
try into provinces. It is well watered by rivers
which, flowing southward at Pak Nam Po, form
the great Me Nam. To the far north the streams
flow to the east of north, emptying into the proud
Me Kawng. Thus it will be seen that the land of
the Laos is made up of mountain and plain and
valley, having, for the tropics, a wide range of
climate and great diversity of products. Owing
to the tropical heat, abundant rainfall, and annual
overflow of rivers, it is a very fertile country, in-
deed. A little scratching of the soil and dropping
of seeds is all that is necessary to insure a harvest.
In places, the jungles, deep and unbroken, lie bask-
ing in the sunshine, protecting the hoards of wild
beasts and creatures that there make their homes.
In striking contrast, stretch the sunny rice plains
and the tempting fruit groves. But always, every-
where, there is teeming life, animal and vegetable,
on land and in the water. The villages and cities
are all gathered about the banks of the water
76 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
courses, for it must be remembered that this people
live close to nature, leaning upon her for support,
and so gather about the streams where water can
be had in abundance during even the long, hot, dry
season of some six months.
Although wholly within the tropics, the climate
is not so hot as that of southern India, and it is
altogether free from the hot winds which scourge
that land. The year is divided into two seasons,
namely, the rainy and the dry. The rainy season
commences with the southwest monsoons, about
the last of April. It does not necessarily rain
every day, but usually there is a hard shower of one
or two hours' length, preceded by a scurry of wind
that is delightfully refreshing after the months of
sun and heat. Oftentimes it rains steadily for sev-
eral days, and occasionally several weeks of almost
constant rain causes floods, which are very de-
structive to vegetable life. I have known whole
fruit groves and gardens to be thus entirely swept
away. Toward November the wind veers round
to the northeast, and sweeps away from the sky
the rain clouds. Then for six weeks there is
ideal weather. The breeze is fresh and the nights
are so cool that a fire to dress and breakfast by is
enjoyable, though the thermometer seldom drops
below 55. The land carols with the songs of birds,
the orange hangs golden, nestled in the fragrance
of blossoms upon the same mother tree.
". . . red-ripe as can be,
Pomegranates are chapping and splitting in halves
on the tree,"
THE FACE OF LAOS-LAND 77
and the lotus coquettes with the palms above and
the reflection beneath. It is the glad harvest sea-
son, and the yellow grain hangs heavy, awaiting
the reaper's scythe. The rains are passed, but na-
ture revives her own by a nightly visit of dew,
which equals a light shower. After this golden
season of the year the winds veer to the south, and
before one is aware the heat becomes intense. The
river has become a thread; and life is barely endur-
able from noontime until the evening shadows
lengthen. So parched has the ground become that
the mere hopping of a disconsolate bird across the
road causes a flurry of dust. There is no vegetable
life, save that which is artificially watered or that
which is "planted beside the rivers of water, whose
leaf also doth not wither." February, March, and
April are the most dreaded months, though the
sickly season is delayed until the first rain falls,
which are more or less scattering. These are not
sufficient to wash away the refuse of the villages,
but instead causes decomposition and a multitude
of fumes. Fever is the inevitable result, so that
the last of April, May, and June are known as the
sickly season. The degree of the oppressiveness
of the heat depends much upon the altitude. For
this reason the more northern cities, such as Chieng
Rai, are much cooler and more healthful.
Some one has laughingly said that one of the
chief summer problems of life in Hong Kong is to
determine whether the mushrooms which grow on
one's shoes at night are edible or not. This sounds
like gross exaggeration, but truly the damp is in-
78 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
describable, not only in Hong Kong, but in Laos-
land as well. It is not advisable to don a suit of
underwear in the morning that was the least bit
damp with perspiration the night before, for the
second state is worse than the first. One may walk
about the house even an hour after dawn and see
the moisture forming in beads upon the walls and
furniture and trickling downward. I have many
times wrung water from my tent curtain in touring.
Capsules and pills must be kept in tightly-corked
bottles, with a piece of absorbent cotton in the top.
Books ought to be taken from the shelves and
carefully wiped every few weeks during the damp
season, or else they will horribly mildew.
It would be difficult to find a fairer inland coun-
try than Laos-land. Nature is lavish of her fruits,
flowers, and verdure. Every place that would
otherwise be barren or unattractive she festoons
with vines. The scenery of mountain and river is
as beautiful as that of the Blue Ridge and Hudson
of our own country. The rapids are bold and
grand. Those of the Me Ping leading to Chieng
Mai are unsurpassed in interest. Of them Dr. Mc-
Gilvary wrote in a letter to Davidson College: "I
doubt very much whether there is another road of
forty miles in the earth's surface having such uni-
versally beautiful and magnificent scenery as where
the river breaks between these mountains." The
rapids of the river leading to Nan are much bolder,
and usually boats have to be unloaded at them, and
their goods carried around on the shoulders of men,
while the boats are dragged up. In the down-
THE FACE OF LAOS-LAND 79
stream trip "shooting" the rapids is exciting and
dangerous. In 1898, Dr. and Mrs. Peoples, who
were then alone in Nan, found that they had to
bring their sick child to America, as the only hope
of saving his life. They had to shoot the Nan
river rapids during a flood season. Of that ex-
perience Mrs. Peoples wrote as follows:
"The morning of our last day in Nan arrived
bleak with .rain. The day before a procession of
Christian men and women filed in at the gate, bear-
ing their parting gifts; a pet chicken, a few eggs,
vegetables, from their tiny garden, fruit, flowers
just what they could bring, with love and tears.
To each of their houses we had gone for a last
prayer together and last words, few but fraught
with meaning to their hearts and ours, for we were
leaving them like sheep without a shepherd.
'Don't forget us/ 'Be faithful to your Christian
vows/ 'We can't forget, pray for us, Paw Liang,
Me Liang! Down the slippery bank into the little
canoes we crawled; room to sit, or go on hands
and knees only, for the next week. A bend in
the river shut from our eyes the lonely group
watching us, and we lean hard upon their Strength
and ours.
"Daylight of the next morning, and a hail from
the village: 'You cannot pass the rapids, Paw
' 'Is there not a pilot who will take us through
for double pay? I must take my sick child
on/
" 'No. Last year a boat with seven men tried
8O THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
to shoot the rapids at high water and all were lost.
Life is better than money.'
"We decided to push on and see the rapids. The
first one is passed unnoticed, completely sub-
merged. The rain is falling in torrents, the cap-
tain stands upon the head of the canoe stripped to
the waistcloth, a twelve-foot bamboo pole balanced
in his hand ready to sheer away from dangerous
rocks, silent, vigilant, unmindful of the pitiless rain,
although his lips are blue and the frail craft often
quivers with the spasm of cold that shakes him.
The turbid river has no confines now. Old land-
marks are obliterated, our tiny canoes seeming a
few pieces of driftwood on its seething bosom.
Soon the tossing waves and hoarse roar of Kang
Luang is ahead, and slowly we creep along the side,
where half-submerged trees threaten to rake us off;
and then with paddles flying for dear life, we dash
down the swift incline until we strike the outer rim
of the huge whirlpool, when, with marvelous skill,
the boats are swung round and headed upstream,
for a brief rest. In a moment more we find our-
selves safe, for the time, among trees upon the
mountain side.
"Then we pushed on. We found the 'thousand wa
rapid' two thousand yards was a swift descent
of roaring, tumbling, foam-crested waves, that cast
high breakers upon the half-buried mountain rice
fields, green with young grain. Six days and
nights we were in these tempests of waters, then
out of the mountain-inclosed channel into the
broad waters at Ta It we glide, the seventh day,
THE FACE OF LAOS-LAND 8 1
thankful to climb from our cramped quarters into
the larger boat."
In the mountains abound beautiful and rare ferns,
from the delicate maidenhair to tall fronds, some
fifteen or twenty feet high. I was especially at-
tracted to a delicate fern whose under side of leaves
was a silvery white. Orchids brighten the ground
and hang from the trees. Some of them are
smaller than a snowdrop, while others are larger
than a tulip. They are all shades, from a pure
white to a gold or scarlet. They are gathered by
natives from the forests during the months of April
and May, and are carried to the city for sale.
Maidens like to wear the sprays in their dark hair
and housekeepers buy the plants to tie to the ver-
anda post or tree in the yard, where they thrive
well and live and bloom. Excepting orchids, few
delicate flowers, such as our violets, are found.
Usually the blooms are large, showy, and heavy
in perfume. Many plants that are not indigenous
take kindly to their adopted home, and so one
finds in the gardens of missionaries and natives to
whom they have given seeds and plants, many
flowers that one admires in an American garden.
Care and thought are given to the cultivation of
flowers, as they are much loved and admired by
the natives. Almost every home has its garden or
flowerpots. Besides adorning the hair of maidens
and children, flowers are used in all the religious
and official ceremonies. Almost any man or
woman one meets can tell the names of most of
the different flowers, plants, and trees, and can
6
82 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
also enumerate their various uses as for dyes,
oils, and resins or drugs.
The hot sun so develops the cellulose of vege-
tables that they lose their crispness and are not
delicate, to our way of thinking. A great variety
of beans, cucumbers, and gourds abounds and they
are eaten with much relish by all. Melons are
plentiful but inferior in quality. Mustard, garlic,
and pepper are perhaps more extensively grown
in gardens than any other vegetable. Onions are
considered among the greatest of delicacies and the
word hawm onion is synonymous with "fra-
grant," rather identical, as, for instance, a man will
exclaim upon smelling a tuberose, hawm, and a
woman, hiding her face beneath the neck of her
babe, will lovingly repeat, hawm, hawm. The
sweet potato and yam abound and are of a good
quality and flavor. Many roots and leaves of trees
and vines are eaten whose English names I am
ignorant of. The leaves are put into the curry pot
and stew up well, garlic and red pepper giving a
flavor if it is lacking. Elephant ears or caladiums
are abundant, and their starchy roots are consid-
ered as toothsome as a yam. Indeed, by some are
more highly esteemed, as the corms are a gentle
stimulant and are diaphoretic.
One of the most useful plants of the land is
known as curcuma, being a genus of the order
Scitaminece. There are several species, all alike,
having fleshy tuberous roots. These are cooked
when young and eaten. In this state the rhizoma
abounds in a kind of arrowroot. When matured,
THE FACE OF LAOS-LAND 83
it is very aromatic in smell, reminding one of man-
goes, and having properties resembling ginger.
In this state, it is finely powdered and called tumeric.
This tumeric is used as the principal ingredient of
curry powder; is employed as a medicine, it having
an eliminating and stimulating effect upon the
system; mixed with lime, it forms part of the
"chew" commonly known as betel; and it is used
as a dye stuff to produce shades of yellow and
golden brown; and, last, but far from least, is em-
ployed as a powder to dust the bodies of babies and
children from crown to toe, thus beautifying them.
Another species of cucuma is known as zedoary.
This is highly medicinal, being a most powerful
sudorific. This cucuma is well known to Europeans
of India and the East Indies, as it is indigenous to
the whole sweep of southeast Asia.
In no clime are palms more at home than in the
land of the Laos, and so one finds numerous
species, from the clinging rattan to the stately pal-
myra and lofty areca, with its cluster of sweet-
scented blooms. It is hardly necessary to describe
them, as palms have become as familiar to Amer-
icans as the roses in our gardens. So we will con-
fine ourselves to looking at some of the uses to
which they are put. The cocoanut palm is eaten
either young or when mature, the taste at the dif-
ferent stages varying greatly. The edible part of
the nut is much used in the making of sweet-
meats. It is scraped, steeped in boiling water,
then strained through a cloth, and used as milk.
New rice is often boiled in this milk and is consid-
84 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
ered a great delicacy. When plucked from the
tree and eaten, the cocoanut is a very different
article of diet from what we know. It is soft like
an apple, delicately flavored, and is so easily di-
gested that children fatten upon it.
The sap of the palm tree makes a wine which is
highly intoxicating when fermentetl. This sap
boiled down makes a sugar, which is much es-
teemed, and somewhat resembles in taste our own
maple sugar. Oil is extracted from the nuts and
pulp, which is used by mothers as a kind of cure-
all. Sago is made, but not extensively. The
terminal bud is sometimes cut and boiled. It de-
stroys the tree; so everyone cannot indulge this
taste. The Ian palm is famous, as its dried leaves
are used as a substitute for writing paper. The
words are written with a sharp-pointed style, and
over them powdered charcoal or oil is passed-,
which remains fixed in the indented letters, the
surface then being rubbed and polished to a golden
yellow. The leaves are then bound into books.
Next to the palm the plantain or banana is ap-
plied to the greatest number of uses. Bowring
claims fifty varieties for Siam, and there should be
as many in Laos-land. I have eaten twenty differ-
ent kinds, varying in size from three inches to a
foot, and in flavor from a sweet to an acid. They
form a very important part of the diet of the people.
Besides being eaten in their natural state they are
fried, roasted, or made into cakes. Children when
three days old are fed upon one of the species.
This fruit, so soft and nutrious, is a great blessing
THE FACE OF LAOS-LAND 85
to the aged, and one can readily see how the legend
is accredited that Allah sent the plantain to the
prophet in his old age, when he had become tooth-
less and feeble. It is one of the few fruits that is
perennially ripe. The green leaves are employed
for numberless domestic uses, such as wrapping up
bundles, forming a cool, fresh mat for the ground,
and making an impromptu hat for use during a
sudden shower. It might be thought that these
slightly-clad people would not dread exposure to
the rain, but they have a horror of having rain fall
upon their heads. The dried leaves are used prin-
cipally to roll around tobacco, forming a cheroot.
Excepting a few perennial fruits, mangoes are
the first fruit after the long, dry season. They
are larger and finer flavored than the Siamese man-
goes. One species called sam pi (three years) be-
cause they bear the third year after planting, are
especially excellent in both size and taste. The
mango trees of the jungles make a kind of ren-
dezvous for wild beasts, and a blind near such a tree
is a most excellent vantage ground for a huntsman.
The trees grow as large as an elm, and the fruit
should be plucked and not allowed to drop. I was
once interested in watching a scene about a certain
mango tree in the beginning of a rainy season. A
hard shower was on, and at intervals a skurry of
wind would bring to the ground a dozen or more
mangoes. At once there was a wild rush through
the rain for the tree, not only by the children
perched on the watch, but by several elderly men
and women, two ponies, a pig, and a group of
86 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
chickens. They all scrambled together for the
mangoes, and then retired to await the next skurry.
This was a case of stolen sweets, for not one of
the marauders had a right to the fruit.
The tamarind grows to the size of an immense
oak and lives for centuries. Its shade is delight-
fully cool and refreshing, and its fruit is one of the
greatest of nature's blessings to the tropics. The
pod-like fruit is rilled with a pulp, which is at once
acidulous and sweet. Great care is exercised in
seeding the pulp and packing it away in clay jars
for use in curries, and to make cooling drinks and
ciders, and to stew into sauce. It is medicinal, be-
ing a gentle, cooling laxative, and is much em-
ployed in tropical fevers.
Pineapples are abundant and are of a good flavor;
oranges abound in some dozen or more varieties;
lemons are not indigenous, but limes admirably
take their place; guavas are eaten green or cooked
or made into excellent jelly by foreigners; citron,
pomegranates, custard apples, jack fruit, and the
famed durian, are also found. Plums in many
varieties are much liked by the natives, but usually
a foreigner has to acquire a taste for them. To
the north of the provinces are found attractive com-
binations of tropical and temperate fruits, the rasp-
berry and peach being found among the latter class.
This enumeration of fruits, flowers, and plants
does not claim to be complete. A volume dedi-
cated to the subject would only suffice to make it
so.
In the jungles are found many valuable kinds of
THE FACE OF LAOS-LAND 87
woods, the best known to occidentals being the
teak wood. It is cut in the forests by British tim-
ber companies; is stamped with the company's
mark; is then dragged by elephants to the nearest
stream; floated to Raheng on the high water; and
there claimed by the company whose mark is upon
it. It is there bound into rafts and floated to
Bangkok, where it is partly sawn and shipped to
England and Norway, principally to be used in
ship building, as it is one of the few woods which
does not warp with exposure and heat. Besides
teak there are very many other valuable trees in
these jungle wilds, whose English names I am un-
familiar with. There has recently been formed a
company which deals with hard woods exclusive
of teak. There are immense resources in the Laos
country for such companies.
The dreaded upas is a child of these wilds. The
gamboge of Siam is known to be the highest prized
in the world's market. There are other trees in
Laos forests yielding valuable gums and resins,
chief of which are the trees that the lac insect, cocus
lacca, inhabits. This curious hemipterous insect in
some respects reminds one of the cochineal insect,
coccus cacti. They puncture the twigs of the tree
and soon entomb themselves in the resinous matter
which oozes out, and upon which they feed. They
lay myriads of minute eggs and die, their dead
bodies forming a dome over the eggs. The eggs
hatch and the young eat their way through the
dead bodies and swarm over the twigs and young
branches in such a manner as to give the appear-
THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
ance of fine blood-red dust. Successive genera-
tions, dwelling upon the same tree, render the
twigs heavy in a coating oftentimes an inch in
thickness. The natives break these twigs, which
are known in commerce as stick-lac, and which are
exceedingly valuable for the resinous substance
which they contain. It is wrought into the beauti-
ful lacquer ware for which the East is famed.
It is almost impossible for Americans with their
twentieth century methods of life to appreciate to
what extent bamboo enters into many phases of
Laos life. Every part of the tree can be put to
some use. Its shoots when young are made into a
savory dish, much resembling asparagus in both
looks and taste. Its roots, when tender, are also
eaten. When grown, its beauty is such as to throw
the poet and artist into raptures; its utility of such
diversity that it becomes the backbone of the land.
Bamboo grows in clumps or, more accurately,
sprouts from a subterranean rhizoma which throws
up from. ten to one hundred straight erect stems.
These shoot up with surprising rapidity, often grow-
ing from one to two feet in a single day. They grow
to almost their full height unbranched, and then
throw out horizontal branches the weight of which
causes the proud stem to bow. The leaves are
willow-shaped, and give a feathery appearance,
which is irresistible in charm and beauty. In the
breeze the stems sway and nod, and the leaves
quiver and rustle, reminding one of a giant ostrich
plume. The stems are externally covered with a
substance which is remarkably siliceous. Some
THE FACE OF LAOS-LAND 89
species are so hard that they supply fire by friction.
The stems are jointed and hollow, save at the nodes,
where a strong but thin partition divides them.
Thus a large joint will form a convenient water-
bucket, a small one a pipestem. When the par-
titions are knocked out, the stem forms a pipe,
much used in irrigation. It is possible to build a
house and not use a single bit of material other than
bamboo, excepting grass-thatch for a cover. It is
split fine and woven into mats, which form the walls
of many Laos homes. The long stems are cut
into half, and these sections split roughly with a
sharp knife until it lies flat, in which form it is
called fak, and is used for flooring the homes of
the peasant class. And so we could go on enumer-
ating its usages.
Rice and sugar cane, cotton, and tobacco are the
staple crops. The cotton is of two distinct kinds,
one being the shrub kind familiar to our southern
States, the other growing on trees, which attain
the height of forty or sixty feet, bear a brilliant red
flower, and produce a pod containing a fine yellow-
ish-white wool-like fiber. Mulberry trees are
grown for silk culture.
CHAPTER VII
THE FACE OF LAOS-LAND (CONTINUED)
THE diversity of plant life is only exceeded by
that of the animal world. These range in size
from the infinitesimal ant to the huge elephant ; in
nature, from the cooing dove to the bloodthirsty
tiger; in agility, from the creeping tortoise to the
monkey swinging by his tail, leaping from tree to
tree and wailing like a tempest wind through a
ship's rigging. On the land, in the water, in the
ground beneath, and in the sky above, they live
and move and have their being. In the trackless
jungle, rhinoceros, boars, cattle, bears, deer, and
countless such creatures make their homes. Hum-
ming birds and peacocks, blue jays, and long-
legged swamp fowls, add color or music to the
scene. The porcupine must not be overlooked, for
natives firmly believe in its ability to shoot its quills
at its adversary when angry or frightened. I have
repeatedly heard it attested that when hungry it
brings down a banana by a deft thrust of the quill
at the stem.
As a rule, the tigers are comparatively harmless.
When camped in the forest we have many a night
been wakened by their cries as they prowled in
search of food. At such times our attendants
would beat upon bamboo joints, gongs, or anything
at hand which would render a sound. If this did
90
THE FACE OF LAOS-LAND (CONTINUED ) 91
not suffice to send him off, a huge bonfire would
at once be made. Only the boldest of tigers would
approach such a light. When once a tiger has
tasted human blood he becomes what is known as
a man-eating tiger. There are very few such in the
Laos country, but one can never determine by
simply seeing the beast or hearing his voice which
he may be.
I knew of three natives who had to camp over
night in the wild forest. They built a huge bonfire
and lay beside it to rest, as they thought, and not
to sleep. But the day's tramp had been too much
for them, and unconsciously they fell asleep. The
timid one of the three had begged to lie in the mid-
dle. His companions were awakened by his awful
cry of pain and fright, in time to see him vanish into
the darkness, slung across the back of a tiger.
When a tiger become a man-eater he usually
haunts a certain community, living in the neigh-
boring woods and roaming forth into the villages
when hungry. In such communities the pigpens
and buffalo stalls are built of heavy logs. Cats,
dogs, and chickens are brought up into the house
at nightfall, and the ladder drawn up after them.
During the day hours no person would dare go,
alone from village to village, but the inhabitants
move about in groups of a dozen or more with
their long sabers in hand. At once will come the
question to a practical American, Why not kill the
tigers, since they are so few, and put an end to the
whole matter? The following instance will explain
why they do not:
92 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
At a village, a day's journey from Lakawn, there
roved such a man-eating tiger. He had eaten a
large number of people from the villages clustered
about. One sunny day he sprang upon a woman
and carried her into the jungle. The mangled
body was found by a band of some fifty men, who
turned out to beat the forest. In a fit of despera-
tion their instinctive dread, reinforced, possibly, by
the Buddhistic belief in reincarnation, was over-
come, and four of the bravest of the men consented
to be left with guns and spears in the tree above to
await the sure return of the beast for his prey.
The sound of retiring footsteps had scarcely died
away, when the poor, helpless, mangled corpse
beneath "began to quiver and twitch, and finally to
jerk its limbs." In a few more seconds it would
have been up, and so there was nothing for these
four brave Nimrods to do but to hie them down
from the tree and speed for the village like stricken
deer. A man-eating tiger is bad, but there are
worse things in a Laos man's life of bondage to
superstition and fear.
The most hostile of all beasts to the foreigner is,
occasionally, the water buffalo. For some reason
he is often angered by the sight of a white face, and
will rush in frenzy toward it. Usually they are
docile, and a child can lead them to water and play
upon their backs. They often become angry with
one another and fight fiercely, goring with their
horns until death ends the fray. In such a fight,
their owners cut bushes and pile them quickly and
simultaneously between the two creatures as they
THE FACE OF LAOS-LAND (CONTINUED) 93
draw from each other preparatory to an onrush.
They look to take last aim, and seeing only the
pile of brush, allow themselves to be led away.
Leaf insects and stick bugs abound. I shall
never forget my amazement the first time my atten-
tion was called to them. During a journey, we
were resting beside a tiny stream, when I was at-
tracted to a bush beside me, because of the delicate
manner in which its leaves were ribbed and veined.
Drawing near, I put out my hand to pluck a leaf,
but drew back as it began to crawl away.
Reptiles are multitudinous. One species de-
serves a special word, because of the untold benefit
it is to all residents, native or foreign. It is a
kind of lizard, which inhabits houses and lives upon
flies and insects. So diligent are they that there
positively are no flies in the houses. If one ven-
tures in during the day, let him beware, for no
sooner does he deign to alight upon the wall, than,
presto ! and he is at peace within the stomach of his
destroyer. These lizards are perfectly harmless,
and are no annoyance to even the most careful of
housekeepers. It is a frequent occurrence to see
one of these little creatures fall to the floor, the jar
snapping off its tail. Apparently its owner is not
much disconcerted and in its place of retreat it
soon grows another. These lizards are called by
the natives chakims. But for these chakims, flies
would be a pest to the land.
Beetles are brilliant in color, and butterflies are
more varied in size and color than in any other place
I know of. The specimens I saw in the Indian
94 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
collection at the Queen's Garden Museum were
much inferior to what I observed in the Laos for-
ests. Ants are so multitudinous that it is impos-
sible to escape from them. Besides the ordinary
house ant, and black ants of many kinds, there is
a large red ant that is more peppery in temper and
hotter in sting than any other little creature. They
wage fierce battles among themselves, and I have
often seen two different trains, meeting upon a
narrow fence board, fight to the death for the right
of way. Their bodies when crushed exude an acid,
which removes the tenacious stain of the betel nut.
Though the natives have no knowledge of the
chemical properties of this formic acid they make
a very practical use of it.
Laos-land is one of the homes of what is com-
monly called the white ant. In fact these creatures
are not ants at all, although their habits are very
similar, but they belong to a different order of in-
sects, and are known as termites. They are scav-
engers of the land, consuming either decaying ani-
mal or vegetable matter. They are more nearly
omnivorous than any other creature. Though
these termites do a beneficent work as scavengers,
we cannot feel very grateful to them, as the good
they do is apparently overbalanced by the great
destruction which is wrought by them. I have
known of heavy beams of houses being reduced to
a shell by these creatures. When climbing up into
a house they always work in a tunnel of clay. This
they make so rapidly that they often scale six or
eight feet in a night. It is well to have a man in-
THE FACE OF LAOS-LAND (CONTINUED ) 95
spect every pillar of your house the first thing each
morning, else you may open your trunk or camphor
chest to find only a powdered mass within, or,
worse still, your book shelves may be utterly de-
molished. A missionary never returns from itiner-
ating without a resigned feeling as he enters his
home. For he knows not what destruction awaits
him in spite of watchmen left to guard
against attacks of termites. The "soldiers" of these
termites have large, strongly developed mandibles.
When camping in forests we have often been
awakened by a tapping sound, like a gentle shower,
which proved to be only the snapping of the mul-
titudinous mandibles of a hord of termites feasting
upon the dried leaves outside our tent. At such
a time, it is well to place baskets on an impromptu
scaffold and tie cloths soaked in coal oil around
the legs of scaffolding and cots.
The streams of the country teem with fish of
many kinds, and the people resort to every known
method to catch them. They fish with hook and
line, set traps, cast nets, stretch seines, at night har-
poon with light and spear, dig in the mud with
their hands for them, and sit patiently by the hour
with dip net in hand, putting the small fish they
catch into a basket beside them.
The jungles of the land of the Laos are also the
home of herds of wild elephants. A few of these
creatures nature has stamped as albinos, but to
Siamese and Laos they are a most necessary adjunct
to royalty, the want of one being considered most
ominous. It is true that these creatures are not
96 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
now kept in royal stables like those described by
tourists several years ago, but, nevertheless they
occupy in the hearts of the people a venerated
place. And thus Siam has come to be known as
the Kingdom of the White Elephant, and one of
the king's titles is that of the Lord of the White
Elephant. The national flag, a white elephant
upon a red field, bears proof of this ancient homage.
There are, perhaps, no creatures that show
greater sagacity in comprehending the nature of
their tasks, and in adapting themselves to them,
than elephants. They will pile teak logs all day
and not place one wrongly or unevenly. A male
elephant can thus lift on his tusks a weight equal
to half a ton. Here, in the land of the Laos, they
are the only power for moving immense weights.
An elephant is the most sure-footed of beasts, and
because of this, and for other admirable traits, he is
a very desirable means of locomotion. When
traveling he will break from the path interlacing
vines and twigs, eating what is tender and palatable
and throwing aside what is not. If he has to
ascend a steep mountain, he will do so by kneeling
on his forelegs, thus keeping the howdah on his
back fairly level. In descending he will reverse
the order. If a stream is reached he will step into
it slowly, one foot at a time, until the channel is
reached, which is too deep for fording. Then he
inflates his sides and swims across. His pace is a
kind of shuffle which gives a peculiar movement to
the howdah that often causes seasickness to the
novice.
THE FACE OF LAOS-LAND (CONTINUED ) 97
Lakawn is known as one of the greatest elephant
centers of the country, and at times hundreds may
be seen daily on her streets. Formerly, if a prince
journeyed, he must have a retinue of a hundred or
more elephants to accompany him, attention of the
people being called to the procession by the beat-
ing of gongs as it moved. Elephants are not fully
grown until they are some thirty years old, and
they live to the good age of one hundred or one
hundred and fifty years.
It is not generally known that an elephant's
stomach is like a camel's, and has a chamber for
storing water, which holds some ten gallons. If he
becomes hot or dusty in travel he can convey a
part of this water into his trunk and indulge in the
luxury of a shower bath. Or if thirsty, can con-
vey the water to his mouth instead. Though these
huge beasts are so strong and sturdy in looks, they
are very susceptible to heat, and have to be taken
by their drivers to the jungles during the hot sea-
son. It is because of the original jungle home of
the elephant, the dense dark jungle, that they have
so short a range of vision, and are so acute of
hearing. The timidity of the elephant is almost
proverbial. When alarmed it will raise its trunk
and trumpet loud and long. This he will also do
when in pain or greatly angered. Thus the name
"trunk" for that organ, a corruption of the French
trompe.
An elephant in an American zoo is away from
his environments and is simply an immense, ugly,
awkward creature of whom one is half afraid. But
98 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
see him in his Laos home, where the "spicy garlic
smells," and amid the "sunshine and the palm trees
and the tinkly temple bells"; see him upon the rice
plains, with a setting of tropical jungle growth,
grazing quietly and with care beating each tuft of
grass upon his leg to free it of dust; see him reach-
ing up for a coveted bunch of bananas or else
wrapping his trunk about a palm tree and swaying
it until it comes to the ground with its prized cluster
of nuts; see him thus, and your heart will warm
toward him, you will adopt him and love him al-
most as does the dark-eyed Laos.
But little is known of the mineral wealth of Laos-
land, for it is wholly undeveloped. However, we
know that the country forms the very heart of that
system that on its outskirts has been worked with
abundant return. It is certain that some gold is
in the country, for hill tribes find it in their streams
and barter it to Yunnun traders. Iron is mined a
little by the natives and made into knives and
sabers and scissors, the last named being of a huge,
cumbersome kind. Gems and precious stones are
found, by chance at times, and to the far north
there are wells which yield petroleum, and others
which yield salt. The latter is a source of much
revenue to the villages owning them. Some future
day will doubtless reveal an immense mineral wealth
in Laos-land.
CHAPTER VIII
THE HEART OF LAOS-LAND
GOETHE says: "Marriage is the beginning and
the summit of all civilization," and it is doubtless
due to the sacredness of married life among them
that the Laos enjoy such a considerable degree of
refinement, culture, and morals as they do. Com-
pared with our Christian standards they are far
below the ideal, even the mediocre; but when re-
garded in the light of centuries of heathen dark-
ness, they have certainly attained to a high degree;
a higher state than any other people have ever ac-
quired under similar circumstances. Among the
peasant class, which forms the great mass of the
population the stamina of the land polygamy is
almost unknown. The princes often have two or
more wives at a time, and a harem, if they so wish.
This being true, we would expect to find woman
occupying a place of honor in the family life. It is
a well-known fact that among all Shans women
are allowed a freedom of movement in the village
and markets, keeping stalls, transacting business,
holding property, and in many respects the equal
of man. But it is among the Laos Shans that we
find woman holding more nearly her true place in
the home and community than with any other non-
Christian people upon the globe. Just what this
position is will be apparent from the following
pages.
99
IOO THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
In appearance the Laos more nearly resemble
the Japanese than any other Asiatic people. The
skin is of an olive hue, which, because of exposure
to the sun, becomes a gingerbread color on the
bodies of the peasant class. The eyes are of a
dark brown, and the hair straight and jet black.
In stature the race is finely proportioned, the men
averaging about five feet and a half in height, and
the women a half foot less. The bearing of the
race is manly, the woman walking like "youthful
Dianas, with a quick, firm, elastic tread." A few
quotations will illuminate the subject.
"The Chaus, or princes, are generally very fine-
looking men, tall, and fair, with good noses. . . .
The other men are tall, stout, hardy, and active.
The women are also tall and remarkably well pro-
portioned, very fair and decidedly a handsome race.
. . . The children are particularly fair." "The
quiet, self-possessed Shan has more real grit and
manliness than the Burman."*
"The Laos people are peaceful, submissive, pa-
tient, sober, faithful, frank, and simple but credu-
lous and superstitious. "f
"As regards the women, they are more active,
more industrious and more intelligent than the
men. They have an undoubted empire over their
husbands, and can drive them away when they are
not content with them/'J
* Colquhoun's Amongst the Shans.
fPallegoix, I, 38.
$ From M. Graudjean, quoted in Bowring's Siam.
THE HEART OF LAOS-LAND IOI
"All [a household near Chieng Mai where Mr.
Hallet, with Dr. McGilvary, happened to stop for
information] seemed anxious that we should have
correct information, even the youngest daughter
breaking in to mention the name of a village which
the others had forgotten. There was no timidity,
no shyness, no awkwardness, no apparent self-
consciousness, amongst the neat and comely little
damsels. Their demeanor was courtesy itself, and
their manners and deportment were as graceful
and perfect as could be found in any drawing-
room in Europe."*
Thus it may be seen that the Laos are no mean
race. They are, also, very reverent of age and au-
thority, and are strong in personal attachments.
Though so affectionate, they are very undemon-
strative in this regard. A proud and happy hus-
band and father will return home from an absence
of a week or more, climb up to the veranda, pour
water over his feet, take a drink, will then seat him-
self, and glancing toward his wife ask in an off-
hand way if all is well. Quietly the children will
creep up to him and he will gather them in his
arms without an iota of apparent, excited joy. This
is paradoxical, for this southern people, true to
their clime, are emotional and demonstrative.
In regard to woman's position Bowring quotes
Father Bigaudet as follows:
"In Burma and Siam the doctrines of Buddha
have produced a striking, and to the lover of true
* Hallet's One Thousand Miles on an Elephant.
IO2 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
civilization, a most interesting result, viz., the al-
most complete equality of the condition of women
with that of men. In these countries, women are
not so universally confined in the interior of their
houses, without the remotest chance of ever ap-
pearing in public. They are seen circulating freely
in the streets; they preside at the comptoir, and
hold an almost exclusive possession of the bazaar.
Their social position is more elevated in every re-
spect than that of the persons of their sex in the
regions where Buddhism is not the predominating
creed. They may be said to be men's compan-
ions, and not their slaves. . . . The marital rights
are fully acknowledged by a respectful behavior
toward their lords. In spite of all that has been
said by superficial observers, I feel convinced that
manners are less corrupted in these countries where
women enjoy liberty than in those where they are
buried alive by a despotic custom in the grave of
an opprobrious slavery."
With the closing paragraph I most heartily con-
cur, but the rest of the quotation setting forth a view
which is quite popular, is erroneous. Buddhism
is the adopted religion of the Laos, and the very
earliest possible date of its adoption is in the fifth
century A. D. We know from the mythical chron-
icles of the Shans that woman held the place she
now occupies for ages before Buddhist missionaries
ever came to the country. That the chronicles are
mainly myths does not weaken the conclusion that
woman held her present position at that time, for
myths would prove that as conclusively as facts.
THE HEART OF LAOS-LAND 103
Also there are many tribes among the Laos that
have never been converted to Buddhism, and among
these tribes woman's position is the same as among
the Buddhist Laos. So upon investigation one
necessarily concludes that woman's position is due
to a high racial development, instead of to the in-
fluence of Buddhism.
Her real position is interesting, not alone because
of its uniqueness, but for its apparent contradic-
tions arising from the conflicting influences of nat-
ural inclinations of the race with the teachings of
Buddhism, mixed with their primitive religion of
spirit-worship.
Probably it may be best understood by looking
at some of the customs gathered about wooing and
marriage.
We would expect in this land of warm skies and
heavily-scented flowers to find romance ruling, and
so it does. A maiden loves to dream, as she coils
her heavy black hair, of her dark-eyed lover who
will come to woo when the sun is down. And
when she discerns his light footstep upon the path
she will give the scarf about her shoulders a deft
turn and the flowers in her hair an extra touch and
then compose herself upon the veranda mat to
await his approach with as much apparent uncon-
cern as an American maiden could assume.
All wooing is done upon the wide veranda, where
no harsher light than the moon's soft rays may be
found. What of the dark of the moon, you ask?
Ah ! but you must know that no young gallant,
however bold or brave, would be so rash as to
104 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
venture out on a dark night. Surely you must
know that if he did so, an evil spirit or hobgoblin
would seize him and either carry him off bodily
or else brand him with some disease or mishap.
So on moonlight nights one may see in all direc-
tions the graceful forms of young men coming and
going, each bent upon the same errand. He tells
no one where he is going, for he is "ashamed," un-
less, indeed, he has with him his bosom friend, who
is sure to reveal no secrets. It is customary for
young men to do all their wooing in company with
their chum, for if afterwards his sweetheart should
become angry with him and should wish to accuse
him of breach of delicacy such as touching her
hand or the breaking of any other social law, her
word would be taken in court as final and con-
clusive proof, unless there be a witness. In such
a case the accused lover must pay over to the fam-
ily of the young woman the usual spirit-fine, what-
ever sum that may be, which varies with different
clans.
Though the young lover is so careful to let no
one know where he is going, as he leaves his sweet-
heart's home he sings aloud her praises in a rude
blank verse of his own composition, comparing
her in beauty to the fabled princess of the North,
and as she listens she wonders if she is more beau-
tiful to him than stars and more precious than
rubies or diamonds.
"All men have some imagination, but
The Lover and the Poet
Are of imagination all compact."
THE HEART OF LAOS-LAND 105
These chanted paeans of praise to his love are
accompanied by music picked upon a pia, a soft-
toned instrument, made with three strings, an
ebony stick, and the half of a cocoanut shell.
Usually a maiden is free to marry the man of her
choice. As there are no colleges to be first gradu-
ated from, no fortunes to be first won, this she does
early in life. To our way of thinking, lovers are
surrounded with too many petty rules of decorum.
There is no attention paid in public, and so no
walks together to the sweetmeat stalls, no little
trips together to the lakawns to see the wonderful
dancing, for all this would be highly immodest and
unbecoming. But when the couple have decided
that they love one another "truly, truly," the con-
sent of the parents or guardians is sought, usually by
a go-between. If it is granted, an early day is set
for the marriage, at which time the groom pays to
the family of his bride the accustomed spirit-fines,
signs a marriage contract, drawn up by the heads
of the two families, comes to the house of his bride,
where together they receive her parents' blessing
and become man and wife.
By marriage the groom has left his father's house
in the full sense of the word. If he has sisters he
cannot inherit a single fruit grove nor rice field.
He becomes a son to his parents-in-law, and his
earnings for several years go toward the general
family support. He also changes his former liege
lord and becomes a serf to the lord of the family
of his wife.
Seldom, if ever, do a young couple go to house-
IC>6 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
keeping at once. They remain in the home of
the bride for a year or more, or always, according
to circumstances, as the size of the family and such
things. In the homes one often finds three or four
generations living in comparative peace and har-
mony. Motherhood is honorable and girl babies
are as welcome as sons.
Thus it may be seen that the vast majority of
the property is in the hands of the women, and they
manage it, too. A man would not dare sell a buf-
falo or rice plain without first obtaining his wife's
consent. In fact, he would seldom care to trust
his own judgment in the matter, but would prefer
a consultation with his wife. The wife also holds
the purse and is business manager for the
family.
Parents in conversation will often express con-
cern that their sons will marry well, but never their
daughters. As for them, they hope they will get
a "good" husband. I have often inquired if a cer-
tain young man was wise in the choice of a wife
and invariably would come, in substance, the reply,
"Oh, yes, the young woman is well off, as she in-
herits three buffaloes, two rice fields, a good fruit
grove, and the homestead is to be hers when her
parents die." When making similar inquiries as
to an affianced groom, the reply would be : " Yes,
I think he will make Kam Di a good husband. He
does not get drunk, and he is not very quick-tem-
pered."
The wife and daughters always form part of the
family circle upon the veranda; and, in brief, it may
THE HEART OF LAOS-LAND IO7
be said that they form a part of all the life of the
land, save the monastic life of the temple.
There is some distinction between man's and
woman's work. But the whole family labor
together upon the rice plains in both the planting
and the harvesting seasons. Men and women alike
know the art of cooking, though the women always
prepare the food when they are around. They spin
the thread, and weave the cloth, while the men
make mats and baskets and prepare fresh thatch
and flooring for the homes. All the above being
true, an American is astounded when he beholds
a family going from village to village and sees the
husband striding along with umbrella over his head
and the wife following bearing a bundle and the
baby.
Divorce is easy, and the laws are in favor of the
women. A wife can tie her husband's clothes in a
bundle, toss them out of the door, and bid him
leave, and it is needless to add that he does not
wait for a second invitation to do so. I have never
known a husband to return to his wife under such
circumstances unless he be a Christian. Then it
takes every argument of the missionary and the
true grace of God in the man, to bring it about. If
the couple have acquired property since marriage,
it must be divided according to marriage contract,
if there be such, or as the custom of the clan or
province may be. If a man wishes to be divorced
from his wife, he cannot bid her go, for the prop-
erty is hers, so he must needs creep away. Often
a wife has no idea as to whether her husband has
IO8 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
left, or has gotten into a drunken row and is in jail,
until the weeks go into months and he does not
return. She then consoles herself by marrying
again. At one time, the man whom we had em-
ployed as watchman had a quarrel with his wife,
and she put him out of the house and banged the
door upon his back. He did not dare go in while
she was angry for fear she might bid him leave for
good. At another time the wife of the watchman
on a neighboring compound decided she could not
endure her husband's ways any longer, and as they
were not living upon their own property she re-
turned to her people. He tried in every known
way either to make her return to him or else give
up half her jewels which she had bought since
marriage. But she would do neither. And so he
went across the mountains to another province and
married again and in a few months she, too, had
another husband. Had he gone to law she would
have been compelled to give up half her jewels, but
if courts are slow in America, judge what they must
be in Laos-land. Though divorce is so easy, there
is less of it than in most heathen countries. A man
or woman does not as a rule lightly break the bond
of the happy home life.
These customs are existent throughout the
length and breadth of the land of the Laos, but in
the various provinces there are shades of differences
and they must be slightly modified for the official
and princely classes.
As neither custom nor climate demand much
clothing, a strip of cloth two and a half yards in
EXCHANGING A CHEROOT LIGHT.
THE HEART OF LAOS-LAND IOO,
length and a yard wide is sufficient dress for a man.
This is donned by placing the center of the strip
upon the back and bringing the ends to the front
of the body. The flowing ends are then loosely
twirled together, carried between the legs, up at
the back, and the extreme end of the coil is tucked
in at the waist line. This forms a graceful trouser
arrangement, called pa toi. It should fall to the
knee when a person is dressed for social life, but
the workingman often pulls the cloth up to a mere
loin cloth, the tattooing upon his legs serving as a
garment. This cloth is cotton or silk, woven solid
or in plaids, and the richer the color the better.
During the cool season a scarf or blanket is
wrapped around the shoulders.
A man's hair is evenly cut and stands up from
his head in pompadour style. His ears are pierced
and the holes enlarged until the distended lobe will
hold a cigarette or a dainty boutonniere. The feet
are always bare, and the head uncovered. Usually
a bag, very similar to a child's cloth school satchel,
is hung from the shoulder. This will contain his
betel box, cheroots, copper coins, and a lump of
steamed rice rolled up in a green banana leaf. If
he be going from village to village, a long knife or
sword is suspended from his shoulder. This will
be used in countless ways and may be termed a
Laos man's pocketknife, only it must also serve as
a mean of defense if attacked by wild animals, or a
drunken band. The illustration is very typical, save
for the exceedingly homely features of the man.
Exchanging a cheroot light is a common courtesy
IIO THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
in many localities, though it is considered inelegant
in a few centers. Men, women, and children are
inveterate smokers of a large cheroot, which is,
however, exceedingly mild. The men are always
smooth-faced, except for a mustache, as a beard is
considered unsightly. Like the Japanese, their
skin is remarkably free from hair, and great care
is taken to pluck out by the roots with tweezers any
hairs that might be so bold as to show themselves.
A woman's dress is almost as simple as that of
a man, and may consist solely of a long skirt which
falls to the ankle. This is bright in color, always
following the same general design in any one prov-
ince. The fashion in Lakawn and Chieng Mai
consists of a broad band of dark brown or red at
the bottom; a wider strip, consisting of many nar-
row stripes of various colors, purple, orange, white,
and garnet, being prominent; above this a similar
band to that at the bottom, and at the top a white
strip of soft goods. This is brought plain from the
back and folded in front, the white strip being used
to twist and tuck in, thus giving support to the
skirt. A bosom scarf may or may not be worn,
and in the cool season a jacket made after the
Burmese style is sometimes donned, but solely for
comfort.
With the Laos, a woman's hair is truly her glory.
It is carefully dressed with a comb skillfully made
of wood. It is often shampooed with a tea made
from the rind of a certain sour orange. This
cleanses the scalp and causes a healthy growth. If
the hair lacks in natural gloss fresh lard oil is
THE HEART OF LAOS-LAND III
rubbed on, which gives a luster like unto the raven's
wing. If a woman lacks hair, the difficulty is over-
come by wearing a switch, which, by the way, is
cleverly made. The hair is dressed by tying at the
back of the head and coiling into a knot, which is
given a turn like the tie of a four-in-hand scarf.
This keeps it neatly in place and no pin is needed to
secure it. In the distended ear lobe a coil of gold
or brass is slipped, according to the woman's
means. If these coils are of brass, they are made
by coiling tightly a pliable strip about a yard long
and an inch in depth. If the material is gold, a
hollow cylindrical form is used, the curved sides
being covered with a sheet of gold. The ends are
then finished off by coiling a gold wire round and
round from the center, until the circumference is
reached. This gives the ring the appearance of
being made as was the brass one and yet maintains
a lighter weight, and is less costly.
Black teeth are so highly esteemed that one
never sees a white tooth save in the mouth of a
very young child. Betel-chewing tends to darken
the enamel and chut is carefully rubbed on to in-
tensify the black, for it is a common saying, "Any
dog can have white teeth." The betel chew is
composed of the areca or betel nut, siri leaf used in
a green state, lime mixed with tumeric which forms
a pink paste and a pinch of tobacco. Camphor is
added if easily obtainable. This combination is
chewed as constantly and persistently as is tobacco
among the negro men of our Southland. Un-
weaned children learn to chew it, and men and
112 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
women, toothless with age, reduce the ingredients
to pulp in a small tube-like mortar, and then
complacently munch it. It is a pleasant stimulant,
but a very unsightly habit, for the blood-red saliva
of chewers stains the roadside, market places, and
homes. The betel boxes of the wealthy or well-
to-do are made of beaten gold or silver, exquisitely
worked. Those of the poorer class are of lacquer
ware. It is discourtesy not to offer the betel box
to one's Laos guest, and an offense to refuse it, ex-
cept for a good reason. Foreigners never offend
by so doing, if they explain that it is not the custom
in their country.
A maiden when fresh from a plunge in the river
and dressed in a new skirt and bright scarf is, in-
deed, comely and fair to look upon. Her shapely
form is perfectly and gracefully poised and her head
is held in a queenly way. Her hands and feet are
small, so that it would be impossible to manacle
many of the women. She is not perfumed and
painted and adorned as are the Chinese women,
neither has she the air of elegant refinement that
surrounds a Burmese woman. But she has about
her a certain freshness, as though new created, and
a naive manner which is lacking in these other
peoples.
In recent years a slight change in dress has come
to the chief cities. Formerly the missionaries en-
couraged all over whom they had an influence to
wear a jacket made of white India muslin, which
could be obtained in all the markets at low figures.
For many years this white jacket was a badge of
'A SLIGHT CHANGE IN DRESS."
THE HEART OF LAOS-LAND 113
Christianity, but gradually its use became more
general, and now it is the ordinary thing to see
many men and women in the capital, and other
cities, attired in such a jacket. Men and women
have been patiently taught by the women of the
mission to cut, fit, and sew these jackets, and there
are now scores of able tailors earning their living
by making these garments, and usually upon a
good American-make sewing machine.
The homes of this people, though simple, are
adapted to their needs. They are built on the fol-
lowing general plan. The owner gets his material
together slowly, day by day. Among the poor this
is mostly of bamboo; among the well-to-do of teak,
or some other hard wood. He measures and cuts
the framework and mortises or dovetails the
pieces, so that they will fit. When this is accom-
plished, he invites his friends to come on a certain
day to the house-raising; and they come, for it is a
gala day. Holes are soon dug to anchor the post
pillars, and the framework is quickly fitted together
and is in place. Often the floor is laid with fak or
split bamboo. This is run parallel across the sills
until the whole floor surface is covered. The fak is
then tied to the sills with bamboo withes^ which
are tough, though pliable, or with rattan. This
kind of a floor has considerable spring in it, and
forms a fairly comfortable bed for the family when
they spread their mats and cotton sails at night.
The walls are next made, usually of split bamboo,
woven into a frame which fits into the framework
of the house. Thatch is then tied upon the
8
114 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
roof and the house is complete, a house strong
enough to withstand the elements, and commodious
and comfortable enough for the wants of this people.
But we have overlooked the dinner hour a very
grave blunder. At that time all "knock off" and
a sumptuous repast of rice, savory curry, fruits, and
sweetmeats is spread at the host's expense. When
the meal is over, betel nut and cheroots are passed
and a pleasant hour is spent, smoking, chewing,
and chatting, when work is again resumed.
In house-building a few rules have to be ob-
served, such as having the pillars an odd number
and the rounds of the ladder leading into the house
odd. This is for good luck. Before the crowd dis-
perses, solemn exercises are held over the putting
away of the "spirit-house." This is a tiny house
which looks very like a toy house for children. It
is made as beautiful as the means of the owner will
allow, and is placed sometimes on a post some-
where in the door yard, sometimes upon a shel-
tered part of the veranda, where food, flowers, and
fruit are kept before it for the spirits to feed upon.
Evil spirits are supposed to rest in this wee house
and leave the family unmolested so long as they do
not offend them. With our Christian people there
is no spirit-house to be dedicated ; but they have a
gathering after their houses are completed, and
then publicly dedicate the home and all its belong-
ings to God. The service is very pretty and im-
pressive, and in the prayer of consecration all the
worldly goods of the man and wife are sometimes
enumerated, even to the chickens and fruit groves.
M
m 's
THE HEART OF LAOS-LAND 115
These houses vary in size, according to the means
of the family, but always one general plan is fol-
lowed. If the house be "one-roof," it consists of
one interior room, a wide veranda, partly covered
above and at one side, and a wee kitchen at one
end of the veranda. If the house be "two-roof,"
each one of the two sections is built on the same
plan. The interior room is used as bedroom, but
if the family be large there are often stretched mat
screens across the room. But during the hot sea-
son the whole family sleeps upon the open ver-
anda, which is at once living room, parlor, and
reception room.
The houses of the well-to-do peasant class are
made of a teak or other hardwood framework,
the walls being of boards or mats, and the roof
being either tiled or thatched. The floor is some-
times made of planks, sometimes of fak. The
palaces of the chau, or rulers, are more pretentious.
In Laos houses one finds but little household
furnishings. A swinging cradle, a few mats and
cotton pads or mattresses for sleeping, pillows,
water jars, and cooking vessels being the only es-
sentials. There are no chairs, for it is custom to
sit upon the floor. Men sit Turk fashion, but for a
woman to do so is evidence of ill-breeding. They
seat themselves by dropping deftly upon the knees
with the feet together, and letting the body down to
one side of the feet. It is a very trying position
for a stiff-jointed American, but one which all
women who live in the land must adopt unless
they offend. When tired of this position, the
Il6 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
women raise the body a little and swing the feet to
the other side. It is done so quickly that at first
a stranger cannot discern what has been done. If
one tires of sitting thus upright, it is perfectly ad-
missible to lean upon one arm, or to rest one
elbow upon a cushion.
The kitchen is at one end of the veranda, and is
a tiny room, having a large box in the center filled
with earth. Thereon are placed stones to support
the few crude cooking vessels, consisting usually
of a pot for boiling- curry and a rice steamer, often
made from a bamboo joint. The smoke ascends
and creeps through the eaves, leaving behind long
black festoons of cobwebs. To one side of the
room is a mortar and pestle for pounding curry.
Rice is the principal article of food, and is eaten
at least three times a day, and three hundred and
sixty-five days in the year. It differs from our
Carolina rice, being very glutinous and creamy in
color. It must be soaked over night in water and
washed several times before steaming. When suf-
ficiently cooked, it is poured out upon a mat, and
while steaming hot is slightly kneaded into a mass.
It is then ready for use, and is eaten by pulling off
a lump about the size of an egg, which is mashed
in the hand and then dipped into the curry bowl
and eaten as a "sop." Curry can be anything from
water and red pepper boiled together, to the
savory dishes served by that name to visitors at
Bangkok or Maulmein. Into the curry pot goes
chopped meat, cocoanut milk, vegetables, or if they
be lacking, the leaves of vines or bushes flavored
THE HEART OF LAOS-LAND
with garlic or onion. The most highly prized in-
gredient that can be put into curry is called ha. It
is in plain English, rotten fish, and it smells a little
bit worse than a whiff of the far-famed durian.
This ha is prepared by packing fish away in bamboo
joints and allowing it to decompose. So penetrat-
ing and offensive is the odor that I have never
known more than one foreigner to taste it, and this
is how that happened:
This gentleman was in a village holding services
with the few Christian families there, and was in-
vited home by the elder to dinner. When the
hour arrived to serve the meal it was spread tastily
on a mat upon the floor. Now it happened that
this particular missionary could not tell the dif-
ference between the odor of a rose and of an onion,
and, so, behold him, with keen delight, dipping his
rice into the curry and tasting. Ah! but it was de-
licious! the very best curry he had ever eaten. And
so he calls his cook who is along with him, and tells
him to note well how the curry was made as he
wishes some exactly like it the following week when
he shall entertain the native ministers. But to
his dismay the curry on that occasion was no bet-
ter than usual. After his guests had left he went
to his cook for explanation, who said, "Why,
Father Teacher, you did not want that kind of
curry, for it was made with ha."
A Laos table is only about two feet in diameter,
is round in shape, and is only a few inches from the
floor. Beside it is placed the basket of rice and
upon it there may be several small bowls of curry,
Il8 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
also fruit and a bit of dried fish, which is daintily
partaken of as a relish, or there may be only one
bowl of curry. The family gather about the table, or
mat, and eat in silence. Food is taken to the mouth
with the fingers, and strange as this may seem, it
is done with a nicety that forms a striking contrast
to the shoveling-like process of some orientals in
eating. The well-bred Laos man eats slowly, pick-
ing a piece of fish, or taking a bite of banana in be-
tween bites of rice and curry. It is the height of
impropriety to interrupt a person when eating.
Even a chau never calls a slave at such a time. If
a superior calls not knowing that his servant is eat-
ing, that servant will answer, without rising, "Kin
kau yu," "Eating rice, still," and his answer is en-
tirely acceptable. When the meal is finished the
curry bowl is carried to the end of the veranda and
washed, and a drink of water is taken before the
chew of miang is placed in the mouth. Miang is a
roll of moist, salted tea leaves, which is held in the
mouth and slowly chewed. It is the native way of
using tea. It is said to be more invigorating than
tea-drinking. No drink whatever is partaken of
during meals.
One can readily see that there would be no wear-
ing out of nerves over housekeeping in the Laos
country. The floor is swept when it is in crying
need thereof, and a few whisks of the broom sends
dirt and trash skurrying through the cracks in the
floor. There are no family wash days. When a
garment is soiled the owner carries it to the river
when he or she goes to bathe and beats it clean
THE HEART OF LAOS-LAND
against a tree trunk or boat side." There is no
spring house-cleaning, but when the annoying
cimex lectularius becomes a pest, the cotton sails
are thrown out into the noonday sun, and the walls
and floors are vigorously beaten and swept, and
sometimes scalded with boiling water. When the
walls become soiled or decayed, they are torn
off and new ones take their place. Peaceful dust is
allowed to accumulate, and dirt is left undisturbed.
Thus much disease is harbored and spread, and the
great prevalence of such diseases as smallpox and
leprosy can be readily accounted for. Though the
solicitudes and cares that come with a high civiliza-
tion are unknown to this people, so, also, are its
comforts and its joys.
CHAPTER IX
CHAUS AND SERFDOM
IN an old Book we are taught that he that is
chief, or great, should be as he that serves, but the
Laos have a very different idea of greatness. With
them, to be great, is to receive much service, not
render it, and so we find the gens de condition re-
clining in ease and luxury, while a patient, long-
suffering people serve them with their best.
All the peasant class are in a manner serfs, for
they are attached to some chau to whom they look
for protection, and to whom in return they render
a certain amount of labor. This corvee is not a
burden among the Laos as it is with Siamese, for
no tax is levied in lieu of it, nor is so much time
demanded. Often a man may go for several years
without being called out for labor. Probably the
reason for this, aside from the usually clement dis-
position of the chaus, is that a peasant can at any
time he may wish change his protector without a
change of residence. Thus a kind and genial chau
will gather about himself a large following of
peasants upon whom he can exact corvee at any de-
sired time, while an over-exacting and ill-tempered
one will be left with only his slaves.
The wealth of the chaus is very great, but it is not
derived from taxation. It is partly hereditary in
the form of rice plains, fruit groves, valuable for-
120
CHAUS AND SERFDOM 121
ests, and gems and golden vessels. This ac-
cumulated wealth is never expended, 'for, if a chau
wishes, for instance, carriers to take him across the
mountains to visit a neighboring province he levies
corvee upon a score of his serfs. If he wishes to
build a new apartment to his palace, it is done
in a similar manner; and so whatever labor
and service is needed can be had without com-
pensating.
According to the wealth and power of a chau is
the number of slaves he owns; this number may
vary from a dozen to even a thousand or more.
These may be slave-born, or purchased, or war
captives. They may live either within the palace
of the chau, or in some outlying village, where they
make their own living and are at liberty, save that
they must always hold themselves in readiness to
answer the call of their lord for an hour's service or
a month or more. Many of the peasants become
slaves from debt. They borrow money to pay their
government taxes, and then almost inevitably fail
to meet their debt, and so become the property
of the chau. There is no real excuse for this, as
taxes are low. Slaves can purchase their freedom,
but so little money is in circulation that it is a very
difficult thing to do. Slavery has become a prob-
lem in official circles, as in recent years his majesty
has issued an edict proclaiming that from the date
of the edict all children born of slaves should be
free. The difficulty arises from the circumstances
which make enforcement of the law dependent upon
the very men against whom it works.
122 THE LAOS OF NORTH SI AM
The whole class of monks, from the youngest
novitiate to the abbot, is exempt from corvee. One
may see that the only really free persons in the
kingdom of Siam are the monks and his majesty
the king. For the slaves crouch to their masters ;
the peasants look to their liege lords; judges look
to the local chaus; while the local chau bows lowly
to the head chau of the province known as the
governor. The governor may proudly rule over
his province, but he becomes meek when the Siam-
ese high commissioner appears. And this same
commissioner that holds his head so high when in
the province has to hold his place at the mere will
or pleasure of his majesty.
The ruling class of Laos have a dignity and re-
finement of manner that would be for them a pass-
port into the elegant society of any capital city.
They are not cold and conservative, but are inter-
ested in people and affairs of the world, and are
very eager to adopt western civilization. Yet, in
a way, they are a selfish, self-seeking class, and have
not the interest of their people at heart. They live
solely for gain and pleasure; pleasure and gain.
Exceptions only prove the rule. These are men
who have a real zeal for the advancement of their
people, and call to our minds the lines,
"We thank thee, Lord, that thou hast made joy to abound,
That in the darkest spot of earth some love is found."
Usually the chaus have several wives and a
harem, but not always. The Chau Haw Na of
Lakawn married a woman who equaled him in
CHAUS AND SERFDOM 123
rank. She objected to a second wife, so there has
never been one. >
The parasitical life of the chaus upon the peasants v
is the cause of a state of stagnation. Here we have
a rich, tropical country, and a people fairly indus-
trious, and pastoral in their instincts and habits,
yet the land is undeveloped, and the people are in
a state of lethargy. A few instances will illustrate
more fully this state of affairs.
A man from a neighboring village came to the
Lakawn Dispensary for medicines. When told the
price, a mere nominal one, he replied, "Paw */
Liang y * I shall have to beg this medicine, for I
have not an ait with which to pay you."f
"Very well," came the reply; "but you can bring
in some bananas next time you come; my wife will
buy them from you, and you can then pay for your
medicine."
"No, I have no bananas."
"Is that so?" said the doctor; "why, you had a
fine banana grove when I was last at your village.
Well, then, bring some cocoanuts and my wife will
buy them. We always want cocoanuts."
"Paw Liang, my cocoanut trees are all gone,"
came the sad reply.
"Why, man! what has become of your trees? I
can't understand."
"Paw Liang, it is like this. My family never got
*This term means literally, "Father nourisher," and
is the name given all mission physicians by the natives,
t An att is a copper coin, worth about half a cent.
124 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
any good bananas out of that grove or cocoanuts
from those trees. Chau B would always send
for the first and the best, and in a fit of anger I
leveled the whole to the ground."
The trouble here may be readily appreciated.
This man had too strong a spirit of freedom for a
Laos. Usually they accept their lot without a
thought of complaint or resentment. They seldom
ask, Why? but instead make the best of their cir-
cumstances, and are only careful not to expend too
much time and energy upon anything.
To the north of Lakawn the following incident
occurred: A young man by the name of Ai Pat
had been industrious and ambitious, and had saved
up a little money, amounting to about two hun-
dred dollars of American currency. His parents,
then aged and feeble, owned extensive property,
highly valued. The homestead was a good teak
house, surrounded by fragrant fruit groves. The
married daughters had all been settled off in teak
houses of their own, with fruit groves and rice
plains. Unfortunately a local chau heard that Ai
Pat had this money. He called upon him and in
a gracious way suggested his need of a little
ready money. Ai Pat appeared sympathetic, but
did not show up his two hundred dollars. The
chau then spoke more plainly, and said he had heard
that Ai Pat had a little money, and he would like to
"borrow" it. Ai Pat knew what "borrow" meant,
and he clave unto his money, denying that he had it.
Had he given it to the prince, there would have
been no further trouble. As it was, the prince
CHAUS AND SERFDOM 125
stole the money. Just how, I do not remember,
but steal it he did and in such a manner as gave
clear proof of the deed to all. Ai Pat raged and
went to the court. " Had he not been crazed with a
sense of wrong he would never have done so rash
a deed. A Laos child knows that might is right.
But the case is in the courts, and it is decided
against Ai Pat. It is now time for the chau to be
angry. Ai Pat's case has been one of insubordina-
tion, revolt against authority. It must be dealt
with. And so he sends for a man skilled in the
art of dealing with witchcraft. He is given his
cue, and behold! in a few days, the neighbors de-
clare that the women of Ai Pat's family are witches,
that he was born of a witch, and that it was by
exercising this power that the family had ac-
cumulated their great wealth; that had they not
been witches, they would never have been so bold
and impudent as to accuse a chau of theft ; that cer-
tain persons in the village had been killed by them;
that others were now sick, and so on, until one fair,
sunny day the community arose as a man and with
sticks and stones and curses drove the whole family
from the village. They escaped with their lives,
but barely, and the father was unable to travel. So
Ai Pat made as though he were going to the north,
but by a skillful night movement evaded the spies
and got to the river with his father, where he cut
bamboo poles, bound them into a raft, placed his
father upon it, and brought him downstream, stop-
ping at the landing of the Lakawn Mission Hos-
pital. The family had no connection with the mis-
126 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
sion, but Ai Pat had heard of it, and he fled to its
open doors. He then returned to the band of
homeless wanderers, helpless men, women, and
children, and together they went to the far north
of the Chieng Mai province to a village, where there
is a large number of Christians, and where he knew
that they would be befriended and helped to start
life again. The old homestead that they were
driven from was burned to the ground, and the
fruit groves leveled. A large grove of tall areca
palms was cut until not one tree was left to tell
the story. I stood upon the spot a few weeks
after the day of this crime, and can attest that
never before did destructionists so completely ac-
complish their task.
The homes of the married sisters were also
burned, and all the rice plains of the family were
claimed by the chau. You ask if there is no power
to investigate, to rectify, and I reply that this is the
power.
Thus one can see how all ambition and industry
is nipped in the bud. So long as one remains con-
tent and passive, life goes happily for him, but let
him beware and refrain from all upward striving.
There is a common saying that, The witches
make the best Christians, and there is more than
a grain of truth in the saying, for the majority of
witches are so branded, for reasons similar to
the instances cited, and are industrious, ambitious
people. Under Siamese law they cannot be further
persecuted when they become Christians, or rather
cannot be lawfully persecuted. So Christian homes
CHAUS AND SERFDOM 127
are noted for their cleanliness, order, and simple
evidences of thrift; this, because of the excellent
combination of the natural instincts with the revo-
lutionary po" T er of their new faith.
At one time we had hired a new man for
watchman. The second day he came in hurriedly,
dropped to his knees, and begged us to forgive him,
but he would have to leave us at once as Chau B
had called him for corvee, and he must go that
very minute.
My family wash was always done in a laundry-
shed in the back yard. I had noticed at several
different times on ironing days, that there were
jackets on the line that were not mine, but had
supposed that they belonged to my washerwoman.
One day I happened to pass near them and ob-
served that they were trimmed with costly lace. I
inquired as to whom they belonged, and after much
questioning found that they were the property of
a young princess whom I knew to be very wealthy.
"What does she give you for this work?" I asked.
"Oh, nothing at all. She just tells me that I do
this for her now, and that any time that I get into
trouble and go to her, that she will help and be-
friend me." This same princess was very friendly
with the ladies of our mission, and would often send
us tokens of her friendship and esteem, after the
custom of the land. Before we would know that
melons were ripe, a large basketful would come
down from her. The same as to custard apples in
their season, immense savory ones, such as we never
saw elsewhere. The rice that she sent was like
128 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
unto none other, so sweet was it to the taste.
Truly, the first and the best of the land is theirs !
When not appearing before the public eye, the
chaits live as simply as do the peasant class, eating
rice and curry and dressing in next to nothing.
But when dressed for a gala occasion they are ele-
gantly and richly attired, the oriental love of color
and show being allowed full play. They move
about with large retinues, and have carried before
them their gold betel set consisting of several
pieces, gold flower stands filled with fragrant
blooms, and pillows or cushions embroidered in
gold and silver threads, upon which they may rest
an elbow when seated. Laos chaus, like Siamese
royalty, present a most imposing appearance when
before the public eye. Grand displays of the
princely class are very gratifying to the peasants.
It inspires them with a feeling of national pride.
Besides, at all public occasions, the chaus throw
money to the crowd, and entertain the people with
free displays, theatrical in nature, with dancing,
music, and pugilistic contests, sword dances, and
such popular amusements. After a day so spent a
peasant will stretch himself upon his mat at night,
and feel that, after all, his liege lord is the best man
on earth, and that he had been very mean and un-
grateful to begrudge to him those cocoanuts he
had sent for last week.
When Prince Damrong, Minister to the Interior,
and brother to the king, made a tour of the Laos
provinces in 1898, a change swept over the nobility
of the land like a whiff of ozone, Before his com-
CHAUS AND SERFDOM I2Q
ing not a chau was idle, but all with one accord
were seeing to the brushing up of their palaces, the
improvement of roads, building of bridges, the put-
ting away of fraud and dark records into corners
where they tremblingly prayed that they might not
be uncovered. Court records were overhauled, ac-
counts balanced, jails looked into, and a general
house-cleaning of the land gone through with, so
that when at last he stood in the Laos country he
beheld her in her reception gown. But he was
not deceived, for Prince Damrong is every inch a
man, and has real insight into conditions that no
amount of veneering can conceal. All who have
the welfare of the Laos at heart look to this prince
with high hopes. But he struggles against fearful
odds, for his love of order and punctuality and
routine and good government brings upon his head
the bitter enmity of some of his compeers at the
capital.
The ancient Laos laws, as they are written in
the statute books, are good and just, the ad-
ministration of them is what is unfair and burden-
some. Colquhoun puts it aptly when he gives as
the diplomatic receipt the following:
"Delay, delay, delay again and again and if
pressed, ask as a last resource, for the advice of
the person who is pressing you; then say that you
must refer it to headquarters; and thus keep the
ball rolling, until he, perhaps, gives it up, in despair
of ever getting to the bottom of your diplomacy."
It is openly acknowledged that bribery is in or-
der, and the people have come to look upon it as
9
I3O THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
one of the necessary and right adjuncts of a case.
Crime is comparatively rare, and capital punish-
ment is seldom inflicted. The severest penalty
next to beheading is condemning the offender for
life to the cutting of grass for elephants.
At present this condition of affairs is in a tran-
sition state. The king, through his commissioners,
is abolishing the old code of laws and placing in
their stead the Siamese code, which is founded
upon the common law of England. The feudal
system has been broken, so far as a royal decree can
abolish an institution venerable with age. But, like
the decrees against slavery, time will be required
to make them a power. A poll tax has been levied
and other changes made, all of which mark the be-
ginning of better days for the future. The present,
however, feels only the unrest of the change.
"Your sins have withholden good from you."
has been verified in this little land. The secret of
the national sorrows of this people are all found in
that one word of three letters, s-i-n. The rulers sin
when judged by their own standards and code of
morals, and they know that they sin, yet they blush
not, but hug their sins the closer. Woe be to the
nations who know not the Lord !
CHAPTER X
CHARACTERISTICS AND AMUSEMENTS
THERE is a Buddhist maxim that says: "It is a
sin in laughing to raise the voice." This seems to
be the keynote for conversation as well. A Chinese
market place will well-nigh drive a foreigner crazy
by the babel of tongues, high-pitched voices, and
too often of a contentious nature. Siamese mar-
kets are not so bad, and Laos markets are quiet
and orderly. In the immense market of Chieng
Mai where men, women, and children are bartering,
buying, and selling, one seldom hears a high voice
or excited tones. There is a low murmur of voices,
like the rippling of a hidden brook, broken here and
there by a merry, gentle laugh. An American can
go through this market at the busiest time, about
two hours after sunrise, can bargain and buy and
return home with nerves as perfectly tuned as
when he left.
Markets are an interesting phase of Laos life. In
the larger cities there are always market stalls
which are open all day. These stalls are like those
which tourists see in the native quarters of all ori-
ental ports, consisting of a room opening at the
front upon the street. The purchaser standing in
the street can view the whole stock in hand. The
family of the proprietor of the establishment lives
in a room at the rear. Or more correctly, they live
132 THE LAOS OF NORTH SI AM
in the shop and sleep in the rear. But the vast
majority of the markets are portable. In the early
dawn, women, with a sprinkling of men, can be
seen coming from all directions toward the market
street. Across the shoulders is laid a highly pol-
ished strip of bamboo, from which hangs at each
end a basket. These baskets are lined up down the
center or at the sides of the street, their owners
squatting beside them. The women are carefully
dressed, and their smiling faces and gracefully ad-
justed scarfs suggest that their trade is not a sordid
task, but a most agreeable occupation. There is
much color about the scene, for scarfs, skirts, and
pa tois are bright, and the coal-black, neatly-dressed
hair of the women glances like silver as it catches
the sunlight. There is much chatting, pleasant
passing of jokes, and exchange of news. But
when the sun has climbed up some three hours into
the heavens the group is scattered, the women
hurrying home to their household cares and their
children. A group of dogs and a flock of crows
soon remove every trace of the bright busy scene
of a few minutes ago. All towns do not have a
daily market, but have one every other day or
twice a week or every five days.
A stranger will say to a Laos: "Why do you do
that?" and he will reply: "Because it is our cus-
tom." The answer is entirely satisfactory to him.
There could be no stronger reason for action. To
illustrate. Every man, woman, and child in the
country, from the palace to the hut, upon arising in
the morning, walks to the water jar at the end of the
CHARACTERISTICS AND AMUSEMENTS 133
veranda and, picking up the cocoanut dipper, rinses
out the mouth, usually gargles the throat and then
takes a heavy draught. I have never found a person
who could give a reason for this save that "It is
our custom." They do not realize that they are
thereby complying with one of the best of hygenic
laws. "It is our custom," and they have never
given the matter a thought back of that. So long
have they walked with veneration in the ways of
their fathers that custom has become to them a
god. Yet, this being true, they are not conserva-
tive like the Chinese. Their veneration of the past
seems to be born of isolation more than of a desire
to preserve what is established. It might be
termed a negative conservatism, while that of the
Chinese is active, positive. But even then, one can
readily see that the condition would lull to sleep
inventive genius and progress.
A mission teacher once asked a boy what was
his idea of heaven. He thought a minute and then
replied: "It is like this. A large shade tree that
casts a cool shadow under which I can lie and have
some one fan me, and bring me water and wait on
me generally." Then he added after a mo-
ment's thought, "And you know, I must have
nothing whatever to do." A wise man has said
that, "Goodness without self-sacrifice is not a
virtue." Then this people is certainly not very
virtuous, for little or no self-sacrificing is done.
The child's idea of heaven is the wish of every
heart for this life as well. Yet, the people are open-
hearted, there being few really destitute poor in
134 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
the land. Orphans are always gladly taken into
the hearts and homes of some family. There are
few, beggars, except lepers, which class is gen-
erously provided for by alms. I knew of one beg-
gar, a blind boy. The case was investigated and it
was discovered that his daily collection of pennies
and food was supporting three large families in
idleness. I am glad to say that these families were
not of the peasant class, but were slaves settled off
to earn their own livelihood.
One would expect to find in a simple people like
the Laos a love of amusement, but there is not the
passion for it that exists among the Siamese. There
are many great national rejoicings throughout the
year. The New Year festival which falls about the
time of Easter each spring is not only observed by
the Laos and Siamese, but also by Cambodians and
Peguans. They give up three days to the rejoic-
ing, which consists of works of merit, merrymak-
ings and pleasures of various kinds. Gambling is
indulged in freely by all, for there is full license to
engage in it, the gambling farmers having no
power to interfere. So completely is the land
given over to observing these days that as many
more are required afterwards for the people to re-
cover from the effects of their dissipation. At this
time the temples are thronged with men and women
bringing offerings of fruit, food, and clothing to
the monks. Many of the chaus have special enter-
tainments at their palaces, providing amusements
of various kinds for the people and making special
offerings to the monks who grace the occasion. The
CHARACTERISTICS AND AMUSEMENTS 135
king himself observes these holidays with much
ceremony, and he has stationed about his city walls
companies of monks who perform exorcisms in con-
cert. On the night of the second day, the I5th of
the moon, guns, large and small, are fired from the
walls at certain intervals all night long, this, for the
purpose of driving away evil spirits and to assure
blessings during the coming year.
These holidays end among the Laos with water-
pouring or throwing, which' is symbolical of felicity
and blessings. Children gather about their parents
and the eldest pours upon their heads perfumed
water. This is also done to the venerable person-
ages of the village or town and to the chaus. They
oftentimes step down into the river, there having the
water poured over them. The young people in-
dulge in a frolic of water-throwing. They make
squirt guns of bamboo by means of which they can
shoot water upon wayfarers. If a person be nicely
dressed special attention is paid to him.
The Loy Katong holidays occur in the fall after
the crops are harvested, and would be a very beau-
tiful custom if it could be disentangled from the
superstition which gives it birth. The holiday con-
sists in sending adrift upon streams tiny craft of
all kinds, brilliantly illumined with tapers, these as
an offering to the water spirits. The crafts usually
contain flowers, rice, tapers, sweetmeats, incense
sticks, and such things. Much time is necessary
to prepare the little craft for their brief journey.
They are carefully made from the stalk of banana
plants, and are sometimes a foot in length, and
136 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
again several feet. The larger the stream and more
numerous the population, the more imposing is the
display. At the large cities, as Bangkok and
Chieng Mai, night is turned into day by the bril-
liant display. At the palace several royal barges,
fashioned after dragons, are sent downstream on
one side and are then slowly towed up on the other.
A specially acceptable offering at this time is the
bloom of the sacred lotus set thickly with burning
tapers. Altogether, the scene is bewitchingly beau-
tiful.
The end of the three months of the Buddhist
Lent is also an occasion of much rejoicing and
many festivities. The whole nation is then intent
upon merit-making. Chaus make visits to the vari-
ous monasteries, with much ceremony and display,
and the peasants flock there with their simple offer-
ings of food and flowers and yellow robes. The
sacredness of a temple ground does not exclude
merrymaking, dancing, and music, and just with-
out the walls there is liquor and gambling. And so
ends the Buddhist Lent.
There are other national holidays, chief of which
is his majesty's birthday. And there are scores
of provincial holidays; and each chau of high rank
sees to it that he frequently gives a gala day of some
sort for his peasant dependents. It is well to add
that by this magnanimity the chau lays up for him-
self merit and expects to receive manifold returns
in his next incarnation.
One of the most popular forms of amusement is
the theater called lakawn. It is very different from
CHARACTERISTICS AND AMUSEMENTS 137
an American theater in almost every respect. First,
there is no admittance fee. Every palace has its
theatrical troupe, and performances are given to en-
tertain guests and to pass away a dull evening.
Reserved seats to the front are for the guests, but
the populace can crowd and squeeze into the rear
until there is not an inch of unoccupied space left.
There is little stage setting, and one is reminded
of the early days of stage life in London, when it
was necessary to placard different parts of the stage,
"This is a house," or "Here is a street." The plays
are long and would tire an American to distraction,
but not so a Laos. Much of the acting is done to
music, accompanied by the chant of women's voices.
Very unlike our early drama, the actors are exclu-
sively women, who are trained for their part from
earliest childhood, so that by the time they reach
their teens they are capable of bending and twisting
their joints in a most alarming manner, which
would be quite enviable to a "double-jointed"
American. The best-trained actors in the nation
are, of course, found in the palace in Bangkok.
All other troupes are trained and modeled after this
one. Let us look at some of the dancing there as
seen by an eye-witness, an English lady, who lived
in the palace as governess for many years :
"All day long the girls are seen exercising. Some
are poised on tiptoe, others bending their arms and
limbs back as far as they will reach, and again
picking up bits of straw with their eyelids. This
very curious and subtle feat can be learned only
by very young girls, who are made to practice it in
138 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
order to render them flexible in every part of the
body.
"There are two long rows of benches, one a little
higher than the other. On the lower are placed a
row of little girls, very scantily dressed, and on the
other bench are laid finely-polished bits of straw. At
the sound of a drum the little girls all together
bend back their heads and necks until they touch
the bits of straw, and which with wonderful dexter-
ity they secure between the corners of the eyelids.
It often takes a young girl three or four years of
constant practice to acquire this peculiar flexibility
of form and movement.
"Among others the cup dance is the most grace-
ful and poetic of their dances. A row of young
women, with a tier of cups on their heads, take
their place in the center of the gymnasium. A
burst of joyous music follows. On hearing this
they simultaneously, with military precision, kneel
down, fold their hands, bow until their foreheads
almost touch the polished marble floor, keeping
their cups steadily on the tops of their heads by
some marvelous jerk of the neck. Then, suddenly
springing to their feet, they describe a succession
of rapid and intricate circles, keeping time with the
music with their arms, head, and feet.
"Next follows a miracle of art, such as may be
found only among people of the highest physical
training. The music swells into a rapturous
tumult. The dancers raise their delicate feet, curve
their arms and figures in seeming impossible flex-
ures, sway to and fro, like withes of willow, agi-
CHARACTERISTICS AND AMUSEMENTS 139
tate all the muscles of the body like the flutter of
leaves in a soft evening breeze, but still keep the
tier of cups on their heads. These to the looker-on
present the strange appearance of gliding about
the dancers' arms and limbs as they float about the
room."*
The plays are interspersed with dancing of the
or^er described above. The music is furnished by
an orchestra composed of drums, cymbals, tom-
toms, gongs, bamboo dulcimers, and other stringed
instruments. These are played in tuneful harmony,
which can be swelled to a burst of sound at the
various crises of the play or dance. The repetition
of the tune becomes very monotonous to a for-
eigner long before the play is half over. Often the
plays are taken from old Hindoo myths and re-
quire several nights to complete the story. Of late
it has become very popular to assume the role of an
European or American, and in a good-natured but
pointed way expose their eccentricities and humor-
ous characteristics, much to the amusement and
satisfaction of the audience.
In the summer of 1898 it was noised in official
circles that his majesty was contemplating a visit
to the provinces in the near future, probably the
following year. This was exciting news, and the
chaus began at once to prepare for his coming.
The following occurred in the Lakawn province,
and I understood that Lakawn was one with all the
other provinces in the matter:
* Mrs. Leonowens, in The Inner City.
I4O THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
Spies were sent out by the governor to spot pretty
girls from four years up to ten or twelve. They
were followed by decoys, who were skilled in their
art. The trap was laid according to conditions.
Sometimes a brightly-colored picture, showing the
fame their child would bring to them, would be all
that was necessary to win the parents' consent that
the child be taken to the palace. Again, a few
rupees, with a promise that others should follow
would seal the bargain. In other cases it was
necessary to intimidate. The latter was nearly al-
ways successful. But usually parents were loth
to give up their wee girls to a life of sin and sorrow.
They knew that at first there would be fame and the
applause of man, but in a few more years they would
be pushed aside, old, worn-out, and crushed.
The cry that went up over the land was pitiful
and heartrending. Pleas were sent in from vil-
lages for the mission school to be opened at once
so that the girls could be sent to its sheltering walls.
Mothers came begging that we would intercede and
get their children from the palace for them, and
went away bitter in heart when it was explained
to them that we could do nothing in the matter.
Touring in the heathen villages had to be tempor-
arily suspended, as an audience could not be gath-
ered. And so sorrow and distraction reigned until
a sufficient number of girls had been found to
gratify lust or pride of the chau, and cause him to
rest easy, knowing that his danseuses would be un-
rivaled in the provinces.
One of the most glaring characteristics to a pass-
CHARACTERISTICS AND AMUSEMENTS 14!
er-by is the Laos love of games of chance. It is ex-
celled only by the passion of the Siamese for the
same thing. The last copper coin will be staked
upon the result of a cockfight, of a boat race, a
boxing match, a kite-flying contest, or, in short, all
actions or games wherein there is an element of
chance. It is not considered immoral for a man
to bet in such contests, but a woman is ostracized
by her sex for so doing.
There is a popular game called ba taw. It is
played by men with a light wicker ball, which is
hollow. The ball is tossed in air and kept there
by the players kicking it with the foot, preferably
with a backward movement. The hand must never
be used, but the head and shoulders can come into
play. There is no scoring of points and the play-
ers may leave the circle at will and others join it.
The "fancy kicking" of expert players is very grace-
ful, and interesting to spectators.
The footfall of this people is unusual. It is so
light that a man's approach is seldom discerned by
a foreigner, until a soft characteristic cough an-
nounces his presence. They can creep through
the forest like an Indian. I have often watched
them when we would be camped in the forest, and
wondered how it was possible to step upon dried
twigs and leaves and yet make no sound. They
pass many a joke among themselves at the way
foreigners hunt, pushing through the undergrowth
like a "mad boar," and then being disappointed
when only bears or wild cattle are sighted, when a
deer or tiger was wanted.
142 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
Many of the men are exceptionally deft with their
fingers in carving wood. The woodwork about
the palaces is elaborately carved, and about the
peasant homes one often finds gems of carved
work, such as handles to dippers and bamboo shoul-
der strips for supporting baskets. Often a man
can be seen carving a stick, which is held firmly
by his toes. Both men and women are clever in
picking up things with their toes, though it is ill-
bred to refer in any way to the feet or call
attention to them. An object is never kicked
except in anger or contempt. This follows from
the custom of going with bare feet, neverthe-
less the feet are usually clean, as the first thing a
person does upon entering a house is to go to the
water jar and pour water over his feet.
All Shans are noted for their geniality and
courteous welcome to strangers and visitors, and
especially so are the Laos Shans. The homes are
always open, and a genuine welcome is extended.
At one harvest season, I asked my neighbor how
much rice he put away in his bin for use during
the year. I expressed surprise at the quantity, and
he explained that his family alone could use only a
little more than half that quantity, but so many
were always coming and going that the whole
amount was consumed in the year. The cleanest
mat is always spread for the visitor, the best in the
home is placed at his disposal, and on the morrow
as he is ready to depart, the host will raise his folded
hands to his brow and utter softly the word chun,
"invite," and in peace the guest goes on his way.
CHAPTER XI
LANGUAGE AND A TRIO OF UNIQUE CUSTOMS
TONAL languages are interesting to us, not alone
for their musical sound, but because they are built
upon entirely different principles from ours. In
the Laos tongue there are no inflections, as there
is almost no distinction of form to represent per-
son, number, mood, or tense. The article is wholly
lacking, its place being supplied when necessary by
ni, "this"; or nan, "that." There is no plural of
nouns, it being necessary to add a numeral to mark
the distinction, namely: gnoar is "cow." To ex-
press the plural, one must say gnoar si toar, "cows,
four bodies" ; or if indefinite number is meant, gnoar
lai toar, "cows, many bodies." There is no conjuga-
tion of the verb save by auxiliaries, and these aux-
iliaries are also in use as independent words. There
is no declension of nouns, but cases are defined by
the relative position of the word in the sentence.
There is a glaring lack of connective participles,
and the simple conjunction "and" is very sparingly
used.
But in the above does not lie the chief difficulty
to a foreigner of mastering the language. Instead,
it is in the fact that the language, like the Chinese
is tonal, i. e., words otherwise identical are given a
different meaning by a change in tone. Add to this
the ear distinction between an aspirate consonant
143
144 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
and an unaspirate, and then the nicer distinction
between a long and a short vowel, and we have a
language to acquire which one must depend upon
the ear almost as much as upon the mind. The
difficulty of distinguishing words is not so great as
that of trying to reproduce them. It is a common
mistake for a newcomer to order his hostler to
"saddle my dog," or for a mistress to bid her maid
"go sell the door." Such blunders may be very
serious, as, for instance, in the case of the minister
who, in reading the lesson for the day, said,
"Knock, and it shall be sold unto you" or the
other minister who intended to teach a band of
catechumens to sing, "We are the Lord's," but
discovered afterwards that he had sung instead,
"Our pigs are the Lord's."
There are forty-eight consonants in the lan-
guage, part of which are high and part low and
four irregular. There are vowels which combine
with these. They are combined in numerous ways
to form words, and their number multiplied into
the thousands by the use of tones. There are, in
all, eight tones; the low explosive, straightforward,
falling, emphatic, circumflex, high explosive, ris-
ing, depressed, and short-circumflex. The last
tone is the most difficult to imitate; and it is the
added tone which the Siamese do not have in their
vernacular.
The words are monosyllabic, except those which
are derived from the Pali. There is a nice distinc-
tion in the use of pronouns as regards the social
standing of persons referred to. A person addresses
A TRIO OF UNIQUE CUSTOMS 145
his equal with one pronoun, his superior with an-
other, and his inferior with still another. A for-
eigner thus often offends unintentionally in speak-
ing to a chaiij or officer, as though he were a slave.
There is as great a distinction between the
vocabulary applicable to peasant life, and that of
the court as exists between that of a college-bred
man and of a country schoolboy. There are, also,
found many differences of dialect in adjacent prov-
inces; but it is generally conceded that the lan-
guage at the capital, Chieng Mai, is the purest, and
should be the standard for the whole.
There are many words and expressions which
are poetically pariphrastic. The word for content
is "good heart," anxiety being "hot heart." The
will is called "heart water," and thunder is "sky
calling." To eat a meal is referred to as "eating
rice"; and death by the Christian natives, as "God
has called."
There is a nicety of distinction in words which
reveals the exact relationship of the person referred
to. If, for instance, one asks, "Have you a sister?"
the reply will be, "I have an older sister," or, "I
have a younger sister," as the case may be. Or
if one refers to an aunt, the listener knows at once
whether the aunt is on the maternal or paternal
side.
In proper names there is little difference made
between the choice of names for girls and boys.
A baby girl may be fondly named Di, "good," and
in the next house the wee boy may bear the same
name. If a baby is very red in infancy it is dubbed
10
146 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
Deng, "red," irrespective of sex, or if it is unusually
dark it is called Dam, "black." There is a prefix
to names which distinguishes sex, but that will be
spoken of later. One peculiar name for a child
is La, "last." When parents think that they have
a sufficiently large family they will name the baby
La, and think the matter is settled. So one is often
surprised to see La washing the face of her
younger sister and swinging the cradle of her baby
brother at the same time.
There are three Laos customs which deserve spe-
cial mention for their uniqueness. They are the
systems of prefixes to proper names, tattooing, and
cremation. We will refer to them in their order.
As there are no surnames and a limited number
of given names the matter of identifying a person
simply by the name is impossible. That does not
necessarily distinguish even the sex. So a method
of prefixes is resorted to, which at any rate is in-
genious, and in a measure modifies the difficulty.
All boys bear the prefix Ai to their name until they
enter the temple life, when it is dropped. If a man
never enters the temple he always remains an Ai. If
a lad leaves the temple before he is twenty, he has
the title Noi prefixed to his name, and is considered
a fairly well-educated person, for he can read and
write, and knows a few Pali words. Or if he should
remain until after he is twenty the title Nan is
given, and he is looked upon with esteem by
his fellow-villagers. Thus the mere mention of a
name designates his degree of education, so far as
the slight knowledge taught may be termed
A TRIO OF UNIQUE CUSTOMS 147
"education." Elderly men are called Lung, and it
is proper to call such a person either by his name
prefixed by Lung, or by his title prefixed by the
same, for instance, either Lung Keo, or Lung Nan
Keo, is correct.
It is obvious that even with this aid of prefixes,
a man's identity may be obscure, so it is customary
to add the village or occupation of a man after his
name.
The names of women are prefixed in a similar
manner, only the change has to do with age, and
differs somewhat in various provinces. The gen-
eral rule is the same. Little girls are called /, and
young women Nang. Married women are Ui, and
elderly women Me Tail, literally, "mother old."
The term is one of greatest respect. As there are
no surnames, of course, by marriage, there is no
change of name of either party.
Tattooing is a custom that savors strongly of
the barbarous, but one which is a badge of re-
spectability and manhood among the people.
Nearly every man has his body tattooed from the
waist line to the knee or a little above or below the
knee: and in a very few localities from the neck to
ankle. The design varies with the locality or clan,
and a native can tell by the general design where a
man hails from. Sometimes the design is wrought
in parallel, horizontal bands, again in conventional
designs, again in figures of apes, elephants, or such
creatures, the intervening space being filled with
tracery, and still again in solid color, the whole
resembling at a distance a pair of dark knee trous-
148 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
ers. The origin of this custom is unknown,
though many believe it to have been a kind of
charm to make their bodies invulnerable. Cer-
tainly the following story taken from the Pongsa
Wadan, or history of Siam, supports that surmise :
"In the year of the Cock, 1019 (A. D. 1658), the
King of Siam hearing wonderful tales about France
from a French ship captain, determined to send an
embassy there, which only escaped being devoured
by a whirlpool through their magician raising a
wind which carried the vessel out of its gaping
mouth. When the ambassadors arrived, they told
the story of the adventure to the French king.
Sometime after this, the king sent for the am-
bassadors to come into the royal presence. He
then ordered a company of five hundred French
soldiers, all good marksmen, to be drawn up and
placed in two ranks, directly facing each other
two hundred and fifty on each side. They fired
simultaneously, and each man on either side lodged
his ball in the barrel of the gun in the hands of
the man opposite to him without a single failure.
"The king then asked them if they had any as
good soldiers, sharpshooters, as these in Siam?
The chief ambassador answered that the King of
Siam did not esteem this kind of skill in the art
as worth much in war. When the French king
heard this he was displeased, and asked them what
kind of skill in soldiers did the King of Siam value?
The ambassador answered: 'The King of Siam ad-
mires soldiers who are well skilled in the magic
arts, and such as, if good marksmen like your
A TRIO OF UNIQUE CUSTOMS 149
majesty's soldiers here would fire at them, the balls
would not touch their bodies. His majesty, the
King of Siam, has some soldiers who can go un-
seen into the midst of the battle, and cut off the
heads of the officers and men in the enemies' ranks
and return unharmed. He has others who can
stand under the weapons of the enemy to be shot
at, or pierced with swords and spears, and yet not
receive the least wound or injury. Soldiers skilled
in this kind of art, the King of Siam values very
highly and keeps' them for use in the country.'
"The King of France did not believe this story,
and remarked that the Siamese ambassadors were
boasting beyond all reason. The king then de-
manded if they had any soldiers skilled in this kind
of art along with them in the ship and could they
give him a specimen of their art?
"The ambassadors answered, 'The soldiers wq
have along for use in the vessel are but common
soldiers; but we can give your majesty a specimen
of their skill.' The king asked, 'What can they
do?' The ambassador said, 'I beg your majesty
to arrange this company of five hundred soldiers
sharpshooters in a position far off and near as
you please to fire at my soldiers, and they will ward
off the bullets, and not suffer a single one to touch
them.'
"When the King of France heard this proposal,
fearing lest his soldiers should kill the Siamese,
and thereby destroy the treaty of friendship about
to be formed between them, he was unwilling to
make the trial. The ambassador then answered:
I5O THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
'Your majesty need not fear in the least. My sol-
diers really have an art by which they can ward off
the bullets, and not suffer one of them to touch
them. If it please your majesty, then, to-morrow
let them prepare a platform here having an awning
of white cloth, and surrounded with flags, and
place upon the platform some refreshments and
wine; .then spread the word, and let all the people
of the town come to witness my feat/
"The king then prepared all these things as was
requested. The following day the ambassador re-
quested his magic teacher to select and prepare
sixteen persons and clothe them entirely with the
panoply of figures (tattooing) for making the per-
sons invulnerable the teacher and all together sev-
enteen persons. When everything was ready they
came into the presence of the king and took seats
upon the platform. He then addressed the king:
'If it please your majesty, let these five hundred
sharpshooters shoot these seventeen persons seated
upon the platform.' The king then commanded
the soldiers to fire.
"The French soldiers then fired several rounds,
some at a distance and some near, but the powder
would not ignite, and their guns made no report.
Those seventeen persons, uninjured, partook of the
refreshments upon the platform without the least
fear or confusion. The French soldiers were won-
derfully surprised and startled. The magic teacher
then said: 'Don't be discouraged; fire again. This
time we will allow the guns to go off.' The sol-
diers then fired another round. Their guns went
A TRIO OF UNIQUE CUSTOMS 151
off, but the bullets fell to the ground, some near
where they stood, some a little distance off, and
some fell near the platform, but not a single man
was injured.
"When the King of France saw this he believed
all the Siamese ambassadors had said, and praised
their arts very much, remarking he had never seen
anything to equal it. He then presented the Siam-
ese soldiers with money and with clothes as a re-
ward, and also feasted them bountifully. From
this time forward the king believed everything the
ambassadors said. He did not doubt a single
word."*
This may not be satisfactory to our practical
unimaginative minds, but it is fully so to this
credulous, poetic people. In reality, the tattooing
is begun soon after a youth has entered his teens
and marks a transition from youth to young man-
hood. It is done in patches, as the operation is
tedious and painful, it being necessary to drug the
patient with an opiate. Death often results from
the operation or, more correctly, from the over-
drugging. The pain is referred to with manly in-
difference, and a youth is careful to adjust his pa
toi so as to reveal the patches already tattooed.
The method of tattooing varies with the locality,
but there are two schools which have the predom-
inance. With one of these, the outline is traced
with a delicate hair pencil. "The pattern is then
tattooed in by a series of closely adjoining punc-
* From Colquhoun's Amongst the Shans.
152 THE LAOS OF NORTH SI AM
tures made by a long, pointed style, with a weight
at the top, worked with the right hand, and guided
by the left, which rests on the patient's body, with
the forefinger and thumb so joined as to form a
sort of groove for the style to work in. The style
is of brass, and consists of three or four portions,
the bottom piece, which is solid, is pointed like
an ordinary lead pencil, and divided by two slips at
right angles to each other, carried up for about
three inches from the point; these are fine near the
point, and about one-thirty-second part of an
inch broad higher up; these slits enable it to re-
tain the coloring matter. The next joint, or two
joints if there be four, is a hollow tube, and the last
is either solid, or has a brass weight at the upper
end, sometimes plain and sometimes fashioned like
a bird or animal, in order to give weight to the
tool." The coloring matter is lampblack, mixed
with cocoanut oil or water.
The other method is performed by making punc-
tures into the epidermis with a number of small
needles bound closely together. The coloring mat-
ter is then rubbed upon the surface, the punctures
absorbing it permanently, making the design in-
effaceable.
This practice is doomed to death in the near
future, for already a few youths who have grown
up under the influence of Christianity have refused
to be tattooed ; and this, without any direct teach-
ing on the subject from the missionaries. For it is
not the policy of the mission to preach against cus-
toms which do not involve morals. It is the Spirit
A TRIO OF UNIQUE CUSTOMS 153
that quickeneth, and the entrance of his word that
giveth life; and with that foundation all the super-
structure will, in his own time, be rightly adjusted,
and the Laos will understand the meaning of the
words of admonition and law unto the Jews that
"Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for
the dead, nor print any marks upon you."
The third unique custom we will speak of is that
of cremation. The disposition of the dead has been
of interest to mankind ever since the blow was dealt
that severed the soul of Abel from his body.
Legion is the name of the various customs that
gather about the dead, from the heartless custom
of some fetish tribes who simply cast out the body
to be devoured by scavengers, to the custom of
some other peoples of deifying their dead. The
Laos illustrate a mean between these extremes.
The custom of wailing for the dead prevails. I
shall never forget the first time I heard such wails.
We were camped in a village; the evening service
was over, and we sat in our tent door wrapped
in the white glow of a tropical moonlight, and deep
in thought, thoughts that were stirred by the group
of heathen men and women who had just dispersed
after having heard for the first time of the Way,
the Truth, and the Life. The calm was broken
suddenly by voices uttering piercing wail after wail,
the echoes of which were soon drowned by the
mournful howls of dogs in all directions that joined
in a chorus. The wails did not cease, and we could
see the women rocking to and fro, with heads
bowed in their hands, as they uttered sobs and
154 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
lamentations, and ever and anon tearing wildly at
their hair. The men sat dumb, as though stupefied
by their grief, while the children were huddled
closely together beside the fire.
The thoughtful and devout always secure the
presence of a monk at the deathbed. He recites
passages from the sacred books, which few under-
stand, because of their being expressed in Pali
instead of the vernacular, and he sprinkles the dying
with holy water. This sprinkling is believed to be
efficacious in a similar manner to the unction or
anointing of the dying by the Roman Catholic
priests. But this office is performed not in a true
priestly spirit, but is done by the monks for the sole
purpose of laying up merit for themselves.
If the family of the dead is very poor and cannot
afford a cremation, the body is tightly wrapped in
a cloth and either laid in a box or tied in a mat
It is then lashed to a pole and is borne to the forest
on the shoulders of two men. There a shallow
grave is dug, the body buried, and the spot soon
forgotten. There is often much ceremony about
the dead, such as placing a coin in the mouth for
the spirit's use, and food and clothing. The sor-
row over the dead is genuine, but not lasting. A
mother said to me at one time: "When my baby
died, I thought I should die, too, I wished I might
die. But my heart is now comforted, and I look
back and wonder at my grief."
All persons dying a sudden death, or from a
contagious disease, or of bowel complaint, or a
woman dying in childbirth, are not allowed crema-
A TRIO OF UNIQUE CUSTOMS 155
tion. They must be buried. The reason is diffi-
cult to understand in its exactness, for we do not
see and feel as do this people. But, as best we
can express it, they deem that death in such cases
was caused by evil spirits, and so reproach is cast
upon the victim, and respectable cremation, wherein
is merit, must be denied them. In these cases, the
body is carried to the forest by two men, who are
eager for a few coins, and is disposed of in all
possible haste.
If the body is to be cremated it is embalmed as
soon as life is extinct by a native process, which is
simple, but most effectual in its results. The body
is then laid in a tight coffin with preservative spices
about it. A drip hole is made at the lower end
for the remaining fluids of the body to escape, and
at the opposite end a small stovepipe arrangement
is erected for the escape of fumes and gases. This
must be tall enough to reach up through the thatch
or tile roof. The coffin is placed usually in a pro-
tected part of the veranda. It is covered with gay
cloth spangled with tinsel, and surrounded with
the deceased's betel set and few private belong-
ings. One or more images of Buddha are placed
about, and sometimes lighted tapers. A company
of monks come daily to recite passages from the
sacred dhamma Buddhist law and to receive a fee
for so doing, termed by themselves as "meritori-
ously bestowed gifts." After a few days the pres-
ence of the corpse does not cast a shadow over
the family life nor does it appreciably taint the
atmosphere. The family laugh and chat and plan
156 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
for the cremation with genuine interest. This is
not an evidence of disrespect to the dead; to the
contrary, for every effort is made to give the de-
parted as showy and elaborate a cremation as the
purse will allow. The merit of so doing is two-
fold, and must be shared between the living and
the dead, the amount of merit being gauged by the
outward splendor of the performance.
A chau of great wealth often keeps a corpse from
one to two years, but ordinarily a few months is as
long as the means will admit. All cremations are
alike in essentials, the differences consisting in the
amount of money expended to make the affair re-
splendent with oriental glare and glitter. During
the time of the lying-in-state of the corpse prepara-
tions for the burning are in progress. A catafalque
is made of bamboo and other light combustible
woods, in height from ten to thirty feet. This is
covered gorgeously with cloths, bright paper, tinsel,
and gold leaf. In the center is a resting place for
the coffin. The placing of the coffin in the cata-
falque is accompanied by imposing ceremonies by
the monks.
No ceremony is looked forward to with more
genuine interest and pleasure than a cremation.
So an immense crowd gathers, and is entertained
alternately with boxing games, cockfights, chanted
recitations, accompanied by music and dance, jug-
glery, side shows, and other such displays of any-
thing but a funereal nature. All the time, relays of
monks keep up in soft, musical intonations, the reci-
tation of prayers and part of the dhamma, from
A TRIO OF UNIQUE CUSTOMS 157
which exertion they afterwards recuperate by join-
ing in the festivities. These ceremonies and fes-
tivities may last from one day to a week, and then
takes place the burning. The catafalque is drawn
on a sled to the cremation grounds. The rope is
long so that a host can share the merit of drag-
ging it away. The rope finally ends in a silken
thread, which is held in the hand of the nearest
relative of the dead. When the ground is reached
more ceremonies are gone through with by the
monks. A dozen or more long strips of cloth are
gathered at one of their ends into a bunch and
thrust into the coffin. The other ends are held
by monks, who stand the length of the strip from
the coffin in a circle. They chant again their pray-
ers for the dead, and in some mysterious way virtue
passes from them to the soul of the departed. And
yet Buddhism declares repeatedly that there is no
soul, and that man has no abiding principle what-
ever. Fire is then touched to the catafalque, which
blazes up into a mass of. flame, and soon reduces
the whole to ashes. The assembled group dis-
perses so soon as the "meritorious gifts" are be-
stowed upon the monks, a few slaves remaining
until the fire begins to smolder, and then they
retire, and a few half-savage dogs take up the
watch, hoping that a bone or so will be left for
them. There is no gathering of the ashes into an
urn, as among the Siamese, and a few rains soon
remove every vestige of all the pomp and display.
These cremations cost anywhere from a few dol-
lars to the incredible sum of four hundred thousand
158 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
dollars, as is the case in a royal cremation. The
sand bar across the river from the south mission
compound in Lakawn was used as a cremation
ground by the natives not in the chau class. The
catafalques were usually floated down the stream
upon barges. When the catafalque was simple, it
became necessary to make a pyre of wood and place
the catafalque upon it. Usually the coffin was re-
moved from the catafalque and placed upon the
pyre, when the monks chanted in Gregorian sonor-
ousness their prayers, after which a few rude blows
of the ax caused the coffin to fall to pieces, expos-
ing to view the mummied remains, over which was
placed the catafalque. Often the fire would be ap-
plied by the family. Each bearing a taper, they
marched around the pyre and lay their tiny flame
upon it. The women often wailed at these cere-
monies.
There is a law to protect the smoldering remains,
and anyone touching the embers can be heavily
fined and imprisoned. The question arises, "Why
should a person care to disturb the fire?" the an-
swer to which becomes obvious when it is remem-
bered that coins and jewels are often placed in the
coffin for the spirit's use; and, again, because of
the length of time such a fire will smolder when a
little scattering would soon end its life and put a
stop to the exceedingly disagreeable odor which
accompanies even the last dying ember.
CHAPTER XII
OCCUPATIONS AND INDUSTRIES
THERE are no great corporations or business
centers in the Laos country. Each community is a
commonwealth in itself, the inhabitants raising
their own rice, fruits, and vegetables, during the
rainy season, and during the dry months weaving
cloth, molding and baking pottery ware, and
carrying on the traffic that is done by caravans of
men. Each year traders come down from Yunnan
bringing silk and the small wares of China with
them on their pack mules, and carrying back dye-
woods, gums, stick-lac, gold dust, and copper, but
mostly cotton compressed into small packs. It
has been estimated that such a caravan composed
of some dozen or so of men with some sixty or
seventy mules will carry merchandise amounting to
some fifteen thousand dollars in value. The usual
routes are from Yunnan via Chieng Tung or Chieng
Rung and Chieng Rai, either to Chieng Mai or
through Lakawn to Utaradit (Ta It). Among
themselves the people are what might be termed a
race of traders, not with a show of bustle and enter-
prise, but in a quiet, unpretentious way. The people
manifest skill and fitness to a marvelous degree for
this petty trading. The districts rich in tea send
the packed leaves on the shoulders of men to the
sugar plantations, receiving for their stimulant a
159
l6o THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
sweet in return. Certain villages make better pot
tery ware than others because of the more excellent
quality of their clay so they exchange their pots
and jars for cotton and tobacco. One would
readily see that this is a very primitive mode of
trade, as little or no money is used as a medium of
exchange. Traders from Burma can be found in
the large centers. They bring mostly cotton and
silk goods, for which there is of late a rapidly in-
creasing demand. Chieng Mai enjoys a most
prosperous trade of this kind.
Silver and goldsmiths have no special season for
following their craft. At any time they will melt
down one's silver coins or gold leaf into any form
wished. This is done in somewhat of a primitive
style. The metal is beaten into the desired shape,
which we will suppose to be a bowl. The bowl is
then filled with a melted solution of beeswax and
resin, which soon hardens within the bowl. The
smith then traces the desired design upon the
smooth exterior and hammers it into shape with a
style and chisel, the plastic filling yielding to the
blow. The inside filling is removed and the work
is complete. This leaves a rough inside finish, but
the bowl is elegant and rich upon the exterior.
The value of the article is determined by weighing
it, and adding a certain amount, often as much as
fifty per cent for labor.
Paper is not an article in great demand; for
banana leaves are cheaper and more handy for
tying up bundles, and formerly all writing was done
with stylus upon palm leaves. Recently there is a
OCCUPATIONS AND INDUSTRIES l6l
growing demand for paper. This paper is manu-
factured from the pulp of a certain tree. There
are many manufactories scattered over the country,
if so primitive a modus opcrandi can be so termed.
The bark is reduced to a pulp by beating, when it
is soaked in water until it becomes a mushy con-
sistency. It is then run into molds of rectangular
boxes, with bottoms of cloth. It is sun-dried and
ready for use. The texture is coarse, but the color
is a good white. The paper is tough and is ap-
plicable to a variety of uses, one of the most pleas-
ing being a foundation for the rich and beautiful
embroidery work of the princesses.
A large quantity of lacquer ware is made of all
grades, from a rough finish in poor colors to a
highly-polished surface in perfect shades of gold,
red, and black. The usual articles made are
betel boxes, from a shoulder-bag size to those
a foot in diameter; bowls for household use,
and cups, without handles, which, when inverted,
fit over the mouths of nam tons clay water
coolers.
The foundation for this lacquer work is a bamboo
wicker, but one would never guess it when looking
upon the exquisitely polished surface wrought in
delicate and dainty designs of perfect hues. The
gold color is obtained by adding powdered tumeric
and gamboge to the melted shell-lac, and the beau-
tiful red color by substituting annotto for the
tumeric and dragon's blood for the gamboge.
These goods are only made in sufficient quantities
to supply the local demand. One oftentimes finds
ii
l62 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
work finished in shades of orange, garnet, and liver
that are not pleasing to the eye. These shades are
caused by the stick-lac being imperfectly freed from
impurities. The process is simple, but requires
care. The broken twigs, covered with the resinous
exudation of the lac insect, are submerged in hot
water. This melts the resinous matter, which sinks
in a pliable mass to the bottom, frees the bits of
wood and the remains of dead insects which come
to the surface, and also dissolves the beautiful
purple coloring matter which the insect secreted
during its lifetime. The resin should be well
kneaded while in this state, and if not, the poor
shades referred to above are the result. The resin
is then removed from the water and dried. It is
then broken into bits and placed in a coarse cloth
bag, held beside a charcoal fire and again melted,
and squeezed out through the meshes of the cloth.
It falls in sheets upon planks placed to catch it.
It quickly hardens and in that state is known as
the shell-lac of commerce. It is estimated that from
the Indo-Chinese peninsula and the eastern sweep
of India there are yearly exported to Great Britain
alone no less than one thousand two hundred tons
of lac products. The Laos country has unlimited
resources along this line, and should join in the
prosperity of her surrounding sister countries. In
India the purple coloring matter liberated when
the stick-lac is dissolved in water is made into a
commercial form by straining the water and
evaporating. The sediment formed is cut into
squares and shipped under the name of lac dye.
OCCUPATIONS AND INDUSTRIES 163
It is a highly-valued dye, and is used to color the
scarlet cloth of the British soldiery.
The native chaus use shell-lac for sealing wax. In-
deed, I have often used for sealing letters the stick-
lac in its virgin state, and it is entirely satisfactory,
excepting in color, which is of an ugly yellow
shade.
The method of weaving has been described in a
preceding cheater. In the large cities the homes
are giving up their looms and spinning wheels, as
the Burmese market stall is always near at hand.
But in the towns and villages they are as much
used as in former ages. Certain districts work
iron up into knives and swords and sabers; men,
here and there, spend the sunset of life tying long
grass into thatch; and at bends in the roads, one
often runs upon a group of men sawing timber,
after the Chinese method, from side to side. But
as we said in the beginning of this chapter, there
are no great industries carried on by companies
and corporations, with capital and labor problems.
There are no large buildings given over to the in-
dustries. Instead every man works beneath his
own house or in a shed in the yard. When he
feels disposed, he turns his hand to his work; when
he does not, he lies in the house or carries the
baby out for a stroll or bathes in the river, always
knowing that Mother Nature will see that he has
enough to eat and it takes but little for clothing.
Life is lived from day to day and from year to year
without looking into the future, and striving to build
a name or business to leave behind when dead.
164 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
The Laos are most emphatically a pastoral peo-
ple. It is in the tilling of the soil, the sowing and
the reaping that they find their chief delight. As
rice is the chief article of food, great quantities
of it must be raised, and about its cultivation would
naturally center much of the life of the land. As
Americans, we often remark that bread is the staff
of life. But we very much resent a bread diet. In
an equally accurate sense can the Laos say that
rice is their staff of life, for it forms the bulk of
every meal ; so much so that a meal is referred to
as "eat rice." Breakfast is "eat rice morning";
dinner, "eat rice noon," and supper, "eat rice even-
ing." If a person is asked, "Are you well?" he
will reply, "Yes, I ate my rice heartily," or if the
reverse is true, "No, my rice does not taste well."
The chau in his palace and the peasant in his
modest home both depend upon the same staff of
life. In the early morn, from all directions comes
the sound of stone pestles as they are thrust down
into stone mortars by housewives pounding the
ingredients of curry to be eaten with the morning
rice. At the evening hour, the soft air is musical
with the clickety-click-tum of rice pounders. Every
home has its rice bin, where is stored the yearly
supply of grain.
Rice is capable of many varieties, and students
tell us that there > are one hundred and twenty kinds
in India and Ceylon alone. The soil and climate
of Laos-land are adaptable to many of these
species, but there is one special kind which has
won general favor, and is usually cultivated for the
OCCUPATIONS AND INDUSTRIES 165
daily consumption. It is the glutinous rice previ-
ously referred to, and which is so nutritious that a
man can do hard manual labor and eat but little
else.
At the close of the dry season the rice plains
lie baked hard and dry, with cracks and fissures
running across them. Nothing could look more
uninviting to vegetable life. But the rains com-
mence and the fields drink in the daily downpour
until the streams rise sufficiently to help flood
them, covering them with a coating of rich silt.
The people are happy now. They flock to the
plains and breathe the odor which is to them so de-
lightful fresh upturned mud. The slow plodding
buffalo is ankle-deep in water as he draws the rude
plow along. A sprouting bed is first prepared by
sowing thickly the desired number of bushels of
grain. When this is about a foot high it is care-
fully pulled from the bed, the top cut off a few
inches, tied into bundles, and is then carried in
baskets to the waiting field. Here women and
men transplant it by quickly thrusting the roots
downward into the soft mud. This process of
transplanting requires more labor than our Caro-
lina method, but with these people time is not
money, and by this means not a grain is lost.
The water is never taken from the fields, and
the rice is worked by pulling up with the hands
what grass appears. If the rains are unsteady, and
streams do not rise sufficiently to flood the plains,
a curious kind of water wheel is used. It is made
of bamboo and about the circumference runs a row
l66 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
of bamboo joints. These as they go down into
the water are filled, and as they come up empty
their contents into a trough, which runs to the
field adjacent.
If the season is good the yield of rice will be
from thirty to three hundred fold, according to
the soil. When the rains cease, the reapers, men,
women, and youths, enter the fields, armed with
hook-bladed knives, and with the sun begin their
pleasant task. The immense plain waves and
swells in the sunlight like a golden sea. A hand-
ful of the grain is caught in the left hand and the
knife in the right severs it from the stalk. It is
then laid upon the stubble, and very gently, too,
for the grain is exceedingly deciduous and one
rude touch would shatter it upon the ground.
Alas, if a late straggling shower should come
now ! After the grain has dried for a few days in
the sun it is carefully gathered into stacks and
there shaken and beaten off, sometimes into large
baskets, sometimes simply piled upon the ground.
Busy hands then heap the golden grain into small
baskets, while others pour it out upon a large bam-
boo mat. As it falls, it is winnowed by two men,
who wield their fans with strength and skill.
From the time the new rice is put into the
sprouting beds until it is stored away into the bins,
it has to be watched night and day to keep ele-
phants and cattle off the fields and also to see that
some rogue of a thief does not steal it. An ele-
vated shed, a few feet square, serves as watch-
man's tup until the harvest season, when the watch-
OCCUPATIONS AND INDUSTRIES 167
man makes a cosy place amid the sheaves to keep
off the heavy dew, and here the children love to
come and play in the daytime. Their games are
"bear," "tiger," and "hide-and-seek," just as chil-
dren play the world around. The straw is care-
fully thrown into stacks and carried by children to
the homestead, where it is stored away for the
buffaloes.
The chaus have their grain brought in from the
fields on the backs of elephants and stored in im-
mense bins. The peasants either carry theirs in
on their shoulders or by cattle trains. These cat-
tle trains form one of the most picturesque phases
of the life of this people. The fawn-colored crea-
tures have suspended from their necks bells of all
sorts and sizes. Upon their backs rest saddles,
from which baskets are suspended on both sides.
These are filled with rice, and covers are tightly
tied over their mouths. The leader of a cattle
train often wears a mask upon his face, which is
gayly decorated with bright cloth and paper, and
from the arch of the saddle sometimes rises high
in the air an immense bunch of peacock feathers.
This is done as an offering to the spirits who have
sent blessings and a harvest the past year. Pleased
by the gratitude of the man it is thought that they
will in turn send a like blessing the following year.
During the morning hours of the harvest season
the whole of the Laos country is throbbing with
the tinkling of cattle bells. It is the sweetest of
all sounds to this people, for it assures them food
for the coming year. At times, the rains are scarce
l68 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
and unsteady, and the rice crop is a failure. Sev-
eral such seasons in succession .will bring that
scourge of the East famine.
New rice is sweeter and more savory than is old
rice, and any child can tell you that, and so in the
harvest season one can see women with their port-
able restaurants, hung from their shoulders, going
from house to house, peddling their ware, and
waiting patiently while the purchaser slowly eats
his rice, first dipping it into the curry bowl. When
he has eaten, a drink can be had from the water jar
gratis, and then the coins -are handed over.
There are no students of science in the land, and
few students of literature. The study of letters is
mostly confined to the sacred writings in the
monasteries. This is a great pity ; for the Laos
have many ancient works of poetry, of mythology,
of folk-lore, of law and custom, and of reliable and
authentic history. There are no students of art,
though many men have a gift for expressing by
a few bold lines the essential characteristics of the
person or object portrayed. Each village has one
or more doctors, but the profession is so closely
allied with spirit-worship and witchcraft that it will
be dealt with under that head.
It will be seen from this chapter that even among
the Laos there is a choice as to occupation, and
the wisdom of workmen, trained and skilled, is
acknowledged.
CHAPTER XIII
CHILD LIFE
THE Laos country is even more truly a land of
children than is Japan, and in no country of the
East can prettier, brighter faces be found and more
winsome manners, than among the children of this
land.
When a child is born it is carried tenderly by
a loving grandmother to the end of the veranda
and there cold water from the jar is poured over
and over the bit of warm humanity while it
screams and kicks vigorously. When the bath is
complete it is carried back into the room and
wrapped in swaddling cloths anything at hand,
for it is very bad luck to prepare clothing for the
expected child. It is then laid upon a small cot-
ton pad, which is surrounded by roll upon roll of
cloth until the babe is all but hidden within the
soft wall. If it continues to cry, a little rice is
stuffed into the mouth, and the child falls asleep
sucking it. Even in the cool season a child
is given this cold water bath in the open air.
But it is not disturbed by much bathing after-
wards.
Sometimes a box containing dirt and a fire upon
it is then drawn up to the mother, and for several
days she has to lie beside this roasting fire. The
term roasting is entirely correct, for the flesh is
169
I7O THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
actually cooked upon the abdomen and back, if
the recovery be slow, or complications set in. Often
a woman dies "before the fire."
At such a time there are strings which have been
blessed by spirit-doctors strung around the house
to ward off evil spirits. Blooms of certain per-
fectly innocuous flowers are not allowed in the
house, as sure death would result from inhalation.
There are a score or more of such superstitious
beliefs connected with the advent of the little one,
the majority of them working discomfort to the
mother. The Laos have a share in the general
sorrow and suffering that crowns motherhood in
the heathen world. If a woman has a natural de-
livery, this is minimized, but if, as is so often the
case, there are complications, she is often left alone
in her agony to die a torturous death, for "the evil
spirit's hand is upon her," and no one, not even
those of her own family, will remain, for "the evil
spirit would stick to thern, too." I could tell of
treatment at such times that would make the blood
run cold within one, but this hint at the awful
truth is probably sufficient to show that the Laos
are woefully in need of ambassadors of the Great
Physician.
When a child is from one to two months old, it
is promoted from the cotton pad to a swinging
basket. It is then petted and loved and fondled
and showed off to visiting friends, and spoiled very
much as children are the world over. It is stuffed
with rice and scraped banana though the mother
nourishes it with the breast for two or three years
CHILD LIFE I/I
and is allowed to smoke and chew betel at about
the age of three years. As one might readily sup-
pose the mortality among young children is alarm-
ingly great.
A babe is always laid upon its back so as to flat-
ten its head. According to the popular idea, the
flatter the head in the back the better. So moth-
ers may be seen rubbing their infants' heads by
the hour. In admiring a heathen baby, one should
never say, "How pretty!" for the evil spirits will
become envious and kill the child. But it is safe
to say, "The child has a good eye," or, "His eye is
black," which covers the ground as completely as
though all known adjectives had been applied.
The most complimentary thing to be said of an
infant, is Luang te, or "Large, truly."
A child is not burdened with clothes until
some seven or eight years old, but it may be
adorned with anklets or bracelets or a fancy cap,
and, indeed, I have seen an especially beloved child
with a bit of a fancy Eton jacket, which gives him
a most comical look.
These little folk are seldom taught self-govern-
ment. They are allowed their own sweet way until
they get bad beyond endurance. Then a mother,
becoming angry, will pick up a stick and beat with
heavy blows, accompanied by ugly threats, not
the child, but the floor beside him. The child
screams and jumps and runs about the veranda in
an alarming manner, as though he was expecting
each successive blow to fall upon him. After this
vigorous punishment, quiet and order is sometimes
172 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
restored for a time, and the offender is docile and
duly humbled.
Another method of managing unruly children is
equally amusing. The culprit is tied with a stout
rope by one ankle to the middle post of the ver-
anda. The mother goes about her work or recre-
ation, and leaves the child to scream and jump and
pull until he wears himself out and lies down to
sleep. When he awakes, he is in a good frame of
mind.
Parents consider it the height of cruelty to
"spank" a child, and punishment such as has been
described is never inflicted as a result of misde-
meanor, but as an evidence of anger on the parent's
part. The reason that children so managed de-
velop into the sturdy men and women that they
do is found in the family life of the people. The
children are kept with the parents, helping with
whatever they are engaged in. Beside the moth-
er's bamboo strip and water buckets, is to be seen
one or more small ones, and when she goes for
water there is a patter of little feet that brings up
the rear, and tiny buckets are emptied into the
large jar.
"Little fagots help to fill the basket, too."
While the mother weaves, the children care for
the baby, either swinging it in the basket or carry-
ing it in the approved style astride the hip. This
is said to be comfortable for the baby, but it gives
the nurse a very oblique look. When the father
goes to the rice field, the little girls and boys fol-
'WHEN THE FATHER GOES TO THE RICE FIELDS." A Christian family.
CHILD LIFE 173
low and mind the buffaloes, keeping them grazing
in certain places given over to them, or confining
them to the dividing ridges when the grain hangs
upon the stalk.
In the evening, the children are all gathered
beneath the paternal roof. They listen deferen-
tially to their parents' conversation, respect for
elders being an inherent trait of the people. Usually
the houses are poorly lighted, a smoky torch or
greasy lamp, without a chimney, being, until re-
cently, the only means of illumination. So there
are no evening games, and early the children go
to bed, one by one, as they may become sleepy.
In the morning they wash their mouths, and if
the season be cool they sometimes plunge into the
river to "warm" themselves. The little girls comb
their hair and coil it into a knot at the back of the
head, exactly as their mothers do, and their skirts
differ only in size. Boys adjust their pa tois as do
their fathers: and altogether children look like lit-
tle men and women. In running, girls always re-
move the rings from their ears, as the lobes might
be torn by the heavy coil.
And they have their fun, too. "Tag," "base,"
"hide-and-seek," and "crack-the-whip," are great
favorites. In March the air above is studded with
kites, tailless kites that would shame an American
kite to an open blush. Seldom does a boy have to
run to mount his kite in the air. He gets it up by
means of little jerks upon the string. Kite fights
in midair are enjoyed by old as well as young.
Probably the favorite game of Laos childhood,
174 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
one that might be termed the national game, is
played by tossing coins. Several holes are dug in
the ground and around them a circle is drawn, and
the contestants stand off some eight or ten feet and
toss the coin. The game is full of interest and ex-
citement to the players, the coins often, though not
always, going to the winner. About the only
quarrels I have ever seen among the children have
been over this game.
There are many rhymes and childhood jingles
in the language, and young and old like to try to
repeat rapidly difficult sentences, such as our
familiar one, which begins "Peter Piper picked a
peck of purple podded peppers." Many of their
jingles are like unto those of "Mother Goose," and
some have a deep meaning and helpful tone. One
popular rhyme runs as follows:
"Chang tua noi,
Kin nam, oi
Chep, lu tawng."
This they cry out to young elephants as they pass,
a rough translation being, "Little elephant, if you
eat sugar-cane syrup you will have stomach ache."
There are many beautiful folk-lore stories, which
parents repeat to their children, and wonderful tales
are told them, more marvelous than the adventures
of Jack the Giant Killer. One or two of the folk-
lore stories will be of interest here. We will
quote from Miss Fleeson's charming collection.*
* Laos Folk-Lore, by Katherine M. Fleeson.
CHILD LIFE 175
THE MAN IN THE MOON
"There was a blacksmith once, who complained: 'I am
not well, and my work is too warm. I want to be a stone
on the mountain. There it must be cool, for the wind
blows and the trees give a shade.'
"A wise man, who had power over all things, replied:
'Go thou, be a stone.' And he was a stone high up on
the mountain side.
"It happened a stonecutter came that way for stone, and,
when he saw the one that had been the blacksmith, he
knew it was what he sought, and he began to cut it.
"The stone cried out: 'This hurts. I no longer want to
be a stone, a stonecutter I want to be. That would be
pleasant.'
"The wise man, humoring him, said: 'Be a cutter.'
Thus he became a stonecutter, and, as he went seeking
suitable stones he grew tired, and his feet were sore. He
whimpered: 'I no longer want to cut stone. I would be
the sun; that would be pleasant.'
"The wise man commanded: 'Be the sun.' And he was
the sun.
"But the sun was warmer than the blacksmith, than a
stone, than a stonecutter, and he complained: 'I do not
like this. I would be the moon. It looks cool.'
"The wise man spake yet again: 'Be the moon.' And
he was the moon.
" This is warmer than being the sun,' murmured he.
'For the light from the sun shines on me ever. I do not
want to be the moon. I would be a smith again. That,
verily, is the best life.'
"But the wise man replied: 'I am weary of your chang-
ing. You wanted to be the moon ; the moon you are,
and it you will remain.'
"And in yon high heaven lives he to this day."
THE LEGEND OF THE RICE
"In the days when the earth was young and all things
were better than they now are, when men and women
176 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
were stronger and of greater beauty, and the fruit of the
trees was larger and sweeter than that which we now eat,
rice, the food of the people, was of larger grain. One
grain was all a man could eat, and in those early days,
such, too, was the merit of the people, they never had to
toil gathering the rice, for, when ripe, it fell from the
stalks and rolled into the villages, even into the granaries.
"And upon a year, when the rice was larger and more
plentiful than ever before, a widow said to her daughter:
'Our granaries are too small. We will pull them down
and build larger.'
"When the old granaries were pulled down and the new
one not yet ready for use, the rice was ripe in the fields.
Great haste was made, but the rice came rolling in where
the work was going on, and the widow, angered, struck
a grain and cried: 'Could you not wait in the fields until
we were ready? You should not bother us now when you
are not wanted/
"The rice broke into thousands of pieces and said:
'From this time forth, we will wait in the fields until we
are wanted,' and, from that time the rice has been of small
grain, and the people of the earth must gather it into the
granary from the fields."
Children spend much time gathering flowers and
stringing the blossoms to coil around their hair.
They are very clever in weaving flowers into curi-
ous designs to be sent as offerings to the temple.
The leaves are always carefully plucked off in ar-
ranging them, leaving only a mass of blooms, this
because of their taste in the matter. When I was
new to the country I sent a young girl down into
the garden with scissors and tray to cut roses to
carry up to the chapel for the morning service.
I cautioned her to cut the stems long. To my
utter astonishment she appeared with the tray
CHILD LIFE 177
piled up high with roses upon long, leafless stems.
She had carefully clipped off every leaf.
When mothers go to the temple they carry their
children with them, and teach them to fold their
hands, bow their heads, and place a flower at the
foot of the idol. They also train the little girls to
sit correctly, with both feet on the same side, and
all their children are early taught to bow the head
in walking past an elder or superior.
Many of the boys enter the temple for a period
of several years at least, until the prefix Ai can be
dropped from their names, and they be free from
the term of reproach "green/ 5 which is given every
man until he has won his title Noi or Nan, by tak-
ing partial or full monastic orders respectively.
Memorizing constitutes the sum and substance of
native education. It is just here that mission
schools find their greatest difficulty in teaching.
The pupils can readily memorize page after page
of their lessons, but if asked to tell in their own
words what they are repeating, they are floored at
once. Thus one can see how this system of memo-
rizing, though admittedly good for mind discipline
to a certain degree, can be pushed until all other
mental activities are benumbed.
Would that this were the only side of child life
in Laos! But there is another, a dark side that
sends a chill and a shudder from bound to bound
of the entire land. It is caused by the scourge of
spirit-worship, the pricks of ignorance, the bondage
of fear. The subject is an endless one, but we will
touch upon it in a chapter that is to follow.
12
CHAPTER XIV
A LOOK AT BUDDHISM
SIAM is known to be a Buddhist nation. In the
classification of the world's religions one hundred
million souls are put down as Buddhist, and of this
number ten million come from Siam; this before
the recent loss of territory to France, which, of
course diminished the number of Buddhists in
Siam, but not in Indo-China. In Siam, as a whole,
there are known to be more than a hundred thou-
sand monks who wear the yellow robe of the Sacred
Order, and who are teachers of this faith. In
every village of the land there are monasteries
called wats, which are abiding evidences of the
religion. From the most northern province to the
most southern bounds the soft air of the evening
hour is made mellow with the tuneful notes of wat
bells and drums, the echoes floating down across
the rice plains and up the valleys to the highest
mountain top. His majesty the king, in his coro-
nation, has to take upon himself the most solemn
vows to support the religion of Lord Buddha, and
church and state are one. Siam is worthy of the
title of being a Buddhist nation!
In this day of the study of comparative religion
Buddhism is a well-known religion to Americans.
But to point our story the more clearly it will not
be amiss to touch upon the fundamental principles
A LOOK AT BUDDHISM 179
of the belief. In the fifth chapter of Rhys Davids'
Buddhism we find the moral precepts of the faith
as they are held in India and Siam. Leaving the
more metaphysical ones, we will quote a few of
those of a more practical nature. From the well-
known
BUDDHIST BEATITUDES
A deva speaks:
1. Many angels and men
Have held various things blessings,
When they were yearning for happiness.
Do thou declare to us the chief good.
Gotama answers :
2. Not to serve the foolish,
But to serve the wise ;
To honor those worthy of honor:
This is the greatest blessing.
3. To dwell in a pleasant land,
Good works done in a former birth,
Right desires in the heart :
This is the greatest blessing.
4. Much insight and education,
Self-control and pleasant speech,
And whatever word be well-spoken:
This is the greatest blessing.
5. To support father and mother,
To cherish wife and child,
To follow a peaceful calling;
This is the greatest blessing.
6. To bestow alms and live righteously,
To give help to kindred,
Deeds which cannot be blamed;
These are the greatest blessings.
ISO THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
7. To abhor, and cease from sin,
Abstinence from strong drink,
Not to be weary in welldoing;
These are the greatest blessings.
8. Reverence and lowliness,
Contentment and gratitude,
The hearing of the Law at due seasons :
This is the greatest blessing.
9. To be long-suffering and meek,
To associate with the tranquil (*. e., Buddhist monks),
Religious talk at due seasons :
This is the greatest blessing.
10. Self-restraint and purity,
The knowledge of the Noble Truths,
The realization of Nirvana:
This is the greatest blessing.
11. Beneath the stroke of life's changes,
The mind that shaketh not,
Without grief or passion, and secure;
Theirs is the greatest blessing.
12. On every side are invincible
They who do acts like these,
On every side they walk in safety,
And theirs is the greatest blessing.
Again, the Nidhikanda Sutta (Treasure Chap-
ter), after saying that what men call treasure when
laid up in a deep pit, profits nothing, and may
easily be lost, goes on:
The (real) treasure is that laid up by man or woman
Through charity and piety, temperance and self-control,
In the sacred shrine, or the Buddhist church,
In the individual man, in the stranger and sojourner,
A LOOK AT BUDDHISM l8l
In his father and mother, and elder brother.
The treasure thus hid is secure, and passes not away:
Though he leave the fleeting riches of this world, this a
man takes with him
A treasure that no wrong of others and no thief can steal
Let the wise man do good deeds the treasure that follows
of itself.
The last quotation might be misleading to an
American mind, so I quote Mr. Davids' explana-
tion:
"... The idea is simply that good deeds and
bad ones, too done in one birth will be the very
thing that will determine the material and spiritual
lot of the individual in the next birth of another
individual, from our point of view; of the same, ac-
cording to the Buddhist theory. Passages like
these have naturally been understood by Europeans
to refer to a soul passing from a temporary state
to an eternal one; but such an idea was never pres-
ent to the mind of a Buddhist reading them."
Let us quote further from this chapter of Mr.
Davids' his translation of extracts from the
Dhamma-pada, or Scripture, verses:
5. For never in this world does hatred cease by hatred;
Hatred ceases by love; this is always its nature.
6l. As long as the sin bears no fruit,
The fool, he thinks it honey;
But when the sin ripens,
Then, indeed, he goes down into sorrow.
103. One may conquer a thousand thousand men in battle,
But he who conquers himself alone is the greatest
victor.
l82 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
121. Let no man think lightly of sin, saying in his heart,
It cannot overtake me.
159. Let a man make himself what he preaches to others;
The well-subdued may subdue others; one's self, in-
deed, is hard to tame.
176. The man who has transgressed one law, and (speaks)
lies,
And scoffs at the next world, there is no evil he will
not do.
223. Let a man overcome anger by kindness, evil by good ;
Let him conquer the stingy by a gift, the liar by truth.
354. The gift of the Law exceeds all gifts,
The sweetness of the Law exceeds all sweetness,
The light of the Law exceeds all delight,
The extinction of thirst overcomes all grief.
The eightfold sacred formula declared by
Buddha is as follows:
1. One should not destroy life.
2. One should not take that which is not given.
3. One should not tell lies.
4. One should not become a drinker of intoxicating
liquors.
5. One should refrain from unlawful sexual intercourse
an ignoble thing.
6. One should not eat unseasonable food at nights.
7. One should not wear garlands or use perfumes.
8. One should sleep on a mat spread on the ground.
The first five of these precepts are binding upon
every Buddhist man, woman, and child. The last
three are not obligatory, but a person who wishes
to make special merit can take them upon himself
for a short season, and every Buddhist is supposed
A LOOK AT BUDDHISM 183
to keep the last three on their holy or Sabbath
days. Besides these eight precepts, divided into
the five obligatory and the three permissive laws,
there is another code which embraces ten sins,
which are considered especially heinous. They
are thus divided:
Three of the body.
Taking life.
Theft (taking what has not been given).
Unlawful sexual intercourse.
Four of speech.
Lying.
Slander (includes "saying here what one hears
there").
Abuse (swearing).
Vain conversation.
Three of the mind.
Covetousness.
Malice.
Skepticism.
And so we could go on quoting page after page
to show the ethical beauty and high moral tone of
this belief, which declares self-control, wisdom,
and universal charity, to be the highest aim and
happiness of man.
"But we must remember that Buddhism is
merely a system of ethics, and that its ethics
are not backed by moral sanctions. For Bud-
dhism teaches that all sentient beings alike go
the round of sang sara, reincarnation, and are now
born in the world of men manusatok now in the
worlds above men deva tok now in the places of
184 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
torment below narok. There is no place in the
system for a Sentient Being in and of Himself un-
changeable, superior to all other sentient beings.
There is no One who is 'infinite, eternal and un-
changeable in his being, wisdom, power, holiness,
justice, goodness, and truth/ There is no Giver of
moral law; no just Judge of all.
"Hence, even the so-called obligatory precepts
sila are only relatively obligatory. They are
not binding upon all men everywhere by virtue of
divine right and as being grounded in eternal prin-
ciples of truth ; but they bind only such individuals
as by becoming Buddhists assume their obliga-
tions. It is, therefore, only by accommodation
that we speak or write in English of Buddhist law,
the Buddhist church, sin, heaven, hell, religion.
"Can a system of ethics which has no God, no
moral sanctions for its ethics, and no help for man
outside of man himself, be properly called a re-
ligion?"*
Now, let us see what this Buddhism has done for
the Laos.
"Tis distance lends enchantment to the view."
And, as from our western shores, we behold this
belief amidst the haze of oriental luxuriousness,
the clouds of eastern rosy hue, it rises in architec-
tural beauty, and in form we declare it perfect.
Then it should follow that man as a rational moral
being should rise to a high degree of natural beauty
of character under the beneficent teachings of this
* From the Rev. W. C. Dodd.
A LOOK AT BUDDHISM 185
belief, especially, when so well supported by its
Sacred Order, one hundred thousand strong, in
the kingdom.
But the form of things is very different from
their natures. Let us look at the influence of this
belief upon the individual, the community, the
country. Let us look at the way some of the ob-
ligatory laws are regarded by even the devout.
There is a popular saying which runs, "The pre-
cepts of Gotama are the right thing to accept ; but
who can observe them?" This is repeated to excul-
pate themselves for not keeping the obligatory
commands. To show that these laws are lightly
held by the people let us look at the first one and
the manner of its keeping. It reads thus: "One
should not destroy life." From this command-
ment it is generally believed that no Buddhist eats
meat. In fact, the Laos think it hard, indeed, if
they have not meat curry at least once a day. They
do not especially like to strike the blow that kills,
so they go fishing by the scores and hundreds
and thousands, pull the fish from the water and
justify themselves by saying that the fish straight-
way die a natural death. A man who has laid up a
large amount of merit, will feel that he can afford
to strike a death blow and not have much deducted
from his credit, so he kills a cow or a hog and the
village has a feast. And nearly always a Chinaman
can be found who is willing enough to make a coin
by butchering. And so in that way meat can be
obtained. The monks eat meat curry, and say
they are blameless because some one else took the
l86 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
life, not they. Aside from this striving to keep
the letter at the expense of the spirit, the people
seem to have lost sight entirely of the original
meaning of the command. I have seen a man
drive a diseased buffalo away to the forest to be
torn to pieces by vultures before life left the body,
rather than strike a blow upon the head and end
the suffering. And that same man has cut off
many a chicken's head that he may have meat for
his curry. When reproached for his inconsistency,
he would say, "When hungry I forget the com-
mand"; or, "I will make much merit to cover the
sin." Frogs are considered one of the greatest of
delicacies, and during the first of the rainy season
half of the whole country goes a-frog hunting,
while the other half is a-fishing.
We will take time to glance at another one of
these commands, the fourth one, which says, "One
should not become a drinker of intoxicating
liquors." There are few religious and official cere-
monies and observances in the land that are not
accompanied with drinking, and no shame falls
upon the intoxicated victim. Until recently every
village was free to make its own arrack and wine
ffom rice and juices of certain palm trees. There
is but little riotous drunkenness, save in connection
with civil and religious observances. At one time
we had trouble with a Buddhist coolie about drink-
ing. In talking the matter over with our native
minister, a man whose knowledge of the facts
could not be doubted, much less his word, he af-
firmed that every man in the country drank, ex-
A LOOK AT BUDDHISM 187
cepting the Christians. "Why is this?" I asked;
"their law forbids the drinking thereof, surely they
know the law." "Ah, yes, they know the law, but
they have no power to obey the law. They know
the law, but not God. Let them turn their faces
to God, as the Christian youths have done, and he
will strengthen them to keep the law." And then
he added slowly and thoughtfully, "But they love
their old natures, they turn their faces from God,
they will not look to him and be saved."
Let us hear from other writers along this line.
Mr. Young in his book on Siam, The Kingdom of
the Yellow Robe, says :
Ask any person you meet a few questions about
the sage who propounded the faith they are sup-
posed to hold, and it will be speedily discovered
that even those who are most assiduous in their
attendance at the temple (monastery), and who are
most charitable in the offerings they give to the
priests, know little of the life and less of the teach-
ings of him whom they apparently worship. . . .
It is not possible to call them Buddhists at all if
the term is to be used as comparable to the term
Christian, as applied to the believers in Christ in
western lands. The great moral precepts of this
religion are not taught to them, are unknown to
them, and it is very questionable if the Sanskrit
words for benevolence, gratitude, charity, and
kindred virtues have any parallel in the ordinary
everyday vocabulary of the people. Even if such
words do exist they are only understood by the
learned few, and would be as utterly incompre-
l88 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
hensible to the great mass of the people as Greek
and Latin."
What Mr. Young says of the Siamese is fully as
true of the Laos. The people themselves acknowl-
edge that they do not keep the five obligatory com-
mandments ; and if the ethics and morals of the
system are unknown to them, there naturally
comes the question, why are there so many Bud-
dhist monasteries, why so many monks? Prob-
ably the strongest reason is to be found in the uni-
versality of the religious instinct in man. They
must have some religion, and Buddhist mission-
aries brought them this one many centuries ago.
Its morals and ethics appealed to the Shans and
they adopted them. But the monks soon discov-
ered that their natures and desires were not
changed by donning the sacred robe. They did
not love to pore over the teachings of Gotama,
for, though they admired the precepts, they had
no power to attai-n to them. And so the system
settled down to a basis of merit and demerit very
much like credit and debit.
To understand this fully, it must be constantly
borne in mind that Buddhists believe in no soul as
the Christian world understands the life within
man. Gotama repeatedly denies the existence of
soul, and warned his followers against the heresy
of that belief. Yet some reason had to be given
for the existence here of happiness and sorrow and
their apparent unequal distribution. So Buddha
resorted to "an incomprehensible mystery," the
doctrine of kama.
A LOOK AT BUDDHISM 189
"This is the doctrine that, as soon as a sentient
being (man, animal, or angel) dies, a new being is
produced in a more or less painful and material
state of existence, according to the kama, the de-
sert or merit (or demerit) of the being who had
died. The cause which produces the new being is
dhanha, thirst, or upadana, grasping; which are ex-
pressions for nearly similar states of mind. Sensa-
tions originate in the contact of the organs of
sense with the exterior world; from sensation
springs a desire to satisfy a felt want, a yearning,
a thirst; from 'thirst' results a 'grasping' after ob-
jects to satisfy that desire; that grasping state of
mind causes the new being (not, of course, a new
soul, but a new set of khanda, a new body with men-
tal tendencies and capabilities). The kama of the
previous set of khanda or sentient being, then de-
termines the locality, nature, and future of the new
set of khanda, or new sentient being."*
Most assuredly this is an "incomprehensible
mystery," but nevertheless it is one of the univer-
sally accepted doctrines of this faith. All Bud-
dhist Shans believe it, and they strive in life not
to attain unto virtue or righteousness, but to make
merit to add to their credit against the day of their
death. And so the religion of Buddhist Shans may
be summed up in that one word, merit. They
sweep the monastery ground; build bridges and
salas and wats; make gifts for the monks, and pre-
sent them with daily food; give a drink of water to
* From Davids' Buddhism.
I9O THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
a thirsty traveler; all to add a little credit to their
account. A coop of chickens on its way to mar-
ket was set down on the road side while the bearer
rested in the shade for a minute. The chickens
were hot and panting with thirst. As my jinrikisha
passed the coop, my Buddhist coolie called to a
child standing near, "Run get a dipper and water
the chickens for me so that I can make a little
merit." Of course, this belief tends to make char-
ity at a premium and unkindness below par. But
can the leopard change his spots or do men gather
grapes of thistles? Nay, and so we cannot pluck
the perfect fruit of love when the roots are all
nourished and supported by selfishness.
But let us again quote from Mr. Young. He has
been speaking at length of the different powers,
laws, etc., of Buddhism, and concludes by say-
ing:
"... But the above lines will be sufficient to
outline the moral philosophy of that system which
not only the monks should bear out in their lives,
but to which every true believer in Buddhism is
expected to conform. Practically, however, these
counsels are so many obsolete laws, long since dead
and forgotten. Outside the permanent monks
and a few students, the vast majority of the people
know nothing whatever of the system; and if some
of the learned writers upon Buddhism in Europe
were to preach their Buddhist sermons to the sub-
jects of the only independent Buddhist king re-
maining, the people would stare in wonder at the
new teachers and ask one another what strange
A LOOK AT BUDDHISM IQI
doctrines were these that were being preached unto
them."
It is readily granted that this belief in merit is
better than no belief at all; and it has made of the
nation a comparatively kind-hearted and generous
people, but we do maintain that it is less than the
faintest shadow of a resemblance to the perfect
form of ethical beauty that the religion should
build if ethics and morals are what constitute a
true religion; and that instead of "going on to
perfection," each successive generation drops be-
low the previous one. This, from their point of
view, and now one word from ours. We who bear
the name of Christ believe that the noblest of all
life is the life of service. The Son of man came
not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and the
servant is not greater than his lord. If we trace
along down through the pages of history the
names of the great men are invariably those who
have served. Buddhism fails utterly here. Sir
John Bowring dedicated his book, Siam, to the late
king, the supreme sacred head of Buddhism, yet
he found it necessary with consistency to speak as
follows :
"The real and invincible objection to Buddhism
is its selfishness, its disregard of others, its de-
ficience in all the promptings of sympathy and
benevolence. Its highest virtue is exhibited in
fruitless contemplation, its noblest reward is to be
found in eternal repose. A monk seems to care
nothing about the condition of those who surround
him; he makes no effort for their elevation or im-
192 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
provement. He scarcely reproves their sins, or
encourages their virtues; he is self-satisfied with
his'own superior holiness, and would not move his
finger to remove any mass of human misery. . . .
Compared with the privileges and exemptions
which the monks enjoy, their privations are few ;
'they toil not, neither do they spin'; they make no
contributions to statute labor; they pay no taxes,
render no services to the sovereign or the state."
CHAPTER XV
LAOS WATS
AMONG the Shans there are but three tenets of
Buddhism that are understood, either by the people
or the members of the Sacred Order, namely, the
doctrine of kama, or merit and demerit; the "in-
comprehensible mystery" which denies a soul and
yet establishes transmigration, and the other doc-
trine of no Creator, no God. The beautiful ethics
and sound morals are simply nonexistent. So we
must look for some other reason to account for the
immense following, in a nominal way, of the re-
ligion. Aside from the fundamental reason of the
religious instinct of man, the answer is found in
the system of organization or order, and in the fact
that Buddhists are not exclusive. Gotama taught
that it was heresy to consult soothsayers, put trust
in auguries, or to value charms and prognostics.
Yet Buddhists admit all of this and more witch-
craft, for instance and not alone in the laymen,
but the very monastery walls shelter and foster
these beliefs.
Since merit is the chief and only aim of Bud-
dhism among the Shans, and the Sacred Order is
the highest expression of this merit, a large per
cent of the men of the land have at some period
of their lives been a member of the order. An-
other form of wmY-making that presses hard for
'3 193
194 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
first honor, is the building of wats, prachedls, salas,
and idols.
The wats themselves are the most pleasing to the
eye of all the architectural creations of the land.
In fact, until recently they were the only buildings
worthy of any consideration from that viewpoint.
They always occupy the most attractive sites in
the community, usually crowning the hilltops or
mounds of prominence, and are surrounded and
sometimes overshadowed by wide-spreading ban-
yans and sacred bo trees. After a journey on pony
or elephant across bare rice plains which hurl into
one's face glare as well as heat; or through matted
jungles, it is deliciously refreshing to face, by a
bend in the road, one of these wats, with its
shadowy recesses beneath green and cool trees; its
beauty of towering palmettoes above and trim park
beneath; its glory in color of facade and temple
roof; its architectural splendor and beauty; its
musical tinkle of bells; and, above all, its look of
restfulness and peace. One feels instinctively the
impulse of worship, but draw near and you are
shocked by the cheap material used; the tawdry
effect; the temporary appearance of walls and roofs
they are all but crumbling; the falling away of
veneering of walls and gilding of fagades; the ac-
cumulation of dirt and dust, bats, and spiders at
home in the dark nooks; the lack of solemnity in
the groups of chatting women and monks; and the
glaring nonobservance of the rules of the order
by the monks themselves. At a distance rest and
worship were suggested; but upon approach it is
LAOS WATS 195
revealed as stagnation and the empty form of relig-
ious observance.
A wat is more truly a monastery than a temple.
It consists of several buildings scattered about a
park-like ground, which is inclosed by a brick wall,
usually plastered to look like white stone at a dis-
tance. The building where the idols are kept and
where the people come to worship is called a
wihara, or sometimes wihan, and is the central and
most prominent feature of a wat. About it, ar-
ranged on one or two sides of the grounds run the
long, low buildings containing the cells of the
monks. There is also a bell tower and a library, if
the wat be the chief one of the diocese. The ground
on which the wat rests has been dedicated forever
to the chapter. It is the property of the order.
The buildings and idols are dedicated in the same
way. There is no god to whom they are conse-
crated.
Excepting the library the wihara is the most
sacred part of the grounds. It is a large, oblong
building, having its top covered with tiered roofs,
which are tiled with red-clay tiles, or preferably
with porcelain ones of many colors and hues, or
covered with wooden shingles or with thatch. The
gabled ends of the roof rise upward and end in a
backward curve of wood or metal, which is bril-
liantly gilded and set with mosaics of glass, enamel
or bits of chinaware. From the extreme end of
each, there sometimes hangs a brass bell, with long
clapper ending in a flattened shape, molded like
the leaf of the sacred bo tree. The gentlest breeze
196 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
catches these leaves and sways them so as to strike
the pure metal of the bell. A soft tinkle is the re-
sult,
"As if a choir
Of golden-nested birds in heaven were singing;
And with a lulling sound
The music floats around
And drops like balm into the drowsy ear."
The triangular-shaped fagade often is richly set
in colored glass and mosaics, and is either traced
in gold designs or the center is entirely gold sur-
rounded by a border of mosaics and glass. A
colonnade may or may not run around the wihara,
but if it does, the roof is supported by immense
columns, which give a massive effect. From a dis-
tance it is indescribably rich and beautiful. Well
might an enraptured foreigner, accustomed to the
cold white or somber shades of his architectural
creations, cry out with pleasure when first behold-
ing one of these large temples from a distance.
The display of gold is surprising, and one can
readily understand how there is an annual import
of gold leaf into Siam for this purpose, amounting
to two hundred thousand dollars, Mexican, besides
the quantity of gold leaf that is beaten out by native
smiths, especially at Bangkok. All over the entire
country gold leaf is for sale in the markets. It is
sold in folded sheets of paper about two by three
inches in size. A merit-maker can buy a few
sheets of this leaf, present it to the monks, and have
a credit written down to his existence.
The walls of the wihara are sometimes painted
LAOS WATS 197
in the native style, which is very like the familiar
painting of the Chinese, the subjects being taken
from the mythical existences of Buddha. This, of
course, gives room for a rare display of animal life.
Sometimes one sees pictures of the various Bud-
dhist hells, the principal ones of which are eight in
number. These are horrible, and will give a for-
eigner "the creeps" for weeks to come. They are
often impure in conception, and should not be tol-
erated, far less blazoned upon the sacred walls.
Burning alive, scalping, flaying, and such forms of
torture are among the most innocent scenes de-
picted. I am glad to say that Laos Shans are not
quite so fond of thus decorating their temples as
are their southern kinsmen. Mr. Young tells of
an amusing confusion of personages, chronology,
and events, seen upon one of the Bangkok temple
walls :
"He the artist has placed a number of
European ladies and gentlemen of the time of
Louis XIV on the side of a hill, where they are
enjoying themselves with dance and song. It is
a rural picnic. Under the hill is a railway tunnel,
with a train about to enter, and on the summit is
Buddha in a contemplative attitude brooding over
the whole, but owing to the faulty perspective of
the drawing, it is impossible to state whether
Buddha is contemplating the scene of merriment or
brooding over the curious handiwork of the de-
signer."
These wiharas are said to face always the east,
and I have never seen one otherwise. This is to
198 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
allow the image within to look steadfastly toward
the rising sun. Thus those who seek the temple
during the early morning hour will find their god
wrapt in a glow of light which, though borrowed,
is very effective. I have noted frequently that the
windows of these wiharas are arranged so as to
leave the body of the room in somberness while
the shrine stands out in a glow of light. This ef-
fect is impossible to attain when the wihara has an
open front or side, as is often the case.
There may be one or several hundred idols upon
the shrine, and these may vary in size from an inch
in height to one hundred and fifty feet, as is the
case in the reclining idol in Wat Po, Bangkok. It
is interesting to know that an idol does not be-
come a god in the process of construction until its
eyes are put in. That act is the occasion of a great
ceremony. A holy day is selected, the event ad-
vertised, and a large concourse of people meet to
see the monks sprinkle holy water and the smith
set the pearl eyes. At this time the image is also
gilded, and it is a god ready to be worshiped. It
may be true that the "intelligent and highly spir-
itual" do not worship these idols, but look through
them to Buddha. But where are the "intelligent
and highly spiritual" to be found under the foster-
ing care of this religion?
The dormitories of the monks should be bare of
furniture, and are nearly always so. At the back
of the small room is suspended a cord, upon which
hang the extra garments. There is sometimes a
cotton sail upon the floor for a bed, and again only
LAOS WATS 199
a mat. A small water jar and a few such simple
things are sometimes found. The monks of high
rank often have their cells fitted up with comfort.
Indeed, some are elegantly furnished, as furnish-
ing goes in that land.
The value of material used in wa/-building de-
pends upon the means of the person, family, or vil-
lage that builds the wat. The wat luang is the head
wat of each diocese, where resides the monk in
office corresponding somewhat to "bishop." At
the wat luangs are found the libraries, which are
elevated tower-like buildings reached by means of
a ladder. Here the sacred dham, or books, con-
taining the ethics and commands of the religion are
kept. They are written with ink on paper, or with
a stylus on palm leaves from one to two feet long
and some three or four inches wide. Each oblong
leaf is pierced at both ends with a round hole. A
cord is run through these holes and thus the leaves
are bound together. The top and bottom are often
shielded by a wooden leaf, which is gayly gilded
and decorated. The long cord which runs through
the leaves is drawn tightly, and the free ends
wrapped around the whole, holding the leaves
firmly in place. When one wishes to read the
book, the cord is unwrapped and allows play for the
leaves, which can be turned at pleasure.
These books are not written in the vernacular
wholly, but contain so many Pali words and ex-
pressions that it is very difficult for any but a
student to understand them. Then, why do the
natives sit and listen while they are being read?
2OO THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
Because they listen to make merit, and their
maxim, "Blessed is he that heareth the Law," does
not enforce intellectual attention. One can sit
within sound of the monk's voice, and while he
reads, can think of the grand cremation to take
place next month, or of the theater he attended the
night before, or of anything else he may wish. He
can allow the eyes to rove to the stranger who is
passing, and the mind can puzzle as to who he may
be, and yet he can reap merit, for "Blessed is he
that heareth the Law."
At one time we were camped in a wat luang
ground when a monk came for a dhatn to read at a
special wat service to be held next day. He re-
jected many of the books, and seemed difficult to
please. I afterwards learned that he was searching
for a very short dham. He said that his parishion-
ers had instructed him to "make it short." So
without regard to contents he was selecting his
book.
Another part of every wat is the bell tower.
Strictly speaking, it is no bell tower at all, but a
drum tower. Among the Laos, drums are more
popular than bells, and when the latter exist they
are struck instead of being rung. Drums and
bells are not used to call the people to worship, but
they constitute a part of worship, the beating of
them by monks being merit. Several drums are
in every tower, each varying in size and tone from
the other. Much skill is manifested in the beating
of them. Usually the first note is heard as twilight
begins to fade. It comes in a low, full musical
LAOS WATS 201
vibration. As it rolls away in the distance, an-
other is sent forth as full and sweet, and then an-
other until they begin to chase each other and
hasten in their movements. Then a higher,
sweeter note joins in and alternates with it. The
interval in tone is such as to make the harmony
perfect. These two are shortly joined by a third.
And if there be a bell, it too is struck at certain
points in the beating. Wats differ much in the
tone of their drums and in the skill of the monks
in beating, but all wats are alike in having drum-
beating a very prominent part of their daily
routine.
These drums are beat on special holidays and
upon the Buddhist sacred days, and always when
there occurs an eclipse of the moon. Then every
drum in the land clatters at a rate that destroys all
harmony. At one time when we were itinerating,
the missionary gave an open-air stereopticon lec-
ture on the life of Christ. But first were shown a
few native pictures and then a chart of the great
solar system, with the planets revolving. As the
earth's moon began to go into eclipse, the crowd
gayly called out to some monks near by, ''Run,
run, and beat your drums; quick, or it will all be
devoured!" This chart always makes a deep im-
pression upon the natives, though at first they
neither understand nor believe it. Their sacred
books teach that an eclipse is caused by a monster
dragon devouring the moon, and so they make as
much noise as they can to frighten him away.
In wat grounds, and sometimes isolated, is to be
202 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
found a pleasing style of architectural creation
known as a prachedl. It is a pyramidal monument,
and the tapering spire may end in conical form.
These prachedis contain or cover some relic or im-
age of Buddha, and are as sacred as the wihara.
When a true relic is wanting, an imitation serves
the purpose quite as satisfactorily.
Once every year one sees wat grounds filled with
small mounds of sand gayly decorated. The sand
is brought by women and children in baskets and
piled in these mounds. They are decorated with
green boughs and colored papers, cut and fash-
ioned into brilliant flowers and banners. Upon
the mounds offerings of rice, sweetmeats, and
fruits are placed, and water is poured at the base.
Then follows a very strange part of the ceremony.
White cords are fastened to the mounds and are
passed into the wihara and attached to the idol to
let it know that the mounds are outside. Poor idol,
how dull and stupid! The little mounds are play
wats and are considered to bring great merit to
the builders. The sand is afterwards used to cast
over the wat park, keeping it white and level.
There are many marks upon rocks in Siam that
are said to be footprints of Buddha. Over each is
built a wat, and these are considered especially
sacred. There is one of these footprints near
Chieng Mai upon a mountain top, some five miles
from the city. Another one is found in the Chieng
Mai rapids, and still another is located at Mount
Prabat 'Sacred Foot which is some eighty miles
from Bangkok, and is one of the most holy places
LAOS WATS 203
in the whole kingdom. Pilgrimages are made by
wmY-seekers to these places very much as
Mohammedans go on a pilgrimage to Mecca.
A wat is not alone monastery and temple, but
is inn as well, there being no hotels or public houses
in the country. A stranger can enter at any hour
of the day or night and find welcome and shelter.
No charge is made, for giving of the hospitality is
merit, and so is sufficient bun. There is usually
upon the wat ground a sala, or rest house, which
can be used by the traveling public. A foreigner
or native is free to stop for a day or a night or
longer. The wat ground is a social center also.
There are no daily papers or clubs to scatter news
and form a medium of exchange, so the parishioners
gather at their wat and chat and gossip and joke.
On gala days or holidays the wat is thronged with
people, and there are several forms of entertain-
ments.
At one time an idol was to be dedicated in a
monastery near Lakawn. Several of the missionaries
of the station decided to go out to the grounds, as
the ceremonies were of such a nature as to draw
people from over a large district hitherto untouched
by our station work. The pressure of regular work
was such that the trip could not be made until
the third and last day, so early that morning we
turned our ponies' heads down the road toward
the distant temple. The sun was already hot,
though it was but the third hour of the day. The
dust was suffocating, for the ground had been
burned to powder by the scorching sun of the dry
2O4 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
season. The air quivered with the intensity of the
heat. We pulled down our large pith hats and
raised our double umbrellas, and tried to think of
the message we had to deliver instead of letting
our thoughts dwell on the discomforts of the way.
In due time we came within sound of the festivities
of the wat and a bend in the road brought us face
to face with the scene.
The wat was partly overshadowed by banyans,
palms, and palmettoes, which were standing erect
and stately in the dead calm. The richly-tiled roof
and gilded facade were fairly resplendent in a glory
of light as they caught the sun's rays. There was
an air of festivity abroad; banners hung aloft, and
newly-erected booths were rilled to overflowing
with people and offerings. The large, open court
before the temple, which lay unprotected from the
sun, was destitute of people save as they hurried
across it. No one cared to tarry there in the blaz-
ing heat and dust. A long line of empty baskets
ran from the temple gate across the court to the
feet of our ponies. To the left were several ele-
phant howdahs, and near by was a stationary ladder
by means of which the visiting dignitaries could
dismount from their elephants without causing the
beast to kneel. The howdahs were resting upon
the ground in groups, and the drivers were squat-
ting beneath their shade, lazily watching their im-
mense beasts that were hobbled within a thicket
near by. In front of the wat walls were arranged in
rows lines of miniature wats, built of bamboo, and
containing gifts for the monks. There were hun-
LAOS WATS 2O5
dreds of them and they made a gay picture against
the rich background. They were decorated with
bright-colored papers, and were rich with their con-
tents of yellow robes, pillows, mats, cheroots,
matches, water jars, and coins suspended from
flower trees by binding each with a circlet of cloth.
These were all gifts from the people to the monks
of the diocese. About sixty wats were participat-
ing in the ceremonies, so an immense amount of
gifts were necessary to go around. Each of the
sixty wats had a large delegation of monks present.
So the shaved head and yellow robe was one of the
most conspicuous features of the scene.
We tied our ponies under a tree, and leaving a
boy to guard them, started across the court. But
before we had taken many steps, a woman came
running toward us, and as she approached she fell
upon her knees in the manner of an inferior to a
superior, and presented us with some plums and
flowers, which she bore on a tray made of beaten
silver. She was a slave of the Princess B , and
she bore an invitation from her mistress to come
to her booth. The princess was well known to the
ladies of the party, and we were glad to accept of
her hospitality, for we were hot and thirsty, but
had we not cared to do so it would have been
best to have called long enough to pay our re-
spects to her and her father. The booth was
within the monastery wall and under the shade of
a large bo tree. We discovered that the princess's
father was the patron prince of the ceremonies, and
that his booth commanded a view of the entire
2C>6 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
ground. The princess was affable and talked
easily and readily. She told us that the dedicatory
services over the idol had already been held, but
that none of the crowd had yet begun to disperse
nor would they until after the fireworks of the after-
noon. She then said in an earnest way that
we would have abundant opportunity to make
merit that day, for so many people were present.
Her friendly wish is significant, as it reveals the
attitude of monks and leaders towards mission-
aries at such times. They feel that we are there to
make merit and continue to think so, even after it
is explained to the contrary. They further feel that
by allowing us to make merit, they in turn will
reap merit.
We had not been seated long when an abbot an-
nounced to the chau that all was ready for the
reading of the Buddhist scripture. The chau re-
plied, jocosely, "Very well, but make it short."
The abbot retired, but we first caught his wink to
the chau, as he said, "Aye, we will." In a few
seconds a gong sounded and everyone quickly
turned toward the bo tree and raised their folded
hands in worship. Lighted tapers were placed by
the assembly between the fingers of their folded
hands and were raised as their heads bowed to the
ground. All the while the sonorous tones of the
monk as he chanted the sacred words rolled out
over the heads of the worshipers and away into the
forest beyond. We quietly withdrew, with a
prayer in our hearts that this princely family might
keep their promise to read the literature we had
LAOS WATS 2O7
given them, and stopped upon the outskirts of the
crowd, where all were laughing and chatting and
paying no attention to the service at the bo tree.
Here we could make friends with the peasants from
far villages and distribute literature while the
service was in progress in the distance. But we
were too soon interrupted, as the service was con-
cluded and there burst forth a joyous sound of
music and dance. At once there was a general
push toward the wihara beside which was a stand
where musicians were seated playing industriously
upon their instruments, while the dancers per-
formed in the center of a large ring made by the
crowd. They were all young men, seven in num-
ber, and were gayly attired in bright colors. The
first movement of the dance was slow and stately
and consisted of a sort of prancing step. They
went round in a circle, lifting one foot at a time,
keeping it suspended high up in the air for several
seconds while their arms were outstretched like
wings. It looked very comical and absurd to us,
but the spectators were enraptured. All the while
they chanted songs, which were stories in rhyme,
and I am sorry to say were very impure. As the
dance progressed the body began more and more
to keep time with the music, and soon there was
a whirl of figures that beggars description. When
a climax in the story or dance was reached, the
dancers suddenly stopped and prostrated them-
selves before the chan, who sat in his booth near by.
He threw rupees to them, which they scrambled
for. The dancers had made merit by their
208 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
formance, and the chau now made merit by giving
them the money. They in turn made additional
merit by allowing the chau to make merit upon
them. The dance again proceeded, and as we
turned to leave, we saw the chau and abbot holding
their sides with laughter over a joke of the per-
formers that sent us away sick at heart. These
jokes were listened to without a blush or sense of
shame.
Our talk with a group of villagers beneath a tree
was interrupted by loud clashing of gongs which
announced that it was time for all present to make
their offerings to the monks. The long row of
empty baskets was quickly filled with rice, fruit,
and sweetmeats of all kinds. The abbot, assisted
by a staff, superintended the distribution of the gifts
to the representatives of the various wats. In the
same manner the miniature temples were dis-
tributed. The best and richest were stored away
within the wihara for use of the chapter of the
wat. The crowd now began to disperse, some
drinking and gambling, others watching the danc-
ing, others again listening to the music, while just
a stone's throw away a cockfight was a center of
interest. About the chart's booth was a large con-
course of people, watching with awe and admira-
tion all that he and his family did. Groups of
"yankee-like" market women were selling their
fruits and sweetmeats, and all were gay and happy
and chatty, though there was no boisterousness or
noisy talk. On the whole the picture presented
was more like that of a country fair than of a re-
LAOS WATS 2O9
ligious gathering. There were children every-
where, looking on with wide-open eyes and drink-
ing in eagerly everything, both good and bad.
In the afternoon the services were concluded
with fireworks. The name at once brings to mind
the grand pyrotechnic displays familiar to every
American. But this is a very different affair. It
consists of sending off into the air immense rocket-
like works, which, as they swiftly ascend, whiz and
screech by means of whistles fastened to their side.
They leave behind a trail of smoke, and as they
reach the limit of their power, they turn and slowly
descend to earth again. These rockets are made
by the monks, long bamboo poles serving as the
foundation. These vary from twelve to thirty or
forty feet in length. When finished they are bound
with gayly-colored paper, and are carried on the
shoulders of men to the ground, where they are to
be used. There a temporal y booth is erected to
receive them and a scaffolding some thirty feet
high, is put up from ivhich to send them off. This
is done by resting the bawk-fai the rockets
obliquely at an angle of thirty-five degrees upon
clasps at the top of the scaffolding. A fuse is held
at the lower end by a man, and this monster rocket
shoots into the air amid the cheers of spectators,
the rattle of drums, and the blessings of monks.
It ascends a great height, when it describes a grace-
ful curve and starts upon its downward path. The
aim is such as to cause it to fall upon some plain
or uninhabited tract of land. This bawk-fai ex-
hibit is one of the most popular and highly-
14
2IO THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
esteemed forms of merit, and, as a missionary has
laughingly said, it is truly merit in its highest form.
These exhibits mark the closing months of each
dry season of the year, and are hailed with delight
by the people and with equally marked dread by
ponies, who are frightened by the noise and un-
usual sight of a black, screeching object flying
overhead.
The wats of the Laos are thoroughly typical of
the heart religion they teach. At a distance there
is much promise of good. But when near enough
to lose the enchantment of distance, one sees how
worthless it all is how inconsistent, how contra-
dictory, and how incoherent! We have but one
conclusion to draw from the evidences of Bud-
dhism in Laos, and that is, that it takes more than
ethics to make a true religion. There must be a
power in the religion that so imbues the whole man
as to verily make of him a new creature.
CHAPTER XVI
THE SHAVED HEAD AND THE YELLOW ROBE
THE members of the mendicant order of the
merit-making monks are supported by the volun-
tary offerings of the people at an immense cost,
variously estimated. They are usually called by
writers on Siam "priests," but the word "monk" is
more fitting, for priest is too vital a word. They
are simply monks, having entered the order to lay
up merit for themselves, and to minister to others
only so far as they care to make additional merit
for themselves. The idea of intercessor, or leader
of the people, is wholly wanting, as much so as that
of serving their fellow-creatures.
The vows that bind to the order are nominally
for life, but in reality are only for a limited time,
or until the maker of the vow wishes to withdraw
from the order. This he can do at any time after
the first three months. A layman must be eight
years old before he can apply for admission to the
first order, but usually he is ten or twelve; and he
must be twenty years of age before he can be fully
ordained and enter the second or full order.
The ceremony of receiving into the order is
simple, but would be impressive if conducted with
a degree of solemnity due the occasion. The appli-
cant comes to the wat gayly dressed, and accom-
panied by a large concourse of friends as well as by
211
212 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
his family. All are chatting and laughing merrily,
for this is a happy occasion. The applicant bears
upon one arm his three yellow robes neatly folded.
Some member of his family has made special merit
by making and presenting them to him. In his
other hand he bears a gift for the monk in charge
of the chapter. The crowd enters the wihara in
a whirl of decorous gayety, the women seating
themselves to one side and the men to the other.
The applicant, followed by several of his friends,
may, or may not, march around the wihara several
times, and sometimes there is music to accompany
the marching and to add to the festivity. The
-.service must be held within the wihara, ten monks,
at least, being present, and the superior must be of
ten years' standing. The monks are seated in two
rows upon the floor in front of the shrine, and the
superior is at the head of one of the rows. When
the applicant enters the wihara, he presents himself
before the superior, bowing low and offering his
gift as a token of respect. A proposer, who must
be a monk, then says, "I present this man who
wishes to become a monk." The applicant bows
low several times, saying, "Have pity on me, lord,
take these robes, and let me be ordained, that I may
escape from sorrow and experience Nirvana."
The superior then folds the robes around the ap-
plicant's neck and he retires to the back of the
shrine, is disrobed by a monk, and attired in the
yellow robe of the Sacred Order. These must be
placed upon the body in a certain way laid down
by laws in their code. He then again presents him-
SHAVED HEAD AND YELLOW ROBE 213
self to the superior and repeats three times the
Buddhist formula for the occasion, which has the
idea of a sacred trinity Buddha, Law, Clergy:
I go for refuge to the Buddha.
I go for refuge to the Law.
I go for refuge to the Order.
He then repeats the Ten Precepts, under which
he is to be bound until he leaves the order or is
fully ordained, at which time he must be bound by
some two hundred or more vows. The Ten Pre-
cepts are as follows:
1. I take the vow not to destroy life.
2. I take the vow not to steal.
3. I take the vow to abstain from impurity.
4. I take the vow not to lie.
5. I take the vow to abstain from intoxicating drinks,
which hinder progress and virtue.
6. I take the vow not to eat at forbidden times.
7. I take the vow to abstain from dancing and sing-
ing, music and stage plays.
8. I take the vow not to use garlands, scents, unguents,
or ornaments.
9. I take the vow not to use a high or broad bed.
10. I take the vow not to receive gold or silver.
It will be noted that the first five of these pre-
cepts are those obligatory upon all Buddhists. The
applicant has now become a novice, i. e., he has
taken the first degree of monastic orders. His
duties are to minister to the wants of his superior
monks, who have taken full monastic orders, such
as bringing their betel boxes, water jars, and food;
to attend them when they leave the wat; to learn
214 THE LAOS OF NORTH SI AM
to read ; to beat the monastery drums, and to gra-
ciously let the people make merit upon him by sup-
plying him with the best of the land.
A novice applying for admission to full orders
at the age of twenty must put off the sacred robes
and again go through a ceremony similar to the
first one. Only, this time, he is subjected to an
examination, first in private then publicly in the
wihara. The questions concern his age and health.
Also he is asked if his parents consent; if he is free
from debt often men seek the order to escape
debt if he has ever been bewitched; if he has all
his mental faculties; and if he be a slave or fugitive.
Other questions of a like nature are asked. If the
examination is satisfactory and it is always so un-
less there be debt, in which case it is assumed by
some one of the applicant's friends in the audience
the superior asks three times if there be any ob-
jection to this person being ordained. No one ob-
jecting, the applicant is clad in his robe, and the
superior declares that he has been duly received
and ordained. The services are concluded by the
new monk seating himself upon a mat, while his
family and friends come up on their knees, present
him with gifts and do him homage.
His robe now consists of seven parts. A narrow
cloth called a "sweat cloth" is worn next the body.
Next a long, deep one is draped about the hips like
a tunic. This is girdled in by a narrow scarf; then
a sweep of cloth three yards square is draped from
one shoulder over the body falling gracefully down
to the ankle, and enveloping the arm in a manner
SHAVED HEAD AND YELLOW ROBE 215
to allow freedom of motion; another large cloth
is folded in fan-like plaits and is laid over the left
shoulder hanging farther down in the back than the
front; then, above all, another girdle is placed
which holds the robes firmly though easily. Then
a cloth called a "bowing cloth" is caught into the
folds for use. This is to protect the monks' faces
when they bow to the earth before an idol. This
cloth is oftentimes richly ornamented with figures
of sacred shrines or royal umbrellas (the double
umbrella being an insignia of royalty). If this
cloth is so embroidered one will be sure to observe
it in passing a monk, for he keeps it carefully folded
outwards. A pair of sandals should always be
worn.
This yellow cloth is dyed from the sap of the
jack tree. The seven cloths should be made of
small pieces sewed together in imitation of the
patches and rags of the first disciple of Buddha. It
is now but a mockery of that humility, for the
cloth must be new and fresh looking, and is fre-
quently made of silk. The so-called "yellow" em-
braces a variety of shades of colors, from a deep
orange or chocolate color, through shades of saf-
fron and gold up to the lightest hue of yellow.
Thus a monk can indulge his taste and have the
different parts of his robe varying one from another.
When a monk leaves the order, he gives his
robes to a brother monk. If he dies, the robes are
taken from his body before death so as not to be
defiled thereby, and are wrapped around the limbs
and trunks of wat trees. There they remain until
2l6 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
they are decayed, whipped to pieces by the winds,
or carried off in bits by industrious nest-builders.
A fully-ordained monk should possess an um-
brella and a fan, the former to protect his shaven
head from the merciless sun, the latter, his eyes
from roving, as the vows of celibacy are upon him.
Moreover, in walking his eyes should be fixed upon
the ground a few feet before him, and he should
be lost in meditation. In fact, the umbrella is most
conscientiously carried, while the fan is relegated
to a novitiate following. The eyes rove at will,
looking for pleasure and diversion, and the lips
are ever ready with a joke or jest or pleasantry
with all who pass.
Each chapter has a head monk, or superior, and
all the zvats of a diocese look to a wat luang, where
resides a monk with power over the diocese. These
monks or abbots have each a vicar and secretary.
The abbot's power is granted by the highest chau
of the district, who grants it upon promise of the
monk to obey his lawful orders. The monk in turn
asks the chau if he will grant him certain petitions
that he might make, and the chau acquiescing, the
compact is sealed. There are above all the monks
one or two who are appointed by the king the
supreme head of Buddhism and these have very
special powers and honors. They report at stated
intervals to the king of religious matters through-
out the kingdom.
The laws and rules that bind fully-ordained
monks are numerous. We will quote a few to il-
lustrate their nature. It will be seen at a glance
SHAVED HEAD AND YELLOW ROBE 217
how their full observance, good as some are, would
kill all energy and virtuous exertion, and how, in
seeking to become harmless, a man becomes useless
and loses elevation and development of char-
acter:
Boast not your own sanctity.
Do not break up the ground.
Destroy no tree.
Kill no animal.
Drink no intoxicating beverage.
Eat no rice after midday.
Regard not song, dance, or music.
Neither sit nor sleep in a place higher than that occupied
by your superior.
Keep neither gold nor silver.
Speak of nothing but religious matters.
Do nothing but what is religious.
Give no flowers to women.
Borrow nothing from secular persons.
Eat not to excess.
Sleep not much.
Sing no gay songs.
Play upon no instrument; avoid sports and games.
Swing not your arms in walking.
Mount no tree.
Bake no brick and burn no wood.
Wink not in speaking and look not round in contempt.
Make no incisions which bring blood.
Buy not, sell not.
When you eat, make no noise like dogs chibi, chibi,
chiabi, chiabi.
Administer no poisonous medicines.
It is an offense to walk in the streets in a non-contem-
plative mood.
It is an offense to stretch out the feet when sitting.
It is an offense to cultivate the ground to breed ducks,
2l8 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
fowls, cows, buffaloes, elephants, horses, pigs, or dogs as
secular people do.
It is an offense to preach in any but the Pali tongue.
To cook rice is an offense.
To eat anything which has not been offered with joined
hands is an offense.
To dream of a woman and to be awakened by the dream
is an offense.
To sit on the same mat with a woman is an offense.
It is sinful to receive anything from the hand of a woman.
To speak to a woman in a secret place is an offense.
Seek not pleasure by looking upon a woman.
It is an offense to mount an elephant or a palanquin.
It is an offense to "be clothed in costly garments.
To wear shoes which hide the toes is an offense.
It is an offense to covet another man's goods.
To speak injuriously of the earth, of the wind, of fire,
or water, or anything else is an offense.
It is an offense not to love everybody alike.
It is an offense to eat anything having life, such as seeds
which may germinate.
It is sinful to make an idol.
To employ charms in order to become invulnerable is
an offense.
To cough or sneeze in order to win the notice of a group
of girls seated is an offense.
Not to put on the garments at break of day is sinful.
To look fiercely at other people is an offense.
To clean the teeth with certain long pieces of wood or
while speaking to others is an offense.
To eat and to talk at the same time is an offense.
It is sinful, in thinking of religious matters, to dwell
upon that which is not clearly understood without con-
sulting another monk who might give an explanation.
It is an offense to cause alarm to anyone.
A monk offends who in eating slobbers his mouth like
a little child.
A monk offends if he eat without crossing his legs.
SHAVED HEAD AND YELLOW ROBE
A monk may not wash himself in the twilight or the
dark, lest he should unadvisedly kill some insect or other
living thing.
There are many more of these vows, but so de-
generate is the order that the monk who en-
deavors to keep them is hard to find. As a rule the
thought seems to be that the joining of the order
is of sufficient merit without keeping the precepts
or vows.
Let us quote from the pen of Mr. Colquhoun in
regard to the order as he saw it in Chieng Mai :
"They the monks are seen at all hours, and in
every direction, loitering about idly, mixing with
the people, sitting in the bazaar, conversing with
women, even entering private houses at night, rid-
ing elephants, eating after the sun has passed the
meridian, devouring flesh, selling what is given for
use in the monasteries, and, bowing to the chief and
his wife according to native report. Many of them
indulge in spirits and cockfighting, and go about
with unshod feet, wear gold and jewelry, 'convert'
bad stones supposed to be precious, into a resem-
blance of good ones; mix themselves up, to use a
Burmese expression, in the affairs of women; and,
in fact, do many things that they are strictly en-
joined by their rules not to do. At the close of
their Lent, which falls in the rainy season and lasts
for some three months, they receive grand offer-
ings, selling most of the articles received for the
highest prices obtainable. Plays, some of them by
no means moral, are constantly given by the people
in Lent. And the monks themselves, directly
22O THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
against their vows, indulge in music, every mon-
astery being well supplied with flutes, cymbals, and
drums. On the whole, we were forced to the con-
clusion that the majority of these monks were idle,
good-for-nothing, illiterate, and dissolute men.
. . . The monks are supposed to supply the educa-
tional wants of the people, but as a matter of fact
they do nothing of the kind. They are merely
teachers by their example of apathy, laziness, and
downright vice; and every year finds them on the
downhill road. . . . One day, while paying a visit
to one of the dignitaries of the place my host served
us some capital European refreshments, and as we
sat in the veranda indulging in them and smoking
our cheroots, the head monk, a sort of bishop, and
a most venerable-looking old man, was introduced.
He had just returned from a long journey, and had
hastened to pay his compliments to my entertainer.
Greatly to my surprise, this light of Buddhism was
immediately offered a glassful of rare French
brandy. He drank it with the greatest gusto, and
then begged that he might be supplied with an-
other/'
It is often asked, Why, then, do the people put
up with such laxness from the monks? It is be-
cause the church and the people are one. The
Sacred Order is so dovetailed into the social life
that it cannot be separated from it. Merit! merit!
is the idea of church and of state, not righteousness.
If one should point to a drunken priest sitting upon
the same mat with a woman, receiving sweetmeats
from her hands, and jingling coins in his folded
SHAVED HEAD AND YELLOW ROBE 221
palm, and should ask for an explanation from some
native near by, he would shrug his shoulders and
say: "Oh, there are bad monks and good monks,
I have nothing to do with that. I am to see to it
that I make merit. When I give to a monk I make
merit because I give to him as a monk and not as
a man. I have nothing to do with that."
The vast majority of monks remain in the order
a year or so, and then marry and settle down to
secular life. Doubtless one reason of the superior-
ity of Laos Shans to Siamese Shans is found just
here, in that the men do not remain for so long
a term of service in the order as they do in Siam.
The life of indulgence, idleness, and hypocrisy be-
ing thus of a shorter term, its influence is neces-
sarily less baneful.
A monk is supposed to rise before day, bathe,
adjust his robe with precision, sweep up his cell,
bring drinking water for the day, filter it to prevent
the eating of any creatures it might contain, and
then sweep around the sacred bo tree. As he
sweeps he must repeat parts of the sacred law, or
else there is no merit in the deed. This is often
done by a chanting instead of simply reciting. The
merit consists in the repetition, not in the heart's
uplift nor mental activity. He should then retire
to meditate until time for breakfast, at which time
the Siamese monk slings his begging bowl across
his shoulder, covers it with a corner of his robe
and goes forth in boat or on foot to collect his daily
portion of food. A Laos monk seldom makes this
begging tour, and, instead, his food is brought to
222 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
the wat by wmY-makers. After breakfast a bless-
ing is pronounced upon the donor, and by so doing
merit is made for himself. He then washes his
bowl, does any little office for his superior, and
should retire for meditation and study of the
sacred books.
At a little before noon the chapter gathers for
another meal, which is a generous one, as no food
should be taken again until next day. Probably
this law is obeyed more strictly than any other of
the order, for a monk may chew betel and smoke
and drink instead. The afternoon should be given
to meditation and study, and in the evening hour
the wat park should be swept, the lamps or torches
lighted, as well as the waxen tapers about the altar.
The chapter then gathers for a vesper service, con-
sisting of praise to Buddha, with prayer that his
spirit may inhabit the idol above them forever, and
not leave it empty. Later the drums are beaten,
sometimes until the midnight hour. All fully-or-
dained monks should have a rosary. The beads
are one hundred and eight in all, each one repre-
senting some sacred book or great abbot or the
names and merits of Buddha. It is great merit
to remember the whole list. The string is made
like a Catholic rosary, without the cross.
As the novitiates are suposed to do all the work
of the wat, which is, of course, reduced to a mini-
mum, the fully-ordained monks are supposed to
spend much more time in meditation and study.
In some of the wat luangs can be found monks who
are fairly good Sanscrit and Pali scholars, and who
SHAVED HEAD AND YELLOW ROBE 223
are upright in their lives. These scholarly men are
always glad to talk with visitors to the wat, es-
pecially upon scholarly subjects. They like noth-
ing better than a visit from the missionaries. Their
tastes are refined and scholarly, and they like to
learn, though they do not wish to shake off the
shackles which bind to the past. Many warm
friendships exist between these rare men, so seldom
found, and the missionaries; and great aid is often
given by them in translating work done by the
mission. If these few men were not Buddhists,
they would sway their fellow-countrymen and lead
them to a higher and better life. But their faith
teaches them that the only way to eradicate the
evil in the world is for each individual to cast it
out of himself; that a man is only responsible for
his own individual self; and if he sees to it that he
spends the time in meditation, he has done all that
he can do. There is literally no stretching of the
hand to a brother. There is no helping of the man
who is stumbling. There is no teaching of right-
eousness, no pointing of the people upward, no
yearning to save others. The great founder of the
religion who, as we have seen, has come to be wor-
shiped in the development of the system, said when
his disciples pressed upon him and pleaded that he
might save them, "Nay, though you embrace my
knees I cannot save you."
CHAPTER XVII
SPIRIT-WORSHIP AND TREATMENT OF THE SICK
IN the fifth century, there came missionaries from
Ceylon into the Laos provinces bearing with them
the sacred scriptures of the Buddhists. We might
say that these missionaries were very successful, for
they were not persecuted and stoned, nor killed,
and they had the reward of seeing the people by
villages and towns embracing their teachings. How
different was the reception and spread of this re-
ligion from the true religion which the white-faced
missionaries brought fourteen centuries afterwards !
The secret lay in the fact that Buddhism was not
exclusive while Christianity was; Buddhism allowed
its adherents to retain their old system of spirit-
worship, while Christianity said, Ye cannot serve
two masters. Buddhism simply supplemented the
existent faith, adding thereto a moral code and a
clerical literature, while Christianity insisted, first,
Put off the old man with his deeds. Buddhism
built upon the foundation already laid, while Chris-
tianity declared, Other foundation can no man lay
save that which is laid in Christ Jesus. And so
Buddhism flourished and became the nominal re-
ligion of the land, save of a few hill tribes here and
there. But the old religion brought down with
the Shans from the valley of the Yangtsi still lived
and ruled men's hearts. Only one feature of it had
224
SPIRIT-WORSHIP 225
to be given up, and that was the taking of animal
life to propitiate the evil spirits. This custom was
so conflicting with the Buddhist teaching as to the
sacredness of life, that it was largely dropped by
the people.
Spirit-worship, as existing among the Laos, is
not reduced to a system as is Buddhism. It has
no temples, but it is enshrined in the heart of every
man, woman, and child in the country. So subtle
a thing is it that it is difficult to describe; impos-
sible to comprehend if reared under the freedom of
Christian influence ; and equally impossible of es-
caping if a Laos born. It acknowledges no god,
but gods many, good and bad, more numerous and
varied than were those of the ancient Greeks. But
little thought is given to the good spirits, if any
such exists, but the bad ones have to be propitiated
constantly; so constantly that it is just to term this
people devil-worshipers. All the monasteries,
shrines, and sacred bo trees of the land cannot
soothe the heart of Laos-land that is trembling
'neath this scourge of demon fear.
This spirit-worship is a modified form of
Shamanism, and is almost identical with the Nat
worship of Western Shans, Kachins, and other
mountain tribes bordering on Burma. It is also
closely allied to the spirit-worship of the peasant
class or Finns of Russia. All unusual occurrences
are accounted for as being supernatural ; or in other
words, they account for all workings of nature out-
side of the most ordinary by referring to some
spirit. If a house is blown down in a storm, the
15
226 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
owner never thinks that it was poorly built or that
its posts are beginning to decay, but he cries: "The
spirits, the spirits, what have I done to anger the
spirits? What must I do to propitiate them?
They are now sitting up there in that tamarind
tree waiting to pounce upon me or some one of my
family. Let us hasten to appease them!" So of-
ferings of food and flowers are placed beneath the
tamarind tree with pleadings that the spirits may
eat thereof and be refreshed and that they may
breathe the perfume of the flowers and be soothed.
Spirit-doctors are sent for, who come and with
chants and incantations coax the spirits to leave
this family alone, and either fly away elsewhere or
stay forever in the tamarind tree. Not being sure
as to which the spirits may do, offerings of food
and flowers and perfumed water are kept beneath
the tree until some other mishap diverts the mind
to a new set of spirits.
If a man wishes to go on a journey, he first
makes a visit to some wise man who has a book
containing an astrological table and a lucky day is
sought for. The day must properly coincide with
the birth of the man, the phase of the moon, and
position of certain constellations. The wise man
is given a fee, and then the traveler turns his
thoughts to the spirits. Offerings are made to
them to insure their good will or at least gain their
neutrality, and the journey is begun. No exigency
of life could induce a man to begin a journey with-
out first going through this preparation. The
question may arise, What in case of war? But even
SPIRIT-WORSHIP 227
then the officers never move without first consult-
ing a wise man, and making due offerings to the
spirits. And the reader may ask, What about the
peasant who is summoned by his lord for a jour-
ney? In that case, the chau himself has held the
consultation with the wise man and has made of-
ferings to the spirits. The peasant feels safe under
the protection of his lord, but even then he will
make a small offering for himself before the jour-
ney begins.
When crossing the mountains or passing
through the rapids a halt is called and food and
flowers are offered to the residing spirits of the
place. Often bamboo withes are woven into fancy
shapes and hung upon a bush or tree to please the
spirits. Another device is made by weaving six
flat withes of bamboo into a hexagonal shape,
similar to such designs made by kindergarten chil-
dren. This is called ta-leo, and is thought to en-
tangle the spirit when it comes to molest. Thus
at the mountain passes one always finds an accumu-'
lation of these woven charms swinging in the breeze
and looking in the gray of the evening hour quite
spectral enough to arouse dread in a credulous
people. When traveling with the missionaries, the
natives never make these offerings. They are
strictly forbidden to do so, for should they allow
it, the natives would claim the missionaries' belief
in the charm. At first offerings were made when
unobserved, but gradually this died away, and now
a native does not care to try to propitiate the spirits
when in the employ of the missionary. They say,
228 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
"The Jesus spirit" is stronger than their evil ones
and wards off their attacks. This is a perversion
of the truth, but it often leads to a full knowledge
thereof.
Children are seen with soot marks upon their
foreheads. These are placed there by spirit-doc-
tors and are to ward off evil. They also wear
around their wrists charm strings. This belief is
by no means confined to the peasantry. The chaus
and monks hold to it as firmly. The late King of
Chieng Mai, the Chau Chiwit, who was the last
tributary king of the province, had spirit-doctors
charm strings and run seven tiers around his pal-
ace to keep out the evil spirits that were causing
his illness.
If a person falls into the water often no one at-
tempts to rescue him, for the mishap was caused by
some angry spirit and its wrath would surely rest
upon the rescuer. One of our Laos missionaries.
a gifted young woman, was drowned because of this
superstition. In bathing she got beyond her depth,
and not one of the staring natives dared to go to
her assistance. At one time, the dead body of a
man floated past our house and caused numerous
suppositions, as to the possible cause of his drown-
ing, among the little group watching the scene.
One man said that he was evidently a traveler, and
his home spirit was angered by his going into an-
other province; that the injured and enraged spirit
had pursued him and cast him into the stream as
he sat upon the bank resting. Another suggested
that he had neglected the usual annual feasting of
SPIRIT-WORSHIP 229
the spirits after the crops are harvested, and that
this mishap was a natural and just sequence. Still
another suggested that the spirit of a former dead
wife was jealous of the present wife and had tripped
him up as he was entering a boat. And so on, ran
the talk, all proving how debased and imbruted was
the understanding.
Certain large groves are set aside as being the
very special habitation of large hordes of spirits.
Offerings are made to these upon the outskirts of
the grove, in the hope that the spirits will be con-
tent to remain in the grove and not rove abroad.
In touring, missionaries sometimes unwittingly
pitch tent in such a grove, but they soon have to
move, for the villagers will not come to them there.
Certain spirits reside over the trees that wild bees
inhabit, and if a hunter takes honey therefrom he
must make an offering to the spirits to appease
probable wrath for disturbing the honey and to
insure a yield the next year.
In the summer of 1898 the rains in the Lakawn
province were light and varying, and a general fail-
ure of rice threatened. The populace were
aroused, and much concern was felt, even by the
wee children. Evidently the spirits were angry.
Why? did not trouble the mind, but how to pro-
pitiate them did. The whole people set to work
making sweetmeats to carry to the wats as offer-
ings to the monks. Probably the god within the
wat walls, the immense idol, had been neglected,
and was angry. And so the gifts poured in to all
the surrounding wats. Wat drums were beaten at
230 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
intervals, both day and night. All imaginable
kinds of fancy-woven bamboo work were hung aloft
on trees. Food and flowers were kept at all the
spirit-shrines, and special offerings were placed at
bends in the road, upon hilltops, and in recesses
of valleys. Thus the people spent of their little sub-
stance, and still no rain. So a very special and
grand display was planned. On the auspicious day
monks from the wat luang of the district carried
with pomp and display and imposing pageantry, up
and down the roads and streets, a small ivory idol
of Buddha which was supposed to possess extra-
ordinary virtues. All day long rolled the beating
of gongs as the procession moved about. At
twilight the little image was restored to his seat in
the wihara, and no reproach was cast upon his fail-
ure to bring the rain. Instead the people said,
"Ah, we have not yet made a sufficient effort to
turn the spirits' wrath."
Thus it may be seen that there is no rational per-
ception of natural phenomena, and that the reason-
ing faculties are necessarily kept in bondage and
subjection to the wildest flights of the fancy and
imagination. The secrets of nature are not in-
vestigated, and no poor Roger Bacon has ever
arisen among the people to begin research and
prove that natural phenomena are not sorcery and
magic.
Every person is believed to have thirty-two good
spirits pervading his body, called kwan. As long
as these kwan all remain as guardian spirits within,
no sickness or mishap can befall the person. But
SPIRIT-WORSHIP 231
alas! these kwan are freaky, vacillating spirits, and
may leave the body without a moment's warning,
and at once sickness or accident befalls. Much
time and money are spent trying to keep these
kwan in a good humor so that they will not desert
the body.
Originally all spirits had their origin in human
beings, and for lack of merit became spirits. Thus
deceased monks haunt wat grounds and are known
as Pi Sua Wat; and the deceased kings and officials
known as Pi Sua Ban, roam over the scenes of their
past glories and out of spite work ill for the living.
Those who die away from their homes are doomed
to rove in the jungles and forests as Pi Pa, be they
king or slave. These Pi Pa spirits are very malig-
nant.
Belief in magic is a necessary consequence of
this spirit-worship. Though the Siamese Shans
are spirit-worshipers in a very modified form, their
superstition leads them to accredit the Laos with
this occult power of magic. The Laos, in turn,
cannot exactly locate magicians, but certain it is
that such exist, and they may be found somewhere
among the mountain tribes. These magicians are
believed to have the usual powers ascribed to
magicians among all the nations who in their in-
fancy or childhood believed in the art. They are
accredited with the power of alchemy, but only in
a limited degree. ' Even the rudiments of chem-
istry are wholly unknown to the people, so they
could not attribute its secrets to their magicians.
The first principle of alchemy is accredited to them,
232 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
namely, that there is a secret whereby the baser
metals are transmuted into gold and silver. The
magician's power is unlimited so far as working
miracles in nature, such as transforming a spirit
into an insect which can enter a person and be
changed at once into some wild beast which causes
death. But it must be borne in mind that these
magicians are only creatures of the fancy and the
imagination. They never assume tangible form,
and so need not be considered as serious an evil as
that other form of superstitious belief which is hor-
ribly tangible and specific, and of which we will
speak presently.
The folk-lore of this people is pregnant with this
belief in magic and spirit-worship, and so the chil-
dren at the knee learn to reverence and fear both,
and in after years when the saner reason of ma-
turity would assert itself, this belief has become a
habit too deeply ingrained in the mind to be cast
aside.
There are believed to be certain magic-wells and
springs scattered over the land, the waters of which
are for the healing of the people; and other springs
which infinitely prolong human life. These springs
are undoubtedly believed to exist, but no man can
locate the exact spot. When upon the plain, they
are to be found in the mountains, and when there,
it is necessary to go into the next province, and so
on, until one is wearied in endless search. Such a
spring was said to exist within a cave at Chieng
Dao. Near the opening of the cave ran a stream
which was said to be impassable. Beyond it rested
SPIRIT-WORSHIP 233
an idol of pure gold, solid, and ten feet high. There
were also golden vestments and other wonders, and
beyond lay the entrance to the city of the Yaks, a
fabulous race of giants. To cross the river one
must have a great amount of merit and no one has
ever considered himself as sufficiently possessed
with merit to undertake the journey.
Several years ago Dr. McGilvary entered the
cave with a native Christian and discovered that the
stream could be forded and that beyond stretched
a fine cave, but utterly lacking in any fixtures that
would be a foundation for the popular belief. But
this discovery did not disconcert the natives. They
said that the party had sufficient merit to cross the
stream, but not to behold the wonders within!
Faith in amulets is necessarily embraced in this
superstition. Divination, as has been seen, is be-
lieved in and much stress is laid upon omens. The
popular American superstitions in regard to Friday
being an unlucky day for the beginning of a task
and the breaking of a mirror signifying seven years
of misfortune would find themselves completely lost
amid the myriad of Laos omens. All of these arts
are merely in a rudimentary form, not one of them
reaching the height of like arts in the Middle
Ages.
Many forms of disease are thought to be caused
by evil spirits. All diseases fall under one of two
classes. The first embraces the simpler ailments
that flesh is heir to, and result from a disturbance
of the equilibrium in the body of the four elements,
wind, fire, earth, and water. The second includes
234 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
all the more serious disorders that are not under-
stood by the people, and are so thought to be
caused by offended spirits.
The first class may be treated by simple home
remedies, such as massage, in which art the native
women are skilled; dieting, or the drinking of teas
made from herbs and roots of medicinal shrubs.
If a person has pain in the side or abdomen, a sec-
ond person comes to the rescue by kneeding the
abdomen with the feet. This is sometimes done by
the patient lying flat on the back with flexed knees
along the side of the veranda-railing. The friend
leans back upon the railing and partly supports her
weight with her arms upon the rail, while her feet
kneed the abdomen. I have seen this process kept
up for half an hour, a bright cheery conversation
between the two going on all the time. An occa-
sional "oh" would be the only sign of discom-
fort.
If the case is more serious, a doctor must be
called. These doctors are much venerated by
the people, though not considered infallible,
as the following proverb will show: "An elephant,
though he has four legs, may slip; and a doctor is
not always right." They are men of owl-wisdom
looks, but are not graduated from any school ^of
medicine, and as some one has said, "They just
take to doctoring naturally." There are several
large volumes in the language written upon palm
leaves which may be termed medical books. They
treat of the mysteries of the four elements, wind,
fire, earth, and water, and they give a number of
SPIRIT-WORSHIP 235
prescriptions after the order of the following one,
which is for snake bite:
A piece of the jawbone of the wild hog.
A piece of the jawbone of a tame hog.
A piece of the jawbone of a goose.
A piece of the jawbone of a peacock.
The tail of a fish.
The head of a venomous snake.
This is compounded and given in water, often
amounting in bulk to from one to two quarts. If
the patient dies, it only proves that an insufficient
quantity of the drug was taken.
This is very serious truth, and is applicable to
all classes. For instance, the mission physician of
Lakawn was sent for to come quickly to Chan B ,
as he was seriously ill. When the physician ar-
rived the chau was stretched upon a mat and beside
him were vessels from which he had been draining
pints of liquid. At his head sat a doctor with lips
pursed blowing gently but steadily upon the very
top of the chau's head. The chau explained that
"wind" was his trouble, that it had entered his side
sharply and had since been coursing up and down
his body; that so long as the doctor blew upon
his head, the wind ceased its rushing course, and
already much of it had passed out of his left foot.
This man the week before had been conversing
with several foreigners upon the great political
problems which were then shaking England and
America, and he showed a good understanding of
the situation. He was a subscriber to the weekly
Bangkok papers printed largely in Siamese, and
236 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
was conversant with all the world problems of the
day. Yet, behold him lying there with his "wind"
coursing up and down his body and going out of
his left leg!
These doctors have no definite knowledge of the
organs and functions of the body. No experimental
investigations or patient observations have ever
been made by them. One mission physician at-
tests: "It is doubtful if he the doctor has,
either by intelligent experiment or by accident, ar-
rived at one solitary verifiable fact, either in physi-
ology or therapeutics." The same general treat-
ment is given for various diseases. The medicinal
draught is compounded of the teeth, blood, and gall
of the bear, tiger, crocodile, rhinoceros, and ele-
phant, mixed with egg shells, herbs, and powdered
roots of certain trees, until the mixture may contain
two hundred ingredients. "Besides their specific
curative properties, these medicines impart the
courage of the tiger, the stability, dignity, and
longevity of the elephant, the solemnity and tran-
quillity of the crocodile, the equanimity, content-
ment, and philosophic indifference to external
things and other virtuous characteristics of the
rhinoceros." This powder is steeped in water
and given in quantities varying from a half pint to
a half gallon at a time, according to the patient.
When called to a patient, the doctor remains in
the house until the patient improves, at which time
the doctor is given a fee and dismissed, or until it
is decided to call another doctor, in which case,
doctor No. i receives no pay; neither is he paid
SPIRIT-WORSHIP 237
should the patient die. Thus the doctor's bread
depends upon his curing the patient. And so
tenacious of life is the human body that a large
number of the sick recover under such treatment.
I went to see a poor suffering woman at one time
who had a most acute attack of appendicitis. She
was suffering all the agonies that accompany the
disease. I heard her groans and cries at intervals
long before I reached the gate. She lay in a heap
upon her mat clasping her knees in a tight grip
of pain. Beside her sat a doctor with a bowl in
his hand containing a fluid into which he was blow-
ing his breath by pursing the lips. When the
water was sufficiently charmed, he dabbed it upon
her side and abdomen, chanting in weird monotone
all the while. Think of such treatment for appen-
dicitis! And, then, mark ye, the woman recov-
ered. But you may say, the case probably was not
appendicitis. However, it was so declared by our
station physician who was called in and then dis-
missed because he did not work a miracle.
One other highly-esteemed remedy must not be
overlooked. It is as simple as wonderful, consist-
ing merely in the virtue stored up in a warm, newly-
laid egg. If such an egg is rubbed by a doctor
over the affected parts of the body, it has great
curative powers. Care must be exercised to hold
the egg "just so," and the movement over the body
must be accompanied by the repetition of charmed
verses.
There is no sharp line of demarcation between
the first and second class of diseases as many forms
238 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
of diseases which fall under the first head are
treated as such, and yet thought to be caused by
spirits. For instance, rheumatism, which is a com-
mon disease and caused by an excess of earth in
the joints, is treated by the regular doctors and
yet is also thought to be caused by a swamp-spirit.
If the attack is severe a spirit-doctor is called who
treats the case by holding his immense bladed
knife, compared with which a carving knife is inno-
'cent, over the affected part and drawing it up and
down the flesh, at the same time commanding the
spirit to return to its former abode. If a doctor is
not available some venerable person can treat the
case, though the results will be more doubtful. In
cases of fever, the regular course is gone through
under the direction of the doctor, still the family
of the patient makes tiny craft and places upon
them offerings of food and flowers, which are sent
off downstream hoping to decoy away the fever
spirit. During the Buddhist Lent, which is a
sickly season, many families hang lanterns aloft
over their houses each night, thus lighting the
spirits over their dwellings so that they may not
wander down into the houses and molest the in-
mates. Yet these diseases mentioned and many
others cannot fall rightly under the second class,
for the "spirit" element in them is too vague and
theoretical. This second class is decidedly specific.
The diseases falling within it are thought to be
caused by the spirit of some person entering the
body and "bewitching" it, causing illness and death
unless expelled. This can properly be classed un-
SPIRIT-WORSHIP 239
der the name witchcraft. The diseases of this
class are those which the natives do not at all un-
derstand, such as delirium, lunacy, epileptic seiz-
ures, hysteria, variations of surface temperature,
and other nervous affections. The spirit of these
diseases is termed pi ka, and the treatment is a
specialty. The doctors are termed spirit-doctors
and are much esteemed by the natives.
When a person is supposed to be possessed by a
pi ka, the spirit-doctor comes and with much cere-
mony and many mysterious signs and movements,
and after several draughts of arrack, seats himself
upon a mat beside the patient, and begins his ex-
orcisms. He uses either a light cane for flogging,
emphasized with pinches by the fingers, or else em-
ploys a tiger's tooth which latter is the most popu-
lar and effectual. The tooth is scratched over the
flesh, leaving in its wake little trails of blood, all
the while the doctor chanting incantations which
give a very decided "tone" to the proceedings. The
patient writhes and twists in pain, but the suffering
is not considered as inflicted upon the patient, but
the pi ka, and any words uttered by the subject are
considered as coming from the spirit. When at
some point in the running course of the tooth the
patient cries out, the spirit is located, and the tooth
probed into the flesh, the doctor demanding in
loud tones that the spirit give its name. Such
treatment usually brings momentary consciousness
to even the delirious. And the patient for some
one of several reasons utters the name of a person
against whom there is a dislike or family grudge,
24O THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
or if neither exists, the name of some unpopular
person in the neighborhood is uttered. Questions
are then asked so as to certainly identify the per-
son, and then strings are tied around the thumbs
of the patient binding them together and the big
toes in the same way, and also a string is tied
around the neck. This is to keep the pi ka within
the body. And so ends the first stage of the in-
vestigation.
It is very probable that the Laos mind is so in-
grained with this belief that in such a case the
patient would give the name of some person, be-
lieving himself that it was the pi ka within speak-
ing, and not his own true self. And really be-
tween the Buddhist teaching of no soul and still
reincarnation; and their faith in spirits and magic;
and the natural puzzles of the mind regarding the
hidden life within; it is no wonder that a fevered
brain should be doubtful as to its identity.
The next step is to send for the accused witch,
or some member of the immediate family, who
cuts the strings, thus liberating the pi ka, which
returns to the body of the witch. In time the
patient recovers, if indeed he does not die from
having been torn internally by the spirit when it
left the body, or by its having eaten too much of
the viscera of its victim. The property of the
family of the witch is all destroyed and burned,
and they are driven and stoned away from their
home and people, and are forever branded as pi
kas. The poor unfortunates either huddle to-
gether in villages of their own, or else flee to some
SPIRIT-WORSHIP 241
distant province, where they hope to lose their
past identity and begin life anew. Such occur-
rences are not rare, but, on the contrary, are fre-
quent; so that each year many hundreds are thus
driven from their homes. This is a dark blot upon
the fair name of the Laos; but before we cast our
stones, let us remember how in England, as late
as 1664 the just and intellectual Sir Matthew
Hale, who ranked as the foremost man of the
nation, condemned to death two women for be-
witching children, and supported his actions and
belief by long and learned arguments based upon
both theology and metaphysics. Let us also re-
member the Salem witchcraft, and then let us
drop the stones and determine that as we now have
the Light "of Truth, we will not rest until its beams
shine from bound to bound of this Laos-land.
One would think that accused witches would
know that the accusations were false, but they do
not always, as the following occurrence will illus-
trate: A mother and several daughters were
branded as witches. They were all rather above
the medium in stature, so that in looks they dif-
lered slightly from the masses. They approached
the nearest witch village, thinking to take up their
abode there, and find shelter in some house until
able to go to the forest, cut timber, and build for
themselves. But when the witches of the village
saw them approaching, they threw up their hands
and exclaimed, "Oh, but these are witches, truly,
truly!" and, picking up sticks, they drove them
away.
16
242 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
As has been stated in a preceding chapter, these
pi kas sometimes take refuge under the mission
roof. The popular belief at such a time is that
so long as on the mission compound the pi ka in
the person is in subjection to the "J esus spirit,"
and so no harm can be wrought by them to the
missionaries. Usually they are thought to leave
the body of the witch, and, climbing up some tree
near the gate, await the going forth of the witch,
to market or elsewhere, when they climb down
and enter the body again.
Often, in cases of uncertainty as to what may
be the trouble with a sick person, a medium is
called in. These mediums are always women,
as the spirit-doctors are men. They sit in state
upon a mat, and are given every attention by the
waiting, expectant family. If possible, a native
band of musicians is obtained, who perform the
whole time. Arrack is offered the medium and is
partaken of freely. When it begins to animate
her, she sways and chants improvised incantations,
until she is seized by a spirit of inspiration and
becomes frantic in her gestures and movements,
at which point the music swells to a tumult.
Questions are then asked as to what may be the
trouble with the sick, and what course must be
pursued to amend matters. The shrewdness of
the medium, combined with her own probable
belief in her powers, enables her to give satisfactory
answers, and she informs as to what spirits have
been offended and how to propitiate them; or, if
the case be mere sickness, she gives them a pre-
SPIRIT-WORSHIP 243
scription instead. If the person grows worse, the
case is evidently one beyond the medium's control,
and so the spirit-doctor is sent for.
This belief in witchcraft is often used by the
ruling class to forward selfish interests or to wreak
their vengeance upon an offending family, thus
taking a mean advantage through the aid of a
superstition that they themselves believe in.
The awful shadow cast over Laos life by these
superstitions is simply indescribable. The people
are religiously like frightened children in the dark.
They call and cry to one another, but are only the
more frightened by the sounds and echoes of one
another's voices, and in their gropings they start
and scream as they touch one another, deeming
it a devil instead of a friend. They stumble, they
reel to and fro, they fall and cry out in a death
agony that they would rather abide in the present
known evil than to be launched into the future
unknown.
CHAPTER XVIII
THE ORGANIZATION AND EARLY DAYS OF THE
MISSION
"And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for
ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world."
WE have seen that the Laos, though a simple,
comparatively happy people in their social lives, are
pitifully helpless and sinful spiritually. The same
condition of sin and suffering that brought Christ
down from heaven to earth twenty centuries ago
exists in Laos to-day. They do not need to be
given a religion of good morals and good ethics
alone, for they have that already. What they need
is a Saviour from sin, a Power to keep from sin.
They look up to no God, and they have no vision of
his purity that they might hate their own heinous-
ness. Sin has wrapped its bands about the people,
and they love it, though they fear it. The scourge
of this fear drives them to deeds of merit that they
may escape a worse fate in the dread unknown.
To the Christian there can be no doubt that the
Laos need Christ.
There is perhaps no age in the history of the
world that has been so thoroughly practical as is
this one. The mind demands figures and facts.
The old saying that "an ounce of fact is worth a
ton of theory" expresses the popular sentiment.
And so I am glad that this demand for the tangible,
244
ORGANIZATION OF THE M T SSION 245
for facts and figures, can be met in connection with
Laos-land and its need for Christianity, and its
response to its teachings. A few years ago faith
alone could attest it, but now facts can be added
thereto. It is my purpose in the succeeding chap-
ters to give some of the evidences of Christianity
among the Laos, showing that when this people
come face to face with God and a personal
Saviour and a Power to keep from sin they become
verily new creatures, a savor of life in the com-
munity and nation, and the hope for all the prob-
lems that gather about the redemption of the land
from its state of lethargy and sin.
The Laos Mission is an outgrowth of the mis-
sion to the Siamese, and that mission is a result
of the desire to establish a mission among the
Chinese. In those early days, when the doors of
China were barred and sealed to the world, men
and women of God waited at Singapore and Bang-
kok and other places, studying the Chinese lan-
guage with the Chinese residents of those ports,
and waiting for the first opportunity to enter into
the Celestial Empire.
As far back as 1662, the Church of Rome estab-
lished its missions among the Siamese. The facts
of the case sadly prove that the mission was not
worthy of the name Christian, for, instead of main-
taining the high standards which the Catholic
Church holds in Protestant countries, she sank to
the level of the heathen about her. Instead of
raising them up to Christ, they dragged her down
to mammon. The mission flourished temporarily,
246 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
but got into numberless troubles with the govern-
ment and officials by its trying to interfere with
established laws, and its desire to receive official
recognition. But it must be acknowledged that a
few of the members of its mission were earnest,
humble, devout men, actuated by the true mission-
ary spirit. They were, however, unable to sway
the majority of their brethren and to instill their
principles into the mission policy. The renowned
Dr. Carl Gutzlaff, upon visiting Bangkok in 1828,
wrote that he found that the "servility and moral
degradation of the Christians Siamese converts
had inspired the Siamese with such a contempt,
not only for the religion, but for the civilization
and power of all Europeans, that they only began
to change their minds upon rinding that British
arms had actually defeated and conquered Burma,
which is on the very border of Siam itself.' 5 Thus
was born a dislike and scorn of the white-faced
foreigner and his religion. But a while after the
establishment of Protestant missions we find the
following official document written by royal
sanction:
"Many years ago, the American missionaries
came here. They came before any Europeans"
ignoring the Jesuits, and referring to the large
number of European merchants and traders who
flocked to the port so soon as it has been opened
by the missionaries "and they taught the Siamese
to speak and read the English language. The
American missionaries have always been just and
upright men. They have never meddled in the
ORGANIZATION OF THE MISSION 247
affairs of government or created any difficulty with
the Siamese. They have lived with the Siamese
just as if they belonged to the nation. The Gov-
ernment of Siam has great love and respect for
them, and has no fear whatever concerning them.
When there has been a difficulty of any kind, the
missionaries at many times have rendered valuable
assistance. For this reason, the Siamese have
loved and respected them for a long time. The
Americans have also taught the Siamese many
things."
Of later date, 1899, we have the following testi-
mony from the government to the work of Prot-
estant missions in Siam. We quote from the Hon.
Hamilton King, U. S. Minister to Siam:
"At a recent banquet given by the Russian Min-
ister in honor of Prince Damrong on his return
from an extensive trip of inspection throughout the
kingdom, I had the real pleasure of hearing the fol-
lowing words : 'Mr. King, I want to say to you that
we have great respect for your American mission-
aries in our country, and appreciate very highly
the work they are doing for our people. I want
this to be understood by everyone, and if you are
in a position to let it be known to your country-
men, I wish you would say this for me. I have
now more especially in my mind my visit to Chieng
Mai, Laos. The work of your people there is
excellent. I cannot say too much in praise of the
medical missionaries there, especially/ '''
These quotations are significant. They prove
that the old dislike of the foreigner and the "Chris-
248 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
tian" has been overcome, and that the Government
is not now antagonistic to Protestant missionaries,
though they teach a different religion and insist
that, Other foundations can no man lay save that
which is laid in Christ Jesus. It is also significant
in showing that if God has thus turned the hearts
of the rulers to favor his servants, the home church
should push forward to meet the new responsibili-
ties and privileges opened up to them in this field.
We do not have to stand waiting for open doors
in Siam and among the Laos, for they are on every
side, inviting entrance.
Siam owes much to Dr. Gutzlaff, for besides his
own arduous labor for the people the few years
he was there, he sent appeals to America and to
Dr. Judson, of Burma, that Protestant missions
should be established there at once. He and his
associate, the Rev. Mr. Tomlin, of the London
Missionary Society, could not remain in Bangkok,
as their society felt that they could not then estab-
lish their work there. Both of these men had
their faces set toward China. "But the American
trading-vessel commanded by Captain Coffin,
which in 1829 brought to this country the famous
'Siamese Twins' brought also an earnest appeal
for aid in evangelizing that then almost unknown
land of their birth." The appeal was written by
Dr. Gutzlaff, and in response the American Board,
followed by others, began work there. So we
might say that Protestant mission work was first
organized in the early thirties of the last century.
Several Boards worked there for many years, but
ORGANIZATION OF THE MISSION 249
ultimately, under principles of mission comity, all
the Boards withdrew, and left the field in charge
of the Presbyterian Board in the United States of
America.
The Providence of God in the attitude of the
government towards mission work is marked.
When Chau Fa Mongkut, the father of the rul-
ing king, Chulalongkorn, was a mere youth, his
throne was usurped and he fled to a monastery
and entered the Sacred Order. While a monk in
this monastery, the Rev. Jesse Caswell, of the
American Board, became especially interested in
him and had his heart stirred to work especially
with the young prince. He devoted a year and a
half to instructing him four times a week, one
hour each lesson, in English and the western
sciences. The triune God was constantly held up
to him, and though he never renounced Buddhism
to become a professed follower of Christ, the in-
fluence of Mr. Caswell's teaching was never lost.
For twenty-seven years this prince dwelt quietly
within the wat, studying hard for an Eastener and
ever seeking instruction from the missionaries.
In 1851 the days of the Siam Mission were
dark and ominous. Prince Fa Mongkut was still
in the wat, and the usurper, who was despotic,
selfish, and adverse to everything foreign, had so
insulted and mortified the English Ambassador,
the celebrated Sir James Brooke, "Rajah Brooke,"
who had come to Bangkok to try to establish
treaty relations, that he weighed anchor and re-
turned to England, breathing out threatenings of
250 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
gunboats and powder. The American Ambassa-
dor had also been repulsed, not having been able
to gain even an audience. War seemed imminent,
and the missionaries were advised to retire tem-
porarily. They considered the matter and decided
to remain. Before any official action could be
taken by the foreign government to force Siam to
open her ports to the world, the usurper died and
"entered into Nirvana."
The Prince Fa Mongkut was placed upon the
throne and at once began a new era for Siam. His
intimate relations with the missionaries during his
many years of seclusion had prepared him to rise
above the prejudices and traditions of his nation
in a marked degree. And so when, in 1855, Sir
John Bowring appeared to negotiate for treaty
rights, he was warmly received and had every
mark of reverence and distinction laid upon him
by the king. In less than a month's time, the
papers were all signed that were to open Siam to
the world, and that were to be precedents for the
subsequent treaties of other nations. Thus can
be understood the meaning of the words of the late
ex-regent: "Siam has not been disciplined by
English and French guns like China, but the
country has been opened by missionaries."
His majesty, besides encouraging mission work,
especially the educational and medical branches,
employed an English governess for his children.
One of the group of little ones taught by this Eng-
lish lady, Mrs. Leonowens, is the present ruling
king. King Mongkut requested, in a gracious
ORGANIZATION OF THE MISSION 25!
note to the mission, that the wives of the mission-
aries would undertake to teach the secluded ladies
of his palace. This they willingly and gladly did,
and three ladies, representatives of the three mis-
sions in the field, namely, Mrs. Bradley, Mrs. Mat-
toon, and Mrs. Jones, began the task of teaching in
the palace harem. It is interesting to note that
this is the first record of zenana teaching that we
have, for the India zenana work was not begun
until a few years later, 1857. The class was com-
posed of twenty-one of the thirty wives of his
majesty and several of his royal sisters. For vari-
ous urgent reasons the work had to be suspended
after only a few years of encouraging life.
It has been stated that the Siam mission de-
veloped from Bangkok's having been used as a
strategic point in the occupancy of China. But
many years before the first Protestant missionary
touched the shores of this land, a woman had made
an effort to bring the Siamese to a knowledge of
God, and on this wise. To quote from Dr. House
of the Siam mission :
"It is an interesting fact, that the very first effort
made by any of the Protestant faith for the spiritual
good of the people of Siam was by a woman. This
was Ann Hazeltine Judson, of sainted memory,
who had become interested in some Siamese living
at Rangoon where she then resided. In a letter to
a friend in the United States, dated April 30, 1818,
she writes: 'Accompanying is a catechism in Siam-
ese, which I have just copied for you. I have at-
tended to the Siamese language for about a year
252 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
and a half, and, with the assistance of my teacher,
have translated the Burman catechism just pre-
pared by Dr. Judson a tract containing an
abstract of Christianity and the Gospel of Matthew
into that language.' The catechism was printed
by the English Baptist mission press at Serampore
in 1819, being the first Christian book ever printed
in Siamese."
On June 20, 1858, the Rev. and Mrs. Jonathan
Wilson and the Rev. Daniel McGilvary arrived in
Bangkok as reinforcements to the mission. As
these young men were to become the pioneers of
our Laos mission we will glance at their lives
previous to their coming to Siam. They had
been roommates at Princeton Seminary and
while there they dedicated their lives to foreign
mission work. It will be remembered that at this
time that prince of men, John Leighton Wilson,
was Secretary of the Presbyterian Board. It was
his custom to visit annually the "schools of the
prophets" and lay before the students the great
needs of the heathen world. In the closing
months of 1855, when he visited Princeton, he laid
especially the claims of Siam before the students.
It was then a new and most needy ifield. Three
members of that senior class offered themselves
for that field, namely, Messrs. McGilvary, Wilson,
and J. A. Lefevre. None of the three were physi-
cally strong men and ultimately Dr. Lefevre had
to abandon all hope of going. He spent his life
as pastor of the Franklin Square Presbyterian
Church of Baltimore, and is one of the ablest theo-
ORGANIZATION OF THE MISSION 253
logians and preachers of the generation that is
passing away.
After graduating, Dr. Wilson spent some time
laboring successfully at Spencer Academy, Indian
Territory, part of the time working among the
Choctaw Indians. Dr. McGilvary came South to
his native State of North Carolina and took charge
of a church in Orange Presbytery. He was or-
dained by that presbytery December 13, 1857, at
Pittsboro, Chatham County. But neither looked
upon their work other than temporary. And so in
1858, when their general health had much im-
proved, they were accepted by the Board and ap-
pointed as missionaries to Siam. Before he sailed
Dr. McGilvary visited his friend, Dr. Lefevre, in
Baltimore, in company with Dr. J. Leighton Wil-
son, to see if it were possible for him to go. But
"general debility and some hereditary pulmonary
troubles" would not allow him to undertake such
a work, and so the two friends had to sail without
him March 9, 1858. In the annual report of the
board of that year we find these words: "In the
case of both these brethren, it was some degree of
uncertainty as to health that led to the delay in
their being sent out. This doubt, it is believed,
has been removed; and the committee trust that
their lives and health will be spared for many years
of missionary work in Siam." How abundantly
and wonderfully has God fulfilled this hope! That
was forty-four years ago, and both these men are
still living upon the field, not as retired veterans,
but as active missionaries. It was the following
254 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
May that the outgoing of Messrs. Wilson and Mc-
Gilvary was reported to the General Assembly,
which met that year in New Orleans, in Dr. B. M.
Palmer's church.
In April, 1860, Mrs. Wilson succumbed to an at-
tack of cholera, which was then prevalent in Bang-
kok. She lingered until July, when, after all her
labors and her suffering, in peace she fell on sleep,
with words of rapture and joy upon her lips.
The following November Dr. McGilvary was
married to Miss Sophia R. Bradley, the eldest
daughter of the Rev. D. B. Bradley, M. D., of the
American Missionary Association. She was a
young woman of rare abilities, possessing a com-
bination of gifts and attainments which most ad-
mirably fitted her to become the wife of the future
pioneer missionary to the Laos. In 1861, Dr. and
Mrs. McGilvary, with the Rev. S. G. McFarland,
D. D., were transferred from Bangkok to Petcha-
buree the city of diamonds to establish a work
there and lay the foundations of the station. Dr.
Wilson remained in Bangkok and was especially
successful in his colporteur work, which he faith-
fully carried on within the city and in the
suburbs.
Near Petchaburee was a large colony of Laos,
numbering ten thousand or more. They had fled
from their far-away home to the northeast, many
years before, when their leader had been defeated
in battle. They had been made serfs of the king,
and he had assigned them homes and lands in the
fertile province about Petchaburee. Dr. McGil-
ORGANIZATION OF THE MISSION 255
vary became interested in this people, and the an-
nual coming of boats from the "north land" to
Bangkok to trade increased this interest, and he
purposed in his heart to penetrate into their far-
away country and see if a mission could not be
established there. The Siam mission granted his
earnest plea, and in the cool season of 1863 he and
his friend, Dr. Wilson, pushed up into the unknown
stretch of country to the north of them and in the
name of Jehovah entered the mountain doors of
the land. At that time the Laos provinces were
simply tributary to Siam, and so these two men
sought the presence of the king of the provinces
who resided in the capital city of Chieng Mai. The
king and his wife were glad to see the foreigners,
and thinking that some material gain would accrue
from their coming, they warmly welcomed them
and invited them to come and establish a mission
there. After further investigations, and with a
promise from the king of a lot for a residence, they
turned their faces southward with hearts aglow with
hope. The Siam mission laid the matter before
the home Board and it was decided to establish a
mission there as soon as possible.
In 1864, the health of Dr. Wilson was so much
impaired that it became necessary for him to have
a rest and change, and so he sailed for America.
When he returned he was accompanied by his fair
bride who was destined to be his helper for many
years of fruitful labor.
The year 1867 is memorable as marking the es-
tablishment of the mission to the Laos. On the
256 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
3d of January, 1867, Dr. and Mrs. McGilvary and
their children embarked in one of the little Laos
boats described in a previous chapter. They left
with the prayers and the blessings of their co-
laborers resting upon them, and how sorely they
should need just those prayers and those blessings
they well knew, but their hearts failed not. The
water was fast falling, for the dry season was well
under way. It was also the beginning of the in-
tensely hot season, but those things they counted
not. If they did not go right then, the trip would
have to be postponed almost a year and a year!
What might that mean for the Laos? By agree-
ment, Dr. and Mrs. Wilson were to join them the
following year.
It is well to note here that the Roman Catholic
Church had previously made an effort to establish
a mission in the country, and with this end in view
had sent their M. Graudjean, a priest, into the prov-
inces to investigate. After a few months he re-
turned and reported that the people would not re-
ceive his message, but laughed at him, and, so to
use his own expression, "I shook the dust from off
my feet and returned."
The months of January, February, and March
were spent in the little boat upon the river, and not
until April I did they sight the city that was to
be the home of their adoption. Of this trip Dr.
McGilvary modestly wrote to the Board: "We
would record with devout gratitude to God his
watchful care over us during our long and tedious
and somewhat dangerous voyage." Upon reach-
ORGANIZATION OF THE MISSION 257
ing the city he found that the king was away fight-
ing the Red Karens, and no lot could be obtained
for residence. So he moved his family to one of
the salas of the city, and in his choice of one among
so many he was surely led of God, as after events
proved.
The king did not return until well into the rainy
season, so arrangements to remain in the sala had
to be made. Dr. McGilvary bought bamboo and
matting and built a small room to one side of the
sala. This afforded comparative protection from
the rains. It must be borne in mind that a sala is
simply an open pavilion built by mmY-makers for
the abode of travelers. This sala was low, being
only a few feet from the ground, whereas six or
seven feet is the usual height. The location was
also low. And so the mud beneath and in the yard
about was often a foot deep for weeks at a time.
To offset this, the building was upon the principal
highway of the city leading across the river bridge.
The advantage of this location will be seen pres-
ently. The season was intensely hot and very
sickly, and Dr. McGilvary distributed more quinine
the first two months than had been used at Petcha-
buree in six years. The first medicine given to a
native by Dr. McGilvary was some quinine for
fever. He had to pay the man to induce him to
take the drug. After several such cases the fear
of the ya kau, "medicine white," wore off, and the
people flocked to be supplied with it, so much so
that in a little while the supply that was expected
to last a year was exhausted. A few bottles were,
17
258 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
of course, reserved for emergencies and use in his
own family.
Dr. McGilvary had received no medical educa-
tion; but all missionaries should, and all pioneer
missionaries must, know something about medi-
cine. As our story will prove, this missionary was
of the highest order, being sprung from a sturdy
Scottish stock, renowned for intellect and for the
zeal and brightness of its faith. He had by appli-
cation acquired considerable knowledge of medical
science, and all through his life of active evan-
gelistic work, he has traveled with his Bible in
one hand and his medicine case in the other.
"Preach the gospel heal the sick."
On the day after the king's return from his war-
fare Dr. McGilvary called to pay his respects. The
king was not in the best of humor, for he had
suffered great loss of life, and on the whole the
expedition had proved a failure. Nevertheless, he
gave Dr. McGilvary a kindly welcome, and again
promised him a lot. Soon after this, the king did
make over a lot to the mission in good faith. The
lot was within the city and was well located upon
the principal highway, running from the bridge
through the principal gate of the city. No thought
was then given to building, for the rains were
steady, and it was impossible to either gather ma-
terial or to build. And so the months slipped by,
the days being rilled with ceaseless toil. The open
public sala made the missionaries accessible to the
people and assured Dr. McGilvary of an audience
from morning till night and often well into the
ORGANIZATION OF THE MISSION 259
evening hours. These people came from far and
near, many being travelers from distant prov-
inces.
All this time both Dr. and Mrs. McGilvary had
to give themselves to the study of the language,
and here the wife had the advantage. Siamese
was the childhood tongue of Mrs. McGilvary, for
her parents were among the pioneer missionaries
to Bangkok. This Siamese enabled them to con-
verse with the people, but they wished to come into
closer touch and speak their own vernacular, and
so they applied themselves to language-study. Part
of the time they had a man employed to assist
them, and to copy tracts, but in the main, they
were thrown upon their own resources. Dr. Mc-
Gilvary speaks thus of those days : "While the field
is open the work is great and arduous. We have
come beyond all the influence and ordinary means
of civilization, except the great one that it is our
privilege to bring with us, the gospel of Christ.
We have ho press, no schools, no commerce, no
European society." They were even far removed
from the touch of their brethren in Bangkok.
After the first year, this pioneer family was
cheered and strengthened by the coming of Dr.
and Mrs. Wilson. Soon after their arrival they
moved into the little bamboo house, which had
been built upon the mission lot, and it was decided
that Dr. McGilvary should remain in the sala until
he could obtain a new lot and build.
About this time thousands of strangers were
brought to Chieng Mai under corvee laws to help
260 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
rebuild the river bridge. These men were kept for
a few days only, when new relays took their places.
Because of the situation of the sala Dr. McGilvary
was surrounded by the camp of these workmen.
Every evening for several months he held services
in the sala, and oftentimes inquirers remained until
past midnight, asking questions and listening unto
the great truths of the new religion, until sheer
exhaustion drove the laborers to seek rest. Dr.
McGilvary felt keenly the lack of literature to give
inquirers. They had Siamese books, but the Laos
written character is wholly different from that of
the Siamese, and only a man here and there could
be found to read it. It was pitiful to see an earnest
inquirer start off for his distant home with only
the first glimmer of truth in his heart. Many said
they would pray no more to their idols, but to the
great God, and that they would keep the Sabbath
day. There was at that time no report to make to
the home church of conversions and baptisms, but
to this day the seed-sowing done in those months
is bringing forth fruit.
It was two years from the date of leaving Bang-
kok by Dr. McGilvary, until he and Dr. Wilson
baptized their first convert on January 3, 1869. It
was a little after that time that Dr. McGilvary
moved into a bamboo mission house upon a lot
furnished by the king. At this same time we find
a letter written by Dr. McGilvary, from which we
quote in part:
'The only estimate that some people can make
of the influence of missionary work is in the sum-
ORGANIZATION OF THE MISSION 261
ming up the figures of conversions and baptisms.
This is necessarily small at first. ... A double
process is to be carried on. A double work to be
accomplished just as if we were to be required to
rear an edifice on the grounds occupied by some
ancient stronghold. . . . Hath a nation changed its
gods? Yet, difficult as this is, it is the first thing
to be done; it is what we demand of the heathen as
an indispensable prerequisite toward embracing
the gospel. Many, many of them would love to
combine the two to lift up the hand and offer a
flower to the name of Jesus and Buddha as many
in Christian lands would combine the service of
God and mammon. ... In the necessity of uproot-
ing the deep foundations of old systems more con-
sonant to our fallen, depraved nature, we have all
the influence of custom to overcome when custom
in everything is law." Among the encouragements
to the work he enumerated the following:
"i. Buddhism is not held so strictly as in Siam.
It is not strange to see a monk eating rice in the,
afternoon, or handling money, or sitting or talking
with a woman, and many other similar violations of
the commands of their idol god, which if done
openly in Bangkok, would forfeit his position in
the order.
"2. The door is open. The people are accessible.
The king is friendly, as are also the princes and of-
ficers of the government.
"3. The people seem more disposed to look up to
foreigners than most other eastern nations. They
warmly receive the missionaries at their houses,
262 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
while their own homes are frequented with visitors
of all ranks.
"4. As a race they have more of the elements of
a manly character than most Asiatics/'
All the letters of Dr. McGilvary written during
the first two years at the sala to the home church
and to the Board, were burdened with one plea,
"Brethren, pray for us." As for himself he lived in
a constant atmosphere of prayer. Many of the
scenes in the sala were like to those of Jacob at
Penuel. He did not plead for one or two, but for
the "whole Laos race." His love was great, his
faith was greater, and when the first convert, Nan
Inta, was baptized, he pleaded that "the little one
might become a thousand." To-day he looks upon
a Laos church two thousand five hundred strong
and he looks with his faith still claiming the whole
Laos race.
Foundations mean much, and who will gainsay
that those of the Laos mission were well laid?
CHAPTER XIX
THE FIRST GROWTH AND PERSECUTION
NAN INTA was baptized on January 3, 1869, and
in seven months six more had received the ordi-
nance, and the little native church numbered seven
souls. They were all men and four of the seven
had first come to the missionaries for medicines.
Nan Inta was a man of middle life, having passed
two score and nine years. He was a man of rare
abilities, possessing those qualities which forced
him to be a leader of men. As his title, Nan, im-
plies, he had taken full monastic orders. He first
came to Dr. McGilvary for medicines, and, of
course, heard the gospel message from him. He
was favorably impressed with it, and promised that
he would come again, which promise he kept. In
time he was employed by Dr. McGilvary and Dr.
Wilson, because of his superior knowledge and
abilities, to assist them with the language and in
the copying of catechisms and portions of Scrip-
ture. Though so closely identified with the mis-
sionaries, he remained a staunch supporter of his
religion. It was not until the great solar eclipse
of August 16, 1868, that he was aroused. Dr. Mc-
Gilvary had predicted its occurrence to him and
had explained the phenomenon scientifically. Nan
Inta only shook his head and said that it was im-
possible; that the Paw Kru, "father teacher," had
263
264 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
been deceived in the matter. But Dr. McGilvary
saw to it that he understood the day and the hour
of the occurrence, and then he gave himself to
prayer. At the appointed time the eclipse oc-
curred, which was a total one in lower Siam, and
almost so in the Laos country. Nan Inta was
amazed. Could his sacred books have deceived
him? If they had made such mistakes in things
temporal, probably they did likewise in spiritual
things. And so he became an aroused and earnest
inquirer. He searched the Scriptures in Siamese
daily and soon he was persuaded to do so by prayer.
He had stopped his worship of idols, but he had
nothing in its place.
In November, Dr. McGilvary made a tour to
Lampun, a large city eighteen miles to the south-
east, and he carried Nan Inta with him. While
there, the light from above shone into his soul,
and he was given a revelation of truth. But the
obstacles in the way of making an open confession
seemed to him unsurmountable. He would be cut
off from his own people and kindred, and would be
branded as an outcast. An outcast amidst friends
and loved ones! Ah! but it is a test for manhood,
for Christianity, to see a man cut loose from every
tie that binds him to the past and present, from
family and organized society, and to step out upon
an unknown future for conscience sake. It is a
test. And so for this first believer in Christ among
the Laos, the trial was a bitter, heart-searching one.
Satan tempted him. Could he not be a secret be-
liever? Thereby he could maintain his influence
FIRST GROWTH AND PERSECUTION 265
over his family, and before they were aware lead
them to a knowledge of God. And so the struggle,
the birth-throes of Light into the midst of a people
in darkness, continued until the Holy Spirit re-
vealed to him like a flash of light that duty was his,
consequences God's. And so he yielded wholly,
and was filled with an assurance of God's love and
peace which never forsook him through all the
stormy, trying years which were to follow. So on
that memorable Sabbath, the 3d day of January,
1869, he stood up and made a public profession of
his faith in the triune God, and then in solemn joy
sat down with the band of missionaries to the table
of the Lord. This same week the church in
America was holding a special season of prayer,
and in answer to pleas from Dr. McGilvary and
Dr. Wilson, were especially remembering this new
mission. Of this Dr. McGilvary afterwards wrote:
"The rain falls in showers around us, and we know
that evaporation has been going on. A new in-
terest is awakened in heathen lands and we know
the church is praying."
It is interesting to note here that this same eclipse
that caused Nan Inta first to arouse to thought was
the cause of a great change in Siam though in a
very different way. His Majesty Fa Mongkut,
who was a great lover of astronomy and the sci-
ences, graciously "invited the French astronomical
expedition to be his guests on the occasion of the
eclipse as in his domain lay the path of complete
obscuration. The governor of Singapore also, and
the foreigners in Bangkok generally, including the
266 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
missionaries, were to be his guests. He went him-
self with his entire court with quite a fleet of
steamers down the west coast of the gulf some two
hundred miles, to Hua Wan, the point selected
where the jungle had been cleared and a bamboo
palace with other buildings had been put up, ex-
pending upon his right royal hospitalities in the
whole affair about $96,000. A malarial fever taken
there brought on not long after his return to his
capital the death of this martyr to science, the most
enlightened of all the sovereigns of Asia. He died
with Buddha's last words as the last upon his lips:
'All that exists is unreliable.' He used to say to
the missionaries: 'The sciences I receive, astronomy,
geology, chemistry, these I receive; the Christian
religion I do not receive; many of your country-
men do not receive it.' ... In the death of the
king, the missionaries lost, some of them, a kind,
personal friend, and 'well-wisher,' as he used to
sign himself, and all a friendly disposed liberal-
minded sovereign who put no obstacle in the way,
of their evangelizing his people.* His successor,
Prince Chulalongkorn, was a youth of fifteen years
when he ascended the golden stairs to the throne.
During his minority the affairs of state were ad-
ministered by his grace the regent, a wise man of
great executive ability."
Very different from the experience of Nan Inta
was that of another of the first seven converts, Noi
Su Ya, a doctor by profession. From the first
* From Siam and Laos.
FIRST GROWTH AND PERSECUTION 267
hearing of the gospel he never worshiped an idol,
and in less than two months was baptized. Nan
Ghai was the name of another one of the converts.
These two disciples were destined to a speedy
martyr's death. Both lived in a village some dis-
tance removed from Chieng Mai. Another was
Bun Ma, a servant to the official, a nephew of the
king, who instigated the trouble at the Chieng Mai
court, which caused the martyrdom. A blind man
was another one of this group of seven, and still
another was a man old and feeble in body, who,
during the persecution, yielded to the entreaty and
pressure of his family and clan, and outwardly took
part in the temple service. The seventh convert
lived to the far north at Chieng Rai and was a man
of sterling worth.
There had been much sickness among the mis-
sionaries during this memorable year and death had
entered the home of Dr. Wilson and claimed one
of his little ones. The circumstances of the death
of this child and of its burial and reburial are too
sacred and personal to be spoken of, but it is right
that the church should know that there are depths
of anguish and sorrow and suspense experienced
by those who represent her in heathen lands that
are incomprehensible, save by those who have like-
wise drank of the cup. But for this personal afflic-
tion the year had been one of almost uninterrupted
and unexampled prosperity, and the little church
of seven natives with the band of missionaries
looked out upon a future bright with hope.
When the king realized that the newcomers into
268 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
his kingdom were simply teachers of a new re-
ligion, and that instead of material gain resulting
from their coming, that they were drawing away
men from Buddhism which was his support, he was
disappointed. At court a designing official stirred
up this feeling into wrath. So while outwardly
professing friendship for the missionaries he began
to scheme to rid the country of them. On the last
of March, after Nan Inta's baptism in January, the
following letter was received at the United States
Consulate at Bangkok:
"Chau Paya Puperat Tai, Minister of the In-
terior, begs to inform the acting Consul of the
United States of America that the King of Chieng
Mai, Pra Chau Kawilorot, has sent down letters to
Prince Hluang Luang and the Prime Minister and
myself, the purport of all being the same, namely,
that whereas in former times the principalities of
Chieng Mai and Lampun and Lakawn had never
been subject to visitation of famine, now for two
years, the Year of the Tiger (1866-67) an d the
Year of the Rabbit (1867-68), there has been a
scarcity of rice. It is evident that what has befallen
the country is because in these lands where no for-
eigner ever before had come to live permanently,
now at this time the missionary, McGilvary, who
has come as a teacher of religion, had taken up his
residence in Chieng Mai. Hence, these calamities
have come upon them. He, the King of Chieng
Mai, begs that the consul be made to issue an order
withdrawing the missionary, McGilvary, and re-
quiring his return. What is proper to be done in
FIRST GROWTH AND PERSECUTION 269
this matter? You are requested to take the sub-
ject into consideration."
To this the acting United States Consul, Mr.
McDonald, replied that "He had received the com-
munication of His Excellency the Minister of the
Interior, forwarding the complaint of the King of
Chieng Mai alleging Mr. McGilvary to be the
cause of the famine in his domains and requesting
his removal. In reply he begs to say that it strikes
him as rather singular to attribute the famine dur-
ing the Year of the Tiger to Mr. McGilvary's tak-
ing up his residence in Chieng Mai, inasmuch as
the scant harvest of that year had already been
reaped before Mr. McGilvary has even left Bang-
kok to go up to Chieng Mai. And this year, 1868-
69, though Mr. McGilvary is still at Chieng Mai we
have tidings of an abundant harvest there. More-
over, in 1865-66 Korat and other towns in that
quarter experienced a severe famine, and yet no
foreigner had ever resided in that region of coun-
try. As to his the consul's being required to
withdraw Mr. McGilvary, and constrain him to re-
turn it, would be manifestly wrong. His Excellency
the Minister of the Interior, and the Siamese Gov-
ernment, gave consent to Mr. McGilvary's going
up to Chieng Mai, and he went on the invitation
of the King of Chieng Mai himself also. More-
over, he has expended on the removal of his family
and goods no small amount of money. That he
(the consul) should be asked to recall Mr. McGil-
vary and to constrain him to return without any
transgression of the laws alleged against him, in
270 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
fact without any reason whatever, would not be
right. The consul trusts his excellency will duly
consider this matter and that his views may accord
with what is right and just in the case."
At once the Minister to the Interior replied to
Mr. McDonald, and said: "That his views fully co-
incided with those of the consul. But that, never-
theless, he had some solicitude about the matter
because the King of Chieng Mai was an exceed-
ingly arbitrary man, unscrupulous and difficult to
deal with. That he felt constrained to say so much
that the consul might be apprised of the true state
of things."
Thus the King of Chieng Mai found himself
foiled in his attempt to rid the country of the mis-
sionaries. Necessarily it took many months for
him to discover this though his important letters
were sent to Bangkok by speedy couriers. His
wrath lashed him to bloody schemes, which he was
in part able to carry out. All the while he acted
the part of a friend of the missionaries so well that
they never suspected his designs. He planned in
his heart to kill first the converts, hoping that the
missionaries would become alarmed and leave.
On September n, Nan Chai and Noi Su Ya were
arrested under false charges for having failed to
perform their corvee labor. The fact that the ac-
cusation was false proved the blameless lives of the
men. They were dragged to the house of the chief
of the village and when once there these two men
saw at a glance the mockery of the show of justice,
which could not be kept up much longer under the
FIRST GROWTH AND PERSECUTION 271
hatred of the hearts of their oppressors. They
were accused of being Christians, which they ad-
mitted. They were told to denounce Jesus and
kneel to Buddha. This they refused to do. Again
they were commanded to recant, and again they
refused. Of what then followed Dr. Wilson wrote
thus:
"While Nan Chai was giving a reason for the
hope that was in him, one of the examiners kicked
him in the eye, leaving it all bloodshot, and caus-
ing it to swell until it closed. The arms of the
prisoners were then tied behind their backs, their
necks were compressed between two pieces of tim-
ber tied before and behind so tightly as to pain-
fully impede both respiration and circulation of the
blood. They were then placed in a sitting posture
near a wall and cords attached to the ears (in the
pierced lobes), were tied to the wall behind. In
this constrained and painful position, not able to
turn their heads nor to bow them in slumber they
remained from Monday afternoon until Tuesday
morning about 10 o'clock when they were led out
into the jungle to be executed. They kneel down
and Nan Chai is requested to pray. He does so,
crying out that his enemies might be forgiven, his
last petition being, 'Lord Jesus, receive my
spirit/ The tenderness of the scene melts some of
his enemies to tears. The heads of the prisoners,
prisoners for Jesus' sake, are drawn back by slightly
raising the cruel yoke. The executioner ap-
proaches with his club. Nan Chai receives the
stroke on the front of his neck, and his body sinks
272 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
to the ground a lifeless corpse. Noi Su Ya receives
upon the front of his neck five or six strokes, but as
life is not yet extinct, a spear is plunged into his
heart. His body is bathed in blood, and his spirit
joins that of his martyred brother." The families
of these two sainted men were not allowed to ex-
press any condolence or sorrow, or love for the
prisoners. The wife of one sat beside her husband
until, overcome by her grief, she was driven away
and threatened into silence. Several times during
the mock trial did Nan Chai and Noi Su Ya plead
for the servants of the missionaries, that they might
not be killed, and that bloody hands might not be
laid upon the "teachers." These entreaties for the
lives of the servants were heart-touching, and prob-
ably had much to do with their being spared. The
loved ones of these two men hung upon the out-
skirts of the crowd, very like to the group of women
about Calvary, helpless to interfere, yet agonized
in spirit. The bodies of the martyrs were cast into
a shallow grave.
"The Son of God goes forth to war,
A kingly crown to gain ;
His blood-red banner streams afar,
Who follows in his train?
"The martyr first, whose eagle eye
Could pierce beyond the grave,
Who saw his Master in the sky,
And called on him to save;
"Like him with pardon on his tongue,
In midst of mortal pain,
He prayed for them that did the wrong;
Who follows in his train?"
FIRST GROWTH AND PERSECUTION 273
No one told this tragedy to the missionaries, but
as soon as tidings of it reached Chieng Mai, the
servants left the mission compounds, without warn-
ing or explanation. It was two weeks before any
one told either Dr. McGilvary or Dr. Wilson what
had happened. These two weeks were rilled with
suspense. The usual crowd of visitors to the mis-
sion compounds were suspended. Everywhere the
"teachers" went they were shunned, and a conver-
sation could be held with no one. The air was
filled with forebodings of evil. Rumors of horrible
deeds committed and of more terrible ones to fol-
low drifted to the ears. The very air they breathed
was ominous. There was but one thing to do, Be
still and wait. They tried as far as possible to go
the regular rounds of daily life. A few came to the
compounds ostensibly for medicines, but they were
known to be spies, and to these the gospel was
preached. A most trying feature of the situation
was that they felt in duty bound to keep their fears
from their children. It was September 26 before
they heard what had happened. The truth, bad
enough, was magnified. Dr. Wilson walked out at
once to Noi Su Ya's village and found that he and
Nan Chai had actually been martyred. He re-
turned heavy at heart. No tidings could be had
of the other five converts, as they were all in hiding.
Letters were written describing the situation and
were dispatched to the brethren in Bangkok. Great
alarm prevailed upon receiving the news. Though
the missionaries there feared that both of the
pioneer families might then be dead, they hastened
274 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
to do all they could to assist them if indeed they
might still be alive. The matter was laid before
his grace the regent, and he promised to dispatch
a special commissioner to the Laos at once. The
commissioner was to carry stringent orders that
the King of Chieng Mai should acknowledge the
treaty rights existing between the United States
and Siam and protect the foreigners. The regent
said, however, that he could do nothing in behalf
of the native Christians, as the King of Laos was
supreme in internal affairs in his kingdom.
It was decided that the Rev. N. A. McDonald
and the Rev. S. C. George of the mission should
accompany the commissioner, and so the little com-
pany started up river with all the haste that it was
possible to make. To save time they left their
boats at Raheng and went overland upon elephants
to Chieng Mai. They found the two families alive
and bearing up under the strain with unusual cour-
age.
An interview with the king followed. At first
the letter of the regent was attended to and the
king mildly acquiesced in regard to the mission-
aries. But w r hen the murder of the native Chris-
tians was referred to, he became consumed with
uncontrollable anger, and admitted that they had
been killed by his order, and further said that he
would continue to kill all his subjects who became
Christians, as he regarded the leaving of the re-
ligion of Buddhism as rebellion against himself.
He then went on to say most emphatically and
defiantly that if the missionaries remained he could
FIRST GROWTH AND PERSECUTION 275
not help it, but if they taught religion that he would
expel them from the country. And so the stormy
and unsatisfactory interview closed. The commis-
sioner urged the missionaries to accompany him
back to Bangkok, but they desired to remain so
long as there was a ray of hope discernible by
faith.
When the commissioner reported at Bangkok,
the Government desired to recall the missionaries
and would have done so but for the importunate,
forceful pleading of Dr. Bradley, the father of Mrs.
McGilvary, that they might remain. Dr. Wilson
thought it probably best to retire to Raheng, within
the confines of Siam proper, and still at the borders
of Laos, but the two years in the little sala had given
Dr. McGilvary such visions of the Laos coming to
Christ that he steadfastly purposed to hold the field.
He felt that much could be gained if they simply
held the field. And so the days slipped by, and at
night they lay down not knowing what might befall
them before day should break. The country was
in an unsettled condition. The Red Karens had
been giving trouble, and hill tribes had been mak-
ing raids and night attacks upon villages and towns.
It was feared by the missionaries that the rage of
the king might break forth and that he might order
a night massacre covering his deed and protecting
himself under the cry, "The Red Karens! The Hill
Tribes!" A record of these dark days was made
and hid in the air box of the melodeon, hoping that
in case of death, it would be found by friends in
their search for them. Subsequently it was lost,
276 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
and so the church is without the thrilling experi-
ences of those days as it was written at the time
when all the incidents were fresh in the mind, a
living reality.
So bitter and hostile did the king continue that
it became necessary for Dr. McGilvary to promise
that they would withdraw. But he urged that the
season was far advanced and the water low, mak-
ing travel slow and difficult, and he begged to be
allowed to wait for the next high water, six months
hence, at the latest eight months, before he should
embark. To this the king reluctantly acquiesced.
Dr. McGilvary then wrote letters to the brethren at
Bangkok, to the Board, and the home church, stat-
ing the situation, and urging that they would join
him in pleading for God's interposition in behalf
of the mission that the field might be held. That
if God did not work a deliverance for the mission
that it would have to be abandoned at the latest in
eight months.
Now, it so happened that this King of Chieng
Mai found that he must go to Bangkok to attend
the ceremonies of the cremation of his late suze-
rain king, Fa Mongkut, and so he had to leave
his kingdom just after extracting the promise from
Dr. McGilvary, early in the year 1870. While in
Bangkok he was importuned by the Siam mission
to grant leave for the Laos missionaries to remain
or else extend the time limit, but he defiantly re-
fused both. During this visit at the capital he was
seized with a dread disease which baffled the skill
of his doctors. He realized his alarming condition,
FIRST GROWTH AND PERSECUTION 277
and so ordered a speedy return to his kingdom, for
it is the most woeful of catastrophes for a Laos
prince to die outside of his city walls. The royal
flotilla of boats started up the then thread of a
stream with the weak and suffering king stretched
on the floor of his cabin, praying that he might
live to reach his city walls.
In the meantime, the missionaries marked the
passing months, and no sign of deliverance, but
their faith shook not. Dr. Wilson would not retire
to Raheng and leave his friend alone, so they abode
together. And the seasons passed and the rains
descended, and the last day of grace drew nigh for
the little band of waiting, trusting missionaries.
They then began all but to count the hours. But
there was also another band, a dark-faced company,
with anxious faces, too. They were those who
formed the attendants of His Majesty the King of
Chieng Mai. They were bearing him forward on a
litter toward his city as rapidly as their feet could
go. He could no longer stand the toilsome journey
in his boat and in his anguish of pain he cried out
that he might be borne upon a litter. And so they
lifted him to an improvised litter and bore him
away. But his suffering increased and he was filled
with despair lest he should die before he reached
his city walls. And, behold ! when in the distance
the walls were sighted, he expired.
And so deliverance in an unexpected way had
come to the mission, but deliverance just as surely
as was that of Peter when imprisoned by Herod's
wicked hand. And though the faith of the mis-
278 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
sionaries had been sorely tested, it had rung true,
and God did not fail them, but gave deliverance
and enlargement to the work of their hands.
The successor to the Herod-king was a man of
keen intellect and kindly disposition. His wife
was a warm friend to the ladies of the mission, and
so the new government came into power and ex-
pressed at once a friendly feeling toward the mis-
sion.
One other incident of these early days must be
given, not for its bearing upon the mission history,
but because it reveals a phase of mission life and
shows the necessity of a missionary's being an all-
round-about man. When it had become necessary
to organize a church in the mission, Dr. Samuel R.
House, of the Bangkok mission, offered to go up
to his brethren there. He left his boat at Raheng
and proceeded by elephant over the mountains.
He had noticed that his beast was bad tempered,
and upon reaching Lampun the creature gave vent
to his distemper, shook his driver and Dr. House
from his back, and enraged, gored the latter
severely, wounding him in the abdomen. The
natives managed to get the elephant away, and
then, because of their superstitious fears, fled, leav-
ing Dr. House alone, wounded, and in the fierce
sun blaze. Fortunately, one of the spectators ran
to Chieng Mai and informed Dr. McGilvary of the
accident. In the meantime Dr. House, realizing
his critical condition, tried to drag himself to the
shade, but could not, as he was too weak. He
could just reach his satchel, which he opened, and
FIRST GROWTH AND PERSECUTION 279
by means of his hand mirror sewed up the wound
a dangerous condition under the most favorable
circumstances and there he lay in the heat and the
dust, with parched lips and weakened from loss of
blood and pain. In due time, Dr. McGilvary ar-
rived, and he was borne to Chieng Mai, where he
was tenderly cared for and nursed back to life.
In the early apostolic days of the church, the
enemies of the cross endeavored to crush out the
new religion that was gaining such a foothold
within even the sacred walls of Jerusalem itself.
And so with wicked hand they stoned Stephen and
scattered the church. For a time it looked as
though they had given what might prove to be a
death blow, but we know how it is written,
"Therefore they that were scattered abroad
Went everywhere preaching the word,"
and the church grew and was multiplied. And so
it was among the Laos. For awhile it looked as
though the seed of the church had been killed, for
there was no visible life. But as it has ever been
of old, the blood of the martyrs watered that seed,
and adown deep in the ground the life was stirring.
It was a year and a half before another convert, Nan
Ta, was baptized, and he proved to be the first-
fruits of a great harvest. For some time before
his baptism the missionaries had known him to be
a believer, but they did not urge him to make a
public profession. He came of his own accord and
applied for the ordinance and for the opportunity
to confess his faith publicly. His examination was
280 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
heart-searching but he manifested a calm, de-
termined spirit, yet humble withal.
And now from every side came inquirers, not in
Chieng Mai alone, but from all over the kingdom,
and this for many reasons. From the first Dr. Mc-
Gilvary had made tours into the villages and towns
of the province and in the provinces beyond. The
scattered converts had preached the word wher-
ever they had fled from the sword of persecution.
The news of the martyrdom had spread throughout
the country and every one was asking, "Why were
they killed? What gave them such a spirit of
fortitude and peace? What kind of a religion is
this that makes new men of old ones?" and thus
were the people aroused and there were added to
the church of such as should be saved.
Among those who were added at this time was
one Sen Ya Wichai, who had heard Mrs. McGil-
vary teaching in the sala over two years before.
He had not been able to escape from the thoughts
aroused by her words, and he returned to receive
further instruction. Soon he was led to a full
knowledge of the truth. And so we could go on
telling of these early conversions so full of interest,
but we will have to be content with knowing that
there was a mighty stirring of life among the hearts
of the people, and that the church grew and the
believers_were greatly multiplied.
CHAPTER XX
THE SECOND PERSECUTION AND EXPANSION
AMONG the many pressing needs of the mission
during its early days was that of a medical mission-
ary, and in 1871, Dr. C. W. Vrooman was sent to
the field. His arrival was most opportune, for
faithful Nan Inta was all but dead with chronic
dysentery. And thus his life was saved for many
more years of fruitful labor. In the midst of en-
deavoring to meet the daily demands and multi-
farious duties of the mission, Dr. McGilvary and
Dr. Vrooman planned to make a tour of the Laos
provinces as soon as they could get away from
Chieng Mai. TKey wished to ascertain "the size
and comparative importance of the Laos chief cities
and villages which were comparatively unknown
to them in reference to missionary work, to preach
the gospel, and to observe the disposition of the
authorities and people toward foreigners, especially
toward teachers of the Christian religion." But so
pressing were claims upon them from day to day
that the rainy season of 1872 had begun before they
started on their long, perilous journey. The king
had kindly furnished them with passports without
which it would have been impossible to have made
the trip. This journey is remarkable for several
reasons, but principally because it embraced the
entire mission in its length and breadth, as it stands
281
282 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
to-day. Furthermore these brave men pushed on
to the great province of Luang Prabang, which is
now under French rule, and where the Laos church
is carrying on its first foreign missionary work.
Shortly after the return from this tour, Dr. Mc-
Gilvary, with his family, leaving the work in the
hands of Dr. Wilson and Dr. Vrooman, assisted by
Nan Inta, sailed for America. Dr. McGilvary had
been on the field Siam and Laos for fifteen
years, and he and his wife and children stood sadly
in need of rest and change. They left Bangkok
April 19, and the following August Dr. Vrooman
resigned and followed them. In his short term of
service of a year and a half he had accomplished
a great work for Laos and the mission lost in him
a valuable man.
In the fall of 1874, Dr. McGilvary and family re-
turned to their field, and early in 1875 were joined
by Marion A. Cheek, M. D., a young man from
Dr. McGilvary's native State of North Carolina.
He remained in Bangkok long enough before
starting up river to meet and fall in love with Miss
Sarah A. Bradley, sister of Mrs. McGilvary. Within
a few months he returned to Bangkok and was
married to her.
In June, 1876, Dr. and Mrs. Wilson and chil-
dren, with health quite broken down, returned to
America on furlough. The mission was then upon
a good footing to the visible eye. A compound
had been granted by the king for a physician's
house and hospital. The latter was simply a bit
of bamboo structure, but it served well as a be-
SECOND PERSECUTION AND EXPANSION 283
ginning for the great Chieng Mai hospital as it ex-
ists to-day. This site was very near to the old
sala, where the McGilvary family lived the first two
years. There was also a good-sized compound
across the river and below the bridge, where Dr.
McGilvary and Dr. Wilson lived, and where the
former still resides. A small lithograph press was
in use. It was a great aid to the mission, though
wholly inadequate to the needs.
Among the conversions which marked the year
1876 was that of the wife of Nan Inta. She had
remained a stanch Buddhist all those years, and
had been more than a "thorn in the flesh" to her
husband. He now seemed lifted to realms of in-
toxicant joy, which was soon to be heightened by
seeing two daughters, a son, and a son-in-law,
brought into the fold. That same year of grace
touched the heart of the wife of one of the martyrs
and a general awakening of the country seemed im-
minent. This was the fear of the official class and
the Sacred Order. They said, 'The whole coun-
try will be running after this new religion if we
do not interfere," and so began a series of petty
persecutions, persecutions carried on in families,
in clans, in villages. At every turn the mission-
aries were faced with it, but it was being carried
on in so subtle a way that it was difficult to handle.
These persecutions were not countenanced by the
king, but the person next in rank to him, termed
the Second King, or Chau Haw Na, was a bitter
enemy to the mission, and did all he could to fan
the flame. He secretly wrote letters to the vari-
284 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
ous governors and officials, bidding them to force
the Christians to pay to the full extent all corvee
laws of the nation, province, and locality. This
was letting open the flood gates for all manner of
oppressions. He also wrote letters saying that all
who should in the future join the church would
be severely punished. Thus a mild form of Nero
rule prevailed. It finally culminated in May, 1878,
when Dr. McGilvary undertook to perform his first
marriage ceremony among the natives.
Kam Tip, a daughter of Nan Inta, was to be
married to a deserving young man, and Mrs.
McGilvary, wishing to make the sacredness of the
occasion impressive upon the large circle of friends
of the bride and groom, made ready to have the
simple ceremony in her home. And so prepara-
tions moved forward, and among the natives there
was quite a buzz of interest as to what a Christian
wedding might be.
When the day arrived and all was in readiness,
there suddenly arose a mountain of difficulty in the
way. It was known that there was opposition to
the wedding, but it was not suspected that it was
of so serious a nature. The head man of Nan
Inta's clan, a kind of patriarch, refused to give his
consent. He, according to custom, had a right to
the fees connected with the spirit-worship which ac-
companies Laos marriages. He notified Nan Inta
that if he paid the fees, he might then have the
Christian ceremony performed, but that if he did
not pay the fees and insisted upon having the mar-
riage, that he would hold Nan Inta responsible for
SECOND PERSECUTION AND EXPANSION 285
any loss or mishap or sorrow that should occur in
the clan hereafter, and would lay it all to his hav-
ing offended the spirits. Both Nan Inta and Dr.
McGilvary were wise enough to see at a glance
what untold misfortunes might befall the mission
if the marriage ceremony were performed. They
had right on their side, but immemorial custom
and prejudice were allied against them, and they
postponed the wedding. Dr. McGilvary felt that
at last the time had come to make an application
to the throne in Bangkok for an edict of free toler-
ation of religion for the Laos. And so he wrote of
the situation and ended the letter with an earnest
plea for an edict of religious toleration, and sent it
to the capital. The Siamese Government was at that
time beginning to wean the provinces of their State
powers, and so the mission had high hopes for the
edict. On September 29, 1878, King Chulalong-
korn issued a proclamation of religious toleration
in the provinces of Chieng Mai, Lampun, and
Lakawn. Thus did God again turn the wrath of
man to praise him.
That fall, 1878, Dr. Wilson returned to his field
alone, as Mrs. Wilson's health did not permit her
to accompany him. W T ith him were two gifted
young women, Miss Edna S. Cole and Miss Mary
Campbell, who came to reinforce the mission. The
latter after two years of service was drowned while
bathing in the river. The former did excellent
work in Chieng Mai until 1883 when she was
forced to return to America on furlough by ill
health. Upon her recovery she was transferred by
286 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
the Board to Bangkok where she has since labored
and is especially noted for her most successful work
as principal of the school for girls at Wang Lang.
After the Proclamation of Religious Toleration,
the work of the mission moved forward with new
life. Miss Cole took charge of the school for girls
begun by Mrs. McGilvary and Mrs. Cheek, and
she soon had thirty-five young girls in her care.
On July 4, seventeen members of the Chieng Mai
church and fourteen baptized children asked for
letters of dismissal that they might be organized
into a church some little distance removed from
the city at a point central for the members. Nan
Inta and his family were among the number. The
new church was named Bctlehcm, "Bethlehem," by
Dr. Wilson for his childhood church in Western
Pennsylvania. This colonizing determination of
the mother church at Chieng Mai is one of the
secrets of its marvelous growth.
The same year Dr. McGilvary spent October in
Lakawn organizing a church there. At that time
he baptized six adults. The incidents connected
with the conversion of the first member of this
church are interesting. In 1877 a man of high
rank came to Chieng Mai and asked for medicine
to cure his deafness, and based his claim for cure
upon the miracles that Christ had wrought. Upon
investigation Dr. McGilvary discovered that he was
the highest officer of the court in Lakawn and at
that time was over seventy years of age. Twenty
years before he had visited Bangkok, and Dr.
Bradley had given him the Bible and other books
SECOND PERSECUTION AND EXPANSION 287
printed in Siamese. These he had studied dili-
gently, that he might acquire the Siamese lan-
guage. He had been much impressed with gospel
truths, though he did not have a clear understand-
ing of them nor did he accept them in his heart.
He now gave himself to diligent study, under the
missionaries, comparing their teaching with the
teaching of Buddha, which he had taken the care
to procure from a neighboring wat. In time he ac-
cepted the new faith and made a public profession
thereof. At once he was ordered by the official
circle in Lakawn to return. He anticipated death,
but said to his Christian friends, "If they want to
kill me because I am a follower of Christ I will let
them pierce me." His fears were not realized in
full, as his life was spared; but office, wealth, and
social position were all stripped from him and he
was ostracized by his frends. This man was the
nucleus for the church in Lakawn.
The Chieng Mai and Bethlehem churches were
blessed with the life and labors of Nan Inta until
1882, when he died. Dr. Wilson was with him at
the time and he speaks thus of his peaceful end:
"When told that he could not live through the day
he turned to his eldest child and committed the
mother to his care. He gave his hand to each of
us first, then to his faithful wife and children and
grandchildren, and last to the church members,
saying to them, 'Be patient! Be patient! Trust
in Jesus, all of you/ To his youngest son he said,
'I am walking on the way you. all must go; only
be ready for our Lord. Oh, my son, do not fall
288 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
from the right path! Trust in the Lord now, and
do his work as I have tried to do. You will suffer
many trials, but they will be forgotten when the
day of reward conies. You plant the rice fields in
the water and the rain, but three months from now
you will gather the harvest. Learn from your
yearly work the lesson of life and strengthen your-
self in Jesus/ He suffered greatly, but toward the
last he lay quietly as if sleeping, then suddenly
opened his eyes and looked at me as if he would
speak, but he was not looking at me, for his eyes
were full of light and joy. A smile passed over
his face, and at the same instant he breathed his
last."
That same year the medical work had so de-
veloped that upwards of thirteen thousand patients
were prescribed for by Dr. Cheek. The following
year Dr. McGilvary and family were again forced
to America on furlough. When they returned they
carried with them as recruits the Rev. and Mrs. J,
Hearst and the Rev. S. G. Peoples, M. D., also the
Misses Griffin, Wirt, Wishard, and Warner. Mr.
Hearst succumbed almost at once to malarial fever,
and was so prostrate that he had to leave the field
permanently. The mission soon lost, in 1883, Miss
Wishard, as she was married to a missionary in
Canton, and toward the close of the year Miss
Wirt was married to Dr. Peoples. Miss Warner
was with the mission only two years, but Miss Grif-
fin has remained in Chieng Mai all these years,
faithful and true to. her charge in the girls' school.
In 1884 Miss Westervelt and the Rev. and Mrs.
SECOND PERSECUTION AND EXPANSION 289
Chalmers Martin arrived in Chieng Mai. Mr.
Martin was granted only three years of service upon
the field, as he succumbed to climatic influences
and was forced to leave. In those few years he
accomplished a great work for the mission, and
was so enshrined in the hearts of the natives that
they have never forgotten him.
In the fall of 1883, Dr. McGilvary spent a month
in Lakawn getting a persecuted elder out of prison.
While there he applied to the throne in Bangkok to
establish a station there. The king warmly re-
sponded and a most desirable lot facing the water
front was obtained, with an additional gift of two
thousand rupees from his majesty for a hospital. At
the next meeting of the mission they formally re-
solved to establish a station there, and Dr. and Mrs.
Peoples volunteered for it. About this time, the
mother church sent off another colony the third
which was organized into a church called the Me
Dawk Deng Church. It soon numbered thirty-six
full communicants. The outlook for the whole
field had become one of multiplied and multiplying
labors.
In 1886 Dr. Cheek resigned from the mission
and became engaged in secular business in the
country. Dr. A. M. Cary was sent out that year to
take his place. With him also came the Rev. and
Mrs. D. G. Collins and the Rev. W. C. Dodd. On
the trying trip up river from Bangkok Mrs. Cary,
who was a sister of Mrs. Collins, yielded to an at-
tack of fever and died just below Raheng. It was
an hour of midnight darkness for the little party
19
290 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
when they laid the young wife and missionary in
her grave beneath the trees in the deep and silent
woods.
The year 1889 is known as the Year of Grace
in the mission. One of the events which thus
characterized the year was the organization of a
church at Chieng Sen with twenty-three adult
members and twenty-eight baptized children, a city
about one hundred and fifty miles to the northeast
of Chieng Mai. Before the year closed twelve new
members were added to the church, half of them
adults, making the adult membership twenty-nine.
As this bright and growing church illustrates the
efforts of one godly man, and also reveals a type
of Laos Christian manhood, we will sketch it in
brief. About the time of the second persecution
the government decided to reestablish the old city
of Chieng Sen, which had been destroyed by war
and had lain waste for seventy years. So they or-
dered certain families, descendants from the orig-
inal inhabitants, to go to Chieng Sen and settle
there. A Christian by the name of Nan Su Wan
was among those ordered to go, and he and his
family, sad at heart, started off upon their long
journey. His piety was strong enough to stand
the transplanting, a change of scene and conditions
more marked than those which have wrecked the
lives of many in America. All through the years
of isolation from the Christian assembly and the
teaching and preaching of the word, he remained a
living power for Christ. Every few years Dr.
McGilvary would visit him and always there would
SECOND PERSECUTION AND EXPANSION 29!
be a band of catechumens that Nan Su Wan had
gathered into a class, for him to baptize and receive
into the full communion of the church. At the
same time a work of grace similar to this one was
going on in a city forty miles south of Chieng Sen,
the city of Chieng Rai. The work there had been
begun by one of the first seven converts, and the
Christian company numbered fifty souls. They
were, however, too scattered to be organized into a
church as was the little band at Chieng Sen.
This same year marked the establishing of a per-
manent out-station at Lampun. This was done
under the most encouraging circumstances. An
elder was stationed there to look after the work.
He was admirably fitted for the work, as he had
been for many years the head monk in one of the
wats there, and knew the place and people well.
At the communion service held at that time six
adults were received and six children baptized.
Seven of this group belonged to one household, the
head of which was the son of the late Nan Inta, the
first convert.
By this time we see that the mission v/as firmly
established and had begun to expand into the prov-
inces contiguous to Chieng Mai. More laborers
were needed, not only to occupy new stations, but
to take charge of various forms of mission work
which was necessary if the mission was to make
the native church self-supporting. The majority of
these new missionaries are now upon the field, and
we shall see them at their work as we take a tour
of the different stations of the mission.
CHAPTER XXI
CHIENG MAI, THE FAIR CITY OF PALMS
As capital of the Laos provinces, and as the place
where the entering wedge of mission work was
made, Chieng Mai first claims our attention. The
name and glory of this capital City of Palms is in-
separably linked with that of Doi Su Tep. This
Doi or "mountain" is a noble peak. It rises in
solemn and lonely grandeur from the midst of the
immense fertile plain of the province and reaches a
towering height. Its summit has never been
reached to my knowledge with a barometer, but it
has been estimated by many to approximate some
six thousand feet above sea level. This is based
upon the actual altitude of what is considered a
halfway distance. Its crown is capped by a wat
covering the alleged footprint of Buddha, which
has been referred to ; but this wat is only as a speck
upon the grand pile beneath it, an infinitesimal ef-
fort of man compared with the surrounding handi-
work of God.
From a distance this Doi Su Tep apparently
rises from the very brink of the Me Ping, but a
nearer view shows that its foot is some four or
five miles back from the water's edge. And there,'
seemingly resting, beneath the protection of this
noble mountain, stretches up and down both river
banks, the fair City of Palms. But before we enter
292
CHIENG MAI, CITY OF PALMS
its gates let us take one more look at Doi Su Tep.
Down its sides rushes many a bold mountain
stream, plunging here and there over large bowl-
ders, and not resting until the plain below is reached.
The water from one of these streams is conveyed by
an aqueduct into the city. Stretched along the
gentle slopes of the mountain are to be found in
great numbers fragrant tea gardens and beside
them the hamlets of the gardeners. These gar-
dens are midway between the base and summit,
running in altitude from two thousand five hun-
dred feet to four thousand feet above the sea level.
Every four months, during the gathering seasons,
people in large companies can be seen climbing the
mountain sides to the tea gardens. Some of them
have money, others barter goods, and still others
are empty-handed. These last named gather the
leaves on shares. It will be remembered that these
leaves are not steeped and used as a beverage,
but are steamed until soft and then put in the mouth
as a "chew." These tea gardens form one of the
most important industries of the whole country,
and the villagers are a simple, interesting people,
presenting a most attractive, inviting field for mis-
sion labor. As yet they have been untouched by
mission work, excepting by Dr. McGilvary and Mr.
Campbell and family, who have visited them a time
or two. This is another living illustration that "the
field is white to the harvest and the laborers are too
few."
In olden times Chieng Mai was a double-walled
city, built upon the west river bank, but like Bang-
2Q4 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
kok it has outgrown its bounds, and the days of
peace allow the people to settle without the protect-
ing walls. It lies about one thousand feet above
the sea level, but it is impossible to estimate the
exact population of the place, for there has been
no method of accurately obtaining a census. It is
generally conceded that about twenty thousand
souls are within the city walls, but including the
overflow surrounding the walls and stretching up
and down the opposite bank, the number reaches
one hundred thousand. The city is the third
largest in the kingdom of Siam. Its streets are
wide and so well kept that the city is easily known
as the trimmest, best kept in the kingdom. The
drives are picturesque, especially the one that,
leading out through the White Elephant Gate,
swings around the old city wall. This wall is still
in good condition but is artistically vine-covered
and draped. It rises bold and imposing, twenty-
two feet high, from the side of the thirty-foot moat
upon whose quiet waters bloom thousands of water
lilies and of the sacred lotus. This road gives a
glorious view of Doi Su Tep, as it apparently rises
just beyond reach across the rice plains. The pal-
ace and various official buildings are worthy of a
visit if one is looking for uniqueness and not for
architectural splendor. The wats and prachedls
of the city are among the most beautiful in the
whole country.
It would hardly be fair to speak of Chieng Mai
and not record one of the standing jokes of the
place which has to do with white elephants. The
CHIENG MAI, CITY OF PALMS
joke, however, is with the foreigners, for to the
natives all associations with white elephants are
sacred. New arrivals are invariably asked if they
saw the white elephants in Bangkok. Usually the
reply is "No." "Then you would be interested to
see the white elephants of this capital city?" Of
course, the stranger desires to see them, though he
is surprised to hear that there are white elephants
in Chieng Mai, and mentally he marks that he has
many things to learn about this new land and city.
And so at the earliest opportunity the party starts
off to view the beasts, all the while the stranger in
a state of pleasant anticipation. Out through the
White Elephant Gate they go and over a bare strip
of country for a full quarter of a mile toward a
group of trees under which are visible white arched
buildings the stables! Expectancy is at its height,
for the road provokingly leads up to the rear of the
stables, and will not reveal even a peep at the crea-
tures. When at last a bend turns the group, and
faces them to the stables, expectation sinks to
chagrin, for behold! two large, white, plaster ele-
phants staring out knowingly with their little eyes.
These effigies were erected, along with some
others, away back in 1799 as a protection to the
city.
The mission compounds are all upon the river
banks, the one farthest upstream being that of
the boys' high school and the mission press, the
former under charge of Mr. Harris, the latter of
Mr. Collins. Because of Chieng Mai's strategic
importance as the capital it is expedient that all the
296 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
mission institutions be located there, such as the
press, and the normal, theological and training
schools.
It is impossible to magnify the importance ot this
mission press. It has all grown from the little
lithograph press brought out in 1871, but until Mr.
Collins took charge of the work in 1886 it had
necessarily been restricted in its field of usefulness
for lack of a man to give time to the work. The
mission was Providentially led in assigning Mr.
Collins to this special work, for he has developed
rare abilities and talents for the work. He took
what raw material he found, made the best of it,
and by patience he has trained a dozen young men
to assist him, and what is more marvelous, has
trained them to work on time. At the tap of the
bell they enter the simple, modest building termed
the press room, and there they work happily and
with the best of spirits until the tap of bell at noon
time, when they stop for dinner, to resume work
upon the stroke of the bell. This is exceedingly
significant, for it shows what can be done with the
easy-going Asiatic who hates routine more than
he fears the dreaded tever by persistent, careful
training upon a Christian foundation.
The press now embraces two fonts of Siamese
and two of Laos type and two of English, yet it is
inadequate to the demands. During the past year
a total of two and a half million pages has been is-
sued. It must be remembered that the Laos have
no printed literature, and this press is supplying
this great need by pouring out into the homes and
CHIENG MAI, CITY OF PALMS 2Q?
villages the best of all literature. Besides the por-
tions of the Bible that have been translated, and
catechisms and tracts, the press prints school text-
books and other works written to meet the peculiar
needs and problems of this people. A good book
for America is not always a good book for the
Laos; and so the missionaries have striven to see
with the native eye, feel with the native heart, and
to write or translate books accordingly. Contact
with the missionaries has developed in this people
a taste for reading. And so we find these inde-
fatigable workers in Laos-land striving to give
books to the people that will be helpful and uplift-
ing, that will interest the growing church in Chris-
tian life and work at large, that will give Sunday
reading for Christian Endeavorers and Sunday-
school scholars, reference books for students, and
wholesome reading for those who are still groping
in darkness; that perchance some may be inter-
ested and led to Christ. The Laos Mission wishes
to keep out of the land all harmful books, or if
such books must come they wish to be at least fore-
armed. At present this is an easy matter, for this
mission press is the only press in the land. To
hold this monopoly of all printed matter the press
annually does a large amount of job work for the
local government, both in Laos and Siamese char-
acters. The monthly sheet, containing the Sun-
day-school and Christian Endeavor lessons, has its
first page devoted to church news. It is the fond
hope of the mission soon to have this paper de-
veloped into a good religious newspaper. At pres-
298 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
ent the force is too weak to undertake the work,
vital and important as it is.
This press is what is known in mission parlance
as self-supporting, though it originally had to be
supported by funds from the Board. The work of
translating has been carried on in the midst of
pressing, distracting, multifarious duties by differ-
ent members of the mission. The translators can-
not shut themselves into their studies and labor
but the work has to be done with the door opened
and the pen ready to be laid aside at a moment's
warning. In late years Dr. Wilson, of Lakawn
station, has devoted his life to translating, and has
given to the church a full collection of hymns. This
volume of the hymns of ages of church history, if
it could be separated from the rest of Dr. Wilson's
life and labors for Laos, would alone stand as a
lasting monument to his name.
On the same side of the river, but farther down
the bank, is the medical compound. Here is lo-
cated, besides the residence, the dispensary and
hospital. This work began with Dr. McGilvary's
hiring men to take quinine; and now the dispen-
sary's receipts reach six thousand five hundred
dollars gold annually. Since 1889 the work has
been under the care of Dr. McKean. He stands
on the mission field to-day as a type of the ideal
medical missionary Heal the sick preach the
gospel. With him the command is inseparably
one. He has trained with patience and skill two
efficient assistants, and a good nurse to assist him
in his arduous labors. Thousands of patients an-
CHIENG MAI, CITY OF PALMS 299
nually receive treatment at the hands of this physi-
cian and scores come to him with serious troubles
needing surgical treatment.
Until the last year, also, all the medicines, other
than the tooth, blood, and gall kind of the native
doctors, used in this immense city were dispensed
from this building. Now enterprising Chinamen
have stocked their stalls with quinine and standard
medicines, which meet with a ready sale. But so
great is the demand that the dispensary is strained
to its utmost to meet the heavy claims upon it.
All day long we find Europeans, Siamese, Chinese,
Burmese, the Hill Tribes, Ka Mus, and others, be-
sides the Laos, coming to its gates and climbing up
the sweeping flight of stairs leading to the dispen-
sary room. There one sees as to neatness and at-
tractiveness a modern American drug store, at-
tended by two courteous, fine-looking young Chris-
tian men, who serve one with ease and skill and
with a gentleness and kindliness born of their
Christian faith. To the poor, medicines are given,
but those who are able pay for what they receive.
There are texts of Scripture upon the wall to arrest
the eye and claim the thoughts. In the packages
of medicine a page of Scripture or a hymn is slipped
and always there is some one to point the way to the
Great Physician to those who will remain. Daily
services are held in the hospital, and at night an
evening school is taught for half an hour before
the prayer service.
Besides Dr. McKean's regular medical work he
has established a most interesting work among a
30O THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
village of lepers. Just below this City of Palms
is a settlement of these poor, loathsome unfortun-
ates, where all the city lepers are banished as soon
as their disease becomes manifest. Dr. McKean
has done much to alleviate their physical sufferings,
and many of their souls have been touched by the
Master's hand. These have been received into the
communion of the Chieng Mai Church, though they
are debarred from attending worship at the church
building. Services are held in their village, certain
precautions being observed as to contact with the
disease. Another work carried on by Dr. Mc-
Kean is among the men, women, and children, who
compose the chain gang, the criminal class. This
class is used by the government to work the roads
and do other public service. Dr. McKean visits
them in prison and ministers to them body and
soul.
It is impossible to estimate the power for good
of the medical work, for there is no way of reckon-
ing the conversions resulting therefrom. Certain
it is that it is one of the most efficient agencies in
planting the gospel in the Laos country, for it
breaks down the universal belief in spirits. The
Laos Mission is not conducted narrowly. It is as
broad as Christianity, its policy being to present
the gospel to every man, and to secure to all its
privileges and blessings.
Combined with the mission's belief in the union
of the evangelistic and philanthropic, is its stead-
fast purpose to establish a self-supporting, self-
propagating native church. The hope of the
CHIENG MAI, CITY OF PALMS 30!
heathen world is through the native converts, even
more than the missionaries. The latter can only
establish; the former must carry to completion.
To do this the mission must have schools; and so
we find in every station schools, and in this capital
city, high schools. From deference to native cus-
tom there is no coeducation. The boys' school
is upon the press compound, and the girls'
school is on the opposite bank and at the southern
border of the city, under charge of Miss Griffin and
Miss M. A. McGilvary. These schools both have
normal courses, and it is the hope of the mission
to draw graduates from the schools of other sta-
tions to these normal courses, and to send out to
the cities and villages teachers who can take com-
petent charge of mission schools under the super-
vision of the missionary. These normal courses
have only been recently established.
A recent advanced step of the mission has been
the establishing of parochial schools in connection
with each station's work. Those of Chieng Mai
are especially encouraging, as the church here is
an older growth. "Organized on a self-supporting
basis, buying their own supplies, collecting their
own fees, paying their own teachers, and quite in-
dependent, except for oversight, they approach the
ideal toward which the mission is laboring."
The theological school has graduated several
native ministers. There are no buildings for this
school. When there are candidates to be educated,
a room is obtained somewhere, and the work is
begun. The student must master the Siamese Ian-
302 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
guage; for while only a few books of the Bible are
translated into Laos, the complete Bible is printed
in Siamese, and there are also several invaluable
aids that have been translated into the Siamese and
not into the Laos vernacular. This school is prac-
tical in its plan of work. The students are sent
out on Saturday afternoons into the surrounding
villages to spend the Sabbath holding services and
teaching the people. On Monday they return and
on Tuesday give an account of their tour. Thus
they are guided and trained, and when they finally
are graduated, they are humble, able, capable serv-
ants of God. When there is no theological school,
a training school for Christian workers is held.
This is a thoroughly unique school, and it is due to
Mr. Campbell's ability and zeal that it has become
such a factor in the station's work. The students
are from widely scattered churches. With Mr.
Campbell they go out into the villages and camp,
remaining several weeks in a place, and drawing
additional students for the time from the local
church. As they study and recite, there gathers
around the camp a number of villagers, who can
sit and listen or ask questions, which the students
answer if they are able. Evangelistic services are
held, and during the day, time is found to visit in
the houses of the place. This plan, as has been
proved, works admirably well among the Laos.
The "thinking" factor is a stupendous one in the
mission, and it has been found that the students
are aroused to thought by this method. The lim-
ited number of reference or text-books makes it
CHIENG MAI, CITY OF PALMS 303
an easy task to carry everything needed for the
work. When the rains commence, the school re-
turns to the city, and Dr. McGilvary and Dr.
McKean assist by giving several hours a week to
the work.
Just a little below the medical compound is the
bridge that spans the wide sweep of the Me Ping.
This bridge was built by European skill, employed
with Laos gold. It is a good, solid structure, and
across it pours two steady streams in opposite di-
rections. Ponies canter across beneath their
smartly-dressed riders; jinrikishas roll along occa-
sionally, and English victorias can be seen in the
cool of the day, when the chaus go forth for fresh
air; and always there are innumerable passers-by
on foot. A little below this bridge are located the
large southern compounds of the station. They
comprise the church building, the girls' school,
Dr. McGilvary's home and another residence
which is now occupied by Mr. Campbell and
family.
Dr. McGilvary has lived on this compound ever
since moving from the sala, though not always in
the present house. Their home is built after the
Indian bungalow style, and is pleasantly sur-
rounded by a rose garden and a luxuriant orchard
and fruit grove. It is difficult to estimate the
power of a Christian home in a heathen land. This
one has ever stood for all that makes a Christian
home the ideal home of the wide world. Its tidy
look, its fragrant flowers and vines, its gardens and
fruit trees, have all preached more eloquently than
304 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
words that the Christian religion is meant for life
as well as death. Though Dr. McGilvary has al-
ways had his home in this city, he has spent only
a part of his time there. Like Paul he has felt
the Spirit calling to regions beyond, and like him
also, his tours can be traced by little streams of
light shed forth from Christian homes along the
way.
Though over seventy years of age Dr. McGil-
vary is still erect and is in possession of almost his
full strength of young manhood. He is lovingly
termed by his young associates in the field as "the
youngest old boy in the mission."
It will be remembered that in 1872 Dr. McGil-
vary, in company with Dr. Vrooman, pushed across
the Me Kawng into the Laung Prabang province.
In 1897 he again made a tour into the province,
and began a work there among the Ka Mus which
has already borne fruit. The Ka Mus are a moun-
tain people, settled in the Muang Sai and surround-
ing districts of the province. They speak a lan-
guage differing from the Laos, and are a simple
pastoral people. It takes twenty-five days of
steady travel to reach this people from Chieng Mai.
Though they speak a language of their own, many
of them understand Laos. They have never been
converted to Buddhism, and are spirit-worshipers,
pure and simple. They have no written language,
but show a readiness and desire to learn the writ-
ten characters of the Laos. Just where ethonolo-
gists would place this people I do not know. How-
ever, it is certainly known that they are renowned
CHIENG MAI, CITY OF PALMS 305
for their honesty and simplicity of life, and so must
be sprung of good stock.
So impressed was Dr. McGilvary with the re-
ceptivity of this people that in 1898 he spent sev-
eral months there. Among this people, far away
from his beloved family circle, on March 16, he
passed the anniversary of his three score years and
ten. On the journey he met with adventures and
dangers such as always face him in cutting through
Laos jungle wilds. In speaking of the roads, he
remarks in a report of the tour: "Beneath, water
and mud, brooks, rivers and ponds; above, forcing
our way through the tall grass and undergrowth
and after a night's rain nearly equal the swimming
of a river, so that for nearly twenty-six traveling
days, dry feet and limbs were almost unknown till
night. Ten times I swam my pony across water
courses. Once the current carried us down the
stream so far that with difficulty we made the
landing on the opposite bank somewhat exciting,
as I had never learned to swim."
When he finally stood among this Ka Mu peo-
ple he found a man who had learned to read previ-
ously and with whom he had left books the year
before, who welcomed him by saying: "I have read
these books. They are true, indeed. I worship
Jesus daily." He urged Dr. McGilvary to remain
and teach his own people. This he did, the man
acting as interpreter. He visited all the surround-
ing villages, including the one where resided the
head man of the group of ten villages. This work
culminated in the head man and his whole village
20
306 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
renouncing their spirit-worship and sitting down
with Dr. McGilvary on the following Sabbath to
learn how to keep the day holy. From morn till
night they studied, beginning in the child's cate-
chism with the question: "Who made you?"
And now Dr. McGilvary was faced with a per-
plexing question: What was to be done with these
people? Could he return home and leave them as
sheep without a shepherd? Many months would
be needed to teach and indoctrinate them before
they could become intelligent Christians. He de-
termined to remain throughout the season, and so
sent back carriers to Chieng Mai with the tidings
of his change of plans and with orders for new
supplies and more books. He then left the Ka
Mu hill country, and turning his face toward the
capital city of Laung Prabang he sought the
French governor and the native viceroy to obtain
their permission to remain and labor among the
Ka Mus for the season. This they refused to do,
ostensibly because of concern lest the season prove
too severe for the health of Dr. McGilvary. His
disappointment was unbounded at this turn of af-
fairs. He retraced his steps back to the Ka Mu
villages and spent ten more days teaching the peo-
ple to sing a few hymns and starting the young
people to learn to read.
He then dropped back to Muang Sai, where he
expected his carriers to meet him on their return
from Chieng Mai. For two weeks he waited there,
the suspense caused by his carriers' failure to re-
turn, together with the apparent failure in the plan
CHIENG MAI, CITY OF PALMS 307
he had made for work among the Ka Mus, all but
making the days unendurable.
A stone's throw from the town rises a hill, at that
time crowned with a cluster of trees, which affords
a quiet retreat for one who wishes to be alone.
After the first ten days of waiting had passed, Dr.
McGilvary took his Bible, and sitting on the limb
of a low tree, spent two mornings there from break-
fast till noon, committing the Ka Mu people and
the whole situation unto Him who had so clearly
led him there and placed him in just that perplex-
ing position. On the second day in that solitude
the burden was lifted. So marked and unmistak-
able was the peace that came with the triumph of
faith that he cut into the limb of the tree where
he sat, "J une 26, P. H. and P. A." prayer heard
and prayer answered.
In two days more the carriers arrived and with
them came two Christians who had come to assist
him during the season. His joy was unbounded.
The French officials had said nothing against
natives remaining, and so it was arranged for these
two men to stay and instruct the Ka Mu villages
then interested, returning to Chieng Mai in No-
vember.
November came and passed, and the two men
had not returned. Faith was again tested. Were
they ill? Had the rulers interfered? But on the
loth of December, in the early morning they walked
into the compound with faces aglow with gladness.
They had only good news to tell. Many of the
Ka Mus were ready for baptism, and many more
308 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
were studying. They bore letters written by the
men and women they had taught, begging the mis-
sion to send them teachers at once. "The tree
as well as Jacob's stones had been a witness."
At the next meeting of presbytery the Laos
church took charge of this work among the Ka
Mus. One of their ministers volunteered to go to
them as a missionary and the church gladly
assumed all necessary expenses. Thus was estab-
lished the first regularly organized foreign mission-
ary work of the native Laos church.
Below Dr. McGilvary's home stands the church,
which is the mother of the sixteen churches dotted
over Laos-land to-day. Its membership is nearly
nine hundred, scattered through the city and into
surrounding villages. The oversight of this widely-
scattered church is an immense work, and could
easily take the whole time of one missionary. The
church is well organized, having midweek prayer
meetings, a Sabbath school, Senior and Junior So-
cieties of Christian Endeavor, and a Woman's
Foreign Missionary Society. All of these branches
do excellent work, and under the guiding hand of
the missionaries are slowly but surely developing
so as soon to make the church not only self-sup-
porting, as it already is, but self-sustaining. This is
a difficult thing to do when the needs are so press-
ing, the work so arduous, the evangelistic work
so inviting, so fruitful. But these missionaries
study as one of their text-books of mission meth-
ods the gospels and The Acts of the Apostles, and
they see there how the Master spent much time
CHIENG MAI, CITY OF PALMS 309
with the twelve, teaching, guiding, laying founda-
tions upon which they should afterwards build.
And they read also how Paul and Peter gave time
to the building up of the churches, the edifying of
its members.
Before leaving this church, let us take one back-
ward glance to the early days of the persecution.
At that time Dr. Wilson wrote: "We had looked
forward to the privilege of organizing a church at
no distant day in that country village with Noi
Su Ya as one of its standard bearers. But the
club and the spear have ended his life and his spirit
has joined the church of the First-born. We miss
his smiling face and happy expression and child-
like trust in God. But while waiting we know that
some day a church will be planted in that village of
the martyrs, and as it grows their names will be
held in lasting remembrance." God has abun-
dantly fulfilled this prophecy. At that village the
little church of Me Pu Ka numbers eighty-five
souls, and in the Laos church at large there are
upwards of three score full communicants de-
scended from one of the martyrs.
Though there are several mission families in this
station one never finds two of the men in the
church building on Sabbath unless it be for some
special occasion. Sunday sees them in the out
villages all holding services at different places.
Chieng Mai is the keynote for the other four
stations of the mission; yet it is not the mission, and
we must press on to the other stations if we would
see more of the modern miracles that God has
3IO THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
wrought through his servants there. But before
we go let us glance once more above the city to
Doi Su Tep. There thirteen hundred feet above
the plain are nestled beside a roaring brook several
small cottages built of teak and thatch. These
houses go by the name of the Chieng Mai Sani-
tarium. There during the intense heat at the close
of the dry season the missionaries sometimes go for
a few weeks of change and cooler air. They use
the golden hours for language and Bible study, for
no matter how long a man has been upon the field
he feels that he still has need for language study.
From that vantage point looking down upon the
city one can readily see why we should call Chieng
Mai the City of Palms. As the winds play with
the palm leaves, the sound harmonizes with the
soft melody of monastery bells. May the day
speedily come when the monastery bell will be re-
placed by the full, tuneful tone of church tower
chimes.
CHAPTER XXII
LAKAWN, PRE, NAN, AND CHIENG RAI
IT is four days' travel by elephant or pony or
chair from Chieng Mai to Lakawn, though the
distance is only about sixty-five miles. The first
night will be spent at Lampun, which is already
familiar to our reader as a sub-station of Chieng
Mai. The mission compound here is a little re-
moved from the river, so one gets a more liberal
supply of native smell and smoke, which latter at
the evening hour is all but suffocating. It is a
custom of all Laos people to sweep their yards
at sunset and burn the trash piles; hence the im-
mense amount of smoke referred to. However,
that is but a small thing in a missionary's life, and
so we would say that the mission compound in
Lampun is pleasantly located. To one side is a
chapel and dispensary. This chapel is unique and
splendidly adapted to the needs, as there is no front
wall to partition the chapel and the veranda, so
wayfarers often slip up the steps and sit upon the
veranda listening throughout the entire service.
To the back of the chapel is a dispensary, where
presides a native who has been trained by the
medical missionary in Chieng Mai. Over the wide
field of this prosperous city of Lampun with its
strong self-supporting native church, is the gov-
erning hand of one missionary and his wife, the
311
312 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
Rev. and Mrs. J. H. Freeman. It is not the ruling
policy of either the Board or mission to place a
single family in a station. It is an everyday fallacy
that exists among the laity of the church in America
to think that a missionary, simply because he is a
missionary, is far above the consecrated Christian
worker at home. As a matter of fact he is not
different from his brethren in America, just because
he works among the heathen nations. True it is
that as a rule missionaries are picked men and
women of lofty aim and purpose, which enables
them to minimize the physical and material and
magnify the spiritual and eternal. Yet they are
human and so need mental and moral influences
to sustain them, just as do their kindred in Christ
at home. There is no hardship endured by mis-
sionaries that can compare with the unutterable
loss of all that in the past made up their Christian
experience. No gathering of saints in the sanc-
tuary; no meeting together in prayer; no wise, dis-
creet counsel of some elderly man or woman of
God; no uplifting influences that our Christian
civilization wields upon its children; no heart-to-
heart sympathy, such as comes in times of sorrow
and perplexity; no looking up to scores or hun-
dreds of fellow-Christians who are stronger than
himself. As Drummond has wisely said: "The
saddest thing about a missionary's life is that there
is no one beside him better than himself." It is
true that the missionary has the abiding presence
of Christ, as he promised when he said: "Lo, I am
with you alway," and it is true that he learns to
LAKAWN, PRE, NAN; AND CHIENG RAI 313
lean heavily upon God and drink more deeply of
heavenly waters, yet after all he is in the flesh,
and being so, he needs the elbow touch of brethren,
and for reasons manifold.
One should not point to our great pioneer mis-
sionaries, such as Judson, Carey, and Dr. McGil-
vary, and claim that their efforts prove the con-
trary. These men are giants. They stand as did
Saul of old, head and shoulders above other men.
They have been called to a special work and have
been given powers to accomplish that work. With
the rank and file of missionaries it is different.
They need mental and moral sustenance. To
further this, a comfortable home is given the mis-
sionary that will keep out the heat and the cold, and
where he can put up his book shelves and hang
upon the walls his Sistine Madonna and Angelus.
The infancy of missions has passed, and experience
has proved that the missionary lives longer, has
better health, with fewer furloughs, and is enabled
to wield a stronger arm in the battle, when he is
put in a home and given coworkers. In keeping
with this policy strong central stations is the
watchword. In these stations the various plants
are located, theological and educative, and from
them radiate over the entire province light and in-
fluence. They are headquarters for the missionary,
and from thence he goes forth on his tours of weeks
or months to wage the battle. The station of
Chieng Mai, as we have already seen, is the
strongest in the mission. Its power should cover
the province. But so thickly settled and so im-
THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
portant are the city and province of Lampun that
it is necessary to have a missionary there to super-
vise, and so we find it a sub-station. The mission
family there is in a way sustained by the station at
Chieng Mai, and so cannot be looked upon as
isolated. But even with such a policy as the one
described, it is necessary at times for a single fam-
ily to remain alone in a station a year or more, or,
as in the case of Mr. Shields in Pre in 1900, for
one man to be by himself for a whole year. These
are exceptions born of dire necessity.
After the night's rest the journey must be pushed
forward before the morrow finds the sun peeping
over the tree tops. The night will come when the
foot of the mountains is reached which divides the
two provinces. There in the little village of Me
Ta, beside the murmuring stream of the same
name, the night will be passed. The mountains
rise about the village like a towering amphitheater.
The palm trees seem to be craning their necks in
a vain effort to peep over them. The evening calm
will be broken by the call of jungle fowls, the
scream of peacocks, or the wail of monkeys. Nearer,
the clickety-click-tum of rice pounders at work,
mingled with the beat of pestle as it falls in the
curry mortar, will alternate with the occasional
trumpet of an elephant and his constant "swish,
swish" as he beats upon his leg the dust from
grass he is cropping. And then suddenly, as in the
twinkling of an eye, darkness settles down, and the
liquid stars come out to stand guard through the
night.
LAKAWN, PRE, NAN, AND CHIENG RAI 315
There is a large sala beside the river, and in it
the night will be passed; and lucky indeed will be
the traveler if no native near by decides to roast
red pepper for the morning curry.
The next day will be passed in climbing up and
over the mountain, and so the camp is astir while
it is yet dark. But the darkness disappears as it
came upon the eve before, and see the sun breaks
over the mountains!
"... He strikes the great gloom
And flutters it o'er the mount's summit in airy gold fume.
All is over,"
and the day's climb is before and above. After a
breakfast which has been cooked over the camp
fire, the baskets are packed and the carriers go on
ahead. That day will ever live fresh and green in
the memory of one who has traveled those moun-
tain wilds. Cool recesses, shady glens, bold moun-
tain passes, gurgling brooks, and rich verdure
above and below, all vie with each other and chal-
lenge the world to show a more beautiful scene.
Luncheon will be eaten at a halfway distance where
an overhanging peak affords a cool shade and a
brook below offers an abundance of refreshing
water. And there one can feast upon other food
than that which is for the physical man. When
surrounded with such visible tokens of God's
power and handiwork one realizes that life "means
intensely and means good" and strength is given
to gird up the loins afresh and to go forward with
the still small voice within, "Not by might nor by
power, but by my Spirit."
3l6 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
The night will be spent in a sala upon the other
side of the mountains and the travelers will be
weary, indeed, for the greater part of the climbing
has been done afoot. It was at this camping
ground that the writer of these pages sat spell-
bound listening to the most thrilling, inspiring
words she had ever heard from man, as the vener-
able Dr. McGilvary told her the story of the Laos
mission. At that time he had his face set toward
the far-away province, Luang Prabang. And as
we sat there in the afternoon calm he seemed to be
rilled with a spirit of inspiration as he touched
upon the immensity of the work before him, and
then went back in memory to the sixties and told
in his graphic style of those early days; and as he
spoke of the dangers, struggles, persecutions, trials,
and finally of the light piercing the black darkness
and the triumphs and the victories won, the man
vanished before me and I saw only the onward
march of the Cross of Jesus. Dr. McGilvary was
wholly hid behind that cross. It was all, "What
God hath wrought," and not once, "What I have
done." As I listened my heart was quickened and
my pulse thrilled, and I thought of the woman at
the well of Samaria hearing those words of life
from the lips of the Master, and within me came
the resolve that I, too, would run and tell all the
city. This book is one of the ways in which it has
been done.
Lakawn will be reached on the morrow about
noontime, and welcome indeed will be the cool
shade of the mission compound after the ride
LAKAWN, PRE, NAN, AND CHIENG RAI 317
across the bare rice plains under the scorching sun.
The two mission compounds of the city are locally
known as the north and south compounds, re-
spectively. The latter will be reached first and
there the traveler will receive a right royal welcome
into the ideal home of Mr. and Mrs. Taylor.
Adjoining their home is the boys' school build-
ing, and immediately beyond is another mission
house built by Dr. Peoples before he went to
Nan to open the work there, and since then oc-
cupied, first by the Curtis and then by the Cal-
lender families. Connected with the boys' school
is the Industrial Farm, which was instituted in
1890. This farm, for several reasons has never
attained the end in view, but this is not the fault
of the system, nor the missionary in charge; and
some day in the near future a live, working indus-
trial farm upon the south compound will prove this.
There are problems and difficulties in mission
work, which only the initiated can know. This
farm project has been beset by them. But already
much good has been done by the combination of
the industrial with the educative. Many boys have
been trained into capable carpenters, and many
more have been by patience and perseverance
taught to recognize the fact that manual labor is
honorable. The Laos share the deep-rooted con-
viction of the East, that labor is to be tabooed by
the educated. So it is eminently fitting that its
mission schools should teach practically to the
contrary.
To the back of the compound stretches the rice
3l8 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
plains of the farm, where rice for the school is raised.
A mile up the river is the north compound, where
are located the chapel, dispensary, hospital, the
girls' school, and two resident compounds, one of
which contains two dwellings. These several com-
pounds are all embraced under the one head "north
compound."
The medical work here is under the care of Dr.
Hansen, and is conducted in a similar manner to
that in Chieng Mai. The hospital building has
been recently transformed into a new and more
commodious building by a memorial fund given
for the purpose, and the new building is known
by the name of the Charles T. Van Santvoord
Hospital. Would that we had more such fitting
memorials in this land and other heathen lands!
The girls' school is a growth, as is all the edu-
cational work in the mission. A few girls were
first gathered by Miss Fleeson in a group on the
veranda and taught, until the number grew and
the work proved so encouraging that the station
adopted the support of the school. Previously all
the expenses had been met by private contributions.
Miss Fleeson, assisted by Miss Wilson, has gradu-
ally developed the industrial element of the school
until it is now decidedly an important feature of
the work. The girls are taught to spin and weave,
to cut and sew; are required to keep their dormi-
tories in perfect order, and are trained to know
what responsibility means in the way of hated
routine duties.
On one of these compounds lives the veteran,
ONE OF THE GIRLS.
LAKAWN, PRE, NAN, AND CHIENG RAI 319
Dr. Wilson, now alone, as recently his daughter,
who had been at the head of the home since her
mother's death, was compelled by ill health to come
to America. Dr. Wilson came to Lakawn two
years after it was opened by Dr. and Mrs. Peoples
in 1885, and here has lived and labored since. To
one side of his compound is the tiny house occu-
pied by his niece, Miss Fleeson. Beyond this are
the buildings of the girls' school, and then comes
the residence of Dr. and Mrs. Hansen.
The church in Lakawn has just attained its ma-
jority, but it numbers two hundred and seventeen
souls. The interesting circumstances connected
with its first member, Praya Si Hanat, will be re-
called, also the fortitude with which he stood his
many persecutions. And so it has ever been with
the Lakawn church; for it has suffered many things
from many Herods and, too, in the face of the
proclamation of religious liberty. Many of these
persecutions have resulted in the furtherance of
the work.
So bitterly have the members of this church
themselves suffered in various petty persecutions
that we find them giving of their poverty seventy
rupees the past year to the persecuted Chinese
Christians.
Recently radical changes have taken place in the
government of the province, death having removed
some bitter enemies of the work. At present the
governor is one of the most liberal, influential
chiefs of the whole Laos country, and the Siamese
commissioner is a man of very exceptionally fine
32O THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
parts. Better government exists, and there are
signs to make the toilers believe that the "night is
far spent and the day is at hand."
It is often a matter of interest to the home church
to know how the married women of the mission
engage in active mission work. It is impossible
to give an adequate idea of her work as she
is thronged with duties, complex and undefin-
able. As a wife and mother and housekeeper
she has the manifold cares that come to every
married woman. Besides these she visits in the
homes; counsels those who are in perplexity
and doubt; lays a guiding hand upon the shoulder
of the wanderer from the narrow way; sits beside
the sick; accompanies her husband on long tours,
playing the little organ for meetings, making
friends with the reluctant villagers, and always
drawing a crowd to the tent by her presence and
the presence of her children. Aside from these
and other duties the wives gather heathen women
into sewing or reading classes, where they teach
them both arts. The end in view is to bring them
to a knowledge of sin and their need of the Saviour.
I have one such wife in mind who thus brought
into the church several scores of women from
heathen families. But, perhaps, greater than all
these is the unmeasurable influence for good which
they wield by establishing, in the midst of their
surroundings, Christian homes. They thus set
before the people an object lesson which even the
dullest can comprehend. The Christian home is
one of the essential factors in making the native
LAKAWN, PRE, NAN, AND CHIENG RAI 32!
church thoroughly indigenous and of a healthy,
normal growth.
In 1893, Lakawn and Pre provinces were visited
by a severe famine, such as scourges the East at
times. Even the seed rice was consumed for food,
and a person was fortunate, indeed, to find a dried
cocoanut husk upon which to chew for a meal.
The suffering was intense. Relief committees
were formed by the missionaries and much was
done to alleviate the suffering. This relief work
carried on at Pre was the first step toward estab-
lishing a station there.
Like Chieng Mai, Lakawn has long since out-
grown its city walls. Until recently they stood in
a crumbling, vine-covered condition only a sem-
blance of the old days that are fast passing away.
They looked down in sleepy wonder upon the
strange scenes they viewed, which changes have
come trooping in upon the heels of the missionary,
who here, as elsewhere in the East, has been the
advance agent of trade. A "Columbia" chainless
bicycle spins by, followed by a "Sterling." Upon
each sits easily the form of some enterprising
chau. From the bamboo house, just under the
wall, comes the hum of a sewing machine, and in
the yard a man is at work with an American-made
plane in his hand. Up and down beneath its heavy
shade walk on their beat Siamese policemen, clad
in kakhi. No wonder that the old wall seemed to
sigh so heavily that it crumbled.
Eight miles to the east of Lakawn rise the moun-
tains that must be crossed to reach the Pre prov-
21
322 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
ince. On one of the peaks of this chain is located
the bamboo cottage, where the Lakawn mission-
aries sometimes flee in the hot season for a few
weeks' rest in the cooler air. On the other side
of the range stretches the Muang Pre province. It
is four or five days' travel from Lakawn to Pre.
There is but one mission compound in Pre, but
it embraces two residences, a chapel, a dispensary,
and a hospital. The station was opened in 1893 by
Dr. and Mrs. Briggs, who were soon joined by
the Rev. and Mrs. W. F. Shields. They came di-
rect from America to the station, and have since
been a constant factor in the station's work. Dr.
and Mrs. Briggs were transferred after three years,
and Dr. and Mrs. Thomas took their place, with
Miss Hatch to take charge of the educational work.
It is necessarily so that the history of all mission
stations, as to personnel, is more or less of a chang-
ing nature. Furloughs must be taken, and yet
the work of the missionaries carried on. Mission-
aries get sick at times, desperately ill now and then,
but their work must go on. Some one man must
by a strenuous effort fill in the gap, and yet keep
his regular duties. Oftentimes a small station has
to be temporarily left without a physician that he
may go to the larger one in its hour of need. The
station at Pre has had its share of this coming and
going of its working force. One whole year Mr.
Shields was the only missionary in the station. Dr.
and Mrs. Thomas and Miss Hatch were home on
furlough. Mrs. Shields had been driven to
America by threatened loss of her eyesight, from
LAKAWN, PRE, NAN, AND CHIENG RAI 323
a tropical eye disease. At the time she was wholly
blind, and it was necessary for a young native
woman to accompany her home to care for her
children on the way.
The year Mr. Shields was alone in Pre, he car-
ried on the whole work of the station, medical,
educational, church, evangelistic, and itinerating,
and with such success that every branch, save the
first named, grew and prospered. He was able to
hold the medical work in hand but not push it for-
ward. There were fifty hospital patients during
the year and twelve hundred dispensary patients,
with receipts amounting to nearly two thousand
rupees. Work such as this no man can long main-
tain single-handed.
Beyond Pre to the northeast lies the Miiang Nan
province, which borders upon the newly-acquired
territory of the French. There are very marked
signs of prosperity in this province and the rulers
manifest more interest in the welfare of their peo-
ple than is usual. The church here is the youngest
in the mission, though the station at Chieng Rai
has been organized more recently. In 1894 Dr.
and Mrs. Peoples turned their faces toward this
far-away city and province, which then lay un-
touched by Christianity save as Dr. McGilvary had
visited it on some of his tours. Dr. and Mrs. Peo-
ples have been ably reinforced by the Rev. and
Mrs. David Park and by the Rev. Robert and Mrs.
Irwin, M. D. As yet the most of the dwellings
here are but temporary, being native houses which
offer but poor protection against rain and damp
324 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
and a multitude of ants, scorpions, centipedes, and
other such creatures. But these things they count
as nought, thinking instead of the more than three
score men and women who have been gathered
into the church there.
Could we linger longer in this prosperous con-
servative city of Nan we would see that the work
is carried on there along lines similar to what we
have seen in the older stations. The mission works
as an organized body, keeping certain ultimate ends
in view, which all the stations push toward.
And now back across the whole country must
we go to reach our most northern station, that of
Chieng Rai. This post is as to time the most far
removed station of the Presbyterian Church. The
station is young, having been organized in 1897,
but the church there is much older. It will be re-
membered how one of the band of seven who com-
posed the first church, before the persecution, was
a resident of this place. He became the nucleus
of the church there whose history as to things
spiritual reads like a page from the book of The
Acts. The early band of Christians here had to
look to Chieng Mai for shepherding when Dr.
McGilvary could be spared from the pressure of
work there. He both planted and watered, looking
to God for the increase which was not withheld.
When the Dodd and Denman families occupied
the place as a tentative station in 1897, the little
church there began to go on to perfection. The
post has now been made a regular station and the
work is multiplied and multiplying. Chieng Rai
LAKAWN, PRE, NAN, AND CHIENG RAI 325
is, as to coolness, the most attractive station in the
mission. It also occupies a place of strategic im-
portance, being only a few days' travel from the
interior border of China, and also being within
reach of tribes which skirt the hermit nation of
Tibet. One of these tribes goes by the name of
Musii. Originally they came from Tibet. Many
years ago Dr. McGilvary visited them and bap-
tized several. Now there are many more added
to the band. These Musii are not Shans, and speak
a different language from the Laos. But like the
Ka Mu people, many of them can speak the Laos
tongue.
What may we not hope for Tibet through these
Musii if we only meet the obligations God has
placed upon us by these open doors! Other Musii
villages are being touched by this Christian one,
and many seem ready to cast off the old man, and
put on the new man, Christ. The church in
America should remember this important work
among the Musii along with that of full as much
promise among the Ka Mus.
Though this station is so young in years, it is
admirably organized in all of its departments.
There are three churches, including the one in the
city, the other two being at Chieng Sen and Wieng
Pa Pau.
These are our five mission stations among the
Laos, with their sixteen churches, one sub-station
(Lampun) and nineteen out-stations. We have
had glimpses of the missionaries at their work,
some sowing in virgin soil, while others are reap-
326 THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
ing a harvest at other places, but all toiling happily
in faith and love, though the burden is great and
the heat of the sun is all but overpowering at times.
When the Laos church was in its infancy it
looked to the missionaries for paternal care, and the
initiative in all branches of Christian activities. This
worked for both good and evil; good in that it
kept the church from running ahead of its strength
and understanding, and allowed of full supervision
by the missionaries; evil, in that it was not develop-
ing the church into a self-propagating, self-sustain-
ing body. But God ever cares for his own, and
he showed this danger very clearly to the mission.
Gradually the mission began to bend its energies
toward eradicating the evil and developing the
lacking element of "self-support" in the church;
and to-day it stands as one of the very best illustra-
tions upon the whole mission field of the world, of
a self-supporting church, carrying on its own edu-
cational work; paying the salaries of its own native
ministers; giving liberally toward the Indian
famine relief fund, and the Chinese relief fund; car-
ing for its lepers; and sending out its own mis-
sionaries to neighboring heathen tribes.
All this being true, yet the day is still far distant
when the church should be left to itself. It needs
the missionaries now as never before. Much over-
sight and training and teaching and laboring by
them must yet be done in wisdom and patience be-
fore the time is ripe for independence. The church
in America should arouse herself as never before
to send laborers to this field. Every one of the
LAKAWN, PRE, NAN, AND CHIENG RAI 327
stations that we have visited calls for more work-
ers: not to come to organize a new work, but to
come to an organized, waiting work. The open
doors are on every side. Each one should be an
obligation to the Christians in America to enter.
The work should be extended until it embraces the
Laos of French Indo-China, of Burma, and of
China itself. Especially should this obligation rest
upon the Presbyterian Church, for she alone has the
honor and privilege of working amid this people.
In the past she has won great victories. In less
than thirty-five years she has gathered more than
three thousand souls, counting the dead with the
living, into the visible church. But what are these
few among the millions of heathen about?
And there is another reason why the church
should put forth fresh efforts for the Laos. The
days of her isolation are past. When the hand of
Dr. McGilvary knocked at her mountain doors she
lay in ease and self-indulgence. But the mission-
aries came. They lived Christianity and taught it,
and a new life stirred in the heart of the Laos
people. With the thrill of God's love came an up-
ward striving, in material as well as spiritual things.
At first the missionary was the only agency to meet
this demand for better, for higher things. But
now civilization is creeping in by other channels,
which give mental and material blessings, but which
do not point to God. Steam and electricity are
finding their way into the country, and also im-
proved methods of agriculture and manual labor.
All these things and many more are good and can
THE LAOS OF NORTH SIAM
be used for the furtherance of the work if the
church in America keeps abreast of it. But so
rapid is the pace set by the advance of these ma-
terial things that the vital question has arisen,
Shall the Laos-land accept our civilization, cast
her idols to the bats, and yet be Godless, Christless,
or shall she become one of the peoples of the Lord?
There is an old parable of a man from whom
the evil spirit was cast. "When the man found
that the unclean spirit was gone he swept and gar-
nished his house, but alas! he did not open to God.
And so the evil spirit, weary with wandering, re-
turned to his former abode, and rinding it empty,
he went and took unto himself seven more spirits
more wicked than himself, and they all entered
in and dwelt there, and the last state of that man
was worse than the first." Shall it be so with this
generation of Laos? God has laid the solving of
this grave, momentous question at the door of the
Presbyterian Church in America.
"We are living, we are dwelling,
In a grand and awful time,
In an age on ages telling;
To be living is sublime.
"Hark! the waking up of nations,
Gog and Magog to the fray;
Hark! what soundeth? is creation
Groaning for its latter day?
"On ! let all the soul within you
For the truth's sake go abroad;
Strike ! let every nerve and sinew
Tell on ages, tell for God."
Hppen&ii
CHART OF THE TAI RACE
This classification has been adopted by the Laos Mission, after
tours of research and investigation made by the Rev. D. McGilvpry,
D. D.. the Rev. W. C. Dodd, the Rev. S. C. Peoples, M. D., the
Rev. Robert Irwin, and Dr. W. A. Briggs. Future investigations
will probably disclose other hill tribes, but the chart is complete
at this time. The system of Romanizing adopted by the mission
is the International. It was first proposed by the R. G. S. E., and
is now followed by Great Britain, the United States, Germany,
France, and Spain. It is practically the system used in The
Standard Dictionary. Vowels have their Italian sounds, consonants
their English sounds.
TAI RACE
2. SIAMESE SHANS
PRINCIPAL BRANCHES
9-
* Yuan...,
embracing
peoples
of
Lao .
Chieng Mai
Lampun
Lakawn
Pre
Nan
Chieng Rai
Chieng Sen
t Raheng
Luang Prabang and
lower Me Kawng
Lu Sip Sawng Pan Na
Chieng Tung plain and
region adjacent
Lem Lem province 1
Tai Nua I * Found in Chieng Tung
' ' \ and northward
LAOS HILL TRIBES, MOSTLY NON-TAI
Musu 10. Ka Mu (many varieties)
Kaw ii. Ka Hawk
Kuie 12. Ka La Met
Enn 13. Tai Kao
Pawrawng 14. Tai Dam
Sen Chiim 15. Tai Moi
Wah
(a) Wild Wah
(b) Buddhist Wah
(c) Plang of Sam Tao
and Sam Tiian
Yao
Meo
* These embrace the peoples among whom the Laos Mission now
has stations planted.
t The Raheng Province is occupied by a majority of Siamese
Shans.
J They are the recent immigrants from China. "Nua means
"North."
331
LIST OF MISSIONARIES TO THE LAOS
BRIGGS, WM. A., M. D 1890
*BRIGGS, MRS 1890-1891
BRIGGS, MRS. (Miss Annabelle King) 1892
CALLENDER, REV. C. R 1896
CALLENDER, MRS. (Miss Winnie Marks) 1896
*CAMPBELL, Miss M. M 1879-1881
CAMPBELL, REV. HOWARD 1894
CAMPBELL, MRS. (Miss Sara E. Carlon) 1894
CARY, A. M., M. D 1886-1888
*CARY, MRS. (Miss Pinkerton) 1886-1886
CHEEK, M. A., M. D 1875-1886
CHEEK, MRS. (Miss Sarah B. Bradley) 1875-1886
COLE, Miss EDNA S 1879-1886
(Transferred to Siam Mission.)
COLLINS, REV. D. G 1886
COLLINS, MRS. (Miss Ada F. Pinkerton) 1886
CURTIS, REV. L. W 1895-1899
CURTIS, MRS. (Miss Lillian S. Johnson) 1895-1899
DENM AN, REV. C. H., M. D 1894
DENMAN, MRS. (Miss Katharine Andrews) 1894
DODD, REV. W. CLIFTON 1886
DODD, MRS. (Miss Belle Aiken, 1887) 1889
FLEESON, Miss KATHERINE N 1888
FREEMAN, REV. J. H 1895
FREEMAN, MRS. (Miss Emma E. Hitchcock) 1899
(Siam, 1892.)
GILLIES, REV. RODERICK 1902
GRIFFIN, Miss I. A 1883
GHORMLEY, Miss HATTIE E 1895-1898
HARRIS, REV. WM 1895
*Died. Figures, term of service on the field.
333
334 APPENDIX
HARRIS, MRS. (Miss C. H. McGilvary, 1889) ... .1897
HATCH, Miss JULIA A 1893-1902
HEARST, REV. J. P 1883-1884
HEARST, MRS 1883-1884
HANSEN, C. C, M. D. (Persia, 1895) 1898
HANSEN, MRS. (Miss Lillian D. Reinhart) 1898
(Persia, 1893.)
IRWIN, REV. ROBERT 1890
IRWIN, MRS. (Miss M. A. Bowman, M. D., 1895) 1898
MARTIN, REV. CHALMERS 1883-1886
MARTIN, MRS 1883-1886
MCGILVARY, REV. DANIEL (Siam, 1858) 1867
McGiLVARY, MRS. (Miss Sophia B. Bradley) 1867
(Siam, 1860.)
McGiLVARY, Miss M. A 1891
MCGILVARY, REV. E. B 1891-1894
McGiLVARY, MRS. (Miss Bessie A. Paton) 1891-1894
MACKAY, REV. C. L 1902
MACKAY, MRS. (Miss Jean C. Dodd) 1902
McKEAN, JAMES W., M. D 1889
McKEAN, MRS. (Miss Laura B. Willson) 1889
PARKS. REV. DAVID 1899
PARKS, MRS. (Miss Daisy Booth) 1899
PEOPLES, REV. S. C, M. D 1882
PEOPLES, MRS. (Miss S. Wirt, 1883) 1883
*PHRANER, REV. S. K 1890-1895
*PHRANER, MRS. (Miss Elizabeth Pennell) 1890-1891
*PHRANER, MRS. (Miss E. L. Westervelt, 1884) . .1892-1896
SHIELDS, REV. W. F 1893-1902
SHIELDS, MRS. (Miss Lillian Hendrickson) 1893-1902
TAYLOR, REV. HUGH 1888
TAYLOR, MRS. (Miss Dora Belle Martin) 1888
THOMAS, J. S., M. D 1893
THOMAS, MRS 1893
*VROOMAN, C. W., M. D 1871-1873
WAITE, REV. JAMES 1899-1902
*Died. Figures, term of service on the field.
APPENDIX 335
WAITE, MRS. (Miss Emma S. Stanley) 1899-1902
WAITE, REV. ALEXANDER 1899-1902
WARNER, Miss A 1883-1885
WHITE, REV. HENRY 1902
WHITE, MRS. (Miss Charlotte Dickson) 1902
WILSON, REV. JONATHAN (Siam, 1858) 1868
* WILSON, MRS. (Miss Maria Wilkins, Siam, 1858-1860).
*WILSON, MRS. (Miss Kate D. McLeers) 1868-1885
WILSON, Miss MARGARET S 1893-1896
WlSHARD, MISS 1883-1883
*Died. Figures, term of service on the field.
THE SHAN UPRISING
Since the writing of this book, tidings come from the
Laos missionaries of a Shan uprising in the Laos prov-
inces. It is impossible at this early date to obtain full
particulars, but the principal facts are known and are,
briefly, as follows :
For several years, the Western Shans, who have enjoyed
British rule in Northwest Burma, have been immigrating
into the Laos province, settling in the large cities as
traders or gathering into small mining companies to work
iron and precious stones. Many of these Shans are of a
roving, reckless nature, and such band themselves into
companies for the purpose of making raids into the vil-
lages. This lawlessness has been increasing rapidly of
late years.
On July 23, 1902, the Siamese Commissioner of the
Lakawn province, annoyed at the escape of several of
these thieves from his police, himself headed a band of
eighty gendarmerie, and went in search of them. He ran
them into a mining camp, which he attacked, instead of
demanding their release, according to local custom, from
the head man of the village. The camp was prepared for
resistance, and the Commissioner had to suffer an over-
whelming defeat. The Shans, flushed with victory, began
to rally their fellow-countrymen, and soon had a large
company of armed men, partly equipped with the arms
of the Siamese gendarmerie, which they had cast aside
in their flight back to Lakawn.
They *hen proceeded to Pre, and surprised and captured
the city. For several days carnage prevailed. All Siam-
ese, including women and children, were hacked to pieces
with swords. In order that not one might escape, a
reward of 300 rupees (about $100) was offered for every
336
APPENDIX 337
Siamese killed, which rewards were paid from the cap-
tured Siamese treasury. The Shans and many of the Laos
banded themselves into searching parties, which were but
lawless mobs, frenzied as a tiger by the taste of blood, and
wild in their greed for the silver rupees. We are grateful
to record that the Christian Laos women and men also
banded themselves into searching parties, but in order to
save the poor Siamese from the sword. Thus they res-
cued a large company of women and children and hid
them in the jungle, feeding them daily at the risk of their
lives. Dr. and Mrs. Thomas, who were the only mis-
sionaries in the station, were kept busy during those days
of horror, caring for the wounded.
When the Shans approached Lakawn, the authorities all
fled to Chieng Mai, but the city was prepared for defense,
as a Dane, Mr. Jansen, rallied the forces and succeeded in
repulsing the attack. The ladies and children of the
station had previously been carried to Chieng Mai.
It was not until the middle of August that the troops
from Bangkok arrived and peace was restored. The dis-
turbance had not covered a month of time, but into those
days were crowded those horrors and awful deeds that
only a heathen people are capable of perpetrating.
This uprising is significant in that it shows the dis-
turbed condition of the Laos provinces. The Laos sym-
pathize with their near kinsmen, the Western Shans, for,
both alike have grievances against the government. The
grievances which the Shans laid before the British Consul
were many, but the four principal ones were as follows :
1. The Siamese Government refused them timber to
build temples.
2. The government refused to grant passports, and sub-
jected the Shans to imprisonment for traveling without
transports.
3. The taxes were exorbitant and increasing. For in-
stance, no one could kill a pig or a beef without paying
from one-sixth to one-fourth its value as a privilege tax.
4. It was becoming more and more impracticable for
22
APPENDIX
the Shans to procure homes and rice fields, or any other
property.
The Laos people have many -kindred causes for dissatis-
faction, but their greatest grievance is the failure of the
officials to remit government work in lieu of the four
rupee poll tax.
We believe that the government is sincere in its efforts
to establish a better system of law and order in the prov-
inces, but this is a difficult thing to accomplish when many
of the officials, both Siamese and Laos, are self-seeking
and will squeeze so long as their victims can yield them
a penny's worth into their coffers.
It is to be hoped that the officials have learned a whole-
some lesson by this uprising, and that the government,
too, will be awakened to a realization of the grave state
of unrest and its just causes. If so, then the threatened
recurrence of such uprisings will give place to a new era
of peace and prosperity.
RETURN
LOAN PERIOD 1
2
3
4
5
6
ALL BOOKS MAY BE RECALLED AFTER 7 DAYS
DUE AS STAMPED BELOW
DUE NRLF
^OV 3 1935
iiftrt f"
MAY 1985
RECCIRC APR 2 5 1C
55
*"& 182001
DEC 1 9 20(
6
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY
FORM NO. DDO, 5m, 12/80 BERKELEY, CA 94720
()$
GENERAL LIBRARY - U.C. BERKELEY
BDDD771b37
TVNews
OpenLibrary