BANGKOK

[s. 81] : Capital of Siam, on the Menam River, about 20 miles from its mouth. It is the chief commercial center of the country. Climate, intensely hot in summer. Population, 400,000 Siamese, Chinese, Burmans, Malays, Arabs, Hindus; nearly one-half of the entire population is Chinese and practically the whole of the commerce of Bangkok is in their hands. The approach of the city is very beautiful, and some of the temples are very fine specimens — elaborate decoration. A large number of the houses are built on rafts, and the internal traffic of the city is largely carried on by canals, altho streets and bridges have been built and electric cars introduced in some quarters. Bangkok is occupied as a mi ionary station by the (1833), with 3 mi ionaries and 7 native workers, men and women, 4 outstations of Ballantlne’ Bantxt Race and women, 32 outstations, 34 village schools, a high school, a theological seminary, and 1,500 church members. This station is an instance of the pervasive power of the Gospel of Christ. When it was first occupied, the people were entirely unknown to the outside world and were living in gro darkne of paganism. Their language had never been reduced to writing. It was seven years before a single convert came forward for baptism, and he was threatened with death for becoming a Christian. Since that first conversion 2,000 of that Bantu tribe have been baptized; they have the beginnings of a printed literature; the people themselves have taken up the duty of evangelization, and everywhere within a radius of thirty miles of the station the pagans have the Gospel preached to them by their own countrymen. ch008.xhtml a 81