SIAM

[s. 693] : The kingdom of Siam lies at the southeast corner of Asia, occupying the central and Siazn principal portion of the peninsula of Indo-China. It has Burma on the west and northwest, and the French po e ions of Cambodia, Annam, and Tonkin on the east and northeast. It stretches along the Malay Peninsula to within four degrees of the equator. The area is uncertain, but is estimated at about 236,000 square miles, of which 60,000 square miles lie in the Malay Peninsula. Physical Features: The physical contour of the country may be best understood by remembering that both its mountain chains and its rivers have a general north and south direction. Of river systems there are two that of the Me-nam in the west, and that of the Me-kong on the eastern frontier. In their lower courses the rivers traverse immense alluvial plains, which are, to a large e.xtent, overflowed during a portion of the year. In the upper country the mountain walls on either side approach each other in some places so closely as to leave only a narrow gorge, while in others they recede, enclosing fertile plains varying in width from 10 to 50 miles. Nearly all the navigable streams are broken by rapids, which render water communication between the lower and upper courses difficult. Climate: Altho Siam lies wholly within the tropics, the climate is not so hot as that of Southern India. The temperature at Bangkok ranges between 57° and 99° F., with a mean annual temperature of 80°. The periodical monsoons of the Indian Ocean divide the year into two seasons of about equal length the rainy season, extending from May until October, and the dry season, covering the rest of the year. Owing to the tropical heat, the abundant rainfall, and the annual overflow of the rivers, Siam is a — — very fertile country. Population: The population of Siam is uncertain, the latest (1899) foreign estimate placing it at The Siamese and their near kinsmen, 5,000,000. the Laos, make up three-fourths of the whole; the other fourth is composed of Chinese, Malays, Peguans, and Burmese, the first-named being the most numerous and important. The Siamese and Laos are alike members of the Shan race, which at one time (14th century) dominated the greater part of Indo-China. Physical Characteristics: The Siamese are a people of medium stature, well formed, with brown skins, straight, black hair, which is worn short, except by the Laos women; and slightly flattened noses. Their eyes are not set obliquely, as in the Chinese and Japanese. In disposition they are gentle, lively, hospitable, kind to children and to the aged, fond of amusements, but lacking in energy; deceitful, unstable, and conceited. The Laos and Independent Shans are superior to the Siamese proper in strength of body and stability of character. The civilization of the Siamese strongly resembles that of China, but is of a lower grade, as they have not the patient industry, the inventive skill, nor the literary taste of the Chinese. Much of the trade of the country falls into the hands of the Chinese and Burmese. The Chinese in many cases marry Siamese women, and the children of such unions make one of the most promising elements in the population, combining the superior energy of the Chinese with the vivacity and quiclvne of the Siamese. Language: The language is broken into several local dialects, e. g., the Siamese, the Laos, and the Shan proper. 676 This tongue is properly a monosyllabic language, and, like the Chinese, has an elaborate system of tones, by which words otherwise idenT here are six tical are given different meanings. tones in common use. The chief difficulties of the language for the foreigner lie in the recognition and accurate reproduction of the tones. The main obstacles to be overcome in translation are the lack of connective particles, the native love for multiplying synonyms, and the observance of a proper mean between the simplicity of the vernacular and the stilted style adopted in the sacred books of Buddhism. It should be added that besides the difference in written character between Siamese and Laos dialects, there are also slight but important differences of vocabulary, of tone, and of idiom e. g., so common a word as “not” is in Siamese mi, in Laos baw. Social Customs: In their social customs the Siamese present several points of interest to the student of mi ions. The position of woman is No attempt is made high for an Oriental people. to seclude her, but she moves freely among men, engages in busine , holds property in her own name, and is in general the equal of man. Monogamy is the rule, except among the nobility; and even among them the principle of monogamy is recognized in the preeminence given to one, gen Child marriage is not pracerally the first, wife. tised; widows may remarry; divorce is easy. The position of woman is due, in part, doubtle , to the humane teachings of Buddhism, and in part to the social custom which ordains that a man on marriage shall become a member of his wife’s family. Children are kindly treated, and the adoption of children by childle couples is common. Great respect is paid to distinctions of age and rank. There are separate sets of pronouns which must be used with regard to superiors, inferiors, and equals. Religions: Two vSiamese peoples evil spirits. religions obtain among the — Buddhism and the worship with of The one is a historic religion, ancient, sacred books, costly temples, a numerous priesthood, and the support of the states; the other is an unorganized worship, without literature, priesthood, or temples, but in many portions of the country, particularly among the Laos tribes, it rivals, if it does not exceed. Buddhism in its hold upon the popular mind and its influBuddhism, as held ence over the affairs of life. and practised in Siam, constitutes a formidable Simply barrier to the progre of Christianity. as the ancient religion of the country, it is strongly entrenched in the popular regard. “It is not the custom of our ancestors” is often considered a sufficient reply to the best-constructed argument Buddhism, too, is interwoven for Christianity. with the whole social life of the people scarcely a — family but has or has had a member in its priesthood. Its fetes furnish the principal opportunity for social pleasures. Vast sums of money have been invested in its temples, pagodas, and monasteries, and in support of its priests. It makes strong appeal to the self-righteous tendencies of the human heart. It operates powerfully to deaden the conscience, and to discredit the po ibility of a vicarious atonement for wrongdoing. Side by side with Buddhism, and to a large degree intermingled with it, is the religion of demon-worship. This is but one form of that Shamanism which prevails so largelj’ in Asia and Africa. What gives it interest is the extent to 677 which affects the lives of the people. The some of which may be said to correspond to the elves and fairies of Western superstitions, but the majority of which are believed to be in greater or le degree malevolent, are of several different kinds. Some are local spirits of the forests, the mountains, the genii it spirits or demons, — streams, the caves. Others preside over certain natural phenomena as thunder, rain, wind; or over particular operations as plowing, sowing, reaping, house-building, or certain situations in human experience notably birth, marriage, sickne , death. vast multitude also are of deceased persons. spirits This burden superstition finds its natural climax in the some belief which refers misfortune or sickne. to Persons adjudged to be witches are witchcraft. driven from their homes, their houses burnt, and There are in the Laos their gardens uprooted. provinces cities where the whole population con- — — — A such persons and their families. Potent as this demon-worship is in its influence upon the people of Siam, and especially of sists of the Laos provinces, it is le serious than Buddhism as a hindrance to the progre of the Gos Since disease in its various forms is largely pel. attributed to the influence of demons, medical mi ionary practise does much to weaken this So does the mi ion school, with superstition. its rational explanations of natural phenomena. And so heavy is the incubus of fear which this belief lays upon its adherents, that they are prepared to hail as good tidings a religion that promises relief. Early Mi ionary History: It was as a po ible door of entrance to China that Siam first attracted the attention of Protestant Christians. In the year 1828, Dr. Karl Gutzlaff, who had gone to Singapore under the Netherlands Mi ionary Society, accompanied by Rev. Mr. Tomlin of the London Mi ionary Society, visited Bangkok. Convinced that here was an open door for mi ionary effort, these brethren sent an appeal to the American churches for men to occupy the field. This appeal was brought to America by the same trading ve el which brought In response the the famous “Siamese Twins.” American Board instructed the Rev. David Abeel, then stationed in Canton, to visit Siam, with a view to the establishment of a mi ion Meanwhile Gutzlaff and Tomlin had been there. earnestly at work. While their attention was principally given to the Chinese, whom they found numerous in Bangkok, Dr. Gutzlaff prepared a tract in Siamese, and made a translation of one of the Gospels. But the death of his wife compelled him to leave, and Mr. Tomlin shortly went away also. Besides the appeal to the American churches, Gutzlaff and Tomlin had sent one also to the American Baptist Mi ion in Burma. It is interesting to note in this connection that the very earliest effort on the part of a Protestant for the evangelization of the Siamese was made by Mrs. Ann Ha el tine Judson, who had, by the help of a Siamese resident in Rangoon, learned something of the Siamese tongue, and had translated into it the catechism just prepared by Dr. Judson for the Burmans, also a tract and the Gospel of Matthew. The catechism was printed (1819) on the mi ion pre at Serampur, and is believed book ever printed in The Baptist mi ionaries in Burma sent Rev. J. T. Jones to Siam in answer to Gutzto be the first Christian Siamese. laff ’s appeal. Slam He labored there from 1833 until his death in 1851. The attempt of the ABCFM to establish a mi ion in Siam began with the dispatch of Rev. David Abeel, in 1830, and ended with his breaking down in health, and consequent departure in 1832. It was renewed by the sending out of Me rs. Johnson and Robinson, who reached Bangkok in 1834. They were joined a year later by Daniel B. Bradley, M.D., who arrived in the same ve el with Mr. Dean of the Baptist Mi ion. These two men were destined to enjoy long periods of mi ionary service. Dr. Dean continued his labors for the Chinese, with sundry interruptions, until 1885. Dr. Bradley was ordained to the ministry in 1838. He was a man of versatile powers, and left an abiding mark on the Siamese nation. Lilce the Baptists, the mi ionaries of the American Board at first carried on mi ions both to the Chinese and the Siamese, but with the opening of China proper the laborers engaged among the Chinese were withdrawn. The mi ion to the Siamese was maintained until 1849, when it was brought to a close by the departure of Rev. Asa He men way, the Board’s only remaining mi ionary. As yet but slight results had been obtained, either by the mi ionaries of the American Board or by their Baptist brethren, in the conversion of the Siamese. But much had been accomplished in other directions. The mi ionaries, by their blamele and self-denying lives, and especially by their succe in healing the sick, had won the esteem of the native community. By preaching and teaching, and by translating, printing, and distributing portions of the Scriptures and Christian tracts, they had brought the truth into contact with a multitude of minds; and especially ought we, in estimating their labors, to be mindful of the influence which one of their number, the Rev. James Caswell, was permitted to exercise when the providence of God threw into his hands the daily instruction during eighteen months of the future king of the country. One other of the American churches was to have a share in the work of mi ions in Siam. In This was the Presbyterian Church (North). 1848 the Presbyterian Board of Foreign Mi ions sent to Bangkok the Rev. William Buell and his wife. After three years of service they were compelled by the ill-health of Mrs. Buell to leave The work was then suspended until the field. 1847, when it was renewed by Rev. Stephen Mattoon and Samuel R. House, M.D. This mi ion continues until the present, and is now the only Protestant agency for the evangelization of The first convert, Nai Chune, was the Siamese. baptized in 1859 twelve years after the per In 1902 manent establishment of the mi ion. the number of church members among Siamese and Laos together was over 4,000. In 1861 the Mi ion opened a new station in Petchaburee, which has now become a center of Christian influence, not only for the province in which it is situated, but also for the provinces lying to the south, along the Gulf of Siam. Another important step was taken in 1867 in the est.a bUsh ment of a mi ion to the Laos tribes. Interest in the evangelization of these tribes was first awakened through the presence in the neighborhood of Petchaburee of a large colony of Laos, whose ancestors in a time of political disturbance had put themselves under the protection of the King of Siam, who had a igned them a — Sians-eUVng Sikhs In residence in the province of Petchaburee. 1863 Me rs. McGilvary and Wilson of the Petchaburee Mi ion made a tour of exploration to Chieng Mai, the capital of the most powerful Laos This important city is situated on the province. river Me Ping, about 500 miles north of Bangkok. In 1867 Mr. McGilvary removed thither with his family, and Mr. Wilson and his wife followed him a year later. The labor of the mi ionaries was soon rewarded by the baptism of their first convert. Nan Inta, a man of more than usual ability, and learned in the Buddhist religion. His faith in Buddhism was first seriously shaken by the verification of the prediction made by the mi ionaries of the eclipse of August 18, 1868. His conversion was followed within a few months by that of six others. The Laos converts at first suffered persecution, but since the i ue, in 1878, of a proclamation of religious liberty for the Laos, the persecuting The edict of spirit has been held in check. toleration was i ued in response to an appeal from the mi ionaries in Chieng Mai on behalf of two native Christians who wished to be married in Christian fashion, without making the offerings to spirits customary on such occasions. Their heathen relatives attempted to prevent the marriage, and were supported in their attempt by the authorities; so there was nothing left for the mi ionaries but to appeal to Bangkok. Medical mi ionary work was begun in Chieng Mai in 1875, with the opening of a dispensary, since developed into a hospital. A boarding school for girls was opened in 1878, and one for boys in 1888. In the Laos states the people have shown great readine to accept the Gospel, and here we find seven times as many Christians as in Siam, tho the field has been occupied only a little more than half as long. The PN has sole care of the work among the Laos. The pre and medical mi ions are agencies of great usefulne in this field, and the training of the native Christians and the. encouragement of the churches toward self-support are among the leading features of the Laos Mi ion. SIANG-CH’ENG. See Hsiang-cheng-hsien. 696