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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d45947d --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #63818 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/63818) diff --git a/old/63818-0.txt b/old/63818-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index f23143b..0000000 --- a/old/63818-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,13515 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook, A Half Century Among the Siamese and the -Lāo, by Daniel McGilvary - - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - - -Title: A Half Century Among the Siamese and the Lāo - An Autobiography - - -Author: Daniel McGilvary - - - -Release Date: November 20, 2020 [eBook #63818] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - - -***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A HALF CENTURY AMONG THE SIAMESE -AND THE LĀO*** - - -E-text prepared by Brian Wilson, Barry Abrahamsen, and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from page images -generously made available by Internet Archive (https://archive.org) - - - -Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this - file which includes the original illustrations. - See 63818-h.htm or 63818-h.zip: - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/63818/63818-h/63818-h.htm) - or - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/63818/63818-h.zip) - - - Images of the original pages are available through - Internet Archive. See - https://archive.org/details/halfcenturyamong00mcgi - - -Transcriber’s note: - - Text that was in italics is enclosed by underscores - (_italics_). - - Text that was in bold face is enclosed by equal signs - (=bold=). - - - - - -A HALF CENTURY AMONG THE SIAMESE AND THE LĀO - - -[Illustration: - - Daniel McGilvary] - - -A HALF CENTURY AMONG THE SIAMESE AND THE LĀO - -An Autobiography - -By - -DANIEL McGILVARY, D.D. - -With an Appreciation by Arthur J. Brown, D.D. - -Illustrated - - -[Illustration] - - - - - - -New York Chicago Toronto -Fleming H. Revell Company -London and Edinburgh - -Copyright, 1912, by -Fleming H. Revell Company - -New York: 158 Fifth Avenue -Chicago: 125 N. Wabash Ave. -Toronto: 25 Richmond St., W. -London: 21 Paternoster Square -Edinburgh: 100 Princes Street - - - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - TO - MY WIFE - - - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - AN APPRECIATION - - -Missionary biography is one of the most interesting and instructive of -studies. It is, however, a department of missionary literature to which -Americans have not made proportionate contribution. The foreign -missionary Societies of the United States now represent more -missionaries and a larger expenditure than the European Societies, but -most of the great missionary biographies are of British and Continental -missionaries, so that many Americans do not realize that there are men -connected with their own Societies whose lives have been characterized -by eminent devotion and large achievement. - -Because I regarded Dr. McGilvary as one of the great missionaries of the -Church Universal, I urged him several years ago to write his -autobiography. He was then over seventy-five years of age, and I told -him that he could not spend his remaining strength to any better -advantage to the cause he loved than in preparing such a volume. His -life was not only one of unusual length (he lived to the ripe age of -eighty-three), but his missionary service of fifty-three years covered -an interesting part of the history of missionary work in Siam, and the -entire history, thus far, of the mission to the Lāo people of northern -Siam. There is no more fascinating story in fiction or in that truth -which is stranger than fiction, than the story of his discovery of a -village of strange speech near his station at Pechaburī, Siam, his -learning the language of the villagers, his long journey with his -friend, Dr. Jonathan Wilson, into what was then the unknown region of -northern Siam, pushing his little boat up the great river and pausing -not until he had gone six hundred miles northward and arrived at the -city of Chiengmai. The years that followed were years of toil and -privation, of loneliness and sometimes of danger; but the missionaries -persevered with splendid faith and courage until the foundations of a -prosperous Mission were laid. - -In all the marked development of the Lāo Mission, Dr. McGilvary was a -leader—the leader. He laid the foundations of medical work, introducing -quinine and vaccination among a people scourged by malaria and smallpox, -a work which has now developed into five hospitals and a leper asylum. -He began educational work, which is now represented by eight boarding -schools and twenty-two elementary schools, and is fast expanding into a -college, a medical college, and a theological seminary. He was the -evangelist who won the first converts, founded the first church, and had -a prominent part in founding twenty other churches, and in developing a -Lāo Christian Church of four thousand two hundred and five adult -communicants. His colleague, the Rev. Dr. W. C. Dodd, says that Dr. -McGilvary selected the sites for all the present stations of the Mission -long before committees formally sanctioned the wisdom of his choice. He -led the way into regions beyond and was the pioneer explorer into the -French Lāo States, eastern Burma, and even up to the borders of China. -Go where you will in northern Siam, or in many sections of the -extra-Siamese Lāo States, you will find men and women to whom Dr. -McGilvary first brought the Good News. He well deserves the name so -frequently given him even in his lifetime—“The Apostle to the Lāo.” - -It was my privilege to conduct our Board’s correspondence with Dr. -McGilvary for more than a decade, and, in 1902, to visit him in his home -and to journey with him through an extensive region. I have abiding and -tender memories of those memorable days. He was a Christian gentleman of -the highest type, a man of cultivation and refinement, of ability and -scholarship, of broad vision and constructive leadership. His -evangelistic zeal knew no bounds. A toilsome journey on elephants -through the jungles brought me to a Saturday night with the weary -ejaculation: “Now we can have a day of rest!” The next morning I slept -late; but Dr. McGilvary did not; he spent an hour before breakfast in a -neighbouring village, distributing tracts and inviting the people to -come to a service at our camp at ten o’clock. It was an impressive -service,—under a spreading bo tree, with the mighty forest about us, -monkeys curiously peering through the tangled vines, the huge elephants -browsing the bamboo tips behind us, and the wondering people sitting on -the ground, while one of the missionaries told the deathless story of -redeeming love. But Dr. McGilvary was not present. Seventy-four years -old though he was, he had walked three miles under a scorching sun to -another village and was preaching there, while Dr. Dodd conducted the -service at our camp. And I said: “If that is the way Dr. McGilvary -rests, what does he do when he works?” Dr. McKean, his associate of many -years, writes: - -“No one who has done country evangelistic work with Dr. McGilvary can -ever forget the oft-seen picture of the gray-haired patriarch seated on -the bamboo floor of a thatch-covered Lāo house, teaching some one to -read. Of course, the book faced the pupil, and it was often said that he -had taught so many people in this way that he could read the Lāo -character very readily with the book upside down. Little children -instinctively loved him, and it is therefore needless to say that he -loved them. In spite of his long snow-white beard, never seen in men of -this land and a strange sight to any Lāo child, the children readily -came to him. Parents have been led to God because Dr. McGilvary loved -their children and laid his hands upon them. In no other capacity was -the spirit of the man more manifest than in that of a shepherd. Always -on the alert for every opportunity, counting neither time nor distance -nor the hardship of inclement weather, swollen streams, pathless jungle, -or impassable road, he followed the example of his Master in seeking to -save the lost. His very last journey, which probably was the immediate -cause of his last illness, was a long, wearisome ride on horseback, -through muddy fields and deep irrigating ditches, to visit a man whom he -had befriended many years ago and who seemed to be an inquirer.” - -Dr. McGilvary was pre-eminently a man who walked with God. His piety was -not a mere profession, but a pervasive and abiding force. He knew no -greater joy than to declare the Gospel of his blessed Lord to the people -to whose up-lifting he had devoted his life. “If to be great is ‘to take -the common things of life and walk truly among them,’ he was a great -man—great in soul, great in simplicity, great in faith and great in -love. Siam is the richer because Daniel McGilvary gave her fifty-three -years of unselfish service.” Mrs. Curtis, the gifted author of _The Laos -of North Siam_, says of Dr. McGilvary: “Neither Carey nor Judson -surpassed him in strength of faith and zeal of purpose; neither Paton -nor Chalmers has outranked him in the wonders of their achievements, and -not one of the other hundreds of missionaries ever has had more evidence -of God’s blessing upon their work.” - -Not only the missionaries but the Lāo people loved him as a friend and -venerated him as a father. Some of his intimate friends were the abbots -and monks of the Buddhist monasteries and the high officials of the -country. No one could know him without recognizing the nobility of soul -of this saintly patriarch, in whom was no guile. December 6th, 1910, -many Americans and Europeans celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of his -marriage. The King of Siam through Prince Damrong, Minister of the -Interior, sent a congratulatory message. Letters, telegrams, and gifts -poured in from many different places. The Christian people of the city -presented a large silver tray, on which was engraved: “The Christian -people of Chiengmai to Dr. and Mrs. McGilvary, in memory of your having -brought the Gospel of Jesus Christ to us forty-three years ago.” The -tray showed in relief the old rest-house where Dr. and Mrs. McGilvary -spent their first two years in Chiengmai, the residence which was later -their home of many years, the old dilapidated bridge, and the handsome -new bridge which spans the river opposite the Christian Girls’ -School—thus symbolizing the old and the new eras. - -The recent tours of exploration by the Rev. W. Clifton Dodd, D.D., and -the Rev. John H. Freeman have disclosed the fact that the Lāo peoples -are far more numerous and more widely distributed than we had formerly -supposed. Their numbers are now estimated at from twelve to sixteen -millions, and their habitat includes not only the Lāo States of northern -Siam but extensive regions north and northeastward in the Shan States, -Southern China, and French Indo-China. The evangelization of these -peoples is, therefore, an even larger and more important undertaking -than it was understood to be only a few years ago. All the more honour, -therefore, must be assigned to Dr. McGilvary, who laid foundations upon -which a great superstructure must now be built. - -Dr. McGilvary died as he would have wished to die and as any Christian -worker might wish to die. There was no long illness. He continued his -great evangelistic and literary labours almost to the end. Only a short -time before his death, he made another of his famous itinerating -journeys, preaching the Gospel to the outlying villages, guiding -perplexed people and comforting the sick and dying. He recked as little -of personal hardship as he had all his life, thinking nothing of hard -travelling, simple fare, and exposure to sun, mud, and rain. Not long -after his return and after a few brief days of illness, he quietly “fell -on sleep,” his death the simple but majestic and dignified ending of a -great earthly career. - -The Lāo country had never seen such a funeral as that which marked the -close of this memorable life. Princes, Governors, and High Commissioners -of State sorrowed with multitudes of common people. The business of -Chiengmai was suspended, offices were closed, and flags hung at -half-mast as the silent form of the great missionary was borne to its -last resting-place in the land to which he was the first bringer of -enlightenment, and whose history can never be truly written without -large recognition of his achievements. - -Fortunately, Dr. McGilvary had completed this autobiography before his -natural powers had abated, and had sent the manuscript to his -brother-in-law, Professor Cornelius B. Bradley of the University of -California. Dr. Bradley, himself a son of a great missionary to Siam, -has done his editorial work with sympathetic insight. It has been a -labour of love to him to put these pages through the press, and every -friend of the Lāo people and of Dr. McGilvary is his debtor. The book -itself is characterized by breadth of sympathy, richness of experience, -clearness of statement, and high literary charm. No one can read these -pages without realizing anew that Dr. McGilvary was a man of fine mind, -close observation, and descriptive gifts. The book is full of human -interest. It is the story of a man who tells about the things that he -heard and saw and who tells his story well. I count it a privilege to -have this opportunity of commending this volume as one of the books -which no student of southern Asia and of the missionary enterprise can -afford to overlook. - - ARTHUR J. BROWN. - -156 FIFTH AVENUE, NEW YORK. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - PREFACE - - -Years ago, in the absence of any adequate work upon the subject, the -officers of our Missionary Board and other friends urged me to write a -book on the Lāo Mission. Then there appeared Mrs. L. W. Curtis’ -interesting volume, _The Laos of North Siam_, much to be commended for -its accuracy and its valuable information, especially in view of the -author’s short stay in the field. But no such work exhausts its subject. - -I have always loved to trace the providential circumstances which led to -the founding of the Lāo Mission and directed its early history. And it -seems important that before it be too late, that early history should be -put into permanent form. I have, therefore, endeavoured to give, with -some fulness of detail, the story of the origin and inception of the -Mission, and of its early struggles which culminated in the Edict of -Religious Toleration. And in the later portions of the narrative I have -naturally given prominence to those things which seemed to continue the -characteristic features and the personal interest of that earlier period -of outreach and adventure, and especially my long tours into the -“regions beyond.” - -The appearance during the past year of Rev. J. H. Freeman’s _An Oriental -Land of the Free_, giving very full and accurate information regarding -the present status of the Mission, has relieved me of the necessity of -going over the same ground again. I have, therefore, been content to -draw my narrative to a close with the account of my last long tour in -1898. - -The work was undertaken with many misgivings, since my early training -and the nature of my life-work have not been the best preparation for -authorship. I cherished the secret hope that one of my own children -would give the book its final revision for the press. But at last an -appeal was made to my brother-in-law, Professor Cornelius B. Bradley of -the University of California, whose birth and years of service in Siam, -whose broad scholarship, fine literary taste, and hearty sympathy with -our missionary efforts indicated him as the man above all others best -qualified for this task. His generous acceptance of this work, and the -infinite pains he has taken in the revision and editing of this book, -place me under lasting obligations to him. - -I wish to acknowledge my indebtedness to Dr. W. A. Briggs and to Rev. J. -H. Freeman for the use of maps prepared by them, and to Dr. Briggs and -others for the use of photographs. - - DANIEL MCGILVARY. - - April 6, 1911, - - CHIENGMAI. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - NOTE BY THE EDITOR - - -The task which has fallen to me in connection with this book, was -undertaken as a labour of love; and such it seems to me even more, now -that it ends in sadness of farewell. It has not been an easy task. The -vast spaces to be traversed, and the months of time required before a -question could receive its answer, made consultation with the author -almost impossible. And the ever-present fear that for him the night -might come before the work could receive a last revision at his hands, -or even while he was still in the midst of his story, led me continually -to urge upon him the need of persevering in his writing—which was -evidently becoming an irksome task—and on my part to hasten on a -piecemeal revision as the chapters came to hand, though as yet I had no -measure of the whole to guide me. - -It is, therefore, a great comfort to know that my urgency and haste were -not in vain; that all of the revision reached him in time to receive his -criticism and correction—though his letter on the concluding chapter -was, as I understand, the very last piece of writing that he ever did. -How serene and bright it was, and with no trace of the shadow so soon to -fall! - -But the draft so made had far outgrown the possible limits of -publication, and was, of course, without due measure and proportion of -parts. In the delicate task of its reduction I am much indebted to the -kind suggestions of the Rev. Arthur J. Brown, D.D., and the Rev. A. W. -Halsey, D.D., Secretaries of the Board of Foreign Missions of the -Presbyterian Church, and of the Rev. W. C. Dodd, D.D., of the Lāo -Mission, who, fortunately, was in this country, and who read the -manuscript. For what appears in this book, however, I alone must assume -the responsibility. “An autobiography is a personal book, expressive of -personal opinion.” And whether we agree with them or not, the opinions -of a man like Dr. McGilvary, formed during a long lifetime of closest -contact with the matters whereof he speaks, are an essential part not -only of the history of those matters, but of the portrait of the man, -and far more interesting than any mere details of events or scenes. On -all grave questions, therefore, on which he has expressed his deliberate -opinion, I have preferred to err on the side of inclusion rather than -exclusion. - - * * * * * - -The plan adopted in this volume for spelling Siamese and Lāo words is -intended to make possible, and even easy, a real approximation to the -native pronunciation. Only the tonal inflections of native speech and -the varieties of aspiration are ignored, as wholly foreign to our usage -and, therefore, unmanageable. - -The consonant-letters used and the digraphs _ch_ and _ng_ have their -common English values. - -The vowels are as follows: - - Long ā as in _father_ - ē as in _they_ - ī as in _pique_ - ō as in _rode_ - ū as in _rude_, _rood_ - aw as in _lawn_ - ê as in _there_ (without the _r_) - ô as in _world_ (without the _r_) - û is the _high-mixed_ vowel, not found in English. - It may be pronounced as u. - - Short a as in _about_ (German _Mann_)—_not_ as in _hat_. - e as in _set_ - i as in _sit_ - o as in _obey_ (N. Eng. _coat_)—_not_ as in _cot_. - u as in _pull_, _foot_—_not_ as in _but_. - -The last four long vowels have also their corresponding shorts, but -since these rarely occur, it has not been thought worth while to burden -the scheme with extra characters to represent them. - -The diphthongs are combinations of one of these vowels, heavily -stressed, and nearly always long in quantity—which makes it seem to us -exaggerated or drawled—with a “vanish” of short _i_, _o_, (for _u_), or -_a_. _ai_ (= English long i, y) and _ao_ (= English _ow_) are the only -diphthongs with short initial element, and are to be distinguished from -_āi_ and _āo_. In deference to long established usage in maps and the -like, _ie_ is used in this volume where _ia_ would be the consistent -spelling, and _oi_ for _awi_. - - * * * * * - -A word remains to be said concerning the name of the people among whom -Dr. McGilvary spent his life. That name has suffered uncommonly hard -usage, especially at the hands of Americans, as the following brief -history will show. Its original form in European writing was _Lāo_, a -fairly accurate transcription by early French travellers of the name by -which the Siamese call their cousins to the north and east. The word is -a monosyllable ending in a diphthong similar to that heard in the proper -names _Macāo_, _Mindanāo_, _Callāo_. In French writing the name often -appeared in the plural form, _les Laos_; the added _s_, however, being -silent, made no difference with the pronunciation. This written plural, -then, it would seem, English-speaking people took over without -recognizing the fact that it was only plural, and made it their standard -form for all uses, singular as well as plural. With characteristic -ignorance or disregard of its proper pronunciation, on the mere basis of -its spelling, they have imposed on it a barbarous pronunciation of their -own—_Lay-oss_. It is to be regretted that the usage of American -missionaries has been most effective in giving currency and countenance -to this blunder—has even added to it the further blunder of using it as -the name of the region or territory, as well as of the people. But the -word is purely ethnical—a proper adjective like our words _French_ or -_English_, and, like these, capable of substantive use in naming either -the people or their language, but not their land. Needless to say, these -errors have no currency whatever among European peoples excepting the -English, and they have very little currency in England. It seems high -time for us of America to amend not only our false pronunciation, but -our false usage, and the false spelling upon which these rest. In -accordance with the scheme of spelling adopted in this work, the _a_ of -the name Lāo is marked with the macron to indicate its long quantity and -stress. - - CORNELIUS BEACH BRADLEY. - - BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA, - - December, 1911. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CONTENTS - - - I. CHILDHOOD AND YOUTH 19 - - II. MINISTERIAL TRAINING 35 - - III. BANGKOK 43 - - IV. PECHABURĪ—THE CALL OF THE 53 - NORTH - - V. THE CHARTER OF THE LĀO MISSION 66 - - VI. CHIENGMAI 77 - - VII. PIONEER WORK 84 - - VIII. FIRST-FRUITS 95 - - IX. MARTYRDOM 102 - - X. THE ROYAL COMMISSION 118 - - XI. DEATH OF KĀWILŌROT 130 - - XII. THE NEW RÉGIME 140 - - XIII. EXPLORATION 150 - - XIV. FIRST FURLOUGH 160 - - XV. MÛANG KÊN AND CHIENG DĀO 169 - - XVI. SEEKERS AFTER GOD 180 - - XVII. THE RESIDENT COMMISSIONER 191 - - XVIII. WITCHCRAFT 199 - - XIX. THE EDICT OF RELIGIOUS 207 - TOLERATION - - XX. SCHOOLS—THE NINE YEARS’ 221 - WANDERER - - XXI. SECOND FURLOUGH 236 - - XXII. A SURVEYING EXPEDITION 244 - - XXIII. EVANGELISTIC TRAINING 255 - - XXIV. STRUGGLE WITH THE POWERS OF 266 - DARKNESS - - XXV. CHRISTIAN COMMUNITIES PLANTED 276 - - XXVI. A FOOTHOLD IN LAMPŪN 289 - - XXVII. A PRISONER OF JESUS CHRIST 300 - - XXVIII. CIRCUIT TOUR WITH MY DAUGHTER 308 - - XXIX. LENGTHENING THE CORDS AND 320 - STRENGTHENING THE STAKES - - XXX. AMONG THE MŪSÔ VILLAGES—FAMINE 338 - - XXXI. CHIENG RUNG AND THE SIPSAWNG 353 - PANNĀ - - XXXII. THIRD FURLOUGH—STATION AT 370 - CHIENG RĀI - - XXXIII. THE REGIONS BEYOND 386 - - XXXIV. THE CLOSED DOOR 402 - - XXXV. CONCLUSION 413 - - INDEX 431 - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - ILLUSTRATIONS - - - DANIEL MCGILVARY _Frontispiece_ - - WILLIAM J. BINGHAM 30 - - MAHĀ MONKUT, KING OF SIAM, 1851-1872 48 - - PAGODA OF WAT CHÊNG, BANGKOK 56 - - REV. DAN BEACH BRADLEY, M.D., 1872 70 - - KĀWILŌROT, PRINCE OF CHIENGMAI (ABOUT 70 - 1869) - - A REST BETWEEN RAPIDS IN THE GORGE OF 76 - THE MÊ PING RIVER - - POLING UP THE MÊ PING RIVER 76 - - TEMPLE OF THE OLD TĀI STYLE OF 82 - ARCHITECTURE, CHIENGMAI - - A CREMATION PROCESSION 146 - - INTERIOR OF A TEMPLE, PRÊ 158 - - AN ABBOT PREACHING 188 - - INTANON, PRINCE OF CHIENGMAI 202 - - ELDER NĀN SUWAN 202 - - DR. MCGILVARY, 1881 238 - - MRS. MCGILVARY, 1881 238 - - CHULALONGKORN, KING OF SIAM, 1872-1910 242 - - PRESBYTERY, RETURNING FROM MEETING IN 264 - LAKAWN - - MARKET SCENE IN CHIENGMAI 274 - - IN THE HARVEST-FIELD 274 - - GIRLS’ SCHOOL IN CHIENGMAI, 1892 284 - - REV. JONATHAN WILSON, D.D., 1898 294 - - FIRST CHURCH IN CHIENGMAI 318 - - DR. MCGILVARY’S HOME IN CHIENGMAI 318 - - MRS. MCGILVARY, 1893 332 - - MŪSÔ PEOPLE AND HUT NEAR CHIENG RAI 348 - - GROUP OF YUNNAN LĀO 356 - - PHYA SURA SIH, SIAMESE HIGH COMMISSIONER 384 - FOR THE NORTH - - HIS MAJESTY, MAHĀ VAJIRAVUDH, KING OF 424 - SIAM - - DR. AND MRS. MCGILVARY, FIFTY YEARS 428 - AFTER THEIR MARRIAGE - - MAP OF NORTHERN SIAM SHOWING MISSION 326 - STATIONS - - MAP OF SIAM 430 - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - I - - CHILDHOOD AND YOUTH - - -Heredity and early environment exercise such a determining influence in -forming a man’s character and shaping his destiny that, without some -knowledge of these as a clew, his after-life would often be -unintelligible. And beyond these there is doubtless a current of events, -directing the course of every man’s life, which no one else can see so -clearly as the man himself. In the following review of my early life, I -have confined myself, therefore, to those events which seem to have led -me to my life-work, or to have prepared me for it. - -By race I am a Scotsman of Scotsmen. My father, Malcom McGilvary, was a -Highland lad, born in the Isle of Skye, and inheriting the marked -characteristics of his race. In 1789, when Malcom was eleven years old, -my grandfather brought his family to the United States, and established -himself in Moore County, North Carolina, on the headwaters of the Cape -Fear River. The McGilvarys had but followed in the wake of an earlier -immigration of Scottish Highlanders, whose descendants to this day form -a large proportion of the population of Moore, Cumberland, Richmond, -Robeson, and other counties of North Carolina. My father’s brothers -gradually scattered, one going to the southwestern, and two to the -northwestern frontier. My father, being the youngest of the family, -remained with his parents on the homestead. The country was then -sparsely settled; communication was slow and uncertain. The scattered -members of the family gradually lost sight of one another and of the -home. My mother belonged to the McIver clan—from the same region of the -Scottish Highlands, and as numerous in North Carolina as the McGilvarys -were scarce. She was born in this country not long after the arrival of -her parents. - -I was born May 16th, 1828, being the youngest of seven children. As soon -after my birth as my mother could endure the removal, she was taken to -Fayetteville, thirty-five miles distant, to undergo a dangerous surgical -operation. The journey was a trying one. Anæsthetics were as yet -unknown. My poor mother did not long survive the shock. She died on the -23d of November of that year. - -Since feeding-bottles were not then in use, the motherless infant was -passed around to the care of aunts and cousins, who had children of like -age. Two aunts in particular, Catharine McIver and Margaret McNeill, and -a cousin, Effie McIver, always claimed a share in me for their motherly -ministrations till, at last, I could be turned over to my sister Mary. -She, though but six years my senior, was old beyond her years; and the -motherly care with which she watched over her little charge was long -remembered and spoken of in the family. - -When I was four years old, my father married his second wife, Miss Nancy -McIntosh. The next nine years, till my father’s death, June 8th, 1841, -were spent in the uneventful routine of a godly family in a country -home. My father’s rigid ideas of family discipline were inherited from -his Presbyterian ancestors in Scotland, and his own piety was of a -distinctly old-school type. He was a ruling elder in the church at -Buffalo, Fayetteville Presbytery, in which office he was succeeded by my -brother, Evander, and three others of his sons became elders in other -churches. No pressure of business was ever allowed to interfere with -family worship night and morning. A psalm or hymn from the old village -hymnbook always formed part of the service. My father was an early -riser, and, in the winter time, family worship was often over before the -dawn. Almost every spare moment of his time he spent in reading Scott’s -Family Bible, the Philadelphia _Presbyterian_, or one of the few books -of devotion which composed the family library. The special treasure of -the book-case was the great quarto Illustrated Family Bible, with the -Apocrypha and Brown’s Concordance, published by M. Carey, Philadelphia, -1815. It was the only pictorial book in the library, and its pictures -were awe-inspiring to us children—especially those in the Book of -Revelation:—The Dragon Chained, The Beast with Seven Heads and Ten -Horns, and the Vision of the Four Seals. These and the solemn themes of -Russell’s _Seven Sermons_—which on rainy days I used to steal away by -myself to read—made a profound impression on me. - -Scottish folk always carry the school with the kirk. Free schools were -unknown; but after the crops were “laid by,” we always had a -subscription school, in which my father, with his large family, had a -leading interest. The teacher “boarded around” with the pupils. Our -regular night-task was three questions and answers in the Shorter -Catechism—no small task for boys of ten or twelve years. My memory of -the Catechism once stood me in good stead in after-life. When examined -for licensure by the Orange Presbytery, I was asked, “What is man’s -state by nature?” In reply I gave the answers to the nineteenth and -twentieth questions in the Catechism. A perceptible smile passed over -the faces of many of the presbyters, and Father Lynch said, “He is right -on the Catechism. He will pass.” In those days to be “right on the -Catechism” would atone for many failures in Hodge or Turretin. - -The church was at the village of Buffalo, four miles from our home, but -no one of the family was expected to be absent from the family pew on -“the Sabbath.” Carriages were a later luxury in that region. Our two -horses carried father and mother, with the youngest of the little folks -mounted behind, till he should be able to walk with the rest. - -The great event of the year was the camp-meeting at the Fall Communion. -It served as an epoch from which the events of the year before and after -it were dated. For weeks before it came, all work on the farm was -arranged with reference to “Buffalo Sacrament”—pronounced with long a in -the first syllable. It was accounted nothing for people to come fifteen, -twenty, or even forty miles to the meetings. Every pew-holder had a -tent, and kept open house. No stranger went away hungry. Neighbouring -ministers were invited to assist the pastor. Services began on Friday, -and closed on Monday, unless some special interest suggested the wisdom -of protracting them further. The regular order was: A sunrise -prayer-meeting, breakfast, a prayer-meeting at nine, a sermon at ten, an -intermission, and then another sermon. The sermons were not accounted of -much worth if they were not an hour long. The pulpit was the tall -old-fashioned boxpulpit with a sounding-board above. For want of room in -the church, the two sermons on Sunday were preached from a stand in the -open air. At the close of the second sermon the ruling elders, stationed -in various parts of the congregation, distributed to the communicants -the “tokens,”[1] which admitted them to the sacramental table. Then, in -solemn procession, the company marched up the rising ground to the -church, singing as they went: - - “Children of the Heavenly King, - As ye journey sweetly sing.” - -Footnote 1: - - The “token” was a thin square piece of lead stamped with the initial - letter of the name of the church. - -It was a beautiful sight, and we boys used to climb the hill in advance -to see it. When the audience was seated, there was a brief introductory -exercise. Then a hymn was sung, while a group of communicants filled the -places about the communion table. There was an address by one of the -ministers, during the progress of which the bread and the wine were -passed to the group at the table. Then there was singing again, while -the first group retired, and a second group took its place. The same -ceremony was repeated for them, and again for others, until all -communicants present had participated. The communion service must have -occupied nearly two hours. One thing I remember well—when the children’s -dinner-time came (which was after all the rest had dined), the sun was -low in the heavens, and there was still a night service before us. -Notwithstanding some inward rebellion, it seemed all right then. But the -same thing nowadays would drive all the young people out of the church. - -With some diffidence I venture to make one criticism on our home life. -The “Sabbath” was too rigidly observed to commend itself to the judgment -and conscience of children—too rigidly, perhaps, for the most healthy -piety in adults. It is hard to convince boys that to whistle on Sunday, -even though the tune be “Old Hundred,” is a sin deserving of censure. An -afternoon stroll in the farm or the orchard might even have clarified my -father’s vision for the enjoyment of his Scott’s Bible at night. It -would surely have been a means of grace to his boys. But such was the -Scottish type of piety of those days, and it was strongly held. The -family discipline was of the reserved and dignified type, rather than of -the affectionate. Implicit obedience was the law for children. My father -loved his children, but never descended to the level of familiarity with -them when young, and could not sympathize with their sports. - -But dark days were coming. Brother John Martin presently married and -moved west. In August, 1840, an infant sister died of quinsy—the first -death I ever witnessed. On June 8th, 1841, the father and “house-bond” -of the family was taken away. The inheritance he left his children was -the example of an upright, spotless life—of more worth than a legacy of -silver and gold. These we might have squandered, but that was -inalienable. - -At thirteen, I was small for my age—too small to do a man’s work on the -farm; and there was no money with which to secure for me an education. -Just then occurred one of those casual incidents which often determine -the whole course of one’s life. Mr. Roderick McIntosh, one of my -mother’s cousins, being disabled for hard work on the farm, had learned -the tailor’s trade, and was then living in the village of Pittsboro, -twenty-one miles away. His father was a neighbour of ours, and a man -after my father’s own heart. The two families had thus always been very -intimate. While the question of my destiny was thus in the balance, this -cousin, one day, while on a visit to his father, called at our house. He -had mounted his horse to leave, when, turning to Evander, he asked, -“What is Dan’l going to do?” My brother replied, “There he is; ask him.” -Turning to me, he said, “Well, Dan’l, how would you like to come and -live with me? I will teach you a trade.” I had never thought of such a -thing, nor had it ever been mentioned in the family. But somehow it -struck me favourably. Instinctively I replied, “I believe I should like -it.” A life-question could not have been settled more fortuitously. But -it was the first step on the way to Siam and the Lāo Mission. - -On the last day of August, 1841, I bade farewell to the old home, with -all its pleasant associations. Every spot of it was dear, but never so -dear as then. Accompanied by my brother Evander, each of us riding one -of the old family horses, I started out for my new home. The departure -was not utterly forlorn, since Evander was still with me. But the -parting from him, as he started back next day, was probably the hardest -thing I had ever experienced. I had to seek a quiet place and give vent -to a flood of tears. For a time I was inexpressibly sad. I realized, as -never before, that I was cut loose from the old moorings—was alone in -the world. But the sorrows of youth are soon assuaged. No one could have -received a warmer welcome in the new home than I did. There were two -children in the family, and they helped to fill the void made by the -separation. - -Pittsboro was not a large village, but its outlook was broader than that -of my home. The world seemed larger. I myself felt larger than I had -done as a country boy. I heard discussion of politics and of the -questions of the day. The county was strongly Whig, but Mr. McIntosh was -an unyielding Democrat, and as fond of argument as a politician. -According to southern custom, stores and shops were favourite resorts -for passing away idle time, and for sharpening the wits of the -villagers. The recent Presidential campaign of 1840 furnished unending -themes for discussion in our little shop. - -There was no Presbyterian church in Pittsboro at that time. The -church-going population was divided between the Methodist and the -Episcopalian churches, the former being the larger. With my cousin’s -family I attended the Methodist church. On my first Sunday I joined the -Methodist Sunday School, and that school was the next important link in -my chain of life. Its special feature was a system of prizes. A certain -number of perfect answers secured a blue ticket; ten of these brought a -yellow ticket; and yellow tickets, according to the number of them, -entitled the possessor to various prizes—a hymnbook, a Bible, or the -like. On the first Sunday I was put into a class of boys of my own age, -at work on a little primer of one hundred and six questions, all -answered in monosyllables. By the next Sunday I was able to recite the -whole, together with the Lord’s Prayer and the Apostles’ Creed at the -end. It was no great feat; but the teacher and the school thought it -was. So, on the strength of my very first lesson, I got a yellow ticket, -and was promoted to the next higher class. That stimulated my ambition, -and I devoted my every spare hour to study. The next book was one of -questions and answers on the four Gospels. They were very easy; I was -able to commit to memory several hundred answers during the week. In a -few Sundays I got my first prize; and it was not long before I had -secured all the prizes offered in the school. What was of far more value -than the prizes was the greater love for study and for the Scriptures -which the effort had awakened in me, and a desire for an education. The -shop was often idle; I had plenty of time for study, and made the most -of it. - -At one of the subsequent Quarterly Meetings, a Rev. Mr. Brainard, who -had considerable reputation as a revivalist, preached one Sunday night a -vivid and thrilling sermon on Noah’s Ark and the Flood. So marked was -the impression on the audience, that, at the close, according to the -Methodist custom, “mourners” were invited to the altar. Many accepted -the invitation. A young friend sitting beside me was greatly affected. -With streaming eyes he said, “Dan’l, let us go, too,” rising up and -starting as he spoke. After a few moments I followed. By this time the -space about the altar was well filled. There was great excitement and no -little confusion—exhortation, singing, and prayer going on all at once. -A number of persons made profession of religion, and soon my young -friend joined them. He was full of joy, and was surprised to find that I -was not so, too. The meetings were continued night after night, and each -night I went to the altar. As I look back upon it from this distance, it -seems to me that, with much exhortation to repent and believe, there was -not enough of clear and definite instruction regarding the plan of -salvation, or the offices and work of Christ. One night, in a quiet hour -at home, the grounds and method of a sinner’s acceptance of Christ -became clear to me, and He became my Lord. - -Soon after, when invitation was given to the new converts to join the -church as probationers, I was urged by some good friends to join with -the rest; and was myself not a little inclined to do so. It was no doubt -the influence of my cousin that enabled me to withstand the excitement -of the revival and the gentle pressure of my Methodist friends, and to -join, instead, my father’s old church at Buffalo. But I owe more than I -shall ever know to that Sunday School, and since then I have always -loved the Methodist Church. Meanwhile the prospects for an education -grew no brighter, though Mr. Brantley, then a young graduate in charge -of the Pittsboro Academy, but afterward a distinguished Baptist minister -of Philadelphia, gave me a place in his school at idle times; and a Dr. -Hall used to lend me books to read. - -When the opportunity for acquiring an education finally came, it was as -unexpected as a clap of thunder out of a blue sky. The celebrated -Bingham School, now in Asheville, North Carolina, was then, as now, the -most noted in the South. It was started by Rev. William Bingham in -Pittsboro, North Carolina, in the closing years of the eighteenth -century. It was moved to Hillsboro by his son, the late William J. -Bingham, father of the present Principal. The school was patronized by -the leading families of the South. The number of pupils was strictly -limited. To secure a place, application had to be made a year or more in -advance. - -My surprise, therefore, can well be imagined, when one day Baccus King, -a young boy of the town, walked into the shop with a letter addressed to -Master Daniel McGilvary from no less a personage than William J. -Bingham, the great teacher and Principal. At first I thought I was the -victim of some boyish trick. But there was the signature, and the -explanation that followed removed all doubt. Nathan Stedman, an -influential citizen of Pittsboro, was an early acquaintance and friend -of Mr. Bingham. He had visited the school in person to secure a place -for his nephew, young King, and had brought back with him the letter for -me. What Mr. Bingham knew of me I never discovered. No doubt Mr. Stedman -could have told, though up to that time I had never more than spoken -with him. Be that as it may, there was the letter with its most generous -offer that I take a course in Bingham School at the Principal’s expense. -He was to board me and furnish all necessary expenses, which, after -graduation, I was to refund by teaching. If I became a minister of the -Gospel, the tuition was to be free; otherwise I was to refund that also. -To young King’s enquiry what I would do, I replied, “Of course, I shall -go.” My cousin, Mr. McIntosh, was scarcely less delighted than I was at -the unexpected opening. - -The invitation to attend Bingham School came in the fall of 1845, when I -was in my eighteenth year. There were then only two weeks till the -school should open. I had little preparation to make. A pine box painted -red was soon got ready to serve as a trunk, for my wardrobe was by no -means elaborate. Mr. Stedman kindly offered me a seat with Baccus and a -friend of his who was returning to the school. On the way Baccus’ friend -entertained us with stories of the rigid discipline, for this was in the -days when the rod was not spared. I had no fears of the rod, but I -trembled lest I should not sustain myself as well as such great kindness -demanded. It might be a very different thing from winning a reputation -in a Methodist Sunday School. - -It was dusk when we reached The Oaks. The family was at supper. Mr. -Bingham came out to receive us. He told Baccus’ friend to take him to -his own old quarters, and, turning to me, said, “I have made -arrangements for you to board with Mr. C., and to room with Mr. K., the -assistant teacher, till my house is finished, when you are to live with -us. But we are at supper now. You must be hungry after your long ride. -Come in and eat with us.” After supper, Mr. Bingham went with me to my -boarding-house, and introduced me to my hosts and to my chum, David -Kerr. He welcomed me, and said he thought we should get along finely -together. We not only did that, but he became a warm friend to whom I -owed much. So I was in the great Bingham School, overwhelmed with a -succession of unexpected kindnesses from so many quarters! What did it -all mean? - - -[Illustration: - - WILLIAM J. BINGHAM] - - -My highest anticipations of the school were realized. If there ever was -a born teacher, William J. Bingham was one. Latin and Greek were taught -then by a method very different from the modern one. Before a sentence -was read or translated, the invariable direction was—master your -grammar. In grammar-drill Mr. Bingham could have no superior. Bullion’s -Grammars and Readers were the text-books. The principal definitions were -learned practically verbatim. The coarse print was required of all in -the class. The older pupils were advised to learn notes, exceptions, and -all. I never became so familiar with any other books as with that series -of grammars. We were expected to decline every noun and adjective, alone -or combined, from nominative singular to ablative plural, backwards or -forwards, and to give, at a nod, voice, mood, tense, number, and person -of any verb in the lesson. These exercises became at last so easy that -they were great fun. Even now, sixty years later, I often put myself to -sleep by repeating the old paradigms. - -It may seem that my estimate of Mr. Bingham is prejudiced by my sense of -personal obligation to him for his kindness. Yet I doubt not that the -universal verdict of every one who went there to study would be that he -should be rated as one of the world’s greatest teachers. The South owes -much to him for the dignity he gave to the profession of teaching. No -man ever left a deeper impress on me. Thousands of times I have thanked -the Lord for the opportunity to attend his school. - -I was graduated from the school in May, 1849, a few days before I was -twenty-one years old. On leaving my kind friends at The Oaks, I was -again at sea. It will be remembered that, by my original agreement, I -was booked for teaching—but I had no idea where. Once more the -unexpected happened. In the midst of negotiations for a school in the -southern part of the state, I was greatly surprised at receiving an -offer from one of the prominent business men of my own town, Pittsboro, -to assist me in organizing a new school of my own there. With much doubt -and hesitation on my part—for there were already two preparatory schools -in the place—the venture was made, and I began with ten pupils taught in -a little business office. The number was considerably increased during -the year. But when the second year opened, I was put in charge of the -Academy, whose Principal had resigned. Here, in work both pleasant and -fairly profitable, I remained until the four years for which I had -agreed to stay were up. - -I had by no means reached my ideal. But, as my friends had predicted, it -had been a success. Some of my warmest supporters were sure that I was -giving up a certainty for an uncertainty, in not making teaching my -life-work. It had evidently been the hope of my friends from the first -that I would make Pittsboro my home, and build up a large and permanent -school there. But my purpose of studying for the ministry had never -wavered, and that made it easier for me to break off. - -During these four years my relations with the newly organized -Presbyterian church had been most pleasant and profitable. There was no -resisting the appeal that I should become ruling elder. The -superintendency of the Sunday School also fell naturally to me, and -opened up another field of usefulness. The friendship formed with the -pastor, the Rev. J. H. McNeill, is one of the pleasant memories of my -life. - -One feature of the church connection must not be passed over. Neither of -the other elders was so circumstanced as to be able to attend the -meetings of the Orange Presbytery. Three of the leading professors in -the University were members of the Presbytery, and all the leading -schools within its bounds were taught by Presbyterian ministers or -elders. To accommodate this large group of teachers, the meetings were -held in midsummer and midwinter. Thus it fell to my lot to represent the -Pittsboro church at the Presbytery during nearly the whole of the four -years of my stay in Pittsboro. As it was then constituted, its meetings -were almost equal to a course in church government. The Rev. J. Doll, -one of the best of parliamentarians, was stated clerk. A group of -members such as the two Drs. Phillips, father and son, Dr. Elisha -Mitchell, of the University, and many others that could be named, would -have made any assembly noted. Professor Charles Phillips, as chairman of -the committee on candidates for the ministry, came into closer touch -with me than most of the others. He afterwards followed my course in the -Seminary with an interest ripening into a friendship which continued -throughout his life. - -The meetings of the Presbytery were not then merely formal business -meetings. They began on Wednesday and closed on Monday. They were looked -forward to by the church in which they were to be held as spiritual and -intellectual feasts. To the members themselves they were seasons of -reunion, where friendships were cemented, and where wits were sharpened -by intellectual conflicts, often before crowded congregations. - -Union Seminary, now of Richmond, Virginia, has always been under the -direction of the Synods of North Carolina and Virginia; and there were -strong reasons why students from those Synods should study there. They -were always reminded of that obligation. But the high reputation of Drs. -Hodge and Alexander was a strong attraction toward Princeton. My pastor -and Professor Phillips, chairman of the committee in charge of me, had -both studied there. So I was allowed to have my preference. No doubt -this proved another stepping-stone to Siam. Union Seminary was not then -enthusiastic in regard to foreign missions, as it has since become. At -the last meeting of Presbytery that I was to attend, Dr. Alexander -Wilson moved that, inasmuch as Orange Presbytery owned a scholarship in -Princeton Seminary, I be assigned to it. To my objection that I had made -money to pay my own way, he replied, “You will have plenty of need of -your money. You can buy books with it.” I followed the suggestion and -laid in a good library. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - II - - MINISTERIAL TRAINING - - -I entered Princeton Seminary in the fall of 1853. I did not lodge in the -Seminary building, but, through the kindness of Rev. Daniel -Derouelle—whom, as agent of the American Bible Society, I had come to -know during his visits to Pittsboro—I found a charming home in his -family. There were, of course, some disadvantages in living a mile and a -half away from the Seminary. I could not have the same intimate -relations with my fellow students which I might have had if lodged in -the Seminary. But I had the delightful home-life which most of them -missed altogether. And the compulsory exercise of two, or sometimes -three, trips a day, helped to keep me in health throughout my course. I -became, indeed, a first-rate walker—an accomplishment which has since -stood me in good stead in all my life abroad. - -Being from the South, and not a college graduate, as were most of the -students, I felt lonesome enough when, on the first morning of the -session, I entered the Oratory and looked about me without discovering a -single face that I knew. But at the close of the lecture some one who -had been told by a friend to look out for me, touched me on the -shoulder, made himself known, and then took me off to introduce me to J. -Aspinwall Hodge, who was to be a classmate of mine. No man ever had a -purer or a better friend than this young man, afterward Dr. J. Aspinwall -Hodge; and I never met a friend more opportunely. - -Of our revered teachers and of the studies of the Seminary course there -is no need to speak here. Our class was a strong one. Among its members -were such men as Gayley, Mills, Jonathan Wilson, Nixon, Lefevre, and -Chaney. Of these Gayley and Mills were already candidates for missionary -work abroad. In other classes were Robert McMullen and Isidore -Loewenthal, destined to become martyrs in Cawnpore and Peshawur. Many -were the stirring appeals we heard from these men. Dr. Charles Hodge, -too, had given a son to India; and he never spoke more impressively than -when he was pleading the cause of foreign missions. Princeton, moreover, -because of its proximity to New York and to the headquarters of the -various missionary societies established there, was a favourite field -for the visits of the Secretaries of these organizations, and of -returned missionaries. A notable visit during my first year was that of -Dr. Alexander Duff, then in his prime. No one who heard him could forget -his scathing criticism of the church for “playing at missions,” or his -impassioned appeals for labourers. - -So the question was kept constantly before me. But during the first two -years, the difficulty of the acquisition of a foreign language by a -person not gifted in his own, seemed an obstacle well-nigh insuperable. -Conscience suggested a compromise. Within the field of Home Missions was -there not equal need of men to bring the bread of life to those who were -perishing without it? With the object of finding some such opportunity, -I spent my last vacation, in the summer of 1855, in Texas as agent of -the American Sunday School Union. - -Texas afforded, indeed, great opportunities for Christian work; but in -the one object of my quest—a field where Christ was not preached—I was -disappointed. In every small village there was already a church—often -more than one. Even in country schoolhouses Methodists, Baptists, and -Cumberland Presbyterians had regular Sunday appointments, each having -acquired claim to a particular Sunday of the month. Conditions were such -that the growth of one sect usually meant a corresponding weakening of -the others. It was possible, of course, to find local exceptions. But it -is easier even now to find villages by the hundred, with three, four, -and even five Protestant churches, aided by various missionary -societies; where all the inhabitants, working together, could do no more -than support one church well. This may be necessary; but it is surely a -great waste. - -From this trip I had just returned with these thoughts in my mind, and -was entering upon my senior year, when it was announced that Dr. S. R. -House, a missionary from Siam, would address the students. Expectation -was on tiptoe to hear from this new kingdom of Siam. The address was a -revelation to us all. The opening of the kingdom to American -missionaries by the reigning monarch, Mahā Mongkut—now an old story—was -new then, and sounded like a veritable romance. My hesitation was ended. -Here was not merely a village or a parish, but a whole kingdom, just -waking from its long, dark, hopeless sleep. Every sermon I preached -there might be to those who had never heard that there is a God in -heaven who made them, or a Saviour from sin. - -The appeal was for volunteers to go at once. None, however, of the men -who had announced themselves as candidates for service abroad were -available for Siam. They were all pledged to other fields. The call -found Jonathan Wilson and myself in much the same state of expectancy, -waiting for a clear revelation of duty. After anxious consultation and -prayer together, and with Dr. House, we promised him that we would give -the matter our most serious thought. If the Lord should lead us thither, -we would go. - -Meanwhile the Rev. Andrew B. Morse had been appointed a missionary to -Siam, and the immediate urgency of the case was thus lightened. Shortly -before the close of my Seminary course, in 1856, there came to me a call -to the pastorate of two contiguous churches, those of Carthage and of -Union, in my native county in North Carolina. The call seemed a -providential one, and I accepted it for one year only. My classmate, -Wilson, soon after accepted a call to work among the Indians in Spencer -Academy. - -My parish was an admirable one for the training of a young man. The -church at Union was one of the oldest in the state. The church at -Carthage, five miles away, was a colony from Union. No distinct -geographical line separated the two. Many of the people regularly -attended both. That, of course, made the work harder for a young pastor. -The extreme limits of the two parishes were fifteen miles apart. But -these were church-going folk, mostly of Scottish descent—not -“dry-weather Christians.” The pastorate had been vacant a whole year. - -At the first morning service the church was crowded to its utmost -capacity. Some came, no doubt, from curiosity to hear the new preacher; -but most of them were hungry for the Gospel. They had all known my -father; and some had known me—or known of me—from boyhood. I could not -have had a more sympathetic audience, as I learned from the words of -appreciation and encouragement spoken to me after church—especially -those spoken by my brother, who was present. - -The year passed rapidly. The work had prospered and was delightful. In -it I formed the taste for evangelistic touring, which was afterwards to -be my work among the Lāo. There had been a number of accessions in both -churches. It was easy to become engrossed in one’s first charge among a -people so sympathetic, and to overlook far-away Siam. Indeed, I had -become so far influenced by present surroundings as to allow my name to -be laid before a meeting of the congregation with a view to becoming -their permanent pastor. Their choice of me was unanimous. Moreover, I -had been dismissed from my old Presbytery to the one within whose bounds -my parish was. The regular meeting of the latter was not far off, when -arrangements were to be made for my ordination and installation. - -As the time drew near, do what I might, my joy in accepting the call -seemed marred by the thought of Siam. I learned that the Siamese -Mission, instead of growing stronger, was becoming weaker. Mr. Morse’s -health had completely broken down during his first year in the field. He -was then returning to the United States. Mrs. Mattoon had already come -back an invalid. Her husband, after ten years in Siam, was greatly in -need of a change; but was holding on in desperation, hoping against hope -that he might be relieved. - -The question of my going to Siam, which had been left an open one, must -now soon be settled by my accepting or declining. I needed counsel, but -knew not on what earthly source to call. When the question of Siam first -came up in Princeton, I had written to leading members of the Orange -Presbytery for advice, stating the claims of Siam so strongly that I was -sure these men would at least give me some encouragement toward going. -But the reply I had from one of them was typical of all the rest: “We do -not know about Siam; but we do know of such and such a church and of -such and such a field vacant here in Orange Presbytery. Still, of -course, it _may_ be your duty to go to Siam.” In that quarter, surely, -there was no light for me. So I devoted Saturday, August 1st, to fasting -and prayer for guidance. In the woods back of the Carthage church and -the Academy, the decision was finally reached. I would go. - -Next morning I stopped my chief elder on his way to church, and informed -him of my decision. After listening to my statement of the case, he -replied, “Of course, if it is settled, there’s nothing more to be said.” -It chanced that Mr. Russell, my former assistant in the Pittsboro -Academy, had just finished his theological course; and, wholly without -reference to the question pending in my mind, had arranged to preach for -me that day. The session was called together before service, was -notified of my decision, and was reminded that the preacher of the day -would be available as a successor to me. He preached a good sermon, had -a conference with the session afterwards, and was virtually engaged that -day. The following week brought notice of my appointment as missionary -to Siam. - -The last communion season of that year was one of more than usual -interest. The meetings began on Friday. Since the minds of the -congregation were already on the subject of foreign missions, and since -Dr. McKay, from my home church, had been appointed by the Synod to -preach on that subject at its coming session in Charlotte, I prevailed -upon him to preach to us the sermon that he had prepared. The text was -from Romans x:14, “How shall they hear without a preacher?” No subject -could have been more appropriate to the occasion. It produced a profound -impression. Some were affected to tears. - -The sermon was a good preparation for the communion service that -followed. At the night service there was deep seriousness throughout the -congregation, and a general desire to have the meetings continued. On -Monday there was an unexpectedly large congregation. At the busiest -season of the year farmers had left their crops to come. The meetings -soon grew to be one protracted prayer-meeting, with occasional short -applications of Scripture to the questions which were already pressing -upon our minds. - -Finally, after the meetings had been continued from Friday until -Wednesday week, they were reluctantly brought to a close; both because -it seemed unwise to interrupt longer the regular life of the community, -and also because the leaders no longer had the voice to carry them on. -As a result of the meetings, there were about eighty accessions to the -two Presbyterian churches, as well as a number to other churches. Many -asked if I did not see in the revival reason to change my mind and -remain. But the effect on me was just the opposite. It was surely the -best preparation I could have had for the long test of faith while -waiting for results in Siam. - -Inasmuch as my certificate of dismissal had never been formally -presented to the Fayetteville Presbytery, I preferred to return it to my -old Orange Presbytery, and to receive my ordination at its hands. On -December 11th, the Presbytery met at my old home in Pittsboro. The -installation of a foreign missionary was new to the Presbytery, as well -as to the church and the community. When the ordaining prayer was ended, -there seemed to be but few dry eyes in the congregation. It was a day I -had little dreamed of sixteen years before, when I first came to -Pittsboro an orphan boy and an apprentice. I felt very small for the -great work so solemnly committed to me. Missionary fields were further -off in those days than they are now, and the undertaking seemed greater. -The future was unknown; but in God was my trust—and He has led me. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - III - - BANGKOK - - -On reaching New York I went directly to the Mission House, then at 23 -Centre Street. As I mounted the steps, the first man I met on the -landing was Jonathan Wilson. We had exchanged a few letters, and each -knew that the other had not forgotten Siam; but neither expected to meet -the other there. “Where are you going?” said one. “I am on my way to -Siam,” said the other. “So am I,” was the reply. In the meantime he had -married and, with his young wife, was in New York awaiting passage. We -took the first opportunity that offered, the clipper ship _David Brown_, -bound for Singapore, and sailing on March 11th, 1858. - -Sailors have a tradition that it is unlucky to have missionaries on -board; but the weather was propitious throughout, and the voyage a -prosperous one. We three were the only passengers, and we proved to be -good sailors. Our fare was reasonably good. We had plenty of good -reading, and soon settled down to steady work. The ship was somewhat -undermanned; and this fact was given as an excuse for not having service -on Sundays. But we had a daily prayer-meeting throughout the voyage, -with just a sufficient number present to plead the promise: “Where two -or three are gathered together in my name.” We also had free access to -the men in the forecastle when off duty. - -We had the excitement of an ocean race with a twin ship of the same -line, which was to sail a week after us. As we reached Anjer Straits on -the seventy-eighth day out, a sail loomed up which proved to be our -competitor. She had beaten us by a week! Ten days later we reached -Singapore, where, indeed, we met no brethren, but were met by welcome -letters from Siam. Like Paul at the Three Taverns, “we thanked God and -took courage.” One of the letters ran thus: - - “Those were good words that came to our half-discouraged - band—the tidings that we are to have helpers in our work.... In - our loneliness we have sometimes been tempted to feel that our - brethren at home had forgotten us. But we rejoice to know that - there are hearts in the church which sympathize with us, and - that you are willing to come and participate with us in our - labours and trials, our joys and sorrows, for we have both.” - -We were fortunate to secure very early passage for Bangkok. On Friday, -June 18th, we reached the bar at the mouth of the Mênam River. The next -day we engaged a small schooner to take us up to Bangkok. With a strong -tide against us, we were not able that evening to get further than -Mosquito Point—the most appropriately-named place in all that land—only -to learn that we could not reach Bangkok until Monday afternoon. There -was no place to sleep on board; and no sleeping would have been -possible, had there been a place. By two o’clock in the morning we could -endure it no longer;—the mosquito contest was too unequal. At last we -found a man and his wife who would take us to the city in their -two-oared skiff. - -Fifty years’ residence in Siam has not surpassed the romance of that -night’s ride. Leaving our goods behind, we seated ourselves in the tiny -craft. With gunwales but two inches above the water’s edge, we skimmed -along through a narrow winding canal overhung with strange tropical -trees. The moon was full, but there was a haze in the air, adding -weirdness to things but dimly seen. The sight of our first Buddhist -monastery, with its white columns and grotesque figures, made us feel as -if we were passing through some fairyland. - -Just at dawn on Sunday morning, June 20th, 1858, we landed at the -mission compound. Our quick passage of only one hundred days took our -friends by surprise. Dr. House, roused by our voices on the veranda, -came _en déshabillé_ to the door to see what was the matter. Finding who -we were, the eager man thrust his hand through a vacant square of the -sash, and shook hands with us so, before he would wait to open the door. -We were in Bangkok! It was as if we had waked up in a new world—in the -Bangkok to which we had looked forward as the goal of our hopes; which -was to be, as we supposed, the home of our lives. - -The Rev. Mr. Mattoon was still at his post, awaiting our coming. Mrs. -Mattoon and her daughters had been compelled to leave for home some time -before our arrival. And not long thereafter Mr. Mattoon followed them on -his furlough, long overdue. Besides the two men of our own mission, we -found in Bangkok the Rev. Dan B. Bradley, M.D., who was conducting a -self-supporting mission; Rev. S. J. Smith, and Rev. R. Telford of the -Baptist mission. - -Since neither Bangkok nor Lower Siam proved to be my permanent home, I -shall content myself with a very summary account of the events of the -next three years. - -The first work of a new missionary is to acquire the language of the -country. His constant wish is, Oh for a gift of tongues to speak to the -people! As soon as a teacher could be found, I settled to work at my -_kaw_, _kā_, _ki_, _kī_[2]. No ambitious freshman has such an incentive -for study as has the new missionary. It is well if he does not confine -himself to grammar and dictionary, as he did in the case of his Latin, -Greek, and Hebrew. Pallegoix’s _Dictionarium Linguae Thai_, and his -short _Grammar_ in Latin, were all the foreign helps we had. The syntax -of the language is easy; but the “tones,” the “aspirates,” and -“inaspirates,” are perplexing beyond belief. You try to say “fowl.” No, -that is “egg.” You mean to say “rice,” but you actually say “mountain.” - -Footnote 2: - - The first exercise of the Siamese Spelling-book. - -A thousand times a day the new missionary longs to open his mouth, but -his lips are sealed. It is a matter of continual regret that he cannot -pour out his soul in the ardour of his first love, unchilled by the -deadening influences to which it is sure to be subjected later. But the -delay is not an unmitigated evil. He is in a new world, in which he is -constantly reminded of the danger of giving offence by a breach of -custom as unalterable as the laws of the Medes and Persians. A bright -little boy runs up and salutes you. You stroke his long black hair, only -to be reminded by one of your seniors—“Oh! you must _never_ do that! It -is a mortal offence to lay your hand on a person’s head.” So, while you -are learning the language, you are learning other things as well, and of -no less importance. - -In the mission school there was a class of bright boys named Nê, Dit, -Chûn, Kwāi, Henry, and one girl, Tūan. To my great delight, Dr. House -kindly turned them over to me. It made me think I was doing something, -and I really was. I soon became deeply interested in these children. Nê -grew to be an important business man and an elder in the church; Tūan’s -family became one of the most influential in the church. Her two sons, -the late Bun It and Elder Bun Yī of the First Church in Chiengmai, have -been among the very best fruits of the mission; though my personal share -in their training was, of course, very slight. In the September after -our arrival there was organized the Presbytery of Siam, with the four -men of the mission as its constituent members. During the first two -years, moreover, I made a number of tours about the country—sometimes -alone, oftener with Dr. House, and once with Mr. Wilson. - -I had the pleasure of meeting His Majesty the King of Siam, not only at -his birthday celebrations, to which foreigners were invited, but once, -also, at a public audience on the occasion of the presentation of a -letter from President James Buchanan of the United States. This was -through the courtesy of Mr. J. H. Chandler, the acting United States -Consul. Two royal state barges were sent down to the Consulate to -receive the President’s letter and the consular party. Siamese etiquette -requires that the letter be accorded the same honour as would be given -the President in person. In the first barge was the letter, placed in a -large golden urn, with a pyramidal cover of gold, and escorted by the -four officers who attend upon His Majesty when he appears in public. In -the second barge was the consular party. - -After a magnificent ride of four miles up the river, we were met at the -palace by gilded palanquins for the members of the party, while the -letter, in a special palanquin and under the golden umbrella, led the -way to the Palace, some quarter of a mile distant. At the Palace gate a -prince of rank met us, and ushered us into the royal presence, where His -Majesty sat on his throne of gold, richly overhung with gilded tapestry. -Advancing toward the throne, and bowing low, we took our stand erect, -while every high prince and nobleman about us was on bended knees, not -daring to raise his eyes above the floor. - -The Consul then read a short introductory speech, stepped forward, and -placed the letter in the extended hands of the King. Having glanced over -it, the King handed it to his secretary, who read it aloud, His Majesty -translating the substance of it to the princes and nobles present. The -King then arose, put his scarf about his waist, girded on his golden -sword, came down, and shook hands with each of the party. Then, with a -wave of his hand, he said, “We have given President Buchanan the first -public reception in our new palace,” adding, “I honour President -Buchanan very much.” He escorted the party around the room, showing us -the portraits of George Washington, President Pierce, Queen Victoria, -and Prince Albert. Then, turning to the proper officer, he directed him -to conduct us to an adjoining room to partake of a luncheon prepared for -us; and, with a bow, withdrew. - -After “tiffin,” we were escorted to the landing as we had come, and -returned in like state in the royal barge to the Consulate. Altogether -it was a notable occasion. - -[Illustration: - - MAHĀ MONKUT, - KING OF SIAM, 1851-1872] - -Of the tours undertaken in Lower Siam, the one which led to the most -lasting results was one in 1859 to Pechaburī, which has since become -well known as one of our mission stations. For companion on this trip I -had Cornelius Bradley, son of the Rev. Dr. Bradley of Bangkok. Shortly -before this a rising young nobleman, and a liberal-minded friend of -foreigners, had been assigned to the place ostensibly of -lieutenant-governor (Pra Palat) of Pechaburī, but practically of -governor. He was a brother of the future Regent; had been on the first -embassy to England; and at a later period became Minister for Foreign -Affairs. At our call, His Excellency received us very kindly, and before -we left invited us to dine with him on the following evening. - -The dinner was one that would have done credit to any hostess in -America. I was still more surprised when, at the table, addressing me by -a title then given to all missionaries, he said, “Maw” (Doctor), “I want -you to come and live in Pechaburī. You have no family. I will furnish -you a house, and give you every assistance you need. You can teach as -much Christianity as you please, if only you will teach my son English. -If you want a school, I will see that you have pupils.” I thanked him -for the offer, but could only tell him that I would think the matter -over. It might be, after all, only a Siamese cheap compliment. It seemed -too good to be true. It was, however, directly in the line of my own -thoughts. I had come to Siam with the idea of leaving the great -commercial centres, and making the experiment among a rural population -like that of my North Carolina charge. - -The next day the Pra Palat called on us at our _sālā_,[3] and again -broached the subject. He was very anxious to have his son study English. -In my mission work I should be untrammelled. Before leaving us, he -mentioned the matter again. It was this time no courteous evasion when I -told him I would come if I could.—What did it all mean? - -Footnote 3: - - A public rest-house or shelter, such as Buddhist piety provides - everywhere for travellers, but especially in connection with the - monasteries. - -I returned to Bangkok full of enthusiasm for Pechaburī. The more I -pondered it, the greater the offer seemed to be. Beyond my predilection -for a smaller city or for rural work, I actually did not like Bangkok. -Pechaburī, however, was beyond the limits of treaty rights. Permission -to establish a station there could be had only by sufferance from a -government not hitherto noted for liberality. Here was an invitation -equivalent to a royal permit, and with no further red tape about it. I -could see only one obstacle in the way. The senior member of the -mission—the one who was naturally its head—I feared would not approve. -And he did, indeed, look askance at the proposition. He doubted whether -we could trust the promises made. And then to go so far away alone! But -I thought I knew human nature well enough to trust that man. As to being -alone, I was willing to risk that. Possibly it might not be best to ride -a free horse too freely. I would go with my own equipment, and be at -least semi-independent; though the Palat had said that he did not mind -the expense, if only he could get his son taught English. - -There could at least be no objection to making an experimental visit, -and then continuing it as long as might seem wise. Pechaburī is within -thirty hours of Bangkok. If taken sick, I could run over in a day or -two. With that understanding, and with the tacit rather than the -expressed sanction of the mission, I began to make preparations. - -At last my preparations were complete, even to baking bread for the -trip. I had fitted up a touring-boat of my own, and had engaged captain -and boatmen; when, on the day before I was to start, cholera, which for -some time had been sporadic in Bangkok, suddenly became epidemic. Till -then Dr. James Campbell, physician to the British Consulate, and our -medical authority, thought that with caution and prudence I might safely -go. A general panic now arose all over the land. Dr. Bradley came to -tell me that deaths were occurring hourly on the canal by which I was to -travel. To go then would be to tempt providence. I had earnestly sought -direction, and it came in a way little expected. - -The first man I met next morning was Dr. House, coming home from Mr. -Wilson’s. He had been called in the night to attend Mrs. Wilson, who had -been suddenly attacked with “the disease,” as the natives -euphemistically call it, being superstitiously afraid of uttering the -name. Dr. House had failed to check it, and sent me to call Dr. -Campbell. But he was not at home, and did not get the message till near -noon. By that time the patient had reached the stage when collapse was -about to ensue. The disease was finally arrested, but Mrs. Wilson was -left in a very precarious condition. - -Meanwhile her little daughter Harriet was also taken ill, and for a time -the life of both mother and daughter was in suspense. The child lingered -on till May 13th, when she was taken to a better clime. On July 14th the -mother, too, ceased from her suffering, and entered on her everlasting -rest. - -During these months, of course, all thoughts of Pechaburī had been -abandoned; nor would it then have been deemed wise to travel during the -wet season. Before the next dry season came, Bangkok began to have more -attractions, and I had become less ambitious to start a new station -alone. On the 11th of September I became engaged to Miss Sophia Royce -Bradley, daughter of the Rev. D. B. Bradley, M.D. On December 6th, 1860, -we were married. In my wife I found a helpmeet of great executive -ability, and admirably qualified for the diversified work before us. It -was something, too, to have inherited the best traditions of one of the -grand missionaries of his age.[4] - -Footnote 4: - - Dr. Bradley’s life would be the best history we could have of Siam - during its transition period. He left a voluminous diary, and it was - from his pen that most of the exact information concerning Siam was - long derived. - -Samrē, our mission station in Bangkok, was four miles distant from the -heart of the city. We greatly needed a more central station for our -work. Dr. Bradley offered us the use of a house on his own premises—one -of the most desirable situations in Bangkok—if we would come and live -there. The mission accepted his generous offer. With reluctance I -resigned whatever claim I might have to be the pioneer of the new -station at Pechaburī. We were settled, as it would seem, for life, in -Bangkok. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - IV - - PECHABURĪ—THE CALL OF THE NORTH - - -By this time the mission generally had become interested in the -establishment of a new station at Pechaburī. Dr. and Mrs. House were -designated for the post. The Doctor actually went to Pechaburī; procured -there, through the help of our friend the Palat, a lot with a house on -it; and thus committed the mission to the project. But the day before he -was to start homeward to prepare for removal thither, he was so -seriously hurt by a fall from his horse that he was confined to his bed -for several months. It was even feared that he was permanently disabled -for active life. A new adjustment of our personnel was thus -necessitated. Dr. Mattoon had just returned from the United States with -the Rev. S. G. McFarland, the Rev. N. A. McDonald, and their wives. Dr. -Mattoon could not be spared from Bangkok, nor was he enthusiastic over -the new station. Mr. McDonald had no desire for such experiments. Both -Mr. and Mrs. McFarland were anxious to move, but were too new to the -field to be sent out alone. They were urgent that we should go with -them. My opportunity had come. So, early in June, 1861, we broke up the -first home of our married life, and, in company with the McFarlands, -moved on to our new home and our new work. - -Our friend, the Pra Palat, seemed pleased that we had come, after all. -His slight knowledge of English had been learned as a private pupil from -Mrs. McGilvary’s own mother. He was glad, whenever he had leisure, to -continue his studies with Mrs. McGilvary. Mr. McFarland preferred school -work. He took the son that I was to have taught, and left me -untrammelled to enter upon evangelistic work. The half-hour after each -evening meal we spent in united prayer for guidance and success. Two -servants of each family were selected as special subjects of prayer; and -these, in due time, we had the pleasure of welcoming into the church. - -Of the incidents of our Pechaburī life I have room for but a single one. -As we were rising from the dinner-table one Sunday shortly after our -arrival, we were surprised to see a man coming up the steps and crossing -the veranda in haste, as if on a special errand. He led by the hand a -little boy of ten or twelve years, and said, “I want to commit this son -of mine into your care. I want you to teach him.” Struck by his earnest -manner, we drew from him these facts: He was a farmer named Nāi Kawn, -living some five miles out in the country. He had just heard of our -arrival, had come immediately, and was very glad to find us. - -We asked whether he had ever met a missionary before. No, he said, but -his father—since dead—had once met Dr. Bradley, and had received a book -from him. He had begged other books from neighbours who had received -them but did not value them. Neither did he at first, till the great -cholera scourge of 1849, when people were dying all around him. He was -greatly alarmed, and learned from one of the books that Pra Yēsū heard -prayer in trouble, and could save from sin. For a long time he prayed -for light, until, about three years ago, he believed in Jesus, and was -now happy in heart. He had heard once of Dr. Bradley’s coming to -Pechaburī, but not until he was gone again. He preached to his -neighbours, who called him “Kon Pra Yēsū” (Lord Jesus’ man). He had -prayed for Dr. Bradley and the missionaries; he had read the story of -Moses, the Epistle to the Romans, the Gospel of John, a tract on Prayer, -and “The Golden Balance”; and he believed them. He could repeat portions -of Romans and John verbatim; and he had his son repeat the Lord’s -Prayer. - -My subject at the afternoon service was Nicodemus and the New Birth. Nāi -Kawn sat spellbound, frequently nodding assent. At the close we asked -him to speak a few words; which he did with great clearness. On being -questioned as to the Trinity, he replied that he was not sure whether he -understood it. He gathered, however, that Jehovah was the Father and -Ruler; that the Son came to save us by dying for us; and that the Holy -Spirit is the Comforter. The difference between Jesus and Buddha is that -the latter entered into Nirvana, and that was the last of him; while -Jesus lives to save. He even insisted that he had seen a vision of Jesus -in heaven. His other experiences were characterized by such marks of -soberness that we wondered whether his faith might not have been -strengthened by a dream or a vision. - -This incident, coming so soon after our arrival, greatly cheered us in -our work. His subsequent story is too long to follow out in detail here. -His piety and his sincerity were undoubted. He lived and died a -Christian; yet he never fully identified himself with the church. He -insisted that he had been baptized by the Holy Ghost, and that there was -no need of further baptism. Not long after this Dr. Bradley and Mr. -Mattoon visited Pechaburī, examined the man, and were equally surprised -at his history. - - * * * * * - -What changed our life-work from the Siamese to the Lāo? There were two -principal causes. The various Lāo states which are now a part of Siam, -were then ruled by feudal princes, each virtually sovereign within his -own dominions, but all required to pay a triennial visit to the Siamese -capital, bringing the customary gifts to their suzerain, the King of -Siam, and renewing their oath of allegiance to him. Their realms served, -moreover, as a “buffer” between Siam and Burma. There were six of these -feudal principalities. Five of them occupied the basins of five chief -tributaries of the Mênam River; namely—in order from west to -east—Chiengmai, Lampūn, Lakawn, Prê, and Nān. The sixth was Lūang -Prabāng on the Mê Kōng River. The rapids on all these streams had served -as an effectual barrier in keeping the northern and the southern states -quite separate. There was no very frequent communication in trade. There -was no mail communication. Official despatches were passed along from -one governor to the next. Very little was known in Bangkok about the Lāo -provinces of the north. A trip from Bangkok to Chiengmai seemed then -like going out of the world. Only one Englishman, Sir Robert Schomburgk -of the British Consulate in Bangkok, had ever made it. - -[Illustration: - - PAGODA OF WAT CHÊNG, BANGKOK] - - -Of these Lāo states, Chiengmai was the most important. After it came -Nān, then Lūang Prabāng (since ceded to the French), Lakawn, Prê, and -Lampūn. The Lāo people were regarded in Siam as a very warlike race; one -chieftain in particular being famed as a great warrior. They were withal -said to be suspicious and unreliable. - -Almost the only visible result of my six months’ stay within the city of -Bangkok, after my marriage, was the formation of a slight acquaintance -with the Prince of Chiengmai and his family. Just before my marriage he -had arrived in Bangkok with a great flotilla of boats and a great -retinue of attendants. The grounds of Wat Chêng monastery, near to Dr. -Bradley’s compound, had always been their stopping-place. The -consequence was that, of all the missionaries, Dr. Bradley had become -best acquainted with them and most deeply interested in them. He -earnestly cultivated their friendship, invited them to his -printing-office and to his house, and continually preached unto them the -Gospel. They were much interested in vaccination, which he had -introduced, and were delighted to find that it protected them from -smallpox. - -The day after our marriage, in response to a present of some wedding -cake, the Prince himself, with his two daughters and a large train of -attendants, called on us in our new home. This was my first introduction -to Chao Kāwilōrot and his family, who were to play so important a rôle -in my future life. All that I saw of him and of his people interested me -greatly. During the short time we remained in their neighbourhood, I -made frequent visits to the Lāo camp. The subject of a mission in -Chiengmai was talked of, with apparent approval on the part of the -Prince. My interest in Pechaburī was increased by the knowledge that -there was a large colony of Lāo[5] there. These were captives of war -from the region of Khōrāt, bearing no very close resemblance to our -later parishioners in the north. At the time of our stay in Pechaburī, -the Lāo in that province were held as government slaves, engaged all day -on various public works—a circumstance which greatly impeded our access -to them, and at the same time made it more difficult for them to embrace -Christianity. Neither they nor we dared apply to the government for the -requisite sanction, lest thereby their case be made worse. Our best -opportunity for work among them was at night. My most pleasant memories -of Pechaburī cluster about scenes in Lāo villages, when the whole -population would assemble, either around a camp-fire or under the bright -light of the moon, to listen till late in the night to the word of God. -The conversion of Nāi Ang, the first one from that colony, anticipated -that of Nān Inta, and the larger ingathering in the North. - -Footnote 5: - - The application of this name is by no means uniform throughout the - peninsula. From Lūang Prabāng southward along the eastern frontier, - the tribes of that stock call themselves Lāo, and are so called by - their neighbours. But the central and western groups do not - acknowledge the name as theirs at all, but call themselves simply Tai; - or if a distinction must be made, they call themselves Kon Nûa - (Northerners), and the Siamese, Kon Tai (Southerners). The Siamese, on - the other hand, also call themselves Tai, which is really the - race-name, common to all branches of the stock; and they apply the - name Lāo alike to all their northern cousins except the Ngīo, or - Western Shans. Nothing is known of the origin of the name, but the - same root no doubt appears in such tribal and geographical names as - Lawā, Lawa, Lawō—the last being the name of the famous abandoned - capital now known as Lophburi.—ED. - -But there was more than a casual connection between the two. My labours -among them increased the desire, already awakened in me, to reach the -home of the race. Here was another link in the chain of providences by -which I was led to my life-work. The time, however, was not yet ripe. -The available force of the mission was not yet large enough to justify -further expansion. Moreover, our knowledge of the Lāo country was not -such as to make possible any comprehensive and intelligent plans for a -mission there. The first thing to do was evidently to make a tour of -exploration. The way to such a tour was opened in the fall of 1863. The -Presbytery of Siam met in Bangkok early in November. I had so arranged -my affairs that, if the way should open, I could go north directly, -without returning to Pechaburī. I knew that Mr. Wilson was free, and I -thought he would favour the trip. This he readily did, and the mission -gave its sanction. So I committed my wife and our two-year-old daughter -to the care of loving grandparents, and, after a very hasty preparation, -we started on the 20th of November in search of far-away Chiengmai. - -The six-oared touring-boat which I had fitted up in my bachelor days was -well adapted for our purpose as far as the first fork of the Mênam. The -Siamese are experts with the oar, but are unused to the setting-pole, -which is well-nigh the only resource all through the upper reaches of -the river. It was sunset on a Friday evening before we finally got off. -But it was a start; and it proved to be one of the straws on which the -success of the trip depended. The current against us was very strong; so -we slept within the city limits that night. We spent all day Saturday -traversing a canal parallel with the river, where the current was -weaker. It was sunset before we entered again the main stream, and -stopped to spend Sunday at a monastery. To our great surprise we found -that the Prince of Chiengmai—of whose coming we had had no -intimation—had camped there the night before, and had passed on down to -Bangkok that very morning. We had missed him by taking the canal! - -We were in doubt whether we ought not to return and get a letter from -him. A favourable letter would be invaluable; but he might refuse, or -even forbid our going. If we may judge from what we afterwards knew of -his suspicious nature, such probably would have been the outcome. At any -rate, it would delay us; and we had already a passport from the Siamese -government which would ensure our trip. And, doubtless, we did -accomplish our design with more freedom because of the Prince’s absence -from his realm. It was apparently a fortuitous thing that our men knew -of the more sluggish channel, and so missed the Lāo flotilla. But it is -quite possible that upon that choice depended the establishment of the -Lāo mission. - -All went well until we reached the first fork at Pāknam Pō. There the -water came rushing down like a torrent, so swift that oars were of no -avail. We tried first one side of the stream and then the other, but all -in vain. Our boatmen exchanged their oars for poles. But they were -awkward and unaccustomed to their use. The boat would inevitably drift -down stream. The poor boatmen laughed despairingly at their own failure. -At last a rope was suggested. The men climbed the bank, and dragged the -boat around the point to where the current was less swift. But when, as -often happened, it became necessary to cross to the other side of the -river, the first push off the bank would send us into water so deep that -a fifteen-foot pole could not reach bottom. Away would go the boat some -hundreds of yards down stream before we could bring up on the opposite -bank. We reached Rahêng, however, in nineteen travelling days—which was -not by any means bad time. - -In our various journeyings hitherto we had controlled our own means of -transportation. Henceforth we were at the mercy of native officials, to -whose temperament such things as punctuality and speed are altogether -alien. From Rahêng the trip by elephant to Chiengmai should be only -twelve days. By boat, the trip would be much longer, though the return -trip would be correspondingly shorter. We had a letter from Bangkok to -the officials along the route, directing them to procure for us boats, -elephants, or men, as we might need. We were in a hurry, and, besides, -were young and impulsive. The officials at Rahêng assured us that we -should have prompt despatch. No one, however, seemed to make any effort -to send us on. The governor was a great Buddhist, and fond of company -and argument. He could match our Trinity by a Buddhist one: Putthō, -Thammō, Sangkhō—Buddha, the Scriptures, the Brotherhood. Men’s own good -deeds were their only atonement. The one religion was as good as the -other. On these subjects he would talk by the hour; but when urged to -get our elephants, he always had an excuse. At last, in despair, we -decided to take our boatmen and walk. When this news reached the -governor, whether from pity of us, or from fear that some trouble might -grow out of it, he sent word that if we would wait till the next day, we -should have the elephants without fail. - -We got the elephants; but, as it was, from preference I walked most of -the way. Once I paid dear for my walk by getting separated from my -elephant in the morning, losing my noonday lunch, and not regaining my -party till, tired and hungry, I reached camp at night. Our guide had -taken a circuitous route to avoid a band of robbers on the main route -which I had followed! This was my first experience of elephant-riding. -We crossed rivers where the banks were steep, and there was no regular -landing. But whether ascending or descending steep slopes, whether -skirting streams and waterfalls, one may trust the elephant’s sagacity -and surefootedness. The view we had from one of the mountain ridges -seemed incomparably fine. The Mê Ping wound its way along the base -beneath us, while beyond, to right and to left, rose range beyond range, -with an occasional peak towering high above the rest. But that was tame -in comparison with many mountain views encountered in subsequent years. - -We were eight days in reaching Lakawn,[6] which we marked as one of our -future mission stations. On being asked whether he would welcome a -mission there, the governor replied, “If the King of Siam and the Prince -of Chiengmai approve.” At Lakawn we had no delay, stopping there only -from Friday till Monday morning. Thence to Lampūn we found sālās, or -rest-houses, at regular intervals. The watershed between these towns was -the highest we had crossed. The road follows the valley of a stream to -near the summit, and then follows another stream down on the other side. -The gorge was in places so narrow that the elephant-saddle scraped the -mountain wall on one side, while on the other a misstep would have -precipitated us far down to the brook-bed below. - -Footnote 6: - - A corruption of Nakawn (for Sanskrit _nagara_, capital city), which is - the first part of the official name of the place, Nakawn Lampāng. The - Post Office calls it Lampāng, to distinguish it from another Nakawn - (likewise Lakawn in common speech), in the Malay Peninsula—the place - known to Europeans as Ligor. The general currency of this short name, - and its regular use in all the missionary literature, seem to justify - its retention in this narrative.—ED. - -At Lampūn my companion was not well, so that I alone called on the -authorities. The governor had called the princes together to learn our -errand. They seemed bewildered when told that we had no government -business, nor were we traders—were only teachers of religion. When the -proper officer was directed to send us on quickly, he began to make -excuses that it would take two or three days. Turning sharply upon him, -the governor asked, “Prayā Sanām, how many elephants have you?” “Four,” -was the response. “See that they get off to-morrow,” was the short -reply. He meekly withdrew. There was evidently no trifling with that -governor. One day more brought us to Chiengmai—to the end of what seemed -then a very long journey. As we neared the city, Mr. Wilson’s elephant -took fright at the creaking noise of a water-wheel, and ran away, -crashing through bamboo fences and trampling down gardens. Fortunately -no one was hurt. - -We reached the city on January 7th, 1864, on the forty-ninth day of our -journey. The nephew of the Prince had been left in charge during the -Prince’s absence. He evidently was in doubt how to receive us. He could -not ignore our passport and letter from Bangkok. On the other hand, why -did we not have a letter from the Prince? Our story of missing him -through choosing the canal instead of the main river might or might not -be true. If the deputy were too hospitable, his Prince might blame him. -So he cut the knot, and went off to his fields. We saw no more of him -till he came in to see us safely off. - -The elder daughter of the Prince had accompanied her father to Bangkok, -but the younger daughter was at home. She was a person of great -influence, and was by nature hospitable. Things could not have been -better planned for our purpose. The princess remembered me and my wife -from her call on us after our wedding. She now called on us in person -with her retinue; after that everybody else was free to call. It is not -unlikely that that previous acquaintance redeemed our trip from being a -failure. Our sālā was usually crowded with visitors. We had an ideal -opportunity of seeing the heart of the people. They lacked a certain -external refinement seen among the Siamese; but they seemed sincere and -more religious. Buddhism had not become so much a matter of form. Many -of the older people then spent a day and a night, or even two days, each -month fasting in the monasteries. There was hope that if such people saw -a better way, they would accept it. One officer, who lived just behind -our sālā, a great merit-maker, was a constant visitor. Years afterward -we had the pleasure of welcoming him to the communion of the church. - -From every point of view the tour was eminently successful. Many -thousands heard the Gospel for the first time. In our main quest we were -more than successful. We were delighted with the country, the cities, -the people. Every place we came to we mentally took possession of for -our Lord and Master. In Chiengmai we remained only ten days; but one day -would have sufficed to convince us. I, at least, left it with the joyful -hope of its becoming the field of my life-work. - -From the first we had planned to return by the river through the rapids. -But the prince in charge was very averse to our going by that route. We -knew that the route positively made no difference to him personally. He -had only to give the word, and either elephants or boats would be -forthcoming. Was he afraid of our spying out the road into the country? -At last we were obliged to insist on the wording of our letter, which -specially mentioned boats. Then he offered us one so small that he -probably thought we would refuse it. But we took it; and our captain -afterwards exchanged it for a larger one. We made a swift passage -through the famous rapids, and reached Bangkok on January 30th, 1864. - -The first news that we heard on our arrival was that Mrs. Mattoon was -obliged to leave at once for the United States, and that Mr. Wilson was -to take his furlough at the same time. This, of course, ended all plans -for any immediate removal to Chiengmai. We hastened to Pechaburī, where -the McFarlands had been alone during our absence. Three years were to -pass before our faces were again turned northward. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - V - - THE CHARTER OF THE LĀO MISSION - - -In the meantime, with two children added unto us, we were become a -family much more difficult to move. We liked our home and our work. At -the age of thirty-nine, to strike out into a new work, in a language at -least partly new, was a matter not to be lightly undertaken. Might it -not be better that Mr. Wilson should work up in the United States an -interest in the new mission, should himself select his associates in it, -and that I should give up my claim to that place? It was certain that -three families could not be spared for Chiengmai. More than one day was -spent, under the shade of a great tree behind Wat Noi, in thought on the -subject, and in prayer for direction. - -Finally—though it was a hard thing to do—I wrote to Mr. Wilson, then in -the United States, suggesting the plan just stated. Feeling sure that it -would commend itself to him, I considered the door to Chiengmai as -probably closed to me. In the meantime Mr. Wilson had married again; and -on the eve of his return wrote to me that he had failed to get another -family to come out with him, and was discouraged about the Chiengmai -mission. Probably the time had not yet come, etc., etc. I was delighted -to get that letter. It decided me to go to Chiengmai, the Lord willing, -the following dry season, with only my own family, if need be. Dr. -Mattoon and Dr. House were absent on furlough. Mr. Wilson and I would be -the senior members of the mission. The Board had already given its -sanction. The mission in Bangkok meanwhile had been reinforced by the -arrival of the Georges and the Cardens. On the return of those then -absent on furlough, one of these families could join the McFarlands in -Pechaburī, and yet there would be four families in Bangkok. Such a -combination of favourable circumstances might not occur again. - -When Mr. Wilson arrived in Bangkok in the fall of 1866, a letter was -waiting for him, asking him to visit us in Pechaburī to talk over the -question. On his arrival we spent one Sunday in anxious consultation. He -was still eager to go to Chiengmai, but could not go that year. His -preference would be that we should wait another year.—But that might be -to lose the opportunity. So next morning, leaving Mr. and Mrs. Wilson to -visit with my family, I hurried over to Bangkok. There was no time to be -lost. The Prince of Chiengmai had been called down on special business, -and was soon to return. The whole plan might depend on him—as, in fact, -it did. - -It was after dark on Tuesday night when I reached Dr. Bradley’s, taking -them all by surprise. I made known my errand. Another long and anxious -consultation followed. I knew that Dr. Bradley’s great missionary soul -would not be staggered by any personal considerations. It would be but -the answer to his own prayers to see a mission planted in Chiengmai. In -his heart he was glad that it was to be planted by one of his own -family. Earnest prayer was offered that night at the family altar for -guidance in the negotiations of the following day, and for a blessing on -the mission that was to be. - -On Wednesday, after an early breakfast, Dr. Bradley accompanied me to -our mission. My colleagues, McDonald, George, and Carden, were easily -induced to consent. Mr. McDonald said that he would not go himself; but -if I were willing to risk my family, he would not oppose the scheme, and -would vote to have Mr. Wilson follow me the next year. Thus another -obstacle was removed. - -Taking Mr. McDonald and Mr. George with us, we proceeded next to the -United States Consulate, where Mr. Hood readily agreed to give his -official and personal aid. The two greatest obstacles remained yet: the -Siamese government and—as it turned out in the end—the Lāo Prince[7] -also. The Consul wrote immediately to the King, through our former -Pechaburī friend, who had recently been made Foreign Minister, a formal -request for permission to open a station in Chiengmai. It was Friday -evening when the reply came that the decision did not rest with the -King. He could not force a mission upon the Lāo people. But the Lāo -Prince was then in Bangkok. If he gave his consent, the Siamese -government would give theirs. He suggested that we have an audience with -the Prince, at which His Majesty would have an officer in attendance to -report directly to him. - -Footnote 7: - - The Lāo ruler was a feudal vassal of the King of Siam, governing an - important frontier province, and granted, within that province, some - of the powers which are usually thought of as belonging to - sovereignty—notably the power of life and death in the case of his - immediate subjects. His title, Pra Chao, like its English parallel, - Lord, he shared with the deity as well as with kings; though the Kings - of Siam claim the added designation, “_Yū Hūa_,” “at the head,” or - “Sovereign.” By the early missionaries, however, he was regularly - styled “King,” a term which to us misrepresents his real status, and - which leads to much confusion both of personality and of function. - Meantime both title and function have vanished with the feudal order - of which they were a part, leaving us free to seek for our narrative a - less misleading term. Such a term seems to be the word Prince, thus - defined in Murray’s Dictionary (_s. v._ II. 5):—“The ruler of a - principality or small state, actually, nominally, or originally, a - feudatory of a king or emperor.” The capital initial should suffice - generally to distinguish the Prince who is ruler from princes who are - such merely by accident of birth.—ED. - -So on Saturday morning at ten o’clock we all appeared at the landing -where the Lāo boats were moored, asking for an audience with the Prince. -We were invited to await him in the sālā at the river landing. In a few -moments His Highness came up in his customary informal attire—a -_phānung_ about his loins, no jacket, a scarf thrown loosely over his -shoulders, and a little cane in his hand. Having shaken hands with us, -he seated himself in his favourite attitude, dangling his right leg over -his left knee. He asked our errand. At Mr. Hood’s request Dr. Bradley -explained our desire to establish a mission station in Chiengmai, and -our hope to secure his approval. The Prince seemed relieved to find that -our errand involved nothing more serious than that. The mission station -was no new question suddenly sprung upon him. We had more than once -spoken with him about it, and always apparently with his approbation. To -all our requests he now gave ready assent. Yes, we might establish -ourselves in Chiengmai. Land was cheap; we need not even buy it. Timber -was cheap. There would be, of course, the cost of cutting and hauling -it; but not much more. We could build our houses of brick or of wood, as -we pleased. It was explained, as he already knew, that our object was to -teach religion, to establish schools, and to care for the sick. The -King’s secretary took down the replies of the Prince to our questions. -The Consul expressed his gratitude, and committed my family to his -gracious care. We were to follow the Prince to Chiengmai as soon as -possible. - -Such was the outward scene and circumstance of the official birth of the -Lāo mission. In itself it was ludicrous enough: the audience chamber, a -sālā-landing under the shadow of a Buddhist monastery; the Consul in his -official uniform; the Prince _en déshabillé_; our little group awaiting -the answer on which depended the royal signature of Somdet Phra -Paramendr Mahā Mongkut authorizing the establishment of a Christian -mission. The answer was, Yes. I was myself amazed at the success of the -week’s work. On the part both of the Siamese government and of the Lāo -Prince, it was an act of grace hardly to be expected, though quite in -keeping with the liberality of the truly great king who opened his -country to civilization and to Christianity. And the Lāo Prince, with -all his faults, had some noble and generous traits of character. - -Later in the day I called alone to tell the Prince that as soon as I -could after the close of the rainy season, I would come with my family. -After the intense excitement of the week, I spent a quiet Sabbath in Dr. -Bradley’s family, and on Monday morning could say, as did Abraham’s -servant, “Hinder me not, seeing the Lord hath prospered me.” Taking the -afternoon tide, I hastened home to report the success of my trip, to -close my work in Pechaburī, and to make preparation for a new station, -which was soon to be a new mission. - -[Illustration: - - REV. DAN BEACH BRADLEY, M.D. - 1872] - - -[Illustration: - - KĀWILŌROT, PRINCE OF CHIENGMAI - (ABOUT 1869)] - - -The work in hand was easily turned over to Mr. McFarland, an earnest and -successful worker, who had become specially gifted in the Siamese -language. The Presbytery was to meet in Bangkok in November. The last -busy weeks passed rapidly away. At their end we bade good-bye to our -home and friends in Pechaburī. - -Friends in Bangkok gave us their hearty assistance. The Ladies’ Sewing -Society made a liberal contribution to the new mission. Dr. James -Campbell supplied us with medicines and a book of instructions how to -use them. The German Consul gave us a Prussian rifle for our personal -protection. All our missionary friends added their good wishes and their -prayers. - -We had great difficulty in securing suitable boats and crews for the -journey. On January 3d, 1867, we embarked, leaving Mr. and Mrs. Wilson -to follow us the next year. Mr. George accompanied us as far as Rahêng. -The trip is always a slow one, but we enjoyed it. My rifle was useful in -securing pelicans and other large birds for food. Once I fired into a -large flock of pelicans on the river and killed three with a single -shot. Fish everywhere abounded. My shotgun furnished pigeons and other -small game. The trip afforded fine opportunity for evangelistic work. -Nothing of the sort had ever been done there save the little which Mr. -Wilson and I had attempted on our earlier trip. - -Rahêng was reached in four weeks. There we dismissed the boats that had -brought us from Bangkok, and procured, instead, two large ones of the -sort used in up-country travel. We should have done better with three of -smaller size. We spent nearly a month in toiling up the thirty-two -rapids. At one of them we were delayed from Friday noon till Tuesday -afternoon. At another, to avoid the furious current of the main river, -we attempted a small channel at one side. As we slowly worked our way -along, the water in our channel became shallower and shallower, till we -had to resort to a system of extemporized locks. A temporary dam was -built behind the boat. The resulting slight rise of water would enable -us to drag the boat a little further, till again it was stranded—when -the process would have to be repeated. After two days of hard work at -this, our boatmen gave up in despair. A Chiengmai prince on his way to -Bangkok found us in this extremity, and gave us an order to secure help -at the nearest village. To send the letter up and to bring the boatmen -down would require nearly a week. But there was nothing else to do. - -My rifle helped me somewhat to while away the time of this idle waiting. -We could hear tigers about us every night. I used to skirt about among -the mountain ridges and brooks, half hoping to shoot one of them. Since -my rifle was not a repeater, it was no doubt best that my ambition was -not gratified. Once, taking a Siamese lad with me, I strayed further and -returned later than usual. It was nearly dark when we got back to the -boats, and supper was waiting. Before we had finished our meal, the -boatmen caught sight of the glowing eyes of a tiger that had followed -our trail to the further bank of the river, whence we had crossed to our -boat. - -One of the boat captains professed to be able to call up either deer or -tiger, if one were within hearing. By doubling a leaf together, and with -thumb and finger on either side holding the two edges tense between his -lips while he blew, he would produce a sound so nearly resembling the -cry of a young goat or deer, that a doe within reach of the call, he -claimed, would run to the rescue of her young, or a tiger, hearing it, -would run to secure the prey. The two captains and I one day went up on -a ridge, and, selecting an open triangular space, posted ourselves back -to back, facing in three directions, with our guns in readiness. The -captain had sounded his call only two or three times, when suddenly a -large deer rushed furiously up from the direction toward which one of -the captains was facing. A fallen log was lying about twenty paces off -on the edge of our open space. The excited animal stopped behind it, his -lower parts concealed, but with back, shoulder, neck, and head fully -exposed. Our captain fired away, but was so excited that he would have -missed an elephant. His bullet entered the log some six inches below the -top. In an instant the deer was gone. We found not far off the spot -where evidently a young deer had been devoured by a tiger. We tried the -experiment a number of times later, but with no success. - -After we had waited two days and nights for help from the village above, -on the third night the spirits came to our rescue. Either with their -ears or in their imaginations, our crew heard strange noises in the -rocks and trees about them, which they interpreted as a warning from the -spirits to be gone. Next morning, after consultation together, they made -another desperate effort, and got the boats off. It was still several -days before we met the men that came down in response to the prince’s -order. But some of the worst rapids were yet before us. We could hardly -have got through without their aid. - -The efforts of a single crew, it must be remembered, are utterly -inadequate to bring a boat up through any of these rapids. Only by -combining two or three crews can the boats be brought up one by one. -Some of the men are on the bank, tugging at the tow-rope while they -clamber over rocks and struggle through bushes. Some are on board, -bending to their poles. Others are up to their waists in the rushing -water, by main force fending off the boat from being dashed against the -rocks. On one occasion I myself had made the passage in the first boat, -which then was left moored in quieter waters. The crew went back to -bring up the second boat, in which were my wife and children. With -anxious eyes I was watching the struggle; when, suddenly, in the -fiercest rush of the current, the men lost control of her. Boat and -passengers were drifting with full force straight against a wall of -solid rock on the opposite bank. It seemed as if nothing could save -them. But one of the fleetest boatmen, with rope in hand, swam to a rock -in midstream, and took a turn of the rope about it, just in time to -prevent what would have been a tragedy. - -At night, about camp-fires on the river bank, we were regaled by the -boatmen with legends of the country through which we were passing. One -of these legends concerned the lofty mountain which rises above the -rapid called Kêng Soi, where we were camped. The story was that on its -summit there had been in ancient times a city of _sētīs_ (millionaires), -who paid a gold _fûang_ (two dollars) a bucket for all the water brought -up for their use. It was said that remains of their city, and -particularly an aged cocoanut tree, were still to be seen on the summit. - -Since it would take our boatmen at least two days to surmount that -rapid, I resolved to attempt the ascent, and either verify or explode -the story. Starting at early dawn with my young Siamese, zigzagging back -and forth on the slope all that long forenoon, I struggled upward—often -despairing of success, but ashamed to turn back. At last we stood on the -top, but it was noon or later. We spent two or three hours in search of -the cocoanut tree or other evidence of human settlement, but all in -vain. I was satisfied that we were the first of human kind that had ever -set foot on that lofty summit. We had brought lunch—but no water! Most -willingly would we have given a silver _fûang_ for a draught. - -The legend of the rapids themselves was one of the most interesting. At -the edge of the plain above the rapids there is pointed out a wall of -rock dropping fully a hundred feet sheer to the water’s edge. The story -goes that in ancient times a youth made love to the Prince’s daughter. -The course of true love did not run smooth; the father forbade the suit. -The lovers resolved to make their escape. The young man mounted his -steed with his bride behind him, and together they fled. But soon the -enraged father was in hot pursuit. They reached the river-brink at the -top of the precipice, with the father in plain sight behind them. But -there the lover’s heart failed him. He could not take that leap. The -maiden then begged to exchange places with her lover. She mounted in -front; tied her scarf over her eyes; put spurs to the horse; and took -the fatal leap. To this day the various rapids are mostly named from -various portions of the equipage which are supposed to have drifted down -the stream and lodged upon the rocks. - -Lāo witchcraft was another favourite theme of our Rahêng boatmen. They -were very much afraid of the magical powers of wizards; and evidently -believed that the wizards could readily despatch any who offended them. -They could insert a mass of rawhide into one’s stomach, which would -produce death, and which could not be consumed by fire when the body was -cremated. They could make themselves invisible and invulnerable. No -sword could penetrate their flesh, and a bullet fired at them would drop -harmless from the mouth of the gun. - -But we have lingered too long among the rapids. Some distance above the -last one the mountains on either side recede from the river, and enclose -the great plain of Chiengmai and Lampūn. Both passengers and boatmen -draw a long breath of relief when it opens out. The glorious sun again -shines all day. The feathery plumes of the graceful bamboo clumps are a -delight to the eye, and give variety to the otherwise tame scenery. But -the distant mountains are always in sight. - -The season was advancing. The further we went, the shallower grew the -stream. Long before we reached Chiengmai, we had to use canoes to -lighten our boats; but presently a seasonable rise in the river came to -our aid. On Saturday evening, April 1st, 1867, we moored our boats -beside a mighty banyan tree, whose spreading arms shaded a space more -than a hundred feet wide. It stands opposite the large island which -forty years later the government turned over to Dr. McKean of our -mission for a leper asylum. Stepping out a few paces from under its -shade, one could see across the fields the pagoda-spires of Chiengmai. -There, prayerfully and anxiously, we spent the thirteenth and last -Sunday of our long journey, not knowing what the future might have in -store for us. - - -[Illustration: - - A REST BETWEEN RAPIDS IN THE GORGE OF THE MÊ PING RIVER] - - -[Illustration: - - POLING UP THE MÊ PING RIVER] - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - VI - - CHIENGMAI - - -On Monday morning, April 3d, 1867, we reached the city. We had looked -forward to the arrival as a welcome rest after the long confinement of -our journey in the boat. But it was only the beginning of troubles. We -were not coming to an established station with houses and comforts -prepared by predecessors. The Prince was off on a military expedition, -not to be back for over a month. Till he came, nothing could be done. We -could not secure a house to shelter us, for there was none to be had. -Just outside the eastern gate of the city, however, a sālā for public -use had recently been built by an officer from Rahêng, to “make merit,” -according to Buddhist custom. He had still a quasi claim upon it, and, -with the consent of the Prince’s representative, he offered it to us. It -was well built, with tile roof and teak floor, was enclosed on three -sides, and opened in front on a six-foot veranda. In that one room, some -twelve feet by twenty, all our belongings were stored. It served for -bedroom, parlour, dining-room, and study. In it tables, chairs, -bedstead, organ, boxes, and trunks were all piled one upon another. A -bamboo kitchen and a bathroom were presently extemporized in the yard. -That was our home for more than a year. - -The news of the arrival of white foreigners soon spread far and wide. It -was not known how long they would remain; and the eagerness of all -classes to get sight of them before they should be gone was absolutely -ludicrous, even when most annoying. “There is a white woman and -children! We _must_ go and see them.” Our visitors claimed all the -immunities of backwoodsmen who know no better. In etiquette and manners -they well deserved that name. Within a few feet of the sālā was a -rickety plank-walk leading over marshy ground to the city. Everybody had -to pass that way, and everybody must stop. When the veranda was filled, -they would crowd up on the ground in front as long as they could get -sight of anybody or anything. If to-day the crowd prevented a good view, -they would call to-morrow. The favourite time of all was, of course, our -meal-time, to see how and what the foreigners ate. Almost never in the -daytime could we sit down to a quiet meal without lookers-on. It was not -uncommon for our visitors to pick up a knife or a fork or even the -bread, and ask what that was. “They don’t sit on the floor to eat, nor -use their fingers, as we do!” - -This, however, is only one side of the picture. In one sense we were -partly to blame for our discomfort. We could soon have dispersed the -crowd by giving them to understand that their presence was not wanted. -But we ourselves were on trial. If we had got the name of being -ill-natured or ungracious, they would have left us, probably never to -return. No. This was what we were there for. It gave us constant -opportunities from daylight till dark to proclaim the Gospel message. -The first and commonest question, who we were and what was our errand, -brought us at once to the point. We were come with messages of mercy and -with offer of eternal life from the great God and Saviour. We were come -with a revelation of our Heavenly Father to His wandering and lost -children. While the mass of our visitors came from curiosity, some came -to learn; and many who came from curiosity went away pondering whether -these things were so. Friendships also were formed which stood us in -good stead afterwards when we sorely needed friends. During our time of -persecution these persons would come in by stealth to speak a word of -comfort, when they dared not do so openly. - -As the annoyance of those days fell most heavily on the nerves of my -wife, it was a comfort to learn afterwards that possibly the very first -convert heard the Gospel message first from her lips, while she was -addressing a crowd of visitors very soon after our arrival. Reference -will be made to him later, but it may be said here that from the day -when he first heard the news, he never again worshipped an idol. - -Whatever was their object in coming to see us, we soon gave every crowd, -and nearly every visitor, to understand what we had come for. We had -come as teachers—primarily as teachers of a way of salvation for -sinners. And we never addressed a crowd of thoughtful men or women who -did not readily confess that they were sinners, and needed a saviour -from sin. But we were not merely teachers of religion, though primarily -such. We could often, if not usually, better teach religion—or, at -least, could better lead up to it—by teaching geography or astronomy. A -little globe that I had brought along was often my text. - -I presume that most Christian people in America have a very crude idea -of the method of preaching the Gospel often, or, perhaps, generally, -used by missionaries, particularly in new fields. If they think that the -bell is rung, that the people assemble in orderly fashion, and take -their seats, that a hymn is sung, prayer offered, the Scripture read, a -sermon delivered, and the congregation dismissed with the doxology and -benediction,—they are very much mistaken. All that comes in time. We -have lived to see it come in this land—thanks to God’s blessing upon -work much more desultory than that. Long after the time we are now -speaking of, one could talk of religion to the people by the hour, or -even by the day; one might sing hymns, might solemnly utter prayer, in -response to inquiry as to how we worshipped—and they would listen -respectfully and with interest. But if public worship had been -announced, and these same people had been invited to remain, every soul -would have fled away for fear of being caught in some trap and made -Christians without their consent, or for fear of being made to suffer -the consequences of being reputed Christians before they were ready to -take that step. Forty years later than the time we are now speaking of, -I have seen people who were standing about the church door and looking -in, driven quite away by the mere invitation to come in and be seated. - -In one sense our work during the first year was very desultory. I had -always to shape my instruction to the individuals before me. It would -often be in answer to questions as to where was our country; in what -direction; how one would travel to get there; could one go there on -foot; and so on. Or the question might be as to the manners and customs -of our nation; or it might be directly on religion itself. But as all -roads lead to Rome, so all subjects may be turned to Christ, His cross, -and His salvation. - -Of the friends found in those early days I must mention two. One was -Princess Būa Kam, the mother of the late and last Lāo Prince, Chao -Intanon. At our first acquaintance, she formed for us a warm friendship -that lasted till her death. Nor could I ever discover any other ground -for her friendship than the fact that we were religious teachers. She -was herself a devout Buddhist, and continued to the last her offerings -in the monasteries. I believe that the Gospel plan of salvation struck a -chord in her heart which her own religion never did. From Buddha she got -no assurance of pardon. The assurance that pardon is possible in itself -seemed to give her hope, though by what process a logical mind could -hardly see, so long as she held on to a system which, as she confessed, -did not and could not give pardon. She was always pleased to hear the -story of the incarnation, the birth, life, and miracles of Christ. She -was deeply touched by the recital of His sufferings, persecutions, and -death. Illustrations of the substitutionary efficacy of His sufferings -she readily understood. She acknowledged her god to be a man who, by the -well-nigh endless road to nirvāna, had ceased to suffer by ceasing to -exist. The only claim he had to warrant his pointing out the way to -others was the fact that he had passed over it himself. There was one -ground, however, on which she felt that she might claim the comfort both -of the doctrines which she still held and of ours, too. A favourite -theory of hers—and of many others—was that, after all, we worship the -same God under different names. She called hers Buddha, and we call ours -Jehovah-Jesus. - -She had by nature a woman’s tender heart. Benevolence had doubtless been -developed in her by her religion, till it had become a second nature. -The gifts she loved to make were also a means of laying up a store of -merit for the future. She was most liberal in sending us tokens of -remembrance. These were not of much value. A quart of white rice, a few -oranges, cucumbers, or cocoanuts on a silver tray, were so customary a -sight that, if ever any length of time elapsed without them, we wondered -if the Princess were ill. And, on the other hand, if for any cause my -calls were far apart, she would be sure to send to enquire if I were -ill. The “cup of cold water” which she thus so often pressed to our -lips, I am sure, was given for the Master’s sake. - -Another remarkable friendship formed during that first year was that of -a Buddhist monk, abbot of the Ūmōng monastery. As in the other case, -there was no favour to ask, no axe to grind. He never made a request for -anything, unless it were for a book. But the little novice who attended -him almost always brought a cocoanut or some other small present for us. -Very early in our acquaintance he came to see that the universe could -not be self-existent, as Buddhism teaches. On his deeply religious -nature the sense of sin weighed heavily. He was well versed in the -Buddhist scriptures, and knew that there was no place for pardon in all -that system. He understood the plan of salvation offered to men through -the infinite merit of Jesus Christ. At times he would argue that it was -impossible. But the thought that, after all, it might be possible, -afforded him a gleam of hope that he saw nowhere else; and he was not -willing to renounce it altogether. - -[Illustration: - - TEMPLE OF THE OLD TĀI STYLE OF ARCHITECTURE, CHIENGMAI] - -During the dark months that followed the martyrdom of our native -Christians, when many who were true friends deemed it unwise to let -their sympathy be known, the good abbot visited us regularly, as, -indeed, he continued to do as long as he lived. At times I had strong -hopes that he would leave the priesthood. But he never could quite see -his way to do that, though he maintained that he never ceased to worship -Jesus. The only likeness, alas! that I have of his dear old face is a -photograph taken after death, as his body lay ready for cremation. Unto -whom, if not unto such true friends of His as these, was it said, “I was -a hungered, and ye gave Me meat; I was thirsty, and ye gave Me drink; I -was in prison, and ye visited Me.—Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one -of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me”? - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - VII - - PIONEER WORK - - -The military expedition in which the Prince was engaged detained him in -the field until some time in May. It was one of many unsuccessful -attempts to capture a notorious Ngīo chieftain who, turning outlaw and -robber, had gathered about him a band of desperadoes, with whom he -sallied forth from his mountain fastness, raiding innocent villages and -carrying off the plunder to his stronghold, before any force could be -gathered to withstand or to pursue him. In this way he kept the whole -country in constant alarm during the earlier years of our stay in -Chiengmai. What made matters worse was the fact—as the Lāo firmly -believed—that he had a charmed life, that he could render himself -invisible, and that no weapon could penetrate his flesh. Had not the -stockade within which he had taken shelter been completely surrounded -one night by a cordon of armed men, and at dawn, when he was to have -been captured, he was nowhere to be found? Such was the man of whom we -shall hear more further on. - -At the Lāo New Year it is customary for all persons of princely rank, -all officers and people of influence, to present their compliments to -the Prince in person, and to take part in the ceremony of “Dam Hūa,” by -way of wishing him a Happy New Year. Because of the Prince’s absence in -the field, this ceremony could not be observed at the regular time; but -it was none the less brilliantly carried out a few days after his -return. The name, Dam Hūa, means “bathing the head” or “head-bath,” and -it is really a ceremonial bathing or baptism of the Prince’s head with -water poured upon it, first by princes and officials in the order of -their rank, and so on down to his humblest subjects. - -The first and more exclusive part of the ceremony took place in the -palace, where I also was privileged to offer my New Year’s greetings -with the rest. The great reception hall was crowded with the Prince’s -family and with officials of all degrees. The air was heavy with the -fragrance of flowers which loaded every table and stand. All were in -readiness with their silver vessels filled with water, awaiting His -Highness’ appearance. At length an officer with a long silver-handled -spear announced his coming. The whole company received him with lowest -prostration after the old-time fashion. Seeing me standing, he sent for -a chair, saying that the ceremony was long, and I would be tired. The -Court Orator, or Scribe, then read a long address of welcome to the -Prince on his return from his brilliant expedition, with high-sounding -compliments on its success. Then there was a long invocation of all the -powers above or beneath, real or imaginary, not to molest, but instead -to protect, guide, and bless His Highness’ person, kingdom, and people, -with corresponding curses invoked on all his enemies and theirs. Then -came the ceremonial bath, administered first by his own family, his -relatives, and high officials—he standing while vase after vase of water -was poured on his head, drenching him completely and flooding all the -floor. It is a ceremony not at all unpleasant in a hot climate, however -unendurable it might be in colder regions. - -This was the beginning. According to immemorial custom, a booth was -prepared on a sand-bar in the river. To this, after the ceremony in the -palace, the Prince went in full state, riding on an elephant richly -caparisoned with trappings of solid gold, to receive a like bath at the -hands of his loyal subjects—beginning, as before, with some high nobles, -and then passing on to the common people, who might all take part in -this closing scene of the strange ceremony. - -I was not in the concourse at the river, but watched the procession from -our sālā, the Prince having said to me that he would call on his return. -This he did, making us a nice little visit, taking a cup of tea, and -listening to the playing of some selections on the organ. He asked if I -had selected a place for a permanent station, and suggested one or two -himself. But I was in no hurry, preferring to wait for the judgment of -Mr. Wilson on his arrival. Meanwhile I was assured that I might remain -in the sālā, and might put up a temporary house to receive the new -family. When I requested his consent to the employment of a teacher, he -asked whom I thought of employing. I mentioned the name of one, and he -said, “He is not good. I will send you a better one,”—and he sent me his -own teacher. - -It was a very auspicious beginning. I knew that neither the Siamese nor -the Lāo trusted the Prince very thoroughly; yet every time that I saw -him it seemed to me that I might trust him. At any rate, I did not then -look forward to the scenes that we were to pass through before three -years were gone. - -After the first curiosity wore off, many of those who came to our sālā -were patients seeking medical treatment. The title “Maw” (doctor) -followed me from Bangkok, where all missionaries, I believe, are still -so called. This name itself often excited hopes which, of course, were -doomed to disappointment. To the ignorant all diseases seem equally -curable, if only there be the requisite skill or power. How often during -those first five years I regretted that I was not a trained physician -and surgeon! My only consolation was that it was not my fault. When my -thoughts were first turned towards missions, I consulted the officers of -our Board on the wisdom of taking at least a partial course in -preparation for my work. But medical missions had not then assumed the -importance they since have won. In fact, just then they were at a -discount. The Board naturally thought that medical study would be, for -me at least, a waste of time, and argued besides that in most mission -fields there were English physicians. But it so happened that eleven -years of my missionary life have been spent in stations from one hundred -to five hundred miles distant from a physician. So, if any physician who -reads this narrative is inclined to criticise me as a quack, I beg such -to remember that I was driven to it—I had to do whatever I could in the -case of illness in my own family; and for pity I could not turn away -those who often had nothing but superstitious charms to rely on. It was -a comfort, moreover, to know that in spite of inevitable -disappointments, our practice of medicine made friends, and possibly -enabled us to maintain the field, at a time when simply as Christian -teachers we could not have done so. Even Prince Kāwilōrot himself -conceded so much when, after forbidding us to remain as missionaries, he -said we might, if we wished, remain to treat the sick. - -In such a malarial country, there is no estimating the boon conferred by -the introduction of quinine alone. Malarial fevers often ran on season -after season, creating an anæmic condition such that the least exertion -would bring on the fever and chills again. The astonishment of the -people, therefore, is not surprising when two or three small powders of -the “white medicine,” as they called it, taken with much misgiving, -would cut short the fever, while their own medicines, taken by the -potful for many months, had failed. The few bottles of quinine which it -had been thought sufficient to bring with me, were soon exhausted. The -next order was for forty four-ounce bottles; and not till our physicians -at length began to order by the thousand ounces could a regular supply -be kept on hand. I have often been in villages where every child, and -nearly every person, young or old, had chills and fever, till the spleen -was enlarged, and the whole condition such that restoration was possible -only after months of treatment. - -There was another malady very common then—the goitre—which had never -been cured by any remedy known to the Lāo doctors. I soon learned, -however, that an ointment of potassium iodide was almost a specific in -the earlier stages of the disease. That soon gave my medicine and my -treatment a reputation that no regular physician could have sustained; -for the people were sure that one who could cure the goitre must be able -to cure any disease. If I protested that I was not a doctor, it seemed a -triumphant answer to say, “Why, you cured such a one of the goitre.” -Often when I declined to undertake the treatment of some disease above -my skill, the patient would go away saying, “I believe you could, if you -would.” - -One other part of my medical work I must mention here, since reference -will be made to it later. The ravages of smallpox had been fearful, -amounting at times to the destruction of a whole generation of children. -The year before our arrival had witnessed such a scourge. Hardly a -household escaped, and many had no children left. I was specially -interested to prevent or to check these destructive epidemics, because -the Prince had seen the efficacy of vaccination as practised by Dr. -Bradley in Bangkok, and because I felt sure that what he had seen had -influenced him to give his consent to our coming. One of the surest ways -then known of sending the virus a long distance was in the form of the -dry scab from a vaccine pustule. When once the virus had “taken,” -vaccination went on from arm to arm. Dr. Bradley sent me the first -vaccine scab. It reached me during the first season; and vaccination -from it ran a notable course. - -The Karens and other hill-tribes are so fearful of smallpox that when it -comes near their villages, they all flee to the mountains. Smallpox had -broken out in a Lāo village near a Karen settlement. The settlement was -at once deserted. Meanwhile the news of the efficacy of vaccination had -reached the Lāo village, and they sent a messenger with an elephant to -beg me to come and vaccinate the entire community. Two young monks came -also from an adjoining village, where the disease was already raging. -These two I vaccinated at once, and sent home, arranging to follow them -later when their pustules should be ripe. From them I vaccinated about -twenty of the villagers. During the following week the Karens all -returned, and in one day I vaccinated one hundred and sixty-three -persons. It was a strange sight to see four generations all vaccinated -at one time—great-grandfathers holding out their withered arms along -with babes a month old. - -Success such as this was naturally very flattering to one’s pride; and -“pride goeth before a fall.” I had kept the Prince informed of the -success of my attempt, and naturally was anxious to introduce -vaccination into the palace. The patronage of the palace would ensure -its introduction into the whole kingdom. Having a fine vaccine pustule -on the arm of a healthy white infant boy, I took him to the palace to -show the case to the Prince’s daughter, and to her husband, who was the -heir-apparent. They had a little son of about the same age. The parents -were pleased, and sent me with the child to the Prince. As soon as he -saw the pustule, he pronounced it genuine, and was delighted. His -younger daughter had lost a child in the epidemic of the year before, -and the family was naturally very anxious on the subject. He sent me -immediately to vaccinate his little grandson. - -I returned to the palace of the son-in-law, and very carefully -vaccinated the young prince on whom so many hopes were centred. I -watched the case daily, and my best hopes seemed realized. The pustules -developed finely. All the characteristic symptoms appeared and -disappeared at the proper times. But when the scab was about to fall -off, the little prince was taken with diarrhœa. I felt sure that a -little paregoric or some other simple remedy would speedily set the -child right, and I offered to treat the case. But half a dozen -doctors—most of them “spirit-doctors”—were already in attendance. The -poor child, I verily believe, was dosed to death. So evident was it that -the unfortunate outcome could not have been the result of vaccination, -that both the parents again and again assured me that they entertained -no such thought. But all diseases—as was then universally believed among -the Lāo—are the result of incurring the displeasure of the “spirits” of -the family or of the clan. The “spirits” might have taken umbrage at the -invasion of their prerogative by vaccination. - -No doubt some such thought was whispered to the Prince, and it is not -unnatural that he should at least have half believed it. In his grief at -the loss of his grandson, it is easy to see how that thought may have -fanned his jealousy at the growing influence of the missionaries. - -No year ever passed more rapidly or more pleasantly than that first year -of the mission. We were too busy to be either lonesome or homesick, -although, to complete our isolation, we had no mails of any sort for -many months. Our two children, the one of three and the other of six -years, were a great comfort to us. When we left Bangkok it was -understood that a Mr. C. of the Borneo Company was to follow us in a -month on business of their teak trade. He had promised to bring up our -mail. So we felt sure of getting our first letters in good time. Since -he would travel much faster than we, it was not impossible that he might -overtake us on the way. But April, May, and June passed, and still no -word of Mr. C. or of the mails he was bringing. In July we received a -note from him, with a few fragments of our long looked-for mail. He had -been attacked by robbers below Rahêng, himself had received a serious -wound, and his boat had been looted of every portable object, including -our mail-bag. Fortunately the robbers, finding nothing of value to them -in the mail, had dropped as they fled some mutilated letters and papers, -which the officers in pursuit picked up, and which Mr. C. forwarded to -us. Otherwise we should have had nothing. We could at least be devoutly -thankful that we had traversed the same river in safety. - -It was long before we were sure that Mr. Wilson and his family were -coming at all that year. It was at least possible that any one of a -thousand causes might delay them, or even prevent their coming -altogether. Their arrival on February 15th, 1868, was, of course, a -great event. - -Not long after this we were eagerly awaiting a promised visit from our -old associate and friend, Dr. S. R. House. Both Mrs. Wilson and Mrs. -McGilvary were expecting shortly to be confined, and the good doctor was -making the tedious journey that he might be on hand to help them with -his professional skill in the hour of their need. Our dismay can be -imagined, when, one day, there appeared, not the doctor, but his native -assistant, with a few pencilled lines from the doctor, telling us that -he was lying in the forest some four or five days distant, dangerously, -if not fatally, gored by an elephant. We were not to come to him, but -were to stand by and attend to the needs of our families. He begged us -to pray for him, and to send him some comforts and medicines. - -The accident happened on this wise: The doctor had been walking awhile -for exercise behind his riding elephant, and then attempted to pass up -beside the creature to the front. The elephant, startled at his -unexpected appearance, struck him to the ground with a blow of his -trunk, gored him savagely in the abdomen, and was about to trample him -under foot, when the driver, not a moment too soon, got the creature -again under control. With rare nerve the doctor cleansed the frightful -wound, and sewed it up by the help of its reflection in a mirror, as he -lay on his back on the ground. He despatched the messenger to us; gave -careful instructions to his attendants as to what they should do for him -when the inevitable fever and delirium should come on; and resigned -himself calmly to await whatever the outcome might be. - -The situation was, indeed, desperate. We could not possibly hope to -reach him before the question of life or death for him would be settled; -nor could he be brought to us. The best we could do was to get an order -from the Prince for a boat, boatmen, and carriers, and despatch these -down the river, committing with earnest prayer the poor sufferer to the -all-loving Father’s care. The doctor was carried on a bamboo litter -through the jungle to the Mê Ping River, and in due time reached -Chiengmai convalescent, to find that the two expected young missionaries -had arrived in safety before him. After a month’s rest he was able to -return to Bangkok; but not until he had assisted us in organizing the -First Presbyterian Church of Chiengmai. - -In the _Presbyterian Record_ for November, 1868, will be found an -interesting report from the doctor’s pen. Naturally he was struck with -the predominance of demon-worship over Buddhism among the Lāo. We quote -the following: - - “Not only offerings, but actually prayers are made to demons. I - shall never forget the first prayer of the kind I ever heard.... - We had just entered a dark defile in the mountains, beyond Mûang - Tôn, and had come to a rude, imageless shrine erected to the - guardian demon of the pass. The owner of my riding-elephant was - seated on the neck of the big beast before me. Putting the palms - of his hands together and raising them in the attitude of - worship, he prayed: ‘Let no evil happen to us. We are six men - and three elephants. Let us not be injured. Let nothing come to - frighten us,’ and so on. On my way down the river, at the rapids - and gloomy passes in the mountains the boatmen would land, - tapers would be lighted, and libations would be poured, and - offerings of flowers, food, and betel would be made to the - powers of darkness.” - - The doctor speaks also of “the favour with which the - missionaries were received, the confidence they had won from all - classes, the influence of their medicines, and the grand field - open for a physician.” He frankly says, “I must confess that - though at one time I did have some misgivings whether, all - things considered, the movement was not a little premature, I - now, being better able to judge, greatly honour the Christian - courage and enterprise which undertook the work; or rather bless - God who inspired Mr. McGilvary’s heart, and made his old - Princeton friend, Mr. Wilson, consent to join him in thus - striking out boldly into an untried field. It will prove, I - trust, a field ready to the harvest.” - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - VIII - - FIRST-FRUITS - - -During the first three months after Mr. Wilson’s arrival we were so -occupied with mission work and with family cares that we had not made -choice of the lot which the Prince had promised to give us. On the very -day that Dr. House left us, however, the Prince came in person, -selected, and made over to us our present beautiful mission compound on -the east bank of the Mê Ping. He would not allow us to offer any -compensation; but, learning afterwards that the native owners had -received no remuneration, we secretly paid them. Mr. Wilson began at -once to erect temporary bamboo buildings, and soon moved to the new -compound. Since it was difficult for me to spare time for further work -of building for myself, and since the old location was an ideal one for -meeting the people, I moved with my family from the sālā into the bamboo -house the Wilsons had occupied, and we made it our home for the next two -years. - -Mr. Wilson was greatly interrupted in his work by sickness in his -family. Little Frank had fallen ill on the journey from Bangkok, and -continued to suffer during all these months. His death on November 17th, -1868, was a heavy stroke to us all. In vain we combined our slight -medical skill, and searched our books of domestic medicine for his -relief. It was pitiful enough to see the natives die, with the sad -feeling in our hearts that a physician might have saved their lives. But -the death of one of our own number, so soon after the trying experiences -early in the year, emphasized, as nothing else could have done, our -appeals for a physician. Yet it was not until 1872 that we welcomed the -first physician appointed to our mission. - -During this time raids were continually being made into the Lāo country -by the renegade Ngīo chieftain already spoken of. Five hundred men from -Prê, and one thousand from Lakawn were drafted for the defence of the -city, and were stationed near our compound. Thus hundreds of soldiers -and workmen furnished us an ever-changing audience. All we had to do, -day or night, was to touch the organ, and people would crowd in to hear. -The dry season of 1868-69 was, therefore, an exceptionally good one for -our work. We had constant visitors from other provinces, who would -converse with us by the hour, and, on returning to their homes, would -carry the news of our presence and of our work. - -In the fall of 1868 occurred two events which, widely different as they -might seem to be, were in reality closely connected, and of much -importance in their bearing on the mission. One was a total eclipse of -the sun on August 17th, and the other was the conversion of Nān Inta, -our first baptized convert. I well remember his tall figure and -thoughtful face when he first appeared at our sālā, shortly after our -arrival in Chiengmai. He had a cough, and had come for medicine. He had -heard, too, that we taught a new religion, and wished to enquire about -that. Some soothing expectorant sufficiently relieved his cough to -encourage him to make another call. On each visit religion was the -all-absorbing topic. He had studied Buddhism, and he diligently -practised its precepts. As an abbot he had led others to make offerings -for the monastery worship, and he had two sons of his own in the -monastic order. But Buddhism had never satisfied his deep spiritual -nature. What of the thousands of failures and transgressions from the -results of which there was no escape? The doctrine of a free and full -pardon through the merits of another, was both new and attractive to -him, but it controverted the fundamental principle of his religion. - -We had some arguments, also, on the science of geography, on the shape -of the earth, on the nature of eclipses, and the like. What he heard was -as foreign to all his preconceived ideas as was the doctrine of -salvation from sin by the death of Christ. Just before the great eclipse -was to occur I told him of it, naming the day and the hour when it was -to occur. I pointed out that the eclipse could not be caused by a -monster which attacked the sun, as he had been taught. If that were the -cause, no one could foretell the day when the monster would be moved to -make the attack. He at once caught that idea. If the eclipse came off as -I said, he would have to admit that his teaching was wrong on a point -perfectly capable of being tested by the senses. There would then be a -strong presumption that we were right in religion as well as in -eclipses. He waited with intense interest for the day to come. The sky -was clear, and everything was favourable. He watched, with a smoked -glass that we had furnished, the reflection of the sun in a bucket of -water. He followed the coming of the eclipse, its progress, and its -passing off, as anxiously as the wise men of old followed the star of -Bethlehem—and, like them, he, too, was led to the Saviour. - -Early the next morning he came in to see me. His first words were, “Mên -tê” (It’s really true). “The teacher’s books teach truth. Ours are -wrong.” This confident assurance had evidently been reached after a -sleepless night. A complete revolution had taken place in his mind; but -it was one that cost him a severe struggle. His only hope had rested on -the teachings of Buddha, and it was no light thing to see the foundation -of his hope undermined. The eclipse had started an ever-widening rift. -He began, as never before, to examine the credentials of Christianity. -He soon learned to read Siamese in order to gain access to our -Scriptures. We read the Gospel of John together. He studied the Shorter -Catechism. He had a logical mind, and it was never idle. Whenever we -met, if only for a few moments, he always had some question to ask me, -or some new doubt to solve. When tempted to doubt, he fell back on the -eclipse, saying, “I know my books were wrong there. If the Gospel system -seems too good to be true in that it offers to pardon and cleanse and -adopt guilty sinners, and give them a title to a heavenly inheritance, -it is simply because it is divine, and not human.” While the truth -dawned gradually on his mind, the full vision seemed to be sudden. His -own account was that afterwards, when walking in the fields and -pondering the subject, it all became very plain to him. His doubts all -vanished. Henceforth for him to live was Christ; and he counted all -things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Him. - -The conversion of Nān Inta was an epoch in the history of the mission. -The ordinary concourse of visitors might be for medicine, or it might be -from mere curiosity. But when one of the most zealous Buddhists, well -known by members of the royal family, openly embraced Christianity, the -matter began to assume a different aspect. What was more remarkable -still was that he urged his two sons to abandon the monastic order. The -Prince’s younger daughter, herself a strong Buddhist, told me that this -was to her convincing evidence of his sincerity. Whether Christianity -were true or false, he certainly believed it true. It was the height of -ambition for every Lāo father to have a son in the order. If he had none -of his own, he often would adopt one and make him a monk. But here was -one of the most devout of them urging his own sons to come out and be -Christians! We regarded it as a favourable circumstance that the patron -and protector of this our first convert was high in princely rank. Nān -Inta’s defection from Buddhism produced a profound impression among all -classes. Emboldened by his example, secret believers became more open. -Not the number alone, but the character of the enquirers attracted -attention. - -The second convert was Noi Sunya, a native doctor from a village eight -miles to the east. He has the enviable distinction of never having -postponed the Gospel offer. He was the chief herdsman in charge of the -Prince’s cattle. Coming to the city on an errand, he called at our sālā -to see what was the attraction there. As in the case of so many others, -it was the good news of pardon for a sinsick soul that arrested his -attention. On his return in the afternoon he called again to make fuller -enquiry concerning “the old, old story of Jesus and His love.” He -promised to return on Sunday. Promises of that sort so often fail, that -we were surprised and delighted to see him early on Sunday morning. We -had an earnest talk together before the time came for public worship. He -remained through the afternoon, and spent the night with us. In answer -to a final exhortation before he left us in the morning, he said, “You -need not fear my going back. I feel sure I am right.” He was willing to -sell all—even life itself, as it proved—for the pearl of great price. He -went home, called his family together, and began family worship that -very night. Only four brief months after this his labours were ended by -the executioner’s stroke, and he wore the martyr’s crown. - -The third, Sên Yā Wichai, has already been mentioned as receiving his -first instruction in Christianity from the “mother-teacher,” as Mrs. -McGilvary was called, during the very first month of the mission. He -then received the great truth of the existence of God and of man’s -accountability to Him. He was an officer living six days’ journey to the -north, and was under the jurisdiction of the Prince of Lampūn. On his -visit a year later, he received further instruction, was baptized, and -returned to tell his neighbours what he had found. They only laughed at -him for his oddity in refusing to join in the Buddhist worship, and in -offerings to the spirits. - -The fourth was Nān Chai, a neighbour and friend of Noi Sunya, and -destined to suffer martyrdom along with him. He, too, was an ex-abbot, -and, therefore, exempt from government work. He was a good scholar, and -was employed by Mr. Wilson as a teacher. When he became a Christian, he -was strongly tempted to hold on still to his position in the monastery, -explaining that he would not himself engage in the worship, but would -only sweep the buildings and keep the grounds in order for others. But -when his duty was pointed out to him, he readily gave up his position, -and was enrolled for regular government service. Here were four noble -and notable men at once deserting the Buddhist faith! No wonder it -became an anxious question whereunto this was to grow. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - IX - - MARTYRDOM - - -In the course of these events our second year of work in Chiengmai had -come to its end. We were now beyond the middle of the year 1869. As some -indefinable sense of oppression in the air gives warning of the -approaching storm, so there were ominous hints, and even some dark -forebodings. Our Christian people—who understood far better than we did -both the character of their rulers and the significance of furtive looks -and innuendoes—were anxious. But they stood firm, and their faith -strengthened ours. - -In the light of subsequent events we now know that the most dangerous -element in the gathering storm was the angry surprise of the Prince -himself at the discovery that the old order seemed actually passing away -under his very eyes; that his will was no longer supreme in men’s minds, -nor always consulted in their actions—this and the deep treachery and -ruthless cruelty of his nature which it brought into play. But there -were other sinister influences at work also, and among them we must not -overlook that of a certain Portuguese adventurer, Fonseca by name. He -was a thoroughly unprincipled man, who, having played his game in -Bangkok and lost, had worked himself into the favour of the Prince -during his recent visit to the capital, and had accompanied him on his -return to Chiengmai. The Prince was persuaded that this man could be of -great service to him in the two matters which were then causing him most -disquietude; namely, the defence of certain lawsuits involving large -sums of money, brought against him in the British Consular Court by -Burmese timber merchants; and the getting rid of the missionaries. These -last were more in Fonseca’s way than they were in the Prince’s. He could -accomplish his ends more readily if they were not there. - -The most plausible excuse that could be offered for desiring to be rid -of the missionaries was the failure of the rice crop that year. In the -early part of the season there was no rain at all. When at last the -fields had been planted, one of the worst floods ever known in that -region destroyed all the lowland rice. Then, finally, the rains ceased -prematurely, and the upland crop was cut off by drought. The presence of -the missionaries in the country had offended the spirits, and they had -withheld the rain. Such was the pretext urged in a petition sent to -Bangkok to have the missionaries removed. The specific address of the -petition to the Minister for Foreign Affairs and the United States -Consul leads one to suspect that the matter was directed by some one who -understood the order of official business much better than did the Lāo -Prince. - -The Minister forwarded the document to Mr. McDonald, the acting -Vice-Consul at the time. Mr. McDonald replied to the Minister that there -must be some mistake about it. It appeared that the scarcity of rice -complained of had begun the year before the arrival of the missionaries; -it was not confined to Chiengmai, but extended over all the northern -provinces. He added roguishly, however, that he would strictly enjoin -the American missionaries to be very careful in future not to cause any -famine. Of all this secret plotting we were entirely ignorant at the -time, and learned of it only long afterwards. While these plots were -developing, I was frequently visiting the Prince, and all our relations -with him were apparently satisfactory. But we knew that he was under the -influence of a wily and unprincipled adversary. - -The other matter in which Fonseca was supposed to be able to help his -patron out of difficulties even more pressing, was the Burmese lawsuits -pending before the British Consul. But the British government was the -last party to permit officious meddling with its public business from -such a quarter. It is presumed that there was evidence of his -interference with official correspondence. This much is certain—a -peremptory demand was made on the Siamese government for his recall. The -official order sent up was too emphatic to be neglected. The man was -sent out of the country in quite different style from that in which he -entered it. This man is known to have been present at the consultation -relative to the mission. If the jealousy and suspicion on the part of -the Prince did not originate with him, there is no doubt that he at -least worked on the Prince’s suspicious nature, increasing his jealousy -of the growing popularity of the mission, and leading him to think that -it would be wise to stop it in its incipiency. - -Yet even when the blow was about to fall, we could not believe that the -Prince was so treacherous as to plan to drive us out of the country, at -the same time that he continued to treat us so kindly, and would even -come to dine with us. We could not believe that the younger Princess, -who had a predominating influence over her father, could encourage one -of the Christians to put himself under her protection, only that he -might the more surely be sent to his death a day or two later. We could -not believe that an excursion down the river had been planned by the -Prince, only that he might be out of reach when the executions should -take place. We were still incredulous, even after we received reliable -information from the agent of the Borneo Company that he had heard the -Prince and a certain high officer consulting together to stop our work. -The plan which he reported was to expel the converts from the country, -giving their wives and children the option to follow them or to remain. -After all, that would not have been so great a disaster. These men had -no great possessions to lose. Their banishment would only plant the -Gospel in other provinces or other lands. - -When, in September, 1869, just before the fatal stroke, the Prince -started on what purported to be a three weeks’ fishing trip, we thought -that his absence would give us a respite from our present fears, and -would afford him leisure for better thoughts. As his boats pushed off, -we waved him a parting good-bye from the shore. His first business was -at Lampūn, to secure the co-operation of the governor of that province -in ridding the country of the new religion. Inasmuch as Sên Yā Wichai, -the third convert mentioned above, was a Lampūn officer, it was thought -prudent in his case to secure the action of his own immediate superior. -He was at once sent for, and was condemned to death, but was saved by -his young master, the governor’s son, on the plea that he was a -backwoodsman, and knew no better. - -Of the deep designs against us and our work we were thus either ignorant -or incredulous till, on the evening of September 13th, just before dark, -our night watchman came to us with the common excuse for leaving us, -that some relative was dead or dying, and insisting that he must go -immediately. In vain we urged that he must not leave us thus in the -lurch. As a final argument, we threatened to dock him of a month’s -wages. But wages were nothing to him then. “All that a man hath will he -give for his life.” While we talked to him, he had reached the gate and -was gone. So, also, fled the cook and the coolie, leaving only one blind -Ngīo who had taken refuge with us. - -Mr. Wilson then lived across the river on the new premises, and it was -not until the next day that we learned that all his people, too, had -fled in like manner and at the same hour. We went to Prayā Tēpasing, the -Prince’s executive officer, to enquire the cause. He feigned surprise, -and professed entire ignorance of any designs against the Christians. He -said, however, that the Prince had given an order that the inhabitants -of certain villages should bring in each a hewn slab of timber to repair -the stockade. Possibly the scare might have somehow arisen from that. We -were aware of the order, and had told the Christians that if pressed for -time to procure the timber, they might each take a slab of ours. We now -told the Prayā that we would ourselves be responsible for the timbers -required of them. To assure us with regard to our servants, the Prayā -sent for our cook, gave him a letter assuring his safety, and -threatened, besides, to have him flogged if he deserted us. The cook -remained with us all through these troubles, until we could find another -to take his place. For some reason Mr. Wilson did not avail himself of -this offer. He and Mrs. Wilson got on as they could without servants for -several months. - -We now know that the order for the execution of the Christians had been -given long before by that same Prayā Tēpasing—in such fear of the Prince -was the highest officer in the realm! Not only had our servants -vanished—there was a sudden cessation of our visitors as well. Few even -dared to come for medicine for fear of being suspected of becoming -Christians. There were, however, a few notable exceptions, the abbot of -the Ūmōng monastery being the most conspicuous. - -During the following week Mr. Wilson waded out across the flooded -country to the home of Nān Chai, his teacher. But his family did not -dare to give any information concerning him. To tell what they knew -would cost their lives also—so they had been told. He then went on -another mile to Noi Sunya’s home, with the same result. The wives of -both these men pretended to believe that their husbands had gone to the -city to visit us. Mr. Wilson noticed that one of the women had tears in -her eyes as she spoke. Puzzled rather than satisfied by the result of -the visit, Mr. Wilson returned with the hope that, after all, the men -were still alive, and that we yet should see them in the land of the -living. - -It was two weeks before our suspense was broken by the certainty of -their death. On Sunday morning, September 26th, a Ngīo friend and -neighbour of the martyrs called at my house. After looking all about -him, he asked where the Christians were. I told him there seemed to be a -mystery about them that we could not unravel, but we hoped they were -secreting themselves in safety somewhere. Seeing that I was really -ignorant of their fate, he came close up to me, and looking around again -to assure himself that no one was near, he asked, “If I tell you, will -you promise never to betray me?” Having demanded and received an -emphatic promise equivalent to an oath, he drew his hand significantly -across his neck, and whispered, “That is the way.” His gesture was too -well understood in that reign to leave any doubt as to what was meant. -The man had really come on a sad and dangerous errand of kindness. As -soon as it was accomplished, he hurried away, evidently fearing that the -birds of the air might hear it, or that some breeze might waft it to the -palace. - -On Monday morning Mr. Wilson and I went again to the Prayā. He could now -no longer lie for his master as to the fact of the execution of the men, -but he offered the flimsy excuse that it was because they had not -brought in their slabs on time. We were then obliged to charge him with -patent falsehood. He knew that they were executed for no crime whatever, -but only for being Christians. Poor man! He seemed somewhat ashamed; but -what could he do? He was not at heart a bad man, as his letter of -protection for the cook showed. The lives of two peasants were no great -matter in those days. He had been so trained to execute every behest of -his master, that it scarcely occurred to him that he ought to hesitate -at this. - -But it was some relief to know the worst, and to know that it was known -that we knew it. Before this we had been obliged to feign hopes that we -hardly believed ourselves. Now we could speak openly. The Prince had not -yet returned from his fishing trip; so we went to his elder daughter and -her husband, afterward Prince Intanon. In their position they could not -say much; but they did say that what the Prince had done was not right, -and that they did not approve of the act. - -One outcome of the situation was a flood of the wildest rumours—some of -them, no doubt, started on purpose to frighten us away. One of these -touched us in a most tender point. One of our most faithful servants, -who had been with us from the very first, was desirous of visiting -Bangkok. So we arranged to have him go down in charge of a boat that was -to bring up our supplies for the year. By him we sent a large package of -letters written before we had reason to suspect so serious an outcome of -the troubles that were brewing. While we could not conceal some gloomy -forebodings, our reports were, on the whole, full of hope for the speedy -progress of the Gospel. The boat left for Bangkok a few days after the -Prince started on his fishing trip. Presently it was reported that the -boat had been intercepted, and that this man, with his wife, his son, -and his son’s family, even down to a little grandchild of two years old, -had been killed, and the boat broken to pieces and burned. - -Although such atrocity seemed beyond belief, yet a number of -circumstances combined to give the report credibility. Why, for -instance, was the long, unusual trip down the river taken just before -our boat was to start? What did it mean that, after the murder of the -Christians was known, no sum of money could induce a Lāo man to take a -letter to Bangkok? If the story of the fate of our messenger were true, -the act was the act of a madman—and there is no telling what a madman -may not do. He was in a position to keep us from escaping; and if he had -really gone so far as that, he evidently did not intend that we should -be heard from alive. - -For a time we virtually resigned ourselves to what seemed inevitable -fate. When we could get no letters sent, we actually began writing the -history of those days on the margins of books in our library, so that, -if we were never heard from again, some of the precedent circumstances -of our end might thus, perhaps, come to light. It was a great relief, -therefore, when an influential Burmese, knowing our situation, offered -to carry a letter through to our friends in Bangkok. - -On September 29th, when the letters carried by the Burmese were written, -we were still under the impression that our boatman had been murdered, -and that neither he nor the letters and reports carried by him had been -heard from. It was the knowledge that these rumours were false, and that -he had passed Rahêng in safety, that first relieved our minds. So, too, -his arrival in Bangkok gave our friends there the first assurance of our -safety. With this explanation the letters themselves will give the best -idea of our situation in those dark days. The following is from a letter -of Dr. S. R. House to our Mission Board in New York, printed in the -_Presbyterian Record_ of February, 1870. It is dated November 11th, -1869. - - “Since our last mail was despatched, tidings have been received - from the mission families in North Laos which have greatly - distressed and alarmed us, causing no little anxiety for their - personal safety. This outburst of persecution from which they - are now suffering must have been quite unlooked for, for their - letters down to September 10th were full of encouragement. Never - had the king and the princes[8] seemed more friendly; never had - their prospects seemed brighter. Seven interesting converts had - been baptized since the year began, and they had just been - enjoying a wonderfully favourable opportunity to make the gospel - message known to the people from every part of the kingdom.... - What has caused this sudden change in the demeanour of the king - of Chiengmai toward our missionaries there, does not appear.... - -Footnote 8: - - That is the Prince of Chiengmai and the nobility. These terms are so - used generally throughout this correspondence.—ED. - - “Thus far they seem to have had no apprehension for themselves - personally; but the next letter, of two days’ later date, - indicates that something had occurred or had come to their - knowledge which led them to believe that their own lives were in - jeopardy. On September 29th Mr. McGilvary writes hurriedly to - his father-in-law, Rev. D. B. Bradley, M.D., of the A. M. A. - mission as follows:— - - “‘Dear Father and Mother:—We write to tell you that we may be in - great danger. If you never hear from us more, know that we are - in heaven. Send some one up here to look after our Christians, - and do not, we beg you, grieve over the loss of our lives. Two - of our church members died at the martyr’s stake on the 14th of - September. Warrants are out for the others. What is before us we - do not know. We are all peaceful, and very happy. We have - written letters giving the full facts, but dare not send them - for fear of their interception. - - “‘Lung Puk left here on the 12th direct for Bangkok. Should he - never reach you, you may fear the worst for us.... He had a - large mail with our reports, etc. Should worst come to worst, we - have counted the cost beforehand, and our death will not be in - vain. Love to all the dear ones. Good-bye, dear father, mother, - brothers, sisters, and friends—perhaps till we meet in heaven!’” - -Dr. House then continues: - - “That these letters—the last one especially—awakened our deepest - solicitude, I need not assure you. The brethren from the - Pechaburī station reached Bangkok, to attend the annual session - of Presbytery, the very day the startling tidings came; and - anxious were our deliberations, and earnest our prayers in - behalf of those brethren beloved and their helpless families. A - month had then elapsed since the date of the letters. Were they - still in the land of the living? - - “It was deemed advisable that some of our number should proceed - as far up the river as possible—to Rahêng at least—to learn the - existing state of things and extend all possible assistance. - After consultation this service devolved on Bros. McDonald and - George. - - “Owing to the peculiar allegiance which holds the Lāo tribes - tributary to the Siamese, it was thought best not to press any - doubtful treaty rights and claims through the United States - Consul—that is, the protection they would be entitled to claim - anywhere on the soil of Siam proper—but to throw ourselves on - the friendliness and goodwill of the Siamese Government as old - residents here, most of us, who are greatly troubled lest harm - should befall our friends who are living in one of their - tributary states. What could they do to help us? - - “The deputation, consisting of Dr. Bradley, Mr. McDonald, Mr. - George, and myself, were most kindly received by the new Regent - of the kingdom, the late Prime Minister—were received in every - respect as friends, and the best endeavours of the Siamese - Government were promised. A government official would be - despatched at once bearing a letter to the king of Chiengmai, - enjoining on him to give protection to the missionaries. But the - Regent added, ‘It is difficult to deal with a man so moody and - arbitrary as this Chief of Chiengmai. He is like King Theodore - of Abyssinia.’—This too significant comparison had already - suggested itself in anything but an agreeable way to ourselves. - - “The Siamese move slowly at the best, and the brethren who have - consented to go on this errand so full of perplexity and - possible peril started several days before the royal messenger’s - preparations were completed. We are waiting with the greatest - solicitude further tidings. I must say from what I know of the - character of the man in whose hands and at whose mercy they are, - that I have great fears. Others here, however, are confident - that no harm can come to them personally.” - -The following, from a note of mine to the Board, will throw further -light on our letter to our friends and on our situation. It was dated -October 31st, while we were anxiously waiting for the reply to our -letters. - - ... “But the particular fact that filled us with deepest anxiety - when we sent that note to Bangkok, was a rumour that the king - had, in person, stopped a boat in charge of our old servant whom - we had sent down to Bangkok after money and supplies, and had - put him, his wife, and all the boatmen to death. That rumour was - currently believed here, and we had so many questions asked us - about them by persons in high and in low station, that we were - constrained almost to believe it. And if that had been done, we - knew not what would come next. Of course we had serious - apprehensions regarding our own safety; yet our duty was clear. - However dangerous our position, we felt that flight would be - more dangerous.... Our strength was to sit still.... - - “After waiting a month in suspense about our servants, we have - just learned, on pretty good authority, that they were not - murdered. They have been reported as having passed Rahêng. In a - few days we shall know the truth. If they are safe, our greatest - fears were groundless. We wait to see the Lord’s purpose in - reference to this people. We yet believe they are purposes of - mercy. The excitement has somewhat died down, and we have daily - many visitors. But there is great fear of the authorities. No - one feels safe; no one knows what will come next.” - -I quote from a letter of Mr. Wilson to the Board the following account -of the suffering and death of the martyrs, written January 3d, 1870, -after all the various rumours had been sifted, and the facts were -clearly known. Meantime the Commission referred to in the letter of Dr. -House had come, and this letter was brought to Bangkok by it on its -return. This letter and the one cited just above were printed in the -_Foreign Missionary_ for March and for May, 1870. - - “Till within a very short time before their execution, we had no - apprehension that any serious obstacle would be thrown in the - way of the Lāo becoming Christians. All the baptisms had taken - place publicly. The number, and some of the names, of the - Christians had been given in answer to questions asked by the - younger daughter of the king, and by others of royal blood. We - had become convinced that the king must know that some of his - people had become disciples of Jesus. His two daughters had - assured Mr. McGilvary that no one should be molested for - becoming Christians. With such an assurance from the highest - princesses in the land, we flattered ourselves that the king - would tolerate Christianity. The fearlessness, also, with which - all but Nān Chai professed Christ, made us feel that there was - no danger to the life of any one who had received baptism. - - “Nān Chai, however, seemed anxious. Some two months before his - baptism he requested us to write to Bangkok and get the King of - Siam to make proclamation of religious toleration. Not a month - before his baptism he asked me, ‘If the king should call me and - ask, “Are you a disciple of Jesus?” would it be wrong to say - “No”?’ We knew that for some time he had loved the Saviour, but - he was following Him tremblingly. His position as overseer - (ex-abbot) of the monastery made his renunciation of Buddhism a - more noticeable event, and rendered him more liable to - persecution than some of the others. I may here state that those - who, after leaving the monastery, are appointed overseers of the - temple, are, by virtue of their position, exempt from the call - of their masters to do government work. Nān Chai belonged to - this class. His resignation of this post when he became a - Christian, both proved his sincerity, and made him a mark for - Buddhist hate and reproach. - - “Noi Sunya’s work was to tend the king’s cattle, and in this way - he performed his share of public service. He also worked a farm, - and was a physician. He was of a genial disposition and cheerful - temper, always looking on the bright side of life, happy - himself, and trying to make others happy. He was thus a general - favourite. His reception of the truth was hearty and childlike. - How his face beamed with joy that communion Sabbath! Next day, - Monday, September 6th, about noon, he started for his walk of - nine miles across the plain to Mê Pō Kā. In bidding him good-bye - we little thought we should see his face no more. - - “Our teacher, Nān Chai, came in the following Thursday, somewhat - sad because the head man of his village was urging him for some - government work and supplies that were then being raised for the - army. After resigning the oversight of the temple, being - virtually without a master, he had come in to the city to put - himself under the king’s younger daughter. On Saturday morning, - the 11th, she gave him his protection papers, for which he paid - the usual three rupees. Some ten days before, when Mr. McGilvary - had called with him in reference to this matter, he had, at the - princess’ request, made a statement of his Christian faith, even - to the repeating of a prayer. - - “On that same Saturday afternoon a message came from the head - man of the village for Nān Chai’s immediate return home. The - message was so urgent that he concluded not to wait for the - accustomed Sabbath morning worship. Knowing that there was a - disposition on the part of some of the public officers to find - fault with the Christians, I thought it best for him to go home, - and not return to us till quiet should be restored. He seemed - very sad, and said that his master was disposed to oppress him. - All that I could say did not rouse him from his depression. He - took leave of us about ten o’clock at night. When we awoke on - Sabbath morning, he was gone. We know now that shortly after the - princess had given him her letters of protection on Saturday - morning, she despatched a messenger to the head man of the - village ordering Nān Chai’s arrest. Imagine that Sabbath - morning’s walk of nearly nine miles, much of the way through - water nearly knee-deep! Dear gentle heart, full of care and - fear! - - “He reached home about noon. After dinner he called upon the - head man of the village; but no one knew the nature of the - conference. He was permitted to sleep at home that night. Next - morning came the order from the chief man of the district for - the overseers of the temples and those doing the king’s own work - to appear at his house. This order included, of course, both our - brethren, Noi Sunya and Nān Chai. But to make their attendance - doubly sure, armed men were sent with clubs and pikes to conduct - them to the appointed rendezvous. Noi Sunya took leave of his - wife and six children in tears. He knew what that call and those - clubs and spears meant. When they reached the house of the - district chief, they found a large armed force ready to receive - them. When arrested at their homes they had been charged with - refusing to do the king’s work. But now Nān Chai was asked, ‘Are - you an overseer of a temple?’ He answered, ‘I was, but am not - now.’ ‘Have you entered the religion of the foreigners?’ ‘Yes.’ - Noi Sunya was asked the same question, to which he also answered - ‘Yes.’ - - “They were then seized, and after further examination were told - that they had been condemned to death. While Nān Chai was giving - the reason of the faith that was in him, one of the examiners - kicked him in the eye, leaving it bloodshot and causing it to - swell till the eye was closed. The arms of the prisoners were - tied behind their backs. Their necks were compressed between two - pieces of timber (the death-yoke) tied before and behind so - tightly as painfully to impede both respiration and the - circulation of the blood. They were thus placed in a sitting - posture near a wall, and cords were passed through the holes in - their ears and tied to a beam above. In this constrained and - painful position—not able to turn their heads or bow them in - slumber—they remained from Monday afternoon till Tuesday morning - about ten o’clock, when they were led out into the jungle and - executed. - - “When Nān Chai was arrested, his wife started on a run to inform - us, supposing that he would be brought to the city to undergo a - regular trial. In that case she hoped the missionaries could - ensure his release. She had arrived in sight of our house, when - a messenger from the head man of the village overtook her, and - informed her that if she called on us, it would be at the risk - of her life. She returned immediately, to join him at the - district chief’s house; but was informed that if she made the - least demonstration of grief, she too would be put to death. She - sat down by her husband for a time. They conversed together as - opportunity offered, being narrowly watched by the merciless - guard. The prisoners both said, ‘Oh, if the missionaries were - here, we should not have to die!’ Nān Chai’s last words to his - wife were, ‘Tell the missionaries that we die for no other cause - than that we are Christians.’ One of the guards angrily asked - what he had said. She saw that it was best for her to retire, - and they parted. - - “When Nān Chai knew that he and his comrade were doomed, he said - to one of the officers, ‘You will kill us; we are prepared. But - I beg you not to kill those who are in the employ of the - missionaries. They are not Christians, and are not prepared to - die.’ What a triumph of faith in this once fearful disciple! - What a noble forgetfulness of self in that earnest request for - the lives of others! - - “And now, after a long and weary night of painful watching, the - morning of Tuesday, the 14th, dawns upon them. The hour is come. - They are led out into the lonely jungle. They kneel down. Nān - Chai is asked to pray. He does so, his last petition being, - ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.’ The tenderness of the scene - melts his enemies to tears. The heads of the prisoners—prisoners - for Jesus’ sake—are drawn back by slightly raising the cruel - yoke they have worn for more than twenty hours. The executioner - approaches with his club. Nān Chai receives the stroke on the - front of the neck. His body sinks to the ground a corpse.... Noi - Sunya receives upon the front of his neck five or six strokes; - but life is still not extinct. A spear is thrust into his heart. - His body is bathed in blood, and his spirit joins that of his - martyred brother. Their bodies were hastily buried. Their graves - we may not yet visit.... - - “Only a few days before his death Nān Chai wrote, at Mrs. - Wilson’s request, a little slip which she forwarded to her - friends as a specimen of the Lāo language. The last line—the - last, no doubt, that he ever wrote—contained the following words - ‘Nān Chai dai rap pen sit lêo. Hak Yēsū nak’ (Nān Chai has - become a disciple. He loves Jesus much).” - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - X - - THE ROYAL COMMISSION - - -After the despatch of our hurried notes by the Burmese on September -29th, 1869, we felt reasonably sure that our friends would learn the -news of our situation, and we were in a measure relieved. But at that -time we still believed the reports about the murder of Lung Puk. In -fact, it was these reports, which we had just heard before writing the -letters sent by the Burmese, that caused the great anxiety expressed in -them. But though we poured out our hearts and unburdened our fears to -our friends, no one in Chiengmai outside of our two families ever knew -the fears that agitated our breasts. For two months or more we still -feared that we might be treacherously murdered under colour as though it -were done by robbers or dacoits. We knew not on lying down at night what -might happen before dawn. - -One of the hardest things of the situation was that, in the presence of -our own dear children, we felt obliged to speak to each other of these -matters by signs alone, since it seemed wise to conceal our fears from -them. When we had native callers, or in our visits to the natives, we -preached to them just as if nothing had happened. Some that we know were -sent as spies to see what we were doing and what we were planning to do, -had nothing to report except the Gospel message which they had heard. - -Then was the time when a few tried friends endeared themselves forever -to us. Among these was the Princess Būa Kam, and the abbot of the Ūmōng -monastery, both of whom have been mentioned before. The silver plate -with a little rice or fruit from the Princess never ceased to come; and -the abbot often made an excuse of errands elsewhere in our neighbourhood -that he might have occasion to call and express his sympathy. - -One incident which occurred before the various rumours had been cleared -up, though well-nigh tragic at the time, seemed afterward amusing -enough. After the appalling treachery of the younger daughter of the -Prince in regard to Nān Chai, while professing constantly such personal -friendship for us, we naturally regarded her with profound distrust. -What, then, was our surprise, when, one night in the darkest time of our -troubles, a summons came for me to go at once to her palace with the -officer who brought the message. I was by no means to wait till morning, -and I could get no clue to the object of the summons. But it was almost -a royal command. Whatever it might mean, nothing would be gained by -refusal; so I promised at once to go. But a difficulty arose. My wife -positively refused to let me go alone. If the worst were to come, she -would be there to see it. - -So the children were left in bed, and off we walked three-fourths of a -mile in the dark to the palace. We found it brilliantly lighted up. Was -it for the final act? But our fears were soon allayed. The Princess -received us as she always had done—probably a little surprised to see -Mrs. McGilvary with me. A foreign rug was spread for us, and soon was -produced a formidable package of documents in English, which the -Princess wanted us to translate! They were from the court in Maulmein, -and had reference to the lawsuits. They had just arrived, and she could -not wait till morning. We glanced over them, gave her the substance of -them, and promised that if she would send her scribe down next day, we -would translate them. She was relieved to find that there was nothing -more formidable in them—and so were we. The whole interview did not last -more than fifteen minutes; and when ready to return, we were escorted -home by servants with lanterns. - -For a time we had very few visitors even for medicine. But the -monasteries were always open, and we were welcomed in nearly all the -homes of the princes. I regularly called on the Prince. When he was in a -pleasant mood, I had pleasant conversations with him. If I found him -moody or busy, I paid my respects and retired. His elder daughter and -her husband were always pleasant, and she was always interested to talk -on the subject of religion. - -Another friendship formed the year before was then a great comfort to -us, though no one could really help us. A wealthy Chinese, who had -charge of collecting nearly all the revenue of the government, had been -shot in the city of Lampūn, eighteen miles away. A messenger with an -elephant was sent, begging me to come at once. It seemed at first -impossible for me to go, but finally I did so. The ball had entered -below the knee while the man was lying down, had followed the bone, and -had lodged in the soft part of the thigh. It was extracted, and I -remained there till the patient was out of danger. The wife, a -Siamo-Chinese, was a merchant, and acted as our banker for ten years. At -this writing, the family has not yet forgotten the service rendered. - -But our hourly thoughts were directed to Bangkok. What would be the -outcome of our letters? We were continually asked what we were going to -do. Our reply was that, of course, we intended to remain. There was no -telegraph then, nor even a monthly mail. It was not till November 26th -that the first news of what was doing in our behalf reached us. It was -brought by messengers sent on in advance to notify the government that a -Royal Commissioner had arrived in Lampūn, with two foreigners and a -train of eighteen elephants and fifty-three attendants. They were to be -in Chiengmai the next day. No intimation, however, was given as to what -the object of the Commission was. But plainly it must be a matter of no -slight importance. - -Early on the morning of the 27th every one was on the alert. A body of -men under the direction of an officer were scrubbing the old sālā next -door to us, for the letter had asked that preparations be made for the -party. A prince whispered in our ears to enquire whether we knew what -the “Kā Lūang” was coming for. But we knew as little as he did. We were -so hopeful, however, that we began to prepare for our guests, too. The -whole place seemed in an attitude of expectancy. The sudden arrival of a -Kā Lūang was not an everyday occurrence. And then the two foreigners—two -“white kolās”! - -In the afternoon the curiosity of every one was gratified by the arrival -of the long train with the Commissioner at its head. The two “white -kolās” were none other than our associates in the Siamese mission, the -Rev. N. A. McDonald, and the Rev. S. C. George. Were ever guests more -welcome! The story was soon told of the receipt of our letters in -Bangkok, and of the negotiations which had resulted in their coming with -a Royal Commissioner and with a “Golden Seal,” as the royal letter is -called. We now knew definitely that the Commissioner had come on the -business of the mission and the treatment of the Christians. But our -brethren did not know the contents of the royal letter. No human -sagacity could yet predict what turn affairs would take. Was the mission -to be securely established, or were we to be escorted safely out of the -country? The Commissioner immediately notified the Prince of his arrival -with the “Golden Seal,” and awaited His Highness’ pleasure. The Prince’s -curiosity and anxiety were guarantee that there would be no delay. Nine -o’clock next morning was named as the hour for the audience. The -Commissioner notified us to be ready. An officer was sent with a -palanquin to escort the “Golden Seal” under the golden umbrella to the -palace. - -Mr. Wilson and I, of course, joined the procession. On reaching the -grand reception hall at the palace, we encountered such an array of -princely state as we had never before seen among the Lāo. Every prince, -princess, and officer who could come was already there. I quote from Mr. -McDonald’s official report to the Board, dated February 2d, 1870, an -account of the audience. (_Presbyterian Record_, June, 1870.) - - “The next morning after our arrival the Regent’s letter was - conducted in state to the palace under the royal umbrella, and - the golden tray containing it was placed on a stand near the - middle of the hall. Very soon the king entered the hall - apparently calm, but pale with suppressed rage. We arose and - bowed to him, and then resumed our seats. The Siamese officers, - however, remained prostrate before him, as did every other one - in the hall. The king immediately broke the seal and handed the - letter to the Siamese secretary to read. After the reading of - the letter he looked up, evidently quite relieved, and remarked, - ‘This letter does not amount to so much. It gives the - missionaries privilege to remain if they wish, or to go if they - prefer.’” - -Mr. McDonald, then, as a member of the Commission, addressed the King, -referring to the kindness with which the missionaries had been received -by him on their arrival—which was in keeping with the favour shown them -in Bangkok, and with the beneficent nature of their work—but regretting -that late difficulties had made their stay unpleasant. Among other -things he referred to the desertion of their servants. But neither he -nor the royal letter made the slightest reference to the murder of the -Christians. Mr. McDonald then proceeds: - - “What I said did not seem to rouse him. He continued to suppress - his rage, and replied, ‘As to servants, he had never placed any - hindrance. He had put to death a couple of fellows—a thing which - he had a right to do, since they had failed to do their allotted - government work. But that was his own business.’” - -The Prince evidently thought that the affair was ended, and was -preparing to close the audience, greatly relieved that the one dreaded -point had not been referred to either in the letter or in the -conference. But to stop there would have been an inexcusable blunder on -our part. Not only had the good name of the Christians been tarnished, -but our own also, if we had made all this great fuss about nothing. It -was a difficult thing to face the Prince before his whole court, and -charge him with falsehood; but he had driven us to it. If he had not -lied, we had. For once we were called upon to stand before kings for His -name’s sake; and I believe that words were given to me to speak. - -I said that I was sorry to be compelled to say that the Prince knew that -he had not spoken the truth. There was not a man or woman in that -audience, nor in the whole country, who did not know that those two men -had been put to death for no other pretended reason than that they were -Christians. It was done and was proclaimed to be done as a warning to -others. They had not refused to do government work. The charge that they -had failed to get the slabs for the stockade was a subterfuge. There was -not a word of truth in it, as the officer through whom it was done, then -present, well knew. When these men received the order to get the slabs, -they started immediately, but were at once arrested, and were not -allowed to get them. In no sense were they dealt with as criminals. On -that very day (over three months after the order), not one-fifth of the -men in the province had as yet brought in their timbers, and nothing was -said about it. In this country it was an unheard-of thing, even for the -gravest offences, to decoy men out from their homes into the jungle, and -to kill them there with no pretence of a trial. There was a Sanām -(Court), there were regular officers of law, even down to the -executioner. In the case of these men, not a single form of law had been -observed. By the Prince’s own order they had been treacherously -arrested, led out into the jungle, and cruelly clubbed to death in the -presence of a lawless mob by a ruffian hired to do it. - -The old man looked on me in mingled astonishment and rage. Possibly till -then he thought we had not been able to learn the facts and particulars -in the case. More likely he thought that no one would dare thus openly -and publicly to expose them. But what was said had the desired effect. -Up to this point the Prince’s position had been impregnable. To assault -it successfully would have required the production of evidence; and no -man in the country, high or low, would have dared to testify against -him. But this unexpected challenge was more than he could endure. He -flung all caution to the winds. In an instant his sole defence was -abandoned. Mr. McDonald says: - - “‘Yes,’ he said, ‘he had killed them because they had embraced - the Christian religion. And he would continue to kill every one - who did the same. Leaving the religion of the country was - rebellion against him, and he would so treat it. If the - missionaries would remain to treat the sick, they might do so. - But they must not make Christians; they must not teach the - Christian religion. If they did, he would expel them from the - country’.... At one time I feared that he might become - uncontrollable, and break over all restraints, and do us some - personal injury. The Siamese officer also was alarmed for our - safety.” - -Matters now had been brought to a crisis. The Christians had been proved -to be not malefactors, but martyrs. We now understood each other, and -all parties understood the situation. The Prince’s bravado before the -Commissioner in one sense was politic. He had read between the lines of -the King’s letter that the Siamese were afraid of him; and he was quite -willing to have it so. On the other hand, his attitude might have the -effect of convincing them that he was a dangerous man, to be dealt with -accordingly—and I believe it did. - -But, as Mr. McDonald goes on to say, “It was useless to attempt any -further argument. The missionaries merely told him that it was their -intention to remain. The conversation then turned to other subjects, and -the Prince became more calm. After returning to the house of Mr. -McGilvary, and after anxious consultation and prayer, it was considered -best to abandon the mission for a time.” - -The Commissioner strongly advised us to withdraw. Mr. McDonald was -naturally timid, and hardly felt safe till he was fairly out of the -country. He and Mr. George were sure that it would not be safe for us to -remain a single day after the Commissioner departed; and Mr. Wilson -agreed with them. Such, then, was the report made to the Board, and the -number of the _Record_ from which we have quoted above announced the -dissolution of the mission. - -The news of the scene in the palace spread like wild-fire over the city. -We had scarcely reached home when our neighbours and friends began to -send us secret messages that it would be foolish to remain. The Prince -was like a lion bearded in his den. When the Commissioner left there was -no telling what he might do. The Commissioner naturally felt some -responsibility for our safety, and desired to have us return with him. I -so far consented as to allow the Commissioner to send word to the Prince -that we would retire as soon as we conveniently could. Yet, from what I -knew of the feeling of the people toward us, I could not see that it was -the will of Providence that the mission should be abandoned. Nor did I -believe that it would be hazardous to remain. The Prince evidently had -no thought of actually renouncing his allegiance to Siam. He had been -directed to see to our safety, if we wished to remain. I think, too, -that I understood him better than did either our own friends or the -Commissioner. His bluster at the audience was for effect. It was more -than probable that, after sober thought, he himself would realize that -he had gone too far. Before the coming of the Commissioner he had been -summoned to Bangkok; he was at that time busy preparing boats for the -journey, and was soon to start. He was too shrewd a man to wish us to -appear there before him as witnesses against him. It was, I thought, -more than probable that he would meet more than half-way any advance -made toward him, though we could not expect him to make the advance -himself. - -Next morning before breakfast Mr. Wilson came over to have a long walk -and talk with me. He did not wish to express his fears before our -children. He argued with all his logic that it was better to go while we -safely could. His idea was to retire to Rahêng, where we would be under -the direct protection of the Siamese government; for, after yesterday’s -scene, he was sure we never could be safe in Chiengmai. So far as he was -concerned, I thought it a good idea. He might go, and I would remain—at -least as long as I could. He felt, however, that he would be to blame if -any disaster happened to us. From all responsibility on that score I -freely exonerated him. As I viewed the case, our personal risk was at an -end so soon as the situation should be known in Bangkok. The Prince -would no longer dare either to do anything or to cause anything to be -done _secretly_ as once we feared he would. Therefore, notwithstanding -the bluster of the day before, fear for our personal safety had little -weight with me. But quite apart from the question of danger, there was -much to be said in favour of Mr. Wilson’s going to Rahêng. The place was -an important one for missionary work. The result might possibly be a -station in both places, instead of in Chiengmai alone. His departure -might seem some concession to the wishes of the Prince—would show less -determination to thwart his known will. If there were any danger in -remaining, it would be less for one family than for two. All I wanted -was time to see the Lord’s will. At any rate, I was not willing to -depart without having an audience with the Prince alone. Against this it -was urged that the Prince had a special grudge against me, because of -the vaccination of his little grandson, and that this would be increased -by my having angered him the day before. But of this I was not afraid. -The parents of the dear child had begged me never to think that they -blamed me for it. As to what had happened the day before, I believed the -Prince’s respect for me was higher than it would have been had I allowed -him to bluff us with his bare-faced lie. The result of our walk was that -Mr. Wilson agreed to have me call on the Prince the next day, though Mr. -McDonald maintained that for himself he would not risk it. - -So, next morning, I called at the palace at an hour when I knew I should -find the Prince alone with his head-wife. And, just as I expected, he -received me with unwonted cordiality. I referred to the friendship -between him and my father-in-law, Dr. Bradley; to his cordial consent -given to our coming to his country to teach the Christian religion and -to benefit his people in other ways; to his kind reception of us when we -came; to his granting us a place for a home; and to his many other acts -of kindness. We had come to him as friends, and I could not bear we -should part as enemies. As I had anticipated, his whole manner showed -that he was pleased at my advance. That, too, he said, was his desire. -We might remain at least till after his return from Bangkok, and take -all the time needed for a comfortable departure. I thanked him for his -consideration, and told him that Mr. Wilson would probably go at once. -We shook hands and parted as if the scene in the palace had never -occurred. I had won my point. What I wanted was time, and I had gained -it. The Prince could not possibly return in less than six months’ -time—it might be much longer. - -In a few days our friends left us. Having no faith in the success of my -new negotiations, or possibly thinking that I might be caught in a trap, -they reported to the Board, as we have seen, that the mission was broken -up—as technically it was. This last turn of affairs was merely a private -arrangement between the Prince and myself. - -Had the matter not passed beyond our power, I doubtless should have been -credulous enough, or weak enough, to prefer that no further action -should be taken by our friends in Bangkok. I did write to Dr. Bradley -and to our mission to pursue a pacific policy, and to show the Prince -all kindness, as, indeed, I knew they would. But I learned afterwards -that their advances were hardly received with courtesy. Mr. George, who -asked permission to send by some one of the numerous fleet of boats some -parcels to us, was given to understand that the things would not be -needed, as the Prince expected both families to leave Chiengmai upon his -return. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - XI - - DEATH OF KĀWILŌROT - - -The Commissioner’s report of the attitude assumed by the Prince showed -the Siamese government that the man in control of the northern provinces -was of a spirit and temper that might be difficult to curb—that might at -any time throw everything into confusion. Hitherto it had been their -policy to strengthen his hands to any degree not inconsistent with his -loyalty. Siam and Burma had long been rivals and enemies. A strong -buffer-state in the north had been a necessity to Siam. But conditions -were changed. Burma was now under English control, and had ceased to be -a disturbing factor in the problem. A change in Siamese policy as -regards the North was inevitable. - -When the news of the murder of the Christians became known in Bangkok, -our friends there deferred to the wishes of the Siamese government as -expressed by the Regent—whose goodwill to the mission and to ourselves -no one doubted. No steps, therefore, were taken to have the United -States officially represented on the Commission. In this we believe our -friends were providentially led. But Dr. House’s letter does not state, -what was also the fact, that the United States Consul, in whose presence -the Lāo Prince had given his official sanction to the establishment of -the mission, was anxious that the United States should be so -represented. And when that Commission so signally failed to accomplish -anything satisfactory, it was the Consul’s turn to say to our friends, -“I told you so.” - -Because, as they themselves expressed it, of the lawless nature of the -Lāo Prince, and the consequent difficulty of protecting foreigners so -far away, our Siamese friends would then have preferred to have us -recalled. In fact, that was their first thought. The first draft of the -letter prepared to be sent by the Commission actually contained the -stipulation that we be safely conveyed back to Siam proper. It was only -the indomitable perseverance of Dr. Bradley—who frankly declared that he -would rather have no such letter sent at all—that secured the omission -of that clause, and left the way open for the possible continuance of -the mission. So, when the Commission returned to Bangkok, and it was -known that the Lāo Prince was soon to follow them. General Partridge, -the United States Consul, immediately took up the case, and insisted -that the Siamese government give guarantee for the fulfilment of -promises publicly made by its vassal in the presence of officials of -both governments. “Before this you could say, ‘He is like a tiger in the -jungle; we cannot control him.’ But when he reaches Bangkok, he is in -your power. You can then make your own terms regarding his return.” - -How this negotiation was conducted, I am not aware. But from the -_Presbyterian Record_ of September, 1870, we learn that the Consul -carried his point: - - “Dr. House sends us word that the Siamese government has - extended its protection over the missionaries in Chiengmai; they - are not to be molested in their work. As the king of Chiengmai - is tributary to Siam, this decision will no doubt be respected. - This king is not likely to live long, and he will be succeeded - by his son-in-law, a prince who has shown a friendly interest in - the missionaries. The intervention of the Siamese government was - obtained by the U. S. Consul, Gen. Partridge, not at the - instance of the missionaries, but he took the ground of treaty - stipulations between Siam and our country, which accorded the - right of protection to American citizens.” - -From the _Foreign Missionary_ of September, 1870, we quote the following -extract from the _Bangkok Summary_, doubtless from the pen of Dr. -Bradley: - - “I am very happy to learn from the most reliable authority that - His Grace the Regent has been pleased to commit the American - citizens in Chiengmai to the care and protection of the Maha - Uparāt, the son-in-law of the king, charging him to assist, - nourish, and protect them so that they shall suffer no trouble - and hindrance in their work from persecutions like those through - which they have passed since September 12th last. - - “His Grace, moreover, is understood to have promised that he - will certainly arrange to have those American citizens protected - in Chiengmai according to the stipulations of the treaties, even - though the present king should live and continue his reign. - - “The Maha Uparāt enjoys the reputation of being a mild and - discreet prince. He received this his new title a few weeks - since from His Majesty the Supreme King of Siam, by virtue of - which he is constituted Second King of Chiengmai. I learn that - His Grace the Regent has virtually committed the rule of that - kingdom to him during the illness of the king, and has assured - him that he is ultimately to become the king’s successor to the - throne. - - “This I regard as good news, indeed, and too good to be held a - day longer from the public. Who will not agree with me that the - Siamese government is worthy of a great meed of praise for what - it has done in the matter of the Chiengmai mission? But let us - see to it that the King of Kings, as well, receives our highest - praise for all these gratifying events of His providence.” - -While the Consul was pressing these claims, Prince Kāwilōrot, as was -intimated in the last extract, became dangerously ill. He was stricken -with almost instantaneous loss of consciousness, and complete paralysis -of speech. Meanwhile we in Chiengmai, only five hundred miles away, were -in profound ignorance of what was happening. If we had despatched a -special messenger thither for news, it would have been three months -before he could have returned with a reply. And the first news we -received was not reassuring. Word came that the time was set for the -Prince’s return; that he had been promoted to higher honours, and had -received higher titles; that he was returning with full power, and -probably flushed with fresh victories. Of course, that did not -necessarily mean very much. Siam understood perfectly the great trick of -oriental statecraft, the giving of high-sounding titles, with, perhaps, -a larger stipend, in compensation for the loss of real power. But it was -a time of great anxiety for us. Revenge was a passion which that man -seldom left ungratified. Would he come breathing out slaughter against -the church and vengeance on us? - -By and by there came a message stating that the Prince was ill, and -directing that offerings be made for his recovery. Then came news that -he was already on his way, and had sent orders for a hundred elephants -to meet him at the landing station below the rapids. Some surmised that -his illness was feigned in order to escape the lawsuits which were -pressing him. About the middle of June we learned that he had reached -the landing station, but was very seriously ill. It was still more -urgently enjoined that his relatives and the monasteries in Chiengmai -should “make merit” in his behalf, and propitiate the demons by generous -offerings. - -On the evening of June 29th, while riding through the streets of the -city, some one called out to me, “The Prince is dead!” No news ever gave -me such a shock. I stepped in to the residence of one of the princes, a -nephew of Kāwilōrot, to get the particulars, but found him in a dreadful -state of mind. Yes. The Prince was dead; and word had come that he (the -nephew) was to go to Bangkok to bear the brunt of the lawsuits—to answer -in his own name for transactions done by order of the dead Prince! - -How soon the strongest prejudices fade and disappear in the presence of -death! The anxious fears of his return that had haunted us, all -dissolved into tender sympathy now that he was gone. We forgot his -treachery and cruelty, and thought only of his interesting human -qualities. We recalled his taking tea or dining with us, and even the -dry jokes that he so much enjoyed. He was a tender father. He could be a -warm, though a fickle and inconstant friend. In many respects he was a -good ruler. He was absolute and tyrannical; but there was no petty -thieving in his realm. And now that voice that had made thousands -tremble was silent in death! No doubt it was with a sigh of relief that -the Siamese government turned over the government of the North to one -whom they could better trust. - -But it would be a hard heart that could follow unmoved that long, weary -homeward trip of the dying Prince. He was so weak that he could not -endure the jarring caused by the use of the setting-poles. His boat had -to be taken in tow of another. When the last lingering hope of life died -out, his one desire was to reach home—to die in his own palace. The trip -through the rapids he could not bear, and it was too slow for the dying -man. Travel by elephant is both rough and slow. He is brought ashore, -therefore, and borne on a litter as swiftly as relays of men can carry -him. Over the mountains and up the valley of the Mê Ping, under burning -sun and through driving rain, they hasten. At last, on the evening of -June 28th, they halt on the left bank of the Mê Ping, with only that -stream between him and his own country. “What land is this?” he asks. -“Lampūn,” is the reply. “Carry me across quickly!” He is obeyed, but -sinks exhausted by the fatigue of crossing. He passes a restless night. -His mind wanders. He dreams of being at home; of worshipping in his own -palace. The morning comes. He is still alive; but so weak that, in spite -of his eagerness to hasten on, at every few paces his bearers must halt, -while attendants fan him or administer a cordial. At last fan and -cordials fail. The litter is set down under the two golden umbrellas -that screen it from the burning rays of the sun. The little group stand -with bowed heads and hushed hearts while the spirit takes its flight, to -appear before its Maker.—Almost, but not quite home, and with none of -his immediate kin by him to see the end! The attendants cover the body -with a cloth, and hasten on to the next station, a few miles below the -city. The procession halted there at about the very time that the -messenger reached Chiengmai with the news that he was dead. - -Such, as I learned next day from the attending prince, were the last -hours of His Highness Chao Kāwilōrot Suriyawong, Prince of Chiengmai. He -died at ten o’clock in the morning of June 29th, 1870, in the seventieth -year of his age, and in the sixteenth of his reign. - -Next morning before breakfast I was sent for by the younger daughter of -the Prince, to go to the residence of the nephew, whom I had left late -in the evening before in such a distracted state of mind. How shocked -was I on entering to find the prince cold and dead! The Princess wished -to get my judgment whether he was really dead beyond all hope of -resuscitation. But it required no skilled physician to answer that -question. He had evidently died by a dose of opium administered by his -own hands. The little cup from which it was taken was still by his -bedside. Whether it was intentional suicide to escape the lawsuits of -his deceased master, or was simply designed to ease the mental troubles -of that night, they could tell as well as I. In either case, he slept -the sleep that knows no waking till the summons of the last trump. - -After breakfast I rode out to the encampment, only two or three miles -away, where the body of the Prince was lying. The family and officers -and friends were assembled to look for the last time on that noted face. -The last act before placing the body in the coffin was to cover it -throughout with gold-leaf, to give it the appearance of being a Buddha. -But no gold-leaf could disguise that face. The family remained there a -few days, partly for the much-needed rest, but chiefly to await a day of -good augury for carrying the remains to the city. - -The day was well chosen for such a pageant as the country had not seen, -to honour alike the departed, and to welcome the succeeding Prince. -There was a long and imposing procession of soldiers, monks, and people -marching to the wailing of the funeral dirge and to the slow, solemn -beat of drums. Near the head of the line, on his elephant, was the -son-in-law, Chao Intanon, soon to be Prince of Chiengmai. Not far behind -came the body of the dead Prince, borne on a golden bier and accompanied -by a large train of yellow-robed priests. Behind this was the vacant -throne, and on it the royal crown, both testifying to the emptiness of -human pomp and power. Then came one leading the horse His Highness used -to ride; and next, his favourite elephant, its huge body covered with -trappings of gold. After these came members of the Prince’s family and -other near relatives. - -About ten o’clock the procession approached the city which, by -inexorable custom, may never open its gates to receive the dead—not even -though the dead were he whose word for so many years had been its law. -What a comment on human glory and on the tyranny of superstitious -custom! On reaching the South Gate, therefore, the procession turned to -the right, and passed on outside the city wall to the East Gate. There, -in the Prince’s summer garden, beside the river, his remains lay in -state until the great cremation ceremony a year later. Meantime a lamp -was kept burning at the head and at the foot night and day. A prince was -in constant attendance. Courses of monks chanted the requiem of the -Buddhist ceremonial for the dead. At intervals during the whole night -the beat of the drum resounded through the air, reminding the city that -there lay all that remained of one of its greatest masters. - -Prince Intanon, though not yet officially installed, assured me, as soon -as I met him at the encampment, that we were to remain and build our -houses and prosecute our work without let or hindrance. Other princes -and officers were pleased to give the same assurance. With the Prince’s -party there came a large mail from friends in Bangkok, giving full -particulars of the negotiations that were stopped by the sudden illness -of the Prince, and clearing up the questions about which we were so much -in doubt. The interposition of Providence had been so marked that we -could only stand in awe before Him who had so wonderfully led us. For, -after the utmost stretch of my own credulity in trying to trust the -Prince, my final conviction is that, had he lived, he and the mission -could not have existed in the same country. He could never have endured -to see his people becoming Christians—Not that he cared so much for -Buddhism; but it would have been a constant challenge to his autocratic -rule. - -In March, while the scenes of this tragic drama were slowly enacting in -Bangkok, and while we were anxiously awaiting the dénouement, we had a -pleasant episode of another kind. One morning we were surprised to learn -from some natives that out on the plain, not far from the city, they had -passed two white foreigners, a man and a woman, and that they were -coming to our house. Sure enough, about ten o’clock, who should ride up -but Rev. and Mrs. J. N. Cushing of the American Baptist Mission in -Burma! What an unexpected pleasure! For three years we had seen but two -white faces outside of our own little circle. Some of our latest news -from home friends was eleven months old when we received it. What a -social feast we did have! - -They had started from Shwegyin, Burma, had made a tour west of the -Salwin River, crossed over to Keng Tung, come down by Chieng Sên and -Chieng Rāi, and now called at Chiengmai on their way back to Burma. -Their visit was a real godsend to us in the time of our troubles. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - XII - - THE NEW RÉGIME - - -One of the results of the change of government was that we were able to -build permanent houses. For three years and more we had lived within -basket-woven bamboo walls that a pocketknife could pierce, neither -secure nor wholesome nor favourable for our work. They bore silent but -steady testimony that we ourselves did not regard our stay as permanent. -The results of our manner of living were already seen in the impaired -health of the members of the mission. My wife surely could never have -lived another decade in the old sālā with bamboo walls and ceiling, -where the dust from the borers in the wood constantly filled the air and -poisoned the lungs. Mrs. Wilson bore up bravely for five years, until -there was just ready for her reception the permanent house which she was -never to enjoy. As soon as they could, the family started for the United -States on furlough, all thoroughly broken down. After two years of rest -Mr. Wilson alone was able to return to the field, leaving Mrs. Wilson -behind. She never regained her health, and they never saw each other -again. Her departure was a great loss to the mission. She was a gifted -lady, a fine vocal and instrumental musician, and a consecrated -missionary. She left one literary work in Lāo, the translation of -Bunyan’s _Pilgrim’s Progress_, which has since been published. - -But as matters then were, there was much perplexing work to be done -before we were at all ready to begin building. I was favoured in getting -a lot of first class teak logs delivered at a very cheap rate. Then the -trouble began. The logs must be hauled up from the river by elephants to -the lot where they are to be sawn. The log is raised and mounted on two -strong trestles. A black line to guide the saw is struck on either side. -Two sawyers stand facing each other across the log, grasping the handles -of a long framed saw with horizontal blade. Then the operation begins. -The saw is pushed and pulled back and forth till the cut is carried -through to the end of the log. This operation is repeated for every -stick of timber put into the house. - -But we are already too fast. Where are the sawyers to come from? There -were then no good sawyers among the Lāo. No one dared to learn for fear -of being appropriated by the Prince, or of being compelled to work on -public buildings. There were, however, three pairs of sawyers, debtors -to the Prince, whom he had brought up from Rahêng for his own work. -Whenever not needed by him or by some other person of rank, they were -allowed to seek employment elsewhere. So, at odd times, I was able to -secure their services. But if the Prince needed them, they must at once -drop everything and go. Scores of times our sawyers were called away, -often for weeks at a time, and at the busiest stage of the work. - -And now for the carpenter. The Lāo dared not be known as carpenters for -the same reason as that given above in the case of the sawyers. They -would have been constantly requisitioned for government work. There was -in the place only one Siamese carpenter reputed to be a good workman. In -order to get him, I had to advance him three hundred rupees, professedly -to pay a debt, but most likely to gamble with. He was to build by -contract. But he had already received his money, or so much of it that -he was quite independent. He soon slashed and spoiled more timber than -his wages were worth. So, to keep him from ruining the whole, I had to -get rid of him, even at some sacrifice. Just then a Siamo-Chinese turned -up, who took the job by the day under my direction, to be assisted by -some Christians whom we trained thus as apprentices. The house was built -on the plan of the East Indian bungalow—raised ten feet from the ground -on posts, with single walls and a veranda all round. Its large lofty -rooms, screened on all sides by the verandas, make it still one of the -most comfortable houses in the mission. It was more than eight years -from the time of our arrival when we entered it; and even then it was -not finished. - -Although the new government was friendly, yet some of the ruling spirits -were in their hearts as hostile as the deceased Prince had ever been, -and without his more noble qualities. There were two in particular who -soon began to show that their secret influence would be against the -mission—and their open hostility, too, so far as they ventured to let it -appear. One was the adopted son of the late Prince, and the other the -new ruler’s half-brother, who had been made Uparāt, or second in power, -when the new Prince ascended the throne. Had these both lived, their -combined influence would have been nearly as formidable as that of -Kāwilōrot. Unfortunately, too, the actual business of the country was -largely in their hands. Prince Intanon was not at all ambitious for -power. He liked nothing better than to work without care or -responsibility in his own little workshop, making fancy -elephant-saddles, and let his half-brother rule the country. During the -following year the adopted son went down to Bangkok to receive the -insignia of his new rank, but never returned. His death was even more -sudden than that of his foster-father. He was taken with the cholera, -and died in a few hours. This left the elder of the two avowed enemies -of Christianity, and the higher in rank and power. To give an -illustration of the kind of spirit we had to contend with in him, I will -anticipate an incident of a few years later. - -Two native Karens, ordained ministers, were sent by the American Baptist -Mission to initiate in Lāo territory a work among the Karens, a -hill-people scattered sparsely throughout all the mountain region -between Siam and Burma. The native evangelists brought with them letters -from the missionaries in Burma, requesting us to aid them in getting Lāo -passports. We went with them to the new Prince, and he very graciously -gave direction to his brother to see that passports were issued, stating -not only that the visitors were to be protected and aided as travellers, -but also that they were to be allowed to teach the new religion, and -that people were allowed to embrace it without fear. - -I was specially interested that they should succeed in the first village -which they were to visit, for it was the one where I had vaccinated the -whole population during the first year of our mission. Since I had -failed to make Christians of them—partly, as I supposed, on account of -my ignorance of their language, but more on account of the persecution -which followed so soon after—I hoped that when the message was delivered -in their own tongue, with official permission to embrace it, the whole -village might accept the Gospel. What was the astonishment of the -preachers that, instead of being received with the characteristic -hospitality of their race, they hardly found common civility! At last -they learned the reason. The Chao Uparāt had secretly despatched a -special messenger with a letter under his own seal, forbidding any Karen -subject to embrace the new religion. All who did so were to be reported -to him. What that meant, or what he wished them to infer that it meant, -was well understood. - -Our readers, therefore, will not be surprised that we found it necessary -to keep an eye on the Chao Uparāt, and to use considerable diplomacy in -counteracting his schemes against the church. It was my policy in those -days to keep up as close an acquaintance as possible with the members of -the ruling family. It was the misfortune of all of them that they were -ignorant;[9] and ignorance begets suspicion. Some of them were naturally -suspicious of the missionaries. They could not understand what motive -could induce men who were neither government officials nor merchants, to -leave a great country and come to live in theirs. - -Footnote 9: - - This same Uparāt, whose word ruled the country, was unable to write - his own orders. - -Two objects were gained by keeping in contact with the rulers. They saw, -then, with their own eyes, and heard with their own ears, what we were -doing. In nearly every interview our one great work was magnified alike -to prince, priest, and people. I have heretofore specially mentioned -princesses, too, as well as princes, in this connection, because the Lāo -have a proud pre-eminence among non-Christian races in the position -accorded to woman. In the family, woman’s authority is universally -recognized. At the time we speak of it was much the same in the -government also. The influence of women in affairs of state was -doubtless greatly increased during the previous reign, when, there being -no sons in the royal household, the daughters naturally became more -prominent. They were trained to understand and to deal with public -business. - -I have already referred to the kindness of the elder daughter, now not, -as in former reigns, the head-wife, but the only wife of the new ruler. -By birth she was of higher rank than he; and she was in every way worthy -of the high position she now assumed. Hers was, in fact, the strong -intelligence and steady will that kept her more passive consort from -errors into which he would otherwise have been led. At this particular -juncture she was needed as a check against the Prince’s more ambitious -and less principled half-brother. She had a woman’s instinct to discern -a point, and a woman’s revulsion against lawless acts, even when done by -her own father. In honesty of purpose she and her consort were one, for -his kindness of heart had drawn to him more dependents than any other -prince in the land possessed. The murder of the Christians they both -regarded as “worse than a crime—a blunder.” For the present, however, -there was no indication of the sinister forces which came into play -later. All in authority seemed to be honestly carrying out the orders -from Bangkok concerning the missionary work. - -A year was spent in preparation for the ceremonies attending the -cremation of the dead Prince. During the last three months of this time, -everything else in the whole land yielded place to it. Not only was -there requisition of men and materials throughout the province of -Chiengmai; but all the neighbouring states furnished large levies of men -under the personal direction of their princes or officers of rank. Such -occasions offer exceptional opportunities for meeting people from all -parts of the country, for forming lasting friendships, and for sending -some knowledge of the Gospel to distant provinces. In after years I -never made a tour on which I did not encounter friends whose -acquaintance I had made at the great cremation festival. - -The preparations were hastened somewhat because of the unsettled state -of the country. Chao Fā Kōlan, the Ngīo freebooter of whom we have -already heard, was still at his old tricks. Emboldened by the death of -the Prince, and the confusion incident to the change of rulers, he had -become more insolent than ever. Villages had been burned within less -than a day’s march from the city. Bands of men, euphemistically called -an army, were levied and despatched to capture him; but long before they -could reach him, he was safe within his stronghold in the mountains. - -[Illustration: - - A CREMATION PROCESSION] - - -The dead Prince was born on a Sunday; therefore every important event of -his life must take place on that day, even to the last dread summons, -which is not under man’s control—and beyond that, to the final -disposition of his mortal remains. Sunday, therefore, was the first day -of the ceremonies. On that day the body was removed from the summer -garden to the “Mēn,” where it was to lie in state to receive the homage -of his relatives and subjects until the following Sunday. The morning of -each day was devoted to “merit-making” of various kinds—feeding the -monks, making offerings to them, and listening to the reading of the -sacred books. The afternoons were largely spent in boxing games, a -favourite amusement of the Lāo. The evenings were given up to gambling. - -Everything went on according to programme until Thursday morning, when -the festivities were rudely interrupted. Chao Fā Kōlan, the bandit -chief, taking advantage of the occasion, made one of his sudden forays -to within so short a distance of Chiengmai that he actually had posted -on the city gates during the night an insolent manifesto to the effect -that the assembled Princes need not trouble themselves further with the -cremation of the dead Prince. He and his band would attend to that! The -news produced a tremendous panic. The whole business of the cremation -was incontinently stopped. A force was sent out after the marauder—with -the usual result. Before the end of the week, however, the panic had -sufficiently subsided to permit the ceremonies to be resumed. The -cremation itself was carried out on the following Sunday as planned. - -During all these years the demand for medical treatment, and the -opportunity which its exercise brings, had been constantly growing. I -made, for example, a second trip to Lampūn, this time at the call of the -Chao Uparāt of that city. The poor man had consumption, and at first -sent to me for some foreign medicine, thinking that would surely cure -him. Judging from his symptoms as reported, I sent word that I could not -cure him; that the soothing mixture which I sent was sent in hope that -it might give him a few nights’ rest; but that was all I could do. -Presently he sent an elephant with a most urgent appeal that I come to -see him. I was glad of the call, for it gave me the opportunity of -directing a dying man to something even more urgently needed than -medicine. I spent a few days with him, and visited all of the leading -families and officials of the place, establishing most valuable and -friendly relations with them. - -Long before this time, both the demand for medical treatment and the -responsibility involved far exceeded what any person without complete -professional training could undertake to meet. We had urged upon our -Board the claims of our mission for a physician. The following touching -appeal, which appeared in the _Foreign Missionary_ for March, 1870, was -made by Mr. Wilson not long after the death of his son Frank. After -sending an earnest appeal from Nān Inta for helpers, Mr. Wilson says: - - “Of course Nān Inta’s call for help includes in it a Christian - physician. Who will respond? I am convinced there are many young - men in the medical profession whose love for Jesus and whose - sympathy with human sufferings are strong enough to bring them - all the way to Chiengmai, if they will but yield themselves to - this constraining influence. Christian physician, you are - greatly needed here. The missionary’s family needs you. This - suffering people needs you. You were needed months since, when a - voice so sweet and full of glee was changed to piteous shrieks - of pain. You were not here to give relief; and if you now come, - it will not greet you, for it is hushed in death. You are needed - here _now_. A plaintive cry comes to me as I write. It is the - voice of our dear babe, whose weak condition fills our hearts - with deepest anxiety. May I not interpret this plaintive cry as - addressed to you? It is the only way that M. has of saying to - you, ‘Come to Chiengmai.’ When you arrive, she may be sleeping - beside her little brother. But you will find others, both old - and young, whose pains you may be able to soothe, and whose - souls you may win from the way that leads to eternal death.” - -Great was our joy, therefore, when, in the summer of 1871, we learned -that Dr. C. W. Vrooman, from Dr. Cuyler’s church in Brooklyn, had -responded to our appeal, and already was under appointment of our Board -for Chiengmai. His arrival was delayed somewhat because it was thought -unsafe for him to make the river trip during the height of the rainy -season. So it was January 22d, 1872, before we welcomed him to -Chiengmai. He came with high credentials as a physician and surgeon with -experience both in private and in hospital practice. He began work on -the day of his arrival. He found Nān Inta at the point of death from -acute dysentery; and his first trophy was the saving of that precious -life. Had he done nothing else, that alone would have been well worth -while. One or two operations for vesical calculus gave him such a -reputation that patients came crowding to him for relief. In his first -report he writes: - - “I was very glad to commence work as soon as I arrived in the - field. The number was large of those who came to the brethren - here for daily treatment; and such is the reputation which they - have established for themselves as physicians, that the demand - for our professional services is greater than we can properly - meet. I am satisfied that the demand for a medical missionary - here was not too strongly urged by the brethren in their earnest - appeals to the Board. - - “I have already had much professional work to do, and while I am - ministering to physical ailments, Brother McGilvary, who is - kindly my interpreter, has opportunity to break unto many the - bread of life.... Two men have just left who came a long - distance, hoping we could bring to life a brother who had died - hours before.” - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - XIII - - EXPLORATION - - -Not long after Dr. Vrooman’s arrival it was decided to undertake our -first extended tour. It was important to ascertain the size and -population of our whole field; and this could be accomplished only by -personal exploration. A journey for this purpose would, of course, -afford abundant opportunity for preaching the Gospel; it would, besides, -give the doctor a needed change, and would effectually advertise his -work. Our objective was Lūang Prabāng, then one of the largest of the -provinces of Siam, as it was also the most distant one. A journey to it -seemed the most profitable that could be made during the time at our -disposal, and the most comfortable as well, since a large stretch of it -could be made by boat. It was already too late in the season to -accomplish all that we desired; but “half a loaf is better than no -bread.” It might be years before a longer trip could be made. As a -matter of fact, it was sixteen years before I visited Lūang Prabāng -again. - -The Prince gave us a passport, sending us as his guests to be -entertained without expense; though, of course, we always paid our way. -Our letter stated that we went as teachers of religion and as physicians -for the sick. It was a virtual proclamation for all the sick to apply to -us for treatment. This gave frequent occasion for retort that we did not -remain long enough to comply with our letter. We could only reply by -pointing to the clouds and the long journey ahead. - -The party consisted of Dr. Vrooman, myself, a cook, a body-servant, and -eight carriers, with a newly-baptized convert as the only available -assistant in the religious work. The elephants required for our -transportation over the first stage of our journey—to Chieng Rāi—we had -secured, for a wonder, without effort, and very cheaply. Their owner was -anxious to get them out of the country to escape an epidemic which then -was prevalent. The start was on April 15th, 1872, after a heavy storm -which ushered in the rainy season. This was my first trip over the road -to Chieng Rāi, afterwards so familiar to me. After leaving the plain of -Chiengmai, the road ascends the valley of the Mê Kūang River, fording -that stream no less than forty-nine times before it reaches the summit, -3100 feet above sea-level, the watershed between the Mê Ping and the Mê -Kōng.[10] Thence it descends to the Mê Kok at Chieng Rāi. The owner of -our elephants travelled with us, and was unnecessarily tender to his -beasts. In consequence we were ten days making this stage of the trip, -which afterwards, with my own elephants, I used to make in less than -six. On this trip I walked almost the whole distance. - -Footnote 10: - - In standard Siamese the vowel in the name of this great river is - undoubtedly long o, and has been so since the days of the earliest - Siamese writing. Such also seems to have been the understanding of the - early travellers who first brought the name into European use, for - Mekong is the uniform spelling of all the standard Atlases and - Gazetteers which I have been able to consult. In the Lāo dialect, - however, the vowel is that represented by _aw_ in _lawn_. This is the - pronunciation which Mr. J. McCarthy, Director of the Siamese Royal - Survey Department, heard in the North, and transferred to the Map of - Siam, which he compiled, as Me Kawng. This, however, Mr. R. W. Giblin, - Mr. McCarthy’s successor in office, recognized as an error, and - assured me that it should be corrected in the new map which he hoped - soon to publish. Mr. Giblin, however, has left the service, and the - map, I fear, has not yet been issued. But since Siamese speech and the - usage of geographical authorities are at one on this point, there can - scarcely be question as to the proper form for use here—ED. - -At Chieng Rāi we were cordially received. The governor listened to the -Gospel message, and, I believe, received it in faith, as we shall see -later. Thence we took boat down the Mê Kok to its junction with the Mê -Kōng. The sand-bar where we spent the Sabbath was covered with fresh -tracks of large Bengal tigers. - -Shortly after this we passed out of the Mê Kok into the great Mê Kōng, -with reference to which I take the liberty of quoting from a recent -work, _Five Years in Siam_, by H. Warrington Smyth, F.R.G.S. - - “Few can regard the Me Kawng without feeling its peculiar - fascination. That narrow streak connecting far countries with - the distant ocean,—what scenes it knows, what stories it could - tell! Gliding gently here, and thundering with fury there where - it meets with opposition; always continuing its great work of - disintegration of hard rocks and of transport of material; with - infinite patience hewing down the mountain sides, and building - up with them new countries in far climes where other tongues are - spoken; it never stays its movement. How few men have seen its - upper waters! What a lonely life altogether is that of the Me - Kawng! From its cradle as the Gorgu River in the far Thibetan - highlands, to its end in the stormy China Sea, it never sees a - populous city or a noble building. For nearly three thousand - miles it storms through solitudes, or wanders sullenly through - jungle wastes. No wonder one sat by the hour listening to its - tale. For though but dull to read of, the wide deep reality - rolling before one had an intense interest for a lonely man. - - “Rising in about 33° 17′ N. Lat. and 94° 25′ E. Long. in the - greatest nursery of noble rivers in the world, where six huge - brethren have so long concealed the secrets of their birth, it - flows southeast through Chinese Thibetan territory to Chuande, - where the tea caravan road from Lhasa and Thibet on the west, - crosses it eastward towards Ta Chien Lu and China, over 10,000 - feet above sea-level.” - -Almost within sight from the mouth of the Mê Kok were the ruins of -Chieng Sên, once the largest city in all this region. Its crumbling -walls enclose an oblong area stretching some two miles along the river. -Seventy years before our visit it had been taken by a combined army of -Siamese and Lāo. Its inhabitants were divided among the conquerors, and -carried away into captivity. At the time of our visit, the city and the -broad province of which it was the capital had been desolate for -three-quarters of a century. Nothing remained but the dilapidated walls -and crumbling ruins of old temples. Judging from its innumerable images -of Buddha, its inhabitants must have been a very religious people. One -wonders whence came all the bronze used in making them in those distant -days. To me it was an unexpected pleasure to find myself in that old -city, the ancestral home of so many of our parishioners. Little did I -think then that twenty years later I should aid in organizing a church -where we then stood. The Mê Kōng is here a mighty stream. It must be a -magnificent sight in time of high water. - -A short distance below the city we passed a village recently deserted -because of the ravages of the tigers. The second day from Chieng Sên -brought us to Chieng Kawng, one of the largest dependencies of the -province of Nān. There we spent two very interesting and profitable -days. I had met the governor in Chiengmai. He was delighted with my -repeating rifle, and had us try it before him. There was also his son, -who not long after was to succeed the father; but his story we shall -come upon some twenty years later. - -At this place we were fortunate in finding an empty trading-boat going -to Lūang Prabāng, in which the governor engaged for us passage on very -reasonable terms. We left Chieng Kawng on May 3d. The trip to Lūang -Prabāng occupied five days, and was one of the memorable events of my -life. In some respects the scenery is not so striking as that of the Mê -Ping rapids. The breadth of the river makes the difference. You miss the -narrow gorge with overhanging cliffs and the sudden bends closing in -every outlet. But, on the other hand, you have an incomparably greater -river and higher mountains. I quote again from Mr. Warrington Smyth the -following description of one portion of the river scenery: - - “The high peaks, towering 5,000 feet above the river, which give - it such a sombre appearance, are generally of the very extensive - limestone series. They present tremendous precipices on some of - their sides, and their outlines are particularly bold.... Some - miles above Lūang Prabāng the large and important tributaries of - the Nam Ū and the Nam Sêng enter the Mê Kawng. The clear - transparent water of these tributaries forms a strong contrast - to the brown sediment-laden water of the Mê Kawng.... In some of - the rapids with sloping bottoms, the first jump over the edge is - very pleasant; the fun then comes in the short roaring waves. - Everybody on board is fully occupied; the men at the bow-oar - canting her head this way and that, the helmsman helping from - the other end to make her take its straight, the men at the oars - pulling for all they are worth, and the rest bailing mightily, - or shouting to any one who has time to listen. If the rapid is a - bad one, the crews land to have a meal before tackling it, and - stop to chew some betel and compare notes after it. So it is - always a sociable event.” - -My travelling companion, Dr. Vrooman, thus gives his impressions. - - “The current of the Cambodia is very swift, in places so much so - that it was dangerous to navigate. The river is nearly a mile - wide in places; and where the channel is narrow, it rushes along - with frightful rapidity. No scenery is finer throughout the - entire distance we travelled on it. Mountains rise from either - bank to the height of three or four thousand feet. The river - fills the bottom of a long, winding valley; and as we glided - swiftly down it, there seemed to move by us the panorama of two - half-erect hanging landscapes of woodland verdure and blossom. - Only as we neared the city did we see rough and craggy mountain - peaks and barren towering precipices.” - -Twenty-six years later I descended the Mê Ū River from Mûang Kwā to -Lūang Prabāng, and then ascended it again. The perpendicular rock-cliffs -at its junction with the Mê Kōng surpass any that I ever saw elsewhere. - -Of greater interest to me, however, than roaring rapids and towering -rocks were the evidences of numerous human habitations perched far above -us on the mountain sides. Rarely can their houses or villages be seen; -but in many places their clearings have denuded the mountains of all -their larger growth. It was tantalizing not to be able to stop and visit -these people in their homes. But my first opportunity to make extensive -tours among them was not till some twenty years later. As for the Mê -Kōng, my comment is: If I wished an exciting river trip, and had a -comfortable boat, I should not expect to find a more enchanting stretch -of three hundred miles anywhere else on the face of the earth. - -Lūang Prabāng was then the most compactly built of all Siamese cities -outside of Bangkok, which, in some respects, it resembled. It differs -from the other Lāo cities in having no great rural population and -extensive rice-plains near it. Its rice supply was then levied from the -hill-tribes as a tribute or tax. The city has a fine situation at the -foot of a steep hill some two hundred feet high, tipped, as usual, with -a pagoda. The Nām Kêng there joins the Mê Kōng, dividing the city into -two unequal portions. The view from the top of the hill is delightful. -The inhabitants belong to a large branch of the Tai race, extending -southward at least to Cambodia. They are called the Lāo Pung Khāo -(White-bellied Lāo), as ours, because of their universal practice of -tattooing the body, are called Lāo Pung Dam (Black-bellied). - -The Prince of Lūang Prabāng was absent from the city hunting wild -elephants, in which game his province abounds. The Chao Uparāt gave us a -hospitable welcome. Behind the city is a noted cave in a mountain, which -the natives think is the abode of the very fiercest evil spirits. No -doubt the real spirits are the malarial germs or the poisonous gas which -later we found to be the chief danger of the Chieng Dāo cave. It was in -this cave that M. Mouhot, a noted French scientist, contracted the fever -from which he died. The natives believed that his death was caused by -his rashness in trespassing upon the domain of the spirits who preside -over the cave. We were astonished at some sorts of fish displayed in the -market, such as I never saw anywhere else. Mr. McCarthy tells of -assisting at the capture of one, a plā buk, seven feet long, with a -body-girth of four feet and two inches, and weighing one hundred and -thirty pounds. - -We remained in Lūang Prabāng six days, leaving it on May 14th. I was -very loath to go so soon. The people were eager for books as well as for -medicine. It was the one place where Siamese books were well understood. -We could have disposed of basketfuls of the Scriptures, as Dr. Peoples -did twenty-four years later. It is one of the anomalies of the twentieth -century that when we finally were ready to establish a Christian -mission, after the country had passed from non-Christian to Christian -rulers, we could not get permission. - -From Lūang Prabāng we again took boat to Tā Dûa, some sixty miles below. -There we bade good-bye to the wonderful river, and turned our faces -homeward. Our elephants were good travellers, the swiftest we had so far -found. They gave us no chance to stroll on in advance, and rest till -they should come up, as we had done before. They brought us to Nān in -six days, four of which were spent in travel over high mountain ridges. -Our road passed near the great salt wells; but we had no time for -sight-seeing. - -Two experiences on this portion of the trip will not be forgotten. One -was a fall from my tall elephant. A flock of large birds in covert near -us suddenly flew up with loud shrill cries. I was reclining in the -howdah at the time, and raised myself up to look out under the hood, -and, while suspended there in unstable equilibrium, another and louder -cry close at hand made the beast give a sudden start backwards, which -landed me in a puddle of water. Fortunately no further damage was done. -Another annoyance, more serious, was the land-leeches which we often -encountered when we dismounted to walk. The whole ground and every shrub -and twig seemed covered with the tiny creatures. Sensitive to the least -noise, each one was holding on by his tail, and waving his head back and -forth to lay hold of any passing animal. We soon found that they had a -special fondness for the _genus homo_. Do what we might, every hundred -yards or so we had to stop to rub them off, while the blood ran -profusely from their bites. We had none of the herbs which the Mūsô bind -on their legs to keep them off. - -On Saturday evening we reached Nān, the first place where I found -friends since leaving Chieng Rāi. Chao Borirak, whom I had met in -Chiengmai, nephew of the Nān Prince, and a few others, were soon on hand -to give us welcome and to offer any aid we needed. The Prince was a -venerable old man, with four sons—fine men, all of them. The country was -well governed, though it long continued conservative as regards the -adoption of foreign ways and the welcoming of foreign traders. I fell in -love with Nān at first sight, and marked it for a future mission -station. - -On our departure from Nān, Chao Borirak accompanied us as far as Prê, -bringing his own elephants—one of them a colt, which he rode astride -like a horse—the only one, in fact, that I ever saw so used. At Prê we -found our government letter not very effective. Rupees, however, were -effective enough to prevent any long delay. The ruling authority in Prê -has always seemed weak. - -[Illustration: - - INTERIOR OF A TEMPLE, PRÊ] - -There was an amusing circumstance connected with an eclipse of the moon -while we were there. Since the conversion of Nān Inta, I had taken pains -to announce each eclipse as it was to occur. I did so in Prê the day -before it was due. The eclipse took place early in the night, and I -expected to hear the city resound with the noise of every gun and -firecracker in the place. But everything was as quiet as a funeral. It -seemed to be regarded as _our_ eclipse. The silence may have been -intended to test our assertion that Rāhū would renounce his hold without -the noise, or possibly they were unwilling to proclaim thus publicly the -superior wisdom of the foreigner in predicting it. At any rate, they -utterly ignored it, and let the monster have his will unmolested. - -My associate had gained all that could have been expected from the tour; -but an aching tooth was giving him great trouble, and we hurried on. We -reached home on June 22d, just sixty-eight days out. We found neither -family in very good health. The doctor’s toothache drove him to such -desperation that he insisted on my trying—all unpractised as I was—to -extract the offending eyetooth. It broke. There was then nothing to do -but to make the trip to Bangkok for the nearest professional help. By -the time he returned, it began to be evident that he could not hope to -remain long in the field. - -Between Bangkok, Pechaburī, and Chiengmai, I had been fifteen years in -the field; and my wife had been in the country from girlhood without -change. We had both endured it remarkably well, considering that we had -had the strain of starting two new stations. Before the end of the year, -however, my wife had reached the limit of her strength, and it became -necessary to hurry her out of the country. So, on the 3d of January, -1873, she was carried in a chair to the boat, and we embarked for the -United States. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - XIV - - THE FIRST FURLOUGH - - -The tour of the previous season had been so hasty and unsatisfactory, -that I was very anxious, if possible, to duplicate the homeward stretch -of it as far as Nān, then descend the Pitsanulōk Fork to the Mênam, and -so follow my family to Bangkok. But would it be safe to leave my wife to -make the river trip without me, when she was in such weak condition, and -burdened with the care of four children, the youngest of whom was but -two years old? I embarked and travelled with them as far as the landing -for Lampūn—where we must separate, if I were to cross over to Nān—still -uncertain as to what I ought to do. It was then Friday. We decided to -stop there over Sunday, and see how matters looked on Monday morning. -The quiet and rest of the boat were improving her condition somewhat; -and her own bravery made up whatever was lacking there. I had secured a -strong letter from the Prince, calling for the best of steersmen through -the rapids, and for protection where the boat should stop for the night. -So, with some anxiety, but with strong faith that the plan in itself so -desirable would prosper, we separated—one party going by boat down the -Mê Ping, and the other going afoot across country to Lampūn. For the -present we leave the wife and children, to hear their report when we -meet again. - -My plan was to rely on getting elephants from point to point. Elephants -are always very hard to get; so it seemed doubtful whether my confidence -were faith or presumption. But I was remarkably favoured. At Lampūn -there was not an elephant nearer than the forests, save two of the -governor’s own. I had trusted to his friendship, and it did not fail me. -I got off in fine style next morning on the governor’s two elephants, -with a letter to all the governors on the route directing them to see -that I was supplied with whatever I needed on the journey. - -I felt strong in having with me, in the person of Nān Inta, so wise a -teacher and such a living witness of the power of the Gospel. On our -first visits it has usually seemed wise to spend much of the time in -visiting and making known the Gospel privately to those of reputation, -as we know one wise missionary did in old times. It is necessary to give -the rulers a clear idea of the non-political nature of our work. In -order to do this, we must show positively what our message is—not merely -that we are religious teachers, but that, as such, we have a message -different from all others, not antagonistic or hostile to them, but -supplementing rather that which they offer. - -In visiting among the princely families in the old city of Lakawn we met -one most interesting case. It was that of an aged bedridden Princess -high in rank, who received the Gospel with all readiness of mind. By -nature, habit, and grace she had been very religious. She had in her day -built temples and rest-houses, had feasted Buddhist monks, and had -fasted times without number, in order to lay up a store of merit for the -great future. She hoped sometimes that she had laid up a sufficient -store; but the five and the eight commands were against her. She had -killed animals; and the command is explicit, and condemns without a -saviour. That the Creator of all had made these creatures for our use -and benefit was a new idea. That of itself would remove much of the -burden on her conscience. And as one after another of the great truths -of revelation was opened up to her, particularly the doctrine of the -incarnation and atonement of our divine-human Redeemer, it seemed as if -the burden was lifted. Nān Inta was himself a living testimony that the -Christian teaching can and does give instantaneous relief when simply -believed. It is difficult to tell which was more touching, the -sympathetic earnestness of the speaker, or the comfort it imparted to -the hearer. The Princess begged us to come again and often. And neither -of us found any other place so attractive. - -After a week spent in Lakawn, we departed on our way to Nān. The next -Sunday we spent in the forest. I look back with delightful memories to -the occasional Sabbaths thus spent in the deep forest after a busy week -with no rest and no privacy—a Sabbath in solitude, away from every -noise, and even every song except the music of the wind and the song of -birds! We always had service with our men; and then, under the shade of -some cool spreading tree, or beside a flowing brook, one could be alone -and yet not alone. No one more needs such retirement than a missionary, -whose work is always a giving-out, with fewer external aids for resupply -than others have. - -The next Sunday we spent in Wieng Sā, the first of the numerous little -outlying towns of Nān. On Monday we reached Nān itself, the limit of our -tour in that direction. The country was well governed, the princes -intelligent, and the common people friendly. But the special attraction -that Nān had for me largely centred around one man, the Prince’s nephew, -Chao Borirak—the one that rode astride the young elephant to see us safe -to Prê on our earlier trip, with whom we used to talk religion about the -camp-fires till the small hours of the morning. We left him then -apparently on the border land of Christianity, with strong hope that he -soon would be ready to profess publicly the faith which he was almost -ready to confess to us. His rank and connection would make him of great -assistance in opening a station in Nān, which, next to Chiengmai, was -the most important province in the Lāo region. Again he offered us a -warm welcome, giving up his time to visiting with us the rulers and the -monasteries, in one of which his son had long been an abbot. It seemed -as if Nān Inta’s experience would be all that was needed to settle his -faith. At his request I asked and received permission from the Prince -for him again to accompany us—with his young elephant foal and her -mother—five days’ journey to Tā It, where I was to take boat. Our walks -by day and our talks by night are never to be forgotten. But the -convenient season to make a public profession never came. He lived in -hope of seeing a station in Nān, but died not long before the station -was established. - -At Tā It no boat was to be had either for sale or for hire. But my face -was turned toward home, and I would have gone on a raft. I had to do the -next thing—to take a small dug-out which the Prince got for me, and go -on to Utaradit, the next town below. There I was able to purchase a -boat, which I afterwards sold in Bangkok for what it cost me. Nān Inta -was the steersman, and my four men rowed. Our longest stop was at -Pitsanulōk, where the Siamese mission now has a station. On reaching -Bangkok I was delighted to find that my family had made their long trip -down the other river in safety, though not without great anxiety, and -some threatened danger. Our oldest daughter had been quite ill on the -way. Once they came perilously near falling a prey to a band of robbers. -It was only by a clever ruse of the captain that they escaped. As soon -as he caught sight of the suspicious-looking group of men on a sand-bar -ahead, he had the gong loudly sounded. That and the waving American flag -evidently made them think that this was the leading boat of some -prince’s flotilla. They incontinently fled into the forest. At the next -stopping-place our boatmen learned that it was, indeed, a marauding band -that had committed many depredations on passing boats. What a merciful -preservation! - -We spent a few weeks in Bangkok, resting and visiting in the home of my -father-in-law, Dr. Bradley, of sainted memory. It proved to be the last -time that we ever saw him. He lived only a few months after that. - -In fifteen years the world had moved. Going round “the Cape,” even in a -good clipper ship like the _David Brown_, had become too slow. We took, -instead, the steamship _Patroclus_ from Singapore to London, via the -Suez Canal. The Rev. Mr. Keyesberry, a missionary friend of Dr. -Bradley’s, had been waiting to find an escort to England for two young -sons and a daughter. We gladly undertook that service, and so had a -flock of seven young folks to look after! - -We were barely under way when our own children broke out with the -measles. The disease, fortunately, proved to be of a mild type, and our -new charges were not hard to manage. So, on the whole, we got along very -well. In London we had unexpected trouble because the friend who was to -meet Alice Keyesberry at the dock failed to appear, and, strangely -enough, we had received no memorandum of her destination. It cost us two -days’ search to discover her friends at the Walthamstow Mission School. - -The boys I had promised to convoy as far as Edinburgh. So, leaving my -family in London, I had the great pleasure of a visit to the beautiful -Scotch capital. The day spent there was to me a memorable one. It was, -however, a matter of great regret that, being so near the Highlands, I -could not also visit the original home of my ancestors. - -We arrived in New York on July 11th, 1873, after an absence of fifteen -years. Under any circumstances fifteen years would work great changes. -But that particular fifteen had included the Civil War. The changes in -the South were heart-rending. - -Though North Carolina was drawn late into the Confederacy, it is said -that she furnished a larger number per capita of soldiers and had a -larger number of casualties than any other state in the South. The havoc -among my old schoolmates and pupils, and among my flock, was -distressing. In many places, too, the sectional feeling was still -bitter. The wisest of the people, however, were becoming fully -reconciled to the results of the war. The largest slaveholder in my own -section assured me that the freeing of his slaves had been a boon to -him, and that he was clearing more from his old farm under free labour -than he had done before with slaves. - -Unfortunately in the churches the feeling was more bitter. My old -associate, Dr. Mattoon, had accepted the presidency of Biddle Institute -at Charlotte—now Biddle University (colored). For a time he was very -coldly received except by such broad-minded men as his old Princeton -classmate, and my friend, Dr. Charles Phillips. By virtue, however, of -his noble Christian character and his conservative bearing, Dr. Mattoon -overcame these prejudices, and lived to be welcomed in the largest -churches in the state. I spent most of my furlough in North Carolina; -and personally I received a welcome almost as warm as if I were a -missionary of the Southern Board. Returned missionaries were not -numerous then. It was not an uncommon thing for me to lecture in -churches which had never before seen the face of a foreign missionary. - -Soon after our arrival in the United States news came of the resignation -of Dr. Vrooman; and my first duty was to find a successor. For myself, -and even for my family, I could endure to return without one. But I -could not face the distressing appeals from the sick whose ailments I -was powerless to relieve. In my visits among friends in North Carolina I -met a young medical graduate, Dr. M. A. Cheek, who received from warm -friends of the mission flattering recommendations for the place. He -himself was pleased with the opening, and would willingly accept it, if -he could first take a graduate course in surgery. This was easily -arranged, and he was ready to return with us the following summer. - -The hardest thing to face was the parting with our children. But the -bitterness of this pang was softened by the kindness of friends which -opened the best of Christian homes and schools to receive them. We can -never sufficiently express our gratitude for the kindness shown us in -this matter by the late Mrs. E. N. Grant and Miss Mitchell of the -Statesville Female College, and to Mrs. McNeill, the widow of my old -pastor. - -These two great questions settled, we left North Carolina in March, -1874—my wife with the two younger children, to visit friends and -relatives in the North; and I, as I hoped, to visit the churches and the -seminaries in search of recruits. But a cold contracted on the trip -north ran into a dangerous attack of pleuro-pneumonia, followed by a -slow recovery. Thus I missed my visits to the seminaries and the meeting -of the General Assembly in St. Louis. - -The return to the field was by way of San Francisco, and we reached -Bangkok on August 27th, 1874. On November 14th a son was given us to -take the place of the children left behind. In December began our river -journey to Chiengmai. The river was low, and we were a month and a day -from Bangkok to Rahêng. There we found four missionaries of the Nova -Scotia Baptist Board seeking to establish a station among the Karens of -Siam. But they found their villages too small and too widely scattered -to justify the establishment of a station. So they were returning to -Burma. On Saturday night we all dined together, and had a sociable hour. -On Sunday evening we drew up our boats side by side, and had a -prayer-meeting that we shall long remember. There was something -delightful in thus meeting and enjoying Christian fellowship on a -sand-bar, and then passing on to our respective fields of work. Some of -these men afterwards went to India, and started the Telegu mission, -which has had phenomenal success. - -There were still the rapids and four more weeks of travel before we -could reach our Lāo home. But the home-coming at last was delightful. -Our faithful old coolie, Lung In, with his wife, met us in a small boat -three days’ journey below Chiengmai, with fruit and fowls lest we should -be in want. Then the tall figure of Nān Inta, with his face like a -benediction! - -It was February 7th, 1875, when at last we drew up alongside our own -landing-place, and felt the warm handshake of old friends. Among the Lāo -at last!—and no place that we had seen would we exchange for our Lāo -home. For the first time since our arrival in 1867 we had a permanent -house to enter! - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - XV - - MÛANG KÊN AND CHIENG DĀO - - -Dr. Cheek’s arrival was a matter of great rejoicing. He was very -young—only twenty-one, in fact, on the day he sailed from San Francisco. -The trying drudgery that he and others of our early medical missionaries -had to endure, is now in great measure obviated through the help of -native assistants. The remainder of the year 1875 I devoted very largely -to assisting in the medical work, interpreting, helping in operations, -and caring for the souls of the numerous patients, without feeling the -weight of responsibility for their physical condition, as I had done -before. Dr. Cheek came out a single man; but, like others before him, he -lost his heart on the way. Toward the end of that year he went down to -Bangkok, and was married to Miss Sarah A. Bradley. He returned to -Chiengmai just as Mr. Wilson was ready to start for the United States on -his second furlough. The April communion was postponed a week that the -newly-arrived and the departing missionaries might commune together -before separating. It was Mrs. Wilson’s last communion with us. - -In May, 1876, Nān Inta was ordained our first ruling elder. The story -has often been told that before his ordination the Confession of Faith -was given him to read carefully, since he would be asked whether he -subscribed to its doctrines. When he had finished the reading, he -remarked that he saw nothing peculiar in its teachings. It was very much -like what he had read in Paul’s Epistles! In January Pā Kamun, the widow -of Noi Sunya, was baptized. It was thus appropriately given to her to be -the first woman received into the communion of the church. Two of her -daughters, and Pā Peng, the wife of Nān Inta, soon followed. Lung In was -elected the first deacon, but was too modest to be ordained to that -office. Meanwhile he was becoming a most useful assistant in the -hospital. Strange as it may seem, the office of hospital nurse is one of -the most difficult to get a Lāo to fill. Lung In, however, was not above -the most menial service for the sick. His real successor was not found -until the present incumbent, Dr. Kêo, was trained. Dr. McKean’s -testimony is that it would be scarcely more difficult to procure a good -surgeon than to fill Kêo’s place as nurse and assistant among the -hospital patients. - -During the summer of 1876, in company with Nān Inta, I made a tour among -the four nearest provinces to the north and west. The governor of Mûang -Kên had long given promise of becoming a Christian, and now invited me -to visit his people. On his frequent visits to Chiengmai on business, he -always called on me, and no subject was so interesting to him as the -subject of religion. Before the proclamation of toleration, while the -common people were still afraid of making a public profession of -Christianity, our most effective work was probably that with the higher -class of officials, who stood in somewhat less fear of the known -antagonism of the Chao Uparāt. They were, besides, a more interesting -class than the common people, for they were better educated, were more -accustomed in their daily duties to weigh arguments and decide on -questions of evidence, and many of them had been trained in the -religious order. - -This governor of Mûang Kên had learned enough of the tenets of -Christianity to become unsettled and dissatisfied with the prospects of -salvation offered by a purely ethical religion. He saw the weakness of -the foundation on which he had been taught to rely, and the difference -between the authors of the two religions. So he stood on the border land -between the two, at the very gate, wishing to enter in, but with many -obstacles in his way, and strong opposing influences to overcome. - -My first objective, then, on this tour was Mûang Kên. The governor had -asked me to come and smooth the way for him by teaching his -under-officials and his townsmen. Nān Inta was the living, concrete -argument, and he put his whole heart into it. We had a few days of -deeply interesting work. Few, however, saw the matter as the governor -did. Most of them “would consider it.” Some would go further and say -that they worshipped Jesus under the name of their promised Buddha -Metraya, yet to come. - -From Mûang Kên we went to Chieng Dāo, where we visited the great cave -with its famous Buddhist shrine. Ever since Nān Inta became a Christian, -he had been anxious to test the truth of some of the legends connected -with the place—a thing he dared not do before. The cave is the abode of -the great Lawa spirit, for fear of offending whom Prince Kāwilōrot was -afraid to allow us to build to the north of the city bridge in -Chiengmai. Chieng Dāo mountain, which rises above the cave, is seven -thousand one hundred and sixty feet high—one of the highest peaks in all -Siam, and visible from Chiengmai, some thirty-seven miles away. One of -the sources of the Mê Ping River, twenty feet wide and knee-deep, flows -bodily out from the cave. Since no animal is allowed to be killed in so -sacred a place, the stream abounds in a great variety of beautiful fish -waiting for the food which no visitor fails to give them. The scramble -for it is as interesting to watch as the performance of the sea-lions at -San Francisco. - -The legend is that no one can cross the stream inside the cave and -return alive; and that beyond the stream, under the crest of the -mountain, there is an image of pure gold seven cubits high. One enters -the cave at a little distance from the stream, and finds first a grand -chamber which is a veritable temple, with arched dome, natural pulpit, -and innumerable images of Buddha, large and small. This place is -regarded as a most sacred shrine. Buddhist monks are always there -performing their devotions. The chamber is so dark that they have to use -tapers to see to read. The dim light and the long-drawn tones of the -worshippers produce a very weird impression. - -From the temple-chamber narrow passages lead off in different -directions, till there is danger of losing one’s way in the labyrinth. I -followed Nān Inta and his sons to the stream, which is reached at some -distance farther on. Being neither tall nor a swimmer, I stopped and -sauntered about in the various rooms, waiting for my companions to -verify or to disprove the legend. Needless to say, both parts of it were -proved myths. My companions did return alive, and no golden image was -found. The cave is too damp to make it safe for one to remain long in -those distant passages. Farther on the tapers burned but very dimly; and -one would not choose to be left there in pitch darkness. We could -understand very well how the legend arose of Yaks that devour those that -intrude into their dark caverns. There is no doubt of the presence of a -deadly gas much more to be feared than the spirit of the great Lawa -king, which is believed to have taken up his abode there. We all -experienced more or less of the symptoms premonitory of malarial attack, -and before we got back to the town Nān Inta was shaking with a genuine -chill. A heroic dose, however, of Warburg’s tincture with quinine soon -set him to rights. In this case, then, as in many others, there is a -foundation of truth at the bottom of the legend. - -That night we had a great audience. It was generally known that we -intended to explore the cave, and many, no doubt, came to see how we had -fared. It was well that Nān Inta had so far recovered from his morning’s -chill as to be ready to join in bearing testimony not only to the -falsity of the legend, but also to the truth of the Gospel. It was a -bright moonlight night, and the people listened till very late, while we -sang hymns, preached the Gospel, and pointed them to the better way. The -result was seen years after in the founding of a church there. - -All these provinces that we were now visiting, and others more distant -still, were originally settled by refugees driven from the more southern -districts by the persecution for witchcraft. Now they are important -provinces. Since these people had been ruthlessly driven forth because -of the spirits, I thought they would willingly accept any way of escape -from their control. But they seemed, if anything, more superstitious and -harder to reach than others. Having suffered once, as they supposed, -from the malicious power of the spirits, they seemed even more than -others to dread to incur their anger again by deserting them. But there -were many hopeful exceptions. - -Mûang Pāo was the next city visited. From the incidents of our stay -there I select the cases of two persons who excited our deepest -sympathy. One was an aged Buddhist monk, a Ngīo, who, with a younger -companion, visited our tent daily. The monk was a venerable man, with -striking features, serene countenance, earnest and intelligent. His long -life had been spent in worship, meditation, and study. All this he soon -told us with some quite natural pride. While not bold, he was not -reticent, freely stating his own doctrines, hopes, and fears, and asking -ours. To the question what were his hopes for a future life, he frankly -said, “I don’t know. How can I? I have tried to keep the commandments, -have performed my devotions, have counted my beads. But whether I shall -go up or down [indicating the directions with his finger] I do not know. -I have done what my books tell me, but I have no light _here_ [pointing -to his heart]. Can the teacher’s religion give me any light?” - -The earnestness and the despondency of the man drew me to him. I asked, -what of his failures and transgressions? “That,” he said, “is the dark -point. My books say that all my good deeds shall be rewarded, but the -failures and transgressions must be punished before I can reach Nirvāna, -the final emancipation of the soul by the extinction of all desire.” -“How long will that be?” we ask. He answered by giving a number that -would baffle even astronomers, who are accustomed to deal in almost -fabulous numbers. - -“But is not that virtually endless?” - -“Yes; but what shall we do? That is what our books say.” - -“But is there no room for pardon?” - -“No. Buddha only points out the way that he followed himself. He reached -the goal by the same almost endless journey. How shall we hope to do so -by any shorter or different route?” - -“But supposing there is a way—that there is a great sovereign of the -universe, before all Buddhas and higher than all Buddhas, who has the -right and the authority to grant full pardon through his own infinite -merit, and his vicarious assumption of all our obligations and payment -of all our debts. Would not that be a joyful message?” - -“Yes; if true, it would be.” - -And so we argued till light seemed to gleam for once into his mind. But -the image of the dear old man pointing up and then down with the sad -confession, “I know not whither I shall go,” is a vision that has -saddened me many a time since. - -The other case of special interest I state as it occurred, with no -attempt at explanation of the dream involved in the story.—On the -morning after our arrival, Nān Inta and I started out to visit -monasteries or houses, wherever we might find listeners. I was dressed -in white clothes, and Nān Inta had on a white jacket. We had made a -number of calls, and were about to pass by a house in which we saw only -an elderly woman and some children, presumably her grandchildren. We -were surprised to see her come down from her house and run out after us, -and prostrating herself with the customary salutation given to priests -and princes, she begged us to stop and come in. We accepted her -invitation, though surprised at her evident demonstrations of joy. -Sitting down on the mat, we began to explain that we were teachers of -religion, pointing out the sure way of happiness both in this life and -in the life to come. Our message was one from the great God and Creator -to all races and nations, inviting them to return from all other -refuges, and He would give them an inheritance as His children in the -life to come. She listened with marked interest as we explained to her -our religion, and urged her to accept it. We were surprised at the -explanation she gave of her intense interest. - -Not long before our arrival she had a dream that two men dressed in -white came to her to teach her. What they were to teach her she did not -know; but when she saw us walking up the street she said, “There is the -fulfilment of my dream!” She had watched us as we entered other houses, -fearful lest we should omit hers. Now she was so glad we had come. It -was at least a strange coincidence, for she affirmed that the dream was -before she had ever heard of us. Whatever may have been the cause, it -was a delight to instruct one who seemed to receive all that we said as -a direct message to her. This at once attracted Nān Inta to her, and she -listened to him with frequent exclamations of delight, while he, in his -earnest manner, explained the Gospel message of pardon and life eternal -through Him who liveth and was dead, and behold He is alive for -evermore. She said her one great desire had been to escape from the -punishment of her sins; but she never before had known that there was -any other way but to suffer for them herself. She, too, was a Ngīo. We -visited her frequently during the week of our stay in Mûang Pāo, and to -the last she interpreted our coming as the fulfilment of her dream. This -was the last that we knew either of her or of the aged monk. Before we -visited the place again she was dead, and he had moved away. - -In those days when the people were afraid to make a public profession of -Christianity, it would have been a great gain to the mission if we could -have had schools, and used them as a means of evangelizing the youth. A -first attempt, indeed, had been made by Mr. Wilson with a few Burmese -boys. A young Burmese who had been trained in Maulmein, and who spoke -English, was employed to teach them under Mr. Wilson’s oversight, in the -hope that Lāo boys would presently join them. This hope was not -realized, and the experiment was presently abandoned. - -The first call for a Christian school was for the education of girls. In -the first Christian families girls predominated. Mrs. McGilvary -collected six or eight Christian girls, and devoted as much time to them -as her strength and her family duties would permit. They were really -private pupils, living on our premises and in our family. More wished to -come than she could do justice to. Hence about this time an appeal was -made for two single ladies to devote their whole time to the school. But -it was not till four years later that Miss Edna E. Cole and Miss Mary -Campbell of the Oxford Female Seminary, Ohio, reached Chiengmai. Very -soon they had twenty pupils. From this small beginning has grown our -large Girls’ School. Two of Mrs. McGilvary’s pupils were soon made -assistants. These and others of the first group became fine women, who -have left their mark on the church and the country. - -Notwithstanding our disappointment in the delay of the school for boys, -it proved a wise arrangement that the Girls’ School was started first. A -mission church is sure to be greatly handicapped whose young men must -either remain single—which they will not do—or be compelled to take -ignorant non-Christian wives. Such are a dead-weight to the husband, and -the children almost surely follow the mother. After marriage, the almost -universal custom of the country has been that the husband lives with the -wife’s family. He becomes identified with it, and for the time a -subordinate member of it, almost to the extent of becoming weaned from -his own family. Where all the atmosphere of the family is strongly -Buddhist, with daily offerings to the spirits and gala days at the -temple, the current would be too strong for a father, with his secondary -place in the family, to withstand. For a while it was feared that -Christian girls would have difficulty in finding husbands. But, on the -contrary, our educated girls become not only more intelligent, but more -attractive in manners, dress, and character; and, therefore, have been -much sought after. The homes become Christian homes, and the children -are reared in a Christian atmosphere. The result is that, instead of the -wife’s dragging the husband down, she generally raises the husband up; -and, as a general rule, the children early become Christians. - -In August, 1876, our beloved Princess became very seriously ill. Dr. -Cheek had been called upon to treat domestics in the family, but not the -Prince or Princess. Hearing that she was in a critical condition under -native doctors, and fearing the worst, I took the liberty of suggesting -that they consult Dr. Cheek. They seemed pleased with the suggestion, -and asked me to accompany him—which I did for one or two visits. His -treatment was very successful, and soon she was convalescent. - -About this same time we had an adventure with white ants which came near -costing us our much-valued cabinet organ. It will serve to illustrate an -experience formerly common enough, and still not unknown. One Wednesday -evening before prayer-meeting Mrs. McGilvary sat down at the instrument -to look over the tunes, when she found it full of white ants. Our house -was built on higher ground, into which the creatures are driven when the -lower grounds are filled with water from the annual floods. They do not -attack the teak walls and floors of our houses, but, climbing up the -posts, at last they stumbled upon the soft wood and leather inside the -organ, and were just beginning their feast when our meeting broke in -upon them. Had we not discovered them then, the instrument would have -been completely wrecked before morning. - -Once the white ants destroyed a trunkful of our children’s clothes, once -a box of “knock-down” chairs, and once they attacked my -library—evidently not at all deterred by the learned discussions and -deep thought of Dr. Joseph A. Alexander’s _Commentary on Isaiah_. They -had got through the margin, and would soon have digested the rest, had -not an unexpected occasion for opening the library saved it. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - XVI - - SEEKERS AFTER GOD - - -On New Year’s Day, 1877, I went into the city to make some calls. The -first was at the new palace. In the large reception hall I found the -Princess, virtually alone. She was embroidering some fancy pillow-ends -for the priests—a work in which she was an expert. Her maidens, some -distance off, were sewing priests’ robes. The Prince was in his little -workshop not far off, turning ivory rounds for the railing of an -elephant howdah, a favourite amusement with him. - -The subject of religion was one that continually came up in all my -interviews with the Princess; but hitherto she had apparently argued -more for victory than from a desire to reach the truth. She was as keen -as a lawyer to seize a point, and her quick wit made her a very -enjoyable antagonist. Not only she and her domestics, but the whole -country as well, had been preparing for a great occasion of merit-making -in connection with the approaching dedication of a shrine. Whether the -peculiar interest of this conversation was due to the fact that these -matters had been running in her mind, or to some particular mood in -which I found her, I never knew. Most likely it was both. A chance -allusion to the great event which was in every one’s mouth, at once -brought up the question. Stopping her work and resting her arms on the -embroidery frame, she asked, “Why is it that foreigners do not worship -the Buddha or his images, and do not believe that merit is made -thereby?” - -She seemed to approach the question as a personal one for herself. If we -were right and she were wrong, she would like to know it. We agreed on -that point, and I encouraged her in her estimate of its paramount -importance to every rational man or woman. If Buddhism does, indeed, -lead to happiness in a future life, she was wise in diligently following -its precepts; but if wrong, it would be a fatal mistake. Why do we not -worship Buddha? Because he was only a man. We reverence his character, -as we do that of other upright men who have tried to do good and to lead -their fellow-men to better things. Gautama Buddha seems to have sought -with all his soul for light—was willing to forsake a kingdom and to -renounce all sensual and even intellectual pleasures in this life for -the hope of escaping sin and its consequences in the next. - -Why do we worship Jehovah-Jesus? Because He is our sovereign Lord. The -Buddha groaned under his own load of guilt, and was oppressed by the sad -and universal consequences of sin among men. The Christ challenged His -enemies to convince Him of sin, and His enemies to this day have -confessed that they find no sin in Him. Buddhists believe that Buddha -reached Nirvāna after having himself passed through every form of being -in the universe—having been in turn every animal in the seas, on the -earth, and in the air. He did this by an inexorable law that he and -every other being is subject to, and cannot evade. Our Jehovah-Jesus, as -our Scriptures teach, is the only self-existent being in the universe, -and Himself the cause of all other beings. An infinite Spirit and -invisible, He manifested Himself to the world by descending from heaven, -becoming man, taking on our nature in unison with His own holy nature, -but with no taint of sin. He did this out of infinite love and pity for -our race after it had sinned. He saw there was no other able to save, -and He became our Saviour. - -And take the teachings of the two systems—which is the more credible? -The sacred books of the Princess teach that there is no Creator. -Everything, as the Siamese say, “pen ēng”—comes to be of itself. All -this complicated universe became what it is by a fortuitous concurrence -of atoms, which atoms themselves had no creator. We come as honest -seekers for truth. We look around, above, beneath. Everything seems to -imply the contrivance of mind. The sun rises and sets with greater -regularity than our clocks strike the hour of noon. The seasons follow -each other with wonderful uniformity. Animals are born and die, plants -and trees grow and decay, each after its kind, and in wonderful -adjustment to the conditions about them. The eye is made for seeing, the -ear for hearing, and the air for breathing. Light is necessary for work -by day, and darkness for sleep by night. This city has its walls and -gates; this palace has its beams, its roof, its doors and windows, and -its different apartments, because it was so planned. The Princess gives -her orders, and her servants in distant villages come at her summons. -The Prince’s command is obeyed throughout all his dominions. Subjects -obey because they are under constituted authority. Even so we obey -Jehovah and not Buddha, because we believe that He is the Creator and -the sovereign Lord of the universe. - -In His word—His letter to our race—He claims to be Creator and Lord. We -read His word, and then we look around for evidence as to whether this -is really so. We find that evidence in earth and sea and sky. A letter -comes from the King of Siam. How do we know that it is really his? It -has his seal. Not otherwise “the heavens declare the glory of God, and -the firmament showeth His handiwork.” By faith, then, we believe that -the worlds were made, as His word tells us. We read the account of that -creation. What wonderful beings we are!—made in His image, endowed in -our degrees with His own attributes, and with authority over the world -in which He has placed us. He has given us dominion over all the beasts -of the earth, the fowls of the air, and the fish of the sea. Every time -that a Buddhist kills a fish or a fowl, he sins, because he breaks a -command of his religion. Why not so for a Christian? Because these -creatures were made for man’s use, and were given to him. We partake -with gratitude of the gifts our Father has provided for us. This one -great truth, when received by Christians, relieves the conscience of one -of the greatest burdens that the followers of Buddha must bear. - -But if God made man in His image, why all this suffering that we see and -feel? The best explanation ever given is that given in the Bible. Man -was created holy, and was put on trial. He transgressed. A subject who -disobeys the law of his sovereign incurs his displeasure. He suffers for -it. We are suffering from this disobedience of our first parents by a -law that we daily see exemplified. A man by extravagance or vice -squanders his estate. His children are born penniless. The Prince of -Wieng Chan rebelled against the King of Siam. His country was conquered -and laid waste, and thousands of its inhabitants were made captive and -deported. Thousands of the descendants of these captives are now serfs. -Why are they so? Because of the errors or misfortunes of their -ancestors. The Prince appoints a governor over a province, with the -promise that if he is faithful, his children shall succeed him. Because -of misdemeanor he is deposed. His descendants are born subjects and not -rulers. We belong to a fallen race. - -Somana Gautama belonged to the same race. He groaned under its pains and -penalties. He saw a race sunk in misery. He saw its religion shamefully -corrupt. He inaugurated one of purer morality. But he does not profess -to be divine or a saviour. His religion does not offer a sufficient -remedy. By asceticism and self-mortification it would extinguish all -noble desire as well as the vicious instincts with which we are born. -And then, after interminable cycles of transmigrations, we may hope to -reach a state of unconscious sleep. Happiness and misery are inseparable -things. We escape the one only by escaping the other. That is the dark -prospect which makes Buddhism so pessimistic. To this the Princess -assented, “That is so.” - -Now compare this with the religion of Jesus. The sovereign Father who -loves His wandering, sinful children, in His infinite wisdom devised a -plan that satisfies their needs and desires, “God so loved the world -that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him -should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Our Maker became our -Redeemer by emptying Himself of His glory and becoming man. He is -Himself the greatest possible illustration of the love of God to the -race. He came to reveal the Father. His holy life we have in His word. -He set us the only perfect example, full of pity toward the miserable -and the sinful. Then, by a painful and shameful death, He became Himself -a sacrifice for the sins of the world. He obeyed the law which we had -broken, and which condemns us; and suffered in our stead the penalty due -to us. He conquered death. He took away the sting of death by taking -away sin. He arose from the dead, showing Himself for many days. He -ascended to heaven before the eyes of His disciples. He has sent His -servants and His word to offer a full and free pardon to all who will -accept. He is now, and ever will be, our intercessor in heaven. He sends -His Spirit to purify and fit us for an endless state of conscious -existence which begins at death, and not cycles after. Millions of the -best men and women the world has ever seen have given their testimony to -the reality of this salvation by a triumphant death, with the assurance -that all sin and all suffering were past. Jesus removed the curse, and -brought to light the immortality which we had forfeited by sin. The -missionary and his associates have left both parents and children that -they might offer this to the Princess and to her people. - -To all of this the Princess was mainly a most interested listener. She -had asked to be taught. She put no captious questions. I have omitted an -occasional assent that she gave, and an occasional difficulty or -doubt—not all of which could be fully answered; as, for example, why an -all-powerful God allowed the entrance of sin, and now allows wicked -spirits to tempt us; or that other sad question, why the Gospel had not -been sent to them, so that they might have known this from childhood—a -question the burden of which should press on my readers as well as on -the missionary. - -At last, after a long pause, the Princess made a wonderful confession, -the very words of which I can never forget: - -“Tā chak wā dūi kwām ching, kā han wā paw krū ko tūk lêo.” To speak the -truth, I see that the father-teacher is right. “Kā chûa wā kong chak mī -Pra Chao ton dai sāng lōk.” I believe there surely must be some divine -Lord who made the world. “Lê bat nī ko chûa tī paw krū atibāi dūi kān -pon tōt dōi Pra Yēsū.” And now I believe what the father-teacher has -explained about escape from punishment through the Lord Jesus. And then, -sadly—almost despairingly—she added, “Tê chak yīa cha dai?” But what -shall I do?—I fear it will not be well to forsake “hīt paw hoi mê”—the -customs of my father, the foot-prints of my mother. - -We were sitting in the new brick palace—the first ever built in the -country. In the hall was a large pier-glass with numerous other foreign -articles, most of them bought in Bangkok, and brought up for offerings -at the coming dedication of the shrine. I asked, “Princess, did your -father or grandfather have a brick palace like this?” Somewhat surprised -at the question, she replied, “No.” “And I see the Princess riding down -to the landing every day in a foreign carriage. Did your ancestors do -that?” Before I could make the application, she blushed, perceiving that -she was caught. I went on: “You do daily forsake old customs, and adopt -new ones which your ancestors never knew. The whole method of government -is changing. This foreign cloth, which your maidens are sewing for -priests’ robes, was all unknown to your forefathers. These things all -come from lands where the people worship neither the Buddha nor the -spirits. These are only some of the fruits that grow on the tree. Better -still, plant the tree; for all good fruit grows on it.” Just then our -long conversation was interrupted by the entrance of the Prince, who had -worked till he was tired. He asked what she and the teacher were talking -about so long. She replied that we were discussing “bun lê bāp”—merit -and sin. - -The question often came up after this. She was in a position where it -was, humanly speaking, almost impossible for her outwardly to forsake -the customs of the country. But I have reason to know that on that -morning she received truths which she never forgot. We have seen before -that neither she nor her husband approved of her father’s act in -murdering the Christians. She continued a warm friend to the last, and -so did the Prince. - -On my way home that same forenoon I had another interesting talk with -our dear old friend, the abbot of the Ūmōng monastery, who had been so -true to us during our troubles. On the gate-posts, as I entered, were -offerings of fruit, rice, betel, etc., to propitiate the spirits. This -is in flat violation of one of the fundamental precepts of Buddhism, -which declares that any one who makes offerings to spirits is outside of -the pale, or, as we should say, is virtually excommunicate. Of course, -my abbot friend exculpated himself from all complicity in the offerings. -He himself neither worshipped nor feared the spirits. But his disciples -and parishioners did, and he could not withstand them. He, too, never -gave up the form of Buddhism, but he claimed that he worshipped Jesus -daily as the great Creator and Benefactor of our race. His merit he -believed to be infinitely greater than that of Buddha, whom he knew to -be a man. The abbot was a man of broad mind, and a true and faithful -friend. It is well that it is not for us to say how much of error is -consistent with true discipleship, even in Christian lands. I know that -his deep-rooted friendship for us was because we were teachers of a -religion that offered hopes which Buddhism does not give. I have in mind -many others, also, who believed our doctrine, though they were never -enrolled in our church; and not a few that would urge others of their -family and friends to take, as Christians, the open stand which, from -various causes, they themselves were prevented from taking. But the Lord -knoweth them that are His. - -The great event of the year 1877 was the dedication of a Buddhist shrine -recently rebuilt on Doi Sutēp, the noble mountain which is the pride and -glory of Chiengmai. From the level of the plain, and at a distance of -but four miles westward from the city, the mountain rises in a single -sweep four thousand five hundred feet, forest-crowned to its very -summit, seamed with rushing brooks, and embroidered with gleaming -waterfalls. In the rainy season the play of cloud and vapor, of sunshine -and storm about its mighty mass, forms an ever-changing picture of -surpassing beauty and grandeur. The Siamese and the Lāo are very fond of -an imposing setting and a commanding view for their temples and -shrines—on bold promontories by sea or river, on high knolls and -summits. The one on Doi Sutēp crowns a projecting shoulder or bastion of -the mountain, some half-way up, and visible from all parts of the -Chiengmai plain. Each reigning Prince has been desirous of doing -something to beautify and enrich this shrine. To rebuild it was, -therefore, an attractive idea to Prince Intanon at the beginning of his -rule. - -[Illustration: - - AN ABBOT PREACHING] - - -To do honour to the occasion, and to make merit thereby, all the -northern states, as far east as Lūang Prabāng, sent their highest -officials with costly offerings; and the government of Siam sent a -special representative. For weeks and months previously the whole -country had been placed under requisition to make preparations. -Offerings were levied from every town, village, and monastery, and, I -believe, from every household. Each guest of honour had a temporary -house built for him at the foot of the mountain, with smaller shelters -for persons of less rank. Nearly all the princes and nobles of Chiengmai -joined the encampment at the base of the mountain, and thither, also, -was the city market removed, so that our housekeepers had to send four -miles to market! - -I had intended to pitch a tent near the encampment, so as to be near the -people for missionary work. But a rheumatic attack during the opening -days of the festival prevented. Still, we had as many visitors at home -as we could attend to, and under conditions more favourable for -missionary work. - -Such occasions are very attractive to the Lāo people. For the time being -the prohibition against gambling is removed, and they make the most of -it. It may seem a queer way of making merit, but the theory is that -their merit earns them the right to a good time for once. Thousands of -rupees change hands on such occasions. The mornings are given to making -offerings, the afternoons to boxing and games, and the nights to -theatricals and gambling. I was glad that I was prevented from pitching -my tent in the midst of the noise and revelry. All those interested in -religion were the more free to call and converse with us apart from the -princes and the rabble. Officers and monks from a distance were always -especially welcomed, and few of them in those days returned to their -homes without calling on the foreign teacher. - -I did not get off on a long tour that season, being unable to secure an -elephant. It was better so, however, for early in May Dr. Cheek went to -Bangkok to consult a physician, and went on thence as far as Hongkong. -It was April 30th of the next year before he got back to Chiengmai. And -the season proved to be one of the most unhealthy in the history of the -mission. Worst of all, we had only six bottles of quinine to begin the -season with. There was a rush for the quinine, and it seemed cruel to -withhold it so long as any was left. The fever was of a violent type, -and often fatal. Native doctors were helpless before the scourge. On -looking about me for a substitute for quinine, I found that arsenic was -the next best remedy, and that Fowler’s Solution was the best form for -administering it. But we had not a drop of the solution. We had, -however, a bottle of arsenious acid, and a United States Dispensatory, -so that I had to become pharmacist as well as doctor. I had all the -ingredients save one, an unessential colouring matter. So I made it up -by the quart. But it was not a medicine to be trusted in native hands. -They were accustomed to take their own medicine by the potful, and had -the theory that if a little is good, a great deal would be better. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - XVII - - THE RESIDENT COMMISSIONER - - -In this same year, 1877, there occurred an event of utmost importance to -the mission and to the whole country. We have seen that, up to the death -of Prince Kāwilōrot, those Lāo provinces which are now a part of Siam -had been virtually free states. The Siamese yoke had been very easy. -They had never been conquered in war. Their original association with -Siam had been a voluntary one, in order to escape the oppressive rule of -Burma. Their location and their weakness made it a necessity that they -should look to one of these rival kingdoms for protection against the -other. At the same time, they added both dignity and strength to the one -on which they leaned—they served it as a buffer against the other. -Nature had connected the Lāo country more intimately with Siam. All its -communication with the sea was through the Mênam Chao Prayā and its -tributaries, while a range of lofty mountains separated it from Burma. -In race and language too, they were Siamese, and not Burmese. - -The relation had been mutually beneficial. Both parties recognized the -advantages of the arrangement, and were satisfied. The balance of real -advantage had been to the weaker states. Their chiefs, indeed, were -required to make triennial visits to the Siamese capital, to present -there a nominal tribute, and to renew their oath of allegiance. But with -this exception they were virtually free. In his own country the Prince -had absolute rule. The Siamese had never interfered with, or assumed -control of, the internal affairs of the North Lāo states. It will be -remembered that the sanction of the Siamese government to the -establishment of the mission was given only after the Lāo Prince had -given his. - -It was probably an inevitable result that the stronger power should in -time absorb the weaker. And the course of events had been tending that -way. The forests of teak on the upper branches of the Mênam were too -valuable to be concealed or to remain profitless. The world needed the -timber, and was willing to pay for it. The country needed its value in -money. The Burmese of Maulmein, who were British subjects, had skill in -working out the timber, which the Lāo had not. With money and valuable -presents they tempted the Lāo rulers, who formerly had absolute -authority over the forests, to grant them concessions to cut the timber -and market it in Bangkok. Both parties were avaricious, and both were -probably crooked. Larger bribes sometimes induced a Lāo ruler to issue a -second concession to work a forest already assigned to an earlier -applicant. The result was a constant succession of lawsuits brought by -British subjects against the Lāo. Since the Lāo states were -dependencies of Siam, the Siamese government was often called upon to -enforce judgment against them; while the Lāo felt that the Siamese -suzerainty ought to shield them from such attack. Siam was now come to -be in fact the buffer between the Lāo and the outside world. Instead of -the pleasant relations which had hitherto existed between the two -peoples, there was now constant friction. - -Up to the time when Prince Kāwilōrot gave his public and official -promise before the United States Consul and the representative of the -Siamese government, in the little sālā at the landing-stage of Wat Chêng -in Bangkok, no foreign power other than the English had had any claim on -the Lāo or any contact with them. It was only the impolitic act of -killing the Christians which brought the Lāo Prince into conflict with -the representative of the United States government. The fact that it was -the missionaries who were immediately concerned had nothing to do with -the question. Had the agreement been made with American citizens in any -other capacity or business, the obligation would have been the same. The -Siamese government recognized the obligation, and, as we have seen, -guaranteed the continuance of the mission. And that guarantee was an -additional reason for having an official representative of Siam resident -in Chiengmai. - -Had the new Prince been as strong as he was mild and good, and had the -Chao Uparāt been like him, it is possible that the old feudal relation -might have continued another generation or two. No doubt the Siamese -government thoroughly trusted the loyalty of the new Prince; but it did -not regard him as a man sufficiently strong to hold the reins of power -at that juncture. Moreover, all the business of ruling was largely given -over to the Uparāt; and he in a number of ways had shown his opposition -to our work and his jealousy of the English and of foreigners generally. -When news reached us first that a High Commissioner was appointed, and -then that he was on the way, there was great anxiety to know what stand -he would take with reference to Christianity. - -Prayā Tēp Worachun proved to be an admirable selection for Commissioner. -He had many of the qualities of a statesman. He was cool, calm, patient, -and wise. Judging from the result, it is evident that his instructions -were: to be conservative; to make no rash or premature move; and to -uphold the royal authority conjointly with the old princely -rule—peaceably, if possible, but firmly—till Siam could assume complete -control. Meanwhile he was to follow the English plan of governing -through the native rulers. He was willing to bide his time. Every new -assumption of power on the part of Siam was reluctantly yielded by the -Lāo. But everything conspired to favour the policy of Siam. The Lāo -Prince was passive and unambitious. For the Uparāt no one felt the -reverence or the fear that all had felt for the late Prince Kāwilōrot. -The Commissioner’s fairness and business integrity enabled him to -maintain himself perfectly in his difficult position between the two -branches of the Tai race, and amid the conflicting interests of the -time. - -In religion the new Commissioner was a stoic. His boast was that he -needed no other religion than to be loyal to his king, and upright and -just in his dealings with men. Virtue was its own reward, and vice was -its own punishment. He accepted Gibbon’s conclusion that all religions -are alike good for the state, alike true for their adherents, and alike -false for the philosopher. He encouraged Christianity because it taught -a good morality and made good citizens. But he could see neither the -possibility nor the necessity of an atonement for sin. On one point I -should say we were in full accord. In his opposition to the -spirit-worship of the Lāo he was almost rabid. He sympathized deeply -with the poor people accused of witchcraft, who were driven out of the -country. - -During the absence of Dr. Cheek and Mr. Wilson with their families, I -should have been utterly unable to cope with the situation, had it not -been for my wife’s clear business talent and tact in planning. The -little girls, too, had begun to show somewhat of their mother’s aptitude -for work. - -Meanwhile the fever scourge continued to spread and increase in -violence. The progress of the disease was so rapid that often the person -attacked would never rally at all. An interesting example of the way in -which healing of the body sometimes opened the way to the healing of the -soul, is seen in the case of Sên Kam, an officer who was in charge of -all the irrigation works on the Doi Saket plain, and who one day was -brought to my gate, as it was supposed, to die. The new medicine quickly -checked his fever, and presently he began to study in Siamese the -Shorter Catechism, Genesis, and the Gospel of John. In due time he -returned home a believer. But his desertion from Buddhism caused such -opposition in his province that his baptism was delayed. His family were -so shaken that some of them wished to return to the old worship. But one -young granddaughter of twelve or thirteen years had begun to read our -books and to attend our services. She refused to return to the -monastery, and would run away from it to the chapel. She persevered -until she brought back the whole family into the Christian fold. - -In further illustration of the crowded experiences of this time, I may -cite the following items from letters to our children, written during -the latter half of the year 1877. - - “Last week the King sent for your father to treat a prince who - had had the fever for fifteen days. During his paroxysms his - cries could be heard throughout the whole neighbourhood. In - their extremity they sent for your father, and gave up the case - to him with permission to remove all spirit-charms during the - treatment. He is now out of danger.” [MRS. MCG.] - - “For three weeks I have had a young prince in hospital who had - attempted suicide by cutting his throat. He was a fearful sight. - It did not seem possible that he could survive the night. I - sewed up the wound, however, and now he is well, and apparently - penitent.” [D. MCG.] - - “We are well as usual, but engrossed in work. Your father is - pressed beyond measure with the work of two men. On the return - of Dr. Cheek’s boats, we received forty ounces of quinine; but - it is going at a fearful rate. The hospital is full of patients, - and there are at least one hundred more to be prescribed for - daily. If I did not drop everything else and help him, he could - not possibly get through the day’s work.” [MRS. MCG.] - - “Soon the quinine was all gone, and our compound was becoming a - veritable lazaretto. Most of the patients were anæmic and - dropsical from long-standing fever. They came, because to remain - at home was to die. Then a new complication arose. Unusual - symptoms began to occur that I could not account for. One - morning at breakfast we were called to see a little girl who had - a hemorrhage. She had no cough and had no consumption. While I - was looking up the symptoms and cause, your mother discovered - that the bleeding was from the gums. That gave us the clue. It - was scurvy. I found that we had at least thirty others whose - gums were similarly diseased. We began at once to give them - lime-juice, and prescribed vegetables, for the lack of which - they were starving. It is the invariable custom of Lāo doctors - in cases of fever to put the patient on a strict diet of boiled - rice and dried fish. On such diet some of our patients had been - living for two or three months. They might as well have been on - an arctic voyage!” [D. MCG.] - - “Day before yesterday we tried to have a picnic. A princess had - promised us two elephants, but only one came. Your father took a - horse. The three children and I rode the elephant. Our - destination was the Doi Sutēp temple. About half the way up the - mountain the elephant either concluded that there was no fun in - going up alone, or, more probably, that he had an uncomfortable - load, and refused to go any further. He turned out of the road, - and tried to throw the driver from his neck. The children became - alarmed, and we dismounted as best we could. The children - refused to try riding him again; and since we had come largely - for their pleasure, we had our lunch by a brook, and returned - home on foot.” [MRS. MCG.] - - “We had an interesting incident at our December communion. Just - as I had announced the communion hymn, I saw Chao Borirak—the - Nān prince, who had twice accompanied me with his elephant on my - journeys, and for whose sake largely one of my trips to Nān had - been taken—enter the room. As he had been the subject of much - special prayer on our part, I could hardly command my voice - sufficiently to proceed with the hymn. On my return from my - furlough he had written that he would visit me at the first - opportunity. His uncle, the Prince of Nān, had a grandson in - danger of losing his sight from an accident. He had persuaded - the Prince that possibly our medicine might help him. He brought - a few presents from the Prince, and for himself had brought a - gold ring with a native pearl from the Nān river. He is very - anxious that I should move to Nān, but I tell him that he must - wait for you.... With fever and death around us we have been - wonderfully preserved from ‘the pestilence that walketh in - darkness, and the destruction that wasteth at noonday.’ We have - had our anxieties about the children. During the last hot season - we were afraid that little Margaret would melt away, she was so - thin.” [D. MCG.] - -But the labours of the year were not in vain. During its progress Nān -Suwan, who afterwards became the founder of the church in Chieng Sên, -and four others who became influential ruling elders, were baptized. And -with these was Pā Kawng, an aged slave of the Prince, who lived to be -one of the Lāo saints. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - XVIII - - WITCHCRAFT - - -On January 6th, 1878, two native converts were received into the -church—Nān Sī Wichai, the fine scholar who had been Dr. Cheek’s teacher, -and the wife of a leading elder—and with them our own daughter Cornelia. -This was the bright beginning of the year that brought in religious -toleration. - -One day in March, as I was sitting in my study, I was surprised to see a -tall man, a stranger, with the bearing of an officer, enter. He pointed -with both fingers to his ears, and asked if the teacher could say -“Ephphatha,” and open the ears of a deaf man as Jesus did. It was a -strange introduction—to be accosted by a Lāo with a quotation from -Scripture in the ancient Aramæan tongue! I judged by his accent that he -was from Lakawn. In answer to my enquiry as to who he was, I learned -that he was a Prayā, the highest rank among Lāo officials; that he had -formerly been first in the Lakawn court, but was not then in office. But -where had he received a Bible, and who had taught him? - -I learned that some twenty years before this he had accompanied his -Prince to Bangkok, and there had met Dr. Bradley, from whom he received -a copy of the Old Testament History in Siamese, and the New Testament so -far as it was then published. He had learned Siamese in order to be able -to read and understand the contents of these books. He often wished that -he had lived in the time of Christ. But, having no one to guide him, he -had not learned to draw the lessons that the Bible story was designed to -teach. - -He had come to Chiengmai to get the assistance of the princes there in -righting an unjust decision of the Lakawn court against him. He had -heard, too, that there were teachers of a new religion; and he wished to -know whether we taught as did Dr. Bradley and the books received from -him. His position, his manners, his whole history, including his -connection with my father-in-law, attracted me to him with uncommon -force. Our first interview was long and very satisfactory. His questions -were such as he had long wished to put to some one who could explain -them. The truth had been securely lodged in his mind. It was most -interesting to see how a single new thought would illuminate it all. - -But what he had sown he was then reaping. While in power he doubtless -had oppressed others. Once he had received “hush money” from murderers -whom he should have prosecuted. If he had not taken it, he said they -would have murdered him, too. His sins weighed upon his conscience. His -most anxious question was whether Jesus could really save _all_ men from -_all_ sins. When asked if Buddha could do so, he said that he never had -seen any such promise in any of the scriptures. He would search again. -He went to an abbot friend from whom he borrowed, as he said, “books by -the armful.” He looked them over with this one question in view: Is -there hope of pardon offered to sinners? He went a second time for more. -At his third coming the abbot, finding out what he was after, refused to -lend to him further. But he confessed that his search was in vain. He -argued with the monks, refuted them; and they cast him off. Upon his -arrival the Chao Uparāt had promised his assistance in the lawsuit. -When, however, he found that the Prayā was becoming a Christian, he -dropped him. But he had found an intercessor greater than any earthly -prince. For Him he was willing to face all opposition and to bear all -reproach. - -He was baptized on the 8th of May, just before returning home. The rains -had already set in, and were likely greatly to impede his journey. Yet -he reached Lakawn without encountering a shower. His account of it -afterwards was, that whenever he saw the clouds threatening, he would -wave his hands and pray that they might be dispersed. Lāo Christians -have not become befogged with doubts as to the efficacy of prayer for -temporal blessings. After his return to his home, his family all became -believers, and others also whom he taught. At his invitation I went over -to instruct them and to administer the sacraments. Two years later the -number was sufficient to warrant their organization into a church, of -which the Prayā was made the first elder. - -Dr. Cheek’s return at the end of April, 1878, took from my shoulders the -care of the medical work—a very great burden. During his absence I had -put up a hospital building of six rooms. This since then has been moved, -and now forms the nucleus of the Chiengmai Hospital. The doctor soon -found himself overwhelmed with practice. He was a fine surgeon and a -good doctor, and had great influence both with princes and with people. -Moreover, Mrs. Cheek’s inheritance of the language—like my wife’s—was a -great advantage to them both. Only a few days after the doctor’s arrival -we lost our valuable hospital assistant, Lung In. One evening he -complained of some trouble about the heart. He talked a few moments with -his family, then said he felt better and would go to sleep—and in an -instant was gone. - - * * * * * - -In 1878 Chieng Sên, the old abandoned city which I visited in 1872, -became the theme of anxious consultation on the part of the government. -The Lāo had taken away the inhabitants, but could not take away the -land. It had become a rendezvous for robbers and lawless men from all -quarters. The Western Shans from Burma were settling upon it. Siam -evidently must repopulate the province, or lose it. It was finally -agreed that one thousand descendants of the original captives should be -drafted from Chiengmai, one thousand from Lakawn, and five hundred from -Lampūn, and sent back to reoccupy the province. Chao Noi Inta, the -highest in rank of the available descendants of the original captive -princes, was commissioned as governor. The special interest this exodus -has for our narrative lies in the fact that among these returned -captives was the family of Nān Suwan, one of our best men, and already -an elder of the church. At first Nān Suwan thought of buying himself -off, as many did. But when it was pointed out to him that his going -would be the means of starting a church there, he readily consented to -go. - -[Illustration: - - INTANON, PRINCE OF CHIENGMAI] - - -[Illustration: - - ELDER NĀN SUWAN] - -The governor was a warm friend of mine, and was urgent that we establish -a mission and a church there before Buddhist temples could be built. The -province was virgin soil. A great mortality usually attends the -repeopling of deserted places and the clearing of the land. The governor -was very anxious that we should send a physician. Had we gone then with -five hundred ounces of quinine, we should have had command of the -situation. As it was, Nān Suwan was furnished with some quinine, which -gave him the name of doctor. Broad-minded, hospitable, kindly, and -thoroughly upright, there could have been no better selection. He became -the real father of the Chieng Sên church. His family was a light in the -city. His youngest daughter, Kūi Kêo, one of Mrs. McGilvary’s first -pupils, taught most of the early Christians there to read the Scriptures -in Siamese. The elder himself became a great favourite with the -governor, who used to say that the fact of his being governor, and, -therefore, under authority, alone prevented him from uniting with the -church. Another of the returning captives was Sên Yā Wichai, the first -believer in Chiengmai. He settled on the western border of the Chieng -Sên plain. - - * * * * * - -The Lāo as a race have been in bondage to the spirits. We have already -had frequent occasion to refer to the slavish fear of them among all -classes, from the highest to the lowest. No event in life, from birth to -the last offices for the dead, could be undertaken without consulting or -appeasing the presiding spirits of the clan, the household, or the -country. Their anger is the fruitful cause of every disease and calamity -that flesh is heir to. - -In many ways this would seem a less elevating and ennobling cult than -pure Buddhism. But really it has a much closer affinity with -Christianity than has Buddhism, whether as scientifically held by the -learned, or as embraced by the common people. Buddhism is too atheistic -to bring it into comparison here with Christianity. It lacks the -essential attribute of religion—a sense of dependence on some higher -power. It belongs to a different order of thought. The spirit-cult, on -the other hand, does recognize invisible powers whose goodwill or -illwill brings prosperity or adversity. From this to one Great Spirit, -who is sovereign over all, is but another step on the same line of -ascent. So their spirit-offerings come nearer the idea of propitiation -than do the offerings of Buddhism, which in some quite unaccountable -manner are supposed to bring merit to the offerer. - -A belief in witchcraft—that is, in the temporary or permanent residence -of some evil spirit in men—has been confined to no one age or race. Its -predominance among the northern Tai tribes is very remarkable in view of -its inconsistency with Buddhism, which has long been the religion of the -race. In the contest for supremacy, the spirit-cult, while it has not -superseded Buddhism, has secured the stronger hold on the people. They -worship Buddha and make offerings in his temples; but they fear and -dread the power of the spirits to inflict present evil. It is safer to -neglect Buddha than these. And the power of a malicious spirit is most -dreaded when it has taken up its abode in a human habitation. - -From the time of our first arrival in Chiengmai we were continually -amazed to find what multitudes of people had been driven from their -homes for supposed witchcraft. All the northern provinces and towns, as -has already been mentioned, were largely peopled by that unfortunate -class. Accusation of witchcraft had become one of the most dreaded means -of oppression and persecution. It was a favourite way of getting rid of -an envied rival or of a disagreeable neighbour. No family and no rank -were safe from such attack. Princes, even, had fallen under its ban. -When once the suspicion of witchcraft was well started, the individual -or the family was doomed. Our sympathies had often been aroused in -behalf of these unfortunates; but no favourable opportunity had occurred -for interference in any other way than by our teaching. - -Finally, in August, 1878, the opportunity came. I had a request from a -prince of some wealth and standing, that I would take under our -protection Pā Sêng Bun and her family, accused of witchcraft. The woman -was first the under-wife of the Prince’s deceased father, who was a man -of note in his day. She had two fine boys by a subsequent husband, and a -niece nearly grown. This second husband was a widower, whose former wife -was suspected of dealing in the occult art; and the theory was that the -evil spirit came into her family through these sons. In that season of -heavy rains and flooded streams, the whole family was to be driven -off—some of them surely to die on the way. The patron said that he was -helpless; that no one in the land, unless it were ourselves, could -shield them from that fate. I told him that we were perfectly willing to -risk the anger of the spirits, only we did not wish unnecessarily to -offend the prejudices of the people. He was willing to assume all -_legal_ responsibility; for the rest, we might fight it out with the -spirits as we pleased. After notifying the Siamese Commissioner of the -situation, we brought the family to our place. - -That very day their house was burned down; and not a tree or bush was -left standing on the premises to furnish shelter to the spirits. But -that did not stop the clamour. There was then in their village a great -epidemic of fever. By common consent it was agreed that this had been -caused by the evil spirit resident in the lads. With boyish curiosity -they had twice or thrice gone back to visit the site of their old home, -and, strange to say, after each visit a new case of sickness had -occurred, which was, of course, attributed to their presence. It was -vain to point out the utter ridiculousness of the idea, or to show that -no sickness had occurred on our place since their arrival. That was -easily explained. The spirit was afraid of our God, and did not dare to -enter the premises. It took refuge in a large tree outside till the boys -came out again, when it entered its former habitation and went with -them. - -Finally the patron prince sent word that we must give that family up. He -could endure the odium no longer. When I refused, he threatened to take -the matter into court. To this I replied that I was perfectly willing -that the case be tried; but it should not be tried before a Lāo court, -but before the Commissioner. If they could convince him that the -sickness in the village was caused by a malicious spirit resident in -that family, they should be sent off immediately. But, I added, it would -be fair to make one condition. If the accusers failed, _they_ should be -driven off. This—as I knew it would do—put an end to the whole affair. -We heard no more of it. It was a great victory in the demon controversy; -and, later, as we shall see, it proved a boon to scores of helpless -victims. Before the arrival of the Commissioner such an outcome would -have been impossible. No Lāo court would have refused to expel persons -so accused. The family of Pā Sêng Bun proved to be a treasure, becoming -one of the most influential and valuable in the Chiengmai church. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - XIX - - THE EDICT OF RELIGIOUS TOLERATION - - -Our narrative has now brought us to a point where an apparently trivial -circumstance became the occasion of an event not only of utmost -importance to us and to our work, but of far-reaching consequences to -the country at large. Sometime near the middle of this year, 1878, the -eldest daughter of Nān Inta was to be married to a Christian young man -studying for the ministry. Both parties at that time were virtually -members of our family. The expected bride was a pupil of Mrs. -McGilvary’s, and the groom was a private pupil of mine. The immediate -family connections on both sides were Christians. Inasmuch as this was -the first Christian marriage in the church, we had prepared to celebrate -it with a little wedding feast. Besides the Christians, a few princes -and a few special friends were invited, all anxious to see a Christian -marriage ceremony. Among the invited guests was Chao Tēpawong, Nān -Inta’s liege-lord, and brother of the Uparāt. - -We learned that the family patriarch—known to be a violent opposer of -Christianity—had threatened to prevent the marriage, unless we first -paid to him, as tribal head of the family, the spirit-fee originally -designed to furnish a feast for the spirits. It was a small sum—among -common people not more than six rupees. That payment would legalize -marriage without any further ceremony. In fact, the payment may be -regarded as a distinctively religious act, since it recognizes the -spirits as the guardians and protectors of the family. When one becomes -a Christian, that allegiance is cast off. By an unwritten law or custom -of the country, that fee belonged to the patriarch, and he decided to -exact it or make trouble. I had explained the marriage ceremony to the -princes and to the Commissioner. I knew that the latter recognized the -justice of our position, and I assumed that the government would support -us if the patriarch caused any trouble. - -Sure enough, early in the morning the patriarch’s loud voice was heard -in our yard threatening dire punishment to the family if his demand were -not granted. The bride’s father became alarmed, and thought we must have -some official backing, or he would surely get into trouble. The guests -had arrived, and every one was on the _qui vive_ to see which side was -to win in the contest. I went to the liege-lord of the family for his -sanction; but he said it was too big a question for him to pass upon. I -must go to a higher authority. It had evidently become a question that -could not be settled that morning. Old Adam would have said, “Marry them -and trust to the justice of your cause. Let the old patriarch whistle!” -But we teach our Christians to be obedient to the law, and we wished to -avoid unnecessary trouble. So there was nothing to do but to swallow our -mortification, apologize to our guests, invite them to partake of the -feast, and seek legal sanction afterwards. - -After dinner that same day Dr. Cheek and I called upon the Commissioner. -We had failed, and were come to him for advice. His sympathies were -easily enlisted, but he had no authority to interfere in local or tribal -matters. He advised us to go to the Prince. We did so, meeting him and -the Princess alone. Their position was like that of the Commissioner. -They, too, sympathized with the young couple and with us. But it raised -a new question for them, and they feared to give offence. The Princess -said they had been criticised by our enemies for standing by us; but if -the Chao Uparāt would give his sanction, no one else, they thought, -would dare oppose. So we went next to the Uparāt; but there we ran -against a stone wall. He inwardly laughed at our predicament. He had us -just where he wanted us to be. If our young people could not marry, our -work would be virtually stopped. He said that no one but the King of -Siam had authority to interfere in such a question. - -We returned home signally defeated. Next day I went alone to the Chao -Uparāt, and argued the justice of our case. The parties had renounced -their allegiance to the spirits. It was clearly unreasonable to require -what we could not conscientiously submit to. I even begged him to come -to our aid, since both the Commissioner and the Prince had said that -they were sure that no one else would oppose his decision. If we were -compelled, we must appeal to His Majesty the King of Siam, though we -should be very reluctant to do so. Since marriage is a civil as well as -a religious rite, I was sure His Majesty would admit the justice of our -appeal. Either thinking that we would not make the appeal, or that the -appeal would be in vain, he at last refused to discuss the question -further. Little did he know, nor did we then, that he was doing the best -possible thing for us. - -I returned then to the Commissioner to report. The conflict which, as we -have seen, was probably inevitable between the royal authority -represented by the Commissioner on the one hand, and the local rulers on -the other, was becoming inevitable sooner than was anticipated. The -Commissioner just then was himself having great trouble with officials -who were restive under his authority. The Lakawn Princes had a -difficulty among themselves, and had come to the Commissioner to have -the case adjudicated. His decision had been unfavourable to one of the -higher officials—probably the chief himself. Whoever it was, he had -committed the unpardonable offence of departing to Lakawn without taking -leave of the Commissioner, presumably intending to appeal to Bangkok. So -that morning I found His Excellency indignant at the insult offered to -him, and, through him, to his sovereign. The royal authority which he -represented was challenged. Moreover, some of the acts of the Chao -Uparāt had offended him. His impressions were confirmed and strengthened -by the recital of our grievances. He advised me to write these all out -in full, giving specifications that could be substantiated—and such were -rapidly multiplying. For, provoked at Nān Inta and his family, and -emboldened with his own success in stopping the wedding, the Chao Uparāt -had summoned Nān Inta and had set him to watching his summer-house on -the river—the work of a menial, such as Nān Inta had never yet been -reduced to doing. - -At last the moment had come when an appeal for religious toleration -might be made with fair prospect of success. As the only way of avoiding -continual interference in the future, the Commissioner himself advised -that the appeal be made for religious toleration in general, rather than -for freedom of Christian marriage, which was only a single item. The -Commissioner was busily engaged in writing out a report of his own -grievances, to be sent to the King. He said that he would mention our -case also in his report, and offered to forward my letter with his -despatches. - -I immediately dropped everything else, and addressed myself to writing -that appeal unto Cæsar. In it I referred to the sanction of the Siamese -government to the establishment of the mission, given after the -interview with Prince Kāwilōrot at Wat Chêng, and subsequently renewed -on the appointment of his successor, Prince Intanon. I was very careful -not only to exonerate the latter from all blame, but also highly to -commend both him and his Princess for their uniform kindness, and for -their sympathy in this particular emergency. But the act of the Chao -Uparāt was, no doubt, only the beginning of what he would do if he were -not restrained. It was evidently his intention to reduce to slavery a -family that had always been free. In behalf of his loyal Christian -subjects we begged His Majesty to guarantee to them the same privileges, -civil and religious, which his other subjects enjoyed, among which -surely was the right to be married according to the ceremony of their -own religion. One request I put in with some misgiving—that the -Christians might be exempted from compulsory work on the Sabbath; -otherwise that point might always be used to create difficulty when the -master was hostile. While thus making our appeal to man, importunate -prayer was continually offered to Him who had been our help in times -past. - -It was very necessary that the appeal should go as the joint action of -the mission as then constituted. I was aware that Dr. Cheek, the only -other member of the mission then on the ground, did not enter heartily -into the appeal. He was fearful that it would only make bad worse; that -it would give offence to the Lāo rulers, and possibly to the Siamese as -well. But as regards the Lāo, matters had already reached an extremity -in the case of the one who really ruled the country. And as to the -Siamese, our only human hope was in the King. So, when my paper was -finished, I took it to Dr. Cheek, and read it over to him. He listened -very attentively to the reading, and at its close I was delighted to -hear him say, “That seems all right.” After a few clerical alterations -which he suggested, we both signed the paper. A summary of it was read -to the Commissioner, and was afterwards enclosed by him with his -despatches. Our appeal to the King of Siam had, of course, to be made -through the United States Consul, Colonel Sickels. Our letter to the -King was, therefore, sent unsealed under cover to the Consul, so that he -might read it; and with it went a letter giving him a full account of -all the particulars of the case, and urging him to use his influence, -both personal and official, on our behalf. The whole was entrusted to a -special messenger in a swift boat, with instructions to make all -possible speed. - -Having done our best, we waited prayerfully and hopefully. But the -greatness of the issue involved made us anxious. The liberal policy of -the young King was not then so well known as it became later. One could -not be absolutely certain how even our Consul would regard it. We -trusted, however, to the friendship of the Foreign Minister, who had -invited me to Pechaburī, and who had always been our true friend. No one -of all these persons concerned disappointed our expectations, or even -our hopes. - -Colonel Sickels acted with commendable despatch. He was favoured in -securing an audience without the usual formalities. At that time His -Majesty had a regular day each week when his subjects and others might -approach him informally in his summer garden with petitions on urgent -business. Our appeal was presented to him there. He was already aware of -its nature through the Commissioner’s despatches. Anxiety with regard to -the political situation in the North no doubt prompted him to a decisive -assertion of authority in this matter as well. His Majesty informed the -Consul that his government had already reached a decision favourable to -our request, and that full religious toleration was to be proclaimed. - -The courier returned with unwonted speed, reaching Chiengmai on Sunday, -September 29th. Late in the afternoon of that day the Commissioner -notified me of the arrival of despatches. Next morning I called upon -him. He was radiant with joy. All his own requests had been granted, and -enlarged powers had been given him, including power to make proclamation -of religious toleration in all the Lāo states. He seemed as much -delighted with our success as with his own. He said that he had already -notified the princes and officials to call in the afternoon, and he -would then inform them of the result. Of course, our hearts were -overflowing with gratitude. - -At the appointed hour the Prince, the Chao Uparāt, and all the high -officials were assembled. When the order for the proclamation was made -known, some of them made a final personal appeal to him to stay -proceedings. They argued that unrestricted permission to become -Christians would be the ruin of the country. To understand the force of -this objection it must be remembered that among the Lāo, breach of the -Seventh Commandment was punished, not by civil or criminal procedure, -but by a “spirit-fine” paid to the patriarch of the woman’s family. It -was argued that if Christian young men should transgress with Lāo girls -or women, under the new régime, no fine could be imposed, and there -would be no redress whatever. The Commissioner then sent a messenger, -asking me to come to the audience. The scene, as I entered, reminded me -of that other notable audience with Prince Kāwilōrot and another -Commissioner. The Commissioner stated their objection, and asked me what -I had to say. I replied that the difficulty was purely an imaginary one. -In the first place, it was a cardinal doctrine of the church to forbid -such sins. In the second place, if a professed Christian violated his -vows, he made himself amenable to the discipline of the church, and so -put himself beyond its protection. The Commissioner said, “I have -already so answered, but I wanted those who are present to hear it from -the teacher himself.” To this no reply was made. After a short pause the -Commissioner broke the silence. With a gesture to the audience, he said -that the business was ended. When he had leisure, the Edict would be -issued. One after another the assembled princes and officials retired. - -On my way home I noticed that the Chao Uparāt had stopped at his little -sālā beside the river, the same that Nān Inta had been set to watch. To -show that I had no personal grudge, I stopped to call on him. Rising, he -gave me a more respectful welcome than usual, and ordered a foreign rug -to be spread—the respectful way of receiving guests before the day of -chairs. When I was seated he asked why I had made complaint against him -to Bangkok—he was very sore at heart about it. I replied that I was -sorry, indeed, to be obliged to do it. Did he not remember how I had -told him that we could not submit to his decision; how I had even -entreated him not to force us to appeal to the King? And I could not -appeal without giving the facts as my ground for so doing. But now I -hoped that bygones might be bygones, and that we might be friends.—The -fact was that my letter had been translated in Bangkok, sent back to -Chiengmai, and had been read at the audience before my arrival. But I -never before had such a reception from the Uparāt. - -The wording of the proclamation was left to the Commissioner. If he had -been hostile, or even indifferent, its effect might easily have been -neutralized by a little vagueness or ambiguity. But he was anxious to -have the matter settled decisively. When I took my leave of him that -morning, he promised to show me the draft of the proclamation before he -should affix his seal. When I saw it, there were only a few verbal -changes to suggest. It was a general permission to the Lāo to adopt any -religion they pleased. I suggested that since it was specifically -granted in the interest of Christians, it was desirable that -Christianity be specifically named—which was done. At my request two -extra copies of the proclamation were made with the official seals -attached; one for deposit in our safe, and one that might be read to the -people. The following is a literal translation of this famous document: - - I Prayā Tēp Worachun, Representative of His Majesty the Supreme - King of Siam in Chiengmai, Lampūn, and Lakawn, hereby make - proclamation to the Princes, Rulers, and Officers of various - grades, and to the common people in the cities and provinces - named:—That His Majesty the King of Siam has been graciously - pleased to send me a Royal Letter under the Royal Seal, to the - effect that D. B. Sickels, Esqr., United States Consul, had - communicated to the Foreign Minister of Siam a complaint signed - by Rev. D. McGilvary and Dr. M. A. Cheek against certain parties - for molesting the Christians and compelling them to observe - their old religious customs. The Foreign Minister laid the - subject before His Majesty, who most graciously listened to the - said complaint, and gave the following Royal Command in - reference to the same:— - - That religious and civil duties do not come in conflict. That - whoever wishes to embrace any religion after seeing that it is - true and proper to be embraced, is allowed to do so without any - restriction. That the responsibility for a right or a wrong - choice rests on the individual making the choice. That there is - nothing in the laws and customs of Siam, nor in its foreign - treaties, to throw any restriction on the religious worship and - service of any one. - - To be more specific:—If any person or persons wish to embrace - the Christian Religion, they are freely permitted to follow - their own choice. - - This Proclamation is to certify that from this time forth all - persons are permitted to follow the dictates of their own - conscience in all matters of religious belief and practice. - - It is moreover strictly enjoined on Princes and Rulers, and on - relatives and friends of those who wish to become Christians, - that they throw no obstacles in their way, and that no one - enforce any creed or work which their religion forbids them to - hold or to do—such as the worship and feasting of demons, and - working on the Sabbath day, except in the case of war and other - great unavoidable works, which, however, must not be a mere - pretence, but really important. Be it further observed that they - are to have free and unobstructed observance of the Sabbath day. - And no obstacle is to be thrown in the way of American citizens - employing such persons as they may need, since such would be a - breach of the treaty between the two countries. - - Whenever this Proclamation is made known to the Princes and - Rulers and Officers and People, they are to beware and violate - no precept contained therein. - - Proclamation made on the Thirteenth Day of the Eleventh waxing - Moon, in the Eleventh Year of His Majesty’s Reign, October the - Eighth, Eighteen Hundred and Seventy-Eight. - -The Edict furnishes a second natural division in the history of the Lāo -mission. Its first period was one of struggle for its very existence, -culminating in positive prohibition to preach the gospel and virtual -expulsion of the missionaries. That situation was abruptly brought to an -end by the death of Prince Kāwilōrot and the appointment of his -son-in-law, Prince Intanon. In our second period of struggle, the -conclusion of which we have just witnessed, the conditions were in many -respects similar to those of the first. Our chief antagonists in the two -contests were alike in their love of absolute power, in their -determination to break down all rival influences, and alike, therefore, -in their settled hostility to our work. In neither case was their -antagonism to Christianity primarily on religious grounds. But Kāwilōrot -was of much more imposing personality and figure than the Uparāt. - -Within his own realm Kāwilōrot was really “Lord of Life.” He was -absolute head both of church and of state. He brooked no rival and no -contradiction in either. The highest positions in the religious -hierarchy were bestowed or withdrawn at his pleasure. His own -brothers-in-law languished in exile in Siam, because it was not thought -safe for them to return and be within his reach. At home he had -vanquished or terrified into submission all possible rivals. Even the -court of Siam seemed inspired with a wholesome fear of meddling with -him. The crime of the first Christians was the unpardonable one that -they had dared to become such against the will of Kāwilōrot. But the -time and place for such rulers had passed. Such attitude and temper -suited neither a position under superior authority, nor the policy of a -government striving to rise with the progress of the age. But he served -his purpose in the world, and Providence used him. - -Of his titular successor, Prince Intanon, and of his noble wife, I have -already spoken. His real successor in the government of the land, and in -his championship of the old régime of feudal autocracy, was the Chao -Uparāt. But he had neither the commanding dignity of Kāwilōrot nor his -interesting personality;—had little, in fact, of any of his qualities -save his lodged and settled hatred of all innovation. For him we had -none of a certain kind of respect which the late Prince inspired; and we -were under no constraint of gratitude for favours. The only debt of -gratitude the mission owed him was for being, by his lawless acts, the -unwitting and unwilling cause of the proclamation of religious freedom. - -But the crisis which he precipitated hastened likewise that -centralization of government which Siam was waiting for. The tendency of -the age is everywhere toward centralization. Strong central governments -are everywhere taking the place of weak and scattered ones. Chiengmai -itself and all the existing Lāo states have grown by the capture and -absorption of their weaker, though by no means insignificant, -neighbours. The authority and fear of Siam had long been felt indirectly -in preventing those petty wars in which one weak state captured and -enslaved another. That authority was now to be exerted more directly to -bring to an end the era of arbitrary, personal, autocratic rule among -its dependencies, and to establish in its place the more equal and -stable reign of law. Feudalism with its “organized anarchy” was to give -way to the Nation. - -Such was the period at which we have arrived in this narrative of our -life and work in the Lāo states. It is a wonderful thing to have lived -through such a series of changes, and possibly to have been, under -Providence, the means of bringing some of them about. We work for an end -apparent to ourselves; but God’s designs are deeper and broader than -ours. “He maketh the wrath of man to praise Him.” Of nations, as well as -of individuals, is it true that - - “There’s a divinity that shapes our ends, - Rough-hew them how we will.” - -Among the Christians the Edict, of course, was greeted with an outburst -of joy. To Nān Inta it was like life from the dead. It was in reality -freedom from slavery. And no man made such efficient use of it as he -did. With the sealed copy of the Edict in his hand, he returned to his -village; and wherever he went he could assure the people, on the faith -of his Sovereign, that a profession of the “Jesus-religion” meant -neither the ruffian’s club nor slavery. The effects of the Edict upon -the church will be traced in its future growth as our story moves on. I -may venture, however, to anticipate so much—that within two years’ time -two of our strongest village churches were organized; one of them in Nān -Inta’s own village. Neither of these churches could have existed had not -the Uparāt’s power been abridged. - -To the country, the new authority conferred on the High Commissioner at -that time has resulted in a revolution as silent and as effectual as the -change of the seasons. His new title, Pū Samret Rāchakān—he who fulfills -the King’s work—was used, I believe, for the first time in that -proclamation; and it really marked the passing of the sceptre from the -hands of the Princes of Chiengmai. The titular Chao Chīwit—Lord of -Life—was allowed to retain his title and honours during his lifetime; -but he has had no successor. The Lāo country has ceased to be either a -feudal dependency or a separate “buffer-state.” Silently—almost -imperceptibly—it has become an integral portion of the consolidated -Kingdom of Siam. Autocratic rule has everywhere ceased. And all these -changes are directly in line with the civilization of the age. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - XX - - SCHOOLS—THE NINE YEARS’ WANDERER - - -The year 1879 opened auspiciously. In March a little variety was -introduced into our secluded life by an official visit to Chiengmai of -Major Street, the British Commissioner at Maulmein. He and his party -arrived quite unexpectedly, spent a week in the city, and attended an -English service at the mission on Sunday. We met them a number of times, -both socially and at official dinners. They strengthened the position of -the Commissioner, and did us all good. But at that time we were -anxiously awaiting another arrival, in which we were more intimately -concerned. Mr. Wilson, who had been for two and a half years absent on -furlough, was daily expected, and with him were our long-looked-for -teachers for the Girls’ School. - -The party was to arrive on April 9th. To please the three children and -myself, on the afternoon of the 8th we four started down the river in a -small boat to meet and welcome them. But the river was low, and we had -not yet reached them when darkness came on and we were obliged to seek -moorings. When, at last, we got ashore, we learned to our great joy that -the mission boats were moored only a few hundred yards below, in the -same bend of the river. We all walked down in the moonlight, and -presently spied their lights close at hand. The young ladies had retired -to read, but not to sleep. The meeting by moonlight at the river’s brink -was quite romantic. We talked till ten o’clock, though Mr. Wilson was so -hoarse that he could scarcely speak. At daybreak our fleet was under -way. We had a jolly breakfast together on board—our visitors at their -little table, and we on the deck. We then visited hard again until noon; -but it was two o’clock before we caught sight of the mission premises, -with the native Christians all waiting to greet the arrivals, old and -new. - -The High Commissioner, a few days later, gave a dinner to the mission, -saying in the note of invitation that it was in honour of the young -ladies, for the boldness and piety that enabled them to leave their -fathers and mothers, and come so far to teach his people. When notified -of their arrival, the Princess sent down carriages and had us all up to -call on her. She was delighted to welcome the young ladies, and was -interested in the school. - - * * * * * - -The Siamese and the Lāo tongues are two closely related branches of the -same linguistic stock. The idiom and the great body of common words are -nearly the same in the two, differing, where they do differ, chiefly in -accent and intonation. Siamese is, of course, the speech of the ruling -race throughout the Siamese kingdom; and even at the time of which we -are speaking it was easy to foresee that the local dialect of its -northern provinces must eventually give way before it, especially for -all official and literary purposes. The chief obstacle in the way of a -speedy victory for the Siamese has been the fact that the Lāo is written -in a wholly different character. Were the two alike in this respect, -there is no doubt that the standard form of speech would take the place -of the dialectal almost without notice. - -Of necessity all teaching so far attempted had been in the Siamese. -There was not a schoolbook in the Lāo character save the spelling -tables. When these had been mastered, there was no reading-book in Lāo -that could be put into the hands of the pupils; nor was there prospect -of any such being printed for years to come. On the other hand, in the -Siamese character there was a considerable Christian literature in -print, both religious and general, already available for purposes of -education. Our pupils, moreover, had all been girls; and almost no Lāo -women at that time could read writing in any character. It was, -therefore, not only much simpler, but quite as well for them on other -accounts, to learn the Siamese character from the start. - -Now, however, when we were arrived at the establishment of regular -schools with a permanent organization and policy, the question could no -longer be postponed, In which language shall instruction be given? It -was not an easy question to decide. With regard to it there was -difference of opinion among the missionaries, both old and new. On the -one hand, it was urged, that since ours was a Lāo mission, the Lāo -should, of course, be the language of the schools. On the other hand -were pointed out the greater scope and availability of the Siamese, its -assured supremacy, and the dwindling future of the Lāo throughout the -territory of Siam. The matter at last was compromised by continuing the -Siamese in the Girls’ School, and adopting the Lāo for the boys. - -Meantime it was desirable to have some portions of the Scriptures in the -Lāo character; and, to accomplish this, the first requisite was a font -of Lāo type. To this end, on my first furlough in 1873, I went from -North Carolina to New York, and not only spent some time, but was at -some personal expense, in the effort to secure such a font. The American -Bible Society voted a liberal sum for the purpose. But there turned out -to be some mechanical difficulties to be overcome in making and using -the type, which were beyond my skill to solve. So, lest the attempt -should fail in my hands, I gave it up. And having accomplished nothing, -I presented no bill of expense either to the Bible Society or to the -Board. - -There seemed, indeed, to be some fatality attending our efforts in this -direction. Mr. Wilson, on the furlough from which he was but now -returned, had gone further. He actually succeeded in getting a font of -Lāo type. But the whole of it was lost, and never reached the -mission.[11] It was not until Dr. Peoples’ furlough in 1889 that we -succeeded in getting our present type. Meanwhile we had used the Siamese -Scriptures, with some present disadvantages, indeed, but with some -advantages as well. Some of our first Christians were attracted to our -religion by their desire to learn Siamese; and the Siamese Bible and -catechism were our textbooks. And now, under Siamese rule, knowledge of -the Siamese opens the way to promotion in the government service. -Siamese alone is taught in the government schools. Young monks are more -eager to study Siamese than their own tongue. - -Footnote 11: - - Mr. Wilson brought only a few specimens with him. He writes:—“The rest - of the type was to be boxed up and sent to Mr. Cutter, and the boxes - were to be put away in the store-room of the Mission Rooms at 23 - Centre Street, and forwarded when called for. They must have been lost - when the Board moved from 23 Centre Street to the Lenox property, and - then to 156 Fifth Avenue.” - -But the important thing, after all, was that we had a school actually -begun, and that there was teaching in _both_ dialects. It was like a new -beginning of our work under conditions more favourable than at the -first. For twelve years it had been a hard, and, sometimes, an -apparently hopeless struggle. But the history of missions affords many -similar instances with even fewer visible results. In twelve years we -had gathered forty converts into the church. Some of these were among -the most useful we have ever had in the history of the mission. It is -hard to estimate rightly the importance of work spent on the foundations -of such an enterprise. But now, with that church organized, with the -medical work well established, the evangelistic work strengthened, and -the initial school, begun long before by Mrs. McGilvary, placed on a -permanent basis, we could write in large letters on our altar, -“Jehovah-Nissi”—Jehovah our banner. - - * * * * * - -In the early part of this year, 1879, twelve more persons were gathered -into the church. One of them was Pā Sêng Bun, the poor woman accused of -witchcraft, who, with so much difficulty, was saved from her -persecutors. Another was Mûn C., who was a daily visitor when we were -here on our first tour of exploration. And another was our own dear -little Margaret. Somewhat later there came to our notice one of the most -interesting of all the incidents in the chequered history of our -mission. One morning, on returning from my work in the city, I was told -that a man had been waiting to see me, and was then talking to Nān Inta. -Stepping down to the house, where a number of persons had collected, I -saw a handsome man of medium height, but of striking figure, larger and -more portly than is usual among the Lāo, and thirty-three years old, as -I learned. - -Nān Tā, for that was the stranger’s name, said that not long after our -first arrival in Chiengmai, while he was yet a monk in the king’s -monastery, he had visited me, and was struck with those points in the -teachings of Christianity which differentiate it from Buddhism. He -received a copy of the Gospel of Matthew in Siamese, learned a few -verses, and took the book home with him to the monastery. Afterwards he -visited me occasionally to take a few further lessons in it. He was a -protégé of Prince Kāwilōrot, who paid the expenses of his entering the -monastic order. He thus became the Prince’s “Luk kêo”[12] (_jewel-son_), -in effect his adopted son. Not long after this he left the priesthood, -married, and settled out in the country. But he paid us a few visits -from time to time, always, as he said, to talk on religion and to study -Siamese. - -Footnote 12: - - A designation whose nearest parallel in English is, perhaps, - _god-son_. - -When the order for the murder of the Christians was given, a monk who -was a friend of his met him in the streets, and asked whether he knew -that his house was to be burned over his head, explaining that the -Prince had nourished him as a son, and now he had apostatized and joined -the foreign religion. Advising him to consider well and quickly, the -priest hurried on. So it had become known in the palace that he was -visiting us and studying the Jesus-religion. There was no time to be -lost, not even to bid good-bye to his young wife. On that eventful -Saturday afternoon, just before the flight of our servants, he stopped -at our door; but seeing no one, he hastened on. On Sunday he secreted -himself in a deserted monastery near the mountains. Next day he fell in -with a company of traders, going to Chieng Rāi, six days’ journey to the -north, and travelled with them without making known what his errand was. -At Chieng Rāi he learned that the Christians were put to death the day -after he left. He was still within the Lāo realm, and might be arrested. -He made his way, therefore, to Keng Tung, in Burmese territory, ten or -fifteen days’ journey still further to the north. - -After remaining there some three years, he returned to Chieng Rāi, where -he heard of the death of Kāwilōrot and the accession of Prince Intanon. -Still in fear, he passed through the towns to the east of Chiengmai, -venturing even as near as Lakawn. Then crossing the Mê Ping valley to -the south of Chiengmai, he went beyond the Salwin into Burma, stopping -awhile among the Red Karens, and then going on to Maulmein. Seeing there -a foreigner’s house, he enquired if anything was known concerning the -missionaries in Zimme (Chiengmai). Nothing was known of them. Returning -again to Siamese territory, he went to Rahêng, thinking that he would go -on to Bangkok. There, however, he was told that the missionaries had -gone back to the United States—information based, no doubt, on our -departure on furlough. - -During his long wanderings he had made friends as he could, and to -support himself had sometimes turned peddler. In the haste of his flight -from home he had taken nothing with him except his copy of the Gospel of -Matthew in Siamese. He could not read it well, but he kept it as a kind -of talisman, till it was now well worn. He had learned to pray daily. He -never dared to return till he heard of the Edict of Toleration. He -regarded it as a special providence that his wife, strange to say, had -not married again. The child born after his flight he found grown to be -a fine girl nine years old. He was delighted to find the missionaries -again. - -It was a thrilling story. This man did not have to become a Christian—he -was one already. His first desire was to understand all that there was -in his Gospel of Matthew. It was evident that he had been spared and -kept for some wise purpose. And so it proved. Since I needed a teacher, -and since he was a fine Buddhist scholar, I employed him as teacher, so -that I might have him near me in order to teach him. He was an apt -pupil, making rapid progress in knowledge, and growing in grace. His -romantic history interested and attracted others. As a church member, as -a ruling elder, and afterwards as an ordained minister, he was a power -in the church till the day when he was taken up. Thousands heard the -Gospel from his lips, and many were drawn by his words and by his life -into the fold of Christ. - -How wonderful are God’s ways in leading His people! Doubtless the -defection of this man was one of the things which alarmed Kāwilōrot. It -may even have hastened the fate of the martyrs. But no doubt the Lord -chose a wonderful way of saving to His church this most useful minister -of the Gospel. - - * * * * * - -After long-continued weakness on the part of Mrs. McGilvary, an acute -attack of pneumonia made a longer stay in the country impossible. My -daughter Cornelia was taken ill at the same time. So, with but little -preparation, on December 28th, 1879, both mother and daughter were -carried in chairs to the boat, and we hastened out of the country. -Stopping in Bangkok only a few days, we embarked for Hongkong. We met -the China Sea in its worst mood. For three days and nights we did not -see the captain’s face; neither did he see sun, moon, or stars in that -most dangerous tract of the sea. The skylight was fastened down, for the -waves swept the vessel from stem to stern. We were good sailors; but we -could not but pity the one hundred and twenty Chinese steerage -passengers, allowed on deck only a few moments twice a day for a breath -of air, after which they had almost to be forced back into their hole -again. There was withal just enough of the spice of danger to make the -sight of Victoria Peak at last doubly welcome. - -By this time my family were all so much improved by the journey that -there was question whether I should proceed with them, or should return -to Chiengmai for another year’s work. It was evident that, in order to -regain her strength, Mrs. McGilvary would require a longer stay in the -United States than one year. I could neither spare the time for so long -a furlough for myself, nor could I expect the Board to grant it. The -question was not an easy one; but we decided at last that my wife and -children should continue their journey to the United States, and that I -should return to Chiengmai alone. - -During my few days’ stay in Bangkok, through the kindness of our Consul, -I had an audience with His Majesty the King. I desired to express to him -in person my thanks for the Edict of Toleration. After some remarks -addressed to the other gentlemen present, the King asked me if I were -not, during the previous month, the bearer of despatches from his -Commissioner in the North—showing that he did not overlook small -matters, as a king might be expected to do. He enquired how I liked the -Commissioner, whether I preached in Siamese or in Lāo, how many converts -we had, etc., etc. It was a very pleasant interview. - -As I ascended the river, it became plain that the water was too low to -permit the latter stage of the trip to be made in my large boat. At -Chiengmai I should find a house, but not a home. Before I could reach -it, the touring season would be nearly over. The thought of stopping a -season for work at Rahêng struck me favourably. The more I considered -it, the more attractive it became. To be sure, I had not secured the -sanction of the mission to that particular enterprise; but I had always -been allowed to choose my own touring ground. An officer, Sên Utamā, -offered me a site for a bamboo house gratis; and before I had announced -my final decision, he and others began to cut bamboo on it to build the -house. I had asked for guidance, and the question seemed to settle -itself. - -I cannot dwell on the interesting six months of the year 1880 spent -there. Sên Utamā was interested from the first. By affliction he had -been wonderfully prepared for, and seemed to be waiting for, the very -consolation that the Gospel offered him. An ex-tax-collector, a Chinese -of some influence, was in the same state of mind, and soon joined the -other as an enquirer. My student, Noi Intachak, entered heartily into -the work. Soon, with my cook and boy, we had the nucleus of quite an -interesting congregation who attended worship twice a day. It was a -delight to teach them. - -The case of the Chinese was deeply interesting. He believed the Gospel -plan of salvation, and was deeply anxious to be saved from his sin and -its punishment. But there was one serious obstacle in the way of his -making an open profession—he had two wives. The real wife—the one he had -formally married—was childless. The one he had bought was younger, and -had two lovable little children, both girls. I recall almost with tears -the burning questionings we had over that situation. He seemed willing -to make any self-sacrifice that duty required. But what was duty? Should -he divorce one of them? If so, which one? “Of course, he must keep the -real one,” you will say. But what of the young mother and the helpless -babes? The very mention of their being turned adrift, even with a dower, -had produced a scene in the family. The poor woman felt quite unable to -care for the children alone. The children were his children. It might -easily have been the ruin both of mother and babes to put her away. My -heart was not hard enough to advise that. Surely the man had not cut -himself off from the hope of salvation by his past—by an error or sin of -ignorance. The conditions of church-membership are faith and repentance. -The sacraments of the church are baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Shall we -offer a man the pardon of his sin without its sacramental seals?—the -glorious hope of endless fellowship in heaven, but not the communion of -saints on earth? A precisely parallel case I had met before in the -person of a native doctor at Mûang Awn. “What then,” the reader will -ask, “did you do?” Why, in each case I just did nothing. I followed the -letter of the law, and baptized neither one. But “the letter killeth; -the spirit maketh alive.” - -In due time Sên Utamā and a nephew of the Chinese were baptized. An -interesting tour was made up the river. But the station in Chiengmai was -feeling the pressure of the growing work. In July, 1880, the church of -Bethlehem was organized, and there were promising openings in other -districts. It was evident that the Board was not in a condition to -consider a permanent station in Rahêng. It would have been an -interesting field for permanent occupation; but for temporary work, I -had been there as long a time as we could afford to spend in one place. - -Just then Prayā Sīhanāt—the officer from Lakawn who, two years before, -had greeted me with “Ephphatha”—invited me to return with him. His ears -were not opened, but his heart was. He had taught the Christian faith to -his wife and children and a few others, and among these was a fellow -ex-officer. He wished with them to receive further and fuller -instruction, and to be taken into the fellowship of the church. Without -waiting to ascertain whether I could go, he was come with a boat to -bring me. This seemed to me the guiding hand of providence, and I -followed it. - -Since a single boat cannot ascend the rapids without the help of another -boat’s crew, we made arrangements to join forces with another party, and -make the trip together. The night before we were to start, the river, -which had been steadily rising, became a flood so strong that my host -dared not face it in his small craft. Our companions, however, did not -wait for us, but went on as they had planned. We waited ten days for -another party, as well as for the river to go down. Imagine my -sensations, then, when, presently, we learned that the captain and owner -of the principal boat in the flotilla with which we had planned to make -the trip, was shot and killed, and his boat was plundered! A band of -dacoits secreted themselves behind a cluster of trees where the channel -runs close to the bank, shot the steersman at his oar, and then had the -boat at their mercy. Since all foreigners are supposed to carry money, -the attack may well have been intended for me. Earlier in that same -year, while returning alone to Rahêng, I came near being entrapped by a -similar band. - -The visit to Lakawn was interesting and profitable. Ten days were spent -with the new converts. While my friend, the Prayā, had been busy, the -devil had not been idle. One of the princes had threatened to have one -of his head men flogged if he joined the Christians. But before we left, -a church was organized, with Prayā Sīhanāt as elder. - -From Lakawn I took elephants to Chiengmai, and spent the last Sunday of -my trip with Nān Inta and the newly organized church of Bethlehem, named -after Mr. Wilson’s old church in Pennsylvania. Nān Inta was waiting for -me where the road to his village turned off from the main route. On -Christmas day following this, Mr. Wilson, Dr. Cheek, and Miss Cole -organized yet another church at Mê Dawk Dêng, where Nān Suwan had been -doing faithful work. In both these cases the persecution for supposed -witchcraft had furnished a good nucleus for the church, which thereafter -the Edict of Toleration protected from expulsion. - -All the departments of our work, medical, educational, evangelistic, -were prospering. Nān Tā, the long-time wanderer, was becoming a power -second only to Nān Inta, and destined ultimately to surpass him. Like -him, he was a man of fine address and bearing, and a good Buddhist -scholar; but he was much younger. Being, moreover, the son of a -Prayā—the highest grade of Lāo officers—he had an influence with the -nobility such as no other of our Christians had. In the church he began -to show a capacity and power such as probably no other person has -exercised. - -Meanwhile Mr. Wilson was working on plans for a building for the Girls’ -High School. Already the school numbered forty-two pupils, but with no -place in which to teach them save the teacher’s house. The season had -been very hard on Miss Campbell’s health. She was very young, and had -come direct to Chiengmai from the seminary without any period of rest, -and with a constitution by no means robust. The mission voted her a trip -to Bangkok for rest. Little did we think when we bade her good-bye that -we should see her face no more. - -Financially for me the year had been the hardest in my life. With all -the economy we could use—and we did not spend a useless penny—it seemed -impossible for me to keep my family going. When we left Chiengmai we had -overdrawn our salary, and the amount had to be made up that year. This -condition was one of the straws that helped to determine me to stop over -in Rahêng. I could live more cheaply there; in fact, could hardly spend -money there if I wished to. In only one matter had I been greatly -disappointed in Rahêng; I hoped to be in somewhat closer communication -with my family, about whom I still felt some anxiety. I was, indeed, -nearer them in space, but it proved much further in time. The largest -mail of the year passed on up to Chiengmai, and was sent back, reaching -Rahêng just after I had left the place. It finally reached me in -Chiengmai on the last day of the year 1880! - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - XXI - - SECOND FURLOUGH - - -My health had been such that I hoped I might safely forego my furlough, -and have my wife and our youngest child return to Chiengmai alone. My -wife, after finding a home for a while with her brother, Professor -Bradley, in Oakland, had gone on in the spring to North Carolina. But -she was not gaining much in strength, and plainly required another year. -My own health was not so good as it was at the beginning of the year. -Certain symptoms gave me anxiety, and decided me to delay my own -furlough no longer. If it was to be taken at all, the sooner the better. -So on March 12th, 1881, I started for the United States. The furlough -which was now beginning ended twenty-three years of service in the -general field of Siam, and fourteen years spent among the Lāo. - -I had proceeded down the river but a few days, when a passing boat -brought the astounding intelligence of the tragic death of our esteemed -and youngest co-labourer, Miss Mary Campbell. What words can express the -shock I received! The news was confirmed a few days later by Dr. Cheek, -whom I met on the river. At this distance it is unnecessary to enlarge -on the particulars of the sad catastrophe. Indeed, it was all so sudden -that there were few particulars to relate. Dr. Cheek had gone down to -Bangkok on business soon after Miss Campbell left us, and now was -returning with Miss Campbell under his escort. At the close of a hot -day’s run, the boats lay moored by a sand-bar for the night. They had -had their evening meal and worship together. Dr. Cheek had taken his -bath in the river, had examined the bar, and notified Miss Campbell how -far it was safe to venture in taking hers. But somehow she ventured out -too far—to a depth from which only angelic arms could receive her to a -shore where there is no more death. - -The brave effort of her Lāo maid, Kam Tip, and Dr. Cheek’s unsuccessful -search till long after-life must have been extinct, were well known at -the time. She had but just come to her chosen field of work, in the -bloom of youth and in the full ardour of her first consecration, little -thinking that her work was to be so soon and so sadly closed. Her last -written words to a friend, with the ink on them scarcely dry before her -death, were: “But I am not alone, for I have found in my dear Lāo girls, -Bûk and Kam Tip, and in Nān Tā, my teacher, more company than I ever -expected. I wish I could lend them to you long enough for you to know -them.” - - * * * * * - -It will be evident to all that in 1881 the working force of the mission -was entirely inadequate for occupying and cultivating the broad and -inviting field, now opened to us as never before. The medical work, -constantly enlarging, occupied the physician’s whole time. Mr. Wilson’s -physical condition, never very strong, confined his labours to the -station and its immediate vicinity. The attention which these alone -required would more than fill one man’s time. The death of Miss Campbell -made imperative an associate for Miss Cole. So, even if the trip to the -United States had not been rendered imperative by considerations of my -own health, the best interests of the work itself seemed to demand that -some one should go to seek reinforcement by direct and personal appeal -to the church at home. - -As for Mrs. McGilvary, after spending the spring of 1880 with her -brother in Oakland, California, she came on with our younger son to -Statesville, North Carolina, where she could be with our daughters, and -not far from our elder son in Davidson College. - -On my arrival in New York, I hastened on at once to North Carolina, -where I spent the summer with my family and friends, lecturing from time -to time in the churches. The fall of this year I spent in Texas and -Arkansas, visiting relatives and friends who had migrated thither from -the family nest in North Carolina. In Texas I attended the meeting of -the Southern Synod, and both there and elsewhere I found many -opportunities for presenting the cause of foreign missions; and -everywhere I encountered warm reception and eager interest in the work -among the Lāo. In the winter I came north to visit the Theological -Seminaries, and to enlist men for the Lāo mission. On my way I stopped -in Oxford, Ohio, where I met Miss Lizzie Westervelt (afterward Mrs. -Stanley K. Phraner), then in her senior year in Miss Peabody’s Seminary, -and preparing for missionary work among the Lāo, upon which she entered -in the following year. This was the school which had given us Miss Mary -Campbell and Miss Edna Cole a few years before. - -[Illustration: - - DR. McGILVARY - 1881] - - -[Illustration: - - MRS. McGILVARY - 1881] - - -While waiting for the Theological Seminaries to re-open after the -Christmas recess, I was the guest of my wife’s cousins at Castleton -Corners, Staten Island. There I had the very pleasant experience of -observing “Watch Night” with the Moravian Church, of which my friends -were members. They called on the Lāo missionary for an account of his -experience in the field. In that, of course, there was nothing -remarkable. But near the close of the next year, when writing to the -family, I alluded to the pleasant memory of Watch Night and sent my -greetings to the church with a request to be remembered in their -prayers. Instead of giving my message verbally, my friends read the -letter itself, and it seemed to be appreciated. The result was that the -Lāo letter came to be looked for regularly as a part of the watch -service, and one was sent to them every year—if I were on the field—for -seventeen years. It was a comfort to know that special prayer was always -offered for us by that great missionary church as the old year was -dying, and the new year was coming in. - -The Professors at Princeton, Union, and Allegheny all gave their cordial -endorsement and aid to me in my efforts to secure men. “We want you to -get our best men,” they said, and the Lord gave them to us. From -Princeton came Chalmers Martin of the senior class. He had been chosen, -however, for the Hebrew Fellowship, and was, therefore, delayed a year -before entering upon his missionary work. Though his career in the Lāo -field was a short one, he left a lasting mark there, as we shall see. -Allegheny gave us Rev. S. C. Peoples, M.D., and his brother-in-law, Rev. -J. H. Hearst. Dr. Peoples’ bow still abides in strength. His double -preparation both as a minister and as a physician, gave him unusual -equipment for the work he has accomplished. Mr. Hearst, however, soon -succumbed to the Chiengmai climate. - -Union gave us that consecrated young man, McLaren, who chose the great -city of Bangkok—a fitting field for him, since his broad sympathies were -bounded by no one race or people. His career also was cut short within a -few months by cholera, contracted while ministering to dying seamen in -the harbour during a severe epidemic of the disease. - -The Northwestern Woman’s Board of Foreign Missions was then, as it has -been since, a great centre of missionary enthusiasm. It had sent out -Miss Cole and Miss Campbell; and now the sudden death of the latter had -caused its interest and that of the Chicago churches to concentrate upon -the Lāo mission. It was to this combination of circumstances that I was -indebted for an invitation to attend its Annual Meeting in Minneapolis, -and to speak there. Then the appointment of Dr. L. E. Wishard’s daughter -(afterwards Mrs. Dr. Fulton of Canton, China), and that of Miss Sadie -Wirt (Mrs. Dr. S. C. Peoples), from his church in Chicago, gave me a -pleasant visit in the Doctor’s family both as I went up to Minneapolis -and as I returned. On a Sunday at Lake Forest, between the Sunday -School, the University, the Ladies’ Seminary, and the church, the Lāo -Mission had four hearings. At Minneapolis we learned that Miss Warner -from the Northwestern Woman’s Board, and Miss Griffin from the -Southwestern, were also appointed to our mission, and Miss Linnell to -Lower Siam. This completed our number, the largest reinforcement the -mission has ever received at one time. - -After the adjournment of the Northwestern Board, a Sunday was spent with -the family and the church of Miss Mary Campbell. After that, -appointments with other churches filled up my time till the meeting of -the General Assembly in Springfield, Illinois, which I attended, though -not as a delegate. Our Presbytery of North Laos had not then been -organized, and Dr. E. P. Dunlap was the representative of the Presbytery -of Siam. At that meeting it seemed to me that a golden opportunity was -missed for drawing together in a closer union the Northern and the -Southern branches of the Presbyterian Church. The outcome threw the -Southern church, much more weakened by the war than the Northern, on its -own resources. In proportion to its financial strength, it has developed -into one of the strongest missionary churches in the land, both as -regards the home work and the foreign. Meantime, with the growth of the -country generally, the Northern Assembly is becoming too unwieldy a body -for its best efficiency. I believe the time will come when there will be -three Assemblies rather than one, with a triennial Assembly of all on a -basis of representation agreed upon by the three—somewhat after the plan -of the Methodist and the Episcopal churches; or, more nearly still, -after the plan of the Pan-Presbyterian Council. - -In duties and pleasures such as have just been described, the time -slipped by till it was the 6th of June, 1882, before I again reached my -family in Statesville. We were to start Lāo-ward about the middle of -July. My furlough ended with a visit to my old charge at Union, to -attend the dedication of a new church there, and to see my old friends -once more. - -We began to gather up our scattered forces at Chicago, where the Fifth -Church gave to its pastor’s daughter, and to the rest of us there -present, a hearty farewell. The others of our large party joined us at -different points on our route across the continent. Dr. Eugene P. Dunlap -and his family, also returning from furlough, were the very last to join -us, just in time to sail with us from San Francisco. - -A missionary’s vacation is very delightful, but the last day of it—the -day that brings him back to his home and his work—is the best of it all. -The small Bangkok steamers of those days could not furnish accommodation -for our whole party at once. Some of us were, therefore, compelled to -lie over at Canton—a circumstance which changed the ultimate location of -one of our young ladies to the Canton mission, just as a previous -successor to Miss Campbell had in a similar manner been changed to -another station in China. But where there are young folks, such -accidents will happen. - -At Bangkok our United States Consul, General Partridge, arranged for us -an audience with the King. His Majesty gave us a cordial reception, -expressing his gratification at seeing so many American missionaries -coming to his country; since he knew that they came to instruct his -people, and to make them more intelligent and better citizens. - -Reinforcements surely had not come too soon. Dr. Wilson, Mrs. Cheek, and -Miss Cole were the only missionaries on the field when we returned; for -Dr. Cheek was absent on business. It was now four years since the -proclamation of religious toleration; and for the first time was there -prospect of workers enough to make any use of the advantages it offered. - -[Illustration: - - CHULALONGKORN, KING OF SIAM, 1872-1910] - - -But had we relied too much on human aid? Were we too much elated in view -of our present numbers, with Mr. Martin to follow the next year? After a -short stay in Bangkok, we reached Chiengmai in the midst of one of those -violent epidemics of fever by which the Lāo country was then, perhaps, -more frequently visited than it is now. Mr. and Mrs. Hearst and Miss -Warner were soon prostrated with the disease, and at one time, out of -the whole mission, scarcely enough were left to care for the sick. Mr. -and Mrs. Hearst soon decided to give up the struggle and withdraw from -the field. Miss Warner continued longer, but ultimately she, too, -retired with broken health. As already stated, Mr. McLaren died of -cholera after a few hours’ sickness in Bangkok. God was teaching us that -it is “not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, saith Jehovah.” - -Soon other complications arose. Smallpox was brought by pupils into the -Girls’ School, and, to our consternation, Miss Griffin fell a victim. -She had been vaccinated in her childhood, but was not revaccinated on -leaving home—which is always a wise precaution for those expecting to -travel or to live in the East. Proper measures prevented further spread -of the disease; and though our patient had a rather hard attack, yet she -made good recovery. - -During our absence, the church had sustained a great loss in the death -of Nān Inta, our first convert and assistant. But his works do follow -him, and his life will long continue to be a precious legacy to the Lāo -church. He lived, however, until others were ready to take his place. -Nān Sī Wichai, who long had been Dr. Cheek’s teacher, was a strong -character, and he was ordained as an elder. Nān Tā, also, who had -wandered so far and so long after the persecution, was growing to be a -power in the church, and afterwards had the honour of becoming the first -ordained minister among the Lāo. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - XXII - - A SURVEYING EXPEDITION - - -On the 26th of February, 1884, an East Indian appeared on our veranda -with an unexpected note from my old guest and friend, Rev. Dr. J. N. -Cushing of the American Baptist Shan Mission. The surprise and pleasure -of a visit from him and Mrs. Cushing in the early and lonesome days of -the mission have already been referred to. The note told us that he was -now connected, as interpreter, with a surveying expedition under Holt S. -Hallett, Esq., and that the party would arrive in Chiengmai on the -following day. The railroad for which Mr. Hallett was surveying a route -was part of a scheme, then on foot, to build a road from Maulmein to -Chiengmai, there to connect with a road from Bangkok, through the Lāo -country, to Chieng Sên, and, if successful, to be continued up to -Yunnan, China. For some reason the scheme was not carried out, but the -prospect of any road to connect our isolated field with the outside -world was attractive to us. - -The party arrived the next day; and since it would be very inconvenient -for Mr. Hallett to be separated from Dr. Cushing, we found room in our -house for Mr. Hallett also, and had a fine visit with both. They soon -began to tempt me to join their expedition. All expenses were to be -paid. They were not to travel on Sunday. Their intended route, through -the towns and villages on the way to Chieng Rāi and Chieng Sên, and -southward again to Lakawn, was over ground I was anxious to travel once -more. The trip would give me a long and profitable visit with my friend, -Dr. Cushing. But, besides all personal considerations, it seemed right -to give a little aid to an enterprise that would redound to the good of -the country. - -Our Chiengmai Prince, then quite old, was most incredulous as to the -possibilities of the wonderful railroad. In his book, _A Thousand Miles -on an Elephant in the Shan States_, Mr. Hallett has given an amusing -account of his first interview with the Prince. He had great difficulty -in understanding how a train could move faster than ponies, or how it -could move at all without being drawn by some animal. And how could it -ascend the hills? For it would surely slide down unless it were pulled -up. “I explained to him that I had made three railways in England, -therefore he might rely upon what I had said. Railways were made in -various parts of the world over much more difficult hills than those -lying between Zimme (Chiengmai) and Maulmein.... He seemed quite -stupefied by the revelation. It might be so—it must be so, as I had seen -it; but he could not understand how it could be. He was very old; he -could not live much longer. He hoped we would be quick in setting about -and constructing the line, as otherwise he would not have the pleasure -of seeing it.” - -We started at last on March 3d, 1884, with four large riding elephants, -four pack-elephants, and numerous carriers, making forty-one persons in -all. The passport from the Siamese government, supplemented by one from -the acting Commissioner, and the presence with us of a Lāo official of -some rank, sent to see that the orders were carried out, secured for us -men and elephants and all necessary equipments, so far as the country -could furnish them. The local officials were usually very kind, and as -prompt as native officials ever were in those days. Mr. Hallett was very -considerate in arranging to stop for the night and on Sundays near large -villages and towns, where a little missionary work could be done. In the -cities where there were Christians, we held regular services on Sundays. -On these occasions our chief gave the influence of his presence, though, -of course, he could not understand what was said. - -On this trip we had a good opportunity for studying the characteristics -of the elephant. He is very conscious of his dignity, and must be -treated with the respect due to a king, and not with the familiarity of -an equal. Yet one is amused at his timidity. I myself have seen one -ready to stampede if a squirrel or a big rat ran across the road in -front of him. Mr. Hallett says: “Elephants, though immense in size, are -very timid, and easily startled. We had to take them off the path and -turn their heads away into the jungles, whenever we heard the tinkling -bells of an approaching caravan; and they will turn tail and run at the -sight of an audacious little dog that thinks fit to bark at them.” - -On some of the stages of our march, when we had a mother-elephant in our -company, we had the mischievous youngster along. Such are always an -unceasing source of amusement. One of these seemed to have a special -spite against Mr. Hallett’s Madras boy, either because of his peculiar -dress, or for some liberty he had taken with him. Mr. Hallett writes: -“The little elephant was taking every chance he could get to hustle the -men over as they forded the streams, and to souse them with water from -his trunk. Portow, who had an overweening opinion of his own dignity, -and was bent on setting up as an oracle, was, unfortunately, the butt of -the boys, but was likewise the sport of the baby-elephant. Many a time -have I seen him hustled over by the youngster, who seemed to have picked -him out as his playmate. Slyly and softly stealing up behind, he would -suddenly increase his pace, and, with a quick shuffle or a sudden lurch, -shoulder him sprawling to the ground. Portow, during this part of the -journey, behaved like a hunted man, ever looking behind to see whether -the dreadful infant was behind.” - -My friend, Dr. Cushing, who had been put in charge of the train, and our -prince-guide, both believed in the oriental idea of making an impression -by as imposing a pageant as possible. On nearing Chieng Rāi, they -marshalled us in procession, so that we entered the city in state, with -ten armed men leading the way. Possibly it had its desired effect, for a -warm welcome was given us, and every aid was granted. - -In the eleven years since my first visit there with Dr. Vrooman, the -city had grown in size. The fertility of its soil and the large extent -of its arable land were sure to attract still larger population from the -south. In addition to these natural advantages, it had then another -strong claim for a mission station. While all the other Lāo states, -through their rulers, submitted to the introduction of Christianity -rather than welcomed it, Chieng Rāi and Chieng Sên were exceptions. The -rulers of both desired the presence of the missionaries. - -The Sunday spent there was a welcome day of rest. The week had been a -strenuous one. In the morning we held a public service—the first ever -held there. Mr. Hallett and our prince-guide attended, and curiosity -collected quite a congregation. After tiffin, Dr. Cushing and I spent -several hours—the first quiet ones we had had—reading in the monastery -grounds at the great bend of the river. - -That evening I met the governor at home and, save for the presence of -his wife, alone. His intelligent enquiries as to the truths and -teachings of our religion showed that he had already thought much on the -subject. Krū Nān Tā and he were not very distant relatives, and had had -many conversations on the subject. His regard for our mission and his -earnest desire for a mission station, as well as the protection he -afterwards gave the Christians when they were wronged, had, I believe, a -deeper foundation than an intellectual interest, or even a personal -friendship for us. - -Our next stage was Chieng Sên. There Nān Suwan, our ruling elder, and -his family gave us a warm welcome. He met us at the city gate, hardly -hoping there would be a missionary in the expedition, which, rumour told -him, was coming. His house stood on the bank of the river, just where -Dr. Vrooman and I landed thirteen years before, when the only occupants -were wild beasts. The new settlers had been so busy providing housing -and sustenance for themselves, that only one monastery building had been -roofed, and only a portion of its images stored under shelter. Our old -friend the governor had only a bamboo residence. Nān Suwan had made -friends by the help of the quinine with which he had been supplied, and -he had the best house in the city. It served, also, as a chapel, in -which, with grateful hearts, we worshipped on Sunday. - -The governor was even more insistent in his demand for a mission station -than the governor of Chieng Rāi had been. He even offered to send down -elephants to move us up, if we would come. His was not the deep -religious nature of the Chieng Rāi governor. He possibly believed that -in their sphere all religions were alike good. He urged, as he had done -before, that we might even then forestall the monasteries and preoccupy -the field. Nothing would have pleased me more, had it been possible, -than to accept the cordial invitation. It was true, as the governor -said, “The people must and will have some religion. If you do not give -them Christianity, they must take Buddhism.” It was only necessity that -could resist such a plea. But half a loaf is better than no bread. If we -were not ready to start a regular station in Chieng Sên, we must somehow -work the field as best we could. That consideration determined my long -tours in the dry seasons of the years that followed. - -Up to this time I had never been properly equipped and outfitted for -such tours. One outcome of this trip was a great improvement in my means -of transportation for the future. An application made long before this -to the Board for an elephant, had been received as a huge joke. But now -it happened that in the assignment of elephants for our upward trip, a -large _sadaw_—a male without tusks—had fallen to me. He proved to be an -exceptionally fine beast belonging to an estate about to be divided. He -must be sold, and was held at a very cheap figure. With the help of a -contribution by Mr. Hallett, and the hire paid for its use, I was able -to purchase it. The deputy governor gave me a good howdah for it. I was -as proud of my new acquisition as ever a boy was of a new toy. But since -few elephants will travel well alone, I now needed a mate for him. -Before long I was fortunate enough to get a cheap and equally good -female. I was then prepared for my long tours. I could cross streams in -safety, and be protected from rain, even if my journey were prolonged -beyond the limits of the dry season. - -On our return journey, in Mûang Payao, we came in contact with the worst -epidemic of smallpox that I have ever seen. We met it at every turn in -the street. With difficulty could we keep parents with children, all -broken out with the disease, in their arms, from crowding round us in -our sālā. We had hardly taken our seats on the rugs spread for us at the -governor’s official reception of Mr. Hallett, when we discovered cases -of smallpox all about us. Dr. Cushing was nervously afraid of it, and -retired. I had to remain an hour as interpreter. Imagine our -consternation on reaching the next station to find that the Doctor -showed unmistakable signs of having contracted the dreadful disease, -although he had been vaccinated in his youth. What a discovery to be -made on a journey, and four days from home! On consultation it was -thought best to hasten on to Chiengmai, a thing which our mode of travel -made possible. Mr. and Mrs. Chalmers Martin had arrived during our -absence, and had taken up their quarters in our house. It was, -therefore, impossible to take our sick friend in. We did the next best -thing, and gave him a new bamboo house on our hospital lot, where Dr. -Peoples carefully watched over him till he made a rapid recovery, and -was able to return home in a boat as far as Bangkok, and thence by sea -_via_ Singapore. It was a sad close, however, to our pleasant visit -together, and to our otherwise interesting and profitable tour. - - * * * * * - -I returned from Chieng Sên, as we have seen, with an elephant of my own. -On reaching home I found awaiting me the best pony I ever had. It was -sent to me as a present from the governor of Mê Hawng Sawn, near the -Salwin River. I had never been to Mê Hawng Sawn, and had but a very -limited acquaintance with the governor. According to my uniform custom -in those days, on his official visits to Chiengmai, I had twice called -upon him as the governor of a neighbouring province. On both occasions -we had conversation on the different merits of the two religions. On one -of these visits he had brought down some ponies to sell, and on my -asking the price of one he said, “I am very sorry that I have sold all -my gentle ones. There is only one left. If you can use him, I shall be -glad to give him to you.” It is a McGilvary trait not to be timid about -horses, and I said, “I will try him.” So the pony was sent down to my -house; but he proved rather too much for my horsemanship. The first time -I mounted him, he threw me and sprained my wrist. It was the unanimous -vote of the family that he be returned with thanks. The governor sent -back word that he was very sorry; but never mind; when he reached home -he would see to it that I had a good pony—a message which, I am sorry to -say, I took as a good oriental compliment. I had even forgotten all -about the matter, when, on my return from this trip, I found the pony in -my stable. He was a most valuable and timely present. - -But we are not quite done with Mr. Hallett’s survey. He made a short -excursion without an interpreter to the hot Springs. But his final trip -was to be to Mûang Fāng, six days to the north and west of the route -previously taken, and distant some eighty-three miles from Chiengmai. -His object was to see if there were not an easier route to Chieng Rāi -down the valleys of the Mê Fang and the Mê Kok. The trip strongly -appealed both to Mr. Martin and to me, and we gladly accepted Mr. -Hallett’s invitation to accompany him. - -Mûang Fāng was an ancient city captured and destroyed by the Burmese in -1717; so that it lay in ruins nearly two hundred years before it was -re-peopled. Besides Mûang Fāng, we visited, either in going or -returning, four other cities—Chieng Dāo, Mûang Ngāi, Mûang Pāo, and -Mûang Kên. Not far to the south of Mûang Fāng we visited the cave of Top -Tao, noted in the Buddhist legends of Northern Siam. Mr. Hallett thus -describes our experiences there: - - “Inside was a lofty cavern lighted by a natural skylight. On a - raised platform in the cave was a great reclining image of - Buddha some thirty feet long, and around it a number of figures - representing his disciples. Numerous small wooden and stone - images of Buddha had been placed by pious pilgrims about the - platforms. Pillows, mattresses, robes, yellow drapery, flags, - water-bottles, rice-bowls, fans, dolls, images of temples, - doll’s houses for the spirits, and all sorts of trumpery, were - lying together with fresh and faded flowers that had been - offered to the images, and were strewn in front of them. A steep - ladder led up to niches near the roof of the cave, in which - images were enshrined. - - “My companions, full of ardor, determined to explore the inner - recesses of the cave, and accordingly lighted their torches and - proceeded further into the bowels of the earth, whilst I enjoyed - a quiet smoke amongst the gods. Down they went, creeping through - low, narrow passages, over rocks, and along ledges, with chasms - and pits lining their path as the cave expanded—bottomless as - far as they could judge by the faint light of their torches, but - really not more than twenty or thirty feet deep—until they could - get no further, and had to return, having proceeded about the - eighth of a mile.” - -That night brought us to the Mê Fāng River. The narrative proceeds: - - “Here we spent the most unpleasant night we had yet spent, as we - were troubled with rain, heat, and mosquitoes. We were told that - game was plentiful. Wild cattle larger than buffaloes come in - droves from the hills to graze in the plain, while the - rhinoceros and the elephant roam about the plains. - - “At our next stopping-place, after we had settled ourselves in - an empty house, a villager came to inform us that the house - belonged to the Chief of Mûang Fāng, and that anybody that slept - in it would have his head cut off. As rain was threatening, we - determined to risk the penalty, and we were soon glad that we - had done so, as the rain poured down in torrents.” - -There is a small deer called tamnê, which twenty years ago was very -abundant in all the northern provinces. They are not found in the very -tall grass of the river-bottoms, but in grass about waist-high thickly -covering the higher plains. They have their beds in this grass by day, -and graze at night. They are lower than the grass, and never leap so as -to show the body, but glide smoothly along as if swimming, discovering -their presence only through the parting and waving of the grass. -Sometimes you get right upon them before they will run. - -One Saturday we got Mr. Hallett interested in some survey or -calculations not requiring the aid of an interpreter, and Mr. Martin and -I had our first deer hunt. We took six of our elephants, and, going out -about an hour’s ride or more from the city, we formed in open order -abreast, about forty yards apart, and in perfect silence moved forward -over the plain. The hunter thus starts his own game. He sits on the -back, or, better still, on the neck of his elephant, with gun cocked, -ready for a shot at the first noise or movement in the grass. We started -about a dozen of the deer, and emptied many cartridges, but came back to -camp with no meat—much to Mr. Hallett’s disgust. - -Mûang Fāng, like Chieng Sên, was rich in images of all sizes and -materials. I never saw finer bronze ones. It was a favourite field from -which Siamese princes and officials could get a supply otherwise -unattainable in those days. Of course, _they_ have a right to them. But -when a German traveller undertook a wholesale speculation in the images -of Buddha, it was quite another matter, and he got into serious -difficulty with the government. - -Soon after our return to Chiengmai, Mr. Hallett left us for Bangkok. -From his long residence in Burma and from his close connection with the -mission and missionaries during his expedition among what he calls the -Shan States, he understood the methods and results of missionary work -better than most visitors who have written upon the subject. The kind -words of the dedication of his book, though often quoted, may well -conclude this chapter. - -“To the American Missionaries in Burma and 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.” - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - XXIII - - EVANGELISTIC TRAINING - - -On our return from the surveying expedition in the summer of 1884, we -found F. B. Gould, Esq., our first British Vice-Consul, already -established in Chiengmai. It was an important event for the country; -since a British official in any place is a guarantee that at least the -outward forms of law and justice will be observed. In one important -sense, too, it marked a new era for the mission, or, at least, for the -missionaries. - -Those who have not tried can hardly imagine the privation of living -eighteen years without a mail system of any kind. Our only dependence so -far was on catching chance trading boats to and from Bangkok. These were -always an uncertain quantity; in very low water they almost ceased to -travel. Some boatmen preferred not to be responsible for the mail, not -knowing what it might contain. In the great city of Bangkok, and even in -Chiengmai, it required a constant effort to keep ourselves informed of -the departures of boats. The consequence was that an absence of news -from children, friends, and the outside world generally, for three or -four months at a time, was very common. Sometimes the interval was as -much as eight months. Add to this the time of the long river trip, and -our news sometimes would be nearly a year old when it reached us. Mr. -Wilson’s family and mine had schooled ourselves to these conditions; but -to those who had been accustomed to a daily mail, they must have been -almost unendurable. - -The new Vice-Consul came, determined by all means to get some regular -communication established, if it were only a monthly one. We were only -too glad to do whatever we could to that end. It was a matter of pride -to both parties that we arranged at once for a regular and most -successful semi-monthly mail overland to Maulmein. I furnished a -reliable Christian man for chief contractor, and good men for carriers. -Since Mr. Gould had as yet no authority from his government to incur any -expense, the arrangement was wholly a private affair, with the -understanding that all who availed themselves of it should pay a -quarterly assessment for the maintenance of the line. But in a short -time the British government assumed the whole expense. Mr. Gould -promised to get the staff exempt from corvée, or compulsory government -service. He had to use his official authority for that. - -The Lāo government had absolutely no interest in a mail, whether weekly -or yearly; but the Siamese looked rather askance at having in their own -country a mail service over which they had no control. It seemed to be -in some way a reflection on their national pride. There is little doubt -that our private enterprise hastened the weekly government mail from -Bangkok, which was started the next year. And since the Maulmein route -is quicker by two weeks than the one by Bangkok, the Siamese government -has of late maintained both, the two meeting at Rahêng, and giving us a -very creditable and regular mail service. - - * * * * * - -In the spring of 1884 the mission sustained a great loss in the death of -Princess Tipa Kēsawn, Prince Intanon’s consort, whom we were in the -habit of calling “the Queen.” Placed as she was, she could not well have -avoided the making of priests’ garments, and the going through with the -form of making offerings to the spirits. But I seriously doubt whether -she had any expectation of laying up thereby a store of merit for the -future. One thing we do know, that in her last sickness she turned no -anxious look to any of these things, at a time when thoughtful Buddhists -are always most diligent in their efforts. Dr. Peoples of our mission -attended her in her last illness, and the case was submitted entirely to -him. Mrs. McGilvary and I were both with her the day before she died. -Mrs. McGilvary was with her at her death, and remained to see the body -dressed for the coffin. We missed her very much as a friend, and the -whole country missed her as a balance-wheel for her husband. - - * * * * * - -On the arrival of the reinforcement in 1883, a Presbytery was organized -of the four ministers, Wilson, Peoples, Hearst, and McGilvary. I was -then full of the idea of a theological training-class. My experience of -the accumulated power added to the missionary’s efforts by having such -assistants as Nān Inta, Nān Suwan, and Noi Intachak, raised in my mind -the question, Why not increase the number? Having had no schools, we -had, of course, no body of young men educated on Christian lines whom we -might train for the ministry; and we could not have such for years to -come. But we had in our churches mature men of deeply religious nature, -earnest students of Buddhism, and carefully educated in all the learning -of their race. And a man so trained has many compensations for his lack -of training in our elementary schools. He knows the sacred books of his -own people, their strength and their weakness. He understands the -thoughts, the needs, and the difficulties of a Buddhist enquirer, and -the mode of argument by which these difficulties are to be met, as no -young man of his own race, and as no foreign teacher can do. The -training needed to make such a man an efficient preacher of the Gospel, -is training in the Christian Scriptures, together with practical -experience in evangelistic work under efficient direction. - -I was at that time giving regular instruction to Noi Intachak, one of -the finest young men I have ever known in that country, and very anxious -to become a minister.[13] To Nān Tā, afterwards our efficient minister, -I was giving instruction less regularly, as it was possible for him to -take it. But it would have been both easier and more profitable to teach -a class of six or eight. By qualifying such a group of young men to -work, and then working with them and through them, I believed that my -own efficiency could be quadrupled, or even sextupled, as it was doubled -when I had Nān Inta to work with. - -Footnote 13: - - Our hopes for his future career, alas, were cut short by his untimely - death in the following year. - -With these thoughts and this experience impressed on my mind, and in -order that my plan, if adopted, might have the ecclesiastical sanction -of the Presbytery as well as the corporate sanction of the mission, I -had urged the organization of the Presbytery just as soon as we had the -minimum quorum required. In order to give the discussion its proper -outlook and perspective, I noticed, also, in the paper which I read -before the Presbytery, the necessity of a general education for all our -Christians, and of High Schools for both sexes; while I sketched more in -detail the nature and the methods of special instruction intended for -those in training to become evangelists and ministers. - -The training proposed for this last group was intended primarily to -equip the most capable and most promising individuals among the converts -for filling well their places as lay officers and leaders in the -churches, and for engaging intelligently in evangelistic work. But -beyond this it was thought that it would ultimately furnish a body of -picked men from whom again the best might be chosen as candidates for -further instruction leading up to the ministerial office. The course was -to be flexible enough to permit occasional attendance with profit on the -part of men whose household duties or whose business would not permit -them to attend regularly. Its special feature was actual and constant -practice in evangelistic work under the direction and supervision of the -Principal, and with him as his assistants on his tours. - -In view of the poverty of the Lāo generally, and in order to make it -possible for these men to maintain their families while occupied with -this training, it was further proposed that they should receive a -moderate allowance of, perhaps, eight rupees per month of actual -service, or about three dollars of our money. This seemed not -unreasonable, since in Christian lands it is thought a wise provision to -assist students in their preparation for the ministry; and since what is -required to support one European missionary family, would support half a -dozen fairly educated native ministers or ten good native evangelists. - -The Presbytery took hold of the scheme with much ardour, and at once -began to organize it into shape, but on far too large a scale, and with -far too formidable and too foreign apparatus. A regular “Board of -Education” was created, with rules and regulations better suited to -American conditions than to those of the Lāo churches. A committee was -further appointed to examine all applicants for the course, much after -the manner of receiving candidates for the ministry under the care of a -Presbytery. Their “motives for seeking the ministry” were to be enquired -into, while as yet it was not at all known whether they would desire to -become ministers. The allowance in each case was to be the absolute -minimum which it was supposed would suffice for the maintenance of the -student after he had provided all that he could himself. Noi Intachak, -for example, was allowed the maximum of eight rupees a month, while Noi -Chai—one of the best Buddhist scholars in the country, a young man with -a family, living ten miles away in the country—was allowed five rupees, -on the ground that he was not very poor; while yet another was allowed -but three. - -After this ordeal—which was thought to be a good test of their -sincerity—the rest of the six or eight candidates for instruction -declined to commit themselves. None of them understood exactly what the -Board of Education was about. I myself was greatly disappointed at the -outcome. After a week of listless study, Noi Chai begged to be allowed -to withdraw, and the whole thing was disbanded. My hopeful private class -was killed by too much “red tape,” and with it all possibility of a -training-class for four years to come. I was again set free for long -tours and my favourite evangelistic work. - -I continued to teach Noi Intachak till his lamented death, and I devoted -what spare time I could to teaching the long-time wanderer, Nān Tā, who -had become our best evangelist. There seems to have been some fatality -connected with all our efforts to establish a theological training -school. When the next attempt was made, under Mr. Dodd’s direction, with -a large and interesting class enthusiastically taught, through some -cause or combination of causes—for it would be difficult to specify any -single one as alone determinative—it was allowed to slip out of our -hands. Possibly a leading cause in this case was the same that was -operative in the other. At a time when the mission was pressing the idea -of self-support to its breaking point, an allowance probably too scanty -was offered in the evangelistic work to the men who had been trained for -it. The whole question in the Lāo field, as it doubtless is in others, -is a difficult one. As wages in other departments rise, and the demand -for competent men becomes more pressing both in governmental and in -private business, the question will become more difficult still. While -on the one hand there is the danger of making a mercenary ministry, on -the other hand we must remember that, the world over, educated labour -now costs more, but is not, therefore, necessarily dearer. The same -penny-wise and pound-foolish policy has lost us the strength of some of -the best men in our church, our schools, our hospitals, and our -printing-press, because more lucrative positions are offered elsewhere. -But we must remember first of all that theological schools, like all -others, are not made, but grow; and, second, that the law of competition -prevails here, too, as well as elsewhere. It is easy to say that it -ought not to do so, as between the ministry and other professions, or -between the missionary work and other more lucrative callings. But to a -certain extent the same law does hold, and it is a fact to be reckoned -with. - - * * * * * - -In May, 1884, H. R. H. Prince Krommamûn Bijit, a brother of the King of -Siam, arrived and took up his residence in Chiengmai—probably to give -prestige to the High Commissioner, and possibly to smooth the road of -the new British Consul. It was an open secret that the Prince of -Chiengmai could see no need whatever for a British Resident, and at -times he was not slow to make his views known. For a while the relations -between the two were somewhat strained. Yet it was of the utmost -importance that the relations between England and Siam should remain -cordial. At the same time it was a part of the plan of Siam, since fully -carried out, to assume complete control of the government in the -northern states. What was of more special interest to us was, as we -shall see, not only that Prince Bijit was personally friendly, but that -he brought with him substantial evidence of the good will of His Majesty -and of the Siamese government toward our work. - -It was in this year that our first attempt at establishing a mountain -sanitarium was made. It was designed to furnish a refuge from the great -heat of the plain, to be a retreat for invalids, and a place where new -missionaries might more safely become acclimatized, and still be -studying the language. But as a matter of fact, new missionaries are put -to work so promptly that it is about as hard for them to withdraw from -the battle as it is for the older ones. Since we kept no watchman on the -premises, the sanitarium was afterwards burned down—possibly by forest -fires. Later a better and more convenient situation was found nearer the -city, so near that a man can ride up in the evening, spend the night -there with his family, and return in the morning to his work for the -day. It is in a delightful situation beside a cool brook, but is too low -for the best results as a health resort. - - * * * * * - -At the Annual Meeting in December, the importance of opening a new -station in Lakawn was discussed. The baptism of the officer from that -city, and the organization of a church there, have already been -mentioned. The officer was constant in his appeals for the establishment -of a station there, with a missionary in residence. Although Mr. Wilson -was soon to start with his family for the United States on a furlough, -there would still be left in Chiengmai—if I were sent to Lakawn—two -ministers and two physicians, even if these were but three men in all. -Besides, there were beginning to be some good native assistants in -Chiengmai. No one had expressed a desire to open a new station, and no -one had been sounded in regard to the matter. So I determined to make -now the visit to Lakawn which I had planned for the previous fall, but -had been unable to accomplish. My wife and our little son Norwood were -to accompany me. When our preparations were well advanced, what was our -delight to find that Dr. and Mrs. Peoples wished to accompany us, if -they could obtain elephants. When this was mentioned to Prince Bijit, he -not only volunteered the elephants, but informed us that he had -authority from His Majesty to see that we had a lot for our station -there, and, furthermore, that, in passing through Lakawn, he had already -secured for us one of the most desirable lots in the place. In addition -to this, His Majesty had sent by him two thousand rupees as a -contribution toward the new station and a hospital. Who could fail to -see that the guiding hand of the Lord was in it! Before this I had -written to our United States Consul to get permission to secure a lot -there, but had never once thought of a contribution, much less of one so -liberal. Mrs. McGilvary thus reports our trip in a letter to our -daughter: - - “Lakawn, January 30th, 1885. We reached Lampūn on Friday. I - curtained off one end of the sālā just north of the city, and - Mrs. Peoples did the same at the other end, leaving the space - between and the veranda for callers. There we spent the Sabbath. - Your father preached twice to very attentive audiences. We were - impressed with the favourable prospect for mission work, and - hope to make a longer visit to the place soon. We left on - Monday, and reached this place on Thursday noon, and lodged in a - public sālā just opposite the beautiful lot which the Prince has - given us for a station. It is in a fine site, one of the best in - the city. We called on the Chief this morning, and all seemed - pleased at the prospect of having a mission station here. It is - not yet settled who is to open it. We are willing to come, and - so are Dr. and Mrs. Peoples.” - -[Illustration: - - PRESBYTERY, RETURNING FROM MEETING IN LAKAWN] - - -As may well be imagined, we returned to Chiengmai with grateful hearts -for the many providences that had favoured us. The new station was -assured. We had not then thought of keeping two physicians for -Chiengmai. Dr. Cheek had charge of the medical work. Dr. Peoples, -naturally, preferred a field where he would have ample scope both for -his medical profession and for the itinerating work of which he was -equally fond. His double profession and other qualifications fitted him -as no one else could be fitted for opening the new station. On my wife’s -account I was very willing to yield him the pleasure—for such to me it -has always been—of breaking new ground. Mrs. McGilvary had already had -the labour and self-denial of opening two stations, one of which was a -new mission. The importance of Lakawn as the next station could not be -challenged. Dr. and Mrs. Peoples themselves were pleased with the place -and the prospect of the new field. So they were unanimously appointed -and set apart to the new and important work. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - XXIV - - STRUGGLE WITH THE POWERS OF DARKNESS - - -The belief in witchcraft was still prevalent everywhere, and this year -brought us striking illustrations of its cruel power. An elderly man -with his wife and family, living in one of the outlying villages, was -accused of witchcraft. The pair of elephants which he owned and used had -belonged to a man suspected of harbouring a malicious spirit; and it was -thought that the demon had followed these elephants into the family of -their new master. The family was promptly ostracized; but by driving off -her husband with his elephants, the wife might avoid expulsion, and -might save for herself and her daughters the comfortable home. I -endeavoured in vain to prevent this outcome. “I am much more afraid of -the spirits,” said the wife, “than of bears and tigers.” The husband -could no longer face the universal odium which he encountered, and so -was driven forth. But the spirits served the old man a good turn—they -drove him into the Christian religion, which he lives to adorn, and they -gave him two good elephants. The family afterwards applied for one of -them. As a matter of equity he gave up one, and lived comfortably with a -Christian son on the proceeds of the sale of the other. - -Then there was a great epidemic of fever in Bān Pên in the neighbouring -province of Lampūn. Few homes were left without sad hearts and vacant -places through the death of one or more members. The destroyer must be -some demon which had taken up its abode in a human habitation, and was -preying on the inhabitants of the village. The family of one of the most -prosperous men in the village was finally selected as the one which must -be the abode of the destroyer. As they could hardly decide in which -particular member of it the demon resided, they regarded all with equal -suspicion, and proceeded to wreak their vengeance to the uttermost upon -them all. - -First, according to the usual custom, anonymous letters were dropped at -the gate, warning the family to flee, or dire would be the consequences. -When threats failed, armed with an order from the court, the whole -village appeared on the scene and compelled the family to flee for their -lives. No sooner were they out of the way than their two large teak -dwelling-houses, with rice-bins, outhouses, etc., were torn down and -scattered piecemeal over the lot. Not even a tree or shrub was left on -the place. To gain a breathing-spell, the family moved into a bamboo -shed hastily extemporized on the banks of the Mê Ping, some two miles -distant from what had been their home. By some accident they were -directed to our mission. They had learned that the King’s edict -protected the Christians, and, above all, that the Christian religion -protected them from all fear of evil spirits. And so they came to see if -it were true, and if there were any refuge for them. - -Whatever was to be done for them in the way of earthly succor, must -evidently be done quickly. Their neighbours in their temporary refuge -would doubtless soon drive them away again. At the earnest entreaty of -the man I took one of the elders, and went down to look into the case -for myself. It was heart-rending. Whatever they had been able to snatch -from the wreck of a well-to-do home—beds, bedding, furniture, kitchen -utensils—was heaped up in a pile that covered the whole floor-space of -their shack. The great-grandmother, helpless in her dotage, and the -little children, were lying here and there wherever a smoother spot -could be found. Their case seemed almost hopeless as far as human aid -was concerned. Nān Chaiwana had himself appealed for aid both to the -court and to the governor, and had been told that there was nothing they -could do for him. The court was committed against him. The governor, -however, was personally friendly to us, and had shown no ill will -towards the man. It was barely possible that something might be -accomplished there. We all had worship together amid the confusion of -their hut—the first Christian service they had ever attended. They -assured us of their joyful acceptance of the Gospel, and pledged -obedience to all its teachings. We promised to do whatever we could in -their behalf, and returned home. - -Next day Mr. Martin and I went down to Lampūn to call on the governor. -He was not at home, but in the rice-fields several miles out in the -country. We followed him there. He received us kindly, but said, “Were I -to make proclamation to protect that family, it would be impossible to -enforce it. Nearly everybody in that neighbourhood believes that the -bodies or ashes of fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, or children are -in that graveyard, sent there by the demon in that family. If you can -devise some plan to protect them, you are welcome to try it; but if they -return to that village, I cannot be responsible for the results.” When -told that they had now renounced the spirits, and put themselves under -the Great Spirit, he said, “That is all very well, but how am I to -convince the others that _they_ are safe?” We then begged that he would -give the place over to us. We wanted a place for preaching. We would put -up one of the houses and establish a Christian family in it, with -medicine to cure their fevers. I would oversee it, but would ask the -family to help in the work. To this he readily consented. We trusted his -promise, and we returned encouraged. - -A few evenings later I arrived on the scene with our elder and some -other Christians, and pitched tent at the edge of the ricefield, a -hundred yards from the deserted lot, to engage in a contest with the -destroying demon. It was, moreover, a crucial contest as between -Christianity and demonism. Our whole future work in that province, and, -to a large extent, throughout the land, depended on the result. Soon -curiosity brought to our tent the head man and a large number of the -villagers. We spent the evening in preaching to them. When asked what we -proposed to do with the situation, we explained that we had come to take -possession of the house and lot—the governor had given it over to the -mission for a station. It was now the property of the Christians, over -whom the spirits had no power. It was to be dedicated to the Lord’s -work, and we even asked their aid. - -Next morning we began work, bringing in some of the men of the outcast -family to assist in identifying and reassembling the scattered timbers -of the house. With much difficulty bone was joined to bone, and timber -to timber. In a few days some of the villagers offered to be hired to -help. One or two women of the family came over to cook for the workmen. -Before long one house was set up, roofed, and floored; whereupon we -moved up into it, and invited the neighbours to attend its dedication -that evening. The evening was spent in song and prayer and praise. Many -came up into the house. More listened from the ground below. We had -given quinine to the fever patients, who were glad to get well by the -help of Christian medicine. Meanwhile the epidemic subsided, and the -worst fears of the people were allayed. - -When it became necessary for me to return to Chiengmai, I left the elder -to furnish moral support to the poor outcasts, who, little by little, -came back to their home, and became the Christian family which we had -promised to establish there. To save the land from being utterly lost to -him, Nān Chaiwana had mortgaged it to one of the princes for the -trifling sum of one hundred rupees. Not trusting to the prince’s -unselfishness, I took Nān Chaiwana’s own money, paid the mortgage, and -with some regret the prince released the property to me. Thus was it all -restored to the family. Mr. Martin and I visited the station as often as -we could. It became an interesting centre for our work, and ultimately -grew into the Bethel church. - - * * * * * - -While I was engaged in this work, a strange thing was doing on the other -side of the Mê Ping. One day a man came in from the “Big Tamarind Tree -Village” to tell us that his whole village had become Christians, and -were building a chapel. When it was finished, he would invite us to come -down and indoctrinate the people in the teachings of our religion. This -was something new, and, of course, most interesting. In due time the man -came to Chiengmai to inform us that the chapel was finished, and we were -invited to go down, take possession, dedicate it, and teach the people. - -On the following Friday, Mr. Martin and I took boat and went to the -village landing, where we separated, he going east to receive and -baptize the converts in the “new home of the teachers,” as the house at -Bān Pên long was called; and I to dedicate the new chapel at the “Big -Tamarind Tree Village.” I found the chapel there all right, and the -whole village assembled to welcome the teacher; and, apparently, like -the audience that Peter found in the house of Cornelius, ready “to hear -words whereby they might be saved.” The chapel was built mostly of -bamboo, but so new and neat that I complimented the villagers, and -expressed my great delight. After our reception, I invited them up into -the chapel for worship, and began by announcing a hymn, and inviting -them to join in learning to sing it; expecting, with my assistant and -other Christians who had accompanied me, to spend the time in teaching -them what Christianity is; presuming that their reception of it was a -foregone conclusion. - -But somehow things did not seem to run smoothly. I was conscious of -being in a wrong atmosphere. The leader of the movement seemed ill at -ease. None entered in with the accustomed zeal of new converts. My -assistant noticed the same thing, and whispered in my ear that something -was wrong. They were whispering to him, “Where is the money?” “What -money?” “Why, the fifty or one hundred rupees that we were told would -surely be forthcoming to every family that aided in the building, and -that entered the new religion. The foreigners are rich, and, of course, -will be delighted to distribute money freely.” The leader, of course, -expected the lion’s share. It had all been a mere business venture on -his part—or, rather, a swindle! This was on Saturday. On Monday morning -Mr. Martin and I met at the boat according to agreement, he to report a -good day and the baptism of ten adults along with as many children, and -the reception of a number of catechumens; and I to confess how I had -been sold. - - * * * * * - -In the summer of 1885 a most interesting work was started in some -villages to the southwest of the city. Our indefatigable Nān Tā had -visited that region, and many had professed their faith. Mr. Martin and -I both responded to the call, and made a number of visits there. Two -chapels were built by the enquirers, one at Lawng Kum, and one at Chāng -Kam. I quote the following account of this work from the New York -_Observer_: - - “June 9th, 1885.—I have just returned from the villages referred - to in my last letter. I found twenty-two families of professed - believers at Lawng Kum Chapel, which with the aid of a few - dollars from elsewhere they had succeeded in building. Among - them are at least six persons who give good evidence of a change - of heart, and the rest are interesting enquirers. Ten miles from - there, at Chāng Kam, I visited by invitation another company who - had renounced Buddhism, and who call themselves Christians. On - arriving there a roll of thirty-five families was handed me. - Most of them had attended worship at times in the chapel at - Chiengmai, and a few of them are no doubt true Christians. Here - also we secured a native house for a chapel. They contributed a - part of the small sum needed, while in this case, as in the - other, their contribution was supplemented from the monthly - contributions of the church in Chiengmai. Deputations have been - sent also from places still further away, representing in one - case twenty, and in another case twelve families enrolled by - themselves, with others only waiting for the arrival of a - teacher. - - “It is probably premature to predict what will be the result of - all this. The simultaneousness of the movement in villages - thirty or forty miles apart is remarkable. It shows a longing - for something they have not. To turn this awakening to most - account, we need more help, both native and foreign. Mr. Martin - enters into the work with all his zeal, and has contributed no - little toward keeping up the interest.” - -Our expectations in regard to the work at Lawng Kum were disappointed -mainly by removals of families to other places. The chapel in Chāng Kam -was burned down by incendiaries, but was soon replaced, and the village -has continued to be one of our most important out-stations. Its people -have recently [1910] built a new and large chapel, and will soon be -organized into a church. One zealous man in Mê Āo led first his own -family and then his neighbours into the faith, till they, too, have now -a chapel built of teak, with a band of faithful workers to worship in -it. - -Our first visits to these new places were intensely interesting. It -seemed as if the Gospel would be embraced by whole villages. But the -burning of the chapel tells a tale of a strong adverse influence. -Opposition usually drives off the timid and the merely curious. The -lines, then, are sharply drawn, and the Christian society really finds -itself. - -During the last week of the year I spent a few days at the village of Mê -Dawk Dêng to hold a communion service there, and incidentally to give my -family and the teachers of the Girls’ School a much-needed outing. It -was at the height of the rice-harvest, and, one evening, we all greatly -enjoyed the sight of a regular rice-threshing “bee” at the farm of one -of our elders. The “bee” is always at night. The bundles of rice from -the harvest-field are piled up so as to form a wall five feet high -around a space of some twenty-five feet square, with an opening for -entrance at one corner. In the centre of this square is a horizontal -frame of bamboo poles, against which the bundles of rice-heads are -forcibly struck. The grain falls to the ground below, and the straw is -tossed outside. In those days the whole plain at rice-harvest was -lighted up by bonfires of the burning straw—a glorious sight as I have -watched it from Doi Sutēp. - -We pitched our tent near by to enjoy the scene. The men and boys do the -threshing, while the women and girls do the cooking for the feast with -which the work ends. The village maidens are always on hand to encourage -their beaux in their work by passing to them water or betel-nut, and to -serve the viands at the feast. It reminded me much of the husking bees I -had seen as a lad in the South seventy years ago. How near of kin is all -the world! - -We had a delightful communion service on the Sabbath. Seven adults and -six children were baptized. On Monday morning we returned home refreshed -and better prepared for the work before us. - - * * * * * - -[Illustration: - - MARKET SCENE IN CHIENGMAI] - - -[Illustration: - - IN THE HARVEST FIELD] - - -The year had been one of marked progress. The Girls’ School had been -strengthened by the arrival of Miss Lizzie Westervelt. The new station -at Lakawn had been opened, and Dr. and Mrs. Peoples had been installed -there. More new work had been opened in the neighbourhood of Chiengmai -and Lampūn than in any one year of the history of the mission. One -hundred and two adults were added to the communion roll, and about as -many children were baptized. Our new “witchcraft-house” at Bān Pên, with -its hospitable family, afforded a comfortable prophet’s chamber for the -missionaries and a chapel for worship. The Bethel church was afterwards -organized in it. That family became highly respected, and has furnished -some of the most influential members of our church. The work in Nawng -Fān, seven miles south of Chiengmai—Nān Inta’s village—had steadily -grown. It still continues to be one of our best out-stations, and will, -during the present year [1910] be organized into a church. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - XXV - - CHRISTIAN COMMUNITIES PLANTED - - -The year 1886 opened auspiciously. But Mr. Martin had brought malaria in -his system from his old home; and the Lāo country is a better place for -contracting the infection than for eradicating it. He worked -indefatigably, but seldom with a blood-temperature down to the normal. -In January he accepted an invitation from Mr. Gould, the British -Vice-Consul, to accompany him on a tour of inspection through the -northern provinces, hoping that the change might prove beneficial. It -afforded, moreover, opportunity for some missionary work in places -seldom or never visited. He was the first to visit the Mūsô villages -high up among the mountains. He baptized a few converts in Chieng Sên, -and reported an interest there that should be followed up. - -About this same time Krū Nān Tā—for such, though not yet ordained, I -shall in future call him—returned from Chieng Rāi with a most -encouraging report of developments there. Later a deputation of seven -men, with Tāo Tēpasing as their leader, came to us from the village of -Mê Kawn in the Chieng Rāi province, earnestly entreating a visit from -the missionary. In their number was Pū King from Chieng Rāi, who had -been a notorious bandit, robber, and murderer. He had now submitted to -the government, and was given a place as public executioner and as doer -of other jobs from which only a lawless man would not shrink. Before -meeting Krū Nān Tā, he had gone so deep in sin that no hope was left -him, and he became hardened in despair. But his conscience was ill at -ease. Hearing rumours of the Christian religion, he determined that if -it could give him hope of pardon, he would seek it at any cost. He and -his wife walked one hundred and ten miles to see if it were really true -that Jesus could save even him. Our good friend the governor encouraged -his coming, and said, “If the Christian religion can make a good man out -of Pū King, I shall have no more doubts of its truth and power.” And we -have no doubt that it did that very thing. - -In a few days Krū Nān Tā and I returned with the party. Elder Āi Tū of -Chieng Rāi,[14] with his family, accompanied us. We thus had quite a -little congregation to worship nightly about the camp-fire, and every -one of the party was either a Christian or an enquirer. This was my -third trip to the north, and the first of those annual trips that have -made that road so familiar to me. - -Footnote 14: - - Afterwards Prayā Pakdī. - -The little colony of Christians at Wieng Pā Pāo was prospering. One of -them was the man whom his wife had driven off, elephants and all, for -witchcraft. Nān Tā reported the governor of the place as a believer. He -had ceased to make offerings in temples, and he ridiculed the idols. He -received us most hospitably, and desired to have a mission station -there. Afterwards, however, through policy and the influence of a -Burmese son-in-law, he resumed his old worship; though to the last in -his heart of hearts, I think, he believed our teachings to be true. In -the case of subordinate officials, the final step of joining the church -is terribly hard to take. - -At Salī Toi, “Grandma” Pan had been praying day and night for our -coming. She lived some distance away from the road, and feared that we -might pass her by. She was overjoyed to see us, and we had to check the -homage she offered us. The poor woman was sadly in need of support. She -was the only Christian in the place, and was surrounded by hostile -neighbours who absolutely rebelled against her establishing herself in -the place. Her family had renounced the spirits, and therefore her -“patriarch,” to whom she could rightly look for protection, became her -chief accuser. He went to the governor of Chieng Rāi for an order -forbidding her to settle there. But he had his thirty-mile walk for his -trouble. The governor told him that the family was not to be interfered -with. How could he forbid those whom the King’s edict allowed? - -Having failed with the governor, they tried to draw away the -daughter-in-law. But she said she would stick by her husband and his -family. Their religion should be her religion, and their God should be -her God. The villagers then notified the family that it would be held -responsible for the value of any buffalo or elephant that might die in -the village. The theory was that the demons would take vengeance on the -village for allowing the trespass of an enemy on their domains. But all -their efforts to shake the poor woman’s faith were futile. - -At Mê Kawn village, from which the delegation had chiefly come, of -course we were received with a warm welcome. On the recent visit of Nān -Tā, when the leading supporters of the temple became Christians, the -less religious families also deserted it. I even saw oxen sheltered from -the rain under its roof. A club-footed man, Noi Tāliya by name, a good -scholar in Ngīo, Burmese, and Lāo, had been the life of the temple. And -it is the earnest Buddhist that makes the earnest Christian. His son -first heard the Gospel, and, coming home, explained it to his father. -Calling his family together, the father said to them, “There are the -spirit shrines. Any one may have them who wishes to continue their -worship.” No one making a bid for them, a bonfire was made, and the once -valued treasures all vanished in smoke. When he went to Chieng Rāi to -announce his conversion to the governor and to the Uparāt, he said that -he prayed all the way that he might answer their questions discreetly -and wisely. He did not know that the governor had no more confidence in -his deserted idols and spirits than he himself had. - -On the evening of our arrival, the largest house in the village was -filled to overflowing till late in the night. Before Sunday the people -had extemporized a chapel which afterwards became the foundation of the -Mê Kawn church. Two Sundays were spent in teaching these people before -we moved on to Chieng Rāi, leaving the new disciples under the oversight -of Noi Tāliya. - -On reaching Chieng Rāi we were invited by the governor to take up our -quarters in his old residence, which we did. It was a better house than -his present one, but there had been two deaths in it, and it was -pronounced unlucky. He knew we were not afraid of ill luck. On the -contrary, it was very good luck that we got it, for the rains were now -falling daily. The governor and Nān Tā were near relatives and very -intimate friends withal. His interest in us was as teachers of the only -religion that ever afforded him a ray of hope. But on this trip Pū King, -the reformed bandit, and his family, were the centre of our interest -there. And it was not long before he, too, like Saul of Tarsus, became a -striking illustration of the grace of God. - -A few hours beyond Chieng Rāi on the road to Chieng Sên, was the home of -Āi Tū. His was the first Christian family in the province. He had -built—in part that it might furnish a guest-chamber for the missionary -on his visits, and in part that it might serve as a chapel for -worship—the largest house in all that neighbourhood. When we arrived, he -had already vacated it for us, and had moved his family down into a -shed. A number of families had begun to attend worship, and to keep the -Sabbath; but were frightened away by that ridiculously stale story that -missionaries were making Christians in order to carry them off in their -ships to feed the Yaks! Strange that such a palpable absurdity should -deceive any one; yet we have known whole villages to be frightened away -by it. - -At Chieng Sên, in the home of Nān Suwan, we were at once aware of being -in a Christian atmosphere—in a consecrated Christian family. That family -was a city set upon a hill—a leaven in the new city and province. It -alone had given Christianity a good name. The governor was free to say -that if Christianity made such men as Nān Suwan, he would like to see -the whole country Christian. The influence of the Girls’ School in -Chiengmai was strongly reflected in his daughter, Kuī Kêo. She taught no -regular school other than her Sunday School; but from time to time -during the week she taught the neighbours. Young men who began by trying -to ridicule her out of her religion, now treated her with the greatest -respect. We were told that rude young fellows singing vulgar songs would -lower their voices when passing by the house. - -We crossed the river in a small boat to spend a few days in teaching -four new families of Christians on the eastern side. One of the men was -Tāo Rāt, the village officer, and another was his son, Noi Chai. The -latter became an influential ruling elder, and, like Nān Suwan, one of -the pillars of the church. - -From Chieng Sên we crossed the broad prairie-like plain westward to Bān -Tam. The officer of the village was Sên Yā Wichai—mentioned in the early -part of this narrative as the very first believer in Chiengmai. The -journey was one of the worst for elephants that I ever made. Heavy rains -had soaked the ground so that at every step it seemed almost impossible -for them to pull their huge feet out of their tracks. The Sên lived only -a quarter of a mile from a remarkable feature of the mountain ridge. The -Mê Tam, the largest river in the plain, flows bodily out from under the -mountain, much as does one of the sources of the Mê Ping at Chieng Dāo. - -It was a great pleasure to spend a Sunday with our now venerable -Christian and his family. It was a family of officers, his three sons -all being either of the grade of Tāo or of Sên—which shows the esteem in -which the family was held. But, unfortunately, their official position -made it more difficult for the sons to follow the example of their -father. - -On Sunday night the rain came down in torrents, reminding us that it was -better for us to be at home. We started homeward early the next morning. -Our route skirted the beautiful mountain range, crossing brooks and the -larger streams of the Mê Tam and the Mê Chan. Already the road had -become almost impassable except for elephants and natives unencumbered -with shoes or trousers. - -We have already spoken of the great mortality incurred in the attempt to -people these new Lāo states. Occasionally the straggling remnant of a -family might be seen returning. One poor little boy awakened my deepest -sympathy. All of his family had died except himself and his brother, a -monk, who were trying to save themselves by flight back to their old -home in the province of Chiengmai. After I passed them I began to wonder -whether the pale, weary-faced, and exhausted travellers would ever reach -the rest they sought. Then I began to think that here I was enacting -again the old tale of the priest and the Levite who passed by on the -other side. At last I could stand it no longer. I stopped and waited for -them to come up. I offered the pitiful little skeleton of a boy a seat -with me on the back of the elephant. At first he somewhat distrusted my -motive, wondering what I wanted to do with him; but he was too weary to -refuse. When he revived, he proved to be a veritable little chatterbox, -and good company. I kept him nearly a week, till we entered the -Chiengmai plain at Doi Saket. Only four years ago, eleven children out -of five Christian families who had settled in Wieng Pā Pāo, died during -the first year. - -Returning through Chieng Rāi, we revisited the new families of -Christians in that province. In the city the governor’s wife asked us to -have worship in their new house, to which they reverently listened. When -we ended she said, “Why, they pray for everybody!” Pū King, the -executioner, was holding on with a death-grip to the hope of salvation -for the chief of sinners. The case of the apostle himself, and of the -penitent thief, greatly encouraged him. Nān Tā also was greatly rejoiced -that his brother Sên Kat became a believer on this tour. - -On my return I found Mr. Martin but little, if at all, improved, by his -trip. He was so thoroughly discouraged that he felt that he could not -face another hot season. He remained with us till the end of the rainy -season, and then, with his family, left Siam for the United States. I -never had felt so thoroughly crushed as I was at his departure. During -three whole years we had lived in the same house, and worked together -hand in hand in the evangelistic work, of which he was very fond. - -Dr. Cheek already had severed his official connection with the mission, -and had gone into business of his own. But he kindly gave his -professional service to the missionaries, and was ready to perform -pressing surgical operations for the natives who came to the hospital. - - * * * * * - -I have often wondered whether all foreign missions, have as many and as -rapid alternations of sunshine and shadow, as the Lāo mission. Our -medical work was once more at a standstill; and by the departure of Mr. -Martin, the evangelistic work again was crippled. But at Hong Kong Mr. -Martin met Rev. and Mrs. D. G. Collins, Dr. and Mrs. A. M. Cary, and -Rev. W. C. Dodd, on their way out for the Lāo mission, with Rev. W. G. -McClure for Lower Siam. Mrs. Cary had become so exhausted by continual -sea-sickness during the whole voyage, that, on her arrival in Bangkok, -many thought her unable to endure the long river trip of six or seven -weeks. Mr. McClure offered to exchange fields with the Carys; but Mrs. -Cary, with true pluck, said that she had been appointed to the Lāo -mission, and to the Lāo she would go. But, alas! it was to be otherwise. -She became worse soon after leaving Bangkok. On Sunday, January 16th, -1887, a mile above Rahêng, she became unconscious, and shortly after -gently passed into her everlasting rest. - -It was still a month’s journey to their destination. There was nothing -to be done but to lay the body to rest in the grounds of a monastery. -Who can portray that parting scene, or adequately sympathize with the -bereaved husband and sister (Mrs. Collins), or with the other members of -the party, as they performed the last sad offices, and then resumed -their lonesome journey! - -When the party reached Chiengmai on the 17th of February, they found -there only the McGilvarys, Miss Griffin, and Miss Westervelt. Miss Cole -had gone to Bangkok. But the Girls’ School was flourishing under the -direction of the two ladies last mentioned. Former pupils of the school -were then doing good service in three different provinces as teachers. -But the arrival of the new forces made possible for the first time a -Boys’ High School. Circumstances now were much more favourable than they -were when Mr. Wilson made the attempt in the earlier days of the -mission. We now had Christian patrons, and there was a growing desire in -the land for education. Buddhist pupils were willing and anxious to -attend our school. Mr. Collins preferred the educational work. As soon -as he acquired the language sufficiently well, he was put in charge of -the school for boys, and it was soon crowded with pupils. - -[Illustration: - - GIRLS’ SCHOOL IN CHIENGMAI - 1892] - - -Mr. Dodd’s preference was along the line of a Training School for -Christian workers. Happily, the taste and preference of both these men -were along the lines of greatest need. Meanwhile Mr. Dodd entered into -the evangelistic work also with a zeal that has never abated. As -newcomers see things with different eyes, it is always interesting to -get their first impressions. Mr. Dodd’s first experience is thus given -in a letter to the Board of June 9th, 1887: - - “On Friday, June 3d, Rev. D. McGilvary of the Lāo mission left - Chiengmai by boat for a tour southward, taking attendants and - all necessary equipments, accompanied by a raw recruit, and - three efficient native helpers. We arrived at our first station - about the middle of the afternoon, and before bed-time held - religious conversation with as many enquirers as time would - permit. Our audience chamber was the house of one of our - newly-received members. Our ‘outward and ordinary means’ of - attracting an audience was a watch, two mariner’s compasses, a - magnifying glass, a stereoscope with an assortment of views, and - a violin. The raw recruit played the violin, and thus called the - audience together. We used both the other attractions to hold - them and to gain their confidence and interest; and afterwards - Dr. McGilvary easily and naturally drew them into religious - conversation. Soon the conversation became a monologue of - instruction in the religion of the great God. The violin was no - longer needed to arouse or sustain an interest. Every day, and - late into the evening, the Doctor and the three assistants - conversed; sometimes to quite an audience, sometimes to - individual enquirers. - - “The religious attitude of the people was a revelation to the - newly-arrived missionary, and doubtless would be to most of - God’s people in the United States. Nearly all of these people - had heard of the ‘religion of the great God,’ but knew nothing - about it, since the district had never before been visited by a - missionary.... But their receptivity was marvellous.... Without - exception these Buddhists confessed at the outset, or were soon - brought to concede, the immeasurable superiority of - Christianity. Many said, ‘It is of no use to argue. Your books - tell the beginnings of things; ours do not.’ On one occasion - when Dr. McGilvary had finished reading and explaining the first - chapter of Genesis, one of his auditors remarked to his fellows, - ‘There is more real information on that one page than in all - Buddha’s writings.’ The sense of sin is universal, so too is the - insufficiency of the works of merit. Many sad souls confessed - that they had long been dreading the penalty for sins for which - they feared that ‘merit-making’ could not atone. - - “The results we cannot measure. We were absent two weeks. - Religious service or conversations were held in more than twenty - different homes, and in some of these several times. Audiences - varied from a single enquirer to fifty. Thus hundreds heard the - gospel for the first time. Many who seemed above the suspicion - of hypocrisy professed to believe and accept what they heard.... - One principal reason for this tour just now, was to baptize in - his own home and among his subjects the chief officer of the - district. Himself, his wife, and his whole family were - baptized—a most interesting household. The abbot of one village - monastery professes to accept Christianity. For some time he has - been sending his parishioners, including his own sister, for - instruction. There is another district officer of the same rank - as our newly-baptized convert, a constant visitor and deeply - interested. This is a specimen tour, neither better nor worse - than the average taken these days. For the last two years, - although most of the time there have been but two ordained - missionaries in the field, over ninety ascessions have been made - to the First Church.”—_Church at Home and Abroad_, May, 1888. - -Before the short trip reported by Mr. Dodd, I had taken a longer one to -the northern provinces, going over the same ground which Mr. Martin and -I had travelled the season before. This time I baptized thirty-six -adults and thirty-two non-communing members. The communion was -administered eight times. I married two couples and ordained one elder. -Each Sunday was spent in villages where there were already Christians. -This encouraging success was the harvest of seed sown on former tours, -but gathered largely through God’s blessing on the work of faithful -elders. Both in Chieng Rāi and in Chieng Sên we might then have -organized churches with a goodly number of members communing and -non-communing, and with very good material for officers. Nān Suwan at -Chieng Sên, like myself, never had the gift of fluent speech, but his -reputation for sterling integrity has left a mark that eloquence might -envy. And Āi Tū at Nāng Lê bids fair to be another power in the province -of Chieng Rāi. Both of them are strongly aided by their daughters, the -first-fruits of our Girls’ School. - -During the year 1887 the whole number of adult accessions was one -hundred and seven; and one hundred and eleven non-communing members were -added to the roll, making two hundred and eighteen additions to our -little flock, exclusive of Lakawn. As I now look back over these years, -it is plain to me that the great lack of the mission all the way through -has been the lack of well-trained native helpers; and for this lack the -mission itself is largely to blame. Those who are eager to accomplish -the evangelization of the world within the present generation, should -first of all lay hold of the present generation of Christians in every -mission field. Fill _these_ with enthusiasm, qualify them, and send them -forth, and we have a lever that will lift the world. - -From the Report of the Board in the same number of _The Church at Home -and Abroad_ cited above, we quote the following: - - “Dr. and Mrs. Peoples are still left alone in Lakawn, the utmost - picket of the foreign missionary line. Mrs. Peoples has not one - lady for a companion; and the doctor is dangerously burdened, - bearing all alone the labour of teaching and healing. For more - than two years they have been waiting for help. No station under - the care of the Foreign Board calls so loudly for reinforcements - as this. Again and again we thought we had found a Christian - couple for Lakawn; but in each case we have been disappointed. - Single men could have been sent, but it is very much to be - desired that the new missionary going there should be married. - Dr. Peoples’ medical work has won for him increasing - friendliness throughout the city.... Mrs. McGilvary has revised - the Lāo version of Matthew’s Gospel, and has translated for the - first time about half of the book of Acts. The Scriptures have - had considerable circulation among the Lāo, but only in the - Siamese tongue.... Dr. Cary had no sooner reached the field than - through the assistance of Dr. McGilvary and Norwood McGilvary, a - young lad, acting as interpreters, he was able to begin work - with regular hours for receiving patients, and for surgical - practice.... Mr. Collins has made a beginning in the much-needed - school for boys. - - “Only one other mission now under the care of our Presbyterian - Church has during the last year shown as much growth, in - proportion to the missionary force employed, as the Lāo - mission.... It is never out of place to remind our Presbyterian - Church that it is to her alone that God has committed the - evangelization of the Lāo tribes.” - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - XXVI - - A FOOTHOLD IN LAMPŪN - - -At a meeting of the Presbytery shortly before the opening of the year -1888, a committee consisting of Dr. Peoples, Mr. Dodd, and myself, was -appointed to organize two churches, one in Chieng Sên and one in Chieng -Rāi, if the way were found open to do so. We also arranged that Mrs. -McGilvary should accompany our son Norwood as far as Bangkok on his way -to the United States. And both expeditions were to start on the same -day, Monday, February 7th. - -To ease somewhat the strain of such a parting, I took an earlier leave, -and went on Saturday with Mr. Dodd to spend Sunday with the church at Mê -Dawk Dêng. That evening we performed a marriage ceremony in the church. -The next day thirteen adults were received into the church—nine by -baptism and four who were children of the church. On Monday Mrs. -McGilvary and I exchanged our last good-byes by note, and both parties -got off on Tuesday morning. Dr. and Mrs. Peoples, starting from Lakawn, -made the first stage of their journey separately from us to a rendezvous -at the Christian village of Mê Kawn, twelve miles south of Chieng Rāi. - -At our next Christian village another wedding was waiting for us, but -the course of true love did not run smooth. The bride belonged to a -well-to-do Christian family; but no member of it could read the -Scriptures. They, therefore, “redeemed” a Christian family for four -hundred rupees, in order to secure the services of the son as a sort of -Levite in the family, and to teach the eldest daughter to read. -Naturally, the two young people fell in love with each other. That was a -contingency the mother had not planned for, and a difficulty arose. She -asked, “If I take Nān —— for a son-in-law, where do my four hundred -rupees come in?” It was all in vain to tell her that she got her pay in -a good son-in-law. She said he was hers already till his debt was paid. -At last she so far relented as to allow the ceremony to take place, but -she would not see it performed. We invited the father and the rest of -the family and the neighbours into our tent, where, to their great joy, -the two were made man and wife. The implacable mother lived to see that -she had not made a bad bargain, after all. - -At Mê Kawn we were joined by Dr. and Mrs. Peoples, and we had a good -Sabbath with the little flock there. Our club-footed man had looked -after it well, and he became later a good elder and a fine -disciplinarian. About this time I was taken with a severe attack of -indigestion, from which I did not recover for many months—the only -continued sickness from which I have suffered in all my connection with -the Lāo mission. - -On reaching Chieng Rāi, we found our good friend the governor mourning -the death of his wife, the same who, when we last saw her, invited us to -worship in her house. It was a pleasure to point the bereaved man to the -divine Comforter, and we are fain to believe that our words were not in -vain. He was still anxious to have the mission station established, -which we, unfortunately, could not yet promise. The Chao Uparāt invited -Dr. Peoples to lecture with his magic lantern, and to have worship in -his residence, where we had a crowded audience. We did not organize a -church in Chieng Rāi, however, partly because the two Christian -villages, equidistant from the city north and south, could not agree on -the best place of meeting. But we found the way open in Chieng Sên, and -did organize a church there, in Nān Suwan’s house, on the very bank of -the Mê Kōng, and with one-half of its members living on the other shore. - -Dr. Peoples had left a large practice in Lakawn, and was obliged to -return. Mr. Dodd returned with them to Lakawn, and thence to Chiengmai. -I had come untrammelled, to remain as long as duty called. It seemed -very desirable to follow up the impressions already made on that -community. But I was not well, and a week’s delay found me no better. -Thinking that a change might be beneficial, I crossed the plain to Sên -Yā Wichai’s home at the foot of the mountains. It was a hard day’s ride, -and I became worse on the way. On reaching my destination I could hardly -stand. Resting there on my back a few days without improvement, it -seemed my first duty to get to a physician as soon as possible, or, at -least, make the effort to do so. Most of the way I could stop at night -either with or near Christian families. This I did, and so reached -Chiengmai on April 14th. - -During my absence the building of the Boys’ High School was completed; -and the school was opened under the direction of Mr. Collins on March -19th, with an enrollment of forty-five boys, nearly all children of -Christian parents. In June Dr. Wilson reached Chiengmai on his return -from the United States; and with him came Miss Fleeson, destined with -the Doctor to join the Peoples at Lakawn, and Miss Belle Eakin (now Mrs. -Dodd), for the Girls’ School in Chiengmai. Miss Griffin was already gone -on her furlough. - -The building for the Girls’ School had long been in process of -construction. Builders and plans had been several times changed, till at -last Dr. Cheek took the contract, and finished it in the summer of 1888. -It has served its purpose admirably these many years, and we then -thought it would do for all time. But though the lot then seemed amply -large, it proves now entirely too small for the needs of the school. -Moreover, it is impossible to enlarge it. On its south side runs the -most travelled road in the country; while on the east the land is owned -by a wealthy official, who would not sell at any price. - -Our congregations had grown till a church building became a necessity -even more urgent than, a schoolhouse. The first mission dwelling-house -was planned in part with reference to such need, its largest room long -being used for Sunday worship. Then a small temporary chapel took its -place. After that a larger teak double dwelling was bought. That, -however, would not hold more than two hundred persons—not more than half -of our largest congregations at the present day. Then for a time we -worshipped in the unfinished building for the Girls’ School. When, at -last, that was finished, it was needed for its original purpose, and we -again must move. It was then decided that we must have a church, and one -worthy of our cause—such as would attract rather than repel both rulers -and people. So one Sunday afternoon we held a meeting of the -congregation to take steps for building it. We were delighted to see the -interest manifested in the enterprise. Pā Kawng, an aged slave of the -Prince, laid down a silver rupee, which was all the money she -possessed—and it was the very first money received toward the building. -The church was completed by the end of this year. - -We had continued evidence of the friendship of Prince Intanon, and even -of his growing interest in our work. One Sunday, in answer to an -invitation given by Mrs. Cheek, he attended our communion service, -conducted that day by Mr. Wilson. Although he arrived an hour and a half -too soon, he remained all through the long service, and bowed as he took -his leave, just when the communion cups were about to be passed. On the -day of our daughter’s marriage in Statesville, North Carolina, he and -the High Commissioner attended a reception given in honour of the event. -The Prince had known her as a child, and seemed much interested. “Is it -this very night that the marriage takes place?” he asked. The reception -was a very pleasant affair. Though my wife was still in Bangkok, Miss -Fleeson and Miss Eakin entered with all their hearts into the thing, -and, with the assistance of Mr. Dodd and Mr. Collins, carried it through -in splendid shape. After refreshments we had charades and other games. -It was amusing to see the look of surprise on the face of the Prince -when the charades were played.—“What are they doing?” “What does that -mean?” “I don’t understand.” But the game was quite too recondite to be -explained to him. So, after the first charade, His Highness and his -party took their leave, assuring us that they had enjoyed the evening -very much. - -Dr. Wilson and Miss Fleeson presently journeyed on to their post at -Lakawn. The governor there gave the mission a very desirable plot of -ground for the new buildings which would be required, saying, “I am glad -to have you come. It would be a shame, when you come to live in our -country, if the government did not do something to make you -comfortable.” - -Scarcely less important than the opening of the new station in Lakawn, -was the opening of permanent work in Lampūn, the largest and most -important sub-station of Chiengmai. Lampūn is a little gem of a walled -city in the same great plain as Chiengmai, and only eighteen miles -distant to the south. From the first settlement of the country, however, -it has been a separate state, yet governed by a branch of the same -ruling race. - -We have seen that the new governor of Lampūn was friendly to the mission -and the missionaries. The opening of the work in Bān Pên and other -important villages near it, rendered it almost essential to have a -footing in Lampūn itself. After some negotiation we secured a suitable -lot, the grounds of the second governor recently deceased. We purchased -from the family the land with the old residence and the stockade. But -presently the family became alarmed lest they had been too hasty in -selling it to foreigners, and brought back the money, begging us to -restore the land. They brought, also, a message from the governor, -saying that he wanted the residence and the stockade himself, but would -_give_ us the rest of the land. It was to our interest to keep on good -terms with him, and we agreed to the arrangement. We got what we wanted, -a good station, and we retained, and probably increased the governor’s -friendship. - -[Illustration: - - REV. JONATHAN WILSON, D.D. - 1898] - - -To make possession sure, I purchased a newly-built house which had come -to be regarded as unlucky, because the owner’s wife had suddenly died in -it. Having arranged to have the house moved and set up on the lot, I was -about to return to Chiengmai, thinking that there was nothing more to -do, when I was sent for by the chief executive officer of the Court. He -said that the governor, indeed, had given us the place, but the Court -wished to make one proviso. He begged that I would sign a paper -promising in few words that if the government at any time should need -it, we would give it up. The governor was growing old, and they -themselves would be held responsible. I saw at once that such a step -would put it in the power of any one to oust us. A need might be -feigned, and yet we should be powerless to withstand it. I was perfectly -dumfounded. My first thought was to go directly to the governor. But -presently I bethought me of the terms on which H. R. H. Prince Bijit, -the brother of His Majesty, had given to the mission the fine lot for -its hospital. The lot was given in perpetuity on condition that it be -used for medical and missionary purposes only. As long as it was so -used, it was ours. But it could not be sold, or used for other purposes, -without forfeiture to the Prince. The thought came to me as an -inspiration. I told the officer of that written deed. “Very well,” said -he. “If you have such a paper as that, show it to me, and I will give -you one like it for this lot.” - -The difficulty was solved. A swift footman was despatched to Chiengmai -asking Mr. Martin to send me at once a copy of the Prince’s deed of -gift. Next morning it came, and I took it immediately to the Court. The -officer’s surprise was evident. He took it and read it carefully -through. His word was given. After a moment’s thought he said, “That is -all right. It will relieve me of all responsibility.” Then he called up -his clerk to copy its terms and execute the new deed. The land was ours -to use as long as we should use it for the purposes specified; and that -I hoped would be until the millennium! With a light heart I was soon -aboard my boat and homeward bound. - -When the house had been removed and set up on the lot, Mr. Collins and I -went down and spent a week there, with interested audiences every night. -It at once became an important out-station of the Chiengmai mission. In -the meantime Mr. Dodd had already collected some twenty students for his -training-class, but without any quarters for them in Chiengmai. Later -Mr. and Mrs. Dodd were put in charge of the station, and the Training -School was moved over to Lampūn. When the Lampūn church was organized, -its charter members numbered nearly two hundred. It is now the mother of -two other churches. Scarcity of men in the mission, openings in other -places, and other causes have prevented the Lampūn station from being -continuously manned. But now, with such efficient workers there as Mr. -and Mrs. Freeman, it has an important future before it, as a sub-station -of Chiengmai. - -Meanwhile my own sickness had continued, with several relapses. A minor -surgical operation had so delayed my recovery that Dr. Cary now advised -a change and rest in a boat trip to Bangkok. After the departure of our -son to the United States, my wife had remained in Bangkok for a visit, -and was soon to return. The telegraph line which the Siamese government -had recently completed, enabled me to wire to her to wait for me to come -and bring her back. Dr. Cary himself, who had never recovered from the -shock occasioned by the tragic death of Mrs. Cary, and who was never -well during his whole stay in the mission, decided to accompany me as -far as Rahêng. - -At Pāknam Pō I left my boat, and took passage for Bangkok by river -steamer, thus saving seven days. After remaining in Bangkok only three -nights, my wife and I took passage in the same steamer on her return -trip, and rejoined our boat at the forks. The water was at its best -stage, and we passed up some of the rapids without knowing that they -were there. But my trouble had not left me. A low diet and long illness -had left me thin and weak. The round trip occupied only two months. Our -last Sunday was at Pāk Bawng, two days below Chiengmai. There we held a -communion service with the Christian families, and a new family was -baptized. - -Three miles to the east is Bān Pên, the village which has figured in a -previous chapter. The Christians there had long been asking for a visit, -which my own sickness and want of time on the part of others rendered it -impossible to make. On Monday morning I decided to take the risk and -visit it. With some misgivings I saw my wife’s boat move off and leave -me—burning, so to speak, my bridges behind me. The whole country was -flooded. Discarding shoes and stockings, I made my way on foot, weak as -I was, through water, across ditches, or along the narrow ridges of -rice-fields, and finally reached Bān Pên in safety. - -And what a week I spent in that neighbourhood! At Nawng Sīu, a village -two miles distant from Bān Pên, there were six families of professed -believers whom Dr. Dodd and I had visited the season before—almost -swimming at times to reach them in their scattered homes. Their -admission was postponed at that time until they should have had further -instruction. To these I specially addressed myself. During the week our -faithful elder, Nān Tā, came down to assist me in the work. On Friday -evening the session met at Nawng Sīu to examine and instruct these new -converts, and again on Saturday morning, closing finally at two o’clock -in the afternoon with baptism and the Lord’s Supper. On counting up the -numbers, it was found that twenty adults and seventeen children had been -baptized. Among them was an aged couple with their children, -grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. It was a memorable sight. The -Sabbath was spent at Bān Pên, where seven more adults and one child were -baptized. On Monday I made my way back to the boat as I had come, and -reached home on Tuesday. And now for the strange part of the story. _I -reached home well._ My week’s wading in the water, and the hard work, -had done what medicine and doctors and a long boat trip had failed to -accomplish! - -But a new disappointment awaited me. Before I reached home, Dr. Cary had -resigned. His short career is one of the mysteries to be explained in -the great beyond. A consecrated physician, he had given his life to the -Lāo people. Crushed by his tragic bereavement on the way out, and with a -constitution never strong, he contended manfully for two years against -the debilitating effects of a malarial climate. But at last he had to -give up the fight. His work had been successful. “He saved others; -himself he could not save!” - -His departure threw on me again the oversight of the medical work. But -this time most of the dispensing of medicine to the natives fell on -Chanta, a protégé of my own, who had had good training under two -physicians. Meanwhile Dr. Cheek looked after the mission families, and, -as already stated, was always ready to respond to an urgent call in the -hospital. My time was largely given, therefore, to the evangelistic -work, to instructing Nān Tā and other elders, and to teaching enquirers -and others to read in Siamese, first the Shorter Catechism, and then a -Gospel. - -The growth of the Chiengmai church, though not phenomenal, was very -healthy and very uniform throughout the year. There were accessions -every month save one, amounting in all to one hundred and sixty souls. -At the end of the year Miss I. A. Griffin returned from furlough, and -served a very useful term until 1896, when she retired greatly missed. -At Lakawn, Rev. Hugh Taylor and his wife began a twenty years’ course of -evangelistic work carried on with indefatigable zeal, while Miss Fleeson -was no less zealous and successful in laying the foundation of a Girls’ -School, destined to be a power in that province. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - XXVII - - A PRISONER OF JESUS CHRIST - - -We have had frequent occasion gratefully to record the good will of the -Siamese government, and of its commissioners and representatives, -towards our mission. In all its history the only exception to this -uniform friendliness was in the case of the Commissioner who, in 1889, -succeeded Prayā Tēp Worachun. The Boys’ School was on an old deserted -monastery-site given by the Prince to Dr. Peoples for a medical or a -mission compound. An old ruined chēdi or pagoda was still standing on -it. Such lots, deserted by the monks, were then regarded as abodes of -the spirits, and on such the natives dared not live. In preparing for -the school buildings, the débris about the foot of the chēdi had been -dug away. One of the early acts of the new Commissioner was to send a -written notice to the mission that it was improper to use old Buddhist -shrines for purposes other than those for which they were originally -built; and he gave us notice that we were to have three months in which -to find other quarters. But as no other lot was offered in its place, we -remained quiet, and that was the last we heard of it. - -Another incident, occurring soon after, was more serious, and gave us a -great deal of anxiety; for it came near costing the life of one of our -best native assistants. A deputation from some twelve or fifteen -families in Chieng Dāo came to us with a request that a native assistant -be sent up to teach them. Krū Nān Tā went up, and they became believers, -but required much further instruction. We selected Noi Siri, the most -prudent of our elders, for the task. We charged him specially, inasmuch -as it was in a province new to our work, to use great caution and give -no just cause of offence to the rulers or to others. He remained there a -month, and then was recalled by the illness of his wife. He stopped at -the mission to report progress, giving a good account of the conduct and -diligence of the new Christians. - -Great was our surprise, then, in a few hours to learn that Noi Siri had -been arrested, put in heavy irons, and thrown into prison on a charge of -treason against the government. Mr. Collins, Mr. Dodd, and I called upon -the Commissioner to enquire the cause of his arrest. The Commissioner -replied, Yes; he had him arrested on the grave charge of disloyalty in -teaching the converts that they were exempt from government work. Such -teaching was treason; and if the charge were true, the penalty was -death. It was not, therefore, a bailable offence. At the same time, he -said, no specifications had been forwarded. He would summon the -accusers, and the man should have a fair trial, and should have the -privilege of producing any witnesses he pleased in his defence. That -was, of course, all that we could ask, save to beg that the trial be -hastened as far as possible—to which he consented. Krū Nān Tā was -allowed to see the prisoner in his cell. From him he learned that so far -was the accusation from being true, that he had taught the Christians -that they were _not_ exempt from government work; and that, furthermore, -no call had been made on them for service while he was there. We sent -immediately for all the Christian men to come down. - -After some delay the prisoner was called into court and examined. -According to Siamese custom, his examination was taken down in writing. - -“Are you Noi Siri, who has been teaching in Chieng Dāo?” - -“Yes.” - -“When did you go there to teach?” - -“On the fourth of the third waning moon.” - -“Have you taught that Christians are exempt from public service?” - -“No. On the contrary, I taught that, as Siamese subjects, Christians are -to pay their taxes and perform all the duties of other subjects.” - -The testimony of the governor of Chieng Dāo, his accuser, was then taken -in his presence. Among the questions asked him were these: - -“Can you state any particular time and place when the Christians were -called to do government work and refused?” - -“Yes. I called a man or two, and they did not obey.” - -“When was that call made?” - -“On the fourth day of the third waxing moon.” - -This was the only specification which the governor gave. The date, it -will be noted, was fifteen days earlier than that of Noi Siri’s arrival -in Chieng Dāo. If the statement were true, it might have subjected the -persons who were summoned to trial and punishment for disloyalty; but it -absolutely cleared Noi Siri. An upright judge would have dismissed the -case. The Christian witnesses were in attendance to testify as to the -nature of the instruction they received; but were not given the -opportunity to do so. The accused man was remanded to prison. We waited, -but nothing was done. We called once more on the Commissioner; but were -told that the case had been referred to Bangkok, and he must wait for a -reply. We waited again. At last we made a written appeal on his behalf, -and in answer were told that the case was one with their own subjects, -and we had nothing to do with it. Meantime Noi Siri had become quite -ill, and all that we could do was to get him transferred from his -dungeon to the common prison. - -Eight months after this, when Mr. Dodd went down to Bangkok to be -married to Miss Eakin, he made, through the United States Minister, an -appeal to the Prince Minister of the North, who promised an immediate -order for his release. As soon as we were assured of that, we went to -the resident Prince in Chiengmai, H. R. H. Prince Sonapandit, who -promised that the order should be issued at once. The next day we called -on the Commissioner to remind him of the Prince’s promise; but he and -the Judge had just gone out for a stroll in the city. It was then -Saturday afternoon. Next day was our communion service, and I was -determined to have Noi Siri present. To do this I had to follow those -men up at once. I was a fast walker, and, when necessary, could run. My -race after them was the ludicrous sequel of the case. Two high officials -closing their office and escaping, in order to keep their victim in -chains another night, pursued by swifter feet, and overtaken in the -street! The Judge acknowledged that the Prince had given the order. He -would attend to it to-morrow. Since to-morrow would be Sunday, I need -not come. But I knew that we should not see Noi Siri in time for our -worship unless I went for him. So on Sunday morning I called once more -on the Judge, who again said that I need not wait; but I had to tell him -that I would not return till I saw his release. So the prisoner was -called, and I saw the fetters taken off from his ankles. - -The second bell was ringing when I entered the church; but Noi Siri was -with me. The congregation rose and sang the long metre doxology. There -were not many dry eyes in the room. Mr. Dodd preached from the text, -“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love -God.” Among the converts who then stood up to make a public profession -of faith was Nāng Su, a daughter of Noi Siri—and this happy coincidence -was no planning of ours. - -Noi Siri’s faith had been tried by fire, and he had come forth from the -furnace as pure gold. In addition to his own imprisonment and distress, -his wife had been for months very low with sickness, and one of his -grandchildren had died during the interval. But from his prison cell he -had written to his family not to let their faith be shaken either by his -trials or by their own. During the eight months and ten days of his -imprisonment, one hundred and thirty-three persons—his daughter closing -the list—were received into church-membership. A European in employ of -the government, who had cognizance of the whole case, afterwards said to -me, “It might be well to get the Commissioner to imprison a few more -Christians!” A history of the case was afterwards published by our Board -in a leaflet entitled, “The Laos Prisoner.” - -Before the close of the year there was an event which for the time came -near to overthrowing the government. A new tax, levied chiefly on areca -trees, caused much exasperation throughout the country. As usual, the -tax was farmed out to Chinese for collection. The local officers in -various districts formed a coalition to resist to the uttermost the -collection of the tax. Of course, this could not be allowed, since the -collectors were the agents of the government. The resistance was centred -chiefly in the districts to the eastward of the city, where Prayā Pāp, -who had some reputation as a soldier, went so far as to gather a -considerable force of the insurgents within a few miles of Chiengmai. A -day even was set for their attack on the city. If they had made a dash -then, they could easily have taken it, for the sympathy of the people -was wholly with them, and the government was unprepared. - -Our house was only two hundred yards away from the Chinese distillery, -which was the objective of the insurgents. The residence of the -Commissioner and that of the Siamese Prince Sonapandit were nearly -opposite us on the other side of the river. Our position was further -compromised by the fact that the wives and children of a number of -influential Chinese had almost forcibly taken refuge in our compound. In -any case, we should have been in a position of great danger from the -guns on the other side of the river aimed at the distillery. We were -strongly advised to take refuge in the British Consulate, whose shelter -was kindly offered us. But the whole population in our neighbourhood was -watching us. If we stirred, there would have been a general stampede. - -Fortunately for themselves and for the country, the courage of the -common people failed. One after another they deserted the leader, till -at last he also fled. He was caught, however, and with seven other -leaders was executed. This was the end of the matter in Chiengmai; but -certain parties of the insurgents, escaping northwards, became roving -bands of marauders that for some time disturbed the peace of the -frontier towns. The rebellion never had any chance of ultimate success; -but had the attack on the city been actually made, the immediate -consequences would have been direful, and untold calamity would have -been entailed on the whole country. - -The arrival of Dr. McKean at the close of the year marked an era in our -medical work. He was accompanied by our daughter, Miss Cornelia H. -McGilvary, now Mrs. William Harris Jun. It was the pleasant duty of Mrs. -McGilvary to escort the party up from Bangkok. The appointment of our -daughter was no less a surprise than a delight to us. During her school -days she always said that she would not become a missionary. When the -question came up for final settlement, she fought it out in her own mind -alone, and reached her own decision. The Lāo language, which, during her -ten years’ absence, she seemed to have lost entirely, came back to her -very soon and with little effort. - -It has been Dr. McKean’s privilege to continue the work begun by able -physicians, and to carry it to a higher degree of efficiency. He has -combined, as most of our physicians have done, the two great objects of -the medical missionary, the medical and the evangelistic, making the -former a means to the latter. While the professional and the charitable -features of the work have not been minimized, but rather magnified, no -minister has more loved to preach the Gospel, or has been more -successful in it. At the same time it may be that the great work now -enlisting his sympathy and his strenuous efforts—the establishment of a -leper colony and hospital, and the amelioration of the condition of that -unfortunate class—may be the one with which his name will be most -intimately associated. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - XXVIII - - CIRCUIT TOUR WITH MY DAUGHTER, 1890 - - -I had been appointed by Presbytery to organize in Chieng Rāi the church -which was not found ready for organization on my previous visit. I had -planned for a tour longer than usual, to include the eastern provinces -as far as Nān, as well as the northern ones, and expected to take with -me native assistants only. But upon the arrival of our reinforcement, I -was no less surprised than delighted to find that my daughter desired to -accompany me; and so it was arranged. - -Starting on February 5th, we spent the first Sunday in Lakawn. Here we -met another surprise. Mr. Taylor had spent his first year in that -annoying work for the new missionary, the building of a house. He was -anxious to get out among the people, but feared he was not sufficiently -versed in the language to make profitable a tour alone. He and Mrs. -Taylor would join us if they could get elephants—a matter which was -easily arranged. Mr. Taylor proved to be an efficient helper. My -daughter had a delightful companion, and it was a great pleasure to -initiate the new missionaries into the evangelistic work which Dr. and -Mrs. Taylor since then have carried on so successfully for twenty years. -It is still their delight—may they live to carry it on for many years to -come! - -One of the chief diversions of the trip thenceforward was afforded by -the pranks of an uncommonly mischievous baby-elephant which accompanied -its mother. On one occasion a footman coming towards us stepped out of -the trail and stood beside a large tree to let us pass. The mischievous -creature saw his opportunity, and before the man knew what was up, he -found himself fast pinioned between the elephant’s head and the tree -trunk. The frightened man extricated himself with loud outcry, while the -beholders were convulsed with laughter. Our own men were constantly the -victims of his pranks; so that, one day, I told them that there would be -no trouble if they would only leave the creature alone—adding, by way of -clinching my advice, “You see, he never troubles me.” Just then, to the -great delight of all, he made straight for me, and if there had been a -tree behind me I should have been in the same unpleasant position in -which the footman found himself. - -Mr. Taylor’s account of the earlier portion of the trip is as follows: - - “We left Lakawn on the 12th of February with Dr. McGilvary and - his daughter, and in four days reached Mûang Prê. Our tents were - pitched by the road just outside the city gate. The advent of - four foreigners, two of whom were women, created quite a stir; - and we were all kept abundantly busy in visiting and being - visited. Mrs. Taylor and Miss McGilvary were the first white - ladies to visit the place; and of course, much to their own - discomfort, were the centre of attraction.... - - “The people of Prê seemed very ready to listen to the Gospel; so - plenty of auditors were found everywhere. On Sabbath, the 16th, - the first convert in Prê was baptized. He is a blind man, Noi - Wong by name, who came to Lakawn to have Dr. Peoples operate on - his eyes; but as nothing could be done for him, he returned home - carrying in his heart some of the teachings there received, and - in his hand a manuscript copy of a small catechism I was able to - spare him. From his answers before the session, it was evident - that he had used his brother’s eyes well in having it read to - him. - - “On Wednesday we started on for Nān, and arrived there the - following Tuesday. We received a very cordial welcome from the - officials of that city, who sent a man to put in order a - rest-house for us, and another to conduct our elephants to a - place for food and water. Next day, after the court closed, - some of the officials came to visit us. After wading through - the crowds on the first and second verandas, and finally - planting himself cross-legged in the middle of the thronged - reception-room, their Chief said they thought we would be - lonesome; so they had come to visit us. No idea could have - been more comical to us; but he was seriously in earnest, and - explained that he had never known the people to visit with - other foreigners who had come to their city. They would not, - however, listen well when the subject of religion was - broached, and with one or two exceptions would not attend any - of our services.” - -The morning after our arrival in Nān, my daughter met in the -market-place a daughter of the Prince, and, before she was aware, found -herself escorted into the palace. Her newly recovered language stood her -in good stead, and she had a pleasant talk with the Prince and his -daughters and wives. Next day he sent word that he would be pleased to -give our party an audience. He was of venerable age, and second only to -our Chiengmai Prince in his influence at the court of Bangkok. He -expressed his pleasure at our visit to his country. He was too old to -embrace a new religion. We might teach his children and grandchildren. -What they would do he did not know. - -At Nān the Taylors left us, returning to their station, while we -journeyed on. Our next stage was Chieng Kawng, one hundred and fifty -miles to the northwest. We usually stopped for the night at large -villages, or sometimes in small towns. But once we spent two days in the -forest, where bears, tigers, and wild elephants abound. The first -evening we just missed the sight of three tigers. Our men had gone on -ahead to select a camping-place for the night, and saw a mother with two -cubs crossing the road. Next morning one of my elephants, that had been -hobbled and turned loose, was not on hand. It was nothing unusual for -one of them to be a little belated, so we loaded up the others and -prepared for starting. But when an hour had passed, and then two hours, -and the elephant still did not come, we unloaded them and waited a long -weary day and an anxious night. Early next morning, however, the driver -appeared. That was a relief, but still there was no elephant. He had -followed her trail over the mountain ridge, down gorges, and across -knolls, till, tired and hungry, he had retraced his steps. Night -overtook him, and, crouched under a tree, he had caught snatches of -sleep while keeping watch for tigers. For two nights and a day he had -not tasted food. With an elephant’s instinct, the beast was making her -way towards her old range in Chieng Rāi, many days distant. It was a -relief to know that she had not joined a large wild herd, in which case -her capture would be practically impossible. - -We could not remain indefinitely in the forest. So giving the driver -food, a gun, and two carriers for company, with instructions not to -return till the elephant was found, we moved on five or six miles to the -next village, Bān Kêm. This was the noon of Wednesday. Our detention -seemed providential. We found the place fever-stricken. Our medicines at -once made us friends. Our tent was crowded with visitors, so that I had -little time to think of the lost elephant. The people seemed hungry for -the Gospel. Three substantial men in the village, on the night before we -left, professed a sincere and cordial acceptance of Jesus as their -Saviour. - -On Saturday, shortly after midday, there was a shout, “Here comes Lung -Noi with the elephant!” I was both glad and sorry to hear it. Had I been -alone, I should have remained longer. But we had lost so much time, that -every one was eager to depart. I promised if possible to come again, but -the time never came. - -Chieng Kawng was our next point, a place I had visited with Dr. Vrooman -seventeen years before. The young lad who then was so much interested in -my repeating rifle was now governor, and came running out, bareheaded -and barefooted, to welcome us. In the interval I had met him from time -to time in Chiengmai, and he always begged that I would make him another -visit. I had been better than my word—I had come at last, and brought my -daughter, too. His brother, the second governor, had seen us in time to -don his audience dress, and he appeared more like a white man than any -one we had seen since the Taylors left us. He was ready to start on an -expedition to Mûang Sing, five days northward beyond the Mê Kōng. The -Prince of Nān had received permission from the King of Siam to repeople -that old province. Hence this expedition. The leader had three hundred -men, and gave me a cordial invitation to go as chaplain and physician! -After this, while the work was well under way, the territory was turned -over to France as the result of the long and troubled negotiations over -the boundary between Siam and French Indo-China. - -The wives of both the governors could scarcely be content with my -daughter’s short stay. They would surely become Christians, if she would -remain one month to teach them. All I could do was to promise once more -to come again if possible. The promised visit was made two years later, -but then the “Nāi” was not along. - -From there the only travelled route to Chieng Sên was by Chieng Rāi, -both hot and circuitous. The alternative was a blind, untravelled track -through the forest, made over forty years before, when Siam sent its -last unfortunate expedition against Keng Tung. Here was a tempting -chance to test the old proverb, Where there’s a will, there’s a way. The -governor procured a noted hunter to guide us. Every carrier and driver -and servant in the party carried his bush knife, and all promised to aid -if we only would take the cooler road. It was, however, literally making -in the forest “a highway for our God,” over which several missionary -tours have since been made. In the denser parts of the forest, we could -force our way only by cutting away branches and small trees, and at -times felling clumps of bamboo. - -We had a cool place for rest and worship on Sunday. Our hunter had not -promised to keep the Sabbath, and we were on his old hunting-grounds, -where game of all kinds abounded. At dawn he was off with his gun, and -we saw no more of him till sunset, when he appeared smiling, with some -choice cuts of beef hanging from the barrel of his gun. He had found and -followed, all day, a herd of wild cattle—the Kating—and succeeded in -killing one of them near our road, a mile or more ahead of our camp. -Though killed on Sunday, we ate it and asked no questions for -conscience’ sake. It was surely the most delicious beef we ever tasted. -We should have had a mutiny the next day, had we proposed to pass on -without stopping to save the meat. And what a huge creature it was. It -must have weighed nearly a ton. Our men extemporized frames over the -fire, and were busy cutting up the meat and drying it until late at -night. Next day each man went loaded with it to his utmost capacity. -What we could not carry away, the guide stored in the fork of a tree -against his return. - -The journey through the forest was shorter and far more comfortable than -would have been the regular route. When next I travelled it, it had -become a public highway. And as long as I continued to journey that way, -it was known as the “Teacher’s Road.” - -Chieng Sên was the limit of our trip. Before reaching it, we began to -hear rumours of war—that the city was blockaded, no one being permitted -to enter or depart. The country population had been called in to defend -the city, etc., etc. We were advised to return, but kept on. At the gate -the guard admitted us without difficulty. - -The disturbance was the aftermath of the previous year’s tax-rebellion, -which, as we supposed, was completely ended before we left home. But a -portion of the insurgents had fled to Keng Tung, and, gathering there a -larger force, came south again as far as Mûang Fāng, where they were -either captured or again scattered. It was the fear that this lawless -band, on its retreat northward, might attack and plunder the city, that -caused the confusion. But the fugitives would have been fools to linger -about two weeks after their defeat, when they knew that both the army -behind them and the country in front of them would be on the alert for -their capture. The governor was delighted to see us, and we were able in -some degree to allay his fears. We were there, too, to speak a word of -comfort to our own flock, who, like the rest, had been called in to -protect the city. The panic gradually subsided, and the people returned -to their homes. Owing in part to the unsettled condition of the country, -we did not remain long in Chieng Sên; but long enough to visit in their -homes every Christian family save one, and to have a delightful -communion season with the church on Sunday. - -Our special commission on this tour was to organize a church in Chieng -Rāi, where our next Sunday was spent. Our governor friend was -disappointed that we had not come to take possession of the fine lot on -the bank of the Mê Kok which he had given us. At his suggestion a house -on it was purchased from his son at a nominal price, with the promise -that we would urge the mission to occupy it the next year. On April -13th, the three sections of the church assembled by invitation at Mê -Kawn. The obstacles which prevented the organization before were now -removed. Fifty-one communicants and thirty-two non-communing members -were enrolled, two ruling elders were elected and ordained, and the new -church started with fair prospects. - -We reached home on April 29th, after an absence of eighty-one days. We -found all well, and the work prospering along all the lines. It was none -too soon, however. We were just in time to escape the rise of the -streams. At our last encampment on the Mê Kūang we had a great storm of -wind and rain, with trees and branches falling about us. The trip was a -long one for my daughter; but her presence greatly enhanced the -importance of the tour. On my subsequent tours through that region the -first question always was, “Did you bring the Nāi?” and the second, “Why -not?” - -On our return we were surprised to find Dr. McKean in a new and -comfortable teak house, toward the erection of which neither axe nor saw -nor plane had been used when we left. The saw-mill could deliver at once -whatever was needed. But _my_ house had been seven years in building! - -By this time nearly all the Lāo cities of Siam had been visited by -missionaries. In two of them—Chiengmai and Lakawn—we had established -permanent stations. For the third station, Chieng Rāi seemed to present -the strongest claim. Politically it was not so important as Nān. But -Nān, while very cordial to foreigners personally, was very jealous about -admitting foreign influence of any kind. And the absolute control of the -people by the princes of Nān would be an obstacle in the way of the -acceptance of Christianity there until the princes themselves embraced -it. In Chieng Rāi province the governor was known to be favourable to -the Jesus-religion. Its broad plains and fertile soil were sure to -attract a large immigration from the south, where population is dense -and land very dear. The city is about equidistant from the five cities -of Wieng Pā Pāo on the south, Mûang Fāng on the west, Chieng Sên on the -north, Chieng Kawng on the northeast, and Chieng Kam on the east. In our -reports to the mission and to the Board, these facts were urged as -arguments for the establishment of a station there. The mission gave its -cordial sanction to a temporary occupancy. A longer tour was authorized -for the next season; but the heavy debt of the Board forbade the -expenditure of more than two hundred and fifty rupees for a temporary -house in order to secure the land which had been given us. Our long -delay sorely shook the good governor’s faith that we would ever come. - -The arrival of young missionaries on the field rendered some kind of -physical and social recreation necessary. Croquet had formerly been -tried, but it gave very little exercise, and had been supplanted by the -better game of lawn tennis. In the fall of 1890, Mrs. McGilvary prepared -a court in our front lot, and invited the missionaries and the small -European community to an “At Home” on Tuesdays at 4:30 P.M. The game -furnished the very exercise needed after a day’s confinement in school -or study. It proved so beneficial to health and to efficiency in work, -that the “At Home” was continued, with occasional interruptions from -weather or other causes, for thirteen or fourteen years. This was Mrs. -McGilvary’s little contribution to the health and the social recreation -of the community in which we lived; and it was highly appreciated. - -In August I had occasion to visit Wieng Pā Pāo. Before I was out of the -Chiengmai plain I had an exciting runaway on my big sadaw elephant. A -mother cow was grazing at some little distance from her calf. As the -elephant approached the calf, the mother became alarmed for its safety, -and rushed frantically towards it, bellowing to the utmost capacity of -her lungs. This was quite too much for my big timid beast. He started -off at a fearful pace, which the driver in vain endeavoured to control. -Fortunately it was on an open plain with no woods or trees. The same -elephant on a previous occasion, when Mrs. McGilvary was riding him, on -some slight alarm rushed off into a thicket of low trees; and once, with -me on his back, went crashing through the standing timber in the forest. -In both cases it was nothing but the strength of the three-strand rattan -girth that saved either howdah or rider. The elephant’s fastest run is -not a “lope,” but a kind of long swing from side to side. It is an awful -sensation. I never was in an earthquake, but I imagine the two -experiences must be somewhat similar, with the fear in this case of -being at any instant dashed from your lofty perch to the ground. - -The special reason for this trip was the fear of some collision or -trouble between the government and the Christians with regard to the -Sunday question. Besides keeping their own Sabbath, the Christians were -forbidden to do any manual work on the Buddhist sacred days as well, -making altogether eight days in each month. Had the rule been the -outcome of conscientious scruples on the part of a religious people at -seeing their sacred day desecrated, we should have respected their -scruples. But the day was a mere holiday, and, except by a few of the -more religious, it was largely spent in hunting and fishing. I had to -remind the governor of his beautiful inconsistency. He would not allow -the Christians to use an axe or a plow on sacred days, while the people -generally were allowed to kill animals, thus breaking the most stringent -of Buddha’s laws. He must have felt the force of the argument, for -before the very next sacred day an order was issued forbidding hunting -and fishing on it. - -[Illustration: - - FIRST CHURCH IN CHIENGMAI] - - -[Illustration: - - DR. McGILVARY’S HOME IN CHIENGMAI] - - -But till the original order was revoked, strict obedience was enjoined -upon the Christians. - -The Annual Meeting was held in Lakawn early in December. Just before it -convened, Dr. and Mrs. W. A. Briggs and Rev. Robert Irwin arrived, -together with Dr. and Mrs. Peoples, returning from furlough. For the -present these were stationed at Lakawn. At the same time Rev. and Mrs. -Stanley K. Phraner were nearing Chiengmai on the Mê Ping fork. But our -song of joy over their arrival was destined soon again to have a sad -refrain. The two young brides had scarcely reached their husbands’ field -of labour—which they thought was to be theirs also—when they were both -called to a higher sphere. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - XXIX - - LENGTHENING THE CORDS AND STRENGTHENING THE STAKES - - -While in the United States, Dr. Peoples had succeeded in procuring a -font of Lāo type, with the necessary equipment for printing. For -twenty-three years we had used only the Siamese Scriptures and -literature. With many present disadvantages, it had some compensations. -Those who could read Siamese had access to the whole of the Old and New -Testaments. The press was set up in Chiengmai, and Rev. D. G. Collins -was made manager. The first printing done was Mrs. McGilvary’s -translation of the Gospel of Matthew. - -My daughter had been sent down to aid the Phraners on their river trip. -Word was sent ahead that Mrs. Phraner was not well. As they drew nearer, -her condition became so critical that Dr. McKean hastened with all speed -to meet them. When she reached Chiengmai, her condition, while still -critical, was more hopeful. I was ready to start on my tour as soon as -the party arrived. When I left home, we were still hopeful that rest, -kind nursing, and medical treatment would set her right again. - -During my absence this year I was fortunate enough to receive a regular -weekly mail from Chiengmai. A staff of engineers were surveying a -railroad route for the Siamese government, and had a weekly mail sent to -their stations along the line. They were very kind to include my letters -also, which was particularly fortunate in that thus I could have news of -the invalid left behind. - -I have learned to start on my tours with very flexible plans, leaving -much to the guidance of providential openings on the way. On this trip, -at the village of Pāng Krai—which, because it was a mile or two away -from the road, I had not visited in seventeen years—I was delayed three -days by a reception so cordial that I could not pass on. On my previous -trip a man from the village, Noi Tēchō by name, came with his little -girl across to our camp and begged us to visit it. This I could not then -do; but he remained with us till late at night, and seemed to be a -believer. I now found that in the interval the man had kept the Sabbath, -and had given such other evidence of his sincerity, that we could not -refuse his reception to the communion and fellowship of the church. On -the last night of our stay we had a baptismal and communion service that -was memorable. The man made a good confession before many witnesses, and -his little daughter was baptized as a non-communing member. - -As in many other cases, this family had been driven by trouble to our -religion. Originally he was the slave of a prince in Lakawn. The -accusation of witchcraft then settled on the family; but before they -were driven off the Prince compelled them to borrow money in order to -redeem themselves from him—to do which the man had to give two of his -children as security. After a move or two, he was driven by famine from -Lakawn, and came to this village. - -One morning at Wieng Pā Pāo I was summoned in great haste to attend one -of the engineers who was thought to have been nearly killed by a fall -from a runaway horse. I found that he had broken a collar-bone, but was -otherwise uninjured. I applied all of my amateur surgical skill, and set -the bone. But my patient, naturally enough, could not feel quite sure; -and thought it safer to go down to our hospital and get Dr. McKean’s -judgment on the case. He found the bone set all right. - -Late one Saturday evening I reached Bān Pā Hōng in Chieng Rāi province, -and stopped with the first Christian family. Next day I learned that in -the next section of the village there was a Christian girl very low with -consumption. Early on Monday morning I moved on, but was only in time to -see a lovely form and face apparently in the most natural sleep; but the -living soul had departed. I had baptized her two years before, when she -was fourteen years of age. She had been sick for seven months, and had -spent most of the time in prayer. It made me inexpressibly sad when I -learned that her strongest desire was to see her own “Paw Krū” before -she departed. On the previous evening, when she heard that we had -reached the village near by, she said, “And the Paw Krū is at Noi Lin’s, -and I cannot see him!” I preached her funeral sermon, and saw her -decently buried. - - * * * * * - -The next Sunday morning, while sitting in the Mê Kawn chapel and -preparing for service, I looked up and saw standing on the ground before -the door some people in a strange costume evidently not Lāo, looking in -as if in doubt whether to enter or not. I immediately recognized them as -belonging to the Mūsô tribe, quite numerous in the mountains near by. -Their ready acceptance of my invitation to come in showed that they were -waiting to be asked, and feared only lest they might be intruders. As -the Mūsôs will be prominent in our narrative of this and the two -following years, a word of introduction may be desirable. - -They are one of a numerous group of hill-tribes which have gradually -followed the mountain ridges down from the interior of the continent. -They live under a patriarchal government, if it may be rightly called a -government at all; and they enjoy great personal freedom, though the -authority of the clan approaches very near to absolute despotism. They -are worshippers of spirits, which are held to preside over the universe -and the destinies of men generally; while as a tribe they are under the -guardianship of their own “spirits.” They have a twelfth—day sabbath or -sacred day, not very definitely marked. They make a great deal of their -“kin waw” or New Year feast, when all communication with other villages -even of their own tribe is cut off during the five or seven days of -their feasting. The religious head of the village is called Pū Chān, and -the head Pū Chān of a province holds in his hands the conscience of all -his flock. - -Their manner of life is as follows: They select a locality, the higher -up the better, near the source of a mountain brook. They fell the trees -and undergrowth at the close of the rainy season, let them dry during -the hot season, and just before the next rainy season set fire to the -clearing on a windy day. All that is readily combustible is consumed, -leaving the logs on the ground. With a small hoe or a narrow spade they -make shallow openings in the earth some ten inches apart, all over the -field, and deposit in each a dozen rice grains, more or less. The rains -do the rest till the harvest. The second year’s crop is the best, but it -is seldom that they can compete with the scrub-growth for a third crop. -A temporary shack is easily erected, if possible, contiguous to three -clearings. When these are abandoned, they move on and repeat the -operation elsewhere. By this means all the higher mountains are being -steadily denuded of their forests. - -Being bound by no system of hoary age and venerable associations, like -Buddhism or Brahmanism, most of the hill-tribes are very receptive of -the Gospel. Their clannishness, however, is such that if they become -Christians at all, they come in a body. But it is very difficult for -individuals or families to break away from the clan. At the same time -their migratory and unsettled habits are by no means favourable to their -education and civilization. To any other power than that of the Gospel -that would seem to be a hopeless task. - -But to return to our visitors at the chapel. There were seven men and -boys in the party. The spokesman, Cha Pū Kaw, was tall and well -proportioned, with the bearing of one who might be a leader of some -position. He understood Lāo better than most of his tribe, and through -him it was by no means difficult to draw the others into conversation. -They were from three families that had been driven down nearer the plain -by accusation of witchcraft. They had learned from our elder that -Christians were not afraid of witchcraft, nor of expulsion from the -country. They had also talked over with him the plan of salvation for -sinful men provided in the Gospel, and had asked to be informed whenever -we should come again. They readily consented to remain through the -morning service, which was modified to suit the needs of the new -audience. It was the first Christian worship they had ever attended, and -they were evidently pleased. The Christians invited them to share their -dinner, and the most of the afternoon was given up to their instruction. -The boys were put to reading the catechism and learning to sing the Lāo -version of “There is a Happy Land.” They remained with us till there was -only light enough left to enable them to find their way home. - -Early next morning we crossed the plain to the foot of the mountain, -where we struck the little brook along which and in which lay our -pathway. The climb was a stiff one, but with noble outlooks over the -plain below. In their little hamlet there were three families, or, -rather, three divisions of one family, numbering twenty-six souls. By -their intercourse with the Christians at the chapel the soil had been -prepared for the seed. So from nine o’clock till noon we addressed -ourselves to teaching the elders, while the children were becoming more -and more interested in the catechism, and especially in the “Happy -Land.” - -While the men and boys were thus engaged, the grandmother and her -daughters were busy preparing dinner. When all was ready, the steaming -white rice was emptied on a board like that on which our housewives -knead their bread. With it was a vegetable curry, sweet potatoes steamed -over the rice, bananas, and other fruits, with native sugar in cakes for -dessert. The board piled with food was set before me, and I was invited -to partake. They were delighted that I could eat and enjoy it. - -After all had finished their meal, the exercises of the morning were -resumed, with the women now disengaged and free to listen. Long before -night Cha Pū Kaw and his brother-in-law, Cha Waw, of about the same age, -expressed their firm belief in the truth of our religion, and their -acceptance of the Gospel offer as far as they understood it. The women -said they would follow their husbands. The sun was already getting low -when we had worship together before leaving. When we came to bid our -hosts good-bye, we found that we were to be escorted down by the two -elder men and the boys, lest a tiger might meet us on the way. It was -almost dark when we reached the chapel.—A day never to be forgotten! - -At the chapel I found letters from Chiengmai bringing the news that Mrs. -Phraner’s long and painful sufferings were ended. She died on February -13th. All that three able physicians could do was done; but in vain. Her -mother and her family were never willing that she should become a -missionary, being sure that she could not endure the strain of a -missionary’s life. That fact filled the husband’s cup of sorrow to -overflowing. My letter stated that he was beside himself with grief; -that the physicians, and, in fact, the whole mission, strongly advised -him to join me on my tour; and that he would reach me not long after the -letter. - -On the following Friday, while getting the new chapel ready, I heard the -shout, “There comes the new teacher!” He was worn and haggard, and -visibly older than when I left him; but making a brave effort to be -cheerful. He said very little of his great loss. - -[Illustration: - - MAP OF NORTHERN SIAM, SHOWING MISSION STATIONS, UNDERLINED.] - - -On Sunday the whole Mūsô village was on hand long before the hour for -worship. The women came with their babes tied with a scarf to the -mother’s back, according to their custom. The news that they were become -Christians had spread, and drew a larger number than usual of our -non-Christian neighbours to the services. The Christians, too, were -greatly encouraged thereby. In the afternoon a few of the tribe from -another village were present, and listened with surprise to Cha Pū Kaw’s -first sermon. He had evidently entered upon his new faith in earnest, -and was not ashamed to bear his testimony. - -On Monday we moved on to Chieng Rāi, where I was to direct the removal -of a house to the lot which the Governor had offered us. But Mr. -Phraner’s condition demanded movement and change of scene. Arrangements -were, therefore, made to have the house moved by others, while we went -on at once to Chieng Sên. There we found the Chao Uparāt just returned -from a trip via Mûang Len to Mûang Sing, some hundred miles or so to the -northeast on the other side of the Mê Kōng River. He was profuse in his -praise both of Mûang Sing and of the journey thither; and suggested that -it would be a fine opening for a mission, and a most interesting tour. -The suggestion seemed attractive to us both. So, after a week of work in -the church and in the city of Chieng Sên, we started for Mûang Len and -Mûang Sing. - -Mûang Len is the common market centre of a large number of hill-tribes -that inhabit the mountain ridges in all directions round about. All the -cities and towns north of Chieng Sên hold a fifth-day fair or market. We -were fortunate in striking market-day on the Saturday of our arrival. -Early in the morning people began to pour into the place from all -directions. The mountain tribes came out, their beaux and belles all in -gala dress, some to buy and sell, and others because it was their weekly -holiday. - -From Chieng Sên I had brought along Nān Suwan, the Lû elder, who had -come into closer contact with these mountain tribes than had our elders -from the south. He could make the men, and especially the head men, -understand fairly well. To all who understood the Lāo I could, of -course, speak directly. We took our stand at the end of the market, and -the crowd gathered about us. None of them had ever seen a missionary. -None, save some few of the Lāo men, had ever read a book, or knew even a -letter of any written language. They were children of nature, artless -and unsophisticated. We pressed home the thought, new to them, that -there must be a maker of the world and of all creatures in it. We told -them the old, old story of the infinite love of God, our Father, and of -Christ, His Son, who suffered and died to save us, and of pardon freely -promised to all who believe in Him. This is the final argument that wins -these people. - -After the merely curious among the crowd had withdrawn, this doctrine of -salvation from sin held the more thoughtful, and brought them to our -tent in the afternoon, and even far on into the night. The head men -especially, who were more free to come to me, expressed a deep personal -interest in the new doctrine. The most interested and interesting man -was Sên Ratana, the governor of the Kôn quarter of the city. We met him -on Sunday. On Monday we called on him and spent most of the morning at -his house, explaining to him the plan of salvation and dictating to him -portions of Scripture for him to copy; for by this time the Lāo -manuscript copies which we brought with us were exhausted. He copied, -also, the first few questions and answers of the Shorter Catechism, -hoping that with these as a key, he could learn to read the Siamese -Gospel and catechism which I gave him. - -On our return to our tent on Monday evening we found almost a panic -among our people. Some lawless men had lounged about the tent most of -the day, asking suspicious questions about how much money we carried, -and how many guns, and whither we were going from there, etc., etc. The -result was that those who had been most eager for the trip beyond the Mê -Kōng to Mûang Sing, began now to beg us to return. Mr. Phraner, -moreover, became uneasy about his borrowed elephant, which would be a -great prize for robbers. So, after consultation, it was decided to -retrace our steps. However disappointing this might be to me, I had at -least learned the road to Mûang Sing and Mûang Yawng. The tour to both -those places, and to many others, was only deferred to the following -year, when we might hope to have at least one printed Gospel in the Lāo -language, and a tract or two to distribute. The news of Cha Pū Kaw’s -conversion spread far and wide, and was preparing the way for further -work among his tribe. - -Leaving Mûang Len on Wednesday, we breathed more freely after we had -crossed the border into Siam. On reaching Chieng Sên, Mr. Phraner -decided to return to Chiengmai. He had reaped all the benefit possible -from change of scene. He felt that he ought now to be in his future -home, settling down to a systematic study of the language. But I greatly -missed his pleasant company. - -The object of the missionary’s visit to an outlying church like that of -Chieng Sên, is to “lengthen the cords and strengthen the stakes”—to -awaken the careless, to attract the indifferent, and to deepen -impressions already made. Within the range of influence of such a church -there are always those who, though taught, indeed, by its native -officers, still need further instruction by the missionary—who have -objections to be met and doubts to be resolved beyond the power of these -officers to cope with. Not infrequently some one who is already a -believer has a wife, a husband, or children on whom his own final -decision depends. These must be visited in their homes. Their confidence -must be won and their friendship gained as a preliminary to awakening -their interest in our religion. - -For the sake of the Christians personally, as well as for the work in -general, it is important to cultivate the friendship of the local -rulers. It is to them that the Christians are responsible. And then the -Christian families must be visited, their children instructed, their -difficulties settled, their sick be treated, and instructed how to treat -themselves in our absence; and as much Scriptural teaching is to be -given as our time by night and by day will permit. But our most -important duty is to instruct the elders themselves, and give them an -uplift. - -When my work in Chieng Sên was done, I started for Chieng Kawng, taking -Nān Suwan along, for he was well known there and in most of the region -to be visited as far as Chieng Rāi. The Mê Tam, already referred to as -the stream which rises from under the mountain west of the plain, -becomes quite a river as it enters the Mê Kōng near Chieng Sên. The -bottom land is covered with reedy grass so tall that a large elephant -carrying a high howdah can be seen only a short distance away. Here we -lost our way completely, and wandered about bewildered for a long time. - -When finally we reached the stream, its trough was so deep that we -failed in a number of attempts to get down to the water. At last we dug -down as best we could the edge of the high sandy bank, and, after much -urging, and some protest on his part, my sadaw tremblingly reached forth -his front feet, lay down, and slid like an alligator, dragging his hind -legs after him, till, with a mighty plunge, we landed in deep water. It -was an awful sensation for the rider. The place was in a bayou with -“back water” so deep as to be quite over one’s head; and, unlike the -natives, the rider could not swim! The landing on the further shore was -little better. There the elephant struggled up the bank until he got his -forefeet on the edge above. Then, with a gigantic effort, he drew -himself up so suddenly that the rider had to hold on for dear life to -avoid being thrown over his head. It was a feat that only an elephant -could perform, and one would much prefer witnessing it from a distance -to being on his back during the operation. - -At Chieng Kawng I was sorry to find the governor sadly crippled. In -descending a flight of steps he had slipped to the ground, dislocating -his ankle and bruising the bone. The joint had been barbarously treated, -was fearfully swollen, and caries of the bone had evidently set in. I -urged him to take an elephant and go to our hospital, as the only -possible chance of cure. He was favourably inclined to the idea, and -promised to do so after trying somewhat longer the incantations of a -noted sorceress, who was believed to have great power over wounds. It -almost passes belief that such an intelligent man could have any faith -in it. Yet reason and ridicule alike failed to dispel the hope that she -might succeed. The result might have been predicted. After giving him -great suffering, the treatment cost him his life. - -While I was in Chieng Kawng, a Nān prince returning from Mûang Sing -brought the news that negotiations then on foot between France and Siam -would put a stop to all further settlement of that district; would, in -fact, transfer the whole region east of the Mê Kōng to France. The -Prince of Nān was greatly disappointed; but little did we think that the -transfer would ultimately prove an effectual barrier to our work also. -It is surely one of the anomalies and anachronisms of the twentieth -century that a Christian nation of Europe should oppose the introduction -of Christianity into a region over which it has absolute control! - -On the last night before we left, all the princes and officers came to -see us, and remained till midnight. They were as loath to have us leave -them as we were to go. - -The journey from Chieng Kawng was intensely hot; the thermometer -standing at 103° in my howdah by day, and on one night in my tent at -96°. On the banks of the Mê Ing I found native white roses in bloom in -abundance, and brought home with me a plant which Mrs. McGilvary greatly -prized, for this was the only native rose I had found in the Lāo -territory. - -On the way to Mûang Tông I passed the camp of Chao Wieng Sā, a Nān -prince whom I had met in his home on two former visits. He was -overseeing the felling and running of teak timber down the Mê Ing and -the Mê Kōng to Lūang Prabāng. He had received and read a Siamese New -Testament, was quite familiar with the life and teachings of Jesus, and -admired His character. A lawsuit afterwards brought him to Chiengmai, -where I saw a great deal of him. He was surely a believer at heart. To -me he was willing to confess that his only hope was in Jesus Christ, but -was not ready to make a public profession of his faith. I love to think -of many such whom I have met as like the Gamaliels, the Nicodemuses, and -the Josephs of Christ’s day. - -[Illustration: - - MRS. McGILVARY - 1893] - - -At Mûang Tông, as soon as I dismounted from my elephant an officer met -me to enquire who I was, and to escort me to the public sālā. I soon -learned that he was the brother of another officer whom I had found on -the road to Chieng Rāi the year before, unable to travel and, -apparently, sick unto death with fever. His company could not linger -indefinitely in the forest, and so had left him there with two men to -watch him, and probably to see him die. A dose of calomel, and the -quinine which I left with instructions as to its use, seem to have cured -his fever and enabled him to reach his home in safety. He was himself -now absent, but his brother’s heart had been opened to friendship, and -he did all that he could for my comfort. At night he invited his friends -to the sālā to meet me, and we had an interesting evening. In all these -places Nān Suwan and Noi Siri would often be heard talking to the -audience after I had retired, and until sleep closed my eyes. - -During our absence from Chieng Rāi a case of oppression, or, at least, -of evident injustice, on the part of the Court, had led our friend the -governor to take all Christians under his personal protection as his own -dependents. The kindness was well meant, and we thanked him for it. But -I doubted its wisdom. The only scheme under which Christianity can -really establish itself in all lands, is to have Christians stand on -precisely the same level before the law as Buddhists or Brahmans or the -followers of any other religion. - -From Chieng Rāi the elders were sent on to Cha Pū Kaw’s village to see -how the Mūsôs were getting on. I followed them in a day or two. When I -reached the chapel at Mê Kawn, the elders had returned from the Mūsô -village with a glowing account of their constancy. This the testimony of -Noi Tāliya and of all the Lāo Christians confirmed. They had not missed -a single Sunday service; old and young alike came, and mothers, as -before, bringing their children tied on their backs. They had shamed the -Lāo Christians by their earnestness, getting to the chapel first, -studying hard, and returning home late. - -On Saturday morning the whole village came down, and we spent the day -together. They remained that night as the guests of the Lāo. The next -day, Sunday, was largely given up to their instruction. They all had -renounced the worship of spirits; they all accepted Jesus as their -Saviour; they were all diligently learning to read and to sing. Their -conduct was most consistent; they had a good reflex influence upon the -church; and their conversion was an astonishment to the non-Christian -community. - -These Mūsôs had all come, expecting to join the church. They had been -taught that public baptism—confessing Christ before men—was the -consummating act, the external seal of their initiation into the -privileges of the church. Although we impressed upon them that they were -not saved by the mere ceremony of baptism, yet somehow they felt that -without it they were not quite in the church, and hence probably not -quite safe from the spirits. Since it would be nearly a year before they -would have another opportunity, it seemed unwise not to receive some of -them at this time. The greatest doubt was about Cha Waw. Yet he felt -that more than any other he needed whatever protection and assistance -the church could afford him. He had begun with his whole strength to -break the chains of his opium habit, to seek pardon and be saved. He -felt confident that with God’s help he would succeed. - -The final decision was that, in order to bind them to the service of -Christ, they were all to appear before the session and make their -profession; but that only the two old men should be received into full -communion, and that one grandson from each family be baptized as -non-communing members. It was thought best to let the others wait till -our next visit; though I have never been satisfied that they should not -all have been admitted that day. Three of these Mūsô boys accompanied me -to Chiengmai on my return, and entered the Boys’ School. It is not at -all surprising that, in surroundings so different from those of their -mountain homes, they presently grew lonesome and homesick. But they were -satisfactory pupils, and remained in school long enough to get a good -start in reading and singing. - -Cha Waw, after a manful struggle, finally succeeded in breaking away -entirely from his opium—by the help of prayer and of quinine, as he -always believed and affirmed. When the non-Christian tribesmen with -their opium pipes visited his village, he was accustomed to go down to -the elders at Mê Kawn, to be away from temptation, and under Christian -influence. He lived a number of years after this to attest the reality -of his victory—the only case I have ever known where the victory was -surely won. - -That year there was a famine among all the hill tribes. The upland rice -was almost entirely cut off by a plague of rats. I do not believe in -“rice Christians”; but when people are famishing with hunger, I believe -in feeding them, whether they are Christians or not. These did not ask -either for money or for any other aid. But when I left them, I made -arrangement with the Lāo elders to furnish them with sixty buckets of -rice, for which I paid ten rupees in advance. They were very grateful -for the aid. - -The days spent among the Mūsôs that week were inspiring. Glowing visions -arose before us of a new tribe brought into the Christian church, of -which these were the first-fruits. On this whole tour, indeed, only nine -adults and seventeen children were baptized. But in addition to the -opening of work among the Mūsôs, we had for the first time preached the -Gospel beyond the borders of the kingdom of Siam; and our longing eyes -were turned toward the Sipsawng Pannā, and beyond the great river. By -this time the rains had already begun to fall. A new season was needed -to fulfil our desires. - -Much as I always enjoy my long tours, when my work is done and my face -at last is turned homewards, the gait of my sadaw seems distressingly -slow. On reaching Chiengmai I found all in fair health, and all -departments of work in full operation. But while I was still on my way, -word reached me of the death of Mrs. Briggs in Lakawn, only a month and -nine days after that of Mrs. Phraner. So unexpected was it that I was -not even aware that she had been ill. In answer to my request for a few -particulars from Dr. Briggs, I have received the following, which I know -he will excuse me for transferring to these pages: - - “MRS. ALICE HAMILTON BRIGGS was from Truro, Nova Scotia. - Although within a year of graduation, she gave up her medical - course and accompanied her husband to the Lāo mission in answer - to the call of the Board. When she bade good-bye to the - Secretaries of the Board, Dr. Gillespie said to her, ‘It is a - pleasure to see you so robust and strong. In this respect you - are better off than your husband. There have been so many - missionary women who have broken down on the field, that we are - glad to see that you have a reserve of health.’ - - “Before leaving American shores, however, Mrs. Briggs contracted - a slight cough which developed in severity during the voyage. On - her arrival in Siam it became apparent that the case was one of - pulmonary tuberculosis. The disease seemed to respond to - treatment, and for months improvement was marked. Up to within - twenty-four hours of death Mrs. Briggs was so hopeful of a - return to health that she refused to allow her family at home to - know of her condition. On Saturday she was cutting out a new - dress for herself. On Sunday night she passed away. Dr. Briggs - was spending the evening with her, when a call came to attend a - child said to be dying just across the road. The doctor said he - would be back soon. A few minutes later he was called back too - late even to hear a last word of farewell.” - -The event most interesting to us as a family during the fall of this -year, 1891, was the arrival of our son Evander with his young bride, and -our daughter Margaret, to carry on the work begun by their parents. Our -son had made special preparation for translating the Scriptures into the -Lāo language, then the most pressing need of the mission. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - XXX - - AMONG THE MŪSÔ VILLAGES—FAMINE - - -For the tour of 1892 I was to have the company of Dr. McKean as long as -he could be spared from Chiengmai, which would greatly enhance the value -of the trip. We had also three native evangelist-assistants, and, last, -but not least, we were well supplied with Scriptures and tracts in the -Lāo dialect. Our start was made on January 5th. - -Our first two Sundays and the intervening week we spent in Wieng Pā Pāo, -where we established ourselves in the new chapel which the people -themselves had built since our last tour. We observed the Week of Prayer -with two chapel services daily, and house-to-house and heart-to-heart -work in the intervals. The church was formally organized with thirty-six -adult members and thirty children, three ruling elders, and two deacons. - -From Wieng Pā Pāo we moved on to the village of Mê Kawn, the centre of -our very interesting work of the previous year among the Mūsô tribe. The -Sunday we spent there was a red-letter day in our missionary life. Of it -Dr. McKean writes: “This has been a blessed day. All [of the Mūsôs] -desire baptism. Two boys baptized last year were admitted to the -communion. Eleven other adults and seven children were baptized, making -twenty-two Mūsôs now members of the visible church. One Lāo girl was -received on confession, and three Lāo children were baptized. Our -Christian Mūsôs were out in full force. A Mūsô officer and others not -Christians attended from another village. Before this we had visited -these people in their homes. We found that they had built a good chapel -for their worship, a better building than either of their own houses. -They had been very diligent in observing the Sabbath, in studying the -catechism, and in worship.” - -We could not have been better pleased with our first success. The -exclusion of this little group from the large villages made it possible -and easy for all of them to become Christians. The whole-hearted zeal -with which they entered the church awakened strong hopes for the -conversion of their race. Cha Pū Kaw’s knowledge of the Lāo tongue was -above the average even of their head men. It would be a long time before -we could have another such interpreter and assistant. And he was nearly, -or quite, seventy years old; so that whatever he was to do in teaching -his people must be done soon. It was, therefore, thought best to make a -strong effort through him and his family during that season. - -At our next stopping-place, Nāng Lê, we came near having a serious -casualty. Our boys were out on a deer hunt, and one of them bethought -him of a novel expedient for getting the game. He climbed a tree, and -had the grass fired on the other side of the open space. The grass was -tall and dry, and the wind blew strong towards him. He became so -engrossed in looking for the deer that he forgot the fire, till it was -too late to flee. He could climb beyond the actual flames; but meanwhile -the whole air had become like the breath of a furnace. When, at last, -the fire had swept past him, and he was able to descend, he was a mass -of blisters. The swiftness of the rush of the fire alone saved his life. -Had it been slower, he could not have escaped suffocation. - -From Nāng Lê we visited a very large Mūsô village. It was a steep -foot-climb of four solid hours, and, to make it longer, our guide missed -the way. The first sign of human life we saw was a Mūsô girl alone -watching a clearing. She fled for dear life, till, recognizing Cha Pū -Kaw’s Mūsô speech, she stopped long enough to point the way to the -village. Her fleet steps outran ours, and when we reached the village, -the people were already assembling to see the unwonted sight of the -white foreigners. But the community was greatly disturbed over another -matter. One of their leading officers, it seemed, was accused of being -the abode of a demon that had caused an epidemic of disease. The -authorities were hourly waiting for an order from the court in Chieng -Rāi to expel him and his family by force from the province. They had -heard of Cha Pū Kaw’s conversion, and were anxious to hear from himself -his reasons therefor—which he gave and enforced till late in the night. -They were expecting, however, on the morrow a regular conflict which -might result in bloodshed, and they evidently preferred that we should -not be there. The head Pū Chān was several days’ journey distant. They -would confer together among themselves and with him, would let us know -the result, and would invite us up again before we left their -neighbourhood. - -About midnight a fierce storm of wind and rain broke upon us to our -great discomfort. Our thin tent afforded but poor protection. We doubled -up our bedding over our clothes, and sat upon the pile under our -umbrellas, and laughed at the novelty of our situation and the poor -prospect of a night’s sleep. But later the storm passed off, and we did -get a little sleep. Our visit to that group of Mūsô villages was -evidently not well timed. We took the advice of their officers, and -returned to Nāng Lê. - -Two days later we reached Chieng Sên. Here we received a mail from home, -with news that Mrs. McKean was not well, and other members of the -station needed the doctor’s presence. It was expressed as “the unanimous -judgment of the station that he should return immediately.” We had -planned a regular campaign in the Mūsô districts on both sides of the Mê -Kōng—the sort of trip in which the medical missionary finds his best -opportunity. But the recall was so imperative that it could not be -ignored. So I was left to continue the work alone. - -The Mūsô tribe was about equally numerous in the mountain ranges on both -sides of the big river. On the east side there were eleven villages. It -seemed advisable to take that section first, because they were under -Chieng Sên rulers, of whose cordial and sincere interest in our work we -were sure. Sên Chai, the head man of the large village nearest to the -city, was a friend of Nān Suwan, and was strongly inclined to embrace -our religion; but felt the difficulty of breaking the tribal bond. -Before this I had made him a visit of two or three days, and saw clearly -that our only chance of accomplishing anything was to gain all the head -men of the eleven villages. It was actually easier to win over the whole -as a unit than to win it piecemeal. This was a formidable task to -undertake, but with God’s blessing on the labours of Cha Pū Kaw and Nān -Suwan, it seemed not impossible. - -We set out for the first village one morning shortly after ten o’clock. -It was four o’clock when we stopped for rest at the first cluster of -houses on the outskirts of the settlement. The news of our arrival soon -reached the main village. When we started again we met Sên Chai with a -regular serenade-party of men and boys with native reed instruments, -blowing their plaintive dirge-like music, to welcome us and escort us -in. Soon the population was all assembled—the maidens in their best -sarongs, the mothers and grandmothers each with an urchin strapped to -her back by her scarf, the men coming in from their work, and the -inevitable crowd of children. Cha Pū Kaw was already answering their -questions, with Nān Suwan’s sympathetic aid. They were respectfully shy, -but there was no cringing. Sên Chai invited the local Pū Chān and all -the villagers to assemble after their evening meal to hear the new -doctrines. We first had worship with singing, and prayer by Cha Pū Kaw. -It was the first time they had heard the Great Spirit addressed in their -own Mūsô tongue. There were frequent exclamations of delight that they -were able to understand every word. - -And then, before that motley crowd, drinking with them their native tea -from an earthen teapot, the men seated close around, or reclining as -they smoke their pipes, the women and children walking about or sitting -on the ground—we tell of God the great Spirit, the Creator, and Father -of all—the Bible, His message to men—the incarnation, life, and death of -Christ, and redemption through His blood. Before we get through you will -hear man after man say, “I believe that. It is true.” One man takes up -the story from Cha Pū Kaw’s mouth and repeats it to another—a story that -till now he himself had never heard. Another says, “Nān Suwan has told -us this before, but now we hear it from the father-teacher.” - -Before we retired that night Sên Chai said to us, with the approval of -most of his village, “Go on to Sên Bun Yūang and the head men of the -other villages. If they agree, we will all accept Christianity. One -village cannot accept it alone. If we do not ‘kin waw’ with them—join in -their New Year’s feast—we shall be treated as enemies by the whole -tribe.” - -So, next morning, we set out to find the great Pū Chān—the religious -head of the province. On our way to his village we fell in with a man to -whom Cha Pū Kaw was speaking with great earnestness. I found on -approaching him that he was not a Mūsô, but a Kūi—of a tribe which we -had planned to visit later. He was the Pū Chān of his village. He had -already invited us through Cha Pū Kaw to change our plan, and visit his -village first. It was nearer than the village we were intending to -visit, and we were already tired enough with our climb to be willing to -stop at the nearest place. - -The village was a large one, as mountain villages go—of twenty-five or -thirty houses, and from two hundred and fifty to three hundred souls—in -general not unlike the Mūsô villages we had seen. The Kūi language also, -while different from the Mūsô, is cognate with it, so that Cha Pū Kaw -could still act fairly well as our interpreter. His talk with the Pū -Chān on the way had already laid a good foundation for our work in the -evening, when curiosity and interest in our errand brought the whole -village together to hear Cha Pū Kaw’s new doctrine from his own lips. -The news of his conversion had already reached them, and he had made a -good impression on the religious head of the village.—And, then, it was -something new to see the Mūsô boys able to read and to sing. Nān Suwan -and Cha Pū Kaw led in prayer, the one in Lāo and the other in Mūsô. Then -our religion was explained in its two leading ideas—rejection of the -spirit-cult, and acceptance of Jesus for the pardon of sin and the life -eternal. Questions were asked and answered. - -At last the Pū Chān suggested that, while we continued our reading and -singing with the women and children, he and the men, with Cha Pū Kaw, -withdraw to a neighbouring house and talk the matter over. It was -evident that they would be more at their ease by themselves, unawed by -the presence of the foreign teacher. For some two hours the debate -continued. I could hear their earnest voices from the neighbouring -house, with only now and then a Lāo word that I could understand. Then -they returned to make their report. With oriental politeness, they -expressed their gratitude to the “great teacher” who had come so far and -at such expense, and had brought with him a fellow-mountaineer of -theirs, to teach them, creatures of the jungle, the way to happiness. -They had talked these matters over, and understood them somewhat, but -not fully. Some were greatly pleased with the teachings, and believed -them true. But they could not yet come as an entire village, and they -dared not separate. Next morning we parted as friends. They were glad -that we had found the way to their village. “Be sure to come again!” -That I thought surely I should do; but this proved to be my only visit. - -At the Sên Lūang’s village, where the great Pū Chān lived, we had the -same experience—a good reception, many apparently interested and anxious -to escape their own spirit-worship. A number of the head men said, “If -such and such a village accepts the Jesus-religion, we will.” But no one -could be found to face the clan and make a start. - -Thinking that our native evangelists might get at the heart of the -people all the better if left to do it alone, and being anxious to get -my mail from home, I went down on Saturday to Nān Suwan’s to spend the -Sunday there with the Christians. On Tuesday, to my disappointment, the -evangelists returned to me discouraged. They were convinced that in the -district east of the Mê Kōng River, no break in the solidarity of the -clan could be accomplished that season. - -But it was important not to leave these people with the impression that -we had abandoned them. I had left Sên Chai’s village with the promise to -return. So I went up with the Mūsô Christian boys, and spent a last -night with them. The village again assembled, and we had an interesting -evening. The Sên was greatly disappointed that none of the other -villages would join him. But the New Year was at hand, when the clan -must be unbroken. They would wait another year, and try to get the other -villages to join them. On the whole, I was encouraged. When we left them -we were escorted out of the village to the music of their plaintive -flutes, more like a victorious than a vanquished army. - -After a day or two with the Chieng Sên church, we visited the ridge to -the southeast of that city, between it and Chieng Kawng. Our experience -there was but a repetition of that from which we were just come—cordial -receptions, night audiences, manifest interest, individual believers, -anxious consultations, promises for the next year; but the tribal bond -was too strong to be broken. - -But Cha Pū Kaw was anxious that we should not pass by his own mountain -villages on the Mê Kok. So we turned southward again toward Chieng Rāi. -This, moreover, was one of those famine years, such as we have already -encountered in our story, and shall encounter yet again; many people -were on the verge of starvation. In places we could not get food for our -own men. And famine was beginning to be followed by disease and death. -This was a serious obstacle to our work. - -Another serious obstacle was the use of opium, which became more -prevalent the further west we went along the Mê Kok range towards Mûang -Fāng. We presently reached villages where the poppy was cultivated, -until, in the last village, men, women, and boys, and sometimes even -girls, were its slaves. Fevers and dysentery prevail during the rainy -season. These people have a very scanty pharmacopœia, and no antidotes -whatever for these diseases. Opium in some form is probably their surest -remedy. Many persons told me that they began by using it in sickness. As -sickness recurred the habit grew, until they were fast bound in its -chains. These facts largely determined the character of the instruction -we gave, and made our tour a kind of anti-opium crusade. Encouraged and -disappointed at every village, I was still tempted on by visions of -capturing some large village that would prove a more effective entering -wedge for the tribe than Cha Pū Kaw’s poor little hamlet. The six weeks -so spent were at the time the most novel and exciting, as well as most -arduous, of all my missionary experiences so far. - -We took both the old Mūsô men as assistants, and the younger ones as -carriers for our equipment. Our first day’s journey was a fair sample of -what we had to do continually. In many places it would be a misnomer to -speak of the track we travelled as a path. We left the plain in the -morning, and it was half-past two in the afternoon when we reached the -first summit. It was five o’clock when, desperate with thirst, we came -upon a flowing brook. There was, then, still another hard climb before -we saw our long looked-for first village ahead. And, in general, because -of the habit these people have of planting their villages upon the very -highest points where they can get water, the journey from one of these -villages to another in plain sight, and, apparently, but a short -distance away, would take hours of the hardest travel. Sometimes we -would walk weary hours through rain, or through bushes as wet as rain, -to visit a village; only to walk back again after sitting three hours in -wet clothes trying in vain to awaken some interest in old or young. - -One of the most interesting, and, at the same time, one of the saddest, -cases we met was that of Mûn Kamprai, the head man of a village which -clearly bore the impress of his character in the intelligence and -industry of its inhabitants. From opium he had kept entirely aloof -until, only a few years before this time, under the stress of a severe -illness, he began to take it. The poor man now realized that he was -becoming a wreck, but seemed to have no will-power left to make the -effort to break away from the habit. He was much interested, however, in -his two fellow-tribesmen whom I had brought as my assistants; and Cha -Waw’s example seemed to afford him a faint gleam of hope. If we would -stop a week and teach his people, and would stand by to aid him, he -would try. If successful, he would surely become a Christian—and then -his village would be the one we had been hoping for to free itself from -the tribal bond, and become Christian. - -The experiment was, indeed, pathetic. Removing all temptation, he began -with a desperate determination to succeed. We encouraged him with human -sympathy and the hope of divine aid. We pushed as far as we dared the -use of a tonic which Dr. McKean had given me for such cases; and it -aided him perceptibly. He held out manfully for several days. But, at -last, in an evil hour, he could endure the torture no longer, and before -we knew it, he had resumed the use of the drug. For two nights he had -not slept. In his own expressive language, it was not his eyes, but his -heart that could not sleep. Poor man! his sufferings must have been as -near those of the infernal regions as it is possible to experience in -the body. And then his absolute wreck of mind, and the contempt he felt -for himself when he gave up the struggle as hopeless! - -We spared no labour to reach the homes of these people, or their hearts. -We tried to become Mūsôs to the Mūsôs that we might win them. Sometimes -we had to sleep in their huts—on a floor raised two or three feet from -the ground, which the dogs shared with the family, while the pigs and -goats were on the ground beneath. In the centre was a raised fireplace -on which the native teapot always boiled. Sleeping-mats or thin bedding -lay about on the floor, and on this, before bedtime, some of the inmates -would lie down and fall asleep even while listening to the -conversation.—But everywhere the tribal bond was too strong to be -broken. - -[Illustration: - - MŪSÔ PEOPLE AND HUT NEAR CHIENG RAI] - -By this time the rains had set in. The trails—and the leeches that -infested them—were getting worse and worse. Soon the torrent-streams -would become impassable. We must return while yet we could. Our six -weeks’ wanderings we retraced in four days of constant tramping. It had -been a hard trip for all of us. I myself had a touch of fever. It seemed -good on reaching our camp to have once more the luxury of a chair and a -table. And then to be on the sadaw’s back travelling homewards, and to -meet a good mail on the way! My three-score and fourth birthday was -spent in the forest, and I reached home safely on the 18th of May, after -an absence of nearly five months. - - * * * * * - -The peninsula of Farther India is largely exempt from the terrible -scourge of famine which has become almost chronic in Hindustan, its -greater neighbour on the west. There the population is so numerous that -the normal production of food is just sufficient to supply its needs. -Even a local or a partial failure of the crops must produce distress. -Siam, on the contrary, is happy in that it not only produces an abundant -supply for its own people, but is a granary for the surrounding -countries. The worst that has ever been experienced in Lower Siam in -years of greatest scarcity, has been the necessity of checking the -export of rice. The annual floods there cover the whole country, so that -a general failure of crops is, humanly speaking, impossible. - -In the northern states the land is higher; and considerable portions of -it, being above inundation, are directly dependent upon the seasonal and -local rains. But with a population by no means dense, this very -diversity of the cultivated areas is a source of safety. A season of -heavy rainfall which drowns the lowland rice, is apt to prove -exceptionally good for the uplands. And, on the other hand, a season of -light rainfall, which cuts short the upland crop, is apt to be a good -season for the flooded areas. And in considerable sections of the -country there is the chance that a second crop in the same season may -make good the loss of the first. There is a further security also in the -fact that, until communication with the coast becomes such as to make -exportation profitable, the excess of fruitful years remains unconsumed -in the country, to supply the need of less fruitful ones. It thus comes -about that scarcity amounting to a real famine cannot result from the -failure of crops in any single year. It requires two consecutive -failures to produce extensive suffering among the very poor, and three -to result in a real famine. - -This last, however, was the case in 1892. In 1890 there was a light crop -throughout the land, with less excess than usual to be stored. In 1891 -the crop was lighter still. In the eastern provinces, particularly in -Lakawn and Prê, there was very little rice to be reaped. Famine -conditions began there long before the time for harvest. People were -scattering off in squads or by families into Chiengmai and the northern -provinces, begging a daily morsel. They were poverty-stricken as well as -famishing. The distress led the brethren in Lakawn to make an appeal to -friends in the United States for a famine fund. Quite a liberal -response, amounting to several thousand dollars, was made to this call, -largely by the friends of the Lāo mission. The relief was almost as -timely for the missionaries as it was for the famishing people. -Otherwise they scarcely could have lived through the long strain on -their nerves and sympathies caused by the constant sight of sufferings -which they could not even in part relieve. - -The province of Chiengmai could have met its own needs until the new -crop came in, had it not been for the constant draft upon its reserves -to meet the demands of Lakawn and Prê. But, between high prices offered -and pity for the less fortunate, those reserves were steadily drained -away, until, during the latter months of the year, famine was upon us in -Chiengmai, too. Bands of men from destitute villages, maddened by hunger -and unable to buy food, began to roam about the country by night, or, -sometimes, by day, and seize rice wherever any little remnant of it -could be found. The authorities were powerless to restrain them or to -keep order. The condition of the more destitute provinces can better be -imagined than described. - -At last the relief committee in Lakawn were asked if they could not -spare us a small portion of their fund, for it seemed that their -condition could not be much worse than ours. A letter from Dr. W. A. -Briggs brought us three hundred rupees, but with the following -_caveat_—the italics are his: - - “_Wherever_ we can reach the absolutely starving, that is a - place to invest. We do not pretend to relieve all the - _suffering_. Now, if the need in Chiengmai, or in the district - mentioned, is so great that people are actually dying from - starvation, and those now living are living on such stuff as the - sample enclosed (cocanut-husks, leaves, bark, etc.), _with never - a grain of rice_, then I would advise you to form a Famine - Committee, and go into the business as we have done. The actual - starvation _must_ be attended to, _no matter where it is_. But - our saddest experience is within Prê. Some one should be sent - there at once.” - -The scenes reported from Prê were harrowing. I will not pain the reader -by dwelling upon them. One happy result followed the efforts of the -brethren who went to the relief of that district. While administering to -bodily wants, they preached the Gospel, making such an impression that -there was a strong demand for a permanent station there—which was -established the next year, with Dr. and Mrs. Briggs as pioneer -missionaries. - -It should be stated that, toward the last, the Siamese government sent -up supplies of rice; but, because of the distance and the difficulty of -transportation, not much reached the suffering people in time to help -them; and much was lost in passing through the hands of so many -officials. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - XXXI - - CHIENG RUNG AND THE SIPSAWNG PANNĀ - - -At the Annual Meeting of the mission in December, 1892, the broad field -of Tai peoples north of the frontier of Siam was discussed, and Rev. -Robert Irwin and myself were appointed to make a tour into that region -as long and as far as in our judgment might be deemed wise. The tour -occupied nearly five months—from January 3d to May 25th, 1893. This time -we went fairly well supplied with portions of Scriptures and tracts, and -a good outfit of medicine. Of quinine we carried a hundred ounces, and -returned with less than twenty-five. We relied on the medicines for the -welcome they never yet had failed to win for us. And Mr. Irwin had a -cornet which did excellent service throughout the tour. For riding I had -my big “sadaw” elephant, and Mr. Irwin had a pony; so we could exchange -mounts at our convenience. I pass over the earlier portion of our route, -already so often described, and the two weeks spent among the -hill-tribes visited on previous trips. - -The chief object of our trip was to visit, in their ancient homes, two -northern tribes of the Lāo race—the Kôn and the Lû—from which very many -of our parishioners in the southern provinces derived their origin. For, -under conditions which lasted very nearly down to our own time, there -was almost constant predatory warfare going on in this northern -country—stronger states raiding the weaker, and sweeping away the entire -population of the districts they overran, to plant them in their own -realms. Thus whole villages, and even entire districts, in the Lāo -provinces of Siam, are peopled by the descendants of such colonies of -captives. We found it unadvisable to attempt both visits in the same -season, and the Lû were the more accessible, living on the nearer slopes -of the Mê Kông valley. We went up on the west of the river along the -edge of the British territory, now known as the South Shan States, and -beyond it into Chinese territory, as far as Chieng Rung;[15] then, -returning, we made a somewhat wider sweep to the east of the river, -through French Indo-China; finally recrossing the river at Chieng Lāp, -where we struck once more our outgoing trail. - -Footnote 15: - - This name appears on some maps as Chieng Hung, initial _r_ in the - North being generally pronounced as _h_.—ED. - -After leaving Mûang Len, the utmost point of a former trip, we travelled -awhile by a fine road along the summit of a ridge so regular as to seem -almost like an artificial embankment, and affording noble views over the -valley. At Wieng Mai, a recent offshoot of Mûang Yawng, we spent a most -interesting Saturday and Sunday. Here the Prince-Governor sent to ask if -he should not put up a sālā to shelter us during our stay. In the -morning we preached in the market-place, and afterwards I distributed -medicine and talked with the people till noon, when I had to flee away -to rest under the shade of a big tree by the river. The people seemed -hungry for the bread of life. I could not supply all the requests made -for copies of the Scriptures. - -Mûang Yawng, the older and larger city, we reached on Monday forenoon, -after a two hours’ ride. An officer met us at the gate, and showed us to -the sālā. When the Chao Mawm heard of our arrival, he sent for us, -meeting us at the door. We had a very interesting interview, but he was -not inclined to talk on the subject of religion. He told me that the -city and district had been entirely depopulated in 1809 by a force from -Chiengmai, when “nothing was left behind but the ground.”[16] It had -recovered itself, however, and its population was now larger than that -of Lampūn. With Nān Suwan I visited the market and the Court. At the -latter place I learned that the British Commissioner would arrive the -next day. Knowing that everything would be in confusion, we decided to -move on the next morning. - -Footnote 16: - - This incident is a striking illustration of the methods of warfare in - those days. The expedition in question was directed against the - Burmese, who had established themselves in Mûang Yāng some sixty miles - or more to the northwest. On its way it passed through Mûang Yawng, - where it was loyally received. But being defeated at Mûang Yāng, it - fell back upon Mûang Yawng, and there gathered up all the inhabitants - and swept them off to Chiengmai to prevent their falling into the - hands of the enemy!—ED. - -From this point on, our elephant was everywhere an object of great -interest. Sometimes the people climbed trees to get a better view of -him. A long day’s march brought us to Mûang Yū, picturesquely situated -on high bluffs, with deep gorges running down to the Mê Lūi. Here we -remained only overnight, leaving early the next morning for Mûang Lūi, -which we reached about noon. That evening we had a large attendance at -worship, the governor and officials remaining till after eleven o’clock. -The original population of both these districts, as well as that of -Mûang Yawng, are now scattered throughout the provinces of Chiengmai and -Lampūn. - -Next morning we crossed the beautiful stream on a raft, while our -elephant took the ford. During the forenoon we came upon Captain Davis -of the Commissioner’s staff, who had been sent to make a detour by Mûang -Sing, and was then on his way to join his party. He was resting by the -roadside, ill with fever, and was glad to get from me some quinine. - -The following day, Saturday, brought us to Mûang Lūang, the largest and -most important place in the valley and the southernmost of the old -Sipsawng Pannā confederacy. The valley population is wholly Lû. There is -scarcely a Ngīu (Western Shan) to be found east of the Keng Tung -watershed. Here were the best roads we had seen anywhere in Farther -India, with a real arched bridge of stone across the stream at the -entrance to the city. Early next morning we were awakened by a noisy -crowd about our tent, anxious to see us. It was the great market day, -so, instead of attempting a regular service in camp, we chose the -market-place. There, whether reading or speaking, we always had some -attentive listeners. - -On Monday our road lay for many miles along the summit of a low ridge on -which at intervals were fifteen large villages, just at the edge of the -long fertile plain, where are the rice-fields that feed the country. I -never saw in all my touring anything quite to equal that row of -villages. It seemed too bad to pass through so many without even -stopping. - -[Illustration: - - GROUP OF YUNNAN LĀO] - -On the fourth day from Mûang Lūang we reached Chieng Rung, the limit of -our northward journey. Its location is strikingly beautiful, on a high -steep bluff overlooking the Mê Kōng River, which sweeps in a majestic -curve about its base. It is in Chinese territory, and is ruled by a Chao -Fā appointed from Yunnan. An officer from Yunnan was there at the time -collecting tribute. The influence of the English was already felt there. -Mûang Chê, to the west, had rebelled against the Chao Fā, who thereupon -sent out an expedition which captured and brought away some three -hundred families of the inhabitants. But England cannot allow border -warfare to go on along her frontier. An English officer appeared on the -scene, and the thing was stopped. - -At Chieng Rung we were still in the midst of an area of Lāo-speaking -people—an area which extended far beyond on every side. I gave a portion -of Scripture to a Lû whose home was ten days’ journey northward; and -others to men from as far to the east and to the west. - -We had an interview with the Chao Fā by previous appointment. At the -door the officer suggested that we pull off our shoes. We replied that -it was not our custom, and was unnecessary. He looked very doubtful, but -said no more, and we walked in. The Chao Fā received us courteously. We -took him to be a man of no great strength of character, about forty -years of age, and somewhat weakened by the use of opium. He asked -whether we had not some antidote to enable him to stop its use. He -listened attentively to our statement of the object of our coming, and -said, “You are merit-makers, and that is a good work.” - -When we called at the court, the presiding officer had a wise suggestion -as to how we might further our purpose and establish our religion in the -place—a suggestion evidently not originating with himself, but from a -higher source. “The favour of the Chao Fā,” said he, “will be necessary -and all-sufficient. I see you have a fine elephant. Just make a present -of him to the Chao Fā. He will be delighted, and your road will be all -smooth.” I told him that I was an old man, far from home, and dependent -on the elephant. So I could not part with him. This same suggestion was -pressed upon us several times afterwards, by the highest officials, and -quite up to the hour of our departure; though its form was modified from -a gift to a sale. I became at last a little anxious about the result, -and was somewhat relieved when we actually got away without loss of the -elephant. - -I may mention at this point an incident of this trip which never came to -my knowledge till thirteen years later, showing how we were -providentially spared from what would have put a sudden and tragic end -to our tour and to our lives. When Dr. S. C. Peoples and Dr. W. C. Dodd -were in Keng Tung in March, 1907, the presiding officer of the Court -told them that he had met Dr. McGilvary and Mr. Irwin on their way to -Chieng Rung; that when the people of Chieng Rung first heard that some -foreigners from the south were _en route_ to their capital, they planned -to kill and plunder them. But when they saw that the foreigners rode -elephants and were accompanied by carriers, they decided that this was -probably the advance guard of a formidable army, which it might not be -well to attack. And then, he said, the kindness of the missionaries so -completely won their hearts, that all thought of murder and plunder was -given up. - -Our return was to be through the region to the east of the Mê Kōng. Its -northern cities still belonged to the Sipsawng Pannā. But the rest of it -was territory recently ceded by Siam to France. The governing race—the -people of the plains—were everywhere Tai, speaking the Lāo language and -using the Lāo literature. On its mountain ridges dwelt numerous -hill-tribes, especially the Kamu and the Lamēt. - -The route we were to take crosses the river two days’ journey south of -Chieng Rung; so we had at first to retrace our steps. We left the city -on Monday, March 13th, safe from unseen plots, and with our elephant. On -the second day, after leaving our upward road to strike across to the -river, we entered unexpectedly a large village, where we met with a -reception ludicrously hostile. At every door men were standing with guns -in their hands. We were surprised; but, supposing that it might be -muster-day or something of the sort, we passed innocently along, without -challenge, to the monastery, where we dismounted and began to unload. -Then guns were laid aside and the head man and villagers came up to see -us and to offer assistance. They had heard that foreigners were coming -with elephants and men, whether for peace or war no one knew. So they -had taken the precaution to be ready. When they found out our peaceful -errand, they were ashamed. We had a pleasant visit and worship with them -that evening. - -The next stage of our road was bad. In some places we had to cut our way -through, and there were difficult passages of brook-beds and gorges. We -reached the river at Chieng Hā in a pouring rain, and it rained again at -night. The next day was the Buddhist sacred day, and we were awakened -early by the crowd of merit-makers and worshippers—the women and girls, -as usual, in their head-dresses and gay colours, and all anxious to see -the elephant and the white faces. - -It was 10:30 that morning before we got away. Ourselves, our men, the -saddles and luggage, were carried over by the ferry. Nān Suwan alone -faced the deep river on the sadaw to guide him through. At the first -plunge all of the elephant save his trunk, and half of the rider, went -out of sight. Thence on they went, now up and now down, till they -struggled out on the further shore. Such an effort is very exhausting to -the animal, and he has to have a good rest and breathing-spell after it. - -Mûang Ham, on the eastern bank, is larger than its neighbour on the -west. Its governor was a Chao Mawm, next in rank to the Chao Fā of -Chieng Rung, and his wife was the Chao Fā’s sister. I had a long talk on -religion with the wife. It was a new thought to her that any one could -be greater than the Buddha, though he was neither Creator nor Saviour, -but only a man. It is unnecessary continually to state what was -everywhere the case throughout this trip; namely, that we had good -audiences and interested hearers. We left in every place some books in -the hands of those most likely to use them; though we could have used to -advantage many more, if we had had them. - -From Mûang Ham two days’ march brought us on a Saturday to Mûang Nūn, -the most important city on our route, and, therefore, a most desirable -place to spend Sunday. The city is in the valley of the Nam Bān. It has -well paved streets, and a very large monastery on an eminence above, -where we camped. The abbot gave us a hearty welcome, and did all he -could to make us comfortable. At our night worship the monks and other -visitors were very attentive. - -On Sunday morning we called on the head officer of the Court, and had a -pleasant conversation with him, for he was both intelligent and -inquisitive. Just as we were ready for our own morning worship, the Chao -Mawm, a relative of the Chao Fā for Chieng Rung, sent to ask us to call. -We sent word in reply that it was our hour for worship, and asked -whether he would, perhaps, like to have us worship in his residence. His -answer was a cordial invitation to come and do so. - -The Prince was young and very pleasant. He had a spacious house, and -soon he had it filled with his own family, his officers, and his people. -Mr. Irwin, as usual, had his cornet. We find that singing our Gospel -hymns, with a short explanation of their central truths, is a better way -to hold a mixed crowd where women and children form a goodly proportion, -than is a regular service. Nān Suwan’s Lû dialect served a very good -turn. We had a very interesting morning, and we were cordially invited -to hold a similar meeting at night, when many who had been absent in the -morning might attend. - -At night the house was crowded with a remarkable gathering, for one -could hardly call it a congregation. The invitation, the place, the -attendant circumstances, were all unique. We sang and prayed and -preached with as little restraint as if we had been in our own church in -Chiengmai. The part of the service which most impressed them was Nān -Suwan’s prayer—a direct appeal to a Person unseen, whom he addressed as -Father, Redeemer, Saviour, and Friend. Seldom have I felt so strongly -for any as for these, that they were as sheep needing a shepherd; hungry -souls asking for bread, and getting that which satisfied not. Ethical -teaching they had in abundance, but no Divine Voice asking, “Wilt thou -be made whole?” or saying, “Thy sins be forgiven thee. Arise and walk!” - -Next morning we made our formal call upon the Prince; but he sent to our -camp for our books and the cornet, and soon we had another congregation, -and were having worship again. In the afternoon the Prince made us a -long call. Then there was a continuous stream of visitors, mostly for -medicine, and I vaccinated a number of persons. The son of the chief -officer of the Court, a fine young man, was almost ready to come with us -to Chiengmai to study our religion further. His father, too, was willing -that he should come. The young man promised that he surely would do so -next year, if we came again. And now, seventeen years after these -events, it saddens me to think no missionary has ever been there since. -An occupancy, then, of those open Sipsawng Pannā States would have -turned the flank of French obstruction, and have ensured an entrance -from the north. - -Early on Tuesday morning we left Mûang Nūn, after a visit all too short. -The Prince, with his officers and a large crowd of people, were on hand -to bid us good-bye. That day we found our track very much obstructed by -the jungle growth, and had some difficulty in cutting our way through. -Another complication presently arose in the illness of my associate, Mr. -Irwin. An attack of indigestion developed next day into symptoms of -dysentery, which made further travel for the time impossible. So we were -laid up until the following Tuesday at Mûang Wên—and anxious nights and -days they were. Milder measures failing, we had to resort at last to a -most heroic treatment which I had seen used in the hospital, namely, -large doses of ipecac. By this means the disease was got under control; -and by care and dieting Mr. Irwin was able at length to continue his -journey on my elephant, though throughout the rest of our tour he was -far from being well. - -At Mûang Pōng, one of the three largest cities on the route, we again -stopped over from Thursday night till Tuesday. Here I had an ague-chill -on the night of our arrival, but, with free use of quinine and a little -rest, I escaped further attack. There was a great deal of fever in the -place, and I spent much time in ministering to the sick. - -On Saturday I called upon the Prince and his chief officer. I was told -that the city furnished five hundred men for the Chao Fā’s expedition, -and had seventy villages within its jurisdiction. In former times it had -been raided by an expedition from Nān, and some of the Nān villages to -this day are peopled by descendants of those captives. - -On Monday the Prince and his chief officer made us long calls. The -Prince had never seen a repeating rifle, and seemed incredulous that it -could fire twelve shots in unbroken succession, till I fired three by -way of demonstration. His look of surprise was ludicrous. He _must_ have -the gun, he said, to protect his country, and began bidding for it. At -last he offered a fine riding pony, which I accepted. He was delighted, -saying that we two should always be brothers. If I should never come -again myself, he would welcome and aid our assistants. Four years later -I did visit the place, but the Prince had been killed. - -On Tuesday we reached Mûang Māng, which proved to be one of our most -hopeful places. Sitting in front of our tent, with the whole village -about us, we talked till midnight. I had a sore throat, but our -assistants were inspired with enthusiasm. At last we almost had to drive -the crowd away. - -Mûang Sing was the objective of this portion of our tour. I first became -interested in it when it was about to be occupied as a dependency of the -province of Nān. Mr. Phraner and I made an attempt to reach it in 1891, -but were turned back. Then, again, it seemed about to fall into British -hands, under some old claim by Burma. Even at the time we were there, -its status was still uncertain. It gave evidence of having once been a -large city, and still had a very large territory under its jurisdiction. -Its earlier importance was reflected in the title borne by its ruler, -Chao Fā—Lord of the Sky—a title borne by no other Lû ruler south of -Chieng Rung. My interest in Mûang Sing had been deepened by acquaintance -with a patient in the Chiengmai hospital, of whose case Dr. McKean has -kindly furnished the following account: - - “This Prayā Singhanāt, a prominent man in the local government, - had been for years a great sufferer from vesical calculus and - had tried all kinds of remedies without avail. Fearing his - disease had been occasioned by offending the spirits in the - building of a new house, he tore the house down. This gave him - no relief. Although he had spent years in the monastery, and had - taken all the degrees of the order, he concluded to re-enter it - in the hope of being cured of his malady, spending again six - months in the monastery. A travelling merchant who had himself - been cured of calculus by an operation in the mission hospital - in Chiengmai, advised the Prayā to go there for relief. This he - determined to do, not without great opposition from the Prince - and from his own family. But he was determined. He sold his - possessions, and started with 800 rupees. His journey was long - and painful. For weeks or even months at a time he could not - travel on account of great pain. Once he was beset by dacoits at - night. A part of his money and all his guns were stolen. When he - finally reached Chiengmai twelve months after leaving home, he - was penniless, and of course still suffering intensely. He was - received into the mission hospital and was wholly relieved by an - operation. A more grateful patient one rarely sees. He regularly - attended service at the hospital and evinced great interest in - Christianity.” - -When we reached Mûang Sing, we were disappointed to find that the Prayā -was away. But he had loudly sung the praises of the mission hospital, -and that was a good introduction for us. The chief officer of the Court -was a friend of his, and he proved to be a friend to us, too. Hearing -that we were come, the Chao Fā sent for us, and turned out to be a -relative of the great Chao Fā of Chieng Rung. Though not of a nature so -deeply religious as some, he was interested in religion; and our reply -to his first question as to the object of our visit, immediately -introduced the subject. - -At first he was inclined to cavil, asking such questions as, whether -Jesus could rise in the air as Buddha did, and the like. But this was -evidently to “save his face” before his officers. For a while he -maintained that the universe is self-existent, having come into being by -the concurrence of the matter which composes it. But presently he -confessed that it is too complicated for that, and plainly shows -design—that is, a mind or Mind. At last he asked what argument made us -foreigners so certain of our view that we should come to ask them to -change their religion for ours. We told him that Jesus Christ Himself -was the all-sufficient argument. No matter how the world came into -existence, we are here, and we all know that we are sinners. The Buddha -confessed himself to be only a man, and himself seeking a refuge like -the rest of us. Jesus Christ claimed to have come down from heaven, and -to be the Son of God. He challenged the world to convince Him of sin. -Those who knew Him intimately saw something in Him not only different -and superior, but of a different kind. He showed this not only by His -spotless life, but by the miracles that He wrought. He claims to have -power to forgive sins. And thousands and millions who have accepted Him -believe that He has forgiven them; and show that fact by becoming better -men. We talked thus an hour and a half. He evidently felt the force of -the arguments. - -Sunday was the fifth-day market or fair—the largest and finest we had -seen in the north. The hill-tribes, as usual, were out in full force. I -was still suffering with sore throat, but Mr. Irwin and the assistants -had a fine morning’s work, and in the afternoon had a fair attendance at -the regular service. - -One of the most interesting incidents of our stay was the night service, -held in the residence of the Chao Fā at his express request on the -evening before our departure. The audience was mainly his own family and -dependents, and the Prince was more free than before. During the singing -he asked that the cornet be stopped in order that he might hear the -words more plainly. When Nān Suwan led in prayer, he wished to know if -we always prayed in that way. There was the usual sad refrain—no hope of -pardon, bondage to the spirits, the drawing to a better way, but so -strong a counter-current! Yet who can tell how many, after all, the -truth may have reached? - -We left Mûang Sing on Wednesday, April 12th. There is no need to weary -the reader with details of the ten days’ travel before we reached Chieng -Sên, or with the varied incidents of our work. - -At Chieng Sên we received letters that were disappointing to my plans. -The mission had unanimously decided that, partly for considerations of -our health, and partly for reasons of mission policy, Mrs. McGilvary and -I should take our furlough at once. We had been ten and a half years on -duty in the field. My wife was not really sick, but was not well, and -the doctor advised her going. I was very anxious to repeat the same tour -the next year, in spite of the few malarial chills I had encountered -this time. But arrangements had been completed, and there was no option -but to submit. - -My companion on this tour was far from well, and it was important that -he should hasten home at once. What with daily rains, bad roads, and -swollen streams, Mr. Irwin had a hard trip of it alone the rest of the -way; and it was some little time before he was well again. For my return -there was no such need of haste. The work among the Mūsô had been left, -upon the whole, in hopeful condition. The power of the tribal bond, -which almost annihilated individual responsibility, had been somewhat -weakened. Many head men had promised to enrol themselves as Christians -this season. It was certain that no tour among them could be made the -coming year. I must visit them now. - -The experiences of this visit were entirely like those of the previous -ones—everywhere the same warm welcome, interesting night meetings, -earnest consultations, and ministering to the sick; days spent in wading -brooks, climbing mountain ridges, plunging down ravines, to get from one -village to another, where the same round would be repeated. They would -all become Christians if only another officer or two would join them. -Thus it went on till we had visited nearly all of the eleven villages, -and were back at Sên Chai’s and Sên Bun Yūang’s, where we began. These -people were nearer to Nān Suwan’s Christian village, had known more of -our religion, and, no doubt, were believers in the truth of our -teaching. We talked with them till late at night, and our parting with -them had a tragic interest. They were apparently on the verge of -accepting the Gospel. We used our utmost endeavours to persuade them to -join Cha Pū Kaw on the other side of the river, and not wait for the -others who might come in afterwards. This was probably my last visit; -but if any sufficient number would join the church, the mission would -not desert them. If not, in all probability the offer would never be -pressed upon them again. - -And so it proved to be. About half of the villages were under the -governor of Chieng Sên. The inhabitants of these were assured of their -safety in taking the decisive step, so far as the rulers were concerned. -But some of the larger villages were under the governor of Mûang Len. -His opposition was a foregone conclusion, because of his interest in the -opium traffic. My failure to gain a large entrance among them was one of -the greatest disappointments in my whole work. - -That I was not mistaken in the hopefulness of the work among the Mūsôs -has since been demonstrated by the many thousand converts won among the -same tribe by our Baptist brethren in the Keng Tung region. At the same -time they are better prepared for such a work than were we. Their wide -experience among the Karens of Burma, and the large number of educated -Karens through whom they work, give them advantages in this particular -work which our mission does not possess. On the other hand, it is surely -to be regretted that our mission should be limited in its access to all -branches alike of the Tai population found in the northern states, for -which, by identity of race and language and literature, we are far -better prepared than our Baptist brethren. For while, to use a legal -phrase, the missionary holds a brief for no one particular tribe; while -his commission and his duty is to preach the Gospel to all whom he can -reach; yet it is a well recognized fact that the Tai family has largely -fallen to our mission. And it will be seen from what we have said above, -that we returned from this trip with enlarged views and bright prospects -of opening up work among our own Tai people in the north. It will take -years of hard work and a useless expenditure of time and money for any -other missionary organization to reach the point at which we were ready -to _begin_ work among these people. But this is a complicated question, -the tangled web of which it is not possible for any one man to unravel. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - XXXII - - THIRD FURLOUGH—STATION AT CHIENG RĀI - - -On my return to Chiengmai I found preparations well advanced for our -departure on furlough. Embarking on June 7th, we reached Bangkok on June -22d, and San Francisco on August 12th, 1893. Of the events of that -memorable year, I shall touch upon only two or three. - -Dr. J. H. Barrows, the originator and President of the Parliament of -Religions, had invited me to attend and participate in its meetings. -After, perhaps, a little shock at the boldness of the idea—as if -Christianity were to be put on a par with other religions—I sympathized -with the object as legitimate and proper. It was merely doing on a large -scale what we missionaries are called upon to do on a smaller scale -every time that we hold an argument with Buddhists or other -non-Christian people. The fairness of the idea, and even its very -boldness, might do good; and I believe they did. - -On the Sunday before the opening I listened to a really great sermon by -Dr. Barrows on “Christ the Light of the World.” I attended every session -of the Parliament, save at the hour from 11 A.M. to 12, when I usually -went over to the Moody meetings to hear John McNeill, as he was -familiarly called, preach his trenchant sermons. - -If any one went to the Parliament—as possibly some did—hoping to hear -Christianity demolished, he certainly was disappointed. But there was -one criticism which occurred to me. Whatever may have been thought of -the wisdom of the original conception and inauguration of the -Parliament, the Protestant churches might have made a much more imposing -front, if the ablest men of the different denominations had not stood -aloof, either indifferent or hostile to it. It was surely the -opportunity of a lifetime for many, who could not hope otherwise ever to -address personally the votaries of non-Christian religions, to bring -forward their strong reasons to bear on so many of the most intelligent -and presumably the most earnest seekers after the truth. - -While attending these meetings in Chicago, I received news that our son, -the Rev. Evander B. McGilvary, had felt himself constrained to resign -from the Lāo mission. No good can come from now reviewing the issues -which led to this step; and it is needless to say how bitter was the -disappointment to his parents, who had looked forward to his carrying on -their work, and to him, who had specially prepared himself for that -work, and for no other. But I must say that bitter as was the -disappointment, I sympathized with his position, and respected his -motives. - -At the meeting of the General Assembly in the following May, to which I -was a delegate, the one all-engrossing business was the trial of the -Rev. Henry P. Smith, D.D., for heresy on the question of the “Higher -Criticism.” Viewing the matter from this distance, and entirely apart -from the merits of this particular case, I doubt whether critical and -scientific questions are proper subjects for trials before such a body. -If tried at all, such questions should be tried by a commission of -experts. Biblical criticism and science will go on, and the questions -involved will be decided according to their own lines of evidence, quite -irrespective of the decrees of Popes, Councils, and General Assemblies. -I am much mistaken if the good sense and temper of the church would now -sanction heresy trials on such questions. - - * * * * * - -One day some fifteen years earlier than the point we have now reached in -our narrative, a letter came to our mission from a Mr. Robert Arthington -of Leeds, England. The letter, like all his subsequent ones, was on -small sheets of notepaper, written over once, and then written again -crosswise, so as to be almost illegible. The writer had somewhere -learned of the journey of a French explorer who, from the upper Mê Kōng -and the headwaters of the Mê Ū, had crossed to the China Sea through the -region now known as Tonking. The traveller had passed through certain -tribes possessed of a written language and supposed to be of Aryan -stock. By some means Mr. Arthington had heard of our mission, and wrote -to enquire whether some of us could not visit those tribes and -distribute among them “the Gospels of John and of Luke, and the Acts of -the Apostles,” particularly “telling them that the Acts followed Luke, -_and was by the same author_.” - -We had not the slightest idea who the writer was; but the devout spirit -of the letter was charming, and such interest in obscure tribes along -the northern border of our field was most surprising. His strong desire -to send the Gospel message to “the regions beyond” appealed to me. He -appeared to be a man of means, for he offered to bear the expense of -circulating those three books. At the same time he was evidently -somewhat eccentric and impractical in his ideas. He seemed not to have -thought that to circulate books among newly discovered tribes would -require—since the cessation of the gift of tongues—acquisition of their -languages, translation, printing-presses, etc., etc. But the case, at -all events, seemed worth following up. - -I acknowledged the receipt of his letter, pointing out the obstacles -which he seemed to overlook, directing his attention to our own mission -as occupying a new and interesting field, with many hill-tribes on our -own border which we hoped to reach. I invited his coöperation, stating -that as soon as we were properly enforced, we intended to go as far -north as we could. - -Almost to my surprise, Mr. Arthington replied immediately, expressing -his interest in our work, but still reverting to his scheme for -evangelizing the “tribes of Aryan stock” found by his French traveller. -That was, of course, impossible for us to undertake, though I did -propose to Dr. Cushing of the American Baptist Mission in Burma to join -me in a tour through that region at Mr. Arthington’s expense. This plan -had attractions for us both; but Dr. Cushing’s college work made it -impossible. Still, we might be able to make some compromise with our -unknown correspondent. So, for some years, I kept up an occasional -correspondence with Mr. Arthington, just sufficient to keep us in touch -with each other. He always replied immediately to my letters, breathing -the same deep interest in missions, and especially in the tribes -hitherto unreached by the Gospel. Touring within my own appointed field -engrossed the whole of my available time; but since that field was -already in part supplied, it did not specially appeal to him. - -After the tour, longer than usual, taken with my daughter in 1890, I -sent him a report of it. In response he sent me thirty pounds, which -aided in the work of 1891 among the Mūsô. The tour taken with Mr. -Phraner in 1892 was nearer to his idea; and the one taken with Mr. Irwin -in 1893 intensely interested him—but chiefly because it seemed to be a -stepping stone toward reaching his “Aryan tribes” beyond. He thoroughly -approved of that tour; expressed his regret that we could not meet in -order to come to a clearer understanding about the geography of the -region—since all our maps were defective; and suggested, “I should like -your daughter to go with you on your next trip, as I can well conceive -the idea that she will be a valuable help.” He was, moreover, -“particularly interested that the Cambodians also should have the -Gospels of Luke and John, and the Acts.” - -Following up Mr. Arthington’s suggestion of an interview, I met him by -appointment in Liverpool on my return from the United States. We had -only a half hour’s interview; but he thought that sufficient to enable -us to understand each other’s plans. On reaching London I was to make -out an order for what sum I needed for my next work. This I did, asking -for the modest sum of forty pounds, which I received by return post. - -The trans-Mê Kōng tour, however, was inevitably delayed. It was not -until the Annual Meeting of the mission in 1896 that Dr. Peoples and I -were appointed to make that tour, an account of which will appear later. -To complete, however, now the story of my relations with Mr. Arthington, -I may say that in advance of the Annual Meeting just referred to, I -wrote to him that the projected tour would surely be taken, and -suggested that sixty pounds would probably suffice to cover its expense. -His reply came the day before our meeting adjourned, with a cheque for -seventy pounds. The timely aid seemed to anticipate the divine approval -of our attempt. In his letter he suggested, “Perhaps it might be a good -precaution for you to let the French know your friendly object, and to -get full permission to travel east of the upper waters of the Mê Kōng as -far as you deem proper for your purpose. But, dear Brother, seek—and I -intend to ask with you—the Lord’s counsel and blessed comfort and -guidance.” - -The tour was taken, as I have already intimated, and a full printed -report was sent to Mr. Arthington. On the whole, he was pleased; but it -is not easy to serve two masters. I had assured him from the beginning -that my first duty was to my mission and my own field. Still he was a -little disappointed that I had to go so far out of my way to join Dr. -Peoples in Nān; and a little more so that we could not get up nearer to -Tongking to give his favourite “John, Luke, and the Acts” to the tribes -supposed to be of Aryan descent, found by the French traveller. To -enable me to do this, he said, “I believe I should have great pleasure -in sending you all you will need from me.” He even intimated once that -he would be willing to provide in his will for the continuance of that -work. While not jealous of my connection with the Board, it seemed to -him a tantalizing thing that, while I was geographically nearer his goal -than any one else, and was, moreover, in sympathy with his devout spirit -and evangelistic aspirations to reach the “regions beyond,” I was not -free to carry out his favourite, though somewhat chimerical, plans. - -The last letter I had from him was dated October 22d, 1898. His passion -was then as strong as ever to get his three favourite books to “the -tribes mentioned by the French traveller, ... for they are a people for -whom I have desired much, since the day I first read of them, that they -should have the Gospel.” He expressed great sympathy with my -disappointment that the French would not permit our labouring in their -territory, adding, “Yet the Lord will not be robbed of His own.” His -death occurred not very long after this. Of the disposition of his large -estate I found the following account in the London _Daily Graphic_: - - “The late Robert Arthington of Leeds, left about £750,000 to the - London Missionary Society, and the Baptist Missionary Society. - The total value of his estate was £1,119,843. It is estimated - that the Baptist Missionary Society will receive £415,000 and - the London Missionary Society £335,000. The whole of the money - must be spent in the next twenty years on new missionary work, - and no part of it is to be spent in the United Kingdom.” - -We reached Bangkok on September 11th, 1894. There we were joined by the -Rev. and Mrs. Howard Campbell and Dr. and Mrs. C. H. Denman, who had -come _via_ the Pacific. Earlier in this same year there had come to the -station in Mûang Prê, Dr. and Mrs. Thomas, Mr. and Mrs. Shields, and -Miss Hatch; with the Rev. and Mrs. L. W. Curtis and Miss Margaret Wilson -for Lakawn. - -On our arrival in Chiengmai we found Mr. Phraner very ill with abscess -of the liver, and suffering at times intense pain. He had been warned by -physicians and friends to desist from his work and take his furlough. -But, as chairman of the Evangelistic Committee, he had been pushing the -evangelistic work too eagerly to heed these warnings. He refused to -leave his post till those who were absent should return. Soon after we -arrived he started for the United States, but, alas! it was too late. He -died in Singapore on January 15th, 1895, leaving a wife and two little -boys to pursue their sad journey alone. Mrs. Phraner—formerly Miss -Lizzie Westervelt—had served a useful term in the Girls’ School before -her marriage. The Phraner Memorial School for small children, erected by -the family and friends beside the First Church in Chiengmai, is an -appropriate tribute to their labours for the Lāo race, to which they -devoted their lives. - -The year of our absence had been almost a banner year as regards -successful evangelistic work. Mr. Dodd’s Training School had furnished a -larger number of fairly well prepared evangelists than we ever had -before. Between forty and fifty of these had been actually at work in -the field for longer or shorter periods during the year, and their work -had been very successful. The Annual Meeting convened in Chiengmai soon -after our return. In it there was evident, on the part both of -missionaries and of native assistants, a degree of enthusiasm and -exuberant expectancy which, under the most favourable circumstances, -could hardly have escaped the inevitable reaction. Krū Nān Tā, a man of -magnetic power among his people, was then in his prime. The great value -of his services raised probably to an excessive degree our estimate of -the necessity of more _ordained_ native labourers. If one had done so -much, what might a dozen or a score accomplish? And there were the men, -with two, three, or even more years of training in the study of the -Bible. Most of them were elders or deacons in the different churches. -They had proved faithful in little. Why might they not be trusted with -more talents? Nine of these men were presented for examination before -the Presbytery. - -When we began, it was thought—against the advice of Mr. Dodd, who was on -furlough—that one or two might be ordained to meet the immediate needs -of the work. Some of them had spent a number of years in the Buddhist -priesthood, and had some knowledge of Pali. Others were without such -education, but nearly all had learned to read Siamese. In Biblical -knowledge they had made fair progress. When the examination was closed, -there was a long and anxious deliberation, with special prayer for -divine direction. It was quite safe to ordain one or two. But the next -candidate was so near the standard of these that it might seem invidious -to exclude him—and so with the next, and the next. When the vote was -taken, six were chosen for ordination and three for licensure. The -millennium seemed drawing near! - -With the new title and responsibility, higher wages were naturally to be -expected. And it was precisely upon this rock that our hopes and plans -suffered shipwreck. The Board, as never before, began to insist on the -native churches assuming the support of their own evangelists. The -methods of mission work set forth and practised in China by the Rev. Dr. -Nevius were urged upon us, and became very popular, especially with the -younger members of the mission, though in China they had not passed -beyond the stage of experiment. They are best described in Dr. Nevius’ -own words: - - “These two systems may be distinguished in general by the - former’s depending largely on paid native agency, while the - latter deprecates and seeks to minimize such agency. Perhaps an - equally correct and more generally acceptable statement of the - difference would be, that, while both alike seek ultimately the - establishment of independent, self-reliant, and aggressive - native churches, the ‘Old System’ strives by the use of foreign - funds to foster and stimulate the growth of native churches in - the first stage of their development, and then gradually to - discontinue the use of such funds; while those who adopt the - ‘New System’ think that the desired object can be best obtained - by applying principles of independence and self-reliance from - the beginning. The difference between these two theories may be - more clearly seen in their outward and practical working. The - old uses freely, and as far as practicable, the more advanced - and intelligent of the native church members, in the capacity of - paid Colporteurs, Bible Agents, Evangelists, or Heads of - Stations; while the new proceeds on the assumption that the - persons employed in these various capacities would be more - useful in the end by being left in their original homes and - employments.”[17] - -Footnote 17: - - _Methods of Mission Work_, p. 4. - -The result was that the mission took a good thing and ran it into the -ground. Economy became almost a craze. The churches were assessed—not -heavily, it is true—to support the ministers; and the ministers were -exhorted to take whatever stipend was agreed upon, and count any -deficiency in it as a voluntary contribution on their part, or as a debt -they owed their countrymen for the Gospel’s sake. Neither parishioners -nor workers understood the scheme. But it was tried for one year; and at -the next Annual Meeting (in 1895) the catastrophe came. The churches had -been asked to walk before they could stand; and the ministers were to -work, as well as walk, by faith and not by sight. As pastors, their -expenses were necessarily increased. They had to dress better, and to be -an example in clothing, and educating their families, and in -hospitality. It seemed to them that they were required to make bricks -without straw. A little yielding to demands that were not unreasonable -would have satisfied the ministers, and the churches would have been -encouraged by the continuance of some support from the Board for -evangelistic work, even though the amount was much reduced. The zeal was -well meant; but we broke off too suddenly. - -For the unfortunate results, the mission, the native ministers, the -churches, and, indirectly, the Board should share the responsibility. -The advantages gained by our Training School were nullified, and all -progress toward a permanent Theological School was at an end. After -those two Annual Meetings there was no call for theological training, -and no future for a native ministry. So we have to go on appealing to -the Board and to the American churches for foreign workers, although the -salary of one of these would support half a dozen or more native -ministers. - -It is easy to say that native ministers and church members should be -willing, out of pure gratitude, to labour for the evangelization of -their own people, or that such and such other races have done so. As a -matter of fact, the Lāo church is largely indebted for its progress to -the power exerted by the church itself. And as to the example of other -races, we must remember that there are racial differences. Even our -nearest Christianized neighbours, the Karens, stand in a class quite by -themselves in this respect. We can no more apply one rule to all -oriental races than we can enforce western customs in the Orient. But we -certainly cannot expect happy results from the application of rules that -would have discouraged our own ancestors when the first Christian -missionaries found them. - -Among the things of more hopeful augury accomplished in the year 1894, -two deserve special mention—the establishment of Christian Endeavour -Societies in all the Lāo churches, primarily through the efforts of Dr. -Denman, and the publication of the Book of Psalms and of a hymnal of -over two hundred hymns and tunes. The Psalms were translated by Dr. -Wilson, and the hymns were almost wholly from his pen. - -At the Annual Meeting, to which reference has already been made, a -committee was appointed to consider anew and report on the question -whether it was or was not advisable now to occupy the northern portion -of the field with a permanent station, and, if it were deemed advisable, -to determine the location. I had been anxious to have it occupied two -years before this time, but had yielded then to the claims of Prê and of -Nān—of Prê because the relief work among the sufferers from famine had -furnished a most auspicious opening there; and of Nān because it was a -larger city and province than any in the nearer north. Notwithstanding -the greater progress of the work in the north, with organized and -growing churches in Wieng Pā Pāo, Chieng Rāi, and Chieng Sên, there -seemed to be a lingering doubt as to the wisdom of establishing -permanent stations in cities so small as these. Most of my colleagues -had never visited that northern region. No one save myself had surveyed -the whole field. Yet no part of the work of a mission is more important, -or requires better judgment, than the location of its permanent -stations. Although fully persuaded in my own mind, I did not wish the -mission to embark on a new project involving outlay of money and of men, -without the mature judgment of the whole mission. Hence it was at my own -suggestion that the committee was appointed. - -On January 20th, 1896, Dr. Denman and I of this committee started -northward. Mr. Dodd joined us later. It is a great thing to have a -physician along on such a tour. He relieves a great deal of suffering -among a needy people, and so lifts a great load of care from his -companion. But beyond this, I myself had quite an attack of fever on -this particular trip, and was much indebted to his care for my recovery. -Then we had the stereopticon along, and lectured nearly every night to -large audiences. The doctor manipulated the lantern, and left the -explanation and application to me. Those pictures have made the Gospel -story to live in the imaginations of many thousands of people. The -occasional introduction of a familiar scene from native life serves to -give confidence that the others also are real, while a few comic ones -interest the children, old and young. A picture of the King of -Siam—their King—with three of his children, one of them with his arms -about his father’s neck, always attracted great attention, and was often -asked for again at the close of the exhibition. - -I had some trouble this time with my sadaw elephant. At one stage his -back became so sore that I should have left him behind, were it not that -he had had a serious encounter with a tusker, and I dared not risk him -in that vicinity. He escaped from the encounter with some bruises, and -it was fortunate that he inflicted no serious wound on his antagonist. -And he was quite well again, before we got home. This was, however, the -last tour he made with me. Elephants had become property so unsafe that, -before the next season, I disposed of both of mine. In one year, out of -three hundred and fifty elephants employed by a timber firm, thirty-two -died and twenty-two were stolen. But it was like parting with a friend -to see the sadaw go. - - * * * * * - -The committee visited the three northern churches, and, after full -conference both with the local rulers and with the Christians, reached -the unanimous decision that there should be a station established in the -north, and that it should be at Chieng Rāi. In this we were largely -influenced by the central situation of that place with reference to a -considerable group of cities and towns within the same watershed, and -all, like Chieng Rāi itself, rapidly filling up with an agricultural -population crowded out from the dear and densely settled lands further -south. And in addition to this was the conviction that the new station -would prove a stepping-stone to the large northern section of the Tai -race, established in territory which is now English, French, and -Chinese. We still think that some amicable arrangement should be made -with the American Baptist Missionary Union, by which the Tai race to the -north of Siam and east of the Salwin should be left to our mission. The -Union has a great work among the hill-tribes—a work for which they are -specially adapted and specially well equipped; while we are equally well -equipped for work among the Tai. - -Dr. Denman viewed the field with special interest, for he had been -designated to help in opening the station, and we had the virtual -sanction of the Board thereto. It was the prospect of having a physician -that specially enlisted the interest of the rulers of Chieng Rāi; though -both they and their people were friendly to our work on other grounds. -It made us sad to think that our old friend the governor had not lived -to see the mission started. But the beautiful lot given by him on the Mê -Kok will always be a memorial to him. In due time Rev. and Mrs. Dodd and -Dr. and Mrs. Denman moved up and opened the station. The years have -abundantly justified the wisdom of this step. In 1910 the accessions to -the churches in Chieng Rāi equalled those of the mother church in -Chiengmai. - -From Chieng Sên we sent out two parties of evangelists, five in each, -well loaded with Scriptures and tracts, one northwestward to Keng Tung, -and the other across the Mê Kōng to Mûang Sing. This was the very first -mission work ever done in the Keng Tung State. These parties carried -also a supply of medicines, and were limited in time to two and a half -months. They were everywhere well received, and on their return gave -interesting reports of their work. Their books were eagerly read, and -the supply of them was far too small. There were a number of interesting -cases of believers. Some villages were loath to have them leave. The -experiment, in fact, was very successful. - -[Illustration: - - PHYA SURA SIH, SIAMESE HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR THE NORTH] - - -As soon as our committee work was done, Mr. Dodd was obliged to return. -After visiting the Mūsô villages, Dr. Denman and I moved on to Chieng -Kawng. This town is situated on the right bank of the great river within -the fifteen-kilometer zone which was reserved as neutral territory upon -the cession of the left bank to France. A French military station was on -the opposite side of the river, and a small gunboat was lying there—the -first that ever came up through the rapids. Among the crew were two or -three who could read English, and who were very anxious to get English -Bibles. This was an unexpected request which we could not then meet. But -I applied for some to the American Bible Society, and received them just -before I started on my trip of the next year; and, finally, was able to -forward them to the men from Lūang Prabāng. The captain of the gunboat -was very kind to us while we stayed at Chieng Kawng, and was much -interested in having his men get the Bibles. - -Letters were presently received by Dr. Denman summoning him back to -Chiengmai on account of the illness of his wife. This left me again -without an associate, and with the added care of the medical work, which -cannot be avoided on such a tour, and which, of course, rests more -heavily on a layman than it does on a trained physician. Before -returning home I made a call—and I believe it was the last one—at the -Mūsô villages beyond the Mê Kōng. Again my hopes were raised of gaining -the whole tribe. With such a prospect I would gladly have remained with -them several months. But again I had to leave them with only the “next -year” promise—which never was fulfilled. I reached home on May 5th, -after an absence of three and a half months. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - XXXIII - - THE REGIONS BEYOND - - -Two important tours were undertaken by the Lāo Mission in 1897—one at -the opening of the year, eastward and northward beyond the Mê Kōng River -into French and Chinese territory; and the other after the close of the -rainy season, northward into British territory. The latter tour led to -far-reaching results, but it does not come within the scope of this -personal narrative. The former was rendered possible by the timely gift -of seventy pounds from Mr. Arthington, already mentioned; and -represented the nearest approach we could then make toward the -fulfilment of his great desire to reach with the Scriptures those -“tribes of Aryan origin” in the “regions beyond.” Dr. Peoples, then of -Nān, was my companion during part of this tour; and we went well -supplied with Scriptures and tracts, no less than fourteen carriers -being loaded with these alone. I left home on January 12th, going -eastward by way of Lakawn and Prê to Nān, where Dr. Peoples was to join -me. At each of these stations I spent a busy and a delightful Sunday; -and from Lakawn as far as Nān I had the pleasant company of Miss Fleeson -and Miss Dr. Bowman, returning to their post from the Annual Meeting. - -One night on this portion of the trip we were awakened by the cries of -our men and the snorting of the ponies, to find that we had a visit from -a night prowler, coming so near that we heard the clatter of the loose -stones which he dislodged as he sprang away. The tracks we found in the -morning showed him to be a large Bengal tiger. On this same stretch of -road, as recently as 1910, the mails for Nān were interrupted by a -man-eating tiger, which killed several men and women, till, finally, he -was despatched by Dr. Peoples within a few hundred yards of the mission -compound. - -Ten days were spent in journeying northward through the great province -of Nān, stopping night by night in its villages and towns, where we -always had good audiences at our evening worship. Sunday we spent at -Mûang Ngôn, and then turned eastward, striking the Mê Kōng at Tā Dûa, -and making our way up its western bank. At Bān Hūi Kûa we found such -interest that we were sorry that we must move on. The Prayā—or Pīa, as -the name is called throughout this region—spent an afternoon in -transcribing in the Lūang Prabāng character the tract entitled “The Way -to Happiness.” He had heard something of our religion before this from a -former princess-pupil of Miss Cole in the Wang Lang School at Bangkok. -As he bade us good-bye he said, pointing upwards, “I hope we shall meet -up yonder,” and seemed pleased that we had the same anticipation. - -The next Sunday we camped in the monastery grounds at Bān Hūa Ling. The -people began to assemble before breakfast, and long before it was time -for the morning service the grounds were full. The abbot, with his monks -and the officers, sat directly before me as I explained the method of -salvation through Jesus Christ. The audience listened most attentively. -At the close the abbot and the officers remained for further -conversation. The abbot expressed surprise at our errand. He had never -known of anybody’s travelling about simply to teach the people. Some -expressed fear of encountering the anger of the spirits if they should -no longer worship them. To this the doctor gave the scientific answer -that fevers and most other diseases were caused and propagated by -specific germs, over which the spirits have no control whatever. This -was to them a new idea, but they seemed to comprehend it. Next morning, -when we left them, the people followed us with expressions of regret. - -When we reached Chieng Mên, a town on the western bank of the river and -opposite Lūang Prabāng, we found a European with a group of boys, who -turned out to be the French schoolmaster. He invited us to dine with him -that evening, and the next day aided us in crossing the river. Our first -duty in Lūang Prabāng was to report to the French authorities, M. -Vackle, the Commandant Supérieur, and M. Grant, the Commissaire. They -had been notified from Bangkok of our coming, and received us with -genuine French hospitality. We never met two more perfect gentlemen. -They even offered us a house; but, as the abbot of the principal -monastery was a personal friend of mine, they yielded to our preference -to stop with him, but only on the ground that there would be more -comfort and room for our men. - -That evening we were invited to dine with M. Vackle. M. Grant and his -staff were present; and the dinner was a royal one, to which we were -prepared to do full justice. We had the embarrassment of not being able -to converse save through a native interpreter not well versed either in -French or in English. But our host was most considerate, as were also -his French guests. And every evening during our stay we dined with one -or another of the officials. - -Next day we called on the Lāo “King,” as he is still euphemistically -called, though possessing only such powers as the French give him. When -we made our business call on the French officials to ask permission to -proceed on our missionary tour through the French territory, they were -very obliging. We freely discussed together alternative routes, and they -offered us passports for any of them. When at last with some hesitancy, -the question of permanent work and a mission station was broached, M. -Vackle replied that for that he had no authority. Application would have -to be made to the Governor General at Hanoi, and preferably through -Washington and Paris. The prospect still seemed hopeful. - -On the evening before our departure, M. Vackle invited us to dine -informally and spend the evening with him at his beautiful cottage and -garden two miles out in the country. On meeting us, our host said, “The -other night I was the Commandant Supérieur. To-night I am simply M. -Vackle. I want to have a pleasant informal evening with you.” And surely -we did. We talked of the old friendship between France and the United -States, of Washington and La Fayette, the Chicago Exposition, the -Parliament of Religions, and of M. Vackle’s own work in the new -province. He was interested in the Parliament of Religions, and asked if -Roman Catholics were equally welcome with Protestants. He had an -exaggerated idea of the number of our religious sects. We told him that -the great body of Protestants were included in five or six groups -somewhat like the orders of the Catholic church, but there were numerous -smaller subdivisions. He had heard of one that lived wholly on milk. Of -this we had to confess ignorance, unless it were that large group that -we call infants. - -It was after eleven when we rose to take our leave; and even then he -detained us to see by torchlight his beautiful garden, artificially -watered, and his bowling alley—insisting that we try a turn on it. This -was what I had never done before, but at the first bowl I brought down -several pins. This pleased him, and he said that he had never seen a -better first play. - -On taking our final leave, we spoke a last word for permanent mission -work, reminding him that while Catholicism and Protestantism had alike -produced great nations, Buddhism never had; and that it was therefore -political wisdom to encourage and foster the Christian religion in the -provinces. He assented, but said he feared that the “King” might imagine -that his subjects would be less loyal if they became Christians. We -assured him that the reverse would be true, since it was a fundamental -point in our teaching as well as in the Scriptures, that Christians were -to be obedient to their rulers. - -Among the routes offered we chose the northern one as most nearly -meeting Mr. Arthington’s desires. Our passport stated that we were Bāt -Lūangs, i.e., Catholic priests. We left Lūang Prabāng on Monday, March -8th, crossed the Nam Ū near its mouth, and spent three weeks on our way -to Mûang Sai. At one point there was a theft of a considerable amount of -our money, which delayed us a day or two, but annoyed us more. The -thieves turned out to be some of our own men, who afterwards confessed, -and eventually we recovered the money. From Mûang Sai there is a good -route to Nān, and as no man had been left in that station along with the -ladies, Dr. Peoples felt that he must return to it, while I should go on -northward to the Sipsawng Pannā and finally return to Chiengmai along -the route which I took with Mr. Irwin in 1893. His departure was a great -loss to me personally, and to the effectiveness of the tour. He left us -on March 31st. - -The next week was one of intense interest to me. One of its days was the -thirtieth anniversary of my arrival in Chiengmai, and fraught with -memories of the hopes, achievements, and disappointments of all those -years. And were we now, perhaps, on the eve of a new opening with wider -possibilities than ever? So it seemed. For, one day as I was in the -monastery at Mûang Sai, there entered an officer, Sên Suriya by name, -who, making the obeisance usually made to priests, explained that, -having been absent from home, he had not heard the instruction we had -given at our evening worship. His wife, however, had reported that a -teacher from a great and distant country was come with Scriptures and an -offer of salvation from the great God of all. It was the great desire of -his heart to be saved from his sins. His interest was evidently intense, -and that roused our interest in him. From three o’clock till nightfall -our elders and I explained to him the great truths of revelation, while -he listened almost with rapture. - -In the midst of this earnest conference the “āchān,” or chief officer of -the monastery, came in; and Sên Suriya joined us in explaining to this -friend the strange news he had heard. The āchān was soon as deeply -interested as he. He also desired to know further of this matter. Before -we parted that evening, Sên Suriya had accepted the teaching joyfully; -and his friend, with more reservation. - -Soon others had joined these two—notably a family of refugees from -persecution for witchcraft. They were ready to accept anything which -would deliver them from bondage to the spirits. On Sunday at the public -service the instruction was directed to the needs of these enquirers, -all of whom were present. The cost was to be counted; the cross was to -be taken up; but the reward was great. Sên Suriya’s wife and family all -opposed him. He had spent an anxious night, and was under great strain; -but was still firm. He was ready at any cost. - -His friend the āchān had received his appointment in the monastery from -the Pīa, or head-officer. For honesty’s sake he felt he must notify the -Pīa and resign his position. It was, therefore, arranged that our elders -and I should go with the two friends on that errand that very afternoon. -We went, and were kindly received. Sên Suriya, as spokesman, witnessed a -good confession. They had been men, he said, who all their lives had -sought merit and followed the teachings of the Buddha, but with great -anxiety, on account of their failures. Now they had learned of the great -refuge of the God who could pardon and save both in this and in the -coming world. Their motive was strictly religious. They would be as -loyal as ever, and would perform faithfully their government duties. The -āchān said that his friend had fully expressed his views, but he wished -further to resign his position in the monastery. The Pīa listened with -evident interest, but with some surprise. When he spoke, he said: “All -that I know of religion I have learned from these two men. They know -manifold more than I do. If they see it right, how can I oppose? I will -still take them as my religious teachers, and will learn Christianity of -them.” - -I added a word, emphasizing their assurance that being good Christians -would only strengthen their loyalty. Thanking the Pīa for his kindness, -I retired. How much of his liberality was due to my presence—if it were -so due at all—I do not know. But next morning Sên Suriya came to say -that he could not withstand the opposition of his wife and family. While -his faith was firm as ever, he could do no more this year. By another -year he hoped their opposition might be relaxed. Meantime the family of -refugees had weakened. I supplied all these with medicine, and urged -them to remain steadfast in the faith, reminding them that baptism was -not essential to salvation. - -I had made further stay in Mûang Sai dependent upon the outcome in the -case of these two men. So now it seemed best to continue my journey -northward. I went out to a retired wooded hillock, and there spent a -quiet season in prayer, commending those in whom I had become so -intensely interested to the care of the Divine Teacher, and seeking -direction for my further course. - -So far we had not met many of the hill-tribes, which had been one of the -main objectives of the tour. As I descended from the hill, I found some -thirty Kamus just arrived on some government work, and encamped by the -road. I turned aside to speak with them, when, to my surprise, one, -taller and more intelligent than the rest, answered me in good Lāo. To -my greater surprise, when I handed him a tract, he began to read it. It -seems that, when a lad, he had been initiated into the monastic order by -the Princess of Lūang Prabāng, and was one of the very few of his tribe -who was a fairly good Lāo scholar. He was delighted to get the book; but -I was like a miner who has found a new gold mine. Had they been ready to -return to their homes, I should at once have gone with them. A new -vision seemed to open before me of work among that interesting tribe. I -had seen the great value of the help afforded by Cha Pū Kaw, the first -Mūsô convert, in work among his tribe. But he was not a scholar, and was -too old to learn. Here was a Kamu scholar. Might he not have been raised -up for this very purpose? - -That evening I spent with my elders in their camp. I left with my new -friend a number of books, which he promised to read to his people. I -took down the names of their villages, and promised if possible to visit -them next year—which they all begged me to do. That apparently casual -meeting seemed to me a loud call, Come over and help us! And it led to a -most interesting work, which was stopped only at the command of the -French. - -Leaving Mûang Sai, we journeyed northward along the telegraph road, -enlivened by noble views of long slopes, deep gorges, and high peaks. We -passed some villages of the Yao tribe with whom we could converse only -by signs. On the third day out, at Bān Nā Tawng, we left the telegraph -road, turning off at right angles to Mûang Lā. At one village the head -man assembled his people to meet us, when he learned that here was a man -from seven days beyond the great French country! At one place we passed -a village of Lentīns, so named from the district in Cochin China from -which they came. They showed their Chinese ingenuity by having their -rice-pounding done by water-power. - -Mûang Āi was the last town in French territory; beyond it one enters the -province of Yunnan, China. Here we had scarcely pitched our tent before -the governor had read our little tract on “The Way to Happiness,” and -asked us to stay awhile to teach his people. This we did, remaining from -Friday till Tuesday. He invited us to worship in his house, which was -filled to overflowing. On Saturday, in company with the governor, I -attended a wedding feast. I got along finely with the various dishes -until a bowl of blood fresh from a slaughtered hog was passed around, -and each guest took a spoonful! My note upon leaving the town was, “It -is wonderful how many, especially of the officers and the more -thoughtful class, are struck with the self-evidencing truths of the -Gospel on its first presentation. And their first thought is the sincere -conviction that the Gospel meets their wants. Nor is this testimony -invalidated because, when they come to count the cost, they are not -willing to pay it.” - -I was much pleased to hear uniform testimony to the uprightness of -French officials. My own respect for French rule had greatly increased -since we entered their territory. Is it that the Tai race beyond the Mê -Kōng is more religious, or is it on account of the French rule, that -people there seem more deeply interested in the Gospel message? But such -has been the fact. I have never been cheered by brighter visions of -hopeful and speedy results of our labours. It seems almost inconceivable -that a European nation should forbid missionary work among its people. - -From this point on we were warned not to allow our party to be separated -on the march. Shortly before this a merchant travelling with his son had -been attacked and killed. I heard of two mountain tribes in this -neighbourhood new to me, and of a third further to the northwest, which -sacrifices at every rice-harvest a human victim captured from some other -tribe. Scarcely any one had ever heard of the name of Jesus. - -Not far from the town we passed on a ridge a well-marked boundary stone -with the letters R. F. (République Française) on one side, and C. R. -(Chieng Rung) on the other, in large Roman capitals. Noticing by the -roadside a large stack of bricks, we learned that we were near the salt -wells, and that the salt was compressed into bricks for easier -transportation on mules. The salt industry makes Bān Baw Rê an important -place. No one with white clothes, white hair, or white beard is allowed -to enter the enclosure about the salt wells; so I did not see them. I -could get no reason for the prohibition, save that the spirits would be -displeased. - -The time of my visit was unfortunate, being the beginning of their New -Year festival, which is always a season of carousal. That night we had a -scene that defied description. After supper a man came to tell me to get -ready; they were going to “saw” me. I did not know what “saw”-ing might -be; but I soon learned, to my disgust. Presently a noisy crowd entered -the sālā where I was, with drums, fifes, and other musical instruments, -and surrounded me with deafening noise and songs. A great personage had -come to their place, and they were come to do him honour. He had great -riches, and they expected a treat of fifty rupees. Paying no attention -to my attempted disclaimer, they went on: “Give us out your money. Give -us fifty rupees! Give us twenty-five!” Pushing my way out of the noisy -circle, I was followed with more imperative demands. At last the -governor’s son came up as a friend and advised me to give them five or -six rupees, or they would never depart. Then one of my elders came to -me, anxious regarding the outcome, and said that it was only a New Year -custom, not a religious one—intimating that I need have no conscientious -scruples in the matter. Finally the governor’s son said he could get -them off with three rupees. I had only one in my pocket, and did not -dare open my box before that mob. At last I handed the young man that -one, and, with an emphasis which they understood, told him that I would -give no more, appealing to his father for protection, and holding him -responsible for the consequences. They went off sullenly enough. Having -gone so far, I doubt whether they would have desisted without something -“to save their face.” From me they went to the governor’s, and so on, in -order, throughout the place, with their hideous noise, which I could -hear far on into the night. - -At another village further on, the people seemed in doubt how to receive -me, till a young man came forward and asked if I were not the man who a -few years before travelled through that country with an elephant, and -let the Prince of Mûang Pōng have a gun. Then, turning to the head man, -he said, “You need not be afraid. He is a teacher of the -Jesus-religion.” My standing in that village was assured. One of the -listeners at our worship in the monastery that night was much impressed, -not with the idea of pardon, as is commonly the case, but with that of -the Holy Spirit to purify and cleanse. That was what he needed; and he -earnestly enquired how to obtain his aid. This led to the subject of -prayer to a living, personal God, who has promised this aid. We left him -with the hope that his great need would be supplied. - -Mûang Lā was the furthest point reached on this tour. From it we struck -westward into our old route of 1893 at Mûang Pōng. The Chao Fā who got -my gun had been killed by his people. I was much struck with the -judicial aspect of the act as told me. One of the officers said, “He was -a bad man, who oppressed the people, fined and executed them unjustly, -and, of course, we killed him. That is the way the Lāo do.” A nephew and -adopted son of the murdered Prince succeeded him, but the authority was -largely in the hands of the Prayā Lūang, though the young Prince’s -mother also had great influence. She invited me to a good dinner, and we -had a most interesting conversation. Among other things she asked, “How -is it that you say Buddhism cannot save?” and she seemed much impressed -with the answer: “Because Gautama Buddha is gone, and it is more than -twenty-five hundred years before the next Buddha is expected.” - -We were now travelling southward, and soon came once more upon the -tricolour floating over the French post at Mûang Sing. I felt like -saluting it. I was greatly surprised to find an Englishman, Mr. Eva, in -charge. He fairly shouted to hear his mother tongue once more. He had -scarcely heard a word of it for three years. Seeing that I was spent -with my long, hot ride, and that my carriers would not get in till -nightfall, he kindly offered to hunt me up some luncheon. This I -declined, if only I might have a cup of tea and a piece of dry bread. -Holding up both hands, he exclaimed, “You’ve got me there! I’ve almost -forgotten how wheat bread tastes.” He insisted on my taking up my -quarters in his bungalow, till I said, “If you were on French business, -you would wish to stop where you could best accomplish it, would you -not? I am here on missionary work, and my business is with the people. -The monastery grounds will suit me better.” “Looking at it in that -light,” said he, “you’re right. I’ll say no more.” I knew that in the -home of a French official I should have no visitors at all. - -He was the son of an English Wesleyan minister; but, being a wild lad, -he had wandered away and drifted into the French army, where he rose to -an official position. But the influences of his early days had not been -lost. We had many heart-to-heart talks together. He wanted an English -Bible. Having only my “Oxford” along, I could not spare him that, but -brought him one on my next tour. On Sunday he attended the service led -by the elders, pleased at the evidence they gave of the reality of our -missionary work. He had six thousand Kamus in his district. - -The opium habit is very common. We found but few monasteries in the -Sipsawng Pannā whose abbots and monks did not use opium. One man, when -asked whether he used it, made a significant answer: “When I have money, -I do. When I have none, I don’t.” - -The Chao Fā of Mûang Sing was busy preparing for the marriage of his -daughter with a son of the great Chao Fā of Chieng Rung. So I did not -see much of him. I had a long talk, however, with the prospective groom. -He doubted the possibility of pardon for sin. I had several interviews -with Dr. McKean’s patient for calculus, before mentioned. He was not so -near Christianity as I hoped to find him, but was profuse in praise of -the doctor and the hospital. He had two wives before the operation, and -now was utilizing his new lease of life by taking another younger one. I -saw here some peaches not quite ripe—which was very tantalizing. But I -did get some ripe plums. - -When I left Mûang Sing on April 28th, Mr. Eva escorted me six miles on -my way, and we bade each other good-bye four or five times before we -could finally part. At Wieng Pūkā I had another warm welcome from the -French Commissaire. I had to decline his invitation, also, to good -quarters with him; but dined with him at night, and next morning he sent -me a nice shoulder of beef. A large number of Kamus were here engaged on -some public works. Unlike most of their tribe, these are Buddhists, and -there were a number who could read, and who were delighted to get books. -It was remarkable that their women spoke Lāo fairly well. Their chief -officer had eighteen hundred men under him. After talking with them till -near midnight, I turned them over to the elders, and was soon asleep. -Next morning my cook came to my tent to enquire whether I were not ill. -It was half-past six, and breakfast was ready! - -We passed many Kamu villages in this portion of our route. Most of them -would welcome a missionary, and seemed ripe for the Gospel. Formerly, -under the government of Nān, they had an easy time, with no taxes and -almost voluntary service. Now they naturally complained of the stricter -régime of the French. I consoled them with the fact that the world over -people have to pay taxes to the government that protects them. For this -I did not at all need the warning which Mr. Eva gave me, that the one -thing which the French would not tolerate was interference with their -government work. At Chieng Kawng I took leave of French territory, with -nothing but feelings of gratitude for the uniform personal kindness of -their officials, and their apparently kind interest in our work. That -work I must now dismiss with the very brief outline I have given. I -believe that light was conveyed to many seekers after truth, and seed -was sown which will not be lost. - -From Chieng Kawng onwards I was on old touring ground, and among -friends. I spent a Sunday there, made a short visit to the Mūsô hills, -and found a warm welcome in Chieng Rāi from the two missionary families -who were now established in that station, as well as from my many native -friends. Here I received my long-desired mail. Its good cheer was -tempered by one sad piece of news—the death of my sister Mary and my -brother Evander, the last of my own mother’s children. On May 16th I -entered upon my own three-score and tenth year. Leaving Chieng Rāi on -the 18th, I reached home on the 26th, after an absence of four and a -half months. - -Meanwhile the work in our own and in all the other stations had been -energetically prosecuted by a faithful band of younger workers, better -prepared than the old ones to carry it on to completion. And the other -long tour to the English territory, planned for the later portion of the -year, was successfully carried out by Dr. Briggs, Rev. Mr. Dodd, and -Rev. Mr. Irwin. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - XXXIV - - THE CLOSED DOOR - - -The tour of 1898 was undertaken with two special objects in view: (1) to -follow up the auspicious beginnings of work among the Kamu and Lamēt -tribes, the largest and most important within the mountain area explored -during the previous season, and, apparently, ready as a body to accept -the Gospel; and (2) to secure the sanction of the French government for -continued work in French territory. I was unable to secure a missionary -colleague for the tour, and therefore went accompanied only by native -evangelists. I took the most direct route, crossing the Mê Kōng at Pāk -Bêng, following the Bêng River to its source, and crossing by the pass -at its head to Mûang Sai, the point at which the most promising work of -the previous tour was begun. The journey so far occupied nearly a -month’s time. - -The tour was organized on notice too short to permit my passport from -the United States Minister in Bangkok to reach me in Chiengmai before I -started. It was, therefore, sent on direct to the French authorities at -Lūang Prabāng. Meantime M. Vackle, the Commandant Supérieur, who was so -kind to us the year before, had been superseded by M. Luce; and him, -unfortunately, we just missed at the crossing of the Mê Kōng. He passed -up in a steamer the day before we reached the river. By the time we -reached Mûang Sai, M. Luce had returned to Lūang Prabāng, and had wired -to the office in Mûang Sai that my passport was come, and that I was -expected in Lūang Prabāng. No instructions were given regarding my work, -and the authorities were in doubt what to do. Under the circumstances, -the only passport they could issue was one to the capital, Lūang -Prabāng. - -They were not particular, however, as to the route I should take. So I -chose a circuit to the northeast, leading through the mountain region to -the Ū River, down which I could descend by boat to Lūang Prabāng. This -would enable me to find Nān Tit, the Kamu scholar whom I met at Mûang -Sai on my previous tour, and to visit with him a few Kamu villages. The -extent of the work I hoped to undertake that season would depend upon -the opening I found there. A passport was given me by that route, and a -soldier was sent along as guide and escort. - -Nān Tit, as I hoped, had read the books I gave him, had prepared the way -for me by teaching the substance of them to his neighbours, and now -would assist me in teaching his tribe. With him as interpreter and -assistant we visited a number of contiguous villages, holding night -conferences, at which the whole population of the village would be -present. Everywhere a wonderfully ready response was given to the -Gospel. They, too, were oppressed by the dread of spirits, and welcomed -deliverance from their bondage. They would accept the Gospel, but, -naturally, referred us on to the Pīa. - -To his village at last we went. He was a venerable man near seventy, and -though for years hopelessly crippled by paralysis of the lower limbs, -his bright mind and business talents had raised him to his present -position, and given him a commanding influence. I shall never forget our -first interview. He had heard the rumour that our religion could -overcome the spirits and save from sin. Crawling painfully on his hands -to meet us, he welcomed us to his village and his people. He had heard -of the Jesus-religion, and wished to embrace it. Since he was old, he -must do it soon. This was on Friday afternoon. By Saturday night every -family in the place had made the same decision, and would begin by -keeping their first Sabbath next day. Our elders entered with heart and -soul into teaching them. The young folks soon learned a verse or two of -“The Happy Land,” and some a verse or two in the Catechism. Next -morning, before I was dressed, old and young of both sexes were -gathering to learn how to keep the Sabbath. It was a great day, just the -like of which I had never seen. It settled the decision of hundreds, -possibly of thousands, of people. - -Still, everything depended upon the French authorities. They could -forbid our teaching, as, in fact, they afterwards did. But up to this -point I could not believe that they would. A prompt and candid interview -seemed all that would be necessary to settle that matter, and make the -Kamus feel safe. If such an opening were found, I had determined to -remain with them throughout the season. But in that case my family and -the mission must be informed. More medicine and books and some comforts -would be required to carry me through. It was, therefore, decided to -move on a day’s journey to Mûang Lā, a convenient point, leave there two -elders to instruct the people, and send back three carriers to Chiengmai -for the needed supplies and another elder; while I went on overland to -Mûang Kwā, and there took boat down the Ū River. - -The mountain scenery along this river is very beautiful, especially so -near its junction with the Mê Kōng. We reached Lūang Prabāng on Monday, -May 9th, and called at once on M. Grant, who was so kind to us the year -before. He gave me a greeting as warm as ever. The king was having an -interview with M. Luce that day, so I could not see him till Tuesday. I -dined that night with M. Grant, he himself coming at dusk to walk over -with me. We had a delightful evening. There had been a regular exodus of -Kamus that year to Chiengmai and other southern provinces. M. Grant -asked if I had heard any reason assigned for it. I told him that I had -heard of three—the dearness of rice, owing to the failure of the last -crop; the exhaustion of the mountain lands, and the lack of remunerative -employment by which they could earn the money required to pay their -taxes. - -On Tuesday afternoon the Commandant Supérieur sent his secretary to -invite me to an interview. He, too, gave me a cordial greeting. He had -received my passport together with a letter of introduction from the -Consul Général in Bangkok. I had also a kind personal letter from our -United States Minister, Mr. John Barrett. He had used his personal -influence, and assured me that it would all be right. My interview was -very pleasant. M. Luce enquired about our mission work, the number of -our converts, and other similar matters. He then referred to the large -emigration of Kamus; asked if I had heard of any reason for it, and how -many of our three thousand converts were Kamus. He was much surprised to -learn that the converts were almost entirely Lāo, with not a half dozen -Kamus among them. Putting his anxiety about the emigration and our work -among these people together, it seemed to me later that he must have -thought the movement a religious one. - -When, at last, I stated my special errand to the city, namely, that a -number of villages in his province were interested in our religion, that -I wished to teach them further, and that, since they were French -subjects, I thought it proper to inform him and secure his sanction, he -thanked me for doing so, but his manner at once changed. He said he -should have to consult the king about that; the mountain people were -hard to teach; the country was unhealthy; the Catholic missionaries in -the south were leaving, or had left; the king would fear that the Kamus -would become disloyal to him if they became Christians. To this I -replied that the native officials had uniformly granted us permission to -teach among their subjects; that they realized that it was a benefit to -their country, and even gave us their assistance; and that it was the -fixed policy of our mission to teach Christians loyalty to their rulers. -M. Luce said he would consult with the king, and would let me know the -decision. I expressed my wish to pay my respects to the king, which he -said was a very proper thing, and, on my leaving, he gave me a cordial -invitation to dine with him that night. - -Next day, through M. Grant, I secured a very pleasant interview with the -king. My long residence in the country and acquaintance with both -Siamese and Lāo officials, gave us much common ground for conversation. -He was pleased that I had known their Majesties, the present King of -Siam and his father, his former liege-lords. Quite in line with native -ideas, he thought I must be a man of great merit to be so old and yet so -strong. I explained at his request the teaching of our religion, -pointing out some of its distinctive differences from Buddhism, in all -of which things he was interested. He said that it was all very good, -but he was born and reared in the Buddhist worship, and was too old to -change. Gradually introducing my errand, I told him of my interest in -the Kamus, and of their desire to become Christians; that I had come -down to get permission to work among them. We taught them a better -morality, of which loyalty to rulers was a fundamental article, enjoined -by Jesus on His disciples. He raised the objection that the Kamus were -ignorant, and we would find them harder to teach than the Lāo. To this I -replied that these villagers had become believers, and I was going to -spend several months in teaching them. He asked if I did not think I was -running great risk in living so long in the forest, and so far away from -home. “Well,” said I, “I am used to life in the forest and jungle, and -you can see for yourself how I have fared.” At which he smiled, and made -no further objection. I left with the firm conviction that if M. Luce -were not unwilling, there would be no difficulty with him. - -While at dinner that night, I informed M. Luce of my pleasant audience -with the king; how I told him my plans, and he had virtually given his -consent. “Is that so?” said he. “I must see the king myself about that.” -And as I took my leave, he said again, “I will see the king to-morrow, -and will let you know the result.” - -The next afternoon, Thursday, M. Luce had a long interview at the -Prince’s residence. On Friday afternoon I called on M. Grant on my way -to the Commandant’s office. He told me that M. Luce wished to see me, -but had instructed him to notify me that the king did not understand -that I was to spend several months among the Kamus—though he certainly -did, or why should he have raised the question of my health? I reminded -M. Grant that my passport was not to the king, but to the French -authorities. All the world recognized the country as French territory. -It would have been considered a discourtesy to the French if the -representative of the United States had sent a letter to the Lāo king as -such. He admitted that in a limited sense this was true; but they did -not treat the king as a conquered vassal. Cochin China had fought the -French, and had been conquered and annexed. But Lūang Prabāng had put -itself under their protection without firing a gun. M. Grant delivered -his message with as much consideration toward my disappointment as was -consistent with loyalty to his superior. But my disappointment I could -not conceal. - -M. Luce, I was informed, was very busy that day, but would be glad to -see me on Saturday afternoon. The decision, however, was irreversible. -Further pressure would be useless, and might be unwise. In that case, I -said, of course I must submit. I had shown proper respect for the ruling -authority, and my own desire to avoid future misunderstanding, by making -the long and costly journey to Lūang Prabāng. My errand was now ended. I -would take my leave at once, and return next morning. - -This being reported to M. Luce, he sent word that he must see me before -I left. I might come immediately. Personally, again, he was very kind, -but made a studied effort to put the responsibility upon the king, who, -as he said, had not understood that I wished to make a long stay among -the Kamus, which he thought was unsafe for me. Of course, I had no -complaint to make of the king, who had been most gracious. I submitted -to their decision, and would return home. But my arrangements required -my return to the Kamu villages, where I had left my men and my goods, -and would be detained there till my messengers should return from -Chiengmai—which, he said, was all right. Since the responsibility had -been put on the king, and the adverse decision had been based solely on -the danger to my personal health and safety, I thought it unwise to -raise the question of native assistants, and so felt free to leave these -on the ground to teach the new believers, as, indeed, I felt under -obligation to do. - -Thanking M. Luce for all his personal kindness, I begged to take my -leave of him then, so that I might start on my return the next morning. -But he evidently was not satisfied with his own part in the matter, and -wished to make some personal amends to soothe my disappointment. He -hoped I would not leave in the morning, but would remain till Monday, -and give him the pleasure of a dinner with me and M. Grant on Sunday -night. I hoped he would still excuse me, since, if I remained, that -would be our time for public worship. “Then,” said he, “we shall be -pleased to have you on Saturday night; and if you are not ready now to -give an affirmative reply, I hope you will so arrange it as to notify my -secretary in the morning.” Notwithstanding his evident disingenuousness -in trying to shift the responsibility for his own acts to another, there -was no reason for making it a personal matter; and it would be impolitic -to leave apparently angry. So I decided to remain till Monday, and -accepted the invitation for Saturday night. - -I feared there would be great constraint on both sides at the dinner; -but in this I was agreeably disappointed. That very day a long telegram -had arrived, reporting the declaration of war with Spain, and the -particulars of the great naval victory of Manila Bay. On my arrival at -his house, M. Luce handed me a full translation of these into English, -which he had had made for me. They were much surprised at the victory, -for they thought the Spanish navy much larger and stronger than ours; -and they were high in their praise of the victors. We really had a -delightful time. After dinner our host and M. Grant both laid themselves -out to show me beautiful maps and pictures. M. Luce invited me to call -on Monday morning, and he would send a long telegram to my wife without -charge. This he did, and we all parted friends. The departure on the -16th, my seventieth birthday, was not as joyful as I had hoped. - -On my return to Mûang Sai, I found that my carriers had been delayed by -sore feet and sickness. I could not leave till they came, for fear of -missing them and causing further complications. So my long trip home was -thrown into the middle of a very rainy season. I had to apologize as -best I could to the new converts for the change in my plan to remain -with them. But they were glad to have our elders stay and teach them. If -that shady tree on the little hill at Mûang Sai could speak, it would -tell of much anxious prayer on leaving the Christians and starting on -the long journey before me. My Ebenezer was left on that tree. - -That journey was altogether the worst I ever had. I did not reach home -till August 6th, after the longest tour I had ever taken. M. Luce’s -telegram had prepared my family and friends for my changed plans. - -A few lines must close the history of the work among the Kamus. In -December the three evangelists returned with a most encouraging report. -The converts had remained firm, and others were waiting to join them. -The next season a native minister was sent to them. In 1903 the mission -ventured to send two of our younger men, Dr. Campbell and Mr. Mackay. to -Mûang Sai, to visit the Christians, and respond to a pressing call to -extend the work. Imagine their surprise on reaching Mûang Sai to find -that the local commissioner had received orders to forbid our -missionaries to visit the Christian community, or to hold any religious -service with them, on penalty of being conducted out of the country, by -force if necessary. The command was so imperative that the Commissioner -dared not disobey. He begged them for his sake to return peaceably. No -effort has been made since to reach the Christians at Mûang Sai, or to -extend the work. - -It will be remembered that a few members of the Chieng Sên church—never -more than half a dozen families—lived on the east bank of the Mê Kōng, -in French territory. So objectionable was the very presence of a -missionary making a few days’ visit among his flock, that it was -regarded of sufficient importance to warrant an official protest from -the authorities at Lūang Prabāng, sent through the Governor General of -Hanoi, and the United States Minister at Bangkok. Complaint was made of -a visit made by the Rev. ——, who had exhibited Scripture pictures and -distributed books among the people—which was so contrary to their policy -that they forbade the Roman Catholic missionaries from working in their -territory. They begged that the thing be not repeated! For the credit of -the French authorities I should have been glad to suppress the latter -part of this story. But, on the other hand, I think it should be known, -in order that it may become a burden on the prayers of the Christian -world of all denominations, that God’s providence may open the whole -peninsula of Indo-China to the preaching of the Gospel. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - XXXV - - CONCLUSION - - -My advancing age suggests the wisdom of not attempting to continue this -personal narrative beyond the account just given of my last long -missionary tour. I may venture to add, however, by way of conclusion, a -few suggestions and criticisms concerning the work of our mission as a -whole, and briefly notice a few of the more important personalities and -events of these later years. - -Special prominence has been given throughout to the evangelistic work, -as being the foundation of all other missionary work. A Christian Church -and a Christian constituency must be the first aim in all missions. In -this we have not been unsuccessful. Our ideals, it is true, have not -been realized. We have not witnessed among the Siamese or the Lāo any -racial movement towards Christianity; nor have there been any great -revivals resulting in large accessions to the church. Both of these we -hope for in the not far distant future. Yet the uniform, healthful -growth of the church, as distinguished from spasmodic or sporadic -increase, has been most gratifying. Seldom does a week pass without -accessions to some of our churches. - -An adult membership of four thousand is a good foundation. And it must -never be forgotten that the roll of church-membership is a very -inadequate index of the real influence and power of a mission. In -addition to a much larger constituency of adherents, there is our large -roll of non-communing members, the hope of the future church. And signs -of most hopeful promise have appeared within the present year. The -growth of the Chieng Rāi church during that time has been surpassed only -by the results of Dr. Campbell’s recent tours, amounting to eighty -accessions within a few weeks. The supporters of our missions have every -cause for gratitude, and a call for earnest, effectual prayer in their -behalf. - -A review of our evangelistic work suggests one or two criticisms. On one -line at least, with a smaller amount of hard work done by the missionary -himself, we might have accomplished more, might now be better prepared -for advanced work, and the native church might be better able to stand -alone, if we had addressed our efforts more steadily to the development -and use of native assistance. While we have not had the material of well -educated young men out of which to form a theological seminary and to -furnish a fully equipped native ministry, we have not used, to the -extent to which we should have used it, the material which was -available. For a mission as old as ours, we must confess that in this -most important matter we are very backward. - -The delay in starting our school for boys was not our fault; it was -inevitable. The Lāo rulers of the earlier years were absolutely -indifferent to all education, and were positively jealous of any that -was given by the mission. But as the church began to increase, we had -accessions of men trained in the Buddhist priesthood. Some of these were -among the best educated men in the country. They understood—as young men -even from mission schools could not be expected to understand—the -religion, the modes of thought, the needs of their own people, and how -to reach them. Their education, however deficient, brought them many -compensations. They form the class from which nearly all of our -evangelists have been drawn. When such men have been drilled in the -Scriptures, their Buddhistic knowledge makes them the very best men for -successful work among their countrymen. They visit and sleep in the -homes of their people, and are one with them. The missionary in his work -must rely largely on their judgment and advice. - -It must not be understood that we have not taught these men or used -them. A great deal of labour has been spent in training them; very much -in the same way in which in American churches, a generation ago, busy -pastors trained up young men to be some of our best ministers. The -criticism I make—and in it I believe all my colleagues will concur—is -that we have not made as much of them as we should have done. No doubt -there have been difficulties in the way. Their families must somehow be -provided for during the process. The native churches were not strong -enough to undertake their support. We were warned that to aid them with -foreign funds would make the churches mercenary. What the missionary -himself sometimes did to eke out their subsistence was irregular and -difficult, and often unsatisfactory. But the labourer is worthy of his -hire. Hungry mouths must be fed. The Board and the churches at home do -not begrudge a thousand dollars or more to support a missionary in the -field. Should they begrudge the same amount spent upon half a dozen men -who will treble or quadruple the missionary’s work and his influence? In -any business it is poor policy to employ a high-salaried foreman, and -then not furnish him cheaper men to do that which unskilled labour can -accomplish better than he. - -In this matter, as in some others, we might have learned valuable -lessons from our nearest missionary neighbours in Burma, even though the -conditions of our work have been in many respects very different from -theirs. Making all allowance for our conditions, I frankly confess that -our greatest mistake has probably been in doing too much of the work -ourselves, instead of training others to do it, and working through -them. This conviction, however, must not in the least lead us to relax -our efforts in the line of general education. For the ultimate -establishment of the church, and to meet the demands of the age, we must -have workmen thoroughly equipped. Till that time comes, we must, as we -should more fully have done hitherto, rely on whatever good working -material we find ready to hand. - - * * * * * - -With regard to plans and methods of work, another thought suggests -itself. In a business organized as ours is, where the majority in the -Annual Meeting has absolute power, it is difficult to avoid the -appearance—and sometimes the reality—of a vacillating policy. New -stations are established, and missionaries are located by the ballot of -the mission there assembled. From year to year the personnel of the -mission is constantly changing by reason of furloughs, breakdown of -health, and necessary removals. We make our disposition of forces at one -meeting, and at the next an entirely new disposition has become -necessary. A family has been left alone without a physician or -associate. Missionary enthusiasm, or an earnest minority interested in a -particular field or a particular cause, may initiate a policy which a -subsequent majority may be unable to sanction, or which it may be found -difficult or impossible to carry out. - -Again, as between the policy of maintaining one strong central station, -and that of maintaining several smaller ones in different parts of the -country, it is often difficult to decide. With the aim originally of -establishing the Gospel in all the states under Siamese rule, we seem to -have been led to adopt the latter policy. Through God’s blessing on -evangelistic tours, in Lampūn and in the frontier provinces of the -north, there grew up churches which called for missionary oversight. The -famine in Prê summoned us thither; and to secure the work then done, a -missionary in residence was needed. Though no church had been formed in -Nān, yet our tours had opened the way to one, and the importance of the -province and its distance from our centre demanded a station. In every -case these stations were opened with the cordial approval of the mission -and of the Board at home. Yet it has been difficult to keep them all -manned, as has been specially true in the case of Prê—and there to the -great detriment of the work. It is easy to say now that a strong central -policy might have been better. And that criticism would probably hit me -harder than anyone else, for I have sanctioned the establishment of -every one of those stations. It is possible that a more centralized -organization might have accomplished more toward the education of native -workers—the point last under discussion. - -With reference to the establishment of stations in the north beyond the -frontier of Siam, there was not until recently absolute unanimity in the -mission. But that was not from any diversity of opinion as regards the -question in itself, but because a sister denomination had established -itself there. There has never been reasonable ground for doubt that the -language and race of the ruling class, and of the population of the -plains would naturally assign them to the Lāo mission. And no other -mission is so well equipped for working that field. A Lāo Inland -Mission, somewhat on the plan of the China Inland Mission, would be an -ideal scheme for reaching the whole of the Tai-speaking peoples of the -north and northeast under English and French and Chinese rule. The -obligation to carry the Gospel to those peoples should rest heavily on -the conscience of the Christian Church, and on our Church in particular. -Who will volunteer to be the leaders? - -It has already been noticed that in our educational work the Girls’ -School had the precedence in time, and possibly in importance. Boys did -at least learn to read and write in the monasteries. At the time of our -arrival in Chiengmai, only two women in the province could read. The -Chiengmai Girls’ School has had a wide educational influence throughout -the north, and to-day our Girls’ Schools have practically no -competitors. - -The Phraner Memorial School for small children, in connection with the -First Church, Chiengmai, under Mrs. Campbell’s direction, is preparing -material both for High Schools and for the College. We have good schools -for girls in Lakawn, Nān, and Chieng Rāi; and parochial mixed schools in -most of our country churches and out-stations. The young women who have -been engaged in this department, and many self-sacrificing married -women, have great reason to rejoice over the work accomplished. No -greater work can be done than that of educating the wives and mothers of -the church and the land. Educated Christian men are greatly handicapped -when consorted with illiterate and superstitious wives. Without a -Christian wife and mother there can be no Christian family, the -foundation both of the church and of the Christian State. - -On a recent visit to Chiengmai, Princess Dārā Ratsami—one of the wives -of His late Majesty of Siam, and daughter of Prince Intanon of Chiengmai -and his wife, the Princess Tipakēsawn, often mentioned in the preceding -narrative—was much interested in the Girls’ School, and was pleased to -name it the Phra Rajchayar School, after herself—using therefor her -title, and not her personal name. - -The mission had been founded twenty years before it had, and almost -before it could have had, a School for Boys. It is the intention of the -mission to make of this school—the Prince Royal College—the future -Christian College. Similar schools have been established in the other -stations. - -Since the Siamese government assumed control in the North, it has -manifested a laudable zeal in establishing schools, in which, however, -the Siamese language alone is taught. His Majesty is most fortunate in -having such an able and progressive representative in the North as the -present High Commissioner, Chow Prayā Surasīh Visithasakdī. And the -country is no less fortunate in having a ruler whose high personal -character and wise administration command the confidence and respect of -all classes. He is interested in educating the people, and in everything -that advances the interests of the country. - -I regard the educational question as the great question now before the -mission. The existence of the Siamese schools greatly emphasizes the -importance of our own work, and the necessity of maintaining a high -standard and a strong teaching force in Siamese, English, mathematics, -and the sciences. Their schools then will be tributary to ours. - -The ultimate prevalence of the Siamese language in all the provinces -under Siamese rule, has been inevitable from the start. All governments -realize the importance of a uniform language in unifying a people, and -have no interest whatever in perpetuating a provincial dialect. The -Siamese, in fact, look down with a kind of disdain upon the Lāo speech, -and use it only as a temporary necessity during the period of -transition. And the Siamese is really the richer of the two by reason of -its large borrowing from the Pali, the better scholarship behind it, and -its closer connection with the outside world. - -These two forms of the Tai speech—with a common idiom, and with the -great body of words in both identical, or differing only in vocal -inflection—have been kept apart chiefly by the fact that they have -different written characters. All of the Lāo women and children, and -two-thirds of the men had to be taught to read, whichever character were -adopted; and they could have learned the one form quite as easily as the -other. Had the mission adopted the Siamese character from the start, it -would now be master of the educational situation, working on a uniform -scheme with the Siamese Educational Department. Moreover, the Siamese -language in our schools would have been a distinct attraction toward -education and toward Christianity. And thus there would have been -available for the North the labours of two or more generations of able -workers in the southern mission, from which so far the Lāo church has -been mostly cut off. The whole Bible would have been accessible from the -first; whereas now nearly half of it remains still untranslated into the -Lāo. If the future needs of the Siamese provinces alone were to be -considered, it might even be doubted whether it were worth while to -complete the translation. When the monks, in their studies and teaching, -adopt the Siamese, as it is now the intention of the government to have -them do, Lāo books will soon be without readers throughout Siam. When -for the young a choice is possible in the matter of such a transcendent -instrument of thought and culture as language, all surely would wish -their training to be in that one which has in it the promise of the -future. These words are written in no idle criticism of the past, and in -no captious spirit regarding the present; but with full sense of the -gravity of the decision which confronts the mission in shaping its -educational policy for those who henceforth are to be Siamese. - -Meanwhile, Lāo type and books in the Lāo dialect are needed, not merely -for the present generation of older people who cannot or will not learn -a new character, but also for the instruction and Christianization of -that much larger mass of Lāo folk beyond the frontier of Siam as -revealed by recent explorations. Removed, as these are, entirely from -the political and cultural influence of Siam, and divided up under the -jurisdiction of three great nations of diverse and alien speech, it is -inconceivable that the Siamese should ever win the ascendency over them. -Nor has either of these nations any immediate and pressing incentive -toward unifying the speech of its provincials, such as has actuated Siam -in this matter. If the field of the Lāo mission is to be extended to -include these “regions beyond”—as we all hope that it soon may be—Lāo -speech will inevitably be the medium of all its work there. Then all -that so far has been accomplished in the way of translation, writing, -and printing in the Lāo tongue, will be so much invaluable capital to be -turned over to the newer enterprise. - -As regards the medical department of the mission, the Lāo field has been -an ideal one for its operation and for demonstration of its results. -When the field was virtually closed to the simple Gospel, the missionary -physician found everywhere an exalted, not to say exaggerated, idea of -the efficacy of foreign medicine, and a warm welcome for himself. Dr. -Cheek, who virtually founded our regular medical work among the Lāo, had -been on the field but a short time when he reported thirteen thousand -patients treated in one year. Probably no subsequent physician has had -such absolute control of the situation as he had, so long as he gave his -time and talents to his calling. But even the layman finds his medical -chest an invaluable adjunct to his evangelistic work, as we have had -frequent occasion to notice. We are devoutly thankful for—we might -almost envy—the influence that our medical missionaries have exerted in -the civilization and the Christianization of the Lāo tribes. - -Somewhat of the present status and importance of the medical mission may -be judged from the following facts: Dr. J. W. McKean’s projected Leper -Asylum is the largest charitable institution ever planned in the -kingdom. The new Overbrook Hospital in Chieng Rāi, the generous gift of -the Gest family of Overbrook, Pennsylvania, is the finest building in -the mission. The Charles T. Van Santvoord Hospital in Lakawn is another -similar gift. Native physicians, trained as far as present opportunities -permit in Western surgery and medicine, are now maintained at certain -posts by the Siamese government. And especially the work of Dr. Arthur -Kerr, the government physician in Chiengmai, and his unremitting -kindness to the mission, are deeply appreciated by us all. - -I cannot close these remarks without making special reference to the -work of my old friend and classmate and early associate in the mission, -Dr. Jonathan Wilson. In addition to his other most valuable labours, he -spent years of loving and devoted service in the preparation of hymns -for Lāo worship, Which will mould and lead the spiritual life of this -people for years to come. The Lāo are lovers of music. Many of them have -received much of their religious instruction through the use of these -hymns. His influence in the Lāo church may be compared to that of Watts -and Wesley for the English race. - - * * * * * - -Our long isolation as a mission has enabled us to appreciate the coming -to us in late years of a number of distinguished visitors, who have -greatly encouraged and strengthened us. - -At the Annual Meeting in December, 1900, we were favoured with a visit -from our United States Minister, Hon. Hamilton King, and his two -daughters. Referring to his visit, the “Lāo Quarterly Letter” said: “His -addresses to the missionaries and native ministers and elders of the -Presbytery were much appreciated, and our large church building was -crowded on two successive Sabbaths to hear his eloquent words of -encouragement to native Christians, and his warm commendation of -Christianity to non-Christians. It has been said that one of the best -things which a United States Minister can take to a non-Christian land -is a good Christian home. And this is just what Mr. King has brought to -Siam.” - -At the Annual Meeting of the following year, in Lakawn, we received the -first official visit we ever had from one of the Secretaries of our -Board, in the person of Rev. Arthur J. Brown, D.D., accompanied by his -good wife. The importance of these secretarial visits to distant -missions can hardly be overestimated. It is impossible to legislate -intelligently for a constituency twelve thousand miles away. No amount -of writing can give the varied kinds of information necessary for a full -understanding of the people, the missionaries, their surroundings, and -the needs of the field, which a single visit will convey. Then, too, -there are questions of administration and mission polity, requiring -settlement in the home Board, which can with difficulty be understood -through correspondence. Dr. Brown’s official visit was most helpful, as -also his words of encouragement, his sermons and addresses. The pleasure -derived from the personal visits of Dr. and Mrs. Brown to various -members of the Mission will always linger in our memories. - -[Illustration: - - HIS MAJESTY, MAHĀ VAJIRAVUDH, KING OF SIAM] - -Another notable visit to Chiengmai was that of the Crown Prince of Siam, -now His Majesty Mahā Vajiravudh, in the winter of 1905-6. On this visit -His Royal Highness very graciously accepted the invitation of the -mission to lay the corner stone of the William Allen Butler Hall, the -recitation hall of the new Boys’ School. On that occasion he delivered -an address, of which the following is a translation: - - “Ladies and Gentlemen:—I have listened with great pleasure to - the complimentary remarks which have just been made. I regard - them as indisputable evidence of your friendship for the whole - Kingdom of Siam. - - “During my visit to the United States, the American people were - pleased to give me a most enthusiastic welcome. I may mention - particularly the sumptuous banquet with which your Board of - Foreign Missions honoured me. I perceived clearly that the - American people received me whole-heartedly and not - perfunctorily. This also made it evident to me that the American - people have a sincere friendship for the Kingdom of Siam. Of - this fact I was profoundly convinced, and I certainly shall not - soon forget my visit to the United States. - - “This being so, I feel compelled to reciprocate this kindness to - the full extent of my ability. As my Royal Grandfather and my - Royal Father have befriended the missionaries, so I trust that I - too shall have opportunity, on proper occasions, to assist them - to the limits of my power. - - “Your invitation to me to-day to lay the corner stone of your - new School Building, is another evidence of your friendship and - goodwill toward Siam. I have full confidence that you will make - every endeavour to teach the students to use their knowledge for - the welfare of their country. Therefore I take great pleasure in - complying with your request, and I invoke a rich blessing on - this new institution. May it prosper and fulfil the highest - expectations of its founders!” - -In response to a request from the Principal that he would name the new -school, His Royal Highness sent the following reply: - - “CHIENGMAI, January 2d, 1906. - - “I have great pleasure in naming the new school, the foundation - stone of which I have just laid, The Prince Royal’s College. May - this School which I have so named, be prosperous, and realize - all that its well-wishers hope for it. May it long flourish, and - remain a worthy monument of the enterprise of the American - Presbyterian Church of Chiengmai. This is the wish of their - sincere friend, - - “VAJIRAVUDH.” - -Little did we then think that His Royal Highness would so soon be called -to fill the high office left vacant by the lamented death of his -distinguished father, King Chulalangkorn, which occurred October 22d, -1910. - -In December, 1908, Mrs. McGilvary’s brother, Professor Cornelius B. -Bradley of the University of California, while on a visit to the land of -his birth and of his father’s labours, paid us a visit in the North. He -was present at our Annual Meeting in Lakawn, and on Sunday preached the -Communion sermon, and again in Chiengmai. It was to the astonishment of -all who heard him, both natives and foreigners, that he could converse -fluently and flawlessly, and could so preach, after an absence of -thirty-six years. It was upon this visit to Siam, that he made a special -study and translation of the Sukhōthai Stone—the earliest known monument -of the Siamese language. - -In company with Professor Bradley came Mr. William McClusky, a business -man, on a visit to his daughter, Mrs. M. B. Palmer. The significance of -this visit lies in the fact that Mr. McClusky has remained among us, and -has identified himself with the work of the mission, endearing himself -to all. - - * * * * * - -In 1905 Mrs. McGilvary returned to the United States for a much-needed -change. I remained on the field until 1906, when I was cabled for on -account of the very serious state of her health. I found her very low, -and my visit was devoted to the restoration of her health. In the autumn -she was sufficiently recovered to make our return possible, and the -voyage was undertaken in compliance with her own ardent wish. She was -greatly benefited by the sea-voyage, and since her return her health has -been fully restored. - -On May 16th, 1908, my daughter, Mrs. William Harris, gave a dinner in -honour of my eightieth birthday, at which all our missionary and -European friends in Chiengmai were guests. Dr. McKean expressed the -congratulations of my friends in an address, from which I quote the -following: “Eighty years of age, sir, but not eighty years old! We do -not associate the term old age with you, for you seem to have drunk of -the fount of perpetual youth.” But the sentiment to which I most -heartily subscribe is the following: “There is a common maxim among men -to which we all readily assent; namely, that no man is able to do his -best work in the world without having received from God that best of all -temporal gifts, a helpmeet for him. We most heartily congratulate you -that, early in your life in Siam, Mrs. McGilvary was made a partner in -this great life-work. And no one knows so well as yourself how large a -part she has had in making possible much of the strenuous work that you -have done. To her, likewise, we offer on this happy occasion our hearty -congratulations and our fervent wishes for an ever-brightening future!” - -On December 6th, 1910, Mrs. McGilvary and I celebrated our Golden -Wedding. As this occurred during the Annual Meeting of the Mission, most -of our missionary friends, as well as our friends of the foreign colony, -were present. It was a matter of great regret, however, that Dr. Wilson, -who was present at the wedding fifty years before, was too feeble to -come to Chiengmai on this occasion. The many beautiful gifts received -were another token of the loving regard of our friends and dear ones in -this and in the homeland. Among the many letters and telegrams received -was a cablegram from our children in America. “It was like a hand-clasp -and a whisper of love flashed around the world.” Dr. Arthur J. Brown, -speaking for himself and the members of the Board of Foreign Missions, -wrote: “We greatly rejoice in your long and conspicuously devoted and -influential service for the Lāo people. We share the veneration and love -with which we know you are regarded by the people among whom your lives -have been spent, and by the missionaries with whom you have been so -closely associated. It would be a joy if we could join the relatives and -friends who will be with you on that happy day in December. We invoke -God’s richest blessings on you both. Mrs. Brown and all my colleagues in -the office unite with the members of the Board in loving -congratulations.” - -One of the most valued of these messages came from H. R. H. Prince -Damrong, Minister of the Interior: “I just learn from the local papers -of the celebration of your Golden Wedding. I wish you and Mrs. McGilvary -to accept my sincere congratulations and best wishes that you both may -be spared to continue your great work for many more years. Damrong.” - -Our good friend, H. E. Prayā Surasīh Visithsakdī, High Commissioner for -the Northwestern Provinces, brought his congratulations in person, -presenting Mrs. McGilvary with a very rare old Siamese bowl of inlaid -work of silver and gold. - -[Illustration: - - DR. AND MRS. McGILVARY FIFTY YEARS AFTER THEIR MARRIAGE] - - -From the native church in Chieng Rāi a message in Lāo was received, of -which the following is a translation: “The Chieng Rāi Christians invoke -Divine blessings on the Father-Teacher and Mother-Teacher McGilvary, who -are by us more beloved than gold.” - -We were deeply touched by a most unexpected demonstration of the -Chiengmai Christians, who assembled at our home, and with many -expressions of loving esteem and gratitude presented us with a silver -tray, designed by themselves, on which were represented in relief the -progress of the city in these fifty years: on one end the old bridge, on -the other the new bridge just completed; on the two sides, the -rest-house we occupied upon our arrival in Chiengmai, and our present -home. The inscription, in Lāo, reads: “1867-1910. The Christian people -of Chiengmai to Father-Teacher and Mother-Teacher McGilvary, in memory -of your having brought the Good News of Christ, forty-three years -ago.”—It makes one feel very humble to quote such expressions from our -colleagues and friends. But it would not be in human nature to fail to -appreciate them. - - * * * * * - -I would not close this life-story without expressing, on behalf of my -wife and myself, our heartfelt gratitude to our friends, native and -foreign, for the great kindness shown us in our intercourse with them -during these long years; and, above all, our devout gratitude to the -Giver of all good, for sparing so long our lives, and crowning them with -such rich blessings. Of these the greatest has been in permitting us to -lay the foundations, and to witness the steady growth of the Church of -Christ in Northern Siam. - -[Illustration: - - SKETCH MAP OF SIAM AND THE ADJACENT REGIONS - TO ILLUSTRATE THE MISSIONARY TOURS OF REV. DANIEL McGILVARY, D.D.] - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - INDEX - - - Arthington, Robert, 373-376, 386. - - - Bradley, Rev. Dan Beach, M.D., 45, 52, 54-57, 67-70, 131-132, 164, 199. - - Buddhist shrines, 172-173, 188, 252-253. - - - Ceremonies and Festivals: - Dam Hūa, 84-86; - cremation, 145-147; - dedication of a shrine, 188-189; - rice-harvest, 274; - fairs, 327, 356, 366; - “kin waw,” 323, 343; - sacred days, 318-319; - wedding feast, 395; - New Year, 396-397. - - Chulalongkorn, King of Siam, 211-213, 382, 426. - - Commission, Royal, 112, 121-131. - - Commissioners, High: - Prayā Tēp Worachun, 193-194, 205, 206, 208, 210, 213-215, 222, 300; - Commissioner not named, 300-304; - Chow Prayā Surasīh, 419. - - Cushing, Rev. J. N., DD, 138-139, 244, 247, 250, 373. - - - Demonism and witchcraft, 75-76, 91, 93-94, 173, 194, 203-208, 214, - 266-270, 278, 321, 324, 331, 340. - - Diseases: - cholera, 51; - fever, 88, 190, 195, 205, 242; - goitre, 88; - smallpox (vaccination), 57, 89-91, 243, 250; - scurvy, 196; - mortality of re-peopled districts, 202, 282. - - - Education: - Girls’ School, 177-178, 221-223, 274, 284, 287, 292, 418-419; - Boys’ School, 284, 291, 300, 419, 424-426; - Phraner Memorial, 377, 418; - parochial, 418; - government, 419-420; - educational policy as regards language, 222-225, 420-422. - - Elephants: - saddle, 62, 151-152, 157, 246, 249-250, 311-312, 317-318, 330-331, - 355, 359-360, 382-383; - wild, 156, 253, 311; - baby-elephants, 246-247, 309. - - Evangelists and ministers, native, 257-263, 377-380, 414-416. - - - Famine, 335, 346, 349-352. - - French Indo-China, 332, 354, 358, 384, and chapters xxxiii, xxxiv. - - - Hallett, Holt S. (railroad survey), 244-254. - - House, Rev. S. R., M.D., 37-38, 45, 53, 67, 92-93, 110-112. - - - Intanon, Prince of Chiengmai, 81, 90, 108-109, 132, 137, 142, 145, 187, - 193-194, 209, 245, 262, 293, 300. - - - Kamu tribe, 368, 393-394, 400, 403, 405, 407, 411. - - Karens, 89, 143-144. - - Kāwilōrot, Prince of Chiengmai (1855-1870), 57, 67, 69-70, 85-86, 90, - 95, 102-106, 121-129, 133-138, 146-147. - - - Lāo: - the name, 13-14, 57-58; - spelling of Lāo words, 12-13; - people, 58, 156; - states, 130, 191-192, 218-219, 262; - language, 357, 358, 420-422, see also Education; - women, 144-145. - - Lāo Mission: - planted, 77; - Rev. J. Wilson arrives, 92; - first church organized, 93; - a gift of land, 95; - first native members received, 96-101; - persecution, 106-117; - mission supposedly abandoned, 126; - intervention, 130-132; - new régime, 137-144; - permanent buildings, 140-142; - first physician, 149; - Girls’ School, 177; - teachers arrive, 221-222; - reinforcement, 242; - Presbytery organized, 257; - printing-press, 320; - Christian Endeavor, 381; - summaries, 217-218, 225, 287-288, 299, 304, 401; - general review, 413-423. - Later Missionaries: - Briggs, Rev. W. A., M.D., 10, 319, 336-337, 351-352, 401; - Campbell, Rev. Howard, 376, 411, 414; - Mrs. Campbell, 418; - Campbell, Miss Mary, 177, 221-222, 234, 236-237, 240; - Cary, A. M., M.D., 283-284, 296, 298; - Cheek, M. A., M.D., 166, 169, 178, 190, 195, 212, 233, 236-237, - 283, 292; - Mrs. Cheek, 169, 242, 293; - Cole, Miss Edna E., 177, 221-222, 233, 240, 284, 387; - Collins, Rev. D. G., 283, 284, 296, 301; - Curtis, Rev. L. W., 376; - Mrs. Curtis, 9; - Denman, C. H., M.D., 376, 381, 382-385; - Dodd, Rev. W. C., D.D., 283, 284-286, 289, 291, 296, 301, 358, - 377-378, 382, 384, 401; - Mrs. Dodd (Miss B. Eakin), 292, 293, 303; - Fleeson, Miss, 292, 293, 299; - Freeman, Rev. J. H., 9, 296; - Griffin, Miss I. A., 240, 243, 284, 292, 299; - Hearst, Rev. J. H., 239, 243; - Irwin, Rev. Robert, 319, 353, 362, 367, 401; - Martin, Rev. Chalmers, 239, 250, 252, 268, 270, 271-273, 276, 283; - McGilvary, Cornelia H. (Mrs. William Harris), 199, 306, 308-316, - 427; - McGilvary, Rev. Evander B., 337, 371; - McGilvary, Margaret A. (Mrs. Roderick Gillies), 197, 337; - McKean, J. W., M.D., 306, 316, 320, 338, 341, 422-423, 427; - Peoples, Rev. S. C., M.D., 239, 250, 257, 263-265, 289-291, 300, - 319, 387; - Mrs. Peoples, 240; - Phraner, Rev. Stanley K., 319, 320, 326-329, 376-377, 418; - Mrs. Phraner (Lizzie Westervelt), 238, 274, 284; - Taylor, Rev. Hugh, 299, 308-309; - Vrooman, C. W., M.D., 149-159, 166. - Native Converts: - Āi Tū (Prayā Pakdī), 277, 280, 287; - Cha Pū Kaw and Cha Waw, _see under_ Mūsô; - Chao Borirak, 158, 163, 197; - Lung In, 168, 170, 202; - Nān Chai, 100-101, 114-117; - Nān Chaiwana, 266-270; - Nān Inta, 96-99, 149, 161, 163, 207, 208, 210, 233, 243, 257, 258; - Nān Tā, 225-228, 234, 243, 248, 258, 272, 276, 277, 283, 299, 301; - Nān Sī Wichai, 199, 243; - Nān Suwan, 197-198, 233, 248, 257, 280, 287, 327, 330, 333, 341, - 359; - Noi Intachak, 230, 257, 260; - Noi Siri, 301-304, 333; - Noi Sunya, 99-100, 114-117; - Noi Tāliya, 278-279, 290, 334; - Pā Sêng Bun, 205-206; - Prayā Sīhanāt, 199-201, 232-233; - Sên Utamā, 230, 232; - Sên Yā Wichai, 79, 100, 105, 203, 281, 291. - - - Mahā Mongkut, King of Siam, 37, 47-48, 70. - - Mahā Vajiravudh, King of Siam, 425-426. - - Mattoon, Rev. S., D.D., 39, 45, 67, 165-166. - - McDonald, Rev. N. A., D.D., 53, 68, 103-104, 121ff. - - McFarland, Rev. S. G., D.D., 53, 70-71. - - McGilvary, Rev. Daniel, D.D., birth (1828), 20; - parentage, 19-20; - childhood, 20-28; - conversion, 27-28; - Bingham School, 29-31; - teaching, 31-32; - Presbytery of Orange, 32-34; - Princeton Seminary (1853-1856), 35-38; - pastorate, 38-41; - ordination, 42; - voyage, 43-45; - Bangkok (1858-1861), 45-52; - marriage (1860), 52; - Pechaburī, 53ff; - first acquaintance with the Lāo, 57-58; - tour of exploration to Chiengmai, 59-65; - charter of the Lāo mission, 66-70; - removal to Chiengmai (1867), 71-76; - pioneer experiences, 77-83; - ceremony of Dam Hūa, 84-86; - non-professional medicine and surgery, 88-91, 95, 120, 147-148, 158, - 190, 195-196, 322, 362; - visit from Dr. House, 92; - First Church organized, 93; - first-fruits, 95-101; - the gathering storm, 102-105; - it breaks (Sep. 1869), 106; - terrifying suspense, 107, 118-119; - alarm in Bangkok, 111-113; - the martyrs, 114-117; - Siamese Royal Commission, 121; - a stormy audience and its results, 122-129; - death of Kāwilōrot, 133-135; - visit from Dr. and Mrs. Cushing, 138-139; - the new rulers, 137-144; - building, 140-142; - arrival of a missionary physician, 149; - First Tour (1872, with Dr. Vrooman)—exploration north and east, - 150-159; - visit to Lakawn and Nān, 161-168; - first furlough (1873-1875), 159-168; - Second Tour (1876)—exploration northwestward, 170-177; - conversation with the Princess, 180-187; - shrine on Doi Sutēp, 188-189; - firmer Siamese policy—the Resident High Commissioner, 191-194; - the deaf Prayā, 199-201; - struggle with demonism:—Pā Sêng Bun, 203-206; - Christian marriage defeated, 207-209; - appeal unto Cæsar, 210-212; - Edict of Religious Toleration (1878), 213-220; - teachers for the Girls’ School, 221-222; - the harvest of twelve years, 225; - the nine years’ wanderer, 225-228; - voyage to Hongkong, 228-230; - Rahêng, 230-232; - churches organized, 233; - second furlough (1881-1882)—reinforcements and losses, 236-243; - a surveying expedition (1884), 244-254; - equipment for touring, 249-251; - semi-monthly mail to Maulmein, 255-256; - death of Princess Tipa Kēsawn, 257; - Presbytery of North Laos and the training of native evangelists, - 257-262; - station established at Lakawn, 263-265; - struggle with demonism renewed—Bān Pên, 266-270; - work among the villages, 270-274; - Third Tour (1886, with Mr. Martin)—Christian communities in the - north, 276-283; - reinforcements, 283-284; - river trip with Mr. Dodd, 285-286; - Fourth Tour (1887), 286-287; - Fifth Tour (1888, with Dr. Peoples and Mr. Dodd):—church organized in - Chieng Sên, 289-291; - serious illness, 291; - marriage of his daughter—the Prince and the charades, 293; - foothold secured in Lampūn, 294-296; - trip to Bangkok, 297; - week at Bān Pên, 297-298; - a marvellous recovery, 298; - the “prisoner of Jesus Christ,” 300-304; - tax-rebellion, 305-306; - Dr. McKean, and a continuous medical mission at last, 306-307; - Sixth Tour (1890, with Miss McGilvary):—Lakawn, Prê, Nān, 308-310; - the lost elephant, 311; - Chieng Kawng and the “Teacher’s Road,” 313-314; - Chieng Sên and Chieng Rāi, 314-315; - elephant runaways, 317-318; - Buddhist sacred days to be observed by Christians, 318-319; - Seventh Tour (1891, with Mr. Phraner), 320-336:—first meeting with - the Mūsôs, 322-327; - Mûang Len, 327-329; - Chieng Sên, 329-330; - a thrilling experience, 330-331; - Chieng Kawng and Mûang Tông, 332-333; - Mūsôs baptized, 333-336; - Eighth Tour (1892, with Dr. McKean)—among the Mūsô villages, 338-348; - tragic struggle with opium, 348; - famine, 349-352; - Ninth Tour (1893, with Mr. Irwin)—the Sipsawng Pannā, 353-368; - Mûang Yawng, 354-355; - an undiscovered peril, 358; - Chieng Rung; - ferry and ford of the Mê Kōng, 359-360; - dysentery and heroic treatment, 362; - Mûang Sing, 363-366; - Mūsôs east of the Mê Kōng, 367-368; - third furlough (1893-1894), 370-376; - Mr. Arthington of Leeds, 373-376; - Presbytery and a native ministry, 377-380; - Tenth Tour (1896, with Dr. Denman)—Chieng Rāi chosen for a station, - 382-384; - evangelists sent forth, 384; - Mūsôs, 385; - Eleventh Tour (1897, with Dr. Peoples)—the “regions beyond”: Lūang - Prabāng, 388ff.; - courtesy of French officials, 388-390, 395, 398, 400; - Mûang Sai, 390-394; - Mûang Āi, 394-395; - wedding feast, 395; - surprise party, 396-397; - Mûang Sing, 398, 399; - Twelfth Tour (1898)—the closed door, 402-412; - summoned to the U. S. by illness of Mrs. McGilvary (1905), 426-427; - Golden Wedding, 427-429; - appreciation by Dr. Arthur J. Brown, D.D., 1-7. - Observations and criticisms: Continuity in mission policy, 416-417; - Converts with more than one wife, 231-232; - Exclusion of the Lāo mission from the Lāo-speaking peoples of the - north, 157, 332, 368-369, 404, 411-412; - Girls’ Schools as Christianizing agencies, 178, 203, 280, 284, 287, - 418-419; - Heresy trials, 371-372; - Language problem, 222-225, 420-422; - Native evangelists and ministers, 257-262, 377-380, 414-416; - Parliament of religions, 370-371; - Obedient to constituted authority and law, 208, 301, 393, 400, 406; - Outlying Christian communities—their claim on the missionary, - 329-330; - Rulers—importance of cultivating their acquaintance, 90, 144, 161, - 170-171,330. - Religious teachings and conversations, 97-98, 161-162, 174-176, - 180-188, 199-200, 342-343, 365. - - McGilvary, Mrs. Sophia Bradley, marriage, 52; - wins first Lāo convert, 79, 100; - life in a bamboo shack, 140; - furlough after twenty-three years in Siam, 159-160; - river journey Without escort, 164; - opens first Lāo school, 177; - sole assistant in the mission, 195-197; - translates first Gospel into Lāo, 288, 320; - visits to the U. S., 158, 229, 238, 426-427; - Golden Wedding, 427-428. - - Medical Mission, summary, 422-423. - - Merit-making, 64, 133, 134, 147, 180, 257. - - Mission, American Baptist, of Burma, 138, 143, 254, 368, 383, 418. - - Mūsô tribe, 276, 322-327, 334-336, 338-348. - - - Nevius, Rev. Dr., 378-379. - - - Opium, 136, 335, 346-348, 357, 399. - - - Presbytery: - of, Siam, 47, 59, 71; - of North Laos, 257-260, 377-380. - - Princess: - Tipa Kēsawn, 55, 90, 108-109, 145, 178, 180-187, 209, 222, 257; - the younger, 55, 63-64, 105, 114, 115, 119, 136. - - Printing-press, and Lāo type, 224, 320, 338, 353, 384. - - Posts and telegraphs, 91, 121, 255-256, 296, 320. - - - Rapids: - Mê Ping, 71-75; - Mê Kōng, 154-155. - - Regent of Siam, 112, 132. - - Robbers and brigandage, 91, 164, 233, 329, 358; - bandit chieftain, 84, 96, 146, 147. - - - Toleration, Edict of, chapter xix. - - - Warfare of depopulation, 218, 353-354, 355, 357, 363. - - White ants, 179. - - Wild game; - deer, 253, 339; - cattle, 253, 313; - tigers, 72, 152, 153, 311, 386-387. - - Wilson, Rev. Jonathan, D.D., 36, 38, 43, 51, 65, 67, 92, 95, 113, 140, - 148, 169, 221, 233, 263, 291, 381, 423, 428. - - - - - PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - BIOGRAPHY - - -ROBERT E. SPEER, D.D. - -=The Foreign Doctor=: “The Hakim Sahib” - -A Biography of Joseph Plumb Cochran, M.D., of Persia. Illustrated, 12mo, -cloth, net $1.50. - - Dr. Cochran came to a position of power in Western Persia which - made his life as interesting as a romance. He was one of the - central figures in the Kurdish invasion of Persia, and was the - chief means of saving the city of Uramia. In no other biography - is there as full an account of the actual medical work done by - the medical missionary, and of the problem of the use of the - political influence acquired by a man of Dr. Cochran’s gifts and - opportunities. - - -HENRY D. 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The Missionary with the native Bible-woman is seen on - her daily round of love and mercy, in the home, the hospital and - the school, winning the weary and despairing women and - widows.”—George Smith. - - - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - ● Transcriber’s note: - - ○ Missing or obscured punctuation was silently corrected. - - ○ Typographical errors were silently corrected. - - ○ Inconsistent spelling and hyphenation were made consistent only - when a predominant form was found in this book. - - ○ The cover image was created by the transcriber and is placed - in the public domain. - - - -***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A HALF CENTURY AMONG THE SIAMESE AND -THE LĀO*** - - -******* This file should be named 63818-0.txt or 63818-0.zip ******* - - -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: -http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/6/3/8/1/63818 - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or re-use it -under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this -eBook or online at <a -href="http://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you are not -located in the United States, you'll have to check the laws of the -country where you are located before using this ebook.</p> -<p>Title: A Half Century Among the Siamese and the Lāo</p> -<p> An Autobiography</p> -<p>Author: Daniel McGilvary</p> -<p>Release Date: November 20, 2020 [eBook #63818]</p> -<p>Language: English</p> -<p>Character set encoding: UTF-8</p> -<p>***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A HALF CENTURY AMONG THE SIAMESE AND THE LĀO***</p> -<p> </p> -<h4 class="pgx" title="">E-text prepared by Brian Wilson, Barry Abrahamsen,<br /> - and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team<br /> - (https://www.pgdp.net)<br /> - from page images generously made available by<br /> - Internet Archive<br /> - (https://archive.org)</h4> -<p> </p> -<table border="0" style="background-color: #ccccff;margin: 0 auto;" cellpadding="10"> - <tr> - <td valign="top"> - Note: - </td> - <td> - Images of the original pages are available through - Internet Archive. See - https://archive.org/details/halfcenturyamong00mcgi - </td> - </tr> -</table> -<p> </p> -<hr class="pgx" /> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> - -<div class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/cover.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p><span class='small'>The cover image was created by the transcriber and is placed in the public domain.</span></p> -</div> -</div> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c000' /> -</div> -<div> - <h1 class='c001'>A HALF CENTURY AMONG THE<br />SIAMESE AND THE LĀO</h1> -</div> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c002' /> -</div> -<div id='frontis' class='figcenter id002'> -<img src='images/frontis.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>Daniel McGilvary</p> -</div> -</div> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c003'> - <div><span class='c004'>A HALF CENTURY AMONG</span></div> - <div><span class='c004'>THE SIAMESE AND THE LĀO</span></div> - <div class='c000'>AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY</div> - <div class='c005'>By</div> - <div class='c000'><span class='c006'>DANIEL McGILVARY, D.D.</span></div> - <div class='c005'>WITH AN APPRECIATION BY</div> - <div class='c000'><span class='c007'>ARTHUR J. BROWN, D.D.</span></div> - <div class='c005'><i>ILLUSTRATED</i></div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c008'> </p> -<div class='figcenter id003'> -<img src='images/publogo.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -</div> -<p class='c009'> </p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c005'> - <div><span class='sc'>New York</span> <span class='sc'>Chicago</span> <span class='sc'>Toronto</span></div> - <div><span class='c006'>Fleming H. Revell Company</span></div> - <div><span class='sc'>London and Edinburgh</span></div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c002'> - <div>Copyright, 1912, by</div> - <div><span class='large'>FLEMING H. REVELL COMPANY</span></div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='lg-container-b c002'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>New York: 158 Fifth Avenue</div> - <div class='line'>Chicago: 125 N. Wabash Ave.</div> - <div class='line'>Toronto: 25 Richmond St., W.</div> - <div class='line'>London: 21 Paternoster Square</div> - <div class='line'>Edinburgh: 100 Princes Street</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c002' /> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c002'> - <div><i>TO</i></div> - <div><i><span class='large'>MY WIFE</span></i></div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c002' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_1'>1</span> - <h2 class='c010'>AN APPRECIATION</h2> -</div> -<p class='c011'>Missionary biography is one of the most interesting -and instructive of studies. It is, -however, a department of missionary literature -to which Americans have not made proportionate -contribution. The foreign missionary Societies of the -United States now represent more missionaries and a -larger expenditure than the European Societies, but -most of the great missionary biographies are of British -and Continental missionaries, so that many Americans -do not realize that there are men connected with their -own Societies whose lives have been characterized by -eminent devotion and large achievement.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Because I regarded Dr. McGilvary as one of the great -missionaries of the Church Universal, I urged him several -years ago to write his autobiography. He was -then over seventy-five years of age, and I told him that -he could not spend his remaining strength to any better -advantage to the cause he loved than in preparing -such a volume. His life was not only one of unusual -length (he lived to the ripe age of eighty-three), but his -missionary service of fifty-three years covered an interesting -part of the history of missionary work in Siam, -and the entire history, thus far, of the mission to the -Lāo people of northern Siam. There is no more -fascinating story in fiction or in that truth which is -stranger than fiction, than the story of his discovery of -a village of strange speech near his station at Pechaburī, -Siam, his learning the language of the villagers, -his long journey with his friend, Dr. Jonathan Wilson, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_2'>2</span>into what was then the unknown region of northern -Siam, pushing his little boat up the great river and -pausing not until he had gone six hundred miles northward -and arrived at the city of Chiengmai. The years -that followed were years of toil and privation, of loneliness -and sometimes of danger; but the missionaries -persevered with splendid faith and courage until the -foundations of a prosperous Mission were laid.</p> - -<p class='c009'>In all the marked development of the Lāo Mission, -Dr. McGilvary was a leader—the leader. He laid the -foundations of medical work, introducing quinine and -vaccination among a people scourged by malaria and -smallpox, a work which has now developed into five -hospitals and a leper asylum. He began educational -work, which is now represented by eight boarding -schools and twenty-two elementary schools, and is -fast expanding into a college, a medical college, and a -theological seminary. He was the evangelist who won -the first converts, founded the first church, and had a -prominent part in founding twenty other churches, -and in developing a Lāo Christian Church of four -thousand two hundred and five adult communicants. -His colleague, the Rev. Dr. W. C. Dodd, says that Dr. -McGilvary selected the sites for all the present stations -of the Mission long before committees formally sanctioned -the wisdom of his choice. He led the way into -regions beyond and was the pioneer explorer into the -French Lāo States, eastern Burma, and even up to -the borders of China. Go where you will in northern -Siam, or in many sections of the extra-Siamese Lāo -States, you will find men and women to whom Dr. McGilvary -first brought the Good News. He well deserves -the name so frequently given him even in his lifetime—“The -Apostle to the Lāo.”</p> - -<p class='c009'><span class='pageno' id='Page_3'>3</span>It was my privilege to conduct our Board’s correspondence -with Dr. McGilvary for more than a decade, -and, in 1902, to visit him in his home and to journey -with him through an extensive region. I have abiding -and tender memories of those memorable days. He -was a Christian gentleman of the highest type, a man -of cultivation and refinement, of ability and scholarship, -of broad vision and constructive leadership. His -evangelistic zeal knew no bounds. A toilsome journey -on elephants through the jungles brought me to a -Saturday night with the weary ejaculation: “Now we -can have a day of rest!” The next morning I slept -late; but Dr. McGilvary did not; he spent an hour before -breakfast in a neighbouring village, distributing -tracts and inviting the people to come to a service at -our camp at ten o’clock. It was an impressive service,—under -a spreading bo tree, with the mighty forest -about us, monkeys curiously peering through the -tangled vines, the huge elephants browsing the bamboo -tips behind us, and the wondering people sitting on -the ground, while one of the missionaries told the -deathless story of redeeming love. But Dr. McGilvary -was not present. Seventy-four years old though he -was, he had walked three miles under a scorching sun -to another village and was preaching there, while Dr. -Dodd conducted the service at our camp. And I said: -“If that is the way Dr. McGilvary rests, what does he -do when he works?” Dr. McKean, his associate of -many years, writes:</p> - -<p class='c009'>“No one who has done country evangelistic work -with Dr. McGilvary can ever forget the oft-seen picture -of the gray-haired patriarch seated on the bamboo floor -of a thatch-covered Lāo house, teaching some one to -read. Of course, the book faced the pupil, and it was -<span class='pageno' id='Page_4'>4</span>often said that he had taught so many people in this -way that he could read the Lāo character very readily -with the book upside down. Little children instinctively -loved him, and it is therefore needless to -say that he loved them. In spite of his long snow-white -beard, never seen in men of this land and a -strange sight to any Lāo child, the children readily -came to him. Parents have been led to God because -Dr. McGilvary loved their children and laid his hands -upon them. In no other capacity was the spirit of the -man more manifest than in that of a shepherd. Always -on the alert for every opportunity, counting -neither time nor distance nor the hardship of inclement -weather, swollen streams, pathless jungle, or impassable -road, he followed the example of his Master in -seeking to save the lost. His very last journey, which -probably was the immediate cause of his last illness, -was a long, wearisome ride on horseback, through -muddy fields and deep irrigating ditches, to visit a -man whom he had befriended many years ago and who -seemed to be an inquirer.”</p> - -<p class='c009'>Dr. McGilvary was pre-eminently a man who walked -with God. His piety was not a mere profession, but a -pervasive and abiding force. He knew no greater joy -than to declare the Gospel of his blessed Lord to the -people to whose up-lifting he had devoted his life. -“If to be great is ‘to take the common things of life -and walk truly among them,’ he was a great man—great -in soul, great in simplicity, great in faith and -great in love. Siam is the richer because Daniel McGilvary -gave her fifty-three years of unselfish service.” -Mrs. Curtis, the gifted author of <i>The Laos of North -Siam</i>, says of Dr. McGilvary: “Neither Carey nor Judson -surpassed him in strength of faith and zeal of purpose; -<span class='pageno' id='Page_5'>5</span>neither Paton nor Chalmers has outranked him -in the wonders of their achievements, and not one of -the other hundreds of missionaries ever has had more -evidence of God’s blessing upon their work.”</p> - -<p class='c009'>Not only the missionaries but the Lāo people loved -him as a friend and venerated him as a father. Some -of his intimate friends were the abbots and monks of -the Buddhist monasteries and the high officials of the -country. No one could know him without recognizing -the nobility of soul of this saintly patriarch, in whom -was no guile. December 6th, 1910, many Americans -and Europeans celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of his -marriage. The King of Siam through Prince Damrong, -Minister of the Interior, sent a congratulatory -message. Letters, telegrams, and gifts poured in from -many different places. The Christian people of the -city presented a large silver tray, on which was engraved: -“The Christian people of Chiengmai to Dr. -and Mrs. McGilvary, in memory of your having brought -the Gospel of Jesus Christ to us forty-three years ago.” -The tray showed in relief the old rest-house where Dr. -and Mrs. McGilvary spent their first two years in -Chiengmai, the residence which was later their home -of many years, the old dilapidated bridge, and the handsome -new bridge which spans the river opposite the -Christian Girls’ School—thus symbolizing the old and -the new eras.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The recent tours of exploration by the Rev. W. Clifton -Dodd, D.D., and the Rev. John H. Freeman have -disclosed the fact that the Lāo peoples are far more -numerous and more widely distributed than we had -formerly supposed. Their numbers are now estimated -at from twelve to sixteen millions, and their habitat -includes not only the Lāo States of northern Siam but -<span class='pageno' id='Page_6'>6</span>extensive regions north and northeastward in the Shan -States, Southern China, and French Indo-China. The -evangelization of these peoples is, therefore, an even -larger and more important undertaking than it was -understood to be only a few years ago. All the more -honour, therefore, must be assigned to Dr. McGilvary, -who laid foundations upon which a great superstructure -must now be built.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Dr. McGilvary died as he would have wished to die -and as any Christian worker might wish to die. There -was no long illness. He continued his great evangelistic -and literary labours almost to the end. Only a -short time before his death, he made another of his -famous itinerating journeys, preaching the Gospel to -the outlying villages, guiding perplexed people and -comforting the sick and dying. He recked as little of -personal hardship as he had all his life, thinking -nothing of hard travelling, simple fare, and exposure -to sun, mud, and rain. Not long after his return and -after a few brief days of illness, he quietly “fell on -sleep,” his death the simple but majestic and dignified -ending of a great earthly career.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The Lāo country had never seen such a funeral as -that which marked the close of this memorable life. -Princes, Governors, and High Commissioners of State -sorrowed with multitudes of common people. The -business of Chiengmai was suspended, offices were -closed, and flags hung at half-mast as the silent form -of the great missionary was borne to its last resting-place -in the land to which he was the first bringer -of enlightenment, and whose history can never be truly -written without large recognition of his achievements.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Fortunately, Dr. McGilvary had completed this autobiography -before his natural powers had abated, and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_7'>7</span>had sent the manuscript to his brother-in-law, Professor -Cornelius B. Bradley of the University of California. -Dr. Bradley, himself a son of a great missionary -to Siam, has done his editorial work with sympathetic -insight. It has been a labour of love to him to -put these pages through the press, and every friend of -the Lāo people and of Dr. McGilvary is his debtor. -The book itself is characterized by breadth of sympathy, -richness of experience, clearness of statement, -and high literary charm. No one can read these pages -without realizing anew that Dr. McGilvary was a man -of fine mind, close observation, and descriptive gifts. -The book is full of human interest. It is the story of -a man who tells about the things that he heard and -saw and who tells his story well. I count it a privilege -to have this opportunity of commending this volume -as one of the books which no student of southern -Asia and of the missionary enterprise can afford to -overlook.</p> -<div class='c012'><span class='sc'>Arthur J. Brown.</span></div> - -<p class='c009'><span class='sc'>156 Fifth Avenue, New York.</span></p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_9'>9</span> - <h2 class='c010'>PREFACE</h2> -</div> -<p class='c011'>Years ago, in the absence of any adequate work -upon the subject, the officers of our Missionary -Board and other friends urged me to write a -book on the Lāo Mission. Then there appeared Mrs. -L. W. Curtis’ interesting volume, <i>The Laos of North -Siam</i>, much to be commended for its accuracy and its -valuable information, especially in view of the author’s -short stay in the field. But no such work exhausts its -subject.</p> - -<p class='c009'>I have always loved to trace the providential circumstances -which led to the founding of the Lāo Mission -and directed its early history. And it seems important -that before it be too late, that early history should be -put into permanent form. I have, therefore, endeavoured -to give, with some fulness of detail, the -story of the origin and inception of the Mission, and -of its early struggles which culminated in the Edict -of Religious Toleration. And in the later portions of -the narrative I have naturally given prominence to -those things which seemed to continue the characteristic -features and the personal interest of that earlier -period of outreach and adventure, and especially my -long tours into the “regions beyond.”</p> - -<p class='c009'>The appearance during the past year of Rev. J. H. -Freeman’s <i>An Oriental Land of the Free</i>, giving very -full and accurate information regarding the present -status of the Mission, has relieved me of the necessity of -going over the same ground again. I have, therefore, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_10'>10</span>been content to draw my narrative to a close with the -account of my last long tour in 1898.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The work was undertaken with many misgivings, -since my early training and the nature of my life-work -have not been the best preparation for authorship. -I cherished the secret hope that one of my own children -would give the book its final revision for the -press. But at last an appeal was made to my brother-in-law, -Professor Cornelius B. Bradley of the University -of California, whose birth and years of service -in Siam, whose broad scholarship, fine literary taste, -and hearty sympathy with our missionary efforts indicated -him as the man above all others best qualified -for this task. His generous acceptance of this work, -and the infinite pains he has taken in the revision and -editing of this book, place me under lasting obligations -to him.</p> - -<p class='c009'>I wish to acknowledge my indebtedness to Dr. W. A. -Briggs and to Rev. J. H. Freeman for the use of maps -prepared by them, and to Dr. Briggs and others for the -use of photographs.</p> -<div class='c012'><span class='sc'>Daniel McGilvary.</span></div> -<p class='c013'>April 6, 1911,</p> -<p class='c014'><span class='sc'>Chiengmai</span>.</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_11'>11</span> - <h2 class='c010'>NOTE BY THE EDITOR</h2> -</div> -<p class='c011'>The task which has fallen to me in connection -with this book, was undertaken as a labour of -love; and such it seems to me even more, now -that it ends in sadness of farewell. It has not been -an easy task. The vast spaces to be traversed, and -the months of time required before a question could -receive its answer, made consultation with the author -almost impossible. And the ever-present fear that for -him the night might come before the work could receive -a last revision at his hands, or even while he was -still in the midst of his story, led me continually to -urge upon him the need of persevering in his writing—which -was evidently becoming an irksome task—and -on my part to hasten on a piecemeal revision as the -chapters came to hand, though as yet I had no measure -of the whole to guide me.</p> - -<p class='c009'>It is, therefore, a great comfort to know that my -urgency and haste were not in vain; that all of the -revision reached him in time to receive his criticism and -correction—though his letter on the concluding chapter -was, as I understand, the very last piece of writing -that he ever did. How serene and bright it was, and -with no trace of the shadow so soon to fall!</p> - -<p class='c009'>But the draft so made had far outgrown the possible -limits of publication, and was, of course, without due -measure and proportion of parts. In the delicate task -of its reduction I am much indebted to the kind suggestions -of the Rev. Arthur J. Brown, D.D., and the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_12'>12</span>Rev. A. W. Halsey, D.D., Secretaries of the Board of -Foreign Missions of the Presbyterian Church, and of -the Rev. W. C. Dodd, D.D., of the Lāo Mission, who, -fortunately, was in this country, and who read the -manuscript. For what appears in this book, however, -I alone must assume the responsibility. “An -autobiography is a personal book, expressive of personal -opinion.” And whether we agree with them or -not, the opinions of a man like Dr. McGilvary, formed -during a long lifetime of closest contact with the matters -whereof he speaks, are an essential part not only -of the history of those matters, but of the portrait of -the man, and far more interesting than any mere details -of events or scenes. On all grave questions, therefore, -on which he has expressed his deliberate opinion, -I have preferred to err on the side of inclusion rather -than exclusion.</p> - -<hr class='c015' /> - -<p class='c009'>The plan adopted in this volume for spelling Siamese -and Lāo words is intended to make possible, and even -easy, a real approximation to the native pronunciation. -Only the tonal inflections of native speech and the -varieties of aspiration are ignored, as wholly foreign to -our usage and, therefore, unmanageable.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The consonant-letters used and the digraphs <i>ch</i> and -<i>ng</i> have their common English values.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The vowels are as follows:</p> - -<div class='lg-container-l'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Long ā as in <i>father</i></div> - <div class='line in5'>ē as in <i>they</i></div> - <div class='line in5'>ī as in <i>pique</i></div> - <div class='line in5'>ō as in <i>rode</i></div> - <div class='line in5'>ū as in <i>rude</i>, <i>rood</i></div> - <div class='line in5'>aw as in <i>lawn</i></div> - <div class='line in5'>ê as in <i>there</i> (without the <i>r</i>)</div> - <div class='line in5'><span class='pageno' id='Page_13'>13</span>ô as in <i>world</i> (without the <i>r</i>)</div> - <div class='line in5'>û is the <i>high-mixed</i> vowel, not found in English.</div> - <div class='line in8'>It may be pronounced as u.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Short a as in <i>about</i> (German <i>Mann</i>)—<i>not</i> as in <i>hat</i>.</div> - <div class='line in5'>e as in <i>set</i></div> - <div class='line in5'>i as in <i>sit</i></div> - <div class='line in5'>o as in <i>obey</i> (N. Eng. <i>coat</i>)—<i>not</i> as in <i>cot</i>.</div> - <div class='line in5'>u as in <i>pull</i>, <i>foot</i>—<i>not</i> as in <i>but</i>.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>The last four long vowels have also their corresponding -shorts, but since these rarely occur, it has not been -thought worth while to burden the scheme with extra -characters to represent them.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The diphthongs are combinations of one of these -vowels, heavily stressed, and nearly always long in -quantity—which makes it seem to us exaggerated or -drawled—with a “vanish” of short <i>i</i>, <i>o</i>, (for <i>u</i>), or <i>a</i>. -<i>ai</i> (= English long i, y) and <i>ao</i> (= English <i>ow</i>) are -the only diphthongs with short initial element, and are -to be distinguished from <i>āi</i> and <i>āo</i>. In deference to -long established usage in maps and the like, <i>ie</i> is used -in this volume where <i>ia</i> would be the consistent spelling, -and <i>oi</i> for <i>awi</i>.</p> - -<hr class='c015' /> - -<p class='c009'>A word remains to be said concerning the name of -the people among whom Dr. McGilvary spent his life. -That name has suffered uncommonly hard usage, especially -at the hands of Americans, as the following brief -history will show. Its original form in European -writing was <i>Lāo</i>, a fairly accurate transcription by -early French travellers of the name by which the -Siamese call their cousins to the north and east. The -word is a monosyllable ending in a diphthong similar -to that heard in the proper names <i>Macāo</i>, <i>Mindanāo</i>, -<i>Callāo</i>. In French writing the name often appeared -<span class='pageno' id='Page_14'>14</span>in the plural form, <i>les Laos</i>; the added <i>s</i>, however, being -silent, made no difference with the pronunciation. -This written plural, then, it would seem, English-speaking -people took over without recognizing the fact -that it was only plural, and made it their standard -form for all uses, singular as well as plural. With -characteristic ignorance or disregard of its proper pronunciation, -on the mere basis of its spelling, they have -imposed on it a barbarous pronunciation of their own—<i>Lay-oss</i>. -It is to be regretted that the usage of American -missionaries has been most effective in giving currency -and countenance to this blunder—has even added -to it the further blunder of using it as the name of the -region or territory, as well as of the people. But the -word is purely ethnical—a proper adjective like our -words <i>French</i> or <i>English</i>, and, like these, capable of -substantive use in naming either the people or their -language, but not their land. Needless to say, these -errors have no currency whatever among European -peoples excepting the English, and they have very little -currency in England. It seems high time for us of -America to amend not only our false pronunciation, -but our false usage, and the false spelling upon which -these rest. In accordance with the scheme of spelling -adopted in this work, the <i>a</i> of the name Lāo is marked -with the macron to indicate its long quantity and -stress.</p> -<div class='c012'><span class='sc'>Cornelius Beach Bradley.</span></div> -<p class='c013'><span class='sc'>Berkeley, California</span>,</p> -<p class='c014'>December, 1911.</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_15'>15</span> - <h2 class='c010'>CONTENTS</h2> -</div> -<table class='table0' summary=''> -<colgroup> -<col width='17%' /> -<col width='73%' /> -<col width='9%' /> -</colgroup> - <tr> - <td class='c016'>I.</td> - <td class='c017'><span class='sc'>Childhood and Youth</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#ch01'>19</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c016'>II.</td> - <td class='c017'><span class='sc'>Ministerial Training</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#ch02'>35</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c016'>III.</td> - <td class='c017'><span class='sc'>Bangkok</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#ch03'>43</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c016'>IV.</td> - <td class='c017'><span class='sc'>Pechaburī—The Call of the North</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#ch04'>53</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c016'>V.</td> - <td class='c017'><span class='sc'>The Charter of the Lāo Mission</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#ch05'>66</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c016'>VI.</td> - <td class='c017'><span class='sc'>Chiengmai</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#ch06'>77</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c016'>VII.</td> - <td class='c017'><span class='sc'>Pioneer Work</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#ch07'>84</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c016'>VIII.</td> - <td class='c017'><span class='sc'>First-fruits</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#ch08'>95</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c016'>IX.</td> - <td class='c017'><span class='sc'>Martyrdom</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#ch09'>102</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c016'>X.</td> - <td class='c017'><span class='sc'>The Royal Commission</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#ch10'>118</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c016'>XI.</td> - <td class='c017'><span class='sc'>Death of Kāwilōrot</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#ch11'>130</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c016'>XII.</td> - <td class='c017'><span class='sc'>The New Régime</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#ch12'>140</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c016'>XIII.</td> - <td class='c017'><span class='sc'>Exploration</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#ch13'>150</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c016'>XIV.</td> - <td class='c017'><span class='sc'>First Furlough</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#ch14'>160</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c016'>XV.</td> - <td class='c017'><span class='sc'>Mûang Kên and Chieng Dāo</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#ch15'>169</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c016'>XVI.</td> - <td class='c017'><span class='sc'>Seekers After God</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#ch16'>180</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c016'>XVII.</td> - <td class='c017'><span class='sc'>The Resident Commissioner</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#ch17'>191</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c016'>XVIII.</td> - <td class='c017'><span class='sc'>Witchcraft</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#ch18'>199</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c016'>XIX.</td> - <td class='c017'><span class='sc'>The Edict of Religious Toleration</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#ch19'>207</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c016'>XX.</td> - <td class='c017'><span class='sc'>Schools—The Nine Years’ Wanderer</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#ch20'>221</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c016'>XXI.</td> - <td class='c017'><span class='sc'>Second Furlough</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#ch21'>236</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c016'>XXII.</td> - <td class='c017'><span class='sc'>A Surveying Expedition</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#ch22'>244</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c016'>XXIII.</td> - <td class='c017'><span class='sc'>Evangelistic Training</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#ch23'>255</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c016'>XXIV.</td> - <td class='c017'><span class='sc'>Struggle With the Powers of Darkness</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#ch24'>266</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c016'>XXV.</td> - <td class='c017'><span class='sc'>Christian Communities Planted</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#ch25'>276</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c016'>XXVI.</td> - <td class='c017'><span class='sc'>A Foothold in Lampūn</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#ch26'>289</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c016'><span class='pageno' id='Page_16'>16</span>XXVII.</td> - <td class='c017'><span class='sc'>A Prisoner of Jesus Christ</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#ch27'>300</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c016'>XXVIII.</td> - <td class='c017'><span class='sc'>Circuit Tour With My Daughter</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#ch28'>308</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c016'>XXIX.</td> - <td class='c017'><span class='sc'>Lengthening the Cords and Strengthening the Stakes</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#ch29'>320</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c016'>XXX.</td> - <td class='c017'><span class='sc'>Among the Mūsô Villages—Famine</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#ch30'>338</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c016'>XXXI.</td> - <td class='c017'><span class='sc'>Chieng Rung and the Sipsawng Pannā</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#ch31'>353</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c016'>XXXII.</td> - <td class='c017'><span class='sc'>Third Furlough—Station at Chieng Rāi</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#ch32'>370</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c016'>XXXIII.</td> - <td class='c017'><span class='sc'>The Regions Beyond</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#ch33'>386</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c016'>XXXIV.</td> - <td class='c017'><span class='sc'>The Closed Door</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#ch34'>402</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c016'>XXXV.</td> - <td class='c017'><span class='sc'>Conclusion</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#ch35'>413</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c016'> </td> - <td class='c017'><span class='sc'>Index</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#idx'>431</a></td> - </tr> -</table> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_17'>17</span> - <h2 class='c010'>ILLUSTRATIONS</h2> -</div> -<table class='table1' summary=''> -<colgroup> -<col width='83%' /> -<col width='16%' /> -</colgroup> - <tr> - <td class='c019'><span class='sc'>Daniel McGilvary</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#frontis'><i>Frontispiece</i></a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c019'><span class='sc'>William J. Bingham</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#i030'>30</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c019'><span class='sc'>Mahā Monkut, King of Siam</span>, 1851-1872</td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#i048'>48</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c019'><span class='sc'>Pagoda of Wat Chêng, Bangkok</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#i056'>56</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c019'><span class='sc'>Rev. Dan Beach Bradley, M.D.</span>, 1872</td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#i070a'>70</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c019'><span class='sc'>Kāwilōrot, Prince of Chiengmai (about 1869)</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#i070b'>70</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c019'><span class='sc'>A Rest Between Rapids in the Gorge of the Mê Ping River</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#i076a'>76</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c019'><span class='sc'>Poling up the Mê Ping River</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#i076b'>76</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c019'><span class='sc'>Temple of the Old Tāi Style of Architecture, Chiengmai</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#i082'>82</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c019'><span class='sc'>A Cremation Procession</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#i146'>146</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c019'><span class='sc'>Interior of a Temple, Prê</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#i158'>158</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c019'><span class='sc'>An Abbot Preaching</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#i188'>188</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c019'><span class='sc'>Intanon, Prince of Chiengmai</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#i202a'>202</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c019'><span class='sc'>Elder Nān Suwan</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#i202b'>202</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c019'><span class='sc'>Dr. McGilvary</span>, 1881</td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#i238a'>238</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c019'><span class='sc'>Mrs. McGilvary</span>, 1881</td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#i238b'>238</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c019'><span class='sc'>Chulalongkorn, King of Siam</span>, 1872-1910</td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#i242'>242</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c019'><span class='sc'>Presbytery, Returning From Meeting in Lakawn</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#i264'>264</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c019'><span class='sc'>Market Scene in Chiengmai</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#i274a'>274</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c019'><span class='sc'>In the Harvest-Field</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#i274b'>274</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c019'><span class='sc'>Girls’ School in Chiengmai</span>, 1892</td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#i284'>284</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c019'><span class='sc'>Rev. Jonathan Wilson, D.D.</span>, 1898</td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#i294'>294</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c019'><span class='sc'>First Church in Chiengmai</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#i318a'>318</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c019'><span class='sc'>Dr. Mcgilvary’s Home in Chiengmai</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#i318b'>318</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c019'><span class='sc'>Mrs. Mcgilvary, 1893</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#i332'>332</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c019'><span class='sc'>Mūsô People and Hut near Chieng Rai</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#i348'>348</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c019'><span class='pageno' id='Page_18'>18</span><span class='sc'>Group of Yunnan Lāo</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#i356'>356</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c019'><span class='sc'>Phya Sura Sih, Siamese High Commissioner for the North</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#i384'>384</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c019'><span class='sc'>His Majesty, Mahā Vajiravudh, King of Siam</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#i424'>424</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c019'><span class='sc'>Dr. and Mrs. McGilvary, Fifty Years after Their Marriage</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#i428'>428</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c019'><span class='sc'>Map of Northern Siam Showing Mission Stations</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#i326'>326</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c019'><span class='sc'>Map of Siam</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#i430'>430</a></td> - </tr> -</table> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_19'>19</span> - <h2 id='ch01' class='c010'>I<br /> <br />CHILDHOOD AND YOUTH</h2> -</div> -<p class='c011'>Heredity and early environment exercise such -a determining influence in forming a man’s -character and shaping his destiny that, without -some knowledge of these as a clew, his after-life -would often be unintelligible. And beyond these there -is doubtless a current of events, directing the course -of every man’s life, which no one else can see so clearly -as the man himself. In the following review of my -early life, I have confined myself, therefore, to those -events which seem to have led me to my life-work, or -to have prepared me for it.</p> - -<p class='c009'>By race I am a Scotsman of Scotsmen. My father, -Malcom McGilvary, was a Highland lad, born in the -Isle of Skye, and inheriting the marked characteristics -of his race. In 1789, when Malcom was eleven years -old, my grandfather brought his family to the United -States, and established himself in Moore County, North -Carolina, on the headwaters of the Cape Fear River. -The McGilvarys had but followed in the wake of an -earlier immigration of Scottish Highlanders, whose -descendants to this day form a large proportion of the -population of Moore, Cumberland, Richmond, Robeson, -and other counties of North Carolina. My father’s -brothers gradually scattered, one going to the southwestern, -and two to the northwestern frontier. My -father, being the youngest of the family, remained with -<span class='pageno' id='Page_20'>20</span>his parents on the homestead. The country was then -sparsely settled; communication was slow and uncertain. -The scattered members of the family gradually -lost sight of one another and of the home. My mother -belonged to the McIver clan—from the same region of -the Scottish Highlands, and as numerous in North -Carolina as the McGilvarys were scarce. She was -born in this country not long after the arrival of her -parents.</p> - -<p class='c009'>I was born May 16th, 1828, being the youngest of -seven children. As soon after my birth as my mother -could endure the removal, she was taken to Fayetteville, -thirty-five miles distant, to undergo a dangerous -surgical operation. The journey was a trying one. -Anæsthetics were as yet unknown. My poor mother -did not long survive the shock. She died on the 23d -of November of that year.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Since feeding-bottles were not then in use, the -motherless infant was passed around to the care of -aunts and cousins, who had children of like age. Two -aunts in particular, Catharine McIver and Margaret -McNeill, and a cousin, Effie McIver, always claimed a -share in me for their motherly ministrations till, at last, -I could be turned over to my sister Mary. She, though -but six years my senior, was old beyond her years; and -the motherly care with which she watched over her little -charge was long remembered and spoken of in the -family.</p> - -<p class='c009'>When I was four years old, my father married his -second wife, Miss Nancy McIntosh. The next nine -years, till my father’s death, June 8th, 1841, were spent -in the uneventful routine of a godly family in a country -home. My father’s rigid ideas of family discipline -were inherited from his Presbyterian ancestors in -<span class='pageno' id='Page_21'>21</span>Scotland, and his own piety was of a distinctly old-school -type. He was a ruling elder in the church at -Buffalo, Fayetteville Presbytery, in which office he was -succeeded by my brother, Evander, and three others -of his sons became elders in other churches. No -pressure of business was ever allowed to interfere with -family worship night and morning. A psalm or hymn -from the old village hymnbook always formed part -of the service. My father was an early riser, and, in -the winter time, family worship was often over before -the dawn. Almost every spare moment of his time he -spent in reading Scott’s Family Bible, the Philadelphia -<i>Presbyterian</i>, or one of the few books of devotion which -composed the family library. The special treasure of -the book-case was the great quarto Illustrated Family -Bible, with the Apocrypha and Brown’s Concordance, -published by M. Carey, Philadelphia, 1815. It was the -only pictorial book in the library, and its pictures were -awe-inspiring to us children—especially those in the -Book of Revelation:—The Dragon Chained, The Beast -with Seven Heads and Ten Horns, and the Vision of -the Four Seals. These and the solemn themes of Russell’s -<i>Seven Sermons</i>—which on rainy days I used -to steal away by myself to read—made a profound impression -on me.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Scottish folk always carry the school with the kirk. -Free schools were unknown; but after the crops were -“laid by,” we always had a subscription school, in -which my father, with his large family, had a leading -interest. The teacher “boarded around” with the -pupils. Our regular night-task was three questions -and answers in the Shorter Catechism—no small task -for boys of ten or twelve years. My memory of the -Catechism once stood me in good stead in after-life. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_22'>22</span>When examined for licensure by the Orange Presbytery, -I was asked, “What is man’s state by nature?” -In reply I gave the answers to the nineteenth and -twentieth questions in the Catechism. A perceptible -smile passed over the faces of many of the presbyters, -and Father Lynch said, “He is right on the Catechism. -He will pass.” In those days to be “right on the -Catechism” would atone for many failures in Hodge -or Turretin.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The church was at the village of Buffalo, four miles -from our home, but no one of the family was expected -to be absent from the family pew on “the Sabbath.” -Carriages were a later luxury in that region. Our two -horses carried father and mother, with the youngest -of the little folks mounted behind, till he should be -able to walk with the rest.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The great event of the year was the camp-meeting -at the Fall Communion. It served as an epoch from -which the events of the year before and after it were -dated. For weeks before it came, all work on the -farm was arranged with reference to “Buffalo Sacrament”—pronounced -with long a in the first syllable. -It was accounted nothing for people to come fifteen, -twenty, or even forty miles to the meetings. Every pew-holder -had a tent, and kept open house. No stranger -went away hungry. Neighbouring ministers were invited -to assist the pastor. Services began on Friday, -and closed on Monday, unless some special interest suggested -the wisdom of protracting them further. The -regular order was: A sunrise prayer-meeting, breakfast, -a prayer-meeting at nine, a sermon at ten, an intermission, -and then another sermon. The sermons -were not accounted of much worth if they were not an -hour long. The pulpit was the tall old-fashioned boxpulpit -<span class='pageno' id='Page_23'>23</span>with a sounding-board above. For want of -room in the church, the two sermons on Sunday were -preached from a stand in the open air. At the close -of the second sermon the ruling elders, stationed in -various parts of the congregation, distributed to the -communicants the “tokens,”<a id='r1' /><a href='#f1' class='c020'><sup>[1]</sup></a> which admitted them -to the sacramental table. Then, in solemn procession, -the company marched up the rising ground to the -church, singing as they went:</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c021'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“Children of the Heavenly King,</div> - <div class='line in1'>As ye journey sweetly sing.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='footnote c022' id='f1'> -<p class='c023'><span class='label'><a href='#r1'>1</a>. </span>The “token” was a thin square piece of lead stamped with the -initial letter of the name of the church.</p> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>It was a beautiful sight, and we boys used to climb the -hill in advance to see it. When the audience was -seated, there was a brief introductory exercise. Then -a hymn was sung, while a group of communicants filled -the places about the communion table. There was -an address by one of the ministers, during the progress -of which the bread and the wine were passed to the -group at the table. Then there was singing again, -while the first group retired, and a second group took -its place. The same ceremony was repeated for them, -and again for others, until all communicants present -had participated. The communion service must have -occupied nearly two hours. One thing I remember -well—when the children’s dinner-time came (which -was after all the rest had dined), the sun was low in -the heavens, and there was still a night service before -us. Notwithstanding some inward rebellion, it seemed -all right then. But the same thing nowadays would -drive all the young people out of the church.</p> - -<p class='c009'><span class='pageno' id='Page_24'>24</span>With some diffidence I venture to make one criticism -on our home life. The “Sabbath” was too -rigidly observed to commend itself to the judgment and -conscience of children—too rigidly, perhaps, for the -most healthy piety in adults. It is hard to convince -boys that to whistle on Sunday, even though the tune -be “Old Hundred,” is a sin deserving of censure. An -afternoon stroll in the farm or the orchard might even -have clarified my father’s vision for the enjoyment of -his Scott’s Bible at night. It would surely have been -a means of grace to his boys. But such was the Scottish -type of piety of those days, and it was strongly -held. The family discipline was of the reserved and -dignified type, rather than of the affectionate. Implicit -obedience was the law for children. My father -loved his children, but never descended to the level -of familiarity with them when young, and could not -sympathize with their sports.</p> - -<p class='c009'>But dark days were coming. Brother John Martin -presently married and moved west. In August, 1840, -an infant sister died of quinsy—the first death I ever -witnessed. On June 8th, 1841, the father and “house-bond” -of the family was taken away. The inheritance -he left his children was the example of an upright, -spotless life—of more worth than a legacy of -silver and gold. These we might have squandered, but -that was inalienable.</p> - -<p class='c009'>At thirteen, I was small for my age—too small to do -a man’s work on the farm; and there was no money with -which to secure for me an education. Just then occurred -one of those casual incidents which often determine -the whole course of one’s life. Mr. Roderick McIntosh, -one of my mother’s cousins, being disabled for -hard work on the farm, had learned the tailor’s trade, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_25'>25</span>and was then living in the village of Pittsboro, twenty-one -miles away. His father was a neighbour of ours, -and a man after my father’s own heart. The two families -had thus always been very intimate. While the -question of my destiny was thus in the balance, this -cousin, one day, while on a visit to his father, called at -our house. He had mounted his horse to leave, when, -turning to Evander, he asked, “What is Dan’l going -to do?” My brother replied, “There he is; ask him.” -Turning to me, he said, “Well, Dan’l, how would you -like to come and live with me? I will teach you a -trade.” I had never thought of such a thing, nor had -it ever been mentioned in the family. But somehow it -struck me favourably. Instinctively I replied, “I believe -I should like it.” A life-question could not have -been settled more fortuitously. But it was the first -step on the way to Siam and the Lāo Mission.</p> - -<p class='c009'>On the last day of August, 1841, I bade farewell -to the old home, with all its pleasant associations. -Every spot of it was dear, but never so dear as then. -Accompanied by my brother Evander, each of us riding -one of the old family horses, I started out for my new -home. The departure was not utterly forlorn, since -Evander was still with me. But the parting from him, -as he started back next day, was probably the hardest -thing I had ever experienced. I had to seek a -quiet place and give vent to a flood of tears. For a -time I was inexpressibly sad. I realized, as never before, -that I was cut loose from the old moorings—was -alone in the world. But the sorrows of youth are soon -assuaged. No one could have received a warmer welcome -in the new home than I did. There were two -children in the family, and they helped to fill the void -made by the separation.</p> - -<p class='c009'><span class='pageno' id='Page_26'>26</span>Pittsboro was not a large village, but its outlook was -broader than that of my home. The world seemed -larger. I myself felt larger than I had done as a -country boy. I heard discussion of politics and of the -questions of the day. The county was strongly Whig, -but Mr. McIntosh was an unyielding Democrat, and as -fond of argument as a politician. According to southern -custom, stores and shops were favourite resorts for -passing away idle time, and for sharpening the wits of -the villagers. The recent Presidential campaign of -1840 furnished unending themes for discussion in our -little shop.</p> - -<p class='c009'>There was no Presbyterian church in Pittsboro at -that time. The church-going population was divided -between the Methodist and the Episcopalian churches, -the former being the larger. With my cousin’s family -I attended the Methodist church. On my first Sunday -I joined the Methodist Sunday School, and that school -was the next important link in my chain of life. Its -special feature was a system of prizes. A certain number -of perfect answers secured a blue ticket; ten of these -brought a yellow ticket; and yellow tickets, according -to the number of them, entitled the possessor to various -prizes—a hymnbook, a Bible, or the like. On the -first Sunday I was put into a class of boys of my -own age, at work on a little primer of one hundred -and six questions, all answered in monosyllables. By -the next Sunday I was able to recite the whole, together -with the Lord’s Prayer and the Apostles’ Creed -at the end. It was no great feat; but the teacher and -the school thought it was. So, on the strength of -my very first lesson, I got a yellow ticket, and was -promoted to the next higher class. That stimulated -my ambition, and I devoted my every spare hour to -<span class='pageno' id='Page_27'>27</span>study. The next book was one of questions and answers -on the four Gospels. They were very easy; I -was able to commit to memory several hundred answers -during the week. In a few Sundays I got my first -prize; and it was not long before I had secured all the -prizes offered in the school. What was of far more -value than the prizes was the greater love for study -and for the Scriptures which the effort had awakened -in me, and a desire for an education. The shop was -often idle; I had plenty of time for study, and made -the most of it.</p> - -<p class='c009'>At one of the subsequent Quarterly Meetings, a Rev. -Mr. Brainard, who had considerable reputation as a -revivalist, preached one Sunday night a vivid and -thrilling sermon on Noah’s Ark and the Flood. So -marked was the impression on the audience, that, at -the close, according to the Methodist custom, “mourners” -were invited to the altar. Many accepted the invitation. -A young friend sitting beside me was greatly -affected. With streaming eyes he said, “Dan’l, let us -go, too,” rising up and starting as he spoke. After -a few moments I followed. By this time the space -about the altar was well filled. There was great excitement -and no little confusion—exhortation, singing, and -prayer going on all at once. A number of persons -made profession of religion, and soon my young friend -joined them. He was full of joy, and was surprised -to find that I was not so, too. The meetings were continued -night after night, and each night I went to the -altar. As I look back upon it from this distance, it -seems to me that, with much exhortation to repent -and believe, there was not enough of clear and definite -instruction regarding the plan of salvation, or the offices -and work of Christ. One night, in a quiet hour -<span class='pageno' id='Page_28'>28</span>at home, the grounds and method of a sinner’s acceptance -of Christ became clear to me, and He became -my Lord.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Soon after, when invitation was given to the new converts -to join the church as probationers, I was urged -by some good friends to join with the rest; and was -myself not a little inclined to do so. It was no doubt -the influence of my cousin that enabled me to withstand -the excitement of the revival and the gentle -pressure of my Methodist friends, and to join, instead, -my father’s old church at Buffalo. But I owe more -than I shall ever know to that Sunday School, and -since then I have always loved the Methodist Church. -Meanwhile the prospects for an education grew no -brighter, though Mr. Brantley, then a young graduate -in charge of the Pittsboro Academy, but afterward a -distinguished Baptist minister of Philadelphia, gave -me a place in his school at idle times; and a Dr. Hall -used to lend me books to read.</p> - -<p class='c009'>When the opportunity for acquiring an education -finally came, it was as unexpected as a clap of thunder -out of a blue sky. The celebrated Bingham School, -now in Asheville, North Carolina, was then, as now, the -most noted in the South. It was started by Rev. William -Bingham in Pittsboro, North Carolina, in the -closing years of the eighteenth century. It was moved -to Hillsboro by his son, the late William J. Bingham, -father of the present Principal. The school was -patronized by the leading families of the South. The -number of pupils was strictly limited. To secure a -place, application had to be made a year or more in -advance.</p> - -<p class='c009'>My surprise, therefore, can well be imagined, when -one day Baccus King, a young boy of the town, walked -<span class='pageno' id='Page_29'>29</span>into the shop with a letter addressed to Master Daniel -McGilvary from no less a personage than William J. -Bingham, the great teacher and Principal. At first I -thought I was the victim of some boyish trick. But -there was the signature, and the explanation that followed -removed all doubt. Nathan Stedman, an influential -citizen of Pittsboro, was an early acquaintance -and friend of Mr. Bingham. He had visited the school -in person to secure a place for his nephew, young -King, and had brought back with him the letter for -me. What Mr. Bingham knew of me I never discovered. -No doubt Mr. Stedman could have told, -though up to that time I had never more than spoken -with him. Be that as it may, there was the letter -with its most generous offer that I take a course in -Bingham School at the Principal’s expense. He was -to board me and furnish all necessary expenses, which, -after graduation, I was to refund by teaching. If I -became a minister of the Gospel, the tuition was to be -free; otherwise I was to refund that also. To young -King’s enquiry what I would do, I replied, “Of course, -I shall go.” My cousin, Mr. McIntosh, was scarcely -less delighted than I was at the unexpected opening.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The invitation to attend Bingham School came in -the fall of 1845, when I was in my eighteenth year. -There were then only two weeks till the school should -open. I had little preparation to make. A pine box -painted red was soon got ready to serve as a trunk, for -my wardrobe was by no means elaborate. Mr. Stedman -kindly offered me a seat with Baccus and a friend -of his who was returning to the school. On the way -Baccus’ friend entertained us with stories of the rigid -discipline, for this was in the days when the rod was -not spared. I had no fears of the rod, but I trembled -<span class='pageno' id='Page_30'>30</span>lest I should not sustain myself as well as such great -kindness demanded. It might be a very different thing -from winning a reputation in a Methodist Sunday -School.</p> - -<p class='c009'>It was dusk when we reached The Oaks. The family -was at supper. Mr. Bingham came out to receive -us. He told Baccus’ friend to take him to his own old -quarters, and, turning to me, said, “I have made arrangements -for you to board with Mr. C., and to room -with Mr. K., the assistant teacher, till my house is finished, -when you are to live with us. But we are at -supper now. You must be hungry after your long -ride. Come in and eat with us.” After supper, Mr. -Bingham went with me to my boarding-house, and -introduced me to my hosts and to my chum, David -Kerr. He welcomed me, and said he thought we -should get along finely together. We not only did -that, but he became a warm friend to whom I owed -much. So I was in the great Bingham School, overwhelmed -with a succession of unexpected kindnesses -from so many quarters! What did it all mean?</p> -<div id='i030' class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i030.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>WILLIAM J. BINGHAM</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c011'>My highest anticipations of the school were realized. -If there ever was a born teacher, William J. Bingham -was one. Latin and Greek were taught then by a -method very different from the modern one. Before a -sentence was read or translated, the invariable direction -was—master your grammar. In grammar-drill -Mr. Bingham could have no superior. Bullion’s -Grammars and Readers were the text-books. The principal -definitions were learned practically verbatim. -The coarse print was required of all in the class. The -older pupils were advised to learn notes, exceptions, -and all. I never became so familiar with any other -books as with that series of grammars. We were expected -<span class='pageno' id='Page_31'>31</span>to decline every noun and adjective, alone or -combined, from nominative singular to ablative plural, -backwards or forwards, and to give, at a nod, voice, -mood, tense, number, and person of any verb in the -lesson. These exercises became at last so easy that -they were great fun. Even now, sixty years later, I -often put myself to sleep by repeating the old paradigms.</p> - -<p class='c009'>It may seem that my estimate of Mr. Bingham is -prejudiced by my sense of personal obligation to him -for his kindness. Yet I doubt not that the universal -verdict of every one who went there to study would -be that he should be rated as one of the world’s -greatest teachers. The South owes much to him for -the dignity he gave to the profession of teaching. No -man ever left a deeper impress on me. Thousands of -times I have thanked the Lord for the opportunity to -attend his school.</p> - -<p class='c009'>I was graduated from the school in May, 1849, a few -days before I was twenty-one years old. On leaving -my kind friends at The Oaks, I was again at sea. It -will be remembered that, by my original agreement, I -was booked for teaching—but I had no idea where. -Once more the unexpected happened. In the midst -of negotiations for a school in the southern part of -the state, I was greatly surprised at receiving an offer -from one of the prominent business men of my own -town, Pittsboro, to assist me in organizing a new -school of my own there. With much doubt and hesitation -on my part—for there were already two preparatory -schools in the place—the venture was made, and -I began with ten pupils taught in a little business office. -The number was considerably increased during -the year. But when the second year opened, I was put -<span class='pageno' id='Page_32'>32</span>in charge of the Academy, whose Principal had resigned. -Here, in work both pleasant and fairly profitable, -I remained until the four years for which I had -agreed to stay were up.</p> - -<p class='c009'>I had by no means reached my ideal. But, as my -friends had predicted, it had been a success. Some -of my warmest supporters were sure that I was giving -up a certainty for an uncertainty, in not making -teaching my life-work. It had evidently been the -hope of my friends from the first that I would make -Pittsboro my home, and build up a large and permanent -school there. But my purpose of studying for -the ministry had never wavered, and that made it -easier for me to break off.</p> - -<p class='c009'>During these four years my relations with the newly -organized Presbyterian church had been most pleasant -and profitable. There was no resisting the appeal -that I should become ruling elder. The superintendency -of the Sunday School also fell naturally to me, -and opened up another field of usefulness. The friendship -formed with the pastor, the Rev. J. H. McNeill, -is one of the pleasant memories of my life.</p> - -<p class='c009'>One feature of the church connection must not be -passed over. Neither of the other elders was so circumstanced -as to be able to attend the meetings of the -Orange Presbytery. Three of the leading professors -in the University were members of the Presbytery, and -all the leading schools within its bounds were taught -by Presbyterian ministers or elders. To accommodate -this large group of teachers, the meetings were held in -midsummer and midwinter. Thus it fell to my lot to -represent the Pittsboro church at the Presbytery during -nearly the whole of the four years of my stay in -Pittsboro. As it was then constituted, its meetings -<span class='pageno' id='Page_33'>33</span>were almost equal to a course in church government. -The Rev. J. Doll, one of the best of parliamentarians, -was stated clerk. A group of members such as the -two Drs. Phillips, father and son, Dr. Elisha Mitchell, -of the University, and many others that could be -named, would have made any assembly noted. Professor -Charles Phillips, as chairman of the committee -on candidates for the ministry, came into closer touch -with me than most of the others. He afterwards followed -my course in the Seminary with an interest -ripening into a friendship which continued throughout -his life.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The meetings of the Presbytery were not then -merely formal business meetings. They began on -Wednesday and closed on Monday. They were looked -forward to by the church in which they were to be -held as spiritual and intellectual feasts. To the members -themselves they were seasons of reunion, where -friendships were cemented, and where wits were sharpened -by intellectual conflicts, often before crowded congregations.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Union Seminary, now of Richmond, Virginia, has -always been under the direction of the Synods of North -Carolina and Virginia; and there were strong reasons -why students from those Synods should study there. -They were always reminded of that obligation. But -the high reputation of Drs. Hodge and Alexander was -a strong attraction toward Princeton. My pastor and -Professor Phillips, chairman of the committee in charge -of me, had both studied there. So I was allowed -to have my preference. No doubt this proved another -stepping-stone to Siam. Union Seminary was not then -enthusiastic in regard to foreign missions, as it has -since become. At the last meeting of Presbytery -<span class='pageno' id='Page_34'>34</span>that I was to attend, Dr. Alexander Wilson moved that, -inasmuch as Orange Presbytery owned a scholarship in -Princeton Seminary, I be assigned to it. To my objection -that I had made money to pay my own way, -he replied, “You will have plenty of need of your -money. You can buy books with it.” I followed the -suggestion and laid in a good library.</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_35'>35</span> - <h2 id='ch02' class='c010'>II<br /> <br />MINISTERIAL TRAINING</h2> -</div> -<p class='c011'>I entered Princeton Seminary in the fall of -1853. I did not lodge in the Seminary building, -but, through the kindness of Rev. Daniel -Derouelle—whom, as agent of the American Bible Society, -I had come to know during his visits to Pittsboro—I -found a charming home in his family. There -were, of course, some disadvantages in living a mile -and a half away from the Seminary. I could not have -the same intimate relations with my fellow students -which I might have had if lodged in the Seminary. -But I had the delightful home-life which most of them -missed altogether. And the compulsory exercise of -two, or sometimes three, trips a day, helped to keep -me in health throughout my course. I became, indeed, -a first-rate walker—an accomplishment which has since -stood me in good stead in all my life abroad.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Being from the South, and not a college graduate, as -were most of the students, I felt lonesome enough -when, on the first morning of the session, I entered -the Oratory and looked about me without discovering -a single face that I knew. But at the close of the -lecture some one who had been told by a friend to look -out for me, touched me on the shoulder, made himself -known, and then took me off to introduce me to J. -Aspinwall Hodge, who was to be a classmate of mine. -No man ever had a purer or a better friend than this -<span class='pageno' id='Page_36'>36</span>young man, afterward Dr. J. Aspinwall Hodge; and -I never met a friend more opportunely.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Of our revered teachers and of the studies of the -Seminary course there is no need to speak here. Our -class was a strong one. Among its members were such -men as Gayley, Mills, Jonathan Wilson, Nixon, Lefevre, -and Chaney. Of these Gayley and Mills were already -candidates for missionary work abroad. In other -classes were Robert McMullen and Isidore Loewenthal, -destined to become martyrs in Cawnpore and -Peshawur. Many were the stirring appeals we heard -from these men. Dr. Charles Hodge, too, had given a -son to India; and he never spoke more impressively -than when he was pleading the cause of foreign missions. -Princeton, moreover, because of its proximity -to New York and to the headquarters of the various -missionary societies established there, was a favourite -field for the visits of the Secretaries of these organizations, -and of returned missionaries. A notable visit -during my first year was that of Dr. Alexander Duff, -then in his prime. No one who heard him could forget -his scathing criticism of the church for “playing at -missions,” or his impassioned appeals for labourers.</p> - -<p class='c009'>So the question was kept constantly before me. But -during the first two years, the difficulty of the acquisition -of a foreign language by a person not gifted in -his own, seemed an obstacle well-nigh insuperable. -Conscience suggested a compromise. Within the field -of Home Missions was there not equal need of men -to bring the bread of life to those who were perishing -without it? With the object of finding some such opportunity, -I spent my last vacation, in the summer of -1855, in Texas as agent of the American Sunday School -Union.</p> - -<p class='c009'><span class='pageno' id='Page_37'>37</span>Texas afforded, indeed, great opportunities for Christian -work; but in the one object of my quest—a field -where Christ was not preached—I was disappointed. -In every small village there was already a church—often -more than one. Even in country schoolhouses -Methodists, Baptists, and Cumberland Presbyterians -had regular Sunday appointments, each having acquired -claim to a particular Sunday of the month. -Conditions were such that the growth of one sect usually -meant a corresponding weakening of the others. -It was possible, of course, to find local exceptions. -But it is easier even now to find villages by the hundred, -with three, four, and even five Protestant -churches, aided by various missionary societies; where -all the inhabitants, working together, could do no more -than support one church well. This may be necessary; -but it is surely a great waste.</p> - -<p class='c009'>From this trip I had just returned with these -thoughts in my mind, and was entering upon my senior -year, when it was announced that Dr. S. R. House, a -missionary from Siam, would address the students. -Expectation was on tiptoe to hear from this new -kingdom of Siam. The address was a revelation to us -all. The opening of the kingdom to American missionaries -by the reigning monarch, Mahā Mongkut—now -an old story—was new then, and sounded like a -veritable romance. My hesitation was ended. Here -was not merely a village or a parish, but a whole -kingdom, just waking from its long, dark, hopeless -sleep. Every sermon I preached there might be to -those who had never heard that there is a God in heaven -who made them, or a Saviour from sin.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The appeal was for volunteers to go at once. None, -however, of the men who had announced themselves as -<span class='pageno' id='Page_38'>38</span>candidates for service abroad were available for Siam. -They were all pledged to other fields. The call found -Jonathan Wilson and myself in much the same state -of expectancy, waiting for a clear revelation of duty. -After anxious consultation and prayer together, and -with Dr. House, we promised him that we would give -the matter our most serious thought. If the Lord -should lead us thither, we would go.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Meanwhile the Rev. Andrew B. Morse had been appointed -a missionary to Siam, and the immediate -urgency of the case was thus lightened. Shortly before -the close of my Seminary course, in 1856, there -came to me a call to the pastorate of two contiguous -churches, those of Carthage and of Union, in my native -county in North Carolina. The call seemed a providential -one, and I accepted it for one year only. My -classmate, Wilson, soon after accepted a call to work -among the Indians in Spencer Academy.</p> - -<p class='c009'>My parish was an admirable one for the training of -a young man. The church at Union was one of the -oldest in the state. The church at Carthage, five -miles away, was a colony from Union. No distinct -geographical line separated the two. Many of the -people regularly attended both. That, of course, made -the work harder for a young pastor. The extreme -limits of the two parishes were fifteen miles apart. -But these were church-going folk, mostly of Scottish -descent—not “dry-weather Christians.” The pastorate -had been vacant a whole year.</p> - -<p class='c009'>At the first morning service the church was crowded -to its utmost capacity. Some came, no doubt, from -curiosity to hear the new preacher; but most of them -were hungry for the Gospel. They had all known -my father; and some had known me—or known of me—from -<span class='pageno' id='Page_39'>39</span>boyhood. I could not have had a more sympathetic -audience, as I learned from the words of appreciation -and encouragement spoken to me after -church—especially those spoken by my brother, who -was present.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The year passed rapidly. The work had prospered -and was delightful. In it I formed the taste for -evangelistic touring, which was afterwards to be my -work among the Lāo. There had been a number of -accessions in both churches. It was easy to become -engrossed in one’s first charge among a people so sympathetic, -and to overlook far-away Siam. Indeed, I -had become so far influenced by present surroundings -as to allow my name to be laid before a meeting -of the congregation with a view to becoming their -permanent pastor. Their choice of me was unanimous. -Moreover, I had been dismissed from my old Presbytery -to the one within whose bounds my parish -was. The regular meeting of the latter was not far -off, when arrangements were to be made for my ordination -and installation.</p> - -<p class='c009'>As the time drew near, do what I might, my joy -in accepting the call seemed marred by the thought -of Siam. I learned that the Siamese Mission, instead -of growing stronger, was becoming weaker. Mr. -Morse’s health had completely broken down during -his first year in the field. He was then returning to -the United States. Mrs. Mattoon had already come -back an invalid. Her husband, after ten years in -Siam, was greatly in need of a change; but was -holding on in desperation, hoping against hope that -he might be relieved.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The question of my going to Siam, which had been -left an open one, must now soon be settled by my accepting -<span class='pageno' id='Page_40'>40</span>or declining. I needed counsel, but knew not -on what earthly source to call. When the question of -Siam first came up in Princeton, I had written to leading -members of the Orange Presbytery for advice, stating -the claims of Siam so strongly that I was sure -these men would at least give me some encouragement -toward going. But the reply I had from one of them -was typical of all the rest: “We do not know about -Siam; but we do know of such and such a church -and of such and such a field vacant here in Orange -Presbytery. Still, of course, it <i>may</i> be your duty to -go to Siam.” In that quarter, surely, there was no -light for me. So I devoted Saturday, August 1st, to -fasting and prayer for guidance. In the woods back -of the Carthage church and the Academy, the decision -was finally reached. I would go.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Next morning I stopped my chief elder on his way -to church, and informed him of my decision. After -listening to my statement of the case, he replied, “Of -course, if it is settled, there’s nothing more to be said.” -It chanced that Mr. Russell, my former assistant in -the Pittsboro Academy, had just finished his theological -course; and, wholly without reference to the -question pending in my mind, had arranged to preach -for me that day. The session was called together before -service, was notified of my decision, and was reminded -that the preacher of the day would be available -as a successor to me. He preached a good sermon, -had a conference with the session afterwards, and -was virtually engaged that day. The following week -brought notice of my appointment as missionary to -Siam.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The last communion season of that year was one of -more than usual interest. The meetings began on -<span class='pageno' id='Page_41'>41</span>Friday. Since the minds of the congregation were -already on the subject of foreign missions, and since -Dr. McKay, from my home church, had been appointed -by the Synod to preach on that subject at its coming -session in Charlotte, I prevailed upon him to preach -to us the sermon that he had prepared. The text was -from Romans x:14, “How shall they hear without a -preacher?” No subject could have been more appropriate -to the occasion. It produced a profound -impression. Some were affected to tears.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The sermon was a good preparation for the communion -service that followed. At the night service -there was deep seriousness throughout the congregation, -and a general desire to have the meetings continued. -On Monday there was an unexpectedly large -congregation. At the busiest season of the year farmers -had left their crops to come. The meetings soon -grew to be one protracted prayer-meeting, with occasional -short applications of Scripture to the questions -which were already pressing upon our minds.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Finally, after the meetings had been continued from -Friday until Wednesday week, they were reluctantly -brought to a close; both because it seemed unwise to -interrupt longer the regular life of the community, -and also because the leaders no longer had the voice -to carry them on. As a result of the meetings, there -were about eighty accessions to the two Presbyterian -churches, as well as a number to other churches. Many -asked if I did not see in the revival reason to change -my mind and remain. But the effect on me was just -the opposite. It was surely the best preparation I -could have had for the long test of faith while waiting -for results in Siam.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Inasmuch as my certificate of dismissal had never -<span class='pageno' id='Page_42'>42</span>been formally presented to the Fayetteville Presbytery, -I preferred to return it to my old Orange Presbytery, -and to receive my ordination at its hands. On December -11th, the Presbytery met at my old home in -Pittsboro. The installation of a foreign missionary -was new to the Presbytery, as well as to the church -and the community. When the ordaining prayer was -ended, there seemed to be but few dry eyes in the congregation. -It was a day I had little dreamed of sixteen -years before, when I first came to Pittsboro an -orphan boy and an apprentice. I felt very small for -the great work so solemnly committed to me. Missionary -fields were further off in those days than they -are now, and the undertaking seemed greater. The -future was unknown; but in God was my trust—and -He has led me.</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_43'>43</span> - <h2 id='ch03' class='c010'>III<br /> <br />BANGKOK</h2> -</div> -<p class='c011'>On reaching New York I went directly to the -Mission House, then at 23 Centre Street. As I -mounted the steps, the first man I met on the -landing was Jonathan Wilson. We had exchanged a -few letters, and each knew that the other had not forgotten -Siam; but neither expected to meet the other -there. “Where are you going?” said one. “I am -on my way to Siam,” said the other. “So am I,” -was the reply. In the meantime he had married and, -with his young wife, was in New York awaiting -passage. We took the first opportunity that offered, -the clipper ship <i>David Brown</i>, bound for Singapore, -and sailing on March 11th, 1858.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Sailors have a tradition that it is unlucky to have -missionaries on board; but the weather was propitious -throughout, and the voyage a prosperous one. We -three were the only passengers, and we proved to be -good sailors. Our fare was reasonably good. We -had plenty of good reading, and soon settled down to -steady work. The ship was somewhat undermanned; -and this fact was given as an excuse for not having -service on Sundays. But we had a daily prayer-meeting -throughout the voyage, with just a sufficient number -present to plead the promise: “Where two or three -are gathered together in my name.” We also had -free access to the men in the forecastle when off duty.</p> - -<p class='c009'>We had the excitement of an ocean race with a twin -<span class='pageno' id='Page_44'>44</span>ship of the same line, which was to sail a week after -us. As we reached Anjer Straits on the seventy-eighth -day out, a sail loomed up which proved to be our competitor. -She had beaten us by a week! Ten days -later we reached Singapore, where, indeed, we met no -brethren, but were met by welcome letters from Siam. -Like Paul at the Three Taverns, “we thanked God and -took courage.” One of the letters ran thus:</p> - -<p class='c024'>“Those were good words that came to our half-discouraged -band—the tidings that we are to have helpers in our -work.... In our loneliness we have sometimes been -tempted to feel that our brethren at home had forgotten -us. But we rejoice to know that there are hearts in the -church which sympathize with us, and that you are willing -to come and participate with us in our labours and trials, -our joys and sorrows, for we have both.”</p> - -<p class='c025'>We were fortunate to secure very early passage for -Bangkok. On Friday, June 18th, we reached the bar -at the mouth of the Mênam River. The next day we -engaged a small schooner to take us up to Bangkok. -With a strong tide against us, we were not able that -evening to get further than Mosquito Point—the most -appropriately-named place in all that land—only to -learn that we could not reach Bangkok until Monday -afternoon. There was no place to sleep on board; and -no sleeping would have been possible, had there been -a place. By two o’clock in the morning we could -endure it no longer;—the mosquito contest was too -unequal. At last we found a man and his wife who -would take us to the city in their two-oared skiff.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Fifty years’ residence in Siam has not surpassed the -romance of that night’s ride. Leaving our goods behind, -we seated ourselves in the tiny craft. With gunwales -but two inches above the water’s edge, we -<span class='pageno' id='Page_45'>45</span>skimmed along through a narrow winding canal overhung -with strange tropical trees. The moon was full, -but there was a haze in the air, adding weirdness to -things but dimly seen. The sight of our first Buddhist -monastery, with its white columns and grotesque figures, -made us feel as if we were passing through some -fairyland.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Just at dawn on Sunday morning, June 20th, 1858, -we landed at the mission compound. Our quick -passage of only one hundred days took our friends by -surprise. Dr. House, roused by our voices on the -veranda, came <i>en déshabillé</i> to the door to see what -was the matter. Finding who we were, the eager man -thrust his hand through a vacant square of the sash, -and shook hands with us so, before he would wait to -open the door. We were in Bangkok! It was as if -we had waked up in a new world—in the Bangkok to -which we had looked forward as the goal of our hopes; -which was to be, as we supposed, the home of our lives.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The Rev. Mr. Mattoon was still at his post, awaiting -our coming. Mrs. Mattoon and her daughters had -been compelled to leave for home some time before our -arrival. And not long thereafter Mr. Mattoon followed -them on his furlough, long overdue. Besides -the two men of our own mission, we found in Bangkok -the Rev. Dan B. Bradley, M.D., who was conducting -a self-supporting mission; Rev. S. J. Smith, and Rev. -R. Telford of the Baptist mission.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Since neither Bangkok nor Lower Siam proved to -be my permanent home, I shall content myself with a -very summary account of the events of the next three -years.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The first work of a new missionary is to acquire the -language of the country. His constant wish is, Oh -<span class='pageno' id='Page_46'>46</span>for a gift of tongues to speak to the people! As soon -as a teacher could be found, I settled to work at my -<i>kaw</i>, <i>kā</i>, <i>ki</i>, <i>kī</i><a id='r2' /><a href='#f2' class='c020'><sup>[2]</sup></a>. No ambitious freshman has such an -incentive for study as has the new missionary. It is -well if he does not confine himself to grammar and -dictionary, as he did in the case of his Latin, Greek, -and Hebrew. Pallegoix’s <i>Dictionarium Linguae Thai</i>, -and his short <i>Grammar</i> in Latin, were all the foreign -helps we had. The syntax of the language is easy; -but the “tones,” the “aspirates,” and “inaspirates,” -are perplexing beyond belief. You try to say “fowl.” -No, that is “egg.” You mean to say “rice,” but you -actually say “mountain.”</p> - -<div class='footnote c026' id='f2'> -<p class='c023'><span class='label'><a href='#r2'>2</a>. </span>The first exercise of the Siamese Spelling-book.</p> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>A thousand times a day the new missionary longs to -open his mouth, but his lips are sealed. It is a matter -of continual regret that he cannot pour out his -soul in the ardour of his first love, unchilled by the -deadening influences to which it is sure to be subjected -later. But the delay is not an unmitigated -evil. He is in a new world, in which he is constantly -reminded of the danger of giving offence by a breach -of custom as unalterable as the laws of the Medes and -Persians. A bright little boy runs up and salutes you. -You stroke his long black hair, only to be reminded -by one of your seniors—“Oh! you must <i>never</i> do that! -It is a mortal offence to lay your hand on a person’s -head.” So, while you are learning the language, you -are learning other things as well, and of no less importance.</p> - -<p class='c009'>In the mission school there was a class of bright -boys named Nê, Dit, Chûn, Kwāi, Henry, and one -girl, Tūan. To my great delight, Dr. House kindly -turned them over to me. It made me think I was -<span class='pageno' id='Page_47'>47</span>doing something, and I really was. I soon became -deeply interested in these children. Nê grew to be an -important business man and an elder in the church; -Tūan’s family became one of the most influential in -the church. Her two sons, the late Bun It and Elder -Bun Yī of the First Church in Chiengmai, have been -among the very best fruits of the mission; though my -personal share in their training was, of course, very -slight. In the September after our arrival there was -organized the Presbytery of Siam, with the four men -of the mission as its constituent members. During the -first two years, moreover, I made a number of tours -about the country—sometimes alone, oftener with Dr. -House, and once with Mr. Wilson.</p> - -<p class='c009'>I had the pleasure of meeting His Majesty the King -of Siam, not only at his birthday celebrations, to -which foreigners were invited, but once, also, at a -public audience on the occasion of the presentation -of a letter from President James Buchanan of the -United States. This was through the courtesy of Mr. -J. H. Chandler, the acting United States Consul. Two -royal state barges were sent down to the Consulate to -receive the President’s letter and the consular party. -Siamese etiquette requires that the letter be accorded -the same honour as would be given the President in person. -In the first barge was the letter, placed in a -large golden urn, with a pyramidal cover of gold, and -escorted by the four officers who attend upon His -Majesty when he appears in public. In the second -barge was the consular party.</p> - -<p class='c009'>After a magnificent ride of four miles up the river, -we were met at the palace by gilded palanquins for -the members of the party, while the letter, in a special -palanquin and under the golden umbrella, led the way -<span class='pageno' id='Page_48'>48</span>to the Palace, some quarter of a mile distant. At the -Palace gate a prince of rank met us, and ushered us -into the royal presence, where His Majesty sat on his -throne of gold, richly overhung with gilded tapestry. -Advancing toward the throne, and bowing low, we -took our stand erect, while every high prince and nobleman -about us was on bended knees, not daring to raise -his eyes above the floor.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The Consul then read a short introductory speech, -stepped forward, and placed the letter in the extended -hands of the King. Having glanced over it, the King -handed it to his secretary, who read it aloud, His -Majesty translating the substance of it to the princes -and nobles present. The King then arose, put his -scarf about his waist, girded on his golden sword, -came down, and shook hands with each of the party. -Then, with a wave of his hand, he said, “We have given -President Buchanan the first public reception in our -new palace,” adding, “I honour President Buchanan -very much.” He escorted the party around the room, -showing us the portraits of George Washington, President -Pierce, Queen Victoria, and Prince Albert. Then, -turning to the proper officer, he directed him to conduct -us to an adjoining room to partake of a luncheon -prepared for us; and, with a bow, withdrew.</p> - -<p class='c009'>After “tiffin,” we were escorted to the landing as -we had come, and returned in like state in the royal -barge to the Consulate. Altogether it was a notable -occasion.</p> - -<div id='i048' class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i048.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>MAHĀ MONKUT,<br />KING OF SIAM, 1851-1872</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>Of the tours undertaken in Lower Siam, the one -which led to the most lasting results was one in 1859 -to Pechaburī, which has since become well known as -one of our mission stations. For companion on this -trip I had Cornelius Bradley, son of the Rev. Dr. Bradley -<span class='pageno' id='Page_49'>49</span>of Bangkok. Shortly before this a rising young -nobleman, and a liberal-minded friend of foreigners, -had been assigned to the place ostensibly of lieutenant-governor -(Pra Palat) of Pechaburī, but practically of -governor. He was a brother of the future Regent; -had been on the first embassy to England; and at a -later period became Minister for Foreign Affairs. At -our call, His Excellency received us very kindly, and -before we left invited us to dine with him on the -following evening.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The dinner was one that would have done credit to -any hostess in America. I was still more surprised -when, at the table, addressing me by a title then given -to all missionaries, he said, “Maw” (Doctor), “I -want you to come and live in Pechaburī. You have -no family. I will furnish you a house, and give you -every assistance you need. You can teach as much -Christianity as you please, if only you will teach my -son English. If you want a school, I will see that -you have pupils.” I thanked him for the offer, but -could only tell him that I would think the matter over. -It might be, after all, only a Siamese cheap compliment. -It seemed too good to be true. It was, however, -directly in the line of my own thoughts. I had -come to Siam with the idea of leaving the great commercial -centres, and making the experiment among a -rural population like that of my North Carolina -charge.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The next day the Pra Palat called on us at our -<i>sālā</i>,<a id='r3' /><a href='#f3' class='c020'><sup>[3]</sup></a> and again broached the subject. He was very -anxious to have his son study English. In my mission -<span class='pageno' id='Page_50'>50</span>work I should be untrammelled. Before leaving us, he -mentioned the matter again. It was this time no -courteous evasion when I told him I would come if I -could.—What did it all mean?</p> - -<div class='footnote c026' id='f3'> -<p class='c023'><span class='label'><a href='#r3'>3</a>. </span>A public rest-house or shelter, such as Buddhist piety provides -everywhere for travellers, but especially in connection with the -monasteries.</p> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>I returned to Bangkok full of enthusiasm for -Pechaburī. The more I pondered it, the greater the -offer seemed to be. Beyond my predilection for a -smaller city or for rural work, I actually did not like -Bangkok. Pechaburī, however, was beyond the limits -of treaty rights. Permission to establish a station -there could be had only by sufferance from a government -not hitherto noted for liberality. Here was an -invitation equivalent to a royal permit, and with no -further red tape about it. I could see only one obstacle -in the way. The senior member of the mission—the -one who was naturally its head—I feared would -not approve. And he did, indeed, look askance at the -proposition. He doubted whether we could trust the -promises made. And then to go so far away alone! -But I thought I knew human nature well enough to -trust that man. As to being alone, I was willing to -risk that. Possibly it might not be best to ride a -free horse too freely. I would go with my own equipment, -and be at least semi-independent; though the -Palat had said that he did not mind the expense, if -only he could get his son taught English.</p> - -<p class='c009'>There could at least be no objection to making an -experimental visit, and then continuing it as long as -might seem wise. Pechaburī is within thirty hours -of Bangkok. If taken sick, I could run over in a day -or two. With that understanding, and with the tacit -rather than the expressed sanction of the mission, I -began to make preparations.</p> - -<p class='c009'>At last my preparations were complete, even to -<span class='pageno' id='Page_51'>51</span>baking bread for the trip. I had fitted up a touring-boat -of my own, and had engaged captain and boatmen; -when, on the day before I was to start, cholera, -which for some time had been sporadic in Bangkok, -suddenly became epidemic. Till then Dr. James Campbell, -physician to the British Consulate, and our medical -authority, thought that with caution and prudence -I might safely go. A general panic now arose all -over the land. Dr. Bradley came to tell me that -deaths were occurring hourly on the canal by which -I was to travel. To go then would be to tempt providence. -I had earnestly sought direction, and it came -in a way little expected.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The first man I met next morning was Dr. House, -coming home from Mr. Wilson’s. He had been called -in the night to attend Mrs. Wilson, who had been suddenly -attacked with “the disease,” as the natives -euphemistically call it, being superstitiously afraid -of uttering the name. Dr. House had failed to check -it, and sent me to call Dr. Campbell. But he was not -at home, and did not get the message till near noon. -By that time the patient had reached the stage when -collapse was about to ensue. The disease was finally -arrested, but Mrs. Wilson was left in a very precarious -condition.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Meanwhile her little daughter Harriet was also taken -ill, and for a time the life of both mother and daughter -was in suspense. The child lingered on till May 13th, -when she was taken to a better clime. On July 14th the -mother, too, ceased from her suffering, and entered on -her everlasting rest.</p> - -<p class='c009'>During these months, of course, all thoughts of -Pechaburī had been abandoned; nor would it then -have been deemed wise to travel during the wet season. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_52'>52</span>Before the next dry season came, Bangkok began -to have more attractions, and I had become less -ambitious to start a new station alone. On the 11th -of September I became engaged to Miss Sophia Royce -Bradley, daughter of the Rev. D. B. Bradley, M.D. -On December 6th, 1860, we were married. In my -wife I found a helpmeet of great executive ability, and -admirably qualified for the diversified work before us. -It was something, too, to have inherited the best traditions -of one of the grand missionaries of his age.<a id='r4' /><a href='#f4' class='c020'><sup>[4]</sup></a></p> - -<div class='footnote c026' id='f4'> -<p class='c023'><span class='label'><a href='#r4'>4</a>. </span>Dr. Bradley’s life would be the best history we could have of -Siam during its transition period. He left a voluminous diary, and -it was from his pen that most of the exact information concerning -Siam was long derived.</p> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>Samrē, our mission station in Bangkok, was four -miles distant from the heart of the city. We greatly -needed a more central station for our work. Dr. -Bradley offered us the use of a house on his own -premises—one of the most desirable situations in -Bangkok—if we would come and live there. The mission -accepted his generous offer. With reluctance I -resigned whatever claim I might have to be the pioneer -of the new station at Pechaburī. We were settled, as -it would seem, for life, in Bangkok.</p> - -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_53'>53</span> - <h2 id='ch04' class='c010'>IV<br /> <br />PECHABURĪ—THE CALL OF THE NORTH</h2> -</div> -<p class='c011'>By this time the mission generally had become -interested in the establishment of a new station -at Pechaburī. Dr. and Mrs. House were -designated for the post. The Doctor actually went -to Pechaburī; procured there, through the help of our -friend the Palat, a lot with a house on it; and thus -committed the mission to the project. But the day -before he was to start homeward to prepare for removal -thither, he was so seriously hurt by a fall from -his horse that he was confined to his bed for several -months. It was even feared that he was permanently -disabled for active life. A new adjustment of our -personnel was thus necessitated. Dr. Mattoon had -just returned from the United States with the Rev. -S. G. McFarland, the Rev. N. A. McDonald, and their -wives. Dr. Mattoon could not be spared from Bangkok, -nor was he enthusiastic over the new station. -Mr. McDonald had no desire for such experiments. -Both Mr. and Mrs. McFarland were anxious to move, -but were too new to the field to be sent out alone. -They were urgent that we should go with them. My -opportunity had come. So, early in June, 1861, we -broke up the first home of our married life, and, in -company with the McFarlands, moved on to our new -home and our new work.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Our friend, the Pra Palat, seemed pleased that we -<span class='pageno' id='Page_54'>54</span>had come, after all. His slight knowledge of English -had been learned as a private pupil from Mrs. McGilvary’s -own mother. He was glad, whenever he had -leisure, to continue his studies with Mrs. McGilvary. -Mr. McFarland preferred school work. He took the -son that I was to have taught, and left me untrammelled -to enter upon evangelistic work. The half-hour -after each evening meal we spent in united prayer for -guidance and success. Two servants of each family -were selected as special subjects of prayer; and these, -in due time, we had the pleasure of welcoming into -the church.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Of the incidents of our Pechaburī life I have room -for but a single one. As we were rising from the -dinner-table one Sunday shortly after our arrival, we -were surprised to see a man coming up the steps and -crossing the veranda in haste, as if on a special errand. -He led by the hand a little boy of ten or twelve years, -and said, “I want to commit this son of mine into -your care. I want you to teach him.” Struck by his -earnest manner, we drew from him these facts: He was -a farmer named Nāi Kawn, living some five miles out -in the country. He had just heard of our arrival, had -come immediately, and was very glad to find us.</p> - -<p class='c009'>We asked whether he had ever met a missionary before. -No, he said, but his father—since dead—had -once met Dr. Bradley, and had received a book from -him. He had begged other books from neighbours who -had received them but did not value them. Neither -did he at first, till the great cholera scourge of 1849, -when people were dying all around him. He was -greatly alarmed, and learned from one of the books -that Pra Yēsū heard prayer in trouble, and could save -from sin. For a long time he prayed for light, until, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_55'>55</span>about three years ago, he believed in Jesus, and was now -happy in heart. He had heard once of Dr. Bradley’s -coming to Pechaburī, but not until he was gone again. -He preached to his neighbours, who called him “Kon -Pra Yēsū” (Lord Jesus’ man). He had prayed for -Dr. Bradley and the missionaries; he had read the -story of Moses, the Epistle to the Romans, the Gospel -of John, a tract on Prayer, and “The Golden Balance”; -and he believed them. He could repeat portions -of Romans and John verbatim; and he had his son -repeat the Lord’s Prayer.</p> - -<p class='c009'>My subject at the afternoon service was Nicodemus -and the New Birth. Nāi Kawn sat spellbound, frequently -nodding assent. At the close we asked him -to speak a few words; which he did with great clearness. -On being questioned as to the Trinity, he replied -that he was not sure whether he understood it. He -gathered, however, that Jehovah was the Father and -Ruler; that the Son came to save us by dying for us; -and that the Holy Spirit is the Comforter. The difference -between Jesus and Buddha is that the latter entered -into Nirvana, and that was the last of him; -while Jesus lives to save. He even insisted that he -had seen a vision of Jesus in heaven. His other experiences -were characterized by such marks of soberness -that we wondered whether his faith might not -have been strengthened by a dream or a vision.</p> - -<p class='c009'>This incident, coming so soon after our arrival, -greatly cheered us in our work. His subsequent story -is too long to follow out in detail here. His piety and -his sincerity were undoubted. He lived and died a -Christian; yet he never fully identified himself with -the church. He insisted that he had been baptized by -the Holy Ghost, and that there was no need of further -<span class='pageno' id='Page_56'>56</span>baptism. Not long after this Dr. Bradley and Mr. -Mattoon visited Pechaburī, examined the man, and -were equally surprised at his history.</p> - -<hr class='c015' /> - -<p class='c009'>What changed our life-work from the Siamese to -the Lāo? There were two principal causes. The various -Lāo states which are now a part of Siam, were -then ruled by feudal princes, each virtually sovereign -within his own dominions, but all required to pay a -triennial visit to the Siamese capital, bringing the -customary gifts to their suzerain, the King of Siam, -and renewing their oath of allegiance to him. Their -realms served, moreover, as a “buffer” between Siam -and Burma. There were six of these feudal principalities. -Five of them occupied the basins of five chief -tributaries of the Mênam River; namely—in order -from west to east—Chiengmai, Lampūn, Lakawn, Prê, -and Nān. The sixth was Lūang Prabāng on the Mê -Kōng River. The rapids on all these streams had -served as an effectual barrier in keeping the northern -and the southern states quite separate. There was -no very frequent communication in trade. There was -no mail communication. Official despatches were -passed along from one governor to the next. Very -little was known in Bangkok about the Lāo provinces -of the north. A trip from Bangkok to Chiengmai -seemed then like going out of the world. Only one -Englishman, Sir Robert Schomburgk of the British -Consulate in Bangkok, had ever made it.</p> - -<div id='i056' class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i056.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>PAGODA OF WAT CHÊNG, BANGKOK</p> -</div> -</div> -<p class='c011'>Of these Lāo states, Chiengmai was the most important. -After it came Nān, then Lūang Prabāng -(since ceded to the French), Lakawn, Prê, and Lampūn. -The Lāo people were regarded in Siam as a very -warlike race; one chieftain in particular being famed -<span class='pageno' id='Page_57'>57</span>as a great warrior. They were withal said to be suspicious -and unreliable.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Almost the only visible result of my six months’ stay -within the city of Bangkok, after my marriage, was -the formation of a slight acquaintance with the Prince -of Chiengmai and his family. Just before my marriage -he had arrived in Bangkok with a great flotilla -of boats and a great retinue of attendants. The -grounds of Wat Chêng monastery, near to Dr. Bradley’s -compound, had always been their stopping-place. -The consequence was that, of all the missionaries, Dr. -Bradley had become best acquainted with them and -most deeply interested in them. He earnestly cultivated -their friendship, invited them to his printing-office -and to his house, and continually preached unto -them the Gospel. They were much interested in vaccination, -which he had introduced, and were delighted -to find that it protected them from smallpox.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The day after our marriage, in response to a present -of some wedding cake, the Prince himself, with his two -daughters and a large train of attendants, called on us -in our new home. This was my first introduction to -Chao Kāwilōrot and his family, who were to play so -important a rôle in my future life. All that I saw -of him and of his people interested me greatly. During -the short time we remained in their neighbourhood, -I made frequent visits to the Lāo camp. The subject -of a mission in Chiengmai was talked of, with apparent -approval on the part of the Prince. My interest in -Pechaburī was increased by the knowledge that there -was a large colony of Lāo<a id='r5' /><a href='#f5' class='c020'><sup>[5]</sup></a> there. These were captives -<span class='pageno' id='Page_58'>58</span>of war from the region of Khōrāt, bearing no -very close resemblance to our later parishioners in -the north. At the time of our stay in Pechaburī, the -Lāo in that province were held as government slaves, -engaged all day on various public works—a circumstance -which greatly impeded our access to them, and -at the same time made it more difficult for them to embrace -Christianity. Neither they nor we dared apply -to the government for the requisite sanction, lest -thereby their case be made worse. Our best opportunity -for work among them was at night. My most -pleasant memories of Pechaburī cluster about scenes -in Lāo villages, when the whole population would assemble, -either around a camp-fire or under the bright -light of the moon, to listen till late in the night to the -word of God. The conversion of Nāi Ang, the first one -from that colony, anticipated that of Nān Inta, and the -larger ingathering in the North.</p> - -<div class='footnote c026' id='f5'> -<p class='c023'><span class='label'><a href='#r5'>5</a>. </span>The application of this name is by no means uniform throughout -the peninsula. From Lūang Prabāng southward along the eastern -frontier, the tribes of that stock call themselves Lāo, and are so -called by their neighbours. But the central and western groups do -not acknowledge the name as theirs at all, but call themselves simply -Tai; or if a distinction must be made, they call themselves Kon Nûa -(Northerners), and the Siamese, Kon Tai (Southerners). The Siamese, -on the other hand, also call themselves Tai, which is really the -race-name, common to all branches of the stock; and they apply the -name Lāo alike to all their northern cousins except the Ngīo, or -Western Shans. Nothing is known of the origin of the name, but -the same root no doubt appears in such tribal and geographical -names as Lawā, Lawa, Lawō—the last being the name of the famous -abandoned capital now known as Lophburi.—<span class='sc'>Ed.</span></p> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>But there was more than a casual connection between -the two. My labours among them increased -the desire, already awakened in me, to reach the home -of the race. Here was another link in the chain of -providences by which I was led to my life-work. The -time, however, was not yet ripe. The available force -of the mission was not yet large enough to justify -further expansion. Moreover, our knowledge of the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_59'>59</span>Lāo country was not such as to make possible any -comprehensive and intelligent plans for a mission -there. The first thing to do was evidently to make a -tour of exploration. The way to such a tour was -opened in the fall of 1863. The Presbytery of Siam -met in Bangkok early in November. I had so arranged -my affairs that, if the way should open, I could -go north directly, without returning to Pechaburī. I -knew that Mr. Wilson was free, and I thought he -would favour the trip. This he readily did, and the -mission gave its sanction. So I committed my wife -and our two-year-old daughter to the care of loving -grandparents, and, after a very hasty preparation, -we started on the 20th of November in search of far-away -Chiengmai.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The six-oared touring-boat which I had fitted up in -my bachelor days was well adapted for our purpose -as far as the first fork of the Mênam. The Siamese -are experts with the oar, but are unused to the setting-pole, -which is well-nigh the only resource all through -the upper reaches of the river. It was sunset on a Friday -evening before we finally got off. But it was a -start; and it proved to be one of the straws on which -the success of the trip depended. The current against -us was very strong; so we slept within the city limits -that night. We spent all day Saturday traversing a -canal parallel with the river, where the current was -weaker. It was sunset before we entered again the -main stream, and stopped to spend Sunday at a monastery. -To our great surprise we found that the Prince -of Chiengmai—of whose coming we had had no intimation—had -camped there the night before, and had -passed on down to Bangkok that very morning. We -had missed him by taking the canal!</p> - -<p class='c009'><span class='pageno' id='Page_60'>60</span>We were in doubt whether we ought not to return -and get a letter from him. A favourable letter would -be invaluable; but he might refuse, or even forbid our -going. If we may judge from what we afterwards -knew of his suspicious nature, such probably would -have been the outcome. At any rate, it would delay -us; and we had already a passport from the Siamese -government which would ensure our trip. And, doubtless, -we did accomplish our design with more freedom -because of the Prince’s absence from his realm. It -was apparently a fortuitous thing that our men knew -of the more sluggish channel, and so missed the Lāo -flotilla. But it is quite possible that upon that choice -depended the establishment of the Lāo mission.</p> - -<p class='c009'>All went well until we reached the first fork at Pāknam -Pō. There the water came rushing down like a -torrent, so swift that oars were of no avail. We tried -first one side of the stream and then the other, but -all in vain. Our boatmen exchanged their oars for -poles. But they were awkward and unaccustomed to -their use. The boat would inevitably drift down -stream. The poor boatmen laughed despairingly at -their own failure. At last a rope was suggested. The -men climbed the bank, and dragged the boat around -the point to where the current was less swift. But -when, as often happened, it became necessary to cross -to the other side of the river, the first push off the -bank would send us into water so deep that a fifteen-foot -pole could not reach bottom. Away would go -the boat some hundreds of yards down stream before -we could bring up on the opposite bank. We reached -Rahêng, however, in nineteen travelling days—which -was not by any means bad time.</p> - -<p class='c009'>In our various journeyings hitherto we had controlled -<span class='pageno' id='Page_61'>61</span>our own means of transportation. Henceforth -we were at the mercy of native officials, to whose -temperament such things as punctuality and speed -are altogether alien. From Rahêng the trip by elephant -to Chiengmai should be only twelve days. By -boat, the trip would be much longer, though the return -trip would be correspondingly shorter. We had -a letter from Bangkok to the officials along the route, -directing them to procure for us boats, elephants, or -men, as we might need. We were in a hurry, and, -besides, were young and impulsive. The officials at -Rahêng assured us that we should have prompt -despatch. No one, however, seemed to make any effort -to send us on. The governor was a great -Buddhist, and fond of company and argument. He -could match our Trinity by a Buddhist one: Putthō, -Thammō, Sangkhō—Buddha, the Scriptures, the -Brotherhood. Men’s own good deeds were their only -atonement. The one religion was as good as the other. -On these subjects he would talk by the hour; but when -urged to get our elephants, he always had an excuse. -At last, in despair, we decided to take our boatmen -and walk. When this news reached the governor, -whether from pity of us, or from fear that some trouble -might grow out of it, he sent word that if we would -wait till the next day, we should have the elephants -without fail.</p> - -<p class='c009'>We got the elephants; but, as it was, from preference -I walked most of the way. Once I paid dear for my -walk by getting separated from my elephant in the -morning, losing my noonday lunch, and not regaining -my party till, tired and hungry, I reached camp at -night. Our guide had taken a circuitous route to -avoid a band of robbers on the main route which I -<span class='pageno' id='Page_62'>62</span>had followed! This was my first experience of elephant-riding. -We crossed rivers where the banks were -steep, and there was no regular landing. But whether -ascending or descending steep slopes, whether skirting -streams and waterfalls, one may trust the elephant’s -sagacity and surefootedness. The view we had from -one of the mountain ridges seemed incomparably fine. -The Mê Ping wound its way along the base beneath -us, while beyond, to right and to left, rose range beyond -range, with an occasional peak towering high -above the rest. But that was tame in comparison -with many mountain views encountered in subsequent -years.</p> - -<p class='c009'>We were eight days in reaching Lakawn,<a id='r6' /><a href='#f6' class='c020'><sup>[6]</sup></a> which we -marked as one of our future mission stations. On -being asked whether he would welcome a mission -there, the governor replied, “If the King of Siam and -the Prince of Chiengmai approve.” At Lakawn we -had no delay, stopping there only from Friday till -Monday morning. Thence to Lampūn we found sālās, -or rest-houses, at regular intervals. The watershed -between these towns was the highest we had crossed. -The road follows the valley of a stream to near the -summit, and then follows another stream down on the -other side. The gorge was in places so narrow that -the elephant-saddle scraped the mountain wall on one -side, while on the other a misstep would have precipitated -us far down to the brook-bed below.</p> - -<div class='footnote c026' id='f6'> -<p class='c023'><span class='label'><a href='#r6'>6</a>. </span>A corruption of Nakawn (for Sanskrit <i>nagara</i>, capital city), -which is the first part of the official name of the place, Nakawn -Lampāng. The Post Office calls it Lampāng, to distinguish it from -another Nakawn (likewise Lakawn in common speech), in the Malay -Peninsula—the place known to Europeans as Ligor. The general -currency of this short name, and its regular use in all the missionary -literature, seem to justify its retention in this narrative.—<span class='sc'>Ed.</span></p> -</div> - -<p class='c009'><span class='pageno' id='Page_63'>63</span>At Lampūn my companion was not well, so that -I alone called on the authorities. The governor had -called the princes together to learn our errand. They -seemed bewildered when told that we had no government -business, nor were we traders—were only teachers -of religion. When the proper officer was directed -to send us on quickly, he began to make excuses that -it would take two or three days. Turning sharply -upon him, the governor asked, “Prayā Sanām, how -many elephants have you?” “Four,” was the response. -“See that they get off to-morrow,” was the -short reply. He meekly withdrew. There was evidently -no trifling with that governor. One day more -brought us to Chiengmai—to the end of what seemed -then a very long journey. As we neared the city, Mr. -Wilson’s elephant took fright at the creaking noise -of a water-wheel, and ran away, crashing through -bamboo fences and trampling down gardens. Fortunately -no one was hurt.</p> - -<p class='c009'>We reached the city on January 7th, 1864, on the -forty-ninth day of our journey. The nephew of the -Prince had been left in charge during the Prince’s -absence. He evidently was in doubt how to receive -us. He could not ignore our passport and letter from -Bangkok. On the other hand, why did we not have -a letter from the Prince? Our story of missing him -through choosing the canal instead of the main river -might or might not be true. If the deputy were too -hospitable, his Prince might blame him. So he cut -the knot, and went off to his fields. We saw no more -of him till he came in to see us safely off.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The elder daughter of the Prince had accompanied -her father to Bangkok, but the younger daughter was -at home. She was a person of great influence, and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_64'>64</span>was by nature hospitable. Things could not have -been better planned for our purpose. The princess -remembered me and my wife from her call on us after -our wedding. She now called on us in person with -her retinue; after that everybody else was free to -call. It is not unlikely that that previous acquaintance -redeemed our trip from being a failure. Our -sālā was usually crowded with visitors. We had an -ideal opportunity of seeing the heart of the people. -They lacked a certain external refinement seen among -the Siamese; but they seemed sincere and more religious. -Buddhism had not become so much a matter -of form. Many of the older people then spent -a day and a night, or even two days, each month fasting -in the monasteries. There was hope that if such -people saw a better way, they would accept it. One -officer, who lived just behind our sālā, a great merit-maker, -was a constant visitor. Years afterward we -had the pleasure of welcoming him to the communion -of the church.</p> - -<p class='c009'>From every point of view the tour was eminently -successful. Many thousands heard the Gospel for the -first time. In our main quest we were more than successful. -We were delighted with the country, the -cities, the people. Every place we came to we mentally -took possession of for our Lord and Master. In -Chiengmai we remained only ten days; but one day -would have sufficed to convince us. I, at least, left -it with the joyful hope of its becoming the field of my -life-work.</p> - -<p class='c009'>From the first we had planned to return by the -river through the rapids. But the prince in charge -was very averse to our going by that route. We -knew that the route positively made no difference to -<span class='pageno' id='Page_65'>65</span>him personally. He had only to give the word, and -either elephants or boats would be forthcoming. Was -he afraid of our spying out the road into the country? -At last we were obliged to insist on the wording of -our letter, which specially mentioned boats. Then he -offered us one so small that he probably thought we -would refuse it. But we took it; and our captain -afterwards exchanged it for a larger one. We made -a swift passage through the famous rapids, and reached -Bangkok on January 30th, 1864.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The first news that we heard on our arrival was -that Mrs. Mattoon was obliged to leave at once for the -United States, and that Mr. Wilson was to take his -furlough at the same time. This, of course, ended all -plans for any immediate removal to Chiengmai. We -hastened to Pechaburī, where the McFarlands had -been alone during our absence. Three years were to -pass before our faces were again turned northward.</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_66'>66</span> - <h2 id='ch05' class='c010'>V<br /> <br />THE CHARTER OF THE LĀO MISSION</h2> -</div> -<p class='c011'>In the meantime, with two children added unto us, -we were become a family much more difficult to -move. We liked our home and our work. At -the age of thirty-nine, to strike out into a new work, -in a language at least partly new, was a matter not -to be lightly undertaken. Might it not be better that -Mr. Wilson should work up in the United States an -interest in the new mission, should himself select his -associates in it, and that I should give up my claim -to that place? It was certain that three families could -not be spared for Chiengmai. More than one day was -spent, under the shade of a great tree behind Wat Noi, -in thought on the subject, and in prayer for direction.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Finally—though it was a hard thing to do—I wrote -to Mr. Wilson, then in the United States, suggesting -the plan just stated. Feeling sure that it would -commend itself to him, I considered the door to -Chiengmai as probably closed to me. In the meantime -Mr. Wilson had married again; and on the eve -of his return wrote to me that he had failed to get -another family to come out with him, and was discouraged -about the Chiengmai mission. Probably the -time had not yet come, etc., etc. I was delighted to -get that letter. It decided me to go to Chiengmai, -the Lord willing, the following dry season, with only -<span class='pageno' id='Page_67'>67</span>my own family, if need be. Dr. Mattoon and Dr. -House were absent on furlough. Mr. Wilson and I -would be the senior members of the mission. The -Board had already given its sanction. The mission -in Bangkok meanwhile had been reinforced by the -arrival of the Georges and the Cardens. On the return -of those then absent on furlough, one of these families -could join the McFarlands in Pechaburī, and yet there -would be four families in Bangkok. Such a combination -of favourable circumstances might not occur -again.</p> - -<p class='c009'>When Mr. Wilson arrived in Bangkok in the fall of -1866, a letter was waiting for him, asking him to -visit us in Pechaburī to talk over the question. On his -arrival we spent one Sunday in anxious consultation. -He was still eager to go to Chiengmai, but could not -go that year. His preference would be that we should -wait another year.—But that might be to lose the opportunity. -So next morning, leaving Mr. and Mrs. -Wilson to visit with my family, I hurried over to -Bangkok. There was no time to be lost. The Prince -of Chiengmai had been called down on special business, -and was soon to return. The whole plan might -depend on him—as, in fact, it did.</p> - -<p class='c009'>It was after dark on Tuesday night when I reached -Dr. Bradley’s, taking them all by surprise. I made -known my errand. Another long and anxious consultation -followed. I knew that Dr. Bradley’s great -missionary soul would not be staggered by any personal -considerations. It would be but the answer to -his own prayers to see a mission planted in Chiengmai. -In his heart he was glad that it was to be planted -by one of his own family. Earnest prayer was offered -that night at the family altar for guidance in the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_68'>68</span>negotiations of the following day, and for a blessing -on the mission that was to be.</p> - -<p class='c009'>On Wednesday, after an early breakfast, Dr. Bradley -accompanied me to our mission. My colleagues, -McDonald, George, and Carden, were easily induced -to consent. Mr. McDonald said that he would not go -himself; but if I were willing to risk my family, he -would not oppose the scheme, and would vote to have -Mr. Wilson follow me the next year. Thus another -obstacle was removed.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Taking Mr. McDonald and Mr. George with us, we -proceeded next to the United States Consulate, where -Mr. Hood readily agreed to give his official and personal -aid. The two greatest obstacles remained yet: -the Siamese government and—as it turned out in the -end—the Lāo Prince<a id='r7' /><a href='#f7' class='c020'><sup>[7]</sup></a> also. The Consul wrote immediately -to the King, through our former Pechaburī -friend, who had recently been made Foreign Minister, -a formal request for permission to open a station in -Chiengmai. It was Friday evening when the reply -<span class='pageno' id='Page_69'>69</span>came that the decision did not rest with the King. -He could not force a mission upon the Lāo people. -But the Lāo Prince was then in Bangkok. If he gave -his consent, the Siamese government would give theirs. -He suggested that we have an audience with the -Prince, at which His Majesty would have an officer in -attendance to report directly to him.</p> - -<div class='footnote c026' id='f7'> -<p class='c023'><span class='label'><a href='#r7'>7</a>. </span>The Lāo ruler was a feudal vassal of the King of Siam, governing -an important frontier province, and granted, within that province, -some of the powers which are usually thought of as belonging to -sovereignty—notably the power of life and death in the case of his -immediate subjects. His title, Pra Chao, like its English parallel, -Lord, he shared with the deity as well as with kings; though the -Kings of Siam claim the added designation, “<i>Yū Hūa</i>,” “at the -head,” or “Sovereign.” By the early missionaries, however, he was -regularly styled “King,” a term which to us misrepresents his real -status, and which leads to much confusion both of personality and -of function. Meantime both title and function have vanished with -the feudal order of which they were a part, leaving us free to seek -for our narrative a less misleading term. Such a term seems to be -the word Prince, thus defined in Murray’s Dictionary (<i>s. v.</i> II. 5):—“The -ruler of a principality or small state, actually, nominally, or -originally, a feudatory of a king or emperor.” The capital initial -should suffice generally to distinguish the Prince who is ruler from -princes who are such merely by accident of birth.—<span class='sc'>Ed.</span></p> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>So on Saturday morning at ten o’clock we all appeared -at the landing where the Lāo boats were -moored, asking for an audience with the Prince. We -were invited to await him in the sālā at the river -landing. In a few moments His Highness came up in -his customary informal attire—a <i>phānung</i> about his -loins, no jacket, a scarf thrown loosely over his shoulders, -and a little cane in his hand. Having shaken -hands with us, he seated himself in his favourite attitude, -dangling his right leg over his left knee. He -asked our errand. At Mr. Hood’s request Dr. Bradley -explained our desire to establish a mission station -in Chiengmai, and our hope to secure his approval. -The Prince seemed relieved to find that our -errand involved nothing more serious than that. The -mission station was no new question suddenly sprung -upon him. We had more than once spoken with him -about it, and always apparently with his approbation. -To all our requests he now gave ready assent. Yes, -we might establish ourselves in Chiengmai. Land was -cheap; we need not even buy it. Timber was cheap. -There would be, of course, the cost of cutting and -hauling it; but not much more. We could build our -houses of brick or of wood, as we pleased. It was explained, -as he already knew, that our object was to -teach religion, to establish schools, and to care for the -sick. The King’s secretary took down the replies of -<span class='pageno' id='Page_70'>70</span>the Prince to our questions. The Consul expressed -his gratitude, and committed my family to his gracious -care. We were to follow the Prince to Chiengmai as -soon as possible.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Such was the outward scene and circumstance of the -official birth of the Lāo mission. In itself it was -ludicrous enough: the audience chamber, a sālā-landing -under the shadow of a Buddhist monastery; -the Consul in his official uniform; the Prince <i>en -déshabillé</i>; our little group awaiting the answer on -which depended the royal signature of Somdet Phra -Paramendr Mahā Mongkut authorizing the establishment -of a Christian mission. The answer was, Yes. -I was myself amazed at the success of the week’s -work. On the part both of the Siamese government -and of the Lāo Prince, it was an act of grace hardly -to be expected, though quite in keeping with the liberality -of the truly great king who opened his country -to civilization and to Christianity. And the Lāo -Prince, with all his faults, had some noble and generous -traits of character.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Later in the day I called alone to tell the Prince -that as soon as I could after the close of the rainy -season, I would come with my family. After the intense -excitement of the week, I spent a quiet Sabbath -in Dr. Bradley’s family, and on Monday morning could -say, as did Abraham’s servant, “Hinder me not, seeing -the Lord hath prospered me.” Taking the afternoon -tide, I hastened home to report the success of my trip, -to close my work in Pechaburī, and to make preparation -for a new station, which was soon to be a new -mission.</p> - -<div id='i070a' class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i070a.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>REV. DAN BEACH BRADLEY, M.D.<br />1872</p> -</div> -</div> -<div id='i070b' class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i070b.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>KĀWILŌROT, PRINCE OF CHIENGMAI<br />(ABOUT 1869)</p> -</div> -</div> -<p class='c011'>The work in hand was easily turned over to Mr. McFarland, -an earnest and successful worker, who had -<span class='pageno' id='Page_71'>71</span>become specially gifted in the Siamese language. The -Presbytery was to meet in Bangkok in November. The -last busy weeks passed rapidly away. At their end we -bade good-bye to our home and friends in Pechaburī.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Friends in Bangkok gave us their hearty assistance. -The Ladies’ Sewing Society made a liberal contribution -to the new mission. Dr. James Campbell supplied -us with medicines and a book of instructions how -to use them. The German Consul gave us a Prussian -rifle for our personal protection. All our missionary -friends added their good wishes and their prayers.</p> - -<p class='c009'>We had great difficulty in securing suitable boats -and crews for the journey. On January 3d, 1867, we -embarked, leaving Mr. and Mrs. Wilson to follow us -the next year. Mr. George accompanied us as far -as Rahêng. The trip is always a slow one, but we enjoyed -it. My rifle was useful in securing pelicans -and other large birds for food. Once I fired into a -large flock of pelicans on the river and killed three -with a single shot. Fish everywhere abounded. My -shotgun furnished pigeons and other small game. The -trip afforded fine opportunity for evangelistic work. -Nothing of the sort had ever been done there save the -little which Mr. Wilson and I had attempted on our -earlier trip.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Rahêng was reached in four weeks. There we dismissed -the boats that had brought us from Bangkok, -and procured, instead, two large ones of the sort used -in up-country travel. We should have done better -with three of smaller size. We spent nearly a month -in toiling up the thirty-two rapids. At one of them -we were delayed from Friday noon till Tuesday afternoon. -At another, to avoid the furious current of -the main river, we attempted a small channel at one -<span class='pageno' id='Page_72'>72</span>side. As we slowly worked our way along, the water -in our channel became shallower and shallower, till we -had to resort to a system of extemporized locks. A -temporary dam was built behind the boat. The resulting -slight rise of water would enable us to drag -the boat a little further, till again it was stranded—when -the process would have to be repeated. After -two days of hard work at this, our boatmen gave up -in despair. A Chiengmai prince on his way to Bangkok -found us in this extremity, and gave us an order -to secure help at the nearest village. To send the -letter up and to bring the boatmen down would require -nearly a week. But there was nothing else to do.</p> - -<p class='c009'>My rifle helped me somewhat to while away the time -of this idle waiting. We could hear tigers about us -every night. I used to skirt about among the mountain -ridges and brooks, half hoping to shoot one of -them. Since my rifle was not a repeater, it was no -doubt best that my ambition was not gratified. Once, -taking a Siamese lad with me, I strayed further and -returned later than usual. It was nearly dark when -we got back to the boats, and supper was waiting. -Before we had finished our meal, the boatmen caught -sight of the glowing eyes of a tiger that had followed -our trail to the further bank of the river, whence we -had crossed to our boat.</p> - -<p class='c009'>One of the boat captains professed to be able to call -up either deer or tiger, if one were within hearing. By -doubling a leaf together, and with thumb and finger -on either side holding the two edges tense between his -lips while he blew, he would produce a sound so nearly -resembling the cry of a young goat or deer, that a doe -within reach of the call, he claimed, would run to the -rescue of her young, or a tiger, hearing it, would run -<span class='pageno' id='Page_73'>73</span>to secure the prey. The two captains and I one day -went up on a ridge, and, selecting an open triangular -space, posted ourselves back to back, facing in three -directions, with our guns in readiness. The captain -had sounded his call only two or three times, when -suddenly a large deer rushed furiously up from the -direction toward which one of the captains was facing. -A fallen log was lying about twenty paces off on the -edge of our open space. The excited animal stopped -behind it, his lower parts concealed, but with back, -shoulder, neck, and head fully exposed. Our captain -fired away, but was so excited that he would have -missed an elephant. His bullet entered the log some -six inches below the top. In an instant the deer was -gone. We found not far off the spot where evidently -a young deer had been devoured by a tiger. We tried -the experiment a number of times later, but with no -success.</p> - -<p class='c009'>After we had waited two days and nights for help -from the village above, on the third night the spirits -came to our rescue. Either with their ears or in -their imaginations, our crew heard strange noises in -the rocks and trees about them, which they interpreted -as a warning from the spirits to be gone. Next morning, -after consultation together, they made another -desperate effort, and got the boats off. It was still -several days before we met the men that came down -in response to the prince’s order. But some of the -worst rapids were yet before us. We could hardly -have got through without their aid.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The efforts of a single crew, it must be remembered, -are utterly inadequate to bring a boat up through -any of these rapids. Only by combining two or three -crews can the boats be brought up one by one. Some -<span class='pageno' id='Page_74'>74</span>of the men are on the bank, tugging at the tow-rope -while they clamber over rocks and struggle through -bushes. Some are on board, bending to their poles. -Others are up to their waists in the rushing water, by -main force fending off the boat from being dashed -against the rocks. On one occasion I myself had made -the passage in the first boat, which then was left -moored in quieter waters. The crew went back to -bring up the second boat, in which were my wife and -children. With anxious eyes I was watching the -struggle; when, suddenly, in the fiercest rush of the -current, the men lost control of her. Boat and -passengers were drifting with full force straight -against a wall of solid rock on the opposite bank. It -seemed as if nothing could save them. But one of the -fleetest boatmen, with rope in hand, swam to a rock -in midstream, and took a turn of the rope about it, -just in time to prevent what would have been a -tragedy.</p> - -<p class='c009'>At night, about camp-fires on the river bank, we were -regaled by the boatmen with legends of the country -through which we were passing. One of these legends -concerned the lofty mountain which rises above the -rapid called Kêng Soi, where we were camped. The -story was that on its summit there had been in ancient -times a city of <i>sētīs</i> (millionaires), who paid a gold -<i>fûang</i> (two dollars) a bucket for all the water brought -up for their use. It was said that remains of their -city, and particularly an aged cocoanut tree, were still -to be seen on the summit.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Since it would take our boatmen at least two days -to surmount that rapid, I resolved to attempt the -ascent, and either verify or explode the story. Starting -at early dawn with my young Siamese, zigzagging -<span class='pageno' id='Page_75'>75</span>back and forth on the slope all that long forenoon, I -struggled upward—often despairing of success, but -ashamed to turn back. At last we stood on the top, -but it was noon or later. We spent two or three hours -in search of the cocoanut tree or other evidence of -human settlement, but all in vain. I was satisfied -that we were the first of human kind that had ever set -foot on that lofty summit. We had brought lunch—but -no water! Most willingly would we have given a -silver <i>fûang</i> for a draught.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The legend of the rapids themselves was one of the -most interesting. At the edge of the plain above the -rapids there is pointed out a wall of rock dropping -fully a hundred feet sheer to the water’s edge. The -story goes that in ancient times a youth made love to -the Prince’s daughter. The course of true love did -not run smooth; the father forbade the suit. The lovers -resolved to make their escape. The young man -mounted his steed with his bride behind him, and -together they fled. But soon the enraged father was -in hot pursuit. They reached the river-brink at the -top of the precipice, with the father in plain sight behind -them. But there the lover’s heart failed him. -He could not take that leap. The maiden then begged -to exchange places with her lover. She mounted in -front; tied her scarf over her eyes; put spurs to the -horse; and took the fatal leap. To this day the various -rapids are mostly named from various portions of -the equipage which are supposed to have drifted down -the stream and lodged upon the rocks.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Lāo witchcraft was another favourite theme of our -Rahêng boatmen. They were very much afraid of the -magical powers of wizards; and evidently believed -that the wizards could readily despatch any who offended -<span class='pageno' id='Page_76'>76</span>them. They could insert a mass of rawhide -into one’s stomach, which would produce death, and -which could not be consumed by fire when the body was -cremated. They could make themselves invisible and -invulnerable. No sword could penetrate their flesh, -and a bullet fired at them would drop harmless from -the mouth of the gun.</p> - -<p class='c009'>But we have lingered too long among the rapids. -Some distance above the last one the mountains on -either side recede from the river, and enclose the great -plain of Chiengmai and Lampūn. Both passengers -and boatmen draw a long breath of relief when it -opens out. The glorious sun again shines all day. -The feathery plumes of the graceful bamboo clumps -are a delight to the eye, and give variety to the otherwise -tame scenery. But the distant mountains are -always in sight.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The season was advancing. The further we went, -the shallower grew the stream. Long before we -reached Chiengmai, we had to use canoes to lighten -our boats; but presently a seasonable rise in the river -came to our aid. On Saturday evening, April 1st, -1867, we moored our boats beside a mighty banyan -tree, whose spreading arms shaded a space more than -a hundred feet wide. It stands opposite the large -island which forty years later the government turned -over to Dr. McKean of our mission for a leper asylum. -Stepping out a few paces from under its shade, one -could see across the fields the pagoda-spires of Chiengmai. -There, prayerfully and anxiously, we spent the -thirteenth and last Sunday of our long journey, not -knowing what the future might have in store for us.</p> -<div id='i076a' class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i076a.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>A REST BETWEEN RAPIDS IN THE GORGE OF THE MÊ PING RIVER</p> -</div> -</div> -<div id='i076b' class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i076b.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>POLING UP THE MÊ PING RIVER</p> -</div> -</div> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_77'>77</span> - <h2 id='ch06' class='c010'>VI<br /> <br />CHIENGMAI</h2> -</div> -<p class='c011'>On Monday morning, April 3d, 1867, we reached -the city. We had looked forward to the arrival -as a welcome rest after the long confinement -of our journey in the boat. But it was only the -beginning of troubles. We were not coming to an -established station with houses and comforts prepared -by predecessors. The Prince was off on a military -expedition, not to be back for over a month. -Till he came, nothing could be done. We could not -secure a house to shelter us, for there was none to be -had. Just outside the eastern gate of the city, however, -a sālā for public use had recently been built by -an officer from Rahêng, to “make merit,” according to -Buddhist custom. He had still a quasi claim upon it, -and, with the consent of the Prince’s representative, -he offered it to us. It was well built, with tile roof and -teak floor, was enclosed on three sides, and opened -in front on a six-foot veranda. In that one room, some -twelve feet by twenty, all our belongings were stored. -It served for bedroom, parlour, dining-room, and study. -In it tables, chairs, bedstead, organ, boxes, and trunks -were all piled one upon another. A bamboo kitchen -and a bathroom were presently extemporized in the -yard. That was our home for more than a year.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The news of the arrival of white foreigners soon -spread far and wide. It was not known how long they -<span class='pageno' id='Page_78'>78</span>would remain; and the eagerness of all classes to get -sight of them before they should be gone was absolutely -ludicrous, even when most annoying. “There -is a white woman and children! We <i>must</i> go and see -them.” Our visitors claimed all the immunities of -backwoodsmen who know no better. In etiquette and -manners they well deserved that name. Within a few -feet of the sālā was a rickety plank-walk leading over -marshy ground to the city. Everybody had to pass -that way, and everybody must stop. When the veranda -was filled, they would crowd up on the ground -in front as long as they could get sight of anybody -or anything. If to-day the crowd prevented a good -view, they would call to-morrow. The favourite time -of all was, of course, our meal-time, to see how and -what the foreigners ate. Almost never in the daytime -could we sit down to a quiet meal without lookers-on. -It was not uncommon for our visitors to pick up a -knife or a fork or even the bread, and ask what that -was. “They don’t sit on the floor to eat, nor use their -fingers, as we do!”</p> - -<p class='c009'>This, however, is only one side of the picture. In -one sense we were partly to blame for our discomfort. -We could soon have dispersed the crowd by -giving them to understand that their presence was not -wanted. But we ourselves were on trial. If we had -got the name of being ill-natured or ungracious, they -would have left us, probably never to return. No. -This was what we were there for. It gave us constant -opportunities from daylight till dark to proclaim -the Gospel message. The first and commonest -question, who we were and what was our errand, -brought us at once to the point. We were come with -messages of mercy and with offer of eternal life from -<span class='pageno' id='Page_79'>79</span>the great God and Saviour. We were come with a -revelation of our Heavenly Father to His wandering -and lost children. While the mass of our visitors -came from curiosity, some came to learn; and many -who came from curiosity went away pondering whether -these things were so. Friendships also were formed -which stood us in good stead afterwards when we -sorely needed friends. During our time of persecution -these persons would come in by stealth to speak -a word of comfort, when they dared not do so openly.</p> - -<p class='c009'>As the annoyance of those days fell most heavily -on the nerves of my wife, it was a comfort to learn -afterwards that possibly the very first convert heard -the Gospel message first from her lips, while she was -addressing a crowd of visitors very soon after our arrival. -Reference will be made to him later, but it -may be said here that from the day when he first heard -the news, he never again worshipped an idol.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Whatever was their object in coming to see us, we -soon gave every crowd, and nearly every visitor, to -understand what we had come for. We had come as -teachers—primarily as teachers of a way of salvation -for sinners. And we never addressed a crowd of -thoughtful men or women who did not readily confess -that they were sinners, and needed a saviour from sin. -But we were not merely teachers of religion, though -primarily such. We could often, if not usually, better -teach religion—or, at least, could better lead up to it—by -teaching geography or astronomy. A little globe -that I had brought along was often my text.</p> - -<p class='c009'>I presume that most Christian people in America -have a very crude idea of the method of preaching the -Gospel often, or, perhaps, generally, used by missionaries, -particularly in new fields. If they think that -<span class='pageno' id='Page_80'>80</span>the bell is rung, that the people assemble in orderly -fashion, and take their seats, that a hymn is sung, -prayer offered, the Scripture read, a sermon delivered, -and the congregation dismissed with the doxology and -benediction,—they are very much mistaken. All that -comes in time. We have lived to see it come in this -land—thanks to God’s blessing upon work much more -desultory than that. Long after the time we are now -speaking of, one could talk of religion to the people by -the hour, or even by the day; one might sing hymns, -might solemnly utter prayer, in response to inquiry as -to how we worshipped—and they would listen respectfully -and with interest. But if public worship had -been announced, and these same people had been invited -to remain, every soul would have fled away for -fear of being caught in some trap and made Christians -without their consent, or for fear of being made to -suffer the consequences of being reputed Christians before -they were ready to take that step. Forty years -later than the time we are now speaking of, I have -seen people who were standing about the church door -and looking in, driven quite away by the mere invitation -to come in and be seated.</p> - -<p class='c009'>In one sense our work during the first year was very -desultory. I had always to shape my instruction to -the individuals before me. It would often be in answer -to questions as to where was our country; in what -direction; how one would travel to get there; could -one go there on foot; and so on. Or the question -might be as to the manners and customs of our nation; -or it might be directly on religion itself. But -as all roads lead to Rome, so all subjects may be turned -to Christ, His cross, and His salvation.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Of the friends found in those early days I must -<span class='pageno' id='Page_81'>81</span>mention two. One was Princess Būa Kam, the mother -of the late and last Lāo Prince, Chao Intanon. At -our first acquaintance, she formed for us a warm -friendship that lasted till her death. Nor could I ever -discover any other ground for her friendship than the -fact that we were religious teachers. She was herself -a devout Buddhist, and continued to the last her offerings -in the monasteries. I believe that the Gospel -plan of salvation struck a chord in her heart which -her own religion never did. From Buddha she got no -assurance of pardon. The assurance that pardon is -possible in itself seemed to give her hope, though by -what process a logical mind could hardly see, so long -as she held on to a system which, as she confessed, -did not and could not give pardon. She was always -pleased to hear the story of the incarnation, the birth, -life, and miracles of Christ. She was deeply touched -by the recital of His sufferings, persecutions, and death. -Illustrations of the substitutionary efficacy of His sufferings -she readily understood. She acknowledged her -god to be a man who, by the well-nigh endless road to -nirvāna, had ceased to suffer by ceasing to exist. The -only claim he had to warrant his pointing out the way -to others was the fact that he had passed over it himself. -There was one ground, however, on which she -felt that she might claim the comfort both of the -doctrines which she still held and of ours, too. A -favourite theory of hers—and of many others—was -that, after all, we worship the same God under different -names. She called hers Buddha, and we call -ours Jehovah-Jesus.</p> - -<p class='c009'>She had by nature a woman’s tender heart. Benevolence -had doubtless been developed in her by her religion, -till it had become a second nature. The gifts -<span class='pageno' id='Page_82'>82</span>she loved to make were also a means of laying up a -store of merit for the future. She was most liberal in -sending us tokens of remembrance. These were not -of much value. A quart of white rice, a few oranges, -cucumbers, or cocoanuts on a silver tray, were so customary -a sight that, if ever any length of time elapsed -without them, we wondered if the Princess were ill. -And, on the other hand, if for any cause my calls were -far apart, she would be sure to send to enquire if I -were ill. The “cup of cold water” which she thus so -often pressed to our lips, I am sure, was given for the -Master’s sake.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Another remarkable friendship formed during that -first year was that of a Buddhist monk, abbot of the -Ūmōng monastery. As in the other case, there was no -favour to ask, no axe to grind. He never made a request -for anything, unless it were for a book. But the -little novice who attended him almost always brought -a cocoanut or some other small present for us. Very -early in our acquaintance he came to see that the universe -could not be self-existent, as Buddhism teaches. -On his deeply religious nature the sense of sin weighed -heavily. He was well versed in the Buddhist scriptures, -and knew that there was no place for pardon in -all that system. He understood the plan of salvation -offered to men through the infinite merit of Jesus -Christ. At times he would argue that it was impossible. -But the thought that, after all, it might be -possible, afforded him a gleam of hope that he saw -nowhere else; and he was not willing to renounce it -altogether.</p> - -<div id='i082' class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i082.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>TEMPLE OF THE OLD TĀI STYLE OF ARCHITECTURE, CHIENGMAI</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>During the dark months that followed the martyrdom -of our native Christians, when many who were -true friends deemed it unwise to let their sympathy -<span class='pageno' id='Page_83'>83</span>be known, the good abbot visited us regularly, as, indeed, -he continued to do as long as he lived. At times -I had strong hopes that he would leave the priesthood. -But he never could quite see his way to do that, -though he maintained that he never ceased to worship -Jesus. The only likeness, alas! that I have of his dear -old face is a photograph taken after death, as his body -lay ready for cremation. Unto whom, if not unto such -true friends of His as these, was it said, “I was a -hungered, and ye gave Me meat; I was thirsty, and ye -gave Me drink; I was in prison, and ye visited Me.—Inasmuch -as ye have done it unto one of the least -of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me”?</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_84'>84</span> - <h2 id='ch07' class='c010'>VII<br /> <br />PIONEER WORK</h2> -</div> -<p class='c011'>The military expedition in which the Prince was -engaged detained him in the field until some -time in May. It was one of many unsuccessful -attempts to capture a notorious Ngīo chieftain who, -turning outlaw and robber, had gathered about him a -band of desperadoes, with whom he sallied forth from -his mountain fastness, raiding innocent villages and -carrying off the plunder to his stronghold, before any -force could be gathered to withstand or to pursue him. -In this way he kept the whole country in constant -alarm during the earlier years of our stay in Chiengmai. -What made matters worse was the fact—as the -Lāo firmly believed—that he had a charmed life, that -he could render himself invisible, and that no weapon -could penetrate his flesh. Had not the stockade -within which he had taken shelter been completely surrounded -one night by a cordon of armed men, and at -dawn, when he was to have been captured, he was nowhere -to be found? Such was the man of whom we -shall hear more further on.</p> - -<p class='c009'>At the Lāo New Year it is customary for all persons -of princely rank, all officers and people of influence, to -present their compliments to the Prince in person, and -to take part in the ceremony of “Dam Hūa,” by way -of wishing him a Happy New Year. Because of the -Prince’s absence in the field, this ceremony could not -be observed at the regular time; but it was none the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_85'>85</span>less brilliantly carried out a few days after his return. -The name, Dam Hūa, means “bathing the head” or -“head-bath,” and it is really a ceremonial bathing or -baptism of the Prince’s head with water poured upon -it, first by princes and officials in the order of their -rank, and so on down to his humblest subjects.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The first and more exclusive part of the ceremony -took place in the palace, where I also was privileged -to offer my New Year’s greetings with the rest. The -great reception hall was crowded with the Prince’s -family and with officials of all degrees. The air was -heavy with the fragrance of flowers which loaded every -table and stand. All were in readiness with their silver -vessels filled with water, awaiting His Highness’ appearance. -At length an officer with a long silver-handled -spear announced his coming. The whole company -received him with lowest prostration after the -old-time fashion. Seeing me standing, he sent for a -chair, saying that the ceremony was long, and I -would be tired. The Court Orator, or Scribe, then -read a long address of welcome to the Prince on his -return from his brilliant expedition, with high-sounding -compliments on its success. Then there was a long -invocation of all the powers above or beneath, real or -imaginary, not to molest, but instead to protect, guide, -and bless His Highness’ person, kingdom, and people, -with corresponding curses invoked on all his enemies -and theirs. Then came the ceremonial bath, administered -first by his own family, his relatives, and high -officials—he standing while vase after vase of water -was poured on his head, drenching him completely -and flooding all the floor. It is a ceremony not at all -unpleasant in a hot climate, however unendurable it -might be in colder regions.</p> - -<p class='c009'><span class='pageno' id='Page_86'>86</span>This was the beginning. According to immemorial -custom, a booth was prepared on a sand-bar in the -river. To this, after the ceremony in the palace, the -Prince went in full state, riding on an elephant richly -caparisoned with trappings of solid gold, to receive a -like bath at the hands of his loyal subjects—beginning, -as before, with some high nobles, and then passing on -to the common people, who might all take part in this -closing scene of the strange ceremony.</p> - -<p class='c009'>I was not in the concourse at the river, but watched -the procession from our sālā, the Prince having said to -me that he would call on his return. This he did, -making us a nice little visit, taking a cup of tea, and -listening to the playing of some selections on the organ. -He asked if I had selected a place for a permanent -station, and suggested one or two himself. But I was -in no hurry, preferring to wait for the judgment of -Mr. Wilson on his arrival. Meanwhile I was assured -that I might remain in the sālā, and might put up a -temporary house to receive the new family. When I -requested his consent to the employment of a teacher, -he asked whom I thought of employing. I mentioned -the name of one, and he said, “He is not good. I will -send you a better one,”—and he sent me his own -teacher.</p> - -<p class='c009'>It was a very auspicious beginning. I knew that -neither the Siamese nor the Lāo trusted the Prince -very thoroughly; yet every time that I saw him it -seemed to me that I might trust him. At any -rate, I did not then look forward to the scenes that -we were to pass through before three years were -gone.</p> - -<p class='c009'>After the first curiosity wore off, many of those who -came to our sālā were patients seeking medical treatment. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_87'>87</span>The title “Maw” (doctor) followed me from -Bangkok, where all missionaries, I believe, are still so -called. This name itself often excited hopes which, -of course, were doomed to disappointment. To the -ignorant all diseases seem equally curable, if only there -be the requisite skill or power. How often during -those first five years I regretted that I was not a -trained physician and surgeon! My only consolation -was that it was not my fault. When my thoughts -were first turned towards missions, I consulted the -officers of our Board on the wisdom of taking at least -a partial course in preparation for my work. But -medical missions had not then assumed the importance -they since have won. In fact, just then they were at a -discount. The Board naturally thought that medical -study would be, for me at least, a waste of time, and -argued besides that in most mission fields there were -English physicians. But it so happened that eleven -years of my missionary life have been spent in stations -from one hundred to five hundred miles distant -from a physician. So, if any physician who reads -this narrative is inclined to criticise me as a quack, I -beg such to remember that I was driven to it—I had -to do whatever I could in the case of illness in my -own family; and for pity I could not turn away those -who often had nothing but superstitious charms to -rely on. It was a comfort, moreover, to know that -in spite of inevitable disappointments, our practice -of medicine made friends, and possibly enabled us to -maintain the field, at a time when simply as Christian -teachers we could not have done so. Even Prince -Kāwilōrot himself conceded so much when, after forbidding -us to remain as missionaries, he said we might, -if we wished, remain to treat the sick.</p> - -<p class='c009'><span class='pageno' id='Page_88'>88</span>In such a malarial country, there is no estimating -the boon conferred by the introduction of quinine alone. -Malarial fevers often ran on season after season, creating -an anæmic condition such that the least exertion -would bring on the fever and chills again. The astonishment -of the people, therefore, is not surprising when -two or three small powders of the “white medicine,” -as they called it, taken with much misgiving, would -cut short the fever, while their own medicines, taken -by the potful for many months, had failed. The few -bottles of quinine which it had been thought sufficient -to bring with me, were soon exhausted. The next -order was for forty four-ounce bottles; and not till our -physicians at length began to order by the thousand -ounces could a regular supply be kept on hand. I -have often been in villages where every child, and -nearly every person, young or old, had chills and fever, -till the spleen was enlarged, and the whole condition -such that restoration was possible only after months of -treatment.</p> - -<p class='c009'>There was another malady very common then—the -goitre—which had never been cured by any remedy -known to the Lāo doctors. I soon learned, however, -that an ointment of potassium iodide was almost a specific -in the earlier stages of the disease. That soon gave -my medicine and my treatment a reputation that no -regular physician could have sustained; for the people -were sure that one who could cure the goitre must be -able to cure any disease. If I protested that I was -not a doctor, it seemed a triumphant answer to say, -“Why, you cured such a one of the goitre.” Often -when I declined to undertake the treatment of some -disease above my skill, the patient would go away saying, -“I believe you could, if you would.”</p> - -<p class='c009'><span class='pageno' id='Page_89'>89</span>One other part of my medical work I must mention -here, since reference will be made to it later. The -ravages of smallpox had been fearful, amounting at -times to the destruction of a whole generation of -children. The year before our arrival had witnessed -such a scourge. Hardly a household escaped, and -many had no children left. I was specially interested -to prevent or to check these destructive epidemics, because -the Prince had seen the efficacy of vaccination -as practised by Dr. Bradley in Bangkok, and because -I felt sure that what he had seen had influenced him -to give his consent to our coming. One of the surest -ways then known of sending the virus a long distance -was in the form of the dry scab from a vaccine pustule. -When once the virus had “taken,” vaccination went -on from arm to arm. Dr. Bradley sent me the first -vaccine scab. It reached me during the first season; -and vaccination from it ran a notable course.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The Karens and other hill-tribes are so fearful of -smallpox that when it comes near their villages, they -all flee to the mountains. Smallpox had broken out in -a Lāo village near a Karen settlement. The settlement -was at once deserted. Meanwhile the news of the efficacy -of vaccination had reached the Lāo village, and -they sent a messenger with an elephant to beg me to -come and vaccinate the entire community. Two young -monks came also from an adjoining village, where the -disease was already raging. These two I vaccinated -at once, and sent home, arranging to follow them later -when their pustules should be ripe. From them I vaccinated -about twenty of the villagers. During the following -week the Karens all returned, and in one day -I vaccinated one hundred and sixty-three persons. It -was a strange sight to see four generations all vaccinated -<span class='pageno' id='Page_90'>90</span>at one time—great-grandfathers holding out -their withered arms along with babes a month old.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Success such as this was naturally very flattering -to one’s pride; and “pride goeth before a fall.” I -had kept the Prince informed of the success of my attempt, -and naturally was anxious to introduce vaccination -into the palace. The patronage of the palace -would ensure its introduction into the whole kingdom. -Having a fine vaccine pustule on the arm of a healthy -white infant boy, I took him to the palace to show the -case to the Prince’s daughter, and to her husband, who -was the heir-apparent. They had a little son of about -the same age. The parents were pleased, and sent me -with the child to the Prince. As soon as he saw the -pustule, he pronounced it genuine, and was delighted. -His younger daughter had lost a child in the epidemic -of the year before, and the family was naturally very -anxious on the subject. He sent me immediately to -vaccinate his little grandson.</p> - -<p class='c009'>I returned to the palace of the son-in-law, and very -carefully vaccinated the young prince on whom so -many hopes were centred. I watched the case daily, -and my best hopes seemed realized. The pustules developed -finely. All the characteristic symptoms appeared -and disappeared at the proper times. But -when the scab was about to fall off, the little prince -was taken with diarrhœa. I felt sure that a little -paregoric or some other simple remedy would speedily -set the child right, and I offered to treat the case. But -half a dozen doctors—most of them “spirit-doctors”—were -already in attendance. The poor child, I verily -believe, was dosed to death. So evident was it that -the unfortunate outcome could not have been the result -of vaccination, that both the parents again and again -<span class='pageno' id='Page_91'>91</span>assured me that they entertained no such thought. But -all diseases—as was then universally believed among -the Lāo—are the result of incurring the displeasure -of the “spirits” of the family or of the clan. The -“spirits” might have taken umbrage at the invasion of -their prerogative by vaccination.</p> - -<p class='c009'>No doubt some such thought was whispered to the -Prince, and it is not unnatural that he should at least -have half believed it. In his grief at the loss of his -grandson, it is easy to see how that thought may have -fanned his jealousy at the growing influence of the -missionaries.</p> - -<p class='c009'>No year ever passed more rapidly or more pleasantly -than that first year of the mission. We were too -busy to be either lonesome or homesick, although, to -complete our isolation, we had no mails of any sort -for many months. Our two children, the one of three -and the other of six years, were a great comfort to us. -When we left Bangkok it was understood that a Mr. C. -of the Borneo Company was to follow us in a month on -business of their teak trade. He had promised to bring -up our mail. So we felt sure of getting our first letters -in good time. Since he would travel much faster -than we, it was not impossible that he might overtake -us on the way. But April, May, and June passed, and -still no word of Mr. C. or of the mails he was bringing. -In July we received a note from him, with a few fragments -of our long looked-for mail. He had been attacked -by robbers below Rahêng, himself had received -a serious wound, and his boat had been looted of every -portable object, including our mail-bag. Fortunately -the robbers, finding nothing of value to them in the -mail, had dropped as they fled some mutilated letters -and papers, which the officers in pursuit picked up, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_92'>92</span>and which Mr. C. forwarded to us. Otherwise we -should have had nothing. We could at least be devoutly -thankful that we had traversed the same river -in safety.</p> - -<p class='c009'>It was long before we were sure that Mr. Wilson and -his family were coming at all that year. It was at -least possible that any one of a thousand causes might -delay them, or even prevent their coming altogether. -Their arrival on February 15th, 1868, was, of course, a -great event.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Not long after this we were eagerly awaiting a -promised visit from our old associate and friend, Dr. -S. R. House. Both Mrs. Wilson and Mrs. McGilvary -were expecting shortly to be confined, and the good -doctor was making the tedious journey that he might -be on hand to help them with his professional skill in -the hour of their need. Our dismay can be imagined, -when, one day, there appeared, not the doctor, but his -native assistant, with a few pencilled lines from the -doctor, telling us that he was lying in the forest some -four or five days distant, dangerously, if not fatally, -gored by an elephant. We were not to come to him, -but were to stand by and attend to the needs of our -families. He begged us to pray for him, and to send -him some comforts and medicines.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The accident happened on this wise: The doctor had -been walking awhile for exercise behind his riding -elephant, and then attempted to pass up beside the -creature to the front. The elephant, startled at his unexpected -appearance, struck him to the ground with a -blow of his trunk, gored him savagely in the abdomen, -and was about to trample him under foot, when the -driver, not a moment too soon, got the creature again -under control. With rare nerve the doctor cleansed -<span class='pageno' id='Page_93'>93</span>the frightful wound, and sewed it up by the help of -its reflection in a mirror, as he lay on his back on the -ground. He despatched the messenger to us; gave -careful instructions to his attendants as to what they -should do for him when the inevitable fever and delirium -should come on; and resigned himself calmly -to await whatever the outcome might be.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The situation was, indeed, desperate. We could -not possibly hope to reach him before the question of -life or death for him would be settled; nor could he be -brought to us. The best we could do was to get an -order from the Prince for a boat, boatmen, and carriers, -and despatch these down the river, committing -with earnest prayer the poor sufferer to the all-loving -Father’s care. The doctor was carried on a bamboo -litter through the jungle to the Mê Ping River, and in -due time reached Chiengmai convalescent, to find that -the two expected young missionaries had arrived in -safety before him. After a month’s rest he was able -to return to Bangkok; but not until he had assisted -us in organizing the First Presbyterian Church of -Chiengmai.</p> - -<p class='c009'>In the <i>Presbyterian Record</i> for November, 1868, will -be found an interesting report from the doctor’s pen. -Naturally he was struck with the predominance of -demon-worship over Buddhism among the Lāo. We -quote the following:</p> - -<p class='c024'>“Not only offerings, but actually prayers are made to -demons. I shall never forget the first prayer of the kind I -ever heard.... We had just entered a dark defile in the -mountains, beyond Mûang Tôn, and had come to a rude, -imageless shrine erected to the guardian demon of the pass. -The owner of my riding-elephant was seated on the neck -of the big beast before me. Putting the palms of his hands -<span class='pageno' id='Page_94'>94</span>together and raising them in the attitude of worship, he -prayed: ‘Let no evil happen to us. We are six men and -three elephants. Let us not be injured. Let nothing come -to frighten us,’ and so on. On my way down the river, at -the rapids and gloomy passes in the mountains the boatmen -would land, tapers would be lighted, and libations would be -poured, and offerings of flowers, food, and betel would be -made to the powers of darkness.”</p> - -<p class='c027'>The doctor speaks also of “the favour with which the missionaries -were received, the confidence they had won from all -classes, the influence of their medicines, and the grand -field open for a physician.” He frankly says, “I must confess -that though at one time I did have some misgivings -whether, all things considered, the movement was not a little -premature, I now, being better able to judge, greatly honour the -Christian courage and enterprise which undertook the work; -or rather bless God who inspired Mr. McGilvary’s heart, and -made his old Princeton friend, Mr. Wilson, consent to join -him in thus striking out boldly into an untried field. It -will prove, I trust, a field ready to the harvest.”</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_95'>95</span> - <h2 id='ch08' class='c010'>VIII<br /> <br />FIRST-FRUITS</h2> -</div> -<p class='c011'>During the first three months after Mr. Wilson’s -arrival we were so occupied with mission -work and with family cares that we had -not made choice of the lot which the Prince had promised -to give us. On the very day that Dr. House left -us, however, the Prince came in person, selected, and -made over to us our present beautiful mission compound -on the east bank of the Mê Ping. He would not -allow us to offer any compensation; but, learning afterwards -that the native owners had received no remuneration, -we secretly paid them. Mr. Wilson began at once -to erect temporary bamboo buildings, and soon moved -to the new compound. Since it was difficult for me -to spare time for further work of building for myself, -and since the old location was an ideal one for meeting -the people, I moved with my family from the sālā -into the bamboo house the Wilsons had occupied, and -we made it our home for the next two years.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Mr. Wilson was greatly interrupted in his work by -sickness in his family. Little Frank had fallen ill -on the journey from Bangkok, and continued to suffer -during all these months. His death on November 17th, -1868, was a heavy stroke to us all. In vain we combined -our slight medical skill, and searched our books -of domestic medicine for his relief. It was pitiful -enough to see the natives die, with the sad feeling in -<span class='pageno' id='Page_96'>96</span>our hearts that a physician might have saved their -lives. But the death of one of our own number, so -soon after the trying experiences early in the year, -emphasized, as nothing else could have done, our appeals -for a physician. Yet it was not until 1872 that -we welcomed the first physician appointed to our -mission.</p> - -<p class='c009'>During this time raids were continually being made -into the Lāo country by the renegade Ngīo chieftain -already spoken of. Five hundred men from Prê, and -one thousand from Lakawn were drafted for the defence -of the city, and were stationed near our compound. -Thus hundreds of soldiers and workmen furnished us -an ever-changing audience. All we had to do, day or -night, was to touch the organ, and people would crowd -in to hear. The dry season of 1868-69 was, therefore, -an exceptionally good one for our work. We had constant -visitors from other provinces, who would converse -with us by the hour, and, on returning to their -homes, would carry the news of our presence and of -our work.</p> - -<p class='c009'>In the fall of 1868 occurred two events which, widely -different as they might seem to be, were in reality -closely connected, and of much importance in their -bearing on the mission. One was a total eclipse of the -sun on August 17th, and the other was the conversion -of Nān Inta, our first baptized convert. I well remember -his tall figure and thoughtful face when he -first appeared at our sālā, shortly after our arrival -in Chiengmai. He had a cough, and had come for -medicine. He had heard, too, that we taught a new -religion, and wished to enquire about that. Some -soothing expectorant sufficiently relieved his cough to -encourage him to make another call. On each visit -<span class='pageno' id='Page_97'>97</span>religion was the all-absorbing topic. He had studied -Buddhism, and he diligently practised its precepts. -As an abbot he had led others to make offerings for -the monastery worship, and he had two sons of his -own in the monastic order. But Buddhism had never -satisfied his deep spiritual nature. What of the thousands -of failures and transgressions from the results -of which there was no escape? The doctrine of a free -and full pardon through the merits of another, was -both new and attractive to him, but it controverted -the fundamental principle of his religion.</p> - -<p class='c009'>We had some arguments, also, on the science of -geography, on the shape of the earth, on the nature -of eclipses, and the like. What he heard was as foreign -to all his preconceived ideas as was the doctrine -of salvation from sin by the death of Christ. Just before -the great eclipse was to occur I told him of it, -naming the day and the hour when it was to occur. -I pointed out that the eclipse could not be caused by -a monster which attacked the sun, as he had been -taught. If that were the cause, no one could foretell -the day when the monster would be moved to make -the attack. He at once caught that idea. If the -eclipse came off as I said, he would have to admit -that his teaching was wrong on a point perfectly -capable of being tested by the senses. There would -then be a strong presumption that we were right in -religion as well as in eclipses. He waited with intense -interest for the day to come. The sky was clear, and -everything was favourable. He watched, with a -smoked glass that we had furnished, the reflection -of the sun in a bucket of water. He followed the -coming of the eclipse, its progress, and its passing off, -as anxiously as the wise men of old followed the star of -<span class='pageno' id='Page_98'>98</span>Bethlehem—and, like them, he, too, was led to the -Saviour.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Early the next morning he came in to see me. His -first words were, “Mên tê” (It’s really true). “The -teacher’s books teach truth. Ours are wrong.” This -confident assurance had evidently been reached after -a sleepless night. A complete revolution had taken -place in his mind; but it was one that cost him a -severe struggle. His only hope had rested on the -teachings of Buddha, and it was no light thing to see -the foundation of his hope undermined. The eclipse -had started an ever-widening rift. He began, as never -before, to examine the credentials of Christianity. He -soon learned to read Siamese in order to gain access -to our Scriptures. We read the Gospel of John together. -He studied the Shorter Catechism. He had -a logical mind, and it was never idle. Whenever we -met, if only for a few moments, he always had some -question to ask me, or some new doubt to solve. When -tempted to doubt, he fell back on the eclipse, saying, -“I know my books were wrong there. If the Gospel -system seems too good to be true in that it offers to -pardon and cleanse and adopt guilty sinners, and give -them a title to a heavenly inheritance, it is simply -because it is divine, and not human.” While the truth -dawned gradually on his mind, the full vision seemed -to be sudden. His own account was that afterwards, -when walking in the fields and pondering the subject, -it all became very plain to him. His doubts all vanished. -Henceforth for him to live was Christ; and -he counted all things but loss for the excellency of -the knowledge of Him.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The conversion of Nān Inta was an epoch in the history -of the mission. The ordinary concourse of visitors -<span class='pageno' id='Page_99'>99</span>might be for medicine, or it might be from mere -curiosity. But when one of the most zealous -Buddhists, well known by members of the royal family, -openly embraced Christianity, the matter began -to assume a different aspect. What was more remarkable -still was that he urged his two sons to abandon -the monastic order. The Prince’s younger daughter, -herself a strong Buddhist, told me that this was to her -convincing evidence of his sincerity. Whether Christianity -were true or false, he certainly believed it true. -It was the height of ambition for every Lāo father to -have a son in the order. If he had none of his own, -he often would adopt one and make him a monk. But -here was one of the most devout of them urging his -own sons to come out and be Christians! We regarded -it as a favourable circumstance that the patron -and protector of this our first convert was high in -princely rank. Nān Inta’s defection from Buddhism -produced a profound impression among all classes. -Emboldened by his example, secret believers became -more open. Not the number alone, but the character of -the enquirers attracted attention.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The second convert was Noi Sunya, a native doctor -from a village eight miles to the east. He has the -enviable distinction of never having postponed the -Gospel offer. He was the chief herdsman in charge -of the Prince’s cattle. Coming to the city on an -errand, he called at our sālā to see what was the attraction -there. As in the case of so many others, it -was the good news of pardon for a sinsick soul that -arrested his attention. On his return in the afternoon -he called again to make fuller enquiry concerning -“the old, old story of Jesus and His love.” He -promised to return on Sunday. Promises of that sort -<span class='pageno' id='Page_100'>100</span>so often fail, that we were surprised and delighted to -see him early on Sunday morning. We had an earnest -talk together before the time came for public worship. -He remained through the afternoon, and spent the -night with us. In answer to a final exhortation before -he left us in the morning, he said, “You need not -fear my going back. I feel sure I am right.” He was -willing to sell all—even life itself, as it proved—for -the pearl of great price. He went home, called his -family together, and began family worship that very -night. Only four brief months after this his labours -were ended by the executioner’s stroke, and he wore -the martyr’s crown.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The third, Sên Yā Wichai, has already been mentioned -as receiving his first instruction in Christianity -from the “mother-teacher,” as Mrs. McGilvary was -called, during the very first month of the mission. He -then received the great truth of the existence of God -and of man’s accountability to Him. He was an officer -living six days’ journey to the north, and was under -the jurisdiction of the Prince of Lampūn. On his -visit a year later, he received further instruction, was -baptized, and returned to tell his neighbours what he -had found. They only laughed at him for his oddity -in refusing to join in the Buddhist worship, and in -offerings to the spirits.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The fourth was Nān Chai, a neighbour and friend of -Noi Sunya, and destined to suffer martyrdom along -with him. He, too, was an ex-abbot, and, therefore, -exempt from government work. He was a good -scholar, and was employed by Mr. Wilson as a teacher. -When he became a Christian, he was strongly tempted -to hold on still to his position in the monastery, explaining -that he would not himself engage in the worship, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_101'>101</span>but would only sweep the buildings and keep -the grounds in order for others. But when his duty -was pointed out to him, he readily gave up his position, -and was enrolled for regular government service. -Here were four noble and notable men at once deserting -the Buddhist faith! No wonder it became an -anxious question whereunto this was to grow.</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_102'>102</span> - <h2 id='ch09' class='c010'>IX<br /> <br />MARTYRDOM</h2> -</div> -<p class='c011'>In the course of these events our second year of -work in Chiengmai had come to its end. We -were now beyond the middle of the year 1869. As -some indefinable sense of oppression in the air gives -warning of the approaching storm, so there were ominous -hints, and even some dark forebodings. Our -Christian people—who understood far better than we -did both the character of their rulers and the significance -of furtive looks and innuendoes—were -anxious. But they stood firm, and their faith strengthened -ours.</p> - -<p class='c009'>In the light of subsequent events we now know -that the most dangerous element in the gathering -storm was the angry surprise of the Prince himself at -the discovery that the old order seemed actually passing -away under his very eyes; that his will was no -longer supreme in men’s minds, nor always consulted -in their actions—this and the deep treachery and ruthless -cruelty of his nature which it brought into play. -But there were other sinister influences at work also, -and among them we must not overlook that of a certain -Portuguese adventurer, Fonseca by name. He was a -thoroughly unprincipled man, who, having played his -game in Bangkok and lost, had worked himself into -the favour of the Prince during his recent visit to the -capital, and had accompanied him on his return -<span class='pageno' id='Page_103'>103</span>to Chiengmai. The Prince was persuaded that this -man could be of great service to him in the two matters -which were then causing him most disquietude; -namely, the defence of certain lawsuits involving large -sums of money, brought against him in the British -Consular Court by Burmese timber merchants; and -the getting rid of the missionaries. These last were -more in Fonseca’s way than they were in the Prince’s. -He could accomplish his ends more readily if they -were not there.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The most plausible excuse that could be offered -for desiring to be rid of the missionaries was the failure -of the rice crop that year. In the early part of the -season there was no rain at all. When at last the -fields had been planted, one of the worst floods ever -known in that region destroyed all the lowland rice. -Then, finally, the rains ceased prematurely, and the -upland crop was cut off by drought. The presence -of the missionaries in the country had offended the -spirits, and they had withheld the rain. Such was the -pretext urged in a petition sent to Bangkok to have -the missionaries removed. The specific address of the -petition to the Minister for Foreign Affairs and the -United States Consul leads one to suspect that the -matter was directed by some one who understood the -order of official business much better than did the Lāo -Prince.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The Minister forwarded the document to Mr. McDonald, -the acting Vice-Consul at the time. Mr. McDonald -replied to the Minister that there must be -some mistake about it. It appeared that the scarcity -of rice complained of had begun the year before the -arrival of the missionaries; it was not confined to -Chiengmai, but extended over all the northern -<span class='pageno' id='Page_104'>104</span>provinces. He added roguishly, however, that he -would strictly enjoin the American missionaries to be -very careful in future not to cause any famine. Of -all this secret plotting we were entirely ignorant at the -time, and learned of it only long afterwards. While -these plots were developing, I was frequently visiting -the Prince, and all our relations with him were apparently -satisfactory. But we knew that he was under -the influence of a wily and unprincipled adversary.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The other matter in which Fonseca was supposed to -be able to help his patron out of difficulties even more -pressing, was the Burmese lawsuits pending before the -British Consul. But the British government was the -last party to permit officious meddling with its public -business from such a quarter. It is presumed that -there was evidence of his interference with official correspondence. -This much is certain—a peremptory demand -was made on the Siamese government for his recall. -The official order sent up was too emphatic to -be neglected. The man was sent out of the country -in quite different style from that in which he entered -it. This man is known to have been present at the -consultation relative to the mission. If the jealousy -and suspicion on the part of the Prince did not originate -with him, there is no doubt that he at least -worked on the Prince’s suspicious nature, increasing -his jealousy of the growing popularity of the mission, -and leading him to think that it would be wise to stop -it in its incipiency.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Yet even when the blow was about to fall, we could -not believe that the Prince was so treacherous as to -plan to drive us out of the country, at the same time -that he continued to treat us so kindly, and would -even come to dine with us. We could not believe that -<span class='pageno' id='Page_105'>105</span>the younger Princess, who had a predominating influence -over her father, could encourage one of the -Christians to put himself under her protection, only -that he might the more surely be sent to his death a -day or two later. We could not believe that an excursion -down the river had been planned by the -Prince, only that he might be out of reach when the -executions should take place. We were still incredulous, -even after we received reliable information from -the agent of the Borneo Company that he had heard -the Prince and a certain high officer consulting together -to stop our work. The plan which he reported was -to expel the converts from the country, giving their -wives and children the option to follow them or to -remain. After all, that would not have been so great -a disaster. These men had no great possessions to -lose. Their banishment would only plant the Gospel -in other provinces or other lands.</p> - -<p class='c009'>When, in September, 1869, just before the fatal -stroke, the Prince started on what purported to be a -three weeks’ fishing trip, we thought that his absence -would give us a respite from our present fears, and -would afford him leisure for better thoughts. As his -boats pushed off, we waved him a parting good-bye from -the shore. His first business was at Lampūn, to secure -the co-operation of the governor of that province -in ridding the country of the new religion. Inasmuch -as Sên Yā Wichai, the third convert mentioned above, -was a Lampūn officer, it was thought prudent in his -case to secure the action of his own immediate superior. -He was at once sent for, and was condemned to -death, but was saved by his young master, the governor’s -son, on the plea that he was a backwoodsman, -and knew no better.</p> - -<p class='c009'><span class='pageno' id='Page_106'>106</span>Of the deep designs against us and our work we -were thus either ignorant or incredulous till, on the -evening of September 13th, just before dark, our -night watchman came to us with the common excuse -for leaving us, that some relative was dead or dying, -and insisting that he must go immediately. In vain -we urged that he must not leave us thus in the lurch. -As a final argument, we threatened to dock him of a -month’s wages. But wages were nothing to him then. -“All that a man hath will he give for his life.” While -we talked to him, he had reached the gate and was -gone. So, also, fled the cook and the coolie, leaving -only one blind Ngīo who had taken refuge with us.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Mr. Wilson then lived across the river on the new -premises, and it was not until the next day that we -learned that all his people, too, had fled in like manner -and at the same hour. We went to Prayā Tēpasing, -the Prince’s executive officer, to enquire the cause. He -feigned surprise, and professed entire ignorance of -any designs against the Christians. He said, however, -that the Prince had given an order that the inhabitants -of certain villages should bring in each a -hewn slab of timber to repair the stockade. Possibly -the scare might have somehow arisen from that. We -were aware of the order, and had told the Christians -that if pressed for time to procure the timber, they -might each take a slab of ours. We now told the -Prayā that we would ourselves be responsible for the -timbers required of them. To assure us with regard -to our servants, the Prayā sent for our cook, gave him -a letter assuring his safety, and threatened, besides, -to have him flogged if he deserted us. The cook remained -with us all through these troubles, until we -could find another to take his place. For some reason -<span class='pageno' id='Page_107'>107</span>Mr. Wilson did not avail himself of this offer. He and -Mrs. Wilson got on as they could without servants for -several months.</p> - -<p class='c009'>We now know that the order for the execution of -the Christians had been given long before by that -same Prayā Tēpasing—in such fear of the Prince was -the highest officer in the realm! Not only had our -servants vanished—there was a sudden cessation of our -visitors as well. Few even dared to come for medicine -for fear of being suspected of becoming Christians. -There were, however, a few notable exceptions, -the abbot of the Ūmōng monastery being the most conspicuous.</p> - -<p class='c009'>During the following week Mr. Wilson waded out -across the flooded country to the home of Nān Chai, -his teacher. But his family did not dare to give any -information concerning him. To tell what they knew -would cost their lives also—so they had been told. He -then went on another mile to Noi Sunya’s home, with -the same result. The wives of both these men pretended -to believe that their husbands had gone to the -city to visit us. Mr. Wilson noticed that one of the -women had tears in her eyes as she spoke. Puzzled -rather than satisfied by the result of the visit, Mr. -Wilson returned with the hope that, after all, the -men were still alive, and that we yet should see them -in the land of the living.</p> - -<p class='c009'>It was two weeks before our suspense was broken by -the certainty of their death. On Sunday morning, -September 26th, a Ngīo friend and neighbour of the -martyrs called at my house. After looking all about -him, he asked where the Christians were. I told him -there seemed to be a mystery about them that we could -not unravel, but we hoped they were secreting themselves -<span class='pageno' id='Page_108'>108</span>in safety somewhere. Seeing that I was really -ignorant of their fate, he came close up to me, and -looking around again to assure himself that no one -was near, he asked, “If I tell you, will you promise -never to betray me?” Having demanded and received -an emphatic promise equivalent to an oath, he -drew his hand significantly across his neck, and whispered, -“That is the way.” His gesture was too well -understood in that reign to leave any doubt as to what -was meant. The man had really come on a sad and -dangerous errand of kindness. As soon as it was accomplished, -he hurried away, evidently fearing that -the birds of the air might hear it, or that some breeze -might waft it to the palace.</p> - -<p class='c009'>On Monday morning Mr. Wilson and I went again -to the Prayā. He could now no longer lie for his -master as to the fact of the execution of the men, -but he offered the flimsy excuse that it was because -they had not brought in their slabs on time. We were -then obliged to charge him with patent falsehood. He -knew that they were executed for no crime whatever, -but only for being Christians. Poor man! He seemed -somewhat ashamed; but what could he do? He was -not at heart a bad man, as his letter of protection for -the cook showed. The lives of two peasants were no -great matter in those days. He had been so trained -to execute every behest of his master, that it scarcely -occurred to him that he ought to hesitate at this.</p> - -<p class='c009'>But it was some relief to know the worst, and to -know that it was known that we knew it. Before this -we had been obliged to feign hopes that we hardly believed -ourselves. Now we could speak openly. The -Prince had not yet returned from his fishing trip; so -we went to his elder daughter and her husband, afterward -<span class='pageno' id='Page_109'>109</span>Prince Intanon. In their position they could not -say much; but they did say that what the Prince had -done was not right, and that they did not approve of -the act.</p> - -<p class='c009'>One outcome of the situation was a flood of the -wildest rumours—some of them, no doubt, started on -purpose to frighten us away. One of these touched us -in a most tender point. One of our most faithful -servants, who had been with us from the very first, was -desirous of visiting Bangkok. So we arranged to have -him go down in charge of a boat that was to bring -up our supplies for the year. By him we sent a large -package of letters written before we had reason to -suspect so serious an outcome of the troubles that were -brewing. While we could not conceal some gloomy -forebodings, our reports were, on the whole, full of -hope for the speedy progress of the Gospel. The boat -left for Bangkok a few days after the Prince started -on his fishing trip. Presently it was reported that the -boat had been intercepted, and that this man, with his -wife, his son, and his son’s family, even down to a little -grandchild of two years old, had been killed, and -the boat broken to pieces and burned.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Although such atrocity seemed beyond belief, yet a -number of circumstances combined to give the report -credibility. Why, for instance, was the long, unusual -trip down the river taken just before our boat was to -start? What did it mean that, after the murder of -the Christians was known, no sum of money could induce -a Lāo man to take a letter to Bangkok? If the -story of the fate of our messenger were true, the act -was the act of a madman—and there is no telling -what a madman may not do. He was in a position -to keep us from escaping; and if he had really gone -<span class='pageno' id='Page_110'>110</span>so far as that, he evidently did not intend that we -should be heard from alive.</p> - -<p class='c009'>For a time we virtually resigned ourselves to what -seemed inevitable fate. When we could get no letters -sent, we actually began writing the history of those -days on the margins of books in our library, so that, -if we were never heard from again, some of the precedent -circumstances of our end might thus, perhaps, -come to light. It was a great relief, therefore, when an -influential Burmese, knowing our situation, offered -to carry a letter through to our friends in Bangkok.</p> - -<p class='c009'>On September 29th, when the letters carried by the -Burmese were written, we were still under the impression -that our boatman had been murdered, and -that neither he nor the letters and reports carried by -him had been heard from. It was the knowledge that -these rumours were false, and that he had passed -Rahêng in safety, that first relieved our minds. So, -too, his arrival in Bangkok gave our friends there the -first assurance of our safety. With this explanation -the letters themselves will give the best idea of our -situation in those dark days. The following is from -a letter of Dr. S. R. House to our Mission Board in -New York, printed in the <i>Presbyterian Record</i> of -February, 1870. It is dated November 11th, 1869.</p> - -<p class='c024'>“Since our last mail was despatched, tidings have been -received from the mission families in North Laos which -have greatly distressed and alarmed us, causing no little -anxiety for their personal safety. This outburst of persecution -from which they are now suffering must have been quite -unlooked for, for their letters down to September 10th were -full of encouragement. Never had the king and the princes<a id='r8' /><a href='#f8' class='c020'><sup>[8]</sup></a> -<span class='pageno' id='Page_111'>111</span>seemed more friendly; never had their prospects seemed -brighter. Seven interesting converts had been baptized -since the year began, and they had just been enjoying a -wonderfully favourable opportunity to make the gospel message -known to the people from every part of the kingdom.... What -has caused this sudden change in the demeanour -of the king of Chiengmai toward our missionaries there, -does not appear....</p> - -<div class='footnote c022' id='f8'> -<p class='c023'><span class='label'><a href='#r8'>8</a>. </span>That is the Prince of Chiengmai and the nobility. These terms -are so used generally throughout this correspondence.—<span class='sc'>Ed.</span></p> -</div> - -<p class='c024'>“Thus far they seem to have had no apprehension for -themselves personally; but the next letter, of two days’ later -date, indicates that something had occurred or had come to -their knowledge which led them to believe that their own -lives were in jeopardy. On September 29th Mr. McGilvary -writes hurriedly to his father-in-law, Rev. D. B. Bradley, -M.D., of the A. M. A. mission as follows:—</p> - -<p class='c027'>“‘Dear Father and Mother:—We write to tell you that we -may be in great danger. If you never hear from us more, -know that we are in heaven. Send some one up here to look -after our Christians, and do not, we beg you, grieve over the -loss of our lives. Two of our church members died at the -martyr’s stake on the 14th of September. Warrants are -out for the others. What is before us we do not know. We -are all peaceful, and very happy. We have written letters -giving the full facts, but dare not send them for fear of their -interception.</p> - -<p class='c027'>“‘Lung Puk left here on the 12th direct for Bangkok. -Should he never reach you, you may fear the worst for -us.... He had a large mail with our reports, etc. Should -worst come to worst, we have counted the cost beforehand, -and our death will not be in vain. Love to all the dear ones. -Good-bye, dear father, mother, brothers, sisters, and friends—perhaps -till we meet in heaven!’”</p> - -<p class='c025'>Dr. House then continues:</p> - -<p class='c024'>“That these letters—the last one especially—awakened our -deepest solicitude, I need not assure you. The brethren -from the Pechaburī station reached Bangkok, to attend the -annual session of Presbytery, the very day the startling -tidings came; and anxious were our deliberations, and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_112'>112</span>earnest our prayers in behalf of those brethren beloved and -their helpless families. A month had then elapsed since the -date of the letters. Were they still in the land of the living?</p> - -<p class='c027'>“It was deemed advisable that some of our number should -proceed as far up the river as possible—to Rahêng at least—to -learn the existing state of things and extend all possible -assistance. After consultation this service devolved on Bros. -McDonald and George.</p> - -<p class='c027'>“Owing to the peculiar allegiance which holds the Lāo -tribes tributary to the Siamese, it was thought best not to -press any doubtful treaty rights and claims through the -United States Consul—that is, the protection they would -be entitled to claim anywhere on the soil of Siam proper—but -to throw ourselves on the friendliness and goodwill -of the Siamese Government as old residents here, most of -us, who are greatly troubled lest harm should befall our -friends who are living in one of their tributary states. -What could they do to help us?</p> - -<p class='c027'>“The deputation, consisting of Dr. Bradley, Mr. McDonald, -Mr. George, and myself, were most kindly received -by the new Regent of the kingdom, the late Prime Minister—were -received in every respect as friends, and the best endeavours -of the Siamese Government were promised. A -government official would be despatched at once bearing a -letter to the king of Chiengmai, enjoining on him to give -protection to the missionaries. But the Regent added, ‘It -is difficult to deal with a man so moody and arbitrary as this -Chief of Chiengmai. He is like King Theodore of Abyssinia.’—This -too significant comparison had already suggested -itself in anything but an agreeable way to ourselves.</p> - -<p class='c027'>“The Siamese move slowly at the best, and the brethren -who have consented to go on this errand so full of perplexity -and possible peril started several days before the -royal messenger’s preparations were completed. We are -waiting with the greatest solicitude further tidings. I must -say from what I know of the character of the man in whose -hands and at whose mercy they are, that I have great fears. -Others here, however, are confident that no harm can come to -them personally.”</p> - -<p class='c025'><span class='pageno' id='Page_113'>113</span>The following, from a note of mine to the Board, -will throw further light on our letter to our friends -and on our situation. It was dated October 31st, while -we were anxiously waiting for the reply to our letters.</p> - -<p class='c024'>... “But the particular fact that filled us with deepest -anxiety when we sent that note to Bangkok, was a rumour -that the king had, in person, stopped a boat in charge of our -old servant whom we had sent down to Bangkok after money -and supplies, and had put him, his wife, and all the boatmen -to death. That rumour was currently believed here, and we -had so many questions asked us about them by persons in -high and in low station, that we were constrained almost to -believe it. And if that had been done, we knew not what -would come next. Of course we had serious apprehensions -regarding our own safety; yet our duty was clear. However -dangerous our position, we felt that flight would be more -dangerous.... Our strength was to sit still....</p> - -<p class='c027'>“After waiting a month in suspense about our servants, -we have just learned, on pretty good authority, that they were -not murdered. They have been reported as having passed -Rahêng. In a few days we shall know the truth. If they -are safe, our greatest fears were groundless. We wait to see -the Lord’s purpose in reference to this people. We yet believe -they are purposes of mercy. The excitement has somewhat -died down, and we have daily many visitors. But there -is great fear of the authorities. No one feels safe; no one -knows what will come next.”</p> - -<p class='c025'>I quote from a letter of Mr. Wilson to the Board the -following account of the suffering and death of the -martyrs, written January 3d, 1870, after all the various -rumours had been sifted, and the facts were clearly -known. Meantime the Commission referred to in the -letter of Dr. House had come, and this letter was -brought to Bangkok by it on its return. This letter -and the one cited just above were printed in the <i>Foreign -Missionary</i> for March and for May, 1870.</p> - -<p class='c024'><span class='pageno' id='Page_114'>114</span>“Till within a very short time before their execution, we -had no apprehension that any serious obstacle would be -thrown in the way of the Lāo becoming Christians. All the -baptisms had taken place publicly. The number, and some -of the names, of the Christians had been given in answer -to questions asked by the younger daughter of the king, -and by others of royal blood. We had become convinced -that the king must know that some of his people had become -disciples of Jesus. His two daughters had assured Mr. -McGilvary that no one should be molested for becoming -Christians. With such an assurance from the highest -princesses in the land, we flattered ourselves that the king -would tolerate Christianity. The fearlessness, also, with -which all but Nān Chai professed Christ, made us feel that -there was no danger to the life of any one who had received -baptism.</p> - -<p class='c027'>“Nān Chai, however, seemed anxious. Some two months -before his baptism he requested us to write to Bangkok and -get the King of Siam to make proclamation of religious -toleration. Not a month before his baptism he asked me, ‘If -the king should call me and ask, “Are you a disciple of -Jesus?” would it be wrong to say “No”?’ We knew that -for some time he had loved the Saviour, but he was following -Him tremblingly. His position as overseer (ex-abbot) -of the monastery made his renunciation of Buddhism a -more noticeable event, and rendered him more liable to persecution -than some of the others. I may here state that -those who, after leaving the monastery, are appointed overseers -of the temple, are, by virtue of their position, exempt -from the call of their masters to do government work. Nān -Chai belonged to this class. His resignation of this post -when he became a Christian, both proved his sincerity, and -made him a mark for Buddhist hate and reproach.</p> - -<p class='c027'>“Noi Sunya’s work was to tend the king’s cattle, and in -this way he performed his share of public service. He also -worked a farm, and was a physician. He was of a genial -disposition and cheerful temper, always looking on the bright -side of life, happy himself, and trying to make others happy. -He was thus a general favourite. His reception of the -truth was hearty and childlike. How his face beamed with -<span class='pageno' id='Page_115'>115</span>joy that communion Sabbath! Next day, Monday, September -6th, about noon, he started for his walk of nine -miles across the plain to Mê Pō Kā. In bidding him good-bye -we little thought we should see his face no more.</p> - -<p class='c027'>“Our teacher, Nān Chai, came in the following Thursday, -somewhat sad because the head man of his village was urging -him for some government work and supplies that were then -being raised for the army. After resigning the oversight of -the temple, being virtually without a master, he had come in -to the city to put himself under the king’s younger daughter. -On Saturday morning, the 11th, she gave him his protection -papers, for which he paid the usual three rupees. -Some ten days before, when Mr. McGilvary had called with -him in reference to this matter, he had, at the princess’ -request, made a statement of his Christian faith, even to -the repeating of a prayer.</p> - -<p class='c027'>“On that same Saturday afternoon a message came from -the head man of the village for Nān Chai’s immediate return -home. The message was so urgent that he concluded not to -wait for the accustomed Sabbath morning worship. Knowing -that there was a disposition on the part of some of the -public officers to find fault with the Christians, I thought it -best for him to go home, and not return to us till quiet -should be restored. He seemed very sad, and said that his -master was disposed to oppress him. All that I could say did -not rouse him from his depression. He took leave of us -about ten o’clock at night. When we awoke on Sabbath -morning, he was gone. We know now that shortly after -the princess had given him her letters of protection on -Saturday morning, she despatched a messenger to the head -man of the village ordering Nān Chai’s arrest. Imagine -that Sabbath morning’s walk of nearly nine miles, much of -the way through water nearly knee-deep! Dear gentle -heart, full of care and fear!</p> - -<p class='c027'>“He reached home about noon. After dinner he called -upon the head man of the village; but no one knew the -nature of the conference. He was permitted to sleep at -home that night. Next morning came the order from the -chief man of the district for the overseers of the temples -and those doing the king’s own work to appear at his house. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_116'>116</span>This order included, of course, both our brethren, Noi Sunya -and Nān Chai. But to make their attendance doubly sure, -armed men were sent with clubs and pikes to conduct them -to the appointed rendezvous. Noi Sunya took leave of his -wife and six children in tears. He knew what that call -and those clubs and spears meant. When they reached the -house of the district chief, they found a large armed force -ready to receive them. When arrested at their homes -they had been charged with refusing to do the king’s work. -But now Nān Chai was asked, ‘Are you an overseer of a -temple?’ He answered, ‘I was, but am not now.’ ‘Have -you entered the religion of the foreigners?’ ‘Yes.’ Noi -Sunya was asked the same question, to which he also answered -‘Yes.’</p> - -<p class='c027'>“They were then seized, and after further examination -were told that they had been condemned to death. While -Nān Chai was giving the reason of the faith that was in -him, one of the examiners kicked him in the eye, leaving -it bloodshot and causing it to swell till the eye was closed. -The arms of the prisoners were tied behind their backs. -Their necks were compressed between two pieces of timber -(the death-yoke) tied before and behind so tightly as painfully -to impede both respiration and the circulation of the -blood. They were thus placed in a sitting posture near a -wall, and cords were passed through the holes in their ears -and tied to a beam above. In this constrained and painful -position—not able to turn their heads or bow them in slumber—they -remained from Monday afternoon till Tuesday -morning about ten o’clock, when they were led out into the -jungle and executed.</p> - -<p class='c027'>“When Nān Chai was arrested, his wife started on a run -to inform us, supposing that he would be brought to the -city to undergo a regular trial. In that case she hoped the -missionaries could ensure his release. She had arrived in -sight of our house, when a messenger from the head man -of the village overtook her, and informed her that if she -called on us, it would be at the risk of her life. She returned -immediately, to join him at the district chief’s house; -but was informed that if she made the least demonstration -of grief, she too would be put to death. She sat down by -<span class='pageno' id='Page_117'>117</span>her husband for a time. They conversed together as opportunity -offered, being narrowly watched by the merciless -guard. The prisoners both said, ‘Oh, if the missionaries -were here, we should not have to die!’ Nān Chai’s last -words to his wife were, ‘Tell the missionaries that we die -for no other cause than that we are Christians.’ One of the -guards angrily asked what he had said. She saw that it was -best for her to retire, and they parted.</p> - -<p class='c027'>“When Nān Chai knew that he and his comrade were -doomed, he said to one of the officers, ‘You will kill us; we -are prepared. But I beg you not to kill those who are in -the employ of the missionaries. They are not Christians, -and are not prepared to die.’ What a triumph of faith in -this once fearful disciple! What a noble forgetfulness of -self in that earnest request for the lives of others!</p> - -<p class='c027'>“And now, after a long and weary night of painful -watching, the morning of Tuesday, the 14th, dawns upon -them. The hour is come. They are led out into the lonely -jungle. They kneel down. Nān Chai is asked to pray. He -does so, his last petition being, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my -spirit.’ The tenderness of the scene melts his enemies to -tears. The heads of the prisoners—prisoners for Jesus’ -sake—are drawn back by slightly raising the cruel yoke they -have worn for more than twenty hours. The executioner -approaches with his club. Nān Chai receives the stroke on -the front of the neck. His body sinks to the ground a corpse.... Noi -Sunya receives upon the front of his neck five or -six strokes; but life is still not extinct. A spear is thrust into -his heart. His body is bathed in blood, and his spirit joins -that of his martyred brother. Their bodies were hastily -buried. Their graves we may not yet visit....</p> - -<p class='c027'>“Only a few days before his death Nān Chai wrote, at -Mrs. Wilson’s request, a little slip which she forwarded to her -friends as a specimen of the Lāo language. The last line—the -last, no doubt, that he ever wrote—contained the following -words ‘Nān Chai dai rap pen sit lêo. Hak Yēsū -nak’ (Nān Chai has become a disciple. He loves Jesus -much).”</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_118'>118</span> - <h2 id='ch10' class='c010'>X<br /> <br />THE ROYAL COMMISSION</h2> -</div> -<p class='c011'>After the despatch of our hurried notes by the -Burmese on September 29th, 1869, we felt reasonably -sure that our friends would learn the -news of our situation, and we were in a measure relieved. -But at that time we still believed the reports -about the murder of Lung Puk. In fact, it was these -reports, which we had just heard before writing the -letters sent by the Burmese, that caused the great -anxiety expressed in them. But though we poured out -our hearts and unburdened our fears to our friends, -no one in Chiengmai outside of our two families ever -knew the fears that agitated our breasts. For two -months or more we still feared that we might be -treacherously murdered under colour as though it were -done by robbers or dacoits. We knew not on lying -down at night what might happen before dawn.</p> - -<p class='c009'>One of the hardest things of the situation was that, -in the presence of our own dear children, we felt -obliged to speak to each other of these matters by -signs alone, since it seemed wise to conceal our fears -from them. When we had native callers, or in our -visits to the natives, we preached to them just as if -nothing had happened. Some that we know were -sent as spies to see what we were doing and what we -were planning to do, had nothing to report except the -Gospel message which they had heard.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Then was the time when a few tried friends endeared -<span class='pageno' id='Page_119'>119</span>themselves forever to us. Among these was -the Princess Būa Kam, and the abbot of the Ūmōng -monastery, both of whom have been mentioned before. -The silver plate with a little rice or fruit from the -Princess never ceased to come; and the abbot often -made an excuse of errands elsewhere in our neighbourhood -that he might have occasion to call and express -his sympathy.</p> - -<p class='c009'>One incident which occurred before the various -rumours had been cleared up, though well-nigh tragic -at the time, seemed afterward amusing enough. After -the appalling treachery of the younger daughter of -the Prince in regard to Nān Chai, while professing -constantly such personal friendship for us, we naturally -regarded her with profound distrust. What, then, -was our surprise, when, one night in the darkest time -of our troubles, a summons came for me to go at once -to her palace with the officer who brought the message. -I was by no means to wait till morning, and I -could get no clue to the object of the summons. But -it was almost a royal command. Whatever it might -mean, nothing would be gained by refusal; so I promised -at once to go. But a difficulty arose. My wife -positively refused to let me go alone. If the worst -were to come, she would be there to see it.</p> - -<p class='c009'>So the children were left in bed, and off we walked -three-fourths of a mile in the dark to the palace. We -found it brilliantly lighted up. Was it for the final -act? But our fears were soon allayed. The Princess -received us as she always had done—probably a little -surprised to see Mrs. McGilvary with me. A foreign -rug was spread for us, and soon was produced a -formidable package of documents in English, which -the Princess wanted us to translate! They were from -<span class='pageno' id='Page_120'>120</span>the court in Maulmein, and had reference to the lawsuits. -They had just arrived, and she could not wait -till morning. We glanced over them, gave her the -substance of them, and promised that if she would -send her scribe down next day, we would translate -them. She was relieved to find that there was nothing -more formidable in them—and so were we. The whole -interview did not last more than fifteen minutes; and -when ready to return, we were escorted home by -servants with lanterns.</p> - -<p class='c009'>For a time we had very few visitors even for medicine. -But the monasteries were always open, and we -were welcomed in nearly all the homes of the princes. -I regularly called on the Prince. When he was in a -pleasant mood, I had pleasant conversations with him. -If I found him moody or busy, I paid my respects and -retired. His elder daughter and her husband were -always pleasant, and she was always interested to talk -on the subject of religion.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Another friendship formed the year before was then -a great comfort to us, though no one could really help -us. A wealthy Chinese, who had charge of collecting -nearly all the revenue of the government, had been -shot in the city of Lampūn, eighteen miles away. A -messenger with an elephant was sent, begging me to -come at once. It seemed at first impossible for me -to go, but finally I did so. The ball had entered below -the knee while the man was lying down, had followed -the bone, and had lodged in the soft part of the -thigh. It was extracted, and I remained there till -the patient was out of danger. The wife, a Siamo-Chinese, -was a merchant, and acted as our banker for -ten years. At this writing, the family has not yet -forgotten the service rendered.</p> - -<p class='c009'><span class='pageno' id='Page_121'>121</span>But our hourly thoughts were directed to Bangkok. -What would be the outcome of our letters? We were -continually asked what we were going to do. Our reply -was that, of course, we intended to remain. There -was no telegraph then, nor even a monthly mail. It -was not till November 26th that the first news of what -was doing in our behalf reached us. It was brought -by messengers sent on in advance to notify the government -that a Royal Commissioner had arrived in -Lampūn, with two foreigners and a train of eighteen -elephants and fifty-three attendants. They were to be -in Chiengmai the next day. No intimation, however, -was given as to what the object of the Commission was. -But plainly it must be a matter of no slight importance.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Early on the morning of the 27th every one was on -the alert. A body of men under the direction of an -officer were scrubbing the old sālā next door to us, for -the letter had asked that preparations be made for -the party. A prince whispered in our ears to enquire -whether we knew what the “Kā Lūang” was coming -for. But we knew as little as he did. We were so -hopeful, however, that we began to prepare for our -guests, too. The whole place seemed in an attitude of -expectancy. The sudden arrival of a Kā Lūang was -not an everyday occurrence. And then the two foreigners—two -“white kolās”!</p> - -<p class='c009'>In the afternoon the curiosity of every one was gratified -by the arrival of the long train with the Commissioner -at its head. The two “white kolās” were none -other than our associates in the Siamese mission, the -Rev. N. A. McDonald, and the Rev. S. C. George. -Were ever guests more welcome! The story was soon -told of the receipt of our letters in Bangkok, and of the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_122'>122</span>negotiations which had resulted in their coming with -a Royal Commissioner and with a “Golden Seal,” as -the royal letter is called. We now knew definitely that -the Commissioner had come on the business of the mission -and the treatment of the Christians. But our -brethren did not know the contents of the royal letter. -No human sagacity could yet predict what turn affairs -would take. Was the mission to be securely -established, or were we to be escorted safely out of the -country? The Commissioner immediately notified the -Prince of his arrival with the “Golden Seal,” and -awaited His Highness’ pleasure. The Prince’s curiosity -and anxiety were guarantee that there would be -no delay. Nine o’clock next morning was named as -the hour for the audience. The Commissioner notified -us to be ready. An officer was sent with a palanquin -to escort the “Golden Seal” under the golden umbrella -to the palace.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Mr. Wilson and I, of course, joined the procession. -On reaching the grand reception hall at the palace, we -encountered such an array of princely state as we had -never before seen among the Lāo. Every prince, -princess, and officer who could come was already there. -I quote from Mr. McDonald’s official report to the -Board, dated February 2d, 1870, an account of the audience. -(<i>Presbyterian Record</i>, June, 1870.)</p> - -<p class='c024'>“The next morning after our arrival the Regent’s letter -was conducted in state to the palace under the royal umbrella, -and the golden tray containing it was placed on a stand -near the middle of the hall. Very soon the king entered the -hall apparently calm, but pale with suppressed rage. We -arose and bowed to him, and then resumed our seats. The -Siamese officers, however, remained prostrate before him, -as did every other one in the hall. The king immediately -broke the seal and handed the letter to the Siamese secretary -<span class='pageno' id='Page_123'>123</span>to read. After the reading of the letter he looked -up, evidently quite relieved, and remarked, ‘This letter does -not amount to so much. It gives the missionaries privilege -to remain if they wish, or to go if they prefer.’”</p> - -<p class='c025'>Mr. McDonald, then, as a member of the Commission, -addressed the King, referring to the kindness with -which the missionaries had been received by him on -their arrival—which was in keeping with the favour -shown them in Bangkok, and with the beneficent nature -of their work—but regretting that late difficulties had -made their stay unpleasant. Among other things he -referred to the desertion of their servants. But neither -he nor the royal letter made the slightest reference -to the murder of the Christians. Mr. McDonald then -proceeds:</p> - -<p class='c024'>“What I said did not seem to rouse him. He continued -to suppress his rage, and replied, ‘As to servants, he had -never placed any hindrance. He had put to death a couple -of fellows—a thing which he had a right to do, since they -had failed to do their allotted government work. But that -was his own business.’”</p> - -<p class='c025'>The Prince evidently thought that the affair was -ended, and was preparing to close the audience, greatly -relieved that the one dreaded point had not been referred -to either in the letter or in the conference. But -to stop there would have been an inexcusable blunder -on our part. Not only had the good name of the Christians -been tarnished, but our own also, if we had -made all this great fuss about nothing. It was a difficult -thing to face the Prince before his whole court, -and charge him with falsehood; but he had driven us -to it. If he had not lied, we had. For once we were -called upon to stand before kings for His name’s -<span class='pageno' id='Page_124'>124</span>sake; and I believe that words were given to me to -speak.</p> - -<p class='c009'>I said that I was sorry to be compelled to say that -the Prince knew that he had not spoken the truth. -There was not a man or woman in that audience, nor -in the whole country, who did not know that those two -men had been put to death for no other pretended -reason than that they were Christians. It was done -and was proclaimed to be done as a warning to others. -They had not refused to do government work. The -charge that they had failed to get the slabs for the -stockade was a subterfuge. There was not a word of -truth in it, as the officer through whom it was done, -then present, well knew. When these men received -the order to get the slabs, they started immediately, -but were at once arrested, and were not allowed to -get them. In no sense were they dealt with as criminals. -On that very day (over three months after the -order), not one-fifth of the men in the province had as -yet brought in their timbers, and nothing was said -about it. In this country it was an unheard-of thing, -even for the gravest offences, to decoy men out from -their homes into the jungle, and to kill them there with -no pretence of a trial. There was a Sanām (Court), -there were regular officers of law, even down to the -executioner. In the case of these men, not a single -form of law had been observed. By the Prince’s own -order they had been treacherously arrested, led out into -the jungle, and cruelly clubbed to death in the presence -of a lawless mob by a ruffian hired to do it.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The old man looked on me in mingled astonishment -and rage. Possibly till then he thought we had not -been able to learn the facts and particulars in the case. -More likely he thought that no one would dare thus -<span class='pageno' id='Page_125'>125</span>openly and publicly to expose them. But what was -said had the desired effect. Up to this point the -Prince’s position had been impregnable. To assault it -successfully would have required the production of -evidence; and no man in the country, high or low, -would have dared to testify against him. But this unexpected -challenge was more than he could endure. -He flung all caution to the winds. In an instant his -sole defence was abandoned. Mr. McDonald says:</p> - -<p class='c024'>“‘Yes,’ he said, ‘he had killed them because they had -embraced the Christian religion. And he would continue -to kill every one who did the same. Leaving the religion -of the country was rebellion against him, and he would so -treat it. If the missionaries would remain to treat the -sick, they might do so. But they must not make Christians; -they must not teach the Christian religion. If they did, -he would expel them from the country’.... At one time -I feared that he might become uncontrollable, and break -over all restraints, and do us some personal injury. The -Siamese officer also was alarmed for our safety.”</p> - -<p class='c025'>Matters now had been brought to a crisis. The -Christians had been proved to be not malefactors, but -martyrs. We now understood each other, and all -parties understood the situation. The Prince’s -bravado before the Commissioner in one sense was -politic. He had read between the lines of the King’s -letter that the Siamese were afraid of him; and he -was quite willing to have it so. On the other hand, his -attitude might have the effect of convincing them that -he was a dangerous man, to be dealt with accordingly—and -I believe it did.</p> - -<p class='c009'>But, as Mr. McDonald goes on to say, “It was useless -to attempt any further argument. The missionaries -merely told him that it was their intention to -<span class='pageno' id='Page_126'>126</span>remain. The conversation then turned to other subjects, -and the Prince became more calm. After returning -to the house of Mr. McGilvary, and after -anxious consultation and prayer, it was considered -best to abandon the mission for a time.”</p> - -<p class='c009'>The Commissioner strongly advised us to withdraw. -Mr. McDonald was naturally timid, and hardly felt -safe till he was fairly out of the country. He and Mr. -George were sure that it would not be safe for us to -remain a single day after the Commissioner departed; -and Mr. Wilson agreed with them. Such, then, was -the report made to the Board, and the number of the -<i>Record</i> from which we have quoted above announced -the dissolution of the mission.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The news of the scene in the palace spread like wild-fire -over the city. We had scarcely reached home when -our neighbours and friends began to send us secret -messages that it would be foolish to remain. The -Prince was like a lion bearded in his den. When the -Commissioner left there was no telling what he might -do. The Commissioner naturally felt some responsibility -for our safety, and desired to have us return with -him. I so far consented as to allow the Commissioner -to send word to the Prince that we would retire as -soon as we conveniently could. Yet, from what I knew -of the feeling of the people toward us, I could not see -that it was the will of Providence that the mission -should be abandoned. Nor did I believe that it would -be hazardous to remain. The Prince evidently had no -thought of actually renouncing his allegiance to Siam. -He had been directed to see to our safety, if we wished -to remain. I think, too, that I understood him better -than did either our own friends or the Commissioner. -His bluster at the audience was for effect. It was -<span class='pageno' id='Page_127'>127</span>more than probable that, after sober thought, he himself -would realize that he had gone too far. Before -the coming of the Commissioner he had been summoned -to Bangkok; he was at that time busy preparing boats -for the journey, and was soon to start. He was too -shrewd a man to wish us to appear there before him -as witnesses against him. It was, I thought, more -than probable that he would meet more than half-way -any advance made toward him, though we could -not expect him to make the advance himself.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Next morning before breakfast Mr. Wilson came -over to have a long walk and talk with me. He did -not wish to express his fears before our children. He -argued with all his logic that it was better to go while -we safely could. His idea was to retire to Rahêng, -where we would be under the direct protection of the -Siamese government; for, after yesterday’s scene, he -was sure we never could be safe in Chiengmai. So far -as he was concerned, I thought it a good idea. He -might go, and I would remain—at least as long as I -could. He felt, however, that he would be to blame -if any disaster happened to us. From all responsibility -on that score I freely exonerated him. As I viewed -the case, our personal risk was at an end so soon as -the situation should be known in Bangkok. The -Prince would no longer dare either to do anything or -to cause anything to be done <i>secretly</i> as once we -feared he would. Therefore, notwithstanding the -bluster of the day before, fear for our personal safety -had little weight with me. But quite apart from the -question of danger, there was much to be said in favour -of Mr. Wilson’s going to Rahêng. The place was an -important one for missionary work. The result might -possibly be a station in both places, instead of in -<span class='pageno' id='Page_128'>128</span>Chiengmai alone. His departure might seem some -concession to the wishes of the Prince—would show -less determination to thwart his known will. If -there were any danger in remaining, it would be less -for one family than for two. All I wanted was time -to see the Lord’s will. At any rate, I was not willing -to depart without having an audience with the Prince -alone. Against this it was urged that the Prince had -a special grudge against me, because of the vaccination -of his little grandson, and that this would be increased -by my having angered him the day before. But of this -I was not afraid. The parents of the dear child had -begged me never to think that they blamed me for it. -As to what had happened the day before, I believed -the Prince’s respect for me was higher than it would -have been had I allowed him to bluff us with his bare-faced -lie. The result of our walk was that Mr. Wilson -agreed to have me call on the Prince the next day, -though Mr. McDonald maintained that for himself he -would not risk it.</p> - -<p class='c009'>So, next morning, I called at the palace at an hour -when I knew I should find the Prince alone with his -head-wife. And, just as I expected, he received me -with unwonted cordiality. I referred to the friendship -between him and my father-in-law, Dr. Bradley; -to his cordial consent given to our coming to his country -to teach the Christian religion and to benefit his -people in other ways; to his kind reception of us when -we came; to his granting us a place for a home; and -to his many other acts of kindness. We had come to -him as friends, and I could not bear we should part as -enemies. As I had anticipated, his whole manner -showed that he was pleased at my advance. That, too, -he said, was his desire. We might remain at least till -<span class='pageno' id='Page_129'>129</span>after his return from Bangkok, and take all the time -needed for a comfortable departure. I thanked him -for his consideration, and told him that Mr. Wilson -would probably go at once. We shook hands and -parted as if the scene in the palace had never occurred. -I had won my point. What I wanted was time, and I -had gained it. The Prince could not possibly return -in less than six months’ time—it might be much longer.</p> - -<p class='c009'>In a few days our friends left us. Having no faith -in the success of my new negotiations, or possibly -thinking that I might be caught in a trap, they reported -to the Board, as we have seen, that the mission -was broken up—as technically it was. This last turn -of affairs was merely a private arrangement between -the Prince and myself.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Had the matter not passed beyond our power, I -doubtless should have been credulous enough, or weak -enough, to prefer that no further action should be -taken by our friends in Bangkok. I did write to Dr. -Bradley and to our mission to pursue a pacific policy, -and to show the Prince all kindness, as, indeed, I knew -they would. But I learned afterwards that their advances -were hardly received with courtesy. Mr. -George, who asked permission to send by some one of -the numerous fleet of boats some parcels to us, was -given to understand that the things would not be -needed, as the Prince expected both families to leave -Chiengmai upon his return.</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_130'>130</span> - <h2 id='ch11' class='c010'>XI<br /> <br />DEATH OF KĀWILŌROT</h2> -</div> -<p class='c011'>The Commissioner’s report of the attitude assumed -by the Prince showed the Siamese government -that the man in control of the northern -provinces was of a spirit and temper that might be -difficult to curb—that might at any time throw everything -into confusion. Hitherto it had been their policy -to strengthen his hands to any degree not inconsistent -with his loyalty. Siam and Burma had long -been rivals and enemies. A strong buffer-state in the -north had been a necessity to Siam. But conditions -were changed. Burma was now under English control, -and had ceased to be a disturbing factor in the problem. -A change in Siamese policy as regards the North -was inevitable.</p> - -<p class='c009'>When the news of the murder of the Christians became -known in Bangkok, our friends there deferred to -the wishes of the Siamese government as expressed by -the Regent—whose goodwill to the mission and to ourselves -no one doubted. No steps, therefore, were taken -to have the United States officially represented on the -Commission. In this we believe our friends were -providentially led. But Dr. House’s letter does not -state, what was also the fact, that the United States -Consul, in whose presence the Lāo Prince had given -his official sanction to the establishment of the mission, -was anxious that the United States should be so -<span class='pageno' id='Page_131'>131</span>represented. And when that Commission so signally -failed to accomplish anything satisfactory, it was the -Consul’s turn to say to our friends, “I told you so.”</p> - -<p class='c009'>Because, as they themselves expressed it, of the lawless -nature of the Lāo Prince, and the consequent difficulty -of protecting foreigners so far away, our -Siamese friends would then have preferred to have us -recalled. In fact, that was their first thought. The -first draft of the letter prepared to be sent by the Commission -actually contained the stipulation that we be -safely conveyed back to Siam proper. It was only the -indomitable perseverance of Dr. Bradley—who frankly -declared that he would rather have no such letter sent -at all—that secured the omission of that clause, and -left the way open for the possible continuance of the -mission. So, when the Commission returned to Bangkok, -and it was known that the Lāo Prince was soon -to follow them. General Partridge, the United States -Consul, immediately took up the case, and insisted -that the Siamese government give guarantee for the -fulfilment of promises publicly made by its vassal in -the presence of officials of both governments. “Before -this you could say, ‘He is like a tiger in the jungle; we -cannot control him.’ But when he reaches Bangkok, -he is in your power. You can then make your own -terms regarding his return.”</p> - -<p class='c009'>How this negotiation was conducted, I am not aware. -But from the <i>Presbyterian Record</i> of September, 1870, -we learn that the Consul carried his point:</p> - -<p class='c024'>“Dr. House sends us word that the Siamese government -has extended its protection over the missionaries in Chiengmai; -they are not to be molested in their work. As the king -of Chiengmai is tributary to Siam, this decision will no -doubt be respected. This king is not likely to live long, and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_132'>132</span>he will be succeeded by his son-in-law, a prince who has -shown a friendly interest in the missionaries. The intervention -of the Siamese government was obtained by the U. S. -Consul, Gen. Partridge, not at the instance of the missionaries, -but he took the ground of treaty stipulations between -Siam and our country, which accorded the right of protection -to American citizens.”</p> - -<p class='c025'>From the <i>Foreign Missionary</i> of September, 1870, -we quote the following extract from the <i>Bangkok Summary</i>, -doubtless from the pen of Dr. Bradley:</p> - -<p class='c024'>“I am very happy to learn from the most reliable authority -that His Grace the Regent has been pleased to commit the -American citizens in Chiengmai to the care and protection -of the Maha Uparāt, the son-in-law of the king, charging -him to assist, nourish, and protect them so that they shall -suffer no trouble and hindrance in their work from persecutions -like those through which they have passed since September -12th last.</p> - -<p class='c027'>“His Grace, moreover, is understood to have promised that -he will certainly arrange to have those American citizens -protected in Chiengmai according to the stipulations of the -treaties, even though the present king should live and continue -his reign.</p> - -<p class='c027'>“The Maha Uparāt enjoys the reputation of being a mild -and discreet prince. He received this his new title a few -weeks since from His Majesty the Supreme King of Siam, -by virtue of which he is constituted Second King of Chiengmai. -I learn that His Grace the Regent has virtually committed -the rule of that kingdom to him during the illness of -the king, and has assured him that he is ultimately to -become the king’s successor to the throne.</p> - -<p class='c027'>“This I regard as good news, indeed, and too good to -be held a day longer from the public. Who will not agree -with me that the Siamese government is worthy of a great -meed of praise for what it has done in the matter of the -Chiengmai mission? But let us see to it that the King of -Kings, as well, receives our highest praise for all these -gratifying events of His providence.”</p> - -<p class='c025'><span class='pageno' id='Page_133'>133</span>While the Consul was pressing these claims, Prince -Kāwilōrot, as was intimated in the last extract, became -dangerously ill. He was stricken with almost -instantaneous loss of consciousness, and complete -paralysis of speech. Meanwhile we in Chiengmai, only -five hundred miles away, were in profound ignorance -of what was happening. If we had despatched a special -messenger thither for news, it would have been -three months before he could have returned with a reply. -And the first news we received was not reassuring. -Word came that the time was set for the Prince’s -return; that he had been promoted to higher honours, -and had received higher titles; that he was returning -with full power, and probably flushed with fresh victories. -Of course, that did not necessarily mean very -much. Siam understood perfectly the great trick of -oriental statecraft, the giving of high-sounding titles, -with, perhaps, a larger stipend, in compensation for -the loss of real power. But it was a time of great -anxiety for us. Revenge was a passion which that -man seldom left ungratified. Would he come breathing -out slaughter against the church and vengeance -on us?</p> - -<p class='c009'>By and by there came a message stating that the -Prince was ill, and directing that offerings be made for -his recovery. Then came news that he was already -on his way, and had sent orders for a hundred elephants -to meet him at the landing station below the -rapids. Some surmised that his illness was feigned -in order to escape the lawsuits which were pressing -him. About the middle of June we learned that he -had reached the landing station, but was very seriously -ill. It was still more urgently enjoined that his relatives -and the monasteries in Chiengmai should “make -<span class='pageno' id='Page_134'>134</span>merit” in his behalf, and propitiate the demons by generous -offerings.</p> - -<p class='c009'>On the evening of June 29th, while riding through -the streets of the city, some one called out to me, -“The Prince is dead!” No news ever gave me such a -shock. I stepped in to the residence of one of the -princes, a nephew of Kāwilōrot, to get the particulars, -but found him in a dreadful state of mind. Yes. The -Prince was dead; and word had come that he (the -nephew) was to go to Bangkok to bear the brunt of the -lawsuits—to answer in his own name for transactions -done by order of the dead Prince!</p> - -<p class='c009'>How soon the strongest prejudices fade and disappear -in the presence of death! The anxious fears -of his return that had haunted us, all dissolved into -tender sympathy now that he was gone. We forgot -his treachery and cruelty, and thought only of his interesting -human qualities. We recalled his taking tea -or dining with us, and even the dry jokes that he so -much enjoyed. He was a tender father. He could be -a warm, though a fickle and inconstant friend. In -many respects he was a good ruler. He was absolute -and tyrannical; but there was no petty thieving in his -realm. And now that voice that had made thousands -tremble was silent in death! No doubt it was with a -sigh of relief that the Siamese government turned over -the government of the North to one whom they could -better trust.</p> - -<p class='c009'>But it would be a hard heart that could follow unmoved -that long, weary homeward trip of the dying -Prince. He was so weak that he could not endure the -jarring caused by the use of the setting-poles. His boat -had to be taken in tow of another. When the last -lingering hope of life died out, his one desire was to -<span class='pageno' id='Page_135'>135</span>reach home—to die in his own palace. The trip -through the rapids he could not bear, and it was too -slow for the dying man. Travel by elephant is both -rough and slow. He is brought ashore, therefore, and -borne on a litter as swiftly as relays of men can carry -him. Over the mountains and up the valley of the -Mê Ping, under burning sun and through driving rain, -they hasten. At last, on the evening of June 28th, they -halt on the left bank of the Mê Ping, with only that -stream between him and his own country. “What -land is this?” he asks. “Lampūn,” is the reply. -“Carry me across quickly!” He is obeyed, but sinks -exhausted by the fatigue of crossing. He passes a -restless night. His mind wanders. He dreams of being -at home; of worshipping in his own palace. The -morning comes. He is still alive; but so weak that, in -spite of his eagerness to hasten on, at every few paces -his bearers must halt, while attendants fan him or -administer a cordial. At last fan and cordials fail. -The litter is set down under the two golden umbrellas -that screen it from the burning rays of the sun. The -little group stand with bowed heads and hushed hearts -while the spirit takes its flight, to appear before its -Maker.—Almost, but not quite home, and with none -of his immediate kin by him to see the end! The attendants -cover the body with a cloth, and hasten on to -the next station, a few miles below the city. The procession -halted there at about the very time that the -messenger reached Chiengmai with the news that he -was dead.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Such, as I learned next day from the attending -prince, were the last hours of His Highness Chao -Kāwilōrot Suriyawong, Prince of Chiengmai. He died -at ten o’clock in the morning of June 29th, 1870, in -<span class='pageno' id='Page_136'>136</span>the seventieth year of his age, and in the sixteenth of -his reign.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Next morning before breakfast I was sent for by the -younger daughter of the Prince, to go to the residence -of the nephew, whom I had left late in the evening -before in such a distracted state of mind. How -shocked was I on entering to find the prince cold and -dead! The Princess wished to get my judgment -whether he was really dead beyond all hope of resuscitation. -But it required no skilled physician to answer -that question. He had evidently died by a dose -of opium administered by his own hands. The little -cup from which it was taken was still by his bedside. -Whether it was intentional suicide to escape the lawsuits -of his deceased master, or was simply designed -to ease the mental troubles of that night, they could -tell as well as I. In either case, he slept the sleep -that knows no waking till the summons of the last -trump.</p> - -<p class='c009'>After breakfast I rode out to the encampment, only -two or three miles away, where the body of the Prince -was lying. The family and officers and friends were -assembled to look for the last time on that noted face. -The last act before placing the body in the coffin was -to cover it throughout with gold-leaf, to give it the appearance -of being a Buddha. But no gold-leaf could -disguise that face. The family remained there a few -days, partly for the much-needed rest, but chiefly to -await a day of good augury for carrying the remains -to the city.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The day was well chosen for such a pageant as the -country had not seen, to honour alike the departed, -and to welcome the succeeding Prince. There was a -long and imposing procession of soldiers, monks, and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_137'>137</span>people marching to the wailing of the funeral dirge and -to the slow, solemn beat of drums. Near the head of -the line, on his elephant, was the son-in-law, Chao Intanon, -soon to be Prince of Chiengmai. Not far behind -came the body of the dead Prince, borne on a -golden bier and accompanied by a large train of yellow-robed -priests. Behind this was the vacant throne, -and on it the royal crown, both testifying to the emptiness -of human pomp and power. Then came one leading -the horse His Highness used to ride; and next, his -favourite elephant, its huge body covered with trappings -of gold. After these came members of the -Prince’s family and other near relatives.</p> - -<p class='c009'>About ten o’clock the procession approached the city -which, by inexorable custom, may never open its gates -to receive the dead—not even though the dead were he -whose word for so many years had been its law. What -a comment on human glory and on the tyranny of superstitious -custom! On reaching the South Gate, -therefore, the procession turned to the right, and -passed on outside the city wall to the East Gate. -There, in the Prince’s summer garden, beside the river, -his remains lay in state until the great cremation ceremony -a year later. Meantime a lamp was kept burning -at the head and at the foot night and day. A -prince was in constant attendance. Courses of monks -chanted the requiem of the Buddhist ceremonial for the -dead. At intervals during the whole night the beat -of the drum resounded through the air, reminding -the city that there lay all that remained of one of its -greatest masters.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Prince Intanon, though not yet officially installed, -assured me, as soon as I met him at the encampment, -that we were to remain and build our houses and prosecute -<span class='pageno' id='Page_138'>138</span>our work without let or hindrance. Other -princes and officers were pleased to give the same assurance. -With the Prince’s party there came a large -mail from friends in Bangkok, giving full particulars -of the negotiations that were stopped by the sudden -illness of the Prince, and clearing up the questions -about which we were so much in doubt. The interposition -of Providence had been so marked that we could -only stand in awe before Him who had so wonderfully -led us. For, after the utmost stretch of my own -credulity in trying to trust the Prince, my final conviction -is that, had he lived, he and the mission could -not have existed in the same country. He could never -have endured to see his people becoming Christians—Not -that he cared so much for Buddhism; but it -would have been a constant challenge to his autocratic -rule.</p> - -<p class='c009'>In March, while the scenes of this tragic drama were -slowly enacting in Bangkok, and while we were -anxiously awaiting the dénouement, we had a pleasant -episode of another kind. One morning we were surprised -to learn from some natives that out on the plain, -not far from the city, they had passed two white foreigners, -a man and a woman, and that they were coming -to our house. Sure enough, about ten o’clock, who -should ride up but Rev. and Mrs. J. N. Cushing of the -American Baptist Mission in Burma! What an unexpected -pleasure! For three years we had seen but -two white faces outside of our own little circle. Some -of our latest news from home friends was eleven months -old when we received it. What a social feast we did -have!</p> - -<p class='c009'>They had started from Shwegyin, Burma, had made -a tour west of the Salwin River, crossed over to Keng -<span class='pageno' id='Page_139'>139</span>Tung, come down by Chieng Sên and Chieng Rāi, and -now called at Chiengmai on their way back to Burma. -Their visit was a real godsend to us in the time of our -troubles.</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_140'>140</span> - <h2 id='ch12' class='c010'>XII<br /> <br />THE NEW RÉGIME</h2> -</div> -<p class='c011'>One of the results of the change of government -was that we were able to build permanent -houses. For three years and more we had -lived within basket-woven bamboo walls that a pocketknife -could pierce, neither secure nor wholesome nor -favourable for our work. They bore silent but steady -testimony that we ourselves did not regard our stay -as permanent. The results of our manner of living -were already seen in the impaired health of the members -of the mission. My wife surely could never have -lived another decade in the old sālā with bamboo walls -and ceiling, where the dust from the borers in the -wood constantly filled the air and poisoned the lungs. -Mrs. Wilson bore up bravely for five years, until there -was just ready for her reception the permanent house -which she was never to enjoy. As soon as they could, -the family started for the United States on furlough, -all thoroughly broken down. After two years of rest -Mr. Wilson alone was able to return to the field, leaving -Mrs. Wilson behind. She never regained her health, -and they never saw each other again. Her departure -was a great loss to the mission. She was a gifted -lady, a fine vocal and instrumental musician, and a -consecrated missionary. She left one literary work in -Lāo, the translation of Bunyan’s <i>Pilgrim’s Progress</i>, -which has since been published.</p> - -<p class='c009'><span class='pageno' id='Page_141'>141</span>But as matters then were, there was much perplexing -work to be done before we were at all ready to begin -building. I was favoured in getting a lot of first -class teak logs delivered at a very cheap rate. Then -the trouble began. The logs must be hauled up from -the river by elephants to the lot where they are to be -sawn. The log is raised and mounted on two strong -trestles. A black line to guide the saw is struck on -either side. Two sawyers stand facing each other -across the log, grasping the handles of a long framed -saw with horizontal blade. Then the operation begins. -The saw is pushed and pulled back and forth till the -cut is carried through to the end of the log. This -operation is repeated for every stick of timber put -into the house.</p> - -<p class='c009'>But we are already too fast. Where are the sawyers -to come from? There were then no good sawyers -among the Lāo. No one dared to learn for fear of being -appropriated by the Prince, or of being compelled -to work on public buildings. There were, however, -three pairs of sawyers, debtors to the Prince, whom he -had brought up from Rahêng for his own work. -Whenever not needed by him or by some other person -of rank, they were allowed to seek employment elsewhere. -So, at odd times, I was able to secure their -services. But if the Prince needed them, they must at -once drop everything and go. Scores of times our -sawyers were called away, often for weeks at a time, -and at the busiest stage of the work.</p> - -<p class='c009'>And now for the carpenter. The Lāo dared not be -known as carpenters for the same reason as that given -above in the case of the sawyers. They would have -been constantly requisitioned for government work. -There was in the place only one Siamese carpenter -<span class='pageno' id='Page_142'>142</span>reputed to be a good workman. In order to get him, -I had to advance him three hundred rupees, professedly -to pay a debt, but most likely to gamble with. He was -to build by contract. But he had already received -his money, or so much of it that he was quite independent. -He soon slashed and spoiled more timber -than his wages were worth. So, to keep him from -ruining the whole, I had to get rid of him, even at -some sacrifice. Just then a Siamo-Chinese turned up, -who took the job by the day under my direction, to be -assisted by some Christians whom we trained thus as -apprentices. The house was built on the plan of the -East Indian bungalow—raised ten feet from the ground -on posts, with single walls and a veranda all round. -Its large lofty rooms, screened on all sides by the -verandas, make it still one of the most comfortable -houses in the mission. It was more than eight years -from the time of our arrival when we entered it; and -even then it was not finished.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Although the new government was friendly, yet -some of the ruling spirits were in their hearts as hostile -as the deceased Prince had ever been, and without his -more noble qualities. There were two in particular -who soon began to show that their secret influence -would be against the mission—and their open hostility, -too, so far as they ventured to let it appear. One -was the adopted son of the late Prince, and the other -the new ruler’s half-brother, who had been made -Uparāt, or second in power, when the new Prince -ascended the throne. Had these both lived, their combined -influence would have been nearly as formidable -as that of Kāwilōrot. Unfortunately, too, the actual -business of the country was largely in their hands. -Prince Intanon was not at all ambitious for power. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_143'>143</span>He liked nothing better than to work without care or -responsibility in his own little workshop, making fancy -elephant-saddles, and let his half-brother rule the country. -During the following year the adopted son went -down to Bangkok to receive the insignia of his new -rank, but never returned. His death was even more -sudden than that of his foster-father. He was taken -with the cholera, and died in a few hours. This left the -elder of the two avowed enemies of Christianity, and -the higher in rank and power. To give an illustration -of the kind of spirit we had to contend with in him, I -will anticipate an incident of a few years later.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Two native Karens, ordained ministers, were sent by -the American Baptist Mission to initiate in Lāo territory -a work among the Karens, a hill-people scattered -sparsely throughout all the mountain region between -Siam and Burma. The native evangelists -brought with them letters from the missionaries in -Burma, requesting us to aid them in getting Lāo passports. -We went with them to the new Prince, and he -very graciously gave direction to his brother to see -that passports were issued, stating not only that the -visitors were to be protected and aided as travellers, -but also that they were to be allowed to teach the new -religion, and that people were allowed to embrace it -without fear.</p> - -<p class='c009'>I was specially interested that they should succeed -in the first village which they were to visit, for it was -the one where I had vaccinated the whole population -during the first year of our mission. Since I had -failed to make Christians of them—partly, as I supposed, -on account of my ignorance of their language, -but more on account of the persecution which followed -so soon after—I hoped that when the message -<span class='pageno' id='Page_144'>144</span>was delivered in their own tongue, with official permission -to embrace it, the whole village might accept -the Gospel. What was the astonishment of the -preachers that, instead of being received with the characteristic -hospitality of their race, they hardly found -common civility! At last they learned the reason. -The Chao Uparāt had secretly despatched a special -messenger with a letter under his own seal, forbidding -any Karen subject to embrace the new religion. -All who did so were to be reported to him. What -that meant, or what he wished them to infer that it -meant, was well understood.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Our readers, therefore, will not be surprised that -we found it necessary to keep an eye on the Chao -Uparāt, and to use considerable diplomacy in counteracting -his schemes against the church. It was my -policy in those days to keep up as close an acquaintance -as possible with the members of the ruling family. -It was the misfortune of all of them that they -were ignorant;<a id='r9' /><a href='#f9' class='c020'><sup>[9]</sup></a> and ignorance begets suspicion. Some -of them were naturally suspicious of the missionaries. -They could not understand what motive could induce -men who were neither government officials nor -merchants, to leave a great country and come to live in -theirs.</p> - -<div class='footnote c026' id='f9'> -<p class='c023'><span class='label'><a href='#r9'>9</a>. </span>This same Uparāt, whose word ruled the country, was unable to -write his own orders.</p> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>Two objects were gained by keeping in contact with -the rulers. They saw, then, with their own eyes, and -heard with their own ears, what we were doing. In -nearly every interview our one great work was magnified -alike to prince, priest, and people. I have heretofore -specially mentioned princesses, too, as well as -princes, in this connection, because the Lāo have a -<span class='pageno' id='Page_145'>145</span>proud pre-eminence among non-Christian races in the -position accorded to woman. In the family, woman’s -authority is universally recognized. At the time we -speak of it was much the same in the government also. -The influence of women in affairs of state was doubtless -greatly increased during the previous reign, when, -there being no sons in the royal household, the -daughters naturally became more prominent. They -were trained to understand and to deal with public -business.</p> - -<p class='c009'>I have already referred to the kindness of the elder -daughter, now not, as in former reigns, the head-wife, -but the only wife of the new ruler. By birth she was -of higher rank than he; and she was in every way -worthy of the high position she now assumed. Hers -was, in fact, the strong intelligence and steady will -that kept her more passive consort from errors into -which he would otherwise have been led. At this particular -juncture she was needed as a check against -the Prince’s more ambitious and less principled half-brother. -She had a woman’s instinct to discern a -point, and a woman’s revulsion against lawless acts, -even when done by her own father. In honesty of -purpose she and her consort were one, for his kindness -of heart had drawn to him more dependents than -any other prince in the land possessed. The murder -of the Christians they both regarded as “worse than a -crime—a blunder.” For the present, however, there -was no indication of the sinister forces which came -into play later. All in authority seemed to be honestly -carrying out the orders from Bangkok concerning -the missionary work.</p> - -<p class='c009'>A year was spent in preparation for the ceremonies -attending the cremation of the dead Prince. During -<span class='pageno' id='Page_146'>146</span>the last three months of this time, everything else in -the whole land yielded place to it. Not only was there -requisition of men and materials throughout the province -of Chiengmai; but all the neighbouring states furnished -large levies of men under the personal direction -of their princes or officers of rank. Such occasions -offer exceptional opportunities for meeting people from -all parts of the country, for forming lasting friendships, -and for sending some knowledge of the Gospel -to distant provinces. In after years I never made a -tour on which I did not encounter friends whose acquaintance -I had made at the great cremation festival.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The preparations were hastened somewhat because -of the unsettled state of the country. Chao Fā Kōlan, -the Ngīo freebooter of whom we have already heard, -was still at his old tricks. Emboldened by the death -of the Prince, and the confusion incident to the change -of rulers, he had become more insolent than ever. -Villages had been burned within less than a day’s -march from the city. Bands of men, euphemistically -called an army, were levied and despatched to capture -him; but long before they could reach him, he was -safe within his stronghold in the mountains.</p> - -<div id='i146' class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i146.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>A CREMATION PROCESSION</p> -</div> -</div> -<p class='c011'>The dead Prince was born on a Sunday; therefore -every important event of his life must take place on -that day, even to the last dread summons, which is -not under man’s control—and beyond that, to the -final disposition of his mortal remains. Sunday, -therefore, was the first day of the ceremonies. On -that day the body was removed from the summer garden -to the “Mēn,” where it was to lie in state to receive -the homage of his relatives and subjects until -the following Sunday. The morning of each day was -<span class='pageno' id='Page_147'>147</span>devoted to “merit-making” of various kinds—feeding -the monks, making offerings to them, and listening -to the reading of the sacred books. The afternoons -were largely spent in boxing games, a favourite amusement -of the Lāo. The evenings were given up to -gambling.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Everything went on according to programme until -Thursday morning, when the festivities were rudely interrupted. -Chao Fā Kōlan, the bandit chief, taking -advantage of the occasion, made one of his sudden -forays to within so short a distance of Chiengmai that -he actually had posted on the city gates during the -night an insolent manifesto to the effect that the assembled -Princes need not trouble themselves further -with the cremation of the dead Prince. He and his -band would attend to that! The news produced a -tremendous panic. The whole business of the cremation -was incontinently stopped. A force was sent out -after the marauder—with the usual result. Before the -end of the week, however, the panic had sufficiently -subsided to permit the ceremonies to be resumed. The -cremation itself was carried out on the following Sunday -as planned.</p> - -<p class='c009'>During all these years the demand for medical treatment, -and the opportunity which its exercise brings, -had been constantly growing. I made, for example, -a second trip to Lampūn, this time at the call of the -Chao Uparāt of that city. The poor man had consumption, -and at first sent to me for some foreign -medicine, thinking that would surely cure him. Judging -from his symptoms as reported, I sent word that I -could not cure him; that the soothing mixture which -I sent was sent in hope that it might give him a few -nights’ rest; but that was all I could do. Presently he -<span class='pageno' id='Page_148'>148</span>sent an elephant with a most urgent appeal that I come -to see him. I was glad of the call, for it gave me the -opportunity of directing a dying man to something -even more urgently needed than medicine. I spent -a few days with him, and visited all of the leading -families and officials of the place, establishing most -valuable and friendly relations with them.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Long before this time, both the demand for medical -treatment and the responsibility involved far exceeded -what any person without complete professional -training could undertake to meet. We had urged -upon our Board the claims of our mission for a physician. -The following touching appeal, which appeared -in the <i>Foreign Missionary</i> for March, 1870, was made -by Mr. Wilson not long after the death of his son -Frank. After sending an earnest appeal from Nān -Inta for helpers, Mr. Wilson says:</p> - -<p class='c024'>“Of course Nān Inta’s call for help includes in it a -Christian physician. Who will respond? I am convinced -there are many young men in the medical profession whose -love for Jesus and whose sympathy with human sufferings -are strong enough to bring them all the way to Chiengmai, -if they will but yield themselves to this constraining influence. -Christian physician, you are greatly needed here. The -missionary’s family needs you. This suffering people needs -you. You were needed months since, when a voice so sweet -and full of glee was changed to piteous shrieks of pain. You -were not here to give relief; and if you now come, it will -not greet you, for it is hushed in death. You are needed -here <i>now</i>. A plaintive cry comes to me as I write. It is the -voice of our dear babe, whose weak condition fills our hearts -with deepest anxiety. May I not interpret this plaintive -cry as addressed to you? It is the only way that M. has -of saying to you, ‘Come to Chiengmai.’ When you arrive, -she may be sleeping beside her little brother. But you will -find others, both old and young, whose pains you may be able -<span class='pageno' id='Page_149'>149</span>to soothe, and whose souls you may win from the way that -leads to eternal death.”</p> - -<p class='c025'>Great was our joy, therefore, when, in the summer -of 1871, we learned that Dr. C. W. Vrooman, from -Dr. Cuyler’s church in Brooklyn, had responded to -our appeal, and already was under appointment of our -Board for Chiengmai. His arrival was delayed somewhat -because it was thought unsafe for him to make -the river trip during the height of the rainy season. -So it was January 22d, 1872, before we welcomed -him to Chiengmai. He came with high credentials as a -physician and surgeon with experience both in private -and in hospital practice. He began work on the day -of his arrival. He found Nān Inta at the point of -death from acute dysentery; and his first trophy was -the saving of that precious life. Had he done nothing -else, that alone would have been well worth while. -One or two operations for vesical calculus gave him -such a reputation that patients came crowding to him -for relief. In his first report he writes:</p> - -<p class='c024'>“I was very glad to commence work as soon as I arrived -in the field. The number was large of those who came to -the brethren here for daily treatment; and such is the reputation -which they have established for themselves as physicians, -that the demand for our professional services is greater -than we can properly meet. I am satisfied that the demand -for a medical missionary here was not too strongly urged -by the brethren in their earnest appeals to the Board.</p> - -<p class='c027'>“I have already had much professional work to do, and -while I am ministering to physical ailments, Brother McGilvary, -who is kindly my interpreter, has opportunity to -break unto many the bread of life.... Two men have -just left who came a long distance, hoping we could bring -to life a brother who had died hours before.”</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_150'>150</span> - <h2 id='ch13' class='c010'>XIII<br /> <br />EXPLORATION</h2> -</div> -<p class='c011'>Not long after Dr. Vrooman’s arrival it was decided -to undertake our first extended tour. It -was important to ascertain the size and population -of our whole field; and this could be accomplished -only by personal exploration. A journey for -this purpose would, of course, afford abundant opportunity -for preaching the Gospel; it would, besides, -give the doctor a needed change, and would effectually -advertise his work. Our objective was Lūang Prabāng, -then one of the largest of the provinces of Siam, as it -was also the most distant one. A journey to it seemed -the most profitable that could be made during the time -at our disposal, and the most comfortable as well, -since a large stretch of it could be made by boat. It -was already too late in the season to accomplish all -that we desired; but “half a loaf is better than no -bread.” It might be years before a longer trip could -be made. As a matter of fact, it was sixteen years before -I visited Lūang Prabāng again.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The Prince gave us a passport, sending us as his -guests to be entertained without expense; though, of -course, we always paid our way. Our letter stated -that we went as teachers of religion and as physicians -for the sick. It was a virtual proclamation for all -the sick to apply to us for treatment. This gave frequent -occasion for retort that we did not remain long -<span class='pageno' id='Page_151'>151</span>enough to comply with our letter. We could only reply -by pointing to the clouds and the long journey -ahead.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The party consisted of Dr. Vrooman, myself, a cook, -a body-servant, and eight carriers, with a newly-baptized -convert as the only available assistant in the -religious work. The elephants required for our transportation -over the first stage of our journey—to Chieng -Rāi—we had secured, for a wonder, without effort, and -very cheaply. Their owner was anxious to get them -out of the country to escape an epidemic which then -was prevalent. The start was on April 15th, 1872, after -a heavy storm which ushered in the rainy season. This -was my first trip over the road to Chieng Rāi, afterwards -so familiar to me. After leaving the plain of -Chiengmai, the road ascends the valley of the Mê -Kūang River, fording that stream no less than forty-nine -times before it reaches the summit, 3100 feet -above sea-level, the watershed between the Mê Ping -and the Mê Kōng.<a id='r10' /><a href='#f10' class='c020'><sup>[10]</sup></a> Thence it descends to the Mê Kok -at Chieng Rāi. The owner of our elephants travelled -<span class='pageno' id='Page_152'>152</span>with us, and was unnecessarily tender to his beasts. -In consequence we were ten days making this stage -of the trip, which afterwards, with my own elephants, -I used to make in less than six. On this trip I walked -almost the whole distance.</p> - -<div class='footnote c026' id='f10'> -<p class='c023'><span class='label'><a href='#r10'>10</a>. </span>In standard Siamese the vowel in the name of this great river is -undoubtedly long o, and has been so since the days of the earliest -Siamese writing. Such also seems to have been the understanding -of the early travellers who first brought the name into European -use, for Mekong is the uniform spelling of all the standard Atlases -and Gazetteers which I have been able to consult. In the Lāo dialect, -however, the vowel is that represented by <i>aw</i> in <i>lawn</i>. This is -the pronunciation which Mr. J. McCarthy, Director of the Siamese -Royal Survey Department, heard in the North, and transferred to -the Map of Siam, which he compiled, as Me Kawng. This, however, -Mr. R. W. Giblin, Mr. McCarthy’s successor in office, recognized -as an error, and assured me that it should be corrected in the -new map which he hoped soon to publish. Mr. Giblin, however, -has left the service, and the map, I fear, has not yet been issued. -But since Siamese speech and the usage of geographical authorities -are at one on this point, there can scarcely be question as to the -proper form for use here—<span class='sc'>Ed.</span></p> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>At Chieng Rāi we were cordially received. The governor -listened to the Gospel message, and, I believe, -received it in faith, as we shall see later. Thence we -took boat down the Mê Kok to its junction with the -Mê Kōng. The sand-bar where we spent the Sabbath -was covered with fresh tracks of large Bengal tigers.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Shortly after this we passed out of the Mê Kok into -the great Mê Kōng, with reference to which I take -the liberty of quoting from a recent work, <i>Five Years -in Siam</i>, by H. Warrington Smyth, F.R.G.S.</p> - -<p class='c024'>“Few can regard the Me Kawng without feeling its peculiar -fascination. That narrow streak connecting far countries -with the distant ocean,—what scenes it knows, what -stories it could tell! Gliding gently here, and thundering -with fury there where it meets with opposition; always continuing -its great work of disintegration of hard rocks and -of transport of material; with infinite patience hewing down -the mountain sides, and building up with them new countries -in far climes where other tongues are spoken; it never -stays its movement. How few men have seen its upper -waters! What a lonely life altogether is that of the Me -Kawng! From its cradle as the Gorgu River in the far -Thibetan highlands, to its end in the stormy China Sea, it -never sees a populous city or a noble building. For nearly -three thousand miles it storms through solitudes, or wanders -sullenly through jungle wastes. No wonder one sat by -the hour listening to its tale. For though but dull to read -of, the wide deep reality rolling before one had an intense -interest for a lonely man.</p> - -<p class='c027'>“Rising in about 33° 17′ N. Lat. and 94° 25′ E. Long. in -the greatest nursery of noble rivers in the world, where six -<span class='pageno' id='Page_153'>153</span>huge brethren have so long concealed the secrets of their -birth, it flows southeast through Chinese Thibetan territory -to Chuande, where the tea caravan road from Lhasa and -Thibet on the west, crosses it eastward towards Ta Chien Lu -and China, over 10,000 feet above sea-level.”</p> - -<p class='c025'>Almost within sight from the mouth of the Mê Kok -were the ruins of Chieng Sên, once the largest city -in all this region. Its crumbling walls enclose an -oblong area stretching some two miles along the river. -Seventy years before our visit it had been taken by a -combined army of Siamese and Lāo. Its inhabitants -were divided among the conquerors, and carried away -into captivity. At the time of our visit, the city and -the broad province of which it was the capital had -been desolate for three-quarters of a century. Nothing -remained but the dilapidated walls and crumbling -ruins of old temples. Judging from its innumerable -images of Buddha, its inhabitants must have been a -very religious people. One wonders whence came all -the bronze used in making them in those distant days. -To me it was an unexpected pleasure to find myself in -that old city, the ancestral home of so many of our -parishioners. Little did I think then that twenty -years later I should aid in organizing a church where -we then stood. The Mê Kōng is here a mighty stream. -It must be a magnificent sight in time of high -water.</p> - -<p class='c009'>A short distance below the city we passed a village -recently deserted because of the ravages of the -tigers. The second day from Chieng Sên brought us -to Chieng Kawng, one of the largest dependencies of -the province of Nān. There we spent two very interesting -and profitable days. I had met the governor -in Chiengmai. He was delighted with my repeating -<span class='pageno' id='Page_154'>154</span>rifle, and had us try it before him. There was also -his son, who not long after was to succeed the father; -but his story we shall come upon some twenty years -later.</p> - -<p class='c009'>At this place we were fortunate in finding an empty -trading-boat going to Lūang Prabāng, in which the governor -engaged for us passage on very reasonable terms. -We left Chieng Kawng on May 3d. The trip to Lūang -Prabāng occupied five days, and was one of the -memorable events of my life. In some respects the -scenery is not so striking as that of the Mê Ping rapids. -The breadth of the river makes the difference. You -miss the narrow gorge with overhanging cliffs and the -sudden bends closing in every outlet. But, on the -other hand, you have an incomparably greater river -and higher mountains. I quote again from Mr. Warrington -Smyth the following description of one portion -of the river scenery:</p> - -<p class='c024'>“The high peaks, towering 5,000 feet above the river, -which give it such a sombre appearance, are generally of the -very extensive limestone series. They present tremendous -precipices on some of their sides, and their outlines are -particularly bold.... Some miles above Lūang Prabāng -the large and important tributaries of the Nam Ū and the -Nam Sêng enter the Mê Kawng. The clear transparent -water of these tributaries forms a strong contrast to the -brown sediment-laden water of the Mê Kawng.... In -some of the rapids with sloping bottoms, the first jump over -the edge is very pleasant; the fun then comes in the short -roaring waves. Everybody on board is fully occupied; the -men at the bow-oar canting her head this way and that, -the helmsman helping from the other end to make her take -its straight, the men at the oars pulling for all they are worth, -and the rest bailing mightily, or shouting to any one who has -time to listen. If the rapid is a bad one, the crews land to -have a meal before tackling it, and stop to chew some betel -<span class='pageno' id='Page_155'>155</span>and compare notes after it. So it is always a sociable -event.”</p> - -<p class='c025'>My travelling companion, Dr. Vrooman, thus gives -his impressions.</p> - -<p class='c024'>“The current of the Cambodia is very swift, in places -so much so that it was dangerous to navigate. The river is -nearly a mile wide in places; and where the channel is narrow, -it rushes along with frightful rapidity. No scenery is -finer throughout the entire distance we travelled on it. -Mountains rise from either bank to the height of three or -four thousand feet. The river fills the bottom of a long, -winding valley; and as we glided swiftly down it, there -seemed to move by us the panorama of two half-erect hanging -landscapes of woodland verdure and blossom. Only as -we neared the city did we see rough and craggy mountain -peaks and barren towering precipices.”</p> - -<p class='c025'>Twenty-six years later I descended the Mê Ū River -from Mûang Kwā to Lūang Prabāng, and then ascended -it again. The perpendicular rock-cliffs at its junction -with the Mê Kōng surpass any that I ever saw elsewhere.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Of greater interest to me, however, than roaring -rapids and towering rocks were the evidences of -numerous human habitations perched far above us on -the mountain sides. Rarely can their houses or villages -be seen; but in many places their clearings have -denuded the mountains of all their larger growth. It -was tantalizing not to be able to stop and visit these -people in their homes. But my first opportunity to -make extensive tours among them was not till some -twenty years later. As for the Mê Kōng, my comment -is: If I wished an exciting river trip, and had a comfortable -boat, I should not expect to find a more enchanting -<span class='pageno' id='Page_156'>156</span>stretch of three hundred miles anywhere else -on the face of the earth.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Lūang Prabāng was then the most compactly built -of all Siamese cities outside of Bangkok, which, in -some respects, it resembled. It differs from the other -Lāo cities in having no great rural population and extensive -rice-plains near it. Its rice supply was then -levied from the hill-tribes as a tribute or tax. The -city has a fine situation at the foot of a steep hill some -two hundred feet high, tipped, as usual, with a pagoda. -The Nām Kêng there joins the Mê Kōng, dividing the -city into two unequal portions. The view from the -top of the hill is delightful. The inhabitants belong -to a large branch of the Tai race, extending southward -at least to Cambodia. They are called the Lāo Pung -Khāo (White-bellied Lāo), as ours, because of their -universal practice of tattooing the body, are called Lāo -Pung Dam (Black-bellied).</p> - -<p class='c009'>The Prince of Lūang Prabāng was absent from the -city hunting wild elephants, in which game his province -abounds. The Chao Uparāt gave us a hospitable -welcome. Behind the city is a noted cave in a -mountain, which the natives think is the abode of -the very fiercest evil spirits. No doubt the real spirits -are the malarial germs or the poisonous gas which -later we found to be the chief danger of the Chieng -Dāo cave. It was in this cave that M. Mouhot, a -noted French scientist, contracted the fever from which -he died. The natives believed that his death was -caused by his rashness in trespassing upon the domain -of the spirits who preside over the cave. We were -astonished at some sorts of fish displayed in the -market, such as I never saw anywhere else. Mr. McCarthy -tells of assisting at the capture of one, a plā -<span class='pageno' id='Page_157'>157</span>buk, seven feet long, with a body-girth of four feet -and two inches, and weighing one hundred and thirty -pounds.</p> - -<p class='c009'>We remained in Lūang Prabāng six days, leaving it -on May 14th. I was very loath to go so soon. The -people were eager for books as well as for medicine. -It was the one place where Siamese books were well -understood. We could have disposed of basketfuls -of the Scriptures, as Dr. Peoples did twenty-four years -later. It is one of the anomalies of the twentieth century -that when we finally were ready to establish a -Christian mission, after the country had passed from -non-Christian to Christian rulers, we could not get -permission.</p> - -<p class='c009'>From Lūang Prabāng we again took boat to Tā Dûa, -some sixty miles below. There we bade good-bye to -the wonderful river, and turned our faces homeward. -Our elephants were good travellers, the swiftest we -had so far found. They gave us no chance to stroll -on in advance, and rest till they should come up, as -we had done before. They brought us to Nān in six -days, four of which were spent in travel over high -mountain ridges. Our road passed near the great salt -wells; but we had no time for sight-seeing.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Two experiences on this portion of the trip will not -be forgotten. One was a fall from my tall elephant. -A flock of large birds in covert near us suddenly -flew up with loud shrill cries. I was reclining in the -howdah at the time, and raised myself up to look out -under the hood, and, while suspended there in unstable -equilibrium, another and louder cry close at hand made -the beast give a sudden start backwards, which landed -me in a puddle of water. Fortunately no further damage -was done. Another annoyance, more serious, was -<span class='pageno' id='Page_158'>158</span>the land-leeches which we often encountered when we -dismounted to walk. The whole ground and every -shrub and twig seemed covered with the tiny creatures. -Sensitive to the least noise, each one was holding -on by his tail, and waving his head back and forth -to lay hold of any passing animal. We soon found -that they had a special fondness for the <i>genus homo</i>. -Do what we might, every hundred yards or so we -had to stop to rub them off, while the blood ran -profusely from their bites. We had none of the herbs -which the Mūsô bind on their legs to keep them off.</p> - -<p class='c009'>On Saturday evening we reached Nān, the first place -where I found friends since leaving Chieng Rāi. Chao -Borirak, whom I had met in Chiengmai, nephew of the -Nān Prince, and a few others, were soon on hand to -give us welcome and to offer any aid we needed. The -Prince was a venerable old man, with four sons—fine -men, all of them. The country was well governed, -though it long continued conservative as regards the -adoption of foreign ways and the welcoming of foreign -traders. I fell in love with Nān at first sight, and -marked it for a future mission station.</p> - -<p class='c009'>On our departure from Nān, Chao Borirak accompanied -us as far as Prê, bringing his own elephants—one -of them a colt, which he rode astride like a horse—the -only one, in fact, that I ever saw so used. At Prê -we found our government letter not very effective. -Rupees, however, were effective enough to prevent any -long delay. The ruling authority in Prê has always -seemed weak.</p> - -<div id='i158' class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i158.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>INTERIOR OF A TEMPLE, PRÊ</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>There was an amusing circumstance connected with -an eclipse of the moon while we were there. Since -the conversion of Nān Inta, I had taken pains to -announce each eclipse as it was to occur. I did so in -<span class='pageno' id='Page_159'>159</span>Prê the day before it was due. The eclipse took -place early in the night, and I expected to hear the -city resound with the noise of every gun and firecracker -in the place. But everything was as quiet as -a funeral. It seemed to be regarded as <i>our</i> eclipse. -The silence may have been intended to test our assertion -that Rāhū would renounce his hold without the -noise, or possibly they were unwilling to proclaim thus -publicly the superior wisdom of the foreigner in -predicting it. At any rate, they utterly ignored it, -and let the monster have his will unmolested.</p> - -<p class='c009'>My associate had gained all that could have been -expected from the tour; but an aching tooth was giving -him great trouble, and we hurried on. We reached -home on June 22d, just sixty-eight days out. We -found neither family in very good health. The doctor’s -toothache drove him to such desperation that he -insisted on my trying—all unpractised as I was—to -extract the offending eyetooth. It broke. There was -then nothing to do but to make the trip to Bangkok -for the nearest professional help. By the time he returned, -it began to be evident that he could not hope -to remain long in the field.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Between Bangkok, Pechaburī, and Chiengmai, I had -been fifteen years in the field; and my wife had been -in the country from girlhood without change. We had -both endured it remarkably well, considering that we -had had the strain of starting two new stations. Before -the end of the year, however, my wife had reached -the limit of her strength, and it became necessary to -hurry her out of the country. So, on the 3d of January, -1873, she was carried in a chair to the boat, and -we embarked for the United States.</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_160'>160</span> - <h2 id='ch14' class='c010'>XIV<br /> <br />THE FIRST FURLOUGH</h2> -</div> -<p class='c011'>The tour of the previous season had been so -hasty and unsatisfactory, that I was very -anxious, if possible, to duplicate the homeward -stretch of it as far as Nān, then descend the Pitsanulōk -Fork to the Mênam, and so follow my family to Bangkok. -But would it be safe to leave my wife to make -the river trip without me, when she was in such weak -condition, and burdened with the care of four children, -the youngest of whom was but two years old? -I embarked and travelled with them as far as the landing -for Lampūn—where we must separate, if I were -to cross over to Nān—still uncertain as to what I -ought to do. It was then Friday. We decided to stop -there over Sunday, and see how matters looked on -Monday morning. The quiet and rest of the boat were -improving her condition somewhat; and her own -bravery made up whatever was lacking there. I had -secured a strong letter from the Prince, calling for -the best of steersmen through the rapids, and for -protection where the boat should stop for the night. -So, with some anxiety, but with strong faith that the -plan in itself so desirable would prosper, we separated—one -party going by boat down the Mê Ping, and the -other going afoot across country to Lampūn. For the -present we leave the wife and children, to hear their -report when we meet again.</p> - -<p class='c009'><span class='pageno' id='Page_161'>161</span>My plan was to rely on getting elephants from point -to point. Elephants are always very hard to get; so -it seemed doubtful whether my confidence were faith -or presumption. But I was remarkably favoured. At -Lampūn there was not an elephant nearer than the -forests, save two of the governor’s own. I had trusted -to his friendship, and it did not fail me. I got off -in fine style next morning on the governor’s two elephants, -with a letter to all the governors on the route -directing them to see that I was supplied with whatever -I needed on the journey.</p> - -<p class='c009'>I felt strong in having with me, in the person of -Nān Inta, so wise a teacher and such a living witness -of the power of the Gospel. On our first visits it has -usually seemed wise to spend much of the time in visiting -and making known the Gospel privately to those -of reputation, as we know one wise missionary did -in old times. It is necessary to give the rulers a clear -idea of the non-political nature of our work. In order -to do this, we must show positively what our message -is—not merely that we are religious teachers, but that, -as such, we have a message different from all others, -not antagonistic or hostile to them, but supplementing -rather that which they offer.</p> - -<p class='c009'>In visiting among the princely families in the old -city of Lakawn we met one most interesting case. It -was that of an aged bedridden Princess high in rank, -who received the Gospel with all readiness of mind. -By nature, habit, and grace she had been very religious. -She had in her day built temples and rest-houses, had -feasted Buddhist monks, and had fasted times without -number, in order to lay up a store of merit for the -great future. She hoped sometimes that she had -laid up a sufficient store; but the five and the eight -<span class='pageno' id='Page_162'>162</span>commands were against her. She had killed animals; -and the command is explicit, and condemns without a -saviour. That the Creator of all had made these -creatures for our use and benefit was a new idea. That -of itself would remove much of the burden on her conscience. -And as one after another of the great truths -of revelation was opened up to her, particularly the -doctrine of the incarnation and atonement of our divine-human -Redeemer, it seemed as if the burden was -lifted. Nān Inta was himself a living testimony that the -Christian teaching can and does give instantaneous -relief when simply believed. It is difficult to tell -which was more touching, the sympathetic earnestness -of the speaker, or the comfort it imparted to the -hearer. The Princess begged us to come again and -often. And neither of us found any other place so -attractive.</p> - -<p class='c009'>After a week spent in Lakawn, we departed on our -way to Nān. The next Sunday we spent in the forest. -I look back with delightful memories to the occasional -Sabbaths thus spent in the deep forest after a -busy week with no rest and no privacy—a Sabbath -in solitude, away from every noise, and even every -song except the music of the wind and the song of -birds! We always had service with our men; and -then, under the shade of some cool spreading tree, or -beside a flowing brook, one could be alone and yet not -alone. No one more needs such retirement than a -missionary, whose work is always a giving-out, with -fewer external aids for resupply than others have.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The next Sunday we spent in Wieng Sā, the first -of the numerous little outlying towns of Nān. On -Monday we reached Nān itself, the limit of our tour in -that direction. The country was well governed, the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_163'>163</span>princes intelligent, and the common people friendly. -But the special attraction that Nān had for me largely -centred around one man, the Prince’s nephew, Chao -Borirak—the one that rode astride the young elephant -to see us safe to Prê on our earlier trip, with whom -we used to talk religion about the camp-fires till the -small hours of the morning. We left him then apparently -on the border land of Christianity, with -strong hope that he soon would be ready to profess -publicly the faith which he was almost ready to confess -to us. His rank and connection would make him -of great assistance in opening a station in Nān, which, -next to Chiengmai, was the most important province -in the Lāo region. Again he offered us a warm welcome, -giving up his time to visiting with us the rulers -and the monasteries, in one of which his son had long -been an abbot. It seemed as if Nān Inta’s experience -would be all that was needed to settle his faith. At -his request I asked and received permission from the -Prince for him again to accompany us—with his young -elephant foal and her mother—five days’ journey to -Tā It, where I was to take boat. Our walks by day -and our talks by night are never to be forgotten. But -the convenient season to make a public profession never -came. He lived in hope of seeing a station in Nān, but -died not long before the station was established.</p> - -<p class='c009'>At Tā It no boat was to be had either for sale or -for hire. But my face was turned toward home, and I -would have gone on a raft. I had to do the next thing—to -take a small dug-out which the Prince got for -me, and go on to Utaradit, the next town below. There -I was able to purchase a boat, which I afterwards sold -in Bangkok for what it cost me. Nān Inta was the -steersman, and my four men rowed. Our longest stop -<span class='pageno' id='Page_164'>164</span>was at Pitsanulōk, where the Siamese mission now -has a station. On reaching Bangkok I was delighted -to find that my family had made their long trip down -the other river in safety, though not without great -anxiety, and some threatened danger. Our oldest -daughter had been quite ill on the way. Once they -came perilously near falling a prey to a band of -robbers. It was only by a clever ruse of the captain -that they escaped. As soon as he caught sight of the -suspicious-looking group of men on a sand-bar ahead, -he had the gong loudly sounded. That and the waving -American flag evidently made them think that this -was the leading boat of some prince’s flotilla. They -incontinently fled into the forest. At the next stopping-place -our boatmen learned that it was, indeed, -a marauding band that had committed many depredations -on passing boats. What a merciful preservation!</p> - -<p class='c009'>We spent a few weeks in Bangkok, resting and visiting -in the home of my father-in-law, Dr. Bradley, of -sainted memory. It proved to be the last time that -we ever saw him. He lived only a few months after -that.</p> - -<p class='c009'>In fifteen years the world had moved. Going round -“the Cape,” even in a good clipper ship like the <i>David -Brown</i>, had become too slow. We took, instead, the -steamship <i>Patroclus</i> from Singapore to London, via -the Suez Canal. The Rev. Mr. Keyesberry, a missionary -friend of Dr. Bradley’s, had been waiting to find -an escort to England for two young sons and a -daughter. We gladly undertook that service, and so -had a flock of seven young folks to look after!</p> - -<p class='c009'>We were barely under way when our own children -broke out with the measles. The disease, fortunately, -proved to be of a mild type, and our new charges were -<span class='pageno' id='Page_165'>165</span>not hard to manage. So, on the whole, we got along -very well. In London we had unexpected trouble because -the friend who was to meet Alice Keyesberry -at the dock failed to appear, and, strangely enough, we -had received no memorandum of her destination. It -cost us two days’ search to discover her friends at the -Walthamstow Mission School.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The boys I had promised to convoy as far as Edinburgh. -So, leaving my family in London, I had the -great pleasure of a visit to the beautiful Scotch capital. -The day spent there was to me a memorable -one. It was, however, a matter of great regret that, -being so near the Highlands, I could not also visit the -original home of my ancestors.</p> - -<p class='c009'>We arrived in New York on July 11th, 1873, after -an absence of fifteen years. Under any circumstances -fifteen years would work great changes. But that -particular fifteen had included the Civil War. The -changes in the South were heart-rending.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Though North Carolina was drawn late into the -Confederacy, it is said that she furnished a larger -number per capita of soldiers and had a larger number -of casualties than any other state in the South. -The havoc among my old schoolmates and pupils, and -among my flock, was distressing. In many places, too, -the sectional feeling was still bitter. The wisest of -the people, however, were becoming fully reconciled -to the results of the war. The largest slaveholder in -my own section assured me that the freeing of his -slaves had been a boon to him, and that he was clearing -more from his old farm under free labour than -he had done before with slaves.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Unfortunately in the churches the feeling was more -bitter. My old associate, Dr. Mattoon, had accepted -<span class='pageno' id='Page_166'>166</span>the presidency of Biddle Institute at Charlotte—now -Biddle University (colored). For a time he was very -coldly received except by such broad-minded men as -his old Princeton classmate, and my friend, Dr. Charles -Phillips. By virtue, however, of his noble Christian -character and his conservative bearing, Dr. Mattoon -overcame these prejudices, and lived to be welcomed -in the largest churches in the state. I spent most -of my furlough in North Carolina; and personally I -received a welcome almost as warm as if I were a missionary -of the Southern Board. Returned missionaries -were not numerous then. It was not an uncommon -thing for me to lecture in churches which had never -before seen the face of a foreign missionary.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Soon after our arrival in the United States news -came of the resignation of Dr. Vrooman; and my first -duty was to find a successor. For myself, and even for -my family, I could endure to return without one. But -I could not face the distressing appeals from the sick -whose ailments I was powerless to relieve. In my visits -among friends in North Carolina I met a young -medical graduate, Dr. M. A. Cheek, who received from -warm friends of the mission flattering recommendations -for the place. He himself was pleased with the -opening, and would willingly accept it, if he could first -take a graduate course in surgery. This was easily -arranged, and he was ready to return with us the following -summer.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The hardest thing to face was the parting with our -children. But the bitterness of this pang was softened -by the kindness of friends which opened the best -of Christian homes and schools to receive them. We -can never sufficiently express our gratitude for the -kindness shown us in this matter by the late Mrs. E. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_167'>167</span>N. Grant and Miss Mitchell of the Statesville Female -College, and to Mrs. McNeill, the widow of my old -pastor.</p> - -<p class='c009'>These two great questions settled, we left North -Carolina in March, 1874—my wife with the two -younger children, to visit friends and relatives in the -North; and I, as I hoped, to visit the churches and the -seminaries in search of recruits. But a cold contracted -on the trip north ran into a dangerous attack -of pleuro-pneumonia, followed by a slow recovery. Thus -I missed my visits to the seminaries and the meeting -of the General Assembly in St. Louis.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The return to the field was by way of San Francisco, -and we reached Bangkok on August 27th, 1874. -On November 14th a son was given us to take the -place of the children left behind. In December began -our river journey to Chiengmai. The river was -low, and we were a month and a day from Bangkok -to Rahêng. There we found four missionaries of the -Nova Scotia Baptist Board seeking to establish a station -among the Karens of Siam. But they found their -villages too small and too widely scattered to justify -the establishment of a station. So they were returning -to Burma. On Saturday night we all dined together, -and had a sociable hour. On Sunday evening -we drew up our boats side by side, and had a prayer-meeting -that we shall long remember. There was -something delightful in thus meeting and enjoying -Christian fellowship on a sand-bar, and then passing -on to our respective fields of work. Some of these -men afterwards went to India, and started the Telegu -mission, which has had phenomenal success.</p> - -<p class='c009'>There were still the rapids and four more weeks -of travel before we could reach our Lāo home. But -<span class='pageno' id='Page_168'>168</span>the home-coming at last was delightful. Our faithful -old coolie, Lung In, with his wife, met us in a small -boat three days’ journey below Chiengmai, with fruit -and fowls lest we should be in want. Then the tall -figure of Nān Inta, with his face like a benediction!</p> - -<p class='c009'>It was February 7th, 1875, when at last we drew -up alongside our own landing-place, and felt the warm -handshake of old friends. Among the Lāo at last!—and -no place that we had seen would we exchange -for our Lāo home. For the first time since our arrival -in 1867 we had a permanent house to enter!</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_169'>169</span> - <h2 id='ch15' class='c010'>XV<br /> <br />MÛANG KÊN AND CHIENG DĀO</h2> -</div> -<p class='c011'>Dr. Cheek’s arrival was a matter of great rejoicing. -He was very young—only twenty-one, -in fact, on the day he sailed from San -Francisco. The trying drudgery that he and others -of our early medical missionaries had to endure, is now -in great measure obviated through the help of native -assistants. The remainder of the year 1875 I devoted -very largely to assisting in the medical work, interpreting, -helping in operations, and caring for the -souls of the numerous patients, without feeling the -weight of responsibility for their physical condition, -as I had done before. Dr. Cheek came out a single -man; but, like others before him, he lost his heart on -the way. Toward the end of that year he went down -to Bangkok, and was married to Miss Sarah A. Bradley. -He returned to Chiengmai just as Mr. Wilson was -ready to start for the United States on his second -furlough. The April communion was postponed a -week that the newly-arrived and the departing missionaries -might commune together before separating. It -was Mrs. Wilson’s last communion with us.</p> - -<p class='c009'>In May, 1876, Nān Inta was ordained our first ruling -elder. The story has often been told that before his -ordination the Confession of Faith was given him to -read carefully, since he would be asked whether he -subscribed to its doctrines. When he had finished the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_170'>170</span>reading, he remarked that he saw nothing peculiar in -its teachings. It was very much like what he had read -in Paul’s Epistles! In January Pā Kamun, the widow -of Noi Sunya, was baptized. It was thus appropriately -given to her to be the first woman received into -the communion of the church. Two of her daughters, -and Pā Peng, the wife of Nān Inta, soon followed. -Lung In was elected the first deacon, but was too modest -to be ordained to that office. Meanwhile he was -becoming a most useful assistant in the hospital. -Strange as it may seem, the office of hospital nurse is -one of the most difficult to get a Lāo to fill. Lung -In, however, was not above the most menial service for -the sick. His real successor was not found until the -present incumbent, Dr. Kêo, was trained. Dr. McKean’s -testimony is that it would be scarcely more -difficult to procure a good surgeon than to fill Kêo’s -place as nurse and assistant among the hospital patients.</p> - -<p class='c009'>During the summer of 1876, in company with Nān -Inta, I made a tour among the four nearest provinces -to the north and west. The governor of Mûang Kên -had long given promise of becoming a Christian, and -now invited me to visit his people. On his frequent -visits to Chiengmai on business, he always called on -me, and no subject was so interesting to him as the -subject of religion. Before the proclamation of toleration, -while the common people were still afraid of -making a public profession of Christianity, our most -effective work was probably that with the higher class -of officials, who stood in somewhat less fear of the -known antagonism of the Chao Uparāt. They were, -besides, a more interesting class than the common -people, for they were better educated, were more accustomed -<span class='pageno' id='Page_171'>171</span>in their daily duties to weigh arguments and -decide on questions of evidence, and many of them had -been trained in the religious order.</p> - -<p class='c009'>This governor of Mûang Kên had learned enough of -the tenets of Christianity to become unsettled and dissatisfied -with the prospects of salvation offered by a -purely ethical religion. He saw the weakness of the -foundation on which he had been taught to rely, and -the difference between the authors of the two religions. -So he stood on the border land between the two, at -the very gate, wishing to enter in, but with many obstacles -in his way, and strong opposing influences to -overcome.</p> - -<p class='c009'>My first objective, then, on this tour was Mûang Kên. -The governor had asked me to come and smooth the -way for him by teaching his under-officials and his -townsmen. Nān Inta was the living, concrete argument, -and he put his whole heart into it. We had a -few days of deeply interesting work. Few, however, -saw the matter as the governor did. Most of them -“would consider it.” Some would go further and say -that they worshipped Jesus under the name of their -promised Buddha Metraya, yet to come.</p> - -<p class='c009'>From Mûang Kên we went to Chieng Dāo, where -we visited the great cave with its famous Buddhist -shrine. Ever since Nān Inta became a Christian, he -had been anxious to test the truth of some of the -legends connected with the place—a thing he dared -not do before. The cave is the abode of the great -Lawa spirit, for fear of offending whom Prince -Kāwilōrot was afraid to allow us to build to the north -of the city bridge in Chiengmai. Chieng Dāo mountain, -which rises above the cave, is seven thousand -one hundred and sixty feet high—one of the highest -<span class='pageno' id='Page_172'>172</span>peaks in all Siam, and visible from Chiengmai, some -thirty-seven miles away. One of the sources of the Mê -Ping River, twenty feet wide and knee-deep, flows -bodily out from the cave. Since no animal is allowed -to be killed in so sacred a place, the stream abounds -in a great variety of beautiful fish waiting for the -food which no visitor fails to give them. The scramble -for it is as interesting to watch as the performance of -the sea-lions at San Francisco.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The legend is that no one can cross the stream inside -the cave and return alive; and that beyond the -stream, under the crest of the mountain, there is an -image of pure gold seven cubits high. One enters the -cave at a little distance from the stream, and finds -first a grand chamber which is a veritable temple, with -arched dome, natural pulpit, and innumerable images -of Buddha, large and small. This place is regarded -as a most sacred shrine. Buddhist monks are always -there performing their devotions. The chamber is so -dark that they have to use tapers to see to read. The -dim light and the long-drawn tones of the worshippers -produce a very weird impression.</p> - -<p class='c009'>From the temple-chamber narrow passages lead off -in different directions, till there is danger of losing -one’s way in the labyrinth. I followed Nān Inta and -his sons to the stream, which is reached at some -distance farther on. Being neither tall nor a swimmer, -I stopped and sauntered about in the various -rooms, waiting for my companions to verify or to disprove -the legend. Needless to say, both parts of it -were proved myths. My companions did return alive, -and no golden image was found. The cave is too -damp to make it safe for one to remain long in those -distant passages. Farther on the tapers burned but -<span class='pageno' id='Page_173'>173</span>very dimly; and one would not choose to be left there -in pitch darkness. We could understand very well -how the legend arose of Yaks that devour those that -intrude into their dark caverns. There is no doubt -of the presence of a deadly gas much more to be -feared than the spirit of the great Lawa king, which -is believed to have taken up his abode there. We all -experienced more or less of the symptoms premonitory -of malarial attack, and before we got back to the -town Nān Inta was shaking with a genuine chill. A -heroic dose, however, of Warburg’s tincture with -quinine soon set him to rights. In this case, then, as -in many others, there is a foundation of truth at the -bottom of the legend.</p> - -<p class='c009'>That night we had a great audience. It was generally -known that we intended to explore the cave, and -many, no doubt, came to see how we had fared. It -was well that Nān Inta had so far recovered from his -morning’s chill as to be ready to join in bearing testimony -not only to the falsity of the legend, but also -to the truth of the Gospel. It was a bright moonlight -night, and the people listened till very late, while we -sang hymns, preached the Gospel, and pointed them -to the better way. The result was seen years after -in the founding of a church there.</p> - -<p class='c009'>All these provinces that we were now visiting, and -others more distant still, were originally settled by -refugees driven from the more southern districts by the -persecution for witchcraft. Now they are important -provinces. Since these people had been ruthlessly -driven forth because of the spirits, I thought they -would willingly accept any way of escape from their -control. But they seemed, if anything, more superstitious -and harder to reach than others. Having suffered -<span class='pageno' id='Page_174'>174</span>once, as they supposed, from the malicious power -of the spirits, they seemed even more than others -to dread to incur their anger again by deserting them. -But there were many hopeful exceptions.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Mûang Pāo was the next city visited. From the incidents -of our stay there I select the cases of two -persons who excited our deepest sympathy. One was -an aged Buddhist monk, a Ngīo, who, with a younger -companion, visited our tent daily. The monk was -a venerable man, with striking features, serene countenance, -earnest and intelligent. His long life had -been spent in worship, meditation, and study. All -this he soon told us with some quite natural pride. -While not bold, he was not reticent, freely stating his -own doctrines, hopes, and fears, and asking ours. To -the question what were his hopes for a future life, he -frankly said, “I don’t know. How can I? I have -tried to keep the commandments, have performed my -devotions, have counted my beads. But whether I -shall go up or down [indicating the directions with his -finger] I do not know. I have done what my books -tell me, but I have no light <i>here</i> [pointing to his heart]. -Can the teacher’s religion give me any light?”</p> - -<p class='c009'>The earnestness and the despondency of the man -drew me to him. I asked, what of his failures and -transgressions? “That,” he said, “is the dark point. -My books say that all my good deeds shall be rewarded, -but the failures and transgressions must be -punished before I can reach Nirvāna, the final -emancipation of the soul by the extinction of all desire.” -“How long will that be?” we ask. He answered -by giving a number that would baffle even -astronomers, who are accustomed to deal in almost -fabulous numbers.</p> - -<p class='c009'><span class='pageno' id='Page_175'>175</span>“But is not that virtually endless?”</p> - -<p class='c009'>“Yes; but what shall we do? That is what our -books say.”</p> - -<p class='c009'>“But is there no room for pardon?”</p> - -<p class='c009'>“No. Buddha only points out the way that he followed -himself. He reached the goal by the same almost -endless journey. How shall we hope to do so -by any shorter or different route?”</p> - -<p class='c009'>“But supposing there is a way—that there is a great -sovereign of the universe, before all Buddhas and -higher than all Buddhas, who has the right and the -authority to grant full pardon through his own infinite -merit, and his vicarious assumption of all our -obligations and payment of all our debts. Would not -that be a joyful message?”</p> - -<p class='c009'>“Yes; if true, it would be.”</p> - -<p class='c009'>And so we argued till light seemed to gleam for once -into his mind. But the image of the dear old man -pointing up and then down with the sad confession, “I -know not whither I shall go,” is a vision that has saddened -me many a time since.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The other case of special interest I state as it occurred, -with no attempt at explanation of the dream -involved in the story.—On the morning after our arrival, -Nān Inta and I started out to visit monasteries or -houses, wherever we might find listeners. I was -dressed in white clothes, and Nān Inta had on a white -jacket. We had made a number of calls, and were -about to pass by a house in which we saw only an -elderly woman and some children, presumably her -grandchildren. We were surprised to see her come -down from her house and run out after us, and -prostrating herself with the customary salutation given -to priests and princes, she begged us to stop and come -<span class='pageno' id='Page_176'>176</span>in. We accepted her invitation, though surprised at -her evident demonstrations of joy. Sitting down on -the mat, we began to explain that we were teachers -of religion, pointing out the sure way of happiness -both in this life and in the life to come. Our message -was one from the great God and Creator to all -races and nations, inviting them to return from all -other refuges, and He would give them an inheritance -as His children in the life to come. She listened with -marked interest as we explained to her our religion, -and urged her to accept it. We were surprised at the -explanation she gave of her intense interest.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Not long before our arrival she had a dream that -two men dressed in white came to her to teach her. -What they were to teach her she did not know; but -when she saw us walking up the street she said, “There -is the fulfilment of my dream!” She had watched us -as we entered other houses, fearful lest we should omit -hers. Now she was so glad we had come. It was at -least a strange coincidence, for she affirmed that the -dream was before she had ever heard of us. Whatever -may have been the cause, it was a delight to instruct -one who seemed to receive all that we said as a direct -message to her. This at once attracted Nān Inta to -her, and she listened to him with frequent exclamations -of delight, while he, in his earnest manner, explained -the Gospel message of pardon and life eternal -through Him who liveth and was dead, and behold He -is alive for evermore. She said her one great desire -had been to escape from the punishment of her sins; -but she never before had known that there was any -other way but to suffer for them herself. She, too, -was a Ngīo. We visited her frequently during the -week of our stay in Mûang Pāo, and to the last she -<span class='pageno' id='Page_177'>177</span>interpreted our coming as the fulfilment of her dream. -This was the last that we knew either of her or of the -aged monk. Before we visited the place again she was -dead, and he had moved away.</p> - -<p class='c009'>In those days when the people were afraid to make -a public profession of Christianity, it would have been -a great gain to the mission if we could have had -schools, and used them as a means of evangelizing the -youth. A first attempt, indeed, had been made by Mr. -Wilson with a few Burmese boys. A young Burmese -who had been trained in Maulmein, and who spoke -English, was employed to teach them under Mr. Wilson’s -oversight, in the hope that Lāo boys would presently -join them. This hope was not realized, and the -experiment was presently abandoned.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The first call for a Christian school was for the -education of girls. In the first Christian families girls -predominated. Mrs. McGilvary collected six or eight -Christian girls, and devoted as much time to them -as her strength and her family duties would permit. -They were really private pupils, living on our premises -and in our family. More wished to come than she -could do justice to. Hence about this time an appeal -was made for two single ladies to devote their whole -time to the school. But it was not till four years -later that Miss Edna E. Cole and Miss Mary Campbell -of the Oxford Female Seminary, Ohio, reached -Chiengmai. Very soon they had twenty pupils. From -this small beginning has grown our large Girls’ School. -Two of Mrs. McGilvary’s pupils were soon made assistants. -These and others of the first group became -fine women, who have left their mark on the church -and the country.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Notwithstanding our disappointment in the delay -<span class='pageno' id='Page_178'>178</span>of the school for boys, it proved a wise arrangement -that the Girls’ School was started first. A mission -church is sure to be greatly handicapped whose young -men must either remain single—which they will not do—or -be compelled to take ignorant non-Christian wives. -Such are a dead-weight to the husband, and the children -almost surely follow the mother. After marriage, -the almost universal custom of the country has -been that the husband lives with the wife’s family. -He becomes identified with it, and for the time a subordinate -member of it, almost to the extent of becoming -weaned from his own family. Where all the atmosphere -of the family is strongly Buddhist, with -daily offerings to the spirits and gala days at the temple, -the current would be too strong for a father, with -his secondary place in the family, to withstand. For a -while it was feared that Christian girls would have -difficulty in finding husbands. But, on the contrary, -our educated girls become not only more intelligent, -but more attractive in manners, dress, and character; -and, therefore, have been much sought after. The -homes become Christian homes, and the children are -reared in a Christian atmosphere. The result is that, -instead of the wife’s dragging the husband down, she -generally raises the husband up; and, as a general -rule, the children early become Christians.</p> - -<p class='c009'>In August, 1876, our beloved Princess became very -seriously ill. Dr. Cheek had been called upon to -treat domestics in the family, but not the Prince or -Princess. Hearing that she was in a critical condition -under native doctors, and fearing the worst, I -took the liberty of suggesting that they consult Dr. -Cheek. They seemed pleased with the suggestion, and -asked me to accompany him—which I did for one or -<span class='pageno' id='Page_179'>179</span>two visits. His treatment was very successful, and -soon she was convalescent.</p> - -<p class='c009'>About this same time we had an adventure with -white ants which came near costing us our much-valued -cabinet organ. It will serve to illustrate an -experience formerly common enough, and still not unknown. -One Wednesday evening before prayer-meeting -Mrs. McGilvary sat down at the instrument to look -over the tunes, when she found it full of white ants. -Our house was built on higher ground, into which the -creatures are driven when the lower grounds are filled -with water from the annual floods. They do not attack -the teak walls and floors of our houses, but, -climbing up the posts, at last they stumbled upon the -soft wood and leather inside the organ, and were just -beginning their feast when our meeting broke in upon -them. Had we not discovered them then, the instrument -would have been completely wrecked before -morning.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Once the white ants destroyed a trunkful of our -children’s clothes, once a box of “knock-down” chairs, -and once they attacked my library—evidently not at -all deterred by the learned discussions and deep -thought of Dr. Joseph A. Alexander’s <i>Commentary on -Isaiah</i>. They had got through the margin, and would -soon have digested the rest, had not an unexpected -occasion for opening the library saved it.</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_180'>180</span> - <h2 id='ch16' class='c010'>XVI<br /> <br />SEEKERS AFTER GOD</h2> -</div> -<p class='c011'>On New Year’s Day, 1877, I went into the city to -make some calls. The first was at the new -palace. In the large reception hall I found -the Princess, virtually alone. She was embroidering -some fancy pillow-ends for the priests—a work in -which she was an expert. Her maidens, some distance -off, were sewing priests’ robes. The Prince was in his -little workshop not far off, turning ivory rounds for -the railing of an elephant howdah, a favourite amusement -with him.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The subject of religion was one that continually came -up in all my interviews with the Princess; but hitherto -she had apparently argued more for victory than from -a desire to reach the truth. She was as keen as a -lawyer to seize a point, and her quick wit made her a -very enjoyable antagonist. Not only she and her -domestics, but the whole country as well, had been -preparing for a great occasion of merit-making in connection -with the approaching dedication of a shrine. -Whether the peculiar interest of this conversation was -due to the fact that these matters had been running -in her mind, or to some particular mood in which I -found her, I never knew. Most likely it was both. A -chance allusion to the great event which was in every -one’s mouth, at once brought up the question. Stopping -her work and resting her arms on the embroidery -<span class='pageno' id='Page_181'>181</span>frame, she asked, “Why is it that foreigners do not -worship the Buddha or his images, and do not believe -that merit is made thereby?”</p> - -<p class='c009'>She seemed to approach the question as a personal -one for herself. If we were right and she were wrong, -she would like to know it. We agreed on that point, -and I encouraged her in her estimate of its paramount -importance to every rational man or woman. If -Buddhism does, indeed, lead to happiness in a future -life, she was wise in diligently following its precepts; -but if wrong, it would be a fatal mistake. Why do we -not worship Buddha? Because he was only a man. -We reverence his character, as we do that of other -upright men who have tried to do good and to lead -their fellow-men to better things. Gautama Buddha -seems to have sought with all his soul for light—was -willing to forsake a kingdom and to renounce all -sensual and even intellectual pleasures in this life for -the hope of escaping sin and its consequences in the -next.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Why do we worship Jehovah-Jesus? Because He is -our sovereign Lord. The Buddha groaned under his -own load of guilt, and was oppressed by the sad and -universal consequences of sin among men. The Christ -challenged His enemies to convince Him of sin, and His -enemies to this day have confessed that they find no -sin in Him. Buddhists believe that Buddha reached -Nirvāna after having himself passed through every -form of being in the universe—having been in turn -every animal in the seas, on the earth, and in the air. -He did this by an inexorable law that he and every -other being is subject to, and cannot evade. Our Jehovah-Jesus, -as our Scriptures teach, is the only self-existent -being in the universe, and Himself the cause -<span class='pageno' id='Page_182'>182</span>of all other beings. An infinite Spirit and invisible, He -manifested Himself to the world by descending from -heaven, becoming man, taking on our nature in unison -with His own holy nature, but with no taint of sin. -He did this out of infinite love and pity for our race -after it had sinned. He saw there was no other able -to save, and He became our Saviour.</p> - -<p class='c009'>And take the teachings of the two systems—which -is the more credible? The sacred books of the Princess -teach that there is no Creator. Everything, as the -Siamese say, “pen ēng”—comes to be of itself. All -this complicated universe became what it is by a fortuitous -concurrence of atoms, which atoms themselves -had no creator. We come as honest seekers for truth. -We look around, above, beneath. Everything seems to -imply the contrivance of mind. The sun rises and sets -with greater regularity than our clocks strike the hour -of noon. The seasons follow each other with wonderful -uniformity. Animals are born and die, plants and -trees grow and decay, each after its kind, and in wonderful -adjustment to the conditions about them. The -eye is made for seeing, the ear for hearing, and the -air for breathing. Light is necessary for work by day, -and darkness for sleep by night. This city has its walls -and gates; this palace has its beams, its roof, its doors -and windows, and its different apartments, because it -was so planned. The Princess gives her orders, and -her servants in distant villages come at her summons. -The Prince’s command is obeyed throughout all his -dominions. Subjects obey because they are under constituted -authority. Even so we obey Jehovah and not -Buddha, because we believe that He is the Creator and -the sovereign Lord of the universe.</p> - -<p class='c009'>In His word—His letter to our race—He claims -<span class='pageno' id='Page_183'>183</span>to be Creator and Lord. We read His word, and -then we look around for evidence as to whether this is -really so. We find that evidence in earth and sea -and sky. A letter comes from the King of Siam. How -do we know that it is really his? It has his seal. -Not otherwise “the heavens declare the glory of God, -and the firmament showeth His handiwork.” By faith, -then, we believe that the worlds were made, as His word -tells us. We read the account of that creation. What -wonderful beings we are!—made in His image, endowed -in our degrees with His own attributes, and with -authority over the world in which He has placed us. -He has given us dominion over all the beasts of the -earth, the fowls of the air, and the fish of the sea. -Every time that a Buddhist kills a fish or a fowl, he -sins, because he breaks a command of his religion. -Why not so for a Christian? Because these creatures -were made for man’s use, and were given to him. We -partake with gratitude of the gifts our Father has provided -for us. This one great truth, when received by -Christians, relieves the conscience of one of the greatest -burdens that the followers of Buddha must bear.</p> - -<p class='c009'>But if God made man in His image, why all this -suffering that we see and feel? The best explanation -ever given is that given in the Bible. Man was created -holy, and was put on trial. He transgressed. A subject -who disobeys the law of his sovereign incurs his -displeasure. He suffers for it. We are suffering from -this disobedience of our first parents by a law that we -daily see exemplified. A man by extravagance or vice -squanders his estate. His children are born penniless. -The Prince of Wieng Chan rebelled against the King -of Siam. His country was conquered and laid waste, -and thousands of its inhabitants were made captive -<span class='pageno' id='Page_184'>184</span>and deported. Thousands of the descendants of these -captives are now serfs. Why are they so? Because -of the errors or misfortunes of their ancestors. The -Prince appoints a governor over a province, with the -promise that if he is faithful, his children shall succeed -him. Because of misdemeanor he is deposed. -His descendants are born subjects and not rulers. We -belong to a fallen race.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Somana Gautama belonged to the same race. He -groaned under its pains and penalties. He saw a race -sunk in misery. He saw its religion shamefully corrupt. -He inaugurated one of purer morality. But he -does not profess to be divine or a saviour. His religion -does not offer a sufficient remedy. By asceticism and -self-mortification it would extinguish all noble desire as -well as the vicious instincts with which we are born. -And then, after interminable cycles of transmigrations, -we may hope to reach a state of unconscious sleep. -Happiness and misery are inseparable things. We -escape the one only by escaping the other. That is the -dark prospect which makes Buddhism so pessimistic. -To this the Princess assented, “That is so.”</p> - -<p class='c009'>Now compare this with the religion of Jesus. The -sovereign Father who loves His wandering, sinful children, -in His infinite wisdom devised a plan that satisfies -their needs and desires, “God so loved the world -that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever -believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting -life.” Our Maker became our Redeemer by emptying -Himself of His glory and becoming man. He is Himself -the greatest possible illustration of the love of God to -the race. He came to reveal the Father. His holy life -we have in His word. He set us the only perfect example, -full of pity toward the miserable and the sinful. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_185'>185</span>Then, by a painful and shameful death, He became -Himself a sacrifice for the sins of the world. He -obeyed the law which we had broken, and which condemns -us; and suffered in our stead the penalty due -to us. He conquered death. He took away the sting of -death by taking away sin. He arose from the dead, -showing Himself for many days. He ascended to -heaven before the eyes of His disciples. He has sent -His servants and His word to offer a full and free -pardon to all who will accept. He is now, and ever -will be, our intercessor in heaven. He sends His Spirit -to purify and fit us for an endless state of conscious -existence which begins at death, and not cycles after. -Millions of the best men and women the world has -ever seen have given their testimony to the reality of -this salvation by a triumphant death, with the assurance -that all sin and all suffering were past. Jesus -removed the curse, and brought to light the immortality -which we had forfeited by sin. The missionary and his -associates have left both parents and children that -they might offer this to the Princess and to her -people.</p> - -<p class='c009'>To all of this the Princess was mainly a most interested -listener. She had asked to be taught. She -put no captious questions. I have omitted an occasional -assent that she gave, and an occasional difficulty -or doubt—not all of which could be fully answered; as, -for example, why an all-powerful God allowed the entrance -of sin, and now allows wicked spirits to tempt -us; or that other sad question, why the Gospel had not -been sent to them, so that they might have known this -from childhood—a question the burden of which should -press on my readers as well as on the missionary.</p> - -<p class='c009'>At last, after a long pause, the Princess made a wonderful -<span class='pageno' id='Page_186'>186</span>confession, the very words of which I can never -forget:</p> - -<p class='c009'>“Tā chak wā dūi kwām ching, kā han wā paw krū -ko tūk lêo.” To speak the truth, I see that the father-teacher -is right. “Kā chûa wā kong chak mī Pra Chao -ton dai sāng lōk.” I believe there surely must be some -divine Lord who made the world. “Lê bat nī ko chûa -tī paw krū atibāi dūi kān pon tōt dōi Pra Yēsū.” And -now I believe what the father-teacher has explained -about escape from punishment through the Lord Jesus. -And then, sadly—almost despairingly—she added, “Tê -chak yīa cha dai?” But what shall I do?—I fear it -will not be well to forsake “hīt paw hoi mê”—the customs -of my father, the foot-prints of my mother.</p> - -<p class='c009'>We were sitting in the new brick palace—the first -ever built in the country. In the hall was a large -pier-glass with numerous other foreign articles, most -of them bought in Bangkok, and brought up for offerings -at the coming dedication of the shrine. I asked, -“Princess, did your father or grandfather have a brick -palace like this?” Somewhat surprised at the question, -she replied, “No.” “And I see the Princess -riding down to the landing every day in a foreign carriage. -Did your ancestors do that?” Before I could -make the application, she blushed, perceiving that she -was caught. I went on: “You do daily forsake old -customs, and adopt new ones which your ancestors -never knew. The whole method of government is -changing. This foreign cloth, which your maidens are -sewing for priests’ robes, was all unknown to your -forefathers. These things all come from lands where -the people worship neither the Buddha nor the spirits. -These are only some of the fruits that grow on the tree. -Better still, plant the tree; for all good fruit grows on -<span class='pageno' id='Page_187'>187</span>it.” Just then our long conversation was interrupted -by the entrance of the Prince, who had worked till -he was tired. He asked what she and the teacher were -talking about so long. She replied that we were discussing -“bun lê bāp”—merit and sin.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The question often came up after this. She was in a -position where it was, humanly speaking, almost impossible -for her outwardly to forsake the customs of -the country. But I have reason to know that on that -morning she received truths which she never forgot. -We have seen before that neither she nor her husband -approved of her father’s act in murdering the Christians. -She continued a warm friend to the last, and -so did the Prince.</p> - -<p class='c009'>On my way home that same forenoon I had another -interesting talk with our dear old friend, the abbot of -the Ūmōng monastery, who had been so true to us during -our troubles. On the gate-posts, as I entered, were -offerings of fruit, rice, betel, etc., to propitiate the -spirits. This is in flat violation of one of the fundamental -precepts of Buddhism, which declares that any -one who makes offerings to spirits is outside of the pale, -or, as we should say, is virtually excommunicate. Of -course, my abbot friend exculpated himself from all -complicity in the offerings. He himself neither worshipped -nor feared the spirits. But his disciples and -parishioners did, and he could not withstand them. -He, too, never gave up the form of Buddhism, but he -claimed that he worshipped Jesus daily as the great -Creator and Benefactor of our race. His merit he believed -to be infinitely greater than that of Buddha, -whom he knew to be a man. The abbot was a man -of broad mind, and a true and faithful friend. It is -well that it is not for us to say how much of error -<span class='pageno' id='Page_188'>188</span>is consistent with true discipleship, even in Christian -lands. I know that his deep-rooted friendship for us -was because we were teachers of a religion that offered -hopes which Buddhism does not give. I have in mind -many others, also, who believed our doctrine, though -they were never enrolled in our church; and not a few -that would urge others of their family and friends to -take, as Christians, the open stand which, from various -causes, they themselves were prevented from taking. -But the Lord knoweth them that are His.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The great event of the year 1877 was the dedication -of a Buddhist shrine recently rebuilt on Doi Sutēp, the -noble mountain which is the pride and glory of -Chiengmai. From the level of the plain, and at a -distance of but four miles westward from the city, the -mountain rises in a single sweep four thousand five hundred -feet, forest-crowned to its very summit, seamed -with rushing brooks, and embroidered with gleaming -waterfalls. In the rainy season the play of cloud and -vapor, of sunshine and storm about its mighty mass, -forms an ever-changing picture of surpassing beauty -and grandeur. The Siamese and the Lāo are very fond -of an imposing setting and a commanding view for -their temples and shrines—on bold promontories by -sea or river, on high knolls and summits. The one on -Doi Sutēp crowns a projecting shoulder or bastion of -the mountain, some half-way up, and visible from all -parts of the Chiengmai plain. Each reigning Prince -has been desirous of doing something to beautify and -enrich this shrine. To rebuild it was, therefore, an -attractive idea to Prince Intanon at the beginning of -his rule.</p> - -<div id='i188' class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i188.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>AN ABBOT PREACHING</p> -</div> -</div> -<p class='c011'>To do honour to the occasion, and to make merit -thereby, all the northern states, as far east as Lūang -<span class='pageno' id='Page_189'>189</span>Prabāng, sent their highest officials with costly offerings; -and the government of Siam sent a special representative. -For weeks and months previously the -whole country had been placed under requisition to -make preparations. Offerings were levied from every -town, village, and monastery, and, I believe, from every -household. Each guest of honour had a temporary -house built for him at the foot of the mountain, with -smaller shelters for persons of less rank. Nearly all -the princes and nobles of Chiengmai joined the encampment -at the base of the mountain, and thither, -also, was the city market removed, so that our housekeepers -had to send four miles to market!</p> - -<p class='c009'>I had intended to pitch a tent near the encampment, -so as to be near the people for missionary work. -But a rheumatic attack during the opening days of the -festival prevented. Still, we had as many visitors at -home as we could attend to, and under conditions more -favourable for missionary work.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Such occasions are very attractive to the Lāo people. -For the time being the prohibition against -gambling is removed, and they make the most of it. -It may seem a queer way of making merit, but the -theory is that their merit earns them the right to a -good time for once. Thousands of rupees change -hands on such occasions. The mornings are given to -making offerings, the afternoons to boxing and games, -and the nights to theatricals and gambling. I was -glad that I was prevented from pitching my tent in -the midst of the noise and revelry. All those interested -in religion were the more free to call and converse -with us apart from the princes and the rabble. -Officers and monks from a distance were always especially -welcomed, and few of them in those days returned -<span class='pageno' id='Page_190'>190</span>to their homes without calling on the foreign -teacher.</p> - -<p class='c009'>I did not get off on a long tour that season, being -unable to secure an elephant. It was better so, however, -for early in May Dr. Cheek went to Bangkok to -consult a physician, and went on thence as far as -Hongkong. It was April 30th of the next year before -he got back to Chiengmai. And the season proved to -be one of the most unhealthy in the history of the -mission. Worst of all, we had only six bottles of -quinine to begin the season with. There was a rush -for the quinine, and it seemed cruel to withhold it so -long as any was left. The fever was of a violent -type, and often fatal. Native doctors were helpless before -the scourge. On looking about me for a substitute -for quinine, I found that arsenic was the next -best remedy, and that Fowler’s Solution was the best -form for administering it. But we had not a drop of -the solution. We had, however, a bottle of arsenious -acid, and a United States Dispensatory, so that I had -to become pharmacist as well as doctor. I had all the -ingredients save one, an unessential colouring matter. -So I made it up by the quart. But it was not a medicine -to be trusted in native hands. They were accustomed -to take their own medicine by the potful, and -had the theory that if a little is good, a great deal -would be better.</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_191'>191</span> - <h2 id='ch17' class='c010'>XVII<br /> <br />THE RESIDENT COMMISSIONER</h2> -</div> -<p class='c011'>In this same year, 1877, there occurred an event of -utmost importance to the mission and to the -whole country. We have seen that, up to the -death of Prince Kāwilōrot, those Lāo provinces which -are now a part of Siam had been virtually free states. -The Siamese yoke had been very easy. They had never -been conquered in war. Their original association -with Siam had been a voluntary one, in order to -escape the oppressive rule of Burma. Their location -and their weakness made it a necessity that they should -look to one of these rival kingdoms for protection -against the other. At the same time, they added both -dignity and strength to the one on which they leaned—they -served it as a buffer against the other. Nature -had connected the Lāo country more intimately with -Siam. All its communication with the sea was -through the Mênam Chao Prayā and its tributaries, -while a range of lofty mountains separated it from -Burma. In race and language too, they were Siamese, -and not Burmese.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The relation had been mutually beneficial. Both -parties recognized the advantages of the arrangement, -and were satisfied. The balance of real advantage had -been to the weaker states. Their chiefs, indeed, were -required to make triennial visits to the Siamese capital, -to present there a nominal tribute, and to renew -their oath of allegiance. But with this exception they -<span class='pageno' id='Page_192'>192</span>were virtually free. In his own country the Prince -had absolute rule. The Siamese had never interfered -with, or assumed control of, the internal affairs of the -North Lāo states. It will be remembered that the -sanction of the Siamese government to the establishment -of the mission was given only after the Lāo -Prince had given his.</p> - -<p class='c009'>It was probably an inevitable result that the stronger -power should in time absorb the weaker. And the -course of events had been tending that way. The forests -of teak on the upper branches of the Mênam were -too valuable to be concealed or to remain profitless. -The world needed the timber, and was willing to pay -for it. The country needed its value in money. The -Burmese of Maulmein, who were British subjects, had -skill in working out the timber, which the Lāo had -not. With money and valuable presents they tempted -the Lāo rulers, who formerly had absolute authority -over the forests, to grant them concessions to cut the -timber and market it in Bangkok. Both parties were -avaricious, and both were probably crooked. Larger -bribes sometimes induced a Lāo ruler to issue a second -concession to work a forest already assigned to -an earlier applicant. The result was a constant succession -of lawsuits brought by British subjects against -the Lāo. Since the Lāo states were dependencies of -Siam, the Siamese government was often called upon -to enforce judgment against them; while the Lāo felt -that the Siamese suzerainty ought to shield them from -such attack. Siam was now come to be in fact the -buffer between the Lāo and the outside world. Instead -of the pleasant relations which had hitherto existed -between the two peoples, there was now constant -friction.</p> - -<p class='c009'><span class='pageno' id='Page_193'>193</span>Up to the time when Prince Kāwilōrot gave his public -and official promise before the United States Consul -and the representative of the Siamese government, in -the little sālā at the landing-stage of Wat Chêng in -Bangkok, no foreign power other than the English had -had any claim on the Lāo or any contact with them. -It was only the impolitic act of killing the Christians -which brought the Lāo Prince into conflict with the -representative of the United States government. The -fact that it was the missionaries who were immediately -concerned had nothing to do with the question. Had -the agreement been made with American citizens in -any other capacity or business, the obligation would -have been the same. The Siamese government recognized -the obligation, and, as we have seen, guaranteed -the continuance of the mission. And that guarantee -was an additional reason for having an official representative -of Siam resident in Chiengmai.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Had the new Prince been as strong as he was mild -and good, and had the Chao Uparāt been like him, it -is possible that the old feudal relation might have continued -another generation or two. No doubt the -Siamese government thoroughly trusted the loyalty -of the new Prince; but it did not regard him as a man -sufficiently strong to hold the reins of power at that -juncture. Moreover, all the business of ruling was -largely given over to the Uparāt; and he in a number -of ways had shown his opposition to our work and his -jealousy of the English and of foreigners generally. -When news reached us first that a High Commissioner -was appointed, and then that he was on the way, there -was great anxiety to know what stand he would take -with reference to Christianity.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Prayā Tēp Worachun proved to be an admirable -<span class='pageno' id='Page_194'>194</span>selection for Commissioner. He had many of the qualities -of a statesman. He was cool, calm, patient, and -wise. Judging from the result, it is evident that his -instructions were: to be conservative; to make no rash -or premature move; and to uphold the royal authority -conjointly with the old princely rule—peaceably, if -possible, but firmly—till Siam could assume complete -control. Meanwhile he was to follow the English plan -of governing through the native rulers. He was willing -to bide his time. Every new assumption of power -on the part of Siam was reluctantly yielded by the Lāo. -But everything conspired to favour the policy of Siam. -The Lāo Prince was passive and unambitious. For -the Uparāt no one felt the reverence or the fear that -all had felt for the late Prince Kāwilōrot. The Commissioner’s -fairness and business integrity enabled -him to maintain himself perfectly in his difficult position -between the two branches of the Tai race, and -amid the conflicting interests of the time.</p> - -<p class='c009'>In religion the new Commissioner was a stoic. His -boast was that he needed no other religion than to -be loyal to his king, and upright and just in his dealings -with men. Virtue was its own reward, and vice -was its own punishment. He accepted Gibbon’s conclusion -that all religions are alike good for the state, -alike true for their adherents, and alike false for the -philosopher. He encouraged Christianity because it -taught a good morality and made good citizens. But -he could see neither the possibility nor the necessity of -an atonement for sin. On one point I should say we -were in full accord. In his opposition to the spirit-worship -of the Lāo he was almost rabid. He sympathized -deeply with the poor people accused of witchcraft, -who were driven out of the country.</p> - -<p class='c009'><span class='pageno' id='Page_195'>195</span>During the absence of Dr. Cheek and Mr. Wilson -with their families, I should have been utterly unable -to cope with the situation, had it not been for my wife’s -clear business talent and tact in planning. The little -girls, too, had begun to show somewhat of their -mother’s aptitude for work.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Meanwhile the fever scourge continued to spread and -increase in violence. The progress of the disease was -so rapid that often the person attacked would never -rally at all. An interesting example of the way in -which healing of the body sometimes opened the way -to the healing of the soul, is seen in the case of Sên -Kam, an officer who was in charge of all the irrigation -works on the Doi Saket plain, and who one day was -brought to my gate, as it was supposed, to die. The -new medicine quickly checked his fever, and presently -he began to study in Siamese the Shorter Catechism, -Genesis, and the Gospel of John. In due time he -returned home a believer. But his desertion from -Buddhism caused such opposition in his province that -his baptism was delayed. His family were so shaken -that some of them wished to return to the old worship. -But one young granddaughter of twelve or thirteen -years had begun to read our books and to attend our -services. She refused to return to the monastery, and -would run away from it to the chapel. She persevered -until she brought back the whole family into -the Christian fold.</p> - -<p class='c009'>In further illustration of the crowded experiences -of this time, I may cite the following items from letters -to our children, written during the latter half of -the year 1877.</p> - -<p class='c024'>“Last week the King sent for your father to treat a -prince who had had the fever for fifteen days. During his -<span class='pageno' id='Page_196'>196</span>paroxysms his cries could be heard throughout the whole -neighbourhood. In their extremity they sent for your -father, and gave up the case to him with permission to -remove all spirit-charms during the treatment. He is now -out of danger.” [<span class='sc'>Mrs. McG.</span>]</p> - -<p class='c024'>“For three weeks I have had a young prince in hospital -who had attempted suicide by cutting his throat. He was a -fearful sight. It did not seem possible that he could survive -the night. I sewed up the wound, however, and now he is -well, and apparently penitent.” [<span class='sc'>D. McG.</span>]</p> - -<p class='c024'>“We are well as usual, but engrossed in work. Your -father is pressed beyond measure with the work of two men. -On the return of Dr. Cheek’s boats, we received forty -ounces of quinine; but it is going at a fearful rate. The -hospital is full of patients, and there are at least one -hundred more to be prescribed for daily. If I did not drop -everything else and help him, he could not possibly get -through the day’s work.” [<span class='sc'>Mrs. McG.</span>]</p> - -<p class='c024'>“Soon the quinine was all gone, and our compound was -becoming a veritable lazaretto. Most of the patients were -anæmic and dropsical from long-standing fever. They -came, because to remain at home was to die. Then a new -complication arose. Unusual symptoms began to occur that -I could not account for. One morning at breakfast we -were called to see a little girl who had a hemorrhage. She -had no cough and had no consumption. While I was looking -up the symptoms and cause, your mother discovered -that the bleeding was from the gums. That gave us the -clue. It was scurvy. I found that we had at least thirty -others whose gums were similarly diseased. We began at -once to give them lime-juice, and prescribed vegetables, for -the lack of which they were starving. It is the invariable -custom of Lāo doctors in cases of fever to put the patient on -a strict diet of boiled rice and dried fish. On such diet -some of our patients had been living for two or three months. -They might as well have been on an arctic voyage!” -[<span class='sc'>D. McG.</span>]</p> - -<p class='c024'><span class='pageno' id='Page_197'>197</span>“Day before yesterday we tried to have a picnic. A -princess had promised us two elephants, but only one came. -Your father took a horse. The three children and I rode -the elephant. Our destination was the Doi Sutēp temple. -About half the way up the mountain the elephant either concluded -that there was no fun in going up alone, or, more -probably, that he had an uncomfortable load, and refused -to go any further. He turned out of the road, and tried -to throw the driver from his neck. The children became -alarmed, and we dismounted as best we could. The children -refused to try riding him again; and since we had -come largely for their pleasure, we had our lunch by a -brook, and returned home on foot.” [<span class='sc'>Mrs. McG.</span>]</p> - -<p class='c024'>“We had an interesting incident at our December communion. -Just as I had announced the communion hymn, -I saw Chao Borirak—the Nān prince, who had twice accompanied -me with his elephant on my journeys, and for -whose sake largely one of my trips to Nān had been taken—enter -the room. As he had been the subject of much -special prayer on our part, I could hardly command my -voice sufficiently to proceed with the hymn. On my return -from my furlough he had written that he would visit me at -the first opportunity. His uncle, the Prince of Nān, had -a grandson in danger of losing his sight from an accident. -He had persuaded the Prince that possibly our medicine -might help him. He brought a few presents from the -Prince, and for himself had brought a gold ring with a -native pearl from the Nān river. He is very anxious that I -should move to Nān, but I tell him that he must wait for -you.... With fever and death around us we have been -wonderfully preserved from ‘the pestilence that walketh in -darkness, and the destruction that wasteth at noonday.’ -We have had our anxieties about the children. During the -last hot season we were afraid that little Margaret would -melt away, she was so thin.” [<span class='sc'>D. McG.</span>]</p> - -<p class='c025'>But the labours of the year were not in vain. During -its progress Nān Suwan, who afterwards became -<span class='pageno' id='Page_198'>198</span>the founder of the church in Chieng Sên, and four -others who became influential ruling elders, were baptized. -And with these was Pā Kawng, an aged slave -of the Prince, who lived to be one of the Lāo saints.</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_199'>199</span> - <h2 id='ch18' class='c010'>XVIII<br /> <br />WITCHCRAFT</h2> -</div> -<p class='c011'>On January 6th, 1878, two native converts were -received into the church—Nān Sī Wichai, the -fine scholar who had been Dr. Cheek’s teacher, -and the wife of a leading elder—and with them our -own daughter Cornelia. This was the bright beginning -of the year that brought in religious toleration.</p> - -<p class='c009'>One day in March, as I was sitting in my study, I -was surprised to see a tall man, a stranger, with the -bearing of an officer, enter. He pointed with both -fingers to his ears, and asked if the teacher could say -“Ephphatha,” and open the ears of a deaf man as -Jesus did. It was a strange introduction—to be accosted -by a Lāo with a quotation from Scripture in -the ancient Aramæan tongue! I judged by his accent -that he was from Lakawn. In answer to my enquiry -as to who he was, I learned that he was a Prayā, the -highest rank among Lāo officials; that he had formerly -been first in the Lakawn court, but was not then in -office. But where had he received a Bible, and who -had taught him?</p> - -<p class='c009'>I learned that some twenty years before this he had -accompanied his Prince to Bangkok, and there had met -Dr. Bradley, from whom he received a copy of the Old -Testament History in Siamese, and the New Testament -so far as it was then published. He had learned -Siamese in order to be able to read and understand the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_200'>200</span>contents of these books. He often wished that he had -lived in the time of Christ. But, having no one to -guide him, he had not learned to draw the lessons that -the Bible story was designed to teach.</p> - -<p class='c009'>He had come to Chiengmai to get the assistance of -the princes there in righting an unjust decision of -the Lakawn court against him. He had heard, too, -that there were teachers of a new religion; and he -wished to know whether we taught as did Dr. Bradley -and the books received from him. His position, his -manners, his whole history, including his connection -with my father-in-law, attracted me to him with uncommon -force. Our first interview was long and very -satisfactory. His questions were such as he had long -wished to put to some one who could explain them. -The truth had been securely lodged in his mind. It -was most interesting to see how a single new thought -would illuminate it all.</p> - -<p class='c009'>But what he had sown he was then reaping. While -in power he doubtless had oppressed others. Once he -had received “hush money” from murderers whom he -should have prosecuted. If he had not taken it, he -said they would have murdered him, too. His sins -weighed upon his conscience. His most anxious question -was whether Jesus could really save <i>all</i> men from -<i>all</i> sins. When asked if Buddha could do so, he -said that he never had seen any such promise in any -of the scriptures. He would search again. He went -to an abbot friend from whom he borrowed, as he said, -“books by the armful.” He looked them over with -this one question in view: Is there hope of pardon offered -to sinners? He went a second time for more. -At his third coming the abbot, finding out what he was -after, refused to lend to him further. But he confessed -<span class='pageno' id='Page_201'>201</span>that his search was in vain. He argued with -the monks, refuted them; and they cast him off. Upon -his arrival the Chao Uparāt had promised his assistance -in the lawsuit. When, however, he found that -the Prayā was becoming a Christian, he dropped him. -But he had found an intercessor greater than any -earthly prince. For Him he was willing to face all -opposition and to bear all reproach.</p> - -<p class='c009'>He was baptized on the 8th of May, just before returning -home. The rains had already set in, and were -likely greatly to impede his journey. Yet he reached -Lakawn without encountering a shower. His account -of it afterwards was, that whenever he saw the clouds -threatening, he would wave his hands and pray that -they might be dispersed. Lāo Christians have not become -befogged with doubts as to the efficacy of prayer -for temporal blessings. After his return to his home, -his family all became believers, and others also whom -he taught. At his invitation I went over to instruct -them and to administer the sacraments. Two years -later the number was sufficient to warrant their organization -into a church, of which the Prayā was made -the first elder.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Dr. Cheek’s return at the end of April, 1878, took -from my shoulders the care of the medical work—a -very great burden. During his absence I had put up -a hospital building of six rooms. This since then has -been moved, and now forms the nucleus of the Chiengmai -Hospital. The doctor soon found himself overwhelmed -with practice. He was a fine surgeon and a -good doctor, and had great influence both with princes -and with people. Moreover, Mrs. Cheek’s inheritance -of the language—like my wife’s—was a great advantage -to them both. Only a few days after the doctor’s -<span class='pageno' id='Page_202'>202</span>arrival we lost our valuable hospital assistant, -Lung In. One evening he complained of some trouble -about the heart. He talked a few moments with his -family, then said he felt better and would go to sleep—and -in an instant was gone.</p> - -<hr class='c015' /> - -<p class='c009'>In 1878 Chieng Sên, the old abandoned city which I -visited in 1872, became the theme of anxious consultation -on the part of the government. The Lāo had -taken away the inhabitants, but could not take away -the land. It had become a rendezvous for robbers -and lawless men from all quarters. The Western -Shans from Burma were settling upon it. Siam evidently -must repopulate the province, or lose it. It was -finally agreed that one thousand descendants of the -original captives should be drafted from Chiengmai, -one thousand from Lakawn, and five hundred from -Lampūn, and sent back to reoccupy the province. Chao -Noi Inta, the highest in rank of the available descendants -of the original captive princes, was commissioned -as governor. The special interest this exodus has for -our narrative lies in the fact that among these returned -captives was the family of Nān Suwan, one of -our best men, and already an elder of the church. At -first Nān Suwan thought of buying himself off, as -many did. But when it was pointed out to him that -his going would be the means of starting a church -there, he readily consented to go.</p> - -<div id='i202a' class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i202a.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>INTANON, PRINCE OF CHIENGMAI</p> -</div> -</div> -<div id='i202b' class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i202b.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>ELDER NĀN SUWAN</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c011'>The governor was a warm friend of mine, and was -urgent that we establish a mission and a church there -before Buddhist temples could be built. The province -was virgin soil. A great mortality usually attends the -repeopling of deserted places and the clearing of the -land. The governor was very anxious that we should -<span class='pageno' id='Page_203'>203</span>send a physician. Had we gone then with five hundred -ounces of quinine, we should have had command -of the situation. As it was, Nān Suwan was furnished -with some quinine, which gave him the name of doctor. -Broad-minded, hospitable, kindly, and thoroughly upright, -there could have been no better selection. He -became the real father of the Chieng Sên church. His -family was a light in the city. His youngest daughter, -Kūi Kêo, one of Mrs. McGilvary’s first pupils, taught -most of the early Christians there to read the Scriptures -in Siamese. The elder himself became a great -favourite with the governor, who used to say that the -fact of his being governor, and, therefore, under authority, -alone prevented him from uniting with the church. -Another of the returning captives was Sên Yā Wichai, -the first believer in Chiengmai. He settled on the -western border of the Chieng Sên plain.</p> - -<hr class='c015' /> - -<p class='c009'>The Lāo as a race have been in bondage to the spirits. -We have already had frequent occasion to refer to the -slavish fear of them among all classes, from the highest -to the lowest. No event in life, from birth to the last -offices for the dead, could be undertaken without consulting -or appeasing the presiding spirits of the clan, -the household, or the country. Their anger is the fruitful -cause of every disease and calamity that flesh is -heir to.</p> - -<p class='c009'>In many ways this would seem a less elevating and -ennobling cult than pure Buddhism. But really it -has a much closer affinity with Christianity than has -Buddhism, whether as scientifically held by the learned, -or as embraced by the common people. Buddhism is -too atheistic to bring it into comparison here with -Christianity. It lacks the essential attribute of religion—a -<span class='pageno' id='Page_204'>204</span> sense of dependence on some higher power. -It belongs to a different order of thought. The spirit-cult, -on the other hand, does recognize invisible powers -whose goodwill or illwill brings prosperity or adversity. -From this to one Great Spirit, who is sovereign -over all, is but another step on the same line of -ascent. So their spirit-offerings come nearer the idea -of propitiation than do the offerings of Buddhism, -which in some quite unaccountable manner are supposed -to bring merit to the offerer.</p> - -<p class='c009'>A belief in witchcraft—that is, in the temporary -or permanent residence of some evil spirit in men—has -been confined to no one age or race. Its predominance -among the northern Tai tribes is very remarkable -in view of its inconsistency with Buddhism, which -has long been the religion of the race. In the contest -for supremacy, the spirit-cult, while it has not superseded -Buddhism, has secured the stronger hold on -the people. They worship Buddha and make offerings -in his temples; but they fear and dread the power of -the spirits to inflict present evil. It is safer to neglect -Buddha than these. And the power of a malicious -spirit is most dreaded when it has taken up its abode -in a human habitation.</p> - -<p class='c009'>From the time of our first arrival in Chiengmai we -were continually amazed to find what multitudes of -people had been driven from their homes for supposed -witchcraft. All the northern provinces and towns, as -has already been mentioned, were largely peopled by -that unfortunate class. Accusation of witchcraft had -become one of the most dreaded means of oppression -and persecution. It was a favourite way of getting -rid of an envied rival or of a disagreeable neighbour. -No family and no rank were safe from such attack. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_205'>205</span>Princes, even, had fallen under its ban. When once -the suspicion of witchcraft was well started, the individual -or the family was doomed. Our sympathies -had often been aroused in behalf of these unfortunates; -but no favourable opportunity had occurred for interference -in any other way than by our teaching.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Finally, in August, 1878, the opportunity came. I -had a request from a prince of some wealth and standing, -that I would take under our protection Pā Sêng -Bun and her family, accused of witchcraft. The -woman was first the under-wife of the Prince’s deceased -father, who was a man of note in his day. She -had two fine boys by a subsequent husband, and a niece -nearly grown. This second husband was a widower, -whose former wife was suspected of dealing in the -occult art; and the theory was that the evil spirit -came into her family through these sons. In that -season of heavy rains and flooded streams, the whole -family was to be driven off—some of them surely to die -on the way. The patron said that he was helpless; -that no one in the land, unless it were ourselves, could -shield them from that fate. I told him that we were -perfectly willing to risk the anger of the spirits, only -we did not wish unnecessarily to offend the prejudices -of the people. He was willing to assume all <i>legal</i> responsibility; -for the rest, we might fight it out with -the spirits as we pleased. After notifying the Siamese -Commissioner of the situation, we brought the family -to our place.</p> - -<p class='c009'>That very day their house was burned down; and -not a tree or bush was left standing on the premises -to furnish shelter to the spirits. But that did not stop -the clamour. There was then in their village a great -epidemic of fever. By common consent it was agreed -<span class='pageno' id='Page_206'>206</span>that this had been caused by the evil spirit resident in -the lads. With boyish curiosity they had twice or -thrice gone back to visit the site of their old home, and, -strange to say, after each visit a new case of sickness -had occurred, which was, of course, attributed to their -presence. It was vain to point out the utter ridiculousness -of the idea, or to show that no sickness had -occurred on our place since their arrival. That was -easily explained. The spirit was afraid of our God, -and did not dare to enter the premises. It took refuge -in a large tree outside till the boys came out again, -when it entered its former habitation and went with -them.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Finally the patron prince sent word that we must -give that family up. He could endure the odium no -longer. When I refused, he threatened to take the -matter into court. To this I replied that I was perfectly -willing that the case be tried; but it should not -be tried before a Lāo court, but before the Commissioner. -If they could convince him that the sickness -in the village was caused by a malicious spirit resident -in that family, they should be sent off immediately. -But, I added, it would be fair to make one condition. -If the accusers failed, <i>they</i> should be driven -off. This—as I knew it would do—put an end to the -whole affair. We heard no more of it. It was a great -victory in the demon controversy; and, later, as we -shall see, it proved a boon to scores of helpless victims. -Before the arrival of the Commissioner such -an outcome would have been impossible. No Lāo -court would have refused to expel persons so accused. -The family of Pā Sêng Bun proved to be a treasure, -becoming one of the most influential and valuable in -the Chiengmai church.</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_207'>207</span> - <h2 id='ch19' class='c010'>XIX<br /> <br />THE EDICT OF RELIGIOUS TOLERATION</h2> -</div> -<p class='c011'>Our narrative has now brought us to a point -where an apparently trivial circumstance became -the occasion of an event not only of utmost -importance to us and to our work, but of far-reaching -consequences to the country at large. Sometime -near the middle of this year, 1878, the eldest -daughter of Nān Inta was to be married to a Christian -young man studying for the ministry. Both parties -at that time were virtually members of our family. -The expected bride was a pupil of Mrs. McGilvary’s, -and the groom was a private pupil of mine. The immediate -family connections on both sides were Christians. -Inasmuch as this was the first Christian marriage -in the church, we had prepared to celebrate it -with a little wedding feast. Besides the Christians, a -few princes and a few special friends were invited, all -anxious to see a Christian marriage ceremony. Among -the invited guests was Chao Tēpawong, Nān Inta’s -liege-lord, and brother of the Uparāt.</p> - -<p class='c009'>We learned that the family patriarch—known to be -a violent opposer of Christianity—had threatened to -prevent the marriage, unless we first paid to him, as -tribal head of the family, the spirit-fee originally designed -to furnish a feast for the spirits. It was a -small sum—among common people not more than six -rupees. That payment would legalize marriage without -<span class='pageno' id='Page_208'>208</span>any further ceremony. In fact, the payment may -be regarded as a distinctively religious act, since it -recognizes the spirits as the guardians and protectors -of the family. When one becomes a Christian, that -allegiance is cast off. By an unwritten law or custom -of the country, that fee belonged to the patriarch, -and he decided to exact it or make trouble. I had -explained the marriage ceremony to the princes and to -the Commissioner. I knew that the latter recognized -the justice of our position, and I assumed that the -government would support us if the patriarch caused -any trouble.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Sure enough, early in the morning the patriarch’s -loud voice was heard in our yard threatening dire punishment -to the family if his demand were not granted. -The bride’s father became alarmed, and thought we -must have some official backing, or he would surely -get into trouble. The guests had arrived, and every -one was on the <i>qui vive</i> to see which side was to win -in the contest. I went to the liege-lord of the family -for his sanction; but he said it was too big a question -for him to pass upon. I must go to a higher authority. -It had evidently become a question that could not be -settled that morning. Old Adam would have said, -“Marry them and trust to the justice of your cause. -Let the old patriarch whistle!” But we teach our -Christians to be obedient to the law, and we wished to -avoid unnecessary trouble. So there was nothing to -do but to swallow our mortification, apologize to our -guests, invite them to partake of the feast, and seek -legal sanction afterwards.</p> - -<p class='c009'>After dinner that same day Dr. Cheek and I called -upon the Commissioner. We had failed, and were -come to him for advice. His sympathies were easily -<span class='pageno' id='Page_209'>209</span>enlisted, but he had no authority to interfere in local -or tribal matters. He advised us to go to the Prince. -We did so, meeting him and the Princess alone. Their -position was like that of the Commissioner. They, -too, sympathized with the young couple and with us. -But it raised a new question for them, and they feared -to give offence. The Princess said they had been -criticised by our enemies for standing by us; but if the -Chao Uparāt would give his sanction, no one else, -they thought, would dare oppose. So we went next to -the Uparāt; but there we ran against a stone wall. He -inwardly laughed at our predicament. He had us just -where he wanted us to be. If our young people could -not marry, our work would be virtually stopped. He -said that no one but the King of Siam had authority -to interfere in such a question.</p> - -<p class='c009'>We returned home signally defeated. Next day I -went alone to the Chao Uparāt, and argued the justice -of our case. The parties had renounced their allegiance -to the spirits. It was clearly unreasonable to require -what we could not conscientiously submit to. I -even begged him to come to our aid, since both the -Commissioner and the Prince had said that they were -sure that no one else would oppose his decision. If -we were compelled, we must appeal to His Majesty the -King of Siam, though we should be very reluctant to -do so. Since marriage is a civil as well as a religious -rite, I was sure His Majesty would admit the justice -of our appeal. Either thinking that we would not -make the appeal, or that the appeal would be in vain, -he at last refused to discuss the question further. -Little did he know, nor did we then, that he was doing -the best possible thing for us.</p> - -<p class='c009'>I returned then to the Commissioner to report. The -<span class='pageno' id='Page_210'>210</span>conflict which, as we have seen, was probably inevitable -between the royal authority represented by the Commissioner -on the one hand, and the local rulers on the -other, was becoming inevitable sooner than was anticipated. -The Commissioner just then was himself -having great trouble with officials who were restive -under his authority. The Lakawn Princes had a difficulty -among themselves, and had come to the Commissioner -to have the case adjudicated. His decision -had been unfavourable to one of the higher officials—probably -the chief himself. Whoever it was, he had -committed the unpardonable offence of departing to -Lakawn without taking leave of the Commissioner, -presumably intending to appeal to Bangkok. So that -morning I found His Excellency indignant at the insult -offered to him, and, through him, to his sovereign. -The royal authority which he represented was challenged. -Moreover, some of the acts of the Chao -Uparāt had offended him. His impressions were confirmed -and strengthened by the recital of our grievances. -He advised me to write these all out in full, -giving specifications that could be substantiated—and -such were rapidly multiplying. For, provoked at Nān -Inta and his family, and emboldened with his own success -in stopping the wedding, the Chao Uparāt had -summoned Nān Inta and had set him to watching his -summer-house on the river—the work of a menial, such -as Nān Inta had never yet been reduced to doing.</p> - -<p class='c009'>At last the moment had come when an appeal for -religious toleration might be made with fair prospect -of success. As the only way of avoiding continual -interference in the future, the Commissioner -himself advised that the appeal be made for religious -toleration in general, rather than for freedom of -<span class='pageno' id='Page_211'>211</span>Christian marriage, which was only a single item. -The Commissioner was busily engaged in writing out a -report of his own grievances, to be sent to the King. He -said that he would mention our case also in his report, -and offered to forward my letter with his despatches.</p> - -<p class='c009'>I immediately dropped everything else, and addressed -myself to writing that appeal unto Cæsar. In -it I referred to the sanction of the Siamese government -to the establishment of the mission, given after the -interview with Prince Kāwilōrot at Wat Chêng, and -subsequently renewed on the appointment of his successor, -Prince Intanon. I was very careful not only -to exonerate the latter from all blame, but also highly -to commend both him and his Princess for their uniform -kindness, and for their sympathy in this particular -emergency. But the act of the Chao Uparāt -was, no doubt, only the beginning of what he would do -if he were not restrained. It was evidently his intention -to reduce to slavery a family that had always -been free. In behalf of his loyal Christian subjects -we begged His Majesty to guarantee to them the same -privileges, civil and religious, which his other subjects -enjoyed, among which surely was the right to be married -according to the ceremony of their own religion. -One request I put in with some misgiving—that the -Christians might be exempted from compulsory work -on the Sabbath; otherwise that point might always be -used to create difficulty when the master was hostile. -While thus making our appeal to man, importunate -prayer was continually offered to Him who had been -our help in times past.</p> - -<p class='c009'>It was very necessary that the appeal should go as -the joint action of the mission as then constituted. I -was aware that Dr. Cheek, the only other member of -<span class='pageno' id='Page_212'>212</span>the mission then on the ground, did not enter heartily -into the appeal. He was fearful that it would only -make bad worse; that it would give offence to the Lāo -rulers, and possibly to the Siamese as well. But as regards -the Lāo, matters had already reached an extremity -in the case of the one who really ruled the country. -And as to the Siamese, our only human hope -was in the King. So, when my paper was finished, I -took it to Dr. Cheek, and read it over to him. He -listened very attentively to the reading, and at its -close I was delighted to hear him say, “That seems -all right.” After a few clerical alterations which he -suggested, we both signed the paper. A summary of -it was read to the Commissioner, and was afterwards -enclosed by him with his despatches. Our appeal -to the King of Siam had, of course, to be made through -the United States Consul, Colonel Sickels. Our letter -to the King was, therefore, sent unsealed under cover to -the Consul, so that he might read it; and with it went -a letter giving him a full account of all the particulars -of the case, and urging him to use his influence, both -personal and official, on our behalf. The whole was -entrusted to a special messenger in a swift boat, with -instructions to make all possible speed.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Having done our best, we waited prayerfully and -hopefully. But the greatness of the issue involved -made us anxious. The liberal policy of the young -King was not then so well known as it became later. -One could not be absolutely certain how even our -Consul would regard it. We trusted, however, to the -friendship of the Foreign Minister, who had invited me -to Pechaburī, and who had always been our true -friend. No one of all these persons concerned disappointed -our expectations, or even our hopes.</p> - -<p class='c009'><span class='pageno' id='Page_213'>213</span>Colonel Sickels acted with commendable despatch. -He was favoured in securing an audience without the -usual formalities. At that time His Majesty had a regular -day each week when his subjects and others might -approach him informally in his summer garden with -petitions on urgent business. Our appeal was presented -to him there. He was already aware of its nature -through the Commissioner’s despatches. Anxiety -with regard to the political situation in the North no -doubt prompted him to a decisive assertion of authority -in this matter as well. His Majesty informed the -Consul that his government had already reached a -decision favourable to our request, and that full religious -toleration was to be proclaimed.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The courier returned with unwonted speed, reaching -Chiengmai on Sunday, September 29th. Late in -the afternoon of that day the Commissioner notified -me of the arrival of despatches. Next morning I called -upon him. He was radiant with joy. All his own requests -had been granted, and enlarged powers had been -given him, including power to make proclamation of -religious toleration in all the Lāo states. He seemed -as much delighted with our success as with his own. -He said that he had already notified the princes and -officials to call in the afternoon, and he would then -inform them of the result. Of course, our hearts were -overflowing with gratitude.</p> - -<p class='c009'>At the appointed hour the Prince, the Chao Uparāt, -and all the high officials were assembled. When the -order for the proclamation was made known, some of -them made a final personal appeal to him to stay proceedings. -They argued that unrestricted permission -to become Christians would be the ruin of the country. -To understand the force of this objection it must be -<span class='pageno' id='Page_214'>214</span>remembered that among the Lāo, breach of the Seventh -Commandment was punished, not by civil or -criminal procedure, but by a “spirit-fine” paid to the -patriarch of the woman’s family. It was argued that -if Christian young men should transgress with Lāo -girls or women, under the new régime, no fine could be -imposed, and there would be no redress whatever. The -Commissioner then sent a messenger, asking me to -come to the audience. The scene, as I entered, reminded -me of that other notable audience with Prince -Kāwilōrot and another Commissioner. The Commissioner -stated their objection, and asked me what I had -to say. I replied that the difficulty was purely an -imaginary one. In the first place, it was a cardinal -doctrine of the church to forbid such sins. In the -second place, if a professed Christian violated his vows, -he made himself amenable to the discipline of the -church, and so put himself beyond its protection. The -Commissioner said, “I have already so answered, but I -wanted those who are present to hear it from the -teacher himself.” To this no reply was made. After -a short pause the Commissioner broke the silence. -With a gesture to the audience, he said that the business -was ended. When he had leisure, the Edict -would be issued. One after another the assembled -princes and officials retired.</p> - -<p class='c009'>On my way home I noticed that the Chao Uparāt had -stopped at his little sālā beside the river, the same -that Nān Inta had been set to watch. To show that -I had no personal grudge, I stopped to call on him. -Rising, he gave me a more respectful welcome than -usual, and ordered a foreign rug to be spread—the respectful -way of receiving guests before the day of -chairs. When I was seated he asked why I had made -<span class='pageno' id='Page_215'>215</span>complaint against him to Bangkok—he was very sore -at heart about it. I replied that I was sorry, indeed, -to be obliged to do it. Did he not remember how I -had told him that we could not submit to his decision; -how I had even entreated him not to force us to appeal -to the King? And I could not appeal without -giving the facts as my ground for so doing. But now -I hoped that bygones might be bygones, and that we -might be friends.—The fact was that my letter had -been translated in Bangkok, sent back to Chiengmai, -and had been read at the audience before my arrival. -But I never before had such a reception from the -Uparāt.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The wording of the proclamation was left to the -Commissioner. If he had been hostile, or even indifferent, -its effect might easily have been neutralized -by a little vagueness or ambiguity. But he was -anxious to have the matter settled decisively. When -I took my leave of him that morning, he promised to -show me the draft of the proclamation before he should -affix his seal. When I saw it, there were only a few -verbal changes to suggest. It was a general permission -to the Lāo to adopt any religion they pleased. I -suggested that since it was specifically granted in the -interest of Christians, it was desirable that Christianity -be specifically named—which was done. At my -request two extra copies of the proclamation were -made with the official seals attached; one for deposit -in our safe, and one that might be read to the people. -The following is a literal translation of this famous -document:</p> - -<p class='c024'>I Prayā Tēp Worachun, Representative of His Majesty -the Supreme King of Siam in Chiengmai, Lampūn, and -Lakawn, hereby make proclamation to the Princes, Rulers, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_216'>216</span>and Officers of various grades, and to the common people -in the cities and provinces named:—That His Majesty the -King of Siam has been graciously pleased to send me a -Royal Letter under the Royal Seal, to the effect that D. B. -Sickels, Esqr., United States Consul, had communicated to -the Foreign Minister of Siam a complaint signed by Rev. -D. McGilvary and Dr. M. A. Cheek against certain parties -for molesting the Christians and compelling them to observe -their old religious customs. The Foreign Minister laid -the subject before His Majesty, who most graciously listened -to the said complaint, and gave the following Royal Command -in reference to the same:—</p> - -<p class='c027'>That religious and civil duties do not come in conflict. -That whoever wishes to embrace any religion after seeing -that it is true and proper to be embraced, is allowed to do -so without any restriction. That the responsibility for a -right or a wrong choice rests on the individual making the -choice. That there is nothing in the laws and customs of -Siam, nor in its foreign treaties, to throw any restriction on -the religious worship and service of any one.</p> - -<p class='c027'>To be more specific:—If any person or persons wish to -embrace the Christian Religion, they are freely permitted -to follow their own choice.</p> - -<p class='c027'>This Proclamation is to certify that from this time -forth all persons are permitted to follow the dictates of their -own conscience in all matters of religious belief and practice.</p> - -<p class='c027'>It is moreover strictly enjoined on Princes and Rulers, -and on relatives and friends of those who wish to become -Christians, that they throw no obstacles in their way, and -that no one enforce any creed or work which their religion -forbids them to hold or to do—such as the worship and -feasting of demons, and working on the Sabbath day, except -in the case of war and other great unavoidable works, which, -however, must not be a mere pretence, but really important. -Be it further observed that they are to have free and unobstructed -observance of the Sabbath day. And no obstacle is -to be thrown in the way of American citizens employing such -persons as they may need, since such would be a breach of the -treaty between the two countries.</p> - -<p class='c027'>Whenever this Proclamation is made known to the Princes -<span class='pageno' id='Page_217'>217</span>and Rulers and Officers and People, they are to beware and -violate no precept contained therein.</p> - -<p class='c027'>Proclamation made on the Thirteenth Day of the Eleventh -waxing Moon, in the Eleventh Year of His Majesty’s Reign, -October the Eighth, Eighteen Hundred and Seventy-Eight.</p> - -<p class='c025'>The Edict furnishes a second natural division in the -history of the Lāo mission. Its first period was one of -struggle for its very existence, culminating in positive -prohibition to preach the gospel and virtual expulsion of -the missionaries. That situation was abruptly brought -to an end by the death of Prince Kāwilōrot and the -appointment of his son-in-law, Prince Intanon. In -our second period of struggle, the conclusion of which -we have just witnessed, the conditions were in many -respects similar to those of the first. Our chief antagonists -in the two contests were alike in their love -of absolute power, in their determination to break -down all rival influences, and alike, therefore, in their -settled hostility to our work. In neither case was their -antagonism to Christianity primarily on religious -grounds. But Kāwilōrot was of much more imposing -personality and figure than the Uparāt.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Within his own realm Kāwilōrot was really “Lord -of Life.” He was absolute head both of church and -of state. He brooked no rival and no contradiction in -either. The highest positions in the religious hierarchy -were bestowed or withdrawn at his pleasure. -His own brothers-in-law languished in exile in Siam, -because it was not thought safe for them to return -and be within his reach. At home he had vanquished -or terrified into submission all possible rivals. Even -the court of Siam seemed inspired with a wholesome -fear of meddling with him. The crime of the first -Christians was the unpardonable one that they had -<span class='pageno' id='Page_218'>218</span>dared to become such against the will of Kāwilōrot. -But the time and place for such rulers had passed. -Such attitude and temper suited neither a position -under superior authority, nor the policy of a government -striving to rise with the progress of the age. -But he served his purpose in the world, and Providence -used him.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Of his titular successor, Prince Intanon, and of his -noble wife, I have already spoken. His real successor -in the government of the land, and in his championship -of the old régime of feudal autocracy, was the Chao -Uparāt. But he had neither the commanding dignity -of Kāwilōrot nor his interesting personality;—had little, -in fact, of any of his qualities save his lodged and -settled hatred of all innovation. For him we had none -of a certain kind of respect which the late Prince inspired; -and we were under no constraint of gratitude -for favours. The only debt of gratitude the mission -owed him was for being, by his lawless acts, the unwitting -and unwilling cause of the proclamation of religious -freedom.</p> - -<p class='c009'>But the crisis which he precipitated hastened likewise -that centralization of government which Siam was -waiting for. The tendency of the age is everywhere -toward centralization. Strong central governments -are everywhere taking the place of weak and scattered -ones. Chiengmai itself and all the existing Lāo states -have grown by the capture and absorption of their -weaker, though by no means insignificant, neighbours. -The authority and fear of Siam had long been felt indirectly -in preventing those petty wars in which one -weak state captured and enslaved another. That -authority was now to be exerted more directly to bring -to an end the era of arbitrary, personal, autocratic -<span class='pageno' id='Page_219'>219</span>rule among its dependencies, and to establish in its -place the more equal and stable reign of law. Feudalism -with its “organized anarchy” was to give way to -the Nation.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Such was the period at which we have arrived in this -narrative of our life and work in the Lāo states. It -is a wonderful thing to have lived through such a -series of changes, and possibly to have been, under -Providence, the means of bringing some of them about. -We work for an end apparent to ourselves; but God’s -designs are deeper and broader than ours. “He -maketh the wrath of man to praise Him.” Of nations, -as well as of individuals, is it true that</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c021'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“There’s a divinity that shapes our ends,</div> - <div class='line in1'>Rough-hew them how we will.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c025'>Among the Christians the Edict, of course, was -greeted with an outburst of joy. To Nān Inta it was -like life from the dead. It was in reality freedom from -slavery. And no man made such efficient use of it as -he did. With the sealed copy of the Edict in his hand, -he returned to his village; and wherever he went he -could assure the people, on the faith of his Sovereign, -that a profession of the “Jesus-religion” meant neither -the ruffian’s club nor slavery. The effects of the Edict -upon the church will be traced in its future growth -as our story moves on. I may venture, however, to anticipate -so much—that within two years’ time two of -our strongest village churches were organized; one of -them in Nān Inta’s own village. Neither of these -churches could have existed had not the Uparāt’s -power been abridged.</p> - -<p class='c009'>To the country, the new authority conferred on the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_220'>220</span>High Commissioner at that time has resulted in a -revolution as silent and as effectual as the change of -the seasons. His new title, Pū Samret Rāchakān—he -who fulfills the King’s work—was used, I believe, for -the first time in that proclamation; and it really -marked the passing of the sceptre from the hands of -the Princes of Chiengmai. The titular Chao Chīwit—Lord -of Life—was allowed to retain his title and -honours during his lifetime; but he has had no successor. -The Lāo country has ceased to be either a -feudal dependency or a separate “buffer-state.” -Silently—almost imperceptibly—it has become an integral -portion of the consolidated Kingdom of Siam. -Autocratic rule has everywhere ceased. And all these -changes are directly in line with the civilization of the -age.</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_221'>221</span> - <h2 id='ch20' class='c010'>XX<br /> <br />SCHOOLS—THE NINE YEARS’ WANDERER</h2> -</div> -<p class='c011'>The year 1879 opened auspiciously. In March a -little variety was introduced into our secluded -life by an official visit to Chiengmai of Major -Street, the British Commissioner at Maulmein. He -and his party arrived quite unexpectedly, spent a week -in the city, and attended an English service at the -mission on Sunday. We met them a number of times, -both socially and at official dinners. They strengthened -the position of the Commissioner, and did us all -good. But at that time we were anxiously awaiting -another arrival, in which we were more intimately concerned. -Mr. Wilson, who had been for two and a half -years absent on furlough, was daily expected, and with -him were our long-looked-for teachers for the Girls’ -School.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The party was to arrive on April 9th. To please -the three children and myself, on the afternoon of the -8th we four started down the river in a small boat -to meet and welcome them. But the river was low, -and we had not yet reached them when darkness came -on and we were obliged to seek moorings. When, at -last, we got ashore, we learned to our great joy that -the mission boats were moored only a few hundred -yards below, in the same bend of the river. We -all walked down in the moonlight, and presently spied -their lights close at hand. The young ladies had retired -<span class='pageno' id='Page_222'>222</span>to read, but not to sleep. The meeting by moonlight -at the river’s brink was quite romantic. We -talked till ten o’clock, though Mr. Wilson was so -hoarse that he could scarcely speak. At daybreak our -fleet was under way. We had a jolly breakfast together -on board—our visitors at their little table, and -we on the deck. We then visited hard again until -noon; but it was two o’clock before we caught sight -of the mission premises, with the native Christians -all waiting to greet the arrivals, old and new.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The High Commissioner, a few days later, gave a -dinner to the mission, saying in the note of invitation -that it was in honour of the young ladies, for the boldness -and piety that enabled them to leave their fathers -and mothers, and come so far to teach his people. -When notified of their arrival, the Princess sent down -carriages and had us all up to call on her. She was -delighted to welcome the young ladies, and was interested -in the school.</p> - -<hr class='c015' /> - -<p class='c009'>The Siamese and the Lāo tongues are two closely related -branches of the same linguistic stock. The idiom -and the great body of common words are nearly the -same in the two, differing, where they do differ, chiefly -in accent and intonation. Siamese is, of course, the -speech of the ruling race throughout the Siamese kingdom; -and even at the time of which we are speaking -it was easy to foresee that the local dialect of its -northern provinces must eventually give way before it, -especially for all official and literary purposes. The -chief obstacle in the way of a speedy victory for the -Siamese has been the fact that the Lāo is written in a -wholly different character. Were the two alike in this -<span class='pageno' id='Page_223'>223</span>respect, there is no doubt that the standard form of -speech would take the place of the dialectal almost -without notice.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Of necessity all teaching so far attempted had been -in the Siamese. There was not a schoolbook in the -Lāo character save the spelling tables. When these -had been mastered, there was no reading-book in Lāo -that could be put into the hands of the pupils; nor was -there prospect of any such being printed for years to -come. On the other hand, in the Siamese character -there was a considerable Christian literature in print, -both religious and general, already available for purposes -of education. Our pupils, moreover, had all been -girls; and almost no Lāo women at that time could -read writing in any character. It was, therefore, not -only much simpler, but quite as well for them on other -accounts, to learn the Siamese character from the -start.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Now, however, when we were arrived at the establishment -of regular schools with a permanent organization -and policy, the question could no longer be -postponed, In which language shall instruction be -given? It was not an easy question to decide. With -regard to it there was difference of opinion among the -missionaries, both old and new. On the one hand, it -was urged, that since ours was a Lāo mission, the Lāo -should, of course, be the language of the schools. On -the other hand were pointed out the greater scope and -availability of the Siamese, its assured supremacy, and -the dwindling future of the Lāo throughout the territory -of Siam. The matter at last was compromised by -continuing the Siamese in the Girls’ School, and adopting -the Lāo for the boys.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Meantime it was desirable to have some portions of -<span class='pageno' id='Page_224'>224</span>the Scriptures in the Lāo character; and, to accomplish -this, the first requisite was a font of Lāo type. To this -end, on my first furlough in 1873, I went from North -Carolina to New York, and not only spent some time, -but was at some personal expense, in the effort to secure -such a font. The American Bible Society voted -a liberal sum for the purpose. But there turned out -to be some mechanical difficulties to be overcome in -making and using the type, which were beyond my -skill to solve. So, lest the attempt should fail in my -hands, I gave it up. And having accomplished nothing, -I presented no bill of expense either to the Bible Society -or to the Board.</p> - -<p class='c009'>There seemed, indeed, to be some fatality attending -our efforts in this direction. Mr. Wilson, on the furlough -from which he was but now returned, had gone -further. He actually succeeded in getting a font of -Lāo type. But the whole of it was lost, and never -reached the mission.<a id='r11' /><a href='#f11' class='c020'><sup>[11]</sup></a> It was not until Dr. Peoples’ -furlough in 1889 that we succeeded in getting our present -type. Meanwhile we had used the Siamese Scriptures, with -some present disadvantages, indeed, but with -some advantages as well. Some of our first Christians -were attracted to our religion by their desire to learn -Siamese; and the Siamese Bible and catechism were -our textbooks. And now, under Siamese rule, knowledge -of the Siamese opens the way to promotion in the -government service. Siamese alone is taught in the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_225'>225</span>government schools. Young monks are more eager to -study Siamese than their own tongue.</p> - -<div class='footnote c026' id='f11'> -<p class='c023'><span class='label'><a href='#r11'>11</a>. </span>Mr. Wilson brought only a few specimens with him. He -writes:—“The rest of the type was to be boxed up and sent to Mr. -Cutter, and the boxes were to be put away in the store-room of the -Mission Rooms at 23 Centre Street, and forwarded when called for. -They must have been lost when the Board moved from 23 Centre -Street to the Lenox property, and then to 156 Fifth Avenue.”</p> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>But the important thing, after all, was that we had -a school actually begun, and that there was teaching -in <i>both</i> dialects. It was like a new beginning of our -work under conditions more favourable than at the -first. For twelve years it had been a hard, and, sometimes, -an apparently hopeless struggle. But the history -of missions affords many similar instances with -even fewer visible results. In twelve years we had -gathered forty converts into the church. Some of these -were among the most useful we have ever had in the -history of the mission. It is hard to estimate rightly -the importance of work spent on the foundations of -such an enterprise. But now, with that church organized, -with the medical work well established, the -evangelistic work strengthened, and the initial school, -begun long before by Mrs. McGilvary, placed on a permanent -basis, we could write in large letters on our -altar, “Jehovah-Nissi”—Jehovah our banner.</p> - -<hr class='c015' /> - -<p class='c009'>In the early part of this year, 1879, twelve more -persons were gathered into the church. One of them -was Pā Sêng Bun, the poor woman accused of witchcraft, -who, with so much difficulty, was saved from -her persecutors. Another was Mûn C., who was a -daily visitor when we were here on our first tour of -exploration. And another was our own dear little -Margaret. Somewhat later there came to our notice -one of the most interesting of all the incidents in the -chequered history of our mission. One morning, on -returning from my work in the city, I was told that -a man had been waiting to see me, and was then talking -to Nān Inta. Stepping down to the house, where -<span class='pageno' id='Page_226'>226</span>a number of persons had collected, I saw a handsome -man of medium height, but of striking figure, larger -and more portly than is usual among the Lāo, and -thirty-three years old, as I learned.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Nān Tā, for that was the stranger’s name, said that -not long after our first arrival in Chiengmai, while he -was yet a monk in the king’s monastery, he had visited -me, and was struck with those points in the teachings -of Christianity which differentiate it from -Buddhism. He received a copy of the Gospel of Matthew -in Siamese, learned a few verses, and took the -book home with him to the monastery. Afterwards -he visited me occasionally to take a few further lessons -in it. He was a protégé of Prince Kāwilōrot, who -paid the expenses of his entering the monastic order. -He thus became the Prince’s “Luk kêo”<a id='r12' /><a href='#f12' class='c020'><sup>[12]</sup></a> (<i>jewel-son</i>), -in effect his adopted son. Not long after this he left -the priesthood, married, and settled out in the country. -But he paid us a few visits from time to time, -always, as he said, to talk on religion and to study -Siamese.</p> - -<div class='footnote c026' id='f12'> -<p class='c023'><span class='label'><a href='#r12'>12</a>. </span>A designation whose nearest parallel in English is, perhaps, <i>god-son</i>.</p> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>When the order for the murder of the Christians was -given, a monk who was a friend of his met him in the -streets, and asked whether he knew that his house was -to be burned over his head, explaining that the Prince -had nourished him as a son, and now he had apostatized -and joined the foreign religion. Advising him to consider -well and quickly, the priest hurried on. So it had -become known in the palace that he was visiting us -and studying the Jesus-religion. There was no time -to be lost, not even to bid good-bye to his young wife. -On that eventful Saturday afternoon, just before the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_227'>227</span>flight of our servants, he stopped at our door; but seeing -no one, he hastened on. On Sunday he secreted -himself in a deserted monastery near the mountains. -Next day he fell in with a company of traders, going -to Chieng Rāi, six days’ journey to the north, and -travelled with them without making known what his -errand was. At Chieng Rāi he learned that the Christians -were put to death the day after he left. He was -still within the Lāo realm, and might be arrested. He -made his way, therefore, to Keng Tung, in Burmese -territory, ten or fifteen days’ journey still further to -the north.</p> - -<p class='c009'>After remaining there some three years, he returned -to Chieng Rāi, where he heard of the death of -Kāwilōrot and the accession of Prince Intanon. Still -in fear, he passed through the towns to the east of -Chiengmai, venturing even as near as Lakawn. Then -crossing the Mê Ping valley to the south of Chiengmai, -he went beyond the Salwin into Burma, stopping -awhile among the Red Karens, and then going on to -Maulmein. Seeing there a foreigner’s house, he enquired -if anything was known concerning the missionaries -in Zimme (Chiengmai). Nothing was known -of them. Returning again to Siamese territory, he -went to Rahêng, thinking that he would go on to -Bangkok. There, however, he was told that the missionaries -had gone back to the United States—information -based, no doubt, on our departure on furlough.</p> - -<p class='c009'>During his long wanderings he had made friends as -he could, and to support himself had sometimes turned -peddler. In the haste of his flight from home he had -taken nothing with him except his copy of the Gospel -of Matthew in Siamese. He could not read it well, but -<span class='pageno' id='Page_228'>228</span>he kept it as a kind of talisman, till it was now well -worn. He had learned to pray daily. He never dared -to return till he heard of the Edict of Toleration. He -regarded it as a special providence that his wife, -strange to say, had not married again. The child born -after his flight he found grown to be a fine girl nine -years old. He was delighted to find the missionaries -again.</p> - -<p class='c009'>It was a thrilling story. This man did not have to -become a Christian—he was one already. His first -desire was to understand all that there was in his -Gospel of Matthew. It was evident that he had been -spared and kept for some wise purpose. And so it -proved. Since I needed a teacher, and since he was -a fine Buddhist scholar, I employed him as teacher, -so that I might have him near me in order to teach -him. He was an apt pupil, making rapid progress in -knowledge, and growing in grace. His romantic history -interested and attracted others. As a church -member, as a ruling elder, and afterwards as an ordained -minister, he was a power in the church till -the day when he was taken up. Thousands heard the -Gospel from his lips, and many were drawn by his -words and by his life into the fold of Christ.</p> - -<p class='c009'>How wonderful are God’s ways in leading His people! -Doubtless the defection of this man was one of the -things which alarmed Kāwilōrot. It may even have -hastened the fate of the martyrs. But no doubt the -Lord chose a wonderful way of saving to His church -this most useful minister of the Gospel.</p> - -<hr class='c015' /> - -<p class='c009'>After long-continued weakness on the part of Mrs. -McGilvary, an acute attack of pneumonia made a -<span class='pageno' id='Page_229'>229</span>longer stay in the country impossible. My daughter -Cornelia was taken ill at the same time. So, with -but little preparation, on December 28th, 1879, both -mother and daughter were carried in chairs to the -boat, and we hastened out of the country. Stopping -in Bangkok only a few days, we embarked for Hongkong. -We met the China Sea in its worst mood. For -three days and nights we did not see the captain’s face; -neither did he see sun, moon, or stars in that most -dangerous tract of the sea. The skylight was fastened -down, for the waves swept the vessel from stem to -stern. We were good sailors; but we could not but -pity the one hundred and twenty Chinese steerage -passengers, allowed on deck only a few moments twice -a day for a breath of air, after which they had almost -to be forced back into their hole again. There was -withal just enough of the spice of danger to make the -sight of Victoria Peak at last doubly welcome.</p> - -<p class='c009'>By this time my family were all so much improved -by the journey that there was question whether I -should proceed with them, or should return to Chiengmai -for another year’s work. It was evident that, in -order to regain her strength, Mrs. McGilvary would -require a longer stay in the United States than one -year. I could neither spare the time for so long a -furlough for myself, nor could I expect the Board to -grant it. The question was not an easy one; but we -decided at last that my wife and children should continue -their journey to the United States, and that I -should return to Chiengmai alone.</p> - -<p class='c009'>During my few days’ stay in Bangkok, through the -kindness of our Consul, I had an audience with His -Majesty the King. I desired to express to him in -<span class='pageno' id='Page_230'>230</span>person my thanks for the Edict of Toleration. After -some remarks addressed to the other gentlemen present, -the King asked me if I were not, during the previous -month, the bearer of despatches from his Commissioner -in the North—showing that he did not overlook -small matters, as a king might be expected to do. He -enquired how I liked the Commissioner, whether I -preached in Siamese or in Lāo, how many converts -we had, etc., etc. It was a very pleasant interview.</p> - -<p class='c009'>As I ascended the river, it became plain that the -water was too low to permit the latter stage of the -trip to be made in my large boat. At Chiengmai I -should find a house, but not a home. Before I could -reach it, the touring season would be nearly over. -The thought of stopping a season for work at Rahêng -struck me favourably. The more I considered it, the -more attractive it became. To be sure, I had not secured -the sanction of the mission to that particular -enterprise; but I had always been allowed to choose -my own touring ground. An officer, Sên Utamā, offered -me a site for a bamboo house gratis; and before -I had announced my final decision, he and others began -to cut bamboo on it to build the house. I had -asked for guidance, and the question seemed to settle -itself.</p> - -<p class='c009'>I cannot dwell on the interesting six months of the -year 1880 spent there. Sên Utamā was interested -from the first. By affliction he had been wonderfully -prepared for, and seemed to be waiting for, the very -consolation that the Gospel offered him. An ex-tax-collector, -a Chinese of some influence, was in the same -state of mind, and soon joined the other as an enquirer. -My student, Noi Intachak, entered heartily -<span class='pageno' id='Page_231'>231</span>into the work. Soon, with my cook and boy, we had -the nucleus of quite an interesting congregation who -attended worship twice a day. It was a delight to -teach them.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The case of the Chinese was deeply interesting. He -believed the Gospel plan of salvation, and was deeply -anxious to be saved from his sin and its punishment. -But there was one serious obstacle in the way of his -making an open profession—he had two wives. The -real wife—the one he had formally married—was childless. -The one he had bought was younger, and had two -lovable little children, both girls. I recall almost with -tears the burning questionings we had over that situation. -He seemed willing to make any self-sacrifice that -duty required. But what was duty? Should he divorce -one of them? If so, which one? “Of course, he -must keep the real one,” you will say. But what of -the young mother and the helpless babes? The very -mention of their being turned adrift, even with a -dower, had produced a scene in the family. The -poor woman felt quite unable to care for the children -alone. The children were his children. It might easily -have been the ruin both of mother and babes to put -her away. My heart was not hard enough to advise -that. Surely the man had not cut himself off from -the hope of salvation by his past—by an error or sin of -ignorance. The conditions of church-membership are -faith and repentance. The sacraments of the church -are baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Shall we offer a -man the pardon of his sin without its sacramental -seals?—the glorious hope of endless fellowship in -heaven, but not the communion of saints on earth? -A precisely parallel case I had met before in the person -of a native doctor at Mûang Awn. “What then,” -<span class='pageno' id='Page_232'>232</span>the reader will ask, “did you do?” Why, in each case -I just did nothing. I followed the letter of the law, -and baptized neither one. But “the letter killeth; the -spirit maketh alive.”</p> - -<p class='c009'>In due time Sên Utamā and a nephew of the Chinese -were baptized. An interesting tour was made up the -river. But the station in Chiengmai was feeling the -pressure of the growing work. In July, 1880, the -church of Bethlehem was organized, and there were -promising openings in other districts. It was evident -that the Board was not in a condition to consider a -permanent station in Rahêng. It would have been an -interesting field for permanent occupation; but for -temporary work, I had been there as long a time as -we could afford to spend in one place.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Just then Prayā Sīhanāt—the officer from Lakawn -who, two years before, had greeted me with “Ephphatha”—invited -me to return with him. His ears -were not opened, but his heart was. He had taught the -Christian faith to his wife and children and a few -others, and among these was a fellow ex-officer. He -wished with them to receive further and fuller instruction, -and to be taken into the fellowship of the church. -Without waiting to ascertain whether I could go, he -was come with a boat to bring me. This seemed -to me the guiding hand of providence, and I followed -it.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Since a single boat cannot ascend the rapids without -the help of another boat’s crew, we made arrangements -to join forces with another party, and make -the trip together. The night before we were to start, -the river, which had been steadily rising, became a flood -so strong that my host dared not face it in his small -craft. Our companions, however, did not wait for us, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_233'>233</span>but went on as they had planned. We waited ten -days for another party, as well as for the river to go -down. Imagine my sensations, then, when, presently, -we learned that the captain and owner of the principal -boat in the flotilla with which we had planned to make -the trip, was shot and killed, and his boat was -plundered! A band of dacoits secreted themselves behind -a cluster of trees where the channel runs close -to the bank, shot the steersman at his oar, and then had -the boat at their mercy. Since all foreigners are supposed -to carry money, the attack may well have been -intended for me. Earlier in that same year, while -returning alone to Rahêng, I came near being entrapped -by a similar band.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The visit to Lakawn was interesting and profitable. -Ten days were spent with the new converts. While -my friend, the Prayā, had been busy, the devil had not -been idle. One of the princes had threatened to have -one of his head men flogged if he joined the Christians. -But before we left, a church was organized, with Prayā -Sīhanāt as elder.</p> - -<p class='c009'>From Lakawn I took elephants to Chiengmai, and -spent the last Sunday of my trip with Nān Inta and -the newly organized church of Bethlehem, named after -Mr. Wilson’s old church in Pennsylvania. Nān Inta -was waiting for me where the road to his village turned -off from the main route. On Christmas day following -this, Mr. Wilson, Dr. Cheek, and Miss Cole organized -yet another church at Mê Dawk Dêng, where Nān Suwan -had been doing faithful work. In both these cases -the persecution for supposed witchcraft had furnished -a good nucleus for the church, which thereafter the -Edict of Toleration protected from expulsion.</p> - -<p class='c009'>All the departments of our work, medical, educational, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_234'>234</span>evangelistic, were prospering. Nān Tā, the -long-time wanderer, was becoming a power second only -to Nān Inta, and destined ultimately to surpass him. -Like him, he was a man of fine address and bearing, -and a good Buddhist scholar; but he was much younger. -Being, moreover, the son of a Prayā—the highest grade -of Lāo officers—he had an influence with the nobility -such as no other of our Christians had. In the church -he began to show a capacity and power such as probably -no other person has exercised.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Meanwhile Mr. Wilson was working on plans for a -building for the Girls’ High School. Already the -school numbered forty-two pupils, but with no place -in which to teach them save the teacher’s house. The -season had been very hard on Miss Campbell’s health. -She was very young, and had come direct to Chiengmai -from the seminary without any period of rest, and -with a constitution by no means robust. The mission -voted her a trip to Bangkok for rest. Little did we -think when we bade her good-bye that we should see -her face no more.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Financially for me the year had been the hardest -in my life. With all the economy we could use—and -we did not spend a useless penny—it seemed impossible -for me to keep my family going. When we left Chiengmai -we had overdrawn our salary, and the amount had -to be made up that year. This condition was one of -the straws that helped to determine me to stop over -in Rahêng. I could live more cheaply there; in fact, -could hardly spend money there if I wished to. In -only one matter had I been greatly disappointed in -Rahêng; I hoped to be in somewhat closer communication -with my family, about whom I still felt some -anxiety. I was, indeed, nearer them in space, but it -<span class='pageno' id='Page_235'>235</span>proved much further in time. The largest mail of the -year passed on up to Chiengmai, and was sent back, -reaching Rahêng just after I had left the place. It -finally reached me in Chiengmai on the last day of the -year 1880!</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_236'>236</span> - <h2 id='ch21' class='c010'>XXI<br /> <br />SECOND FURLOUGH</h2> -</div> -<p class='c011'>My health had been such that I hoped I might -safely forego my furlough, and have my wife -and our youngest child return to Chiengmai -alone. My wife, after finding a home for a while with -her brother, Professor Bradley, in Oakland, had gone -on in the spring to North Carolina. But she was not -gaining much in strength, and plainly required another -year. My own health was not so good as it was at -the beginning of the year. Certain symptoms gave me -anxiety, and decided me to delay my own furlough -no longer. If it was to be taken at all, the sooner the -better. So on March 12th, 1881, I started for the -United States. The furlough which was now beginning -ended twenty-three years of service in the general -field of Siam, and fourteen years spent among the Lāo.</p> - -<p class='c009'>I had proceeded down the river but a few days, when -a passing boat brought the astounding intelligence of -the tragic death of our esteemed and youngest co-labourer, -Miss Mary Campbell. What words can express -the shock I received! The news was confirmed -a few days later by Dr. Cheek, whom I met on the -river. At this distance it is unnecessary to enlarge -on the particulars of the sad catastrophe. Indeed, it -was all so sudden that there were few particulars to -relate. Dr. Cheek had gone down to Bangkok on -business soon after Miss Campbell left us, and now was -<span class='pageno' id='Page_237'>237</span>returning with Miss Campbell under his escort. At -the close of a hot day’s run, the boats lay moored by -a sand-bar for the night. They had had their evening -meal and worship together. Dr. Cheek had taken his -bath in the river, had examined the bar, and notified -Miss Campbell how far it was safe to venture in -taking hers. But somehow she ventured out too far—to -a depth from which only angelic arms could receive -her to a shore where there is no more death.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The brave effort of her Lāo maid, Kam Tip, and Dr. -Cheek’s unsuccessful search till long after-life must -have been extinct, were well known at the time. She -had but just come to her chosen field of work, in the -bloom of youth and in the full ardour of her first consecration, -little thinking that her work was to be so -soon and so sadly closed. Her last written words to -a friend, with the ink on them scarcely dry before her -death, were: “But I am not alone, for I have found in -my dear Lāo girls, Bûk and Kam Tip, and in Nān Tā, -my teacher, more company than I ever expected. I -wish I could lend them to you long enough for you to -know them.”</p> - -<hr class='c015' /> - -<p class='c009'>It will be evident to all that in 1881 the working -force of the mission was entirely inadequate for occupying -and cultivating the broad and inviting field, -now opened to us as never before. The medical work, -constantly enlarging, occupied the physician’s whole -time. Mr. Wilson’s physical condition, never very -strong, confined his labours to the station and its -immediate vicinity. The attention which these alone -required would more than fill one man’s time. The -death of Miss Campbell made imperative an associate -for Miss Cole. So, even if the trip to the United -<span class='pageno' id='Page_238'>238</span>States had not been rendered imperative by considerations -of my own health, the best interests of the work -itself seemed to demand that some one should go to -seek reinforcement by direct and personal appeal to -the church at home.</p> - -<p class='c009'>As for Mrs. McGilvary, after spending the spring -of 1880 with her brother in Oakland, California, she -came on with our younger son to Statesville, North -Carolina, where she could be with our daughters, and -not far from our elder son in Davidson College.</p> - -<p class='c009'>On my arrival in New York, I hastened on at once -to North Carolina, where I spent the summer with -my family and friends, lecturing from time to time in -the churches. The fall of this year I spent in Texas -and Arkansas, visiting relatives and friends who had -migrated thither from the family nest in North Carolina. -In Texas I attended the meeting of the Southern -Synod, and both there and elsewhere I found many -opportunities for presenting the cause of foreign missions; -and everywhere I encountered warm reception -and eager interest in the work among the Lāo. In the -winter I came north to visit the Theological Seminaries, -and to enlist men for the Lāo mission. On -my way I stopped in Oxford, Ohio, where I met Miss -Lizzie Westervelt (afterward Mrs. Stanley K. -Phraner), then in her senior year in Miss Peabody’s -Seminary, and preparing for missionary work among -the Lāo, upon which she entered in the following year. -This was the school which had given us Miss Mary -Campbell and Miss Edna Cole a few years before.</p> - -<div id='i238a' class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i238a.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>DR. McGILVARY<br />1881</p> -</div> -</div> -<div id='i238b' class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i238b.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>MRS. McGILVARY<br />1881</p> -</div> -</div> -<p class='c011'>While waiting for the Theological Seminaries to re-open -after the Christmas recess, I was the guest of -my wife’s cousins at Castleton Corners, Staten Island. -There I had the very pleasant experience of observing -<span class='pageno' id='Page_239'>239</span>“Watch Night” with the Moravian Church, of which -my friends were members. They called on the Lāo -missionary for an account of his experience in the field. -In that, of course, there was nothing remarkable. But -near the close of the next year, when writing to the -family, I alluded to the pleasant memory of Watch -Night and sent my greetings to the church with a request -to be remembered in their prayers. Instead of -giving my message verbally, my friends read the letter -itself, and it seemed to be appreciated. The result was -that the Lāo letter came to be looked for regularly as a -part of the watch service, and one was sent to them -every year—if I were on the field—for seventeen years. -It was a comfort to know that special prayer was always -offered for us by that great missionary church -as the old year was dying, and the new year was coming -in.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The Professors at Princeton, Union, and Allegheny -all gave their cordial endorsement and aid to me in -my efforts to secure men. “We want you to get our -best men,” they said, and the Lord gave them to us. -From Princeton came Chalmers Martin of the senior -class. He had been chosen, however, for the Hebrew -Fellowship, and was, therefore, delayed a year before -entering upon his missionary work. Though his career -in the Lāo field was a short one, he left a lasting -mark there, as we shall see. Allegheny gave us Rev. -S. C. Peoples, M.D., and his brother-in-law, Rev. J. H. -Hearst. Dr. Peoples’ bow still abides in strength. -His double preparation both as a minister and as a -physician, gave him unusual equipment for the work -he has accomplished. Mr. Hearst, however, soon succumbed -to the Chiengmai climate.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Union gave us that consecrated young man, McLaren, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_240'>240</span>who chose the great city of Bangkok—a fitting -field for him, since his broad sympathies were bounded -by no one race or people. His career also was cut -short within a few months by cholera, contracted while -ministering to dying seamen in the harbour during a -severe epidemic of the disease.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The Northwestern Woman’s Board of Foreign Missions -was then, as it has been since, a great centre of -missionary enthusiasm. It had sent out Miss Cole and -Miss Campbell; and now the sudden death of the latter -had caused its interest and that of the Chicago -churches to concentrate upon the Lāo mission. It was -to this combination of circumstances that I was indebted -for an invitation to attend its Annual Meeting -in Minneapolis, and to speak there. Then the appointment -of Dr. L. E. Wishard’s daughter (afterwards Mrs. -Dr. Fulton of Canton, China), and that of Miss Sadie -Wirt (Mrs. Dr. S. C. Peoples), from his church in -Chicago, gave me a pleasant visit in the Doctor’s family -both as I went up to Minneapolis and as I returned. -On a Sunday at Lake Forest, between the -Sunday School, the University, the Ladies’ Seminary, -and the church, the Lāo Mission had four hearings. -At Minneapolis we learned that Miss Warner from the -Northwestern Woman’s Board, and Miss Griffin from -the Southwestern, were also appointed to our mission, -and Miss Linnell to Lower Siam. This completed our -number, the largest reinforcement the mission has ever -received at one time.</p> - -<p class='c009'>After the adjournment of the Northwestern Board, -a Sunday was spent with the family and the church of -Miss Mary Campbell. After that, appointments with -other churches filled up my time till the meeting of the -General Assembly in Springfield, Illinois, which I attended, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_241'>241</span>though not as a delegate. Our Presbytery of -North Laos had not then been organized, and Dr. E. P. -Dunlap was the representative of the Presbytery of -Siam. At that meeting it seemed to me that a golden -opportunity was missed for drawing together in a -closer union the Northern and the Southern branches -of the Presbyterian Church. The outcome threw the -Southern church, much more weakened by the war -than the Northern, on its own resources. In proportion -to its financial strength, it has developed into one -of the strongest missionary churches in the land, both -as regards the home work and the foreign. Meantime, -with the growth of the country generally, the Northern -Assembly is becoming too unwieldy a body for its best -efficiency. I believe the time will come when there -will be three Assemblies rather than one, with a -triennial Assembly of all on a basis of representation -agreed upon by the three—somewhat after the plan -of the Methodist and the Episcopal churches; or, more -nearly still, after the plan of the Pan-Presbyterian -Council.</p> - -<p class='c009'>In duties and pleasures such as have just been described, -the time slipped by till it was the 6th of -June, 1882, before I again reached my family in Statesville. -We were to start Lāo-ward about the middle of -July. My furlough ended with a visit to my old charge -at Union, to attend the dedication of a new church -there, and to see my old friends once more.</p> - -<p class='c009'>We began to gather up our scattered forces at Chicago, -where the Fifth Church gave to its pastor’s -daughter, and to the rest of us there present, a hearty -farewell. The others of our large party joined us at -different points on our route across the continent. Dr. -Eugene P. Dunlap and his family, also returning from -<span class='pageno' id='Page_242'>242</span>furlough, were the very last to join us, just in time to -sail with us from San Francisco.</p> - -<p class='c009'>A missionary’s vacation is very delightful, but the -last day of it—the day that brings him back to his -home and his work—is the best of it all. The small -Bangkok steamers of those days could not furnish accommodation -for our whole party at once. Some of -us were, therefore, compelled to lie over at Canton—a -circumstance which changed the ultimate location of -one of our young ladies to the Canton mission, just as -a previous successor to Miss Campbell had in a similar -manner been changed to another station in China. -But where there are young folks, such accidents will -happen.</p> - -<p class='c009'>At Bangkok our United States Consul, General -Partridge, arranged for us an audience with the King. -His Majesty gave us a cordial reception, expressing his -gratification at seeing so many American missionaries -coming to his country; since he knew that they came -to instruct his people, and to make them more intelligent -and better citizens.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Reinforcements surely had not come too soon. Dr. -Wilson, Mrs. Cheek, and Miss Cole were the only missionaries -on the field when we returned; for Dr. Cheek -was absent on business. It was now four years since -the proclamation of religious toleration; and for the -first time was there prospect of workers enough to make -any use of the advantages it offered.</p> - -<div id='i242' class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i242.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>CHULALONGKORN, KING OF SIAM, 1872-1910</p> -</div> -</div> -<p class='c011'>But had we relied too much on human aid? Were -we too much elated in view of our present numbers, -with Mr. Martin to follow the next year? After a -short stay in Bangkok, we reached Chiengmai in the -midst of one of those violent epidemics of fever by -which the Lāo country was then, perhaps, more frequently -<span class='pageno' id='Page_243'>243</span>visited than it is now. Mr. and Mrs. Hearst -and Miss Warner were soon prostrated with the disease, -and at one time, out of the whole mission, scarcely -enough were left to care for the sick. Mr. and Mrs. -Hearst soon decided to give up the struggle and withdraw -from the field. Miss Warner continued longer, -but ultimately she, too, retired with broken health. -As already stated, Mr. McLaren died of cholera after -a few hours’ sickness in Bangkok. God was teaching -us that it is “not by might nor by power, but by My -Spirit, saith Jehovah.”</p> - -<p class='c009'>Soon other complications arose. Smallpox was -brought by pupils into the Girls’ School, and, to our -consternation, Miss Griffin fell a victim. She had been -vaccinated in her childhood, but was not revaccinated -on leaving home—which is always a wise precaution -for those expecting to travel or to live in the East. -Proper measures prevented further spread of the disease; -and though our patient had a rather hard attack, -yet she made good recovery.</p> - -<p class='c009'>During our absence, the church had sustained a great -loss in the death of Nān Inta, our first convert and assistant. -But his works do follow him, and his life -will long continue to be a precious legacy to the Lāo -church. He lived, however, until others were ready to -take his place. Nān Sī Wichai, who long had been -Dr. Cheek’s teacher, was a strong character, and he was -ordained as an elder. Nān Tā, also, who had wandered -so far and so long after the persecution, was growing -to be a power in the church, and afterwards had the -honour of becoming the first ordained minister among -the Lāo.</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_244'>244</span> - <h2 id='ch22' class='c010'>XXII<br /> <br />A SURVEYING EXPEDITION</h2> -</div> -<p class='c011'>On the 26th of February, 1884, an East Indian -appeared on our veranda with an unexpected -note from my old guest and friend, Rev. Dr. J. -N. Cushing of the American Baptist Shan Mission. -The surprise and pleasure of a visit from him and Mrs. -Cushing in the early and lonesome days of the mission -have already been referred to. The note told us that -he was now connected, as interpreter, with a surveying -expedition under Holt S. Hallett, Esq., and that the -party would arrive in Chiengmai on the following day. -The railroad for which Mr. Hallett was surveying a -route was part of a scheme, then on foot, to build a -road from Maulmein to Chiengmai, there to connect -with a road from Bangkok, through the Lāo country, -to Chieng Sên, and, if successful, to be continued up -to Yunnan, China. For some reason the scheme was -not carried out, but the prospect of any road to connect -our isolated field with the outside world was attractive -to us.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The party arrived the next day; and since it would -be very inconvenient for Mr. Hallett to be separated -from Dr. Cushing, we found room in our house for -Mr. Hallett also, and had a fine visit with both. They -soon began to tempt me to join their expedition. All -expenses were to be paid. They were not to travel on -Sunday. Their intended route, through the towns and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_245'>245</span>villages on the way to Chieng Rāi and Chieng Sên, and -southward again to Lakawn, was over ground I was -anxious to travel once more. The trip would give me -a long and profitable visit with my friend, Dr. Cushing. -But, besides all personal considerations, it seemed -right to give a little aid to an enterprise that would -redound to the good of the country.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Our Chiengmai Prince, then quite old, was most incredulous -as to the possibilities of the wonderful railroad. -In his book, <i>A Thousand Miles on an Elephant -in the Shan States</i>, Mr. Hallett has given an amusing -account of his first interview with the Prince. He had -great difficulty in understanding how a train could -move faster than ponies, or how it could move at all -without being drawn by some animal. And how could -it ascend the hills? For it would surely slide down -unless it were pulled up. “I explained to him that I -had made three railways in England, therefore he -might rely upon what I had said. Railways were -made in various parts of the world over much more -difficult hills than those lying between Zimme (Chiengmai) -and Maulmein.... He seemed quite stupefied -by the revelation. It might be so—it must be so, as I -had seen it; but he could not understand how it could -be. He was very old; he could not live much longer. -He hoped we would be quick in setting about and constructing -the line, as otherwise he would not have the -pleasure of seeing it.”</p> - -<p class='c009'>We started at last on March 3d, 1884, with four -large riding elephants, four pack-elephants, and numerous -carriers, making forty-one persons in all. The -passport from the Siamese government, supplemented -by one from the acting Commissioner, and the presence -with us of a Lāo official of some rank, sent to see that -<span class='pageno' id='Page_246'>246</span>the orders were carried out, secured for us men and -elephants and all necessary equipments, so far as the -country could furnish them. The local officials were -usually very kind, and as prompt as native officials -ever were in those days. Mr. Hallett was very considerate -in arranging to stop for the night and on -Sundays near large villages and towns, where a little -missionary work could be done. In the cities where -there were Christians, we held regular services on -Sundays. On these occasions our chief gave the influence -of his presence, though, of course, he could -not understand what was said.</p> - -<p class='c009'>On this trip we had a good opportunity for studying -the characteristics of the elephant. He is very conscious -of his dignity, and must be treated with the -respect due to a king, and not with the familiarity of -an equal. Yet one is amused at his timidity. I myself -have seen one ready to stampede if a squirrel or -a big rat ran across the road in front of him. Mr. -Hallett says: “Elephants, though immense in size, are -very timid, and easily startled. We had to take them -off the path and turn their heads away into the -jungles, whenever we heard the tinkling bells of an approaching -caravan; and they will turn tail and run at -the sight of an audacious little dog that thinks fit to -bark at them.”</p> - -<p class='c009'>On some of the stages of our march, when we had a -mother-elephant in our company, we had the mischievous -youngster along. Such are always an unceasing -source of amusement. One of these seemed to -have a special spite against Mr. Hallett’s Madras boy, -either because of his peculiar dress, or for some liberty -he had taken with him. Mr. Hallett writes: “The -little elephant was taking every chance he could get -<span class='pageno' id='Page_247'>247</span>to hustle the men over as they forded the streams, and -to souse them with water from his trunk. Portow, -who had an overweening opinion of his own dignity, -and was bent on setting up as an oracle, was, unfortunately, -the butt of the boys, but was likewise the -sport of the baby-elephant. Many a time have I seen -him hustled over by the youngster, who seemed to -have picked him out as his playmate. Slyly and softly -stealing up behind, he would suddenly increase his -pace, and, with a quick shuffle or a sudden lurch, -shoulder him sprawling to the ground. Portow, during -this part of the journey, behaved like a hunted man, -ever looking behind to see whether the dreadful infant -was behind.”</p> - -<p class='c009'>My friend, Dr. Cushing, who had been put in charge -of the train, and our prince-guide, both believed in the -oriental idea of making an impression by as imposing -a pageant as possible. On nearing Chieng Rāi, they -marshalled us in procession, so that we entered the -city in state, with ten armed men leading the way. -Possibly it had its desired effect, for a warm welcome -was given us, and every aid was granted.</p> - -<p class='c009'>In the eleven years since my first visit there with -Dr. Vrooman, the city had grown in size. The fertility -of its soil and the large extent of its arable land -were sure to attract still larger population from the -south. In addition to these natural advantages, it had -then another strong claim for a mission station. While -all the other Lāo states, through their rulers, submitted -to the introduction of Christianity rather than welcomed -it, Chieng Rāi and Chieng Sên were exceptions. -The rulers of both desired the presence of the missionaries.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The Sunday spent there was a welcome day of rest. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_248'>248</span>The week had been a strenuous one. In the morning -we held a public service—the first ever held there. -Mr. Hallett and our prince-guide attended, and curiosity -collected quite a congregation. After tiffin, Dr. -Cushing and I spent several hours—the first quiet ones -we had had—reading in the monastery grounds at the -great bend of the river.</p> - -<p class='c009'>That evening I met the governor at home and, save -for the presence of his wife, alone. His intelligent -enquiries as to the truths and teachings of our religion -showed that he had already thought much on the -subject. Krū Nān Tā and he were not very distant -relatives, and had had many conversations on the subject. -His regard for our mission and his earnest -desire for a mission station, as well as the protection -he afterwards gave the Christians when they were -wronged, had, I believe, a deeper foundation than an -intellectual interest, or even a personal friendship -for us.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Our next stage was Chieng Sên. There Nān Suwan, -our ruling elder, and his family gave us a warm welcome. -He met us at the city gate, hardly hoping there -would be a missionary in the expedition, which, rumour -told him, was coming. His house stood on the bank of -the river, just where Dr. Vrooman and I landed thirteen -years before, when the only occupants were wild -beasts. The new settlers had been so busy providing -housing and sustenance for themselves, that only one -monastery building had been roofed, and only a portion -of its images stored under shelter. Our old -friend the governor had only a bamboo residence. Nān -Suwan had made friends by the help of the quinine -with which he had been supplied, and he had the best -house in the city. It served, also, as a chapel, in -<span class='pageno' id='Page_249'>249</span>which, with grateful hearts, we worshipped on -Sunday.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The governor was even more insistent in his demand -for a mission station than the governor of Chieng Rāi -had been. He even offered to send down elephants to -move us up, if we would come. His was not the deep -religious nature of the Chieng Rāi governor. He possibly -believed that in their sphere all religions were -alike good. He urged, as he had done before, that we -might even then forestall the monasteries and preoccupy -the field. Nothing would have pleased me -more, had it been possible, than to accept the cordial -invitation. It was true, as the governor said, “The -people must and will have some religion. If you do -not give them Christianity, they must take Buddhism.” -It was only necessity that could resist such a plea. -But half a loaf is better than no bread. If we were -not ready to start a regular station in Chieng Sên, we -must somehow work the field as best we could. That -consideration determined my long tours in the dry seasons -of the years that followed.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Up to this time I had never been properly equipped -and outfitted for such tours. One outcome of this trip -was a great improvement in my means of transportation -for the future. An application made long before -this to the Board for an elephant, had been received as -a huge joke. But now it happened that in the assignment -of elephants for our upward trip, a large <i>sadaw</i>—a -male without tusks—had fallen to me. He proved to -be an exceptionally fine beast belonging to an estate -about to be divided. He must be sold, and was held at -a very cheap figure. With the help of a contribution by -Mr. Hallett, and the hire paid for its use, I was able to -purchase it. The deputy governor gave me a good howdah -<span class='pageno' id='Page_250'>250</span>for it. I was as proud of my new acquisition as -ever a boy was of a new toy. But since few elephants -will travel well alone, I now needed a mate for him. -Before long I was fortunate enough to get a cheap and -equally good female. I was then prepared for my long -tours. I could cross streams in safety, and be protected -from rain, even if my journey were prolonged beyond -the limits of the dry season.</p> - -<p class='c009'>On our return journey, in Mûang Payao, we came in -contact with the worst epidemic of smallpox that I -have ever seen. We met it at every turn in the street. -With difficulty could we keep parents with children, all -broken out with the disease, in their arms, from crowding -round us in our sālā. We had hardly taken our -seats on the rugs spread for us at the governor’s official -reception of Mr. Hallett, when we discovered -cases of smallpox all about us. Dr. Cushing was -nervously afraid of it, and retired. I had to remain -an hour as interpreter. Imagine our consternation on -reaching the next station to find that the Doctor -showed unmistakable signs of having contracted the -dreadful disease, although he had been vaccinated in -his youth. What a discovery to be made on a journey, -and four days from home! On consultation it was -thought best to hasten on to Chiengmai, a thing which -our mode of travel made possible. Mr. and Mrs. Chalmers -Martin had arrived during our absence, and had -taken up their quarters in our house. It was, therefore, -impossible to take our sick friend in. We did -the next best thing, and gave him a new bamboo house -on our hospital lot, where Dr. Peoples carefully -watched over him till he made a rapid recovery, and -was able to return home in a boat as far as Bangkok, -and thence by sea <i>via</i> Singapore. It was a sad close, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_251'>251</span>however, to our pleasant visit together, and to our -otherwise interesting and profitable tour.</p> - -<hr class='c015' /> - -<p class='c009'>I returned from Chieng Sên, as we have seen, with -an elephant of my own. On reaching home I found -awaiting me the best pony I ever had. It was sent -to me as a present from the governor of Mê Hawng -Sawn, near the Salwin River. I had never been to Mê -Hawng Sawn, and had but a very limited acquaintance -with the governor. According to my uniform custom -in those days, on his official visits to Chiengmai, I had -twice called upon him as the governor of a neighbouring -province. On both occasions we had conversation -on the different merits of the two religions. On one -of these visits he had brought down some ponies to sell, -and on my asking the price of one he said, “I am -very sorry that I have sold all my gentle ones. There -is only one left. If you can use him, I shall be glad -to give him to you.” It is a McGilvary trait not to -be timid about horses, and I said, “I will try him.” -So the pony was sent down to my house; but he proved -rather too much for my horsemanship. The first time -I mounted him, he threw me and sprained my wrist. -It was the unanimous vote of the family that he be -returned with thanks. The governor sent back word -that he was very sorry; but never mind; when he -reached home he would see to it that I had a good -pony—a message which, I am sorry to say, I took as a -good oriental compliment. I had even forgotten all -about the matter, when, on my return from this trip, -I found the pony in my stable. He was a most -valuable and timely present.</p> - -<p class='c009'>But we are not quite done with Mr. Hallett’s survey. -He made a short excursion without an interpreter -<span class='pageno' id='Page_252'>252</span>to the hot Springs. But his final trip was to be -to Mûang Fāng, six days to the north and west of the -route previously taken, and distant some eighty-three -miles from Chiengmai. His object was to see if there -were not an easier route to Chieng Rāi down the valleys -of the Mê Fang and the Mê Kok. The trip -strongly appealed both to Mr. Martin and to me, and -we gladly accepted Mr. Hallett’s invitation to accompany -him.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Mûang Fāng was an ancient city captured and destroyed -by the Burmese in 1717; so that it lay in -ruins nearly two hundred years before it was re-peopled. -Besides Mûang Fāng, we visited, either in going or returning, -four other cities—Chieng Dāo, Mûang Ngāi, -Mûang Pāo, and Mûang Kên. Not far to the south of -Mûang Fāng we visited the cave of Top Tao, noted in -the Buddhist legends of Northern Siam. Mr. Hallett -thus describes our experiences there:</p> - -<p class='c024'>“Inside was a lofty cavern lighted by a natural skylight. -On a raised platform in the cave was a great reclining -image of Buddha some thirty feet long, and around it a -number of figures representing his disciples. Numerous -small wooden and stone images of Buddha had been placed by -pious pilgrims about the platforms. Pillows, mattresses, -robes, yellow drapery, flags, water-bottles, rice-bowls, fans, -dolls, images of temples, doll’s houses for the spirits, and -all sorts of trumpery, were lying together with fresh and -faded flowers that had been offered to the images, and were -strewn in front of them. A steep ladder led up to niches -near the roof of the cave, in which images were enshrined.</p> - -<p class='c027'>“My companions, full of ardor, determined to explore -the inner recesses of the cave, and accordingly lighted their -torches and proceeded further into the bowels of the earth, -whilst I enjoyed a quiet smoke amongst the gods. Down -they went, creeping through low, narrow passages, over rocks, -and along ledges, with chasms and pits lining their path as -<span class='pageno' id='Page_253'>253</span>the cave expanded—bottomless as far as they could judge by -the faint light of their torches, but really not more than -twenty or thirty feet deep—until they could get no further, -and had to return, having proceeded about the eighth of -a mile.”</p> - -<p class='c025'>That night brought us to the Mê Fāng River. The -narrative proceeds:</p> - -<p class='c024'>“Here we spent the most unpleasant night we had yet -spent, as we were troubled with rain, heat, and mosquitoes. -We were told that game was plentiful. Wild cattle larger -than buffaloes come in droves from the hills to graze in the -plain, while the rhinoceros and the elephant roam about -the plains.</p> - -<p class='c027'>“At our next stopping-place, after we had settled ourselves -in an empty house, a villager came to inform us that -the house belonged to the Chief of Mûang Fāng, and that -anybody that slept in it would have his head cut off. As -rain was threatening, we determined to risk the penalty, -and we were soon glad that we had done so, as the rain -poured down in torrents.”</p> - -<p class='c025'>There is a small deer called tamnê, which twenty -years ago was very abundant in all the northern -provinces. They are not found in the very tall grass -of the river-bottoms, but in grass about waist-high -thickly covering the higher plains. They have their -beds in this grass by day, and graze at night. They -are lower than the grass, and never leap so as to show -the body, but glide smoothly along as if swimming, discovering -their presence only through the parting and -waving of the grass. Sometimes you get right upon -them before they will run.</p> - -<p class='c009'>One Saturday we got Mr. Hallett interested in some -survey or calculations not requiring the aid of an interpreter, -and Mr. Martin and I had our first deer hunt. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_254'>254</span>We took six of our elephants, and, going out about an -hour’s ride or more from the city, we formed in open -order abreast, about forty yards apart, and in perfect -silence moved forward over the plain. The hunter -thus starts his own game. He sits on the back, or, -better still, on the neck of his elephant, with gun -cocked, ready for a shot at the first noise or movement -in the grass. We started about a dozen of the -deer, and emptied many cartridges, but came back to -camp with no meat—much to Mr. Hallett’s disgust.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Mûang Fāng, like Chieng Sên, was rich in images -of all sizes and materials. I never saw finer bronze -ones. It was a favourite field from which Siamese -princes and officials could get a supply otherwise unattainable -in those days. Of course, <i>they</i> have a right -to them. But when a German traveller undertook a -wholesale speculation in the images of Buddha, it was -quite another matter, and he got into serious difficulty -with the government.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Soon after our return to Chiengmai, Mr. Hallett left -us for Bangkok. From his long residence in Burma -and from his close connection with the mission and -missionaries during his expedition among what he -calls the Shan States, he understood the methods and -results of missionary work better than most visitors -who have written upon the subject. The kind words -of the dedication of his book, though often quoted, -may well conclude this chapter.</p> - -<p class='c009'>“To the American Missionaries in Burma and 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.”</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_255'>255</span> - <h2 id='ch23' class='c010'>XXIII<br /> <br />EVANGELISTIC TRAINING</h2> -</div> -<p class='c011'>On our return from the surveying expedition in -the summer of 1884, we found F. B. Gould, -Esq., our first British Vice-Consul, already -established in Chiengmai. It was an important event -for the country; since a British official in any place is -a guarantee that at least the outward forms of law -and justice will be observed. In one important sense, -too, it marked a new era for the mission, or, at least, -for the missionaries.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Those who have not tried can hardly imagine the privation -of living eighteen years without a mail system -of any kind. Our only dependence so far was on -catching chance trading boats to and from Bangkok. -These were always an uncertain quantity; in very low -water they almost ceased to travel. Some boatmen -preferred not to be responsible for the mail, not knowing -what it might contain. In the great city of Bangkok, -and even in Chiengmai, it required a constant effort -to keep ourselves informed of the departures of -boats. The consequence was that an absence of news -from children, friends, and the outside world generally, -for three or four months at a time, was very common. -Sometimes the interval was as much as eight -months. Add to this the time of the long river trip, -and our news sometimes would be nearly a year old -when it reached us. Mr. Wilson’s family and mine -<span class='pageno' id='Page_256'>256</span>had schooled ourselves to these conditions; but to -those who had been accustomed to a daily mail, they -must have been almost unendurable.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The new Vice-Consul came, determined by all means -to get some regular communication established, if it -were only a monthly one. We were only too glad to -do whatever we could to that end. It was a matter -of pride to both parties that we arranged at once for -a regular and most successful semi-monthly mail overland -to Maulmein. I furnished a reliable Christian -man for chief contractor, and good men for carriers. -Since Mr. Gould had as yet no authority from his government -to incur any expense, the arrangement was -wholly a private affair, with the understanding that -all who availed themselves of it should pay a quarterly -assessment for the maintenance of the line. But in a -short time the British government assumed the whole -expense. Mr. Gould promised to get the staff exempt -from corvée, or compulsory government service. He -had to use his official authority for that.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The Lāo government had absolutely no interest in -a mail, whether weekly or yearly; but the Siamese -looked rather askance at having in their own country -a mail service over which they had no control. -It seemed to be in some way a reflection on their national -pride. There is little doubt that our private -enterprise hastened the weekly government mail from -Bangkok, which was started the next year. And since -the Maulmein route is quicker by two weeks than -the one by Bangkok, the Siamese government has of -late maintained both, the two meeting at Rahêng, and -giving us a very creditable and regular mail service.</p> - -<hr class='c015' /> - -<p class='c009'>In the spring of 1884 the mission sustained a great -<span class='pageno' id='Page_257'>257</span>loss in the death of Princess Tipa Kēsawn, Prince Intanon’s -consort, whom we were in the habit of calling -“the Queen.” Placed as she was, she could not well -have avoided the making of priests’ garments, and the -going through with the form of making offerings to the -spirits. But I seriously doubt whether she had any expectation -of laying up thereby a store of merit for the -future. One thing we do know, that in her last sickness -she turned no anxious look to any of these things, -at a time when thoughtful Buddhists are always most -diligent in their efforts. Dr. Peoples of our mission -attended her in her last illness, and the case was submitted -entirely to him. Mrs. McGilvary and I were -both with her the day before she died. Mrs. McGilvary -was with her at her death, and remained to see -the body dressed for the coffin. We missed her very -much as a friend, and the whole country missed her as -a balance-wheel for her husband.</p> - -<hr class='c015' /> - -<p class='c009'>On the arrival of the reinforcement in 1883, a Presbytery -was organized of the four ministers, Wilson, -Peoples, Hearst, and McGilvary. I was then full of -the idea of a theological training-class. My experience -of the accumulated power added to the missionary’s -efforts by having such assistants as Nān Inta, -Nān Suwan, and Noi Intachak, raised in my mind the -question, Why not increase the number? Having had -no schools, we had, of course, no body of young men -educated on Christian lines whom we might train for -the ministry; and we could not have such for years -to come. But we had in our churches mature men of -deeply religious nature, earnest students of Buddhism, -and carefully educated in all the learning of their race. -And a man so trained has many compensations for -<span class='pageno' id='Page_258'>258</span>his lack of training in our elementary schools. He -knows the sacred books of his own people, their -strength and their weakness. He understands the -thoughts, the needs, and the difficulties of a Buddhist -enquirer, and the mode of argument by which these -difficulties are to be met, as no young man of his own -race, and as no foreign teacher can do. The training -needed to make such a man an efficient preacher of the -Gospel, is training in the Christian Scriptures, together -with practical experience in evangelistic work -under efficient direction.</p> - -<p class='c009'>I was at that time giving regular instruction to Noi -Intachak, one of the finest young men I have ever -known in that country, and very anxious to become a -minister.<a id='r13' /><a href='#f13' class='c020'><sup>[13]</sup></a> To Nān Tā, afterwards our efficient minister, -I was giving instruction less regularly, as it -was possible for him to take it. But it would have -been both easier and more profitable to teach a class -of six or eight. By qualifying such a group of young -men to work, and then working with them and through -them, I believed that my own efficiency could be -quadrupled, or even sextupled, as it was doubled when -I had Nān Inta to work with.</p> - -<div class='footnote c026' id='f13'> -<p class='c023'><span class='label'><a href='#r13'>13</a>. </span>Our hopes for his future career, alas, were cut short by his untimely -death in the following year.</p> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>With these thoughts and this experience impressed -on my mind, and in order that my plan, if adopted, -might have the ecclesiastical sanction of the Presbytery -as well as the corporate sanction of the mission, -I had urged the organization of the Presbytery -just as soon as we had the minimum quorum required. -In order to give the discussion its proper outlook and -perspective, I noticed, also, in the paper which I read -before the Presbytery, the necessity of a general education -<span class='pageno' id='Page_259'>259</span>for all our Christians, and of High Schools for -both sexes; while I sketched more in detail the nature -and the methods of special instruction intended for -those in training to become evangelists and ministers.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The training proposed for this last group was intended -primarily to equip the most capable and most -promising individuals among the converts for filling -well their places as lay officers and leaders in the -churches, and for engaging intelligently in evangelistic -work. But beyond this it was thought that it would -ultimately furnish a body of picked men from whom -again the best might be chosen as candidates for -further instruction leading up to the ministerial office. -The course was to be flexible enough to permit -occasional attendance with profit on the part of men -whose household duties or whose business would not -permit them to attend regularly. Its special feature -was actual and constant practice in evangelistic work -under the direction and supervision of the Principal, -and with him as his assistants on his tours.</p> - -<p class='c009'>In view of the poverty of the Lāo generally, and in -order to make it possible for these men to maintain -their families while occupied with this training, it was -further proposed that they should receive a moderate -allowance of, perhaps, eight rupees per month of actual -service, or about three dollars of our money. This -seemed not unreasonable, since in Christian lands it -is thought a wise provision to assist students in their -preparation for the ministry; and since what is required -to support one European missionary family, -would support half a dozen fairly educated native -ministers or ten good native evangelists.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The Presbytery took hold of the scheme with much -ardour, and at once began to organize it into shape, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_260'>260</span>but on far too large a scale, and with far too formidable -and too foreign apparatus. A regular “Board -of Education” was created, with rules and regulations -better suited to American conditions than to those of -the Lāo churches. A committee was further appointed -to examine all applicants for the course, much after -the manner of receiving candidates for the ministry -under the care of a Presbytery. Their “motives for -seeking the ministry” were to be enquired into, while -as yet it was not at all known whether they would -desire to become ministers. The allowance in each -case was to be the absolute minimum which it was supposed -would suffice for the maintenance of the student -after he had provided all that he could himself. -Noi Intachak, for example, was allowed the maximum -of eight rupees a month, while Noi Chai—one of the -best Buddhist scholars in the country, a young man -with a family, living ten miles away in the country—was -allowed five rupees, on the ground that he was not -very poor; while yet another was allowed but three.</p> - -<p class='c009'>After this ordeal—which was thought to be a good -test of their sincerity—the rest of the six or eight candidates -for instruction declined to commit themselves. -None of them understood exactly what the Board of -Education was about. I myself was greatly disappointed -at the outcome. After a week of listless study, -Noi Chai begged to be allowed to withdraw, and the -whole thing was disbanded. My hopeful private class -was killed by too much “red tape,” and with it all possibility -of a training-class for four years to come. I -was again set free for long tours and my favourite -evangelistic work.</p> - -<p class='c009'>I continued to teach Noi Intachak till his lamented -death, and I devoted what spare time I could to teaching -<span class='pageno' id='Page_261'>261</span>the long-time wanderer, Nān Tā, who had become our -best evangelist. There seems to have been some fatality -connected with all our efforts to establish a theological -training school. When the next attempt was -made, under Mr. Dodd’s direction, with a large and interesting -class enthusiastically taught, through some -cause or combination of causes—for it would be difficult -to specify any single one as alone determinative—it -was allowed to slip out of our hands. Possibly a -leading cause in this case was the same that was -operative in the other. At a time when the mission -was pressing the idea of self-support to its breaking -point, an allowance probably too scanty was offered -in the evangelistic work to the men who had been -trained for it. The whole question in the Lāo field, -as it doubtless is in others, is a difficult one. As wages -in other departments rise, and the demand for competent -men becomes more pressing both in governmental -and in private business, the question will become -more difficult still. While on the one hand there -is the danger of making a mercenary ministry, on the -other hand we must remember that, the world over, -educated labour now costs more, but is not, therefore, -necessarily dearer. The same penny-wise and pound-foolish -policy has lost us the strength of some of the -best men in our church, our schools, our hospitals, and -our printing-press, because more lucrative positions -are offered elsewhere. But we must remember first of -all that theological schools, like all others, are not -made, but grow; and, second, that the law of competition -prevails here, too, as well as elsewhere. It is -easy to say that it ought not to do so, as between the -ministry and other professions, or between the missionary -work and other more lucrative callings. But -<span class='pageno' id='Page_262'>262</span>to a certain extent the same law does hold, and it is -a fact to be reckoned with.</p> - -<hr class='c015' /> - -<p class='c009'>In May, 1884, H. R. H. Prince Krommamûn Bijit, a -brother of the King of Siam, arrived and took up his -residence in Chiengmai—probably to give prestige to -the High Commissioner, and possibly to smooth the -road of the new British Consul. It was an open secret -that the Prince of Chiengmai could see no need whatever -for a British Resident, and at times he was not -slow to make his views known. For a while the relations -between the two were somewhat strained. Yet it -was of the utmost importance that the relations between -England and Siam should remain cordial. At -the same time it was a part of the plan of Siam, since -fully carried out, to assume complete control of the -government in the northern states. What was of more -special interest to us was, as we shall see, not only -that Prince Bijit was personally friendly, but that he -brought with him substantial evidence of the good will -of His Majesty and of the Siamese government toward -our work.</p> - -<p class='c009'>It was in this year that our first attempt at establishing -a mountain sanitarium was made. It was designed -to furnish a refuge from the great heat of the -plain, to be a retreat for invalids, and a place where -new missionaries might more safely become acclimatized, -and still be studying the language. But as -a matter of fact, new missionaries are put to work so -promptly that it is about as hard for them to withdraw -from the battle as it is for the older ones. Since -we kept no watchman on the premises, the sanitarium -was afterwards burned down—possibly by forest fires. -Later a better and more convenient situation was found -<span class='pageno' id='Page_263'>263</span>nearer the city, so near that a man can ride up in the -evening, spend the night there with his family, and return -in the morning to his work for the day. It is in -a delightful situation beside a cool brook, but is too -low for the best results as a health resort.</p> - -<hr class='c015' /> - -<p class='c009'>At the Annual Meeting in December, the importance -of opening a new station in Lakawn was discussed. -The baptism of the officer from that city, and the -organization of a church there, have already been -mentioned. The officer was constant in his appeals -for the establishment of a station there, with a missionary -in residence. Although Mr. Wilson was soon -to start with his family for the United States on a furlough, -there would still be left in Chiengmai—if I were -sent to Lakawn—two ministers and two physicians, -even if these were but three men in all. Besides, there -were beginning to be some good native assistants in -Chiengmai. No one had expressed a desire to open a -new station, and no one had been sounded in regard -to the matter. So I determined to make now the visit -to Lakawn which I had planned for the previous fall, -but had been unable to accomplish. My wife and our -little son Norwood were to accompany me. When our -preparations were well advanced, what was our delight -to find that Dr. and Mrs. Peoples wished to accompany -us, if they could obtain elephants. When this was -mentioned to Prince Bijit, he not only volunteered the -elephants, but informed us that he had authority from -His Majesty to see that we had a lot for our station -there, and, furthermore, that, in passing through -Lakawn, he had already secured for us one of the most -desirable lots in the place. In addition to this, His -Majesty had sent by him two thousand rupees as a contribution -<span class='pageno' id='Page_264'>264</span>toward the new station and a hospital. Who -could fail to see that the guiding hand of the Lord was -in it! Before this I had written to our United States -Consul to get permission to secure a lot there, but had -never once thought of a contribution, much less of one -so liberal. Mrs. McGilvary thus reports our trip in -a letter to our daughter:</p> - -<p class='c024'>“Lakawn, January 30th, 1885. We reached Lampūn on -Friday. I curtained off one end of the sālā just north of -the city, and Mrs. Peoples did the same at the other end, -leaving the space between and the veranda for callers. -There we spent the Sabbath. Your father preached twice -to very attentive audiences. We were impressed with the -favourable prospect for mission work, and hope to make a -longer visit to the place soon. We left on Monday, and -reached this place on Thursday noon, and lodged in a public -sālā just opposite the beautiful lot which the Prince has -given us for a station. It is in a fine site, one of the best -in the city. We called on the Chief this morning, and all -seemed pleased at the prospect of having a mission station -here. It is not yet settled who is to open it. We are willing -to come, and so are Dr. and Mrs. Peoples.”</p> - -<div id='i264' class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i264.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>PRESBYTERY, RETURNING FROM MEETING IN LAKAWN</p> -</div> -</div> -<p class='c011'>As may well be imagined, we returned to Chiengmai -with grateful hearts for the many providences that -had favoured us. The new station was assured. We -had not then thought of keeping two physicians for -Chiengmai. Dr. Cheek had charge of the medical -work. Dr. Peoples, naturally, preferred a field where -he would have ample scope both for his medical profession -and for the itinerating work of which he was -equally fond. His double profession and other qualifications -fitted him as no one else could be fitted -for opening the new station. On my wife’s account I -was very willing to yield him the pleasure—for such -<span class='pageno' id='Page_265'>265</span>to me it has always been—of breaking new ground. -Mrs. McGilvary had already had the labour and self-denial -of opening two stations, one of which was a new -mission. The importance of Lakawn as the next station -could not be challenged. Dr. and Mrs. Peoples -themselves were pleased with the place and the prospect -of the new field. So they were unanimously appointed -and set apart to the new and important work.</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_266'>266</span> - <h2 id='ch24' class='c010'>XXIV<br /> <br />STRUGGLE WITH THE POWERS OF DARKNESS</h2> -</div> -<p class='c011'>The belief in witchcraft was still prevalent everywhere, -and this year brought us striking illustrations -of its cruel power. An elderly man -with his wife and family, living in one of the outlying -villages, was accused of witchcraft. The pair of elephants -which he owned and used had belonged to a -man suspected of harbouring a malicious spirit; and it -was thought that the demon had followed these elephants -into the family of their new master. The family -was promptly ostracized; but by driving off her -husband with his elephants, the wife might avoid expulsion, -and might save for herself and her daughters -the comfortable home. I endeavoured in vain to prevent -this outcome. “I am much more afraid of the -spirits,” said the wife, “than of bears and tigers.” -The husband could no longer face the universal odium -which he encountered, and so was driven forth. But -the spirits served the old man a good turn—they -drove him into the Christian religion, which he lives to -adorn, and they gave him two good elephants. The -family afterwards applied for one of them. As a matter -of equity he gave up one, and lived comfortably -with a Christian son on the proceeds of the sale of -the other.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Then there was a great epidemic of fever in Bān Pên -in the neighbouring province of Lampūn. Few homes -<span class='pageno' id='Page_267'>267</span>were left without sad hearts and vacant places through -the death of one or more members. The destroyer -must be some demon which had taken up its abode in a -human habitation, and was preying on the inhabitants -of the village. The family of one of the most prosperous -men in the village was finally selected as the one -which must be the abode of the destroyer. As they -could hardly decide in which particular member of it -the demon resided, they regarded all with equal suspicion, -and proceeded to wreak their vengeance to the -uttermost upon them all.</p> - -<p class='c009'>First, according to the usual custom, anonymous letters -were dropped at the gate, warning the family to -flee, or dire would be the consequences. When threats -failed, armed with an order from the court, the whole -village appeared on the scene and compelled the family -to flee for their lives. No sooner were they out -of the way than their two large teak dwelling-houses, -with rice-bins, outhouses, etc., were torn down and scattered -piecemeal over the lot. Not even a tree or shrub -was left on the place. To gain a breathing-spell, the -family moved into a bamboo shed hastily extemporized -on the banks of the Mê Ping, some two miles distant -from what had been their home. By some accident -they were directed to our mission. They had learned -that the King’s edict protected the Christians, and, -above all, that the Christian religion protected them -from all fear of evil spirits. And so they came to see -if it were true, and if there were any refuge for -them.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Whatever was to be done for them in the way of -earthly succor, must evidently be done quickly. Their -neighbours in their temporary refuge would doubtless -soon drive them away again. At the earnest entreaty -<span class='pageno' id='Page_268'>268</span>of the man I took one of the elders, and went down to -look into the case for myself. It was heart-rending. -Whatever they had been able to snatch from the wreck -of a well-to-do home—beds, bedding, furniture, kitchen -utensils—was heaped up in a pile that covered the -whole floor-space of their shack. The great-grandmother, -helpless in her dotage, and the little children, -were lying here and there wherever a smoother spot -could be found. Their case seemed almost hopeless -as far as human aid was concerned. Nān Chaiwana -had himself appealed for aid both to the court and to -the governor, and had been told that there was nothing -they could do for him. The court was committed -against him. The governor, however, was personally -friendly to us, and had shown no ill will towards the -man. It was barely possible that something might -be accomplished there. We all had worship together -amid the confusion of their hut—the first Christian -service they had ever attended. They assured us of -their joyful acceptance of the Gospel, and pledged -obedience to all its teachings. We promised to do -whatever we could in their behalf, and returned home.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Next day Mr. Martin and I went down to Lampūn -to call on the governor. He was not at home, but in -the rice-fields several miles out in the country. We followed -him there. He received us kindly, but said, -“Were I to make proclamation to protect that family, -it would be impossible to enforce it. Nearly everybody -in that neighbourhood believes that the bodies -or ashes of fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, or children -are in that graveyard, sent there by the demon in -that family. If you can devise some plan to protect -them, you are welcome to try it; but if they return -to that village, I cannot be responsible for the results.” -<span class='pageno' id='Page_269'>269</span>When told that they had now renounced the spirits, -and put themselves under the Great Spirit, he said, -“That is all very well, but how am I to convince the -others that <i>they</i> are safe?” We then begged that he -would give the place over to us. We wanted a place -for preaching. We would put up one of the houses -and establish a Christian family in it, with medicine to -cure their fevers. I would oversee it, but would ask -the family to help in the work. To this he readily -consented. We trusted his promise, and we returned -encouraged.</p> - -<p class='c009'>A few evenings later I arrived on the scene with our -elder and some other Christians, and pitched tent at -the edge of the ricefield, a hundred yards from the -deserted lot, to engage in a contest with the destroying -demon. It was, moreover, a crucial contest as between -Christianity and demonism. Our whole future -work in that province, and, to a large extent, throughout -the land, depended on the result. Soon curiosity -brought to our tent the head man and a large number -of the villagers. We spent the evening in preaching -to them. When asked what we proposed to do -with the situation, we explained that we had come -to take possession of the house and lot—the governor -had given it over to the mission for a station. It -was now the property of the Christians, over whom the -spirits had no power. It was to be dedicated to the -Lord’s work, and we even asked their aid.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Next morning we began work, bringing in some of -the men of the outcast family to assist in identifying -and reassembling the scattered timbers of the house. -With much difficulty bone was joined to bone, and timber -to timber. In a few days some of the villagers offered -to be hired to help. One or two women of the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_270'>270</span>family came over to cook for the workmen. Before -long one house was set up, roofed, and floored; whereupon -we moved up into it, and invited the neighbours -to attend its dedication that evening. The evening was -spent in song and prayer and praise. Many came up -into the house. More listened from the ground below. -We had given quinine to the fever patients, who were -glad to get well by the help of Christian medicine. -Meanwhile the epidemic subsided, and the worst fears -of the people were allayed.</p> - -<p class='c009'>When it became necessary for me to return to Chiengmai, -I left the elder to furnish moral support to the -poor outcasts, who, little by little, came back to their -home, and became the Christian family which we had -promised to establish there. To save the land from -being utterly lost to him, Nān Chaiwana had mortgaged -it to one of the princes for the trifling sum of -one hundred rupees. Not trusting to the prince’s unselfishness, -I took Nān Chaiwana’s own money, paid the -mortgage, and with some regret the prince released the -property to me. Thus was it all restored to the family. -Mr. Martin and I visited the station as often as -we could. It became an interesting centre for our -work, and ultimately grew into the Bethel church.</p> - -<hr class='c015' /> - -<p class='c009'>While I was engaged in this work, a strange thing -was doing on the other side of the Mê Ping. One day -a man came in from the “Big Tamarind Tree Village” -to tell us that his whole village had become Christians, -and were building a chapel. When it was finished, he -would invite us to come down and indoctrinate the -people in the teachings of our religion. This was something -new, and, of course, most interesting. In due -time the man came to Chiengmai to inform us that -<span class='pageno' id='Page_271'>271</span>the chapel was finished, and we were invited to go -down, take possession, dedicate it, and teach the -people.</p> - -<p class='c009'>On the following Friday, Mr. Martin and I took -boat and went to the village landing, where we separated, -he going east to receive and baptize the converts -in the “new home of the teachers,” as the house -at Bān Pên long was called; and I to dedicate the -new chapel at the “Big Tamarind Tree Village.” I -found the chapel there all right, and the whole village -assembled to welcome the teacher; and, apparently, -like the audience that Peter found in the house of -Cornelius, ready “to hear words whereby they might -be saved.” The chapel was built mostly of bamboo, -but so new and neat that I complimented the villagers, -and expressed my great delight. After our reception, -I invited them up into the chapel for worship, and began -by announcing a hymn, and inviting them to join -in learning to sing it; expecting, with my assistant and -other Christians who had accompanied me, to spend -the time in teaching them what Christianity is; presuming -that their reception of it was a foregone conclusion.</p> - -<p class='c009'>But somehow things did not seem to run smoothly. -I was conscious of being in a wrong atmosphere. The -leader of the movement seemed ill at ease. None entered -in with the accustomed zeal of new converts. My -assistant noticed the same thing, and whispered in -my ear that something was wrong. They were whispering -to him, “Where is the money?” “What -money?” “Why, the fifty or one hundred rupees that -we were told would surely be forthcoming to every -family that aided in the building, and that entered -the new religion. The foreigners are rich, and, of -<span class='pageno' id='Page_272'>272</span>course, will be delighted to distribute money freely.” -The leader, of course, expected the lion’s share. It -had all been a mere business venture on his part—or, -rather, a swindle! This was on Saturday. On Monday -morning Mr. Martin and I met at the boat according -to agreement, he to report a good day and -the baptism of ten adults along with as many children, -and the reception of a number of catechumens; and I -to confess how I had been sold.</p> - -<hr class='c015' /> - -<p class='c009'>In the summer of 1885 a most interesting work was -started in some villages to the southwest of the city. -Our indefatigable Nān Tā had visited that region, and -many had professed their faith. Mr. Martin and I -both responded to the call, and made a number of visits -there. Two chapels were built by the enquirers, one -at Lawng Kum, and one at Chāng Kam. I quote the -following account of this work from the New York <i>Observer</i>:</p> - -<p class='c024'>“June 9th, 1885.—I have just returned from the villages -referred to in my last letter. I found twenty-two families -of professed believers at Lawng Kum Chapel, which with -the aid of a few dollars from elsewhere they had succeeded -in building. Among them are at least six persons -who give good evidence of a change of heart, and the rest -are interesting enquirers. Ten miles from there, at Chāng -Kam, I visited by invitation another company who had renounced -Buddhism, and who call themselves Christians. On -arriving there a roll of thirty-five families was handed me. -Most of them had attended worship at times in the chapel at -Chiengmai, and a few of them are no doubt true Christians. -Here also we secured a native house for a chapel. They -contributed a part of the small sum needed, while in this -case, as in the other, their contribution was supplemented -from the monthly contributions of the church in Chiengmai. -Deputations have been sent also from places still further -<span class='pageno' id='Page_273'>273</span>away, representing in one case twenty, and in another case -twelve families enrolled by themselves, with others only -waiting for the arrival of a teacher.</p> - -<p class='c027'>“It is probably premature to predict what will be the -result of all this. The simultaneousness of the movement in -villages thirty or forty miles apart is remarkable. It shows -a longing for something they have not. To turn this -awakening to most account, we need more help, both native -and foreign. Mr. Martin enters into the work with all his -zeal, and has contributed no little toward keeping up the -interest.”</p> - -<p class='c025'>Our expectations in regard to the work at Lawng -Kum were disappointed mainly by removals of families -to other places. The chapel in Chāng Kam was -burned down by incendiaries, but was soon replaced, -and the village has continued to be one of our most -important out-stations. Its people have recently -[1910] built a new and large chapel, and will soon -be organized into a church. One zealous man in Mê -Āo led first his own family and then his neighbours -into the faith, till they, too, have now a chapel built -of teak, with a band of faithful workers to worship -in it.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Our first visits to these new places were intensely interesting. -It seemed as if the Gospel would be embraced -by whole villages. But the burning of the -chapel tells a tale of a strong adverse influence. Opposition -usually drives off the timid and the merely -curious. The lines, then, are sharply drawn, and the -Christian society really finds itself.</p> - -<p class='c009'>During the last week of the year I spent a few days -at the village of Mê Dawk Dêng to hold a communion -service there, and incidentally to give my family and -the teachers of the Girls’ School a much-needed outing. -It was at the height of the rice-harvest, and, one evening, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_274'>274</span>we all greatly enjoyed the sight of a regular rice-threshing -“bee” at the farm of one of our elders. The -“bee” is always at night. The bundles of rice from -the harvest-field are piled up so as to form a wall five -feet high around a space of some twenty-five feet square, -with an opening for entrance at one corner. In the -centre of this square is a horizontal frame of bamboo -poles, against which the bundles of rice-heads are -forcibly struck. The grain falls to the ground below, -and the straw is tossed outside. In those days the -whole plain at rice-harvest was lighted up by bonfires -of the burning straw—a glorious sight as I have -watched it from Doi Sutēp.</p> - -<p class='c009'>We pitched our tent near by to enjoy the scene. The -men and boys do the threshing, while the women and -girls do the cooking for the feast with which the work -ends. The village maidens are always on hand to encourage -their beaux in their work by passing to them -water or betel-nut, and to serve the viands at the feast. -It reminded me much of the husking bees I had seen -as a lad in the South seventy years ago. How near of -kin is all the world!</p> - -<p class='c009'>We had a delightful communion service on the Sabbath. -Seven adults and six children were baptized. -On Monday morning we returned home refreshed and -better prepared for the work before us.</p> - -<hr class='c015' /> - -<div id='i274a' class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i274a.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>MARKET SCENE IN CHIENGMAI</p> -</div> -</div> -<div id='i274b' class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i274b.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>IN THE HARVEST FIELD</p> -</div> -</div> -<p class='c011'>The year had been one of marked progress. The -Girls’ School had been strengthened by the arrival of -Miss Lizzie Westervelt. The new station at Lakawn -had been opened, and Dr. and Mrs. Peoples had been -installed there. More new work had been opened in -the neighbourhood of Chiengmai and Lampūn than in -any one year of the history of the mission. One hundred -<span class='pageno' id='Page_275'>275</span>and two adults were added to the communion roll, -and about as many children were baptized. Our new -“witchcraft-house” at Bān Pên, with its hospitable -family, afforded a comfortable prophet’s chamber for -the missionaries and a chapel for worship. The Bethel -church was afterwards organized in it. That family -became highly respected, and has furnished some of -the most influential members of our church. The work -in Nawng Fān, seven miles south of Chiengmai—Nān -Inta’s village—had steadily grown. It still continues -to be one of our best out-stations, and will, during the -present year [1910] be organized into a church.</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_276'>276</span> - <h2 id='ch25' class='c010'>XXV<br /> <br />CHRISTIAN COMMUNITIES PLANTED</h2> -</div> -<p class='c011'>The year 1886 opened auspiciously. But Mr. -Martin had brought malaria in his system from -his old home; and the Lāo country is a better -place for contracting the infection than for eradicating -it. He worked indefatigably, but seldom with a -blood-temperature down to the normal. In January -he accepted an invitation from Mr. Gould, the British -Vice-Consul, to accompany him on a tour of inspection -through the northern provinces, hoping that the change -might prove beneficial. It afforded, moreover, opportunity -for some missionary work in places seldom or -never visited. He was the first to visit the Mūsô villages -high up among the mountains. He baptized a -few converts in Chieng Sên, and reported an interest -there that should be followed up.</p> - -<p class='c009'>About this same time Krū Nān Tā—for such, though -not yet ordained, I shall in future call him—returned -from Chieng Rāi with a most encouraging report of -developments there. Later a deputation of seven men, -with Tāo Tēpasing as their leader, came to us from the -village of Mê Kawn in the Chieng Rāi province, -earnestly entreating a visit from the missionary. In -their number was Pū King from Chieng Rāi, who had -been a notorious bandit, robber, and murderer. He -had now submitted to the government, and was given -a place as public executioner and as doer of other jobs -from which only a lawless man would not shrink. Before -<span class='pageno' id='Page_277'>277</span>meeting Krū Nān Tā, he had gone so deep in sin -that no hope was left him, and he became hardened in -despair. But his conscience was ill at ease. Hearing -rumours of the Christian religion, he determined that -if it could give him hope of pardon, he would seek it -at any cost. He and his wife walked one hundred and -ten miles to see if it were really true that Jesus could -save even him. Our good friend the governor encouraged -his coming, and said, “If the Christian religion -can make a good man out of Pū King, I shall have -no more doubts of its truth and power.” And we have -no doubt that it did that very thing.</p> - -<p class='c009'>In a few days Krū Nān Tā and I returned with the -party. Elder Āi Tū of Chieng Rāi,<a id='r14' /><a href='#f14' class='c020'><sup>[14]</sup></a> with his family, -accompanied us. We thus had quite a little congregation -to worship nightly about the camp-fire, and -every one of the party was either a Christian or an enquirer. -This was my third trip to the north, and the -first of those annual trips that have made that road so -familiar to me.</p> - -<div class='footnote c026' id='f14'> -<p class='c023'><span class='label'><a href='#r14'>14</a>. </span>Afterwards Prayā Pakdī.</p> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>The little colony of Christians at Wieng Pā Pāo was -prospering. One of them was the man whom his wife -had driven off, elephants and all, for witchcraft. Nān -Tā reported the governor of the place as a believer. -He had ceased to make offerings in temples, and he -ridiculed the idols. He received us most hospitably, -and desired to have a mission station there. Afterwards, -however, through policy and the influence of -a Burmese son-in-law, he resumed his old worship; -though to the last in his heart of hearts, I think, he -believed our teachings to be true. In the case of subordinate -officials, the final step of joining the church -is terribly hard to take.</p> - -<p class='c009'><span class='pageno' id='Page_278'>278</span>At Salī Toi, “Grandma” Pan had been praying day -and night for our coming. She lived some distance -away from the road, and feared that we might pass -her by. She was overjoyed to see us, and we had to -check the homage she offered us. The poor woman was -sadly in need of support. She was the only Christian -in the place, and was surrounded by hostile neighbours -who absolutely rebelled against her establishing herself -in the place. Her family had renounced the spirits, -and therefore her “patriarch,” to whom she could -rightly look for protection, became her chief accuser. -He went to the governor of Chieng Rāi for an order -forbidding her to settle there. But he had his thirty-mile -walk for his trouble. The governor told him that -the family was not to be interfered with. How could -he forbid those whom the King’s edict allowed?</p> - -<p class='c009'>Having failed with the governor, they tried to draw -away the daughter-in-law. But she said she would -stick by her husband and his family. Their religion -should be her religion, and their God should be her -God. The villagers then notified the family that it -would be held responsible for the value of any buffalo -or elephant that might die in the village. The theory -was that the demons would take vengeance on the village -for allowing the trespass of an enemy on their -domains. But all their efforts to shake the poor -woman’s faith were futile.</p> - -<p class='c009'>At Mê Kawn village, from which the delegation had -chiefly come, of course we were received with a warm -welcome. On the recent visit of Nān Tā, when the -leading supporters of the temple became Christians, -the less religious families also deserted it. I even saw -oxen sheltered from the rain under its roof. A club-footed -man, Noi Tāliya by name, a good scholar in -<span class='pageno' id='Page_279'>279</span>Ngīo, Burmese, and Lāo, had been the life of the temple. -And it is the earnest Buddhist that makes the -earnest Christian. His son first heard the Gospel, and, -coming home, explained it to his father. Calling his -family together, the father said to them, “There are -the spirit shrines. Any one may have them who -wishes to continue their worship.” No one making a -bid for them, a bonfire was made, and the once valued -treasures all vanished in smoke. When he went to -Chieng Rāi to announce his conversion to the governor -and to the Uparāt, he said that he prayed all -the way that he might answer their questions discreetly -and wisely. He did not know that the governor -had no more confidence in his deserted idols -and spirits than he himself had.</p> - -<p class='c009'>On the evening of our arrival, the largest house in -the village was filled to overflowing till late in the -night. Before Sunday the people had extemporized a -chapel which afterwards became the foundation of the -Mê Kawn church. Two Sundays were spent in teaching -these people before we moved on to Chieng Rāi, -leaving the new disciples under the oversight of Noi -Tāliya.</p> - -<p class='c009'>On reaching Chieng Rāi we were invited by the governor -to take up our quarters in his old residence, -which we did. It was a better house than his present -one, but there had been two deaths in it, and it was -pronounced unlucky. He knew we were not afraid -of ill luck. On the contrary, it was very good luck -that we got it, for the rains were now falling daily. -The governor and Nān Tā were near relatives and very -intimate friends withal. His interest in us was as -teachers of the only religion that ever afforded him a -ray of hope. But on this trip Pū King, the reformed -<span class='pageno' id='Page_280'>280</span>bandit, and his family, were the centre of our interest -there. And it was not long before he, too, like Saul -of Tarsus, became a striking illustration of the grace -of God.</p> - -<p class='c009'>A few hours beyond Chieng Rāi on the road to Chieng -Sên, was the home of Āi Tū. His was the first Christian -family in the province. He had built—in part -that it might furnish a guest-chamber for the missionary -on his visits, and in part that it might serve as -a chapel for worship—the largest house in all that -neighbourhood. When we arrived, he had already vacated -it for us, and had moved his family down into a -shed. A number of families had begun to attend worship, -and to keep the Sabbath; but were frightened -away by that ridiculously stale story that missionaries -were making Christians in order to carry them off in -their ships to feed the Yaks! Strange that such a -palpable absurdity should deceive any one; yet we -have known whole villages to be frightened away by it.</p> - -<p class='c009'>At Chieng Sên, in the home of Nān Suwan, we were -at once aware of being in a Christian atmosphere—in -a consecrated Christian family. That family was a -city set upon a hill—a leaven in the new city and -province. It alone had given Christianity a good -name. The governor was free to say that if Christianity -made such men as Nān Suwan, he would like -to see the whole country Christian. The influence of -the Girls’ School in Chiengmai was strongly reflected in -his daughter, Kuī Kêo. She taught no regular school -other than her Sunday School; but from time to time -during the week she taught the neighbours. Young -men who began by trying to ridicule her out of her -religion, now treated her with the greatest respect. -We were told that rude young fellows singing vulgar -<span class='pageno' id='Page_281'>281</span>songs would lower their voices when passing by the -house.</p> - -<p class='c009'>We crossed the river in a small boat to spend a few -days in teaching four new families of Christians on -the eastern side. One of the men was Tāo Rāt, the -village officer, and another was his son, Noi Chai. The -latter became an influential ruling elder, and, like Nān -Suwan, one of the pillars of the church.</p> - -<p class='c009'>From Chieng Sên we crossed the broad prairie-like -plain westward to Bān Tam. The officer of the village -was Sên Yā Wichai—mentioned in the early part of -this narrative as the very first believer in Chiengmai. -The journey was one of the worst for elephants that -I ever made. Heavy rains had soaked the ground so -that at every step it seemed almost impossible for -them to pull their huge feet out of their tracks. The -Sên lived only a quarter of a mile from a remarkable -feature of the mountain ridge. The Mê Tam, the -largest river in the plain, flows bodily out from under -the mountain, much as does one of the sources of the -Mê Ping at Chieng Dāo.</p> - -<p class='c009'>It was a great pleasure to spend a Sunday with our -now venerable Christian and his family. It was a family -of officers, his three sons all being either of the -grade of Tāo or of Sên—which shows the esteem in -which the family was held. But, unfortunately, their -official position made it more difficult for the sons to -follow the example of their father.</p> - -<p class='c009'>On Sunday night the rain came down in torrents, -reminding us that it was better for us to be at home. -We started homeward early the next morning. Our -route skirted the beautiful mountain range, crossing -brooks and the larger streams of the Mê Tam and the -Mê Chan. Already the road had become almost impassable -<span class='pageno' id='Page_282'>282</span>except for elephants and natives unencumbered -with shoes or trousers.</p> - -<p class='c009'>We have already spoken of the great mortality incurred -in the attempt to people these new Lāo states. -Occasionally the straggling remnant of a family might -be seen returning. One poor little boy awakened my -deepest sympathy. All of his family had died except -himself and his brother, a monk, who were trying to -save themselves by flight back to their old home in -the province of Chiengmai. After I passed them I -began to wonder whether the pale, weary-faced, and exhausted -travellers would ever reach the rest they -sought. Then I began to think that here I was enacting -again the old tale of the priest and the Levite -who passed by on the other side. At last I could stand -it no longer. I stopped and waited for them to come -up. I offered the pitiful little skeleton of a boy a seat -with me on the back of the elephant. At first he somewhat -distrusted my motive, wondering what I wanted -to do with him; but he was too weary to refuse. When -he revived, he proved to be a veritable little chatterbox, -and good company. I kept him nearly a week, till we -entered the Chiengmai plain at Doi Saket. Only four -years ago, eleven children out of five Christian families -who had settled in Wieng Pā Pāo, died during -the first year.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Returning through Chieng Rāi, we revisited the new -families of Christians in that province. In the city the -governor’s wife asked us to have worship in their -new house, to which they reverently listened. When -we ended she said, “Why, they pray for everybody!” -Pū King, the executioner, was holding on with a death-grip -to the hope of salvation for the chief of sinners. -The case of the apostle himself, and of the penitent -<span class='pageno' id='Page_283'>283</span>thief, greatly encouraged him. Nān Tā also was -greatly rejoiced that his brother Sên Kat became a -believer on this tour.</p> - -<p class='c009'>On my return I found Mr. Martin but little, if at all, -improved, by his trip. He was so thoroughly discouraged -that he felt that he could not face another hot -season. He remained with us till the end of the rainy -season, and then, with his family, left Siam for the -United States. I never had felt so thoroughly crushed -as I was at his departure. During three whole years -we had lived in the same house, and worked together -hand in hand in the evangelistic work, of which he was -very fond.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Dr. Cheek already had severed his official connection -with the mission, and had gone into business of his -own. But he kindly gave his professional service to -the missionaries, and was ready to perform pressing -surgical operations for the natives who came to the -hospital.</p> - -<hr class='c015' /> - -<p class='c009'>I have often wondered whether all foreign missions, -have as many and as rapid alternations of sunshine -and shadow, as the Lāo mission. Our medical work -was once more at a standstill; and by the departure -of Mr. Martin, the evangelistic work again was crippled. -But at Hong Kong Mr. Martin met Rev. and -Mrs. D. G. Collins, Dr. and Mrs. A. M. Cary, and Rev. -W. C. Dodd, on their way out for the Lāo mission, with -Rev. W. G. McClure for Lower Siam. Mrs. Cary had -become so exhausted by continual sea-sickness during -the whole voyage, that, on her arrival in Bangkok, -many thought her unable to endure the long river -trip of six or seven weeks. Mr. McClure offered to -exchange fields with the Carys; but Mrs. Cary, with -<span class='pageno' id='Page_284'>284</span>true pluck, said that she had been appointed to the -Lāo mission, and to the Lāo she would go. But, alas! -it was to be otherwise. She became worse soon after -leaving Bangkok. On Sunday, January 16th, 1887, a -mile above Rahêng, she became unconscious, and -shortly after gently passed into her everlasting rest.</p> - -<p class='c009'>It was still a month’s journey to their destination. -There was nothing to be done but to lay the body -to rest in the grounds of a monastery. Who can portray -that parting scene, or adequately sympathize with -the bereaved husband and sister (Mrs. Collins), or with -the other members of the party, as they performed the -last sad offices, and then resumed their lonesome journey!</p> - -<p class='c009'>When the party reached Chiengmai on the 17th of -February, they found there only the McGilvarys, Miss -Griffin, and Miss Westervelt. Miss Cole had gone to -Bangkok. But the Girls’ School was flourishing under -the direction of the two ladies last mentioned. -Former pupils of the school were then doing good -service in three different provinces as teachers. But -the arrival of the new forces made possible for the first -time a Boys’ High School. Circumstances now were -much more favourable than they were when Mr. Wilson -made the attempt in the earlier days of the mission. -We now had Christian patrons, and there was a -growing desire in the land for education. Buddhist -pupils were willing and anxious to attend our school. -Mr. Collins preferred the educational work. As soon -as he acquired the language sufficiently well, he was -put in charge of the school for boys, and it was soon -crowded with pupils.</p> - -<div id='i284' class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i284.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>GIRLS’ SCHOOL IN CHIENGMAI<br />1892</p> -</div> -</div> -<p class='c011'>Mr. Dodd’s preference was along the line of a Training -School for Christian workers. Happily, the taste -<span class='pageno' id='Page_285'>285</span>and preference of both these men were along the lines -of greatest need. Meanwhile Mr. Dodd entered into -the evangelistic work also with a zeal that has never -abated. As newcomers see things with different eyes, -it is always interesting to get their first impressions. -Mr. Dodd’s first experience is thus given in a letter -to the Board of June 9th, 1887:</p> - -<p class='c024'>“On Friday, June 3d, Rev. D. McGilvary of the Lāo mission -left Chiengmai by boat for a tour southward, taking -attendants and all necessary equipments, accompanied by a -raw recruit, and three efficient native helpers. We arrived -at our first station about the middle of the afternoon, and -before bed-time held religious conversation with as many enquirers -as time would permit. Our audience chamber was -the house of one of our newly-received members. Our ‘outward -and ordinary means’ of attracting an audience was a -watch, two mariner’s compasses, a magnifying glass, a stereoscope -with an assortment of views, and a violin. The raw -recruit played the violin, and thus called the audience together. -We used both the other attractions to hold them -and to gain their confidence and interest; and afterwards -Dr. McGilvary easily and naturally drew them into religious -conversation. Soon the conversation became a monologue -of instruction in the religion of the great God. The violin -was no longer needed to arouse or sustain an interest. -Every day, and late into the evening, the Doctor and the -three assistants conversed; sometimes to quite an audience, -sometimes to individual enquirers.</p> - -<p class='c027'>“The religious attitude of the people was a revelation to -the newly-arrived missionary, and doubtless would be to -most of God’s people in the United States. Nearly all of -these people had heard of the ‘religion of the great God,’ -but knew nothing about it, since the district had never before -been visited by a missionary.... But their receptivity -was marvellous.... Without exception these -Buddhists confessed at the outset, or were soon brought -to concede, the immeasurable superiority of Christianity. -Many said, ‘It is of no use to argue. Your books tell the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_286'>286</span>beginnings of things; ours do not.’ On one occasion when -Dr. McGilvary had finished reading and explaining the first -chapter of Genesis, one of his auditors remarked to his fellows, -‘There is more real information on that one page than -in all Buddha’s writings.’ The sense of sin is universal, so -too is the insufficiency of the works of merit. Many sad -souls confessed that they had long been dreading the penalty -for sins for which they feared that ‘merit-making’ could not -atone.</p> - -<p class='c027'>“The results we cannot measure. We were absent two -weeks. Religious service or conversations were held in more -than twenty different homes, and in some of these several -times. Audiences varied from a single enquirer to fifty. -Thus hundreds heard the gospel for the first time. Many -who seemed above the suspicion of hypocrisy professed to -believe and accept what they heard.... One principal -reason for this tour just now, was to baptize in his own -home and among his subjects the chief officer of the district. -Himself, his wife, and his whole family were baptized—a -most interesting household. The abbot of one village monastery -professes to accept Christianity. For some time he -has been sending his parishioners, including his own sister, -for instruction. There is another district officer of the -same rank as our newly-baptized convert, a constant visitor -and deeply interested. This is a specimen tour, neither better -nor worse than the average taken these days. For the -last two years, although most of the time there have been -but two ordained missionaries in the field, over ninety ascessions -have been made to the First Church.”—<i>Church at -Home and Abroad</i>, May, 1888.</p> - -<p class='c025'>Before the short trip reported by Mr. Dodd, I had -taken a longer one to the northern provinces, going -over the same ground which Mr. Martin and I had -travelled the season before. This time I baptized thirty-six -adults and thirty-two non-communing members. -The communion was administered eight times. I married -two couples and ordained one elder. Each Sunday -was spent in villages where there were already Christians. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_287'>287</span>This encouraging success was the harvest of -seed sown on former tours, but gathered largely -through God’s blessing on the work of faithful elders. -Both in Chieng Rāi and in Chieng Sên we might then -have organized churches with a goodly number of -members communing and non-communing, and with -very good material for officers. Nān Suwan at Chieng -Sên, like myself, never had the gift of fluent speech, -but his reputation for sterling integrity has left a -mark that eloquence might envy. And Āi Tū at Nāng -Lê bids fair to be another power in the province of -Chieng Rāi. Both of them are strongly aided by their -daughters, the first-fruits of our Girls’ School.</p> - -<p class='c009'>During the year 1887 the whole number of adult accessions -was one hundred and seven; and one hundred -and eleven non-communing members were added -to the roll, making two hundred and eighteen additions -to our little flock, exclusive of Lakawn. As I -now look back over these years, it is plain to me that -the great lack of the mission all the way through has -been the lack of well-trained native helpers; and -for this lack the mission itself is largely to blame. -Those who are eager to accomplish the evangelization -of the world within the present generation, should first -of all lay hold of the present generation of Christians -in every mission field. Fill <i>these</i> with enthusiasm, -qualify them, and send them forth, and we have a -lever that will lift the world.</p> - -<p class='c009'>From the Report of the Board in the same number -of <i>The Church at Home and Abroad</i> cited above, we -quote the following:</p> - -<p class='c024'>“Dr. and Mrs. Peoples are still left alone in Lakawn, the -utmost picket of the foreign missionary line. Mrs. Peoples -has not one lady for a companion; and the doctor is dangerously -<span class='pageno' id='Page_288'>288</span>burdened, bearing all alone the labour of teaching -and healing. For more than two years they have been -waiting for help. No station under the care of the Foreign -Board calls so loudly for reinforcements as this. Again -and again we thought we had found a Christian couple for -Lakawn; but in each case we have been disappointed. Single -men could have been sent, but it is very much to be desired -that the new missionary going there should be married. -Dr. Peoples’ medical work has won for him increasing -friendliness throughout the city.... Mrs. McGilvary has -revised the Lāo version of Matthew’s Gospel, and has translated -for the first time about half of the book of Acts. -The Scriptures have had considerable circulation among the -Lāo, but only in the Siamese tongue.... Dr. Cary had -no sooner reached the field than through the assistance of -Dr. McGilvary and Norwood McGilvary, a young lad, acting -as interpreters, he was able to begin work with regular -hours for receiving patients, and for surgical practice.... Mr. -Collins has made a beginning in the much-needed -school for boys.</p> - -<p class='c027'>“Only one other mission now under the care of our -Presbyterian Church has during the last year shown as much -growth, in proportion to the missionary force employed, as -the Lāo mission.... It is never out of place to remind our -Presbyterian Church that it is to her alone that God has -committed the evangelization of the Lāo tribes.”</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_289'>289</span> - <h2 id='ch26' class='c010'>XXVI<br /> <br />A FOOTHOLD IN LAMPŪN</h2> -</div> -<p class='c011'>At a meeting of the Presbytery shortly before the -opening of the year 1888, a committee consisting -of Dr. Peoples, Mr. Dodd, and myself, was -appointed to organize two churches, one in Chieng Sên -and one in Chieng Rāi, if the way were found open -to do so. We also arranged that Mrs. McGilvary -should accompany our son Norwood as far as Bangkok -on his way to the United States. And both expeditions -were to start on the same day, Monday, -February 7th.</p> - -<p class='c009'>To ease somewhat the strain of such a parting, I -took an earlier leave, and went on Saturday with Mr. -Dodd to spend Sunday with the church at Mê Dawk -Dêng. That evening we performed a marriage ceremony -in the church. The next day thirteen adults were -received into the church—nine by baptism and four -who were children of the church. On Monday Mrs. McGilvary -and I exchanged our last good-byes by note, -and both parties got off on Tuesday morning. Dr. and -Mrs. Peoples, starting from Lakawn, made the first -stage of their journey separately from us to a rendezvous -at the Christian village of Mê Kawn, twelve -miles south of Chieng Rāi.</p> - -<p class='c009'>At our next Christian village another wedding was -waiting for us, but the course of true love did not run -smooth. The bride belonged to a well-to-do Christian -<span class='pageno' id='Page_290'>290</span>family; but no member of it could read the Scriptures. -They, therefore, “redeemed” a Christian family for -four hundred rupees, in order to secure the services of -the son as a sort of Levite in the family, and to teach -the eldest daughter to read. Naturally, the two young -people fell in love with each other. That was a contingency -the mother had not planned for, and a difficulty -arose. She asked, “If I take Nān —— for a -son-in-law, where do my four hundred rupees come in?” -It was all in vain to tell her that she got her pay in -a good son-in-law. She said he was hers already till -his debt was paid. At last she so far relented as to allow -the ceremony to take place, but she would not see -it performed. We invited the father and the rest of -the family and the neighbours into our tent, where, -to their great joy, the two were made man and wife. -The implacable mother lived to see that she had not -made a bad bargain, after all.</p> - -<p class='c009'>At Mê Kawn we were joined by Dr. and Mrs. Peoples, -and we had a good Sabbath with the little flock -there. Our club-footed man had looked after it well, -and he became later a good elder and a fine disciplinarian. -About this time I was taken with a severe attack -of indigestion, from which I did not recover for -many months—the only continued sickness from which -I have suffered in all my connection with the Lāo -mission.</p> - -<p class='c009'>On reaching Chieng Rāi, we found our good friend -the governor mourning the death of his wife, the same -who, when we last saw her, invited us to worship in -her house. It was a pleasure to point the bereaved -man to the divine Comforter, and we are fain to believe -that our words were not in vain. He was still -anxious to have the mission station established, which -<span class='pageno' id='Page_291'>291</span>we, unfortunately, could not yet promise. The Chao -Uparāt invited Dr. Peoples to lecture with his magic -lantern, and to have worship in his residence, where we -had a crowded audience. We did not organize a -church in Chieng Rāi, however, partly because the two -Christian villages, equidistant from the city north -and south, could not agree on the best place of meeting. -But we found the way open in Chieng Sên, and -did organize a church there, in Nān Suwan’s house, -on the very bank of the Mê Kōng, and with one-half of -its members living on the other shore.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Dr. Peoples had left a large practice in Lakawn, and -was obliged to return. Mr. Dodd returned with them -to Lakawn, and thence to Chiengmai. I had come untrammelled, -to remain as long as duty called. It seemed -very desirable to follow up the impressions already -made on that community. But I was not well, and a -week’s delay found me no better. Thinking that a -change might be beneficial, I crossed the plain to Sên -Yā Wichai’s home at the foot of the mountains. It -was a hard day’s ride, and I became worse on the way. -On reaching my destination I could hardly stand. -Resting there on my back a few days without improvement, -it seemed my first duty to get to a physician as -soon as possible, or, at least, make the effort to do so. -Most of the way I could stop at night either with or -near Christian families. This I did, and so reached -Chiengmai on April 14th.</p> - -<p class='c009'>During my absence the building of the Boys’ High -School was completed; and the school was opened under -the direction of Mr. Collins on March 19th, with an enrollment -of forty-five boys, nearly all children of Christian -parents. In June Dr. Wilson reached Chiengmai -on his return from the United States; and with him -<span class='pageno' id='Page_292'>292</span>came Miss Fleeson, destined with the Doctor to join the -Peoples at Lakawn, and Miss Belle Eakin (now Mrs. -Dodd), for the Girls’ School in Chiengmai. Miss Griffin -was already gone on her furlough.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The building for the Girls’ School had long been -in process of construction. Builders and plans had -been several times changed, till at last Dr. Cheek took -the contract, and finished it in the summer of 1888. It -has served its purpose admirably these many years, and -we then thought it would do for all time. But though -the lot then seemed amply large, it proves now entirely -too small for the needs of the school. Moreover, it is -impossible to enlarge it. On its south side runs the -most travelled road in the country; while on the east -the land is owned by a wealthy official, who would not -sell at any price.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Our congregations had grown till a church building -became a necessity even more urgent than, a schoolhouse. -The first mission dwelling-house was planned -in part with reference to such need, its largest room -long being used for Sunday worship. Then a small -temporary chapel took its place. After that a larger -teak double dwelling was bought. That, however, -would not hold more than two hundred persons—not -more than half of our largest congregations at the -present day. Then for a time we worshipped in the -unfinished building for the Girls’ School. When, at -last, that was finished, it was needed for its original -purpose, and we again must move. It was then decided -that we must have a church, and one worthy of -our cause—such as would attract rather than repel -both rulers and people. So one Sunday afternoon we -held a meeting of the congregation to take steps for -building it. We were delighted to see the interest -<span class='pageno' id='Page_293'>293</span>manifested in the enterprise. Pā Kawng, an aged -slave of the Prince, laid down a silver rupee, which -was all the money she possessed—and it was the very -first money received toward the building. The church -was completed by the end of this year.</p> - -<p class='c009'>We had continued evidence of the friendship of -Prince Intanon, and even of his growing interest in -our work. One Sunday, in answer to an invitation -given by Mrs. Cheek, he attended our communion -service, conducted that day by Mr. Wilson. Although -he arrived an hour and a half too soon, he remained -all through the long service, and bowed as he took -his leave, just when the communion cups were about -to be passed. On the day of our daughter’s marriage -in Statesville, North Carolina, he and the High Commissioner -attended a reception given in honour of the -event. The Prince had known her as a child, and -seemed much interested. “Is it this very night that -the marriage takes place?” he asked. The reception -was a very pleasant affair. Though my wife was still -in Bangkok, Miss Fleeson and Miss Eakin entered with -all their hearts into the thing, and, with the assistance -of Mr. Dodd and Mr. Collins, carried it through in -splendid shape. After refreshments we had charades -and other games. It was amusing to see the look of -surprise on the face of the Prince when the charades -were played.—“What are they doing?” “What does -that mean?” “I don’t understand.” But the game -was quite too recondite to be explained to him. So, -after the first charade, His Highness and his party took -their leave, assuring us that they had enjoyed the evening -very much.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Dr. Wilson and Miss Fleeson presently journeyed on -to their post at Lakawn. The governor there gave the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_294'>294</span>mission a very desirable plot of ground for the new -buildings which would be required, saying, “I am glad -to have you come. It would be a shame, when you -come to live in our country, if the government did not -do something to make you comfortable.”</p> - -<p class='c009'>Scarcely less important than the opening of the -new station in Lakawn, was the opening of permanent -work in Lampūn, the largest and most important sub-station -of Chiengmai. Lampūn is a little gem of a -walled city in the same great plain as Chiengmai, and -only eighteen miles distant to the south. From the -first settlement of the country, however, it has been -a separate state, yet governed by a branch of the same -ruling race.</p> - -<p class='c009'>We have seen that the new governor of Lampūn was -friendly to the mission and the missionaries. The -opening of the work in Bān Pên and other important -villages near it, rendered it almost essential to have a -footing in Lampūn itself. After some negotiation we -secured a suitable lot, the grounds of the second governor -recently deceased. We purchased from the family -the land with the old residence and the stockade. -But presently the family became alarmed lest they had -been too hasty in selling it to foreigners, and brought -back the money, begging us to restore the land. They -brought, also, a message from the governor, saying that -he wanted the residence and the stockade himself, but -would <i>give</i> us the rest of the land. It was to our interest -to keep on good terms with him, and we agreed -to the arrangement. We got what we wanted, a good -station, and we retained, and probably increased the -governor’s friendship.</p> - -<div id='i294' class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i294.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>REV. JONATHAN WILSON, D.D.<br />1898</p> -</div> -</div> -<p class='c011'>To make possession sure, I purchased a newly-built -house which had come to be regarded as unlucky, because -<span class='pageno' id='Page_295'>295</span>the owner’s wife had suddenly died in it. Having -arranged to have the house moved and set up on -the lot, I was about to return to Chiengmai, thinking -that there was nothing more to do, when I was sent -for by the chief executive officer of the Court. He said -that the governor, indeed, had given us the place, but -the Court wished to make one proviso. He begged that -I would sign a paper promising in few words that if -the government at any time should need it, we would -give it up. The governor was growing old, and they -themselves would be held responsible. I saw at once -that such a step would put it in the power of any one -to oust us. A need might be feigned, and yet we should -be powerless to withstand it. I was perfectly dumfounded. -My first thought was to go directly to the -governor. But presently I bethought me of the terms -on which H. R. H. Prince Bijit, the brother of His -Majesty, had given to the mission the fine lot for its -hospital. The lot was given in perpetuity on condition -that it be used for medical and missionary purposes -only. As long as it was so used, it was ours. -But it could not be sold, or used for other purposes, -without forfeiture to the Prince. The thought came to -me as an inspiration. I told the officer of that written -deed. “Very well,” said he. “If you have such a -paper as that, show it to me, and I will give you one -like it for this lot.”</p> - -<p class='c009'>The difficulty was solved. A swift footman was -despatched to Chiengmai asking Mr. Martin to send me -at once a copy of the Prince’s deed of gift. Next morning -it came, and I took it immediately to the Court. -The officer’s surprise was evident. He took it and -read it carefully through. His word was given. After -a moment’s thought he said, “That is all right. It -<span class='pageno' id='Page_296'>296</span>will relieve me of all responsibility.” Then he called -up his clerk to copy its terms and execute the new -deed. The land was ours to use as long as we should -use it for the purposes specified; and that I hoped -would be until the millennium! With a light heart I -was soon aboard my boat and homeward bound.</p> - -<p class='c009'>When the house had been removed and set up on the -lot, Mr. Collins and I went down and spent a week -there, with interested audiences every night. It at -once became an important out-station of the Chiengmai -mission. In the meantime Mr. Dodd had already collected -some twenty students for his training-class, but -without any quarters for them in Chiengmai. Later -Mr. and Mrs. Dodd were put in charge of the station, -and the Training School was moved over to Lampūn. -When the Lampūn church was organized, its charter -members numbered nearly two hundred. It is now -the mother of two other churches. Scarcity of men in -the mission, openings in other places, and other causes -have prevented the Lampūn station from being continuously -manned. But now, with such efficient workers -there as Mr. and Mrs. Freeman, it has an important -future before it, as a sub-station of Chiengmai.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Meanwhile my own sickness had continued, with -several relapses. A minor surgical operation had so -delayed my recovery that Dr. Cary now advised a -change and rest in a boat trip to Bangkok. After the -departure of our son to the United States, my wife -had remained in Bangkok for a visit, and was soon to -return. The telegraph line which the Siamese government -had recently completed, enabled me to wire to -her to wait for me to come and bring her back. Dr. -Cary himself, who had never recovered from the shock -occasioned by the tragic death of Mrs. Cary, and who -<span class='pageno' id='Page_297'>297</span>was never well during his whole stay in the mission, decided -to accompany me as far as Rahêng.</p> - -<p class='c009'>At Pāknam Pō I left my boat, and took passage for -Bangkok by river steamer, thus saving seven days. -After remaining in Bangkok only three nights, my -wife and I took passage in the same steamer on her -return trip, and rejoined our boat at the forks. The -water was at its best stage, and we passed up some of -the rapids without knowing that they were there. But -my trouble had not left me. A low diet and long illness -had left me thin and weak. The round trip occupied -only two months. Our last Sunday was at Pāk -Bawng, two days below Chiengmai. There we held a -communion service with the Christian families, and a -new family was baptized.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Three miles to the east is Bān Pên, the village which -has figured in a previous chapter. The Christians -there had long been asking for a visit, which my own -sickness and want of time on the part of others rendered -it impossible to make. On Monday morning I -decided to take the risk and visit it. With some misgivings -I saw my wife’s boat move off and leave me—burning, -so to speak, my bridges behind me. The -whole country was flooded. Discarding shoes and -stockings, I made my way on foot, weak as I was, -through water, across ditches, or along the narrow -ridges of rice-fields, and finally reached Bān Pên in -safety.</p> - -<p class='c009'>And what a week I spent in that neighbourhood! -At Nawng Sīu, a village two miles distant from Bān -Pên, there were six families of professed believers -whom Dr. Dodd and I had visited the season before—almost -swimming at times to reach them in their scattered -homes. Their admission was postponed at that -<span class='pageno' id='Page_298'>298</span>time until they should have had further instruction. -To these I specially addressed myself. During the -week our faithful elder, Nān Tā, came down to assist -me in the work. On Friday evening the session met -at Nawng Sīu to examine and instruct these new -converts, and again on Saturday morning, closing -finally at two o’clock in the afternoon with baptism -and the Lord’s Supper. On counting up the numbers, -it was found that twenty adults and seventeen children -had been baptized. Among them was an aged -couple with their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. -It was a memorable sight. The Sabbath -was spent at Bān Pên, where seven more adults -and one child were baptized. On Monday I made my -way back to the boat as I had come, and reached home -on Tuesday. And now for the strange part of the -story. <i>I reached home well.</i> My week’s wading in the -water, and the hard work, had done what medicine and -doctors and a long boat trip had failed to accomplish!</p> - -<p class='c009'>But a new disappointment awaited me. Before I -reached home, Dr. Cary had resigned. His short -career is one of the mysteries to be explained in the -great beyond. A consecrated physician, he had given -his life to the Lāo people. Crushed by his tragic bereavement -on the way out, and with a constitution -never strong, he contended manfully for two years -against the debilitating effects of a malarial climate. -But at last he had to give up the fight. His work had -been successful. “He saved others; himself he could -not save!”</p> - -<p class='c009'>His departure threw on me again the oversight of -the medical work. But this time most of the dispensing -of medicine to the natives fell on Chanta, a protégé -of my own, who had had good training under two physicians. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_299'>299</span>Meanwhile Dr. Cheek looked after the mission -families, and, as already stated, was always ready to -respond to an urgent call in the hospital. My time -was largely given, therefore, to the evangelistic work, -to instructing Nān Tā and other elders, and to teaching -enquirers and others to read in Siamese, first the -Shorter Catechism, and then a Gospel.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The growth of the Chiengmai church, though not -phenomenal, was very healthy and very uniform -throughout the year. There were accessions every -month save one, amounting in all to one hundred and -sixty souls. At the end of the year Miss I. A. Griffin -returned from furlough, and served a very useful term -until 1896, when she retired greatly missed. At -Lakawn, Rev. Hugh Taylor and his wife began a -twenty years’ course of evangelistic work carried on -with indefatigable zeal, while Miss Fleeson was no less -zealous and successful in laying the foundation of a -Girls’ School, destined to be a power in that province.</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_300'>300</span> - <h2 id='ch27' class='c010'>XXVII<br /> <br />A PRISONER OF JESUS CHRIST</h2> -</div> -<p class='c011'>We have had frequent occasion gratefully to -record the good will of the Siamese government, -and of its commissioners and representatives, -towards our mission. In all its history the -only exception to this uniform friendliness was in the -case of the Commissioner who, in 1889, succeeded -Prayā Tēp Worachun. The Boys’ School was on an -old deserted monastery-site given by the Prince to Dr. -Peoples for a medical or a mission compound. An -old ruined chēdi or pagoda was still standing on it. -Such lots, deserted by the monks, were then regarded -as abodes of the spirits, and on such the natives dared -not live. In preparing for the school buildings, the -débris about the foot of the chēdi had been dug -away. One of the early acts of the new Commissioner -was to send a written notice to the mission that it was -improper to use old Buddhist shrines for purposes -other than those for which they were originally built; -and he gave us notice that we were to have three months -in which to find other quarters. But as no other lot -was offered in its place, we remained quiet, and that -was the last we heard of it.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Another incident, occurring soon after, was more -serious, and gave us a great deal of anxiety; for it -came near costing the life of one of our best native -assistants. A deputation from some twelve or fifteen -<span class='pageno' id='Page_301'>301</span>families in Chieng Dāo came to us with a request that -a native assistant be sent up to teach them. Krū Nān -Tā went up, and they became believers, but required -much further instruction. We selected Noi Siri, the -most prudent of our elders, for the task. We charged -him specially, inasmuch as it was in a province new -to our work, to use great caution and give no just -cause of offence to the rulers or to others. He remained -there a month, and then was recalled by the -illness of his wife. He stopped at the mission to report -progress, giving a good account of the conduct and -diligence of the new Christians.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Great was our surprise, then, in a few hours to learn -that Noi Siri had been arrested, put in heavy irons, -and thrown into prison on a charge of treason against -the government. Mr. Collins, Mr. Dodd, and I called -upon the Commissioner to enquire the cause of his arrest. -The Commissioner replied, Yes; he had him arrested -on the grave charge of disloyalty in teaching -the converts that they were exempt from government -work. Such teaching was treason; and if the charge -were true, the penalty was death. It was not, therefore, -a bailable offence. At the same time, he said, no -specifications had been forwarded. He would summon -the accusers, and the man should have a fair trial, -and should have the privilege of producing any witnesses -he pleased in his defence. That was, of course, -all that we could ask, save to beg that the trial be -hastened as far as possible—to which he consented. -Krū Nān Tā was allowed to see the prisoner in his -cell. From him he learned that so far was the accusation -from being true, that he had taught the Christians -that they were <i>not</i> exempt from government work; and -that, furthermore, no call had been made on them for -<span class='pageno' id='Page_302'>302</span>service while he was there. We sent immediately for -all the Christian men to come down.</p> - -<p class='c009'>After some delay the prisoner was called into court -and examined. According to Siamese custom, his examination -was taken down in writing.</p> - -<p class='c009'>“Are you Noi Siri, who has been teaching in Chieng -Dāo?”</p> - -<p class='c009'>“Yes.”</p> - -<p class='c009'>“When did you go there to teach?”</p> - -<p class='c009'>“On the fourth of the third waning moon.”</p> - -<p class='c009'>“Have you taught that Christians are exempt from -public service?”</p> - -<p class='c009'>“No. On the contrary, I taught that, as Siamese -subjects, Christians are to pay their taxes and perform -all the duties of other subjects.”</p> - -<p class='c009'>The testimony of the governor of Chieng Dāo, his -accuser, was then taken in his presence. Among the -questions asked him were these:</p> - -<p class='c009'>“Can you state any particular time and place when -the Christians were called to do government work and -refused?”</p> - -<p class='c009'>“Yes. I called a man or two, and they did not -obey.”</p> - -<p class='c009'>“When was that call made?”</p> - -<p class='c009'>“On the fourth day of the third waxing moon.”</p> - -<p class='c009'>This was the only specification which the governor -gave. The date, it will be noted, was fifteen days -earlier than that of Noi Siri’s arrival in Chieng Dāo. -If the statement were true, it might have subjected -the persons who were summoned to trial and punishment -for disloyalty; but it absolutely cleared Noi Siri. -An upright judge would have dismissed the case. The -Christian witnesses were in attendance to testify as -to the nature of the instruction they received; but -<span class='pageno' id='Page_303'>303</span>were not given the opportunity to do so. The accused -man was remanded to prison. We waited, but nothing -was done. We called once more on the Commissioner; -but were told that the case had been referred to -Bangkok, and he must wait for a reply. We waited -again. At last we made a written appeal on his behalf, -and in answer were told that the case was one -with their own subjects, and we had nothing to do with -it. Meantime Noi Siri had become quite ill, and all -that we could do was to get him transferred from his -dungeon to the common prison.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Eight months after this, when Mr. Dodd went down -to Bangkok to be married to Miss Eakin, he made, -through the United States Minister, an appeal to the -Prince Minister of the North, who promised an immediate -order for his release. As soon as we were assured -of that, we went to the resident Prince in Chiengmai, -H. R. H. Prince Sonapandit, who promised that -the order should be issued at once. The next day we -called on the Commissioner to remind him of the -Prince’s promise; but he and the Judge had just gone -out for a stroll in the city. It was then Saturday -afternoon. Next day was our communion service, and -I was determined to have Noi Siri present. To do this -I had to follow those men up at once. I was a fast -walker, and, when necessary, could run. My race -after them was the ludicrous sequel of the case. Two -high officials closing their office and escaping, in order -to keep their victim in chains another night, pursued -by swifter feet, and overtaken in the street! The -Judge acknowledged that the Prince had given the -order. He would attend to it to-morrow. Since to-morrow -would be Sunday, I need not come. But I -knew that we should not see Noi Siri in time for our -<span class='pageno' id='Page_304'>304</span>worship unless I went for him. So on Sunday morning -I called once more on the Judge, who again said -that I need not wait; but I had to tell him that I -would not return till I saw his release. So the prisoner -was called, and I saw the fetters taken off from -his ankles.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The second bell was ringing when I entered the -church; but Noi Siri was with me. The congregation -rose and sang the long metre doxology. There were -not many dry eyes in the room. Mr. Dodd preached -from the text, “And we know that all things work -together for good to them that love God.” Among the -converts who then stood up to make a public profession -of faith was Nāng Su, a daughter of Noi Siri—and -this happy coincidence was no planning of -ours.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Noi Siri’s faith had been tried by fire, and he had -come forth from the furnace as pure gold. In addition -to his own imprisonment and distress, his wife had -been for months very low with sickness, and one of his -grandchildren had died during the interval. But from -his prison cell he had written to his family not to -let their faith be shaken either by his trials or by -their own. During the eight months and ten days of -his imprisonment, one hundred and thirty-three persons—his -daughter closing the list—were received into -church-membership. A European in employ of the -government, who had cognizance of the whole case, -afterwards said to me, “It might be well to get the -Commissioner to imprison a few more Christians!” A -history of the case was afterwards published by our -Board in a leaflet entitled, “The Laos Prisoner.”</p> - -<p class='c009'>Before the close of the year there was an event which -for the time came near to overthrowing the government. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_305'>305</span>A new tax, levied chiefly on areca trees, caused much -exasperation throughout the country. As usual, the -tax was farmed out to Chinese for collection. The -local officers in various districts formed a coalition to -resist to the uttermost the collection of the tax. Of -course, this could not be allowed, since the collectors -were the agents of the government. The resistance was -centred chiefly in the districts to the eastward of -the city, where Prayā Pāp, who had some reputation -as a soldier, went so far as to gather a considerable -force of the insurgents within a few miles of Chiengmai. -A day even was set for their attack on the city. -If they had made a dash then, they could easily -have taken it, for the sympathy of the people was -wholly with them, and the government was unprepared.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Our house was only two hundred yards away from -the Chinese distillery, which was the objective of the -insurgents. The residence of the Commissioner and -that of the Siamese Prince Sonapandit were nearly opposite -us on the other side of the river. Our position -was further compromised by the fact that the wives -and children of a number of influential Chinese had -almost forcibly taken refuge in our compound. In -any case, we should have been in a position of great -danger from the guns on the other side of the river -aimed at the distillery. We were strongly advised -to take refuge in the British Consulate, whose shelter -was kindly offered us. But the whole population in -our neighbourhood was watching us. If we stirred, -there would have been a general stampede.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Fortunately for themselves and for the country, the -courage of the common people failed. One after another -they deserted the leader, till at last he also fled. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_306'>306</span>He was caught, however, and with seven other leaders -was executed. This was the end of the matter in -Chiengmai; but certain parties of the insurgents, escaping -northwards, became roving bands of marauders -that for some time disturbed the peace of the frontier -towns. The rebellion never had any chance of ultimate -success; but had the attack on the city been actually -made, the immediate consequences would have been -direful, and untold calamity would have been entailed -on the whole country.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The arrival of Dr. McKean at the close of the year -marked an era in our medical work. He was accompanied -by our daughter, Miss Cornelia H. McGilvary, -now Mrs. William Harris Jun. It was the pleasant -duty of Mrs. McGilvary to escort the party up from -Bangkok. The appointment of our daughter was no -less a surprise than a delight to us. During her school -days she always said that she would not become a -missionary. When the question came up for final settlement, -she fought it out in her own mind alone, -and reached her own decision. The Lāo language, -which, during her ten years’ absence, she seemed to -have lost entirely, came back to her very soon and with -little effort.</p> - -<p class='c009'>It has been Dr. McKean’s privilege to continue the -work begun by able physicians, and to carry it to a -higher degree of efficiency. He has combined, as most -of our physicians have done, the two great objects of -the medical missionary, the medical and the evangelistic, -making the former a means to the latter. While -the professional and the charitable features of the work -have not been minimized, but rather magnified, no minister -has more loved to preach the Gospel, or has been -more successful in it. At the same time it may be -<span class='pageno' id='Page_307'>307</span>that the great work now enlisting his sympathy and -his strenuous efforts—the establishment of a leper colony -and hospital, and the amelioration of the condition -of that unfortunate class—may be the one with -which his name will be most intimately associated.</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_308'>308</span> - <h2 id='ch28' class='c010'>XXVIII<br /> <br />CIRCUIT TOUR WITH MY DAUGHTER, 1890</h2> -</div> -<p class='c011'>I had been appointed by Presbytery to organize -in Chieng Rāi the church which was not found -ready for organization on my previous visit. I -had planned for a tour longer than usual, to include -the eastern provinces as far as Nān, as well as the -northern ones, and expected to take with me native -assistants only. But upon the arrival of our reinforcement, -I was no less surprised than delighted to -find that my daughter desired to accompany me; and -so it was arranged.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Starting on February 5th, we spent the first Sunday -in Lakawn. Here we met another surprise. Mr. -Taylor had spent his first year in that annoying -work for the new missionary, the building of a house. -He was anxious to get out among the people, but -feared he was not sufficiently versed in the language -to make profitable a tour alone. He and Mrs. Taylor -would join us if they could get elephants—a matter -which was easily arranged. Mr. Taylor proved to be -an efficient helper. My daughter had a delightful companion, -and it was a great pleasure to initiate the new -missionaries into the evangelistic work which Dr. and -Mrs. Taylor since then have carried on so successfully -for twenty years. It is still their delight—may they -live to carry it on for many years to come!</p> - -<p class='c009'>One of the chief diversions of the trip thenceforward -<span class='pageno' id='Page_309'>309</span>was afforded by the pranks of an uncommonly mischievous -baby-elephant which accompanied its mother. -On one occasion a footman coming towards us stepped -out of the trail and stood beside a large tree to let -us pass. The mischievous creature saw his opportunity, -and before the man knew what was up, he -found himself fast pinioned between the elephant’s -head and the tree trunk. The frightened man extricated -himself with loud outcry, while the beholders -were convulsed with laughter. Our own men were constantly -the victims of his pranks; so that, one day, I -told them that there would be no trouble if they -would only leave the creature alone—adding, by way -of clinching my advice, “You see, he never troubles -me.” Just then, to the great delight of all, he made -straight for me, and if there had been a tree behind -me I should have been in the same unpleasant position -in which the footman found himself.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Mr. Taylor’s account of the earlier portion of the trip -is as follows:</p> - -<p class='c024'>“We left Lakawn on the 12th of February with Dr. McGilvary -and his daughter, and in four days reached Mûang -Prê. Our tents were pitched by the road just outside the city -gate. The advent of four foreigners, two of whom were -women, created quite a stir; and we were all kept abundantly -busy in visiting and being visited. Mrs. Taylor and Miss -McGilvary were the first white ladies to visit the place; -and of course, much to their own discomfort, were the centre -of attraction....</p> - -<p class='c027'>“The people of Prê seemed very ready to listen to the -Gospel; so plenty of auditors were found everywhere. On -Sabbath, the 16th, the first convert in Prê was baptized. -He is a blind man, Noi Wong by name, who came to -Lakawn to have Dr. Peoples operate on his eyes; but as -nothing could be done for him, he returned home carrying in -his heart some of the teachings there received, and in his -<span class='pageno' id='Page_310'>310</span>hand a manuscript copy of a small catechism I was able to -spare him. From his answers before the session, it was evident -that he had used his brother’s eyes well in having it -read to him.</p> - -<p class='c027'>“On Wednesday we started on for Nān, and arrived there -the following Tuesday. We received a very cordial welcome -from the officials of that city, who sent a man to put in order -a rest-house for us, and another to conduct our elephants to -a place for food and water. Next day, after the court closed, -some of the officials came to visit us. After wading through -the crowds on the first and second verandas, and finally -planting himself cross-legged in the middle of the thronged -reception-room, their Chief said they thought we would be -lonesome; so they had come to visit us. No idea could have -been more comical to us; but he was seriously in earnest, -and explained that he had never known the people to visit -with other foreigners who had come to their city. They -would not, however, listen well when the subject of religion -was broached, and with one or two exceptions would not attend -any of our services.”</p> - -<p class='c025'>The morning after our arrival in Nān, my -daughter met in the market-place a daughter of the -Prince, and, before she was aware, found herself -escorted into the palace. Her newly recovered language -stood her in good stead, and she had a pleasant -talk with the Prince and his daughters and wives. -Next day he sent word that he would be pleased to give -our party an audience. He was of venerable age, and -second only to our Chiengmai Prince in his influence -at the court of Bangkok. He expressed his pleasure at -our visit to his country. He was too old to embrace -a new religion. We might teach his children and -grandchildren. What they would do he did not -know.</p> - -<p class='c009'>At Nān the Taylors left us, returning to their station, -while we journeyed on. Our next stage was -<span class='pageno' id='Page_311'>311</span>Chieng Kawng, one hundred and fifty miles to the -northwest. We usually stopped for the night at large -villages, or sometimes in small towns. But once we -spent two days in the forest, where bears, tigers, and -wild elephants abound. The first evening we just -missed the sight of three tigers. Our men had gone on -ahead to select a camping-place for the night, and saw -a mother with two cubs crossing the road. Next -morning one of my elephants, that had been hobbled -and turned loose, was not on hand. It was nothing -unusual for one of them to be a little belated, so we -loaded up the others and prepared for starting. But -when an hour had passed, and then two hours, and the -elephant still did not come, we unloaded them and -waited a long weary day and an anxious night. Early -next morning, however, the driver appeared. That -was a relief, but still there was no elephant. He had -followed her trail over the mountain ridge, down -gorges, and across knolls, till, tired and hungry, he -had retraced his steps. Night overtook him, and, -crouched under a tree, he had caught snatches of sleep -while keeping watch for tigers. For two nights and a -day he had not tasted food. With an elephant’s instinct, -the beast was making her way towards her old -range in Chieng Rāi, many days distant. It was a -relief to know that she had not joined a large wild -herd, in which case her capture would be practically -impossible.</p> - -<p class='c009'>We could not remain indefinitely in the forest. So -giving the driver food, a gun, and two carriers for -company, with instructions not to return till the elephant -was found, we moved on five or six miles to the -next village, Bān Kêm. This was the noon of Wednesday. -Our detention seemed providential. We found -<span class='pageno' id='Page_312'>312</span>the place fever-stricken. Our medicines at once made -us friends. Our tent was crowded with visitors, so -that I had little time to think of the lost elephant. The -people seemed hungry for the Gospel. Three substantial -men in the village, on the night before we left, -professed a sincere and cordial acceptance of Jesus as -their Saviour.</p> - -<p class='c009'>On Saturday, shortly after midday, there was a -shout, “Here comes Lung Noi with the elephant!” -I was both glad and sorry to hear it. Had I been alone, -I should have remained longer. But we had lost so -much time, that every one was eager to depart. I -promised if possible to come again, but the time never -came.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Chieng Kawng was our next point, a place I had -visited with Dr. Vrooman seventeen years before. The -young lad who then was so much interested in my repeating -rifle was now governor, and came running out, -bareheaded and barefooted, to welcome us. In the interval -I had met him from time to time in Chiengmai, -and he always begged that I would make him another -visit. I had been better than my word—I had come -at last, and brought my daughter, too. His brother, -the second governor, had seen us in time to don his -audience dress, and he appeared more like a white -man than any one we had seen since the Taylors left -us. He was ready to start on an expedition to Mûang -Sing, five days northward beyond the Mê Kōng. The -Prince of Nān had received permission from the King -of Siam to repeople that old province. Hence this expedition. -The leader had three hundred men, and gave -me a cordial invitation to go as chaplain and physician! -After this, while the work was well under way, -the territory was turned over to France as the result -<span class='pageno' id='Page_313'>313</span>of the long and troubled negotiations over the boundary -between Siam and French Indo-China.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The wives of both the governors could scarcely be -content with my daughter’s short stay. They would -surely become Christians, if she would remain one -month to teach them. All I could do was to promise -once more to come again if possible. The promised -visit was made two years later, but then the “Nāi” -was not along.</p> - -<p class='c009'>From there the only travelled route to Chieng Sên -was by Chieng Rāi, both hot and circuitous. The alternative -was a blind, untravelled track through the -forest, made over forty years before, when Siam sent -its last unfortunate expedition against Keng Tung. -Here was a tempting chance to test the old proverb, -Where there’s a will, there’s a way. The governor -procured a noted hunter to guide us. Every carrier -and driver and servant in the party carried his bush -knife, and all promised to aid if we only would take -the cooler road. It was, however, literally making in -the forest “a highway for our God,” over which several -missionary tours have since been made. In the denser -parts of the forest, we could force our way only by cutting -away branches and small trees, and at times felling -clumps of bamboo.</p> - -<p class='c009'>We had a cool place for rest and worship on Sunday. -Our hunter had not promised to keep the Sabbath, -and we were on his old hunting-grounds, where game -of all kinds abounded. At dawn he was off with his -gun, and we saw no more of him till sunset, when he -appeared smiling, with some choice cuts of beef hanging -from the barrel of his gun. He had found and followed, -all day, a herd of wild cattle—the Kating—and -succeeded in killing one of them near our road, a mile -<span class='pageno' id='Page_314'>314</span>or more ahead of our camp. Though killed on Sunday, -we ate it and asked no questions for conscience’ -sake. It was surely the most delicious beef we ever -tasted. We should have had a mutiny the next day, -had we proposed to pass on without stopping to save -the meat. And what a huge creature it was. It must -have weighed nearly a ton. Our men extemporized -frames over the fire, and were busy cutting up the meat -and drying it until late at night. Next day each man -went loaded with it to his utmost capacity. What we -could not carry away, the guide stored in the fork of a -tree against his return.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The journey through the forest was shorter and far -more comfortable than would have been the regular -route. When next I travelled it, it had become a -public highway. And as long as I continued to -journey that way, it was known as the “Teacher’s -Road.”</p> - -<p class='c009'>Chieng Sên was the limit of our trip. Before reaching -it, we began to hear rumours of war—that the city -was blockaded, no one being permitted to enter or -depart. The country population had been called in -to defend the city, etc., etc. We were advised to return, -but kept on. At the gate the guard admitted us -without difficulty.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The disturbance was the aftermath of the previous -year’s tax-rebellion, which, as we supposed, was completely -ended before we left home. But a portion of -the insurgents had fled to Keng Tung, and, gathering -there a larger force, came south again as far as Mûang -Fāng, where they were either captured or again scattered. -It was the fear that this lawless band, on its -retreat northward, might attack and plunder the city, -that caused the confusion. But the fugitives would -<span class='pageno' id='Page_315'>315</span>have been fools to linger about two weeks after their -defeat, when they knew that both the army behind -them and the country in front of them would be on -the alert for their capture. The governor was delighted -to see us, and we were able in some degree -to allay his fears. We were there, too, to speak a -word of comfort to our own flock, who, like the rest, -had been called in to protect the city. The panic -gradually subsided, and the people returned to their -homes. Owing in part to the unsettled condition of -the country, we did not remain long in Chieng Sên; but -long enough to visit in their homes every Christian -family save one, and to have a delightful communion -season with the church on Sunday.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Our special commission on this tour was to organize -a church in Chieng Rāi, where our next Sunday -was spent. Our governor friend was disappointed that -we had not come to take possession of the fine lot on -the bank of the Mê Kok which he had given us. At -his suggestion a house on it was purchased from his -son at a nominal price, with the promise that we -would urge the mission to occupy it the next year. On -April 13th, the three sections of the church assembled -by invitation at Mê Kawn. The obstacles which prevented -the organization before were now removed. -Fifty-one communicants and thirty-two non-communing -members were enrolled, two ruling elders were -elected and ordained, and the new church started with -fair prospects.</p> - -<p class='c009'>We reached home on April 29th, after an absence -of eighty-one days. We found all well, and the work -prospering along all the lines. It was none too soon, -however. We were just in time to escape the rise of -the streams. At our last encampment on the Mê -<span class='pageno' id='Page_316'>316</span>Kūang we had a great storm of wind and rain, with -trees and branches falling about us. The trip was a -long one for my daughter; but her presence greatly enhanced -the importance of the tour. On my subsequent -tours through that region the first question always -was, “Did you bring the Nāi?” and the second, “Why -not?”</p> - -<p class='c009'>On our return we were surprised to find Dr. McKean -in a new and comfortable teak house, toward -the erection of which neither axe nor saw nor plane -had been used when we left. The saw-mill could deliver -at once whatever was needed. But <i>my</i> house had -been seven years in building!</p> - -<p class='c009'>By this time nearly all the Lāo cities of Siam had -been visited by missionaries. In two of them—Chiengmai -and Lakawn—we had established permanent stations. -For the third station, Chieng Rāi seemed to -present the strongest claim. Politically it was not so -important as Nān. But Nān, while very cordial to -foreigners personally, was very jealous about admitting -foreign influence of any kind. And the absolute control -of the people by the princes of Nān would be an -obstacle in the way of the acceptance of Christianity -there until the princes themselves embraced it. In -Chieng Rāi province the governor was known to be -favourable to the Jesus-religion. Its broad plains and -fertile soil were sure to attract a large immigration -from the south, where population is dense and land -very dear. The city is about equidistant from the five -cities of Wieng Pā Pāo on the south, Mûang Fāng on -the west, Chieng Sên on the north, Chieng Kawng on -the northeast, and Chieng Kam on the east. In our -reports to the mission and to the Board, these facts -were urged as arguments for the establishment of a -<span class='pageno' id='Page_317'>317</span>station there. The mission gave its cordial sanction -to a temporary occupancy. A longer tour was authorized -for the next season; but the heavy debt of the -Board forbade the expenditure of more than two hundred -and fifty rupees for a temporary house in order -to secure the land which had been given us. Our long -delay sorely shook the good governor’s faith that we -would ever come.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The arrival of young missionaries on the field rendered -some kind of physical and social recreation necessary. -Croquet had formerly been tried, but it gave -very little exercise, and had been supplanted by the -better game of lawn tennis. In the fall of 1890, Mrs. -McGilvary prepared a court in our front lot, and invited -the missionaries and the small European community -to an “At Home” on Tuesdays at 4:30 P.M. -The game furnished the very exercise needed after a -day’s confinement in school or study. It proved so -beneficial to health and to efficiency in work, that the -“At Home” was continued, with occasional interruptions -from weather or other causes, for thirteen or -fourteen years. This was Mrs. McGilvary’s little contribution -to the health and the social recreation of the -community in which we lived; and it was highly appreciated.</p> - -<p class='c009'>In August I had occasion to visit Wieng Pā Pāo. -Before I was out of the Chiengmai plain I had an exciting -runaway on my big sadaw elephant. A mother -cow was grazing at some little distance from her calf. -As the elephant approached the calf, the mother became -alarmed for its safety, and rushed frantically -towards it, bellowing to the utmost capacity of her -lungs. This was quite too much for my big timid -beast. He started off at a fearful pace, which the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_318'>318</span>driver in vain endeavoured to control. Fortunately it -was on an open plain with no woods or trees. The same -elephant on a previous occasion, when Mrs. McGilvary -was riding him, on some slight alarm rushed off into -a thicket of low trees; and once, with me on his back, -went crashing through the standing timber in the -forest. In both cases it was nothing but the strength -of the three-strand rattan girth that saved either howdah -or rider. The elephant’s fastest run is not a -“lope,” but a kind of long swing from side to side. -It is an awful sensation. I never was in an earthquake, -but I imagine the two experiences must be -somewhat similar, with the fear in this case of being -at any instant dashed from your lofty perch to the -ground.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The special reason for this trip was the fear of some -collision or trouble between the government and the -Christians with regard to the Sunday question. Besides -keeping their own Sabbath, the Christians were -forbidden to do any manual work on the Buddhist -sacred days as well, making altogether eight days in -each month. Had the rule been the outcome of conscientious -scruples on the part of a religious people at -seeing their sacred day desecrated, we should have respected -their scruples. But the day was a mere holiday, -and, except by a few of the more religious, it was -largely spent in hunting and fishing. I had to remind -the governor of his beautiful inconsistency. He -would not allow the Christians to use an axe or a plow -on sacred days, while the people generally were allowed -to kill animals, thus breaking the most stringent -of Buddha’s laws. He must have felt the force of the -argument, for before the very next sacred day an -order was issued forbidding hunting and fishing on it.</p> - -<div id='i318a' class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i318a.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>FIRST CHURCH IN CHIENGMAI</p> -</div> -</div> -<div id='i318b' class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i318b.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>DR. McGILVARY’S HOME IN CHIENGMAI</p> -</div> -</div> -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_319'>319</span>But till the original order was revoked, strict obedience -was enjoined upon the Christians.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The Annual Meeting was held in Lakawn early in -December. Just before it convened, Dr. and Mrs. W. -A. Briggs and Rev. Robert Irwin arrived, together with -Dr. and Mrs. Peoples, returning from furlough. For -the present these were stationed at Lakawn. At the -same time Rev. and Mrs. Stanley K. Phraner were -nearing Chiengmai on the Mê Ping fork. But our -song of joy over their arrival was destined soon again -to have a sad refrain. The two young brides had -scarcely reached their husbands’ field of labour—which -they thought was to be theirs also—when they were -both called to a higher sphere.</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_320'>320</span> - <h2 id='ch29' class='c010'>XXIX<br /> <br />LENGTHENING THE CORDS AND STRENGTHENING THE STAKES</h2> -</div> -<p class='c011'>While in the United States, Dr. Peoples had -succeeded in procuring a font of Lāo type, -with the necessary equipment for printing. -For twenty-three years we had used only the Siamese -Scriptures and literature. With many present disadvantages, -it had some compensations. Those who -could read Siamese had access to the whole of the -Old and New Testaments. The press was set up in -Chiengmai, and Rev. D. G. Collins was made manager. -The first printing done was Mrs. McGilvary’s -translation of the Gospel of Matthew.</p> - -<p class='c009'>My daughter had been sent down to aid the Phraners -on their river trip. Word was sent ahead that Mrs. -Phraner was not well. As they drew nearer, her condition -became so critical that Dr. McKean hastened -with all speed to meet them. When she reached -Chiengmai, her condition, while still critical, was more -hopeful. I was ready to start on my tour as soon as -the party arrived. When I left home, we were still -hopeful that rest, kind nursing, and medical treatment -would set her right again.</p> - -<p class='c009'>During my absence this year I was fortunate enough -to receive a regular weekly mail from Chiengmai. A -staff of engineers were surveying a railroad route for -the Siamese government, and had a weekly mail sent -<span class='pageno' id='Page_321'>321</span>to their stations along the line. They were very kind -to include my letters also, which was particularly fortunate -in that thus I could have news of the invalid -left behind.</p> - -<p class='c009'>I have learned to start on my tours with very flexible -plans, leaving much to the guidance of providential -openings on the way. On this trip, at the village -of Pāng Krai—which, because it was a mile or -two away from the road, I had not visited in seventeen -years—I was delayed three days by a reception so cordial -that I could not pass on. On my previous trip a -man from the village, Noi Tēchō by name, came with -his little girl across to our camp and begged us to -visit it. This I could not then do; but he remained -with us till late at night, and seemed to be a believer. -I now found that in the interval the man had -kept the Sabbath, and had given such other evidence -of his sincerity, that we could not refuse his reception -to the communion and fellowship of the church. On -the last night of our stay we had a baptismal and communion -service that was memorable. The man made a -good confession before many witnesses, and his little -daughter was baptized as a non-communing member.</p> - -<p class='c009'>As in many other cases, this family had been -driven by trouble to our religion. Originally he was -the slave of a prince in Lakawn. The accusation of -witchcraft then settled on the family; but before they -were driven off the Prince compelled them to borrow -money in order to redeem themselves from him—to do -which the man had to give two of his children as security. -After a move or two, he was driven by famine -from Lakawn, and came to this village.</p> - -<p class='c009'>One morning at Wieng Pā Pāo I was summoned -in great haste to attend one of the engineers who -<span class='pageno' id='Page_322'>322</span>was thought to have been nearly killed by a fall from -a runaway horse. I found that he had broken a collar-bone, -but was otherwise uninjured. I applied all -of my amateur surgical skill, and set the bone. But -my patient, naturally enough, could not feel quite sure; -and thought it safer to go down to our hospital and get -Dr. McKean’s judgment on the case. He found the -bone set all right.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Late one Saturday evening I reached Bān Pā Hōng -in Chieng Rāi province, and stopped with the first -Christian family. Next day I learned that in the next -section of the village there was a Christian girl very -low with consumption. Early on Monday morning I -moved on, but was only in time to see a lovely form -and face apparently in the most natural sleep; but -the living soul had departed. I had baptized her two -years before, when she was fourteen years of age. -She had been sick for seven months, and had spent -most of the time in prayer. It made me inexpressibly -sad when I learned that her strongest desire was to see -her own “Paw Krū” before she departed. On the -previous evening, when she heard that we had reached -the village near by, she said, “And the Paw Krū is at -Noi Lin’s, and I cannot see him!” I preached her -funeral sermon, and saw her decently buried.</p> - -<hr class='c015' /> - -<p class='c009'>The next Sunday morning, while sitting in the Mê -Kawn chapel and preparing for service, I looked up -and saw standing on the ground before the door some -people in a strange costume evidently not Lāo, looking -in as if in doubt whether to enter or not. I immediately -recognized them as belonging to the Mūsô tribe, -quite numerous in the mountains near by. Their ready -acceptance of my invitation to come in showed that -<span class='pageno' id='Page_323'>323</span>they were waiting to be asked, and feared only lest -they might be intruders. As the Mūsôs will be prominent -in our narrative of this and the two following -years, a word of introduction may be desirable.</p> - -<p class='c009'>They are one of a numerous group of hill-tribes which -have gradually followed the mountain ridges down -from the interior of the continent. They live under a -patriarchal government, if it may be rightly called a -government at all; and they enjoy great personal freedom, -though the authority of the clan approaches very -near to absolute despotism. They are worshippers of -spirits, which are held to preside over the universe -and the destinies of men generally; while as a tribe -they are under the guardianship of their own “spirits.” -They have a twelfth—day sabbath or sacred day, not -very definitely marked. They make a great deal of -their “kin waw” or New Year feast, when all communication -with other villages even of their own tribe -is cut off during the five or seven days of their feasting. -The religious head of the village is called Pū Chān, -and the head Pū Chān of a province holds in his hands -the conscience of all his flock.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Their manner of life is as follows: They select a locality, -the higher up the better, near the source of a -mountain brook. They fell the trees and undergrowth -at the close of the rainy season, let them dry during -the hot season, and just before the next rainy season -set fire to the clearing on a windy day. All that is -readily combustible is consumed, leaving the logs on -the ground. With a small hoe or a narrow spade they -make shallow openings in the earth some ten inches -apart, all over the field, and deposit in each a dozen -rice grains, more or less. The rains do the rest till the -harvest. The second year’s crop is the best, but it is -<span class='pageno' id='Page_324'>324</span>seldom that they can compete with the scrub-growth -for a third crop. A temporary shack is easily erected, -if possible, contiguous to three clearings. When these -are abandoned, they move on and repeat the operation -elsewhere. By this means all the higher mountains -are being steadily denuded of their forests.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Being bound by no system of hoary age and venerable -associations, like Buddhism or Brahmanism, most of -the hill-tribes are very receptive of the Gospel. Their -clannishness, however, is such that if they become -Christians at all, they come in a body. But it is -very difficult for individuals or families to break away -from the clan. At the same time their migratory and -unsettled habits are by no means favourable to their -education and civilization. To any other power than -that of the Gospel that would seem to be a hopeless -task.</p> - -<p class='c009'>But to return to our visitors at the chapel. There -were seven men and boys in the party. The spokesman, -Cha Pū Kaw, was tall and well proportioned, -with the bearing of one who might be a leader of some -position. He understood Lāo better than most of his -tribe, and through him it was by no means difficult -to draw the others into conversation. They were from -three families that had been driven down nearer the -plain by accusation of witchcraft. They had learned -from our elder that Christians were not afraid of -witchcraft, nor of expulsion from the country. They -had also talked over with him the plan of salvation -for sinful men provided in the Gospel, and had asked -to be informed whenever we should come again. They -readily consented to remain through the morning -service, which was modified to suit the needs of the new -audience. It was the first Christian worship they -<span class='pageno' id='Page_325'>325</span>had ever attended, and they were evidently pleased. -The Christians invited them to share their dinner, -and the most of the afternoon was given up to their -instruction. The boys were put to reading the catechism -and learning to sing the Lāo version of “There -is a Happy Land.” They remained with us till there -was only light enough left to enable them to find -their way home.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Early next morning we crossed the plain to the foot -of the mountain, where we struck the little brook -along which and in which lay our pathway. The climb -was a stiff one, but with noble outlooks over the plain -below. In their little hamlet there were three families, -or, rather, three divisions of one family, numbering -twenty-six souls. By their intercourse with -the Christians at the chapel the soil had been prepared -for the seed. So from nine o’clock till noon we -addressed ourselves to teaching the elders, while the -children were becoming more and more interested in -the catechism, and especially in the “Happy Land.”</p> - -<p class='c009'>While the men and boys were thus engaged, the -grandmother and her daughters were busy preparing -dinner. When all was ready, the steaming white -rice was emptied on a board like that on which our -housewives knead their bread. With it was a vegetable -curry, sweet potatoes steamed over the rice, bananas, -and other fruits, with native sugar in cakes for dessert. -The board piled with food was set before me, and I was -invited to partake. They were delighted that I could -eat and enjoy it.</p> - -<p class='c009'>After all had finished their meal, the exercises of -the morning were resumed, with the women now disengaged -and free to listen. Long before night Cha Pū -Kaw and his brother-in-law, Cha Waw, of about the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_326'>326</span>same age, expressed their firm belief in the truth of -our religion, and their acceptance of the Gospel offer -as far as they understood it. The women said they -would follow their husbands. The sun was already -getting low when we had worship together before leaving. -When we came to bid our hosts good-bye, we -found that we were to be escorted down by the two -elder men and the boys, lest a tiger might meet us on -the way. It was almost dark when we reached the -chapel.—A day never to be forgotten!</p> - -<p class='c009'>At the chapel I found letters from Chiengmai bringing -the news that Mrs. Phraner’s long and painful sufferings -were ended. She died on February 13th. All -that three able physicians could do was done; but in -vain. Her mother and her family were never willing -that she should become a missionary, being sure that -she could not endure the strain of a missionary’s life. -That fact filled the husband’s cup of sorrow to overflowing. -My letter stated that he was beside himself -with grief; that the physicians, and, in fact, the whole -mission, strongly advised him to join me on my tour; -and that he would reach me not long after the letter.</p> - -<p class='c009'>On the following Friday, while getting the new -chapel ready, I heard the shout, “There comes the new -teacher!” He was worn and haggard, and visibly -older than when I left him; but making a brave effort -to be cheerful. He said very little of his great loss.</p> - -<div id='i326' class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i326.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p><span class='sc'>Map of Northern Siam, showing Mission Stations, underlined.</span></p> -</div> -</div> -<p class='c011'>On Sunday the whole Mūsô village was on hand long -before the hour for worship. The women came with -their babes tied with a scarf to the mother’s back, according -to their custom. The news that they were -become Christians had spread, and drew a larger number -than usual of our non-Christian neighbours to the -services. The Christians, too, were greatly encouraged -<span class='pageno' id='Page_327'>327</span>thereby. In the afternoon a few of the tribe -from another village were present, and listened with -surprise to Cha Pū Kaw’s first sermon. He had evidently -entered upon his new faith in earnest, and was -not ashamed to bear his testimony.</p> - -<p class='c009'>On Monday we moved on to Chieng Rāi, where I was -to direct the removal of a house to the lot which the -Governor had offered us. But Mr. Phraner’s condition -demanded movement and change of scene. Arrangements -were, therefore, made to have the house moved -by others, while we went on at once to Chieng Sên. -There we found the Chao Uparāt just returned from a -trip via Mûang Len to Mûang Sing, some hundred -miles or so to the northeast on the other side of the -Mê Kōng River. He was profuse in his praise both -of Mûang Sing and of the journey thither; and suggested -that it would be a fine opening for a mission, -and a most interesting tour. The suggestion seemed -attractive to us both. So, after a week of work in the -church and in the city of Chieng Sên, we started for -Mûang Len and Mûang Sing.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Mûang Len is the common market centre of a large -number of hill-tribes that inhabit the mountain ridges -in all directions round about. All the cities and towns -north of Chieng Sên hold a fifth-day fair or market. -We were fortunate in striking market-day on the Saturday -of our arrival. Early in the morning people began -to pour into the place from all directions. The -mountain tribes came out, their beaux and belles all -in gala dress, some to buy and sell, and others because -it was their weekly holiday.</p> - -<p class='c009'>From Chieng Sên I had brought along Nān Suwan, -the Lû elder, who had come into closer contact with -these mountain tribes than had our elders from the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_328'>328</span>south. He could make the men, and especially the head -men, understand fairly well. To all who understood -the Lāo I could, of course, speak directly. We took -our stand at the end of the market, and the crowd -gathered about us. None of them had ever seen a -missionary. None, save some few of the Lāo men, had -ever read a book, or knew even a letter of any written -language. They were children of nature, artless -and unsophisticated. We pressed home the thought, -new to them, that there must be a maker of the world -and of all creatures in it. We told them the old, old -story of the infinite love of God, our Father, and of -Christ, His Son, who suffered and died to save us, and -of pardon freely promised to all who believe in Him. -This is the final argument that wins these people.</p> - -<p class='c009'>After the merely curious among the crowd had withdrawn, -this doctrine of salvation from sin held the -more thoughtful, and brought them to our tent in the -afternoon, and even far on into the night. The head -men especially, who were more free to come to me, -expressed a deep personal interest in the new doctrine. -The most interested and interesting man was Sên Ratana, -the governor of the Kôn quarter of the city. We -met him on Sunday. On Monday we called on him and -spent most of the morning at his house, explaining to -him the plan of salvation and dictating to him portions -of Scripture for him to copy; for by this time -the Lāo manuscript copies which we brought with us -were exhausted. He copied, also, the first few questions -and answers of the Shorter Catechism, hoping -that with these as a key, he could learn to read the -Siamese Gospel and catechism which I gave him.</p> - -<p class='c009'>On our return to our tent on Monday evening we -found almost a panic among our people. Some lawless -<span class='pageno' id='Page_329'>329</span>men had lounged about the tent most of the day, -asking suspicious questions about how much money -we carried, and how many guns, and whither we were -going from there, etc., etc. The result was that those -who had been most eager for the trip beyond the Mê -Kōng to Mûang Sing, began now to beg us to return. -Mr. Phraner, moreover, became uneasy about his borrowed -elephant, which would be a great prize for robbers. -So, after consultation, it was decided to retrace -our steps. However disappointing this might be -to me, I had at least learned the road to Mûang Sing -and Mûang Yawng. The tour to both those places, and -to many others, was only deferred to the following -year, when we might hope to have at least one printed -Gospel in the Lāo language, and a tract or two to distribute. -The news of Cha Pū Kaw’s conversion spread -far and wide, and was preparing the way for further -work among his tribe.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Leaving Mûang Len on Wednesday, we breathed more -freely after we had crossed the border into Siam. On -reaching Chieng Sên, Mr. Phraner decided to return -to Chiengmai. He had reaped all the benefit possible -from change of scene. He felt that he ought now to be -in his future home, settling down to a systematic study -of the language. But I greatly missed his pleasant -company.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The object of the missionary’s visit to an outlying -church like that of Chieng Sên, is to “lengthen the -cords and strengthen the stakes”—to awaken the -careless, to attract the indifferent, and to deepen impressions -already made. Within the range of influence -of such a church there are always those who, though -taught, indeed, by its native officers, still need further -instruction by the missionary—who have objections to -<span class='pageno' id='Page_330'>330</span>be met and doubts to be resolved beyond the power of -these officers to cope with. Not infrequently some one -who is already a believer has a wife, a husband, or children -on whom his own final decision depends. These -must be visited in their homes. Their confidence must -be won and their friendship gained as a preliminary to -awakening their interest in our religion.</p> - -<p class='c009'>For the sake of the Christians personally, as well -as for the work in general, it is important to cultivate -the friendship of the local rulers. It is to them that -the Christians are responsible. And then the Christian -families must be visited, their children instructed, -their difficulties settled, their sick be treated, and instructed -how to treat themselves in our absence; and -as much Scriptural teaching is to be given as our time -by night and by day will permit. But our most important -duty is to instruct the elders themselves, and -give them an uplift.</p> - -<p class='c009'>When my work in Chieng Sên was done, I started -for Chieng Kawng, taking Nān Suwan along, for he -was well known there and in most of the region to be -visited as far as Chieng Rāi. The Mê Tam, already -referred to as the stream which rises from under the -mountain west of the plain, becomes quite a river as -it enters the Mê Kōng near Chieng Sên. The bottom -land is covered with reedy grass so tall that a large -elephant carrying a high howdah can be seen only a -short distance away. Here we lost our way completely, -and wandered about bewildered for a long -time.</p> - -<p class='c009'>When finally we reached the stream, its trough was -so deep that we failed in a number of attempts to get -down to the water. At last we dug down as best we -could the edge of the high sandy bank, and, after much -<span class='pageno' id='Page_331'>331</span>urging, and some protest on his part, my sadaw tremblingly -reached forth his front feet, lay down, and -slid like an alligator, dragging his hind legs after him, -till, with a mighty plunge, we landed in deep water. -It was an awful sensation for the rider. The place -was in a bayou with “back water” so deep as to be -quite over one’s head; and, unlike the natives, the rider -could not swim! The landing on the further shore was -little better. There the elephant struggled up the -bank until he got his forefeet on the edge above. Then, -with a gigantic effort, he drew himself up so suddenly -that the rider had to hold on for dear life to avoid -being thrown over his head. It was a feat that only -an elephant could perform, and one would much prefer -witnessing it from a distance to being on his back during -the operation.</p> - -<p class='c009'>At Chieng Kawng I was sorry to find the governor -sadly crippled. In descending a flight of steps he had -slipped to the ground, dislocating his ankle and bruising -the bone. The joint had been barbarously treated, -was fearfully swollen, and caries of the bone had evidently -set in. I urged him to take an elephant and -go to our hospital, as the only possible chance of cure. -He was favourably inclined to the idea, and promised -to do so after trying somewhat longer the incantations -of a noted sorceress, who was believed to have great -power over wounds. It almost passes belief that such -an intelligent man could have any faith in it. Yet reason -and ridicule alike failed to dispel the hope that -she might succeed. The result might have been predicted. -After giving him great suffering, the treatment -cost him his life.</p> - -<p class='c009'>While I was in Chieng Kawng, a Nān prince returning -from Mûang Sing brought the news that negotiations -<span class='pageno' id='Page_332'>332</span>then on foot between France and Siam would -put a stop to all further settlement of that district; -would, in fact, transfer the whole region east of the -Mê Kōng to France. The Prince of Nān was greatly -disappointed; but little did we think that the transfer -would ultimately prove an effectual barrier to our work -also. It is surely one of the anomalies and anachronisms -of the twentieth century that a Christian nation -of Europe should oppose the introduction of Christianity -into a region over which it has absolute control!</p> - -<p class='c009'>On the last night before we left, all the princes and -officers came to see us, and remained till midnight. -They were as loath to have us leave them as we were -to go.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The journey from Chieng Kawng was intensely hot; -the thermometer standing at 103° in my howdah by -day, and on one night in my tent at 96°. On the banks -of the Mê Ing I found native white roses in bloom -in abundance, and brought home with me a plant -which Mrs. McGilvary greatly prized, for this was the -only native rose I had found in the Lāo territory.</p> - -<p class='c009'>On the way to Mûang Tông I passed the camp of -Chao Wieng Sā, a Nān prince whom I had met in -his home on two former visits. He was overseeing the -felling and running of teak timber down the Mê Ing -and the Mê Kōng to Lūang Prabāng. He had received -and read a Siamese New Testament, was quite familiar -with the life and teachings of Jesus, and admired His -character. A lawsuit afterwards brought him to -Chiengmai, where I saw a great deal of him. He was -surely a believer at heart. To me he was willing to -confess that his only hope was in Jesus Christ, but was -not ready to make a public profession of his faith. I -love to think of many such whom I have met as like the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_333'>333</span>Gamaliels, the Nicodemuses, and the Josephs of Christ’s -day.</p> - -<div id='i332' class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i332.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>MRS. McGILVARY<br />1893</p> -</div> -</div> -<p class='c011'>At Mûang Tông, as soon as I dismounted from my -elephant an officer met me to enquire who I was, and -to escort me to the public sālā. I soon learned that he -was the brother of another officer whom I had found -on the road to Chieng Rāi the year before, unable to -travel and, apparently, sick unto death with fever. His -company could not linger indefinitely in the forest, -and so had left him there with two men to watch him, -and probably to see him die. A dose of calomel, and -the quinine which I left with instructions as to its -use, seem to have cured his fever and enabled him to -reach his home in safety. He was himself now absent, -but his brother’s heart had been opened to friendship, -and he did all that he could for my comfort. At -night he invited his friends to the sālā to meet me, -and we had an interesting evening. In all these places -Nān Suwan and Noi Siri would often be heard talking -to the audience after I had retired, and until sleep -closed my eyes.</p> - -<p class='c009'>During our absence from Chieng Rāi a case of oppression, -or, at least, of evident injustice, on the part -of the Court, had led our friend the governor to take all -Christians under his personal protection as his own -dependents. The kindness was well meant, and we -thanked him for it. But I doubted its wisdom. The -only scheme under which Christianity can really establish -itself in all lands, is to have Christians stand on -precisely the same level before the law as Buddhists -or Brahmans or the followers of any other religion.</p> - -<p class='c009'>From Chieng Rāi the elders were sent on to Cha Pū -Kaw’s village to see how the Mūsôs were getting on. I -followed them in a day or two. When I reached the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_334'>334</span>chapel at Mê Kawn, the elders had returned from the -Mūsô village with a glowing account of their constancy. -This the testimony of Noi Tāliya and of all -the Lāo Christians confirmed. They had not missed a -single Sunday service; old and young alike came, and -mothers, as before, bringing their children tied on their -backs. They had shamed the Lāo Christians by their -earnestness, getting to the chapel first, studying hard, -and returning home late.</p> - -<p class='c009'>On Saturday morning the whole village came down, -and we spent the day together. They remained that -night as the guests of the Lāo. The next day, Sunday, -was largely given up to their instruction. They -all had renounced the worship of spirits; they all accepted -Jesus as their Saviour; they were all diligently -learning to read and to sing. Their conduct was most -consistent; they had a good reflex influence upon the -church; and their conversion was an astonishment to -the non-Christian community.</p> - -<p class='c009'>These Mūsôs had all come, expecting to join the -church. They had been taught that public baptism—confessing -Christ before men—was the consummating -act, the external seal of their initiation into the privileges -of the church. Although we impressed upon -them that they were not saved by the mere ceremony -of baptism, yet somehow they felt that without it they -were not quite in the church, and hence probably not -quite safe from the spirits. Since it would be nearly -a year before they would have another opportunity, it -seemed unwise not to receive some of them at this -time. The greatest doubt was about Cha Waw. Yet -he felt that more than any other he needed whatever -protection and assistance the church could afford him. -He had begun with his whole strength to break the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_335'>335</span>chains of his opium habit, to seek pardon and be saved. -He felt confident that with God’s help he would succeed.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The final decision was that, in order to bind them -to the service of Christ, they were all to appear before -the session and make their profession; but that only -the two old men should be received into full communion, -and that one grandson from each family be -baptized as non-communing members. It was thought -best to let the others wait till our next visit; though I -have never been satisfied that they should not all have -been admitted that day. Three of these Mūsô boys -accompanied me to Chiengmai on my return, and entered -the Boys’ School. It is not at all surprising that, -in surroundings so different from those of their mountain -homes, they presently grew lonesome and homesick. -But they were satisfactory pupils, and remained -in school long enough to get a good start in -reading and singing.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Cha Waw, after a manful struggle, finally succeeded -in breaking away entirely from his opium—by the help -of prayer and of quinine, as he always believed and -affirmed. When the non-Christian tribesmen with -their opium pipes visited his village, he was accustomed -to go down to the elders at Mê Kawn, to be away -from temptation, and under Christian influence. He -lived a number of years after this to attest the reality -of his victory—the only case I have ever known where -the victory was surely won.</p> - -<p class='c009'>That year there was a famine among all the hill -tribes. The upland rice was almost entirely cut off -by a plague of rats. I do not believe in “rice Christians”; -but when people are famishing with hunger, -I believe in feeding them, whether they are Christians -<span class='pageno' id='Page_336'>336</span>or not. These did not ask either for money or for any -other aid. But when I left them, I made arrangement -with the Lāo elders to furnish them with sixty buckets -of rice, for which I paid ten rupees in advance. They -were very grateful for the aid.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The days spent among the Mūsôs that week were inspiring. -Glowing visions arose before us of a new -tribe brought into the Christian church, of which these -were the first-fruits. On this whole tour, indeed, only -nine adults and seventeen children were baptized. But -in addition to the opening of work among the Mūsôs, -we had for the first time preached the Gospel beyond -the borders of the kingdom of Siam; and our longing -eyes were turned toward the Sipsawng Pannā, and -beyond the great river. By this time the rains had -already begun to fall. A new season was needed to -fulfil our desires.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Much as I always enjoy my long tours, when my -work is done and my face at last is turned homewards, -the gait of my sadaw seems distressingly slow. On -reaching Chiengmai I found all in fair health, and -all departments of work in full operation. But while -I was still on my way, word reached me of the death -of Mrs. Briggs in Lakawn, only a month and nine days -after that of Mrs. Phraner. So unexpected was it -that I was not even aware that she had been ill. In -answer to my request for a few particulars from Dr. -Briggs, I have received the following, which I know he -will excuse me for transferring to these pages:</p> - -<p class='c024'>“<span class='sc'>Mrs. Alice Hamilton Briggs</span> was from Truro, Nova -Scotia. Although within a year of graduation, she gave up -her medical course and accompanied her husband to the -Lāo mission in answer to the call of the Board. When she -bade good-bye to the Secretaries of the Board, Dr. Gillespie -<span class='pageno' id='Page_337'>337</span>said to her, ‘It is a pleasure to see you so robust and strong. -In this respect you are better off than your husband. There -have been so many missionary women who have broken -down on the field, that we are glad to see that you have a -reserve of health.’</p> - -<p class='c027'>“Before leaving American shores, however, Mrs. Briggs -contracted a slight cough which developed in severity during -the voyage. On her arrival in Siam it became apparent -that the case was one of pulmonary tuberculosis. The disease -seemed to respond to treatment, and for months improvement -was marked. Up to within twenty-four hours of death Mrs. -Briggs was so hopeful of a return to health that she refused -to allow her family at home to know of her condition. On -Saturday she was cutting out a new dress for herself. On -Sunday night she passed away. Dr. Briggs was spending -the evening with her, when a call came to attend a child -said to be dying just across the road. The doctor said he -would be back soon. A few minutes later he was called -back too late even to hear a last word of farewell.”</p> - -<p class='c025'>The event most interesting to us as a family during -the fall of this year, 1891, was the arrival of our son -Evander with his young bride, and our daughter Margaret, -to carry on the work begun by their parents. -Our son had made special preparation for translating -the Scriptures into the Lāo language, then the most -pressing need of the mission.</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_338'>338</span> - <h2 id='ch30' class='c010'>XXX<br /> <br />AMONG THE MŪSÔ VILLAGES—FAMINE</h2> -</div> -<p class='c011'>For the tour of 1892 I was to have the company -of Dr. McKean as long as he could be spared -from Chiengmai, which would greatly enhance -the value of the trip. We had also three native -evangelist-assistants, and, last, but not least, we were -well supplied with Scriptures and tracts in the Lāo -dialect. Our start was made on January 5th.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Our first two Sundays and the intervening week we -spent in Wieng Pā Pāo, where we established ourselves -in the new chapel which the people themselves had -built since our last tour. We observed the Week of -Prayer with two chapel services daily, and house-to-house -and heart-to-heart work in the intervals. The -church was formally organized with thirty-six adult -members and thirty children, three ruling elders, and -two deacons.</p> - -<p class='c009'>From Wieng Pā Pāo we moved on to the village of -Mê Kawn, the centre of our very interesting work of -the previous year among the Mūsô tribe. The Sunday -we spent there was a red-letter day in our missionary -life. Of it Dr. McKean writes: “This has -been a blessed day. All [of the Mūsôs] desire baptism. -Two boys baptized last year were admitted to the -communion. Eleven other adults and seven children -were baptized, making twenty-two Mūsôs now members -of the visible church. One Lāo girl was received on -<span class='pageno' id='Page_339'>339</span>confession, and three Lāo children were baptized. Our -Christian Mūsôs were out in full force. A Mūsô officer -and others not Christians attended from another -village. Before this we had visited these people in -their homes. We found that they had built a good -chapel for their worship, a better building than either -of their own houses. They had been very diligent in -observing the Sabbath, in studying the catechism, and -in worship.”</p> - -<p class='c009'>We could not have been better pleased with our first -success. The exclusion of this little group from the -large villages made it possible and easy for all of them -to become Christians. The whole-hearted zeal with -which they entered the church awakened strong hopes -for the conversion of their race. Cha Pū Kaw’s -knowledge of the Lāo tongue was above the average -even of their head men. It would be a long time before -we could have another such interpreter and assistant. -And he was nearly, or quite, seventy years -old; so that whatever he was to do in teaching his -people must be done soon. It was, therefore, thought -best to make a strong effort through him and his family -during that season.</p> - -<p class='c009'>At our next stopping-place, Nāng Lê, we came near -having a serious casualty. Our boys were out on a -deer hunt, and one of them bethought him of a novel -expedient for getting the game. He climbed a tree, -and had the grass fired on the other side of the open -space. The grass was tall and dry, and the wind blew -strong towards him. He became so engrossed in looking -for the deer that he forgot the fire, till it was too -late to flee. He could climb beyond the actual flames; -but meanwhile the whole air had become like the breath -of a furnace. When, at last, the fire had swept past -<span class='pageno' id='Page_340'>340</span>him, and he was able to descend, he was a mass of -blisters. The swiftness of the rush of the fire alone -saved his life. Had it been slower, he could not have -escaped suffocation.</p> - -<p class='c009'>From Nāng Lê we visited a very large Mūsô village. -It was a steep foot-climb of four solid hours, and, to -make it longer, our guide missed the way. The first -sign of human life we saw was a Mūsô girl alone watching -a clearing. She fled for dear life, till, recognizing -Cha Pū Kaw’s Mūsô speech, she stopped long enough -to point the way to the village. Her fleet steps outran -ours, and when we reached the village, the people -were already assembling to see the unwonted sight of -the white foreigners. But the community was greatly -disturbed over another matter. One of their leading -officers, it seemed, was accused of being the abode of a -demon that had caused an epidemic of disease. The -authorities were hourly waiting for an order from the -court in Chieng Rāi to expel him and his family by -force from the province. They had heard of Cha Pū -Kaw’s conversion, and were anxious to hear from himself -his reasons therefor—which he gave and enforced -till late in the night. They were expecting, however, -on the morrow a regular conflict which might result -in bloodshed, and they evidently preferred that we -should not be there. The head Pū Chān was several -days’ journey distant. They would confer together -among themselves and with him, would let us know -the result, and would invite us up again before we -left their neighbourhood.</p> - -<p class='c009'>About midnight a fierce storm of wind and rain -broke upon us to our great discomfort. Our thin tent -afforded but poor protection. We doubled up our bedding -over our clothes, and sat upon the pile under our -<span class='pageno' id='Page_341'>341</span>umbrellas, and laughed at the novelty of our situation -and the poor prospect of a night’s sleep. But later -the storm passed off, and we did get a little sleep. -Our visit to that group of Mūsô villages was evidently -not well timed. We took the advice of their officers, -and returned to Nāng Lê.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Two days later we reached Chieng Sên. Here we received -a mail from home, with news that Mrs. McKean -was not well, and other members of the station needed -the doctor’s presence. It was expressed as “the unanimous -judgment of the station that he should return -immediately.” We had planned a regular campaign in -the Mūsô districts on both sides of the Mê Kōng—the -sort of trip in which the medical missionary finds his -best opportunity. But the recall was so imperative -that it could not be ignored. So I was left to continue -the work alone.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The Mūsô tribe was about equally numerous in the -mountain ranges on both sides of the big river. On -the east side there were eleven villages. It seemed advisable -to take that section first, because they were under -Chieng Sên rulers, of whose cordial and sincere interest -in our work we were sure. Sên Chai, the head -man of the large village nearest to the city, was a -friend of Nān Suwan, and was strongly inclined to -embrace our religion; but felt the difficulty of breaking -the tribal bond. Before this I had made him a -visit of two or three days, and saw clearly that our -only chance of accomplishing anything was to gain all -the head men of the eleven villages. It was actually -easier to win over the whole as a unit than to win it -piecemeal. This was a formidable task to undertake, -but with God’s blessing on the labours of Cha Pū -Kaw and Nān Suwan, it seemed not impossible.</p> - -<p class='c009'><span class='pageno' id='Page_342'>342</span>We set out for the first village one morning shortly -after ten o’clock. It was four o’clock when we stopped -for rest at the first cluster of houses on the outskirts -of the settlement. The news of our arrival soon -reached the main village. When we started again we -met Sên Chai with a regular serenade-party of men -and boys with native reed instruments, blowing their -plaintive dirge-like music, to welcome us and escort -us in. Soon the population was all assembled—the -maidens in their best sarongs, the mothers and grandmothers -each with an urchin strapped to her back by -her scarf, the men coming in from their work, and the -inevitable crowd of children. Cha Pū Kaw was already -answering their questions, with Nān Suwan’s -sympathetic aid. They were respectfully shy, but there -was no cringing. Sên Chai invited the local Pū Chān -and all the villagers to assemble after their evening -meal to hear the new doctrines. We first had worship -with singing, and prayer by Cha Pū Kaw. It was the -first time they had heard the Great Spirit addressed -in their own Mūsô tongue. There were frequent exclamations -of delight that they were able to understand -every word.</p> - -<p class='c009'>And then, before that motley crowd, drinking with -them their native tea from an earthen teapot, the men -seated close around, or reclining as they smoke their -pipes, the women and children walking about or sitting -on the ground—we tell of God the great Spirit, the -Creator, and Father of all—the Bible, His message to -men—the incarnation, life, and death of Christ, and -redemption through His blood. Before we get through -you will hear man after man say, “I believe that. It -is true.” One man takes up the story from Cha Pū -Kaw’s mouth and repeats it to another—a story that -<span class='pageno' id='Page_343'>343</span>till now he himself had never heard. Another says, -“Nān Suwan has told us this before, but now we hear -it from the father-teacher.”</p> - -<p class='c009'>Before we retired that night Sên Chai said to us, -with the approval of most of his village, “Go on to -Sên Bun Yūang and the head men of the other villages. -If they agree, we will all accept Christianity. One village -cannot accept it alone. If we do not ‘kin waw’ -with them—join in their New Year’s feast—we shall -be treated as enemies by the whole tribe.”</p> - -<p class='c009'>So, next morning, we set out to find the great Pū -Chān—the religious head of the province. On our -way to his village we fell in with a man to whom Cha -Pū Kaw was speaking with great earnestness. I found -on approaching him that he was not a Mūsô, but a Kūi—of -a tribe which we had planned to visit later. He -was the Pū Chān of his village. He had already invited -us through Cha Pū Kaw to change our plan, -and visit his village first. It was nearer than the village -we were intending to visit, and we were already -tired enough with our climb to be willing to stop at -the nearest place.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The village was a large one, as mountain villages go—of -twenty-five or thirty houses, and from two hundred -and fifty to three hundred souls—in general not unlike -the Mūsô villages we had seen. The Kūi language -also, while different from the Mūsô, is cognate with it, -so that Cha Pū Kaw could still act fairly well as our -interpreter. His talk with the Pū Chān on the way -had already laid a good foundation for our work in the -evening, when curiosity and interest in our errand -brought the whole village together to hear Cha Pū -Kaw’s new doctrine from his own lips. The news of -his conversion had already reached them, and he had -<span class='pageno' id='Page_344'>344</span>made a good impression on the religious head of the village.—And, -then, it was something new to see the Mūsô -boys able to read and to sing. Nān Suwan and Cha -Pū Kaw led in prayer, the one in Lāo and the other in -Mūsô. Then our religion was explained in its two -leading ideas—rejection of the spirit-cult, and acceptance -of Jesus for the pardon of sin and the life eternal. -Questions were asked and answered.</p> - -<p class='c009'>At last the Pū Chān suggested that, while we continued -our reading and singing with the women and -children, he and the men, with Cha Pū Kaw, withdraw -to a neighbouring house and talk the matter over. It -was evident that they would be more at their ease by -themselves, unawed by the presence of the foreign -teacher. For some two hours the debate continued. -I could hear their earnest voices from the neighbouring -house, with only now and then a Lāo word that I -could understand. Then they returned to make their -report. With oriental politeness, they expressed their -gratitude to the “great teacher” who had come so far -and at such expense, and had brought with him a fellow-mountaineer -of theirs, to teach them, creatures of -the jungle, the way to happiness. They had talked -these matters over, and understood them somewhat, but -not fully. Some were greatly pleased with the teachings, -and believed them true. But they could not yet -come as an entire village, and they dared not separate. -Next morning we parted as friends. They were glad -that we had found the way to their village. “Be sure -to come again!” That I thought surely I should do; -but this proved to be my only visit.</p> - -<p class='c009'>At the Sên Lūang’s village, where the great Pū Chān -lived, we had the same experience—a good reception, -many apparently interested and anxious to escape their -<span class='pageno' id='Page_345'>345</span>own spirit-worship. A number of the head men said, -“If such and such a village accepts the Jesus-religion, -we will.” But no one could be found to face the clan -and make a start.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Thinking that our native evangelists might get at -the heart of the people all the better if left to do it -alone, and being anxious to get my mail from home, I -went down on Saturday to Nān Suwan’s to spend the -Sunday there with the Christians. On Tuesday, to my -disappointment, the evangelists returned to me discouraged. -They were convinced that in the district -east of the Mê Kōng River, no break in the -solidarity of the clan could be accomplished that -season.</p> - -<p class='c009'>But it was important not to leave these people with -the impression that we had abandoned them. I had -left Sên Chai’s village with the promise to return. So -I went up with the Mūsô Christian boys, and spent a -last night with them. The village again assembled, -and we had an interesting evening. The Sên was -greatly disappointed that none of the other villages -would join him. But the New Year was at hand, when -the clan must be unbroken. They would wait another -year, and try to get the other villages to join them. On -the whole, I was encouraged. When we left them we -were escorted out of the village to the music of their -plaintive flutes, more like a victorious than a vanquished -army.</p> - -<p class='c009'>After a day or two with the Chieng Sên church, we -visited the ridge to the southeast of that city, between -it and Chieng Kawng. Our experience there was but -a repetition of that from which we were just come—cordial -receptions, night audiences, manifest interest, -individual believers, anxious consultations, promises -<span class='pageno' id='Page_346'>346</span>for the next year; but the tribal bond was too strong -to be broken.</p> - -<p class='c009'>But Cha Pū Kaw was anxious that we should not -pass by his own mountain villages on the Mê Kok. So -we turned southward again toward Chieng Rāi. This, -moreover, was one of those famine years, such as we -have already encountered in our story, and shall encounter -yet again; many people were on the verge of -starvation. In places we could not get food for our own -men. And famine was beginning to be followed by -disease and death. This was a serious obstacle to -our work.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Another serious obstacle was the use of opium, which -became more prevalent the further west we went along -the Mê Kok range towards Mûang Fāng. We presently -reached villages where the poppy was cultivated, -until, in the last village, men, women, and boys, and -sometimes even girls, were its slaves. Fevers and dysentery -prevail during the rainy season. These people -have a very scanty pharmacopœia, and no antidotes -whatever for these diseases. Opium in some form is -probably their surest remedy. Many persons told me -that they began by using it in sickness. As sickness recurred -the habit grew, until they were fast bound in -its chains. These facts largely determined the character -of the instruction we gave, and made our tour -a kind of anti-opium crusade. Encouraged and disappointed -at every village, I was still tempted on by -visions of capturing some large village that would -prove a more effective entering wedge for the tribe than -Cha Pū Kaw’s poor little hamlet. The six weeks so -spent were at the time the most novel and exciting, as -well as most arduous, of all my missionary experiences -so far.</p> - -<p class='c009'><span class='pageno' id='Page_347'>347</span>We took both the old Mūsô men as assistants, and -the younger ones as carriers for our equipment. Our -first day’s journey was a fair sample of what we had -to do continually. In many places it would be a misnomer -to speak of the track we travelled as a path. -We left the plain in the morning, and it was half-past -two in the afternoon when we reached the first summit. -It was five o’clock when, desperate with thirst, we came -upon a flowing brook. There was, then, still another -hard climb before we saw our long looked-for first village -ahead. And, in general, because of the habit these -people have of planting their villages upon the very -highest points where they can get water, the journey -from one of these villages to another in plain sight, -and, apparently, but a short distance away, would take -hours of the hardest travel. Sometimes we would walk -weary hours through rain, or through bushes as wet as -rain, to visit a village; only to walk back again after -sitting three hours in wet clothes trying in vain to -awaken some interest in old or young.</p> - -<p class='c009'>One of the most interesting, and, at the same time, -one of the saddest, cases we met was that of Mûn -Kamprai, the head man of a village which clearly bore -the impress of his character in the intelligence and industry -of its inhabitants. From opium he had kept -entirely aloof until, only a few years before this time, -under the stress of a severe illness, he began to take it. -The poor man now realized that he was becoming a -wreck, but seemed to have no will-power left to make -the effort to break away from the habit. He was much -interested, however, in his two fellow-tribesmen whom -I had brought as my assistants; and Cha Waw’s example -seemed to afford him a faint gleam of hope. If -we would stop a week and teach his people, and would -<span class='pageno' id='Page_348'>348</span>stand by to aid him, he would try. If successful, he -would surely become a Christian—and then his village -would be the one we had been hoping for to free itself -from the tribal bond, and become Christian.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The experiment was, indeed, pathetic. Removing all -temptation, he began with a desperate determination -to succeed. We encouraged him with human sympathy -and the hope of divine aid. We pushed as far as we -dared the use of a tonic which Dr. McKean had given -me for such cases; and it aided him perceptibly. He -held out manfully for several days. But, at last, in an -evil hour, he could endure the torture no longer, and -before we knew it, he had resumed the use of the drug. -For two nights he had not slept. In his own expressive -language, it was not his eyes, but his heart -that could not sleep. Poor man! his sufferings must -have been as near those of the infernal regions as it -is possible to experience in the body. And then his -absolute wreck of mind, and the contempt he felt for -himself when he gave up the struggle as hopeless!</p> - -<p class='c009'>We spared no labour to reach the homes of these -people, or their hearts. We tried to become Mūsôs to -the Mūsôs that we might win them. Sometimes we -had to sleep in their huts—on a floor raised two or -three feet from the ground, which the dogs shared -with the family, while the pigs and goats were on -the ground beneath. In the centre was a raised fireplace -on which the native teapot always boiled. Sleeping-mats -or thin bedding lay about on the floor, and -on this, before bedtime, some of the inmates would lie -down and fall asleep even while listening to the conversation.—But -everywhere the tribal bond was too -strong to be broken.</p> - -<div id='i348' class='figcenter id001'> -<span class='pageno' id='Page_349'>349</span> -<img src='images/i348.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>MŪSÔ PEOPLE AND HUT NEAR CHIENG RAI</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>By this time the rains had set in. The trails—and -the leeches that infested them—were getting worse and -worse. Soon the torrent-streams would become impassable. -We must return while yet we could. Our -six weeks’ wanderings we retraced in four days of -constant tramping. It had been a hard trip for all of -us. I myself had a touch of fever. It seemed good -on reaching our camp to have once more the luxury of -a chair and a table. And then to be on the sadaw’s -back travelling homewards, and to meet a good mail -on the way! My three-score and fourth birthday was -spent in the forest, and I reached home safely -on the 18th of May, after an absence of nearly five -months.</p> - -<hr class='c015' /> - -<p class='c009'>The peninsula of Farther India is largely exempt -from the terrible scourge of famine which has become -almost chronic in Hindustan, its greater neighbour on -the west. There the population is so numerous that -the normal production of food is just sufficient to supply -its needs. Even a local or a partial failure of the -crops must produce distress. Siam, on the contrary, -is happy in that it not only produces an abundant supply -for its own people, but is a granary for the surrounding -countries. The worst that has ever been experienced -in Lower Siam in years of greatest scarcity, -has been the necessity of checking the export of rice. -The annual floods there cover the whole country, so -that a general failure of crops is, humanly speaking, -impossible.</p> - -<p class='c009'>In the northern states the land is higher; and considerable -portions of it, being above inundation, are -directly dependent upon the seasonal and local rains. -But with a population by no means dense, this very -<span class='pageno' id='Page_350'>350</span>diversity of the cultivated areas is a source of safety. -A season of heavy rainfall which drowns the lowland -rice, is apt to prove exceptionally good for the uplands. -And, on the other hand, a season of light rainfall, -which cuts short the upland crop, is apt to be a good -season for the flooded areas. And in considerable sections -of the country there is the chance that a second -crop in the same season may make good the loss of the -first. There is a further security also in the fact that, -until communication with the coast becomes such as to -make exportation profitable, the excess of fruitful years -remains unconsumed in the country, to supply the need -of less fruitful ones. It thus comes about that scarcity -amounting to a real famine cannot result from the -failure of crops in any single year. It requires two -consecutive failures to produce extensive suffering -among the very poor, and three to result in a real -famine.</p> - -<p class='c009'>This last, however, was the case in 1892. In 1890 -there was a light crop throughout the land, with less -excess than usual to be stored. In 1891 the crop was -lighter still. In the eastern provinces, particularly in -Lakawn and Prê, there was very little rice to be reaped. -Famine conditions began there long before the time -for harvest. People were scattering off in squads or -by families into Chiengmai and the northern provinces, -begging a daily morsel. They were poverty-stricken as -well as famishing. The distress led the brethren in -Lakawn to make an appeal to friends in the United -States for a famine fund. Quite a liberal response, -amounting to several thousand dollars, was made to -this call, largely by the friends of the Lāo mission. -The relief was almost as timely for the missionaries -as it was for the famishing people. Otherwise they -<span class='pageno' id='Page_351'>351</span>scarcely could have lived through the long strain on -their nerves and sympathies caused by the constant -sight of sufferings which they could not even in part -relieve.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The province of Chiengmai could have met its own -needs until the new crop came in, had it not been for -the constant draft upon its reserves to meet the demands -of Lakawn and Prê. But, between high prices -offered and pity for the less fortunate, those reserves -were steadily drained away, until, during the latter -months of the year, famine was upon us in Chiengmai, -too. Bands of men from destitute villages, maddened -by hunger and unable to buy food, began to roam about -the country by night, or, sometimes, by day, and seize -rice wherever any little remnant of it could be found. -The authorities were powerless to restrain them or to -keep order. The condition of the more destitute provinces -can better be imagined than described.</p> - -<p class='c009'>At last the relief committee in Lakawn were asked -if they could not spare us a small portion of their -fund, for it seemed that their condition could not be -much worse than ours. A letter from Dr. W. A. Briggs -brought us three hundred rupees, but with the following -<i>caveat</i>—the italics are his:</p> - -<p class='c024'>“<i>Wherever</i> we can reach the absolutely starving, that is -a place to invest. We do not pretend to relieve all the -<i>suffering</i>. Now, if the need in Chiengmai, or in the district -mentioned, is so great that people are actually dying -from starvation, and those now living are living on such -stuff as the sample enclosed (cocanut-husks, leaves, bark, -etc.), <i>with never a grain of rice</i>, then I would advise -you to form a Famine Committee, and go into the business -as we have done. The actual starvation <i>must</i> be attended to, -<i>no matter where it is</i>. But our saddest experience is within -Prê. Some one should be sent there at once.”</p> - -<p class='c025'><span class='pageno' id='Page_352'>352</span>The scenes reported from Prê were harrowing. I -will not pain the reader by dwelling upon them. One -happy result followed the efforts of the brethren who -went to the relief of that district. While administering -to bodily wants, they preached the Gospel, making -such an impression that there was a strong demand -for a permanent station there—which was established -the next year, with Dr. and Mrs. Briggs as pioneer -missionaries.</p> - -<p class='c009'>It should be stated that, toward the last, the Siamese -government sent up supplies of rice; but, because of the -distance and the difficulty of transportation, not much -reached the suffering people in time to help them; and -much was lost in passing through the hands of so many -officials.</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_353'>353</span> - <h2 id='ch31' class='c010'>XXXI<br /> <br />CHIENG RUNG AND THE SIPSAWNG PANNĀ</h2> -</div> -<p class='c011'>At the Annual Meeting of the mission in December, -1892, the broad field of Tai peoples north of -the frontier of Siam was discussed, and Rev. -Robert Irwin and myself were appointed to make a -tour into that region as long and as far as in our -judgment might be deemed wise. The tour occupied -nearly five months—from January 3d to May 25th, -1893. This time we went fairly well supplied with portions -of Scriptures and tracts, and a good outfit of -medicine. Of quinine we carried a hundred ounces, -and returned with less than twenty-five. We relied on -the medicines for the welcome they never yet had failed -to win for us. And Mr. Irwin had a cornet which did -excellent service throughout the tour. For riding I -had my big “sadaw” elephant, and Mr. Irwin had a -pony; so we could exchange mounts at our convenience. -I pass over the earlier portion of our route, already -so often described, and the two weeks spent among -the hill-tribes visited on previous trips.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The chief object of our trip was to visit, in their ancient -homes, two northern tribes of the Lāo race—the -Kôn and the Lû—from which very many of our -parishioners in the southern provinces derived their -origin. For, under conditions which lasted very nearly -down to our own time, there was almost constant -predatory warfare going on in this northern country—stronger -<span class='pageno' id='Page_354'>354</span>states raiding the weaker, and sweeping away -the entire population of the districts they overran, to -plant them in their own realms. Thus whole villages, -and even entire districts, in the Lāo provinces of Siam, -are peopled by the descendants of such colonies of captives. -We found it unadvisable to attempt both visits -in the same season, and the Lû were the more accessible, -living on the nearer slopes of the Mê Kông -valley. We went up on the west of the river along -the edge of the British territory, now known as the -South Shan States, and beyond it into Chinese territory, -as far as Chieng Rung;<a id='r15' /><a href='#f15' class='c020'><sup>[15]</sup></a> then, returning, we made -a somewhat wider sweep to the east of the river, -through French Indo-China; finally recrossing the -river at Chieng Lāp, where we struck once more our -outgoing trail.</p> - -<div class='footnote c026' id='f15'> -<p class='c023'><span class='label'><a href='#r15'>15</a>. </span>This name appears on some maps as Chieng Hung, initial <i>r</i> in the -North being generally pronounced as <i>h</i>.—<span class='sc'>Ed.</span></p> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>After leaving Mûang Len, the utmost point of a -former trip, we travelled awhile by a fine road along -the summit of a ridge so regular as to seem almost like -an artificial embankment, and affording noble views -over the valley. At Wieng Mai, a recent offshoot of -Mûang Yawng, we spent a most interesting Saturday -and Sunday. Here the Prince-Governor sent to ask if -he should not put up a sālā to shelter us during our -stay. In the morning we preached in the market-place, -and afterwards I distributed medicine and talked -with the people till noon, when I had to flee away to -rest under the shade of a big tree by the river. The -people seemed hungry for the bread of life. I could -not supply all the requests made for copies of the -Scriptures.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Mûang Yawng, the older and larger city, we reached -<span class='pageno' id='Page_355'>355</span>on Monday forenoon, after a two hours’ ride. An officer -met us at the gate, and showed us to the sālā. -When the Chao Mawm heard of our arrival, he sent -for us, meeting us at the door. We had a very interesting -interview, but he was not inclined to talk on -the subject of religion. He told me that the city and -district had been entirely depopulated in 1809 by a -force from Chiengmai, when “nothing was left behind -but the ground.”<a id='r16' /><a href='#f16' class='c020'><sup>[16]</sup></a> It had recovered itself, however, -and its population was now larger than that of Lampūn. -With Nān Suwan I visited the market and the -Court. At the latter place I learned that the British -Commissioner would arrive the next day. Knowing -that everything would be in confusion, we decided to -move on the next morning.</p> - -<div class='footnote c026' id='f16'> -<p class='c023'><span class='label'><a href='#r16'>16</a>. </span>This incident is a striking illustration of the methods of warfare -in those days. The expedition in question was directed against the -Burmese, who had established themselves in Mûang Yāng some -sixty miles or more to the northwest. On its way it passed through -Mûang Yawng, where it was loyally received. But being defeated -at Mûang Yāng, it fell back upon Mûang Yawng, and there gathered -up all the inhabitants and swept them off to Chiengmai to prevent -their falling into the hands of the enemy!—<span class='sc'>Ed.</span></p> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>From this point on, our elephant was everywhere an -object of great interest. Sometimes the people climbed -trees to get a better view of him. A long day’s march -brought us to Mûang Yū, picturesquely situated on -high bluffs, with deep gorges running down to the Mê -Lūi. Here we remained only overnight, leaving early -the next morning for Mûang Lūi, which we reached -about noon. That evening we had a large attendance -at worship, the governor and officials remaining till -after eleven o’clock. The original population of both -these districts, as well as that of Mûang Yawng, are -now scattered throughout the provinces of Chiengmai -and Lampūn.</p> - -<p class='c009'><span class='pageno' id='Page_356'>356</span>Next morning we crossed the beautiful stream on a -raft, while our elephant took the ford. During the -forenoon we came upon Captain Davis of the Commissioner’s -staff, who had been sent to make a detour by -Mûang Sing, and was then on his way to join his party. -He was resting by the roadside, ill with fever, and was -glad to get from me some quinine.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The following day, Saturday, brought us to Mûang -Lūang, the largest and most important place in the -valley and the southernmost of the old Sipsawng Pannā -confederacy. The valley population is wholly Lû. -There is scarcely a Ngīu (Western Shan) to be found -east of the Keng Tung watershed. Here were the best -roads we had seen anywhere in Farther India, with -a real arched bridge of stone across the stream at -the entrance to the city. Early next morning we were -awakened by a noisy crowd about our tent, anxious to -see us. It was the great market day, so, instead of -attempting a regular service in camp, we chose the -market-place. There, whether reading or speaking, we -always had some attentive listeners.</p> - -<p class='c009'>On Monday our road lay for many miles along the -summit of a low ridge on which at intervals were -fifteen large villages, just at the edge of the long -fertile plain, where are the rice-fields that feed the -country. I never saw in all my touring anything quite -to equal that row of villages. It seemed too bad to -pass through so many without even stopping.</p> - -<div id='i356' class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i356.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>GROUP OF YUNNAN LĀO</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>On the fourth day from Mûang Lūang we reached -Chieng Rung, the limit of our northward journey. Its -location is strikingly beautiful, on a high steep bluff -overlooking the Mê Kōng River, which sweeps in a -majestic curve about its base. It is in Chinese territory, -and is ruled by a Chao Fā appointed from Yunnan. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_357'>357</span>An officer from Yunnan was there at the time -collecting tribute. The influence of the English was -already felt there. Mûang Chê, to the west, had -rebelled against the Chao Fā, who thereupon sent out -an expedition which captured and brought away some -three hundred families of the inhabitants. But England -cannot allow border warfare to go on along her -frontier. An English officer appeared on the scene, and -the thing was stopped.</p> - -<p class='c009'>At Chieng Rung we were still in the midst of an -area of Lāo-speaking people—an area which extended -far beyond on every side. I gave a portion of Scripture -to a Lû whose home was ten days’ journey northward; -and others to men from as far to the east and to -the west.</p> - -<p class='c009'>We had an interview with the Chao Fā by previous -appointment. At the door the officer suggested that -we pull off our shoes. We replied that it was not our -custom, and was unnecessary. He looked very doubtful, -but said no more, and we walked in. The Chao -Fā received us courteously. We took him to be a man -of no great strength of character, about forty years of -age, and somewhat weakened by the use of opium. He -asked whether we had not some antidote to enable him -to stop its use. He listened attentively to our statement -of the object of our coming, and said, “You are -merit-makers, and that is a good work.”</p> - -<p class='c009'>When we called at the court, the presiding officer -had a wise suggestion as to how we might further our -purpose and establish our religion in the place—a suggestion -evidently not originating with himself, but -from a higher source. “The favour of the Chao Fā,” -said he, “will be necessary and all-sufficient. I see -you have a fine elephant. Just make a present of him -<span class='pageno' id='Page_358'>358</span>to the Chao Fā. He will be delighted, and your road -will be all smooth.” I told him that I was an old man, -far from home, and dependent on the elephant. So I -could not part with him. This same suggestion was -pressed upon us several times afterwards, by the highest -officials, and quite up to the hour of our departure; -though its form was modified from a gift to a sale. I -became at last a little anxious about the result, and -was somewhat relieved when we actually got away -without loss of the elephant.</p> - -<p class='c009'>I may mention at this point an incident of this trip -which never came to my knowledge till thirteen years -later, showing how we were providentially spared from -what would have put a sudden and tragic end to our -tour and to our lives. When Dr. S. C. Peoples and -Dr. W. C. Dodd were in Keng Tung in March, 1907, the -presiding officer of the Court told them that he had -met Dr. McGilvary and Mr. Irwin on their way to -Chieng Rung; that when the people of Chieng Rung -first heard that some foreigners from the south were -<i>en route</i> to their capital, they planned to kill and -plunder them. But when they saw that the foreigners -rode elephants and were accompanied by carriers, they -decided that this was probably the advance guard of a -formidable army, which it might not be well to attack. -And then, he said, the kindness of the missionaries -so completely won their hearts, that all -thought of murder and plunder was given up.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Our return was to be through the region to the -east of the Mê Kōng. Its northern cities still belonged -to the Sipsawng Pannā. But the rest of it was -territory recently ceded by Siam to France. The governing -race—the people of the plains—were everywhere -Tai, speaking the Lāo language and using the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_359'>359</span>Lāo literature. On its mountain ridges dwelt numerous -hill-tribes, especially the Kamu and the Lamēt.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The route we were to take crosses the river two days’ -journey south of Chieng Rung; so we had at first to -retrace our steps. We left the city on Monday, March -13th, safe from unseen plots, and with our elephant. -On the second day, after leaving our upward road to -strike across to the river, we entered unexpectedly a -large village, where we met with a reception ludicrously -hostile. At every door men were standing with guns in -their hands. We were surprised; but, supposing that -it might be muster-day or something of the sort, we -passed innocently along, without challenge, to the -monastery, where we dismounted and began to unload. -Then guns were laid aside and the head man and villagers -came up to see us and to offer assistance. They -had heard that foreigners were coming with elephants -and men, whether for peace or war no one knew. So -they had taken the precaution to be ready. When -they found out our peaceful errand, they were ashamed. -We had a pleasant visit and worship with them that -evening.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The next stage of our road was bad. In some -places we had to cut our way through, and there were -difficult passages of brook-beds and gorges. We -reached the river at Chieng Hā in a pouring rain, and -it rained again at night. The next day was the -Buddhist sacred day, and we were awakened early by -the crowd of merit-makers and worshippers—the -women and girls, as usual, in their head-dresses and -gay colours, and all anxious to see the elephant and -the white faces.</p> - -<p class='c009'>It was 10:30 that morning before we got -away. Ourselves, our men, the saddles and luggage, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_360'>360</span>were carried over by the ferry. Nān Suwan alone -faced the deep river on the sadaw to guide him -through. At the first plunge all of the elephant save -his trunk, and half of the rider, went out of sight. -Thence on they went, now up and now down, till they -struggled out on the further shore. Such an effort is -very exhausting to the animal, and he has to have a -good rest and breathing-spell after it.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Mûang Ham, on the eastern bank, is larger than its -neighbour on the west. Its governor was a Chao -Mawm, next in rank to the Chao Fā of Chieng Rung, -and his wife was the Chao Fā’s sister. I had a long -talk on religion with the wife. It was a new thought -to her that any one could be greater than the Buddha, -though he was neither Creator nor Saviour, but only a -man. It is unnecessary continually to state what was -everywhere the case throughout this trip; namely, that -we had good audiences and interested hearers. We -left in every place some books in the hands of those -most likely to use them; though we could have used -to advantage many more, if we had had them.</p> - -<p class='c009'>From Mûang Ham two days’ march brought us on a -Saturday to Mûang Nūn, the most important city on -our route, and, therefore, a most desirable place to -spend Sunday. The city is in the valley of the Nam -Bān. It has well paved streets, and a very large -monastery on an eminence above, where we camped. -The abbot gave us a hearty welcome, and did all he -could to make us comfortable. At our night worship -the monks and other visitors were very attentive.</p> - -<p class='c009'>On Sunday morning we called on the head officer of -the Court, and had a pleasant conversation with him, -for he was both intelligent and inquisitive. Just as we -were ready for our own morning worship, the Chao -<span class='pageno' id='Page_361'>361</span>Mawm, a relative of the Chao Fā for Chieng Rung, -sent to ask us to call. We sent word in reply that it -was our hour for worship, and asked whether he would, -perhaps, like to have us worship in his residence. His -answer was a cordial invitation to come and do so.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The Prince was young and very pleasant. He had a -spacious house, and soon he had it filled with his -own family, his officers, and his people. Mr. Irwin, -as usual, had his cornet. We find that singing our -Gospel hymns, with a short explanation of their central -truths, is a better way to hold a mixed crowd -where women and children form a goodly proportion, -than is a regular service. Nān Suwan’s Lû dialect -served a very good turn. We had a very interesting -morning, and we were cordially invited to hold a -similar meeting at night, when many who had been -absent in the morning might attend.</p> - -<p class='c009'>At night the house was crowded with a remarkable -gathering, for one could hardly call it a congregation. -The invitation, the place, the attendant circumstances, -were all unique. We sang and prayed and preached -with as little restraint as if we had been in our own -church in Chiengmai. The part of the service which -most impressed them was Nān Suwan’s prayer—a direct -appeal to a Person unseen, whom he addressed as -Father, Redeemer, Saviour, and Friend. Seldom have -I felt so strongly for any as for these, that they were as -sheep needing a shepherd; hungry souls asking for -bread, and getting that which satisfied not. Ethical -teaching they had in abundance, but no Divine Voice -asking, “Wilt thou be made whole?” or saying, “Thy -sins be forgiven thee. Arise and walk!”</p> - -<p class='c009'>Next morning we made our formal call upon the -Prince; but he sent to our camp for our books and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_362'>362</span>the cornet, and soon we had another congregation, and -were having worship again. In the afternoon the -Prince made us a long call. Then there was a continuous -stream of visitors, mostly for medicine, and I -vaccinated a number of persons. The son of the chief -officer of the Court, a fine young man, was almost ready -to come with us to Chiengmai to study our religion -further. His father, too, was willing that he should -come. The young man promised that he surely would -do so next year, if we came again. And now, seventeen -years after these events, it saddens me to think no missionary -has ever been there since. An occupancy, -then, of those open Sipsawng Pannā States would have -turned the flank of French obstruction, and have ensured -an entrance from the north.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Early on Tuesday morning we left Mûang Nūn, after -a visit all too short. The Prince, with his officers and -a large crowd of people, were on hand to bid us good-bye. -That day we found our track very much obstructed -by the jungle growth, and had some difficulty -in cutting our way through. Another complication -presently arose in the illness of my associate, Mr. -Irwin. An attack of indigestion developed next day -into symptoms of dysentery, which made further travel -for the time impossible. So we were laid up until the -following Tuesday at Mûang Wên—and anxious nights -and days they were. Milder measures failing, we had -to resort at last to a most heroic treatment which I -had seen used in the hospital, namely, large doses of -ipecac. By this means the disease was got under control; -and by care and dieting Mr. Irwin was able at -length to continue his journey on my elephant, though -throughout the rest of our tour he was far from being -well.</p> - -<p class='c009'><span class='pageno' id='Page_363'>363</span>At Mûang Pōng, one of the three largest cities on the -route, we again stopped over from Thursday night till -Tuesday. Here I had an ague-chill on the night of our -arrival, but, with free use of quinine and a little rest, -I escaped further attack. There was a great deal of -fever in the place, and I spent much time in ministering -to the sick.</p> - -<p class='c009'>On Saturday I called upon the Prince and his chief -officer. I was told that the city furnished five hundred -men for the Chao Fā’s expedition, and had seventy -villages within its jurisdiction. In former times it -had been raided by an expedition from Nān, and some -of the Nān villages to this day are peopled by descendants -of those captives.</p> - -<p class='c009'>On Monday the Prince and his chief officer made us -long calls. The Prince had never seen a repeating -rifle, and seemed incredulous that it could fire twelve -shots in unbroken succession, till I fired three by way -of demonstration. His look of surprise was ludicrous. -He <i>must</i> have the gun, he said, to protect his country, -and began bidding for it. At last he offered a -fine riding pony, which I accepted. He was delighted, -saying that we two should always be brothers. If I -should never come again myself, he would welcome and -aid our assistants. Four years later I did visit the -place, but the Prince had been killed.</p> - -<p class='c009'>On Tuesday we reached Mûang Māng, which proved -to be one of our most hopeful places. Sitting in front -of our tent, with the whole village about us, we talked -till midnight. I had a sore throat, but our assistants -were inspired with enthusiasm. At last we almost -had to drive the crowd away.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Mûang Sing was the objective of this portion of our -tour. I first became interested in it when it was about -<span class='pageno' id='Page_364'>364</span>to be occupied as a dependency of the province of Nān. -Mr. Phraner and I made an attempt to reach it in 1891, -but were turned back. Then, again, it seemed about -to fall into British hands, under some old claim by -Burma. Even at the time we were there, its status was -still uncertain. It gave evidence of having once been -a large city, and still had a very large territory under -its jurisdiction. Its earlier importance was reflected -in the title borne by its ruler, Chao Fā—Lord of the -Sky—a title borne by no other Lû ruler south of -Chieng Rung. My interest in Mûang Sing had been -deepened by acquaintance with a patient in the Chiengmai -hospital, of whose case Dr. McKean has kindly -furnished the following account:</p> - -<p class='c024'>“This Prayā Singhanāt, a prominent man in the local -government, had been for years a great sufferer from vesical -calculus and had tried all kinds of remedies without avail. -Fearing his disease had been occasioned by offending the -spirits in the building of a new house, he tore the house -down. This gave him no relief. Although he had spent -years in the monastery, and had taken all the degrees of the -order, he concluded to re-enter it in the hope of being cured -of his malady, spending again six months in the monastery. -A travelling merchant who had himself been cured of calculus -by an operation in the mission hospital in Chiengmai, -advised the Prayā to go there for relief. This he determined -to do, not without great opposition from the Prince and -from his own family. But he was determined. He sold his -possessions, and started with 800 rupees. His journey was -long and painful. For weeks or even months at a time he -could not travel on account of great pain. Once he was -beset by dacoits at night. A part of his money and all his -guns were stolen. When he finally reached Chiengmai twelve -months after leaving home, he was penniless, and of course -still suffering intensely. He was received into the mission -hospital and was wholly relieved by an operation. A more -grateful patient one rarely sees. He regularly attended -<span class='pageno' id='Page_365'>365</span>service at the hospital and evinced great interest in -Christianity.”</p> - -<p class='c025'>When we reached Mûang Sing, we were disappointed -to find that the Prayā was away. But he had loudly -sung the praises of the mission hospital, and that was a -good introduction for us. The chief officer of the Court -was a friend of his, and he proved to be a friend to us, -too. Hearing that we were come, the Chao Fā sent -for us, and turned out to be a relative of the great -Chao Fā of Chieng Rung. Though not of a nature so -deeply religious as some, he was interested in religion; -and our reply to his first question as to the object of -our visit, immediately introduced the subject.</p> - -<p class='c009'>At first he was inclined to cavil, asking such questions -as, whether Jesus could rise in the air as Buddha -did, and the like. But this was evidently to “save -his face” before his officers. For a while he maintained -that the universe is self-existent, having come -into being by the concurrence of the matter which composes -it. But presently he confessed that it is too -complicated for that, and plainly shows design—that -is, a mind or Mind. At last he asked what argument -made us foreigners so certain of our view that we -should come to ask them to change their religion for -ours. We told him that Jesus Christ Himself was the -all-sufficient argument. No matter how the world -came into existence, we are here, and we all know that -we are sinners. The Buddha confessed himself to be -only a man, and himself seeking a refuge like the rest -of us. Jesus Christ claimed to have come down from -heaven, and to be the Son of God. He challenged the -world to convince Him of sin. Those who knew Him intimately -saw something in Him not only different and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_366'>366</span>superior, but of a different kind. He showed this not -only by His spotless life, but by the miracles that He -wrought. He claims to have power to forgive sins. -And thousands and millions who have accepted Him -believe that He has forgiven them; and show that fact -by becoming better men. We talked thus an hour -and a half. He evidently felt the force of the arguments.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Sunday was the fifth-day market or fair—the largest -and finest we had seen in the north. The hill-tribes, as -usual, were out in full force. I was still suffering with -sore throat, but Mr. Irwin and the assistants had a fine -morning’s work, and in the afternoon had a fair attendance -at the regular service.</p> - -<p class='c009'>One of the most interesting incidents of our stay was -the night service, held in the residence of the Chao Fā -at his express request on the evening before our departure. -The audience was mainly his own family -and dependents, and the Prince was more free than -before. During the singing he asked that the cornet be -stopped in order that he might hear the words more -plainly. When Nān Suwan led in prayer, he wished to -know if we always prayed in that way. There was the -usual sad refrain—no hope of pardon, bondage to the -spirits, the drawing to a better way, but so strong a -counter-current! Yet who can tell how many, after -all, the truth may have reached?</p> - -<p class='c009'>We left Mûang Sing on Wednesday, April 12th. -There is no need to weary the reader with details of -the ten days’ travel before we reached Chieng Sên, -or with the varied incidents of our work.</p> - -<p class='c009'>At Chieng Sên we received letters that were disappointing -to my plans. The mission had unanimously -decided that, partly for considerations of our health, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_367'>367</span>and partly for reasons of mission policy, Mrs. McGilvary -and I should take our furlough at once. We had -been ten and a half years on duty in the field. My -wife was not really sick, but was not well, and the doctor -advised her going. I was very anxious to repeat -the same tour the next year, in spite of the few malarial -chills I had encountered this time. But arrangements -had been completed, and there was no option but to -submit.</p> - -<p class='c009'>My companion on this tour was far from well, and -it was important that he should hasten home at once. -What with daily rains, bad roads, and swollen streams, -Mr. Irwin had a hard trip of it alone the rest of the -way; and it was some little time before he was well -again. For my return there was no such need of haste. -The work among the Mūsô had been left, upon the -whole, in hopeful condition. The power of the tribal -bond, which almost annihilated individual responsibility, -had been somewhat weakened. Many head men -had promised to enrol themselves as Christians this -season. It was certain that no tour among them could -be made the coming year. I must visit them now.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The experiences of this visit were entirely like those -of the previous ones—everywhere the same warm welcome, -interesting night meetings, earnest consultations, -and ministering to the sick; days spent in wading -brooks, climbing mountain ridges, plunging down -ravines, to get from one village to another, where the -same round would be repeated. They would all become -Christians if only another officer or two would -join them. Thus it went on till we had visited nearly -all of the eleven villages, and were back at Sên Chai’s -and Sên Bun Yūang’s, where we began. These people -were nearer to Nān Suwan’s Christian village, had -<span class='pageno' id='Page_368'>368</span>known more of our religion, and, no doubt, were believers -in the truth of our teaching. We talked with -them till late at night, and our parting with them had a -tragic interest. They were apparently on the verge -of accepting the Gospel. We used our utmost endeavours -to persuade them to join Cha Pū Kaw on the -other side of the river, and not wait for the others -who might come in afterwards. This was probably my -last visit; but if any sufficient number would join the -church, the mission would not desert them. If not, in -all probability the offer would never be pressed upon -them again.</p> - -<p class='c009'>And so it proved to be. About half of the villages -were under the governor of Chieng Sên. The inhabitants -of these were assured of their safety in taking the -decisive step, so far as the rulers were concerned. But -some of the larger villages were under the governor of -Mûang Len. His opposition was a foregone conclusion, -because of his interest in the opium traffic. My -failure to gain a large entrance among them was one -of the greatest disappointments in my whole work.</p> - -<p class='c009'>That I was not mistaken in the hopefulness of the -work among the Mūsôs has since been demonstrated by -the many thousand converts won among the same tribe -by our Baptist brethren in the Keng Tung region. At -the same time they are better prepared for such a work -than were we. Their wide experience among the Karens -of Burma, and the large number of educated Karens -through whom they work, give them advantages in this -particular work which our mission does not possess. -On the other hand, it is surely to be regretted that our -mission should be limited in its access to all branches -alike of the Tai population found in the northern -states, for which, by identity of race and language and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_369'>369</span>literature, we are far better prepared than our Baptist -brethren. For while, to use a legal phrase, the missionary -holds a brief for no one particular tribe; while -his commission and his duty is to preach the Gospel -to all whom he can reach; yet it is a well recognized -fact that the Tai family has largely fallen to our mission. -And it will be seen from what we have said -above, that we returned from this trip with enlarged -views and bright prospects of opening up work among -our own Tai people in the north. It will take years -of hard work and a useless expenditure of time and -money for any other missionary organization to reach -the point at which we were ready to <i>begin</i> work among -these people. But this is a complicated question, the -tangled web of which it is not possible for any one -man to unravel.</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_370'>370</span> - <h2 id='ch32' class='c010'>XXXII<br /> <br />THIRD FURLOUGH—STATION AT CHIENG RĀI</h2> -</div> -<p class='c011'>On my return to Chiengmai I found preparations -well advanced for our departure on furlough. -Embarking on June 7th, we reached Bangkok -on June 22d, and San Francisco on August 12th, 1893. -Of the events of that memorable year, I shall touch -upon only two or three.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Dr. J. H. Barrows, the originator and President of -the Parliament of Religions, had invited me to attend -and participate in its meetings. After, perhaps, a -little shock at the boldness of the idea—as if Christianity -were to be put on a par with other religions—I -sympathized with the object as legitimate and proper. -It was merely doing on a large scale what we missionaries -are called upon to do on a smaller scale every -time that we hold an argument with Buddhists or -other non-Christian people. The fairness of the idea, -and even its very boldness, might do good; and I believe -they did.</p> - -<p class='c009'>On the Sunday before the opening I listened to a -really great sermon by Dr. Barrows on “Christ the -Light of the World.” I attended every session of the -Parliament, save at the hour from 11 <span class='fss'>A.M.</span> to 12, when I -usually went over to the Moody meetings to hear John -McNeill, as he was familiarly called, preach his -trenchant sermons.</p> - -<p class='c009'>If any one went to the Parliament—as possibly some -<span class='pageno' id='Page_371'>371</span>did—hoping to hear Christianity demolished, he certainly -was disappointed. But there was one criticism -which occurred to me. Whatever may have been -thought of the wisdom of the original conception and -inauguration of the Parliament, the Protestant -churches might have made a much more imposing front, -if the ablest men of the different denominations had -not stood aloof, either indifferent or hostile to it. It -was surely the opportunity of a lifetime for many, who -could not hope otherwise ever to address personally -the votaries of non-Christian religions, to bring forward -their strong reasons to bear on so many of the -most intelligent and presumably the most earnest seekers -after the truth.</p> - -<p class='c009'>While attending these meetings in Chicago, I received -news that our son, the Rev. Evander B. McGilvary, -had felt himself constrained to resign from the -Lāo mission. No good can come from now reviewing -the issues which led to this step; and it is needless to -say how bitter was the disappointment to his parents, -who had looked forward to his carrying on their -work, and to him, who had specially prepared himself -for that work, and for no other. But I must say that -bitter as was the disappointment, I sympathized with -his position, and respected his motives.</p> - -<p class='c009'>At the meeting of the General Assembly in the following -May, to which I was a delegate, the one all-engrossing -business was the trial of the Rev. Henry P. -Smith, D.D., for heresy on the question of the “Higher -Criticism.” Viewing the matter from this distance, -and entirely apart from the merits of this particular -case, I doubt whether critical and scientific questions -are proper subjects for trials before such a body. If -tried at all, such questions should be tried by a commission -<span class='pageno' id='Page_372'>372</span>of experts. Biblical criticism and science will -go on, and the questions involved will be decided according -to their own lines of evidence, quite irrespective -of the decrees of Popes, Councils, and General -Assemblies. I am much mistaken if the good -sense and temper of the church would now sanction -heresy trials on such questions.</p> - -<hr class='c015' /> - -<p class='c009'>One day some fifteen years earlier than the point we -have now reached in our narrative, a letter came to -our mission from a Mr. Robert Arthington of Leeds, -England. The letter, like all his subsequent ones, was -on small sheets of notepaper, written over once, and -then written again crosswise, so as to be almost illegible. -The writer had somewhere learned of the -journey of a French explorer who, from the upper Mê -Kōng and the headwaters of the Mê Ū, had crossed -to the China Sea through the region now known as -Tonking. The traveller had passed through certain -tribes possessed of a written language and supposed -to be of Aryan stock. By some means Mr. Arthington -had heard of our mission, and wrote to enquire whether -some of us could not visit those tribes and distribute -among them “the Gospels of John and of Luke, and the -Acts of the Apostles,” particularly “telling them that -the Acts followed Luke, <i>and was by the same author</i>.”</p> - -<p class='c009'>We had not the slightest idea who the writer was; -but the devout spirit of the letter was charming, and -such interest in obscure tribes along the northern -border of our field was most surprising. His strong -desire to send the Gospel message to “the regions beyond” -appealed to me. He appeared to be a man of -means, for he offered to bear the expense of circulating -those three books. At the same time he was evidently -<span class='pageno' id='Page_373'>373</span>somewhat eccentric and impractical in his ideas. He -seemed not to have thought that to circulate books -among newly discovered tribes would require—since -the cessation of the gift of tongues—acquisition of -their languages, translation, printing-presses, etc., etc. -But the case, at all events, seemed worth following up.</p> - -<p class='c009'>I acknowledged the receipt of his letter, pointing -out the obstacles which he seemed to overlook, directing -his attention to our own mission as occupying a -new and interesting field, with many hill-tribes on our -own border which we hoped to reach. I invited his -coöperation, stating that as soon as we were properly -enforced, we intended to go as far north as we could.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Almost to my surprise, Mr. Arthington replied immediately, -expressing his interest in our work, but still -reverting to his scheme for evangelizing the “tribes of -Aryan stock” found by his French traveller. That -was, of course, impossible for us to undertake, though -I did propose to Dr. Cushing of the American Baptist -Mission in Burma to join me in a tour through that -region at Mr. Arthington’s expense. This plan had -attractions for us both; but Dr. Cushing’s college work -made it impossible. Still, we might be able to make -some compromise with our unknown correspondent. -So, for some years, I kept up an occasional correspondence -with Mr. Arthington, just sufficient to keep us in -touch with each other. He always replied immediately -to my letters, breathing the same deep interest in missions, -and especially in the tribes hitherto unreached -by the Gospel. Touring within my own appointed field -engrossed the whole of my available time; but since -that field was already in part supplied, it did not specially -appeal to him.</p> - -<p class='c009'>After the tour, longer than usual, taken with my -<span class='pageno' id='Page_374'>374</span>daughter in 1890, I sent him a report of it. In response -he sent me thirty pounds, which aided in the -work of 1891 among the Mūsô. The tour taken with -Mr. Phraner in 1892 was nearer to his idea; and the -one taken with Mr. Irwin in 1893 intensely interested -him—but chiefly because it seemed to be a stepping -stone toward reaching his “Aryan tribes” beyond. He -thoroughly approved of that tour; expressed his regret -that we could not meet in order to come to a -clearer understanding about the geography of the -region—since all our maps were defective; and suggested, -“I should like your daughter to go with you -on your next trip, as I can well conceive the idea that -she will be a valuable help.” He was, moreover, “particularly -interested that the Cambodians also should -have the Gospels of Luke and John, and the Acts.”</p> - -<p class='c009'>Following up Mr. Arthington’s suggestion of an interview, -I met him by appointment in Liverpool on my -return from the United States. We had only a half -hour’s interview; but he thought that sufficient to enable -us to understand each other’s plans. On reaching -London I was to make out an order for what sum -I needed for my next work. This I did, asking for the -modest sum of forty pounds, which I received by return -post.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The trans-Mê Kōng tour, however, was inevitably delayed. -It was not until the Annual Meeting of the mission -in 1896 that Dr. Peoples and I were appointed to -make that tour, an account of which will appear later. -To complete, however, now the story of my relations -with Mr. Arthington, I may say that in advance of the -Annual Meeting just referred to, I wrote to him that -the projected tour would surely be taken, and suggested -that sixty pounds would probably suffice to -<span class='pageno' id='Page_375'>375</span>cover its expense. His reply came the day before our -meeting adjourned, with a cheque for seventy pounds. -The timely aid seemed to anticipate the divine approval -of our attempt. In his letter he suggested, -“Perhaps it might be a good precaution for you to let -the French know your friendly object, and to get full -permission to travel east of the upper waters of the Mê -Kōng as far as you deem proper for your purpose. -But, dear Brother, seek—and I intend to ask with you—the -Lord’s counsel and blessed comfort and guidance.”</p> - -<p class='c009'>The tour was taken, as I have already intimated, -and a full printed report was sent to Mr. Arthington. -On the whole, he was pleased; but it is not easy to -serve two masters. I had assured him from the beginning -that my first duty was to my mission and -my own field. Still he was a little disappointed that -I had to go so far out of my way to join Dr. Peoples -in Nān; and a little more so that we could not get up -nearer to Tongking to give his favourite “John, Luke, -and the Acts” to the tribes supposed to be of Aryan -descent, found by the French traveller. To enable me -to do this, he said, “I believe I should have great -pleasure in sending you all you will need from me.” -He even intimated once that he would be willing to -provide in his will for the continuance of that work. -While not jealous of my connection with the Board, -it seemed to him a tantalizing thing that, while I was -geographically nearer his goal than any one else, and -was, moreover, in sympathy with his devout spirit -and evangelistic aspirations to reach the “regions beyond,” -I was not free to carry out his favourite, though -somewhat chimerical, plans.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The last letter I had from him was dated October -<span class='pageno' id='Page_376'>376</span>22d, 1898. His passion was then as strong as ever to -get his three favourite books to “the tribes mentioned -by the French traveller, ... for they are a people for -whom I have desired much, since the day I first read -of them, that they should have the Gospel.” He expressed -great sympathy with my disappointment that -the French would not permit our labouring in their -territory, adding, “Yet the Lord will not be robbed -of His own.” His death occurred not very long after -this. Of the disposition of his large estate I found -the following account in the London <i>Daily Graphic</i>:</p> - -<p class='c024'>“The late Robert Arthington of Leeds, left about £750,000 -to the London Missionary Society, and the Baptist Missionary -Society. The total value of his estate was £1,119,843. -It is estimated that the Baptist Missionary Society will -receive £415,000 and the London Missionary Society £335,000. -The whole of the money must be spent in the next twenty -years on new missionary work, and no part of it is to be -spent in the United Kingdom.”</p> - -<p class='c025'>We reached Bangkok on September 11th, 1894. -There we were joined by the Rev. and Mrs. Howard -Campbell and Dr. and Mrs. C. H. Denman, who had -come <i>via</i> the Pacific. Earlier in this same year there -had come to the station in Mûang Prê, Dr. and Mrs. -Thomas, Mr. and Mrs. Shields, and Miss Hatch; with -the Rev. and Mrs. L. W. Curtis and Miss Margaret -Wilson for Lakawn.</p> - -<p class='c009'>On our arrival in Chiengmai we found Mr. Phraner -very ill with abscess of the liver, and suffering at times -intense pain. He had been warned by physicians and -friends to desist from his work and take his furlough. -But, as chairman of the Evangelistic Committee, he -had been pushing the evangelistic work too eagerly to -<span class='pageno' id='Page_377'>377</span>heed these warnings. He refused to leave his post -till those who were absent should return. Soon after -we arrived he started for the United States, but, alas! -it was too late. He died in Singapore on January -15th, 1895, leaving a wife and two little boys to pursue -their sad journey alone. Mrs. Phraner—formerly Miss -Lizzie Westervelt—had served a useful term in the -Girls’ School before her marriage. The Phraner -Memorial School for small children, erected by the -family and friends beside the First Church in Chiengmai, -is an appropriate tribute to their labours for the -Lāo race, to which they devoted their lives.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The year of our absence had been almost a banner -year as regards successful evangelistic work. Mr. -Dodd’s Training School had furnished a larger number -of fairly well prepared evangelists than we ever -had before. Between forty and fifty of these had been -actually at work in the field for longer or shorter -periods during the year, and their work had been very -successful. The Annual Meeting convened in Chiengmai -soon after our return. In it there was evident, -on the part both of missionaries and of native assistants, -a degree of enthusiasm and exuberant expectancy -which, under the most favourable circumstances, -could hardly have escaped the inevitable reaction. -Krū Nān Tā, a man of magnetic power among -his people, was then in his prime. The great value of -his services raised probably to an excessive degree our -estimate of the necessity of more <i>ordained</i> native labourers. -If one had done so much, what might a dozen -or a score accomplish? And there were the men, with -two, three, or even more years of training in the study -of the Bible. Most of them were elders or deacons in -the different churches. They had proved faithful in -<span class='pageno' id='Page_378'>378</span>little. Why might they not be trusted with more -talents? Nine of these men were presented for examination -before the Presbytery.</p> - -<p class='c009'>When we began, it was thought—against the advice -of Mr. Dodd, who was on furlough—that one or two -might be ordained to meet the immediate needs of -the work. Some of them had spent a number of years -in the Buddhist priesthood, and had some knowledge -of Pali. Others were without such education, but -nearly all had learned to read Siamese. In Biblical -knowledge they had made fair progress. When the -examination was closed, there was a long and anxious -deliberation, with special prayer for divine direction. -It was quite safe to ordain one or two. But the next -candidate was so near the standard of these that it -might seem invidious to exclude him—and so with the -next, and the next. When the vote was taken, six were -chosen for ordination and three for licensure. The -millennium seemed drawing near!</p> - -<p class='c009'>With the new title and responsibility, higher wages -were naturally to be expected. And it was precisely -upon this rock that our hopes and plans suffered shipwreck. -The Board, as never before, began to insist on -the native churches assuming the support of their own -evangelists. The methods of mission work set forth -and practised in China by the Rev. Dr. Nevius were -urged upon us, and became very popular, especially -with the younger members of the mission, though in -China they had not passed beyond the stage of experiment. -They are best described in Dr. Nevius’ own -words:</p> - -<p class='c024'>“These two systems may be distinguished in general by -the former’s depending largely on paid native agency, while -the latter deprecates and seeks to minimize such agency. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_379'>379</span>Perhaps an equally correct and more generally acceptable -statement of the difference would be, that, while both alike -seek ultimately the establishment of independent, self-reliant, -and aggressive native churches, the ‘Old System’ -strives by the use of foreign funds to foster and stimulate -the growth of native churches in the first stage of their -development, and then gradually to discontinue the use of -such funds; while those who adopt the ‘New System’ think -that the desired object can be best obtained by applying -principles of independence and self-reliance from the beginning. -The difference between these two theories may -be more clearly seen in their outward and practical working. -The old uses freely, and as far as practicable, the more -advanced and intelligent of the native church members, in -the capacity of paid Colporteurs, Bible Agents, Evangelists, -or Heads of Stations; while the new proceeds on the assumption -that the persons employed in these various capacities -would be more useful in the end by being left in their -original homes and employments.”<a id='r17' /><a href='#f17' class='c020'><sup>[17]</sup></a></p> - -<div class='footnote c022' id='f17'> -<p class='c023'><span class='label'><a href='#r17'>17</a>. </span><i>Methods of Mission Work</i>, p. 4.</p> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>The result was that the mission took a good thing -and ran it into the ground. Economy became almost -a craze. The churches were assessed—not heavily, it -is true—to support the ministers; and the ministers -were exhorted to take whatever stipend was agreed -upon, and count any deficiency in it as a voluntary -contribution on their part, or as a debt they owed -their countrymen for the Gospel’s sake. Neither -parishioners nor workers understood the scheme. But -it was tried for one year; and at the next Annual -Meeting (in 1895) the catastrophe came. The churches -had been asked to walk before they could stand; and -the ministers were to work, as well as walk, by faith -and not by sight. As pastors, their expenses were -necessarily increased. They had to dress better, and -to be an example in clothing, and educating their families, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_380'>380</span>and in hospitality. It seemed to them that they -were required to make bricks without straw. A little -yielding to demands that were not unreasonable would -have satisfied the ministers, and the churches would -have been encouraged by the continuance of some -support from the Board for evangelistic work, even -though the amount was much reduced. The zeal was -well meant; but we broke off too suddenly.</p> - -<p class='c009'>For the unfortunate results, the mission, the native -ministers, the churches, and, indirectly, the Board -should share the responsibility. The advantages -gained by our Training School were nullified, and all -progress toward a permanent Theological School was -at an end. After those two Annual Meetings there -was no call for theological training, and no future -for a native ministry. So we have to go on appealing -to the Board and to the American churches for -foreign workers, although the salary of one of these -would support half a dozen or more native ministers.</p> - -<p class='c009'>It is easy to say that native ministers and church -members should be willing, out of pure gratitude, to -labour for the evangelization of their own people, or -that such and such other races have done so. As a -matter of fact, the Lāo church is largely indebted for -its progress to the power exerted by the church itself. -And as to the example of other races, we must remember -that there are racial differences. Even our -nearest Christianized neighbours, the Karens, stand in -a class quite by themselves in this respect. We can -no more apply one rule to all oriental races than we -can enforce western customs in the Orient. But we -certainly cannot expect happy results from the application -of rules that would have discouraged our -<span class='pageno' id='Page_381'>381</span>own ancestors when the first Christian missionaries -found them.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Among the things of more hopeful augury accomplished -in the year 1894, two deserve special mention—the -establishment of Christian Endeavour Societies -in all the Lāo churches, primarily through the efforts -of Dr. Denman, and the publication of the Book of -Psalms and of a hymnal of over two hundred hymns -and tunes. The Psalms were translated by Dr. Wilson, -and the hymns were almost wholly from his pen.</p> - -<p class='c009'>At the Annual Meeting, to which reference has already -been made, a committee was appointed to consider -anew and report on the question whether it was -or was not advisable now to occupy the northern -portion of the field with a permanent station, and, if it -were deemed advisable, to determine the location. I -had been anxious to have it occupied two years before -this time, but had yielded then to the claims of Prê -and of Nān—of Prê because the relief work among -the sufferers from famine had furnished a most auspicious -opening there; and of Nān because it was a larger -city and province than any in the nearer north. Notwithstanding -the greater progress of the work in the -north, with organized and growing churches in Wieng -Pā Pāo, Chieng Rāi, and Chieng Sên, there seemed to -be a lingering doubt as to the wisdom of establishing -permanent stations in cities so small as these. Most -of my colleagues had never visited that northern region. -No one save myself had surveyed the whole field. Yet -no part of the work of a mission is more important, -or requires better judgment, than the location of its -permanent stations. Although fully persuaded in my -own mind, I did not wish the mission to embark on a -new project involving outlay of money and of men, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_382'>382</span>without the mature judgment of the whole mission. -Hence it was at my own suggestion that the committee -was appointed.</p> - -<p class='c009'>On January 20th, 1896, Dr. Denman and I of this -committee started northward. Mr. Dodd joined us -later. It is a great thing to have a physician along -on such a tour. He relieves a great deal of suffering -among a needy people, and so lifts a great load -of care from his companion. But beyond this, I myself -had quite an attack of fever on this particular trip, -and was much indebted to his care for my recovery. -Then we had the stereopticon along, and lectured -nearly every night to large audiences. The doctor -manipulated the lantern, and left the explanation and -application to me. Those pictures have made the -Gospel story to live in the imaginations of many thousands -of people. The occasional introduction of a -familiar scene from native life serves to give confidence -that the others also are real, while a few comic ones -interest the children, old and young. A picture of the -King of Siam—their King—with three of his children, -one of them with his arms about his father’s neck, -always attracted great attention, and was often asked -for again at the close of the exhibition.</p> - -<p class='c009'>I had some trouble this time with my sadaw elephant. -At one stage his back became so sore that I -should have left him behind, were it not that he had had -a serious encounter with a tusker, and I dared not risk -him in that vicinity. He escaped from the encounter -with some bruises, and it was fortunate that he inflicted -no serious wound on his antagonist. And he -was quite well again, before we got home. This was, -however, the last tour he made with me. Elephants -had become property so unsafe that, before the next -<span class='pageno' id='Page_383'>383</span>season, I disposed of both of mine. In one year, out -of three hundred and fifty elephants employed by a -timber firm, thirty-two died and twenty-two were -stolen. But it was like parting with a friend to see -the sadaw go.</p> - -<hr class='c015' /> - -<p class='c009'>The committee visited the three northern churches, -and, after full conference both with the local rulers -and with the Christians, reached the unanimous decision -that there should be a station established in the -north, and that it should be at Chieng Rāi. In this -we were largely influenced by the central situation of -that place with reference to a considerable group of -cities and towns within the same watershed, and all, -like Chieng Rāi itself, rapidly filling up with an agricultural -population crowded out from the dear and -densely settled lands further south. And in addition -to this was the conviction that the new station would -prove a stepping-stone to the large northern section of -the Tai race, established in territory which is now English, -French, and Chinese. We still think that some -amicable arrangement should be made with the American -Baptist Missionary Union, by which the Tai race -to the north of Siam and east of the Salwin should be -left to our mission. The Union has a great work -among the hill-tribes—a work for which they are specially -adapted and specially well equipped; while we -are equally well equipped for work among the Tai.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Dr. Denman viewed the field with special interest, -for he had been designated to help in opening the station, -and we had the virtual sanction of the Board -thereto. It was the prospect of having a physician -that specially enlisted the interest of the rulers of -Chieng Rāi; though both they and their people were -<span class='pageno' id='Page_384'>384</span>friendly to our work on other grounds. It made us -sad to think that our old friend the governor had not -lived to see the mission started. But the beautiful -lot given by him on the Mê Kok will always be a -memorial to him. In due time Rev. and Mrs. Dodd -and Dr. and Mrs. Denman moved up and opened the -station. The years have abundantly justified the wisdom -of this step. In 1910 the accessions to the -churches in Chieng Rāi equalled those of the mother -church in Chiengmai.</p> - -<p class='c009'>From Chieng Sên we sent out two parties of evangelists, -five in each, well loaded with Scriptures and -tracts, one northwestward to Keng Tung, and the -other across the Mê Kōng to Mûang Sing. This was -the very first mission work ever done in the Keng Tung -State. These parties carried also a supply of medicines, -and were limited in time to two and a half -months. They were everywhere well received, and on -their return gave interesting reports of their work. -Their books were eagerly read, and the supply of them -was far too small. There were a number of interesting -cases of believers. Some villages were loath to -have them leave. The experiment, in fact, was very -successful.</p> - -<div id='i384' class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i384.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>PHYA SURA SIH, SIAMESE HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR THE NORTH</p> -</div> -</div> -<p class='c011'>As soon as our committee work was done, Mr. Dodd -was obliged to return. After visiting the Mūsô villages, -Dr. Denman and I moved on to Chieng Kawng. This -town is situated on the right bank of the great river -within the fifteen-kilometer zone which was reserved -as neutral territory upon the cession of the left bank -to France. A French military station was on the opposite -side of the river, and a small gunboat was lying -there—the first that ever came up through the rapids. -Among the crew were two or three who could read -<span class='pageno' id='Page_385'>385</span>English, and who were very anxious to get English -Bibles. This was an unexpected request which we -could not then meet. But I applied for some to the -American Bible Society, and received them just before -I started on my trip of the next year; and, finally, -was able to forward them to the men from Lūang Prabāng. -The captain of the gunboat was very kind to -us while we stayed at Chieng Kawng, and was much interested -in having his men get the Bibles.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Letters were presently received by Dr. Denman summoning -him back to Chiengmai on account of the illness -of his wife. This left me again without an associate, -and with the added care of the medical work, -which cannot be avoided on such a tour, and which, of -course, rests more heavily on a layman than it does on -a trained physician. Before returning home I made -a call—and I believe it was the last one—at the Mūsô -villages beyond the Mê Kōng. Again my hopes were -raised of gaining the whole tribe. With such a prospect -I would gladly have remained with them several -months. But again I had to leave them with only the -“next year” promise—which never was fulfilled. I -reached home on May 5th, after an absence of three and -a half months.</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_386'>386</span> - <h2 id='ch33' class='c010'>XXXIII<br /> <br />THE REGIONS BEYOND</h2> -</div> -<p class='c011'>Two important tours were undertaken by the Lāo -Mission in 1897—one at the opening of the year, -eastward and northward beyond the Mê Kōng -River into French and Chinese territory; and the other -after the close of the rainy season, northward into -British territory. The latter tour led to far-reaching -results, but it does not come within the scope of this -personal narrative. The former was rendered possible -by the timely gift of seventy pounds from Mr. Arthington, -already mentioned; and represented the nearest -approach we could then make toward the fulfilment of -his great desire to reach with the Scriptures those -“tribes of Aryan origin” in the “regions beyond.” -Dr. Peoples, then of Nān, was my companion during -part of this tour; and we went well supplied with -Scriptures and tracts, no less than fourteen carriers -being loaded with these alone. I left home on January -12th, going eastward by way of Lakawn and Prê -to Nān, where Dr. Peoples was to join me. At each -of these stations I spent a busy and a delightful Sunday; -and from Lakawn as far as Nān I had the pleasant -company of Miss Fleeson and Miss Dr. Bowman, returning -to their post from the Annual Meeting.</p> - -<p class='c009'>One night on this portion of the trip we were -awakened by the cries of our men and the snorting of -the ponies, to find that we had a visit from a night -<span class='pageno' id='Page_387'>387</span>prowler, coming so near that we heard the clatter of -the loose stones which he dislodged as he sprang away. -The tracks we found in the morning showed him to -be a large Bengal tiger. On this same stretch of road, -as recently as 1910, the mails for Nān were interrupted -by a man-eating tiger, which killed several men and -women, till, finally, he was despatched by Dr. Peoples -within a few hundred yards of the mission compound.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Ten days were spent in journeying northward -through the great province of Nān, stopping night by -night in its villages and towns, where we always had -good audiences at our evening worship. Sunday we -spent at Mûang Ngôn, and then turned eastward, striking -the Mê Kōng at Tā Dûa, and making our way up -its western bank. At Bān Hūi Kûa we found such -interest that we were sorry that we must move on. -The Prayā—or Pīa, as the name is called throughout -this region—spent an afternoon in transcribing in the -Lūang Prabāng character the tract entitled “The Way -to Happiness.” He had heard something of our religion -before this from a former princess-pupil of Miss -Cole in the Wang Lang School at Bangkok. As he -bade us good-bye he said, pointing upwards, “I hope -we shall meet up yonder,” and seemed pleased that we -had the same anticipation.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The next Sunday we camped in the monastery -grounds at Bān Hūa Ling. The people began to assemble -before breakfast, and long before it was time -for the morning service the grounds were full. The -abbot, with his monks and the officers, sat directly before -me as I explained the method of salvation through -Jesus Christ. The audience listened most attentively. -At the close the abbot and the officers remained for -<span class='pageno' id='Page_388'>388</span>further conversation. The abbot expressed surprise at -our errand. He had never known of anybody’s travelling -about simply to teach the people. Some expressed -fear of encountering the anger of the spirits -if they should no longer worship them. To this the -doctor gave the scientific answer that fevers and most -other diseases were caused and propagated by specific -germs, over which the spirits have no control whatever. -This was to them a new idea, but they seemed -to comprehend it. Next morning, when we left -them, the people followed us with expressions of regret.</p> - -<p class='c009'>When we reached Chieng Mên, a town on the western -bank of the river and opposite Lūang Prabāng, we -found a European with a group of boys, who turned -out to be the French schoolmaster. He invited us -to dine with him that evening, and the next day aided -us in crossing the river. Our first duty in Lūang -Prabāng was to report to the French authorities, M. -Vackle, the Commandant Supérieur, and M. Grant, the -Commissaire. They had been notified from Bangkok -of our coming, and received us with genuine French -hospitality. We never met two more perfect gentlemen. -They even offered us a house; but, as the abbot -of the principal monastery was a personal friend of -mine, they yielded to our preference to stop with -him, but only on the ground that there would be more -comfort and room for our men.</p> - -<p class='c009'>That evening we were invited to dine with M. Vackle. -M. Grant and his staff were present; and the dinner -was a royal one, to which we were prepared to do full -justice. We had the embarrassment of not being able -to converse save through a native interpreter not well -versed either in French or in English. But our host -<span class='pageno' id='Page_389'>389</span>was most considerate, as were also his French guests. -And every evening during our stay we dined with one -or another of the officials.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Next day we called on the Lāo “King,” as he is still -euphemistically called, though possessing only such -powers as the French give him. When we made our -business call on the French officials to ask permission -to proceed on our missionary tour through the French -territory, they were very obliging. We freely discussed -together alternative routes, and they offered us passports -for any of them. When at last with some hesitancy, -the question of permanent work and a mission -station was broached, M. Vackle replied that for that -he had no authority. Application would have to be -made to the Governor General at Hanoi, and preferably -through Washington and Paris. The prospect -still seemed hopeful.</p> - -<p class='c009'>On the evening before our departure, M. Vackle invited -us to dine informally and spend the evening with -him at his beautiful cottage and garden two miles -out in the country. On meeting us, our host said, -“The other night I was the Commandant Supérieur. -To-night I am simply M. Vackle. I want to have a -pleasant informal evening with you.” And surely we -did. We talked of the old friendship between France -and the United States, of Washington and La Fayette, -the Chicago Exposition, the Parliament of Religions, -and of M. Vackle’s own work in the new province. -He was interested in the Parliament of Religions, and -asked if Roman Catholics were equally welcome with -Protestants. He had an exaggerated idea of the number -of our religious sects. We told him that the great -body of Protestants were included in five or six groups -somewhat like the orders of the Catholic church, but -<span class='pageno' id='Page_390'>390</span>there were numerous smaller subdivisions. He had -heard of one that lived wholly on milk. Of this we -had to confess ignorance, unless it were that large -group that we call infants.</p> - -<p class='c009'>It was after eleven when we rose to take our leave; -and even then he detained us to see by torchlight his -beautiful garden, artificially watered, and his bowling -alley—insisting that we try a turn on it. This was -what I had never done before, but at the first bowl I -brought down several pins. This pleased him, and he -said that he had never seen a better first play.</p> - -<p class='c009'>On taking our final leave, we spoke a last word for -permanent mission work, reminding him that while -Catholicism and Protestantism had alike produced -great nations, Buddhism never had; and that it was -therefore political wisdom to encourage and foster -the Christian religion in the provinces. He assented, -but said he feared that the “King” might imagine -that his subjects would be less loyal if they became -Christians. We assured him that the reverse would be -true, since it was a fundamental point in our teaching -as well as in the Scriptures, that Christians were to -be obedient to their rulers.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Among the routes offered we chose the northern one -as most nearly meeting Mr. Arthington’s desires. Our -passport stated that we were Bāt Lūangs, i.e., Catholic -priests. We left Lūang Prabāng on Monday, -March 8th, crossed the Nam Ū near its mouth, and -spent three weeks on our way to Mûang Sai. At one -point there was a theft of a considerable amount of -our money, which delayed us a day or two, but annoyed -us more. The thieves turned out to be some -of our own men, who afterwards confessed, and eventually -we recovered the money. From Mûang Sai there -<span class='pageno' id='Page_391'>391</span>is a good route to Nān, and as no man had been left -in that station along with the ladies, Dr. Peoples felt -that he must return to it, while I should go on northward -to the Sipsawng Pannā and finally return to -Chiengmai along the route which I took with Mr. -Irwin in 1893. His departure was a great loss to me -personally, and to the effectiveness of the tour. He -left us on March 31st.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The next week was one of intense interest to me. -One of its days was the thirtieth anniversary of my -arrival in Chiengmai, and fraught with memories of -the hopes, achievements, and disappointments of all -those years. And were we now, perhaps, on the eve -of a new opening with wider possibilities than ever? -So it seemed. For, one day as I was in the monastery -at Mûang Sai, there entered an officer, Sên Suriya by -name, who, making the obeisance usually made to -priests, explained that, having been absent from home, -he had not heard the instruction we had given at our -evening worship. His wife, however, had reported that -a teacher from a great and distant country was come -with Scriptures and an offer of salvation from the -great God of all. It was the great desire of his heart -to be saved from his sins. His interest was evidently -intense, and that roused our interest in him. From -three o’clock till nightfall our elders and I explained -to him the great truths of revelation, while he listened -almost with rapture.</p> - -<p class='c009'>In the midst of this earnest conference the “āchān,” -or chief officer of the monastery, came in; and Sên -Suriya joined us in explaining to this friend the -strange news he had heard. The āchān was soon as -deeply interested as he. He also desired to know -further of this matter. Before we parted that evening, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_392'>392</span>Sên Suriya had accepted the teaching joyfully; and -his friend, with more reservation.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Soon others had joined these two—notably a family -of refugees from persecution for witchcraft. They -were ready to accept anything which would deliver -them from bondage to the spirits. On Sunday at the -public service the instruction was directed to the needs -of these enquirers, all of whom were present. The cost -was to be counted; the cross was to be taken up; but -the reward was great. Sên Suriya’s wife and family -all opposed him. He had spent an anxious night, and -was under great strain; but was still firm. He was -ready at any cost.</p> - -<p class='c009'>His friend the āchān had received his appointment -in the monastery from the Pīa, or head-officer. For -honesty’s sake he felt he must notify the Pīa and resign -his position. It was, therefore, arranged that our -elders and I should go with the two friends on that -errand that very afternoon. We went, and were kindly -received. Sên Suriya, as spokesman, witnessed a good -confession. They had been men, he said, who all their -lives had sought merit and followed the teachings of -the Buddha, but with great anxiety, on account of their -failures. Now they had learned of the great refuge of -the God who could pardon and save both in this and in -the coming world. Their motive was strictly religious. -They would be as loyal as ever, and would perform -faithfully their government duties. The āchān said -that his friend had fully expressed his views, but he -wished further to resign his position in the monastery. -The Pīa listened with evident interest, but with some -surprise. When he spoke, he said: “All that I know -of religion I have learned from these two men. They -know manifold more than I do. If they see it right, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_393'>393</span>how can I oppose? I will still take them as my religious -teachers, and will learn Christianity of them.”</p> - -<p class='c009'>I added a word, emphasizing their assurance that -being good Christians would only strengthen their loyalty. -Thanking the Pīa for his kindness, I retired. -How much of his liberality was due to my presence—if -it were so due at all—I do not know. But next -morning Sên Suriya came to say that he could not -withstand the opposition of his wife and family. While -his faith was firm as ever, he could do no more this -year. By another year he hoped their opposition might -be relaxed. Meantime the family of refugees had -weakened. I supplied all these with medicine, and -urged them to remain steadfast in the faith, reminding -them that baptism was not essential to salvation.</p> - -<p class='c009'>I had made further stay in Mûang Sai dependent -upon the outcome in the case of these two men. So -now it seemed best to continue my journey northward. -I went out to a retired wooded hillock, and there spent -a quiet season in prayer, commending those in whom -I had become so intensely interested to the care of -the Divine Teacher, and seeking direction for my -further course.</p> - -<p class='c009'>So far we had not met many of the hill-tribes, which -had been one of the main objectives of the tour. As I -descended from the hill, I found some thirty Kamus -just arrived on some government work, and encamped -by the road. I turned aside to speak with them, when, -to my surprise, one, taller and more intelligent than -the rest, answered me in good Lāo. To my greater -surprise, when I handed him a tract, he began to read -it. It seems that, when a lad, he had been initiated into -the monastic order by the Princess of Lūang Prabāng, -and was one of the very few of his tribe who was a -<span class='pageno' id='Page_394'>394</span>fairly good Lāo scholar. He was delighted to get the -book; but I was like a miner who has found a new -gold mine. Had they been ready to return to their -homes, I should at once have gone with them. A new -vision seemed to open before me of work among that -interesting tribe. I had seen the great value of the -help afforded by Cha Pū Kaw, the first Mūsô convert, -in work among his tribe. But he was not a scholar, -and was too old to learn. Here was a Kamu scholar. -Might he not have been raised up for this very purpose?</p> - -<p class='c009'>That evening I spent with my elders in their camp. -I left with my new friend a number of books, which -he promised to read to his people. I took down the -names of their villages, and promised if possible to -visit them next year—which they all begged me to do. -That apparently casual meeting seemed to me a loud -call, Come over and help us! And it led to a most interesting -work, which was stopped only at the command -of the French.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Leaving Mûang Sai, we journeyed northward along -the telegraph road, enlivened by noble views of long -slopes, deep gorges, and high peaks. We passed some -villages of the Yao tribe with whom we could converse -only by signs. On the third day out, at Bān Nā Tawng, -we left the telegraph road, turning off at right -angles to Mûang Lā. At one village the head man -assembled his people to meet us, when he learned that -here was a man from seven days beyond the great -French country! At one place we passed a village of -Lentīns, so named from the district in Cochin China -from which they came. They showed their Chinese ingenuity -by having their rice-pounding done by water-power.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Mûang Āi was the last town in French territory; beyond -<span class='pageno' id='Page_395'>395</span>it one enters the province of Yunnan, China. -Here we had scarcely pitched our tent before the governor -had read our little tract on “The Way to Happiness,” -and asked us to stay awhile to teach his -people. This we did, remaining from Friday till Tuesday. -He invited us to worship in his house, which was -filled to overflowing. On Saturday, in company with -the governor, I attended a wedding feast. I got along -finely with the various dishes until a bowl of blood -fresh from a slaughtered hog was passed around, and -each guest took a spoonful! My note upon leaving the -town was, “It is wonderful how many, especially of -the officers and the more thoughtful class, are struck -with the self-evidencing truths of the Gospel on its first -presentation. And their first thought is the sincere -conviction that the Gospel meets their wants. Nor is -this testimony invalidated because, when they come to -count the cost, they are not willing to pay it.”</p> - -<p class='c009'>I was much pleased to hear uniform testimony to -the uprightness of French officials. My own respect -for French rule had greatly increased since we entered -their territory. Is it that the Tai race beyond -the Mê Kōng is more religious, or is it on account of -the French rule, that people there seem more deeply -interested in the Gospel message? But such has been -the fact. I have never been cheered by brighter visions -of hopeful and speedy results of our labours. It seems -almost inconceivable that a European nation should -forbid missionary work among its people.</p> - -<p class='c009'>From this point on we were warned not to allow our -party to be separated on the march. Shortly before -this a merchant travelling with his son had been attacked -and killed. I heard of two mountain tribes in -this neighbourhood new to me, and of a third further -<span class='pageno' id='Page_396'>396</span>to the northwest, which sacrifices at every rice-harvest -a human victim captured from some other tribe. -Scarcely any one had ever heard of the name of Jesus.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Not far from the town we passed on a ridge a well-marked -boundary stone with the letters R. F. (République -Française) on one side, and C. R. (Chieng -Rung) on the other, in large Roman capitals. Noticing -by the roadside a large stack of bricks, we learned -that we were near the salt wells, and that the salt was -compressed into bricks for easier transportation on -mules. The salt industry makes Bān Baw Rê an important -place. No one with white clothes, white hair, -or white beard is allowed to enter the enclosure about -the salt wells; so I did not see them. I could get no -reason for the prohibition, save that the spirits would -be displeased.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The time of my visit was unfortunate, being the beginning -of their New Year festival, which is always a -season of carousal. That night we had a scene that -defied description. After supper a man came to tell -me to get ready; they were going to “saw” me. I -did not know what “saw”-ing might be; but I soon -learned, to my disgust. Presently a noisy crowd entered -the sālā where I was, with drums, fifes, and other -musical instruments, and surrounded me with deafening -noise and songs. A great personage had come to -their place, and they were come to do him honour. -He had great riches, and they expected a treat of fifty -rupees. Paying no attention to my attempted disclaimer, -they went on: “Give us out your money. -Give us fifty rupees! Give us twenty-five!” Pushing -my way out of the noisy circle, I was followed with -more imperative demands. At last the governor’s son -came up as a friend and advised me to give them five or -<span class='pageno' id='Page_397'>397</span>six rupees, or they would never depart. Then one of -my elders came to me, anxious regarding the outcome, -and said that it was only a New Year custom, not a -religious one—intimating that I need have no conscientious -scruples in the matter. Finally the governor’s -son said he could get them off with three rupees. -I had only one in my pocket, and did not dare open -my box before that mob. At last I handed the young -man that one, and, with an emphasis which they understood, -told him that I would give no more, appealing -to his father for protection, and holding him responsible -for the consequences. They went off sullenly -enough. Having gone so far, I doubt whether they -would have desisted without something “to save their -face.” From me they went to the governor’s, and so -on, in order, throughout the place, with their hideous -noise, which I could hear far on into the night.</p> - -<p class='c009'>At another village further on, the people seemed in -doubt how to receive me, till a young man came forward -and asked if I were not the man who a few -years before travelled through that country with an -elephant, and let the Prince of Mûang Pōng have a -gun. Then, turning to the head man, he said, “You -need not be afraid. He is a teacher of the Jesus-religion.” -My standing in that village was assured. -One of the listeners at our worship in the monastery -that night was much impressed, not with the idea of -pardon, as is commonly the case, but with that of the -Holy Spirit to purify and cleanse. That was what -he needed; and he earnestly enquired how to obtain -his aid. This led to the subject of prayer to a living, -personal God, who has promised this aid. We left him -with the hope that his great need would be supplied.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Mûang Lā was the furthest point reached on this -<span class='pageno' id='Page_398'>398</span>tour. From it we struck westward into our old route -of 1893 at Mûang Pōng. The Chao Fā who got my -gun had been killed by his people. I was much struck -with the judicial aspect of the act as told me. One -of the officers said, “He was a bad man, who oppressed -the people, fined and executed them unjustly, -and, of course, we killed him. That is the way the Lāo -do.” A nephew and adopted son of the murdered -Prince succeeded him, but the authority was largely in -the hands of the Prayā Lūang, though the young -Prince’s mother also had great influence. She invited -me to a good dinner, and we had a most interesting -conversation. Among other things she asked, “How -is it that you say Buddhism cannot save?” and she -seemed much impressed with the answer: “Because -Gautama Buddha is gone, and it is more than twenty-five -hundred years before the next Buddha is expected.”</p> - -<p class='c009'>We were now travelling southward, and soon came -once more upon the tricolour floating over the French -post at Mûang Sing. I felt like saluting it. I was -greatly surprised to find an Englishman, Mr. Eva, in -charge. He fairly shouted to hear his mother tongue -once more. He had scarcely heard a word of it for -three years. Seeing that I was spent with my long, -hot ride, and that my carriers would not get in till -nightfall, he kindly offered to hunt me up some -luncheon. This I declined, if only I might have a -cup of tea and a piece of dry bread. Holding up both -hands, he exclaimed, “You’ve got me there! I’ve almost -forgotten how wheat bread tastes.” He insisted -on my taking up my quarters in his bungalow, till I -said, “If you were on French business, you would -wish to stop where you could best accomplish it, would -you not? I am here on missionary work, and my -<span class='pageno' id='Page_399'>399</span>business is with the people. The monastery grounds -will suit me better.” “Looking at it in that light,” -said he, “you’re right. I’ll say no more.” I knew -that in the home of a French official I should have no -visitors at all.</p> - -<p class='c009'>He was the son of an English Wesleyan minister; -but, being a wild lad, he had wandered away and -drifted into the French army, where he rose to an official -position. But the influences of his early days -had not been lost. We had many heart-to-heart talks -together. He wanted an English Bible. Having only -my “Oxford” along, I could not spare him that, but -brought him one on my next tour. On Sunday he attended -the service led by the elders, pleased at the -evidence they gave of the reality of our missionary -work. He had six thousand Kamus in his district.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The opium habit is very common. We found but -few monasteries in the Sipsawng Pannā whose abbots -and monks did not use opium. One man, when asked -whether he used it, made a significant answer: “When -I have money, I do. When I have none, I don’t.”</p> - -<p class='c009'>The Chao Fā of Mûang Sing was busy preparing for -the marriage of his daughter with a son of the great -Chao Fā of Chieng Rung. So I did not see much of -him. I had a long talk, however, with the prospective -groom. He doubted the possibility of pardon for sin. -I had several interviews with Dr. McKean’s patient -for calculus, before mentioned. He was not so near -Christianity as I hoped to find him, but was profuse -in praise of the doctor and the hospital. He had two -wives before the operation, and now was utilizing his -new lease of life by taking another younger one. I -saw here some peaches not quite ripe—which was very -tantalizing. But I did get some ripe plums.</p> - -<p class='c009'><span class='pageno' id='Page_400'>400</span>When I left Mûang Sing on April 28th, Mr. -Eva escorted me six miles on my way, and we -bade each other good-bye four or five times before we -could finally part. At Wieng Pūkā I had another -warm welcome from the French Commissaire. I had -to decline his invitation, also, to good quarters -with him; but dined with him at night, and -next morning he sent me a nice shoulder of beef. A -large number of Kamus were here engaged on some -public works. Unlike most of their tribe, these are -Buddhists, and there were a number who could read, -and who were delighted to get books. It was remarkable -that their women spoke Lāo fairly well. Their -chief officer had eighteen hundred men under him. -After talking with them till near midnight, I turned -them over to the elders, and was soon asleep. Next -morning my cook came to my tent to enquire whether -I were not ill. It was half-past six, and breakfast was -ready!</p> - -<p class='c009'>We passed many Kamu villages in this portion of -our route. Most of them would welcome a missionary, -and seemed ripe for the Gospel. Formerly, under the -government of Nān, they had an easy time, with no -taxes and almost voluntary service. Now they naturally -complained of the stricter régime of the French. -I consoled them with the fact that the world over -people have to pay taxes to the government that protects -them. For this I did not at all need the warning -which Mr. Eva gave me, that the one thing which -the French would not tolerate was interference with -their government work. At Chieng Kawng I took -leave of French territory, with nothing but feelings of -gratitude for the uniform personal kindness of their -officials, and their apparently kind interest in our -<span class='pageno' id='Page_401'>401</span>work. That work I must now dismiss with the very -brief outline I have given. I believe that light was -conveyed to many seekers after truth, and seed was -sown which will not be lost.</p> - -<p class='c009'>From Chieng Kawng onwards I was on old touring -ground, and among friends. I spent a Sunday there, -made a short visit to the Mūsô hills, and found a warm -welcome in Chieng Rāi from the two missionary families -who were now established in that station, as well -as from my many native friends. Here I received my -long-desired mail. Its good cheer was tempered by -one sad piece of news—the death of my sister Mary -and my brother Evander, the last of my own mother’s -children. On May 16th I entered upon my own three-score -and tenth year. Leaving Chieng Rāi on the 18th, -I reached home on the 26th, after an absence of four -and a half months.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Meanwhile the work in our own and in all the -other stations had been energetically prosecuted by a -faithful band of younger workers, better prepared than -the old ones to carry it on to completion. And the -other long tour to the English territory, planned for -the later portion of the year, was successfully carried -out by Dr. Briggs, Rev. Mr. Dodd, and Rev. Mr. Irwin.</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_402'>402</span> - <h2 id='ch34' class='c010'>XXXIV<br /> <br />THE CLOSED DOOR</h2> -</div> -<p class='c011'>The tour of 1898 was undertaken with two special -objects in view: (1) to follow up the -auspicious beginnings of work among the Kamu -and Lamēt tribes, the largest and most important -within the mountain area explored during the previous -season, and, apparently, ready as a body to accept -the Gospel; and (2) to secure the sanction of the -French government for continued work in French territory. -I was unable to secure a missionary colleague -for the tour, and therefore went accompanied only by -native evangelists. I took the most direct route, crossing -the Mê Kōng at Pāk Bêng, following the Bêng -River to its source, and crossing by the pass at its -head to Mûang Sai, the point at which the most -promising work of the previous tour was begun. The -journey so far occupied nearly a month’s time.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The tour was organized on notice too short to permit -my passport from the United States Minister in -Bangkok to reach me in Chiengmai before I started. -It was, therefore, sent on direct to the French authorities -at Lūang Prabāng. Meantime M. Vackle, the -Commandant Supérieur, who was so kind to us the -year before, had been superseded by M. Luce; and him, -unfortunately, we just missed at the crossing of the -Mê Kōng. He passed up in a steamer the day before -we reached the river. By the time we reached Mûang -<span class='pageno' id='Page_403'>403</span>Sai, M. Luce had returned to Lūang Prabāng, and had -wired to the office in Mûang Sai that my passport -was come, and that I was expected in Lūang Prabāng. -No instructions were given regarding my work, and -the authorities were in doubt what to do. Under the -circumstances, the only passport they could issue was -one to the capital, Lūang Prabāng.</p> - -<p class='c009'>They were not particular, however, as to the route -I should take. So I chose a circuit to the northeast, -leading through the mountain region to the Ū River, -down which I could descend by boat to Lūang Prabāng. -This would enable me to find Nān Tit, the Kamu -scholar whom I met at Mûang Sai on my previous -tour, and to visit with him a few Kamu villages. The -extent of the work I hoped to undertake that season -would depend upon the opening I found there. A passport -was given me by that route, and a soldier was sent -along as guide and escort.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Nān Tit, as I hoped, had read the books I gave him, -had prepared the way for me by teaching the substance -of them to his neighbours, and now would assist -me in teaching his tribe. With him as interpreter -and assistant we visited a number of contiguous villages, -holding night conferences, at which the whole -population of the village would be present. Everywhere -a wonderfully ready response was given to the -Gospel. They, too, were oppressed by the dread of -spirits, and welcomed deliverance from their bondage. -They would accept the Gospel, but, naturally, referred -us on to the Pīa.</p> - -<p class='c009'>To his village at last we went. He was a venerable -man near seventy, and though for years hopelessly -crippled by paralysis of the lower limbs, his bright -mind and business talents had raised him to his present -<span class='pageno' id='Page_404'>404</span>position, and given him a commanding influence. I -shall never forget our first interview. He had heard -the rumour that our religion could overcome the spirits -and save from sin. Crawling painfully on his hands to -meet us, he welcomed us to his village and his people. -He had heard of the Jesus-religion, and wished to -embrace it. Since he was old, he must do it soon. -This was on Friday afternoon. By Saturday night -every family in the place had made the same decision, -and would begin by keeping their first Sabbath next -day. Our elders entered with heart and soul into -teaching them. The young folks soon learned a verse -or two of “The Happy Land,” and some a verse or two -in the Catechism. Next morning, before I was dressed, -old and young of both sexes were gathering to learn -how to keep the Sabbath. It was a great day, just the -like of which I had never seen. It settled the decision -of hundreds, possibly of thousands, of people.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Still, everything depended upon the French authorities. -They could forbid our teaching, as, in fact, they -afterwards did. But up to this point I could not believe -that they would. A prompt and candid interview -seemed all that would be necessary to settle that -matter, and make the Kamus feel safe. If such an -opening were found, I had determined to remain with -them throughout the season. But in that case my -family and the mission must be informed. More medicine -and books and some comforts would be required to -carry me through. It was, therefore, decided to move -on a day’s journey to Mûang Lā, a convenient point, -leave there two elders to instruct the people, and send -back three carriers to Chiengmai for the needed supplies -and another elder; while I went on overland to -Mûang Kwā, and there took boat down the Ū River.</p> - -<p class='c009'><span class='pageno' id='Page_405'>405</span>The mountain scenery along this river is very beautiful, -especially so near its junction with the Mê Kōng. -We reached Lūang Prabāng on Monday, May 9th, and -called at once on M. Grant, who was so kind to us the -year before. He gave me a greeting as warm as ever. -The king was having an interview with M. Luce that -day, so I could not see him till Tuesday. I dined that -night with M. Grant, he himself coming at dusk to -walk over with me. We had a delightful evening. -There had been a regular exodus of Kamus that year to -Chiengmai and other southern provinces. M. Grant -asked if I had heard any reason assigned for it. I told -him that I had heard of three—the dearness of rice, -owing to the failure of the last crop; the exhaustion -of the mountain lands, and the lack of remunerative -employment by which they could earn the money required -to pay their taxes.</p> - -<p class='c009'>On Tuesday afternoon the Commandant Supérieur -sent his secretary to invite me to an interview. He, -too, gave me a cordial greeting. He had received my -passport together with a letter of introduction from -the Consul Général in Bangkok. I had also a kind -personal letter from our United States Minister, Mr. -John Barrett. He had used his personal influence, and -assured me that it would all be right. My interview -was very pleasant. M. Luce enquired about our mission -work, the number of our converts, and other similar -matters. He then referred to the large emigration -of Kamus; asked if I had heard of any reason for -it, and how many of our three thousand converts were -Kamus. He was much surprised to learn that the -converts were almost entirely Lāo, with not a half -dozen Kamus among them. Putting his anxiety about -the emigration and our work among these people together, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_406'>406</span>it seemed to me later that he must have -thought the movement a religious one.</p> - -<p class='c009'>When, at last, I stated my special errand to the -city, namely, that a number of villages in his province -were interested in our religion, that I wished to teach -them further, and that, since they were French subjects, -I thought it proper to inform him and secure his -sanction, he thanked me for doing so, but his manner -at once changed. He said he should have to consult -the king about that; the mountain people were -hard to teach; the country was unhealthy; the Catholic -missionaries in the south were leaving, or had left; the -king would fear that the Kamus would become disloyal -to him if they became Christians. To this I replied -that the native officials had uniformly granted us permission -to teach among their subjects; that they -realized that it was a benefit to their country, and -even gave us their assistance; and that it was the fixed -policy of our mission to teach Christians loyalty to -their rulers. M. Luce said he would consult with the -king, and would let me know the decision. I expressed -my wish to pay my respects to the king, which he said -was a very proper thing, and, on my leaving, he gave me -a cordial invitation to dine with him that night.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Next day, through M. Grant, I secured a very pleasant -interview with the king. My long residence in the -country and acquaintance with both Siamese and Lāo -officials, gave us much common ground for conversation. -He was pleased that I had known their -Majesties, the present King of Siam and his father, his -former liege-lords. Quite in line with native ideas, -he thought I must be a man of great merit to be so -old and yet so strong. I explained at his request the -teaching of our religion, pointing out some of its distinctive -<span class='pageno' id='Page_407'>407</span>differences from Buddhism, in all of which -things he was interested. He said that it was all very -good, but he was born and reared in the Buddhist worship, -and was too old to change. Gradually introducing -my errand, I told him of my interest in the Kamus, -and of their desire to become Christians; that I had -come down to get permission to work among them. -We taught them a better morality, of which loyalty to -rulers was a fundamental article, enjoined by Jesus on -His disciples. He raised the objection that the Kamus -were ignorant, and we would find them harder to teach -than the Lāo. To this I replied that these villagers -had become believers, and I was going to spend several -months in teaching them. He asked if I did not think -I was running great risk in living so long in the forest, -and so far away from home. “Well,” said I, “I am -used to life in the forest and jungle, and you can see -for yourself how I have fared.” At which he smiled, -and made no further objection. I left with the firm -conviction that if M. Luce were not unwilling, there -would be no difficulty with him.</p> - -<p class='c009'>While at dinner that night, I informed M. Luce of -my pleasant audience with the king; how I told him my -plans, and he had virtually given his consent. “Is -that so?” said he. “I must see the king myself about -that.” And as I took my leave, he said again, “I will -see the king to-morrow, and will let you know the -result.”</p> - -<p class='c009'>The next afternoon, Thursday, M. Luce had a long -interview at the Prince’s residence. On Friday afternoon -I called on M. Grant on my way to the Commandant’s -office. He told me that M. Luce wished to -see me, but had instructed him to notify me that the -king did not understand that I was to spend several -<span class='pageno' id='Page_408'>408</span>months among the Kamus—though he certainly did, -or why should he have raised the question of my -health? I reminded M. Grant that my passport was -not to the king, but to the French authorities. All -the world recognized the country as French territory. -It would have been considered a discourtesy to the -French if the representative of the United States had -sent a letter to the Lāo king as such. He admitted -that in a limited sense this was true; but they did not -treat the king as a conquered vassal. Cochin China -had fought the French, and had been conquered and -annexed. But Lūang Prabāng had put itself under -their protection without firing a gun. M. Grant delivered -his message with as much consideration toward -my disappointment as was consistent with loyalty to -his superior. But my disappointment I could not -conceal.</p> - -<p class='c009'>M. Luce, I was informed, was very busy that day, -but would be glad to see me on Saturday afternoon. -The decision, however, was irreversible. Further -pressure would be useless, and might be unwise. In -that case, I said, of course I must submit. I had -shown proper respect for the ruling authority, and my -own desire to avoid future misunderstanding, by making -the long and costly journey to Lūang Prabāng. -My errand was now ended. I would take my leave -at once, and return next morning.</p> - -<p class='c009'>This being reported to M. Luce, he sent word that -he must see me before I left. I might come immediately. -Personally, again, he was very kind, but made -a studied effort to put the responsibility upon the -king, who, as he said, had not understood that I -wished to make a long stay among the Kamus, which -he thought was unsafe for me. Of course, I had no -<span class='pageno' id='Page_409'>409</span>complaint to make of the king, who had been most -gracious. I submitted to their decision, and would -return home. But my arrangements required my return -to the Kamu villages, where I had left my men -and my goods, and would be detained there till my -messengers should return from Chiengmai—which, he -said, was all right. Since the responsibility had been -put on the king, and the adverse decision had been -based solely on the danger to my personal health and -safety, I thought it unwise to raise the question of -native assistants, and so felt free to leave these on -the ground to teach the new believers, as, indeed, I -felt under obligation to do.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Thanking M. Luce for all his personal kindness, I -begged to take my leave of him then, so that I might -start on my return the next morning. But he evidently -was not satisfied with his own part in the matter, -and wished to make some personal amends to -soothe my disappointment. He hoped I would not -leave in the morning, but would remain till Monday, -and give him the pleasure of a dinner with me and M. -Grant on Sunday night. I hoped he would still excuse -me, since, if I remained, that would be our time -for public worship. “Then,” said he, “we shall be -pleased to have you on Saturday night; and if you -are not ready now to give an affirmative reply, I hope -you will so arrange it as to notify my secretary in the -morning.” Notwithstanding his evident disingenuousness -in trying to shift the responsibility for his -own acts to another, there was no reason for making -it a personal matter; and it would be impolitic to leave -apparently angry. So I decided to remain till Monday, -and accepted the invitation for Saturday night.</p> - -<p class='c009'>I feared there would be great constraint on both -<span class='pageno' id='Page_410'>410</span>sides at the dinner; but in this I was agreeably disappointed. -That very day a long telegram had arrived, -reporting the declaration of war with Spain, -and the particulars of the great naval victory of -Manila Bay. On my arrival at his house, M. Luce -handed me a full translation of these into English, -which he had had made for me. They were much surprised -at the victory, for they thought the Spanish -navy much larger and stronger than ours; and they -were high in their praise of the victors. We really -had a delightful time. After dinner our host and M. -Grant both laid themselves out to show me beautiful -maps and pictures. M. Luce invited me to call on -Monday morning, and he would send a long telegram -to my wife without charge. This he did, and we all -parted friends. The departure on the 16th, my seventieth -birthday, was not as joyful as I had hoped.</p> - -<p class='c009'>On my return to Mûang Sai, I found that my carriers -had been delayed by sore feet and sickness. I -could not leave till they came, for fear of missing -them and causing further complications. So my long -trip home was thrown into the middle of a very rainy -season. I had to apologize as best I could to the new -converts for the change in my plan to remain with -them. But they were glad to have our elders stay and -teach them. If that shady tree on the little hill at -Mûang Sai could speak, it would tell of much anxious -prayer on leaving the Christians and starting on the -long journey before me. My Ebenezer was left on that -tree.</p> - -<p class='c009'>That journey was altogether the worst I ever had. -I did not reach home till August 6th, after the longest -tour I had ever taken. M. Luce’s telegram had prepared -my family and friends for my changed plans.</p> - -<p class='c009'><span class='pageno' id='Page_411'>411</span>A few lines must close the history of the work -among the Kamus. In December the three evangelists -returned with a most encouraging report. The converts -had remained firm, and others were waiting to -join them. The next season a native minister was -sent to them. In 1903 the mission ventured to send -two of our younger men, Dr. Campbell and Mr. Mackay. -to Mûang Sai, to visit the Christians, and respond to a -pressing call to extend the work. Imagine their surprise -on reaching Mûang Sai to find that the local -commissioner had received orders to forbid our missionaries -to visit the Christian community, or to hold -any religious service with them, on penalty of being -conducted out of the country, by force if necessary. -The command was so imperative that the Commissioner -dared not disobey. He begged them for his sake -to return peaceably. No effort has been made since -to reach the Christians at Mûang Sai, or to extend -the work.</p> - -<p class='c009'>It will be remembered that a few members of the -Chieng Sên church—never more than half a dozen -families—lived on the east bank of the Mê Kōng, in -French territory. So objectionable was the very presence -of a missionary making a few days’ visit among -his flock, that it was regarded of sufficient importance -to warrant an official protest from the authorities at -Lūang Prabāng, sent through the Governor General -of Hanoi, and the United States Minister at Bangkok. -Complaint was made of a visit made by the Rev. ——, -who had exhibited Scripture pictures and distributed -books among the people—which was so contrary to -their policy that they forbade the Roman Catholic -missionaries from working in their territory. They -begged that the thing be not repeated! For the credit -<span class='pageno' id='Page_412'>412</span>of the French authorities I should have been glad to -suppress the latter part of this story. But, on the -other hand, I think it should be known, in order that -it may become a burden on the prayers of the Christian -world of all denominations, that God’s providence -may open the whole peninsula of Indo-China to the -preaching of the Gospel.</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_413'>413</span> - <h2 id='ch35' class='c010'>XXXV<br /> <br />CONCLUSION</h2> -</div> -<p class='c011'>My advancing age suggests the wisdom of not -attempting to continue this personal narrative -beyond the account just given of my -last long missionary tour. I may venture to add, -however, by way of conclusion, a few suggestions and -criticisms concerning the work of our mission as a -whole, and briefly notice a few of the more important -personalities and events of these later years.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Special prominence has been given throughout to -the evangelistic work, as being the foundation of all -other missionary work. A Christian Church and a -Christian constituency must be the first aim in all missions. -In this we have not been unsuccessful. Our -ideals, it is true, have not been realized. We have -not witnessed among the Siamese or the Lāo any racial -movement towards Christianity; nor have there been -any great revivals resulting in large accessions to the -church. Both of these we hope for in the not far -distant future. Yet the uniform, healthful growth of -the church, as distinguished from spasmodic or sporadic -increase, has been most gratifying. Seldom does -a week pass without accessions to some of our -churches.</p> - -<p class='c009'>An adult membership of four thousand is a good -foundation. And it must never be forgotten that the -roll of church-membership is a very inadequate index -<span class='pageno' id='Page_414'>414</span>of the real influence and power of a mission. In addition -to a much larger constituency of adherents, there -is our large roll of non-communing members, the hope -of the future church. And signs of most hopeful -promise have appeared within the present year. The -growth of the Chieng Rāi church during that time has -been surpassed only by the results of Dr. Campbell’s -recent tours, amounting to eighty accessions within a -few weeks. The supporters of our missions have every -cause for gratitude, and a call for earnest, effectual -prayer in their behalf.</p> - -<p class='c009'>A review of our evangelistic work suggests one or -two criticisms. On one line at least, with a smaller -amount of hard work done by the missionary himself, -we might have accomplished more, might now be better -prepared for advanced work, and the native church -might be better able to stand alone, if we had addressed -our efforts more steadily to the development -and use of native assistance. While we have not had -the material of well educated young men out of which -to form a theological seminary and to furnish a fully -equipped native ministry, we have not used, to the -extent to which we should have used it, the material -which was available. For a mission as old as ours, we -must confess that in this most important matter we -are very backward.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The delay in starting our school for boys was not -our fault; it was inevitable. The Lāo rulers of the -earlier years were absolutely indifferent to all education, -and were positively jealous of any that was given -by the mission. But as the church began to increase, -we had accessions of men trained in the Buddhist -priesthood. Some of these were among the best educated -men in the country. They understood—as -<span class='pageno' id='Page_415'>415</span>young men even from mission schools could not be -expected to understand—the religion, the modes of -thought, the needs of their own people, and how to -reach them. Their education, however deficient, -brought them many compensations. They form the -class from which nearly all of our evangelists have -been drawn. When such men have been drilled in -the Scriptures, their Buddhistic knowledge makes them -the very best men for successful work among their -countrymen. They visit and sleep in the homes of -their people, and are one with them. The missionary -in his work must rely largely on their judgment and -advice.</p> - -<p class='c009'>It must not be understood that we have not taught -these men or used them. A great deal of labour has -been spent in training them; very much in the same -way in which in American churches, a generation ago, -busy pastors trained up young men to be some of our -best ministers. The criticism I make—and in it I -believe all my colleagues will concur—is that we have -not made as much of them as we should have done. -No doubt there have been difficulties in the way. Their -families must somehow be provided for during the -process. The native churches were not strong enough -to undertake their support. We were warned that to -aid them with foreign funds would make the churches -mercenary. What the missionary himself sometimes -did to eke out their subsistence was irregular and -difficult, and often unsatisfactory. But the labourer -is worthy of his hire. Hungry mouths must be fed. -The Board and the churches at home do not begrudge -a thousand dollars or more to support a missionary in -the field. Should they begrudge the same amount -spent upon half a dozen men who will treble or -<span class='pageno' id='Page_416'>416</span>quadruple the missionary’s work and his influence? -In any business it is poor policy to employ a high-salaried -foreman, and then not furnish him cheaper -men to do that which unskilled labour can accomplish -better than he.</p> - -<p class='c009'>In this matter, as in some others, we might have -learned valuable lessons from our nearest missionary -neighbours in Burma, even though the conditions of -our work have been in many respects very different -from theirs. Making all allowance for our conditions, -I frankly confess that our greatest mistake has -probably been in doing too much of the work ourselves, -instead of training others to do it, and working -through them. This conviction, however, must not -in the least lead us to relax our efforts in the line -of general education. For the ultimate establishment -of the church, and to meet the demands of the age, -we must have workmen thoroughly equipped. Till -that time comes, we must, as we should more fully -have done hitherto, rely on whatever good working -material we find ready to hand.</p> - -<hr class='c015' /> - -<p class='c009'>With regard to plans and methods of work, another -thought suggests itself. In a business organized -as ours is, where the majority in the Annual Meeting -has absolute power, it is difficult to avoid the appearance—and -sometimes the reality—of a vacillating -policy. New stations are established, and missionaries -are located by the ballot of the mission there -assembled. From year to year the personnel of the -mission is constantly changing by reason of furloughs, -breakdown of health, and necessary removals. We -make our disposition of forces at one meeting, and at -the next an entirely new disposition has become necessary. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_417'>417</span>A family has been left alone without a physician -or associate. Missionary enthusiasm, or an -earnest minority interested in a particular field or a -particular cause, may initiate a policy which a subsequent -majority may be unable to sanction, or which -it may be found difficult or impossible to carry out.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Again, as between the policy of maintaining one -strong central station, and that of maintaining several -smaller ones in different parts of the country, it -is often difficult to decide. With the aim originally -of establishing the Gospel in all the states under -Siamese rule, we seem to have been led to adopt the -latter policy. Through God’s blessing on evangelistic -tours, in Lampūn and in the frontier provinces of -the north, there grew up churches which called for -missionary oversight. The famine in Prê summoned -us thither; and to secure the work then done, a missionary -in residence was needed. Though no church -had been formed in Nān, yet our tours had opened -the way to one, and the importance of the province -and its distance from our centre demanded a station. -In every case these stations were opened with the cordial -approval of the mission and of the Board at -home. Yet it has been difficult to keep them all -manned, as has been specially true in the case of Prê—and -there to the great detriment of the work. It -is easy to say now that a strong central policy might -have been better. And that criticism would probably -hit me harder than anyone else, for I have sanctioned -the establishment of every one of those stations. -It is possible that a more centralized organization -might have accomplished more toward the education -of native workers—the point last under discussion.</p> - -<p class='c009'><span class='pageno' id='Page_418'>418</span>With reference to the establishment of stations in -the north beyond the frontier of Siam, there was not -until recently absolute unanimity in the mission. But -that was not from any diversity of opinion as regards -the question in itself, but because a sister denomination -had established itself there. There has -never been reasonable ground for doubt that the language -and race of the ruling class, and of the population -of the plains would naturally assign them to -the Lāo mission. And no other mission is so well -equipped for working that field. A Lāo Inland Mission, -somewhat on the plan of the China Inland Mission, -would be an ideal scheme for reaching the whole -of the Tai-speaking peoples of the north and northeast -under English and French and Chinese rule. The -obligation to carry the Gospel to those peoples should -rest heavily on the conscience of the Christian Church, -and on our Church in particular. Who will volunteer -to be the leaders?</p> - -<p class='c009'>It has already been noticed that in our educational -work the Girls’ School had the precedence in time, and -possibly in importance. Boys did at least learn to -read and write in the monasteries. At the time of -our arrival in Chiengmai, only two women in the -province could read. The Chiengmai Girls’ School -has had a wide educational influence throughout the -north, and to-day our Girls’ Schools have practically -no competitors.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The Phraner Memorial School for small children, -in connection with the First Church, Chiengmai, under -Mrs. Campbell’s direction, is preparing material -both for High Schools and for the College. We have -good schools for girls in Lakawn, Nān, and Chieng -Rāi; and parochial mixed schools in most of our -<span class='pageno' id='Page_419'>419</span>country churches and out-stations. The young women -who have been engaged in this department, and many -self-sacrificing married women, have great reason to -rejoice over the work accomplished. No greater work -can be done than that of educating the wives and -mothers of the church and the land. Educated Christian -men are greatly handicapped when consorted -with illiterate and superstitious wives. Without a -Christian wife and mother there can be no Christian -family, the foundation both of the church and of -the Christian State.</p> - -<p class='c009'>On a recent visit to Chiengmai, Princess Dārā Ratsami—one -of the wives of His late Majesty of Siam, -and daughter of Prince Intanon of Chiengmai and his -wife, the Princess Tipakēsawn, often mentioned in the -preceding narrative—was much interested in the Girls’ -School, and was pleased to name it the Phra Rajchayar -School, after herself—using therefor her title, -and not her personal name.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The mission had been founded twenty years before -it had, and almost before it could have had, a School -for Boys. It is the intention of the mission to make -of this school—the Prince Royal College—the future -Christian College. Similar schools have been established -in the other stations.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Since the Siamese government assumed control in -the North, it has manifested a laudable zeal in establishing -schools, in which, however, the Siamese language -alone is taught. His Majesty is most fortunate -in having such an able and progressive representative -in the North as the present High Commissioner, Chow -Prayā Surasīh Visithasakdī. And the country is no -less fortunate in having a ruler whose high personal -character and wise administration command the confidence -<span class='pageno' id='Page_420'>420</span>and respect of all classes. He is interested -in educating the people, and in everything that advances -the interests of the country.</p> - -<p class='c009'>I regard the educational question as the great question -now before the mission. The existence of the -Siamese schools greatly emphasizes the importance -of our own work, and the necessity of maintaining a -high standard and a strong teaching force in Siamese, -English, mathematics, and the sciences. Their schools -then will be tributary to ours.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The ultimate prevalence of the Siamese language -in all the provinces under Siamese rule, has been inevitable -from the start. All governments realize the -importance of a uniform language in unifying a people, -and have no interest whatever in perpetuating a -provincial dialect. The Siamese, in fact, look down -with a kind of disdain upon the Lāo speech, and use -it only as a temporary necessity during the period of -transition. And the Siamese is really the richer of -the two by reason of its large borrowing from the -Pali, the better scholarship behind it, and its closer -connection with the outside world.</p> - -<p class='c009'>These two forms of the Tai speech—with a common -idiom, and with the great body of words in both -identical, or differing only in vocal inflection—have -been kept apart chiefly by the fact that they have different -written characters. All of the Lāo women and -children, and two-thirds of the men had to be taught -to read, whichever character were adopted; and they -could have learned the one form quite as easily as the -other. Had the mission adopted the Siamese character -from the start, it would now be master of the -educational situation, working on a uniform scheme -with the Siamese Educational Department. Moreover, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_421'>421</span>the Siamese language in our schools would have -been a distinct attraction toward education and -toward Christianity. And thus there would have -been available for the North the labours of two or -more generations of able workers in the southern -mission, from which so far the Lāo church has been -mostly cut off. The whole Bible would have been accessible -from the first; whereas now nearly half of it -remains still untranslated into the Lāo. If the future -needs of the Siamese provinces alone were to be considered, -it might even be doubted whether it were -worth while to complete the translation. When the -monks, in their studies and teaching, adopt the -Siamese, as it is now the intention of the government -to have them do, Lāo books will soon be without readers -throughout Siam. When for the young a choice -is possible in the matter of such a transcendent instrument -of thought and culture as language, all surely -would wish their training to be in that one which has -in it the promise of the future. These words are -written in no idle criticism of the past, and in no -captious spirit regarding the present; but with full -sense of the gravity of the decision which confronts -the mission in shaping its educational policy for those -who henceforth are to be Siamese.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Meanwhile, Lāo type and books in the Lāo dialect -are needed, not merely for the present generation of -older people who cannot or will not learn a new character, -but also for the instruction and Christianization -of that much larger mass of Lāo folk beyond the -frontier of Siam as revealed by recent explorations. -Removed, as these are, entirely from the political and -cultural influence of Siam, and divided up under the -jurisdiction of three great nations of diverse and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_422'>422</span>alien speech, it is inconceivable that the Siamese -should ever win the ascendency over them. Nor has -either of these nations any immediate and pressing -incentive toward unifying the speech of its provincials, -such as has actuated Siam in this matter. If the -field of the Lāo mission is to be extended to include -these “regions beyond”—as we all hope that it soon -may be—Lāo speech will inevitably be the medium of -all its work there. Then all that so far has been accomplished -in the way of translation, writing, and -printing in the Lāo tongue, will be so much invaluable -capital to be turned over to the newer enterprise.</p> - -<p class='c009'>As regards the medical department of the mission, -the Lāo field has been an ideal one for its operation -and for demonstration of its results. When the field -was virtually closed to the simple Gospel, the missionary -physician found everywhere an exalted, not -to say exaggerated, idea of the efficacy of foreign medicine, -and a warm welcome for himself. Dr. Cheek, -who virtually founded our regular medical work among -the Lāo, had been on the field but a short time when -he reported thirteen thousand patients treated in one -year. Probably no subsequent physician has had such -absolute control of the situation as he had, so long as -he gave his time and talents to his calling. But even -the layman finds his medical chest an invaluable adjunct -to his evangelistic work, as we have had frequent -occasion to notice. We are devoutly thankful -for—we might almost envy—the influence that our -medical missionaries have exerted in the civilization -and the Christianization of the Lāo tribes.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Somewhat of the present status and importance of -the medical mission may be judged from the following -facts: Dr. J. W. McKean’s projected Leper Asylum -<span class='pageno' id='Page_423'>423</span>is the largest charitable institution ever planned in -the kingdom. The new Overbrook Hospital in Chieng -Rāi, the generous gift of the Gest family of Overbrook, -Pennsylvania, is the finest building in the mission. -The Charles T. Van Santvoord Hospital in Lakawn -is another similar gift. Native physicians, trained as -far as present opportunities permit in Western surgery -and medicine, are now maintained at certain posts by -the Siamese government. And especially the work of -Dr. Arthur Kerr, the government physician in Chiengmai, -and his unremitting kindness to the mission, are -deeply appreciated by us all.</p> - -<p class='c009'>I cannot close these remarks without making special -reference to the work of my old friend and -classmate and early associate in the mission, Dr. -Jonathan Wilson. In addition to his other most -valuable labours, he spent years of loving and devoted -service in the preparation of hymns for Lāo worship, -Which will mould and lead the spiritual life of this -people for years to come. The Lāo are lovers of -music. Many of them have received much of their religious -instruction through the use of these hymns. -His influence in the Lāo church may be compared to -that of Watts and Wesley for the English race.</p> - -<hr class='c015' /> - -<p class='c009'>Our long isolation as a mission has enabled us to -appreciate the coming to us in late years of a number -of distinguished visitors, who have greatly encouraged -and strengthened us.</p> - -<p class='c009'>At the Annual Meeting in December, 1900, we were -favoured with a visit from our United States Minister, -Hon. Hamilton King, and his two daughters. Referring -to his visit, the “Lāo Quarterly Letter” said: -“His addresses to the missionaries and native ministers -<span class='pageno' id='Page_424'>424</span>and elders of the Presbytery were much appreciated, -and our large church building was crowded on -two successive Sabbaths to hear his eloquent words -of encouragement to native Christians, and his warm -commendation of Christianity to non-Christians. It -has been said that one of the best things which a -United States Minister can take to a non-Christian -land is a good Christian home. And this is just what -Mr. King has brought to Siam.”</p> - -<p class='c009'>At the Annual Meeting of the following year, in -Lakawn, we received the first official visit we ever had -from one of the Secretaries of our Board, in the person -of Rev. Arthur J. Brown, D.D., accompanied by his -good wife. The importance of these secretarial visits -to distant missions can hardly be overestimated. It is -impossible to legislate intelligently for a constituency -twelve thousand miles away. No amount of writing -can give the varied kinds of information necessary -for a full understanding of the people, the missionaries, -their surroundings, and the needs of the field, -which a single visit will convey. Then, too, there are -questions of administration and mission polity, requiring -settlement in the home Board, which can -with difficulty be understood through correspondence. -Dr. Brown’s official visit was most helpful, as also -his words of encouragement, his sermons and addresses. -The pleasure derived from the personal visits -of Dr. and Mrs. Brown to various members of the -Mission will always linger in our memories.</p> - -<div id='i424' class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i424.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>HIS MAJESTY, MAHĀ VAJIRAVUDH, KING OF SIAM</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>Another notable visit to Chiengmai was that of -the Crown Prince of Siam, now His Majesty Mahā -Vajiravudh, in the winter of 1905-6. On this visit His -Royal Highness very graciously accepted the invitation -of the mission to lay the corner stone of the William -<span class='pageno' id='Page_425'>425</span>Allen Butler Hall, the recitation hall of the new -Boys’ School. On that occasion he delivered an address, -of which the following is a translation:</p> - -<p class='c024'>“Ladies and Gentlemen:—I have listened with great -pleasure to the complimentary remarks which have just been -made. I regard them as indisputable evidence of your -friendship for the whole Kingdom of Siam.</p> - -<p class='c027'>“During my visit to the United States, the American -people were pleased to give me a most enthusiastic welcome. -I may mention particularly the sumptuous banquet with -which your Board of Foreign Missions honoured me. I -perceived clearly that the American people received me -whole-heartedly and not perfunctorily. This also made -it evident to me that the American people have a sincere -friendship for the Kingdom of Siam. Of this fact I was -profoundly convinced, and I certainly shall not soon forget -my visit to the United States.</p> - -<p class='c027'>“This being so, I feel compelled to reciprocate this kindness -to the full extent of my ability. As my Royal Grandfather -and my Royal Father have befriended the missionaries, -so I trust that I too shall have opportunity, on -proper occasions, to assist them to the limits of my power.</p> - -<p class='c027'>“Your invitation to me to-day to lay the corner stone -of your new School Building, is another evidence of your -friendship and goodwill toward Siam. I have full confidence -that you will make every endeavour to teach the -students to use their knowledge for the welfare of their -country. Therefore I take great pleasure in complying with -your request, and I invoke a rich blessing on this new institution. -May it prosper and fulfil the highest expectations -of its founders!”</p> - -<p class='c025'>In response to a request from the Principal that he -would name the new school, His Royal Highness sent -the following reply:</p> - -<div class='c028'>“<span class='sc'>Chiengmai</span>, January 2d, 1906.</div> - -<p class='c027'>“I have great pleasure in naming the new school, the -foundation stone of which I have just laid, The Prince -Royal’s College. May this School which I have so named, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_426'>426</span>be prosperous, and realize all that its well-wishers hope for -it. May it long flourish, and remain a worthy monument of -the enterprise of the American Presbyterian Church of -Chiengmai. This is the wish of their sincere friend,</p> -<div class='c029'>“<span class='sc'>Vajiravudh</span>.”</div> - -<p class='c025'>Little did we then think that His Royal Highness -would so soon be called to fill the high office left -vacant by the lamented death of his distinguished -father, King Chulalangkorn, which occurred October -22d, 1910.</p> - -<p class='c009'>In December, 1908, Mrs. McGilvary’s brother, Professor -Cornelius B. Bradley of the University of California, -while on a visit to the land of his birth and -of his father’s labours, paid us a visit in the North. -He was present at our Annual Meeting in Lakawn, -and on Sunday preached the Communion sermon, and -again in Chiengmai. It was to the astonishment of all -who heard him, both natives and foreigners, that he -could converse fluently and flawlessly, and could so -preach, after an absence of thirty-six years. It was -upon this visit to Siam, that he made a special study -and translation of the Sukhōthai Stone—the earliest -known monument of the Siamese language.</p> - -<p class='c009'>In company with Professor Bradley came Mr. William -McClusky, a business man, on a visit to his -daughter, Mrs. M. B. Palmer. The significance of this -visit lies in the fact that Mr. McClusky has remained -among us, and has identified himself with the work of -the mission, endearing himself to all.</p> - -<hr class='c015' /> - -<p class='c009'>In 1905 Mrs. McGilvary returned to the United -States for a much-needed change. I remained on the -field until 1906, when I was cabled for on account -of the very serious state of her health. I found her -very low, and my visit was devoted to the restoration -<span class='pageno' id='Page_427'>427</span>of her health. In the autumn she was sufficiently recovered -to make our return possible, and the voyage -was undertaken in compliance with her own ardent -wish. She was greatly benefited by the sea-voyage, and -since her return her health has been fully restored.</p> - -<p class='c009'>On May 16th, 1908, my daughter, Mrs. William Harris, -gave a dinner in honour of my eightieth birthday, -at which all our missionary and European friends in -Chiengmai were guests. Dr. McKean expressed the -congratulations of my friends in an address, from -which I quote the following: “Eighty years of age, -sir, but not eighty years old! We do not associate -the term old age with you, for you seem to have drunk -of the fount of perpetual youth.” But the sentiment -to which I most heartily subscribe is the following: -“There is a common maxim among men to which -we all readily assent; namely, that no man is able to -do his best work in the world without having received -from God that best of all temporal gifts, a helpmeet -for him. We most heartily congratulate you -that, early in your life in Siam, Mrs. McGilvary was -made a partner in this great life-work. And no one -knows so well as yourself how large a part she has -had in making possible much of the strenuous work -that you have done. To her, likewise, we offer on this -happy occasion our hearty congratulations and our -fervent wishes for an ever-brightening future!”</p> - -<p class='c009'>On December 6th, 1910, Mrs. McGilvary and I celebrated -our Golden Wedding. As this occurred during -the Annual Meeting of the Mission, most of our missionary -friends, as well as our friends of the foreign -colony, were present. It was a matter of great regret, -however, that Dr. Wilson, who was present at -the wedding fifty years before, was too feeble to come -<span class='pageno' id='Page_428'>428</span>to Chiengmai on this occasion. The many beautiful -gifts received were another token of the loving regard -of our friends and dear ones in this and in the homeland. -Among the many letters and telegrams received -was a cablegram from our children in America. -“It was like a hand-clasp and a whisper of -love flashed around the world.” Dr. Arthur J. Brown, -speaking for himself and the members of the Board of -Foreign Missions, wrote: “We greatly rejoice in your -long and conspicuously devoted and influential service -for the Lāo people. We share the veneration and love -with which we know you are regarded by the people -among whom your lives have been spent, and by the -missionaries with whom you have been so closely associated. -It would be a joy if we could join the relatives -and friends who will be with you on that happy -day in December. We invoke God’s richest blessings -on you both. Mrs. Brown and all my colleagues -in the office unite with the members of the Board in -loving congratulations.”</p> - -<p class='c009'>One of the most valued of these messages came from -H. R. H. Prince Damrong, Minister of the Interior: -“I just learn from the local papers of the celebration -of your Golden Wedding. I wish you and Mrs. McGilvary -to accept my sincere congratulations and best -wishes that you both may be spared to continue your -great work for many more years. Damrong.”</p> - -<p class='c009'>Our good friend, H. E. Prayā Surasīh Visithsakdī, -High Commissioner for the Northwestern Provinces, -brought his congratulations in person, presenting Mrs. -McGilvary with a very rare old Siamese bowl of inlaid -work of silver and gold.</p> - -<div id='i428' class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i428.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>DR. AND MRS. McGILVARY FIFTY YEARS AFTER THEIR MARRIAGE</p> -</div> -</div> -<p class='c011'>From the native church in Chieng Rāi a message in -Lāo was received, of which the following is a translation: -<span class='pageno' id='Page_429'>429</span>“The Chieng Rāi Christians invoke Divine blessings -on the Father-Teacher and Mother-Teacher McGilvary, -who are by us more beloved than gold.”</p> - -<p class='c009'>We were deeply touched by a most unexpected -demonstration of the Chiengmai Christians, who assembled -at our home, and with many expressions of -loving esteem and gratitude presented us with a silver -tray, designed by themselves, on which were represented -in relief the progress of the city in these fifty -years: on one end the old bridge, on the other the -new bridge just completed; on the two sides, the rest-house -we occupied upon our arrival in Chiengmai, and -our present home. The inscription, in Lāo, reads: -“1867-1910. The Christian people of Chiengmai to -Father-Teacher and Mother-Teacher McGilvary, in -memory of your having brought the Good News of -Christ, forty-three years ago.”—It makes one feel very -humble to quote such expressions from our colleagues -and friends. But it would not be in human nature -to fail to appreciate them.</p> - -<hr class='c015' /> - -<p class='c009'>I would not close this life-story without expressing, -on behalf of my wife and myself, our heartfelt -gratitude to our friends, native and foreign, for the -great kindness shown us in our intercourse with them -during these long years; and, above all, our devout -gratitude to the Giver of all good, for sparing so long -our lives, and crowning them with such rich blessings. -Of these the greatest has been in permitting us -to lay the foundations, and to witness the steady -growth of the Church of Christ in Northern Siam.</p> - -<div id='i430' class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i430.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>SKETCH MAP OF SIAM <span class='fss'>AND THE</span> ADJACENT REGIONS<br />TO ILLUSTRATE THE MISSIONARY TOURS OF REV. DANIEL McGILVARY, D.D.</p> -</div> -</div> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c000' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_431'>431</span> - <h2 id='idx' class='c010'>INDEX</h2> -</div> -<ul class='index c003'> - <li class='c030'>Arthington, Robert, <a href='#Page_373'>373</a>-<a href='#Page_376'>376</a>, <a href='#Page_386'>386</a>.</li> - <li class='c003'>Bradley, Rev. Dan Beach, M.D., <a href='#Page_45'>45</a>, <a href='#Page_52'>52</a>, <a href='#Page_54'>54</a>-<a href='#Page_57'>57</a>, <a href='#Page_67'>67</a>-<a href='#Page_70'>70</a>, <a href='#Page_131'>131</a>-<a href='#Page_132'>132</a>, <a href='#Page_164'>164</a>, <a href='#Page_199'>199</a>.</li> - <li class='c030'>Buddhist shrines, <a href='#Page_172'>172</a>-<a href='#Page_173'>173</a>, <a href='#Page_188'>188</a>, <a href='#Page_252'>252</a>-<a href='#Page_253'>253</a>.</li> - <li class='c003'>Ceremonies and Festivals: - <ul> - <li>Dam Hūa, <a href='#Page_84'>84</a>-<a href='#Page_86'>86</a>;</li> - <li>cremation, <a href='#Page_145'>145</a>-<a href='#Page_147'>147</a>;</li> - <li>dedication of a shrine, <a href='#Page_188'>188</a>-<a href='#Page_189'>189</a>;</li> - <li>rice-harvest, <a href='#Page_274'>274</a>;</li> - <li>fairs, <a href='#Page_327'>327</a>, <a href='#Page_356'>356</a>, <a href='#Page_366'>366</a>;</li> - <li>“kin waw,” <a href='#Page_323'>323</a>, <a href='#Page_343'>343</a>;</li> - <li>sacred days, <a href='#Page_318'>318</a>-<a href='#Page_319'>319</a>;</li> - <li>wedding feast, <a href='#Page_395'>395</a>;</li> - <li>New Year, <a href='#Page_396'>396</a>-<a href='#Page_397'>397</a>.</li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c030'>Chulalongkorn, King of Siam, <a href='#Page_211'>211</a>-<a href='#Page_213'>213</a>, <a href='#Page_382'>382</a>, <a href='#Page_426'>426</a>.</li> - <li class='c030'>Commission, Royal, <a href='#Page_112'>112</a>, <a href='#Page_121'>121</a>-<a href='#Page_131'>131</a>.</li> - <li class='c030'>Commissioners, High: - <ul> - <li>Prayā Tēp Worachun, <a href='#Page_193'>193</a>-<a href='#Page_194'>194</a>, <a href='#Page_205'>205</a>, <a href='#Page_206'>206</a>, <a href='#Page_208'>208</a>, <a href='#Page_210'>210</a>, <a href='#Page_213'>213</a>-<a href='#Page_215'>215</a>, <a href='#Page_222'>222</a>, <a href='#Page_300'>300</a>;</li> - <li>Commissioner not named, <a href='#Page_300'>300</a>-<a href='#Page_304'>304</a>;</li> - <li>Chow Prayā Surasīh, <a href='#Page_419'>419</a>.</li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c030'>Cushing, Rev. J. N., DD, <a href='#Page_138'>138</a>-<a href='#Page_139'>139</a>, <a href='#Page_244'>244</a>, <a href='#Page_247'>247</a>, <a href='#Page_250'>250</a>, <a href='#Page_373'>373</a>.</li> - <li class='c003'>Demonism and witchcraft, <a href='#Page_75'>75</a>-<a href='#Page_76'>76</a>, <a href='#Page_91'>91</a>, <a href='#Page_93'>93</a>-<a href='#Page_94'>94</a>, <a href='#Page_173'>173</a>, <a href='#Page_194'>194</a>, <a href='#Page_203'>203</a>-<a href='#Page_208'>208</a>, <a href='#Page_214'>214</a>, <a href='#Page_266'>266</a>-<a href='#Page_270'>270</a>, <a href='#Page_278'>278</a>, <a href='#Page_321'>321</a>, <a href='#Page_324'>324</a>, <a href='#Page_331'>331</a>, <a href='#Page_340'>340</a>.</li> - <li class='c030'>Diseases: - <ul> - <li>cholera, <a href='#Page_51'>51</a>;</li> - <li>fever, <a href='#Page_88'>88</a>, <a href='#Page_190'>190</a>, <a href='#Page_195'>195</a>, <a href='#Page_205'>205</a>, <a href='#Page_242'>242</a>;</li> - <li>goitre, <a href='#Page_88'>88</a>;</li> - <li>smallpox (vaccination), <a href='#Page_57'>57</a>, <a href='#Page_89'>89</a>-<a href='#Page_91'>91</a>, <a href='#Page_243'>243</a>, <a href='#Page_250'>250</a>;</li> - <li>scurvy, <a href='#Page_196'>196</a>;</li> - <li>mortality of re-peopled districts, <a href='#Page_202'>202</a>, <a href='#Page_282'>282</a>.</li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c003'><a id='edu'></a>Education: - <ul> - <li>Girls’ School, <a href='#Page_177'>177</a>-<a href='#Page_178'>178</a>, <a href='#Page_221'>221</a>-<a href='#Page_223'>223</a>, <a href='#Page_274'>274</a>, <a href='#Page_284'>284</a>, <a href='#Page_287'>287</a>, <a href='#Page_292'>292</a>, <a href='#Page_418'>418</a>-<a href='#Page_419'>419</a>;</li> - <li>Boys’ School, <a href='#Page_284'>284</a>, <a href='#Page_291'>291</a>, <a href='#Page_300'>300</a>, <a href='#Page_419'>419</a>, <a href='#Page_424'>424</a>-<a href='#Page_426'>426</a>;</li> - <li>Phraner Memorial, <a href='#Page_377'>377</a>, <a href='#Page_418'>418</a>;</li> - <li>parochial, <a href='#Page_418'>418</a>;</li> - <li>government, <a href='#Page_419'>419</a>-<a href='#Page_420'>420</a>;</li> - <li>educational policy as regards language, <a href='#Page_222'>222</a>-<a href='#Page_225'>225</a>, <a href='#Page_420'>420</a>-<a href='#Page_422'>422</a>.</li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c030'>Elephants: - <ul> - <li>saddle, <a href='#Page_62'>62</a>, <a href='#Page_151'>151</a>-<a href='#Page_152'>152</a>, <a href='#Page_157'>157</a>, <a href='#Page_246'>246</a>, <a href='#Page_249'>249</a>-<a href='#Page_250'>250</a>, <a href='#Page_311'>311</a>-<a href='#Page_312'>312</a>, <a href='#Page_317'>317</a>-<a href='#Page_318'>318</a>, <a href='#Page_330'>330</a>-<a href='#Page_331'>331</a>, <a href='#Page_355'>355</a>, <a href='#Page_359'>359</a>-<a href='#Page_360'>360</a>, <a href='#Page_382'>382</a>-<a href='#Page_383'>383</a>;</li> - <li>wild, <a href='#Page_156'>156</a>, <a href='#Page_253'>253</a>, <a href='#Page_311'>311</a>;</li> - <li>baby-elephants, <a href='#Page_246'>246</a>-<a href='#Page_247'>247</a>, <a href='#Page_309'>309</a>.</li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c030'>Evangelists and ministers, native, <a href='#Page_257'>257</a>-<a href='#Page_263'>263</a>, <a href='#Page_377'>377</a>-<a href='#Page_380'>380</a>, <a href='#Page_414'>414</a>-<a href='#Page_416'>416</a>.</li> - <li class='c003'>Famine, <a href='#Page_335'>335</a>, <a href='#Page_346'>346</a>, <a href='#Page_349'>349</a>-<a href='#Page_352'>352</a>.</li> - <li class='c030'>French Indo-China, <a href='#Page_332'>332</a>, <a href='#Page_354'>354</a>, <a href='#Page_358'>358</a>, <a href='#Page_384'>384</a>, and chapters <a href='#ch33'>xxxiii</a>, <a href='#ch34'>xxxiv</a>.</li> - <li class='c003'>Hallett, Holt S. (railroad survey), <a href='#Page_244'>244</a>-<a href='#Page_254'>254</a>.</li> - <li class='c030'>House, Rev. S. R., M.D., <a href='#Page_37'>37</a>-<a href='#Page_38'>38</a>, <a href='#Page_45'>45</a>, <a href='#Page_53'>53</a>, <a href='#Page_67'>67</a>, <a href='#Page_92'>92</a>-<a href='#Page_93'>93</a>, <a href='#Page_110'>110</a>-<a href='#Page_112'>112</a>.</li> - <li class='c003'>Intanon, Prince of Chiengmai, <a href='#Page_81'>81</a>, <a href='#Page_90'>90</a>, <a href='#Page_108'>108</a>-<a href='#Page_109'>109</a>, <a href='#Page_132'>132</a>, <a href='#Page_137'>137</a>, <a href='#Page_142'>142</a>, <a href='#Page_145'>145</a>, <a href='#Page_187'>187</a>, <a href='#Page_193'>193</a>-<a href='#Page_194'>194</a>, <a href='#Page_209'>209</a>, <a href='#Page_245'>245</a>, <a href='#Page_262'>262</a>, <a href='#Page_293'>293</a>, <a href='#Page_300'>300</a>.</li> - <li class='c003'>Kamu tribe, <a href='#Page_368'>368</a>, <a href='#Page_393'>393</a>-<a href='#Page_394'>394</a>, <a href='#Page_400'>400</a>, <a href='#Page_403'>403</a>, <a href='#Page_405'>405</a>, <a href='#Page_407'>407</a>, <a href='#Page_411'>411</a>.</li> - <li class='c030'>Karens, <a href='#Page_89'>89</a>, <a href='#Page_143'>143</a>-<a href='#Page_144'>144</a>.</li> - <li class='c030'>Kāwilōrot, Prince of Chiengmai (1855-1870), <a href='#Page_57'>57</a>, <a href='#Page_67'>67</a>, <a href='#Page_69'>69</a>-<a href='#Page_70'>70</a>, <a href='#Page_85'>85</a>-<a href='#Page_86'>86</a>, <a href='#Page_90'>90</a>, <a href='#Page_95'>95</a>, <a href='#Page_102'>102</a>-<a href='#Page_106'>106</a>, <a href='#Page_121'>121</a>-<a href='#Page_129'>129</a>, <a href='#Page_133'>133</a>-<a href='#Page_138'>138</a>, <a href='#Page_146'>146</a>-<a href='#Page_147'>147</a>.</li> - <li class='c003'>Lāo: - <ul> - <li>the name, <a href='#Page_13'>13</a>-<a href='#Page_14'>14</a>, <a href='#Page_57'>57</a>-<a href='#Page_58'>58</a>;</li> - <li>spelling of Lāo words, <a href='#Page_12'>12</a>-<a href='#Page_13'>13</a>;</li> - <li>people, <a href='#Page_58'>58</a>, <a href='#Page_156'>156</a>;</li> - <li>states, <a href='#Page_130'>130</a>, <a href='#Page_191'>191</a>-<a href='#Page_192'>192</a>, <a href='#Page_218'>218</a>-<a href='#Page_219'>219</a>, <a href='#Page_262'>262</a>;</li> - <li>language, <a href='#Page_357'>357</a>, <a href='#Page_358'>358</a>, <a href='#Page_420'>420</a>-<a href='#Page_422'>422</a>, see also <a href='#edu'>Education</a>;</li> - <li>women, <a href='#Page_144'>144</a>-<a href='#Page_145'>145</a>.</li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c030'>Lāo Mission: - <ul> - <li>planted, <a href='#Page_77'>77</a>;</li> - <li>Rev. J. Wilson arrives, <a href='#Page_92'>92</a>;</li> - <li>first church organized, <a href='#Page_93'>93</a>;</li> - <li>a gift of land, <a href='#Page_95'>95</a>;</li> - <li><span class='pageno' id='Page_432'>432</span>first native members received, <a href='#Page_96'>96</a>-<a href='#Page_101'>101</a>;</li> - <li>persecution, <a href='#Page_106'>106</a>-<a href='#Page_117'>117</a>;</li> - <li>mission supposedly abandoned, <a href='#Page_126'>126</a>;</li> - <li>intervention, <a href='#Page_130'>130</a>-<a href='#Page_132'>132</a>;</li> - <li>new régime, <a href='#Page_137'>137</a>-<a href='#Page_144'>144</a>;</li> - <li>permanent buildings, <a href='#Page_140'>140</a>-<a href='#Page_142'>142</a>;</li> - <li>first physician, <a href='#Page_149'>149</a>;</li> - <li>Girls’ School, <a href='#Page_177'>177</a>;</li> - <li>teachers arrive, <a href='#Page_221'>221</a>-<a href='#Page_222'>222</a>;</li> - <li>reinforcement, <a href='#Page_242'>242</a>;</li> - <li>Presbytery organized, <a href='#Page_257'>257</a>;</li> - <li>printing-press, <a href='#Page_320'>320</a>;</li> - <li>Christian Endeavor, <a href='#Page_381'>381</a>;</li> - <li>summaries, <a href='#Page_217'>217</a>-<a href='#Page_218'>218</a>, <a href='#Page_225'>225</a>, <a href='#Page_287'>287</a>-<a href='#Page_288'>288</a>, <a href='#Page_299'>299</a>, <a href='#Page_304'>304</a>, <a href='#Page_401'>401</a>;</li> - <li>general review, <a href='#Page_413'>413</a>-<a href='#Page_423'>423</a>.</li> - <li>Later Missionaries: - <ul> - <li>Briggs, Rev. W. A., M.D., <a href='#Page_10'>10</a>, <a href='#Page_319'>319</a>, <a href='#Page_336'>336</a>-<a href='#Page_337'>337</a>, <a href='#Page_351'>351</a>-<a href='#Page_352'>352</a>, <a href='#Page_401'>401</a>;</li> - <li>Campbell, Rev. Howard, <a href='#Page_376'>376</a>, <a href='#Page_411'>411</a>, <a href='#Page_414'>414</a>;</li> - <li>Mrs. Campbell, <a href='#Page_418'>418</a>;</li> - <li>Campbell, Miss Mary, <a href='#Page_177'>177</a>, <a href='#Page_221'>221</a>-<a href='#Page_222'>222</a>, <a href='#Page_234'>234</a>, <a href='#Page_236'>236</a>-<a href='#Page_237'>237</a>, <a href='#Page_240'>240</a>;</li> - <li>Cary, A. M., M.D., <a href='#Page_283'>283</a>-<a href='#Page_284'>284</a>, <a href='#Page_296'>296</a>, <a href='#Page_298'>298</a>;</li> - <li>Cheek, M. A., M.D., <a href='#Page_166'>166</a>, <a href='#Page_169'>169</a>, <a href='#Page_178'>178</a>, <a href='#Page_190'>190</a>, <a href='#Page_195'>195</a>, <a href='#Page_212'>212</a>, <a href='#Page_233'>233</a>, <a href='#Page_236'>236</a>-<a href='#Page_237'>237</a>, <a href='#Page_283'>283</a>, <a href='#Page_292'>292</a>;</li> - <li>Mrs. Cheek, <a href='#Page_169'>169</a>, <a href='#Page_242'>242</a>, <a href='#Page_293'>293</a>;</li> - <li>Cole, Miss Edna E., <a href='#Page_177'>177</a>, <a href='#Page_221'>221</a>-<a href='#Page_222'>222</a>, <a href='#Page_233'>233</a>, <a href='#Page_240'>240</a>, <a href='#Page_284'>284</a>, <a href='#Page_387'>387</a>;</li> - <li>Collins, Rev. D. G., <a href='#Page_283'>283</a>, <a href='#Page_284'>284</a>, <a href='#Page_296'>296</a>, <a href='#Page_301'>301</a>;</li> - <li>Curtis, Rev. L. W., <a href='#Page_376'>376</a>;</li> - <li>Mrs. Curtis, <a href='#Page_9'>9</a>;</li> - <li>Denman, C. H., M.D., <a href='#Page_376'>376</a>, <a href='#Page_381'>381</a>, <a href='#Page_382'>382</a>-<a href='#Page_385'>385</a>;</li> - <li>Dodd, Rev. W. C., D.D., <a href='#Page_283'>283</a>, <a href='#Page_284'>284</a>-<a href='#Page_286'>286</a>, <a href='#Page_289'>289</a>, <a href='#Page_291'>291</a>, <a href='#Page_296'>296</a>, <a href='#Page_301'>301</a>, <a href='#Page_358'>358</a>, <a href='#Page_377'>377</a>-<a href='#Page_378'>378</a>, <a href='#Page_382'>382</a>, <a href='#Page_384'>384</a>, <a href='#Page_401'>401</a>;</li> - <li>Mrs. Dodd (Miss B. Eakin), <a href='#Page_292'>292</a>, <a href='#Page_293'>293</a>, <a href='#Page_303'>303</a>;</li> - <li>Fleeson, Miss, <a href='#Page_292'>292</a>, <a href='#Page_293'>293</a>, <a href='#Page_299'>299</a>;</li> - <li>Freeman, Rev. J. H., <a href='#Page_9'>9</a>, <a href='#Page_296'>296</a>;</li> - <li>Griffin, Miss I. A., <a href='#Page_240'>240</a>, <a href='#Page_243'>243</a>, <a href='#Page_284'>284</a>, <a href='#Page_292'>292</a>, <a href='#Page_299'>299</a>;</li> - <li>Hearst, Rev. J. H., <a href='#Page_239'>239</a>, <a href='#Page_243'>243</a>;</li> - <li>Irwin, Rev. Robert, <a href='#Page_319'>319</a>, <a href='#Page_353'>353</a>, <a href='#Page_362'>362</a>, <a href='#Page_367'>367</a>, <a href='#Page_401'>401</a>;</li> - <li>Martin, Rev. Chalmers, <a href='#Page_239'>239</a>, <a href='#Page_250'>250</a>, <a href='#Page_252'>252</a>, <a href='#Page_268'>268</a>, <a href='#Page_270'>270</a>, <a href='#Page_271'>271</a>-<a href='#Page_273'>273</a>, <a href='#Page_276'>276</a>, <a href='#Page_283'>283</a>;</li> - <li>McGilvary, Cornelia H. (Mrs. William Harris), <a href='#Page_199'>199</a>, <a href='#Page_306'>306</a>, <a href='#Page_308'>308</a>-<a href='#Page_316'>316</a>, <a href='#Page_427'>427</a>;</li> - <li>McGilvary, Rev. Evander B., <a href='#Page_337'>337</a>, <a href='#Page_371'>371</a>;</li> - <li>McGilvary, Margaret A. (Mrs. Roderick Gillies), <a href='#Page_197'>197</a>, <a href='#Page_337'>337</a>;</li> - <li>McKean, J. W., M.D., <a href='#Page_306'>306</a>, <a href='#Page_316'>316</a>, <a href='#Page_320'>320</a>, <a href='#Page_338'>338</a>, <a href='#Page_341'>341</a>, <a href='#Page_422'>422</a>-<a href='#Page_423'>423</a>, <a href='#Page_427'>427</a>;</li> - <li>Peoples, Rev. S. C., M.D., <a href='#Page_239'>239</a>, <a href='#Page_250'>250</a>, <a href='#Page_257'>257</a>, <a href='#Page_263'>263</a>-<a href='#Page_265'>265</a>, <a href='#Page_289'>289</a>-<a href='#Page_291'>291</a>, <a href='#Page_300'>300</a>, <a href='#Page_319'>319</a>, <a href='#Page_387'>387</a>;</li> - <li>Mrs. Peoples, <a href='#Page_240'>240</a>;</li> - <li>Phraner, Rev. Stanley K., <a href='#Page_319'>319</a>, <a href='#Page_320'>320</a>, <a href='#Page_326'>326</a>-<a href='#Page_329'>329</a>, <a href='#Page_376'>376</a>-<a href='#Page_377'>377</a>, <a href='#Page_418'>418</a>;</li> - <li>Mrs. Phraner (Lizzie Westervelt), <a href='#Page_238'>238</a>, <a href='#Page_274'>274</a>, <a href='#Page_284'>284</a>;</li> - <li>Taylor, Rev. Hugh, <a href='#Page_299'>299</a>, <a href='#Page_308'>308</a>-<a href='#Page_309'>309</a>;</li> - <li>Vrooman, C. W., M.D., <a href='#Page_149'>149</a>-<a href='#Page_159'>159</a>, <a href='#Page_166'>166</a>.</li> - </ul> - </li> - <li>Native Converts: - <ul> - <li>Āi Tū (Prayā Pakdī), <a href='#Page_277'>277</a>, <a href='#Page_280'>280</a>, <a href='#Page_287'>287</a>;</li> - <li>Cha Pū Kaw and Cha Waw, <i>see under</i> Mūsô;</li> - <li>Chao Borirak, <a href='#Page_158'>158</a>, <a href='#Page_163'>163</a>, <a href='#Page_197'>197</a>;</li> - <li>Lung In, <a href='#Page_168'>168</a>, <a href='#Page_170'>170</a>, <a href='#Page_202'>202</a>;</li> - <li>Nān Chai, <a href='#Page_100'>100</a>-<a href='#Page_101'>101</a>, <a href='#Page_114'>114</a>-<a href='#Page_117'>117</a>;</li> - <li>Nān Chaiwana, <a href='#Page_266'>266</a>-<a href='#Page_270'>270</a>;</li> - <li>Nān Inta, <a href='#Page_96'>96</a>-<a href='#Page_99'>99</a>, <a href='#Page_149'>149</a>, <a href='#Page_161'>161</a>, <a href='#Page_163'>163</a>, <a href='#Page_207'>207</a>, <a href='#Page_208'>208</a>, <a href='#Page_210'>210</a>, <a href='#Page_233'>233</a>, <a href='#Page_243'>243</a>, <a href='#Page_257'>257</a>, <a href='#Page_258'>258</a>;</li> - <li>Nān Tā, <a href='#Page_225'>225</a>-<a href='#Page_228'>228</a>, <a href='#Page_234'>234</a>, <a href='#Page_243'>243</a>, <a href='#Page_248'>248</a>, <a href='#Page_258'>258</a>, <a href='#Page_272'>272</a>, <a href='#Page_276'>276</a>, <a href='#Page_277'>277</a>, <a href='#Page_283'>283</a>, <a href='#Page_299'>299</a>, <a href='#Page_301'>301</a>;</li> - <li>Nān Sī Wichai, <a href='#Page_199'>199</a>, <a href='#Page_243'>243</a>;</li> - <li>Nān Suwan, <a href='#Page_197'>197</a>-<a href='#Page_198'>198</a>, <a href='#Page_233'>233</a>, <a href='#Page_248'>248</a>, <a href='#Page_257'>257</a>, <a href='#Page_280'>280</a>, <a href='#Page_287'>287</a>, <a href='#Page_327'>327</a>, <a href='#Page_330'>330</a>, <a href='#Page_333'>333</a>, <a href='#Page_341'>341</a>, <a href='#Page_359'>359</a>;</li> - <li>Noi Intachak, <a href='#Page_230'>230</a>, <a href='#Page_257'>257</a>, <a href='#Page_260'>260</a>;</li> - <li>Noi Siri, <a href='#Page_301'>301</a>-<a href='#Page_304'>304</a>, <a href='#Page_333'>333</a>;</li> - <li>Noi Sunya, <a href='#Page_99'>99</a>-<a href='#Page_100'>100</a>, <a href='#Page_114'>114</a>-<a href='#Page_117'>117</a>;</li> - <li>Noi Tāliya, <a href='#Page_278'>278</a>-<a href='#Page_279'>279</a>, <a href='#Page_290'>290</a>, <a href='#Page_334'>334</a>;</li> - <li>Pā Sêng Bun, <a href='#Page_205'>205</a>-<a href='#Page_206'>206</a>;</li> - <li>Prayā Sīhanāt, <a href='#Page_199'>199</a>-<a href='#Page_201'>201</a>, <a href='#Page_232'>232</a>-<a href='#Page_233'>233</a>;</li> - <li>Sên Utamā, <a href='#Page_230'>230</a>, <a href='#Page_232'>232</a>;</li> - <li>Sên Yā Wichai, <a href='#Page_79'>79</a>, <a href='#Page_100'>100</a>, <a href='#Page_105'>105</a>, <a href='#Page_203'>203</a>, <a href='#Page_281'>281</a>, <a href='#Page_291'>291</a>.</li> - </ul> - </li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c003'>Mahā Mongkut, King of Siam, <a href='#Page_37'>37</a>, <a href='#Page_47'>47</a>-<a href='#Page_48'>48</a>, <a href='#Page_70'>70</a>.</li> - <li class='c030'>Mahā Vajiravudh, King of Siam, <a href='#Page_425'>425</a>-<a href='#Page_426'>426</a>.</li> - <li class='c030'>Mattoon, Rev. S., D.D., <a href='#Page_39'>39</a>, <a href='#Page_45'>45</a>, <a href='#Page_67'>67</a>, <a href='#Page_165'>165</a>-<a href='#Page_166'>166</a>.</li> - <li class='c030'>McDonald, Rev. N. A., D.D., <a href='#Page_53'>53</a>, <a href='#Page_68'>68</a>, <a href='#Page_103'>103</a>-<a href='#Page_104'>104</a>, <a href='#Page_121'>121</a>ff.</li> - <li class='c030'>McFarland, Rev. S. G., D.D., <a href='#Page_53'>53</a>, <a href='#Page_70'>70</a>-<a href='#Page_71'>71</a>.</li> - <li class='c030'><span class='pageno' id='Page_433'>433</span>McGilvary, Rev. Daniel, D.D., birth (1828), <a href='#Page_20'>20</a>; - <ul> - <li>parentage, <a href='#Page_19'>19</a>-<a href='#Page_20'>20</a>;</li> - <li>childhood, <a href='#Page_20'>20</a>-<a href='#Page_28'>28</a>;</li> - <li>conversion, <a href='#Page_27'>27</a>-<a href='#Page_28'>28</a>;</li> - <li>Bingham School, <a href='#Page_29'>29</a>-<a href='#Page_31'>31</a>;</li> - <li>teaching, <a href='#Page_31'>31</a>-<a href='#Page_32'>32</a>;</li> - <li>Presbytery of Orange, <a href='#Page_32'>32</a>-<a href='#Page_34'>34</a>;</li> - <li>Princeton Seminary (1853-1856), <a href='#Page_35'>35</a>-<a href='#Page_38'>38</a>;</li> - <li>pastorate, <a href='#Page_38'>38</a>-<a href='#Page_41'>41</a>;</li> - <li>ordination, <a href='#Page_42'>42</a>;</li> - <li>voyage, <a href='#Page_43'>43</a>-<a href='#Page_45'>45</a>;</li> - <li>Bangkok (1858-1861), <a href='#Page_45'>45</a>-<a href='#Page_52'>52</a>;</li> - <li>marriage (1860), <a href='#Page_52'>52</a>;</li> - <li>Pechaburī, <a href='#Page_53'>53</a>ff;</li> - <li>first acquaintance with the Lāo, <a href='#Page_57'>57</a>-<a href='#Page_58'>58</a>;</li> - <li>tour of exploration to Chiengmai, <a href='#Page_59'>59</a>-<a href='#Page_65'>65</a>;</li> - <li>charter of the Lāo mission, <a href='#Page_66'>66</a>-<a href='#Page_70'>70</a>;</li> - <li>removal to Chiengmai (1867), <a href='#Page_71'>71</a>-<a href='#Page_76'>76</a>;</li> - <li>pioneer experiences, <a href='#Page_77'>77</a>-<a href='#Page_83'>83</a>;</li> - <li>ceremony of Dam Hūa, <a href='#Page_84'>84</a>-<a href='#Page_86'>86</a>;</li> - <li>non-professional medicine and surgery, <a href='#Page_88'>88</a>-<a href='#Page_91'>91</a>, <a href='#Page_95'>95</a>, <a href='#Page_120'>120</a>, <a href='#Page_147'>147</a>-<a href='#Page_148'>148</a>, <a href='#Page_158'>158</a>, <a href='#Page_190'>190</a>, <a href='#Page_195'>195</a>-<a href='#Page_196'>196</a>, <a href='#Page_322'>322</a>, <a href='#Page_362'>362</a>;</li> - <li>visit from Dr. House, <a href='#Page_92'>92</a>;</li> - <li>First Church organized, <a href='#Page_93'>93</a>;</li> - <li>first-fruits, <a href='#Page_95'>95</a>-<a href='#Page_101'>101</a>;</li> - <li>the gathering storm, <a href='#Page_102'>102</a>-<a href='#Page_105'>105</a>;</li> - <li>it breaks (Sep. 1869), <a href='#Page_106'>106</a>;</li> - <li>terrifying suspense, <a href='#Page_107'>107</a>, <a href='#Page_118'>118</a>-<a href='#Page_119'>119</a>;</li> - <li>alarm in Bangkok, <a href='#Page_111'>111</a>-<a href='#Page_113'>113</a>;</li> - <li>the martyrs, <a href='#Page_114'>114</a>-<a href='#Page_117'>117</a>;</li> - <li>Siamese Royal Commission, <a href='#Page_121'>121</a>;</li> - <li>a stormy audience and its results, <a href='#Page_122'>122</a>-<a href='#Page_129'>129</a>;</li> - <li>death of Kāwilōrot, <a href='#Page_133'>133</a>-<a href='#Page_135'>135</a>;</li> - <li>visit from Dr. and Mrs. Cushing, <a href='#Page_138'>138</a>-<a href='#Page_139'>139</a>;</li> - <li>the new rulers, <a href='#Page_137'>137</a>-<a href='#Page_144'>144</a>;</li> - <li>building, <a href='#Page_140'>140</a>-<a href='#Page_142'>142</a>;</li> - <li>arrival of a missionary physician, <a href='#Page_149'>149</a>;</li> - <li>First Tour (1872, with Dr. Vrooman)—exploration north and east, <a href='#Page_150'>150</a>-<a href='#Page_159'>159</a>;</li> - <li>visit to Lakawn and Nān, <a href='#Page_161'>161</a>-<a href='#Page_168'>168</a>;</li> - <li>first furlough (1873-1875), <a href='#Page_159'>159</a>-<a href='#Page_168'>168</a>;</li> - <li>Second Tour (1876)—exploration northwestward, <a href='#Page_170'>170</a>-<a href='#Page_177'>177</a>;</li> - <li>conversation with the Princess, <a href='#Page_180'>180</a>-<a href='#Page_187'>187</a>;</li> - <li>shrine on Doi Sutēp, <a href='#Page_188'>188</a>-<a href='#Page_189'>189</a>;</li> - <li>firmer Siamese policy—the Resident High Commissioner, <a href='#Page_191'>191</a>-<a href='#Page_194'>194</a>;</li> - <li>the deaf Prayā, <a href='#Page_199'>199</a>-<a href='#Page_201'>201</a>;</li> - <li>struggle with demonism:—Pā Sêng Bun, <a href='#Page_203'>203</a>-<a href='#Page_206'>206</a>;</li> - <li>Christian marriage defeated, <a href='#Page_207'>207</a>-<a href='#Page_209'>209</a>;</li> - <li>appeal unto Cæsar, <a href='#Page_210'>210</a>-<a href='#Page_212'>212</a>;</li> - <li>Edict of Religious Toleration (1878), <a href='#Page_213'>213</a>-<a href='#Page_220'>220</a>;</li> - <li>teachers for the Girls’ School, <a href='#Page_221'>221</a>-<a href='#Page_222'>222</a>;</li> - <li>the harvest of twelve years, <a href='#Page_225'>225</a>;</li> - <li>the nine years’ wanderer, <a href='#Page_225'>225</a>-<a href='#Page_228'>228</a>;</li> - <li>voyage to Hongkong, <a href='#Page_228'>228</a>-<a href='#Page_230'>230</a>;</li> - <li>Rahêng, <a href='#Page_230'>230</a>-<a href='#Page_232'>232</a>;</li> - <li>churches organized, <a href='#Page_233'>233</a>;</li> - <li>second furlough (1881-1882)—reinforcements and losses, <a href='#Page_236'>236</a>-<a href='#Page_243'>243</a>;</li> - <li>a surveying expedition (1884), <a href='#Page_244'>244</a>-<a href='#Page_254'>254</a>;</li> - <li>equipment for touring, <a href='#Page_249'>249</a>-<a href='#Page_251'>251</a>;</li> - <li>semi-monthly mail to Maulmein, <a href='#Page_255'>255</a>-<a href='#Page_256'>256</a>;</li> - <li>death of Princess Tipa Kēsawn, <a href='#Page_257'>257</a>;</li> - <li>Presbytery of North Laos and the training of native evangelists, <a href='#Page_257'>257</a>-<a href='#Page_262'>262</a>;</li> - <li>station established at Lakawn, <a href='#Page_263'>263</a>-<a href='#Page_265'>265</a>;</li> - <li>struggle with demonism renewed—Bān Pên, <a href='#Page_266'>266</a>-<a href='#Page_270'>270</a>;</li> - <li>work among the villages, <a href='#Page_270'>270</a>-<a href='#Page_274'>274</a>;</li> - <li>Third Tour (1886, with Mr. Martin)—Christian communities in the north, <a href='#Page_276'>276</a>-<a href='#Page_283'>283</a>;</li> - <li>reinforcements, <a href='#Page_283'>283</a>-<a href='#Page_284'>284</a>;</li> - <li>river trip with Mr. Dodd, <a href='#Page_285'>285</a>-<a href='#Page_286'>286</a>;</li> - <li>Fourth Tour (1887), <a href='#Page_286'>286</a>-<a href='#Page_287'>287</a>;</li> - <li>Fifth Tour (1888, with Dr. Peoples and Mr. Dodd):—church organized in Chieng Sên, <a href='#Page_289'>289</a>-<a href='#Page_291'>291</a>;</li> - <li>serious illness, <a href='#Page_291'>291</a>;</li> - <li>marriage of his daughter—the Prince and the charades, <a href='#Page_293'>293</a>;</li> - <li>foothold secured in Lampūn, <a href='#Page_294'>294</a>-<a href='#Page_296'>296</a>;</li> - <li>trip to Bangkok, <a href='#Page_297'>297</a>;</li> - <li>week at Bān Pên, <a href='#Page_297'>297</a>-<a href='#Page_298'>298</a>;</li> - <li>a marvellous recovery, <a href='#Page_298'>298</a>;</li> - <li>the “prisoner of Jesus Christ,” <a href='#Page_300'>300</a>-<a href='#Page_304'>304</a>;</li> - <li>tax-rebellion, <a href='#Page_305'>305</a>-<a href='#Page_306'>306</a>;</li> - <li><span class='pageno' id='Page_434'>434</span>Dr. McKean, and a continuous medical mission at last, <a href='#Page_306'>306</a>-<a href='#Page_307'>307</a>;</li> - <li>Sixth Tour (1890, with Miss McGilvary):—Lakawn, Prê, Nān, <a href='#Page_308'>308</a>-<a href='#Page_310'>310</a>;</li> - <li>the lost elephant, <a href='#Page_311'>311</a>;</li> - <li>Chieng Kawng and the “Teacher’s Road,” <a href='#Page_313'>313</a>-<a href='#Page_314'>314</a>;</li> - <li>Chieng Sên and Chieng Rāi, <a href='#Page_314'>314</a>-<a href='#Page_315'>315</a>;</li> - <li>elephant runaways, <a href='#Page_317'>317</a>-<a href='#Page_318'>318</a>;</li> - <li>Buddhist sacred days to be observed by Christians, <a href='#Page_318'>318</a>-<a href='#Page_319'>319</a>;</li> - <li>Seventh Tour (1891, with Mr. Phraner), <a href='#Page_320'>320</a>-<a href='#Page_336'>336</a>:—first meeting with the Mūsôs, <a href='#Page_322'>322</a>-<a href='#Page_327'>327</a>;</li> - <li>Mûang Len, <a href='#Page_327'>327</a>-<a href='#Page_329'>329</a>;</li> - <li>Chieng Sên, <a href='#Page_329'>329</a>-<a href='#Page_330'>330</a>;</li> - <li>a thrilling experience, <a href='#Page_330'>330</a>-<a href='#Page_331'>331</a>;</li> - <li>Chieng Kawng and Mûang Tông, <a href='#Page_332'>332</a>-<a href='#Page_333'>333</a>;</li> - <li>Mūsôs baptized, <a href='#Page_333'>333</a>-<a href='#Page_336'>336</a>;</li> - <li>Eighth Tour (1892, with Dr. McKean)—among the Mūsô villages, <a href='#Page_338'>338</a>-<a href='#Page_348'>348</a>;</li> - <li>tragic struggle with opium, <a href='#Page_348'>348</a>;</li> - <li>famine, <a href='#Page_349'>349</a>-<a href='#Page_352'>352</a>;</li> - <li>Ninth Tour (1893, with Mr. Irwin)—the Sipsawng Pannā, <a href='#Page_353'>353</a>-<a href='#Page_368'>368</a>;</li> - <li>Mûang Yawng, <a href='#Page_354'>354</a>-<a href='#Page_355'>355</a>;</li> - <li>an undiscovered peril, <a href='#Page_358'>358</a>;</li> - <li>Chieng Rung;</li> - <li>ferry and ford of the Mê Kōng, <a href='#Page_359'>359</a>-<a href='#Page_360'>360</a>;</li> - <li>dysentery and heroic treatment, <a href='#Page_362'>362</a>;</li> - <li>Mûang Sing, <a href='#Page_363'>363</a>-<a href='#Page_366'>366</a>;</li> - <li>Mūsôs east of the Mê Kōng, <a href='#Page_367'>367</a>-<a href='#Page_368'>368</a>;</li> - <li>third furlough (1893-1894), <a href='#Page_370'>370</a>-<a href='#Page_376'>376</a>;</li> - <li>Mr. Arthington of Leeds, <a href='#Page_373'>373</a>-<a href='#Page_376'>376</a>;</li> - <li>Presbytery and a native ministry, <a href='#Page_377'>377</a>-<a href='#Page_380'>380</a>;</li> - <li>Tenth Tour (1896, with Dr. Denman)—Chieng Rāi chosen for a station, <a href='#Page_382'>382</a>-<a href='#Page_384'>384</a>;</li> - <li>evangelists sent forth, <a href='#Page_384'>384</a>;</li> - <li>Mūsôs, <a href='#Page_385'>385</a>;</li> - <li>Eleventh Tour (1897, with Dr. Peoples)—the “regions beyond”: Lūang Prabāng, <a href='#Page_388'>388</a>ff.;</li> - <li>courtesy of French officials, <a href='#Page_388'>388</a>-<a href='#Page_390'>390</a>, <a href='#Page_395'>395</a>, <a href='#Page_398'>398</a>, <a href='#Page_400'>400</a>;</li> - <li>Mûang Sai, <a href='#Page_390'>390</a>-<a href='#Page_394'>394</a>;</li> - <li>Mûang Āi, <a href='#Page_394'>394</a>-<a href='#Page_395'>395</a>;</li> - <li>wedding feast, <a href='#Page_395'>395</a>;</li> - <li>surprise party, <a href='#Page_396'>396</a>-<a href='#Page_397'>397</a>;</li> - <li>Mûang Sing, <a href='#Page_398'>398</a>, <a href='#Page_399'>399</a>;</li> - <li>Twelfth Tour (1898)—the closed door, <a href='#Page_402'>402</a>-<a href='#Page_412'>412</a>;</li> - <li>summoned to the U. S. by illness of Mrs. McGilvary (1905), <a href='#Page_426'>426</a>-<a href='#Page_427'>427</a>;</li> - <li>Golden Wedding, <a href='#Page_427'>427</a>-<a href='#Page_429'>429</a>;</li> - <li>appreciation by Dr. Arthur J. Brown, D.D., <a href='#Page_1'>1</a>-<a href='#Page_7'>7</a>.</li> - <li>Observations and criticisms: Continuity in mission policy, <a href='#Page_416'>416</a>-<a href='#Page_417'>417</a>; - <ul> - <li>Converts with more than one wife, <a href='#Page_231'>231</a>-<a href='#Page_232'>232</a>;</li> - <li>Exclusion of the Lāo mission from the Lāo-speaking peoples of the north, <a href='#Page_157'>157</a>, <a href='#Page_332'>332</a>, <a href='#Page_368'>368</a>-<a href='#Page_369'>369</a>, <a href='#Page_404'>404</a>, <a href='#Page_411'>411</a>-<a href='#Page_412'>412</a>;</li> - <li>Girls’ Schools as Christianizing agencies, <a href='#Page_178'>178</a>, <a href='#Page_203'>203</a>, <a href='#Page_280'>280</a>, <a href='#Page_284'>284</a>, <a href='#Page_287'>287</a>, <a href='#Page_418'>418</a>-<a href='#Page_419'>419</a>;</li> - <li>Heresy trials, <a href='#Page_371'>371</a>-<a href='#Page_372'>372</a>;</li> - <li>Language problem, <a href='#Page_222'>222</a>-<a href='#Page_225'>225</a>, <a href='#Page_420'>420</a>-<a href='#Page_422'>422</a>;</li> - <li>Native evangelists and ministers, <a href='#Page_257'>257</a>-<a href='#Page_262'>262</a>, <a href='#Page_377'>377</a>-<a href='#Page_380'>380</a>, <a href='#Page_414'>414</a>-<a href='#Page_416'>416</a>;</li> - <li>Parliament of religions, <a href='#Page_370'>370</a>-<a href='#Page_371'>371</a>;</li> - <li>Obedient to constituted authority and law, <a href='#Page_208'>208</a>, <a href='#Page_301'>301</a>, <a href='#Page_393'>393</a>, <a href='#Page_400'>400</a>, <a href='#Page_406'>406</a>;</li> - <li>Outlying Christian communities—their claim on the missionary, <a href='#Page_329'>329</a>-<a href='#Page_330'>330</a>;</li> - <li>Rulers—importance of cultivating their acquaintance, <a href='#Page_90'>90</a>, <a href='#Page_144'>144</a>, <a href='#Page_161'>161</a>, <a href='#Page_170'>170</a>-<a href='#Page_171'>171</a>,330.</li> - </ul> - </li> - <li>Religious teachings and conversations, <a href='#Page_97'>97</a>-<a href='#Page_98'>98</a>, <a href='#Page_161'>161</a>-<a href='#Page_162'>162</a>, <a href='#Page_174'>174</a>-<a href='#Page_176'>176</a>, <a href='#Page_180'>180</a>-<a href='#Page_188'>188</a>, <a href='#Page_199'>199</a>-<a href='#Page_200'>200</a>, <a href='#Page_342'>342</a>-<a href='#Page_343'>343</a>, <a href='#Page_365'>365</a>.</li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c030'>McGilvary, Mrs. Sophia Bradley, marriage, <a href='#Page_52'>52</a>; - <ul> - <li>wins first Lāo convert, <a href='#Page_79'>79</a>, <a href='#Page_100'>100</a>;</li> - <li>life in a bamboo shack, <a href='#Page_140'>140</a>;</li> - <li>furlough after twenty-three years in Siam, <a href='#Page_159'>159</a>-<a href='#Page_160'>160</a>;</li> - <li>river journey Without escort, <a href='#Page_164'>164</a>;</li> - <li>opens first Lāo school, <a href='#Page_177'>177</a>;</li> - <li>sole assistant in the mission, <a href='#Page_195'>195</a>-<a href='#Page_197'>197</a>;</li> - <li><span class='pageno' id='Page_435'>435</span>translates first Gospel into Lāo, <a href='#Page_288'>288</a>, <a href='#Page_320'>320</a>;</li> - <li>visits to the U. S., <a href='#Page_158'>158</a>, <a href='#Page_229'>229</a>, <a href='#Page_238'>238</a>, <a href='#Page_426'>426</a>-<a href='#Page_427'>427</a>;</li> - <li>Golden Wedding, <a href='#Page_427'>427</a>-<a href='#Page_428'>428</a>.</li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c030'>Medical Mission, summary, <a href='#Page_422'>422</a>-<a href='#Page_423'>423</a>.</li> - <li class='c030'>Merit-making, <a href='#Page_64'>64</a>, <a href='#Page_133'>133</a>, <a href='#Page_134'>134</a>, <a href='#Page_147'>147</a>, <a href='#Page_180'>180</a>, <a href='#Page_257'>257</a>.</li> - <li class='c030'>Mission, American Baptist, of Burma, <a href='#Page_138'>138</a>, <a href='#Page_143'>143</a>, <a href='#Page_254'>254</a>, <a href='#Page_368'>368</a>, <a href='#Page_383'>383</a>, <a href='#Page_418'>418</a>.</li> - <li class='c030'>Mūsô tribe, <a href='#Page_276'>276</a>, <a href='#Page_322'>322</a>-<a href='#Page_327'>327</a>, <a href='#Page_334'>334</a>-<a href='#Page_336'>336</a>, <a href='#Page_338'>338</a>-<a href='#Page_348'>348</a>.</li> - <li class='c003'>Nevius, Rev. Dr., <a href='#Page_378'>378</a>-<a href='#Page_379'>379</a>.</li> - <li class='c003'>Opium, <a href='#Page_136'>136</a>, <a href='#Page_335'>335</a>, <a href='#Page_346'>346</a>-<a href='#Page_348'>348</a>, <a href='#Page_357'>357</a>, <a href='#Page_399'>399</a>.</li> - <li class='c003'>Presbytery: - <ul> - <li>of, Siam, <a href='#Page_47'>47</a>, <a href='#Page_59'>59</a>, <a href='#Page_71'>71</a>;</li> - <li>of North Laos, <a href='#Page_257'>257</a>-<a href='#Page_260'>260</a>, <a href='#Page_377'>377</a>-<a href='#Page_380'>380</a>.</li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c030'>Princess: - <ul> - <li>Tipa Kēsawn, <a href='#Page_55'>55</a>, <a href='#Page_90'>90</a>, <a href='#Page_108'>108</a>-<a href='#Page_109'>109</a>, <a href='#Page_145'>145</a>, <a href='#Page_178'>178</a>, <a href='#Page_180'>180</a>-<a href='#Page_187'>187</a>, <a href='#Page_209'>209</a>, <a href='#Page_222'>222</a>, <a href='#Page_257'>257</a>;</li> - <li>the younger, <a href='#Page_55'>55</a>, <a href='#Page_63'>63</a>-<a href='#Page_64'>64</a>, <a href='#Page_105'>105</a>, <a href='#Page_114'>114</a>, <a href='#Page_115'>115</a>, <a href='#Page_119'>119</a>, <a href='#Page_136'>136</a>.</li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c030'>Printing-press, and Lāo type, <a href='#Page_224'>224</a>, <a href='#Page_320'>320</a>, <a href='#Page_338'>338</a>, <a href='#Page_353'>353</a>, <a href='#Page_384'>384</a>.</li> - <li class='c030'>Posts and telegraphs, <a href='#Page_91'>91</a>, <a href='#Page_121'>121</a>, <a href='#Page_255'>255</a>-<a href='#Page_256'>256</a>, <a href='#Page_296'>296</a>, <a href='#Page_320'>320</a>.</li> - <li class='c003'>Rapids: - <ul> - <li>Mê Ping, <a href='#Page_71'>71</a>-<a href='#Page_75'>75</a>;</li> - <li>Mê Kōng, <a href='#Page_154'>154</a>-<a href='#Page_155'>155</a>.</li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c030'>Regent of Siam, <a href='#Page_112'>112</a>, <a href='#Page_132'>132</a>.</li> - <li class='c030'>Robbers and brigandage, <a href='#Page_91'>91</a>, <a href='#Page_164'>164</a>, <a href='#Page_233'>233</a>, <a href='#Page_329'>329</a>, <a href='#Page_358'>358</a>; - <ul> - <li>bandit chieftain, <a href='#Page_84'>84</a>, <a href='#Page_96'>96</a>, <a href='#Page_146'>146</a>, <a href='#Page_147'>147</a>.</li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c003'>Toleration, Edict of, chapter <a href='#ch19'>xix</a>.</li> - <li class='c003'>Warfare of depopulation, <a href='#Page_218'>218</a>, <a href='#Page_353'>353</a>-<a href='#Page_354'>354</a>, <a href='#Page_355'>355</a>, <a href='#Page_357'>357</a>, <a href='#Page_363'>363</a>.</li> - <li class='c030'>White ants, <a href='#Page_179'>179</a>.</li> - <li class='c030'>Wild game; - <ul> - <li>deer, <a href='#Page_253'>253</a>, <a href='#Page_339'>339</a>;</li> - <li>cattle, <a href='#Page_253'>253</a>, <a href='#Page_313'>313</a>;</li> - <li>tigers, <a href='#Page_72'>72</a>, <a href='#Page_152'>152</a>, <a href='#Page_153'>153</a>, <a href='#Page_311'>311</a>, <a href='#Page_386'>386</a>-<a href='#Page_387'>387</a>.</li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c030'>Wilson, Rev. Jonathan, D.D., <a href='#Page_36'>36</a>, <a href='#Page_38'>38</a>, <a href='#Page_43'>43</a>, <a href='#Page_51'>51</a>, <a href='#Page_65'>65</a>, <a href='#Page_67'>67</a>, <a href='#Page_92'>92</a>, <a href='#Page_95'>95</a>, <a href='#Page_113'>113</a>, <a href='#Page_140'>140</a>, <a href='#Page_148'>148</a>, <a href='#Page_169'>169</a>, <a href='#Page_221'>221</a>, <a href='#Page_233'>233</a>, <a href='#Page_263'>263</a>, <a href='#Page_291'>291</a>, <a href='#Page_381'>381</a>, <a href='#Page_423'>423</a>, <a href='#Page_428'>428</a>.</li> -</ul> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c002'> - <div><span class='small'>PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA</span></div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_437'>437</span> - <h2 class='c010'>BIOGRAPHY</h2> -</div> -<p class='c011'><span class='under'><i>ROBERT E. SPEER, D.D.</i></span></p> - -<p class='c009'><b>The Foreign Doctor</b>: “The Hakim Sahib”</p> - -<p class='c009'>A Biography of Joseph Plumb Cochran, M.D., of -Persia. Illustrated, 12mo, cloth, net $1.50.</p> - -<p class='c024'>Dr. Cochran came to a position of power in Western -Persia which made his life as interesting as a romance. He -was one of the central figures in the Kurdish invasion of -Persia, and was the chief means of saving the city of Uramia. -In no other biography is there as full an account of the -actual medical work done by the medical missionary, and of -the problem of the use of the political influence acquired by -a man of Dr. Cochran’s gifts and opportunities.</p> -<p class='c011'><span class='under'><i>HENRY D. PORTER, M.D., D.D.</i></span></p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div><b>William Scott Ament</b> <i>Missionary of the American Board to China.</i></div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>Illustrated, 8vo, cloth, net $1.50.</p> - -<p class='c009'>A biography of one of the most honored missionaries of -the Congregational Church, whose long and effective service in -China has inscribed his name high in the annals of those -whose lives have been given to the uplift of their fellow-men.</p> -<p class='c011'><span class='under'><i>MARY GRIDLEY ELLINWOOD</i></span></p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div><b>Frank Field Ellinwood</b> <i>Former Secretary Presbyterian F. M. Board</i></div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>His Life and Work. Illustrated, cloth, net $1.00.</p> - -<p class='c024'>A charming biography of one of the greatest missionary -leaders of the Nineteenth Century.—<i>Robert E. Speer.</i></p> -<p class='c011'><span class='under'><i>ANTONIO ANDREA ARRIGHI</i></span></p> - -<p class='c009'><b>The Story of Antonio the Galley Slave</b></p> - -<p class='c009'>With Portrait, 12mo, cloth, net $1.25.</p> - -<p class='c024'>“Reads like a romance, and the wonderful thing about -it is that it is true. A fervid religious experience, a passion -for service and good intellectual equipment were his splendid -preparation for a great missionary work among his countrymen -in America.”—<i>Zion’s Herald.</i></p> -<p class='c011'><span class='under'><i>GEORGE MULLER</i></span></p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div><b>George Muller</b>, The Modern Apostle of Faith</div> - <div>By <span class='sc'>Frederick G. Warne</span>.</div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c009'><i>New Edition, including the Later Story of the Bristol Orphan -Home.</i> Illustrated, cloth, net 75c.</p> - -<p class='c024'>“What deep attractiveness is found in this life of the -great and simple-hearted apostle.”——<i>Christian Advocate.</i></p> -<p class='c011'><span class='under'><i>KINGSTON DE GRUCHE</i></span></p> - -<p class='c009'>Dr. Apricot of “Heaven-Below”</p> - -<p class='c009'>Illustrated, 8vo, cloth, net $1.00.</p> - -<p class='c024'>“No one who has read this book will ever afterwards -repeat the threadbare objection, “I don’t believe in missions.”—<i>Continent.</i></p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_438'>438</span> - <h2 class='c010'>FOREIGN MISSIONS</h2> -</div> -<p class='c011'><span class='under'><i>ROBERT E. SPEER</i> <i>The Cole Lectures for 1911.</i></span></p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div><b>Some Great Leaders in the World Movement</b> 12mo, cloth, net $1.25.</div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c024'>Mr. Speer in his characteristic inspiring way has presented -the key note of the lives of six of the World’s greatest -missionaries: Raymond Lull, the crusading spirit in missions; -William Carey, the problems of the pioneer; Alexander -Duff, Missions and Education; George Bowen, the ascetic -ideal in missions; John Lawrence, politics and missions; and -Charles G. Gordon, modern missionary knight-errancy.</p> -<p class='c011'><span class='under'><i>S. M ZWEMER, F.R.G.S., and Others</i></span></p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div>Islam and Missions</div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>12mo, cloth, net $1.50.</p> - -<p class='c024'>This volume presents the papers read at the Second -Conference on Missions to Moslems, recently held in Lucknow, -India. The contributors are all experts of large experience -in such mission effort.</p> -<p class='c011'><span class='under'><i>VAN SOMMER, ANNIE, and Others</i></span></p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div>Daylight in the Harem</div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>A New Era for Moslem Women. <i>In Press.</i></p> - -<p class='c024'>Woman’s work for Woman is nowhere more needed than -on the part of Christian women for their sisters of Islam. -It is a most difficult field of service, but this volume by authors -long and tactically interested in this important Christian -ministry, demonstrates how effectually this work has -opened and is being carried forward with promising results.</p> -<p class='c011'><span class='under'><i>ROBERT A. HUME, D.D.</i></span></p> - -<p class='c024'><b>An Interpretation of India’s Religious -History</b> <i>Introduction by President King, LL.D. -of Oberlin College</i></p> - -<p class='c025'>12mo, cloth, net $1.25.</p> - -<p class='c024'>The author of this careful, though popular, study, is -eminently qualified to deal with the subject of his thoughtful -volume. Equipped for this purpose through long residence -in India and intimate study of India’s religious history -what he says will be accepted as the estimate and interpretation -of an authority.</p> -<p class='c011'><span class='under'><i>MARGARET E. BURTON</i></span></p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div>The Education of Women in China</div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>Illustrated, 12mo, cloth, net $1.25.</p> - -<p class='c024'>The author of this scholarly study of the Chinese woman -and education is the daughter of Prof. Ernest E. Burton, of -the University of Chicago.... The work is probably the -most thorough study of an important phase of the economic -development of the world’s most populous country that has -appeared.</p> -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_439'>439</span><span class='under'><i>Z. S. LOFTIS, M.D.</i></span></p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div>A Message from Batang</div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>The Diary of Z. S. Loftis, M.D. Illustrated, -12mo, cloth, net 75c.</p> - -<p class='c024'>Dr. Loftis went out to Tibet as a medical missionary of -the Disciples Church. His diary contains the events of the -outgoing trip together with incidents of the daily life of a -missionary in this “closed” land.</p> -<p class='c011'><span class='under'><i>HON. WILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN</i></span></p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div>The Fruits of the Tree</div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>16mo, boards, net 35c.</p> - -<p class='c024'>This is the address which Mr. Bryan delivered at the -World’s Missionary Conference at Edinburgh and contains -his views on missions—views which are the result of his -personal and painstaking investigation on foreign fields.</p> -<p class='c011'><span class='under'><i>HELEN S. DYER</i></span></p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div>Pandita Ramabai</div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>The Story of Her Life. <i>Second Edition.</i> Illustrated, -12mo, cloth, $1.25.</p> - -<p class='c024'>“The story of a wonderful life, still in the midcareer of -high usefulness. ‘Pandita’ should be known to all American -women.”—<i>The Outlook.</i></p> -<p class='c011'><span class='under'><i>MINERVA L. GUTHAPFEL</i></span></p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div>The Happiest Girl in Korea</div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>And Other Sketches from the Land of Morning -Calm. Illustrated, 12mo, cloth, net 60c.</p> - -<p class='c024'>These sketch stories of actual life in Korea by a missionary -of experience and insight portray conditions of real -life; they combine humor, pathos and vivid description.</p> -<p class='c011'><span class='under'><i>JOHN JACKSON</i></span></p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div><i>Secretary to the Mission to Lepers in India and the East.</i></div> - <div class='c000'>Mary Reed, Missionary to the Lepers</div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c009'><i>New Edition.</i> Illustrated, 12mo, cloth, net 50c.; -paper, net 25c.</p> -<p class='c011'><span class='under'><i>G. T. B. DAVIS</i></span></p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div>Korea for Christ</div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>Illustrated, paper, net 25c.</p> - -<p class='c024'>An effective report of the recent revivals in Korea told -by an eye witness, who himself participated in the work.</p> -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_440'>440</span><span class='under'><i>JULIUS RICHTER</i></span></p> - -<p class='c024'><b>A History of Protestant Missions in the -Near East</b> 8vo, cloth, net $2.50.</p> - -<p class='c024'>A companion volume to “A History of Missions in India,” -by this great authority. The progress of the gospel is -traced in Asia Minor, Persia, Arabia, Syria, and Egypt. -Non-sectarian in spirit, thoroughly comprehensive in scope.</p> -<p class='c011'><span class='under'><i>JOHN P. JONES, D.D.</i></span></p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div>The Modern Missionary Challenge</div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c009'><i>Yale Lecturer, 1910.</i> 12mo, cloth, net $1.50.</p> - -<p class='c024'>These lectures, by the author of “India’s Problem, -Krisha or Christ?” are a re-survey of the demand of missions -in the light of progress made, in their relation to human -thought. The new difficulties, the new incentives, are considered -by one whose experience in the field and as a writer, -entitle him to consideration.</p> -<p class='c011'><span class='under'><i>ALONZO BUNKER, D.D.</i></span></p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div>Sketches from the Karen Hills</div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>Illustrated, 12mo. Cloth, net $1.00.</p> - -<p class='c024'>These descriptive chapters from a missionary’s life in -Burma are of exceptional vividness and rich in an appreciation -for color. His pen pictures give not only a splendid -insight into native life, missionary work, but have a distinctive -literary charm which characterizes his “Soo Thah.”</p> -<p class='c011'><span class='under'><i>JAMES F. LOVE</i></span></p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div>The Unique Message and Universal Mission of Christianity</div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>12mo, cloth, net $1.25.</p> - -<p class='c024'>A volume dealing with the philosophy of missions at -once penetrating and unusual. It is perhaps one of the most -original and valuable contributions to the subject yet made.</p> -<p class='c011'><span class='under'><i>WILLIAM EDWARD GARDNER</i></span></p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div><b>Winners of the World During Twenty Centuries</b> Adapted for Boys and Girls.</div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c024'>A Story and a Study of Missionary Effort from the Time of -Paul to the Present Day. Cloth, net 60c; paper, net 30c.</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 class='c010'>Children’s Missionary Series</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c011'><i>Illustrated in Colors, Cloth, Decorated, each, net 60c.</i></p> - -<div class='lg-container-l'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'><b>Children of Africa.</b> James B. Baird.</div> - <div class='line'><b>Children of Arabia.</b> John C. Young.</div> - <div class='line'><b>Children of China.</b> C. Campbell Brown.</div> - <div class='line'><b>Children of India.</b> Janet Harvey Kelman.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c003'> - <div><span class='pageno' id='Page_441'>441</span>The World Missionary Conference</div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c011'>The Report of the Ecumenical Conference held in Edinburgh -in 1910. In nine volumes, each, net 75c.; the complete set -of nine volumes. net $5.00.</p> - -<p class='c009'>A whole missionary library by experts and wrought up to -the day and hour. The Conference has been called a modern -council of Nicea and the report the greatest missionary publication -ever made.</p> -<div class='lg-container-l'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Vol. 1. Carrying the Gospel.</div> - <div class='line'>Vol. 2. The Church in the Mission Field.</div> - <div class='line'>Vol. 3. Christian Education.</div> - <div class='line'>Vol. 4. The Missionary Message.</div> - <div class='line'>Vol. 5. Preparation of Missionaries.</div> - <div class='line'>Vol. 6. The Home Base.</div> - <div class='line'>Vol. 7. Missions and Governments.</div> - <div class='line'>Vol. 8. Co-operation and Unity.</div> - <div class='line'>Vol. 9. History, Records and Addresses.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c003'> - <div>Echoes from Edinburgh, 1910</div> - <div class='c000'>By <span class='sc'>W. H. T. Gairdner</span>, <i>author of “D. M. Thornton.”</i></div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>12mo, cloth, net 50c.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The popular story of the Conference—its preparation—its -management—its effect and forecast of its influence on the -church at home and the work abroad. An official publication -in no way conflicting with the larger work—which it rather -supplements.</p> -<p class='c011'><span class='under'><i>HENRY H. JESSUP’S AUTOBIOGRAPHY</i></span></p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div>Fifty-three Years in Syria</div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>Introduction by James S. Dennis. Two volumes, illustrated, 8vo, cloth, boxed, net $5.00.</p> - -<p class='c009'>“A rich mine of information for the historian, the ethnologist -and the student of human nature apart from the -labors to which the author devoted his life. A thoroughly interesting -book that will yield endless pickings.”—<i>N. Y. Sun.</i></p> -<p class='c011'><span class='under'><i>ROBERT E. SPEER</i></span></p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div>Christianity and the Nations</div> - <div class='c000'>The Duff Lectures for 1910.</div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>8vo, cloth, net $2.00.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Among the many notable volumes that have resulted -from the well-known Duff foundation Lectureship this new -work embodying the series given by Mr. Robert E. Speer -in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen, will rank among the -most important. The general theme, “The Reflex Influence -of Missions Upon the Nations,” suggests a large, important, -and most interesting work.</p> -<p class='c011'><span class='under'><i>G. T. B. DAVIS</i></span></p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div>Korea for Christ</div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>25c net</p> - -<p class='c009'>An effective report of the recent revivals in Korea told by -an eye witness. who himself participated in the work.</p> -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_442'>442</span><span class='under'><i>ROBERT McCHEYNE MATEER</i></span></p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div>Character Building in China</div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>The Life Story of Julia Brown Mateer. With Introduction -by Robert E. Speer. Illustrated, net $1.00.</p> - -<p class='c024'>Robert E. Speer says: “Mrs. Mateer belonged to the old -heroic school which did hard things without making any fuss, -which achieved the impossible because it was one’s duty to -achieve it. May this story of her strong, vigorous life be the -summons to many young women in our colleges and Church -to-day.—<i>From the Introduction.</i></p> -<p class='c011'><span class='under'><i>GEORGE F. HERRICK, D.D.</i></span></p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div><i>Fifty Years Missionary of the American Board in Turkey</i></div> - <div class='c000'>Christian and Mohammedan</div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>A Plea for Bridging the Chasm. Illustrated, 12mo, -cloth, net $1.25.</p> - -<p class='c024'>“Dr. Herrick has given his life to missionary work -among the Mohammedans. This book is the mature expression -of his profound belief that the followers of the Arabian -Prophet are to be won to Christianity by patiently showing -Jesus Christ, with kindly appreciation of the good while fully -gauging the deadly evil of their religious system. Opinions -from leading missionaries to Mohammedans, in all parts of -the world have been brought together in the book.—<i>Henry -Otis Dwight, LL.D.</i></p> -<p class='c011'><span class='under'><i>EDWARD C. PERKINS, M.D.</i></span></p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div>A Glimpse of the Heart of China</div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>Illustrated, 16mo, cloth, net 60c.</p> - -<p class='c024'>“A simple, clear story from a physician’s point of view -of the sickness, the unnecessary suffering, the ignorant and -superstitious practice of the native physician, contrasted -with the comfort and healing that follow in the wake of -the skillful treatment of a Christian Chinese ‘woman doctor,’ -has in it many elements of interest. The reader of -these pages feels that he has truly had a ‘glimpse of the -heart of China.’”—<i>Missionary Voice.</i></p> -<p class='c011'><span class='under'><i>ANSTICE ABBOTT</i></span></p> - -<p class='c024'><b>The Stolen Bridegroom</b> <span class='sc'>And Other East Indian Idylls</span></p> - -<p class='c025'>With Introduction by George Smith, C.I.E., Author -of “The Conversion of India.” Illustrated, -12mo, cloth, net 75c.</p> - -<p class='c024'>“The author reveals, as only an expert could, the life of -the Marathi women of Western India. With delicate touch, -but realistic effect, she draws back the curtain that conceals -the Zenana.... The Missionary with the native Bible-woman -is seen on her daily round of love and mercy, in -the home, the hospital and the school, winning the weary and -despairing women and widows.”—<i>George Smith.</i></p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<p class='c009'> </p> -<div class='tnbox'> - - <ul class='ul_1 c003'> - <li>Transcriber’s Note: - <ul class='ul_2'> - <li>Missing or obscured punctuation was silently corrected. - </li> - <li>Typographical errors were silently corrected. - </li> - <li>Inconsistent spelling and hyphenation were made consistent only when a predominant - form was found in this book. - </li> - </ul> - </li> - </ul> - -</div> -<p class='c009'> </p> - -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<hr class="pgx" /> -<p>***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A HALF CENTURY AMONG THE SIAMESE AND THE LĀO***</p> -<p>******* This file should be named 63818-h.htm or 63818-h.zip *******</p> -<p>This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:<br /> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/6/3/8/1/63818">http://www.gutenberg.org/6/3/8/1/63818</a></p> -<p> -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed.</p> - -<p>Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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100644 index f4dd146..0000000 --- a/old/old/63818-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,13515 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook, A Half Century Among the Siamese and the -Lāo, by Daniel McGilvary - - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - - -Title: A Half Century Among the Siamese and the Lāo - An Autobiography - - -Author: Daniel McGilvary - - - -Release Date: November 20, 2020 [eBook #63818] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - - -***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A HALF CENTURY AMONG THE SIAMESE -AND THE LāO*** - - -E-text prepared by Brian Wilson, Barry Abrahamsen, and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from page images -generously made available by Internet Archive (https://archive.org) - - - -Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this - file which includes the original illustrations. - See 63818-h.htm or 63818-h.zip: - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/63818/63818-h/63818-h.htm) - or - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/63818/63818-h.zip) - - - Images of the original pages are available through - Internet Archive. See - https://archive.org/details/halfcenturyamong00mcgi - - -Transcriber’s note: - - Text that was in italics is enclosed by underscores - (_italics_). - - Text that was in bold face is enclosed by equal signs - (=bold=). - - - - - -A HALF CENTURY AMONG THE SIAMESE AND THE LĀO - - -[Illustration: - - Daniel McGilvary] - - -A HALF CENTURY AMONG THE SIAMESE AND THE LĀO - -An Autobiography - -By - -DANIEL McGILVARY, D.D. - -With an Appreciation by Arthur J. Brown, D.D. - -Illustrated - - -[Illustration] - - - - - - -New York Chicago Toronto -Fleming H. Revell Company -London and Edinburgh - -Copyright, 1912, by -Fleming H. Revell Company - -New York: 158 Fifth Avenue -Chicago: 125 N. Wabash Ave. -Toronto: 25 Richmond St., W. -London: 21 Paternoster Square -Edinburgh: 100 Princes Street - - - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - TO - MY WIFE - - - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - AN APPRECIATION - - -Missionary biography is one of the most interesting and instructive of -studies. It is, however, a department of missionary literature to which -Americans have not made proportionate contribution. The foreign -missionary Societies of the United States now represent more -missionaries and a larger expenditure than the European Societies, but -most of the great missionary biographies are of British and Continental -missionaries, so that many Americans do not realize that there are men -connected with their own Societies whose lives have been characterized -by eminent devotion and large achievement. - -Because I regarded Dr. McGilvary as one of the great missionaries of the -Church Universal, I urged him several years ago to write his -autobiography. He was then over seventy-five years of age, and I told -him that he could not spend his remaining strength to any better -advantage to the cause he loved than in preparing such a volume. His -life was not only one of unusual length (he lived to the ripe age of -eighty-three), but his missionary service of fifty-three years covered -an interesting part of the history of missionary work in Siam, and the -entire history, thus far, of the mission to the Lāo people of northern -Siam. There is no more fascinating story in fiction or in that truth -which is stranger than fiction, than the story of his discovery of a -village of strange speech near his station at Pechaburī, Siam, his -learning the language of the villagers, his long journey with his -friend, Dr. Jonathan Wilson, into what was then the unknown region of -northern Siam, pushing his little boat up the great river and pausing -not until he had gone six hundred miles northward and arrived at the -city of Chiengmai. The years that followed were years of toil and -privation, of loneliness and sometimes of danger; but the missionaries -persevered with splendid faith and courage until the foundations of a -prosperous Mission were laid. - -In all the marked development of the Lāo Mission, Dr. McGilvary was a -leader—the leader. He laid the foundations of medical work, introducing -quinine and vaccination among a people scourged by malaria and smallpox, -a work which has now developed into five hospitals and a leper asylum. -He began educational work, which is now represented by eight boarding -schools and twenty-two elementary schools, and is fast expanding into a -college, a medical college, and a theological seminary. He was the -evangelist who won the first converts, founded the first church, and had -a prominent part in founding twenty other churches, and in developing a -Lāo Christian Church of four thousand two hundred and five adult -communicants. His colleague, the Rev. Dr. W. C. Dodd, says that Dr. -McGilvary selected the sites for all the present stations of the Mission -long before committees formally sanctioned the wisdom of his choice. He -led the way into regions beyond and was the pioneer explorer into the -French Lāo States, eastern Burma, and even up to the borders of China. -Go where you will in northern Siam, or in many sections of the -extra-Siamese Lāo States, you will find men and women to whom Dr. -McGilvary first brought the Good News. He well deserves the name so -frequently given him even in his lifetime—“The Apostle to the Lāo.” - -It was my privilege to conduct our Board’s correspondence with Dr. -McGilvary for more than a decade, and, in 1902, to visit him in his home -and to journey with him through an extensive region. I have abiding and -tender memories of those memorable days. He was a Christian gentleman of -the highest type, a man of cultivation and refinement, of ability and -scholarship, of broad vision and constructive leadership. His -evangelistic zeal knew no bounds. A toilsome journey on elephants -through the jungles brought me to a Saturday night with the weary -ejaculation: “Now we can have a day of rest!” The next morning I slept -late; but Dr. McGilvary did not; he spent an hour before breakfast in a -neighbouring village, distributing tracts and inviting the people to -come to a service at our camp at ten o’clock. It was an impressive -service,—under a spreading bo tree, with the mighty forest about us, -monkeys curiously peering through the tangled vines, the huge elephants -browsing the bamboo tips behind us, and the wondering people sitting on -the ground, while one of the missionaries told the deathless story of -redeeming love. But Dr. McGilvary was not present. Seventy-four years -old though he was, he had walked three miles under a scorching sun to -another village and was preaching there, while Dr. Dodd conducted the -service at our camp. And I said: “If that is the way Dr. McGilvary -rests, what does he do when he works?” Dr. McKean, his associate of many -years, writes: - -“No one who has done country evangelistic work with Dr. McGilvary can -ever forget the oft-seen picture of the gray-haired patriarch seated on -the bamboo floor of a thatch-covered Lāo house, teaching some one to -read. Of course, the book faced the pupil, and it was often said that he -had taught so many people in this way that he could read the Lāo -character very readily with the book upside down. Little children -instinctively loved him, and it is therefore needless to say that he -loved them. In spite of his long snow-white beard, never seen in men of -this land and a strange sight to any Lāo child, the children readily -came to him. Parents have been led to God because Dr. McGilvary loved -their children and laid his hands upon them. In no other capacity was -the spirit of the man more manifest than in that of a shepherd. Always -on the alert for every opportunity, counting neither time nor distance -nor the hardship of inclement weather, swollen streams, pathless jungle, -or impassable road, he followed the example of his Master in seeking to -save the lost. His very last journey, which probably was the immediate -cause of his last illness, was a long, wearisome ride on horseback, -through muddy fields and deep irrigating ditches, to visit a man whom he -had befriended many years ago and who seemed to be an inquirer.” - -Dr. McGilvary was pre-eminently a man who walked with God. His piety was -not a mere profession, but a pervasive and abiding force. He knew no -greater joy than to declare the Gospel of his blessed Lord to the people -to whose up-lifting he had devoted his life. “If to be great is ‘to take -the common things of life and walk truly among them,’ he was a great -man—great in soul, great in simplicity, great in faith and great in -love. Siam is the richer because Daniel McGilvary gave her fifty-three -years of unselfish service.” Mrs. Curtis, the gifted author of _The Laos -of North Siam_, says of Dr. McGilvary: “Neither Carey nor Judson -surpassed him in strength of faith and zeal of purpose; neither Paton -nor Chalmers has outranked him in the wonders of their achievements, and -not one of the other hundreds of missionaries ever has had more evidence -of God’s blessing upon their work.” - -Not only the missionaries but the Lāo people loved him as a friend and -venerated him as a father. Some of his intimate friends were the abbots -and monks of the Buddhist monasteries and the high officials of the -country. No one could know him without recognizing the nobility of soul -of this saintly patriarch, in whom was no guile. December 6th, 1910, -many Americans and Europeans celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of his -marriage. The King of Siam through Prince Damrong, Minister of the -Interior, sent a congratulatory message. Letters, telegrams, and gifts -poured in from many different places. The Christian people of the city -presented a large silver tray, on which was engraved: “The Christian -people of Chiengmai to Dr. and Mrs. McGilvary, in memory of your having -brought the Gospel of Jesus Christ to us forty-three years ago.” The -tray showed in relief the old rest-house where Dr. and Mrs. McGilvary -spent their first two years in Chiengmai, the residence which was later -their home of many years, the old dilapidated bridge, and the handsome -new bridge which spans the river opposite the Christian Girls’ -School—thus symbolizing the old and the new eras. - -The recent tours of exploration by the Rev. W. Clifton Dodd, D.D., and -the Rev. John H. Freeman have disclosed the fact that the Lāo peoples -are far more numerous and more widely distributed than we had formerly -supposed. Their numbers are now estimated at from twelve to sixteen -millions, and their habitat includes not only the Lāo States of northern -Siam but extensive regions north and northeastward in the Shan States, -Southern China, and French Indo-China. The evangelization of these -peoples is, therefore, an even larger and more important undertaking -than it was understood to be only a few years ago. All the more honour, -therefore, must be assigned to Dr. McGilvary, who laid foundations upon -which a great superstructure must now be built. - -Dr. McGilvary died as he would have wished to die and as any Christian -worker might wish to die. There was no long illness. He continued his -great evangelistic and literary labours almost to the end. Only a short -time before his death, he made another of his famous itinerating -journeys, preaching the Gospel to the outlying villages, guiding -perplexed people and comforting the sick and dying. He recked as little -of personal hardship as he had all his life, thinking nothing of hard -travelling, simple fare, and exposure to sun, mud, and rain. Not long -after his return and after a few brief days of illness, he quietly “fell -on sleep,” his death the simple but majestic and dignified ending of a -great earthly career. - -The Lāo country had never seen such a funeral as that which marked the -close of this memorable life. Princes, Governors, and High Commissioners -of State sorrowed with multitudes of common people. The business of -Chiengmai was suspended, offices were closed, and flags hung at -half-mast as the silent form of the great missionary was borne to its -last resting-place in the land to which he was the first bringer of -enlightenment, and whose history can never be truly written without -large recognition of his achievements. - -Fortunately, Dr. McGilvary had completed this autobiography before his -natural powers had abated, and had sent the manuscript to his -brother-in-law, Professor Cornelius B. Bradley of the University of -California. Dr. Bradley, himself a son of a great missionary to Siam, -has done his editorial work with sympathetic insight. It has been a -labour of love to him to put these pages through the press, and every -friend of the Lāo people and of Dr. McGilvary is his debtor. The book -itself is characterized by breadth of sympathy, richness of experience, -clearness of statement, and high literary charm. No one can read these -pages without realizing anew that Dr. McGilvary was a man of fine mind, -close observation, and descriptive gifts. The book is full of human -interest. It is the story of a man who tells about the things that he -heard and saw and who tells his story well. I count it a privilege to -have this opportunity of commending this volume as one of the books -which no student of southern Asia and of the missionary enterprise can -afford to overlook. - - ARTHUR J. BROWN. - -156 FIFTH AVENUE, NEW YORK. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - PREFACE - - -Years ago, in the absence of any adequate work upon the subject, the -officers of our Missionary Board and other friends urged me to write a -book on the Lāo Mission. Then there appeared Mrs. L. W. Curtis’ -interesting volume, _The Laos of North Siam_, much to be commended for -its accuracy and its valuable information, especially in view of the -author’s short stay in the field. But no such work exhausts its subject. - -I have always loved to trace the providential circumstances which led to -the founding of the Lāo Mission and directed its early history. And it -seems important that before it be too late, that early history should be -put into permanent form. I have, therefore, endeavoured to give, with -some fulness of detail, the story of the origin and inception of the -Mission, and of its early struggles which culminated in the Edict of -Religious Toleration. And in the later portions of the narrative I have -naturally given prominence to those things which seemed to continue the -characteristic features and the personal interest of that earlier period -of outreach and adventure, and especially my long tours into the -“regions beyond.” - -The appearance during the past year of Rev. J. H. Freeman’s _An Oriental -Land of the Free_, giving very full and accurate information regarding -the present status of the Mission, has relieved me of the necessity of -going over the same ground again. I have, therefore, been content to -draw my narrative to a close with the account of my last long tour in -1898. - -The work was undertaken with many misgivings, since my early training -and the nature of my life-work have not been the best preparation for -authorship. I cherished the secret hope that one of my own children -would give the book its final revision for the press. But at last an -appeal was made to my brother-in-law, Professor Cornelius B. Bradley of -the University of California, whose birth and years of service in Siam, -whose broad scholarship, fine literary taste, and hearty sympathy with -our missionary efforts indicated him as the man above all others best -qualified for this task. His generous acceptance of this work, and the -infinite pains he has taken in the revision and editing of this book, -place me under lasting obligations to him. - -I wish to acknowledge my indebtedness to Dr. W. A. Briggs and to Rev. J. -H. Freeman for the use of maps prepared by them, and to Dr. Briggs and -others for the use of photographs. - - DANIEL MCGILVARY. - - April 6, 1911, - - CHIENGMAI. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - NOTE BY THE EDITOR - - -The task which has fallen to me in connection with this book, was -undertaken as a labour of love; and such it seems to me even more, now -that it ends in sadness of farewell. It has not been an easy task. The -vast spaces to be traversed, and the months of time required before a -question could receive its answer, made consultation with the author -almost impossible. And the ever-present fear that for him the night -might come before the work could receive a last revision at his hands, -or even while he was still in the midst of his story, led me continually -to urge upon him the need of persevering in his writing—which was -evidently becoming an irksome task—and on my part to hasten on a -piecemeal revision as the chapters came to hand, though as yet I had no -measure of the whole to guide me. - -It is, therefore, a great comfort to know that my urgency and haste were -not in vain; that all of the revision reached him in time to receive his -criticism and correction—though his letter on the concluding chapter -was, as I understand, the very last piece of writing that he ever did. -How serene and bright it was, and with no trace of the shadow so soon to -fall! - -But the draft so made had far outgrown the possible limits of -publication, and was, of course, without due measure and proportion of -parts. In the delicate task of its reduction I am much indebted to the -kind suggestions of the Rev. Arthur J. Brown, D.D., and the Rev. A. W. -Halsey, D.D., Secretaries of the Board of Foreign Missions of the -Presbyterian Church, and of the Rev. W. C. Dodd, D.D., of the Lāo -Mission, who, fortunately, was in this country, and who read the -manuscript. For what appears in this book, however, I alone must assume -the responsibility. “An autobiography is a personal book, expressive of -personal opinion.” And whether we agree with them or not, the opinions -of a man like Dr. McGilvary, formed during a long lifetime of closest -contact with the matters whereof he speaks, are an essential part not -only of the history of those matters, but of the portrait of the man, -and far more interesting than any mere details of events or scenes. On -all grave questions, therefore, on which he has expressed his deliberate -opinion, I have preferred to err on the side of inclusion rather than -exclusion. - - * * * * * - -The plan adopted in this volume for spelling Siamese and Lāo words is -intended to make possible, and even easy, a real approximation to the -native pronunciation. Only the tonal inflections of native speech and -the varieties of aspiration are ignored, as wholly foreign to our usage -and, therefore, unmanageable. - -The consonant-letters used and the digraphs _ch_ and _ng_ have their -common English values. - -The vowels are as follows: - - Long ā as in _father_ - ē as in _they_ - ī as in _pique_ - ō as in _rode_ - ū as in _rude_, _rood_ - aw as in _lawn_ - ê as in _there_ (without the _r_) - ô as in _world_ (without the _r_) - û is the _high-mixed_ vowel, not found in English. - It may be pronounced as u. - - Short a as in _about_ (German _Mann_)—_not_ as in _hat_. - e as in _set_ - i as in _sit_ - o as in _obey_ (N. Eng. _coat_)—_not_ as in _cot_. - u as in _pull_, _foot_—_not_ as in _but_. - -The last four long vowels have also their corresponding shorts, but -since these rarely occur, it has not been thought worth while to burden -the scheme with extra characters to represent them. - -The diphthongs are combinations of one of these vowels, heavily -stressed, and nearly always long in quantity—which makes it seem to us -exaggerated or drawled—with a “vanish” of short _i_, _o_, (for _u_), or -_a_. _ai_ (= English long i, y) and _ao_ (= English _ow_) are the only -diphthongs with short initial element, and are to be distinguished from -_āi_ and _āo_. In deference to long established usage in maps and the -like, _ie_ is used in this volume where _ia_ would be the consistent -spelling, and _oi_ for _awi_. - - * * * * * - -A word remains to be said concerning the name of the people among whom -Dr. McGilvary spent his life. That name has suffered uncommonly hard -usage, especially at the hands of Americans, as the following brief -history will show. Its original form in European writing was _Lāo_, a -fairly accurate transcription by early French travellers of the name by -which the Siamese call their cousins to the north and east. The word is -a monosyllable ending in a diphthong similar to that heard in the proper -names _Macāo_, _Mindanāo_, _Callāo_. In French writing the name often -appeared in the plural form, _les Laos_; the added _s_, however, being -silent, made no difference with the pronunciation. This written plural, -then, it would seem, English-speaking people took over without -recognizing the fact that it was only plural, and made it their standard -form for all uses, singular as well as plural. With characteristic -ignorance or disregard of its proper pronunciation, on the mere basis of -its spelling, they have imposed on it a barbarous pronunciation of their -own—_Lay-oss_. It is to be regretted that the usage of American -missionaries has been most effective in giving currency and countenance -to this blunder—has even added to it the further blunder of using it as -the name of the region or territory, as well as of the people. But the -word is purely ethnical—a proper adjective like our words _French_ or -_English_, and, like these, capable of substantive use in naming either -the people or their language, but not their land. Needless to say, these -errors have no currency whatever among European peoples excepting the -English, and they have very little currency in England. It seems high -time for us of America to amend not only our false pronunciation, but -our false usage, and the false spelling upon which these rest. In -accordance with the scheme of spelling adopted in this work, the _a_ of -the name Lāo is marked with the macron to indicate its long quantity and -stress. - - CORNELIUS BEACH BRADLEY. - - BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA, - - December, 1911. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CONTENTS - - - I. CHILDHOOD AND YOUTH 19 - - II. MINISTERIAL TRAINING 35 - - III. BANGKOK 43 - - IV. PECHABURĪ—THE CALL OF THE 53 - NORTH - - V. THE CHARTER OF THE LĀO MISSION 66 - - VI. CHIENGMAI 77 - - VII. PIONEER WORK 84 - - VIII. FIRST-FRUITS 95 - - IX. MARTYRDOM 102 - - X. THE ROYAL COMMISSION 118 - - XI. DEATH OF KĀWILŌROT 130 - - XII. THE NEW RÉGIME 140 - - XIII. EXPLORATION 150 - - XIV. FIRST FURLOUGH 160 - - XV. MÛANG KÊN AND CHIENG DĀO 169 - - XVI. SEEKERS AFTER GOD 180 - - XVII. THE RESIDENT COMMISSIONER 191 - - XVIII. WITCHCRAFT 199 - - XIX. THE EDICT OF RELIGIOUS 207 - TOLERATION - - XX. SCHOOLS—THE NINE YEARS’ 221 - WANDERER - - XXI. SECOND FURLOUGH 236 - - XXII. A SURVEYING EXPEDITION 244 - - XXIII. EVANGELISTIC TRAINING 255 - - XXIV. STRUGGLE WITH THE POWERS OF 266 - DARKNESS - - XXV. CHRISTIAN COMMUNITIES PLANTED 276 - - XXVI. A FOOTHOLD IN LAMPŪN 289 - - XXVII. A PRISONER OF JESUS CHRIST 300 - - XXVIII. CIRCUIT TOUR WITH MY DAUGHTER 308 - - XXIX. LENGTHENING THE CORDS AND 320 - STRENGTHENING THE STAKES - - XXX. AMONG THE MŪSÔ VILLAGES—FAMINE 338 - - XXXI. CHIENG RUNG AND THE SIPSAWNG 353 - PANNĀ - - XXXII. THIRD FURLOUGH—STATION AT 370 - CHIENG RĀI - - XXXIII. THE REGIONS BEYOND 386 - - XXXIV. THE CLOSED DOOR 402 - - XXXV. CONCLUSION 413 - - INDEX 431 - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - ILLUSTRATIONS - - - DANIEL MCGILVARY _Frontispiece_ - - WILLIAM J. BINGHAM 30 - - MAHĀ MONKUT, KING OF SIAM, 1851-1872 48 - - PAGODA OF WAT CHÊNG, BANGKOK 56 - - REV. DAN BEACH BRADLEY, M.D., 1872 70 - - KĀWILŌROT, PRINCE OF CHIENGMAI (ABOUT 70 - 1869) - - A REST BETWEEN RAPIDS IN THE GORGE OF 76 - THE MÊ PING RIVER - - POLING UP THE MÊ PING RIVER 76 - - TEMPLE OF THE OLD TĀI STYLE OF 82 - ARCHITECTURE, CHIENGMAI - - A CREMATION PROCESSION 146 - - INTERIOR OF A TEMPLE, PRÊ 158 - - AN ABBOT PREACHING 188 - - INTANON, PRINCE OF CHIENGMAI 202 - - ELDER NĀN SUWAN 202 - - DR. MCGILVARY, 1881 238 - - MRS. MCGILVARY, 1881 238 - - CHULALONGKORN, KING OF SIAM, 1872-1910 242 - - PRESBYTERY, RETURNING FROM MEETING IN 264 - LAKAWN - - MARKET SCENE IN CHIENGMAI 274 - - IN THE HARVEST-FIELD 274 - - GIRLS’ SCHOOL IN CHIENGMAI, 1892 284 - - REV. JONATHAN WILSON, D.D., 1898 294 - - FIRST CHURCH IN CHIENGMAI 318 - - DR. MCGILVARY’S HOME IN CHIENGMAI 318 - - MRS. MCGILVARY, 1893 332 - - MŪSÔ PEOPLE AND HUT NEAR CHIENG RAI 348 - - GROUP OF YUNNAN LĀO 356 - - PHYA SURA SIH, SIAMESE HIGH COMMISSIONER 384 - FOR THE NORTH - - HIS MAJESTY, MAHĀ VAJIRAVUDH, KING OF 424 - SIAM - - DR. AND MRS. MCGILVARY, FIFTY YEARS 428 - AFTER THEIR MARRIAGE - - MAP OF NORTHERN SIAM SHOWING MISSION 326 - STATIONS - - MAP OF SIAM 430 - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - I - - CHILDHOOD AND YOUTH - - -Heredity and early environment exercise such a determining influence in -forming a man’s character and shaping his destiny that, without some -knowledge of these as a clew, his after-life would often be -unintelligible. And beyond these there is doubtless a current of events, -directing the course of every man’s life, which no one else can see so -clearly as the man himself. In the following review of my early life, I -have confined myself, therefore, to those events which seem to have led -me to my life-work, or to have prepared me for it. - -By race I am a Scotsman of Scotsmen. My father, Malcom McGilvary, was a -Highland lad, born in the Isle of Skye, and inheriting the marked -characteristics of his race. In 1789, when Malcom was eleven years old, -my grandfather brought his family to the United States, and established -himself in Moore County, North Carolina, on the headwaters of the Cape -Fear River. The McGilvarys had but followed in the wake of an earlier -immigration of Scottish Highlanders, whose descendants to this day form -a large proportion of the population of Moore, Cumberland, Richmond, -Robeson, and other counties of North Carolina. My father’s brothers -gradually scattered, one going to the southwestern, and two to the -northwestern frontier. My father, being the youngest of the family, -remained with his parents on the homestead. The country was then -sparsely settled; communication was slow and uncertain. The scattered -members of the family gradually lost sight of one another and of the -home. My mother belonged to the McIver clan—from the same region of the -Scottish Highlands, and as numerous in North Carolina as the McGilvarys -were scarce. She was born in this country not long after the arrival of -her parents. - -I was born May 16th, 1828, being the youngest of seven children. As soon -after my birth as my mother could endure the removal, she was taken to -Fayetteville, thirty-five miles distant, to undergo a dangerous surgical -operation. The journey was a trying one. Anæsthetics were as yet -unknown. My poor mother did not long survive the shock. She died on the -23d of November of that year. - -Since feeding-bottles were not then in use, the motherless infant was -passed around to the care of aunts and cousins, who had children of like -age. Two aunts in particular, Catharine McIver and Margaret McNeill, and -a cousin, Effie McIver, always claimed a share in me for their motherly -ministrations till, at last, I could be turned over to my sister Mary. -She, though but six years my senior, was old beyond her years; and the -motherly care with which she watched over her little charge was long -remembered and spoken of in the family. - -When I was four years old, my father married his second wife, Miss Nancy -McIntosh. The next nine years, till my father’s death, June 8th, 1841, -were spent in the uneventful routine of a godly family in a country -home. My father’s rigid ideas of family discipline were inherited from -his Presbyterian ancestors in Scotland, and his own piety was of a -distinctly old-school type. He was a ruling elder in the church at -Buffalo, Fayetteville Presbytery, in which office he was succeeded by my -brother, Evander, and three others of his sons became elders in other -churches. No pressure of business was ever allowed to interfere with -family worship night and morning. A psalm or hymn from the old village -hymnbook always formed part of the service. My father was an early -riser, and, in the winter time, family worship was often over before the -dawn. Almost every spare moment of his time he spent in reading Scott’s -Family Bible, the Philadelphia _Presbyterian_, or one of the few books -of devotion which composed the family library. The special treasure of -the book-case was the great quarto Illustrated Family Bible, with the -Apocrypha and Brown’s Concordance, published by M. Carey, Philadelphia, -1815. It was the only pictorial book in the library, and its pictures -were awe-inspiring to us children—especially those in the Book of -Revelation:—The Dragon Chained, The Beast with Seven Heads and Ten -Horns, and the Vision of the Four Seals. These and the solemn themes of -Russell’s _Seven Sermons_—which on rainy days I used to steal away by -myself to read—made a profound impression on me. - -Scottish folk always carry the school with the kirk. Free schools were -unknown; but after the crops were “laid by,” we always had a -subscription school, in which my father, with his large family, had a -leading interest. The teacher “boarded around” with the pupils. Our -regular night-task was three questions and answers in the Shorter -Catechism—no small task for boys of ten or twelve years. My memory of -the Catechism once stood me in good stead in after-life. When examined -for licensure by the Orange Presbytery, I was asked, “What is man’s -state by nature?” In reply I gave the answers to the nineteenth and -twentieth questions in the Catechism. A perceptible smile passed over -the faces of many of the presbyters, and Father Lynch said, “He is right -on the Catechism. He will pass.” In those days to be “right on the -Catechism” would atone for many failures in Hodge or Turretin. - -The church was at the village of Buffalo, four miles from our home, but -no one of the family was expected to be absent from the family pew on -“the Sabbath.” Carriages were a later luxury in that region. Our two -horses carried father and mother, with the youngest of the little folks -mounted behind, till he should be able to walk with the rest. - -The great event of the year was the camp-meeting at the Fall Communion. -It served as an epoch from which the events of the year before and after -it were dated. For weeks before it came, all work on the farm was -arranged with reference to “Buffalo Sacrament”—pronounced with long a in -the first syllable. It was accounted nothing for people to come fifteen, -twenty, or even forty miles to the meetings. Every pew-holder had a -tent, and kept open house. No stranger went away hungry. Neighbouring -ministers were invited to assist the pastor. Services began on Friday, -and closed on Monday, unless some special interest suggested the wisdom -of protracting them further. The regular order was: A sunrise -prayer-meeting, breakfast, a prayer-meeting at nine, a sermon at ten, an -intermission, and then another sermon. The sermons were not accounted of -much worth if they were not an hour long. The pulpit was the tall -old-fashioned boxpulpit with a sounding-board above. For want of room in -the church, the two sermons on Sunday were preached from a stand in the -open air. At the close of the second sermon the ruling elders, stationed -in various parts of the congregation, distributed to the communicants -the “tokens,”[1] which admitted them to the sacramental table. Then, in -solemn procession, the company marched up the rising ground to the -church, singing as they went: - - “Children of the Heavenly King, - As ye journey sweetly sing.” - -Footnote 1: - - The “token” was a thin square piece of lead stamped with the initial - letter of the name of the church. - -It was a beautiful sight, and we boys used to climb the hill in advance -to see it. When the audience was seated, there was a brief introductory -exercise. Then a hymn was sung, while a group of communicants filled the -places about the communion table. There was an address by one of the -ministers, during the progress of which the bread and the wine were -passed to the group at the table. Then there was singing again, while -the first group retired, and a second group took its place. The same -ceremony was repeated for them, and again for others, until all -communicants present had participated. The communion service must have -occupied nearly two hours. One thing I remember well—when the children’s -dinner-time came (which was after all the rest had dined), the sun was -low in the heavens, and there was still a night service before us. -Notwithstanding some inward rebellion, it seemed all right then. But the -same thing nowadays would drive all the young people out of the church. - -With some diffidence I venture to make one criticism on our home life. -The “Sabbath” was too rigidly observed to commend itself to the judgment -and conscience of children—too rigidly, perhaps, for the most healthy -piety in adults. It is hard to convince boys that to whistle on Sunday, -even though the tune be “Old Hundred,” is a sin deserving of censure. An -afternoon stroll in the farm or the orchard might even have clarified my -father’s vision for the enjoyment of his Scott’s Bible at night. It -would surely have been a means of grace to his boys. But such was the -Scottish type of piety of those days, and it was strongly held. The -family discipline was of the reserved and dignified type, rather than of -the affectionate. Implicit obedience was the law for children. My father -loved his children, but never descended to the level of familiarity with -them when young, and could not sympathize with their sports. - -But dark days were coming. Brother John Martin presently married and -moved west. In August, 1840, an infant sister died of quinsy—the first -death I ever witnessed. On June 8th, 1841, the father and “house-bond” -of the family was taken away. The inheritance he left his children was -the example of an upright, spotless life—of more worth than a legacy of -silver and gold. These we might have squandered, but that was -inalienable. - -At thirteen, I was small for my age—too small to do a man’s work on the -farm; and there was no money with which to secure for me an education. -Just then occurred one of those casual incidents which often determine -the whole course of one’s life. Mr. Roderick McIntosh, one of my -mother’s cousins, being disabled for hard work on the farm, had learned -the tailor’s trade, and was then living in the village of Pittsboro, -twenty-one miles away. His father was a neighbour of ours, and a man -after my father’s own heart. The two families had thus always been very -intimate. While the question of my destiny was thus in the balance, this -cousin, one day, while on a visit to his father, called at our house. He -had mounted his horse to leave, when, turning to Evander, he asked, -“What is Dan’l going to do?” My brother replied, “There he is; ask him.” -Turning to me, he said, “Well, Dan’l, how would you like to come and -live with me? I will teach you a trade.” I had never thought of such a -thing, nor had it ever been mentioned in the family. But somehow it -struck me favourably. Instinctively I replied, “I believe I should like -it.” A life-question could not have been settled more fortuitously. But -it was the first step on the way to Siam and the Lāo Mission. - -On the last day of August, 1841, I bade farewell to the old home, with -all its pleasant associations. Every spot of it was dear, but never so -dear as then. Accompanied by my brother Evander, each of us riding one -of the old family horses, I started out for my new home. The departure -was not utterly forlorn, since Evander was still with me. But the -parting from him, as he started back next day, was probably the hardest -thing I had ever experienced. I had to seek a quiet place and give vent -to a flood of tears. For a time I was inexpressibly sad. I realized, as -never before, that I was cut loose from the old moorings—was alone in -the world. But the sorrows of youth are soon assuaged. No one could have -received a warmer welcome in the new home than I did. There were two -children in the family, and they helped to fill the void made by the -separation. - -Pittsboro was not a large village, but its outlook was broader than that -of my home. The world seemed larger. I myself felt larger than I had -done as a country boy. I heard discussion of politics and of the -questions of the day. The county was strongly Whig, but Mr. McIntosh was -an unyielding Democrat, and as fond of argument as a politician. -According to southern custom, stores and shops were favourite resorts -for passing away idle time, and for sharpening the wits of the -villagers. The recent Presidential campaign of 1840 furnished unending -themes for discussion in our little shop. - -There was no Presbyterian church in Pittsboro at that time. The -church-going population was divided between the Methodist and the -Episcopalian churches, the former being the larger. With my cousin’s -family I attended the Methodist church. On my first Sunday I joined the -Methodist Sunday School, and that school was the next important link in -my chain of life. Its special feature was a system of prizes. A certain -number of perfect answers secured a blue ticket; ten of these brought a -yellow ticket; and yellow tickets, according to the number of them, -entitled the possessor to various prizes—a hymnbook, a Bible, or the -like. On the first Sunday I was put into a class of boys of my own age, -at work on a little primer of one hundred and six questions, all -answered in monosyllables. By the next Sunday I was able to recite the -whole, together with the Lord’s Prayer and the Apostles’ Creed at the -end. It was no great feat; but the teacher and the school thought it -was. So, on the strength of my very first lesson, I got a yellow ticket, -and was promoted to the next higher class. That stimulated my ambition, -and I devoted my every spare hour to study. The next book was one of -questions and answers on the four Gospels. They were very easy; I was -able to commit to memory several hundred answers during the week. In a -few Sundays I got my first prize; and it was not long before I had -secured all the prizes offered in the school. What was of far more value -than the prizes was the greater love for study and for the Scriptures -which the effort had awakened in me, and a desire for an education. The -shop was often idle; I had plenty of time for study, and made the most -of it. - -At one of the subsequent Quarterly Meetings, a Rev. Mr. Brainard, who -had considerable reputation as a revivalist, preached one Sunday night a -vivid and thrilling sermon on Noah’s Ark and the Flood. So marked was -the impression on the audience, that, at the close, according to the -Methodist custom, “mourners” were invited to the altar. Many accepted -the invitation. A young friend sitting beside me was greatly affected. -With streaming eyes he said, “Dan’l, let us go, too,” rising up and -starting as he spoke. After a few moments I followed. By this time the -space about the altar was well filled. There was great excitement and no -little confusion—exhortation, singing, and prayer going on all at once. -A number of persons made profession of religion, and soon my young -friend joined them. He was full of joy, and was surprised to find that I -was not so, too. The meetings were continued night after night, and each -night I went to the altar. As I look back upon it from this distance, it -seems to me that, with much exhortation to repent and believe, there was -not enough of clear and definite instruction regarding the plan of -salvation, or the offices and work of Christ. One night, in a quiet hour -at home, the grounds and method of a sinner’s acceptance of Christ -became clear to me, and He became my Lord. - -Soon after, when invitation was given to the new converts to join the -church as probationers, I was urged by some good friends to join with -the rest; and was myself not a little inclined to do so. It was no doubt -the influence of my cousin that enabled me to withstand the excitement -of the revival and the gentle pressure of my Methodist friends, and to -join, instead, my father’s old church at Buffalo. But I owe more than I -shall ever know to that Sunday School, and since then I have always -loved the Methodist Church. Meanwhile the prospects for an education -grew no brighter, though Mr. Brantley, then a young graduate in charge -of the Pittsboro Academy, but afterward a distinguished Baptist minister -of Philadelphia, gave me a place in his school at idle times; and a Dr. -Hall used to lend me books to read. - -When the opportunity for acquiring an education finally came, it was as -unexpected as a clap of thunder out of a blue sky. The celebrated -Bingham School, now in Asheville, North Carolina, was then, as now, the -most noted in the South. It was started by Rev. William Bingham in -Pittsboro, North Carolina, in the closing years of the eighteenth -century. It was moved to Hillsboro by his son, the late William J. -Bingham, father of the present Principal. The school was patronized by -the leading families of the South. The number of pupils was strictly -limited. To secure a place, application had to be made a year or more in -advance. - -My surprise, therefore, can well be imagined, when one day Baccus King, -a young boy of the town, walked into the shop with a letter addressed to -Master Daniel McGilvary from no less a personage than William J. -Bingham, the great teacher and Principal. At first I thought I was the -victim of some boyish trick. But there was the signature, and the -explanation that followed removed all doubt. Nathan Stedman, an -influential citizen of Pittsboro, was an early acquaintance and friend -of Mr. Bingham. He had visited the school in person to secure a place -for his nephew, young King, and had brought back with him the letter for -me. What Mr. Bingham knew of me I never discovered. No doubt Mr. Stedman -could have told, though up to that time I had never more than spoken -with him. Be that as it may, there was the letter with its most generous -offer that I take a course in Bingham School at the Principal’s expense. -He was to board me and furnish all necessary expenses, which, after -graduation, I was to refund by teaching. If I became a minister of the -Gospel, the tuition was to be free; otherwise I was to refund that also. -To young King’s enquiry what I would do, I replied, “Of course, I shall -go.” My cousin, Mr. McIntosh, was scarcely less delighted than I was at -the unexpected opening. - -The invitation to attend Bingham School came in the fall of 1845, when I -was in my eighteenth year. There were then only two weeks till the -school should open. I had little preparation to make. A pine box painted -red was soon got ready to serve as a trunk, for my wardrobe was by no -means elaborate. Mr. Stedman kindly offered me a seat with Baccus and a -friend of his who was returning to the school. On the way Baccus’ friend -entertained us with stories of the rigid discipline, for this was in the -days when the rod was not spared. I had no fears of the rod, but I -trembled lest I should not sustain myself as well as such great kindness -demanded. It might be a very different thing from winning a reputation -in a Methodist Sunday School. - -It was dusk when we reached The Oaks. The family was at supper. Mr. -Bingham came out to receive us. He told Baccus’ friend to take him to -his own old quarters, and, turning to me, said, “I have made -arrangements for you to board with Mr. C., and to room with Mr. K., the -assistant teacher, till my house is finished, when you are to live with -us. But we are at supper now. You must be hungry after your long ride. -Come in and eat with us.” After supper, Mr. Bingham went with me to my -boarding-house, and introduced me to my hosts and to my chum, David -Kerr. He welcomed me, and said he thought we should get along finely -together. We not only did that, but he became a warm friend to whom I -owed much. So I was in the great Bingham School, overwhelmed with a -succession of unexpected kindnesses from so many quarters! What did it -all mean? - - -[Illustration: - - WILLIAM J. BINGHAM] - - -My highest anticipations of the school were realized. If there ever was -a born teacher, William J. Bingham was one. Latin and Greek were taught -then by a method very different from the modern one. Before a sentence -was read or translated, the invariable direction was—master your -grammar. In grammar-drill Mr. Bingham could have no superior. Bullion’s -Grammars and Readers were the text-books. The principal definitions were -learned practically verbatim. The coarse print was required of all in -the class. The older pupils were advised to learn notes, exceptions, and -all. I never became so familiar with any other books as with that series -of grammars. We were expected to decline every noun and adjective, alone -or combined, from nominative singular to ablative plural, backwards or -forwards, and to give, at a nod, voice, mood, tense, number, and person -of any verb in the lesson. These exercises became at last so easy that -they were great fun. Even now, sixty years later, I often put myself to -sleep by repeating the old paradigms. - -It may seem that my estimate of Mr. Bingham is prejudiced by my sense of -personal obligation to him for his kindness. Yet I doubt not that the -universal verdict of every one who went there to study would be that he -should be rated as one of the world’s greatest teachers. The South owes -much to him for the dignity he gave to the profession of teaching. No -man ever left a deeper impress on me. Thousands of times I have thanked -the Lord for the opportunity to attend his school. - -I was graduated from the school in May, 1849, a few days before I was -twenty-one years old. On leaving my kind friends at The Oaks, I was -again at sea. It will be remembered that, by my original agreement, I -was booked for teaching—but I had no idea where. Once more the -unexpected happened. In the midst of negotiations for a school in the -southern part of the state, I was greatly surprised at receiving an -offer from one of the prominent business men of my own town, Pittsboro, -to assist me in organizing a new school of my own there. With much doubt -and hesitation on my part—for there were already two preparatory schools -in the place—the venture was made, and I began with ten pupils taught in -a little business office. The number was considerably increased during -the year. But when the second year opened, I was put in charge of the -Academy, whose Principal had resigned. Here, in work both pleasant and -fairly profitable, I remained until the four years for which I had -agreed to stay were up. - -I had by no means reached my ideal. But, as my friends had predicted, it -had been a success. Some of my warmest supporters were sure that I was -giving up a certainty for an uncertainty, in not making teaching my -life-work. It had evidently been the hope of my friends from the first -that I would make Pittsboro my home, and build up a large and permanent -school there. But my purpose of studying for the ministry had never -wavered, and that made it easier for me to break off. - -During these four years my relations with the newly organized -Presbyterian church had been most pleasant and profitable. There was no -resisting the appeal that I should become ruling elder. The -superintendency of the Sunday School also fell naturally to me, and -opened up another field of usefulness. The friendship formed with the -pastor, the Rev. J. H. McNeill, is one of the pleasant memories of my -life. - -One feature of the church connection must not be passed over. Neither of -the other elders was so circumstanced as to be able to attend the -meetings of the Orange Presbytery. Three of the leading professors in -the University were members of the Presbytery, and all the leading -schools within its bounds were taught by Presbyterian ministers or -elders. To accommodate this large group of teachers, the meetings were -held in midsummer and midwinter. Thus it fell to my lot to represent the -Pittsboro church at the Presbytery during nearly the whole of the four -years of my stay in Pittsboro. As it was then constituted, its meetings -were almost equal to a course in church government. The Rev. J. Doll, -one of the best of parliamentarians, was stated clerk. A group of -members such as the two Drs. Phillips, father and son, Dr. Elisha -Mitchell, of the University, and many others that could be named, would -have made any assembly noted. Professor Charles Phillips, as chairman of -the committee on candidates for the ministry, came into closer touch -with me than most of the others. He afterwards followed my course in the -Seminary with an interest ripening into a friendship which continued -throughout his life. - -The meetings of the Presbytery were not then merely formal business -meetings. They began on Wednesday and closed on Monday. They were looked -forward to by the church in which they were to be held as spiritual and -intellectual feasts. To the members themselves they were seasons of -reunion, where friendships were cemented, and where wits were sharpened -by intellectual conflicts, often before crowded congregations. - -Union Seminary, now of Richmond, Virginia, has always been under the -direction of the Synods of North Carolina and Virginia; and there were -strong reasons why students from those Synods should study there. They -were always reminded of that obligation. But the high reputation of Drs. -Hodge and Alexander was a strong attraction toward Princeton. My pastor -and Professor Phillips, chairman of the committee in charge of me, had -both studied there. So I was allowed to have my preference. No doubt -this proved another stepping-stone to Siam. Union Seminary was not then -enthusiastic in regard to foreign missions, as it has since become. At -the last meeting of Presbytery that I was to attend, Dr. Alexander -Wilson moved that, inasmuch as Orange Presbytery owned a scholarship in -Princeton Seminary, I be assigned to it. To my objection that I had made -money to pay my own way, he replied, “You will have plenty of need of -your money. You can buy books with it.” I followed the suggestion and -laid in a good library. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - II - - MINISTERIAL TRAINING - - -I entered Princeton Seminary in the fall of 1853. I did not lodge in the -Seminary building, but, through the kindness of Rev. Daniel -Derouelle—whom, as agent of the American Bible Society, I had come to -know during his visits to Pittsboro—I found a charming home in his -family. There were, of course, some disadvantages in living a mile and a -half away from the Seminary. I could not have the same intimate -relations with my fellow students which I might have had if lodged in -the Seminary. But I had the delightful home-life which most of them -missed altogether. And the compulsory exercise of two, or sometimes -three, trips a day, helped to keep me in health throughout my course. I -became, indeed, a first-rate walker—an accomplishment which has since -stood me in good stead in all my life abroad. - -Being from the South, and not a college graduate, as were most of the -students, I felt lonesome enough when, on the first morning of the -session, I entered the Oratory and looked about me without discovering a -single face that I knew. But at the close of the lecture some one who -had been told by a friend to look out for me, touched me on the -shoulder, made himself known, and then took me off to introduce me to J. -Aspinwall Hodge, who was to be a classmate of mine. No man ever had a -purer or a better friend than this young man, afterward Dr. J. Aspinwall -Hodge; and I never met a friend more opportunely. - -Of our revered teachers and of the studies of the Seminary course there -is no need to speak here. Our class was a strong one. Among its members -were such men as Gayley, Mills, Jonathan Wilson, Nixon, Lefevre, and -Chaney. Of these Gayley and Mills were already candidates for missionary -work abroad. In other classes were Robert McMullen and Isidore -Loewenthal, destined to become martyrs in Cawnpore and Peshawur. Many -were the stirring appeals we heard from these men. Dr. Charles Hodge, -too, had given a son to India; and he never spoke more impressively than -when he was pleading the cause of foreign missions. Princeton, moreover, -because of its proximity to New York and to the headquarters of the -various missionary societies established there, was a favourite field -for the visits of the Secretaries of these organizations, and of -returned missionaries. A notable visit during my first year was that of -Dr. Alexander Duff, then in his prime. No one who heard him could forget -his scathing criticism of the church for “playing at missions,” or his -impassioned appeals for labourers. - -So the question was kept constantly before me. But during the first two -years, the difficulty of the acquisition of a foreign language by a -person not gifted in his own, seemed an obstacle well-nigh insuperable. -Conscience suggested a compromise. Within the field of Home Missions was -there not equal need of men to bring the bread of life to those who were -perishing without it? With the object of finding some such opportunity, -I spent my last vacation, in the summer of 1855, in Texas as agent of -the American Sunday School Union. - -Texas afforded, indeed, great opportunities for Christian work; but in -the one object of my quest—a field where Christ was not preached—I was -disappointed. In every small village there was already a church—often -more than one. Even in country schoolhouses Methodists, Baptists, and -Cumberland Presbyterians had regular Sunday appointments, each having -acquired claim to a particular Sunday of the month. Conditions were such -that the growth of one sect usually meant a corresponding weakening of -the others. It was possible, of course, to find local exceptions. But it -is easier even now to find villages by the hundred, with three, four, -and even five Protestant churches, aided by various missionary -societies; where all the inhabitants, working together, could do no more -than support one church well. This may be necessary; but it is surely a -great waste. - -From this trip I had just returned with these thoughts in my mind, and -was entering upon my senior year, when it was announced that Dr. S. R. -House, a missionary from Siam, would address the students. Expectation -was on tiptoe to hear from this new kingdom of Siam. The address was a -revelation to us all. The opening of the kingdom to American -missionaries by the reigning monarch, Mahā Mongkut—now an old story—was -new then, and sounded like a veritable romance. My hesitation was ended. -Here was not merely a village or a parish, but a whole kingdom, just -waking from its long, dark, hopeless sleep. Every sermon I preached -there might be to those who had never heard that there is a God in -heaven who made them, or a Saviour from sin. - -The appeal was for volunteers to go at once. None, however, of the men -who had announced themselves as candidates for service abroad were -available for Siam. They were all pledged to other fields. The call -found Jonathan Wilson and myself in much the same state of expectancy, -waiting for a clear revelation of duty. After anxious consultation and -prayer together, and with Dr. House, we promised him that we would give -the matter our most serious thought. If the Lord should lead us thither, -we would go. - -Meanwhile the Rev. Andrew B. Morse had been appointed a missionary to -Siam, and the immediate urgency of the case was thus lightened. Shortly -before the close of my Seminary course, in 1856, there came to me a call -to the pastorate of two contiguous churches, those of Carthage and of -Union, in my native county in North Carolina. The call seemed a -providential one, and I accepted it for one year only. My classmate, -Wilson, soon after accepted a call to work among the Indians in Spencer -Academy. - -My parish was an admirable one for the training of a young man. The -church at Union was one of the oldest in the state. The church at -Carthage, five miles away, was a colony from Union. No distinct -geographical line separated the two. Many of the people regularly -attended both. That, of course, made the work harder for a young pastor. -The extreme limits of the two parishes were fifteen miles apart. But -these were church-going folk, mostly of Scottish descent—not -“dry-weather Christians.” The pastorate had been vacant a whole year. - -At the first morning service the church was crowded to its utmost -capacity. Some came, no doubt, from curiosity to hear the new preacher; -but most of them were hungry for the Gospel. They had all known my -father; and some had known me—or known of me—from boyhood. I could not -have had a more sympathetic audience, as I learned from the words of -appreciation and encouragement spoken to me after church—especially -those spoken by my brother, who was present. - -The year passed rapidly. The work had prospered and was delightful. In -it I formed the taste for evangelistic touring, which was afterwards to -be my work among the Lāo. There had been a number of accessions in both -churches. It was easy to become engrossed in one’s first charge among a -people so sympathetic, and to overlook far-away Siam. Indeed, I had -become so far influenced by present surroundings as to allow my name to -be laid before a meeting of the congregation with a view to becoming -their permanent pastor. Their choice of me was unanimous. Moreover, I -had been dismissed from my old Presbytery to the one within whose bounds -my parish was. The regular meeting of the latter was not far off, when -arrangements were to be made for my ordination and installation. - -As the time drew near, do what I might, my joy in accepting the call -seemed marred by the thought of Siam. I learned that the Siamese -Mission, instead of growing stronger, was becoming weaker. Mr. Morse’s -health had completely broken down during his first year in the field. He -was then returning to the United States. Mrs. Mattoon had already come -back an invalid. Her husband, after ten years in Siam, was greatly in -need of a change; but was holding on in desperation, hoping against hope -that he might be relieved. - -The question of my going to Siam, which had been left an open one, must -now soon be settled by my accepting or declining. I needed counsel, but -knew not on what earthly source to call. When the question of Siam first -came up in Princeton, I had written to leading members of the Orange -Presbytery for advice, stating the claims of Siam so strongly that I was -sure these men would at least give me some encouragement toward going. -But the reply I had from one of them was typical of all the rest: “We do -not know about Siam; but we do know of such and such a church and of -such and such a field vacant here in Orange Presbytery. Still, of -course, it _may_ be your duty to go to Siam.” In that quarter, surely, -there was no light for me. So I devoted Saturday, August 1st, to fasting -and prayer for guidance. In the woods back of the Carthage church and -the Academy, the decision was finally reached. I would go. - -Next morning I stopped my chief elder on his way to church, and informed -him of my decision. After listening to my statement of the case, he -replied, “Of course, if it is settled, there’s nothing more to be said.” -It chanced that Mr. Russell, my former assistant in the Pittsboro -Academy, had just finished his theological course; and, wholly without -reference to the question pending in my mind, had arranged to preach for -me that day. The session was called together before service, was -notified of my decision, and was reminded that the preacher of the day -would be available as a successor to me. He preached a good sermon, had -a conference with the session afterwards, and was virtually engaged that -day. The following week brought notice of my appointment as missionary -to Siam. - -The last communion season of that year was one of more than usual -interest. The meetings began on Friday. Since the minds of the -congregation were already on the subject of foreign missions, and since -Dr. McKay, from my home church, had been appointed by the Synod to -preach on that subject at its coming session in Charlotte, I prevailed -upon him to preach to us the sermon that he had prepared. The text was -from Romans x:14, “How shall they hear without a preacher?” No subject -could have been more appropriate to the occasion. It produced a profound -impression. Some were affected to tears. - -The sermon was a good preparation for the communion service that -followed. At the night service there was deep seriousness throughout the -congregation, and a general desire to have the meetings continued. On -Monday there was an unexpectedly large congregation. At the busiest -season of the year farmers had left their crops to come. The meetings -soon grew to be one protracted prayer-meeting, with occasional short -applications of Scripture to the questions which were already pressing -upon our minds. - -Finally, after the meetings had been continued from Friday until -Wednesday week, they were reluctantly brought to a close; both because -it seemed unwise to interrupt longer the regular life of the community, -and also because the leaders no longer had the voice to carry them on. -As a result of the meetings, there were about eighty accessions to the -two Presbyterian churches, as well as a number to other churches. Many -asked if I did not see in the revival reason to change my mind and -remain. But the effect on me was just the opposite. It was surely the -best preparation I could have had for the long test of faith while -waiting for results in Siam. - -Inasmuch as my certificate of dismissal had never been formally -presented to the Fayetteville Presbytery, I preferred to return it to my -old Orange Presbytery, and to receive my ordination at its hands. On -December 11th, the Presbytery met at my old home in Pittsboro. The -installation of a foreign missionary was new to the Presbytery, as well -as to the church and the community. When the ordaining prayer was ended, -there seemed to be but few dry eyes in the congregation. It was a day I -had little dreamed of sixteen years before, when I first came to -Pittsboro an orphan boy and an apprentice. I felt very small for the -great work so solemnly committed to me. Missionary fields were further -off in those days than they are now, and the undertaking seemed greater. -The future was unknown; but in God was my trust—and He has led me. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - III - - BANGKOK - - -On reaching New York I went directly to the Mission House, then at 23 -Centre Street. As I mounted the steps, the first man I met on the -landing was Jonathan Wilson. We had exchanged a few letters, and each -knew that the other had not forgotten Siam; but neither expected to meet -the other there. “Where are you going?” said one. “I am on my way to -Siam,” said the other. “So am I,” was the reply. In the meantime he had -married and, with his young wife, was in New York awaiting passage. We -took the first opportunity that offered, the clipper ship _David Brown_, -bound for Singapore, and sailing on March 11th, 1858. - -Sailors have a tradition that it is unlucky to have missionaries on -board; but the weather was propitious throughout, and the voyage a -prosperous one. We three were the only passengers, and we proved to be -good sailors. Our fare was reasonably good. We had plenty of good -reading, and soon settled down to steady work. The ship was somewhat -undermanned; and this fact was given as an excuse for not having service -on Sundays. But we had a daily prayer-meeting throughout the voyage, -with just a sufficient number present to plead the promise: “Where two -or three are gathered together in my name.” We also had free access to -the men in the forecastle when off duty. - -We had the excitement of an ocean race with a twin ship of the same -line, which was to sail a week after us. As we reached Anjer Straits on -the seventy-eighth day out, a sail loomed up which proved to be our -competitor. She had beaten us by a week! Ten days later we reached -Singapore, where, indeed, we met no brethren, but were met by welcome -letters from Siam. Like Paul at the Three Taverns, “we thanked God and -took courage.” One of the letters ran thus: - - “Those were good words that came to our half-discouraged - band—the tidings that we are to have helpers in our work.... In - our loneliness we have sometimes been tempted to feel that our - brethren at home had forgotten us. But we rejoice to know that - there are hearts in the church which sympathize with us, and - that you are willing to come and participate with us in our - labours and trials, our joys and sorrows, for we have both.” - -We were fortunate to secure very early passage for Bangkok. On Friday, -June 18th, we reached the bar at the mouth of the Mênam River. The next -day we engaged a small schooner to take us up to Bangkok. With a strong -tide against us, we were not able that evening to get further than -Mosquito Point—the most appropriately-named place in all that land—only -to learn that we could not reach Bangkok until Monday afternoon. There -was no place to sleep on board; and no sleeping would have been -possible, had there been a place. By two o’clock in the morning we could -endure it no longer;—the mosquito contest was too unequal. At last we -found a man and his wife who would take us to the city in their -two-oared skiff. - -Fifty years’ residence in Siam has not surpassed the romance of that -night’s ride. Leaving our goods behind, we seated ourselves in the tiny -craft. With gunwales but two inches above the water’s edge, we skimmed -along through a narrow winding canal overhung with strange tropical -trees. The moon was full, but there was a haze in the air, adding -weirdness to things but dimly seen. The sight of our first Buddhist -monastery, with its white columns and grotesque figures, made us feel as -if we were passing through some fairyland. - -Just at dawn on Sunday morning, June 20th, 1858, we landed at the -mission compound. Our quick passage of only one hundred days took our -friends by surprise. Dr. House, roused by our voices on the veranda, -came _en déshabillé_ to the door to see what was the matter. Finding who -we were, the eager man thrust his hand through a vacant square of the -sash, and shook hands with us so, before he would wait to open the door. -We were in Bangkok! It was as if we had waked up in a new world—in the -Bangkok to which we had looked forward as the goal of our hopes; which -was to be, as we supposed, the home of our lives. - -The Rev. Mr. Mattoon was still at his post, awaiting our coming. Mrs. -Mattoon and her daughters had been compelled to leave for home some time -before our arrival. And not long thereafter Mr. Mattoon followed them on -his furlough, long overdue. Besides the two men of our own mission, we -found in Bangkok the Rev. Dan B. Bradley, M.D., who was conducting a -self-supporting mission; Rev. S. J. Smith, and Rev. R. Telford of the -Baptist mission. - -Since neither Bangkok nor Lower Siam proved to be my permanent home, I -shall content myself with a very summary account of the events of the -next three years. - -The first work of a new missionary is to acquire the language of the -country. His constant wish is, Oh for a gift of tongues to speak to the -people! As soon as a teacher could be found, I settled to work at my -_kaw_, _kā_, _ki_, _kī_[2]. No ambitious freshman has such an incentive -for study as has the new missionary. It is well if he does not confine -himself to grammar and dictionary, as he did in the case of his Latin, -Greek, and Hebrew. Pallegoix’s _Dictionarium Linguae Thai_, and his -short _Grammar_ in Latin, were all the foreign helps we had. The syntax -of the language is easy; but the “tones,” the “aspirates,” and -“inaspirates,” are perplexing beyond belief. You try to say “fowl.” No, -that is “egg.” You mean to say “rice,” but you actually say “mountain.” - -Footnote 2: - - The first exercise of the Siamese Spelling-book. - -A thousand times a day the new missionary longs to open his mouth, but -his lips are sealed. It is a matter of continual regret that he cannot -pour out his soul in the ardour of his first love, unchilled by the -deadening influences to which it is sure to be subjected later. But the -delay is not an unmitigated evil. He is in a new world, in which he is -constantly reminded of the danger of giving offence by a breach of -custom as unalterable as the laws of the Medes and Persians. A bright -little boy runs up and salutes you. You stroke his long black hair, only -to be reminded by one of your seniors—“Oh! you must _never_ do that! It -is a mortal offence to lay your hand on a person’s head.” So, while you -are learning the language, you are learning other things as well, and of -no less importance. - -In the mission school there was a class of bright boys named Nê, Dit, -Chûn, Kwāi, Henry, and one girl, Tūan. To my great delight, Dr. House -kindly turned them over to me. It made me think I was doing something, -and I really was. I soon became deeply interested in these children. Nê -grew to be an important business man and an elder in the church; Tūan’s -family became one of the most influential in the church. Her two sons, -the late Bun It and Elder Bun Yī of the First Church in Chiengmai, have -been among the very best fruits of the mission; though my personal share -in their training was, of course, very slight. In the September after -our arrival there was organized the Presbytery of Siam, with the four -men of the mission as its constituent members. During the first two -years, moreover, I made a number of tours about the country—sometimes -alone, oftener with Dr. House, and once with Mr. Wilson. - -I had the pleasure of meeting His Majesty the King of Siam, not only at -his birthday celebrations, to which foreigners were invited, but once, -also, at a public audience on the occasion of the presentation of a -letter from President James Buchanan of the United States. This was -through the courtesy of Mr. J. H. Chandler, the acting United States -Consul. Two royal state barges were sent down to the Consulate to -receive the President’s letter and the consular party. Siamese etiquette -requires that the letter be accorded the same honour as would be given -the President in person. In the first barge was the letter, placed in a -large golden urn, with a pyramidal cover of gold, and escorted by the -four officers who attend upon His Majesty when he appears in public. In -the second barge was the consular party. - -After a magnificent ride of four miles up the river, we were met at the -palace by gilded palanquins for the members of the party, while the -letter, in a special palanquin and under the golden umbrella, led the -way to the Palace, some quarter of a mile distant. At the Palace gate a -prince of rank met us, and ushered us into the royal presence, where His -Majesty sat on his throne of gold, richly overhung with gilded tapestry. -Advancing toward the throne, and bowing low, we took our stand erect, -while every high prince and nobleman about us was on bended knees, not -daring to raise his eyes above the floor. - -The Consul then read a short introductory speech, stepped forward, and -placed the letter in the extended hands of the King. Having glanced over -it, the King handed it to his secretary, who read it aloud, His Majesty -translating the substance of it to the princes and nobles present. The -King then arose, put his scarf about his waist, girded on his golden -sword, came down, and shook hands with each of the party. Then, with a -wave of his hand, he said, “We have given President Buchanan the first -public reception in our new palace,” adding, “I honour President -Buchanan very much.” He escorted the party around the room, showing us -the portraits of George Washington, President Pierce, Queen Victoria, -and Prince Albert. Then, turning to the proper officer, he directed him -to conduct us to an adjoining room to partake of a luncheon prepared for -us; and, with a bow, withdrew. - -After “tiffin,” we were escorted to the landing as we had come, and -returned in like state in the royal barge to the Consulate. Altogether -it was a notable occasion. - -[Illustration: - - MAHĀ MONKUT, - KING OF SIAM, 1851-1872] - -Of the tours undertaken in Lower Siam, the one which led to the most -lasting results was one in 1859 to Pechaburī, which has since become -well known as one of our mission stations. For companion on this trip I -had Cornelius Bradley, son of the Rev. Dr. Bradley of Bangkok. Shortly -before this a rising young nobleman, and a liberal-minded friend of -foreigners, had been assigned to the place ostensibly of -lieutenant-governor (Pra Palat) of Pechaburī, but practically of -governor. He was a brother of the future Regent; had been on the first -embassy to England; and at a later period became Minister for Foreign -Affairs. At our call, His Excellency received us very kindly, and before -we left invited us to dine with him on the following evening. - -The dinner was one that would have done credit to any hostess in -America. I was still more surprised when, at the table, addressing me by -a title then given to all missionaries, he said, “Maw” (Doctor), “I want -you to come and live in Pechaburī. You have no family. I will furnish -you a house, and give you every assistance you need. You can teach as -much Christianity as you please, if only you will teach my son English. -If you want a school, I will see that you have pupils.” I thanked him -for the offer, but could only tell him that I would think the matter -over. It might be, after all, only a Siamese cheap compliment. It seemed -too good to be true. It was, however, directly in the line of my own -thoughts. I had come to Siam with the idea of leaving the great -commercial centres, and making the experiment among a rural population -like that of my North Carolina charge. - -The next day the Pra Palat called on us at our _sālā_,[3] and again -broached the subject. He was very anxious to have his son study English. -In my mission work I should be untrammelled. Before leaving us, he -mentioned the matter again. It was this time no courteous evasion when I -told him I would come if I could.—What did it all mean? - -Footnote 3: - - A public rest-house or shelter, such as Buddhist piety provides - everywhere for travellers, but especially in connection with the - monasteries. - -I returned to Bangkok full of enthusiasm for Pechaburī. The more I -pondered it, the greater the offer seemed to be. Beyond my predilection -for a smaller city or for rural work, I actually did not like Bangkok. -Pechaburī, however, was beyond the limits of treaty rights. Permission -to establish a station there could be had only by sufferance from a -government not hitherto noted for liberality. Here was an invitation -equivalent to a royal permit, and with no further red tape about it. I -could see only one obstacle in the way. The senior member of the -mission—the one who was naturally its head—I feared would not approve. -And he did, indeed, look askance at the proposition. He doubted whether -we could trust the promises made. And then to go so far away alone! But -I thought I knew human nature well enough to trust that man. As to being -alone, I was willing to risk that. Possibly it might not be best to ride -a free horse too freely. I would go with my own equipment, and be at -least semi-independent; though the Palat had said that he did not mind -the expense, if only he could get his son taught English. - -There could at least be no objection to making an experimental visit, -and then continuing it as long as might seem wise. Pechaburī is within -thirty hours of Bangkok. If taken sick, I could run over in a day or -two. With that understanding, and with the tacit rather than the -expressed sanction of the mission, I began to make preparations. - -At last my preparations were complete, even to baking bread for the -trip. I had fitted up a touring-boat of my own, and had engaged captain -and boatmen; when, on the day before I was to start, cholera, which for -some time had been sporadic in Bangkok, suddenly became epidemic. Till -then Dr. James Campbell, physician to the British Consulate, and our -medical authority, thought that with caution and prudence I might safely -go. A general panic now arose all over the land. Dr. Bradley came to -tell me that deaths were occurring hourly on the canal by which I was to -travel. To go then would be to tempt providence. I had earnestly sought -direction, and it came in a way little expected. - -The first man I met next morning was Dr. House, coming home from Mr. -Wilson’s. He had been called in the night to attend Mrs. Wilson, who had -been suddenly attacked with “the disease,” as the natives -euphemistically call it, being superstitiously afraid of uttering the -name. Dr. House had failed to check it, and sent me to call Dr. -Campbell. But he was not at home, and did not get the message till near -noon. By that time the patient had reached the stage when collapse was -about to ensue. The disease was finally arrested, but Mrs. Wilson was -left in a very precarious condition. - -Meanwhile her little daughter Harriet was also taken ill, and for a time -the life of both mother and daughter was in suspense. The child lingered -on till May 13th, when she was taken to a better clime. On July 14th the -mother, too, ceased from her suffering, and entered on her everlasting -rest. - -During these months, of course, all thoughts of Pechaburī had been -abandoned; nor would it then have been deemed wise to travel during the -wet season. Before the next dry season came, Bangkok began to have more -attractions, and I had become less ambitious to start a new station -alone. On the 11th of September I became engaged to Miss Sophia Royce -Bradley, daughter of the Rev. D. B. Bradley, M.D. On December 6th, 1860, -we were married. In my wife I found a helpmeet of great executive -ability, and admirably qualified for the diversified work before us. It -was something, too, to have inherited the best traditions of one of the -grand missionaries of his age.[4] - -Footnote 4: - - Dr. Bradley’s life would be the best history we could have of Siam - during its transition period. He left a voluminous diary, and it was - from his pen that most of the exact information concerning Siam was - long derived. - -Samrē, our mission station in Bangkok, was four miles distant from the -heart of the city. We greatly needed a more central station for our -work. Dr. Bradley offered us the use of a house on his own premises—one -of the most desirable situations in Bangkok—if we would come and live -there. The mission accepted his generous offer. With reluctance I -resigned whatever claim I might have to be the pioneer of the new -station at Pechaburī. We were settled, as it would seem, for life, in -Bangkok. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - IV - - PECHABURĪ—THE CALL OF THE NORTH - - -By this time the mission generally had become interested in the -establishment of a new station at Pechaburī. Dr. and Mrs. House were -designated for the post. The Doctor actually went to Pechaburī; procured -there, through the help of our friend the Palat, a lot with a house on -it; and thus committed the mission to the project. But the day before he -was to start homeward to prepare for removal thither, he was so -seriously hurt by a fall from his horse that he was confined to his bed -for several months. It was even feared that he was permanently disabled -for active life. A new adjustment of our personnel was thus -necessitated. Dr. Mattoon had just returned from the United States with -the Rev. S. G. McFarland, the Rev. N. A. McDonald, and their wives. Dr. -Mattoon could not be spared from Bangkok, nor was he enthusiastic over -the new station. Mr. McDonald had no desire for such experiments. Both -Mr. and Mrs. McFarland were anxious to move, but were too new to the -field to be sent out alone. They were urgent that we should go with -them. My opportunity had come. So, early in June, 1861, we broke up the -first home of our married life, and, in company with the McFarlands, -moved on to our new home and our new work. - -Our friend, the Pra Palat, seemed pleased that we had come, after all. -His slight knowledge of English had been learned as a private pupil from -Mrs. McGilvary’s own mother. He was glad, whenever he had leisure, to -continue his studies with Mrs. McGilvary. Mr. McFarland preferred school -work. He took the son that I was to have taught, and left me -untrammelled to enter upon evangelistic work. The half-hour after each -evening meal we spent in united prayer for guidance and success. Two -servants of each family were selected as special subjects of prayer; and -these, in due time, we had the pleasure of welcoming into the church. - -Of the incidents of our Pechaburī life I have room for but a single one. -As we were rising from the dinner-table one Sunday shortly after our -arrival, we were surprised to see a man coming up the steps and crossing -the veranda in haste, as if on a special errand. He led by the hand a -little boy of ten or twelve years, and said, “I want to commit this son -of mine into your care. I want you to teach him.” Struck by his earnest -manner, we drew from him these facts: He was a farmer named Nāi Kawn, -living some five miles out in the country. He had just heard of our -arrival, had come immediately, and was very glad to find us. - -We asked whether he had ever met a missionary before. No, he said, but -his father—since dead—had once met Dr. Bradley, and had received a book -from him. He had begged other books from neighbours who had received -them but did not value them. Neither did he at first, till the great -cholera scourge of 1849, when people were dying all around him. He was -greatly alarmed, and learned from one of the books that Pra Yēsū heard -prayer in trouble, and could save from sin. For a long time he prayed -for light, until, about three years ago, he believed in Jesus, and was -now happy in heart. He had heard once of Dr. Bradley’s coming to -Pechaburī, but not until he was gone again. He preached to his -neighbours, who called him “Kon Pra Yēsū” (Lord Jesus’ man). He had -prayed for Dr. Bradley and the missionaries; he had read the story of -Moses, the Epistle to the Romans, the Gospel of John, a tract on Prayer, -and “The Golden Balance”; and he believed them. He could repeat portions -of Romans and John verbatim; and he had his son repeat the Lord’s -Prayer. - -My subject at the afternoon service was Nicodemus and the New Birth. Nāi -Kawn sat spellbound, frequently nodding assent. At the close we asked -him to speak a few words; which he did with great clearness. On being -questioned as to the Trinity, he replied that he was not sure whether he -understood it. He gathered, however, that Jehovah was the Father and -Ruler; that the Son came to save us by dying for us; and that the Holy -Spirit is the Comforter. The difference between Jesus and Buddha is that -the latter entered into Nirvana, and that was the last of him; while -Jesus lives to save. He even insisted that he had seen a vision of Jesus -in heaven. His other experiences were characterized by such marks of -soberness that we wondered whether his faith might not have been -strengthened by a dream or a vision. - -This incident, coming so soon after our arrival, greatly cheered us in -our work. His subsequent story is too long to follow out in detail here. -His piety and his sincerity were undoubted. He lived and died a -Christian; yet he never fully identified himself with the church. He -insisted that he had been baptized by the Holy Ghost, and that there was -no need of further baptism. Not long after this Dr. Bradley and Mr. -Mattoon visited Pechaburī, examined the man, and were equally surprised -at his history. - - * * * * * - -What changed our life-work from the Siamese to the Lāo? There were two -principal causes. The various Lāo states which are now a part of Siam, -were then ruled by feudal princes, each virtually sovereign within his -own dominions, but all required to pay a triennial visit to the Siamese -capital, bringing the customary gifts to their suzerain, the King of -Siam, and renewing their oath of allegiance to him. Their realms served, -moreover, as a “buffer” between Siam and Burma. There were six of these -feudal principalities. Five of them occupied the basins of five chief -tributaries of the Mênam River; namely—in order from west to -east—Chiengmai, Lampūn, Lakawn, Prê, and Nān. The sixth was Lūang -Prabāng on the Mê Kōng River. The rapids on all these streams had served -as an effectual barrier in keeping the northern and the southern states -quite separate. There was no very frequent communication in trade. There -was no mail communication. Official despatches were passed along from -one governor to the next. Very little was known in Bangkok about the Lāo -provinces of the north. A trip from Bangkok to Chiengmai seemed then -like going out of the world. Only one Englishman, Sir Robert Schomburgk -of the British Consulate in Bangkok, had ever made it. - -[Illustration: - - PAGODA OF WAT CHÊNG, BANGKOK] - - -Of these Lāo states, Chiengmai was the most important. After it came -Nān, then Lūang Prabāng (since ceded to the French), Lakawn, Prê, and -Lampūn. The Lāo people were regarded in Siam as a very warlike race; one -chieftain in particular being famed as a great warrior. They were withal -said to be suspicious and unreliable. - -Almost the only visible result of my six months’ stay within the city of -Bangkok, after my marriage, was the formation of a slight acquaintance -with the Prince of Chiengmai and his family. Just before my marriage he -had arrived in Bangkok with a great flotilla of boats and a great -retinue of attendants. The grounds of Wat Chêng monastery, near to Dr. -Bradley’s compound, had always been their stopping-place. The -consequence was that, of all the missionaries, Dr. Bradley had become -best acquainted with them and most deeply interested in them. He -earnestly cultivated their friendship, invited them to his -printing-office and to his house, and continually preached unto them the -Gospel. They were much interested in vaccination, which he had -introduced, and were delighted to find that it protected them from -smallpox. - -The day after our marriage, in response to a present of some wedding -cake, the Prince himself, with his two daughters and a large train of -attendants, called on us in our new home. This was my first introduction -to Chao Kāwilōrot and his family, who were to play so important a rôle -in my future life. All that I saw of him and of his people interested me -greatly. During the short time we remained in their neighbourhood, I -made frequent visits to the Lāo camp. The subject of a mission in -Chiengmai was talked of, with apparent approval on the part of the -Prince. My interest in Pechaburī was increased by the knowledge that -there was a large colony of Lāo[5] there. These were captives of war -from the region of Khōrāt, bearing no very close resemblance to our -later parishioners in the north. At the time of our stay in Pechaburī, -the Lāo in that province were held as government slaves, engaged all day -on various public works—a circumstance which greatly impeded our access -to them, and at the same time made it more difficult for them to embrace -Christianity. Neither they nor we dared apply to the government for the -requisite sanction, lest thereby their case be made worse. Our best -opportunity for work among them was at night. My most pleasant memories -of Pechaburī cluster about scenes in Lāo villages, when the whole -population would assemble, either around a camp-fire or under the bright -light of the moon, to listen till late in the night to the word of God. -The conversion of Nāi Ang, the first one from that colony, anticipated -that of Nān Inta, and the larger ingathering in the North. - -Footnote 5: - - The application of this name is by no means uniform throughout the - peninsula. From Lūang Prabāng southward along the eastern frontier, - the tribes of that stock call themselves Lāo, and are so called by - their neighbours. But the central and western groups do not - acknowledge the name as theirs at all, but call themselves simply Tai; - or if a distinction must be made, they call themselves Kon Nûa - (Northerners), and the Siamese, Kon Tai (Southerners). The Siamese, on - the other hand, also call themselves Tai, which is really the - race-name, common to all branches of the stock; and they apply the - name Lāo alike to all their northern cousins except the Ngīo, or - Western Shans. Nothing is known of the origin of the name, but the - same root no doubt appears in such tribal and geographical names as - Lawā, Lawa, Lawō—the last being the name of the famous abandoned - capital now known as Lophburi.—ED. - -But there was more than a casual connection between the two. My labours -among them increased the desire, already awakened in me, to reach the -home of the race. Here was another link in the chain of providences by -which I was led to my life-work. The time, however, was not yet ripe. -The available force of the mission was not yet large enough to justify -further expansion. Moreover, our knowledge of the Lāo country was not -such as to make possible any comprehensive and intelligent plans for a -mission there. The first thing to do was evidently to make a tour of -exploration. The way to such a tour was opened in the fall of 1863. The -Presbytery of Siam met in Bangkok early in November. I had so arranged -my affairs that, if the way should open, I could go north directly, -without returning to Pechaburī. I knew that Mr. Wilson was free, and I -thought he would favour the trip. This he readily did, and the mission -gave its sanction. So I committed my wife and our two-year-old daughter -to the care of loving grandparents, and, after a very hasty preparation, -we started on the 20th of November in search of far-away Chiengmai. - -The six-oared touring-boat which I had fitted up in my bachelor days was -well adapted for our purpose as far as the first fork of the Mênam. The -Siamese are experts with the oar, but are unused to the setting-pole, -which is well-nigh the only resource all through the upper reaches of -the river. It was sunset on a Friday evening before we finally got off. -But it was a start; and it proved to be one of the straws on which the -success of the trip depended. The current against us was very strong; so -we slept within the city limits that night. We spent all day Saturday -traversing a canal parallel with the river, where the current was -weaker. It was sunset before we entered again the main stream, and -stopped to spend Sunday at a monastery. To our great surprise we found -that the Prince of Chiengmai—of whose coming we had had no -intimation—had camped there the night before, and had passed on down to -Bangkok that very morning. We had missed him by taking the canal! - -We were in doubt whether we ought not to return and get a letter from -him. A favourable letter would be invaluable; but he might refuse, or -even forbid our going. If we may judge from what we afterwards knew of -his suspicious nature, such probably would have been the outcome. At any -rate, it would delay us; and we had already a passport from the Siamese -government which would ensure our trip. And, doubtless, we did -accomplish our design with more freedom because of the Prince’s absence -from his realm. It was apparently a fortuitous thing that our men knew -of the more sluggish channel, and so missed the Lāo flotilla. But it is -quite possible that upon that choice depended the establishment of the -Lāo mission. - -All went well until we reached the first fork at Pāknam Pō. There the -water came rushing down like a torrent, so swift that oars were of no -avail. We tried first one side of the stream and then the other, but all -in vain. Our boatmen exchanged their oars for poles. But they were -awkward and unaccustomed to their use. The boat would inevitably drift -down stream. The poor boatmen laughed despairingly at their own failure. -At last a rope was suggested. The men climbed the bank, and dragged the -boat around the point to where the current was less swift. But when, as -often happened, it became necessary to cross to the other side of the -river, the first push off the bank would send us into water so deep that -a fifteen-foot pole could not reach bottom. Away would go the boat some -hundreds of yards down stream before we could bring up on the opposite -bank. We reached Rahêng, however, in nineteen travelling days—which was -not by any means bad time. - -In our various journeyings hitherto we had controlled our own means of -transportation. Henceforth we were at the mercy of native officials, to -whose temperament such things as punctuality and speed are altogether -alien. From Rahêng the trip by elephant to Chiengmai should be only -twelve days. By boat, the trip would be much longer, though the return -trip would be correspondingly shorter. We had a letter from Bangkok to -the officials along the route, directing them to procure for us boats, -elephants, or men, as we might need. We were in a hurry, and, besides, -were young and impulsive. The officials at Rahêng assured us that we -should have prompt despatch. No one, however, seemed to make any effort -to send us on. The governor was a great Buddhist, and fond of company -and argument. He could match our Trinity by a Buddhist one: Putthō, -Thammō, Sangkhō—Buddha, the Scriptures, the Brotherhood. Men’s own good -deeds were their only atonement. The one religion was as good as the -other. On these subjects he would talk by the hour; but when urged to -get our elephants, he always had an excuse. At last, in despair, we -decided to take our boatmen and walk. When this news reached the -governor, whether from pity of us, or from fear that some trouble might -grow out of it, he sent word that if we would wait till the next day, we -should have the elephants without fail. - -We got the elephants; but, as it was, from preference I walked most of -the way. Once I paid dear for my walk by getting separated from my -elephant in the morning, losing my noonday lunch, and not regaining my -party till, tired and hungry, I reached camp at night. Our guide had -taken a circuitous route to avoid a band of robbers on the main route -which I had followed! This was my first experience of elephant-riding. -We crossed rivers where the banks were steep, and there was no regular -landing. But whether ascending or descending steep slopes, whether -skirting streams and waterfalls, one may trust the elephant’s sagacity -and surefootedness. The view we had from one of the mountain ridges -seemed incomparably fine. The Mê Ping wound its way along the base -beneath us, while beyond, to right and to left, rose range beyond range, -with an occasional peak towering high above the rest. But that was tame -in comparison with many mountain views encountered in subsequent years. - -We were eight days in reaching Lakawn,[6] which we marked as one of our -future mission stations. On being asked whether he would welcome a -mission there, the governor replied, “If the King of Siam and the Prince -of Chiengmai approve.” At Lakawn we had no delay, stopping there only -from Friday till Monday morning. Thence to Lampūn we found sālās, or -rest-houses, at regular intervals. The watershed between these towns was -the highest we had crossed. The road follows the valley of a stream to -near the summit, and then follows another stream down on the other side. -The gorge was in places so narrow that the elephant-saddle scraped the -mountain wall on one side, while on the other a misstep would have -precipitated us far down to the brook-bed below. - -Footnote 6: - - A corruption of Nakawn (for Sanskrit _nagara_, capital city), which is - the first part of the official name of the place, Nakawn Lampāng. The - Post Office calls it Lampāng, to distinguish it from another Nakawn - (likewise Lakawn in common speech), in the Malay Peninsula—the place - known to Europeans as Ligor. The general currency of this short name, - and its regular use in all the missionary literature, seem to justify - its retention in this narrative.—ED. - -At Lampūn my companion was not well, so that I alone called on the -authorities. The governor had called the princes together to learn our -errand. They seemed bewildered when told that we had no government -business, nor were we traders—were only teachers of religion. When the -proper officer was directed to send us on quickly, he began to make -excuses that it would take two or three days. Turning sharply upon him, -the governor asked, “Prayā Sanām, how many elephants have you?” “Four,” -was the response. “See that they get off to-morrow,” was the short -reply. He meekly withdrew. There was evidently no trifling with that -governor. One day more brought us to Chiengmai—to the end of what seemed -then a very long journey. As we neared the city, Mr. Wilson’s elephant -took fright at the creaking noise of a water-wheel, and ran away, -crashing through bamboo fences and trampling down gardens. Fortunately -no one was hurt. - -We reached the city on January 7th, 1864, on the forty-ninth day of our -journey. The nephew of the Prince had been left in charge during the -Prince’s absence. He evidently was in doubt how to receive us. He could -not ignore our passport and letter from Bangkok. On the other hand, why -did we not have a letter from the Prince? Our story of missing him -through choosing the canal instead of the main river might or might not -be true. If the deputy were too hospitable, his Prince might blame him. -So he cut the knot, and went off to his fields. We saw no more of him -till he came in to see us safely off. - -The elder daughter of the Prince had accompanied her father to Bangkok, -but the younger daughter was at home. She was a person of great -influence, and was by nature hospitable. Things could not have been -better planned for our purpose. The princess remembered me and my wife -from her call on us after our wedding. She now called on us in person -with her retinue; after that everybody else was free to call. It is not -unlikely that that previous acquaintance redeemed our trip from being a -failure. Our sālā was usually crowded with visitors. We had an ideal -opportunity of seeing the heart of the people. They lacked a certain -external refinement seen among the Siamese; but they seemed sincere and -more religious. Buddhism had not become so much a matter of form. Many -of the older people then spent a day and a night, or even two days, each -month fasting in the monasteries. There was hope that if such people saw -a better way, they would accept it. One officer, who lived just behind -our sālā, a great merit-maker, was a constant visitor. Years afterward -we had the pleasure of welcoming him to the communion of the church. - -From every point of view the tour was eminently successful. Many -thousands heard the Gospel for the first time. In our main quest we were -more than successful. We were delighted with the country, the cities, -the people. Every place we came to we mentally took possession of for -our Lord and Master. In Chiengmai we remained only ten days; but one day -would have sufficed to convince us. I, at least, left it with the joyful -hope of its becoming the field of my life-work. - -From the first we had planned to return by the river through the rapids. -But the prince in charge was very averse to our going by that route. We -knew that the route positively made no difference to him personally. He -had only to give the word, and either elephants or boats would be -forthcoming. Was he afraid of our spying out the road into the country? -At last we were obliged to insist on the wording of our letter, which -specially mentioned boats. Then he offered us one so small that he -probably thought we would refuse it. But we took it; and our captain -afterwards exchanged it for a larger one. We made a swift passage -through the famous rapids, and reached Bangkok on January 30th, 1864. - -The first news that we heard on our arrival was that Mrs. Mattoon was -obliged to leave at once for the United States, and that Mr. Wilson was -to take his furlough at the same time. This, of course, ended all plans -for any immediate removal to Chiengmai. We hastened to Pechaburī, where -the McFarlands had been alone during our absence. Three years were to -pass before our faces were again turned northward. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - V - - THE CHARTER OF THE LĀO MISSION - - -In the meantime, with two children added unto us, we were become a -family much more difficult to move. We liked our home and our work. At -the age of thirty-nine, to strike out into a new work, in a language at -least partly new, was a matter not to be lightly undertaken. Might it -not be better that Mr. Wilson should work up in the United States an -interest in the new mission, should himself select his associates in it, -and that I should give up my claim to that place? It was certain that -three families could not be spared for Chiengmai. More than one day was -spent, under the shade of a great tree behind Wat Noi, in thought on the -subject, and in prayer for direction. - -Finally—though it was a hard thing to do—I wrote to Mr. Wilson, then in -the United States, suggesting the plan just stated. Feeling sure that it -would commend itself to him, I considered the door to Chiengmai as -probably closed to me. In the meantime Mr. Wilson had married again; and -on the eve of his return wrote to me that he had failed to get another -family to come out with him, and was discouraged about the Chiengmai -mission. Probably the time had not yet come, etc., etc. I was delighted -to get that letter. It decided me to go to Chiengmai, the Lord willing, -the following dry season, with only my own family, if need be. Dr. -Mattoon and Dr. House were absent on furlough. Mr. Wilson and I would be -the senior members of the mission. The Board had already given its -sanction. The mission in Bangkok meanwhile had been reinforced by the -arrival of the Georges and the Cardens. On the return of those then -absent on furlough, one of these families could join the McFarlands in -Pechaburī, and yet there would be four families in Bangkok. Such a -combination of favourable circumstances might not occur again. - -When Mr. Wilson arrived in Bangkok in the fall of 1866, a letter was -waiting for him, asking him to visit us in Pechaburī to talk over the -question. On his arrival we spent one Sunday in anxious consultation. He -was still eager to go to Chiengmai, but could not go that year. His -preference would be that we should wait another year.—But that might be -to lose the opportunity. So next morning, leaving Mr. and Mrs. Wilson to -visit with my family, I hurried over to Bangkok. There was no time to be -lost. The Prince of Chiengmai had been called down on special business, -and was soon to return. The whole plan might depend on him—as, in fact, -it did. - -It was after dark on Tuesday night when I reached Dr. Bradley’s, taking -them all by surprise. I made known my errand. Another long and anxious -consultation followed. I knew that Dr. Bradley’s great missionary soul -would not be staggered by any personal considerations. It would be but -the answer to his own prayers to see a mission planted in Chiengmai. In -his heart he was glad that it was to be planted by one of his own -family. Earnest prayer was offered that night at the family altar for -guidance in the negotiations of the following day, and for a blessing on -the mission that was to be. - -On Wednesday, after an early breakfast, Dr. Bradley accompanied me to -our mission. My colleagues, McDonald, George, and Carden, were easily -induced to consent. Mr. McDonald said that he would not go himself; but -if I were willing to risk my family, he would not oppose the scheme, and -would vote to have Mr. Wilson follow me the next year. Thus another -obstacle was removed. - -Taking Mr. McDonald and Mr. George with us, we proceeded next to the -United States Consulate, where Mr. Hood readily agreed to give his -official and personal aid. The two greatest obstacles remained yet: the -Siamese government and—as it turned out in the end—the Lāo Prince[7] -also. The Consul wrote immediately to the King, through our former -Pechaburī friend, who had recently been made Foreign Minister, a formal -request for permission to open a station in Chiengmai. It was Friday -evening when the reply came that the decision did not rest with the -King. He could not force a mission upon the Lāo people. But the Lāo -Prince was then in Bangkok. If he gave his consent, the Siamese -government would give theirs. He suggested that we have an audience with -the Prince, at which His Majesty would have an officer in attendance to -report directly to him. - -Footnote 7: - - The Lāo ruler was a feudal vassal of the King of Siam, governing an - important frontier province, and granted, within that province, some - of the powers which are usually thought of as belonging to - sovereignty—notably the power of life and death in the case of his - immediate subjects. His title, Pra Chao, like its English parallel, - Lord, he shared with the deity as well as with kings; though the Kings - of Siam claim the added designation, “_Yū Hūa_,” “at the head,” or - “Sovereign.” By the early missionaries, however, he was regularly - styled “King,” a term which to us misrepresents his real status, and - which leads to much confusion both of personality and of function. - Meantime both title and function have vanished with the feudal order - of which they were a part, leaving us free to seek for our narrative a - less misleading term. Such a term seems to be the word Prince, thus - defined in Murray’s Dictionary (_s. v._ II. 5):—“The ruler of a - principality or small state, actually, nominally, or originally, a - feudatory of a king or emperor.” The capital initial should suffice - generally to distinguish the Prince who is ruler from princes who are - such merely by accident of birth.—ED. - -So on Saturday morning at ten o’clock we all appeared at the landing -where the Lāo boats were moored, asking for an audience with the Prince. -We were invited to await him in the sālā at the river landing. In a few -moments His Highness came up in his customary informal attire—a -_phānung_ about his loins, no jacket, a scarf thrown loosely over his -shoulders, and a little cane in his hand. Having shaken hands with us, -he seated himself in his favourite attitude, dangling his right leg over -his left knee. He asked our errand. At Mr. Hood’s request Dr. Bradley -explained our desire to establish a mission station in Chiengmai, and -our hope to secure his approval. The Prince seemed relieved to find that -our errand involved nothing more serious than that. The mission station -was no new question suddenly sprung upon him. We had more than once -spoken with him about it, and always apparently with his approbation. To -all our requests he now gave ready assent. Yes, we might establish -ourselves in Chiengmai. Land was cheap; we need not even buy it. Timber -was cheap. There would be, of course, the cost of cutting and hauling -it; but not much more. We could build our houses of brick or of wood, as -we pleased. It was explained, as he already knew, that our object was to -teach religion, to establish schools, and to care for the sick. The -King’s secretary took down the replies of the Prince to our questions. -The Consul expressed his gratitude, and committed my family to his -gracious care. We were to follow the Prince to Chiengmai as soon as -possible. - -Such was the outward scene and circumstance of the official birth of the -Lāo mission. In itself it was ludicrous enough: the audience chamber, a -sālā-landing under the shadow of a Buddhist monastery; the Consul in his -official uniform; the Prince _en déshabillé_; our little group awaiting -the answer on which depended the royal signature of Somdet Phra -Paramendr Mahā Mongkut authorizing the establishment of a Christian -mission. The answer was, Yes. I was myself amazed at the success of the -week’s work. On the part both of the Siamese government and of the Lāo -Prince, it was an act of grace hardly to be expected, though quite in -keeping with the liberality of the truly great king who opened his -country to civilization and to Christianity. And the Lāo Prince, with -all his faults, had some noble and generous traits of character. - -Later in the day I called alone to tell the Prince that as soon as I -could after the close of the rainy season, I would come with my family. -After the intense excitement of the week, I spent a quiet Sabbath in Dr. -Bradley’s family, and on Monday morning could say, as did Abraham’s -servant, “Hinder me not, seeing the Lord hath prospered me.” Taking the -afternoon tide, I hastened home to report the success of my trip, to -close my work in Pechaburī, and to make preparation for a new station, -which was soon to be a new mission. - -[Illustration: - - REV. DAN BEACH BRADLEY, M.D. - 1872] - - -[Illustration: - - KĀWILŌROT, PRINCE OF CHIENGMAI - (ABOUT 1869)] - - -The work in hand was easily turned over to Mr. McFarland, an earnest and -successful worker, who had become specially gifted in the Siamese -language. The Presbytery was to meet in Bangkok in November. The last -busy weeks passed rapidly away. At their end we bade good-bye to our -home and friends in Pechaburī. - -Friends in Bangkok gave us their hearty assistance. The Ladies’ Sewing -Society made a liberal contribution to the new mission. Dr. James -Campbell supplied us with medicines and a book of instructions how to -use them. The German Consul gave us a Prussian rifle for our personal -protection. All our missionary friends added their good wishes and their -prayers. - -We had great difficulty in securing suitable boats and crews for the -journey. On January 3d, 1867, we embarked, leaving Mr. and Mrs. Wilson -to follow us the next year. Mr. George accompanied us as far as Rahêng. -The trip is always a slow one, but we enjoyed it. My rifle was useful in -securing pelicans and other large birds for food. Once I fired into a -large flock of pelicans on the river and killed three with a single -shot. Fish everywhere abounded. My shotgun furnished pigeons and other -small game. The trip afforded fine opportunity for evangelistic work. -Nothing of the sort had ever been done there save the little which Mr. -Wilson and I had attempted on our earlier trip. - -Rahêng was reached in four weeks. There we dismissed the boats that had -brought us from Bangkok, and procured, instead, two large ones of the -sort used in up-country travel. We should have done better with three of -smaller size. We spent nearly a month in toiling up the thirty-two -rapids. At one of them we were delayed from Friday noon till Tuesday -afternoon. At another, to avoid the furious current of the main river, -we attempted a small channel at one side. As we slowly worked our way -along, the water in our channel became shallower and shallower, till we -had to resort to a system of extemporized locks. A temporary dam was -built behind the boat. The resulting slight rise of water would enable -us to drag the boat a little further, till again it was stranded—when -the process would have to be repeated. After two days of hard work at -this, our boatmen gave up in despair. A Chiengmai prince on his way to -Bangkok found us in this extremity, and gave us an order to secure help -at the nearest village. To send the letter up and to bring the boatmen -down would require nearly a week. But there was nothing else to do. - -My rifle helped me somewhat to while away the time of this idle waiting. -We could hear tigers about us every night. I used to skirt about among -the mountain ridges and brooks, half hoping to shoot one of them. Since -my rifle was not a repeater, it was no doubt best that my ambition was -not gratified. Once, taking a Siamese lad with me, I strayed further and -returned later than usual. It was nearly dark when we got back to the -boats, and supper was waiting. Before we had finished our meal, the -boatmen caught sight of the glowing eyes of a tiger that had followed -our trail to the further bank of the river, whence we had crossed to our -boat. - -One of the boat captains professed to be able to call up either deer or -tiger, if one were within hearing. By doubling a leaf together, and with -thumb and finger on either side holding the two edges tense between his -lips while he blew, he would produce a sound so nearly resembling the -cry of a young goat or deer, that a doe within reach of the call, he -claimed, would run to the rescue of her young, or a tiger, hearing it, -would run to secure the prey. The two captains and I one day went up on -a ridge, and, selecting an open triangular space, posted ourselves back -to back, facing in three directions, with our guns in readiness. The -captain had sounded his call only two or three times, when suddenly a -large deer rushed furiously up from the direction toward which one of -the captains was facing. A fallen log was lying about twenty paces off -on the edge of our open space. The excited animal stopped behind it, his -lower parts concealed, but with back, shoulder, neck, and head fully -exposed. Our captain fired away, but was so excited that he would have -missed an elephant. His bullet entered the log some six inches below the -top. In an instant the deer was gone. We found not far off the spot -where evidently a young deer had been devoured by a tiger. We tried the -experiment a number of times later, but with no success. - -After we had waited two days and nights for help from the village above, -on the third night the spirits came to our rescue. Either with their -ears or in their imaginations, our crew heard strange noises in the -rocks and trees about them, which they interpreted as a warning from the -spirits to be gone. Next morning, after consultation together, they made -another desperate effort, and got the boats off. It was still several -days before we met the men that came down in response to the prince’s -order. But some of the worst rapids were yet before us. We could hardly -have got through without their aid. - -The efforts of a single crew, it must be remembered, are utterly -inadequate to bring a boat up through any of these rapids. Only by -combining two or three crews can the boats be brought up one by one. -Some of the men are on the bank, tugging at the tow-rope while they -clamber over rocks and struggle through bushes. Some are on board, -bending to their poles. Others are up to their waists in the rushing -water, by main force fending off the boat from being dashed against the -rocks. On one occasion I myself had made the passage in the first boat, -which then was left moored in quieter waters. The crew went back to -bring up the second boat, in which were my wife and children. With -anxious eyes I was watching the struggle; when, suddenly, in the -fiercest rush of the current, the men lost control of her. Boat and -passengers were drifting with full force straight against a wall of -solid rock on the opposite bank. It seemed as if nothing could save -them. But one of the fleetest boatmen, with rope in hand, swam to a rock -in midstream, and took a turn of the rope about it, just in time to -prevent what would have been a tragedy. - -At night, about camp-fires on the river bank, we were regaled by the -boatmen with legends of the country through which we were passing. One -of these legends concerned the lofty mountain which rises above the -rapid called Kêng Soi, where we were camped. The story was that on its -summit there had been in ancient times a city of _sētīs_ (millionaires), -who paid a gold _fûang_ (two dollars) a bucket for all the water brought -up for their use. It was said that remains of their city, and -particularly an aged cocoanut tree, were still to be seen on the summit. - -Since it would take our boatmen at least two days to surmount that -rapid, I resolved to attempt the ascent, and either verify or explode -the story. Starting at early dawn with my young Siamese, zigzagging back -and forth on the slope all that long forenoon, I struggled upward—often -despairing of success, but ashamed to turn back. At last we stood on the -top, but it was noon or later. We spent two or three hours in search of -the cocoanut tree or other evidence of human settlement, but all in -vain. I was satisfied that we were the first of human kind that had ever -set foot on that lofty summit. We had brought lunch—but no water! Most -willingly would we have given a silver _fûang_ for a draught. - -The legend of the rapids themselves was one of the most interesting. At -the edge of the plain above the rapids there is pointed out a wall of -rock dropping fully a hundred feet sheer to the water’s edge. The story -goes that in ancient times a youth made love to the Prince’s daughter. -The course of true love did not run smooth; the father forbade the suit. -The lovers resolved to make their escape. The young man mounted his -steed with his bride behind him, and together they fled. But soon the -enraged father was in hot pursuit. They reached the river-brink at the -top of the precipice, with the father in plain sight behind them. But -there the lover’s heart failed him. He could not take that leap. The -maiden then begged to exchange places with her lover. She mounted in -front; tied her scarf over her eyes; put spurs to the horse; and took -the fatal leap. To this day the various rapids are mostly named from -various portions of the equipage which are supposed to have drifted down -the stream and lodged upon the rocks. - -Lāo witchcraft was another favourite theme of our Rahêng boatmen. They -were very much afraid of the magical powers of wizards; and evidently -believed that the wizards could readily despatch any who offended them. -They could insert a mass of rawhide into one’s stomach, which would -produce death, and which could not be consumed by fire when the body was -cremated. They could make themselves invisible and invulnerable. No -sword could penetrate their flesh, and a bullet fired at them would drop -harmless from the mouth of the gun. - -But we have lingered too long among the rapids. Some distance above the -last one the mountains on either side recede from the river, and enclose -the great plain of Chiengmai and Lampūn. Both passengers and boatmen -draw a long breath of relief when it opens out. The glorious sun again -shines all day. The feathery plumes of the graceful bamboo clumps are a -delight to the eye, and give variety to the otherwise tame scenery. But -the distant mountains are always in sight. - -The season was advancing. The further we went, the shallower grew the -stream. Long before we reached Chiengmai, we had to use canoes to -lighten our boats; but presently a seasonable rise in the river came to -our aid. On Saturday evening, April 1st, 1867, we moored our boats -beside a mighty banyan tree, whose spreading arms shaded a space more -than a hundred feet wide. It stands opposite the large island which -forty years later the government turned over to Dr. McKean of our -mission for a leper asylum. Stepping out a few paces from under its -shade, one could see across the fields the pagoda-spires of Chiengmai. -There, prayerfully and anxiously, we spent the thirteenth and last -Sunday of our long journey, not knowing what the future might have in -store for us. - - -[Illustration: - - A REST BETWEEN RAPIDS IN THE GORGE OF THE MÊ PING RIVER] - - -[Illustration: - - POLING UP THE MÊ PING RIVER] - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - VI - - CHIENGMAI - - -On Monday morning, April 3d, 1867, we reached the city. We had looked -forward to the arrival as a welcome rest after the long confinement of -our journey in the boat. But it was only the beginning of troubles. We -were not coming to an established station with houses and comforts -prepared by predecessors. The Prince was off on a military expedition, -not to be back for over a month. Till he came, nothing could be done. We -could not secure a house to shelter us, for there was none to be had. -Just outside the eastern gate of the city, however, a sālā for public -use had recently been built by an officer from Rahêng, to “make merit,” -according to Buddhist custom. He had still a quasi claim upon it, and, -with the consent of the Prince’s representative, he offered it to us. It -was well built, with tile roof and teak floor, was enclosed on three -sides, and opened in front on a six-foot veranda. In that one room, some -twelve feet by twenty, all our belongings were stored. It served for -bedroom, parlour, dining-room, and study. In it tables, chairs, -bedstead, organ, boxes, and trunks were all piled one upon another. A -bamboo kitchen and a bathroom were presently extemporized in the yard. -That was our home for more than a year. - -The news of the arrival of white foreigners soon spread far and wide. It -was not known how long they would remain; and the eagerness of all -classes to get sight of them before they should be gone was absolutely -ludicrous, even when most annoying. “There is a white woman and -children! We _must_ go and see them.” Our visitors claimed all the -immunities of backwoodsmen who know no better. In etiquette and manners -they well deserved that name. Within a few feet of the sālā was a -rickety plank-walk leading over marshy ground to the city. Everybody had -to pass that way, and everybody must stop. When the veranda was filled, -they would crowd up on the ground in front as long as they could get -sight of anybody or anything. If to-day the crowd prevented a good view, -they would call to-morrow. The favourite time of all was, of course, our -meal-time, to see how and what the foreigners ate. Almost never in the -daytime could we sit down to a quiet meal without lookers-on. It was not -uncommon for our visitors to pick up a knife or a fork or even the -bread, and ask what that was. “They don’t sit on the floor to eat, nor -use their fingers, as we do!” - -This, however, is only one side of the picture. In one sense we were -partly to blame for our discomfort. We could soon have dispersed the -crowd by giving them to understand that their presence was not wanted. -But we ourselves were on trial. If we had got the name of being -ill-natured or ungracious, they would have left us, probably never to -return. No. This was what we were there for. It gave us constant -opportunities from daylight till dark to proclaim the Gospel message. -The first and commonest question, who we were and what was our errand, -brought us at once to the point. We were come with messages of mercy and -with offer of eternal life from the great God and Saviour. We were come -with a revelation of our Heavenly Father to His wandering and lost -children. While the mass of our visitors came from curiosity, some came -to learn; and many who came from curiosity went away pondering whether -these things were so. Friendships also were formed which stood us in -good stead afterwards when we sorely needed friends. During our time of -persecution these persons would come in by stealth to speak a word of -comfort, when they dared not do so openly. - -As the annoyance of those days fell most heavily on the nerves of my -wife, it was a comfort to learn afterwards that possibly the very first -convert heard the Gospel message first from her lips, while she was -addressing a crowd of visitors very soon after our arrival. Reference -will be made to him later, but it may be said here that from the day -when he first heard the news, he never again worshipped an idol. - -Whatever was their object in coming to see us, we soon gave every crowd, -and nearly every visitor, to understand what we had come for. We had -come as teachers—primarily as teachers of a way of salvation for -sinners. And we never addressed a crowd of thoughtful men or women who -did not readily confess that they were sinners, and needed a saviour -from sin. But we were not merely teachers of religion, though primarily -such. We could often, if not usually, better teach religion—or, at -least, could better lead up to it—by teaching geography or astronomy. A -little globe that I had brought along was often my text. - -I presume that most Christian people in America have a very crude idea -of the method of preaching the Gospel often, or, perhaps, generally, -used by missionaries, particularly in new fields. If they think that the -bell is rung, that the people assemble in orderly fashion, and take -their seats, that a hymn is sung, prayer offered, the Scripture read, a -sermon delivered, and the congregation dismissed with the doxology and -benediction,—they are very much mistaken. All that comes in time. We -have lived to see it come in this land—thanks to God’s blessing upon -work much more desultory than that. Long after the time we are now -speaking of, one could talk of religion to the people by the hour, or -even by the day; one might sing hymns, might solemnly utter prayer, in -response to inquiry as to how we worshipped—and they would listen -respectfully and with interest. But if public worship had been -announced, and these same people had been invited to remain, every soul -would have fled away for fear of being caught in some trap and made -Christians without their consent, or for fear of being made to suffer -the consequences of being reputed Christians before they were ready to -take that step. Forty years later than the time we are now speaking of, -I have seen people who were standing about the church door and looking -in, driven quite away by the mere invitation to come in and be seated. - -In one sense our work during the first year was very desultory. I had -always to shape my instruction to the individuals before me. It would -often be in answer to questions as to where was our country; in what -direction; how one would travel to get there; could one go there on -foot; and so on. Or the question might be as to the manners and customs -of our nation; or it might be directly on religion itself. But as all -roads lead to Rome, so all subjects may be turned to Christ, His cross, -and His salvation. - -Of the friends found in those early days I must mention two. One was -Princess Būa Kam, the mother of the late and last Lāo Prince, Chao -Intanon. At our first acquaintance, she formed for us a warm friendship -that lasted till her death. Nor could I ever discover any other ground -for her friendship than the fact that we were religious teachers. She -was herself a devout Buddhist, and continued to the last her offerings -in the monasteries. I believe that the Gospel plan of salvation struck a -chord in her heart which her own religion never did. From Buddha she got -no assurance of pardon. The assurance that pardon is possible in itself -seemed to give her hope, though by what process a logical mind could -hardly see, so long as she held on to a system which, as she confessed, -did not and could not give pardon. She was always pleased to hear the -story of the incarnation, the birth, life, and miracles of Christ. She -was deeply touched by the recital of His sufferings, persecutions, and -death. Illustrations of the substitutionary efficacy of His sufferings -she readily understood. She acknowledged her god to be a man who, by the -well-nigh endless road to nirvāna, had ceased to suffer by ceasing to -exist. The only claim he had to warrant his pointing out the way to -others was the fact that he had passed over it himself. There was one -ground, however, on which she felt that she might claim the comfort both -of the doctrines which she still held and of ours, too. A favourite -theory of hers—and of many others—was that, after all, we worship the -same God under different names. She called hers Buddha, and we call ours -Jehovah-Jesus. - -She had by nature a woman’s tender heart. Benevolence had doubtless been -developed in her by her religion, till it had become a second nature. -The gifts she loved to make were also a means of laying up a store of -merit for the future. She was most liberal in sending us tokens of -remembrance. These were not of much value. A quart of white rice, a few -oranges, cucumbers, or cocoanuts on a silver tray, were so customary a -sight that, if ever any length of time elapsed without them, we wondered -if the Princess were ill. And, on the other hand, if for any cause my -calls were far apart, she would be sure to send to enquire if I were -ill. The “cup of cold water” which she thus so often pressed to our -lips, I am sure, was given for the Master’s sake. - -Another remarkable friendship formed during that first year was that of -a Buddhist monk, abbot of the Ūmōng monastery. As in the other case, -there was no favour to ask, no axe to grind. He never made a request for -anything, unless it were for a book. But the little novice who attended -him almost always brought a cocoanut or some other small present for us. -Very early in our acquaintance he came to see that the universe could -not be self-existent, as Buddhism teaches. On his deeply religious -nature the sense of sin weighed heavily. He was well versed in the -Buddhist scriptures, and knew that there was no place for pardon in all -that system. He understood the plan of salvation offered to men through -the infinite merit of Jesus Christ. At times he would argue that it was -impossible. But the thought that, after all, it might be possible, -afforded him a gleam of hope that he saw nowhere else; and he was not -willing to renounce it altogether. - -[Illustration: - - TEMPLE OF THE OLD TĀI STYLE OF ARCHITECTURE, CHIENGMAI] - -During the dark months that followed the martyrdom of our native -Christians, when many who were true friends deemed it unwise to let -their sympathy be known, the good abbot visited us regularly, as, -indeed, he continued to do as long as he lived. At times I had strong -hopes that he would leave the priesthood. But he never could quite see -his way to do that, though he maintained that he never ceased to worship -Jesus. The only likeness, alas! that I have of his dear old face is a -photograph taken after death, as his body lay ready for cremation. Unto -whom, if not unto such true friends of His as these, was it said, “I was -a hungered, and ye gave Me meat; I was thirsty, and ye gave Me drink; I -was in prison, and ye visited Me.—Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one -of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me”? - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - VII - - PIONEER WORK - - -The military expedition in which the Prince was engaged detained him in -the field until some time in May. It was one of many unsuccessful -attempts to capture a notorious Ngīo chieftain who, turning outlaw and -robber, had gathered about him a band of desperadoes, with whom he -sallied forth from his mountain fastness, raiding innocent villages and -carrying off the plunder to his stronghold, before any force could be -gathered to withstand or to pursue him. In this way he kept the whole -country in constant alarm during the earlier years of our stay in -Chiengmai. What made matters worse was the fact—as the Lāo firmly -believed—that he had a charmed life, that he could render himself -invisible, and that no weapon could penetrate his flesh. Had not the -stockade within which he had taken shelter been completely surrounded -one night by a cordon of armed men, and at dawn, when he was to have -been captured, he was nowhere to be found? Such was the man of whom we -shall hear more further on. - -At the Lāo New Year it is customary for all persons of princely rank, -all officers and people of influence, to present their compliments to -the Prince in person, and to take part in the ceremony of “Dam Hūa,” by -way of wishing him a Happy New Year. Because of the Prince’s absence in -the field, this ceremony could not be observed at the regular time; but -it was none the less brilliantly carried out a few days after his -return. The name, Dam Hūa, means “bathing the head” or “head-bath,” and -it is really a ceremonial bathing or baptism of the Prince’s head with -water poured upon it, first by princes and officials in the order of -their rank, and so on down to his humblest subjects. - -The first and more exclusive part of the ceremony took place in the -palace, where I also was privileged to offer my New Year’s greetings -with the rest. The great reception hall was crowded with the Prince’s -family and with officials of all degrees. The air was heavy with the -fragrance of flowers which loaded every table and stand. All were in -readiness with their silver vessels filled with water, awaiting His -Highness’ appearance. At length an officer with a long silver-handled -spear announced his coming. The whole company received him with lowest -prostration after the old-time fashion. Seeing me standing, he sent for -a chair, saying that the ceremony was long, and I would be tired. The -Court Orator, or Scribe, then read a long address of welcome to the -Prince on his return from his brilliant expedition, with high-sounding -compliments on its success. Then there was a long invocation of all the -powers above or beneath, real or imaginary, not to molest, but instead -to protect, guide, and bless His Highness’ person, kingdom, and people, -with corresponding curses invoked on all his enemies and theirs. Then -came the ceremonial bath, administered first by his own family, his -relatives, and high officials—he standing while vase after vase of water -was poured on his head, drenching him completely and flooding all the -floor. It is a ceremony not at all unpleasant in a hot climate, however -unendurable it might be in colder regions. - -This was the beginning. According to immemorial custom, a booth was -prepared on a sand-bar in the river. To this, after the ceremony in the -palace, the Prince went in full state, riding on an elephant richly -caparisoned with trappings of solid gold, to receive a like bath at the -hands of his loyal subjects—beginning, as before, with some high nobles, -and then passing on to the common people, who might all take part in -this closing scene of the strange ceremony. - -I was not in the concourse at the river, but watched the procession from -our sālā, the Prince having said to me that he would call on his return. -This he did, making us a nice little visit, taking a cup of tea, and -listening to the playing of some selections on the organ. He asked if I -had selected a place for a permanent station, and suggested one or two -himself. But I was in no hurry, preferring to wait for the judgment of -Mr. Wilson on his arrival. Meanwhile I was assured that I might remain -in the sālā, and might put up a temporary house to receive the new -family. When I requested his consent to the employment of a teacher, he -asked whom I thought of employing. I mentioned the name of one, and he -said, “He is not good. I will send you a better one,”—and he sent me his -own teacher. - -It was a very auspicious beginning. I knew that neither the Siamese nor -the Lāo trusted the Prince very thoroughly; yet every time that I saw -him it seemed to me that I might trust him. At any rate, I did not then -look forward to the scenes that we were to pass through before three -years were gone. - -After the first curiosity wore off, many of those who came to our sālā -were patients seeking medical treatment. The title “Maw” (doctor) -followed me from Bangkok, where all missionaries, I believe, are still -so called. This name itself often excited hopes which, of course, were -doomed to disappointment. To the ignorant all diseases seem equally -curable, if only there be the requisite skill or power. How often during -those first five years I regretted that I was not a trained physician -and surgeon! My only consolation was that it was not my fault. When my -thoughts were first turned towards missions, I consulted the officers of -our Board on the wisdom of taking at least a partial course in -preparation for my work. But medical missions had not then assumed the -importance they since have won. In fact, just then they were at a -discount. The Board naturally thought that medical study would be, for -me at least, a waste of time, and argued besides that in most mission -fields there were English physicians. But it so happened that eleven -years of my missionary life have been spent in stations from one hundred -to five hundred miles distant from a physician. So, if any physician who -reads this narrative is inclined to criticise me as a quack, I beg such -to remember that I was driven to it—I had to do whatever I could in the -case of illness in my own family; and for pity I could not turn away -those who often had nothing but superstitious charms to rely on. It was -a comfort, moreover, to know that in spite of inevitable -disappointments, our practice of medicine made friends, and possibly -enabled us to maintain the field, at a time when simply as Christian -teachers we could not have done so. Even Prince Kāwilōrot himself -conceded so much when, after forbidding us to remain as missionaries, he -said we might, if we wished, remain to treat the sick. - -In such a malarial country, there is no estimating the boon conferred by -the introduction of quinine alone. Malarial fevers often ran on season -after season, creating an anæmic condition such that the least exertion -would bring on the fever and chills again. The astonishment of the -people, therefore, is not surprising when two or three small powders of -the “white medicine,” as they called it, taken with much misgiving, -would cut short the fever, while their own medicines, taken by the -potful for many months, had failed. The few bottles of quinine which it -had been thought sufficient to bring with me, were soon exhausted. The -next order was for forty four-ounce bottles; and not till our physicians -at length began to order by the thousand ounces could a regular supply -be kept on hand. I have often been in villages where every child, and -nearly every person, young or old, had chills and fever, till the spleen -was enlarged, and the whole condition such that restoration was possible -only after months of treatment. - -There was another malady very common then—the goitre—which had never -been cured by any remedy known to the Lāo doctors. I soon learned, -however, that an ointment of potassium iodide was almost a specific in -the earlier stages of the disease. That soon gave my medicine and my -treatment a reputation that no regular physician could have sustained; -for the people were sure that one who could cure the goitre must be able -to cure any disease. If I protested that I was not a doctor, it seemed a -triumphant answer to say, “Why, you cured such a one of the goitre.” -Often when I declined to undertake the treatment of some disease above -my skill, the patient would go away saying, “I believe you could, if you -would.” - -One other part of my medical work I must mention here, since reference -will be made to it later. The ravages of smallpox had been fearful, -amounting at times to the destruction of a whole generation of children. -The year before our arrival had witnessed such a scourge. Hardly a -household escaped, and many had no children left. I was specially -interested to prevent or to check these destructive epidemics, because -the Prince had seen the efficacy of vaccination as practised by Dr. -Bradley in Bangkok, and because I felt sure that what he had seen had -influenced him to give his consent to our coming. One of the surest ways -then known of sending the virus a long distance was in the form of the -dry scab from a vaccine pustule. When once the virus had “taken,” -vaccination went on from arm to arm. Dr. Bradley sent me the first -vaccine scab. It reached me during the first season; and vaccination -from it ran a notable course. - -The Karens and other hill-tribes are so fearful of smallpox that when it -comes near their villages, they all flee to the mountains. Smallpox had -broken out in a Lāo village near a Karen settlement. The settlement was -at once deserted. Meanwhile the news of the efficacy of vaccination had -reached the Lāo village, and they sent a messenger with an elephant to -beg me to come and vaccinate the entire community. Two young monks came -also from an adjoining village, where the disease was already raging. -These two I vaccinated at once, and sent home, arranging to follow them -later when their pustules should be ripe. From them I vaccinated about -twenty of the villagers. During the following week the Karens all -returned, and in one day I vaccinated one hundred and sixty-three -persons. It was a strange sight to see four generations all vaccinated -at one time—great-grandfathers holding out their withered arms along -with babes a month old. - -Success such as this was naturally very flattering to one’s pride; and -“pride goeth before a fall.” I had kept the Prince informed of the -success of my attempt, and naturally was anxious to introduce -vaccination into the palace. The patronage of the palace would ensure -its introduction into the whole kingdom. Having a fine vaccine pustule -on the arm of a healthy white infant boy, I took him to the palace to -show the case to the Prince’s daughter, and to her husband, who was the -heir-apparent. They had a little son of about the same age. The parents -were pleased, and sent me with the child to the Prince. As soon as he -saw the pustule, he pronounced it genuine, and was delighted. His -younger daughter had lost a child in the epidemic of the year before, -and the family was naturally very anxious on the subject. He sent me -immediately to vaccinate his little grandson. - -I returned to the palace of the son-in-law, and very carefully -vaccinated the young prince on whom so many hopes were centred. I -watched the case daily, and my best hopes seemed realized. The pustules -developed finely. All the characteristic symptoms appeared and -disappeared at the proper times. But when the scab was about to fall -off, the little prince was taken with diarrhœa. I felt sure that a -little paregoric or some other simple remedy would speedily set the -child right, and I offered to treat the case. But half a dozen -doctors—most of them “spirit-doctors”—were already in attendance. The -poor child, I verily believe, was dosed to death. So evident was it that -the unfortunate outcome could not have been the result of vaccination, -that both the parents again and again assured me that they entertained -no such thought. But all diseases—as was then universally believed among -the Lāo—are the result of incurring the displeasure of the “spirits” of -the family or of the clan. The “spirits” might have taken umbrage at the -invasion of their prerogative by vaccination. - -No doubt some such thought was whispered to the Prince, and it is not -unnatural that he should at least have half believed it. In his grief at -the loss of his grandson, it is easy to see how that thought may have -fanned his jealousy at the growing influence of the missionaries. - -No year ever passed more rapidly or more pleasantly than that first year -of the mission. We were too busy to be either lonesome or homesick, -although, to complete our isolation, we had no mails of any sort for -many months. Our two children, the one of three and the other of six -years, were a great comfort to us. When we left Bangkok it was -understood that a Mr. C. of the Borneo Company was to follow us in a -month on business of their teak trade. He had promised to bring up our -mail. So we felt sure of getting our first letters in good time. Since -he would travel much faster than we, it was not impossible that he might -overtake us on the way. But April, May, and June passed, and still no -word of Mr. C. or of the mails he was bringing. In July we received a -note from him, with a few fragments of our long looked-for mail. He had -been attacked by robbers below Rahêng, himself had received a serious -wound, and his boat had been looted of every portable object, including -our mail-bag. Fortunately the robbers, finding nothing of value to them -in the mail, had dropped as they fled some mutilated letters and papers, -which the officers in pursuit picked up, and which Mr. C. forwarded to -us. Otherwise we should have had nothing. We could at least be devoutly -thankful that we had traversed the same river in safety. - -It was long before we were sure that Mr. Wilson and his family were -coming at all that year. It was at least possible that any one of a -thousand causes might delay them, or even prevent their coming -altogether. Their arrival on February 15th, 1868, was, of course, a -great event. - -Not long after this we were eagerly awaiting a promised visit from our -old associate and friend, Dr. S. R. House. Both Mrs. Wilson and Mrs. -McGilvary were expecting shortly to be confined, and the good doctor was -making the tedious journey that he might be on hand to help them with -his professional skill in the hour of their need. Our dismay can be -imagined, when, one day, there appeared, not the doctor, but his native -assistant, with a few pencilled lines from the doctor, telling us that -he was lying in the forest some four or five days distant, dangerously, -if not fatally, gored by an elephant. We were not to come to him, but -were to stand by and attend to the needs of our families. He begged us -to pray for him, and to send him some comforts and medicines. - -The accident happened on this wise: The doctor had been walking awhile -for exercise behind his riding elephant, and then attempted to pass up -beside the creature to the front. The elephant, startled at his -unexpected appearance, struck him to the ground with a blow of his -trunk, gored him savagely in the abdomen, and was about to trample him -under foot, when the driver, not a moment too soon, got the creature -again under control. With rare nerve the doctor cleansed the frightful -wound, and sewed it up by the help of its reflection in a mirror, as he -lay on his back on the ground. He despatched the messenger to us; gave -careful instructions to his attendants as to what they should do for him -when the inevitable fever and delirium should come on; and resigned -himself calmly to await whatever the outcome might be. - -The situation was, indeed, desperate. We could not possibly hope to -reach him before the question of life or death for him would be settled; -nor could he be brought to us. The best we could do was to get an order -from the Prince for a boat, boatmen, and carriers, and despatch these -down the river, committing with earnest prayer the poor sufferer to the -all-loving Father’s care. The doctor was carried on a bamboo litter -through the jungle to the Mê Ping River, and in due time reached -Chiengmai convalescent, to find that the two expected young missionaries -had arrived in safety before him. After a month’s rest he was able to -return to Bangkok; but not until he had assisted us in organizing the -First Presbyterian Church of Chiengmai. - -In the _Presbyterian Record_ for November, 1868, will be found an -interesting report from the doctor’s pen. Naturally he was struck with -the predominance of demon-worship over Buddhism among the Lāo. We quote -the following: - - “Not only offerings, but actually prayers are made to demons. I - shall never forget the first prayer of the kind I ever heard.... - We had just entered a dark defile in the mountains, beyond Mûang - Tôn, and had come to a rude, imageless shrine erected to the - guardian demon of the pass. The owner of my riding-elephant was - seated on the neck of the big beast before me. Putting the palms - of his hands together and raising them in the attitude of - worship, he prayed: ‘Let no evil happen to us. We are six men - and three elephants. Let us not be injured. Let nothing come to - frighten us,’ and so on. On my way down the river, at the rapids - and gloomy passes in the mountains the boatmen would land, - tapers would be lighted, and libations would be poured, and - offerings of flowers, food, and betel would be made to the - powers of darkness.” - - The doctor speaks also of “the favour with which the - missionaries were received, the confidence they had won from all - classes, the influence of their medicines, and the grand field - open for a physician.” He frankly says, “I must confess that - though at one time I did have some misgivings whether, all - things considered, the movement was not a little premature, I - now, being better able to judge, greatly honour the Christian - courage and enterprise which undertook the work; or rather bless - God who inspired Mr. McGilvary’s heart, and made his old - Princeton friend, Mr. Wilson, consent to join him in thus - striking out boldly into an untried field. It will prove, I - trust, a field ready to the harvest.” - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - VIII - - FIRST-FRUITS - - -During the first three months after Mr. Wilson’s arrival we were so -occupied with mission work and with family cares that we had not made -choice of the lot which the Prince had promised to give us. On the very -day that Dr. House left us, however, the Prince came in person, -selected, and made over to us our present beautiful mission compound on -the east bank of the Mê Ping. He would not allow us to offer any -compensation; but, learning afterwards that the native owners had -received no remuneration, we secretly paid them. Mr. Wilson began at -once to erect temporary bamboo buildings, and soon moved to the new -compound. Since it was difficult for me to spare time for further work -of building for myself, and since the old location was an ideal one for -meeting the people, I moved with my family from the sālā into the bamboo -house the Wilsons had occupied, and we made it our home for the next two -years. - -Mr. Wilson was greatly interrupted in his work by sickness in his -family. Little Frank had fallen ill on the journey from Bangkok, and -continued to suffer during all these months. His death on November 17th, -1868, was a heavy stroke to us all. In vain we combined our slight -medical skill, and searched our books of domestic medicine for his -relief. It was pitiful enough to see the natives die, with the sad -feeling in our hearts that a physician might have saved their lives. But -the death of one of our own number, so soon after the trying experiences -early in the year, emphasized, as nothing else could have done, our -appeals for a physician. Yet it was not until 1872 that we welcomed the -first physician appointed to our mission. - -During this time raids were continually being made into the Lāo country -by the renegade Ngīo chieftain already spoken of. Five hundred men from -Prê, and one thousand from Lakawn were drafted for the defence of the -city, and were stationed near our compound. Thus hundreds of soldiers -and workmen furnished us an ever-changing audience. All we had to do, -day or night, was to touch the organ, and people would crowd in to hear. -The dry season of 1868-69 was, therefore, an exceptionally good one for -our work. We had constant visitors from other provinces, who would -converse with us by the hour, and, on returning to their homes, would -carry the news of our presence and of our work. - -In the fall of 1868 occurred two events which, widely different as they -might seem to be, were in reality closely connected, and of much -importance in their bearing on the mission. One was a total eclipse of -the sun on August 17th, and the other was the conversion of Nān Inta, -our first baptized convert. I well remember his tall figure and -thoughtful face when he first appeared at our sālā, shortly after our -arrival in Chiengmai. He had a cough, and had come for medicine. He had -heard, too, that we taught a new religion, and wished to enquire about -that. Some soothing expectorant sufficiently relieved his cough to -encourage him to make another call. On each visit religion was the -all-absorbing topic. He had studied Buddhism, and he diligently -practised its precepts. As an abbot he had led others to make offerings -for the monastery worship, and he had two sons of his own in the -monastic order. But Buddhism had never satisfied his deep spiritual -nature. What of the thousands of failures and transgressions from the -results of which there was no escape? The doctrine of a free and full -pardon through the merits of another, was both new and attractive to -him, but it controverted the fundamental principle of his religion. - -We had some arguments, also, on the science of geography, on the shape -of the earth, on the nature of eclipses, and the like. What he heard was -as foreign to all his preconceived ideas as was the doctrine of -salvation from sin by the death of Christ. Just before the great eclipse -was to occur I told him of it, naming the day and the hour when it was -to occur. I pointed out that the eclipse could not be caused by a -monster which attacked the sun, as he had been taught. If that were the -cause, no one could foretell the day when the monster would be moved to -make the attack. He at once caught that idea. If the eclipse came off as -I said, he would have to admit that his teaching was wrong on a point -perfectly capable of being tested by the senses. There would then be a -strong presumption that we were right in religion as well as in -eclipses. He waited with intense interest for the day to come. The sky -was clear, and everything was favourable. He watched, with a smoked -glass that we had furnished, the reflection of the sun in a bucket of -water. He followed the coming of the eclipse, its progress, and its -passing off, as anxiously as the wise men of old followed the star of -Bethlehem—and, like them, he, too, was led to the Saviour. - -Early the next morning he came in to see me. His first words were, “Mên -tê” (It’s really true). “The teacher’s books teach truth. Ours are -wrong.” This confident assurance had evidently been reached after a -sleepless night. A complete revolution had taken place in his mind; but -it was one that cost him a severe struggle. His only hope had rested on -the teachings of Buddha, and it was no light thing to see the foundation -of his hope undermined. The eclipse had started an ever-widening rift. -He began, as never before, to examine the credentials of Christianity. -He soon learned to read Siamese in order to gain access to our -Scriptures. We read the Gospel of John together. He studied the Shorter -Catechism. He had a logical mind, and it was never idle. Whenever we -met, if only for a few moments, he always had some question to ask me, -or some new doubt to solve. When tempted to doubt, he fell back on the -eclipse, saying, “I know my books were wrong there. If the Gospel system -seems too good to be true in that it offers to pardon and cleanse and -adopt guilty sinners, and give them a title to a heavenly inheritance, -it is simply because it is divine, and not human.” While the truth -dawned gradually on his mind, the full vision seemed to be sudden. His -own account was that afterwards, when walking in the fields and -pondering the subject, it all became very plain to him. His doubts all -vanished. Henceforth for him to live was Christ; and he counted all -things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Him. - -The conversion of Nān Inta was an epoch in the history of the mission. -The ordinary concourse of visitors might be for medicine, or it might be -from mere curiosity. But when one of the most zealous Buddhists, well -known by members of the royal family, openly embraced Christianity, the -matter began to assume a different aspect. What was more remarkable -still was that he urged his two sons to abandon the monastic order. The -Prince’s younger daughter, herself a strong Buddhist, told me that this -was to her convincing evidence of his sincerity. Whether Christianity -were true or false, he certainly believed it true. It was the height of -ambition for every Lāo father to have a son in the order. If he had none -of his own, he often would adopt one and make him a monk. But here was -one of the most devout of them urging his own sons to come out and be -Christians! We regarded it as a favourable circumstance that the patron -and protector of this our first convert was high in princely rank. Nān -Inta’s defection from Buddhism produced a profound impression among all -classes. Emboldened by his example, secret believers became more open. -Not the number alone, but the character of the enquirers attracted -attention. - -The second convert was Noi Sunya, a native doctor from a village eight -miles to the east. He has the enviable distinction of never having -postponed the Gospel offer. He was the chief herdsman in charge of the -Prince’s cattle. Coming to the city on an errand, he called at our sālā -to see what was the attraction there. As in the case of so many others, -it was the good news of pardon for a sinsick soul that arrested his -attention. On his return in the afternoon he called again to make fuller -enquiry concerning “the old, old story of Jesus and His love.” He -promised to return on Sunday. Promises of that sort so often fail, that -we were surprised and delighted to see him early on Sunday morning. We -had an earnest talk together before the time came for public worship. He -remained through the afternoon, and spent the night with us. In answer -to a final exhortation before he left us in the morning, he said, “You -need not fear my going back. I feel sure I am right.” He was willing to -sell all—even life itself, as it proved—for the pearl of great price. He -went home, called his family together, and began family worship that -very night. Only four brief months after this his labours were ended by -the executioner’s stroke, and he wore the martyr’s crown. - -The third, Sên Yā Wichai, has already been mentioned as receiving his -first instruction in Christianity from the “mother-teacher,” as Mrs. -McGilvary was called, during the very first month of the mission. He -then received the great truth of the existence of God and of man’s -accountability to Him. He was an officer living six days’ journey to the -north, and was under the jurisdiction of the Prince of Lampūn. On his -visit a year later, he received further instruction, was baptized, and -returned to tell his neighbours what he had found. They only laughed at -him for his oddity in refusing to join in the Buddhist worship, and in -offerings to the spirits. - -The fourth was Nān Chai, a neighbour and friend of Noi Sunya, and -destined to suffer martyrdom along with him. He, too, was an ex-abbot, -and, therefore, exempt from government work. He was a good scholar, and -was employed by Mr. Wilson as a teacher. When he became a Christian, he -was strongly tempted to hold on still to his position in the monastery, -explaining that he would not himself engage in the worship, but would -only sweep the buildings and keep the grounds in order for others. But -when his duty was pointed out to him, he readily gave up his position, -and was enrolled for regular government service. Here were four noble -and notable men at once deserting the Buddhist faith! No wonder it -became an anxious question whereunto this was to grow. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - IX - - MARTYRDOM - - -In the course of these events our second year of work in Chiengmai had -come to its end. We were now beyond the middle of the year 1869. As some -indefinable sense of oppression in the air gives warning of the -approaching storm, so there were ominous hints, and even some dark -forebodings. Our Christian people—who understood far better than we did -both the character of their rulers and the significance of furtive looks -and innuendoes—were anxious. But they stood firm, and their faith -strengthened ours. - -In the light of subsequent events we now know that the most dangerous -element in the gathering storm was the angry surprise of the Prince -himself at the discovery that the old order seemed actually passing away -under his very eyes; that his will was no longer supreme in men’s minds, -nor always consulted in their actions—this and the deep treachery and -ruthless cruelty of his nature which it brought into play. But there -were other sinister influences at work also, and among them we must not -overlook that of a certain Portuguese adventurer, Fonseca by name. He -was a thoroughly unprincipled man, who, having played his game in -Bangkok and lost, had worked himself into the favour of the Prince -during his recent visit to the capital, and had accompanied him on his -return to Chiengmai. The Prince was persuaded that this man could be of -great service to him in the two matters which were then causing him most -disquietude; namely, the defence of certain lawsuits involving large -sums of money, brought against him in the British Consular Court by -Burmese timber merchants; and the getting rid of the missionaries. These -last were more in Fonseca’s way than they were in the Prince’s. He could -accomplish his ends more readily if they were not there. - -The most plausible excuse that could be offered for desiring to be rid -of the missionaries was the failure of the rice crop that year. In the -early part of the season there was no rain at all. When at last the -fields had been planted, one of the worst floods ever known in that -region destroyed all the lowland rice. Then, finally, the rains ceased -prematurely, and the upland crop was cut off by drought. The presence of -the missionaries in the country had offended the spirits, and they had -withheld the rain. Such was the pretext urged in a petition sent to -Bangkok to have the missionaries removed. The specific address of the -petition to the Minister for Foreign Affairs and the United States -Consul leads one to suspect that the matter was directed by some one who -understood the order of official business much better than did the Lāo -Prince. - -The Minister forwarded the document to Mr. McDonald, the acting -Vice-Consul at the time. Mr. McDonald replied to the Minister that there -must be some mistake about it. It appeared that the scarcity of rice -complained of had begun the year before the arrival of the missionaries; -it was not confined to Chiengmai, but extended over all the northern -provinces. He added roguishly, however, that he would strictly enjoin -the American missionaries to be very careful in future not to cause any -famine. Of all this secret plotting we were entirely ignorant at the -time, and learned of it only long afterwards. While these plots were -developing, I was frequently visiting the Prince, and all our relations -with him were apparently satisfactory. But we knew that he was under the -influence of a wily and unprincipled adversary. - -The other matter in which Fonseca was supposed to be able to help his -patron out of difficulties even more pressing, was the Burmese lawsuits -pending before the British Consul. But the British government was the -last party to permit officious meddling with its public business from -such a quarter. It is presumed that there was evidence of his -interference with official correspondence. This much is certain—a -peremptory demand was made on the Siamese government for his recall. The -official order sent up was too emphatic to be neglected. The man was -sent out of the country in quite different style from that in which he -entered it. This man is known to have been present at the consultation -relative to the mission. If the jealousy and suspicion on the part of -the Prince did not originate with him, there is no doubt that he at -least worked on the Prince’s suspicious nature, increasing his jealousy -of the growing popularity of the mission, and leading him to think that -it would be wise to stop it in its incipiency. - -Yet even when the blow was about to fall, we could not believe that the -Prince was so treacherous as to plan to drive us out of the country, at -the same time that he continued to treat us so kindly, and would even -come to dine with us. We could not believe that the younger Princess, -who had a predominating influence over her father, could encourage one -of the Christians to put himself under her protection, only that he -might the more surely be sent to his death a day or two later. We could -not believe that an excursion down the river had been planned by the -Prince, only that he might be out of reach when the executions should -take place. We were still incredulous, even after we received reliable -information from the agent of the Borneo Company that he had heard the -Prince and a certain high officer consulting together to stop our work. -The plan which he reported was to expel the converts from the country, -giving their wives and children the option to follow them or to remain. -After all, that would not have been so great a disaster. These men had -no great possessions to lose. Their banishment would only plant the -Gospel in other provinces or other lands. - -When, in September, 1869, just before the fatal stroke, the Prince -started on what purported to be a three weeks’ fishing trip, we thought -that his absence would give us a respite from our present fears, and -would afford him leisure for better thoughts. As his boats pushed off, -we waved him a parting good-bye from the shore. His first business was -at Lampūn, to secure the co-operation of the governor of that province -in ridding the country of the new religion. Inasmuch as Sên Yā Wichai, -the third convert mentioned above, was a Lampūn officer, it was thought -prudent in his case to secure the action of his own immediate superior. -He was at once sent for, and was condemned to death, but was saved by -his young master, the governor’s son, on the plea that he was a -backwoodsman, and knew no better. - -Of the deep designs against us and our work we were thus either ignorant -or incredulous till, on the evening of September 13th, just before dark, -our night watchman came to us with the common excuse for leaving us, -that some relative was dead or dying, and insisting that he must go -immediately. In vain we urged that he must not leave us thus in the -lurch. As a final argument, we threatened to dock him of a month’s -wages. But wages were nothing to him then. “All that a man hath will he -give for his life.” While we talked to him, he had reached the gate and -was gone. So, also, fled the cook and the coolie, leaving only one blind -Ngīo who had taken refuge with us. - -Mr. Wilson then lived across the river on the new premises, and it was -not until the next day that we learned that all his people, too, had -fled in like manner and at the same hour. We went to Prayā Tēpasing, the -Prince’s executive officer, to enquire the cause. He feigned surprise, -and professed entire ignorance of any designs against the Christians. He -said, however, that the Prince had given an order that the inhabitants -of certain villages should bring in each a hewn slab of timber to repair -the stockade. Possibly the scare might have somehow arisen from that. We -were aware of the order, and had told the Christians that if pressed for -time to procure the timber, they might each take a slab of ours. We now -told the Prayā that we would ourselves be responsible for the timbers -required of them. To assure us with regard to our servants, the Prayā -sent for our cook, gave him a letter assuring his safety, and -threatened, besides, to have him flogged if he deserted us. The cook -remained with us all through these troubles, until we could find another -to take his place. For some reason Mr. Wilson did not avail himself of -this offer. He and Mrs. Wilson got on as they could without servants for -several months. - -We now know that the order for the execution of the Christians had been -given long before by that same Prayā Tēpasing—in such fear of the Prince -was the highest officer in the realm! Not only had our servants -vanished—there was a sudden cessation of our visitors as well. Few even -dared to come for medicine for fear of being suspected of becoming -Christians. There were, however, a few notable exceptions, the abbot of -the Ūmōng monastery being the most conspicuous. - -During the following week Mr. Wilson waded out across the flooded -country to the home of Nān Chai, his teacher. But his family did not -dare to give any information concerning him. To tell what they knew -would cost their lives also—so they had been told. He then went on -another mile to Noi Sunya’s home, with the same result. The wives of -both these men pretended to believe that their husbands had gone to the -city to visit us. Mr. Wilson noticed that one of the women had tears in -her eyes as she spoke. Puzzled rather than satisfied by the result of -the visit, Mr. Wilson returned with the hope that, after all, the men -were still alive, and that we yet should see them in the land of the -living. - -It was two weeks before our suspense was broken by the certainty of -their death. On Sunday morning, September 26th, a Ngīo friend and -neighbour of the martyrs called at my house. After looking all about -him, he asked where the Christians were. I told him there seemed to be a -mystery about them that we could not unravel, but we hoped they were -secreting themselves in safety somewhere. Seeing that I was really -ignorant of their fate, he came close up to me, and looking around again -to assure himself that no one was near, he asked, “If I tell you, will -you promise never to betray me?” Having demanded and received an -emphatic promise equivalent to an oath, he drew his hand significantly -across his neck, and whispered, “That is the way.” His gesture was too -well understood in that reign to leave any doubt as to what was meant. -The man had really come on a sad and dangerous errand of kindness. As -soon as it was accomplished, he hurried away, evidently fearing that the -birds of the air might hear it, or that some breeze might waft it to the -palace. - -On Monday morning Mr. Wilson and I went again to the Prayā. He could now -no longer lie for his master as to the fact of the execution of the men, -but he offered the flimsy excuse that it was because they had not -brought in their slabs on time. We were then obliged to charge him with -patent falsehood. He knew that they were executed for no crime whatever, -but only for being Christians. Poor man! He seemed somewhat ashamed; but -what could he do? He was not at heart a bad man, as his letter of -protection for the cook showed. The lives of two peasants were no great -matter in those days. He had been so trained to execute every behest of -his master, that it scarcely occurred to him that he ought to hesitate -at this. - -But it was some relief to know the worst, and to know that it was known -that we knew it. Before this we had been obliged to feign hopes that we -hardly believed ourselves. Now we could speak openly. The Prince had not -yet returned from his fishing trip; so we went to his elder daughter and -her husband, afterward Prince Intanon. In their position they could not -say much; but they did say that what the Prince had done was not right, -and that they did not approve of the act. - -One outcome of the situation was a flood of the wildest rumours—some of -them, no doubt, started on purpose to frighten us away. One of these -touched us in a most tender point. One of our most faithful servants, -who had been with us from the very first, was desirous of visiting -Bangkok. So we arranged to have him go down in charge of a boat that was -to bring up our supplies for the year. By him we sent a large package of -letters written before we had reason to suspect so serious an outcome of -the troubles that were brewing. While we could not conceal some gloomy -forebodings, our reports were, on the whole, full of hope for the speedy -progress of the Gospel. The boat left for Bangkok a few days after the -Prince started on his fishing trip. Presently it was reported that the -boat had been intercepted, and that this man, with his wife, his son, -and his son’s family, even down to a little grandchild of two years old, -had been killed, and the boat broken to pieces and burned. - -Although such atrocity seemed beyond belief, yet a number of -circumstances combined to give the report credibility. Why, for -instance, was the long, unusual trip down the river taken just before -our boat was to start? What did it mean that, after the murder of the -Christians was known, no sum of money could induce a Lāo man to take a -letter to Bangkok? If the story of the fate of our messenger were true, -the act was the act of a madman—and there is no telling what a madman -may not do. He was in a position to keep us from escaping; and if he had -really gone so far as that, he evidently did not intend that we should -be heard from alive. - -For a time we virtually resigned ourselves to what seemed inevitable -fate. When we could get no letters sent, we actually began writing the -history of those days on the margins of books in our library, so that, -if we were never heard from again, some of the precedent circumstances -of our end might thus, perhaps, come to light. It was a great relief, -therefore, when an influential Burmese, knowing our situation, offered -to carry a letter through to our friends in Bangkok. - -On September 29th, when the letters carried by the Burmese were written, -we were still under the impression that our boatman had been murdered, -and that neither he nor the letters and reports carried by him had been -heard from. It was the knowledge that these rumours were false, and that -he had passed Rahêng in safety, that first relieved our minds. So, too, -his arrival in Bangkok gave our friends there the first assurance of our -safety. With this explanation the letters themselves will give the best -idea of our situation in those dark days. The following is from a letter -of Dr. S. R. House to our Mission Board in New York, printed in the -_Presbyterian Record_ of February, 1870. It is dated November 11th, -1869. - - “Since our last mail was despatched, tidings have been received - from the mission families in North Laos which have greatly - distressed and alarmed us, causing no little anxiety for their - personal safety. This outburst of persecution from which they - are now suffering must have been quite unlooked for, for their - letters down to September 10th were full of encouragement. Never - had the king and the princes[8] seemed more friendly; never had - their prospects seemed brighter. Seven interesting converts had - been baptized since the year began, and they had just been - enjoying a wonderfully favourable opportunity to make the gospel - message known to the people from every part of the kingdom.... - What has caused this sudden change in the demeanour of the king - of Chiengmai toward our missionaries there, does not appear.... - -Footnote 8: - - That is the Prince of Chiengmai and the nobility. These terms are so - used generally throughout this correspondence.—ED. - - “Thus far they seem to have had no apprehension for themselves - personally; but the next letter, of two days’ later date, - indicates that something had occurred or had come to their - knowledge which led them to believe that their own lives were in - jeopardy. On September 29th Mr. McGilvary writes hurriedly to - his father-in-law, Rev. D. B. Bradley, M.D., of the A. M. A. - mission as follows:— - - “‘Dear Father and Mother:—We write to tell you that we may be in - great danger. If you never hear from us more, know that we are - in heaven. Send some one up here to look after our Christians, - and do not, we beg you, grieve over the loss of our lives. Two - of our church members died at the martyr’s stake on the 14th of - September. Warrants are out for the others. What is before us we - do not know. We are all peaceful, and very happy. We have - written letters giving the full facts, but dare not send them - for fear of their interception. - - “‘Lung Puk left here on the 12th direct for Bangkok. Should he - never reach you, you may fear the worst for us.... He had a - large mail with our reports, etc. Should worst come to worst, we - have counted the cost beforehand, and our death will not be in - vain. Love to all the dear ones. Good-bye, dear father, mother, - brothers, sisters, and friends—perhaps till we meet in heaven!’” - -Dr. House then continues: - - “That these letters—the last one especially—awakened our deepest - solicitude, I need not assure you. The brethren from the - Pechaburī station reached Bangkok, to attend the annual session - of Presbytery, the very day the startling tidings came; and - anxious were our deliberations, and earnest our prayers in - behalf of those brethren beloved and their helpless families. A - month had then elapsed since the date of the letters. Were they - still in the land of the living? - - “It was deemed advisable that some of our number should proceed - as far up the river as possible—to Rahêng at least—to learn the - existing state of things and extend all possible assistance. - After consultation this service devolved on Bros. McDonald and - George. - - “Owing to the peculiar allegiance which holds the Lāo tribes - tributary to the Siamese, it was thought best not to press any - doubtful treaty rights and claims through the United States - Consul—that is, the protection they would be entitled to claim - anywhere on the soil of Siam proper—but to throw ourselves on - the friendliness and goodwill of the Siamese Government as old - residents here, most of us, who are greatly troubled lest harm - should befall our friends who are living in one of their - tributary states. What could they do to help us? - - “The deputation, consisting of Dr. Bradley, Mr. McDonald, Mr. - George, and myself, were most kindly received by the new Regent - of the kingdom, the late Prime Minister—were received in every - respect as friends, and the best endeavours of the Siamese - Government were promised. A government official would be - despatched at once bearing a letter to the king of Chiengmai, - enjoining on him to give protection to the missionaries. But the - Regent added, ‘It is difficult to deal with a man so moody and - arbitrary as this Chief of Chiengmai. He is like King Theodore - of Abyssinia.’—This too significant comparison had already - suggested itself in anything but an agreeable way to ourselves. - - “The Siamese move slowly at the best, and the brethren who have - consented to go on this errand so full of perplexity and - possible peril started several days before the royal messenger’s - preparations were completed. We are waiting with the greatest - solicitude further tidings. I must say from what I know of the - character of the man in whose hands and at whose mercy they are, - that I have great fears. Others here, however, are confident - that no harm can come to them personally.” - -The following, from a note of mine to the Board, will throw further -light on our letter to our friends and on our situation. It was dated -October 31st, while we were anxiously waiting for the reply to our -letters. - - ... “But the particular fact that filled us with deepest anxiety - when we sent that note to Bangkok, was a rumour that the king - had, in person, stopped a boat in charge of our old servant whom - we had sent down to Bangkok after money and supplies, and had - put him, his wife, and all the boatmen to death. That rumour was - currently believed here, and we had so many questions asked us - about them by persons in high and in low station, that we were - constrained almost to believe it. And if that had been done, we - knew not what would come next. Of course we had serious - apprehensions regarding our own safety; yet our duty was clear. - However dangerous our position, we felt that flight would be - more dangerous.... Our strength was to sit still.... - - “After waiting a month in suspense about our servants, we have - just learned, on pretty good authority, that they were not - murdered. They have been reported as having passed Rahêng. In a - few days we shall know the truth. If they are safe, our greatest - fears were groundless. We wait to see the Lord’s purpose in - reference to this people. We yet believe they are purposes of - mercy. The excitement has somewhat died down, and we have daily - many visitors. But there is great fear of the authorities. No - one feels safe; no one knows what will come next.” - -I quote from a letter of Mr. Wilson to the Board the following account -of the suffering and death of the martyrs, written January 3d, 1870, -after all the various rumours had been sifted, and the facts were -clearly known. Meantime the Commission referred to in the letter of Dr. -House had come, and this letter was brought to Bangkok by it on its -return. This letter and the one cited just above were printed in the -_Foreign Missionary_ for March and for May, 1870. - - “Till within a very short time before their execution, we had no - apprehension that any serious obstacle would be thrown in the - way of the Lāo becoming Christians. All the baptisms had taken - place publicly. The number, and some of the names, of the - Christians had been given in answer to questions asked by the - younger daughter of the king, and by others of royal blood. We - had become convinced that the king must know that some of his - people had become disciples of Jesus. His two daughters had - assured Mr. McGilvary that no one should be molested for - becoming Christians. With such an assurance from the highest - princesses in the land, we flattered ourselves that the king - would tolerate Christianity. The fearlessness, also, with which - all but Nān Chai professed Christ, made us feel that there was - no danger to the life of any one who had received baptism. - - “Nān Chai, however, seemed anxious. Some two months before his - baptism he requested us to write to Bangkok and get the King of - Siam to make proclamation of religious toleration. Not a month - before his baptism he asked me, ‘If the king should call me and - ask, “Are you a disciple of Jesus?” would it be wrong to say - “No”?’ We knew that for some time he had loved the Saviour, but - he was following Him tremblingly. His position as overseer - (ex-abbot) of the monastery made his renunciation of Buddhism a - more noticeable event, and rendered him more liable to - persecution than some of the others. I may here state that those - who, after leaving the monastery, are appointed overseers of the - temple, are, by virtue of their position, exempt from the call - of their masters to do government work. Nān Chai belonged to - this class. His resignation of this post when he became a - Christian, both proved his sincerity, and made him a mark for - Buddhist hate and reproach. - - “Noi Sunya’s work was to tend the king’s cattle, and in this way - he performed his share of public service. He also worked a farm, - and was a physician. He was of a genial disposition and cheerful - temper, always looking on the bright side of life, happy - himself, and trying to make others happy. He was thus a general - favourite. His reception of the truth was hearty and childlike. - How his face beamed with joy that communion Sabbath! Next day, - Monday, September 6th, about noon, he started for his walk of - nine miles across the plain to Mê Pō Kā. In bidding him good-bye - we little thought we should see his face no more. - - “Our teacher, Nān Chai, came in the following Thursday, somewhat - sad because the head man of his village was urging him for some - government work and supplies that were then being raised for the - army. After resigning the oversight of the temple, being - virtually without a master, he had come in to the city to put - himself under the king’s younger daughter. On Saturday morning, - the 11th, she gave him his protection papers, for which he paid - the usual three rupees. Some ten days before, when Mr. McGilvary - had called with him in reference to this matter, he had, at the - princess’ request, made a statement of his Christian faith, even - to the repeating of a prayer. - - “On that same Saturday afternoon a message came from the head - man of the village for Nān Chai’s immediate return home. The - message was so urgent that he concluded not to wait for the - accustomed Sabbath morning worship. Knowing that there was a - disposition on the part of some of the public officers to find - fault with the Christians, I thought it best for him to go home, - and not return to us till quiet should be restored. He seemed - very sad, and said that his master was disposed to oppress him. - All that I could say did not rouse him from his depression. He - took leave of us about ten o’clock at night. When we awoke on - Sabbath morning, he was gone. We know now that shortly after the - princess had given him her letters of protection on Saturday - morning, she despatched a messenger to the head man of the - village ordering Nān Chai’s arrest. Imagine that Sabbath - morning’s walk of nearly nine miles, much of the way through - water nearly knee-deep! Dear gentle heart, full of care and - fear! - - “He reached home about noon. After dinner he called upon the - head man of the village; but no one knew the nature of the - conference. He was permitted to sleep at home that night. Next - morning came the order from the chief man of the district for - the overseers of the temples and those doing the king’s own work - to appear at his house. This order included, of course, both our - brethren, Noi Sunya and Nān Chai. But to make their attendance - doubly sure, armed men were sent with clubs and pikes to conduct - them to the appointed rendezvous. Noi Sunya took leave of his - wife and six children in tears. He knew what that call and those - clubs and spears meant. When they reached the house of the - district chief, they found a large armed force ready to receive - them. When arrested at their homes they had been charged with - refusing to do the king’s work. But now Nān Chai was asked, ‘Are - you an overseer of a temple?’ He answered, ‘I was, but am not - now.’ ‘Have you entered the religion of the foreigners?’ ‘Yes.’ - Noi Sunya was asked the same question, to which he also answered - ‘Yes.’ - - “They were then seized, and after further examination were told - that they had been condemned to death. While Nān Chai was giving - the reason of the faith that was in him, one of the examiners - kicked him in the eye, leaving it bloodshot and causing it to - swell till the eye was closed. The arms of the prisoners were - tied behind their backs. Their necks were compressed between two - pieces of timber (the death-yoke) tied before and behind so - tightly as painfully to impede both respiration and the - circulation of the blood. They were thus placed in a sitting - posture near a wall, and cords were passed through the holes in - their ears and tied to a beam above. In this constrained and - painful position—not able to turn their heads or bow them in - slumber—they remained from Monday afternoon till Tuesday morning - about ten o’clock, when they were led out into the jungle and - executed. - - “When Nān Chai was arrested, his wife started on a run to inform - us, supposing that he would be brought to the city to undergo a - regular trial. In that case she hoped the missionaries could - ensure his release. She had arrived in sight of our house, when - a messenger from the head man of the village overtook her, and - informed her that if she called on us, it would be at the risk - of her life. She returned immediately, to join him at the - district chief’s house; but was informed that if she made the - least demonstration of grief, she too would be put to death. She - sat down by her husband for a time. They conversed together as - opportunity offered, being narrowly watched by the merciless - guard. The prisoners both said, ‘Oh, if the missionaries were - here, we should not have to die!’ Nān Chai’s last words to his - wife were, ‘Tell the missionaries that we die for no other cause - than that we are Christians.’ One of the guards angrily asked - what he had said. She saw that it was best for her to retire, - and they parted. - - “When Nān Chai knew that he and his comrade were doomed, he said - to one of the officers, ‘You will kill us; we are prepared. But - I beg you not to kill those who are in the employ of the - missionaries. They are not Christians, and are not prepared to - die.’ What a triumph of faith in this once fearful disciple! - What a noble forgetfulness of self in that earnest request for - the lives of others! - - “And now, after a long and weary night of painful watching, the - morning of Tuesday, the 14th, dawns upon them. The hour is come. - They are led out into the lonely jungle. They kneel down. Nān - Chai is asked to pray. He does so, his last petition being, - ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.’ The tenderness of the scene - melts his enemies to tears. The heads of the prisoners—prisoners - for Jesus’ sake—are drawn back by slightly raising the cruel - yoke they have worn for more than twenty hours. The executioner - approaches with his club. Nān Chai receives the stroke on the - front of the neck. His body sinks to the ground a corpse.... Noi - Sunya receives upon the front of his neck five or six strokes; - but life is still not extinct. A spear is thrust into his heart. - His body is bathed in blood, and his spirit joins that of his - martyred brother. Their bodies were hastily buried. Their graves - we may not yet visit.... - - “Only a few days before his death Nān Chai wrote, at Mrs. - Wilson’s request, a little slip which she forwarded to her - friends as a specimen of the Lāo language. The last line—the - last, no doubt, that he ever wrote—contained the following words - ‘Nān Chai dai rap pen sit lêo. Hak Yēsū nak’ (Nān Chai has - become a disciple. He loves Jesus much).” - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - X - - THE ROYAL COMMISSION - - -After the despatch of our hurried notes by the Burmese on September -29th, 1869, we felt reasonably sure that our friends would learn the -news of our situation, and we were in a measure relieved. But at that -time we still believed the reports about the murder of Lung Puk. In -fact, it was these reports, which we had just heard before writing the -letters sent by the Burmese, that caused the great anxiety expressed in -them. But though we poured out our hearts and unburdened our fears to -our friends, no one in Chiengmai outside of our two families ever knew -the fears that agitated our breasts. For two months or more we still -feared that we might be treacherously murdered under colour as though it -were done by robbers or dacoits. We knew not on lying down at night what -might happen before dawn. - -One of the hardest things of the situation was that, in the presence of -our own dear children, we felt obliged to speak to each other of these -matters by signs alone, since it seemed wise to conceal our fears from -them. When we had native callers, or in our visits to the natives, we -preached to them just as if nothing had happened. Some that we know were -sent as spies to see what we were doing and what we were planning to do, -had nothing to report except the Gospel message which they had heard. - -Then was the time when a few tried friends endeared themselves forever -to us. Among these was the Princess Būa Kam, and the abbot of the Ūmōng -monastery, both of whom have been mentioned before. The silver plate -with a little rice or fruit from the Princess never ceased to come; and -the abbot often made an excuse of errands elsewhere in our neighbourhood -that he might have occasion to call and express his sympathy. - -One incident which occurred before the various rumours had been cleared -up, though well-nigh tragic at the time, seemed afterward amusing -enough. After the appalling treachery of the younger daughter of the -Prince in regard to Nān Chai, while professing constantly such personal -friendship for us, we naturally regarded her with profound distrust. -What, then, was our surprise, when, one night in the darkest time of our -troubles, a summons came for me to go at once to her palace with the -officer who brought the message. I was by no means to wait till morning, -and I could get no clue to the object of the summons. But it was almost -a royal command. Whatever it might mean, nothing would be gained by -refusal; so I promised at once to go. But a difficulty arose. My wife -positively refused to let me go alone. If the worst were to come, she -would be there to see it. - -So the children were left in bed, and off we walked three-fourths of a -mile in the dark to the palace. We found it brilliantly lighted up. Was -it for the final act? But our fears were soon allayed. The Princess -received us as she always had done—probably a little surprised to see -Mrs. McGilvary with me. A foreign rug was spread for us, and soon was -produced a formidable package of documents in English, which the -Princess wanted us to translate! They were from the court in Maulmein, -and had reference to the lawsuits. They had just arrived, and she could -not wait till morning. We glanced over them, gave her the substance of -them, and promised that if she would send her scribe down next day, we -would translate them. She was relieved to find that there was nothing -more formidable in them—and so were we. The whole interview did not last -more than fifteen minutes; and when ready to return, we were escorted -home by servants with lanterns. - -For a time we had very few visitors even for medicine. But the -monasteries were always open, and we were welcomed in nearly all the -homes of the princes. I regularly called on the Prince. When he was in a -pleasant mood, I had pleasant conversations with him. If I found him -moody or busy, I paid my respects and retired. His elder daughter and -her husband were always pleasant, and she was always interested to talk -on the subject of religion. - -Another friendship formed the year before was then a great comfort to -us, though no one could really help us. A wealthy Chinese, who had -charge of collecting nearly all the revenue of the government, had been -shot in the city of Lampūn, eighteen miles away. A messenger with an -elephant was sent, begging me to come at once. It seemed at first -impossible for me to go, but finally I did so. The ball had entered -below the knee while the man was lying down, had followed the bone, and -had lodged in the soft part of the thigh. It was extracted, and I -remained there till the patient was out of danger. The wife, a -Siamo-Chinese, was a merchant, and acted as our banker for ten years. At -this writing, the family has not yet forgotten the service rendered. - -But our hourly thoughts were directed to Bangkok. What would be the -outcome of our letters? We were continually asked what we were going to -do. Our reply was that, of course, we intended to remain. There was no -telegraph then, nor even a monthly mail. It was not till November 26th -that the first news of what was doing in our behalf reached us. It was -brought by messengers sent on in advance to notify the government that a -Royal Commissioner had arrived in Lampūn, with two foreigners and a -train of eighteen elephants and fifty-three attendants. They were to be -in Chiengmai the next day. No intimation, however, was given as to what -the object of the Commission was. But plainly it must be a matter of no -slight importance. - -Early on the morning of the 27th every one was on the alert. A body of -men under the direction of an officer were scrubbing the old sālā next -door to us, for the letter had asked that preparations be made for the -party. A prince whispered in our ears to enquire whether we knew what -the “Kā Lūang” was coming for. But we knew as little as he did. We were -so hopeful, however, that we began to prepare for our guests, too. The -whole place seemed in an attitude of expectancy. The sudden arrival of a -Kā Lūang was not an everyday occurrence. And then the two foreigners—two -“white kolās”! - -In the afternoon the curiosity of every one was gratified by the arrival -of the long train with the Commissioner at its head. The two “white -kolās” were none other than our associates in the Siamese mission, the -Rev. N. A. McDonald, and the Rev. S. C. George. Were ever guests more -welcome! The story was soon told of the receipt of our letters in -Bangkok, and of the negotiations which had resulted in their coming with -a Royal Commissioner and with a “Golden Seal,” as the royal letter is -called. We now knew definitely that the Commissioner had come on the -business of the mission and the treatment of the Christians. But our -brethren did not know the contents of the royal letter. No human -sagacity could yet predict what turn affairs would take. Was the mission -to be securely established, or were we to be escorted safely out of the -country? The Commissioner immediately notified the Prince of his arrival -with the “Golden Seal,” and awaited His Highness’ pleasure. The Prince’s -curiosity and anxiety were guarantee that there would be no delay. Nine -o’clock next morning was named as the hour for the audience. The -Commissioner notified us to be ready. An officer was sent with a -palanquin to escort the “Golden Seal” under the golden umbrella to the -palace. - -Mr. Wilson and I, of course, joined the procession. On reaching the -grand reception hall at the palace, we encountered such an array of -princely state as we had never before seen among the Lāo. Every prince, -princess, and officer who could come was already there. I quote from Mr. -McDonald’s official report to the Board, dated February 2d, 1870, an -account of the audience. (_Presbyterian Record_, June, 1870.) - - “The next morning after our arrival the Regent’s letter was - conducted in state to the palace under the royal umbrella, and - the golden tray containing it was placed on a stand near the - middle of the hall. Very soon the king entered the hall - apparently calm, but pale with suppressed rage. We arose and - bowed to him, and then resumed our seats. The Siamese officers, - however, remained prostrate before him, as did every other one - in the hall. The king immediately broke the seal and handed the - letter to the Siamese secretary to read. After the reading of - the letter he looked up, evidently quite relieved, and remarked, - ‘This letter does not amount to so much. It gives the - missionaries privilege to remain if they wish, or to go if they - prefer.’” - -Mr. McDonald, then, as a member of the Commission, addressed the King, -referring to the kindness with which the missionaries had been received -by him on their arrival—which was in keeping with the favour shown them -in Bangkok, and with the beneficent nature of their work—but regretting -that late difficulties had made their stay unpleasant. Among other -things he referred to the desertion of their servants. But neither he -nor the royal letter made the slightest reference to the murder of the -Christians. Mr. McDonald then proceeds: - - “What I said did not seem to rouse him. He continued to suppress - his rage, and replied, ‘As to servants, he had never placed any - hindrance. He had put to death a couple of fellows—a thing which - he had a right to do, since they had failed to do their allotted - government work. But that was his own business.’” - -The Prince evidently thought that the affair was ended, and was -preparing to close the audience, greatly relieved that the one dreaded -point had not been referred to either in the letter or in the -conference. But to stop there would have been an inexcusable blunder on -our part. Not only had the good name of the Christians been tarnished, -but our own also, if we had made all this great fuss about nothing. It -was a difficult thing to face the Prince before his whole court, and -charge him with falsehood; but he had driven us to it. If he had not -lied, we had. For once we were called upon to stand before kings for His -name’s sake; and I believe that words were given to me to speak. - -I said that I was sorry to be compelled to say that the Prince knew that -he had not spoken the truth. There was not a man or woman in that -audience, nor in the whole country, who did not know that those two men -had been put to death for no other pretended reason than that they were -Christians. It was done and was proclaimed to be done as a warning to -others. They had not refused to do government work. The charge that they -had failed to get the slabs for the stockade was a subterfuge. There was -not a word of truth in it, as the officer through whom it was done, then -present, well knew. When these men received the order to get the slabs, -they started immediately, but were at once arrested, and were not -allowed to get them. In no sense were they dealt with as criminals. On -that very day (over three months after the order), not one-fifth of the -men in the province had as yet brought in their timbers, and nothing was -said about it. In this country it was an unheard-of thing, even for the -gravest offences, to decoy men out from their homes into the jungle, and -to kill them there with no pretence of a trial. There was a Sanām -(Court), there were regular officers of law, even down to the -executioner. In the case of these men, not a single form of law had been -observed. By the Prince’s own order they had been treacherously -arrested, led out into the jungle, and cruelly clubbed to death in the -presence of a lawless mob by a ruffian hired to do it. - -The old man looked on me in mingled astonishment and rage. Possibly till -then he thought we had not been able to learn the facts and particulars -in the case. More likely he thought that no one would dare thus openly -and publicly to expose them. But what was said had the desired effect. -Up to this point the Prince’s position had been impregnable. To assault -it successfully would have required the production of evidence; and no -man in the country, high or low, would have dared to testify against -him. But this unexpected challenge was more than he could endure. He -flung all caution to the winds. In an instant his sole defence was -abandoned. Mr. McDonald says: - - “‘Yes,’ he said, ‘he had killed them because they had embraced - the Christian religion. And he would continue to kill every one - who did the same. Leaving the religion of the country was - rebellion against him, and he would so treat it. If the - missionaries would remain to treat the sick, they might do so. - But they must not make Christians; they must not teach the - Christian religion. If they did, he would expel them from the - country’.... At one time I feared that he might become - uncontrollable, and break over all restraints, and do us some - personal injury. The Siamese officer also was alarmed for our - safety.” - -Matters now had been brought to a crisis. The Christians had been proved -to be not malefactors, but martyrs. We now understood each other, and -all parties understood the situation. The Prince’s bravado before the -Commissioner in one sense was politic. He had read between the lines of -the King’s letter that the Siamese were afraid of him; and he was quite -willing to have it so. On the other hand, his attitude might have the -effect of convincing them that he was a dangerous man, to be dealt with -accordingly—and I believe it did. - -But, as Mr. McDonald goes on to say, “It was useless to attempt any -further argument. The missionaries merely told him that it was their -intention to remain. The conversation then turned to other subjects, and -the Prince became more calm. After returning to the house of Mr. -McGilvary, and after anxious consultation and prayer, it was considered -best to abandon the mission for a time.” - -The Commissioner strongly advised us to withdraw. Mr. McDonald was -naturally timid, and hardly felt safe till he was fairly out of the -country. He and Mr. George were sure that it would not be safe for us to -remain a single day after the Commissioner departed; and Mr. Wilson -agreed with them. Such, then, was the report made to the Board, and the -number of the _Record_ from which we have quoted above announced the -dissolution of the mission. - -The news of the scene in the palace spread like wild-fire over the city. -We had scarcely reached home when our neighbours and friends began to -send us secret messages that it would be foolish to remain. The Prince -was like a lion bearded in his den. When the Commissioner left there was -no telling what he might do. The Commissioner naturally felt some -responsibility for our safety, and desired to have us return with him. I -so far consented as to allow the Commissioner to send word to the Prince -that we would retire as soon as we conveniently could. Yet, from what I -knew of the feeling of the people toward us, I could not see that it was -the will of Providence that the mission should be abandoned. Nor did I -believe that it would be hazardous to remain. The Prince evidently had -no thought of actually renouncing his allegiance to Siam. He had been -directed to see to our safety, if we wished to remain. I think, too, -that I understood him better than did either our own friends or the -Commissioner. His bluster at the audience was for effect. It was more -than probable that, after sober thought, he himself would realize that -he had gone too far. Before the coming of the Commissioner he had been -summoned to Bangkok; he was at that time busy preparing boats for the -journey, and was soon to start. He was too shrewd a man to wish us to -appear there before him as witnesses against him. It was, I thought, -more than probable that he would meet more than half-way any advance -made toward him, though we could not expect him to make the advance -himself. - -Next morning before breakfast Mr. Wilson came over to have a long walk -and talk with me. He did not wish to express his fears before our -children. He argued with all his logic that it was better to go while we -safely could. His idea was to retire to Rahêng, where we would be under -the direct protection of the Siamese government; for, after yesterday’s -scene, he was sure we never could be safe in Chiengmai. So far as he was -concerned, I thought it a good idea. He might go, and I would remain—at -least as long as I could. He felt, however, that he would be to blame if -any disaster happened to us. From all responsibility on that score I -freely exonerated him. As I viewed the case, our personal risk was at an -end so soon as the situation should be known in Bangkok. The Prince -would no longer dare either to do anything or to cause anything to be -done _secretly_ as once we feared he would. Therefore, notwithstanding -the bluster of the day before, fear for our personal safety had little -weight with me. But quite apart from the question of danger, there was -much to be said in favour of Mr. Wilson’s going to Rahêng. The place was -an important one for missionary work. The result might possibly be a -station in both places, instead of in Chiengmai alone. His departure -might seem some concession to the wishes of the Prince—would show less -determination to thwart his known will. If there were any danger in -remaining, it would be less for one family than for two. All I wanted -was time to see the Lord’s will. At any rate, I was not willing to -depart without having an audience with the Prince alone. Against this it -was urged that the Prince had a special grudge against me, because of -the vaccination of his little grandson, and that this would be increased -by my having angered him the day before. But of this I was not afraid. -The parents of the dear child had begged me never to think that they -blamed me for it. As to what had happened the day before, I believed the -Prince’s respect for me was higher than it would have been had I allowed -him to bluff us with his bare-faced lie. The result of our walk was that -Mr. Wilson agreed to have me call on the Prince the next day, though Mr. -McDonald maintained that for himself he would not risk it. - -So, next morning, I called at the palace at an hour when I knew I should -find the Prince alone with his head-wife. And, just as I expected, he -received me with unwonted cordiality. I referred to the friendship -between him and my father-in-law, Dr. Bradley; to his cordial consent -given to our coming to his country to teach the Christian religion and -to benefit his people in other ways; to his kind reception of us when we -came; to his granting us a place for a home; and to his many other acts -of kindness. We had come to him as friends, and I could not bear we -should part as enemies. As I had anticipated, his whole manner showed -that he was pleased at my advance. That, too, he said, was his desire. -We might remain at least till after his return from Bangkok, and take -all the time needed for a comfortable departure. I thanked him for his -consideration, and told him that Mr. Wilson would probably go at once. -We shook hands and parted as if the scene in the palace had never -occurred. I had won my point. What I wanted was time, and I had gained -it. The Prince could not possibly return in less than six months’ -time—it might be much longer. - -In a few days our friends left us. Having no faith in the success of my -new negotiations, or possibly thinking that I might be caught in a trap, -they reported to the Board, as we have seen, that the mission was broken -up—as technically it was. This last turn of affairs was merely a private -arrangement between the Prince and myself. - -Had the matter not passed beyond our power, I doubtless should have been -credulous enough, or weak enough, to prefer that no further action -should be taken by our friends in Bangkok. I did write to Dr. Bradley -and to our mission to pursue a pacific policy, and to show the Prince -all kindness, as, indeed, I knew they would. But I learned afterwards -that their advances were hardly received with courtesy. Mr. George, who -asked permission to send by some one of the numerous fleet of boats some -parcels to us, was given to understand that the things would not be -needed, as the Prince expected both families to leave Chiengmai upon his -return. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - XI - - DEATH OF KĀWILŌROT - - -The Commissioner’s report of the attitude assumed by the Prince showed -the Siamese government that the man in control of the northern provinces -was of a spirit and temper that might be difficult to curb—that might at -any time throw everything into confusion. Hitherto it had been their -policy to strengthen his hands to any degree not inconsistent with his -loyalty. Siam and Burma had long been rivals and enemies. A strong -buffer-state in the north had been a necessity to Siam. But conditions -were changed. Burma was now under English control, and had ceased to be -a disturbing factor in the problem. A change in Siamese policy as -regards the North was inevitable. - -When the news of the murder of the Christians became known in Bangkok, -our friends there deferred to the wishes of the Siamese government as -expressed by the Regent—whose goodwill to the mission and to ourselves -no one doubted. No steps, therefore, were taken to have the United -States officially represented on the Commission. In this we believe our -friends were providentially led. But Dr. House’s letter does not state, -what was also the fact, that the United States Consul, in whose presence -the Lāo Prince had given his official sanction to the establishment of -the mission, was anxious that the United States should be so -represented. And when that Commission so signally failed to accomplish -anything satisfactory, it was the Consul’s turn to say to our friends, -“I told you so.” - -Because, as they themselves expressed it, of the lawless nature of the -Lāo Prince, and the consequent difficulty of protecting foreigners so -far away, our Siamese friends would then have preferred to have us -recalled. In fact, that was their first thought. The first draft of the -letter prepared to be sent by the Commission actually contained the -stipulation that we be safely conveyed back to Siam proper. It was only -the indomitable perseverance of Dr. Bradley—who frankly declared that he -would rather have no such letter sent at all—that secured the omission -of that clause, and left the way open for the possible continuance of -the mission. So, when the Commission returned to Bangkok, and it was -known that the Lāo Prince was soon to follow them. General Partridge, -the United States Consul, immediately took up the case, and insisted -that the Siamese government give guarantee for the fulfilment of -promises publicly made by its vassal in the presence of officials of -both governments. “Before this you could say, ‘He is like a tiger in the -jungle; we cannot control him.’ But when he reaches Bangkok, he is in -your power. You can then make your own terms regarding his return.” - -How this negotiation was conducted, I am not aware. But from the -_Presbyterian Record_ of September, 1870, we learn that the Consul -carried his point: - - “Dr. House sends us word that the Siamese government has - extended its protection over the missionaries in Chiengmai; they - are not to be molested in their work. As the king of Chiengmai - is tributary to Siam, this decision will no doubt be respected. - This king is not likely to live long, and he will be succeeded - by his son-in-law, a prince who has shown a friendly interest in - the missionaries. The intervention of the Siamese government was - obtained by the U. S. Consul, Gen. Partridge, not at the - instance of the missionaries, but he took the ground of treaty - stipulations between Siam and our country, which accorded the - right of protection to American citizens.” - -From the _Foreign Missionary_ of September, 1870, we quote the following -extract from the _Bangkok Summary_, doubtless from the pen of Dr. -Bradley: - - “I am very happy to learn from the most reliable authority that - His Grace the Regent has been pleased to commit the American - citizens in Chiengmai to the care and protection of the Maha - Uparāt, the son-in-law of the king, charging him to assist, - nourish, and protect them so that they shall suffer no trouble - and hindrance in their work from persecutions like those through - which they have passed since September 12th last. - - “His Grace, moreover, is understood to have promised that he - will certainly arrange to have those American citizens protected - in Chiengmai according to the stipulations of the treaties, even - though the present king should live and continue his reign. - - “The Maha Uparāt enjoys the reputation of being a mild and - discreet prince. He received this his new title a few weeks - since from His Majesty the Supreme King of Siam, by virtue of - which he is constituted Second King of Chiengmai. I learn that - His Grace the Regent has virtually committed the rule of that - kingdom to him during the illness of the king, and has assured - him that he is ultimately to become the king’s successor to the - throne. - - “This I regard as good news, indeed, and too good to be held a - day longer from the public. Who will not agree with me that the - Siamese government is worthy of a great meed of praise for what - it has done in the matter of the Chiengmai mission? But let us - see to it that the King of Kings, as well, receives our highest - praise for all these gratifying events of His providence.” - -While the Consul was pressing these claims, Prince Kāwilōrot, as was -intimated in the last extract, became dangerously ill. He was stricken -with almost instantaneous loss of consciousness, and complete paralysis -of speech. Meanwhile we in Chiengmai, only five hundred miles away, were -in profound ignorance of what was happening. If we had despatched a -special messenger thither for news, it would have been three months -before he could have returned with a reply. And the first news we -received was not reassuring. Word came that the time was set for the -Prince’s return; that he had been promoted to higher honours, and had -received higher titles; that he was returning with full power, and -probably flushed with fresh victories. Of course, that did not -necessarily mean very much. Siam understood perfectly the great trick of -oriental statecraft, the giving of high-sounding titles, with, perhaps, -a larger stipend, in compensation for the loss of real power. But it was -a time of great anxiety for us. Revenge was a passion which that man -seldom left ungratified. Would he come breathing out slaughter against -the church and vengeance on us? - -By and by there came a message stating that the Prince was ill, and -directing that offerings be made for his recovery. Then came news that -he was already on his way, and had sent orders for a hundred elephants -to meet him at the landing station below the rapids. Some surmised that -his illness was feigned in order to escape the lawsuits which were -pressing him. About the middle of June we learned that he had reached -the landing station, but was very seriously ill. It was still more -urgently enjoined that his relatives and the monasteries in Chiengmai -should “make merit” in his behalf, and propitiate the demons by generous -offerings. - -On the evening of June 29th, while riding through the streets of the -city, some one called out to me, “The Prince is dead!” No news ever gave -me such a shock. I stepped in to the residence of one of the princes, a -nephew of Kāwilōrot, to get the particulars, but found him in a dreadful -state of mind. Yes. The Prince was dead; and word had come that he (the -nephew) was to go to Bangkok to bear the brunt of the lawsuits—to answer -in his own name for transactions done by order of the dead Prince! - -How soon the strongest prejudices fade and disappear in the presence of -death! The anxious fears of his return that had haunted us, all -dissolved into tender sympathy now that he was gone. We forgot his -treachery and cruelty, and thought only of his interesting human -qualities. We recalled his taking tea or dining with us, and even the -dry jokes that he so much enjoyed. He was a tender father. He could be a -warm, though a fickle and inconstant friend. In many respects he was a -good ruler. He was absolute and tyrannical; but there was no petty -thieving in his realm. And now that voice that had made thousands -tremble was silent in death! No doubt it was with a sigh of relief that -the Siamese government turned over the government of the North to one -whom they could better trust. - -But it would be a hard heart that could follow unmoved that long, weary -homeward trip of the dying Prince. He was so weak that he could not -endure the jarring caused by the use of the setting-poles. His boat had -to be taken in tow of another. When the last lingering hope of life died -out, his one desire was to reach home—to die in his own palace. The trip -through the rapids he could not bear, and it was too slow for the dying -man. Travel by elephant is both rough and slow. He is brought ashore, -therefore, and borne on a litter as swiftly as relays of men can carry -him. Over the mountains and up the valley of the Mê Ping, under burning -sun and through driving rain, they hasten. At last, on the evening of -June 28th, they halt on the left bank of the Mê Ping, with only that -stream between him and his own country. “What land is this?” he asks. -“Lampūn,” is the reply. “Carry me across quickly!” He is obeyed, but -sinks exhausted by the fatigue of crossing. He passes a restless night. -His mind wanders. He dreams of being at home; of worshipping in his own -palace. The morning comes. He is still alive; but so weak that, in spite -of his eagerness to hasten on, at every few paces his bearers must halt, -while attendants fan him or administer a cordial. At last fan and -cordials fail. The litter is set down under the two golden umbrellas -that screen it from the burning rays of the sun. The little group stand -with bowed heads and hushed hearts while the spirit takes its flight, to -appear before its Maker.—Almost, but not quite home, and with none of -his immediate kin by him to see the end! The attendants cover the body -with a cloth, and hasten on to the next station, a few miles below the -city. The procession halted there at about the very time that the -messenger reached Chiengmai with the news that he was dead. - -Such, as I learned next day from the attending prince, were the last -hours of His Highness Chao Kāwilōrot Suriyawong, Prince of Chiengmai. He -died at ten o’clock in the morning of June 29th, 1870, in the seventieth -year of his age, and in the sixteenth of his reign. - -Next morning before breakfast I was sent for by the younger daughter of -the Prince, to go to the residence of the nephew, whom I had left late -in the evening before in such a distracted state of mind. How shocked -was I on entering to find the prince cold and dead! The Princess wished -to get my judgment whether he was really dead beyond all hope of -resuscitation. But it required no skilled physician to answer that -question. He had evidently died by a dose of opium administered by his -own hands. The little cup from which it was taken was still by his -bedside. Whether it was intentional suicide to escape the lawsuits of -his deceased master, or was simply designed to ease the mental troubles -of that night, they could tell as well as I. In either case, he slept -the sleep that knows no waking till the summons of the last trump. - -After breakfast I rode out to the encampment, only two or three miles -away, where the body of the Prince was lying. The family and officers -and friends were assembled to look for the last time on that noted face. -The last act before placing the body in the coffin was to cover it -throughout with gold-leaf, to give it the appearance of being a Buddha. -But no gold-leaf could disguise that face. The family remained there a -few days, partly for the much-needed rest, but chiefly to await a day of -good augury for carrying the remains to the city. - -The day was well chosen for such a pageant as the country had not seen, -to honour alike the departed, and to welcome the succeeding Prince. -There was a long and imposing procession of soldiers, monks, and people -marching to the wailing of the funeral dirge and to the slow, solemn -beat of drums. Near the head of the line, on his elephant, was the -son-in-law, Chao Intanon, soon to be Prince of Chiengmai. Not far behind -came the body of the dead Prince, borne on a golden bier and accompanied -by a large train of yellow-robed priests. Behind this was the vacant -throne, and on it the royal crown, both testifying to the emptiness of -human pomp and power. Then came one leading the horse His Highness used -to ride; and next, his favourite elephant, its huge body covered with -trappings of gold. After these came members of the Prince’s family and -other near relatives. - -About ten o’clock the procession approached the city which, by -inexorable custom, may never open its gates to receive the dead—not even -though the dead were he whose word for so many years had been its law. -What a comment on human glory and on the tyranny of superstitious -custom! On reaching the South Gate, therefore, the procession turned to -the right, and passed on outside the city wall to the East Gate. There, -in the Prince’s summer garden, beside the river, his remains lay in -state until the great cremation ceremony a year later. Meantime a lamp -was kept burning at the head and at the foot night and day. A prince was -in constant attendance. Courses of monks chanted the requiem of the -Buddhist ceremonial for the dead. At intervals during the whole night -the beat of the drum resounded through the air, reminding the city that -there lay all that remained of one of its greatest masters. - -Prince Intanon, though not yet officially installed, assured me, as soon -as I met him at the encampment, that we were to remain and build our -houses and prosecute our work without let or hindrance. Other princes -and officers were pleased to give the same assurance. With the Prince’s -party there came a large mail from friends in Bangkok, giving full -particulars of the negotiations that were stopped by the sudden illness -of the Prince, and clearing up the questions about which we were so much -in doubt. The interposition of Providence had been so marked that we -could only stand in awe before Him who had so wonderfully led us. For, -after the utmost stretch of my own credulity in trying to trust the -Prince, my final conviction is that, had he lived, he and the mission -could not have existed in the same country. He could never have endured -to see his people becoming Christians—Not that he cared so much for -Buddhism; but it would have been a constant challenge to his autocratic -rule. - -In March, while the scenes of this tragic drama were slowly enacting in -Bangkok, and while we were anxiously awaiting the dénouement, we had a -pleasant episode of another kind. One morning we were surprised to learn -from some natives that out on the plain, not far from the city, they had -passed two white foreigners, a man and a woman, and that they were -coming to our house. Sure enough, about ten o’clock, who should ride up -but Rev. and Mrs. J. N. Cushing of the American Baptist Mission in -Burma! What an unexpected pleasure! For three years we had seen but two -white faces outside of our own little circle. Some of our latest news -from home friends was eleven months old when we received it. What a -social feast we did have! - -They had started from Shwegyin, Burma, had made a tour west of the -Salwin River, crossed over to Keng Tung, come down by Chieng Sên and -Chieng Rāi, and now called at Chiengmai on their way back to Burma. -Their visit was a real godsend to us in the time of our troubles. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - XII - - THE NEW RÉGIME - - -One of the results of the change of government was that we were able to -build permanent houses. For three years and more we had lived within -basket-woven bamboo walls that a pocketknife could pierce, neither -secure nor wholesome nor favourable for our work. They bore silent but -steady testimony that we ourselves did not regard our stay as permanent. -The results of our manner of living were already seen in the impaired -health of the members of the mission. My wife surely could never have -lived another decade in the old sālā with bamboo walls and ceiling, -where the dust from the borers in the wood constantly filled the air and -poisoned the lungs. Mrs. Wilson bore up bravely for five years, until -there was just ready for her reception the permanent house which she was -never to enjoy. As soon as they could, the family started for the United -States on furlough, all thoroughly broken down. After two years of rest -Mr. Wilson alone was able to return to the field, leaving Mrs. Wilson -behind. She never regained her health, and they never saw each other -again. Her departure was a great loss to the mission. She was a gifted -lady, a fine vocal and instrumental musician, and a consecrated -missionary. She left one literary work in Lāo, the translation of -Bunyan’s _Pilgrim’s Progress_, which has since been published. - -But as matters then were, there was much perplexing work to be done -before we were at all ready to begin building. I was favoured in getting -a lot of first class teak logs delivered at a very cheap rate. Then the -trouble began. The logs must be hauled up from the river by elephants to -the lot where they are to be sawn. The log is raised and mounted on two -strong trestles. A black line to guide the saw is struck on either side. -Two sawyers stand facing each other across the log, grasping the handles -of a long framed saw with horizontal blade. Then the operation begins. -The saw is pushed and pulled back and forth till the cut is carried -through to the end of the log. This operation is repeated for every -stick of timber put into the house. - -But we are already too fast. Where are the sawyers to come from? There -were then no good sawyers among the Lāo. No one dared to learn for fear -of being appropriated by the Prince, or of being compelled to work on -public buildings. There were, however, three pairs of sawyers, debtors -to the Prince, whom he had brought up from Rahêng for his own work. -Whenever not needed by him or by some other person of rank, they were -allowed to seek employment elsewhere. So, at odd times, I was able to -secure their services. But if the Prince needed them, they must at once -drop everything and go. Scores of times our sawyers were called away, -often for weeks at a time, and at the busiest stage of the work. - -And now for the carpenter. The Lāo dared not be known as carpenters for -the same reason as that given above in the case of the sawyers. They -would have been constantly requisitioned for government work. There was -in the place only one Siamese carpenter reputed to be a good workman. In -order to get him, I had to advance him three hundred rupees, professedly -to pay a debt, but most likely to gamble with. He was to build by -contract. But he had already received his money, or so much of it that -he was quite independent. He soon slashed and spoiled more timber than -his wages were worth. So, to keep him from ruining the whole, I had to -get rid of him, even at some sacrifice. Just then a Siamo-Chinese turned -up, who took the job by the day under my direction, to be assisted by -some Christians whom we trained thus as apprentices. The house was built -on the plan of the East Indian bungalow—raised ten feet from the ground -on posts, with single walls and a veranda all round. Its large lofty -rooms, screened on all sides by the verandas, make it still one of the -most comfortable houses in the mission. It was more than eight years -from the time of our arrival when we entered it; and even then it was -not finished. - -Although the new government was friendly, yet some of the ruling spirits -were in their hearts as hostile as the deceased Prince had ever been, -and without his more noble qualities. There were two in particular who -soon began to show that their secret influence would be against the -mission—and their open hostility, too, so far as they ventured to let it -appear. One was the adopted son of the late Prince, and the other the -new ruler’s half-brother, who had been made Uparāt, or second in power, -when the new Prince ascended the throne. Had these both lived, their -combined influence would have been nearly as formidable as that of -Kāwilōrot. Unfortunately, too, the actual business of the country was -largely in their hands. Prince Intanon was not at all ambitious for -power. He liked nothing better than to work without care or -responsibility in his own little workshop, making fancy -elephant-saddles, and let his half-brother rule the country. During the -following year the adopted son went down to Bangkok to receive the -insignia of his new rank, but never returned. His death was even more -sudden than that of his foster-father. He was taken with the cholera, -and died in a few hours. This left the elder of the two avowed enemies -of Christianity, and the higher in rank and power. To give an -illustration of the kind of spirit we had to contend with in him, I will -anticipate an incident of a few years later. - -Two native Karens, ordained ministers, were sent by the American Baptist -Mission to initiate in Lāo territory a work among the Karens, a -hill-people scattered sparsely throughout all the mountain region -between Siam and Burma. The native evangelists brought with them letters -from the missionaries in Burma, requesting us to aid them in getting Lāo -passports. We went with them to the new Prince, and he very graciously -gave direction to his brother to see that passports were issued, stating -not only that the visitors were to be protected and aided as travellers, -but also that they were to be allowed to teach the new religion, and -that people were allowed to embrace it without fear. - -I was specially interested that they should succeed in the first village -which they were to visit, for it was the one where I had vaccinated the -whole population during the first year of our mission. Since I had -failed to make Christians of them—partly, as I supposed, on account of -my ignorance of their language, but more on account of the persecution -which followed so soon after—I hoped that when the message was delivered -in their own tongue, with official permission to embrace it, the whole -village might accept the Gospel. What was the astonishment of the -preachers that, instead of being received with the characteristic -hospitality of their race, they hardly found common civility! At last -they learned the reason. The Chao Uparāt had secretly despatched a -special messenger with a letter under his own seal, forbidding any Karen -subject to embrace the new religion. All who did so were to be reported -to him. What that meant, or what he wished them to infer that it meant, -was well understood. - -Our readers, therefore, will not be surprised that we found it necessary -to keep an eye on the Chao Uparāt, and to use considerable diplomacy in -counteracting his schemes against the church. It was my policy in those -days to keep up as close an acquaintance as possible with the members of -the ruling family. It was the misfortune of all of them that they were -ignorant;[9] and ignorance begets suspicion. Some of them were naturally -suspicious of the missionaries. They could not understand what motive -could induce men who were neither government officials nor merchants, to -leave a great country and come to live in theirs. - -Footnote 9: - - This same Uparāt, whose word ruled the country, was unable to write - his own orders. - -Two objects were gained by keeping in contact with the rulers. They saw, -then, with their own eyes, and heard with their own ears, what we were -doing. In nearly every interview our one great work was magnified alike -to prince, priest, and people. I have heretofore specially mentioned -princesses, too, as well as princes, in this connection, because the Lāo -have a proud pre-eminence among non-Christian races in the position -accorded to woman. In the family, woman’s authority is universally -recognized. At the time we speak of it was much the same in the -government also. The influence of women in affairs of state was -doubtless greatly increased during the previous reign, when, there being -no sons in the royal household, the daughters naturally became more -prominent. They were trained to understand and to deal with public -business. - -I have already referred to the kindness of the elder daughter, now not, -as in former reigns, the head-wife, but the only wife of the new ruler. -By birth she was of higher rank than he; and she was in every way worthy -of the high position she now assumed. Hers was, in fact, the strong -intelligence and steady will that kept her more passive consort from -errors into which he would otherwise have been led. At this particular -juncture she was needed as a check against the Prince’s more ambitious -and less principled half-brother. She had a woman’s instinct to discern -a point, and a woman’s revulsion against lawless acts, even when done by -her own father. In honesty of purpose she and her consort were one, for -his kindness of heart had drawn to him more dependents than any other -prince in the land possessed. The murder of the Christians they both -regarded as “worse than a crime—a blunder.” For the present, however, -there was no indication of the sinister forces which came into play -later. All in authority seemed to be honestly carrying out the orders -from Bangkok concerning the missionary work. - -A year was spent in preparation for the ceremonies attending the -cremation of the dead Prince. During the last three months of this time, -everything else in the whole land yielded place to it. Not only was -there requisition of men and materials throughout the province of -Chiengmai; but all the neighbouring states furnished large levies of men -under the personal direction of their princes or officers of rank. Such -occasions offer exceptional opportunities for meeting people from all -parts of the country, for forming lasting friendships, and for sending -some knowledge of the Gospel to distant provinces. In after years I -never made a tour on which I did not encounter friends whose -acquaintance I had made at the great cremation festival. - -The preparations were hastened somewhat because of the unsettled state -of the country. Chao Fā Kōlan, the Ngīo freebooter of whom we have -already heard, was still at his old tricks. Emboldened by the death of -the Prince, and the confusion incident to the change of rulers, he had -become more insolent than ever. Villages had been burned within less -than a day’s march from the city. Bands of men, euphemistically called -an army, were levied and despatched to capture him; but long before they -could reach him, he was safe within his stronghold in the mountains. - -[Illustration: - - A CREMATION PROCESSION] - - -The dead Prince was born on a Sunday; therefore every important event of -his life must take place on that day, even to the last dread summons, -which is not under man’s control—and beyond that, to the final -disposition of his mortal remains. Sunday, therefore, was the first day -of the ceremonies. On that day the body was removed from the summer -garden to the “Mēn,” where it was to lie in state to receive the homage -of his relatives and subjects until the following Sunday. The morning of -each day was devoted to “merit-making” of various kinds—feeding the -monks, making offerings to them, and listening to the reading of the -sacred books. The afternoons were largely spent in boxing games, a -favourite amusement of the Lāo. The evenings were given up to gambling. - -Everything went on according to programme until Thursday morning, when -the festivities were rudely interrupted. Chao Fā Kōlan, the bandit -chief, taking advantage of the occasion, made one of his sudden forays -to within so short a distance of Chiengmai that he actually had posted -on the city gates during the night an insolent manifesto to the effect -that the assembled Princes need not trouble themselves further with the -cremation of the dead Prince. He and his band would attend to that! The -news produced a tremendous panic. The whole business of the cremation -was incontinently stopped. A force was sent out after the marauder—with -the usual result. Before the end of the week, however, the panic had -sufficiently subsided to permit the ceremonies to be resumed. The -cremation itself was carried out on the following Sunday as planned. - -During all these years the demand for medical treatment, and the -opportunity which its exercise brings, had been constantly growing. I -made, for example, a second trip to Lampūn, this time at the call of the -Chao Uparāt of that city. The poor man had consumption, and at first -sent to me for some foreign medicine, thinking that would surely cure -him. Judging from his symptoms as reported, I sent word that I could not -cure him; that the soothing mixture which I sent was sent in hope that -it might give him a few nights’ rest; but that was all I could do. -Presently he sent an elephant with a most urgent appeal that I come to -see him. I was glad of the call, for it gave me the opportunity of -directing a dying man to something even more urgently needed than -medicine. I spent a few days with him, and visited all of the leading -families and officials of the place, establishing most valuable and -friendly relations with them. - -Long before this time, both the demand for medical treatment and the -responsibility involved far exceeded what any person without complete -professional training could undertake to meet. We had urged upon our -Board the claims of our mission for a physician. The following touching -appeal, which appeared in the _Foreign Missionary_ for March, 1870, was -made by Mr. Wilson not long after the death of his son Frank. After -sending an earnest appeal from Nān Inta for helpers, Mr. Wilson says: - - “Of course Nān Inta’s call for help includes in it a Christian - physician. Who will respond? I am convinced there are many young - men in the medical profession whose love for Jesus and whose - sympathy with human sufferings are strong enough to bring them - all the way to Chiengmai, if they will but yield themselves to - this constraining influence. Christian physician, you are - greatly needed here. The missionary’s family needs you. This - suffering people needs you. You were needed months since, when a - voice so sweet and full of glee was changed to piteous shrieks - of pain. You were not here to give relief; and if you now come, - it will not greet you, for it is hushed in death. You are needed - here _now_. A plaintive cry comes to me as I write. It is the - voice of our dear babe, whose weak condition fills our hearts - with deepest anxiety. May I not interpret this plaintive cry as - addressed to you? It is the only way that M. has of saying to - you, ‘Come to Chiengmai.’ When you arrive, she may be sleeping - beside her little brother. But you will find others, both old - and young, whose pains you may be able to soothe, and whose - souls you may win from the way that leads to eternal death.” - -Great was our joy, therefore, when, in the summer of 1871, we learned -that Dr. C. W. Vrooman, from Dr. Cuyler’s church in Brooklyn, had -responded to our appeal, and already was under appointment of our Board -for Chiengmai. His arrival was delayed somewhat because it was thought -unsafe for him to make the river trip during the height of the rainy -season. So it was January 22d, 1872, before we welcomed him to -Chiengmai. He came with high credentials as a physician and surgeon with -experience both in private and in hospital practice. He began work on -the day of his arrival. He found Nān Inta at the point of death from -acute dysentery; and his first trophy was the saving of that precious -life. Had he done nothing else, that alone would have been well worth -while. One or two operations for vesical calculus gave him such a -reputation that patients came crowding to him for relief. In his first -report he writes: - - “I was very glad to commence work as soon as I arrived in the - field. The number was large of those who came to the brethren - here for daily treatment; and such is the reputation which they - have established for themselves as physicians, that the demand - for our professional services is greater than we can properly - meet. I am satisfied that the demand for a medical missionary - here was not too strongly urged by the brethren in their earnest - appeals to the Board. - - “I have already had much professional work to do, and while I am - ministering to physical ailments, Brother McGilvary, who is - kindly my interpreter, has opportunity to break unto many the - bread of life.... Two men have just left who came a long - distance, hoping we could bring to life a brother who had died - hours before.” - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - XIII - - EXPLORATION - - -Not long after Dr. Vrooman’s arrival it was decided to undertake our -first extended tour. It was important to ascertain the size and -population of our whole field; and this could be accomplished only by -personal exploration. A journey for this purpose would, of course, -afford abundant opportunity for preaching the Gospel; it would, besides, -give the doctor a needed change, and would effectually advertise his -work. Our objective was Lūang Prabāng, then one of the largest of the -provinces of Siam, as it was also the most distant one. A journey to it -seemed the most profitable that could be made during the time at our -disposal, and the most comfortable as well, since a large stretch of it -could be made by boat. It was already too late in the season to -accomplish all that we desired; but “half a loaf is better than no -bread.” It might be years before a longer trip could be made. As a -matter of fact, it was sixteen years before I visited Lūang Prabāng -again. - -The Prince gave us a passport, sending us as his guests to be -entertained without expense; though, of course, we always paid our way. -Our letter stated that we went as teachers of religion and as physicians -for the sick. It was a virtual proclamation for all the sick to apply to -us for treatment. This gave frequent occasion for retort that we did not -remain long enough to comply with our letter. We could only reply by -pointing to the clouds and the long journey ahead. - -The party consisted of Dr. Vrooman, myself, a cook, a body-servant, and -eight carriers, with a newly-baptized convert as the only available -assistant in the religious work. The elephants required for our -transportation over the first stage of our journey—to Chieng Rāi—we had -secured, for a wonder, without effort, and very cheaply. Their owner was -anxious to get them out of the country to escape an epidemic which then -was prevalent. The start was on April 15th, 1872, after a heavy storm -which ushered in the rainy season. This was my first trip over the road -to Chieng Rāi, afterwards so familiar to me. After leaving the plain of -Chiengmai, the road ascends the valley of the Mê Kūang River, fording -that stream no less than forty-nine times before it reaches the summit, -3100 feet above sea-level, the watershed between the Mê Ping and the Mê -Kōng.[10] Thence it descends to the Mê Kok at Chieng Rāi. The owner of -our elephants travelled with us, and was unnecessarily tender to his -beasts. In consequence we were ten days making this stage of the trip, -which afterwards, with my own elephants, I used to make in less than -six. On this trip I walked almost the whole distance. - -Footnote 10: - - In standard Siamese the vowel in the name of this great river is - undoubtedly long o, and has been so since the days of the earliest - Siamese writing. Such also seems to have been the understanding of the - early travellers who first brought the name into European use, for - Mekong is the uniform spelling of all the standard Atlases and - Gazetteers which I have been able to consult. In the Lāo dialect, - however, the vowel is that represented by _aw_ in _lawn_. This is the - pronunciation which Mr. J. McCarthy, Director of the Siamese Royal - Survey Department, heard in the North, and transferred to the Map of - Siam, which he compiled, as Me Kawng. This, however, Mr. R. W. Giblin, - Mr. McCarthy’s successor in office, recognized as an error, and - assured me that it should be corrected in the new map which he hoped - soon to publish. Mr. Giblin, however, has left the service, and the - map, I fear, has not yet been issued. But since Siamese speech and the - usage of geographical authorities are at one on this point, there can - scarcely be question as to the proper form for use here—ED. - -At Chieng Rāi we were cordially received. The governor listened to the -Gospel message, and, I believe, received it in faith, as we shall see -later. Thence we took boat down the Mê Kok to its junction with the Mê -Kōng. The sand-bar where we spent the Sabbath was covered with fresh -tracks of large Bengal tigers. - -Shortly after this we passed out of the Mê Kok into the great Mê Kōng, -with reference to which I take the liberty of quoting from a recent -work, _Five Years in Siam_, by H. Warrington Smyth, F.R.G.S. - - “Few can regard the Me Kawng without feeling its peculiar - fascination. That narrow streak connecting far countries with - the distant ocean,—what scenes it knows, what stories it could - tell! Gliding gently here, and thundering with fury there where - it meets with opposition; always continuing its great work of - disintegration of hard rocks and of transport of material; with - infinite patience hewing down the mountain sides, and building - up with them new countries in far climes where other tongues are - spoken; it never stays its movement. How few men have seen its - upper waters! What a lonely life altogether is that of the Me - Kawng! From its cradle as the Gorgu River in the far Thibetan - highlands, to its end in the stormy China Sea, it never sees a - populous city or a noble building. For nearly three thousand - miles it storms through solitudes, or wanders sullenly through - jungle wastes. No wonder one sat by the hour listening to its - tale. For though but dull to read of, the wide deep reality - rolling before one had an intense interest for a lonely man. - - “Rising in about 33° 17′ N. Lat. and 94° 25′ E. Long. in the - greatest nursery of noble rivers in the world, where six huge - brethren have so long concealed the secrets of their birth, it - flows southeast through Chinese Thibetan territory to Chuande, - where the tea caravan road from Lhasa and Thibet on the west, - crosses it eastward towards Ta Chien Lu and China, over 10,000 - feet above sea-level.” - -Almost within sight from the mouth of the Mê Kok were the ruins of -Chieng Sên, once the largest city in all this region. Its crumbling -walls enclose an oblong area stretching some two miles along the river. -Seventy years before our visit it had been taken by a combined army of -Siamese and Lāo. Its inhabitants were divided among the conquerors, and -carried away into captivity. At the time of our visit, the city and the -broad province of which it was the capital had been desolate for -three-quarters of a century. Nothing remained but the dilapidated walls -and crumbling ruins of old temples. Judging from its innumerable images -of Buddha, its inhabitants must have been a very religious people. One -wonders whence came all the bronze used in making them in those distant -days. To me it was an unexpected pleasure to find myself in that old -city, the ancestral home of so many of our parishioners. Little did I -think then that twenty years later I should aid in organizing a church -where we then stood. The Mê Kōng is here a mighty stream. It must be a -magnificent sight in time of high water. - -A short distance below the city we passed a village recently deserted -because of the ravages of the tigers. The second day from Chieng Sên -brought us to Chieng Kawng, one of the largest dependencies of the -province of Nān. There we spent two very interesting and profitable -days. I had met the governor in Chiengmai. He was delighted with my -repeating rifle, and had us try it before him. There was also his son, -who not long after was to succeed the father; but his story we shall -come upon some twenty years later. - -At this place we were fortunate in finding an empty trading-boat going -to Lūang Prabāng, in which the governor engaged for us passage on very -reasonable terms. We left Chieng Kawng on May 3d. The trip to Lūang -Prabāng occupied five days, and was one of the memorable events of my -life. In some respects the scenery is not so striking as that of the Mê -Ping rapids. The breadth of the river makes the difference. You miss the -narrow gorge with overhanging cliffs and the sudden bends closing in -every outlet. But, on the other hand, you have an incomparably greater -river and higher mountains. I quote again from Mr. Warrington Smyth the -following description of one portion of the river scenery: - - “The high peaks, towering 5,000 feet above the river, which give - it such a sombre appearance, are generally of the very extensive - limestone series. They present tremendous precipices on some of - their sides, and their outlines are particularly bold.... Some - miles above Lūang Prabāng the large and important tributaries of - the Nam Ū and the Nam Sêng enter the Mê Kawng. The clear - transparent water of these tributaries forms a strong contrast - to the brown sediment-laden water of the Mê Kawng.... In some of - the rapids with sloping bottoms, the first jump over the edge is - very pleasant; the fun then comes in the short roaring waves. - Everybody on board is fully occupied; the men at the bow-oar - canting her head this way and that, the helmsman helping from - the other end to make her take its straight, the men at the oars - pulling for all they are worth, and the rest bailing mightily, - or shouting to any one who has time to listen. If the rapid is a - bad one, the crews land to have a meal before tackling it, and - stop to chew some betel and compare notes after it. So it is - always a sociable event.” - -My travelling companion, Dr. Vrooman, thus gives his impressions. - - “The current of the Cambodia is very swift, in places so much so - that it was dangerous to navigate. The river is nearly a mile - wide in places; and where the channel is narrow, it rushes along - with frightful rapidity. No scenery is finer throughout the - entire distance we travelled on it. Mountains rise from either - bank to the height of three or four thousand feet. The river - fills the bottom of a long, winding valley; and as we glided - swiftly down it, there seemed to move by us the panorama of two - half-erect hanging landscapes of woodland verdure and blossom. - Only as we neared the city did we see rough and craggy mountain - peaks and barren towering precipices.” - -Twenty-six years later I descended the Mê Ū River from Mûang Kwā to -Lūang Prabāng, and then ascended it again. The perpendicular rock-cliffs -at its junction with the Mê Kōng surpass any that I ever saw elsewhere. - -Of greater interest to me, however, than roaring rapids and towering -rocks were the evidences of numerous human habitations perched far above -us on the mountain sides. Rarely can their houses or villages be seen; -but in many places their clearings have denuded the mountains of all -their larger growth. It was tantalizing not to be able to stop and visit -these people in their homes. But my first opportunity to make extensive -tours among them was not till some twenty years later. As for the Mê -Kōng, my comment is: If I wished an exciting river trip, and had a -comfortable boat, I should not expect to find a more enchanting stretch -of three hundred miles anywhere else on the face of the earth. - -Lūang Prabāng was then the most compactly built of all Siamese cities -outside of Bangkok, which, in some respects, it resembled. It differs -from the other Lāo cities in having no great rural population and -extensive rice-plains near it. Its rice supply was then levied from the -hill-tribes as a tribute or tax. The city has a fine situation at the -foot of a steep hill some two hundred feet high, tipped, as usual, with -a pagoda. The Nām Kêng there joins the Mê Kōng, dividing the city into -two unequal portions. The view from the top of the hill is delightful. -The inhabitants belong to a large branch of the Tai race, extending -southward at least to Cambodia. They are called the Lāo Pung Khāo -(White-bellied Lāo), as ours, because of their universal practice of -tattooing the body, are called Lāo Pung Dam (Black-bellied). - -The Prince of Lūang Prabāng was absent from the city hunting wild -elephants, in which game his province abounds. The Chao Uparāt gave us a -hospitable welcome. Behind the city is a noted cave in a mountain, which -the natives think is the abode of the very fiercest evil spirits. No -doubt the real spirits are the malarial germs or the poisonous gas which -later we found to be the chief danger of the Chieng Dāo cave. It was in -this cave that M. Mouhot, a noted French scientist, contracted the fever -from which he died. The natives believed that his death was caused by -his rashness in trespassing upon the domain of the spirits who preside -over the cave. We were astonished at some sorts of fish displayed in the -market, such as I never saw anywhere else. Mr. McCarthy tells of -assisting at the capture of one, a plā buk, seven feet long, with a -body-girth of four feet and two inches, and weighing one hundred and -thirty pounds. - -We remained in Lūang Prabāng six days, leaving it on May 14th. I was -very loath to go so soon. The people were eager for books as well as for -medicine. It was the one place where Siamese books were well understood. -We could have disposed of basketfuls of the Scriptures, as Dr. Peoples -did twenty-four years later. It is one of the anomalies of the twentieth -century that when we finally were ready to establish a Christian -mission, after the country had passed from non-Christian to Christian -rulers, we could not get permission. - -From Lūang Prabāng we again took boat to Tā Dûa, some sixty miles below. -There we bade good-bye to the wonderful river, and turned our faces -homeward. Our elephants were good travellers, the swiftest we had so far -found. They gave us no chance to stroll on in advance, and rest till -they should come up, as we had done before. They brought us to Nān in -six days, four of which were spent in travel over high mountain ridges. -Our road passed near the great salt wells; but we had no time for -sight-seeing. - -Two experiences on this portion of the trip will not be forgotten. One -was a fall from my tall elephant. A flock of large birds in covert near -us suddenly flew up with loud shrill cries. I was reclining in the -howdah at the time, and raised myself up to look out under the hood, -and, while suspended there in unstable equilibrium, another and louder -cry close at hand made the beast give a sudden start backwards, which -landed me in a puddle of water. Fortunately no further damage was done. -Another annoyance, more serious, was the land-leeches which we often -encountered when we dismounted to walk. The whole ground and every shrub -and twig seemed covered with the tiny creatures. Sensitive to the least -noise, each one was holding on by his tail, and waving his head back and -forth to lay hold of any passing animal. We soon found that they had a -special fondness for the _genus homo_. Do what we might, every hundred -yards or so we had to stop to rub them off, while the blood ran -profusely from their bites. We had none of the herbs which the Mūsô bind -on their legs to keep them off. - -On Saturday evening we reached Nān, the first place where I found -friends since leaving Chieng Rāi. Chao Borirak, whom I had met in -Chiengmai, nephew of the Nān Prince, and a few others, were soon on hand -to give us welcome and to offer any aid we needed. The Prince was a -venerable old man, with four sons—fine men, all of them. The country was -well governed, though it long continued conservative as regards the -adoption of foreign ways and the welcoming of foreign traders. I fell in -love with Nān at first sight, and marked it for a future mission -station. - -On our departure from Nān, Chao Borirak accompanied us as far as Prê, -bringing his own elephants—one of them a colt, which he rode astride -like a horse—the only one, in fact, that I ever saw so used. At Prê we -found our government letter not very effective. Rupees, however, were -effective enough to prevent any long delay. The ruling authority in Prê -has always seemed weak. - -[Illustration: - - INTERIOR OF A TEMPLE, PRÊ] - -There was an amusing circumstance connected with an eclipse of the moon -while we were there. Since the conversion of Nān Inta, I had taken pains -to announce each eclipse as it was to occur. I did so in Prê the day -before it was due. The eclipse took place early in the night, and I -expected to hear the city resound with the noise of every gun and -firecracker in the place. But everything was as quiet as a funeral. It -seemed to be regarded as _our_ eclipse. The silence may have been -intended to test our assertion that Rāhū would renounce his hold without -the noise, or possibly they were unwilling to proclaim thus publicly the -superior wisdom of the foreigner in predicting it. At any rate, they -utterly ignored it, and let the monster have his will unmolested. - -My associate had gained all that could have been expected from the tour; -but an aching tooth was giving him great trouble, and we hurried on. We -reached home on June 22d, just sixty-eight days out. We found neither -family in very good health. The doctor’s toothache drove him to such -desperation that he insisted on my trying—all unpractised as I was—to -extract the offending eyetooth. It broke. There was then nothing to do -but to make the trip to Bangkok for the nearest professional help. By -the time he returned, it began to be evident that he could not hope to -remain long in the field. - -Between Bangkok, Pechaburī, and Chiengmai, I had been fifteen years in -the field; and my wife had been in the country from girlhood without -change. We had both endured it remarkably well, considering that we had -had the strain of starting two new stations. Before the end of the year, -however, my wife had reached the limit of her strength, and it became -necessary to hurry her out of the country. So, on the 3d of January, -1873, she was carried in a chair to the boat, and we embarked for the -United States. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - XIV - - THE FIRST FURLOUGH - - -The tour of the previous season had been so hasty and unsatisfactory, -that I was very anxious, if possible, to duplicate the homeward stretch -of it as far as Nān, then descend the Pitsanulōk Fork to the Mênam, and -so follow my family to Bangkok. But would it be safe to leave my wife to -make the river trip without me, when she was in such weak condition, and -burdened with the care of four children, the youngest of whom was but -two years old? I embarked and travelled with them as far as the landing -for Lampūn—where we must separate, if I were to cross over to Nān—still -uncertain as to what I ought to do. It was then Friday. We decided to -stop there over Sunday, and see how matters looked on Monday morning. -The quiet and rest of the boat were improving her condition somewhat; -and her own bravery made up whatever was lacking there. I had secured a -strong letter from the Prince, calling for the best of steersmen through -the rapids, and for protection where the boat should stop for the night. -So, with some anxiety, but with strong faith that the plan in itself so -desirable would prosper, we separated—one party going by boat down the -Mê Ping, and the other going afoot across country to Lampūn. For the -present we leave the wife and children, to hear their report when we -meet again. - -My plan was to rely on getting elephants from point to point. Elephants -are always very hard to get; so it seemed doubtful whether my confidence -were faith or presumption. But I was remarkably favoured. At Lampūn -there was not an elephant nearer than the forests, save two of the -governor’s own. I had trusted to his friendship, and it did not fail me. -I got off in fine style next morning on the governor’s two elephants, -with a letter to all the governors on the route directing them to see -that I was supplied with whatever I needed on the journey. - -I felt strong in having with me, in the person of Nān Inta, so wise a -teacher and such a living witness of the power of the Gospel. On our -first visits it has usually seemed wise to spend much of the time in -visiting and making known the Gospel privately to those of reputation, -as we know one wise missionary did in old times. It is necessary to give -the rulers a clear idea of the non-political nature of our work. In -order to do this, we must show positively what our message is—not merely -that we are religious teachers, but that, as such, we have a message -different from all others, not antagonistic or hostile to them, but -supplementing rather that which they offer. - -In visiting among the princely families in the old city of Lakawn we met -one most interesting case. It was that of an aged bedridden Princess -high in rank, who received the Gospel with all readiness of mind. By -nature, habit, and grace she had been very religious. She had in her day -built temples and rest-houses, had feasted Buddhist monks, and had -fasted times without number, in order to lay up a store of merit for the -great future. She hoped sometimes that she had laid up a sufficient -store; but the five and the eight commands were against her. She had -killed animals; and the command is explicit, and condemns without a -saviour. That the Creator of all had made these creatures for our use -and benefit was a new idea. That of itself would remove much of the -burden on her conscience. And as one after another of the great truths -of revelation was opened up to her, particularly the doctrine of the -incarnation and atonement of our divine-human Redeemer, it seemed as if -the burden was lifted. Nān Inta was himself a living testimony that the -Christian teaching can and does give instantaneous relief when simply -believed. It is difficult to tell which was more touching, the -sympathetic earnestness of the speaker, or the comfort it imparted to -the hearer. The Princess begged us to come again and often. And neither -of us found any other place so attractive. - -After a week spent in Lakawn, we departed on our way to Nān. The next -Sunday we spent in the forest. I look back with delightful memories to -the occasional Sabbaths thus spent in the deep forest after a busy week -with no rest and no privacy—a Sabbath in solitude, away from every -noise, and even every song except the music of the wind and the song of -birds! We always had service with our men; and then, under the shade of -some cool spreading tree, or beside a flowing brook, one could be alone -and yet not alone. No one more needs such retirement than a missionary, -whose work is always a giving-out, with fewer external aids for resupply -than others have. - -The next Sunday we spent in Wieng Sā, the first of the numerous little -outlying towns of Nān. On Monday we reached Nān itself, the limit of our -tour in that direction. The country was well governed, the princes -intelligent, and the common people friendly. But the special attraction -that Nān had for me largely centred around one man, the Prince’s nephew, -Chao Borirak—the one that rode astride the young elephant to see us safe -to Prê on our earlier trip, with whom we used to talk religion about the -camp-fires till the small hours of the morning. We left him then -apparently on the border land of Christianity, with strong hope that he -soon would be ready to profess publicly the faith which he was almost -ready to confess to us. His rank and connection would make him of great -assistance in opening a station in Nān, which, next to Chiengmai, was -the most important province in the Lāo region. Again he offered us a -warm welcome, giving up his time to visiting with us the rulers and the -monasteries, in one of which his son had long been an abbot. It seemed -as if Nān Inta’s experience would be all that was needed to settle his -faith. At his request I asked and received permission from the Prince -for him again to accompany us—with his young elephant foal and her -mother—five days’ journey to Tā It, where I was to take boat. Our walks -by day and our talks by night are never to be forgotten. But the -convenient season to make a public profession never came. He lived in -hope of seeing a station in Nān, but died not long before the station -was established. - -At Tā It no boat was to be had either for sale or for hire. But my face -was turned toward home, and I would have gone on a raft. I had to do the -next thing—to take a small dug-out which the Prince got for me, and go -on to Utaradit, the next town below. There I was able to purchase a -boat, which I afterwards sold in Bangkok for what it cost me. Nān Inta -was the steersman, and my four men rowed. Our longest stop was at -Pitsanulōk, where the Siamese mission now has a station. On reaching -Bangkok I was delighted to find that my family had made their long trip -down the other river in safety, though not without great anxiety, and -some threatened danger. Our oldest daughter had been quite ill on the -way. Once they came perilously near falling a prey to a band of robbers. -It was only by a clever ruse of the captain that they escaped. As soon -as he caught sight of the suspicious-looking group of men on a sand-bar -ahead, he had the gong loudly sounded. That and the waving American flag -evidently made them think that this was the leading boat of some -prince’s flotilla. They incontinently fled into the forest. At the next -stopping-place our boatmen learned that it was, indeed, a marauding band -that had committed many depredations on passing boats. What a merciful -preservation! - -We spent a few weeks in Bangkok, resting and visiting in the home of my -father-in-law, Dr. Bradley, of sainted memory. It proved to be the last -time that we ever saw him. He lived only a few months after that. - -In fifteen years the world had moved. Going round “the Cape,” even in a -good clipper ship like the _David Brown_, had become too slow. We took, -instead, the steamship _Patroclus_ from Singapore to London, via the -Suez Canal. The Rev. Mr. Keyesberry, a missionary friend of Dr. -Bradley’s, had been waiting to find an escort to England for two young -sons and a daughter. We gladly undertook that service, and so had a -flock of seven young folks to look after! - -We were barely under way when our own children broke out with the -measles. The disease, fortunately, proved to be of a mild type, and our -new charges were not hard to manage. So, on the whole, we got along very -well. In London we had unexpected trouble because the friend who was to -meet Alice Keyesberry at the dock failed to appear, and, strangely -enough, we had received no memorandum of her destination. It cost us two -days’ search to discover her friends at the Walthamstow Mission School. - -The boys I had promised to convoy as far as Edinburgh. So, leaving my -family in London, I had the great pleasure of a visit to the beautiful -Scotch capital. The day spent there was to me a memorable one. It was, -however, a matter of great regret that, being so near the Highlands, I -could not also visit the original home of my ancestors. - -We arrived in New York on July 11th, 1873, after an absence of fifteen -years. Under any circumstances fifteen years would work great changes. -But that particular fifteen had included the Civil War. The changes in -the South were heart-rending. - -Though North Carolina was drawn late into the Confederacy, it is said -that she furnished a larger number per capita of soldiers and had a -larger number of casualties than any other state in the South. The havoc -among my old schoolmates and pupils, and among my flock, was -distressing. In many places, too, the sectional feeling was still -bitter. The wisest of the people, however, were becoming fully -reconciled to the results of the war. The largest slaveholder in my own -section assured me that the freeing of his slaves had been a boon to -him, and that he was clearing more from his old farm under free labour -than he had done before with slaves. - -Unfortunately in the churches the feeling was more bitter. My old -associate, Dr. Mattoon, had accepted the presidency of Biddle Institute -at Charlotte—now Biddle University (colored). For a time he was very -coldly received except by such broad-minded men as his old Princeton -classmate, and my friend, Dr. Charles Phillips. By virtue, however, of -his noble Christian character and his conservative bearing, Dr. Mattoon -overcame these prejudices, and lived to be welcomed in the largest -churches in the state. I spent most of my furlough in North Carolina; -and personally I received a welcome almost as warm as if I were a -missionary of the Southern Board. Returned missionaries were not -numerous then. It was not an uncommon thing for me to lecture in -churches which had never before seen the face of a foreign missionary. - -Soon after our arrival in the United States news came of the resignation -of Dr. Vrooman; and my first duty was to find a successor. For myself, -and even for my family, I could endure to return without one. But I -could not face the distressing appeals from the sick whose ailments I -was powerless to relieve. In my visits among friends in North Carolina I -met a young medical graduate, Dr. M. A. Cheek, who received from warm -friends of the mission flattering recommendations for the place. He -himself was pleased with the opening, and would willingly accept it, if -he could first take a graduate course in surgery. This was easily -arranged, and he was ready to return with us the following summer. - -The hardest thing to face was the parting with our children. But the -bitterness of this pang was softened by the kindness of friends which -opened the best of Christian homes and schools to receive them. We can -never sufficiently express our gratitude for the kindness shown us in -this matter by the late Mrs. E. N. Grant and Miss Mitchell of the -Statesville Female College, and to Mrs. McNeill, the widow of my old -pastor. - -These two great questions settled, we left North Carolina in March, -1874—my wife with the two younger children, to visit friends and -relatives in the North; and I, as I hoped, to visit the churches and the -seminaries in search of recruits. But a cold contracted on the trip -north ran into a dangerous attack of pleuro-pneumonia, followed by a -slow recovery. Thus I missed my visits to the seminaries and the meeting -of the General Assembly in St. Louis. - -The return to the field was by way of San Francisco, and we reached -Bangkok on August 27th, 1874. On November 14th a son was given us to -take the place of the children left behind. In December began our river -journey to Chiengmai. The river was low, and we were a month and a day -from Bangkok to Rahêng. There we found four missionaries of the Nova -Scotia Baptist Board seeking to establish a station among the Karens of -Siam. But they found their villages too small and too widely scattered -to justify the establishment of a station. So they were returning to -Burma. On Saturday night we all dined together, and had a sociable hour. -On Sunday evening we drew up our boats side by side, and had a -prayer-meeting that we shall long remember. There was something -delightful in thus meeting and enjoying Christian fellowship on a -sand-bar, and then passing on to our respective fields of work. Some of -these men afterwards went to India, and started the Telegu mission, -which has had phenomenal success. - -There were still the rapids and four more weeks of travel before we -could reach our Lāo home. But the home-coming at last was delightful. -Our faithful old coolie, Lung In, with his wife, met us in a small boat -three days’ journey below Chiengmai, with fruit and fowls lest we should -be in want. Then the tall figure of Nān Inta, with his face like a -benediction! - -It was February 7th, 1875, when at last we drew up alongside our own -landing-place, and felt the warm handshake of old friends. Among the Lāo -at last!—and no place that we had seen would we exchange for our Lāo -home. For the first time since our arrival in 1867 we had a permanent -house to enter! - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - XV - - MÛANG KÊN AND CHIENG DĀO - - -Dr. Cheek’s arrival was a matter of great rejoicing. He was very -young—only twenty-one, in fact, on the day he sailed from San Francisco. -The trying drudgery that he and others of our early medical missionaries -had to endure, is now in great measure obviated through the help of -native assistants. The remainder of the year 1875 I devoted very largely -to assisting in the medical work, interpreting, helping in operations, -and caring for the souls of the numerous patients, without feeling the -weight of responsibility for their physical condition, as I had done -before. Dr. Cheek came out a single man; but, like others before him, he -lost his heart on the way. Toward the end of that year he went down to -Bangkok, and was married to Miss Sarah A. Bradley. He returned to -Chiengmai just as Mr. Wilson was ready to start for the United States on -his second furlough. The April communion was postponed a week that the -newly-arrived and the departing missionaries might commune together -before separating. It was Mrs. Wilson’s last communion with us. - -In May, 1876, Nān Inta was ordained our first ruling elder. The story -has often been told that before his ordination the Confession of Faith -was given him to read carefully, since he would be asked whether he -subscribed to its doctrines. When he had finished the reading, he -remarked that he saw nothing peculiar in its teachings. It was very much -like what he had read in Paul’s Epistles! In January Pā Kamun, the widow -of Noi Sunya, was baptized. It was thus appropriately given to her to be -the first woman received into the communion of the church. Two of her -daughters, and Pā Peng, the wife of Nān Inta, soon followed. Lung In was -elected the first deacon, but was too modest to be ordained to that -office. Meanwhile he was becoming a most useful assistant in the -hospital. Strange as it may seem, the office of hospital nurse is one of -the most difficult to get a Lāo to fill. Lung In, however, was not above -the most menial service for the sick. His real successor was not found -until the present incumbent, Dr. Kêo, was trained. Dr. McKean’s -testimony is that it would be scarcely more difficult to procure a good -surgeon than to fill Kêo’s place as nurse and assistant among the -hospital patients. - -During the summer of 1876, in company with Nān Inta, I made a tour among -the four nearest provinces to the north and west. The governor of Mûang -Kên had long given promise of becoming a Christian, and now invited me -to visit his people. On his frequent visits to Chiengmai on business, he -always called on me, and no subject was so interesting to him as the -subject of religion. Before the proclamation of toleration, while the -common people were still afraid of making a public profession of -Christianity, our most effective work was probably that with the higher -class of officials, who stood in somewhat less fear of the known -antagonism of the Chao Uparāt. They were, besides, a more interesting -class than the common people, for they were better educated, were more -accustomed in their daily duties to weigh arguments and decide on -questions of evidence, and many of them had been trained in the -religious order. - -This governor of Mûang Kên had learned enough of the tenets of -Christianity to become unsettled and dissatisfied with the prospects of -salvation offered by a purely ethical religion. He saw the weakness of -the foundation on which he had been taught to rely, and the difference -between the authors of the two religions. So he stood on the border land -between the two, at the very gate, wishing to enter in, but with many -obstacles in his way, and strong opposing influences to overcome. - -My first objective, then, on this tour was Mûang Kên. The governor had -asked me to come and smooth the way for him by teaching his -under-officials and his townsmen. Nān Inta was the living, concrete -argument, and he put his whole heart into it. We had a few days of -deeply interesting work. Few, however, saw the matter as the governor -did. Most of them “would consider it.” Some would go further and say -that they worshipped Jesus under the name of their promised Buddha -Metraya, yet to come. - -From Mûang Kên we went to Chieng Dāo, where we visited the great cave -with its famous Buddhist shrine. Ever since Nān Inta became a Christian, -he had been anxious to test the truth of some of the legends connected -with the place—a thing he dared not do before. The cave is the abode of -the great Lawa spirit, for fear of offending whom Prince Kāwilōrot was -afraid to allow us to build to the north of the city bridge in -Chiengmai. Chieng Dāo mountain, which rises above the cave, is seven -thousand one hundred and sixty feet high—one of the highest peaks in all -Siam, and visible from Chiengmai, some thirty-seven miles away. One of -the sources of the Mê Ping River, twenty feet wide and knee-deep, flows -bodily out from the cave. Since no animal is allowed to be killed in so -sacred a place, the stream abounds in a great variety of beautiful fish -waiting for the food which no visitor fails to give them. The scramble -for it is as interesting to watch as the performance of the sea-lions at -San Francisco. - -The legend is that no one can cross the stream inside the cave and -return alive; and that beyond the stream, under the crest of the -mountain, there is an image of pure gold seven cubits high. One enters -the cave at a little distance from the stream, and finds first a grand -chamber which is a veritable temple, with arched dome, natural pulpit, -and innumerable images of Buddha, large and small. This place is -regarded as a most sacred shrine. Buddhist monks are always there -performing their devotions. The chamber is so dark that they have to use -tapers to see to read. The dim light and the long-drawn tones of the -worshippers produce a very weird impression. - -From the temple-chamber narrow passages lead off in different -directions, till there is danger of losing one’s way in the labyrinth. I -followed Nān Inta and his sons to the stream, which is reached at some -distance farther on. Being neither tall nor a swimmer, I stopped and -sauntered about in the various rooms, waiting for my companions to -verify or to disprove the legend. Needless to say, both parts of it were -proved myths. My companions did return alive, and no golden image was -found. The cave is too damp to make it safe for one to remain long in -those distant passages. Farther on the tapers burned but very dimly; and -one would not choose to be left there in pitch darkness. We could -understand very well how the legend arose of Yaks that devour those that -intrude into their dark caverns. There is no doubt of the presence of a -deadly gas much more to be feared than the spirit of the great Lawa -king, which is believed to have taken up his abode there. We all -experienced more or less of the symptoms premonitory of malarial attack, -and before we got back to the town Nān Inta was shaking with a genuine -chill. A heroic dose, however, of Warburg’s tincture with quinine soon -set him to rights. In this case, then, as in many others, there is a -foundation of truth at the bottom of the legend. - -That night we had a great audience. It was generally known that we -intended to explore the cave, and many, no doubt, came to see how we had -fared. It was well that Nān Inta had so far recovered from his morning’s -chill as to be ready to join in bearing testimony not only to the -falsity of the legend, but also to the truth of the Gospel. It was a -bright moonlight night, and the people listened till very late, while we -sang hymns, preached the Gospel, and pointed them to the better way. The -result was seen years after in the founding of a church there. - -All these provinces that we were now visiting, and others more distant -still, were originally settled by refugees driven from the more southern -districts by the persecution for witchcraft. Now they are important -provinces. Since these people had been ruthlessly driven forth because -of the spirits, I thought they would willingly accept any way of escape -from their control. But they seemed, if anything, more superstitious and -harder to reach than others. Having suffered once, as they supposed, -from the malicious power of the spirits, they seemed even more than -others to dread to incur their anger again by deserting them. But there -were many hopeful exceptions. - -Mûang Pāo was the next city visited. From the incidents of our stay -there I select the cases of two persons who excited our deepest -sympathy. One was an aged Buddhist monk, a Ngīo, who, with a younger -companion, visited our tent daily. The monk was a venerable man, with -striking features, serene countenance, earnest and intelligent. His long -life had been spent in worship, meditation, and study. All this he soon -told us with some quite natural pride. While not bold, he was not -reticent, freely stating his own doctrines, hopes, and fears, and asking -ours. To the question what were his hopes for a future life, he frankly -said, “I don’t know. How can I? I have tried to keep the commandments, -have performed my devotions, have counted my beads. But whether I shall -go up or down [indicating the directions with his finger] I do not know. -I have done what my books tell me, but I have no light _here_ [pointing -to his heart]. Can the teacher’s religion give me any light?” - -The earnestness and the despondency of the man drew me to him. I asked, -what of his failures and transgressions? “That,” he said, “is the dark -point. My books say that all my good deeds shall be rewarded, but the -failures and transgressions must be punished before I can reach Nirvāna, -the final emancipation of the soul by the extinction of all desire.” -“How long will that be?” we ask. He answered by giving a number that -would baffle even astronomers, who are accustomed to deal in almost -fabulous numbers. - -“But is not that virtually endless?” - -“Yes; but what shall we do? That is what our books say.” - -“But is there no room for pardon?” - -“No. Buddha only points out the way that he followed himself. He reached -the goal by the same almost endless journey. How shall we hope to do so -by any shorter or different route?” - -“But supposing there is a way—that there is a great sovereign of the -universe, before all Buddhas and higher than all Buddhas, who has the -right and the authority to grant full pardon through his own infinite -merit, and his vicarious assumption of all our obligations and payment -of all our debts. Would not that be a joyful message?” - -“Yes; if true, it would be.” - -And so we argued till light seemed to gleam for once into his mind. But -the image of the dear old man pointing up and then down with the sad -confession, “I know not whither I shall go,” is a vision that has -saddened me many a time since. - -The other case of special interest I state as it occurred, with no -attempt at explanation of the dream involved in the story.—On the -morning after our arrival, Nān Inta and I started out to visit -monasteries or houses, wherever we might find listeners. I was dressed -in white clothes, and Nān Inta had on a white jacket. We had made a -number of calls, and were about to pass by a house in which we saw only -an elderly woman and some children, presumably her grandchildren. We -were surprised to see her come down from her house and run out after us, -and prostrating herself with the customary salutation given to priests -and princes, she begged us to stop and come in. We accepted her -invitation, though surprised at her evident demonstrations of joy. -Sitting down on the mat, we began to explain that we were teachers of -religion, pointing out the sure way of happiness both in this life and -in the life to come. Our message was one from the great God and Creator -to all races and nations, inviting them to return from all other -refuges, and He would give them an inheritance as His children in the -life to come. She listened with marked interest as we explained to her -our religion, and urged her to accept it. We were surprised at the -explanation she gave of her intense interest. - -Not long before our arrival she had a dream that two men dressed in -white came to her to teach her. What they were to teach her she did not -know; but when she saw us walking up the street she said, “There is the -fulfilment of my dream!” She had watched us as we entered other houses, -fearful lest we should omit hers. Now she was so glad we had come. It -was at least a strange coincidence, for she affirmed that the dream was -before she had ever heard of us. Whatever may have been the cause, it -was a delight to instruct one who seemed to receive all that we said as -a direct message to her. This at once attracted Nān Inta to her, and she -listened to him with frequent exclamations of delight, while he, in his -earnest manner, explained the Gospel message of pardon and life eternal -through Him who liveth and was dead, and behold He is alive for -evermore. She said her one great desire had been to escape from the -punishment of her sins; but she never before had known that there was -any other way but to suffer for them herself. She, too, was a Ngīo. We -visited her frequently during the week of our stay in Mûang Pāo, and to -the last she interpreted our coming as the fulfilment of her dream. This -was the last that we knew either of her or of the aged monk. Before we -visited the place again she was dead, and he had moved away. - -In those days when the people were afraid to make a public profession of -Christianity, it would have been a great gain to the mission if we could -have had schools, and used them as a means of evangelizing the youth. A -first attempt, indeed, had been made by Mr. Wilson with a few Burmese -boys. A young Burmese who had been trained in Maulmein, and who spoke -English, was employed to teach them under Mr. Wilson’s oversight, in the -hope that Lāo boys would presently join them. This hope was not -realized, and the experiment was presently abandoned. - -The first call for a Christian school was for the education of girls. In -the first Christian families girls predominated. Mrs. McGilvary -collected six or eight Christian girls, and devoted as much time to them -as her strength and her family duties would permit. They were really -private pupils, living on our premises and in our family. More wished to -come than she could do justice to. Hence about this time an appeal was -made for two single ladies to devote their whole time to the school. But -it was not till four years later that Miss Edna E. Cole and Miss Mary -Campbell of the Oxford Female Seminary, Ohio, reached Chiengmai. Very -soon they had twenty pupils. From this small beginning has grown our -large Girls’ School. Two of Mrs. McGilvary’s pupils were soon made -assistants. These and others of the first group became fine women, who -have left their mark on the church and the country. - -Notwithstanding our disappointment in the delay of the school for boys, -it proved a wise arrangement that the Girls’ School was started first. A -mission church is sure to be greatly handicapped whose young men must -either remain single—which they will not do—or be compelled to take -ignorant non-Christian wives. Such are a dead-weight to the husband, and -the children almost surely follow the mother. After marriage, the almost -universal custom of the country has been that the husband lives with the -wife’s family. He becomes identified with it, and for the time a -subordinate member of it, almost to the extent of becoming weaned from -his own family. Where all the atmosphere of the family is strongly -Buddhist, with daily offerings to the spirits and gala days at the -temple, the current would be too strong for a father, with his secondary -place in the family, to withstand. For a while it was feared that -Christian girls would have difficulty in finding husbands. But, on the -contrary, our educated girls become not only more intelligent, but more -attractive in manners, dress, and character; and, therefore, have been -much sought after. The homes become Christian homes, and the children -are reared in a Christian atmosphere. The result is that, instead of the -wife’s dragging the husband down, she generally raises the husband up; -and, as a general rule, the children early become Christians. - -In August, 1876, our beloved Princess became very seriously ill. Dr. -Cheek had been called upon to treat domestics in the family, but not the -Prince or Princess. Hearing that she was in a critical condition under -native doctors, and fearing the worst, I took the liberty of suggesting -that they consult Dr. Cheek. They seemed pleased with the suggestion, -and asked me to accompany him—which I did for one or two visits. His -treatment was very successful, and soon she was convalescent. - -About this same time we had an adventure with white ants which came near -costing us our much-valued cabinet organ. It will serve to illustrate an -experience formerly common enough, and still not unknown. One Wednesday -evening before prayer-meeting Mrs. McGilvary sat down at the instrument -to look over the tunes, when she found it full of white ants. Our house -was built on higher ground, into which the creatures are driven when the -lower grounds are filled with water from the annual floods. They do not -attack the teak walls and floors of our houses, but, climbing up the -posts, at last they stumbled upon the soft wood and leather inside the -organ, and were just beginning their feast when our meeting broke in -upon them. Had we not discovered them then, the instrument would have -been completely wrecked before morning. - -Once the white ants destroyed a trunkful of our children’s clothes, once -a box of “knock-down” chairs, and once they attacked my -library—evidently not at all deterred by the learned discussions and -deep thought of Dr. Joseph A. Alexander’s _Commentary on Isaiah_. They -had got through the margin, and would soon have digested the rest, had -not an unexpected occasion for opening the library saved it. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - XVI - - SEEKERS AFTER GOD - - -On New Year’s Day, 1877, I went into the city to make some calls. The -first was at the new palace. In the large reception hall I found the -Princess, virtually alone. She was embroidering some fancy pillow-ends -for the priests—a work in which she was an expert. Her maidens, some -distance off, were sewing priests’ robes. The Prince was in his little -workshop not far off, turning ivory rounds for the railing of an -elephant howdah, a favourite amusement with him. - -The subject of religion was one that continually came up in all my -interviews with the Princess; but hitherto she had apparently argued -more for victory than from a desire to reach the truth. She was as keen -as a lawyer to seize a point, and her quick wit made her a very -enjoyable antagonist. Not only she and her domestics, but the whole -country as well, had been preparing for a great occasion of merit-making -in connection with the approaching dedication of a shrine. Whether the -peculiar interest of this conversation was due to the fact that these -matters had been running in her mind, or to some particular mood in -which I found her, I never knew. Most likely it was both. A chance -allusion to the great event which was in every one’s mouth, at once -brought up the question. Stopping her work and resting her arms on the -embroidery frame, she asked, “Why is it that foreigners do not worship -the Buddha or his images, and do not believe that merit is made -thereby?” - -She seemed to approach the question as a personal one for herself. If we -were right and she were wrong, she would like to know it. We agreed on -that point, and I encouraged her in her estimate of its paramount -importance to every rational man or woman. If Buddhism does, indeed, -lead to happiness in a future life, she was wise in diligently following -its precepts; but if wrong, it would be a fatal mistake. Why do we not -worship Buddha? Because he was only a man. We reverence his character, -as we do that of other upright men who have tried to do good and to lead -their fellow-men to better things. Gautama Buddha seems to have sought -with all his soul for light—was willing to forsake a kingdom and to -renounce all sensual and even intellectual pleasures in this life for -the hope of escaping sin and its consequences in the next. - -Why do we worship Jehovah-Jesus? Because He is our sovereign Lord. The -Buddha groaned under his own load of guilt, and was oppressed by the sad -and universal consequences of sin among men. The Christ challenged His -enemies to convince Him of sin, and His enemies to this day have -confessed that they find no sin in Him. Buddhists believe that Buddha -reached Nirvāna after having himself passed through every form of being -in the universe—having been in turn every animal in the seas, on the -earth, and in the air. He did this by an inexorable law that he and -every other being is subject to, and cannot evade. Our Jehovah-Jesus, as -our Scriptures teach, is the only self-existent being in the universe, -and Himself the cause of all other beings. An infinite Spirit and -invisible, He manifested Himself to the world by descending from heaven, -becoming man, taking on our nature in unison with His own holy nature, -but with no taint of sin. He did this out of infinite love and pity for -our race after it had sinned. He saw there was no other able to save, -and He became our Saviour. - -And take the teachings of the two systems—which is the more credible? -The sacred books of the Princess teach that there is no Creator. -Everything, as the Siamese say, “pen ēng”—comes to be of itself. All -this complicated universe became what it is by a fortuitous concurrence -of atoms, which atoms themselves had no creator. We come as honest -seekers for truth. We look around, above, beneath. Everything seems to -imply the contrivance of mind. The sun rises and sets with greater -regularity than our clocks strike the hour of noon. The seasons follow -each other with wonderful uniformity. Animals are born and die, plants -and trees grow and decay, each after its kind, and in wonderful -adjustment to the conditions about them. The eye is made for seeing, the -ear for hearing, and the air for breathing. Light is necessary for work -by day, and darkness for sleep by night. This city has its walls and -gates; this palace has its beams, its roof, its doors and windows, and -its different apartments, because it was so planned. The Princess gives -her orders, and her servants in distant villages come at her summons. -The Prince’s command is obeyed throughout all his dominions. Subjects -obey because they are under constituted authority. Even so we obey -Jehovah and not Buddha, because we believe that He is the Creator and -the sovereign Lord of the universe. - -In His word—His letter to our race—He claims to be Creator and Lord. We -read His word, and then we look around for evidence as to whether this -is really so. We find that evidence in earth and sea and sky. A letter -comes from the King of Siam. How do we know that it is really his? It -has his seal. Not otherwise “the heavens declare the glory of God, and -the firmament showeth His handiwork.” By faith, then, we believe that -the worlds were made, as His word tells us. We read the account of that -creation. What wonderful beings we are!—made in His image, endowed in -our degrees with His own attributes, and with authority over the world -in which He has placed us. He has given us dominion over all the beasts -of the earth, the fowls of the air, and the fish of the sea. Every time -that a Buddhist kills a fish or a fowl, he sins, because he breaks a -command of his religion. Why not so for a Christian? Because these -creatures were made for man’s use, and were given to him. We partake -with gratitude of the gifts our Father has provided for us. This one -great truth, when received by Christians, relieves the conscience of one -of the greatest burdens that the followers of Buddha must bear. - -But if God made man in His image, why all this suffering that we see and -feel? The best explanation ever given is that given in the Bible. Man -was created holy, and was put on trial. He transgressed. A subject who -disobeys the law of his sovereign incurs his displeasure. He suffers for -it. We are suffering from this disobedience of our first parents by a -law that we daily see exemplified. A man by extravagance or vice -squanders his estate. His children are born penniless. The Prince of -Wieng Chan rebelled against the King of Siam. His country was conquered -and laid waste, and thousands of its inhabitants were made captive and -deported. Thousands of the descendants of these captives are now serfs. -Why are they so? Because of the errors or misfortunes of their -ancestors. The Prince appoints a governor over a province, with the -promise that if he is faithful, his children shall succeed him. Because -of misdemeanor he is deposed. His descendants are born subjects and not -rulers. We belong to a fallen race. - -Somana Gautama belonged to the same race. He groaned under its pains and -penalties. He saw a race sunk in misery. He saw its religion shamefully -corrupt. He inaugurated one of purer morality. But he does not profess -to be divine or a saviour. His religion does not offer a sufficient -remedy. By asceticism and self-mortification it would extinguish all -noble desire as well as the vicious instincts with which we are born. -And then, after interminable cycles of transmigrations, we may hope to -reach a state of unconscious sleep. Happiness and misery are inseparable -things. We escape the one only by escaping the other. That is the dark -prospect which makes Buddhism so pessimistic. To this the Princess -assented, “That is so.” - -Now compare this with the religion of Jesus. The sovereign Father who -loves His wandering, sinful children, in His infinite wisdom devised a -plan that satisfies their needs and desires, “God so loved the world -that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him -should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Our Maker became our -Redeemer by emptying Himself of His glory and becoming man. He is -Himself the greatest possible illustration of the love of God to the -race. He came to reveal the Father. His holy life we have in His word. -He set us the only perfect example, full of pity toward the miserable -and the sinful. Then, by a painful and shameful death, He became Himself -a sacrifice for the sins of the world. He obeyed the law which we had -broken, and which condemns us; and suffered in our stead the penalty due -to us. He conquered death. He took away the sting of death by taking -away sin. He arose from the dead, showing Himself for many days. He -ascended to heaven before the eyes of His disciples. He has sent His -servants and His word to offer a full and free pardon to all who will -accept. He is now, and ever will be, our intercessor in heaven. He sends -His Spirit to purify and fit us for an endless state of conscious -existence which begins at death, and not cycles after. Millions of the -best men and women the world has ever seen have given their testimony to -the reality of this salvation by a triumphant death, with the assurance -that all sin and all suffering were past. Jesus removed the curse, and -brought to light the immortality which we had forfeited by sin. The -missionary and his associates have left both parents and children that -they might offer this to the Princess and to her people. - -To all of this the Princess was mainly a most interested listener. She -had asked to be taught. She put no captious questions. I have omitted an -occasional assent that she gave, and an occasional difficulty or -doubt—not all of which could be fully answered; as, for example, why an -all-powerful God allowed the entrance of sin, and now allows wicked -spirits to tempt us; or that other sad question, why the Gospel had not -been sent to them, so that they might have known this from childhood—a -question the burden of which should press on my readers as well as on -the missionary. - -At last, after a long pause, the Princess made a wonderful confession, -the very words of which I can never forget: - -“Tā chak wā dūi kwām ching, kā han wā paw krū ko tūk lêo.” To speak the -truth, I see that the father-teacher is right. “Kā chûa wā kong chak mī -Pra Chao ton dai sāng lōk.” I believe there surely must be some divine -Lord who made the world. “Lê bat nī ko chûa tī paw krū atibāi dūi kān -pon tōt dōi Pra Yēsū.” And now I believe what the father-teacher has -explained about escape from punishment through the Lord Jesus. And then, -sadly—almost despairingly—she added, “Tê chak yīa cha dai?” But what -shall I do?—I fear it will not be well to forsake “hīt paw hoi mê”—the -customs of my father, the foot-prints of my mother. - -We were sitting in the new brick palace—the first ever built in the -country. In the hall was a large pier-glass with numerous other foreign -articles, most of them bought in Bangkok, and brought up for offerings -at the coming dedication of the shrine. I asked, “Princess, did your -father or grandfather have a brick palace like this?” Somewhat surprised -at the question, she replied, “No.” “And I see the Princess riding down -to the landing every day in a foreign carriage. Did your ancestors do -that?” Before I could make the application, she blushed, perceiving that -she was caught. I went on: “You do daily forsake old customs, and adopt -new ones which your ancestors never knew. The whole method of government -is changing. This foreign cloth, which your maidens are sewing for -priests’ robes, was all unknown to your forefathers. These things all -come from lands where the people worship neither the Buddha nor the -spirits. These are only some of the fruits that grow on the tree. Better -still, plant the tree; for all good fruit grows on it.” Just then our -long conversation was interrupted by the entrance of the Prince, who had -worked till he was tired. He asked what she and the teacher were talking -about so long. She replied that we were discussing “bun lê bāp”—merit -and sin. - -The question often came up after this. She was in a position where it -was, humanly speaking, almost impossible for her outwardly to forsake -the customs of the country. But I have reason to know that on that -morning she received truths which she never forgot. We have seen before -that neither she nor her husband approved of her father’s act in -murdering the Christians. She continued a warm friend to the last, and -so did the Prince. - -On my way home that same forenoon I had another interesting talk with -our dear old friend, the abbot of the Ūmōng monastery, who had been so -true to us during our troubles. On the gate-posts, as I entered, were -offerings of fruit, rice, betel, etc., to propitiate the spirits. This -is in flat violation of one of the fundamental precepts of Buddhism, -which declares that any one who makes offerings to spirits is outside of -the pale, or, as we should say, is virtually excommunicate. Of course, -my abbot friend exculpated himself from all complicity in the offerings. -He himself neither worshipped nor feared the spirits. But his disciples -and parishioners did, and he could not withstand them. He, too, never -gave up the form of Buddhism, but he claimed that he worshipped Jesus -daily as the great Creator and Benefactor of our race. His merit he -believed to be infinitely greater than that of Buddha, whom he knew to -be a man. The abbot was a man of broad mind, and a true and faithful -friend. It is well that it is not for us to say how much of error is -consistent with true discipleship, even in Christian lands. I know that -his deep-rooted friendship for us was because we were teachers of a -religion that offered hopes which Buddhism does not give. I have in mind -many others, also, who believed our doctrine, though they were never -enrolled in our church; and not a few that would urge others of their -family and friends to take, as Christians, the open stand which, from -various causes, they themselves were prevented from taking. But the Lord -knoweth them that are His. - -The great event of the year 1877 was the dedication of a Buddhist shrine -recently rebuilt on Doi Sutēp, the noble mountain which is the pride and -glory of Chiengmai. From the level of the plain, and at a distance of -but four miles westward from the city, the mountain rises in a single -sweep four thousand five hundred feet, forest-crowned to its very -summit, seamed with rushing brooks, and embroidered with gleaming -waterfalls. In the rainy season the play of cloud and vapor, of sunshine -and storm about its mighty mass, forms an ever-changing picture of -surpassing beauty and grandeur. The Siamese and the Lāo are very fond of -an imposing setting and a commanding view for their temples and -shrines—on bold promontories by sea or river, on high knolls and -summits. The one on Doi Sutēp crowns a projecting shoulder or bastion of -the mountain, some half-way up, and visible from all parts of the -Chiengmai plain. Each reigning Prince has been desirous of doing -something to beautify and enrich this shrine. To rebuild it was, -therefore, an attractive idea to Prince Intanon at the beginning of his -rule. - -[Illustration: - - AN ABBOT PREACHING] - - -To do honour to the occasion, and to make merit thereby, all the -northern states, as far east as Lūang Prabāng, sent their highest -officials with costly offerings; and the government of Siam sent a -special representative. For weeks and months previously the whole -country had been placed under requisition to make preparations. -Offerings were levied from every town, village, and monastery, and, I -believe, from every household. Each guest of honour had a temporary -house built for him at the foot of the mountain, with smaller shelters -for persons of less rank. Nearly all the princes and nobles of Chiengmai -joined the encampment at the base of the mountain, and thither, also, -was the city market removed, so that our housekeepers had to send four -miles to market! - -I had intended to pitch a tent near the encampment, so as to be near the -people for missionary work. But a rheumatic attack during the opening -days of the festival prevented. Still, we had as many visitors at home -as we could attend to, and under conditions more favourable for -missionary work. - -Such occasions are very attractive to the Lāo people. For the time being -the prohibition against gambling is removed, and they make the most of -it. It may seem a queer way of making merit, but the theory is that -their merit earns them the right to a good time for once. Thousands of -rupees change hands on such occasions. The mornings are given to making -offerings, the afternoons to boxing and games, and the nights to -theatricals and gambling. I was glad that I was prevented from pitching -my tent in the midst of the noise and revelry. All those interested in -religion were the more free to call and converse with us apart from the -princes and the rabble. Officers and monks from a distance were always -especially welcomed, and few of them in those days returned to their -homes without calling on the foreign teacher. - -I did not get off on a long tour that season, being unable to secure an -elephant. It was better so, however, for early in May Dr. Cheek went to -Bangkok to consult a physician, and went on thence as far as Hongkong. -It was April 30th of the next year before he got back to Chiengmai. And -the season proved to be one of the most unhealthy in the history of the -mission. Worst of all, we had only six bottles of quinine to begin the -season with. There was a rush for the quinine, and it seemed cruel to -withhold it so long as any was left. The fever was of a violent type, -and often fatal. Native doctors were helpless before the scourge. On -looking about me for a substitute for quinine, I found that arsenic was -the next best remedy, and that Fowler’s Solution was the best form for -administering it. But we had not a drop of the solution. We had, -however, a bottle of arsenious acid, and a United States Dispensatory, -so that I had to become pharmacist as well as doctor. I had all the -ingredients save one, an unessential colouring matter. So I made it up -by the quart. But it was not a medicine to be trusted in native hands. -They were accustomed to take their own medicine by the potful, and had -the theory that if a little is good, a great deal would be better. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - XVII - - THE RESIDENT COMMISSIONER - - -In this same year, 1877, there occurred an event of utmost importance to -the mission and to the whole country. We have seen that, up to the death -of Prince Kāwilōrot, those Lāo provinces which are now a part of Siam -had been virtually free states. The Siamese yoke had been very easy. -They had never been conquered in war. Their original association with -Siam had been a voluntary one, in order to escape the oppressive rule of -Burma. Their location and their weakness made it a necessity that they -should look to one of these rival kingdoms for protection against the -other. At the same time, they added both dignity and strength to the one -on which they leaned—they served it as a buffer against the other. -Nature had connected the Lāo country more intimately with Siam. All its -communication with the sea was through the Mênam Chao Prayā and its -tributaries, while a range of lofty mountains separated it from Burma. -In race and language too, they were Siamese, and not Burmese. - -The relation had been mutually beneficial. Both parties recognized the -advantages of the arrangement, and were satisfied. The balance of real -advantage had been to the weaker states. Their chiefs, indeed, were -required to make triennial visits to the Siamese capital, to present -there a nominal tribute, and to renew their oath of allegiance. But with -this exception they were virtually free. In his own country the Prince -had absolute rule. The Siamese had never interfered with, or assumed -control of, the internal affairs of the North Lāo states. It will be -remembered that the sanction of the Siamese government to the -establishment of the mission was given only after the Lāo Prince had -given his. - -It was probably an inevitable result that the stronger power should in -time absorb the weaker. And the course of events had been tending that -way. The forests of teak on the upper branches of the Mênam were too -valuable to be concealed or to remain profitless. The world needed the -timber, and was willing to pay for it. The country needed its value in -money. The Burmese of Maulmein, who were British subjects, had skill in -working out the timber, which the Lāo had not. With money and valuable -presents they tempted the Lāo rulers, who formerly had absolute -authority over the forests, to grant them concessions to cut the timber -and market it in Bangkok. Both parties were avaricious, and both were -probably crooked. Larger bribes sometimes induced a Lāo ruler to issue a -second concession to work a forest already assigned to an earlier -applicant. The result was a constant succession of lawsuits brought by -British subjects against the Lāo. Since the Lāo states were -dependencies of Siam, the Siamese government was often called upon to -enforce judgment against them; while the Lāo felt that the Siamese -suzerainty ought to shield them from such attack. Siam was now come to -be in fact the buffer between the Lāo and the outside world. Instead of -the pleasant relations which had hitherto existed between the two -peoples, there was now constant friction. - -Up to the time when Prince Kāwilōrot gave his public and official -promise before the United States Consul and the representative of the -Siamese government, in the little sālā at the landing-stage of Wat Chêng -in Bangkok, no foreign power other than the English had had any claim on -the Lāo or any contact with them. It was only the impolitic act of -killing the Christians which brought the Lāo Prince into conflict with -the representative of the United States government. The fact that it was -the missionaries who were immediately concerned had nothing to do with -the question. Had the agreement been made with American citizens in any -other capacity or business, the obligation would have been the same. The -Siamese government recognized the obligation, and, as we have seen, -guaranteed the continuance of the mission. And that guarantee was an -additional reason for having an official representative of Siam resident -in Chiengmai. - -Had the new Prince been as strong as he was mild and good, and had the -Chao Uparāt been like him, it is possible that the old feudal relation -might have continued another generation or two. No doubt the Siamese -government thoroughly trusted the loyalty of the new Prince; but it did -not regard him as a man sufficiently strong to hold the reins of power -at that juncture. Moreover, all the business of ruling was largely given -over to the Uparāt; and he in a number of ways had shown his opposition -to our work and his jealousy of the English and of foreigners generally. -When news reached us first that a High Commissioner was appointed, and -then that he was on the way, there was great anxiety to know what stand -he would take with reference to Christianity. - -Prayā Tēp Worachun proved to be an admirable selection for Commissioner. -He had many of the qualities of a statesman. He was cool, calm, patient, -and wise. Judging from the result, it is evident that his instructions -were: to be conservative; to make no rash or premature move; and to -uphold the royal authority conjointly with the old princely -rule—peaceably, if possible, but firmly—till Siam could assume complete -control. Meanwhile he was to follow the English plan of governing -through the native rulers. He was willing to bide his time. Every new -assumption of power on the part of Siam was reluctantly yielded by the -Lāo. But everything conspired to favour the policy of Siam. The Lāo -Prince was passive and unambitious. For the Uparāt no one felt the -reverence or the fear that all had felt for the late Prince Kāwilōrot. -The Commissioner’s fairness and business integrity enabled him to -maintain himself perfectly in his difficult position between the two -branches of the Tai race, and amid the conflicting interests of the -time. - -In religion the new Commissioner was a stoic. His boast was that he -needed no other religion than to be loyal to his king, and upright and -just in his dealings with men. Virtue was its own reward, and vice was -its own punishment. He accepted Gibbon’s conclusion that all religions -are alike good for the state, alike true for their adherents, and alike -false for the philosopher. He encouraged Christianity because it taught -a good morality and made good citizens. But he could see neither the -possibility nor the necessity of an atonement for sin. On one point I -should say we were in full accord. In his opposition to the -spirit-worship of the Lāo he was almost rabid. He sympathized deeply -with the poor people accused of witchcraft, who were driven out of the -country. - -During the absence of Dr. Cheek and Mr. Wilson with their families, I -should have been utterly unable to cope with the situation, had it not -been for my wife’s clear business talent and tact in planning. The -little girls, too, had begun to show somewhat of their mother’s aptitude -for work. - -Meanwhile the fever scourge continued to spread and increase in -violence. The progress of the disease was so rapid that often the person -attacked would never rally at all. An interesting example of the way in -which healing of the body sometimes opened the way to the healing of the -soul, is seen in the case of Sên Kam, an officer who was in charge of -all the irrigation works on the Doi Saket plain, and who one day was -brought to my gate, as it was supposed, to die. The new medicine quickly -checked his fever, and presently he began to study in Siamese the -Shorter Catechism, Genesis, and the Gospel of John. In due time he -returned home a believer. But his desertion from Buddhism caused such -opposition in his province that his baptism was delayed. His family were -so shaken that some of them wished to return to the old worship. But one -young granddaughter of twelve or thirteen years had begun to read our -books and to attend our services. She refused to return to the -monastery, and would run away from it to the chapel. She persevered -until she brought back the whole family into the Christian fold. - -In further illustration of the crowded experiences of this time, I may -cite the following items from letters to our children, written during -the latter half of the year 1877. - - “Last week the King sent for your father to treat a prince who - had had the fever for fifteen days. During his paroxysms his - cries could be heard throughout the whole neighbourhood. In - their extremity they sent for your father, and gave up the case - to him with permission to remove all spirit-charms during the - treatment. He is now out of danger.” [MRS. MCG.] - - “For three weeks I have had a young prince in hospital who had - attempted suicide by cutting his throat. He was a fearful sight. - It did not seem possible that he could survive the night. I - sewed up the wound, however, and now he is well, and apparently - penitent.” [D. MCG.] - - “We are well as usual, but engrossed in work. Your father is - pressed beyond measure with the work of two men. On the return - of Dr. Cheek’s boats, we received forty ounces of quinine; but - it is going at a fearful rate. The hospital is full of patients, - and there are at least one hundred more to be prescribed for - daily. If I did not drop everything else and help him, he could - not possibly get through the day’s work.” [MRS. MCG.] - - “Soon the quinine was all gone, and our compound was becoming a - veritable lazaretto. Most of the patients were anæmic and - dropsical from long-standing fever. They came, because to remain - at home was to die. Then a new complication arose. Unusual - symptoms began to occur that I could not account for. One - morning at breakfast we were called to see a little girl who had - a hemorrhage. She had no cough and had no consumption. While I - was looking up the symptoms and cause, your mother discovered - that the bleeding was from the gums. That gave us the clue. It - was scurvy. I found that we had at least thirty others whose - gums were similarly diseased. We began at once to give them - lime-juice, and prescribed vegetables, for the lack of which - they were starving. It is the invariable custom of Lāo doctors - in cases of fever to put the patient on a strict diet of boiled - rice and dried fish. On such diet some of our patients had been - living for two or three months. They might as well have been on - an arctic voyage!” [D. MCG.] - - “Day before yesterday we tried to have a picnic. A princess had - promised us two elephants, but only one came. Your father took a - horse. The three children and I rode the elephant. Our - destination was the Doi Sutēp temple. About half the way up the - mountain the elephant either concluded that there was no fun in - going up alone, or, more probably, that he had an uncomfortable - load, and refused to go any further. He turned out of the road, - and tried to throw the driver from his neck. The children became - alarmed, and we dismounted as best we could. The children - refused to try riding him again; and since we had come largely - for their pleasure, we had our lunch by a brook, and returned - home on foot.” [MRS. MCG.] - - “We had an interesting incident at our December communion. Just - as I had announced the communion hymn, I saw Chao Borirak—the - Nān prince, who had twice accompanied me with his elephant on my - journeys, and for whose sake largely one of my trips to Nān had - been taken—enter the room. As he had been the subject of much - special prayer on our part, I could hardly command my voice - sufficiently to proceed with the hymn. On my return from my - furlough he had written that he would visit me at the first - opportunity. His uncle, the Prince of Nān, had a grandson in - danger of losing his sight from an accident. He had persuaded - the Prince that possibly our medicine might help him. He brought - a few presents from the Prince, and for himself had brought a - gold ring with a native pearl from the Nān river. He is very - anxious that I should move to Nān, but I tell him that he must - wait for you.... With fever and death around us we have been - wonderfully preserved from ‘the pestilence that walketh in - darkness, and the destruction that wasteth at noonday.’ We have - had our anxieties about the children. During the last hot season - we were afraid that little Margaret would melt away, she was so - thin.” [D. MCG.] - -But the labours of the year were not in vain. During its progress Nān -Suwan, who afterwards became the founder of the church in Chieng Sên, -and four others who became influential ruling elders, were baptized. And -with these was Pā Kawng, an aged slave of the Prince, who lived to be -one of the Lāo saints. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - XVIII - - WITCHCRAFT - - -On January 6th, 1878, two native converts were received into the -church—Nān Sī Wichai, the fine scholar who had been Dr. Cheek’s teacher, -and the wife of a leading elder—and with them our own daughter Cornelia. -This was the bright beginning of the year that brought in religious -toleration. - -One day in March, as I was sitting in my study, I was surprised to see a -tall man, a stranger, with the bearing of an officer, enter. He pointed -with both fingers to his ears, and asked if the teacher could say -“Ephphatha,” and open the ears of a deaf man as Jesus did. It was a -strange introduction—to be accosted by a Lāo with a quotation from -Scripture in the ancient Aramæan tongue! I judged by his accent that he -was from Lakawn. In answer to my enquiry as to who he was, I learned -that he was a Prayā, the highest rank among Lāo officials; that he had -formerly been first in the Lakawn court, but was not then in office. But -where had he received a Bible, and who had taught him? - -I learned that some twenty years before this he had accompanied his -Prince to Bangkok, and there had met Dr. Bradley, from whom he received -a copy of the Old Testament History in Siamese, and the New Testament so -far as it was then published. He had learned Siamese in order to be able -to read and understand the contents of these books. He often wished that -he had lived in the time of Christ. But, having no one to guide him, he -had not learned to draw the lessons that the Bible story was designed to -teach. - -He had come to Chiengmai to get the assistance of the princes there in -righting an unjust decision of the Lakawn court against him. He had -heard, too, that there were teachers of a new religion; and he wished to -know whether we taught as did Dr. Bradley and the books received from -him. His position, his manners, his whole history, including his -connection with my father-in-law, attracted me to him with uncommon -force. Our first interview was long and very satisfactory. His questions -were such as he had long wished to put to some one who could explain -them. The truth had been securely lodged in his mind. It was most -interesting to see how a single new thought would illuminate it all. - -But what he had sown he was then reaping. While in power he doubtless -had oppressed others. Once he had received “hush money” from murderers -whom he should have prosecuted. If he had not taken it, he said they -would have murdered him, too. His sins weighed upon his conscience. His -most anxious question was whether Jesus could really save _all_ men from -_all_ sins. When asked if Buddha could do so, he said that he never had -seen any such promise in any of the scriptures. He would search again. -He went to an abbot friend from whom he borrowed, as he said, “books by -the armful.” He looked them over with this one question in view: Is -there hope of pardon offered to sinners? He went a second time for more. -At his third coming the abbot, finding out what he was after, refused to -lend to him further. But he confessed that his search was in vain. He -argued with the monks, refuted them; and they cast him off. Upon his -arrival the Chao Uparāt had promised his assistance in the lawsuit. -When, however, he found that the Prayā was becoming a Christian, he -dropped him. But he had found an intercessor greater than any earthly -prince. For Him he was willing to face all opposition and to bear all -reproach. - -He was baptized on the 8th of May, just before returning home. The rains -had already set in, and were likely greatly to impede his journey. Yet -he reached Lakawn without encountering a shower. His account of it -afterwards was, that whenever he saw the clouds threatening, he would -wave his hands and pray that they might be dispersed. Lāo Christians -have not become befogged with doubts as to the efficacy of prayer for -temporal blessings. After his return to his home, his family all became -believers, and others also whom he taught. At his invitation I went over -to instruct them and to administer the sacraments. Two years later the -number was sufficient to warrant their organization into a church, of -which the Prayā was made the first elder. - -Dr. Cheek’s return at the end of April, 1878, took from my shoulders the -care of the medical work—a very great burden. During his absence I had -put up a hospital building of six rooms. This since then has been moved, -and now forms the nucleus of the Chiengmai Hospital. The doctor soon -found himself overwhelmed with practice. He was a fine surgeon and a -good doctor, and had great influence both with princes and with people. -Moreover, Mrs. Cheek’s inheritance of the language—like my wife’s—was a -great advantage to them both. Only a few days after the doctor’s arrival -we lost our valuable hospital assistant, Lung In. One evening he -complained of some trouble about the heart. He talked a few moments with -his family, then said he felt better and would go to sleep—and in an -instant was gone. - - * * * * * - -In 1878 Chieng Sên, the old abandoned city which I visited in 1872, -became the theme of anxious consultation on the part of the government. -The Lāo had taken away the inhabitants, but could not take away the -land. It had become a rendezvous for robbers and lawless men from all -quarters. The Western Shans from Burma were settling upon it. Siam -evidently must repopulate the province, or lose it. It was finally -agreed that one thousand descendants of the original captives should be -drafted from Chiengmai, one thousand from Lakawn, and five hundred from -Lampūn, and sent back to reoccupy the province. Chao Noi Inta, the -highest in rank of the available descendants of the original captive -princes, was commissioned as governor. The special interest this exodus -has for our narrative lies in the fact that among these returned -captives was the family of Nān Suwan, one of our best men, and already -an elder of the church. At first Nān Suwan thought of buying himself -off, as many did. But when it was pointed out to him that his going -would be the means of starting a church there, he readily consented to -go. - -[Illustration: - - INTANON, PRINCE OF CHIENGMAI] - - -[Illustration: - - ELDER NĀN SUWAN] - -The governor was a warm friend of mine, and was urgent that we establish -a mission and a church there before Buddhist temples could be built. The -province was virgin soil. A great mortality usually attends the -repeopling of deserted places and the clearing of the land. The governor -was very anxious that we should send a physician. Had we gone then with -five hundred ounces of quinine, we should have had command of the -situation. As it was, Nān Suwan was furnished with some quinine, which -gave him the name of doctor. Broad-minded, hospitable, kindly, and -thoroughly upright, there could have been no better selection. He became -the real father of the Chieng Sên church. His family was a light in the -city. His youngest daughter, Kūi Kêo, one of Mrs. McGilvary’s first -pupils, taught most of the early Christians there to read the Scriptures -in Siamese. The elder himself became a great favourite with the -governor, who used to say that the fact of his being governor, and, -therefore, under authority, alone prevented him from uniting with the -church. Another of the returning captives was Sên Yā Wichai, the first -believer in Chiengmai. He settled on the western border of the Chieng -Sên plain. - - * * * * * - -The Lāo as a race have been in bondage to the spirits. We have already -had frequent occasion to refer to the slavish fear of them among all -classes, from the highest to the lowest. No event in life, from birth to -the last offices for the dead, could be undertaken without consulting or -appeasing the presiding spirits of the clan, the household, or the -country. Their anger is the fruitful cause of every disease and calamity -that flesh is heir to. - -In many ways this would seem a less elevating and ennobling cult than -pure Buddhism. But really it has a much closer affinity with -Christianity than has Buddhism, whether as scientifically held by the -learned, or as embraced by the common people. Buddhism is too atheistic -to bring it into comparison here with Christianity. It lacks the -essential attribute of religion—a sense of dependence on some higher -power. It belongs to a different order of thought. The spirit-cult, on -the other hand, does recognize invisible powers whose goodwill or -illwill brings prosperity or adversity. From this to one Great Spirit, -who is sovereign over all, is but another step on the same line of -ascent. So their spirit-offerings come nearer the idea of propitiation -than do the offerings of Buddhism, which in some quite unaccountable -manner are supposed to bring merit to the offerer. - -A belief in witchcraft—that is, in the temporary or permanent residence -of some evil spirit in men—has been confined to no one age or race. Its -predominance among the northern Tai tribes is very remarkable in view of -its inconsistency with Buddhism, which has long been the religion of the -race. In the contest for supremacy, the spirit-cult, while it has not -superseded Buddhism, has secured the stronger hold on the people. They -worship Buddha and make offerings in his temples; but they fear and -dread the power of the spirits to inflict present evil. It is safer to -neglect Buddha than these. And the power of a malicious spirit is most -dreaded when it has taken up its abode in a human habitation. - -From the time of our first arrival in Chiengmai we were continually -amazed to find what multitudes of people had been driven from their -homes for supposed witchcraft. All the northern provinces and towns, as -has already been mentioned, were largely peopled by that unfortunate -class. Accusation of witchcraft had become one of the most dreaded means -of oppression and persecution. It was a favourite way of getting rid of -an envied rival or of a disagreeable neighbour. No family and no rank -were safe from such attack. Princes, even, had fallen under its ban. -When once the suspicion of witchcraft was well started, the individual -or the family was doomed. Our sympathies had often been aroused in -behalf of these unfortunates; but no favourable opportunity had occurred -for interference in any other way than by our teaching. - -Finally, in August, 1878, the opportunity came. I had a request from a -prince of some wealth and standing, that I would take under our -protection Pā Sêng Bun and her family, accused of witchcraft. The woman -was first the under-wife of the Prince’s deceased father, who was a man -of note in his day. She had two fine boys by a subsequent husband, and a -niece nearly grown. This second husband was a widower, whose former wife -was suspected of dealing in the occult art; and the theory was that the -evil spirit came into her family through these sons. In that season of -heavy rains and flooded streams, the whole family was to be driven -off—some of them surely to die on the way. The patron said that he was -helpless; that no one in the land, unless it were ourselves, could -shield them from that fate. I told him that we were perfectly willing to -risk the anger of the spirits, only we did not wish unnecessarily to -offend the prejudices of the people. He was willing to assume all -_legal_ responsibility; for the rest, we might fight it out with the -spirits as we pleased. After notifying the Siamese Commissioner of the -situation, we brought the family to our place. - -That very day their house was burned down; and not a tree or bush was -left standing on the premises to furnish shelter to the spirits. But -that did not stop the clamour. There was then in their village a great -epidemic of fever. By common consent it was agreed that this had been -caused by the evil spirit resident in the lads. With boyish curiosity -they had twice or thrice gone back to visit the site of their old home, -and, strange to say, after each visit a new case of sickness had -occurred, which was, of course, attributed to their presence. It was -vain to point out the utter ridiculousness of the idea, or to show that -no sickness had occurred on our place since their arrival. That was -easily explained. The spirit was afraid of our God, and did not dare to -enter the premises. It took refuge in a large tree outside till the boys -came out again, when it entered its former habitation and went with -them. - -Finally the patron prince sent word that we must give that family up. He -could endure the odium no longer. When I refused, he threatened to take -the matter into court. To this I replied that I was perfectly willing -that the case be tried; but it should not be tried before a Lāo court, -but before the Commissioner. If they could convince him that the -sickness in the village was caused by a malicious spirit resident in -that family, they should be sent off immediately. But, I added, it would -be fair to make one condition. If the accusers failed, _they_ should be -driven off. This—as I knew it would do—put an end to the whole affair. -We heard no more of it. It was a great victory in the demon controversy; -and, later, as we shall see, it proved a boon to scores of helpless -victims. Before the arrival of the Commissioner such an outcome would -have been impossible. No Lāo court would have refused to expel persons -so accused. The family of Pā Sêng Bun proved to be a treasure, becoming -one of the most influential and valuable in the Chiengmai church. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - XIX - - THE EDICT OF RELIGIOUS TOLERATION - - -Our narrative has now brought us to a point where an apparently trivial -circumstance became the occasion of an event not only of utmost -importance to us and to our work, but of far-reaching consequences to -the country at large. Sometime near the middle of this year, 1878, the -eldest daughter of Nān Inta was to be married to a Christian young man -studying for the ministry. Both parties at that time were virtually -members of our family. The expected bride was a pupil of Mrs. -McGilvary’s, and the groom was a private pupil of mine. The immediate -family connections on both sides were Christians. Inasmuch as this was -the first Christian marriage in the church, we had prepared to celebrate -it with a little wedding feast. Besides the Christians, a few princes -and a few special friends were invited, all anxious to see a Christian -marriage ceremony. Among the invited guests was Chao Tēpawong, Nān -Inta’s liege-lord, and brother of the Uparāt. - -We learned that the family patriarch—known to be a violent opposer of -Christianity—had threatened to prevent the marriage, unless we first -paid to him, as tribal head of the family, the spirit-fee originally -designed to furnish a feast for the spirits. It was a small sum—among -common people not more than six rupees. That payment would legalize -marriage without any further ceremony. In fact, the payment may be -regarded as a distinctively religious act, since it recognizes the -spirits as the guardians and protectors of the family. When one becomes -a Christian, that allegiance is cast off. By an unwritten law or custom -of the country, that fee belonged to the patriarch, and he decided to -exact it or make trouble. I had explained the marriage ceremony to the -princes and to the Commissioner. I knew that the latter recognized the -justice of our position, and I assumed that the government would support -us if the patriarch caused any trouble. - -Sure enough, early in the morning the patriarch’s loud voice was heard -in our yard threatening dire punishment to the family if his demand were -not granted. The bride’s father became alarmed, and thought we must have -some official backing, or he would surely get into trouble. The guests -had arrived, and every one was on the _qui vive_ to see which side was -to win in the contest. I went to the liege-lord of the family for his -sanction; but he said it was too big a question for him to pass upon. I -must go to a higher authority. It had evidently become a question that -could not be settled that morning. Old Adam would have said, “Marry them -and trust to the justice of your cause. Let the old patriarch whistle!” -But we teach our Christians to be obedient to the law, and we wished to -avoid unnecessary trouble. So there was nothing to do but to swallow our -mortification, apologize to our guests, invite them to partake of the -feast, and seek legal sanction afterwards. - -After dinner that same day Dr. Cheek and I called upon the Commissioner. -We had failed, and were come to him for advice. His sympathies were -easily enlisted, but he had no authority to interfere in local or tribal -matters. He advised us to go to the Prince. We did so, meeting him and -the Princess alone. Their position was like that of the Commissioner. -They, too, sympathized with the young couple and with us. But it raised -a new question for them, and they feared to give offence. The Princess -said they had been criticised by our enemies for standing by us; but if -the Chao Uparāt would give his sanction, no one else, they thought, -would dare oppose. So we went next to the Uparāt; but there we ran -against a stone wall. He inwardly laughed at our predicament. He had us -just where he wanted us to be. If our young people could not marry, our -work would be virtually stopped. He said that no one but the King of -Siam had authority to interfere in such a question. - -We returned home signally defeated. Next day I went alone to the Chao -Uparāt, and argued the justice of our case. The parties had renounced -their allegiance to the spirits. It was clearly unreasonable to require -what we could not conscientiously submit to. I even begged him to come -to our aid, since both the Commissioner and the Prince had said that -they were sure that no one else would oppose his decision. If we were -compelled, we must appeal to His Majesty the King of Siam, though we -should be very reluctant to do so. Since marriage is a civil as well as -a religious rite, I was sure His Majesty would admit the justice of our -appeal. Either thinking that we would not make the appeal, or that the -appeal would be in vain, he at last refused to discuss the question -further. Little did he know, nor did we then, that he was doing the best -possible thing for us. - -I returned then to the Commissioner to report. The conflict which, as we -have seen, was probably inevitable between the royal authority -represented by the Commissioner on the one hand, and the local rulers on -the other, was becoming inevitable sooner than was anticipated. The -Commissioner just then was himself having great trouble with officials -who were restive under his authority. The Lakawn Princes had a -difficulty among themselves, and had come to the Commissioner to have -the case adjudicated. His decision had been unfavourable to one of the -higher officials—probably the chief himself. Whoever it was, he had -committed the unpardonable offence of departing to Lakawn without taking -leave of the Commissioner, presumably intending to appeal to Bangkok. So -that morning I found His Excellency indignant at the insult offered to -him, and, through him, to his sovereign. The royal authority which he -represented was challenged. Moreover, some of the acts of the Chao -Uparāt had offended him. His impressions were confirmed and strengthened -by the recital of our grievances. He advised me to write these all out -in full, giving specifications that could be substantiated—and such were -rapidly multiplying. For, provoked at Nān Inta and his family, and -emboldened with his own success in stopping the wedding, the Chao Uparāt -had summoned Nān Inta and had set him to watching his summer-house on -the river—the work of a menial, such as Nān Inta had never yet been -reduced to doing. - -At last the moment had come when an appeal for religious toleration -might be made with fair prospect of success. As the only way of avoiding -continual interference in the future, the Commissioner himself advised -that the appeal be made for religious toleration in general, rather than -for freedom of Christian marriage, which was only a single item. The -Commissioner was busily engaged in writing out a report of his own -grievances, to be sent to the King. He said that he would mention our -case also in his report, and offered to forward my letter with his -despatches. - -I immediately dropped everything else, and addressed myself to writing -that appeal unto Cæsar. In it I referred to the sanction of the Siamese -government to the establishment of the mission, given after the -interview with Prince Kāwilōrot at Wat Chêng, and subsequently renewed -on the appointment of his successor, Prince Intanon. I was very careful -not only to exonerate the latter from all blame, but also highly to -commend both him and his Princess for their uniform kindness, and for -their sympathy in this particular emergency. But the act of the Chao -Uparāt was, no doubt, only the beginning of what he would do if he were -not restrained. It was evidently his intention to reduce to slavery a -family that had always been free. In behalf of his loyal Christian -subjects we begged His Majesty to guarantee to them the same privileges, -civil and religious, which his other subjects enjoyed, among which -surely was the right to be married according to the ceremony of their -own religion. One request I put in with some misgiving—that the -Christians might be exempted from compulsory work on the Sabbath; -otherwise that point might always be used to create difficulty when the -master was hostile. While thus making our appeal to man, importunate -prayer was continually offered to Him who had been our help in times -past. - -It was very necessary that the appeal should go as the joint action of -the mission as then constituted. I was aware that Dr. Cheek, the only -other member of the mission then on the ground, did not enter heartily -into the appeal. He was fearful that it would only make bad worse; that -it would give offence to the Lāo rulers, and possibly to the Siamese as -well. But as regards the Lāo, matters had already reached an extremity -in the case of the one who really ruled the country. And as to the -Siamese, our only human hope was in the King. So, when my paper was -finished, I took it to Dr. Cheek, and read it over to him. He listened -very attentively to the reading, and at its close I was delighted to -hear him say, “That seems all right.” After a few clerical alterations -which he suggested, we both signed the paper. A summary of it was read -to the Commissioner, and was afterwards enclosed by him with his -despatches. Our appeal to the King of Siam had, of course, to be made -through the United States Consul, Colonel Sickels. Our letter to the -King was, therefore, sent unsealed under cover to the Consul, so that he -might read it; and with it went a letter giving him a full account of -all the particulars of the case, and urging him to use his influence, -both personal and official, on our behalf. The whole was entrusted to a -special messenger in a swift boat, with instructions to make all -possible speed. - -Having done our best, we waited prayerfully and hopefully. But the -greatness of the issue involved made us anxious. The liberal policy of -the young King was not then so well known as it became later. One could -not be absolutely certain how even our Consul would regard it. We -trusted, however, to the friendship of the Foreign Minister, who had -invited me to Pechaburī, and who had always been our true friend. No one -of all these persons concerned disappointed our expectations, or even -our hopes. - -Colonel Sickels acted with commendable despatch. He was favoured in -securing an audience without the usual formalities. At that time His -Majesty had a regular day each week when his subjects and others might -approach him informally in his summer garden with petitions on urgent -business. Our appeal was presented to him there. He was already aware of -its nature through the Commissioner’s despatches. Anxiety with regard to -the political situation in the North no doubt prompted him to a decisive -assertion of authority in this matter as well. His Majesty informed the -Consul that his government had already reached a decision favourable to -our request, and that full religious toleration was to be proclaimed. - -The courier returned with unwonted speed, reaching Chiengmai on Sunday, -September 29th. Late in the afternoon of that day the Commissioner -notified me of the arrival of despatches. Next morning I called upon -him. He was radiant with joy. All his own requests had been granted, and -enlarged powers had been given him, including power to make proclamation -of religious toleration in all the Lāo states. He seemed as much -delighted with our success as with his own. He said that he had already -notified the princes and officials to call in the afternoon, and he -would then inform them of the result. Of course, our hearts were -overflowing with gratitude. - -At the appointed hour the Prince, the Chao Uparāt, and all the high -officials were assembled. When the order for the proclamation was made -known, some of them made a final personal appeal to him to stay -proceedings. They argued that unrestricted permission to become -Christians would be the ruin of the country. To understand the force of -this objection it must be remembered that among the Lāo, breach of the -Seventh Commandment was punished, not by civil or criminal procedure, -but by a “spirit-fine” paid to the patriarch of the woman’s family. It -was argued that if Christian young men should transgress with Lāo girls -or women, under the new régime, no fine could be imposed, and there -would be no redress whatever. The Commissioner then sent a messenger, -asking me to come to the audience. The scene, as I entered, reminded me -of that other notable audience with Prince Kāwilōrot and another -Commissioner. The Commissioner stated their objection, and asked me what -I had to say. I replied that the difficulty was purely an imaginary one. -In the first place, it was a cardinal doctrine of the church to forbid -such sins. In the second place, if a professed Christian violated his -vows, he made himself amenable to the discipline of the church, and so -put himself beyond its protection. The Commissioner said, “I have -already so answered, but I wanted those who are present to hear it from -the teacher himself.” To this no reply was made. After a short pause the -Commissioner broke the silence. With a gesture to the audience, he said -that the business was ended. When he had leisure, the Edict would be -issued. One after another the assembled princes and officials retired. - -On my way home I noticed that the Chao Uparāt had stopped at his little -sālā beside the river, the same that Nān Inta had been set to watch. To -show that I had no personal grudge, I stopped to call on him. Rising, he -gave me a more respectful welcome than usual, and ordered a foreign rug -to be spread—the respectful way of receiving guests before the day of -chairs. When I was seated he asked why I had made complaint against him -to Bangkok—he was very sore at heart about it. I replied that I was -sorry, indeed, to be obliged to do it. Did he not remember how I had -told him that we could not submit to his decision; how I had even -entreated him not to force us to appeal to the King? And I could not -appeal without giving the facts as my ground for so doing. But now I -hoped that bygones might be bygones, and that we might be friends.—The -fact was that my letter had been translated in Bangkok, sent back to -Chiengmai, and had been read at the audience before my arrival. But I -never before had such a reception from the Uparāt. - -The wording of the proclamation was left to the Commissioner. If he had -been hostile, or even indifferent, its effect might easily have been -neutralized by a little vagueness or ambiguity. But he was anxious to -have the matter settled decisively. When I took my leave of him that -morning, he promised to show me the draft of the proclamation before he -should affix his seal. When I saw it, there were only a few verbal -changes to suggest. It was a general permission to the Lāo to adopt any -religion they pleased. I suggested that since it was specifically -granted in the interest of Christians, it was desirable that -Christianity be specifically named—which was done. At my request two -extra copies of the proclamation were made with the official seals -attached; one for deposit in our safe, and one that might be read to the -people. The following is a literal translation of this famous document: - - I Prayā Tēp Worachun, Representative of His Majesty the Supreme - King of Siam in Chiengmai, Lampūn, and Lakawn, hereby make - proclamation to the Princes, Rulers, and Officers of various - grades, and to the common people in the cities and provinces - named:—That His Majesty the King of Siam has been graciously - pleased to send me a Royal Letter under the Royal Seal, to the - effect that D. B. Sickels, Esqr., United States Consul, had - communicated to the Foreign Minister of Siam a complaint signed - by Rev. D. McGilvary and Dr. M. A. Cheek against certain parties - for molesting the Christians and compelling them to observe - their old religious customs. The Foreign Minister laid the - subject before His Majesty, who most graciously listened to the - said complaint, and gave the following Royal Command in - reference to the same:— - - That religious and civil duties do not come in conflict. That - whoever wishes to embrace any religion after seeing that it is - true and proper to be embraced, is allowed to do so without any - restriction. That the responsibility for a right or a wrong - choice rests on the individual making the choice. That there is - nothing in the laws and customs of Siam, nor in its foreign - treaties, to throw any restriction on the religious worship and - service of any one. - - To be more specific:—If any person or persons wish to embrace - the Christian Religion, they are freely permitted to follow - their own choice. - - This Proclamation is to certify that from this time forth all - persons are permitted to follow the dictates of their own - conscience in all matters of religious belief and practice. - - It is moreover strictly enjoined on Princes and Rulers, and on - relatives and friends of those who wish to become Christians, - that they throw no obstacles in their way, and that no one - enforce any creed or work which their religion forbids them to - hold or to do—such as the worship and feasting of demons, and - working on the Sabbath day, except in the case of war and other - great unavoidable works, which, however, must not be a mere - pretence, but really important. Be it further observed that they - are to have free and unobstructed observance of the Sabbath day. - And no obstacle is to be thrown in the way of American citizens - employing such persons as they may need, since such would be a - breach of the treaty between the two countries. - - Whenever this Proclamation is made known to the Princes and - Rulers and Officers and People, they are to beware and violate - no precept contained therein. - - Proclamation made on the Thirteenth Day of the Eleventh waxing - Moon, in the Eleventh Year of His Majesty’s Reign, October the - Eighth, Eighteen Hundred and Seventy-Eight. - -The Edict furnishes a second natural division in the history of the Lāo -mission. Its first period was one of struggle for its very existence, -culminating in positive prohibition to preach the gospel and virtual -expulsion of the missionaries. That situation was abruptly brought to an -end by the death of Prince Kāwilōrot and the appointment of his -son-in-law, Prince Intanon. In our second period of struggle, the -conclusion of which we have just witnessed, the conditions were in many -respects similar to those of the first. Our chief antagonists in the two -contests were alike in their love of absolute power, in their -determination to break down all rival influences, and alike, therefore, -in their settled hostility to our work. In neither case was their -antagonism to Christianity primarily on religious grounds. But Kāwilōrot -was of much more imposing personality and figure than the Uparāt. - -Within his own realm Kāwilōrot was really “Lord of Life.” He was -absolute head both of church and of state. He brooked no rival and no -contradiction in either. The highest positions in the religious -hierarchy were bestowed or withdrawn at his pleasure. His own -brothers-in-law languished in exile in Siam, because it was not thought -safe for them to return and be within his reach. At home he had -vanquished or terrified into submission all possible rivals. Even the -court of Siam seemed inspired with a wholesome fear of meddling with -him. The crime of the first Christians was the unpardonable one that -they had dared to become such against the will of Kāwilōrot. But the -time and place for such rulers had passed. Such attitude and temper -suited neither a position under superior authority, nor the policy of a -government striving to rise with the progress of the age. But he served -his purpose in the world, and Providence used him. - -Of his titular successor, Prince Intanon, and of his noble wife, I have -already spoken. His real successor in the government of the land, and in -his championship of the old régime of feudal autocracy, was the Chao -Uparāt. But he had neither the commanding dignity of Kāwilōrot nor his -interesting personality;—had little, in fact, of any of his qualities -save his lodged and settled hatred of all innovation. For him we had -none of a certain kind of respect which the late Prince inspired; and we -were under no constraint of gratitude for favours. The only debt of -gratitude the mission owed him was for being, by his lawless acts, the -unwitting and unwilling cause of the proclamation of religious freedom. - -But the crisis which he precipitated hastened likewise that -centralization of government which Siam was waiting for. The tendency of -the age is everywhere toward centralization. Strong central governments -are everywhere taking the place of weak and scattered ones. Chiengmai -itself and all the existing Lāo states have grown by the capture and -absorption of their weaker, though by no means insignificant, -neighbours. The authority and fear of Siam had long been felt indirectly -in preventing those petty wars in which one weak state captured and -enslaved another. That authority was now to be exerted more directly to -bring to an end the era of arbitrary, personal, autocratic rule among -its dependencies, and to establish in its place the more equal and -stable reign of law. Feudalism with its “organized anarchy” was to give -way to the Nation. - -Such was the period at which we have arrived in this narrative of our -life and work in the Lāo states. It is a wonderful thing to have lived -through such a series of changes, and possibly to have been, under -Providence, the means of bringing some of them about. We work for an end -apparent to ourselves; but God’s designs are deeper and broader than -ours. “He maketh the wrath of man to praise Him.” Of nations, as well as -of individuals, is it true that - - “There’s a divinity that shapes our ends, - Rough-hew them how we will.” - -Among the Christians the Edict, of course, was greeted with an outburst -of joy. To Nān Inta it was like life from the dead. It was in reality -freedom from slavery. And no man made such efficient use of it as he -did. With the sealed copy of the Edict in his hand, he returned to his -village; and wherever he went he could assure the people, on the faith -of his Sovereign, that a profession of the “Jesus-religion” meant -neither the ruffian’s club nor slavery. The effects of the Edict upon -the church will be traced in its future growth as our story moves on. I -may venture, however, to anticipate so much—that within two years’ time -two of our strongest village churches were organized; one of them in Nān -Inta’s own village. Neither of these churches could have existed had not -the Uparāt’s power been abridged. - -To the country, the new authority conferred on the High Commissioner at -that time has resulted in a revolution as silent and as effectual as the -change of the seasons. His new title, Pū Samret Rāchakān—he who fulfills -the King’s work—was used, I believe, for the first time in that -proclamation; and it really marked the passing of the sceptre from the -hands of the Princes of Chiengmai. The titular Chao Chīwit—Lord of -Life—was allowed to retain his title and honours during his lifetime; -but he has had no successor. The Lāo country has ceased to be either a -feudal dependency or a separate “buffer-state.” Silently—almost -imperceptibly—it has become an integral portion of the consolidated -Kingdom of Siam. Autocratic rule has everywhere ceased. And all these -changes are directly in line with the civilization of the age. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - XX - - SCHOOLS—THE NINE YEARS’ WANDERER - - -The year 1879 opened auspiciously. In March a little variety was -introduced into our secluded life by an official visit to Chiengmai of -Major Street, the British Commissioner at Maulmein. He and his party -arrived quite unexpectedly, spent a week in the city, and attended an -English service at the mission on Sunday. We met them a number of times, -both socially and at official dinners. They strengthened the position of -the Commissioner, and did us all good. But at that time we were -anxiously awaiting another arrival, in which we were more intimately -concerned. Mr. Wilson, who had been for two and a half years absent on -furlough, was daily expected, and with him were our long-looked-for -teachers for the Girls’ School. - -The party was to arrive on April 9th. To please the three children and -myself, on the afternoon of the 8th we four started down the river in a -small boat to meet and welcome them. But the river was low, and we had -not yet reached them when darkness came on and we were obliged to seek -moorings. When, at last, we got ashore, we learned to our great joy that -the mission boats were moored only a few hundred yards below, in the -same bend of the river. We all walked down in the moonlight, and -presently spied their lights close at hand. The young ladies had retired -to read, but not to sleep. The meeting by moonlight at the river’s brink -was quite romantic. We talked till ten o’clock, though Mr. Wilson was so -hoarse that he could scarcely speak. At daybreak our fleet was under -way. We had a jolly breakfast together on board—our visitors at their -little table, and we on the deck. We then visited hard again until noon; -but it was two o’clock before we caught sight of the mission premises, -with the native Christians all waiting to greet the arrivals, old and -new. - -The High Commissioner, a few days later, gave a dinner to the mission, -saying in the note of invitation that it was in honour of the young -ladies, for the boldness and piety that enabled them to leave their -fathers and mothers, and come so far to teach his people. When notified -of their arrival, the Princess sent down carriages and had us all up to -call on her. She was delighted to welcome the young ladies, and was -interested in the school. - - * * * * * - -The Siamese and the Lāo tongues are two closely related branches of the -same linguistic stock. The idiom and the great body of common words are -nearly the same in the two, differing, where they do differ, chiefly in -accent and intonation. Siamese is, of course, the speech of the ruling -race throughout the Siamese kingdom; and even at the time of which we -are speaking it was easy to foresee that the local dialect of its -northern provinces must eventually give way before it, especially for -all official and literary purposes. The chief obstacle in the way of a -speedy victory for the Siamese has been the fact that the Lāo is written -in a wholly different character. Were the two alike in this respect, -there is no doubt that the standard form of speech would take the place -of the dialectal almost without notice. - -Of necessity all teaching so far attempted had been in the Siamese. -There was not a schoolbook in the Lāo character save the spelling -tables. When these had been mastered, there was no reading-book in Lāo -that could be put into the hands of the pupils; nor was there prospect -of any such being printed for years to come. On the other hand, in the -Siamese character there was a considerable Christian literature in -print, both religious and general, already available for purposes of -education. Our pupils, moreover, had all been girls; and almost no Lāo -women at that time could read writing in any character. It was, -therefore, not only much simpler, but quite as well for them on other -accounts, to learn the Siamese character from the start. - -Now, however, when we were arrived at the establishment of regular -schools with a permanent organization and policy, the question could no -longer be postponed, In which language shall instruction be given? It -was not an easy question to decide. With regard to it there was -difference of opinion among the missionaries, both old and new. On the -one hand, it was urged, that since ours was a Lāo mission, the Lāo -should, of course, be the language of the schools. On the other hand -were pointed out the greater scope and availability of the Siamese, its -assured supremacy, and the dwindling future of the Lāo throughout the -territory of Siam. The matter at last was compromised by continuing the -Siamese in the Girls’ School, and adopting the Lāo for the boys. - -Meantime it was desirable to have some portions of the Scriptures in the -Lāo character; and, to accomplish this, the first requisite was a font -of Lāo type. To this end, on my first furlough in 1873, I went from -North Carolina to New York, and not only spent some time, but was at -some personal expense, in the effort to secure such a font. The American -Bible Society voted a liberal sum for the purpose. But there turned out -to be some mechanical difficulties to be overcome in making and using -the type, which were beyond my skill to solve. So, lest the attempt -should fail in my hands, I gave it up. And having accomplished nothing, -I presented no bill of expense either to the Bible Society or to the -Board. - -There seemed, indeed, to be some fatality attending our efforts in this -direction. Mr. Wilson, on the furlough from which he was but now -returned, had gone further. He actually succeeded in getting a font of -Lāo type. But the whole of it was lost, and never reached the -mission.[11] It was not until Dr. Peoples’ furlough in 1889 that we -succeeded in getting our present type. Meanwhile we had used the Siamese -Scriptures, with some present disadvantages, indeed, but with some -advantages as well. Some of our first Christians were attracted to our -religion by their desire to learn Siamese; and the Siamese Bible and -catechism were our textbooks. And now, under Siamese rule, knowledge of -the Siamese opens the way to promotion in the government service. -Siamese alone is taught in the government schools. Young monks are more -eager to study Siamese than their own tongue. - -Footnote 11: - - Mr. Wilson brought only a few specimens with him. He writes:—“The rest - of the type was to be boxed up and sent to Mr. Cutter, and the boxes - were to be put away in the store-room of the Mission Rooms at 23 - Centre Street, and forwarded when called for. They must have been lost - when the Board moved from 23 Centre Street to the Lenox property, and - then to 156 Fifth Avenue.” - -But the important thing, after all, was that we had a school actually -begun, and that there was teaching in _both_ dialects. It was like a new -beginning of our work under conditions more favourable than at the -first. For twelve years it had been a hard, and, sometimes, an -apparently hopeless struggle. But the history of missions affords many -similar instances with even fewer visible results. In twelve years we -had gathered forty converts into the church. Some of these were among -the most useful we have ever had in the history of the mission. It is -hard to estimate rightly the importance of work spent on the foundations -of such an enterprise. But now, with that church organized, with the -medical work well established, the evangelistic work strengthened, and -the initial school, begun long before by Mrs. McGilvary, placed on a -permanent basis, we could write in large letters on our altar, -“Jehovah-Nissi”—Jehovah our banner. - - * * * * * - -In the early part of this year, 1879, twelve more persons were gathered -into the church. One of them was Pā Sêng Bun, the poor woman accused of -witchcraft, who, with so much difficulty, was saved from her -persecutors. Another was Mûn C., who was a daily visitor when we were -here on our first tour of exploration. And another was our own dear -little Margaret. Somewhat later there came to our notice one of the most -interesting of all the incidents in the chequered history of our -mission. One morning, on returning from my work in the city, I was told -that a man had been waiting to see me, and was then talking to Nān Inta. -Stepping down to the house, where a number of persons had collected, I -saw a handsome man of medium height, but of striking figure, larger and -more portly than is usual among the Lāo, and thirty-three years old, as -I learned. - -Nān Tā, for that was the stranger’s name, said that not long after our -first arrival in Chiengmai, while he was yet a monk in the king’s -monastery, he had visited me, and was struck with those points in the -teachings of Christianity which differentiate it from Buddhism. He -received a copy of the Gospel of Matthew in Siamese, learned a few -verses, and took the book home with him to the monastery. Afterwards he -visited me occasionally to take a few further lessons in it. He was a -protégé of Prince Kāwilōrot, who paid the expenses of his entering the -monastic order. He thus became the Prince’s “Luk kêo”[12] (_jewel-son_), -in effect his adopted son. Not long after this he left the priesthood, -married, and settled out in the country. But he paid us a few visits -from time to time, always, as he said, to talk on religion and to study -Siamese. - -Footnote 12: - - A designation whose nearest parallel in English is, perhaps, - _god-son_. - -When the order for the murder of the Christians was given, a monk who -was a friend of his met him in the streets, and asked whether he knew -that his house was to be burned over his head, explaining that the -Prince had nourished him as a son, and now he had apostatized and joined -the foreign religion. Advising him to consider well and quickly, the -priest hurried on. So it had become known in the palace that he was -visiting us and studying the Jesus-religion. There was no time to be -lost, not even to bid good-bye to his young wife. On that eventful -Saturday afternoon, just before the flight of our servants, he stopped -at our door; but seeing no one, he hastened on. On Sunday he secreted -himself in a deserted monastery near the mountains. Next day he fell in -with a company of traders, going to Chieng Rāi, six days’ journey to the -north, and travelled with them without making known what his errand was. -At Chieng Rāi he learned that the Christians were put to death the day -after he left. He was still within the Lāo realm, and might be arrested. -He made his way, therefore, to Keng Tung, in Burmese territory, ten or -fifteen days’ journey still further to the north. - -After remaining there some three years, he returned to Chieng Rāi, where -he heard of the death of Kāwilōrot and the accession of Prince Intanon. -Still in fear, he passed through the towns to the east of Chiengmai, -venturing even as near as Lakawn. Then crossing the Mê Ping valley to -the south of Chiengmai, he went beyond the Salwin into Burma, stopping -awhile among the Red Karens, and then going on to Maulmein. Seeing there -a foreigner’s house, he enquired if anything was known concerning the -missionaries in Zimme (Chiengmai). Nothing was known of them. Returning -again to Siamese territory, he went to Rahêng, thinking that he would go -on to Bangkok. There, however, he was told that the missionaries had -gone back to the United States—information based, no doubt, on our -departure on furlough. - -During his long wanderings he had made friends as he could, and to -support himself had sometimes turned peddler. In the haste of his flight -from home he had taken nothing with him except his copy of the Gospel of -Matthew in Siamese. He could not read it well, but he kept it as a kind -of talisman, till it was now well worn. He had learned to pray daily. He -never dared to return till he heard of the Edict of Toleration. He -regarded it as a special providence that his wife, strange to say, had -not married again. The child born after his flight he found grown to be -a fine girl nine years old. He was delighted to find the missionaries -again. - -It was a thrilling story. This man did not have to become a Christian—he -was one already. His first desire was to understand all that there was -in his Gospel of Matthew. It was evident that he had been spared and -kept for some wise purpose. And so it proved. Since I needed a teacher, -and since he was a fine Buddhist scholar, I employed him as teacher, so -that I might have him near me in order to teach him. He was an apt -pupil, making rapid progress in knowledge, and growing in grace. His -romantic history interested and attracted others. As a church member, as -a ruling elder, and afterwards as an ordained minister, he was a power -in the church till the day when he was taken up. Thousands heard the -Gospel from his lips, and many were drawn by his words and by his life -into the fold of Christ. - -How wonderful are God’s ways in leading His people! Doubtless the -defection of this man was one of the things which alarmed Kāwilōrot. It -may even have hastened the fate of the martyrs. But no doubt the Lord -chose a wonderful way of saving to His church this most useful minister -of the Gospel. - - * * * * * - -After long-continued weakness on the part of Mrs. McGilvary, an acute -attack of pneumonia made a longer stay in the country impossible. My -daughter Cornelia was taken ill at the same time. So, with but little -preparation, on December 28th, 1879, both mother and daughter were -carried in chairs to the boat, and we hastened out of the country. -Stopping in Bangkok only a few days, we embarked for Hongkong. We met -the China Sea in its worst mood. For three days and nights we did not -see the captain’s face; neither did he see sun, moon, or stars in that -most dangerous tract of the sea. The skylight was fastened down, for the -waves swept the vessel from stem to stern. We were good sailors; but we -could not but pity the one hundred and twenty Chinese steerage -passengers, allowed on deck only a few moments twice a day for a breath -of air, after which they had almost to be forced back into their hole -again. There was withal just enough of the spice of danger to make the -sight of Victoria Peak at last doubly welcome. - -By this time my family were all so much improved by the journey that -there was question whether I should proceed with them, or should return -to Chiengmai for another year’s work. It was evident that, in order to -regain her strength, Mrs. McGilvary would require a longer stay in the -United States than one year. I could neither spare the time for so long -a furlough for myself, nor could I expect the Board to grant it. The -question was not an easy one; but we decided at last that my wife and -children should continue their journey to the United States, and that I -should return to Chiengmai alone. - -During my few days’ stay in Bangkok, through the kindness of our Consul, -I had an audience with His Majesty the King. I desired to express to him -in person my thanks for the Edict of Toleration. After some remarks -addressed to the other gentlemen present, the King asked me if I were -not, during the previous month, the bearer of despatches from his -Commissioner in the North—showing that he did not overlook small -matters, as a king might be expected to do. He enquired how I liked the -Commissioner, whether I preached in Siamese or in Lāo, how many converts -we had, etc., etc. It was a very pleasant interview. - -As I ascended the river, it became plain that the water was too low to -permit the latter stage of the trip to be made in my large boat. At -Chiengmai I should find a house, but not a home. Before I could reach -it, the touring season would be nearly over. The thought of stopping a -season for work at Rahêng struck me favourably. The more I considered -it, the more attractive it became. To be sure, I had not secured the -sanction of the mission to that particular enterprise; but I had always -been allowed to choose my own touring ground. An officer, Sên Utamā, -offered me a site for a bamboo house gratis; and before I had announced -my final decision, he and others began to cut bamboo on it to build the -house. I had asked for guidance, and the question seemed to settle -itself. - -I cannot dwell on the interesting six months of the year 1880 spent -there. Sên Utamā was interested from the first. By affliction he had -been wonderfully prepared for, and seemed to be waiting for, the very -consolation that the Gospel offered him. An ex-tax-collector, a Chinese -of some influence, was in the same state of mind, and soon joined the -other as an enquirer. My student, Noi Intachak, entered heartily into -the work. Soon, with my cook and boy, we had the nucleus of quite an -interesting congregation who attended worship twice a day. It was a -delight to teach them. - -The case of the Chinese was deeply interesting. He believed the Gospel -plan of salvation, and was deeply anxious to be saved from his sin and -its punishment. But there was one serious obstacle in the way of his -making an open profession—he had two wives. The real wife—the one he had -formally married—was childless. The one he had bought was younger, and -had two lovable little children, both girls. I recall almost with tears -the burning questionings we had over that situation. He seemed willing -to make any self-sacrifice that duty required. But what was duty? Should -he divorce one of them? If so, which one? “Of course, he must keep the -real one,” you will say. But what of the young mother and the helpless -babes? The very mention of their being turned adrift, even with a dower, -had produced a scene in the family. The poor woman felt quite unable to -care for the children alone. The children were his children. It might -easily have been the ruin both of mother and babes to put her away. My -heart was not hard enough to advise that. Surely the man had not cut -himself off from the hope of salvation by his past—by an error or sin of -ignorance. The conditions of church-membership are faith and repentance. -The sacraments of the church are baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Shall we -offer a man the pardon of his sin without its sacramental seals?—the -glorious hope of endless fellowship in heaven, but not the communion of -saints on earth? A precisely parallel case I had met before in the -person of a native doctor at Mûang Awn. “What then,” the reader will -ask, “did you do?” Why, in each case I just did nothing. I followed the -letter of the law, and baptized neither one. But “the letter killeth; -the spirit maketh alive.” - -In due time Sên Utamā and a nephew of the Chinese were baptized. An -interesting tour was made up the river. But the station in Chiengmai was -feeling the pressure of the growing work. In July, 1880, the church of -Bethlehem was organized, and there were promising openings in other -districts. It was evident that the Board was not in a condition to -consider a permanent station in Rahêng. It would have been an -interesting field for permanent occupation; but for temporary work, I -had been there as long a time as we could afford to spend in one place. - -Just then Prayā Sīhanāt—the officer from Lakawn who, two years before, -had greeted me with “Ephphatha”—invited me to return with him. His ears -were not opened, but his heart was. He had taught the Christian faith to -his wife and children and a few others, and among these was a fellow -ex-officer. He wished with them to receive further and fuller -instruction, and to be taken into the fellowship of the church. Without -waiting to ascertain whether I could go, he was come with a boat to -bring me. This seemed to me the guiding hand of providence, and I -followed it. - -Since a single boat cannot ascend the rapids without the help of another -boat’s crew, we made arrangements to join forces with another party, and -make the trip together. The night before we were to start, the river, -which had been steadily rising, became a flood so strong that my host -dared not face it in his small craft. Our companions, however, did not -wait for us, but went on as they had planned. We waited ten days for -another party, as well as for the river to go down. Imagine my -sensations, then, when, presently, we learned that the captain and owner -of the principal boat in the flotilla with which we had planned to make -the trip, was shot and killed, and his boat was plundered! A band of -dacoits secreted themselves behind a cluster of trees where the channel -runs close to the bank, shot the steersman at his oar, and then had the -boat at their mercy. Since all foreigners are supposed to carry money, -the attack may well have been intended for me. Earlier in that same -year, while returning alone to Rahêng, I came near being entrapped by a -similar band. - -The visit to Lakawn was interesting and profitable. Ten days were spent -with the new converts. While my friend, the Prayā, had been busy, the -devil had not been idle. One of the princes had threatened to have one -of his head men flogged if he joined the Christians. But before we left, -a church was organized, with Prayā Sīhanāt as elder. - -From Lakawn I took elephants to Chiengmai, and spent the last Sunday of -my trip with Nān Inta and the newly organized church of Bethlehem, named -after Mr. Wilson’s old church in Pennsylvania. Nān Inta was waiting for -me where the road to his village turned off from the main route. On -Christmas day following this, Mr. Wilson, Dr. Cheek, and Miss Cole -organized yet another church at Mê Dawk Dêng, where Nān Suwan had been -doing faithful work. In both these cases the persecution for supposed -witchcraft had furnished a good nucleus for the church, which thereafter -the Edict of Toleration protected from expulsion. - -All the departments of our work, medical, educational, evangelistic, -were prospering. Nān Tā, the long-time wanderer, was becoming a power -second only to Nān Inta, and destined ultimately to surpass him. Like -him, he was a man of fine address and bearing, and a good Buddhist -scholar; but he was much younger. Being, moreover, the son of a -Prayā—the highest grade of Lāo officers—he had an influence with the -nobility such as no other of our Christians had. In the church he began -to show a capacity and power such as probably no other person has -exercised. - -Meanwhile Mr. Wilson was working on plans for a building for the Girls’ -High School. Already the school numbered forty-two pupils, but with no -place in which to teach them save the teacher’s house. The season had -been very hard on Miss Campbell’s health. She was very young, and had -come direct to Chiengmai from the seminary without any period of rest, -and with a constitution by no means robust. The mission voted her a trip -to Bangkok for rest. Little did we think when we bade her good-bye that -we should see her face no more. - -Financially for me the year had been the hardest in my life. With all -the economy we could use—and we did not spend a useless penny—it seemed -impossible for me to keep my family going. When we left Chiengmai we had -overdrawn our salary, and the amount had to be made up that year. This -condition was one of the straws that helped to determine me to stop over -in Rahêng. I could live more cheaply there; in fact, could hardly spend -money there if I wished to. In only one matter had I been greatly -disappointed in Rahêng; I hoped to be in somewhat closer communication -with my family, about whom I still felt some anxiety. I was, indeed, -nearer them in space, but it proved much further in time. The largest -mail of the year passed on up to Chiengmai, and was sent back, reaching -Rahêng just after I had left the place. It finally reached me in -Chiengmai on the last day of the year 1880! - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - XXI - - SECOND FURLOUGH - - -My health had been such that I hoped I might safely forego my furlough, -and have my wife and our youngest child return to Chiengmai alone. My -wife, after finding a home for a while with her brother, Professor -Bradley, in Oakland, had gone on in the spring to North Carolina. But -she was not gaining much in strength, and plainly required another year. -My own health was not so good as it was at the beginning of the year. -Certain symptoms gave me anxiety, and decided me to delay my own -furlough no longer. If it was to be taken at all, the sooner the better. -So on March 12th, 1881, I started for the United States. The furlough -which was now beginning ended twenty-three years of service in the -general field of Siam, and fourteen years spent among the Lāo. - -I had proceeded down the river but a few days, when a passing boat -brought the astounding intelligence of the tragic death of our esteemed -and youngest co-labourer, Miss Mary Campbell. What words can express the -shock I received! The news was confirmed a few days later by Dr. Cheek, -whom I met on the river. At this distance it is unnecessary to enlarge -on the particulars of the sad catastrophe. Indeed, it was all so sudden -that there were few particulars to relate. Dr. Cheek had gone down to -Bangkok on business soon after Miss Campbell left us, and now was -returning with Miss Campbell under his escort. At the close of a hot -day’s run, the boats lay moored by a sand-bar for the night. They had -had their evening meal and worship together. Dr. Cheek had taken his -bath in the river, had examined the bar, and notified Miss Campbell how -far it was safe to venture in taking hers. But somehow she ventured out -too far—to a depth from which only angelic arms could receive her to a -shore where there is no more death. - -The brave effort of her Lāo maid, Kam Tip, and Dr. Cheek’s unsuccessful -search till long after-life must have been extinct, were well known at -the time. She had but just come to her chosen field of work, in the -bloom of youth and in the full ardour of her first consecration, little -thinking that her work was to be so soon and so sadly closed. Her last -written words to a friend, with the ink on them scarcely dry before her -death, were: “But I am not alone, for I have found in my dear Lāo girls, -Bûk and Kam Tip, and in Nān Tā, my teacher, more company than I ever -expected. I wish I could lend them to you long enough for you to know -them.” - - * * * * * - -It will be evident to all that in 1881 the working force of the mission -was entirely inadequate for occupying and cultivating the broad and -inviting field, now opened to us as never before. The medical work, -constantly enlarging, occupied the physician’s whole time. Mr. Wilson’s -physical condition, never very strong, confined his labours to the -station and its immediate vicinity. The attention which these alone -required would more than fill one man’s time. The death of Miss Campbell -made imperative an associate for Miss Cole. So, even if the trip to the -United States had not been rendered imperative by considerations of my -own health, the best interests of the work itself seemed to demand that -some one should go to seek reinforcement by direct and personal appeal -to the church at home. - -As for Mrs. McGilvary, after spending the spring of 1880 with her -brother in Oakland, California, she came on with our younger son to -Statesville, North Carolina, where she could be with our daughters, and -not far from our elder son in Davidson College. - -On my arrival in New York, I hastened on at once to North Carolina, -where I spent the summer with my family and friends, lecturing from time -to time in the churches. The fall of this year I spent in Texas and -Arkansas, visiting relatives and friends who had migrated thither from -the family nest in North Carolina. In Texas I attended the meeting of -the Southern Synod, and both there and elsewhere I found many -opportunities for presenting the cause of foreign missions; and -everywhere I encountered warm reception and eager interest in the work -among the Lāo. In the winter I came north to visit the Theological -Seminaries, and to enlist men for the Lāo mission. On my way I stopped -in Oxford, Ohio, where I met Miss Lizzie Westervelt (afterward Mrs. -Stanley K. Phraner), then in her senior year in Miss Peabody’s Seminary, -and preparing for missionary work among the Lāo, upon which she entered -in the following year. This was the school which had given us Miss Mary -Campbell and Miss Edna Cole a few years before. - -[Illustration: - - DR. McGILVARY - 1881] - - -[Illustration: - - MRS. McGILVARY - 1881] - - -While waiting for the Theological Seminaries to re-open after the -Christmas recess, I was the guest of my wife’s cousins at Castleton -Corners, Staten Island. There I had the very pleasant experience of -observing “Watch Night” with the Moravian Church, of which my friends -were members. They called on the Lāo missionary for an account of his -experience in the field. In that, of course, there was nothing -remarkable. But near the close of the next year, when writing to the -family, I alluded to the pleasant memory of Watch Night and sent my -greetings to the church with a request to be remembered in their -prayers. Instead of giving my message verbally, my friends read the -letter itself, and it seemed to be appreciated. The result was that the -Lāo letter came to be looked for regularly as a part of the watch -service, and one was sent to them every year—if I were on the field—for -seventeen years. It was a comfort to know that special prayer was always -offered for us by that great missionary church as the old year was -dying, and the new year was coming in. - -The Professors at Princeton, Union, and Allegheny all gave their cordial -endorsement and aid to me in my efforts to secure men. “We want you to -get our best men,” they said, and the Lord gave them to us. From -Princeton came Chalmers Martin of the senior class. He had been chosen, -however, for the Hebrew Fellowship, and was, therefore, delayed a year -before entering upon his missionary work. Though his career in the Lāo -field was a short one, he left a lasting mark there, as we shall see. -Allegheny gave us Rev. S. C. Peoples, M.D., and his brother-in-law, Rev. -J. H. Hearst. Dr. Peoples’ bow still abides in strength. His double -preparation both as a minister and as a physician, gave him unusual -equipment for the work he has accomplished. Mr. Hearst, however, soon -succumbed to the Chiengmai climate. - -Union gave us that consecrated young man, McLaren, who chose the great -city of Bangkok—a fitting field for him, since his broad sympathies were -bounded by no one race or people. His career also was cut short within a -few months by cholera, contracted while ministering to dying seamen in -the harbour during a severe epidemic of the disease. - -The Northwestern Woman’s Board of Foreign Missions was then, as it has -been since, a great centre of missionary enthusiasm. It had sent out -Miss Cole and Miss Campbell; and now the sudden death of the latter had -caused its interest and that of the Chicago churches to concentrate upon -the Lāo mission. It was to this combination of circumstances that I was -indebted for an invitation to attend its Annual Meeting in Minneapolis, -and to speak there. Then the appointment of Dr. L. E. Wishard’s daughter -(afterwards Mrs. Dr. Fulton of Canton, China), and that of Miss Sadie -Wirt (Mrs. Dr. S. C. Peoples), from his church in Chicago, gave me a -pleasant visit in the Doctor’s family both as I went up to Minneapolis -and as I returned. On a Sunday at Lake Forest, between the Sunday -School, the University, the Ladies’ Seminary, and the church, the Lāo -Mission had four hearings. At Minneapolis we learned that Miss Warner -from the Northwestern Woman’s Board, and Miss Griffin from the -Southwestern, were also appointed to our mission, and Miss Linnell to -Lower Siam. This completed our number, the largest reinforcement the -mission has ever received at one time. - -After the adjournment of the Northwestern Board, a Sunday was spent with -the family and the church of Miss Mary Campbell. After that, -appointments with other churches filled up my time till the meeting of -the General Assembly in Springfield, Illinois, which I attended, though -not as a delegate. Our Presbytery of North Laos had not then been -organized, and Dr. E. P. Dunlap was the representative of the Presbytery -of Siam. At that meeting it seemed to me that a golden opportunity was -missed for drawing together in a closer union the Northern and the -Southern branches of the Presbyterian Church. The outcome threw the -Southern church, much more weakened by the war than the Northern, on its -own resources. In proportion to its financial strength, it has developed -into one of the strongest missionary churches in the land, both as -regards the home work and the foreign. Meantime, with the growth of the -country generally, the Northern Assembly is becoming too unwieldy a body -for its best efficiency. I believe the time will come when there will be -three Assemblies rather than one, with a triennial Assembly of all on a -basis of representation agreed upon by the three—somewhat after the plan -of the Methodist and the Episcopal churches; or, more nearly still, -after the plan of the Pan-Presbyterian Council. - -In duties and pleasures such as have just been described, the time -slipped by till it was the 6th of June, 1882, before I again reached my -family in Statesville. We were to start Lāo-ward about the middle of -July. My furlough ended with a visit to my old charge at Union, to -attend the dedication of a new church there, and to see my old friends -once more. - -We began to gather up our scattered forces at Chicago, where the Fifth -Church gave to its pastor’s daughter, and to the rest of us there -present, a hearty farewell. The others of our large party joined us at -different points on our route across the continent. Dr. Eugene P. Dunlap -and his family, also returning from furlough, were the very last to join -us, just in time to sail with us from San Francisco. - -A missionary’s vacation is very delightful, but the last day of it—the -day that brings him back to his home and his work—is the best of it all. -The small Bangkok steamers of those days could not furnish accommodation -for our whole party at once. Some of us were, therefore, compelled to -lie over at Canton—a circumstance which changed the ultimate location of -one of our young ladies to the Canton mission, just as a previous -successor to Miss Campbell had in a similar manner been changed to -another station in China. But where there are young folks, such -accidents will happen. - -At Bangkok our United States Consul, General Partridge, arranged for us -an audience with the King. His Majesty gave us a cordial reception, -expressing his gratification at seeing so many American missionaries -coming to his country; since he knew that they came to instruct his -people, and to make them more intelligent and better citizens. - -Reinforcements surely had not come too soon. Dr. Wilson, Mrs. Cheek, and -Miss Cole were the only missionaries on the field when we returned; for -Dr. Cheek was absent on business. It was now four years since the -proclamation of religious toleration; and for the first time was there -prospect of workers enough to make any use of the advantages it offered. - -[Illustration: - - CHULALONGKORN, KING OF SIAM, 1872-1910] - - -But had we relied too much on human aid? Were we too much elated in view -of our present numbers, with Mr. Martin to follow the next year? After a -short stay in Bangkok, we reached Chiengmai in the midst of one of those -violent epidemics of fever by which the Lāo country was then, perhaps, -more frequently visited than it is now. Mr. and Mrs. Hearst and Miss -Warner were soon prostrated with the disease, and at one time, out of -the whole mission, scarcely enough were left to care for the sick. Mr. -and Mrs. Hearst soon decided to give up the struggle and withdraw from -the field. Miss Warner continued longer, but ultimately she, too, -retired with broken health. As already stated, Mr. McLaren died of -cholera after a few hours’ sickness in Bangkok. God was teaching us that -it is “not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, saith Jehovah.” - -Soon other complications arose. Smallpox was brought by pupils into the -Girls’ School, and, to our consternation, Miss Griffin fell a victim. -She had been vaccinated in her childhood, but was not revaccinated on -leaving home—which is always a wise precaution for those expecting to -travel or to live in the East. Proper measures prevented further spread -of the disease; and though our patient had a rather hard attack, yet she -made good recovery. - -During our absence, the church had sustained a great loss in the death -of Nān Inta, our first convert and assistant. But his works do follow -him, and his life will long continue to be a precious legacy to the Lāo -church. He lived, however, until others were ready to take his place. -Nān Sī Wichai, who long had been Dr. Cheek’s teacher, was a strong -character, and he was ordained as an elder. Nān Tā, also, who had -wandered so far and so long after the persecution, was growing to be a -power in the church, and afterwards had the honour of becoming the first -ordained minister among the Lāo. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - XXII - - A SURVEYING EXPEDITION - - -On the 26th of February, 1884, an East Indian appeared on our veranda -with an unexpected note from my old guest and friend, Rev. Dr. J. N. -Cushing of the American Baptist Shan Mission. The surprise and pleasure -of a visit from him and Mrs. Cushing in the early and lonesome days of -the mission have already been referred to. The note told us that he was -now connected, as interpreter, with a surveying expedition under Holt S. -Hallett, Esq., and that the party would arrive in Chiengmai on the -following day. The railroad for which Mr. Hallett was surveying a route -was part of a scheme, then on foot, to build a road from Maulmein to -Chiengmai, there to connect with a road from Bangkok, through the Lāo -country, to Chieng Sên, and, if successful, to be continued up to -Yunnan, China. For some reason the scheme was not carried out, but the -prospect of any road to connect our isolated field with the outside -world was attractive to us. - -The party arrived the next day; and since it would be very inconvenient -for Mr. Hallett to be separated from Dr. Cushing, we found room in our -house for Mr. Hallett also, and had a fine visit with both. They soon -began to tempt me to join their expedition. All expenses were to be -paid. They were not to travel on Sunday. Their intended route, through -the towns and villages on the way to Chieng Rāi and Chieng Sên, and -southward again to Lakawn, was over ground I was anxious to travel once -more. The trip would give me a long and profitable visit with my friend, -Dr. Cushing. But, besides all personal considerations, it seemed right -to give a little aid to an enterprise that would redound to the good of -the country. - -Our Chiengmai Prince, then quite old, was most incredulous as to the -possibilities of the wonderful railroad. In his book, _A Thousand Miles -on an Elephant in the Shan States_, Mr. Hallett has given an amusing -account of his first interview with the Prince. He had great difficulty -in understanding how a train could move faster than ponies, or how it -could move at all without being drawn by some animal. And how could it -ascend the hills? For it would surely slide down unless it were pulled -up. “I explained to him that I had made three railways in England, -therefore he might rely upon what I had said. Railways were made in -various parts of the world over much more difficult hills than those -lying between Zimme (Chiengmai) and Maulmein.... He seemed quite -stupefied by the revelation. It might be so—it must be so, as I had seen -it; but he could not understand how it could be. He was very old; he -could not live much longer. He hoped we would be quick in setting about -and constructing the line, as otherwise he would not have the pleasure -of seeing it.” - -We started at last on March 3d, 1884, with four large riding elephants, -four pack-elephants, and numerous carriers, making forty-one persons in -all. The passport from the Siamese government, supplemented by one from -the acting Commissioner, and the presence with us of a Lāo official of -some rank, sent to see that the orders were carried out, secured for us -men and elephants and all necessary equipments, so far as the country -could furnish them. The local officials were usually very kind, and as -prompt as native officials ever were in those days. Mr. Hallett was very -considerate in arranging to stop for the night and on Sundays near large -villages and towns, where a little missionary work could be done. In the -cities where there were Christians, we held regular services on Sundays. -On these occasions our chief gave the influence of his presence, though, -of course, he could not understand what was said. - -On this trip we had a good opportunity for studying the characteristics -of the elephant. He is very conscious of his dignity, and must be -treated with the respect due to a king, and not with the familiarity of -an equal. Yet one is amused at his timidity. I myself have seen one -ready to stampede if a squirrel or a big rat ran across the road in -front of him. Mr. Hallett says: “Elephants, though immense in size, are -very timid, and easily startled. We had to take them off the path and -turn their heads away into the jungles, whenever we heard the tinkling -bells of an approaching caravan; and they will turn tail and run at the -sight of an audacious little dog that thinks fit to bark at them.” - -On some of the stages of our march, when we had a mother-elephant in our -company, we had the mischievous youngster along. Such are always an -unceasing source of amusement. One of these seemed to have a special -spite against Mr. Hallett’s Madras boy, either because of his peculiar -dress, or for some liberty he had taken with him. Mr. Hallett writes: -“The little elephant was taking every chance he could get to hustle the -men over as they forded the streams, and to souse them with water from -his trunk. Portow, who had an overweening opinion of his own dignity, -and was bent on setting up as an oracle, was, unfortunately, the butt of -the boys, but was likewise the sport of the baby-elephant. Many a time -have I seen him hustled over by the youngster, who seemed to have picked -him out as his playmate. Slyly and softly stealing up behind, he would -suddenly increase his pace, and, with a quick shuffle or a sudden lurch, -shoulder him sprawling to the ground. Portow, during this part of the -journey, behaved like a hunted man, ever looking behind to see whether -the dreadful infant was behind.” - -My friend, Dr. Cushing, who had been put in charge of the train, and our -prince-guide, both believed in the oriental idea of making an impression -by as imposing a pageant as possible. On nearing Chieng Rāi, they -marshalled us in procession, so that we entered the city in state, with -ten armed men leading the way. Possibly it had its desired effect, for a -warm welcome was given us, and every aid was granted. - -In the eleven years since my first visit there with Dr. Vrooman, the -city had grown in size. The fertility of its soil and the large extent -of its arable land were sure to attract still larger population from the -south. In addition to these natural advantages, it had then another -strong claim for a mission station. While all the other Lāo states, -through their rulers, submitted to the introduction of Christianity -rather than welcomed it, Chieng Rāi and Chieng Sên were exceptions. The -rulers of both desired the presence of the missionaries. - -The Sunday spent there was a welcome day of rest. The week had been a -strenuous one. In the morning we held a public service—the first ever -held there. Mr. Hallett and our prince-guide attended, and curiosity -collected quite a congregation. After tiffin, Dr. Cushing and I spent -several hours—the first quiet ones we had had—reading in the monastery -grounds at the great bend of the river. - -That evening I met the governor at home and, save for the presence of -his wife, alone. His intelligent enquiries as to the truths and -teachings of our religion showed that he had already thought much on the -subject. Krū Nān Tā and he were not very distant relatives, and had had -many conversations on the subject. His regard for our mission and his -earnest desire for a mission station, as well as the protection he -afterwards gave the Christians when they were wronged, had, I believe, a -deeper foundation than an intellectual interest, or even a personal -friendship for us. - -Our next stage was Chieng Sên. There Nān Suwan, our ruling elder, and -his family gave us a warm welcome. He met us at the city gate, hardly -hoping there would be a missionary in the expedition, which, rumour told -him, was coming. His house stood on the bank of the river, just where -Dr. Vrooman and I landed thirteen years before, when the only occupants -were wild beasts. The new settlers had been so busy providing housing -and sustenance for themselves, that only one monastery building had been -roofed, and only a portion of its images stored under shelter. Our old -friend the governor had only a bamboo residence. Nān Suwan had made -friends by the help of the quinine with which he had been supplied, and -he had the best house in the city. It served, also, as a chapel, in -which, with grateful hearts, we worshipped on Sunday. - -The governor was even more insistent in his demand for a mission station -than the governor of Chieng Rāi had been. He even offered to send down -elephants to move us up, if we would come. His was not the deep -religious nature of the Chieng Rāi governor. He possibly believed that -in their sphere all religions were alike good. He urged, as he had done -before, that we might even then forestall the monasteries and preoccupy -the field. Nothing would have pleased me more, had it been possible, -than to accept the cordial invitation. It was true, as the governor -said, “The people must and will have some religion. If you do not give -them Christianity, they must take Buddhism.” It was only necessity that -could resist such a plea. But half a loaf is better than no bread. If we -were not ready to start a regular station in Chieng Sên, we must somehow -work the field as best we could. That consideration determined my long -tours in the dry seasons of the years that followed. - -Up to this time I had never been properly equipped and outfitted for -such tours. One outcome of this trip was a great improvement in my means -of transportation for the future. An application made long before this -to the Board for an elephant, had been received as a huge joke. But now -it happened that in the assignment of elephants for our upward trip, a -large _sadaw_—a male without tusks—had fallen to me. He proved to be an -exceptionally fine beast belonging to an estate about to be divided. He -must be sold, and was held at a very cheap figure. With the help of a -contribution by Mr. Hallett, and the hire paid for its use, I was able -to purchase it. The deputy governor gave me a good howdah for it. I was -as proud of my new acquisition as ever a boy was of a new toy. But since -few elephants will travel well alone, I now needed a mate for him. -Before long I was fortunate enough to get a cheap and equally good -female. I was then prepared for my long tours. I could cross streams in -safety, and be protected from rain, even if my journey were prolonged -beyond the limits of the dry season. - -On our return journey, in Mûang Payao, we came in contact with the worst -epidemic of smallpox that I have ever seen. We met it at every turn in -the street. With difficulty could we keep parents with children, all -broken out with the disease, in their arms, from crowding round us in -our sālā. We had hardly taken our seats on the rugs spread for us at the -governor’s official reception of Mr. Hallett, when we discovered cases -of smallpox all about us. Dr. Cushing was nervously afraid of it, and -retired. I had to remain an hour as interpreter. Imagine our -consternation on reaching the next station to find that the Doctor -showed unmistakable signs of having contracted the dreadful disease, -although he had been vaccinated in his youth. What a discovery to be -made on a journey, and four days from home! On consultation it was -thought best to hasten on to Chiengmai, a thing which our mode of travel -made possible. Mr. and Mrs. Chalmers Martin had arrived during our -absence, and had taken up their quarters in our house. It was, -therefore, impossible to take our sick friend in. We did the next best -thing, and gave him a new bamboo house on our hospital lot, where Dr. -Peoples carefully watched over him till he made a rapid recovery, and -was able to return home in a boat as far as Bangkok, and thence by sea -_via_ Singapore. It was a sad close, however, to our pleasant visit -together, and to our otherwise interesting and profitable tour. - - * * * * * - -I returned from Chieng Sên, as we have seen, with an elephant of my own. -On reaching home I found awaiting me the best pony I ever had. It was -sent to me as a present from the governor of Mê Hawng Sawn, near the -Salwin River. I had never been to Mê Hawng Sawn, and had but a very -limited acquaintance with the governor. According to my uniform custom -in those days, on his official visits to Chiengmai, I had twice called -upon him as the governor of a neighbouring province. On both occasions -we had conversation on the different merits of the two religions. On one -of these visits he had brought down some ponies to sell, and on my -asking the price of one he said, “I am very sorry that I have sold all -my gentle ones. There is only one left. If you can use him, I shall be -glad to give him to you.” It is a McGilvary trait not to be timid about -horses, and I said, “I will try him.” So the pony was sent down to my -house; but he proved rather too much for my horsemanship. The first time -I mounted him, he threw me and sprained my wrist. It was the unanimous -vote of the family that he be returned with thanks. The governor sent -back word that he was very sorry; but never mind; when he reached home -he would see to it that I had a good pony—a message which, I am sorry to -say, I took as a good oriental compliment. I had even forgotten all -about the matter, when, on my return from this trip, I found the pony in -my stable. He was a most valuable and timely present. - -But we are not quite done with Mr. Hallett’s survey. He made a short -excursion without an interpreter to the hot Springs. But his final trip -was to be to Mûang Fāng, six days to the north and west of the route -previously taken, and distant some eighty-three miles from Chiengmai. -His object was to see if there were not an easier route to Chieng Rāi -down the valleys of the Mê Fang and the Mê Kok. The trip strongly -appealed both to Mr. Martin and to me, and we gladly accepted Mr. -Hallett’s invitation to accompany him. - -Mûang Fāng was an ancient city captured and destroyed by the Burmese in -1717; so that it lay in ruins nearly two hundred years before it was -re-peopled. Besides Mûang Fāng, we visited, either in going or -returning, four other cities—Chieng Dāo, Mûang Ngāi, Mûang Pāo, and -Mûang Kên. Not far to the south of Mûang Fāng we visited the cave of Top -Tao, noted in the Buddhist legends of Northern Siam. Mr. Hallett thus -describes our experiences there: - - “Inside was a lofty cavern lighted by a natural skylight. On a - raised platform in the cave was a great reclining image of - Buddha some thirty feet long, and around it a number of figures - representing his disciples. Numerous small wooden and stone - images of Buddha had been placed by pious pilgrims about the - platforms. Pillows, mattresses, robes, yellow drapery, flags, - water-bottles, rice-bowls, fans, dolls, images of temples, - doll’s houses for the spirits, and all sorts of trumpery, were - lying together with fresh and faded flowers that had been - offered to the images, and were strewn in front of them. A steep - ladder led up to niches near the roof of the cave, in which - images were enshrined. - - “My companions, full of ardor, determined to explore the inner - recesses of the cave, and accordingly lighted their torches and - proceeded further into the bowels of the earth, whilst I enjoyed - a quiet smoke amongst the gods. Down they went, creeping through - low, narrow passages, over rocks, and along ledges, with chasms - and pits lining their path as the cave expanded—bottomless as - far as they could judge by the faint light of their torches, but - really not more than twenty or thirty feet deep—until they could - get no further, and had to return, having proceeded about the - eighth of a mile.” - -That night brought us to the Mê Fāng River. The narrative proceeds: - - “Here we spent the most unpleasant night we had yet spent, as we - were troubled with rain, heat, and mosquitoes. We were told that - game was plentiful. Wild cattle larger than buffaloes come in - droves from the hills to graze in the plain, while the - rhinoceros and the elephant roam about the plains. - - “At our next stopping-place, after we had settled ourselves in - an empty house, a villager came to inform us that the house - belonged to the Chief of Mûang Fāng, and that anybody that slept - in it would have his head cut off. As rain was threatening, we - determined to risk the penalty, and we were soon glad that we - had done so, as the rain poured down in torrents.” - -There is a small deer called tamnê, which twenty years ago was very -abundant in all the northern provinces. They are not found in the very -tall grass of the river-bottoms, but in grass about waist-high thickly -covering the higher plains. They have their beds in this grass by day, -and graze at night. They are lower than the grass, and never leap so as -to show the body, but glide smoothly along as if swimming, discovering -their presence only through the parting and waving of the grass. -Sometimes you get right upon them before they will run. - -One Saturday we got Mr. Hallett interested in some survey or -calculations not requiring the aid of an interpreter, and Mr. Martin and -I had our first deer hunt. We took six of our elephants, and, going out -about an hour’s ride or more from the city, we formed in open order -abreast, about forty yards apart, and in perfect silence moved forward -over the plain. The hunter thus starts his own game. He sits on the -back, or, better still, on the neck of his elephant, with gun cocked, -ready for a shot at the first noise or movement in the grass. We started -about a dozen of the deer, and emptied many cartridges, but came back to -camp with no meat—much to Mr. Hallett’s disgust. - -Mûang Fāng, like Chieng Sên, was rich in images of all sizes and -materials. I never saw finer bronze ones. It was a favourite field from -which Siamese princes and officials could get a supply otherwise -unattainable in those days. Of course, _they_ have a right to them. But -when a German traveller undertook a wholesale speculation in the images -of Buddha, it was quite another matter, and he got into serious -difficulty with the government. - -Soon after our return to Chiengmai, Mr. Hallett left us for Bangkok. -From his long residence in Burma and from his close connection with the -mission and missionaries during his expedition among what he calls the -Shan States, he understood the methods and results of missionary work -better than most visitors who have written upon the subject. The kind -words of the dedication of his book, though often quoted, may well -conclude this chapter. - -“To the American Missionaries in Burma and 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.” - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - XXIII - - EVANGELISTIC TRAINING - - -On our return from the surveying expedition in the summer of 1884, we -found F. B. Gould, Esq., our first British Vice-Consul, already -established in Chiengmai. It was an important event for the country; -since a British official in any place is a guarantee that at least the -outward forms of law and justice will be observed. In one important -sense, too, it marked a new era for the mission, or, at least, for the -missionaries. - -Those who have not tried can hardly imagine the privation of living -eighteen years without a mail system of any kind. Our only dependence so -far was on catching chance trading boats to and from Bangkok. These were -always an uncertain quantity; in very low water they almost ceased to -travel. Some boatmen preferred not to be responsible for the mail, not -knowing what it might contain. In the great city of Bangkok, and even in -Chiengmai, it required a constant effort to keep ourselves informed of -the departures of boats. The consequence was that an absence of news -from children, friends, and the outside world generally, for three or -four months at a time, was very common. Sometimes the interval was as -much as eight months. Add to this the time of the long river trip, and -our news sometimes would be nearly a year old when it reached us. Mr. -Wilson’s family and mine had schooled ourselves to these conditions; but -to those who had been accustomed to a daily mail, they must have been -almost unendurable. - -The new Vice-Consul came, determined by all means to get some regular -communication established, if it were only a monthly one. We were only -too glad to do whatever we could to that end. It was a matter of pride -to both parties that we arranged at once for a regular and most -successful semi-monthly mail overland to Maulmein. I furnished a -reliable Christian man for chief contractor, and good men for carriers. -Since Mr. Gould had as yet no authority from his government to incur any -expense, the arrangement was wholly a private affair, with the -understanding that all who availed themselves of it should pay a -quarterly assessment for the maintenance of the line. But in a short -time the British government assumed the whole expense. Mr. Gould -promised to get the staff exempt from corvée, or compulsory government -service. He had to use his official authority for that. - -The Lāo government had absolutely no interest in a mail, whether weekly -or yearly; but the Siamese looked rather askance at having in their own -country a mail service over which they had no control. It seemed to be -in some way a reflection on their national pride. There is little doubt -that our private enterprise hastened the weekly government mail from -Bangkok, which was started the next year. And since the Maulmein route -is quicker by two weeks than the one by Bangkok, the Siamese government -has of late maintained both, the two meeting at Rahêng, and giving us a -very creditable and regular mail service. - - * * * * * - -In the spring of 1884 the mission sustained a great loss in the death of -Princess Tipa Kēsawn, Prince Intanon’s consort, whom we were in the -habit of calling “the Queen.” Placed as she was, she could not well have -avoided the making of priests’ garments, and the going through with the -form of making offerings to the spirits. But I seriously doubt whether -she had any expectation of laying up thereby a store of merit for the -future. One thing we do know, that in her last sickness she turned no -anxious look to any of these things, at a time when thoughtful Buddhists -are always most diligent in their efforts. Dr. Peoples of our mission -attended her in her last illness, and the case was submitted entirely to -him. Mrs. McGilvary and I were both with her the day before she died. -Mrs. McGilvary was with her at her death, and remained to see the body -dressed for the coffin. We missed her very much as a friend, and the -whole country missed her as a balance-wheel for her husband. - - * * * * * - -On the arrival of the reinforcement in 1883, a Presbytery was organized -of the four ministers, Wilson, Peoples, Hearst, and McGilvary. I was -then full of the idea of a theological training-class. My experience of -the accumulated power added to the missionary’s efforts by having such -assistants as Nān Inta, Nān Suwan, and Noi Intachak, raised in my mind -the question, Why not increase the number? Having had no schools, we -had, of course, no body of young men educated on Christian lines whom we -might train for the ministry; and we could not have such for years to -come. But we had in our churches mature men of deeply religious nature, -earnest students of Buddhism, and carefully educated in all the learning -of their race. And a man so trained has many compensations for his lack -of training in our elementary schools. He knows the sacred books of his -own people, their strength and their weakness. He understands the -thoughts, the needs, and the difficulties of a Buddhist enquirer, and -the mode of argument by which these difficulties are to be met, as no -young man of his own race, and as no foreign teacher can do. The -training needed to make such a man an efficient preacher of the Gospel, -is training in the Christian Scriptures, together with practical -experience in evangelistic work under efficient direction. - -I was at that time giving regular instruction to Noi Intachak, one of -the finest young men I have ever known in that country, and very anxious -to become a minister.[13] To Nān Tā, afterwards our efficient minister, -I was giving instruction less regularly, as it was possible for him to -take it. But it would have been both easier and more profitable to teach -a class of six or eight. By qualifying such a group of young men to -work, and then working with them and through them, I believed that my -own efficiency could be quadrupled, or even sextupled, as it was doubled -when I had Nān Inta to work with. - -Footnote 13: - - Our hopes for his future career, alas, were cut short by his untimely - death in the following year. - -With these thoughts and this experience impressed on my mind, and in -order that my plan, if adopted, might have the ecclesiastical sanction -of the Presbytery as well as the corporate sanction of the mission, I -had urged the organization of the Presbytery just as soon as we had the -minimum quorum required. In order to give the discussion its proper -outlook and perspective, I noticed, also, in the paper which I read -before the Presbytery, the necessity of a general education for all our -Christians, and of High Schools for both sexes; while I sketched more in -detail the nature and the methods of special instruction intended for -those in training to become evangelists and ministers. - -The training proposed for this last group was intended primarily to -equip the most capable and most promising individuals among the converts -for filling well their places as lay officers and leaders in the -churches, and for engaging intelligently in evangelistic work. But -beyond this it was thought that it would ultimately furnish a body of -picked men from whom again the best might be chosen as candidates for -further instruction leading up to the ministerial office. The course was -to be flexible enough to permit occasional attendance with profit on the -part of men whose household duties or whose business would not permit -them to attend regularly. Its special feature was actual and constant -practice in evangelistic work under the direction and supervision of the -Principal, and with him as his assistants on his tours. - -In view of the poverty of the Lāo generally, and in order to make it -possible for these men to maintain their families while occupied with -this training, it was further proposed that they should receive a -moderate allowance of, perhaps, eight rupees per month of actual -service, or about three dollars of our money. This seemed not -unreasonable, since in Christian lands it is thought a wise provision to -assist students in their preparation for the ministry; and since what is -required to support one European missionary family, would support half a -dozen fairly educated native ministers or ten good native evangelists. - -The Presbytery took hold of the scheme with much ardour, and at once -began to organize it into shape, but on far too large a scale, and with -far too formidable and too foreign apparatus. A regular “Board of -Education” was created, with rules and regulations better suited to -American conditions than to those of the Lāo churches. A committee was -further appointed to examine all applicants for the course, much after -the manner of receiving candidates for the ministry under the care of a -Presbytery. Their “motives for seeking the ministry” were to be enquired -into, while as yet it was not at all known whether they would desire to -become ministers. The allowance in each case was to be the absolute -minimum which it was supposed would suffice for the maintenance of the -student after he had provided all that he could himself. Noi Intachak, -for example, was allowed the maximum of eight rupees a month, while Noi -Chai—one of the best Buddhist scholars in the country, a young man with -a family, living ten miles away in the country—was allowed five rupees, -on the ground that he was not very poor; while yet another was allowed -but three. - -After this ordeal—which was thought to be a good test of their -sincerity—the rest of the six or eight candidates for instruction -declined to commit themselves. None of them understood exactly what the -Board of Education was about. I myself was greatly disappointed at the -outcome. After a week of listless study, Noi Chai begged to be allowed -to withdraw, and the whole thing was disbanded. My hopeful private class -was killed by too much “red tape,” and with it all possibility of a -training-class for four years to come. I was again set free for long -tours and my favourite evangelistic work. - -I continued to teach Noi Intachak till his lamented death, and I devoted -what spare time I could to teaching the long-time wanderer, Nān Tā, who -had become our best evangelist. There seems to have been some fatality -connected with all our efforts to establish a theological training -school. When the next attempt was made, under Mr. Dodd’s direction, with -a large and interesting class enthusiastically taught, through some -cause or combination of causes—for it would be difficult to specify any -single one as alone determinative—it was allowed to slip out of our -hands. Possibly a leading cause in this case was the same that was -operative in the other. At a time when the mission was pressing the idea -of self-support to its breaking point, an allowance probably too scanty -was offered in the evangelistic work to the men who had been trained for -it. The whole question in the Lāo field, as it doubtless is in others, -is a difficult one. As wages in other departments rise, and the demand -for competent men becomes more pressing both in governmental and in -private business, the question will become more difficult still. While -on the one hand there is the danger of making a mercenary ministry, on -the other hand we must remember that, the world over, educated labour -now costs more, but is not, therefore, necessarily dearer. The same -penny-wise and pound-foolish policy has lost us the strength of some of -the best men in our church, our schools, our hospitals, and our -printing-press, because more lucrative positions are offered elsewhere. -But we must remember first of all that theological schools, like all -others, are not made, but grow; and, second, that the law of competition -prevails here, too, as well as elsewhere. It is easy to say that it -ought not to do so, as between the ministry and other professions, or -between the missionary work and other more lucrative callings. But to a -certain extent the same law does hold, and it is a fact to be reckoned -with. - - * * * * * - -In May, 1884, H. R. H. Prince Krommamûn Bijit, a brother of the King of -Siam, arrived and took up his residence in Chiengmai—probably to give -prestige to the High Commissioner, and possibly to smooth the road of -the new British Consul. It was an open secret that the Prince of -Chiengmai could see no need whatever for a British Resident, and at -times he was not slow to make his views known. For a while the relations -between the two were somewhat strained. Yet it was of the utmost -importance that the relations between England and Siam should remain -cordial. At the same time it was a part of the plan of Siam, since fully -carried out, to assume complete control of the government in the -northern states. What was of more special interest to us was, as we -shall see, not only that Prince Bijit was personally friendly, but that -he brought with him substantial evidence of the good will of His Majesty -and of the Siamese government toward our work. - -It was in this year that our first attempt at establishing a mountain -sanitarium was made. It was designed to furnish a refuge from the great -heat of the plain, to be a retreat for invalids, and a place where new -missionaries might more safely become acclimatized, and still be -studying the language. But as a matter of fact, new missionaries are put -to work so promptly that it is about as hard for them to withdraw from -the battle as it is for the older ones. Since we kept no watchman on the -premises, the sanitarium was afterwards burned down—possibly by forest -fires. Later a better and more convenient situation was found nearer the -city, so near that a man can ride up in the evening, spend the night -there with his family, and return in the morning to his work for the -day. It is in a delightful situation beside a cool brook, but is too low -for the best results as a health resort. - - * * * * * - -At the Annual Meeting in December, the importance of opening a new -station in Lakawn was discussed. The baptism of the officer from that -city, and the organization of a church there, have already been -mentioned. The officer was constant in his appeals for the establishment -of a station there, with a missionary in residence. Although Mr. Wilson -was soon to start with his family for the United States on a furlough, -there would still be left in Chiengmai—if I were sent to Lakawn—two -ministers and two physicians, even if these were but three men in all. -Besides, there were beginning to be some good native assistants in -Chiengmai. No one had expressed a desire to open a new station, and no -one had been sounded in regard to the matter. So I determined to make -now the visit to Lakawn which I had planned for the previous fall, but -had been unable to accomplish. My wife and our little son Norwood were -to accompany me. When our preparations were well advanced, what was our -delight to find that Dr. and Mrs. Peoples wished to accompany us, if -they could obtain elephants. When this was mentioned to Prince Bijit, he -not only volunteered the elephants, but informed us that he had -authority from His Majesty to see that we had a lot for our station -there, and, furthermore, that, in passing through Lakawn, he had already -secured for us one of the most desirable lots in the place. In addition -to this, His Majesty had sent by him two thousand rupees as a -contribution toward the new station and a hospital. Who could fail to -see that the guiding hand of the Lord was in it! Before this I had -written to our United States Consul to get permission to secure a lot -there, but had never once thought of a contribution, much less of one so -liberal. Mrs. McGilvary thus reports our trip in a letter to our -daughter: - - “Lakawn, January 30th, 1885. We reached Lampūn on Friday. I - curtained off one end of the sālā just north of the city, and - Mrs. Peoples did the same at the other end, leaving the space - between and the veranda for callers. There we spent the Sabbath. - Your father preached twice to very attentive audiences. We were - impressed with the favourable prospect for mission work, and - hope to make a longer visit to the place soon. We left on - Monday, and reached this place on Thursday noon, and lodged in a - public sālā just opposite the beautiful lot which the Prince has - given us for a station. It is in a fine site, one of the best in - the city. We called on the Chief this morning, and all seemed - pleased at the prospect of having a mission station here. It is - not yet settled who is to open it. We are willing to come, and - so are Dr. and Mrs. Peoples.” - -[Illustration: - - PRESBYTERY, RETURNING FROM MEETING IN LAKAWN] - - -As may well be imagined, we returned to Chiengmai with grateful hearts -for the many providences that had favoured us. The new station was -assured. We had not then thought of keeping two physicians for -Chiengmai. Dr. Cheek had charge of the medical work. Dr. Peoples, -naturally, preferred a field where he would have ample scope both for -his medical profession and for the itinerating work of which he was -equally fond. His double profession and other qualifications fitted him -as no one else could be fitted for opening the new station. On my wife’s -account I was very willing to yield him the pleasure—for such to me it -has always been—of breaking new ground. Mrs. McGilvary had already had -the labour and self-denial of opening two stations, one of which was a -new mission. The importance of Lakawn as the next station could not be -challenged. Dr. and Mrs. Peoples themselves were pleased with the place -and the prospect of the new field. So they were unanimously appointed -and set apart to the new and important work. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - XXIV - - STRUGGLE WITH THE POWERS OF DARKNESS - - -The belief in witchcraft was still prevalent everywhere, and this year -brought us striking illustrations of its cruel power. An elderly man -with his wife and family, living in one of the outlying villages, was -accused of witchcraft. The pair of elephants which he owned and used had -belonged to a man suspected of harbouring a malicious spirit; and it was -thought that the demon had followed these elephants into the family of -their new master. The family was promptly ostracized; but by driving off -her husband with his elephants, the wife might avoid expulsion, and -might save for herself and her daughters the comfortable home. I -endeavoured in vain to prevent this outcome. “I am much more afraid of -the spirits,” said the wife, “than of bears and tigers.” The husband -could no longer face the universal odium which he encountered, and so -was driven forth. But the spirits served the old man a good turn—they -drove him into the Christian religion, which he lives to adorn, and they -gave him two good elephants. The family afterwards applied for one of -them. As a matter of equity he gave up one, and lived comfortably with a -Christian son on the proceeds of the sale of the other. - -Then there was a great epidemic of fever in Bān Pên in the neighbouring -province of Lampūn. Few homes were left without sad hearts and vacant -places through the death of one or more members. The destroyer must be -some demon which had taken up its abode in a human habitation, and was -preying on the inhabitants of the village. The family of one of the most -prosperous men in the village was finally selected as the one which must -be the abode of the destroyer. As they could hardly decide in which -particular member of it the demon resided, they regarded all with equal -suspicion, and proceeded to wreak their vengeance to the uttermost upon -them all. - -First, according to the usual custom, anonymous letters were dropped at -the gate, warning the family to flee, or dire would be the consequences. -When threats failed, armed with an order from the court, the whole -village appeared on the scene and compelled the family to flee for their -lives. No sooner were they out of the way than their two large teak -dwelling-houses, with rice-bins, outhouses, etc., were torn down and -scattered piecemeal over the lot. Not even a tree or shrub was left on -the place. To gain a breathing-spell, the family moved into a bamboo -shed hastily extemporized on the banks of the Mê Ping, some two miles -distant from what had been their home. By some accident they were -directed to our mission. They had learned that the King’s edict -protected the Christians, and, above all, that the Christian religion -protected them from all fear of evil spirits. And so they came to see if -it were true, and if there were any refuge for them. - -Whatever was to be done for them in the way of earthly succor, must -evidently be done quickly. Their neighbours in their temporary refuge -would doubtless soon drive them away again. At the earnest entreaty of -the man I took one of the elders, and went down to look into the case -for myself. It was heart-rending. Whatever they had been able to snatch -from the wreck of a well-to-do home—beds, bedding, furniture, kitchen -utensils—was heaped up in a pile that covered the whole floor-space of -their shack. The great-grandmother, helpless in her dotage, and the -little children, were lying here and there wherever a smoother spot -could be found. Their case seemed almost hopeless as far as human aid -was concerned. Nān Chaiwana had himself appealed for aid both to the -court and to the governor, and had been told that there was nothing they -could do for him. The court was committed against him. The governor, -however, was personally friendly to us, and had shown no ill will -towards the man. It was barely possible that something might be -accomplished there. We all had worship together amid the confusion of -their hut—the first Christian service they had ever attended. They -assured us of their joyful acceptance of the Gospel, and pledged -obedience to all its teachings. We promised to do whatever we could in -their behalf, and returned home. - -Next day Mr. Martin and I went down to Lampūn to call on the governor. -He was not at home, but in the rice-fields several miles out in the -country. We followed him there. He received us kindly, but said, “Were I -to make proclamation to protect that family, it would be impossible to -enforce it. Nearly everybody in that neighbourhood believes that the -bodies or ashes of fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, or children are -in that graveyard, sent there by the demon in that family. If you can -devise some plan to protect them, you are welcome to try it; but if they -return to that village, I cannot be responsible for the results.” When -told that they had now renounced the spirits, and put themselves under -the Great Spirit, he said, “That is all very well, but how am I to -convince the others that _they_ are safe?” We then begged that he would -give the place over to us. We wanted a place for preaching. We would put -up one of the houses and establish a Christian family in it, with -medicine to cure their fevers. I would oversee it, but would ask the -family to help in the work. To this he readily consented. We trusted his -promise, and we returned encouraged. - -A few evenings later I arrived on the scene with our elder and some -other Christians, and pitched tent at the edge of the ricefield, a -hundred yards from the deserted lot, to engage in a contest with the -destroying demon. It was, moreover, a crucial contest as between -Christianity and demonism. Our whole future work in that province, and, -to a large extent, throughout the land, depended on the result. Soon -curiosity brought to our tent the head man and a large number of the -villagers. We spent the evening in preaching to them. When asked what we -proposed to do with the situation, we explained that we had come to take -possession of the house and lot—the governor had given it over to the -mission for a station. It was now the property of the Christians, over -whom the spirits had no power. It was to be dedicated to the Lord’s -work, and we even asked their aid. - -Next morning we began work, bringing in some of the men of the outcast -family to assist in identifying and reassembling the scattered timbers -of the house. With much difficulty bone was joined to bone, and timber -to timber. In a few days some of the villagers offered to be hired to -help. One or two women of the family came over to cook for the workmen. -Before long one house was set up, roofed, and floored; whereupon we -moved up into it, and invited the neighbours to attend its dedication -that evening. The evening was spent in song and prayer and praise. Many -came up into the house. More listened from the ground below. We had -given quinine to the fever patients, who were glad to get well by the -help of Christian medicine. Meanwhile the epidemic subsided, and the -worst fears of the people were allayed. - -When it became necessary for me to return to Chiengmai, I left the elder -to furnish moral support to the poor outcasts, who, little by little, -came back to their home, and became the Christian family which we had -promised to establish there. To save the land from being utterly lost to -him, Nān Chaiwana had mortgaged it to one of the princes for the -trifling sum of one hundred rupees. Not trusting to the prince’s -unselfishness, I took Nān Chaiwana’s own money, paid the mortgage, and -with some regret the prince released the property to me. Thus was it all -restored to the family. Mr. Martin and I visited the station as often as -we could. It became an interesting centre for our work, and ultimately -grew into the Bethel church. - - * * * * * - -While I was engaged in this work, a strange thing was doing on the other -side of the Mê Ping. One day a man came in from the “Big Tamarind Tree -Village” to tell us that his whole village had become Christians, and -were building a chapel. When it was finished, he would invite us to come -down and indoctrinate the people in the teachings of our religion. This -was something new, and, of course, most interesting. In due time the man -came to Chiengmai to inform us that the chapel was finished, and we were -invited to go down, take possession, dedicate it, and teach the people. - -On the following Friday, Mr. Martin and I took boat and went to the -village landing, where we separated, he going east to receive and -baptize the converts in the “new home of the teachers,” as the house at -Bān Pên long was called; and I to dedicate the new chapel at the “Big -Tamarind Tree Village.” I found the chapel there all right, and the -whole village assembled to welcome the teacher; and, apparently, like -the audience that Peter found in the house of Cornelius, ready “to hear -words whereby they might be saved.” The chapel was built mostly of -bamboo, but so new and neat that I complimented the villagers, and -expressed my great delight. After our reception, I invited them up into -the chapel for worship, and began by announcing a hymn, and inviting -them to join in learning to sing it; expecting, with my assistant and -other Christians who had accompanied me, to spend the time in teaching -them what Christianity is; presuming that their reception of it was a -foregone conclusion. - -But somehow things did not seem to run smoothly. I was conscious of -being in a wrong atmosphere. The leader of the movement seemed ill at -ease. None entered in with the accustomed zeal of new converts. My -assistant noticed the same thing, and whispered in my ear that something -was wrong. They were whispering to him, “Where is the money?” “What -money?” “Why, the fifty or one hundred rupees that we were told would -surely be forthcoming to every family that aided in the building, and -that entered the new religion. The foreigners are rich, and, of course, -will be delighted to distribute money freely.” The leader, of course, -expected the lion’s share. It had all been a mere business venture on -his part—or, rather, a swindle! This was on Saturday. On Monday morning -Mr. Martin and I met at the boat according to agreement, he to report a -good day and the baptism of ten adults along with as many children, and -the reception of a number of catechumens; and I to confess how I had -been sold. - - * * * * * - -In the summer of 1885 a most interesting work was started in some -villages to the southwest of the city. Our indefatigable Nān Tā had -visited that region, and many had professed their faith. Mr. Martin and -I both responded to the call, and made a number of visits there. Two -chapels were built by the enquirers, one at Lawng Kum, and one at Chāng -Kam. I quote the following account of this work from the New York -_Observer_: - - “June 9th, 1885.—I have just returned from the villages referred - to in my last letter. I found twenty-two families of professed - believers at Lawng Kum Chapel, which with the aid of a few - dollars from elsewhere they had succeeded in building. Among - them are at least six persons who give good evidence of a change - of heart, and the rest are interesting enquirers. Ten miles from - there, at Chāng Kam, I visited by invitation another company who - had renounced Buddhism, and who call themselves Christians. On - arriving there a roll of thirty-five families was handed me. - Most of them had attended worship at times in the chapel at - Chiengmai, and a few of them are no doubt true Christians. Here - also we secured a native house for a chapel. They contributed a - part of the small sum needed, while in this case, as in the - other, their contribution was supplemented from the monthly - contributions of the church in Chiengmai. Deputations have been - sent also from places still further away, representing in one - case twenty, and in another case twelve families enrolled by - themselves, with others only waiting for the arrival of a - teacher. - - “It is probably premature to predict what will be the result of - all this. The simultaneousness of the movement in villages - thirty or forty miles apart is remarkable. It shows a longing - for something they have not. To turn this awakening to most - account, we need more help, both native and foreign. Mr. Martin - enters into the work with all his zeal, and has contributed no - little toward keeping up the interest.” - -Our expectations in regard to the work at Lawng Kum were disappointed -mainly by removals of families to other places. The chapel in Chāng Kam -was burned down by incendiaries, but was soon replaced, and the village -has continued to be one of our most important out-stations. Its people -have recently [1910] built a new and large chapel, and will soon be -organized into a church. One zealous man in Mê Āo led first his own -family and then his neighbours into the faith, till they, too, have now -a chapel built of teak, with a band of faithful workers to worship in -it. - -Our first visits to these new places were intensely interesting. It -seemed as if the Gospel would be embraced by whole villages. But the -burning of the chapel tells a tale of a strong adverse influence. -Opposition usually drives off the timid and the merely curious. The -lines, then, are sharply drawn, and the Christian society really finds -itself. - -During the last week of the year I spent a few days at the village of Mê -Dawk Dêng to hold a communion service there, and incidentally to give my -family and the teachers of the Girls’ School a much-needed outing. It -was at the height of the rice-harvest, and, one evening, we all greatly -enjoyed the sight of a regular rice-threshing “bee” at the farm of one -of our elders. The “bee” is always at night. The bundles of rice from -the harvest-field are piled up so as to form a wall five feet high -around a space of some twenty-five feet square, with an opening for -entrance at one corner. In the centre of this square is a horizontal -frame of bamboo poles, against which the bundles of rice-heads are -forcibly struck. The grain falls to the ground below, and the straw is -tossed outside. In those days the whole plain at rice-harvest was -lighted up by bonfires of the burning straw—a glorious sight as I have -watched it from Doi Sutēp. - -We pitched our tent near by to enjoy the scene. The men and boys do the -threshing, while the women and girls do the cooking for the feast with -which the work ends. The village maidens are always on hand to encourage -their beaux in their work by passing to them water or betel-nut, and to -serve the viands at the feast. It reminded me much of the husking bees I -had seen as a lad in the South seventy years ago. How near of kin is all -the world! - -We had a delightful communion service on the Sabbath. Seven adults and -six children were baptized. On Monday morning we returned home refreshed -and better prepared for the work before us. - - * * * * * - -[Illustration: - - MARKET SCENE IN CHIENGMAI] - - -[Illustration: - - IN THE HARVEST FIELD] - - -The year had been one of marked progress. The Girls’ School had been -strengthened by the arrival of Miss Lizzie Westervelt. The new station -at Lakawn had been opened, and Dr. and Mrs. Peoples had been installed -there. More new work had been opened in the neighbourhood of Chiengmai -and Lampūn than in any one year of the history of the mission. One -hundred and two adults were added to the communion roll, and about as -many children were baptized. Our new “witchcraft-house” at Bān Pên, with -its hospitable family, afforded a comfortable prophet’s chamber for the -missionaries and a chapel for worship. The Bethel church was afterwards -organized in it. That family became highly respected, and has furnished -some of the most influential members of our church. The work in Nawng -Fān, seven miles south of Chiengmai—Nān Inta’s village—had steadily -grown. It still continues to be one of our best out-stations, and will, -during the present year [1910] be organized into a church. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - XXV - - CHRISTIAN COMMUNITIES PLANTED - - -The year 1886 opened auspiciously. But Mr. Martin had brought malaria in -his system from his old home; and the Lāo country is a better place for -contracting the infection than for eradicating it. He worked -indefatigably, but seldom with a blood-temperature down to the normal. -In January he accepted an invitation from Mr. Gould, the British -Vice-Consul, to accompany him on a tour of inspection through the -northern provinces, hoping that the change might prove beneficial. It -afforded, moreover, opportunity for some missionary work in places -seldom or never visited. He was the first to visit the Mūsô villages -high up among the mountains. He baptized a few converts in Chieng Sên, -and reported an interest there that should be followed up. - -About this same time Krū Nān Tā—for such, though not yet ordained, I -shall in future call him—returned from Chieng Rāi with a most -encouraging report of developments there. Later a deputation of seven -men, with Tāo Tēpasing as their leader, came to us from the village of -Mê Kawn in the Chieng Rāi province, earnestly entreating a visit from -the missionary. In their number was Pū King from Chieng Rāi, who had -been a notorious bandit, robber, and murderer. He had now submitted to -the government, and was given a place as public executioner and as doer -of other jobs from which only a lawless man would not shrink. Before -meeting Krū Nān Tā, he had gone so deep in sin that no hope was left -him, and he became hardened in despair. But his conscience was ill at -ease. Hearing rumours of the Christian religion, he determined that if -it could give him hope of pardon, he would seek it at any cost. He and -his wife walked one hundred and ten miles to see if it were really true -that Jesus could save even him. Our good friend the governor encouraged -his coming, and said, “If the Christian religion can make a good man out -of Pū King, I shall have no more doubts of its truth and power.” And we -have no doubt that it did that very thing. - -In a few days Krū Nān Tā and I returned with the party. Elder Āi Tū of -Chieng Rāi,[14] with his family, accompanied us. We thus had quite a -little congregation to worship nightly about the camp-fire, and every -one of the party was either a Christian or an enquirer. This was my -third trip to the north, and the first of those annual trips that have -made that road so familiar to me. - -Footnote 14: - - Afterwards Prayā Pakdī. - -The little colony of Christians at Wieng Pā Pāo was prospering. One of -them was the man whom his wife had driven off, elephants and all, for -witchcraft. Nān Tā reported the governor of the place as a believer. He -had ceased to make offerings in temples, and he ridiculed the idols. He -received us most hospitably, and desired to have a mission station -there. Afterwards, however, through policy and the influence of a -Burmese son-in-law, he resumed his old worship; though to the last in -his heart of hearts, I think, he believed our teachings to be true. In -the case of subordinate officials, the final step of joining the church -is terribly hard to take. - -At Salī Toi, “Grandma” Pan had been praying day and night for our -coming. She lived some distance away from the road, and feared that we -might pass her by. She was overjoyed to see us, and we had to check the -homage she offered us. The poor woman was sadly in need of support. She -was the only Christian in the place, and was surrounded by hostile -neighbours who absolutely rebelled against her establishing herself in -the place. Her family had renounced the spirits, and therefore her -“patriarch,” to whom she could rightly look for protection, became her -chief accuser. He went to the governor of Chieng Rāi for an order -forbidding her to settle there. But he had his thirty-mile walk for his -trouble. The governor told him that the family was not to be interfered -with. How could he forbid those whom the King’s edict allowed? - -Having failed with the governor, they tried to draw away the -daughter-in-law. But she said she would stick by her husband and his -family. Their religion should be her religion, and their God should be -her God. The villagers then notified the family that it would be held -responsible for the value of any buffalo or elephant that might die in -the village. The theory was that the demons would take vengeance on the -village for allowing the trespass of an enemy on their domains. But all -their efforts to shake the poor woman’s faith were futile. - -At Mê Kawn village, from which the delegation had chiefly come, of -course we were received with a warm welcome. On the recent visit of Nān -Tā, when the leading supporters of the temple became Christians, the -less religious families also deserted it. I even saw oxen sheltered from -the rain under its roof. A club-footed man, Noi Tāliya by name, a good -scholar in Ngīo, Burmese, and Lāo, had been the life of the temple. And -it is the earnest Buddhist that makes the earnest Christian. His son -first heard the Gospel, and, coming home, explained it to his father. -Calling his family together, the father said to them, “There are the -spirit shrines. Any one may have them who wishes to continue their -worship.” No one making a bid for them, a bonfire was made, and the once -valued treasures all vanished in smoke. When he went to Chieng Rāi to -announce his conversion to the governor and to the Uparāt, he said that -he prayed all the way that he might answer their questions discreetly -and wisely. He did not know that the governor had no more confidence in -his deserted idols and spirits than he himself had. - -On the evening of our arrival, the largest house in the village was -filled to overflowing till late in the night. Before Sunday the people -had extemporized a chapel which afterwards became the foundation of the -Mê Kawn church. Two Sundays were spent in teaching these people before -we moved on to Chieng Rāi, leaving the new disciples under the oversight -of Noi Tāliya. - -On reaching Chieng Rāi we were invited by the governor to take up our -quarters in his old residence, which we did. It was a better house than -his present one, but there had been two deaths in it, and it was -pronounced unlucky. He knew we were not afraid of ill luck. On the -contrary, it was very good luck that we got it, for the rains were now -falling daily. The governor and Nān Tā were near relatives and very -intimate friends withal. His interest in us was as teachers of the only -religion that ever afforded him a ray of hope. But on this trip Pū King, -the reformed bandit, and his family, were the centre of our interest -there. And it was not long before he, too, like Saul of Tarsus, became a -striking illustration of the grace of God. - -A few hours beyond Chieng Rāi on the road to Chieng Sên, was the home of -Āi Tū. His was the first Christian family in the province. He had -built—in part that it might furnish a guest-chamber for the missionary -on his visits, and in part that it might serve as a chapel for -worship—the largest house in all that neighbourhood. When we arrived, he -had already vacated it for us, and had moved his family down into a -shed. A number of families had begun to attend worship, and to keep the -Sabbath; but were frightened away by that ridiculously stale story that -missionaries were making Christians in order to carry them off in their -ships to feed the Yaks! Strange that such a palpable absurdity should -deceive any one; yet we have known whole villages to be frightened away -by it. - -At Chieng Sên, in the home of Nān Suwan, we were at once aware of being -in a Christian atmosphere—in a consecrated Christian family. That family -was a city set upon a hill—a leaven in the new city and province. It -alone had given Christianity a good name. The governor was free to say -that if Christianity made such men as Nān Suwan, he would like to see -the whole country Christian. The influence of the Girls’ School in -Chiengmai was strongly reflected in his daughter, Kuī Kêo. She taught no -regular school other than her Sunday School; but from time to time -during the week she taught the neighbours. Young men who began by trying -to ridicule her out of her religion, now treated her with the greatest -respect. We were told that rude young fellows singing vulgar songs would -lower their voices when passing by the house. - -We crossed the river in a small boat to spend a few days in teaching -four new families of Christians on the eastern side. One of the men was -Tāo Rāt, the village officer, and another was his son, Noi Chai. The -latter became an influential ruling elder, and, like Nān Suwan, one of -the pillars of the church. - -From Chieng Sên we crossed the broad prairie-like plain westward to Bān -Tam. The officer of the village was Sên Yā Wichai—mentioned in the early -part of this narrative as the very first believer in Chiengmai. The -journey was one of the worst for elephants that I ever made. Heavy rains -had soaked the ground so that at every step it seemed almost impossible -for them to pull their huge feet out of their tracks. The Sên lived only -a quarter of a mile from a remarkable feature of the mountain ridge. The -Mê Tam, the largest river in the plain, flows bodily out from under the -mountain, much as does one of the sources of the Mê Ping at Chieng Dāo. - -It was a great pleasure to spend a Sunday with our now venerable -Christian and his family. It was a family of officers, his three sons -all being either of the grade of Tāo or of Sên—which shows the esteem in -which the family was held. But, unfortunately, their official position -made it more difficult for the sons to follow the example of their -father. - -On Sunday night the rain came down in torrents, reminding us that it was -better for us to be at home. We started homeward early the next morning. -Our route skirted the beautiful mountain range, crossing brooks and the -larger streams of the Mê Tam and the Mê Chan. Already the road had -become almost impassable except for elephants and natives unencumbered -with shoes or trousers. - -We have already spoken of the great mortality incurred in the attempt to -people these new Lāo states. Occasionally the straggling remnant of a -family might be seen returning. One poor little boy awakened my deepest -sympathy. All of his family had died except himself and his brother, a -monk, who were trying to save themselves by flight back to their old -home in the province of Chiengmai. After I passed them I began to wonder -whether the pale, weary-faced, and exhausted travellers would ever reach -the rest they sought. Then I began to think that here I was enacting -again the old tale of the priest and the Levite who passed by on the -other side. At last I could stand it no longer. I stopped and waited for -them to come up. I offered the pitiful little skeleton of a boy a seat -with me on the back of the elephant. At first he somewhat distrusted my -motive, wondering what I wanted to do with him; but he was too weary to -refuse. When he revived, he proved to be a veritable little chatterbox, -and good company. I kept him nearly a week, till we entered the -Chiengmai plain at Doi Saket. Only four years ago, eleven children out -of five Christian families who had settled in Wieng Pā Pāo, died during -the first year. - -Returning through Chieng Rāi, we revisited the new families of -Christians in that province. In the city the governor’s wife asked us to -have worship in their new house, to which they reverently listened. When -we ended she said, “Why, they pray for everybody!” Pū King, the -executioner, was holding on with a death-grip to the hope of salvation -for the chief of sinners. The case of the apostle himself, and of the -penitent thief, greatly encouraged him. Nān Tā also was greatly rejoiced -that his brother Sên Kat became a believer on this tour. - -On my return I found Mr. Martin but little, if at all, improved, by his -trip. He was so thoroughly discouraged that he felt that he could not -face another hot season. He remained with us till the end of the rainy -season, and then, with his family, left Siam for the United States. I -never had felt so thoroughly crushed as I was at his departure. During -three whole years we had lived in the same house, and worked together -hand in hand in the evangelistic work, of which he was very fond. - -Dr. Cheek already had severed his official connection with the mission, -and had gone into business of his own. But he kindly gave his -professional service to the missionaries, and was ready to perform -pressing surgical operations for the natives who came to the hospital. - - * * * * * - -I have often wondered whether all foreign missions, have as many and as -rapid alternations of sunshine and shadow, as the Lāo mission. Our -medical work was once more at a standstill; and by the departure of Mr. -Martin, the evangelistic work again was crippled. But at Hong Kong Mr. -Martin met Rev. and Mrs. D. G. Collins, Dr. and Mrs. A. M. Cary, and -Rev. W. C. Dodd, on their way out for the Lāo mission, with Rev. W. G. -McClure for Lower Siam. Mrs. Cary had become so exhausted by continual -sea-sickness during the whole voyage, that, on her arrival in Bangkok, -many thought her unable to endure the long river trip of six or seven -weeks. Mr. McClure offered to exchange fields with the Carys; but Mrs. -Cary, with true pluck, said that she had been appointed to the Lāo -mission, and to the Lāo she would go. But, alas! it was to be otherwise. -She became worse soon after leaving Bangkok. On Sunday, January 16th, -1887, a mile above Rahêng, she became unconscious, and shortly after -gently passed into her everlasting rest. - -It was still a month’s journey to their destination. There was nothing -to be done but to lay the body to rest in the grounds of a monastery. -Who can portray that parting scene, or adequately sympathize with the -bereaved husband and sister (Mrs. Collins), or with the other members of -the party, as they performed the last sad offices, and then resumed -their lonesome journey! - -When the party reached Chiengmai on the 17th of February, they found -there only the McGilvarys, Miss Griffin, and Miss Westervelt. Miss Cole -had gone to Bangkok. But the Girls’ School was flourishing under the -direction of the two ladies last mentioned. Former pupils of the school -were then doing good service in three different provinces as teachers. -But the arrival of the new forces made possible for the first time a -Boys’ High School. Circumstances now were much more favourable than they -were when Mr. Wilson made the attempt in the earlier days of the -mission. We now had Christian patrons, and there was a growing desire in -the land for education. Buddhist pupils were willing and anxious to -attend our school. Mr. Collins preferred the educational work. As soon -as he acquired the language sufficiently well, he was put in charge of -the school for boys, and it was soon crowded with pupils. - -[Illustration: - - GIRLS’ SCHOOL IN CHIENGMAI - 1892] - - -Mr. Dodd’s preference was along the line of a Training School for -Christian workers. Happily, the taste and preference of both these men -were along the lines of greatest need. Meanwhile Mr. Dodd entered into -the evangelistic work also with a zeal that has never abated. As -newcomers see things with different eyes, it is always interesting to -get their first impressions. Mr. Dodd’s first experience is thus given -in a letter to the Board of June 9th, 1887: - - “On Friday, June 3d, Rev. D. McGilvary of the Lāo mission left - Chiengmai by boat for a tour southward, taking attendants and - all necessary equipments, accompanied by a raw recruit, and - three efficient native helpers. We arrived at our first station - about the middle of the afternoon, and before bed-time held - religious conversation with as many enquirers as time would - permit. Our audience chamber was the house of one of our - newly-received members. Our ‘outward and ordinary means’ of - attracting an audience was a watch, two mariner’s compasses, a - magnifying glass, a stereoscope with an assortment of views, and - a violin. The raw recruit played the violin, and thus called the - audience together. We used both the other attractions to hold - them and to gain their confidence and interest; and afterwards - Dr. McGilvary easily and naturally drew them into religious - conversation. Soon the conversation became a monologue of - instruction in the religion of the great God. The violin was no - longer needed to arouse or sustain an interest. Every day, and - late into the evening, the Doctor and the three assistants - conversed; sometimes to quite an audience, sometimes to - individual enquirers. - - “The religious attitude of the people was a revelation to the - newly-arrived missionary, and doubtless would be to most of - God’s people in the United States. Nearly all of these people - had heard of the ‘religion of the great God,’ but knew nothing - about it, since the district had never before been visited by a - missionary.... But their receptivity was marvellous.... Without - exception these Buddhists confessed at the outset, or were soon - brought to concede, the immeasurable superiority of - Christianity. Many said, ‘It is of no use to argue. Your books - tell the beginnings of things; ours do not.’ On one occasion - when Dr. McGilvary had finished reading and explaining the first - chapter of Genesis, one of his auditors remarked to his fellows, - ‘There is more real information on that one page than in all - Buddha’s writings.’ The sense of sin is universal, so too is the - insufficiency of the works of merit. Many sad souls confessed - that they had long been dreading the penalty for sins for which - they feared that ‘merit-making’ could not atone. - - “The results we cannot measure. We were absent two weeks. - Religious service or conversations were held in more than twenty - different homes, and in some of these several times. Audiences - varied from a single enquirer to fifty. Thus hundreds heard the - gospel for the first time. Many who seemed above the suspicion - of hypocrisy professed to believe and accept what they heard.... - One principal reason for this tour just now, was to baptize in - his own home and among his subjects the chief officer of the - district. Himself, his wife, and his whole family were - baptized—a most interesting household. The abbot of one village - monastery professes to accept Christianity. For some time he has - been sending his parishioners, including his own sister, for - instruction. There is another district officer of the same rank - as our newly-baptized convert, a constant visitor and deeply - interested. This is a specimen tour, neither better nor worse - than the average taken these days. For the last two years, - although most of the time there have been but two ordained - missionaries in the field, over ninety ascessions have been made - to the First Church.”—_Church at Home and Abroad_, May, 1888. - -Before the short trip reported by Mr. Dodd, I had taken a longer one to -the northern provinces, going over the same ground which Mr. Martin and -I had travelled the season before. This time I baptized thirty-six -adults and thirty-two non-communing members. The communion was -administered eight times. I married two couples and ordained one elder. -Each Sunday was spent in villages where there were already Christians. -This encouraging success was the harvest of seed sown on former tours, -but gathered largely through God’s blessing on the work of faithful -elders. Both in Chieng Rāi and in Chieng Sên we might then have -organized churches with a goodly number of members communing and -non-communing, and with very good material for officers. Nān Suwan at -Chieng Sên, like myself, never had the gift of fluent speech, but his -reputation for sterling integrity has left a mark that eloquence might -envy. And Āi Tū at Nāng Lê bids fair to be another power in the province -of Chieng Rāi. Both of them are strongly aided by their daughters, the -first-fruits of our Girls’ School. - -During the year 1887 the whole number of adult accessions was one -hundred and seven; and one hundred and eleven non-communing members were -added to the roll, making two hundred and eighteen additions to our -little flock, exclusive of Lakawn. As I now look back over these years, -it is plain to me that the great lack of the mission all the way through -has been the lack of well-trained native helpers; and for this lack the -mission itself is largely to blame. Those who are eager to accomplish -the evangelization of the world within the present generation, should -first of all lay hold of the present generation of Christians in every -mission field. Fill _these_ with enthusiasm, qualify them, and send them -forth, and we have a lever that will lift the world. - -From the Report of the Board in the same number of _The Church at Home -and Abroad_ cited above, we quote the following: - - “Dr. and Mrs. Peoples are still left alone in Lakawn, the utmost - picket of the foreign missionary line. Mrs. Peoples has not one - lady for a companion; and the doctor is dangerously burdened, - bearing all alone the labour of teaching and healing. For more - than two years they have been waiting for help. No station under - the care of the Foreign Board calls so loudly for reinforcements - as this. Again and again we thought we had found a Christian - couple for Lakawn; but in each case we have been disappointed. - Single men could have been sent, but it is very much to be - desired that the new missionary going there should be married. - Dr. Peoples’ medical work has won for him increasing - friendliness throughout the city.... Mrs. McGilvary has revised - the Lāo version of Matthew’s Gospel, and has translated for the - first time about half of the book of Acts. The Scriptures have - had considerable circulation among the Lāo, but only in the - Siamese tongue.... Dr. Cary had no sooner reached the field than - through the assistance of Dr. McGilvary and Norwood McGilvary, a - young lad, acting as interpreters, he was able to begin work - with regular hours for receiving patients, and for surgical - practice.... Mr. Collins has made a beginning in the much-needed - school for boys. - - “Only one other mission now under the care of our Presbyterian - Church has during the last year shown as much growth, in - proportion to the missionary force employed, as the Lāo - mission.... It is never out of place to remind our Presbyterian - Church that it is to her alone that God has committed the - evangelization of the Lāo tribes.” - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - XXVI - - A FOOTHOLD IN LAMPŪN - - -At a meeting of the Presbytery shortly before the opening of the year -1888, a committee consisting of Dr. Peoples, Mr. Dodd, and myself, was -appointed to organize two churches, one in Chieng Sên and one in Chieng -Rāi, if the way were found open to do so. We also arranged that Mrs. -McGilvary should accompany our son Norwood as far as Bangkok on his way -to the United States. And both expeditions were to start on the same -day, Monday, February 7th. - -To ease somewhat the strain of such a parting, I took an earlier leave, -and went on Saturday with Mr. Dodd to spend Sunday with the church at Mê -Dawk Dêng. That evening we performed a marriage ceremony in the church. -The next day thirteen adults were received into the church—nine by -baptism and four who were children of the church. On Monday Mrs. -McGilvary and I exchanged our last good-byes by note, and both parties -got off on Tuesday morning. Dr. and Mrs. Peoples, starting from Lakawn, -made the first stage of their journey separately from us to a rendezvous -at the Christian village of Mê Kawn, twelve miles south of Chieng Rāi. - -At our next Christian village another wedding was waiting for us, but -the course of true love did not run smooth. The bride belonged to a -well-to-do Christian family; but no member of it could read the -Scriptures. They, therefore, “redeemed” a Christian family for four -hundred rupees, in order to secure the services of the son as a sort of -Levite in the family, and to teach the eldest daughter to read. -Naturally, the two young people fell in love with each other. That was a -contingency the mother had not planned for, and a difficulty arose. She -asked, “If I take Nān —— for a son-in-law, where do my four hundred -rupees come in?” It was all in vain to tell her that she got her pay in -a good son-in-law. She said he was hers already till his debt was paid. -At last she so far relented as to allow the ceremony to take place, but -she would not see it performed. We invited the father and the rest of -the family and the neighbours into our tent, where, to their great joy, -the two were made man and wife. The implacable mother lived to see that -she had not made a bad bargain, after all. - -At Mê Kawn we were joined by Dr. and Mrs. Peoples, and we had a good -Sabbath with the little flock there. Our club-footed man had looked -after it well, and he became later a good elder and a fine -disciplinarian. About this time I was taken with a severe attack of -indigestion, from which I did not recover for many months—the only -continued sickness from which I have suffered in all my connection with -the Lāo mission. - -On reaching Chieng Rāi, we found our good friend the governor mourning -the death of his wife, the same who, when we last saw her, invited us to -worship in her house. It was a pleasure to point the bereaved man to the -divine Comforter, and we are fain to believe that our words were not in -vain. He was still anxious to have the mission station established, -which we, unfortunately, could not yet promise. The Chao Uparāt invited -Dr. Peoples to lecture with his magic lantern, and to have worship in -his residence, where we had a crowded audience. We did not organize a -church in Chieng Rāi, however, partly because the two Christian -villages, equidistant from the city north and south, could not agree on -the best place of meeting. But we found the way open in Chieng Sên, and -did organize a church there, in Nān Suwan’s house, on the very bank of -the Mê Kōng, and with one-half of its members living on the other shore. - -Dr. Peoples had left a large practice in Lakawn, and was obliged to -return. Mr. Dodd returned with them to Lakawn, and thence to Chiengmai. -I had come untrammelled, to remain as long as duty called. It seemed -very desirable to follow up the impressions already made on that -community. But I was not well, and a week’s delay found me no better. -Thinking that a change might be beneficial, I crossed the plain to Sên -Yā Wichai’s home at the foot of the mountains. It was a hard day’s ride, -and I became worse on the way. On reaching my destination I could hardly -stand. Resting there on my back a few days without improvement, it -seemed my first duty to get to a physician as soon as possible, or, at -least, make the effort to do so. Most of the way I could stop at night -either with or near Christian families. This I did, and so reached -Chiengmai on April 14th. - -During my absence the building of the Boys’ High School was completed; -and the school was opened under the direction of Mr. Collins on March -19th, with an enrollment of forty-five boys, nearly all children of -Christian parents. In June Dr. Wilson reached Chiengmai on his return -from the United States; and with him came Miss Fleeson, destined with -the Doctor to join the Peoples at Lakawn, and Miss Belle Eakin (now Mrs. -Dodd), for the Girls’ School in Chiengmai. Miss Griffin was already gone -on her furlough. - -The building for the Girls’ School had long been in process of -construction. Builders and plans had been several times changed, till at -last Dr. Cheek took the contract, and finished it in the summer of 1888. -It has served its purpose admirably these many years, and we then -thought it would do for all time. But though the lot then seemed amply -large, it proves now entirely too small for the needs of the school. -Moreover, it is impossible to enlarge it. On its south side runs the -most travelled road in the country; while on the east the land is owned -by a wealthy official, who would not sell at any price. - -Our congregations had grown till a church building became a necessity -even more urgent than, a schoolhouse. The first mission dwelling-house -was planned in part with reference to such need, its largest room long -being used for Sunday worship. Then a small temporary chapel took its -place. After that a larger teak double dwelling was bought. That, -however, would not hold more than two hundred persons—not more than half -of our largest congregations at the present day. Then for a time we -worshipped in the unfinished building for the Girls’ School. When, at -last, that was finished, it was needed for its original purpose, and we -again must move. It was then decided that we must have a church, and one -worthy of our cause—such as would attract rather than repel both rulers -and people. So one Sunday afternoon we held a meeting of the -congregation to take steps for building it. We were delighted to see the -interest manifested in the enterprise. Pā Kawng, an aged slave of the -Prince, laid down a silver rupee, which was all the money she -possessed—and it was the very first money received toward the building. -The church was completed by the end of this year. - -We had continued evidence of the friendship of Prince Intanon, and even -of his growing interest in our work. One Sunday, in answer to an -invitation given by Mrs. Cheek, he attended our communion service, -conducted that day by Mr. Wilson. Although he arrived an hour and a half -too soon, he remained all through the long service, and bowed as he took -his leave, just when the communion cups were about to be passed. On the -day of our daughter’s marriage in Statesville, North Carolina, he and -the High Commissioner attended a reception given in honour of the event. -The Prince had known her as a child, and seemed much interested. “Is it -this very night that the marriage takes place?” he asked. The reception -was a very pleasant affair. Though my wife was still in Bangkok, Miss -Fleeson and Miss Eakin entered with all their hearts into the thing, -and, with the assistance of Mr. Dodd and Mr. Collins, carried it through -in splendid shape. After refreshments we had charades and other games. -It was amusing to see the look of surprise on the face of the Prince -when the charades were played.—“What are they doing?” “What does that -mean?” “I don’t understand.” But the game was quite too recondite to be -explained to him. So, after the first charade, His Highness and his -party took their leave, assuring us that they had enjoyed the evening -very much. - -Dr. Wilson and Miss Fleeson presently journeyed on to their post at -Lakawn. The governor there gave the mission a very desirable plot of -ground for the new buildings which would be required, saying, “I am glad -to have you come. It would be a shame, when you come to live in our -country, if the government did not do something to make you -comfortable.” - -Scarcely less important than the opening of the new station in Lakawn, -was the opening of permanent work in Lampūn, the largest and most -important sub-station of Chiengmai. Lampūn is a little gem of a walled -city in the same great plain as Chiengmai, and only eighteen miles -distant to the south. From the first settlement of the country, however, -it has been a separate state, yet governed by a branch of the same -ruling race. - -We have seen that the new governor of Lampūn was friendly to the mission -and the missionaries. The opening of the work in Bān Pên and other -important villages near it, rendered it almost essential to have a -footing in Lampūn itself. After some negotiation we secured a suitable -lot, the grounds of the second governor recently deceased. We purchased -from the family the land with the old residence and the stockade. But -presently the family became alarmed lest they had been too hasty in -selling it to foreigners, and brought back the money, begging us to -restore the land. They brought, also, a message from the governor, -saying that he wanted the residence and the stockade himself, but would -_give_ us the rest of the land. It was to our interest to keep on good -terms with him, and we agreed to the arrangement. We got what we wanted, -a good station, and we retained, and probably increased the governor’s -friendship. - -[Illustration: - - REV. JONATHAN WILSON, D.D. - 1898] - - -To make possession sure, I purchased a newly-built house which had come -to be regarded as unlucky, because the owner’s wife had suddenly died in -it. Having arranged to have the house moved and set up on the lot, I was -about to return to Chiengmai, thinking that there was nothing more to -do, when I was sent for by the chief executive officer of the Court. He -said that the governor, indeed, had given us the place, but the Court -wished to make one proviso. He begged that I would sign a paper -promising in few words that if the government at any time should need -it, we would give it up. The governor was growing old, and they -themselves would be held responsible. I saw at once that such a step -would put it in the power of any one to oust us. A need might be -feigned, and yet we should be powerless to withstand it. I was perfectly -dumfounded. My first thought was to go directly to the governor. But -presently I bethought me of the terms on which H. R. H. Prince Bijit, -the brother of His Majesty, had given to the mission the fine lot for -its hospital. The lot was given in perpetuity on condition that it be -used for medical and missionary purposes only. As long as it was so -used, it was ours. But it could not be sold, or used for other purposes, -without forfeiture to the Prince. The thought came to me as an -inspiration. I told the officer of that written deed. “Very well,” said -he. “If you have such a paper as that, show it to me, and I will give -you one like it for this lot.” - -The difficulty was solved. A swift footman was despatched to Chiengmai -asking Mr. Martin to send me at once a copy of the Prince’s deed of -gift. Next morning it came, and I took it immediately to the Court. The -officer’s surprise was evident. He took it and read it carefully -through. His word was given. After a moment’s thought he said, “That is -all right. It will relieve me of all responsibility.” Then he called up -his clerk to copy its terms and execute the new deed. The land was ours -to use as long as we should use it for the purposes specified; and that -I hoped would be until the millennium! With a light heart I was soon -aboard my boat and homeward bound. - -When the house had been removed and set up on the lot, Mr. Collins and I -went down and spent a week there, with interested audiences every night. -It at once became an important out-station of the Chiengmai mission. In -the meantime Mr. Dodd had already collected some twenty students for his -training-class, but without any quarters for them in Chiengmai. Later -Mr. and Mrs. Dodd were put in charge of the station, and the Training -School was moved over to Lampūn. When the Lampūn church was organized, -its charter members numbered nearly two hundred. It is now the mother of -two other churches. Scarcity of men in the mission, openings in other -places, and other causes have prevented the Lampūn station from being -continuously manned. But now, with such efficient workers there as Mr. -and Mrs. Freeman, it has an important future before it, as a sub-station -of Chiengmai. - -Meanwhile my own sickness had continued, with several relapses. A minor -surgical operation had so delayed my recovery that Dr. Cary now advised -a change and rest in a boat trip to Bangkok. After the departure of our -son to the United States, my wife had remained in Bangkok for a visit, -and was soon to return. The telegraph line which the Siamese government -had recently completed, enabled me to wire to her to wait for me to come -and bring her back. Dr. Cary himself, who had never recovered from the -shock occasioned by the tragic death of Mrs. Cary, and who was never -well during his whole stay in the mission, decided to accompany me as -far as Rahêng. - -At Pāknam Pō I left my boat, and took passage for Bangkok by river -steamer, thus saving seven days. After remaining in Bangkok only three -nights, my wife and I took passage in the same steamer on her return -trip, and rejoined our boat at the forks. The water was at its best -stage, and we passed up some of the rapids without knowing that they -were there. But my trouble had not left me. A low diet and long illness -had left me thin and weak. The round trip occupied only two months. Our -last Sunday was at Pāk Bawng, two days below Chiengmai. There we held a -communion service with the Christian families, and a new family was -baptized. - -Three miles to the east is Bān Pên, the village which has figured in a -previous chapter. The Christians there had long been asking for a visit, -which my own sickness and want of time on the part of others rendered it -impossible to make. On Monday morning I decided to take the risk and -visit it. With some misgivings I saw my wife’s boat move off and leave -me—burning, so to speak, my bridges behind me. The whole country was -flooded. Discarding shoes and stockings, I made my way on foot, weak as -I was, through water, across ditches, or along the narrow ridges of -rice-fields, and finally reached Bān Pên in safety. - -And what a week I spent in that neighbourhood! At Nawng Sīu, a village -two miles distant from Bān Pên, there were six families of professed -believers whom Dr. Dodd and I had visited the season before—almost -swimming at times to reach them in their scattered homes. Their -admission was postponed at that time until they should have had further -instruction. To these I specially addressed myself. During the week our -faithful elder, Nān Tā, came down to assist me in the work. On Friday -evening the session met at Nawng Sīu to examine and instruct these new -converts, and again on Saturday morning, closing finally at two o’clock -in the afternoon with baptism and the Lord’s Supper. On counting up the -numbers, it was found that twenty adults and seventeen children had been -baptized. Among them was an aged couple with their children, -grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. It was a memorable sight. The -Sabbath was spent at Bān Pên, where seven more adults and one child were -baptized. On Monday I made my way back to the boat as I had come, and -reached home on Tuesday. And now for the strange part of the story. _I -reached home well._ My week’s wading in the water, and the hard work, -had done what medicine and doctors and a long boat trip had failed to -accomplish! - -But a new disappointment awaited me. Before I reached home, Dr. Cary had -resigned. His short career is one of the mysteries to be explained in -the great beyond. A consecrated physician, he had given his life to the -Lāo people. Crushed by his tragic bereavement on the way out, and with a -constitution never strong, he contended manfully for two years against -the debilitating effects of a malarial climate. But at last he had to -give up the fight. His work had been successful. “He saved others; -himself he could not save!” - -His departure threw on me again the oversight of the medical work. But -this time most of the dispensing of medicine to the natives fell on -Chanta, a protégé of my own, who had had good training under two -physicians. Meanwhile Dr. Cheek looked after the mission families, and, -as already stated, was always ready to respond to an urgent call in the -hospital. My time was largely given, therefore, to the evangelistic -work, to instructing Nān Tā and other elders, and to teaching enquirers -and others to read in Siamese, first the Shorter Catechism, and then a -Gospel. - -The growth of the Chiengmai church, though not phenomenal, was very -healthy and very uniform throughout the year. There were accessions -every month save one, amounting in all to one hundred and sixty souls. -At the end of the year Miss I. A. Griffin returned from furlough, and -served a very useful term until 1896, when she retired greatly missed. -At Lakawn, Rev. Hugh Taylor and his wife began a twenty years’ course of -evangelistic work carried on with indefatigable zeal, while Miss Fleeson -was no less zealous and successful in laying the foundation of a Girls’ -School, destined to be a power in that province. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - XXVII - - A PRISONER OF JESUS CHRIST - - -We have had frequent occasion gratefully to record the good will of the -Siamese government, and of its commissioners and representatives, -towards our mission. In all its history the only exception to this -uniform friendliness was in the case of the Commissioner who, in 1889, -succeeded Prayā Tēp Worachun. The Boys’ School was on an old deserted -monastery-site given by the Prince to Dr. Peoples for a medical or a -mission compound. An old ruined chēdi or pagoda was still standing on -it. Such lots, deserted by the monks, were then regarded as abodes of -the spirits, and on such the natives dared not live. In preparing for -the school buildings, the débris about the foot of the chēdi had been -dug away. One of the early acts of the new Commissioner was to send a -written notice to the mission that it was improper to use old Buddhist -shrines for purposes other than those for which they were originally -built; and he gave us notice that we were to have three months in which -to find other quarters. But as no other lot was offered in its place, we -remained quiet, and that was the last we heard of it. - -Another incident, occurring soon after, was more serious, and gave us a -great deal of anxiety; for it came near costing the life of one of our -best native assistants. A deputation from some twelve or fifteen -families in Chieng Dāo came to us with a request that a native assistant -be sent up to teach them. Krū Nān Tā went up, and they became believers, -but required much further instruction. We selected Noi Siri, the most -prudent of our elders, for the task. We charged him specially, inasmuch -as it was in a province new to our work, to use great caution and give -no just cause of offence to the rulers or to others. He remained there a -month, and then was recalled by the illness of his wife. He stopped at -the mission to report progress, giving a good account of the conduct and -diligence of the new Christians. - -Great was our surprise, then, in a few hours to learn that Noi Siri had -been arrested, put in heavy irons, and thrown into prison on a charge of -treason against the government. Mr. Collins, Mr. Dodd, and I called upon -the Commissioner to enquire the cause of his arrest. The Commissioner -replied, Yes; he had him arrested on the grave charge of disloyalty in -teaching the converts that they were exempt from government work. Such -teaching was treason; and if the charge were true, the penalty was -death. It was not, therefore, a bailable offence. At the same time, he -said, no specifications had been forwarded. He would summon the -accusers, and the man should have a fair trial, and should have the -privilege of producing any witnesses he pleased in his defence. That -was, of course, all that we could ask, save to beg that the trial be -hastened as far as possible—to which he consented. Krū Nān Tā was -allowed to see the prisoner in his cell. From him he learned that so far -was the accusation from being true, that he had taught the Christians -that they were _not_ exempt from government work; and that, furthermore, -no call had been made on them for service while he was there. We sent -immediately for all the Christian men to come down. - -After some delay the prisoner was called into court and examined. -According to Siamese custom, his examination was taken down in writing. - -“Are you Noi Siri, who has been teaching in Chieng Dāo?” - -“Yes.” - -“When did you go there to teach?” - -“On the fourth of the third waning moon.” - -“Have you taught that Christians are exempt from public service?” - -“No. On the contrary, I taught that, as Siamese subjects, Christians are -to pay their taxes and perform all the duties of other subjects.” - -The testimony of the governor of Chieng Dāo, his accuser, was then taken -in his presence. Among the questions asked him were these: - -“Can you state any particular time and place when the Christians were -called to do government work and refused?” - -“Yes. I called a man or two, and they did not obey.” - -“When was that call made?” - -“On the fourth day of the third waxing moon.” - -This was the only specification which the governor gave. The date, it -will be noted, was fifteen days earlier than that of Noi Siri’s arrival -in Chieng Dāo. If the statement were true, it might have subjected the -persons who were summoned to trial and punishment for disloyalty; but it -absolutely cleared Noi Siri. An upright judge would have dismissed the -case. The Christian witnesses were in attendance to testify as to the -nature of the instruction they received; but were not given the -opportunity to do so. The accused man was remanded to prison. We waited, -but nothing was done. We called once more on the Commissioner; but were -told that the case had been referred to Bangkok, and he must wait for a -reply. We waited again. At last we made a written appeal on his behalf, -and in answer were told that the case was one with their own subjects, -and we had nothing to do with it. Meantime Noi Siri had become quite -ill, and all that we could do was to get him transferred from his -dungeon to the common prison. - -Eight months after this, when Mr. Dodd went down to Bangkok to be -married to Miss Eakin, he made, through the United States Minister, an -appeal to the Prince Minister of the North, who promised an immediate -order for his release. As soon as we were assured of that, we went to -the resident Prince in Chiengmai, H. R. H. Prince Sonapandit, who -promised that the order should be issued at once. The next day we called -on the Commissioner to remind him of the Prince’s promise; but he and -the Judge had just gone out for a stroll in the city. It was then -Saturday afternoon. Next day was our communion service, and I was -determined to have Noi Siri present. To do this I had to follow those -men up at once. I was a fast walker, and, when necessary, could run. My -race after them was the ludicrous sequel of the case. Two high officials -closing their office and escaping, in order to keep their victim in -chains another night, pursued by swifter feet, and overtaken in the -street! The Judge acknowledged that the Prince had given the order. He -would attend to it to-morrow. Since to-morrow would be Sunday, I need -not come. But I knew that we should not see Noi Siri in time for our -worship unless I went for him. So on Sunday morning I called once more -on the Judge, who again said that I need not wait; but I had to tell him -that I would not return till I saw his release. So the prisoner was -called, and I saw the fetters taken off from his ankles. - -The second bell was ringing when I entered the church; but Noi Siri was -with me. The congregation rose and sang the long metre doxology. There -were not many dry eyes in the room. Mr. Dodd preached from the text, -“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love -God.” Among the converts who then stood up to make a public profession -of faith was Nāng Su, a daughter of Noi Siri—and this happy coincidence -was no planning of ours. - -Noi Siri’s faith had been tried by fire, and he had come forth from the -furnace as pure gold. In addition to his own imprisonment and distress, -his wife had been for months very low with sickness, and one of his -grandchildren had died during the interval. But from his prison cell he -had written to his family not to let their faith be shaken either by his -trials or by their own. During the eight months and ten days of his -imprisonment, one hundred and thirty-three persons—his daughter closing -the list—were received into church-membership. A European in employ of -the government, who had cognizance of the whole case, afterwards said to -me, “It might be well to get the Commissioner to imprison a few more -Christians!” A history of the case was afterwards published by our Board -in a leaflet entitled, “The Laos Prisoner.” - -Before the close of the year there was an event which for the time came -near to overthrowing the government. A new tax, levied chiefly on areca -trees, caused much exasperation throughout the country. As usual, the -tax was farmed out to Chinese for collection. The local officers in -various districts formed a coalition to resist to the uttermost the -collection of the tax. Of course, this could not be allowed, since the -collectors were the agents of the government. The resistance was centred -chiefly in the districts to the eastward of the city, where Prayā Pāp, -who had some reputation as a soldier, went so far as to gather a -considerable force of the insurgents within a few miles of Chiengmai. A -day even was set for their attack on the city. If they had made a dash -then, they could easily have taken it, for the sympathy of the people -was wholly with them, and the government was unprepared. - -Our house was only two hundred yards away from the Chinese distillery, -which was the objective of the insurgents. The residence of the -Commissioner and that of the Siamese Prince Sonapandit were nearly -opposite us on the other side of the river. Our position was further -compromised by the fact that the wives and children of a number of -influential Chinese had almost forcibly taken refuge in our compound. In -any case, we should have been in a position of great danger from the -guns on the other side of the river aimed at the distillery. We were -strongly advised to take refuge in the British Consulate, whose shelter -was kindly offered us. But the whole population in our neighbourhood was -watching us. If we stirred, there would have been a general stampede. - -Fortunately for themselves and for the country, the courage of the -common people failed. One after another they deserted the leader, till -at last he also fled. He was caught, however, and with seven other -leaders was executed. This was the end of the matter in Chiengmai; but -certain parties of the insurgents, escaping northwards, became roving -bands of marauders that for some time disturbed the peace of the -frontier towns. The rebellion never had any chance of ultimate success; -but had the attack on the city been actually made, the immediate -consequences would have been direful, and untold calamity would have -been entailed on the whole country. - -The arrival of Dr. McKean at the close of the year marked an era in our -medical work. He was accompanied by our daughter, Miss Cornelia H. -McGilvary, now Mrs. William Harris Jun. It was the pleasant duty of Mrs. -McGilvary to escort the party up from Bangkok. The appointment of our -daughter was no less a surprise than a delight to us. During her school -days she always said that she would not become a missionary. When the -question came up for final settlement, she fought it out in her own mind -alone, and reached her own decision. The Lāo language, which, during her -ten years’ absence, she seemed to have lost entirely, came back to her -very soon and with little effort. - -It has been Dr. McKean’s privilege to continue the work begun by able -physicians, and to carry it to a higher degree of efficiency. He has -combined, as most of our physicians have done, the two great objects of -the medical missionary, the medical and the evangelistic, making the -former a means to the latter. While the professional and the charitable -features of the work have not been minimized, but rather magnified, no -minister has more loved to preach the Gospel, or has been more -successful in it. At the same time it may be that the great work now -enlisting his sympathy and his strenuous efforts—the establishment of a -leper colony and hospital, and the amelioration of the condition of that -unfortunate class—may be the one with which his name will be most -intimately associated. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - XXVIII - - CIRCUIT TOUR WITH MY DAUGHTER, 1890 - - -I had been appointed by Presbytery to organize in Chieng Rāi the church -which was not found ready for organization on my previous visit. I had -planned for a tour longer than usual, to include the eastern provinces -as far as Nān, as well as the northern ones, and expected to take with -me native assistants only. But upon the arrival of our reinforcement, I -was no less surprised than delighted to find that my daughter desired to -accompany me; and so it was arranged. - -Starting on February 5th, we spent the first Sunday in Lakawn. Here we -met another surprise. Mr. Taylor had spent his first year in that -annoying work for the new missionary, the building of a house. He was -anxious to get out among the people, but feared he was not sufficiently -versed in the language to make profitable a tour alone. He and Mrs. -Taylor would join us if they could get elephants—a matter which was -easily arranged. Mr. Taylor proved to be an efficient helper. My -daughter had a delightful companion, and it was a great pleasure to -initiate the new missionaries into the evangelistic work which Dr. and -Mrs. Taylor since then have carried on so successfully for twenty years. -It is still their delight—may they live to carry it on for many years to -come! - -One of the chief diversions of the trip thenceforward was afforded by -the pranks of an uncommonly mischievous baby-elephant which accompanied -its mother. On one occasion a footman coming towards us stepped out of -the trail and stood beside a large tree to let us pass. The mischievous -creature saw his opportunity, and before the man knew what was up, he -found himself fast pinioned between the elephant’s head and the tree -trunk. The frightened man extricated himself with loud outcry, while the -beholders were convulsed with laughter. Our own men were constantly the -victims of his pranks; so that, one day, I told them that there would be -no trouble if they would only leave the creature alone—adding, by way of -clinching my advice, “You see, he never troubles me.” Just then, to the -great delight of all, he made straight for me, and if there had been a -tree behind me I should have been in the same unpleasant position in -which the footman found himself. - -Mr. Taylor’s account of the earlier portion of the trip is as follows: - - “We left Lakawn on the 12th of February with Dr. McGilvary and - his daughter, and in four days reached Mûang Prê. Our tents were - pitched by the road just outside the city gate. The advent of - four foreigners, two of whom were women, created quite a stir; - and we were all kept abundantly busy in visiting and being - visited. Mrs. Taylor and Miss McGilvary were the first white - ladies to visit the place; and of course, much to their own - discomfort, were the centre of attraction.... - - “The people of Prê seemed very ready to listen to the Gospel; so - plenty of auditors were found everywhere. On Sabbath, the 16th, - the first convert in Prê was baptized. He is a blind man, Noi - Wong by name, who came to Lakawn to have Dr. Peoples operate on - his eyes; but as nothing could be done for him, he returned home - carrying in his heart some of the teachings there received, and - in his hand a manuscript copy of a small catechism I was able to - spare him. From his answers before the session, it was evident - that he had used his brother’s eyes well in having it read to - him. - - “On Wednesday we started on for Nān, and arrived there the - following Tuesday. We received a very cordial welcome from the - officials of that city, who sent a man to put in order a - rest-house for us, and another to conduct our elephants to a - place for food and water. Next day, after the court closed, - some of the officials came to visit us. After wading through - the crowds on the first and second verandas, and finally - planting himself cross-legged in the middle of the thronged - reception-room, their Chief said they thought we would be - lonesome; so they had come to visit us. No idea could have - been more comical to us; but he was seriously in earnest, and - explained that he had never known the people to visit with - other foreigners who had come to their city. They would not, - however, listen well when the subject of religion was - broached, and with one or two exceptions would not attend any - of our services.” - -The morning after our arrival in Nān, my daughter met in the -market-place a daughter of the Prince, and, before she was aware, found -herself escorted into the palace. Her newly recovered language stood her -in good stead, and she had a pleasant talk with the Prince and his -daughters and wives. Next day he sent word that he would be pleased to -give our party an audience. He was of venerable age, and second only to -our Chiengmai Prince in his influence at the court of Bangkok. He -expressed his pleasure at our visit to his country. He was too old to -embrace a new religion. We might teach his children and grandchildren. -What they would do he did not know. - -At Nān the Taylors left us, returning to their station, while we -journeyed on. Our next stage was Chieng Kawng, one hundred and fifty -miles to the northwest. We usually stopped for the night at large -villages, or sometimes in small towns. But once we spent two days in the -forest, where bears, tigers, and wild elephants abound. The first -evening we just missed the sight of three tigers. Our men had gone on -ahead to select a camping-place for the night, and saw a mother with two -cubs crossing the road. Next morning one of my elephants, that had been -hobbled and turned loose, was not on hand. It was nothing unusual for -one of them to be a little belated, so we loaded up the others and -prepared for starting. But when an hour had passed, and then two hours, -and the elephant still did not come, we unloaded them and waited a long -weary day and an anxious night. Early next morning, however, the driver -appeared. That was a relief, but still there was no elephant. He had -followed her trail over the mountain ridge, down gorges, and across -knolls, till, tired and hungry, he had retraced his steps. Night -overtook him, and, crouched under a tree, he had caught snatches of -sleep while keeping watch for tigers. For two nights and a day he had -not tasted food. With an elephant’s instinct, the beast was making her -way towards her old range in Chieng Rāi, many days distant. It was a -relief to know that she had not joined a large wild herd, in which case -her capture would be practically impossible. - -We could not remain indefinitely in the forest. So giving the driver -food, a gun, and two carriers for company, with instructions not to -return till the elephant was found, we moved on five or six miles to the -next village, Bān Kêm. This was the noon of Wednesday. Our detention -seemed providential. We found the place fever-stricken. Our medicines at -once made us friends. Our tent was crowded with visitors, so that I had -little time to think of the lost elephant. The people seemed hungry for -the Gospel. Three substantial men in the village, on the night before we -left, professed a sincere and cordial acceptance of Jesus as their -Saviour. - -On Saturday, shortly after midday, there was a shout, “Here comes Lung -Noi with the elephant!” I was both glad and sorry to hear it. Had I been -alone, I should have remained longer. But we had lost so much time, that -every one was eager to depart. I promised if possible to come again, but -the time never came. - -Chieng Kawng was our next point, a place I had visited with Dr. Vrooman -seventeen years before. The young lad who then was so much interested in -my repeating rifle was now governor, and came running out, bareheaded -and barefooted, to welcome us. In the interval I had met him from time -to time in Chiengmai, and he always begged that I would make him another -visit. I had been better than my word—I had come at last, and brought my -daughter, too. His brother, the second governor, had seen us in time to -don his audience dress, and he appeared more like a white man than any -one we had seen since the Taylors left us. He was ready to start on an -expedition to Mûang Sing, five days northward beyond the Mê Kōng. The -Prince of Nān had received permission from the King of Siam to repeople -that old province. Hence this expedition. The leader had three hundred -men, and gave me a cordial invitation to go as chaplain and physician! -After this, while the work was well under way, the territory was turned -over to France as the result of the long and troubled negotiations over -the boundary between Siam and French Indo-China. - -The wives of both the governors could scarcely be content with my -daughter’s short stay. They would surely become Christians, if she would -remain one month to teach them. All I could do was to promise once more -to come again if possible. The promised visit was made two years later, -but then the “Nāi” was not along. - -From there the only travelled route to Chieng Sên was by Chieng Rāi, -both hot and circuitous. The alternative was a blind, untravelled track -through the forest, made over forty years before, when Siam sent its -last unfortunate expedition against Keng Tung. Here was a tempting -chance to test the old proverb, Where there’s a will, there’s a way. The -governor procured a noted hunter to guide us. Every carrier and driver -and servant in the party carried his bush knife, and all promised to aid -if we only would take the cooler road. It was, however, literally making -in the forest “a highway for our God,” over which several missionary -tours have since been made. In the denser parts of the forest, we could -force our way only by cutting away branches and small trees, and at -times felling clumps of bamboo. - -We had a cool place for rest and worship on Sunday. Our hunter had not -promised to keep the Sabbath, and we were on his old hunting-grounds, -where game of all kinds abounded. At dawn he was off with his gun, and -we saw no more of him till sunset, when he appeared smiling, with some -choice cuts of beef hanging from the barrel of his gun. He had found and -followed, all day, a herd of wild cattle—the Kating—and succeeded in -killing one of them near our road, a mile or more ahead of our camp. -Though killed on Sunday, we ate it and asked no questions for -conscience’ sake. It was surely the most delicious beef we ever tasted. -We should have had a mutiny the next day, had we proposed to pass on -without stopping to save the meat. And what a huge creature it was. It -must have weighed nearly a ton. Our men extemporized frames over the -fire, and were busy cutting up the meat and drying it until late at -night. Next day each man went loaded with it to his utmost capacity. -What we could not carry away, the guide stored in the fork of a tree -against his return. - -The journey through the forest was shorter and far more comfortable than -would have been the regular route. When next I travelled it, it had -become a public highway. And as long as I continued to journey that way, -it was known as the “Teacher’s Road.” - -Chieng Sên was the limit of our trip. Before reaching it, we began to -hear rumours of war—that the city was blockaded, no one being permitted -to enter or depart. The country population had been called in to defend -the city, etc., etc. We were advised to return, but kept on. At the gate -the guard admitted us without difficulty. - -The disturbance was the aftermath of the previous year’s tax-rebellion, -which, as we supposed, was completely ended before we left home. But a -portion of the insurgents had fled to Keng Tung, and, gathering there a -larger force, came south again as far as Mûang Fāng, where they were -either captured or again scattered. It was the fear that this lawless -band, on its retreat northward, might attack and plunder the city, that -caused the confusion. But the fugitives would have been fools to linger -about two weeks after their defeat, when they knew that both the army -behind them and the country in front of them would be on the alert for -their capture. The governor was delighted to see us, and we were able in -some degree to allay his fears. We were there, too, to speak a word of -comfort to our own flock, who, like the rest, had been called in to -protect the city. The panic gradually subsided, and the people returned -to their homes. Owing in part to the unsettled condition of the country, -we did not remain long in Chieng Sên; but long enough to visit in their -homes every Christian family save one, and to have a delightful -communion season with the church on Sunday. - -Our special commission on this tour was to organize a church in Chieng -Rāi, where our next Sunday was spent. Our governor friend was -disappointed that we had not come to take possession of the fine lot on -the bank of the Mê Kok which he had given us. At his suggestion a house -on it was purchased from his son at a nominal price, with the promise -that we would urge the mission to occupy it the next year. On April -13th, the three sections of the church assembled by invitation at Mê -Kawn. The obstacles which prevented the organization before were now -removed. Fifty-one communicants and thirty-two non-communing members -were enrolled, two ruling elders were elected and ordained, and the new -church started with fair prospects. - -We reached home on April 29th, after an absence of eighty-one days. We -found all well, and the work prospering along all the lines. It was none -too soon, however. We were just in time to escape the rise of the -streams. At our last encampment on the Mê Kūang we had a great storm of -wind and rain, with trees and branches falling about us. The trip was a -long one for my daughter; but her presence greatly enhanced the -importance of the tour. On my subsequent tours through that region the -first question always was, “Did you bring the Nāi?” and the second, “Why -not?” - -On our return we were surprised to find Dr. McKean in a new and -comfortable teak house, toward the erection of which neither axe nor saw -nor plane had been used when we left. The saw-mill could deliver at once -whatever was needed. But _my_ house had been seven years in building! - -By this time nearly all the Lāo cities of Siam had been visited by -missionaries. In two of them—Chiengmai and Lakawn—we had established -permanent stations. For the third station, Chieng Rāi seemed to present -the strongest claim. Politically it was not so important as Nān. But -Nān, while very cordial to foreigners personally, was very jealous about -admitting foreign influence of any kind. And the absolute control of the -people by the princes of Nān would be an obstacle in the way of the -acceptance of Christianity there until the princes themselves embraced -it. In Chieng Rāi province the governor was known to be favourable to -the Jesus-religion. Its broad plains and fertile soil were sure to -attract a large immigration from the south, where population is dense -and land very dear. The city is about equidistant from the five cities -of Wieng Pā Pāo on the south, Mûang Fāng on the west, Chieng Sên on the -north, Chieng Kawng on the northeast, and Chieng Kam on the east. In our -reports to the mission and to the Board, these facts were urged as -arguments for the establishment of a station there. The mission gave its -cordial sanction to a temporary occupancy. A longer tour was authorized -for the next season; but the heavy debt of the Board forbade the -expenditure of more than two hundred and fifty rupees for a temporary -house in order to secure the land which had been given us. Our long -delay sorely shook the good governor’s faith that we would ever come. - -The arrival of young missionaries on the field rendered some kind of -physical and social recreation necessary. Croquet had formerly been -tried, but it gave very little exercise, and had been supplanted by the -better game of lawn tennis. In the fall of 1890, Mrs. McGilvary prepared -a court in our front lot, and invited the missionaries and the small -European community to an “At Home” on Tuesdays at 4:30 P.M. The game -furnished the very exercise needed after a day’s confinement in school -or study. It proved so beneficial to health and to efficiency in work, -that the “At Home” was continued, with occasional interruptions from -weather or other causes, for thirteen or fourteen years. This was Mrs. -McGilvary’s little contribution to the health and the social recreation -of the community in which we lived; and it was highly appreciated. - -In August I had occasion to visit Wieng Pā Pāo. Before I was out of the -Chiengmai plain I had an exciting runaway on my big sadaw elephant. A -mother cow was grazing at some little distance from her calf. As the -elephant approached the calf, the mother became alarmed for its safety, -and rushed frantically towards it, bellowing to the utmost capacity of -her lungs. This was quite too much for my big timid beast. He started -off at a fearful pace, which the driver in vain endeavoured to control. -Fortunately it was on an open plain with no woods or trees. The same -elephant on a previous occasion, when Mrs. McGilvary was riding him, on -some slight alarm rushed off into a thicket of low trees; and once, with -me on his back, went crashing through the standing timber in the forest. -In both cases it was nothing but the strength of the three-strand rattan -girth that saved either howdah or rider. The elephant’s fastest run is -not a “lope,” but a kind of long swing from side to side. It is an awful -sensation. I never was in an earthquake, but I imagine the two -experiences must be somewhat similar, with the fear in this case of -being at any instant dashed from your lofty perch to the ground. - -The special reason for this trip was the fear of some collision or -trouble between the government and the Christians with regard to the -Sunday question. Besides keeping their own Sabbath, the Christians were -forbidden to do any manual work on the Buddhist sacred days as well, -making altogether eight days in each month. Had the rule been the -outcome of conscientious scruples on the part of a religious people at -seeing their sacred day desecrated, we should have respected their -scruples. But the day was a mere holiday, and, except by a few of the -more religious, it was largely spent in hunting and fishing. I had to -remind the governor of his beautiful inconsistency. He would not allow -the Christians to use an axe or a plow on sacred days, while the people -generally were allowed to kill animals, thus breaking the most stringent -of Buddha’s laws. He must have felt the force of the argument, for -before the very next sacred day an order was issued forbidding hunting -and fishing on it. - -[Illustration: - - FIRST CHURCH IN CHIENGMAI] - - -[Illustration: - - DR. McGILVARY’S HOME IN CHIENGMAI] - - -But till the original order was revoked, strict obedience was enjoined -upon the Christians. - -The Annual Meeting was held in Lakawn early in December. Just before it -convened, Dr. and Mrs. W. A. Briggs and Rev. Robert Irwin arrived, -together with Dr. and Mrs. Peoples, returning from furlough. For the -present these were stationed at Lakawn. At the same time Rev. and Mrs. -Stanley K. Phraner were nearing Chiengmai on the Mê Ping fork. But our -song of joy over their arrival was destined soon again to have a sad -refrain. The two young brides had scarcely reached their husbands’ field -of labour—which they thought was to be theirs also—when they were both -called to a higher sphere. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - XXIX - - LENGTHENING THE CORDS AND STRENGTHENING THE STAKES - - -While in the United States, Dr. Peoples had succeeded in procuring a -font of Lāo type, with the necessary equipment for printing. For -twenty-three years we had used only the Siamese Scriptures and -literature. With many present disadvantages, it had some compensations. -Those who could read Siamese had access to the whole of the Old and New -Testaments. The press was set up in Chiengmai, and Rev. D. G. Collins -was made manager. The first printing done was Mrs. McGilvary’s -translation of the Gospel of Matthew. - -My daughter had been sent down to aid the Phraners on their river trip. -Word was sent ahead that Mrs. Phraner was not well. As they drew nearer, -her condition became so critical that Dr. McKean hastened with all speed -to meet them. When she reached Chiengmai, her condition, while still -critical, was more hopeful. I was ready to start on my tour as soon as -the party arrived. When I left home, we were still hopeful that rest, -kind nursing, and medical treatment would set her right again. - -During my absence this year I was fortunate enough to receive a regular -weekly mail from Chiengmai. A staff of engineers were surveying a -railroad route for the Siamese government, and had a weekly mail sent to -their stations along the line. They were very kind to include my letters -also, which was particularly fortunate in that thus I could have news of -the invalid left behind. - -I have learned to start on my tours with very flexible plans, leaving -much to the guidance of providential openings on the way. On this trip, -at the village of Pāng Krai—which, because it was a mile or two away -from the road, I had not visited in seventeen years—I was delayed three -days by a reception so cordial that I could not pass on. On my previous -trip a man from the village, Noi Tēchō by name, came with his little -girl across to our camp and begged us to visit it. This I could not then -do; but he remained with us till late at night, and seemed to be a -believer. I now found that in the interval the man had kept the Sabbath, -and had given such other evidence of his sincerity, that we could not -refuse his reception to the communion and fellowship of the church. On -the last night of our stay we had a baptismal and communion service that -was memorable. The man made a good confession before many witnesses, and -his little daughter was baptized as a non-communing member. - -As in many other cases, this family had been driven by trouble to our -religion. Originally he was the slave of a prince in Lakawn. The -accusation of witchcraft then settled on the family; but before they -were driven off the Prince compelled them to borrow money in order to -redeem themselves from him—to do which the man had to give two of his -children as security. After a move or two, he was driven by famine from -Lakawn, and came to this village. - -One morning at Wieng Pā Pāo I was summoned in great haste to attend one -of the engineers who was thought to have been nearly killed by a fall -from a runaway horse. I found that he had broken a collar-bone, but was -otherwise uninjured. I applied all of my amateur surgical skill, and set -the bone. But my patient, naturally enough, could not feel quite sure; -and thought it safer to go down to our hospital and get Dr. McKean’s -judgment on the case. He found the bone set all right. - -Late one Saturday evening I reached Bān Pā Hōng in Chieng Rāi province, -and stopped with the first Christian family. Next day I learned that in -the next section of the village there was a Christian girl very low with -consumption. Early on Monday morning I moved on, but was only in time to -see a lovely form and face apparently in the most natural sleep; but the -living soul had departed. I had baptized her two years before, when she -was fourteen years of age. She had been sick for seven months, and had -spent most of the time in prayer. It made me inexpressibly sad when I -learned that her strongest desire was to see her own “Paw Krū” before -she departed. On the previous evening, when she heard that we had -reached the village near by, she said, “And the Paw Krū is at Noi Lin’s, -and I cannot see him!” I preached her funeral sermon, and saw her -decently buried. - - * * * * * - -The next Sunday morning, while sitting in the Mê Kawn chapel and -preparing for service, I looked up and saw standing on the ground before -the door some people in a strange costume evidently not Lāo, looking in -as if in doubt whether to enter or not. I immediately recognized them as -belonging to the Mūsô tribe, quite numerous in the mountains near by. -Their ready acceptance of my invitation to come in showed that they were -waiting to be asked, and feared only lest they might be intruders. As -the Mūsôs will be prominent in our narrative of this and the two -following years, a word of introduction may be desirable. - -They are one of a numerous group of hill-tribes which have gradually -followed the mountain ridges down from the interior of the continent. -They live under a patriarchal government, if it may be rightly called a -government at all; and they enjoy great personal freedom, though the -authority of the clan approaches very near to absolute despotism. They -are worshippers of spirits, which are held to preside over the universe -and the destinies of men generally; while as a tribe they are under the -guardianship of their own “spirits.” They have a twelfth—day sabbath or -sacred day, not very definitely marked. They make a great deal of their -“kin waw” or New Year feast, when all communication with other villages -even of their own tribe is cut off during the five or seven days of -their feasting. The religious head of the village is called Pū Chān, and -the head Pū Chān of a province holds in his hands the conscience of all -his flock. - -Their manner of life is as follows: They select a locality, the higher -up the better, near the source of a mountain brook. They fell the trees -and undergrowth at the close of the rainy season, let them dry during -the hot season, and just before the next rainy season set fire to the -clearing on a windy day. All that is readily combustible is consumed, -leaving the logs on the ground. With a small hoe or a narrow spade they -make shallow openings in the earth some ten inches apart, all over the -field, and deposit in each a dozen rice grains, more or less. The rains -do the rest till the harvest. The second year’s crop is the best, but it -is seldom that they can compete with the scrub-growth for a third crop. -A temporary shack is easily erected, if possible, contiguous to three -clearings. When these are abandoned, they move on and repeat the -operation elsewhere. By this means all the higher mountains are being -steadily denuded of their forests. - -Being bound by no system of hoary age and venerable associations, like -Buddhism or Brahmanism, most of the hill-tribes are very receptive of -the Gospel. Their clannishness, however, is such that if they become -Christians at all, they come in a body. But it is very difficult for -individuals or families to break away from the clan. At the same time -their migratory and unsettled habits are by no means favourable to their -education and civilization. To any other power than that of the Gospel -that would seem to be a hopeless task. - -But to return to our visitors at the chapel. There were seven men and -boys in the party. The spokesman, Cha Pū Kaw, was tall and well -proportioned, with the bearing of one who might be a leader of some -position. He understood Lāo better than most of his tribe, and through -him it was by no means difficult to draw the others into conversation. -They were from three families that had been driven down nearer the plain -by accusation of witchcraft. They had learned from our elder that -Christians were not afraid of witchcraft, nor of expulsion from the -country. They had also talked over with him the plan of salvation for -sinful men provided in the Gospel, and had asked to be informed whenever -we should come again. They readily consented to remain through the -morning service, which was modified to suit the needs of the new -audience. It was the first Christian worship they had ever attended, and -they were evidently pleased. The Christians invited them to share their -dinner, and the most of the afternoon was given up to their instruction. -The boys were put to reading the catechism and learning to sing the Lāo -version of “There is a Happy Land.” They remained with us till there was -only light enough left to enable them to find their way home. - -Early next morning we crossed the plain to the foot of the mountain, -where we struck the little brook along which and in which lay our -pathway. The climb was a stiff one, but with noble outlooks over the -plain below. In their little hamlet there were three families, or, -rather, three divisions of one family, numbering twenty-six souls. By -their intercourse with the Christians at the chapel the soil had been -prepared for the seed. So from nine o’clock till noon we addressed -ourselves to teaching the elders, while the children were becoming more -and more interested in the catechism, and especially in the “Happy -Land.” - -While the men and boys were thus engaged, the grandmother and her -daughters were busy preparing dinner. When all was ready, the steaming -white rice was emptied on a board like that on which our housewives -knead their bread. With it was a vegetable curry, sweet potatoes steamed -over the rice, bananas, and other fruits, with native sugar in cakes for -dessert. The board piled with food was set before me, and I was invited -to partake. They were delighted that I could eat and enjoy it. - -After all had finished their meal, the exercises of the morning were -resumed, with the women now disengaged and free to listen. Long before -night Cha Pū Kaw and his brother-in-law, Cha Waw, of about the same age, -expressed their firm belief in the truth of our religion, and their -acceptance of the Gospel offer as far as they understood it. The women -said they would follow their husbands. The sun was already getting low -when we had worship together before leaving. When we came to bid our -hosts good-bye, we found that we were to be escorted down by the two -elder men and the boys, lest a tiger might meet us on the way. It was -almost dark when we reached the chapel.—A day never to be forgotten! - -At the chapel I found letters from Chiengmai bringing the news that Mrs. -Phraner’s long and painful sufferings were ended. She died on February -13th. All that three able physicians could do was done; but in vain. Her -mother and her family were never willing that she should become a -missionary, being sure that she could not endure the strain of a -missionary’s life. That fact filled the husband’s cup of sorrow to -overflowing. My letter stated that he was beside himself with grief; -that the physicians, and, in fact, the whole mission, strongly advised -him to join me on my tour; and that he would reach me not long after the -letter. - -On the following Friday, while getting the new chapel ready, I heard the -shout, “There comes the new teacher!” He was worn and haggard, and -visibly older than when I left him; but making a brave effort to be -cheerful. He said very little of his great loss. - -[Illustration: - - MAP OF NORTHERN SIAM, SHOWING MISSION STATIONS, UNDERLINED.] - - -On Sunday the whole Mūsô village was on hand long before the hour for -worship. The women came with their babes tied with a scarf to the -mother’s back, according to their custom. The news that they were become -Christians had spread, and drew a larger number than usual of our -non-Christian neighbours to the services. The Christians, too, were -greatly encouraged thereby. In the afternoon a few of the tribe from -another village were present, and listened with surprise to Cha Pū Kaw’s -first sermon. He had evidently entered upon his new faith in earnest, -and was not ashamed to bear his testimony. - -On Monday we moved on to Chieng Rāi, where I was to direct the removal -of a house to the lot which the Governor had offered us. But Mr. -Phraner’s condition demanded movement and change of scene. Arrangements -were, therefore, made to have the house moved by others, while we went -on at once to Chieng Sên. There we found the Chao Uparāt just returned -from a trip via Mûang Len to Mûang Sing, some hundred miles or so to the -northeast on the other side of the Mê Kōng River. He was profuse in his -praise both of Mûang Sing and of the journey thither; and suggested that -it would be a fine opening for a mission, and a most interesting tour. -The suggestion seemed attractive to us both. So, after a week of work in -the church and in the city of Chieng Sên, we started for Mûang Len and -Mûang Sing. - -Mûang Len is the common market centre of a large number of hill-tribes -that inhabit the mountain ridges in all directions round about. All the -cities and towns north of Chieng Sên hold a fifth-day fair or market. We -were fortunate in striking market-day on the Saturday of our arrival. -Early in the morning people began to pour into the place from all -directions. The mountain tribes came out, their beaux and belles all in -gala dress, some to buy and sell, and others because it was their weekly -holiday. - -From Chieng Sên I had brought along Nān Suwan, the Lû elder, who had -come into closer contact with these mountain tribes than had our elders -from the south. He could make the men, and especially the head men, -understand fairly well. To all who understood the Lāo I could, of -course, speak directly. We took our stand at the end of the market, and -the crowd gathered about us. None of them had ever seen a missionary. -None, save some few of the Lāo men, had ever read a book, or knew even a -letter of any written language. They were children of nature, artless -and unsophisticated. We pressed home the thought, new to them, that -there must be a maker of the world and of all creatures in it. We told -them the old, old story of the infinite love of God, our Father, and of -Christ, His Son, who suffered and died to save us, and of pardon freely -promised to all who believe in Him. This is the final argument that wins -these people. - -After the merely curious among the crowd had withdrawn, this doctrine of -salvation from sin held the more thoughtful, and brought them to our -tent in the afternoon, and even far on into the night. The head men -especially, who were more free to come to me, expressed a deep personal -interest in the new doctrine. The most interested and interesting man -was Sên Ratana, the governor of the Kôn quarter of the city. We met him -on Sunday. On Monday we called on him and spent most of the morning at -his house, explaining to him the plan of salvation and dictating to him -portions of Scripture for him to copy; for by this time the Lāo -manuscript copies which we brought with us were exhausted. He copied, -also, the first few questions and answers of the Shorter Catechism, -hoping that with these as a key, he could learn to read the Siamese -Gospel and catechism which I gave him. - -On our return to our tent on Monday evening we found almost a panic -among our people. Some lawless men had lounged about the tent most of -the day, asking suspicious questions about how much money we carried, -and how many guns, and whither we were going from there, etc., etc. The -result was that those who had been most eager for the trip beyond the Mê -Kōng to Mûang Sing, began now to beg us to return. Mr. Phraner, -moreover, became uneasy about his borrowed elephant, which would be a -great prize for robbers. So, after consultation, it was decided to -retrace our steps. However disappointing this might be to me, I had at -least learned the road to Mûang Sing and Mûang Yawng. The tour to both -those places, and to many others, was only deferred to the following -year, when we might hope to have at least one printed Gospel in the Lāo -language, and a tract or two to distribute. The news of Cha Pū Kaw’s -conversion spread far and wide, and was preparing the way for further -work among his tribe. - -Leaving Mûang Len on Wednesday, we breathed more freely after we had -crossed the border into Siam. On reaching Chieng Sên, Mr. Phraner -decided to return to Chiengmai. He had reaped all the benefit possible -from change of scene. He felt that he ought now to be in his future -home, settling down to a systematic study of the language. But I greatly -missed his pleasant company. - -The object of the missionary’s visit to an outlying church like that of -Chieng Sên, is to “lengthen the cords and strengthen the stakes”—to -awaken the careless, to attract the indifferent, and to deepen -impressions already made. Within the range of influence of such a church -there are always those who, though taught, indeed, by its native -officers, still need further instruction by the missionary—who have -objections to be met and doubts to be resolved beyond the power of these -officers to cope with. Not infrequently some one who is already a -believer has a wife, a husband, or children on whom his own final -decision depends. These must be visited in their homes. Their confidence -must be won and their friendship gained as a preliminary to awakening -their interest in our religion. - -For the sake of the Christians personally, as well as for the work in -general, it is important to cultivate the friendship of the local -rulers. It is to them that the Christians are responsible. And then the -Christian families must be visited, their children instructed, their -difficulties settled, their sick be treated, and instructed how to treat -themselves in our absence; and as much Scriptural teaching is to be -given as our time by night and by day will permit. But our most -important duty is to instruct the elders themselves, and give them an -uplift. - -When my work in Chieng Sên was done, I started for Chieng Kawng, taking -Nān Suwan along, for he was well known there and in most of the region -to be visited as far as Chieng Rāi. The Mê Tam, already referred to as -the stream which rises from under the mountain west of the plain, -becomes quite a river as it enters the Mê Kōng near Chieng Sên. The -bottom land is covered with reedy grass so tall that a large elephant -carrying a high howdah can be seen only a short distance away. Here we -lost our way completely, and wandered about bewildered for a long time. - -When finally we reached the stream, its trough was so deep that we -failed in a number of attempts to get down to the water. At last we dug -down as best we could the edge of the high sandy bank, and, after much -urging, and some protest on his part, my sadaw tremblingly reached forth -his front feet, lay down, and slid like an alligator, dragging his hind -legs after him, till, with a mighty plunge, we landed in deep water. It -was an awful sensation for the rider. The place was in a bayou with -“back water” so deep as to be quite over one’s head; and, unlike the -natives, the rider could not swim! The landing on the further shore was -little better. There the elephant struggled up the bank until he got his -forefeet on the edge above. Then, with a gigantic effort, he drew -himself up so suddenly that the rider had to hold on for dear life to -avoid being thrown over his head. It was a feat that only an elephant -could perform, and one would much prefer witnessing it from a distance -to being on his back during the operation. - -At Chieng Kawng I was sorry to find the governor sadly crippled. In -descending a flight of steps he had slipped to the ground, dislocating -his ankle and bruising the bone. The joint had been barbarously treated, -was fearfully swollen, and caries of the bone had evidently set in. I -urged him to take an elephant and go to our hospital, as the only -possible chance of cure. He was favourably inclined to the idea, and -promised to do so after trying somewhat longer the incantations of a -noted sorceress, who was believed to have great power over wounds. It -almost passes belief that such an intelligent man could have any faith -in it. Yet reason and ridicule alike failed to dispel the hope that she -might succeed. The result might have been predicted. After giving him -great suffering, the treatment cost him his life. - -While I was in Chieng Kawng, a Nān prince returning from Mûang Sing -brought the news that negotiations then on foot between France and Siam -would put a stop to all further settlement of that district; would, in -fact, transfer the whole region east of the Mê Kōng to France. The -Prince of Nān was greatly disappointed; but little did we think that the -transfer would ultimately prove an effectual barrier to our work also. -It is surely one of the anomalies and anachronisms of the twentieth -century that a Christian nation of Europe should oppose the introduction -of Christianity into a region over which it has absolute control! - -On the last night before we left, all the princes and officers came to -see us, and remained till midnight. They were as loath to have us leave -them as we were to go. - -The journey from Chieng Kawng was intensely hot; the thermometer -standing at 103° in my howdah by day, and on one night in my tent at -96°. On the banks of the Mê Ing I found native white roses in bloom in -abundance, and brought home with me a plant which Mrs. McGilvary greatly -prized, for this was the only native rose I had found in the Lāo -territory. - -On the way to Mûang Tông I passed the camp of Chao Wieng Sā, a Nān -prince whom I had met in his home on two former visits. He was -overseeing the felling and running of teak timber down the Mê Ing and -the Mê Kōng to Lūang Prabāng. He had received and read a Siamese New -Testament, was quite familiar with the life and teachings of Jesus, and -admired His character. A lawsuit afterwards brought him to Chiengmai, -where I saw a great deal of him. He was surely a believer at heart. To -me he was willing to confess that his only hope was in Jesus Christ, but -was not ready to make a public profession of his faith. I love to think -of many such whom I have met as like the Gamaliels, the Nicodemuses, and -the Josephs of Christ’s day. - -[Illustration: - - MRS. McGILVARY - 1893] - - -At Mûang Tông, as soon as I dismounted from my elephant an officer met -me to enquire who I was, and to escort me to the public sālā. I soon -learned that he was the brother of another officer whom I had found on -the road to Chieng Rāi the year before, unable to travel and, -apparently, sick unto death with fever. His company could not linger -indefinitely in the forest, and so had left him there with two men to -watch him, and probably to see him die. A dose of calomel, and the -quinine which I left with instructions as to its use, seem to have cured -his fever and enabled him to reach his home in safety. He was himself -now absent, but his brother’s heart had been opened to friendship, and -he did all that he could for my comfort. At night he invited his friends -to the sālā to meet me, and we had an interesting evening. In all these -places Nān Suwan and Noi Siri would often be heard talking to the -audience after I had retired, and until sleep closed my eyes. - -During our absence from Chieng Rāi a case of oppression, or, at least, -of evident injustice, on the part of the Court, had led our friend the -governor to take all Christians under his personal protection as his own -dependents. The kindness was well meant, and we thanked him for it. But -I doubted its wisdom. The only scheme under which Christianity can -really establish itself in all lands, is to have Christians stand on -precisely the same level before the law as Buddhists or Brahmans or the -followers of any other religion. - -From Chieng Rāi the elders were sent on to Cha Pū Kaw’s village to see -how the Mūsôs were getting on. I followed them in a day or two. When I -reached the chapel at Mê Kawn, the elders had returned from the Mūsô -village with a glowing account of their constancy. This the testimony of -Noi Tāliya and of all the Lāo Christians confirmed. They had not missed -a single Sunday service; old and young alike came, and mothers, as -before, bringing their children tied on their backs. They had shamed the -Lāo Christians by their earnestness, getting to the chapel first, -studying hard, and returning home late. - -On Saturday morning the whole village came down, and we spent the day -together. They remained that night as the guests of the Lāo. The next -day, Sunday, was largely given up to their instruction. They all had -renounced the worship of spirits; they all accepted Jesus as their -Saviour; they were all diligently learning to read and to sing. Their -conduct was most consistent; they had a good reflex influence upon the -church; and their conversion was an astonishment to the non-Christian -community. - -These Mūsôs had all come, expecting to join the church. They had been -taught that public baptism—confessing Christ before men—was the -consummating act, the external seal of their initiation into the -privileges of the church. Although we impressed upon them that they were -not saved by the mere ceremony of baptism, yet somehow they felt that -without it they were not quite in the church, and hence probably not -quite safe from the spirits. Since it would be nearly a year before they -would have another opportunity, it seemed unwise not to receive some of -them at this time. The greatest doubt was about Cha Waw. Yet he felt -that more than any other he needed whatever protection and assistance -the church could afford him. He had begun with his whole strength to -break the chains of his opium habit, to seek pardon and be saved. He -felt confident that with God’s help he would succeed. - -The final decision was that, in order to bind them to the service of -Christ, they were all to appear before the session and make their -profession; but that only the two old men should be received into full -communion, and that one grandson from each family be baptized as -non-communing members. It was thought best to let the others wait till -our next visit; though I have never been satisfied that they should not -all have been admitted that day. Three of these Mūsô boys accompanied me -to Chiengmai on my return, and entered the Boys’ School. It is not at -all surprising that, in surroundings so different from those of their -mountain homes, they presently grew lonesome and homesick. But they were -satisfactory pupils, and remained in school long enough to get a good -start in reading and singing. - -Cha Waw, after a manful struggle, finally succeeded in breaking away -entirely from his opium—by the help of prayer and of quinine, as he -always believed and affirmed. When the non-Christian tribesmen with -their opium pipes visited his village, he was accustomed to go down to -the elders at Mê Kawn, to be away from temptation, and under Christian -influence. He lived a number of years after this to attest the reality -of his victory—the only case I have ever known where the victory was -surely won. - -That year there was a famine among all the hill tribes. The upland rice -was almost entirely cut off by a plague of rats. I do not believe in -“rice Christians”; but when people are famishing with hunger, I believe -in feeding them, whether they are Christians or not. These did not ask -either for money or for any other aid. But when I left them, I made -arrangement with the Lāo elders to furnish them with sixty buckets of -rice, for which I paid ten rupees in advance. They were very grateful -for the aid. - -The days spent among the Mūsôs that week were inspiring. Glowing visions -arose before us of a new tribe brought into the Christian church, of -which these were the first-fruits. On this whole tour, indeed, only nine -adults and seventeen children were baptized. But in addition to the -opening of work among the Mūsôs, we had for the first time preached the -Gospel beyond the borders of the kingdom of Siam; and our longing eyes -were turned toward the Sipsawng Pannā, and beyond the great river. By -this time the rains had already begun to fall. A new season was needed -to fulfil our desires. - -Much as I always enjoy my long tours, when my work is done and my face -at last is turned homewards, the gait of my sadaw seems distressingly -slow. On reaching Chiengmai I found all in fair health, and all -departments of work in full operation. But while I was still on my way, -word reached me of the death of Mrs. Briggs in Lakawn, only a month and -nine days after that of Mrs. Phraner. So unexpected was it that I was -not even aware that she had been ill. In answer to my request for a few -particulars from Dr. Briggs, I have received the following, which I know -he will excuse me for transferring to these pages: - - “MRS. ALICE HAMILTON BRIGGS was from Truro, Nova Scotia. - Although within a year of graduation, she gave up her medical - course and accompanied her husband to the Lāo mission in answer - to the call of the Board. When she bade good-bye to the - Secretaries of the Board, Dr. Gillespie said to her, ‘It is a - pleasure to see you so robust and strong. In this respect you - are better off than your husband. There have been so many - missionary women who have broken down on the field, that we are - glad to see that you have a reserve of health.’ - - “Before leaving American shores, however, Mrs. Briggs contracted - a slight cough which developed in severity during the voyage. On - her arrival in Siam it became apparent that the case was one of - pulmonary tuberculosis. The disease seemed to respond to - treatment, and for months improvement was marked. Up to within - twenty-four hours of death Mrs. Briggs was so hopeful of a - return to health that she refused to allow her family at home to - know of her condition. On Saturday she was cutting out a new - dress for herself. On Sunday night she passed away. Dr. Briggs - was spending the evening with her, when a call came to attend a - child said to be dying just across the road. The doctor said he - would be back soon. A few minutes later he was called back too - late even to hear a last word of farewell.” - -The event most interesting to us as a family during the fall of this -year, 1891, was the arrival of our son Evander with his young bride, and -our daughter Margaret, to carry on the work begun by their parents. Our -son had made special preparation for translating the Scriptures into the -Lāo language, then the most pressing need of the mission. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - XXX - - AMONG THE MŪSÔ VILLAGES—FAMINE - - -For the tour of 1892 I was to have the company of Dr. McKean as long as -he could be spared from Chiengmai, which would greatly enhance the value -of the trip. We had also three native evangelist-assistants, and, last, -but not least, we were well supplied with Scriptures and tracts in the -Lāo dialect. Our start was made on January 5th. - -Our first two Sundays and the intervening week we spent in Wieng Pā Pāo, -where we established ourselves in the new chapel which the people -themselves had built since our last tour. We observed the Week of Prayer -with two chapel services daily, and house-to-house and heart-to-heart -work in the intervals. The church was formally organized with thirty-six -adult members and thirty children, three ruling elders, and two deacons. - -From Wieng Pā Pāo we moved on to the village of Mê Kawn, the centre of -our very interesting work of the previous year among the Mūsô tribe. The -Sunday we spent there was a red-letter day in our missionary life. Of it -Dr. McKean writes: “This has been a blessed day. All [of the Mūsôs] -desire baptism. Two boys baptized last year were admitted to the -communion. Eleven other adults and seven children were baptized, making -twenty-two Mūsôs now members of the visible church. One Lāo girl was -received on confession, and three Lāo children were baptized. Our -Christian Mūsôs were out in full force. A Mūsô officer and others not -Christians attended from another village. Before this we had visited -these people in their homes. We found that they had built a good chapel -for their worship, a better building than either of their own houses. -They had been very diligent in observing the Sabbath, in studying the -catechism, and in worship.” - -We could not have been better pleased with our first success. The -exclusion of this little group from the large villages made it possible -and easy for all of them to become Christians. The whole-hearted zeal -with which they entered the church awakened strong hopes for the -conversion of their race. Cha Pū Kaw’s knowledge of the Lāo tongue was -above the average even of their head men. It would be a long time before -we could have another such interpreter and assistant. And he was nearly, -or quite, seventy years old; so that whatever he was to do in teaching -his people must be done soon. It was, therefore, thought best to make a -strong effort through him and his family during that season. - -At our next stopping-place, Nāng Lê, we came near having a serious -casualty. Our boys were out on a deer hunt, and one of them bethought -him of a novel expedient for getting the game. He climbed a tree, and -had the grass fired on the other side of the open space. The grass was -tall and dry, and the wind blew strong towards him. He became so -engrossed in looking for the deer that he forgot the fire, till it was -too late to flee. He could climb beyond the actual flames; but meanwhile -the whole air had become like the breath of a furnace. When, at last, -the fire had swept past him, and he was able to descend, he was a mass -of blisters. The swiftness of the rush of the fire alone saved his life. -Had it been slower, he could not have escaped suffocation. - -From Nāng Lê we visited a very large Mūsô village. It was a steep -foot-climb of four solid hours, and, to make it longer, our guide missed -the way. The first sign of human life we saw was a Mūsô girl alone -watching a clearing. She fled for dear life, till, recognizing Cha Pū -Kaw’s Mūsô speech, she stopped long enough to point the way to the -village. Her fleet steps outran ours, and when we reached the village, -the people were already assembling to see the unwonted sight of the -white foreigners. But the community was greatly disturbed over another -matter. One of their leading officers, it seemed, was accused of being -the abode of a demon that had caused an epidemic of disease. The -authorities were hourly waiting for an order from the court in Chieng -Rāi to expel him and his family by force from the province. They had -heard of Cha Pū Kaw’s conversion, and were anxious to hear from himself -his reasons therefor—which he gave and enforced till late in the night. -They were expecting, however, on the morrow a regular conflict which -might result in bloodshed, and they evidently preferred that we should -not be there. The head Pū Chān was several days’ journey distant. They -would confer together among themselves and with him, would let us know -the result, and would invite us up again before we left their -neighbourhood. - -About midnight a fierce storm of wind and rain broke upon us to our -great discomfort. Our thin tent afforded but poor protection. We doubled -up our bedding over our clothes, and sat upon the pile under our -umbrellas, and laughed at the novelty of our situation and the poor -prospect of a night’s sleep. But later the storm passed off, and we did -get a little sleep. Our visit to that group of Mūsô villages was -evidently not well timed. We took the advice of their officers, and -returned to Nāng Lê. - -Two days later we reached Chieng Sên. Here we received a mail from home, -with news that Mrs. McKean was not well, and other members of the -station needed the doctor’s presence. It was expressed as “the unanimous -judgment of the station that he should return immediately.” We had -planned a regular campaign in the Mūsô districts on both sides of the Mê -Kōng—the sort of trip in which the medical missionary finds his best -opportunity. But the recall was so imperative that it could not be -ignored. So I was left to continue the work alone. - -The Mūsô tribe was about equally numerous in the mountain ranges on both -sides of the big river. On the east side there were eleven villages. It -seemed advisable to take that section first, because they were under -Chieng Sên rulers, of whose cordial and sincere interest in our work we -were sure. Sên Chai, the head man of the large village nearest to the -city, was a friend of Nān Suwan, and was strongly inclined to embrace -our religion; but felt the difficulty of breaking the tribal bond. -Before this I had made him a visit of two or three days, and saw clearly -that our only chance of accomplishing anything was to gain all the head -men of the eleven villages. It was actually easier to win over the whole -as a unit than to win it piecemeal. This was a formidable task to -undertake, but with God’s blessing on the labours of Cha Pū Kaw and Nān -Suwan, it seemed not impossible. - -We set out for the first village one morning shortly after ten o’clock. -It was four o’clock when we stopped for rest at the first cluster of -houses on the outskirts of the settlement. The news of our arrival soon -reached the main village. When we started again we met Sên Chai with a -regular serenade-party of men and boys with native reed instruments, -blowing their plaintive dirge-like music, to welcome us and escort us -in. Soon the population was all assembled—the maidens in their best -sarongs, the mothers and grandmothers each with an urchin strapped to -her back by her scarf, the men coming in from their work, and the -inevitable crowd of children. Cha Pū Kaw was already answering their -questions, with Nān Suwan’s sympathetic aid. They were respectfully shy, -but there was no cringing. Sên Chai invited the local Pū Chān and all -the villagers to assemble after their evening meal to hear the new -doctrines. We first had worship with singing, and prayer by Cha Pū Kaw. -It was the first time they had heard the Great Spirit addressed in their -own Mūsô tongue. There were frequent exclamations of delight that they -were able to understand every word. - -And then, before that motley crowd, drinking with them their native tea -from an earthen teapot, the men seated close around, or reclining as -they smoke their pipes, the women and children walking about or sitting -on the ground—we tell of God the great Spirit, the Creator, and Father -of all—the Bible, His message to men—the incarnation, life, and death of -Christ, and redemption through His blood. Before we get through you will -hear man after man say, “I believe that. It is true.” One man takes up -the story from Cha Pū Kaw’s mouth and repeats it to another—a story that -till now he himself had never heard. Another says, “Nān Suwan has told -us this before, but now we hear it from the father-teacher.” - -Before we retired that night Sên Chai said to us, with the approval of -most of his village, “Go on to Sên Bun Yūang and the head men of the -other villages. If they agree, we will all accept Christianity. One -village cannot accept it alone. If we do not ‘kin waw’ with them—join in -their New Year’s feast—we shall be treated as enemies by the whole -tribe.” - -So, next morning, we set out to find the great Pū Chān—the religious -head of the province. On our way to his village we fell in with a man to -whom Cha Pū Kaw was speaking with great earnestness. I found on -approaching him that he was not a Mūsô, but a Kūi—of a tribe which we -had planned to visit later. He was the Pū Chān of his village. He had -already invited us through Cha Pū Kaw to change our plan, and visit his -village first. It was nearer than the village we were intending to -visit, and we were already tired enough with our climb to be willing to -stop at the nearest place. - -The village was a large one, as mountain villages go—of twenty-five or -thirty houses, and from two hundred and fifty to three hundred souls—in -general not unlike the Mūsô villages we had seen. The Kūi language also, -while different from the Mūsô, is cognate with it, so that Cha Pū Kaw -could still act fairly well as our interpreter. His talk with the Pū -Chān on the way had already laid a good foundation for our work in the -evening, when curiosity and interest in our errand brought the whole -village together to hear Cha Pū Kaw’s new doctrine from his own lips. -The news of his conversion had already reached them, and he had made a -good impression on the religious head of the village.—And, then, it was -something new to see the Mūsô boys able to read and to sing. Nān Suwan -and Cha Pū Kaw led in prayer, the one in Lāo and the other in Mūsô. Then -our religion was explained in its two leading ideas—rejection of the -spirit-cult, and acceptance of Jesus for the pardon of sin and the life -eternal. Questions were asked and answered. - -At last the Pū Chān suggested that, while we continued our reading and -singing with the women and children, he and the men, with Cha Pū Kaw, -withdraw to a neighbouring house and talk the matter over. It was -evident that they would be more at their ease by themselves, unawed by -the presence of the foreign teacher. For some two hours the debate -continued. I could hear their earnest voices from the neighbouring -house, with only now and then a Lāo word that I could understand. Then -they returned to make their report. With oriental politeness, they -expressed their gratitude to the “great teacher” who had come so far and -at such expense, and had brought with him a fellow-mountaineer of -theirs, to teach them, creatures of the jungle, the way to happiness. -They had talked these matters over, and understood them somewhat, but -not fully. Some were greatly pleased with the teachings, and believed -them true. But they could not yet come as an entire village, and they -dared not separate. Next morning we parted as friends. They were glad -that we had found the way to their village. “Be sure to come again!” -That I thought surely I should do; but this proved to be my only visit. - -At the Sên Lūang’s village, where the great Pū Chān lived, we had the -same experience—a good reception, many apparently interested and anxious -to escape their own spirit-worship. A number of the head men said, “If -such and such a village accepts the Jesus-religion, we will.” But no one -could be found to face the clan and make a start. - -Thinking that our native evangelists might get at the heart of the -people all the better if left to do it alone, and being anxious to get -my mail from home, I went down on Saturday to Nān Suwan’s to spend the -Sunday there with the Christians. On Tuesday, to my disappointment, the -evangelists returned to me discouraged. They were convinced that in the -district east of the Mê Kōng River, no break in the solidarity of the -clan could be accomplished that season. - -But it was important not to leave these people with the impression that -we had abandoned them. I had left Sên Chai’s village with the promise to -return. So I went up with the Mūsô Christian boys, and spent a last -night with them. The village again assembled, and we had an interesting -evening. The Sên was greatly disappointed that none of the other -villages would join him. But the New Year was at hand, when the clan -must be unbroken. They would wait another year, and try to get the other -villages to join them. On the whole, I was encouraged. When we left them -we were escorted out of the village to the music of their plaintive -flutes, more like a victorious than a vanquished army. - -After a day or two with the Chieng Sên church, we visited the ridge to -the southeast of that city, between it and Chieng Kawng. Our experience -there was but a repetition of that from which we were just come—cordial -receptions, night audiences, manifest interest, individual believers, -anxious consultations, promises for the next year; but the tribal bond -was too strong to be broken. - -But Cha Pū Kaw was anxious that we should not pass by his own mountain -villages on the Mê Kok. So we turned southward again toward Chieng Rāi. -This, moreover, was one of those famine years, such as we have already -encountered in our story, and shall encounter yet again; many people -were on the verge of starvation. In places we could not get food for our -own men. And famine was beginning to be followed by disease and death. -This was a serious obstacle to our work. - -Another serious obstacle was the use of opium, which became more -prevalent the further west we went along the Mê Kok range towards Mûang -Fāng. We presently reached villages where the poppy was cultivated, -until, in the last village, men, women, and boys, and sometimes even -girls, were its slaves. Fevers and dysentery prevail during the rainy -season. These people have a very scanty pharmacopœia, and no antidotes -whatever for these diseases. Opium in some form is probably their surest -remedy. Many persons told me that they began by using it in sickness. As -sickness recurred the habit grew, until they were fast bound in its -chains. These facts largely determined the character of the instruction -we gave, and made our tour a kind of anti-opium crusade. Encouraged and -disappointed at every village, I was still tempted on by visions of -capturing some large village that would prove a more effective entering -wedge for the tribe than Cha Pū Kaw’s poor little hamlet. The six weeks -so spent were at the time the most novel and exciting, as well as most -arduous, of all my missionary experiences so far. - -We took both the old Mūsô men as assistants, and the younger ones as -carriers for our equipment. Our first day’s journey was a fair sample of -what we had to do continually. In many places it would be a misnomer to -speak of the track we travelled as a path. We left the plain in the -morning, and it was half-past two in the afternoon when we reached the -first summit. It was five o’clock when, desperate with thirst, we came -upon a flowing brook. There was, then, still another hard climb before -we saw our long looked-for first village ahead. And, in general, because -of the habit these people have of planting their villages upon the very -highest points where they can get water, the journey from one of these -villages to another in plain sight, and, apparently, but a short -distance away, would take hours of the hardest travel. Sometimes we -would walk weary hours through rain, or through bushes as wet as rain, -to visit a village; only to walk back again after sitting three hours in -wet clothes trying in vain to awaken some interest in old or young. - -One of the most interesting, and, at the same time, one of the saddest, -cases we met was that of Mûn Kamprai, the head man of a village which -clearly bore the impress of his character in the intelligence and -industry of its inhabitants. From opium he had kept entirely aloof -until, only a few years before this time, under the stress of a severe -illness, he began to take it. The poor man now realized that he was -becoming a wreck, but seemed to have no will-power left to make the -effort to break away from the habit. He was much interested, however, in -his two fellow-tribesmen whom I had brought as my assistants; and Cha -Waw’s example seemed to afford him a faint gleam of hope. If we would -stop a week and teach his people, and would stand by to aid him, he -would try. If successful, he would surely become a Christian—and then -his village would be the one we had been hoping for to free itself from -the tribal bond, and become Christian. - -The experiment was, indeed, pathetic. Removing all temptation, he began -with a desperate determination to succeed. We encouraged him with human -sympathy and the hope of divine aid. We pushed as far as we dared the -use of a tonic which Dr. McKean had given me for such cases; and it -aided him perceptibly. He held out manfully for several days. But, at -last, in an evil hour, he could endure the torture no longer, and before -we knew it, he had resumed the use of the drug. For two nights he had -not slept. In his own expressive language, it was not his eyes, but his -heart that could not sleep. Poor man! his sufferings must have been as -near those of the infernal regions as it is possible to experience in -the body. And then his absolute wreck of mind, and the contempt he felt -for himself when he gave up the struggle as hopeless! - -We spared no labour to reach the homes of these people, or their hearts. -We tried to become Mūsôs to the Mūsôs that we might win them. Sometimes -we had to sleep in their huts—on a floor raised two or three feet from -the ground, which the dogs shared with the family, while the pigs and -goats were on the ground beneath. In the centre was a raised fireplace -on which the native teapot always boiled. Sleeping-mats or thin bedding -lay about on the floor, and on this, before bedtime, some of the inmates -would lie down and fall asleep even while listening to the -conversation.—But everywhere the tribal bond was too strong to be -broken. - -[Illustration: - - MŪSÔ PEOPLE AND HUT NEAR CHIENG RAI] - -By this time the rains had set in. The trails—and the leeches that -infested them—were getting worse and worse. Soon the torrent-streams -would become impassable. We must return while yet we could. Our six -weeks’ wanderings we retraced in four days of constant tramping. It had -been a hard trip for all of us. I myself had a touch of fever. It seemed -good on reaching our camp to have once more the luxury of a chair and a -table. And then to be on the sadaw’s back travelling homewards, and to -meet a good mail on the way! My three-score and fourth birthday was -spent in the forest, and I reached home safely on the 18th of May, after -an absence of nearly five months. - - * * * * * - -The peninsula of Farther India is largely exempt from the terrible -scourge of famine which has become almost chronic in Hindustan, its -greater neighbour on the west. There the population is so numerous that -the normal production of food is just sufficient to supply its needs. -Even a local or a partial failure of the crops must produce distress. -Siam, on the contrary, is happy in that it not only produces an abundant -supply for its own people, but is a granary for the surrounding -countries. The worst that has ever been experienced in Lower Siam in -years of greatest scarcity, has been the necessity of checking the -export of rice. The annual floods there cover the whole country, so that -a general failure of crops is, humanly speaking, impossible. - -In the northern states the land is higher; and considerable portions of -it, being above inundation, are directly dependent upon the seasonal and -local rains. But with a population by no means dense, this very -diversity of the cultivated areas is a source of safety. A season of -heavy rainfall which drowns the lowland rice, is apt to prove -exceptionally good for the uplands. And, on the other hand, a season of -light rainfall, which cuts short the upland crop, is apt to be a good -season for the flooded areas. And in considerable sections of the -country there is the chance that a second crop in the same season may -make good the loss of the first. There is a further security also in the -fact that, until communication with the coast becomes such as to make -exportation profitable, the excess of fruitful years remains unconsumed -in the country, to supply the need of less fruitful ones. It thus comes -about that scarcity amounting to a real famine cannot result from the -failure of crops in any single year. It requires two consecutive -failures to produce extensive suffering among the very poor, and three -to result in a real famine. - -This last, however, was the case in 1892. In 1890 there was a light crop -throughout the land, with less excess than usual to be stored. In 1891 -the crop was lighter still. In the eastern provinces, particularly in -Lakawn and Prê, there was very little rice to be reaped. Famine -conditions began there long before the time for harvest. People were -scattering off in squads or by families into Chiengmai and the northern -provinces, begging a daily morsel. They were poverty-stricken as well as -famishing. The distress led the brethren in Lakawn to make an appeal to -friends in the United States for a famine fund. Quite a liberal -response, amounting to several thousand dollars, was made to this call, -largely by the friends of the Lāo mission. The relief was almost as -timely for the missionaries as it was for the famishing people. -Otherwise they scarcely could have lived through the long strain on -their nerves and sympathies caused by the constant sight of sufferings -which they could not even in part relieve. - -The province of Chiengmai could have met its own needs until the new -crop came in, had it not been for the constant draft upon its reserves -to meet the demands of Lakawn and Prê. But, between high prices offered -and pity for the less fortunate, those reserves were steadily drained -away, until, during the latter months of the year, famine was upon us in -Chiengmai, too. Bands of men from destitute villages, maddened by hunger -and unable to buy food, began to roam about the country by night, or, -sometimes, by day, and seize rice wherever any little remnant of it -could be found. The authorities were powerless to restrain them or to -keep order. The condition of the more destitute provinces can better be -imagined than described. - -At last the relief committee in Lakawn were asked if they could not -spare us a small portion of their fund, for it seemed that their -condition could not be much worse than ours. A letter from Dr. W. A. -Briggs brought us three hundred rupees, but with the following -_caveat_—the italics are his: - - “_Wherever_ we can reach the absolutely starving, that is a - place to invest. We do not pretend to relieve all the - _suffering_. Now, if the need in Chiengmai, or in the district - mentioned, is so great that people are actually dying from - starvation, and those now living are living on such stuff as the - sample enclosed (cocanut-husks, leaves, bark, etc.), _with never - a grain of rice_, then I would advise you to form a Famine - Committee, and go into the business as we have done. The actual - starvation _must_ be attended to, _no matter where it is_. But - our saddest experience is within Prê. Some one should be sent - there at once.” - -The scenes reported from Prê were harrowing. I will not pain the reader -by dwelling upon them. One happy result followed the efforts of the -brethren who went to the relief of that district. While administering to -bodily wants, they preached the Gospel, making such an impression that -there was a strong demand for a permanent station there—which was -established the next year, with Dr. and Mrs. Briggs as pioneer -missionaries. - -It should be stated that, toward the last, the Siamese government sent -up supplies of rice; but, because of the distance and the difficulty of -transportation, not much reached the suffering people in time to help -them; and much was lost in passing through the hands of so many -officials. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - XXXI - - CHIENG RUNG AND THE SIPSAWNG PANNĀ - - -At the Annual Meeting of the mission in December, 1892, the broad field -of Tai peoples north of the frontier of Siam was discussed, and Rev. -Robert Irwin and myself were appointed to make a tour into that region -as long and as far as in our judgment might be deemed wise. The tour -occupied nearly five months—from January 3d to May 25th, 1893. This time -we went fairly well supplied with portions of Scriptures and tracts, and -a good outfit of medicine. Of quinine we carried a hundred ounces, and -returned with less than twenty-five. We relied on the medicines for the -welcome they never yet had failed to win for us. And Mr. Irwin had a -cornet which did excellent service throughout the tour. For riding I had -my big “sadaw” elephant, and Mr. Irwin had a pony; so we could exchange -mounts at our convenience. I pass over the earlier portion of our route, -already so often described, and the two weeks spent among the -hill-tribes visited on previous trips. - -The chief object of our trip was to visit, in their ancient homes, two -northern tribes of the Lāo race—the Kôn and the Lû—from which very many -of our parishioners in the southern provinces derived their origin. For, -under conditions which lasted very nearly down to our own time, there -was almost constant predatory warfare going on in this northern -country—stronger states raiding the weaker, and sweeping away the entire -population of the districts they overran, to plant them in their own -realms. Thus whole villages, and even entire districts, in the Lāo -provinces of Siam, are peopled by the descendants of such colonies of -captives. We found it unadvisable to attempt both visits in the same -season, and the Lû were the more accessible, living on the nearer slopes -of the Mê Kông valley. We went up on the west of the river along the -edge of the British territory, now known as the South Shan States, and -beyond it into Chinese territory, as far as Chieng Rung;[15] then, -returning, we made a somewhat wider sweep to the east of the river, -through French Indo-China; finally recrossing the river at Chieng Lāp, -where we struck once more our outgoing trail. - -Footnote 15: - - This name appears on some maps as Chieng Hung, initial _r_ in the - North being generally pronounced as _h_.—ED. - -After leaving Mûang Len, the utmost point of a former trip, we travelled -awhile by a fine road along the summit of a ridge so regular as to seem -almost like an artificial embankment, and affording noble views over the -valley. At Wieng Mai, a recent offshoot of Mûang Yawng, we spent a most -interesting Saturday and Sunday. Here the Prince-Governor sent to ask if -he should not put up a sālā to shelter us during our stay. In the -morning we preached in the market-place, and afterwards I distributed -medicine and talked with the people till noon, when I had to flee away -to rest under the shade of a big tree by the river. The people seemed -hungry for the bread of life. I could not supply all the requests made -for copies of the Scriptures. - -Mûang Yawng, the older and larger city, we reached on Monday forenoon, -after a two hours’ ride. An officer met us at the gate, and showed us to -the sālā. When the Chao Mawm heard of our arrival, he sent for us, -meeting us at the door. We had a very interesting interview, but he was -not inclined to talk on the subject of religion. He told me that the -city and district had been entirely depopulated in 1809 by a force from -Chiengmai, when “nothing was left behind but the ground.”[16] It had -recovered itself, however, and its population was now larger than that -of Lampūn. With Nān Suwan I visited the market and the Court. At the -latter place I learned that the British Commissioner would arrive the -next day. Knowing that everything would be in confusion, we decided to -move on the next morning. - -Footnote 16: - - This incident is a striking illustration of the methods of warfare in - those days. The expedition in question was directed against the - Burmese, who had established themselves in Mûang Yāng some sixty miles - or more to the northwest. On its way it passed through Mûang Yawng, - where it was loyally received. But being defeated at Mûang Yāng, it - fell back upon Mûang Yawng, and there gathered up all the inhabitants - and swept them off to Chiengmai to prevent their falling into the - hands of the enemy!—ED. - -From this point on, our elephant was everywhere an object of great -interest. Sometimes the people climbed trees to get a better view of -him. A long day’s march brought us to Mûang Yū, picturesquely situated -on high bluffs, with deep gorges running down to the Mê Lūi. Here we -remained only overnight, leaving early the next morning for Mûang Lūi, -which we reached about noon. That evening we had a large attendance at -worship, the governor and officials remaining till after eleven o’clock. -The original population of both these districts, as well as that of -Mûang Yawng, are now scattered throughout the provinces of Chiengmai and -Lampūn. - -Next morning we crossed the beautiful stream on a raft, while our -elephant took the ford. During the forenoon we came upon Captain Davis -of the Commissioner’s staff, who had been sent to make a detour by Mûang -Sing, and was then on his way to join his party. He was resting by the -roadside, ill with fever, and was glad to get from me some quinine. - -The following day, Saturday, brought us to Mûang Lūang, the largest and -most important place in the valley and the southernmost of the old -Sipsawng Pannā confederacy. The valley population is wholly Lû. There is -scarcely a Ngīu (Western Shan) to be found east of the Keng Tung -watershed. Here were the best roads we had seen anywhere in Farther -India, with a real arched bridge of stone across the stream at the -entrance to the city. Early next morning we were awakened by a noisy -crowd about our tent, anxious to see us. It was the great market day, -so, instead of attempting a regular service in camp, we chose the -market-place. There, whether reading or speaking, we always had some -attentive listeners. - -On Monday our road lay for many miles along the summit of a low ridge on -which at intervals were fifteen large villages, just at the edge of the -long fertile plain, where are the rice-fields that feed the country. I -never saw in all my touring anything quite to equal that row of -villages. It seemed too bad to pass through so many without even -stopping. - -[Illustration: - - GROUP OF YUNNAN LĀO] - -On the fourth day from Mûang Lūang we reached Chieng Rung, the limit of -our northward journey. Its location is strikingly beautiful, on a high -steep bluff overlooking the Mê Kōng River, which sweeps in a majestic -curve about its base. It is in Chinese territory, and is ruled by a Chao -Fā appointed from Yunnan. An officer from Yunnan was there at the time -collecting tribute. The influence of the English was already felt there. -Mûang Chê, to the west, had rebelled against the Chao Fā, who thereupon -sent out an expedition which captured and brought away some three -hundred families of the inhabitants. But England cannot allow border -warfare to go on along her frontier. An English officer appeared on the -scene, and the thing was stopped. - -At Chieng Rung we were still in the midst of an area of Lāo-speaking -people—an area which extended far beyond on every side. I gave a portion -of Scripture to a Lû whose home was ten days’ journey northward; and -others to men from as far to the east and to the west. - -We had an interview with the Chao Fā by previous appointment. At the -door the officer suggested that we pull off our shoes. We replied that -it was not our custom, and was unnecessary. He looked very doubtful, but -said no more, and we walked in. The Chao Fā received us courteously. We -took him to be a man of no great strength of character, about forty -years of age, and somewhat weakened by the use of opium. He asked -whether we had not some antidote to enable him to stop its use. He -listened attentively to our statement of the object of our coming, and -said, “You are merit-makers, and that is a good work.” - -When we called at the court, the presiding officer had a wise suggestion -as to how we might further our purpose and establish our religion in the -place—a suggestion evidently not originating with himself, but from a -higher source. “The favour of the Chao Fā,” said he, “will be necessary -and all-sufficient. I see you have a fine elephant. Just make a present -of him to the Chao Fā. He will be delighted, and your road will be all -smooth.” I told him that I was an old man, far from home, and dependent -on the elephant. So I could not part with him. This same suggestion was -pressed upon us several times afterwards, by the highest officials, and -quite up to the hour of our departure; though its form was modified from -a gift to a sale. I became at last a little anxious about the result, -and was somewhat relieved when we actually got away without loss of the -elephant. - -I may mention at this point an incident of this trip which never came to -my knowledge till thirteen years later, showing how we were -providentially spared from what would have put a sudden and tragic end -to our tour and to our lives. When Dr. S. C. Peoples and Dr. W. C. Dodd -were in Keng Tung in March, 1907, the presiding officer of the Court -told them that he had met Dr. McGilvary and Mr. Irwin on their way to -Chieng Rung; that when the people of Chieng Rung first heard that some -foreigners from the south were _en route_ to their capital, they planned -to kill and plunder them. But when they saw that the foreigners rode -elephants and were accompanied by carriers, they decided that this was -probably the advance guard of a formidable army, which it might not be -well to attack. And then, he said, the kindness of the missionaries so -completely won their hearts, that all thought of murder and plunder was -given up. - -Our return was to be through the region to the east of the Mê Kōng. Its -northern cities still belonged to the Sipsawng Pannā. But the rest of it -was territory recently ceded by Siam to France. The governing race—the -people of the plains—were everywhere Tai, speaking the Lāo language and -using the Lāo literature. On its mountain ridges dwelt numerous -hill-tribes, especially the Kamu and the Lamēt. - -The route we were to take crosses the river two days’ journey south of -Chieng Rung; so we had at first to retrace our steps. We left the city -on Monday, March 13th, safe from unseen plots, and with our elephant. On -the second day, after leaving our upward road to strike across to the -river, we entered unexpectedly a large village, where we met with a -reception ludicrously hostile. At every door men were standing with guns -in their hands. We were surprised; but, supposing that it might be -muster-day or something of the sort, we passed innocently along, without -challenge, to the monastery, where we dismounted and began to unload. -Then guns were laid aside and the head man and villagers came up to see -us and to offer assistance. They had heard that foreigners were coming -with elephants and men, whether for peace or war no one knew. So they -had taken the precaution to be ready. When they found out our peaceful -errand, they were ashamed. We had a pleasant visit and worship with them -that evening. - -The next stage of our road was bad. In some places we had to cut our way -through, and there were difficult passages of brook-beds and gorges. We -reached the river at Chieng Hā in a pouring rain, and it rained again at -night. The next day was the Buddhist sacred day, and we were awakened -early by the crowd of merit-makers and worshippers—the women and girls, -as usual, in their head-dresses and gay colours, and all anxious to see -the elephant and the white faces. - -It was 10:30 that morning before we got away. Ourselves, our men, the -saddles and luggage, were carried over by the ferry. Nān Suwan alone -faced the deep river on the sadaw to guide him through. At the first -plunge all of the elephant save his trunk, and half of the rider, went -out of sight. Thence on they went, now up and now down, till they -struggled out on the further shore. Such an effort is very exhausting to -the animal, and he has to have a good rest and breathing-spell after it. - -Mûang Ham, on the eastern bank, is larger than its neighbour on the -west. Its governor was a Chao Mawm, next in rank to the Chao Fā of -Chieng Rung, and his wife was the Chao Fā’s sister. I had a long talk on -religion with the wife. It was a new thought to her that any one could -be greater than the Buddha, though he was neither Creator nor Saviour, -but only a man. It is unnecessary continually to state what was -everywhere the case throughout this trip; namely, that we had good -audiences and interested hearers. We left in every place some books in -the hands of those most likely to use them; though we could have used to -advantage many more, if we had had them. - -From Mûang Ham two days’ march brought us on a Saturday to Mûang Nūn, -the most important city on our route, and, therefore, a most desirable -place to spend Sunday. The city is in the valley of the Nam Bān. It has -well paved streets, and a very large monastery on an eminence above, -where we camped. The abbot gave us a hearty welcome, and did all he -could to make us comfortable. At our night worship the monks and other -visitors were very attentive. - -On Sunday morning we called on the head officer of the Court, and had a -pleasant conversation with him, for he was both intelligent and -inquisitive. Just as we were ready for our own morning worship, the Chao -Mawm, a relative of the Chao Fā for Chieng Rung, sent to ask us to call. -We sent word in reply that it was our hour for worship, and asked -whether he would, perhaps, like to have us worship in his residence. His -answer was a cordial invitation to come and do so. - -The Prince was young and very pleasant. He had a spacious house, and -soon he had it filled with his own family, his officers, and his people. -Mr. Irwin, as usual, had his cornet. We find that singing our Gospel -hymns, with a short explanation of their central truths, is a better way -to hold a mixed crowd where women and children form a goodly proportion, -than is a regular service. Nān Suwan’s Lû dialect served a very good -turn. We had a very interesting morning, and we were cordially invited -to hold a similar meeting at night, when many who had been absent in the -morning might attend. - -At night the house was crowded with a remarkable gathering, for one -could hardly call it a congregation. The invitation, the place, the -attendant circumstances, were all unique. We sang and prayed and -preached with as little restraint as if we had been in our own church in -Chiengmai. The part of the service which most impressed them was Nān -Suwan’s prayer—a direct appeal to a Person unseen, whom he addressed as -Father, Redeemer, Saviour, and Friend. Seldom have I felt so strongly -for any as for these, that they were as sheep needing a shepherd; hungry -souls asking for bread, and getting that which satisfied not. Ethical -teaching they had in abundance, but no Divine Voice asking, “Wilt thou -be made whole?” or saying, “Thy sins be forgiven thee. Arise and walk!” - -Next morning we made our formal call upon the Prince; but he sent to our -camp for our books and the cornet, and soon we had another congregation, -and were having worship again. In the afternoon the Prince made us a -long call. Then there was a continuous stream of visitors, mostly for -medicine, and I vaccinated a number of persons. The son of the chief -officer of the Court, a fine young man, was almost ready to come with us -to Chiengmai to study our religion further. His father, too, was willing -that he should come. The young man promised that he surely would do so -next year, if we came again. And now, seventeen years after these -events, it saddens me to think no missionary has ever been there since. -An occupancy, then, of those open Sipsawng Pannā States would have -turned the flank of French obstruction, and have ensured an entrance -from the north. - -Early on Tuesday morning we left Mûang Nūn, after a visit all too short. -The Prince, with his officers and a large crowd of people, were on hand -to bid us good-bye. That day we found our track very much obstructed by -the jungle growth, and had some difficulty in cutting our way through. -Another complication presently arose in the illness of my associate, Mr. -Irwin. An attack of indigestion developed next day into symptoms of -dysentery, which made further travel for the time impossible. So we were -laid up until the following Tuesday at Mûang Wên—and anxious nights and -days they were. Milder measures failing, we had to resort at last to a -most heroic treatment which I had seen used in the hospital, namely, -large doses of ipecac. By this means the disease was got under control; -and by care and dieting Mr. Irwin was able at length to continue his -journey on my elephant, though throughout the rest of our tour he was -far from being well. - -At Mûang Pōng, one of the three largest cities on the route, we again -stopped over from Thursday night till Tuesday. Here I had an ague-chill -on the night of our arrival, but, with free use of quinine and a little -rest, I escaped further attack. There was a great deal of fever in the -place, and I spent much time in ministering to the sick. - -On Saturday I called upon the Prince and his chief officer. I was told -that the city furnished five hundred men for the Chao Fā’s expedition, -and had seventy villages within its jurisdiction. In former times it had -been raided by an expedition from Nān, and some of the Nān villages to -this day are peopled by descendants of those captives. - -On Monday the Prince and his chief officer made us long calls. The -Prince had never seen a repeating rifle, and seemed incredulous that it -could fire twelve shots in unbroken succession, till I fired three by -way of demonstration. His look of surprise was ludicrous. He _must_ have -the gun, he said, to protect his country, and began bidding for it. At -last he offered a fine riding pony, which I accepted. He was delighted, -saying that we two should always be brothers. If I should never come -again myself, he would welcome and aid our assistants. Four years later -I did visit the place, but the Prince had been killed. - -On Tuesday we reached Mûang Māng, which proved to be one of our most -hopeful places. Sitting in front of our tent, with the whole village -about us, we talked till midnight. I had a sore throat, but our -assistants were inspired with enthusiasm. At last we almost had to drive -the crowd away. - -Mûang Sing was the objective of this portion of our tour. I first became -interested in it when it was about to be occupied as a dependency of the -province of Nān. Mr. Phraner and I made an attempt to reach it in 1891, -but were turned back. Then, again, it seemed about to fall into British -hands, under some old claim by Burma. Even at the time we were there, -its status was still uncertain. It gave evidence of having once been a -large city, and still had a very large territory under its jurisdiction. -Its earlier importance was reflected in the title borne by its ruler, -Chao Fā—Lord of the Sky—a title borne by no other Lû ruler south of -Chieng Rung. My interest in Mûang Sing had been deepened by acquaintance -with a patient in the Chiengmai hospital, of whose case Dr. McKean has -kindly furnished the following account: - - “This Prayā Singhanāt, a prominent man in the local government, - had been for years a great sufferer from vesical calculus and - had tried all kinds of remedies without avail. Fearing his - disease had been occasioned by offending the spirits in the - building of a new house, he tore the house down. This gave him - no relief. Although he had spent years in the monastery, and had - taken all the degrees of the order, he concluded to re-enter it - in the hope of being cured of his malady, spending again six - months in the monastery. A travelling merchant who had himself - been cured of calculus by an operation in the mission hospital - in Chiengmai, advised the Prayā to go there for relief. This he - determined to do, not without great opposition from the Prince - and from his own family. But he was determined. He sold his - possessions, and started with 800 rupees. His journey was long - and painful. For weeks or even months at a time he could not - travel on account of great pain. Once he was beset by dacoits at - night. A part of his money and all his guns were stolen. When he - finally reached Chiengmai twelve months after leaving home, he - was penniless, and of course still suffering intensely. He was - received into the mission hospital and was wholly relieved by an - operation. A more grateful patient one rarely sees. He regularly - attended service at the hospital and evinced great interest in - Christianity.” - -When we reached Mûang Sing, we were disappointed to find that the Prayā -was away. But he had loudly sung the praises of the mission hospital, -and that was a good introduction for us. The chief officer of the Court -was a friend of his, and he proved to be a friend to us, too. Hearing -that we were come, the Chao Fā sent for us, and turned out to be a -relative of the great Chao Fā of Chieng Rung. Though not of a nature so -deeply religious as some, he was interested in religion; and our reply -to his first question as to the object of our visit, immediately -introduced the subject. - -At first he was inclined to cavil, asking such questions as, whether -Jesus could rise in the air as Buddha did, and the like. But this was -evidently to “save his face” before his officers. For a while he -maintained that the universe is self-existent, having come into being by -the concurrence of the matter which composes it. But presently he -confessed that it is too complicated for that, and plainly shows -design—that is, a mind or Mind. At last he asked what argument made us -foreigners so certain of our view that we should come to ask them to -change their religion for ours. We told him that Jesus Christ Himself -was the all-sufficient argument. No matter how the world came into -existence, we are here, and we all know that we are sinners. The Buddha -confessed himself to be only a man, and himself seeking a refuge like -the rest of us. Jesus Christ claimed to have come down from heaven, and -to be the Son of God. He challenged the world to convince Him of sin. -Those who knew Him intimately saw something in Him not only different -and superior, but of a different kind. He showed this not only by His -spotless life, but by the miracles that He wrought. He claims to have -power to forgive sins. And thousands and millions who have accepted Him -believe that He has forgiven them; and show that fact by becoming better -men. We talked thus an hour and a half. He evidently felt the force of -the arguments. - -Sunday was the fifth-day market or fair—the largest and finest we had -seen in the north. The hill-tribes, as usual, were out in full force. I -was still suffering with sore throat, but Mr. Irwin and the assistants -had a fine morning’s work, and in the afternoon had a fair attendance at -the regular service. - -One of the most interesting incidents of our stay was the night service, -held in the residence of the Chao Fā at his express request on the -evening before our departure. The audience was mainly his own family and -dependents, and the Prince was more free than before. During the singing -he asked that the cornet be stopped in order that he might hear the -words more plainly. When Nān Suwan led in prayer, he wished to know if -we always prayed in that way. There was the usual sad refrain—no hope of -pardon, bondage to the spirits, the drawing to a better way, but so -strong a counter-current! Yet who can tell how many, after all, the -truth may have reached? - -We left Mûang Sing on Wednesday, April 12th. There is no need to weary -the reader with details of the ten days’ travel before we reached Chieng -Sên, or with the varied incidents of our work. - -At Chieng Sên we received letters that were disappointing to my plans. -The mission had unanimously decided that, partly for considerations of -our health, and partly for reasons of mission policy, Mrs. McGilvary and -I should take our furlough at once. We had been ten and a half years on -duty in the field. My wife was not really sick, but was not well, and -the doctor advised her going. I was very anxious to repeat the same tour -the next year, in spite of the few malarial chills I had encountered -this time. But arrangements had been completed, and there was no option -but to submit. - -My companion on this tour was far from well, and it was important that -he should hasten home at once. What with daily rains, bad roads, and -swollen streams, Mr. Irwin had a hard trip of it alone the rest of the -way; and it was some little time before he was well again. For my return -there was no such need of haste. The work among the Mūsô had been left, -upon the whole, in hopeful condition. The power of the tribal bond, -which almost annihilated individual responsibility, had been somewhat -weakened. Many head men had promised to enrol themselves as Christians -this season. It was certain that no tour among them could be made the -coming year. I must visit them now. - -The experiences of this visit were entirely like those of the previous -ones—everywhere the same warm welcome, interesting night meetings, -earnest consultations, and ministering to the sick; days spent in wading -brooks, climbing mountain ridges, plunging down ravines, to get from one -village to another, where the same round would be repeated. They would -all become Christians if only another officer or two would join them. -Thus it went on till we had visited nearly all of the eleven villages, -and were back at Sên Chai’s and Sên Bun Yūang’s, where we began. These -people were nearer to Nān Suwan’s Christian village, had known more of -our religion, and, no doubt, were believers in the truth of our -teaching. We talked with them till late at night, and our parting with -them had a tragic interest. They were apparently on the verge of -accepting the Gospel. We used our utmost endeavours to persuade them to -join Cha Pū Kaw on the other side of the river, and not wait for the -others who might come in afterwards. This was probably my last visit; -but if any sufficient number would join the church, the mission would -not desert them. If not, in all probability the offer would never be -pressed upon them again. - -And so it proved to be. About half of the villages were under the -governor of Chieng Sên. The inhabitants of these were assured of their -safety in taking the decisive step, so far as the rulers were concerned. -But some of the larger villages were under the governor of Mûang Len. -His opposition was a foregone conclusion, because of his interest in the -opium traffic. My failure to gain a large entrance among them was one of -the greatest disappointments in my whole work. - -That I was not mistaken in the hopefulness of the work among the Mūsôs -has since been demonstrated by the many thousand converts won among the -same tribe by our Baptist brethren in the Keng Tung region. At the same -time they are better prepared for such a work than were we. Their wide -experience among the Karens of Burma, and the large number of educated -Karens through whom they work, give them advantages in this particular -work which our mission does not possess. On the other hand, it is surely -to be regretted that our mission should be limited in its access to all -branches alike of the Tai population found in the northern states, for -which, by identity of race and language and literature, we are far -better prepared than our Baptist brethren. For while, to use a legal -phrase, the missionary holds a brief for no one particular tribe; while -his commission and his duty is to preach the Gospel to all whom he can -reach; yet it is a well recognized fact that the Tai family has largely -fallen to our mission. And it will be seen from what we have said above, -that we returned from this trip with enlarged views and bright prospects -of opening up work among our own Tai people in the north. It will take -years of hard work and a useless expenditure of time and money for any -other missionary organization to reach the point at which we were ready -to _begin_ work among these people. But this is a complicated question, -the tangled web of which it is not possible for any one man to unravel. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - XXXII - - THIRD FURLOUGH—STATION AT CHIENG RĀI - - -On my return to Chiengmai I found preparations well advanced for our -departure on furlough. Embarking on June 7th, we reached Bangkok on June -22d, and San Francisco on August 12th, 1893. Of the events of that -memorable year, I shall touch upon only two or three. - -Dr. J. H. Barrows, the originator and President of the Parliament of -Religions, had invited me to attend and participate in its meetings. -After, perhaps, a little shock at the boldness of the idea—as if -Christianity were to be put on a par with other religions—I sympathized -with the object as legitimate and proper. It was merely doing on a large -scale what we missionaries are called upon to do on a smaller scale -every time that we hold an argument with Buddhists or other -non-Christian people. The fairness of the idea, and even its very -boldness, might do good; and I believe they did. - -On the Sunday before the opening I listened to a really great sermon by -Dr. Barrows on “Christ the Light of the World.” I attended every session -of the Parliament, save at the hour from 11 A.M. to 12, when I usually -went over to the Moody meetings to hear John McNeill, as he was -familiarly called, preach his trenchant sermons. - -If any one went to the Parliament—as possibly some did—hoping to hear -Christianity demolished, he certainly was disappointed. But there was -one criticism which occurred to me. Whatever may have been thought of -the wisdom of the original conception and inauguration of the -Parliament, the Protestant churches might have made a much more imposing -front, if the ablest men of the different denominations had not stood -aloof, either indifferent or hostile to it. It was surely the -opportunity of a lifetime for many, who could not hope otherwise ever to -address personally the votaries of non-Christian religions, to bring -forward their strong reasons to bear on so many of the most intelligent -and presumably the most earnest seekers after the truth. - -While attending these meetings in Chicago, I received news that our son, -the Rev. Evander B. McGilvary, had felt himself constrained to resign -from the Lāo mission. No good can come from now reviewing the issues -which led to this step; and it is needless to say how bitter was the -disappointment to his parents, who had looked forward to his carrying on -their work, and to him, who had specially prepared himself for that -work, and for no other. But I must say that bitter as was the -disappointment, I sympathized with his position, and respected his -motives. - -At the meeting of the General Assembly in the following May, to which I -was a delegate, the one all-engrossing business was the trial of the -Rev. Henry P. Smith, D.D., for heresy on the question of the “Higher -Criticism.” Viewing the matter from this distance, and entirely apart -from the merits of this particular case, I doubt whether critical and -scientific questions are proper subjects for trials before such a body. -If tried at all, such questions should be tried by a commission of -experts. Biblical criticism and science will go on, and the questions -involved will be decided according to their own lines of evidence, quite -irrespective of the decrees of Popes, Councils, and General Assemblies. -I am much mistaken if the good sense and temper of the church would now -sanction heresy trials on such questions. - - * * * * * - -One day some fifteen years earlier than the point we have now reached in -our narrative, a letter came to our mission from a Mr. Robert Arthington -of Leeds, England. The letter, like all his subsequent ones, was on -small sheets of notepaper, written over once, and then written again -crosswise, so as to be almost illegible. The writer had somewhere -learned of the journey of a French explorer who, from the upper Mê Kōng -and the headwaters of the Mê Ū, had crossed to the China Sea through the -region now known as Tonking. The traveller had passed through certain -tribes possessed of a written language and supposed to be of Aryan -stock. By some means Mr. Arthington had heard of our mission, and wrote -to enquire whether some of us could not visit those tribes and -distribute among them “the Gospels of John and of Luke, and the Acts of -the Apostles,” particularly “telling them that the Acts followed Luke, -_and was by the same author_.” - -We had not the slightest idea who the writer was; but the devout spirit -of the letter was charming, and such interest in obscure tribes along -the northern border of our field was most surprising. His strong desire -to send the Gospel message to “the regions beyond” appealed to me. He -appeared to be a man of means, for he offered to bear the expense of -circulating those three books. At the same time he was evidently -somewhat eccentric and impractical in his ideas. He seemed not to have -thought that to circulate books among newly discovered tribes would -require—since the cessation of the gift of tongues—acquisition of their -languages, translation, printing-presses, etc., etc. But the case, at -all events, seemed worth following up. - -I acknowledged the receipt of his letter, pointing out the obstacles -which he seemed to overlook, directing his attention to our own mission -as occupying a new and interesting field, with many hill-tribes on our -own border which we hoped to reach. I invited his coöperation, stating -that as soon as we were properly enforced, we intended to go as far -north as we could. - -Almost to my surprise, Mr. Arthington replied immediately, expressing -his interest in our work, but still reverting to his scheme for -evangelizing the “tribes of Aryan stock” found by his French traveller. -That was, of course, impossible for us to undertake, though I did -propose to Dr. Cushing of the American Baptist Mission in Burma to join -me in a tour through that region at Mr. Arthington’s expense. This plan -had attractions for us both; but Dr. Cushing’s college work made it -impossible. Still, we might be able to make some compromise with our -unknown correspondent. So, for some years, I kept up an occasional -correspondence with Mr. Arthington, just sufficient to keep us in touch -with each other. He always replied immediately to my letters, breathing -the same deep interest in missions, and especially in the tribes -hitherto unreached by the Gospel. Touring within my own appointed field -engrossed the whole of my available time; but since that field was -already in part supplied, it did not specially appeal to him. - -After the tour, longer than usual, taken with my daughter in 1890, I -sent him a report of it. In response he sent me thirty pounds, which -aided in the work of 1891 among the Mūsô. The tour taken with Mr. -Phraner in 1892 was nearer to his idea; and the one taken with Mr. Irwin -in 1893 intensely interested him—but chiefly because it seemed to be a -stepping stone toward reaching his “Aryan tribes” beyond. He thoroughly -approved of that tour; expressed his regret that we could not meet in -order to come to a clearer understanding about the geography of the -region—since all our maps were defective; and suggested, “I should like -your daughter to go with you on your next trip, as I can well conceive -the idea that she will be a valuable help.” He was, moreover, -“particularly interested that the Cambodians also should have the -Gospels of Luke and John, and the Acts.” - -Following up Mr. Arthington’s suggestion of an interview, I met him by -appointment in Liverpool on my return from the United States. We had -only a half hour’s interview; but he thought that sufficient to enable -us to understand each other’s plans. On reaching London I was to make -out an order for what sum I needed for my next work. This I did, asking -for the modest sum of forty pounds, which I received by return post. - -The trans-Mê Kōng tour, however, was inevitably delayed. It was not -until the Annual Meeting of the mission in 1896 that Dr. Peoples and I -were appointed to make that tour, an account of which will appear later. -To complete, however, now the story of my relations with Mr. Arthington, -I may say that in advance of the Annual Meeting just referred to, I -wrote to him that the projected tour would surely be taken, and -suggested that sixty pounds would probably suffice to cover its expense. -His reply came the day before our meeting adjourned, with a cheque for -seventy pounds. The timely aid seemed to anticipate the divine approval -of our attempt. In his letter he suggested, “Perhaps it might be a good -precaution for you to let the French know your friendly object, and to -get full permission to travel east of the upper waters of the Mê Kōng as -far as you deem proper for your purpose. But, dear Brother, seek—and I -intend to ask with you—the Lord’s counsel and blessed comfort and -guidance.” - -The tour was taken, as I have already intimated, and a full printed -report was sent to Mr. Arthington. On the whole, he was pleased; but it -is not easy to serve two masters. I had assured him from the beginning -that my first duty was to my mission and my own field. Still he was a -little disappointed that I had to go so far out of my way to join Dr. -Peoples in Nān; and a little more so that we could not get up nearer to -Tongking to give his favourite “John, Luke, and the Acts” to the tribes -supposed to be of Aryan descent, found by the French traveller. To -enable me to do this, he said, “I believe I should have great pleasure -in sending you all you will need from me.” He even intimated once that -he would be willing to provide in his will for the continuance of that -work. While not jealous of my connection with the Board, it seemed to -him a tantalizing thing that, while I was geographically nearer his goal -than any one else, and was, moreover, in sympathy with his devout spirit -and evangelistic aspirations to reach the “regions beyond,” I was not -free to carry out his favourite, though somewhat chimerical, plans. - -The last letter I had from him was dated October 22d, 1898. His passion -was then as strong as ever to get his three favourite books to “the -tribes mentioned by the French traveller, ... for they are a people for -whom I have desired much, since the day I first read of them, that they -should have the Gospel.” He expressed great sympathy with my -disappointment that the French would not permit our labouring in their -territory, adding, “Yet the Lord will not be robbed of His own.” His -death occurred not very long after this. Of the disposition of his large -estate I found the following account in the London _Daily Graphic_: - - “The late Robert Arthington of Leeds, left about £750,000 to the - London Missionary Society, and the Baptist Missionary Society. - The total value of his estate was £1,119,843. It is estimated - that the Baptist Missionary Society will receive £415,000 and - the London Missionary Society £335,000. The whole of the money - must be spent in the next twenty years on new missionary work, - and no part of it is to be spent in the United Kingdom.” - -We reached Bangkok on September 11th, 1894. There we were joined by the -Rev. and Mrs. Howard Campbell and Dr. and Mrs. C. H. Denman, who had -come _via_ the Pacific. Earlier in this same year there had come to the -station in Mûang Prê, Dr. and Mrs. Thomas, Mr. and Mrs. Shields, and -Miss Hatch; with the Rev. and Mrs. L. W. Curtis and Miss Margaret Wilson -for Lakawn. - -On our arrival in Chiengmai we found Mr. Phraner very ill with abscess -of the liver, and suffering at times intense pain. He had been warned by -physicians and friends to desist from his work and take his furlough. -But, as chairman of the Evangelistic Committee, he had been pushing the -evangelistic work too eagerly to heed these warnings. He refused to -leave his post till those who were absent should return. Soon after we -arrived he started for the United States, but, alas! it was too late. He -died in Singapore on January 15th, 1895, leaving a wife and two little -boys to pursue their sad journey alone. Mrs. Phraner—formerly Miss -Lizzie Westervelt—had served a useful term in the Girls’ School before -her marriage. The Phraner Memorial School for small children, erected by -the family and friends beside the First Church in Chiengmai, is an -appropriate tribute to their labours for the Lāo race, to which they -devoted their lives. - -The year of our absence had been almost a banner year as regards -successful evangelistic work. Mr. Dodd’s Training School had furnished a -larger number of fairly well prepared evangelists than we ever had -before. Between forty and fifty of these had been actually at work in -the field for longer or shorter periods during the year, and their work -had been very successful. The Annual Meeting convened in Chiengmai soon -after our return. In it there was evident, on the part both of -missionaries and of native assistants, a degree of enthusiasm and -exuberant expectancy which, under the most favourable circumstances, -could hardly have escaped the inevitable reaction. Krū Nān Tā, a man of -magnetic power among his people, was then in his prime. The great value -of his services raised probably to an excessive degree our estimate of -the necessity of more _ordained_ native labourers. If one had done so -much, what might a dozen or a score accomplish? And there were the men, -with two, three, or even more years of training in the study of the -Bible. Most of them were elders or deacons in the different churches. -They had proved faithful in little. Why might they not be trusted with -more talents? Nine of these men were presented for examination before -the Presbytery. - -When we began, it was thought—against the advice of Mr. Dodd, who was on -furlough—that one or two might be ordained to meet the immediate needs -of the work. Some of them had spent a number of years in the Buddhist -priesthood, and had some knowledge of Pali. Others were without such -education, but nearly all had learned to read Siamese. In Biblical -knowledge they had made fair progress. When the examination was closed, -there was a long and anxious deliberation, with special prayer for -divine direction. It was quite safe to ordain one or two. But the next -candidate was so near the standard of these that it might seem invidious -to exclude him—and so with the next, and the next. When the vote was -taken, six were chosen for ordination and three for licensure. The -millennium seemed drawing near! - -With the new title and responsibility, higher wages were naturally to be -expected. And it was precisely upon this rock that our hopes and plans -suffered shipwreck. The Board, as never before, began to insist on the -native churches assuming the support of their own evangelists. The -methods of mission work set forth and practised in China by the Rev. Dr. -Nevius were urged upon us, and became very popular, especially with the -younger members of the mission, though in China they had not passed -beyond the stage of experiment. They are best described in Dr. Nevius’ -own words: - - “These two systems may be distinguished in general by the - former’s depending largely on paid native agency, while the - latter deprecates and seeks to minimize such agency. Perhaps an - equally correct and more generally acceptable statement of the - difference would be, that, while both alike seek ultimately the - establishment of independent, self-reliant, and aggressive - native churches, the ‘Old System’ strives by the use of foreign - funds to foster and stimulate the growth of native churches in - the first stage of their development, and then gradually to - discontinue the use of such funds; while those who adopt the - ‘New System’ think that the desired object can be best obtained - by applying principles of independence and self-reliance from - the beginning. The difference between these two theories may be - more clearly seen in their outward and practical working. The - old uses freely, and as far as practicable, the more advanced - and intelligent of the native church members, in the capacity of - paid Colporteurs, Bible Agents, Evangelists, or Heads of - Stations; while the new proceeds on the assumption that the - persons employed in these various capacities would be more - useful in the end by being left in their original homes and - employments.”[17] - -Footnote 17: - - _Methods of Mission Work_, p. 4. - -The result was that the mission took a good thing and ran it into the -ground. Economy became almost a craze. The churches were assessed—not -heavily, it is true—to support the ministers; and the ministers were -exhorted to take whatever stipend was agreed upon, and count any -deficiency in it as a voluntary contribution on their part, or as a debt -they owed their countrymen for the Gospel’s sake. Neither parishioners -nor workers understood the scheme. But it was tried for one year; and at -the next Annual Meeting (in 1895) the catastrophe came. The churches had -been asked to walk before they could stand; and the ministers were to -work, as well as walk, by faith and not by sight. As pastors, their -expenses were necessarily increased. They had to dress better, and to be -an example in clothing, and educating their families, and in -hospitality. It seemed to them that they were required to make bricks -without straw. A little yielding to demands that were not unreasonable -would have satisfied the ministers, and the churches would have been -encouraged by the continuance of some support from the Board for -evangelistic work, even though the amount was much reduced. The zeal was -well meant; but we broke off too suddenly. - -For the unfortunate results, the mission, the native ministers, the -churches, and, indirectly, the Board should share the responsibility. -The advantages gained by our Training School were nullified, and all -progress toward a permanent Theological School was at an end. After -those two Annual Meetings there was no call for theological training, -and no future for a native ministry. So we have to go on appealing to -the Board and to the American churches for foreign workers, although the -salary of one of these would support half a dozen or more native -ministers. - -It is easy to say that native ministers and church members should be -willing, out of pure gratitude, to labour for the evangelization of -their own people, or that such and such other races have done so. As a -matter of fact, the Lāo church is largely indebted for its progress to -the power exerted by the church itself. And as to the example of other -races, we must remember that there are racial differences. Even our -nearest Christianized neighbours, the Karens, stand in a class quite by -themselves in this respect. We can no more apply one rule to all -oriental races than we can enforce western customs in the Orient. But we -certainly cannot expect happy results from the application of rules that -would have discouraged our own ancestors when the first Christian -missionaries found them. - -Among the things of more hopeful augury accomplished in the year 1894, -two deserve special mention—the establishment of Christian Endeavour -Societies in all the Lāo churches, primarily through the efforts of Dr. -Denman, and the publication of the Book of Psalms and of a hymnal of -over two hundred hymns and tunes. The Psalms were translated by Dr. -Wilson, and the hymns were almost wholly from his pen. - -At the Annual Meeting, to which reference has already been made, a -committee was appointed to consider anew and report on the question -whether it was or was not advisable now to occupy the northern portion -of the field with a permanent station, and, if it were deemed advisable, -to determine the location. I had been anxious to have it occupied two -years before this time, but had yielded then to the claims of Prê and of -Nān—of Prê because the relief work among the sufferers from famine had -furnished a most auspicious opening there; and of Nān because it was a -larger city and province than any in the nearer north. Notwithstanding -the greater progress of the work in the north, with organized and -growing churches in Wieng Pā Pāo, Chieng Rāi, and Chieng Sên, there -seemed to be a lingering doubt as to the wisdom of establishing -permanent stations in cities so small as these. Most of my colleagues -had never visited that northern region. No one save myself had surveyed -the whole field. Yet no part of the work of a mission is more important, -or requires better judgment, than the location of its permanent -stations. Although fully persuaded in my own mind, I did not wish the -mission to embark on a new project involving outlay of money and of men, -without the mature judgment of the whole mission. Hence it was at my own -suggestion that the committee was appointed. - -On January 20th, 1896, Dr. Denman and I of this committee started -northward. Mr. Dodd joined us later. It is a great thing to have a -physician along on such a tour. He relieves a great deal of suffering -among a needy people, and so lifts a great load of care from his -companion. But beyond this, I myself had quite an attack of fever on -this particular trip, and was much indebted to his care for my recovery. -Then we had the stereopticon along, and lectured nearly every night to -large audiences. The doctor manipulated the lantern, and left the -explanation and application to me. Those pictures have made the Gospel -story to live in the imaginations of many thousands of people. The -occasional introduction of a familiar scene from native life serves to -give confidence that the others also are real, while a few comic ones -interest the children, old and young. A picture of the King of -Siam—their King—with three of his children, one of them with his arms -about his father’s neck, always attracted great attention, and was often -asked for again at the close of the exhibition. - -I had some trouble this time with my sadaw elephant. At one stage his -back became so sore that I should have left him behind, were it not that -he had had a serious encounter with a tusker, and I dared not risk him -in that vicinity. He escaped from the encounter with some bruises, and -it was fortunate that he inflicted no serious wound on his antagonist. -And he was quite well again, before we got home. This was, however, the -last tour he made with me. Elephants had become property so unsafe that, -before the next season, I disposed of both of mine. In one year, out of -three hundred and fifty elephants employed by a timber firm, thirty-two -died and twenty-two were stolen. But it was like parting with a friend -to see the sadaw go. - - * * * * * - -The committee visited the three northern churches, and, after full -conference both with the local rulers and with the Christians, reached -the unanimous decision that there should be a station established in the -north, and that it should be at Chieng Rāi. In this we were largely -influenced by the central situation of that place with reference to a -considerable group of cities and towns within the same watershed, and -all, like Chieng Rāi itself, rapidly filling up with an agricultural -population crowded out from the dear and densely settled lands further -south. And in addition to this was the conviction that the new station -would prove a stepping-stone to the large northern section of the Tai -race, established in territory which is now English, French, and -Chinese. We still think that some amicable arrangement should be made -with the American Baptist Missionary Union, by which the Tai race to the -north of Siam and east of the Salwin should be left to our mission. The -Union has a great work among the hill-tribes—a work for which they are -specially adapted and specially well equipped; while we are equally well -equipped for work among the Tai. - -Dr. Denman viewed the field with special interest, for he had been -designated to help in opening the station, and we had the virtual -sanction of the Board thereto. It was the prospect of having a physician -that specially enlisted the interest of the rulers of Chieng Rāi; though -both they and their people were friendly to our work on other grounds. -It made us sad to think that our old friend the governor had not lived -to see the mission started. But the beautiful lot given by him on the Mê -Kok will always be a memorial to him. In due time Rev. and Mrs. Dodd and -Dr. and Mrs. Denman moved up and opened the station. The years have -abundantly justified the wisdom of this step. In 1910 the accessions to -the churches in Chieng Rāi equalled those of the mother church in -Chiengmai. - -From Chieng Sên we sent out two parties of evangelists, five in each, -well loaded with Scriptures and tracts, one northwestward to Keng Tung, -and the other across the Mê Kōng to Mûang Sing. This was the very first -mission work ever done in the Keng Tung State. These parties carried -also a supply of medicines, and were limited in time to two and a half -months. They were everywhere well received, and on their return gave -interesting reports of their work. Their books were eagerly read, and -the supply of them was far too small. There were a number of interesting -cases of believers. Some villages were loath to have them leave. The -experiment, in fact, was very successful. - -[Illustration: - - PHYA SURA SIH, SIAMESE HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR THE NORTH] - - -As soon as our committee work was done, Mr. Dodd was obliged to return. -After visiting the Mūsô villages, Dr. Denman and I moved on to Chieng -Kawng. This town is situated on the right bank of the great river within -the fifteen-kilometer zone which was reserved as neutral territory upon -the cession of the left bank to France. A French military station was on -the opposite side of the river, and a small gunboat was lying there—the -first that ever came up through the rapids. Among the crew were two or -three who could read English, and who were very anxious to get English -Bibles. This was an unexpected request which we could not then meet. But -I applied for some to the American Bible Society, and received them just -before I started on my trip of the next year; and, finally, was able to -forward them to the men from Lūang Prabāng. The captain of the gunboat -was very kind to us while we stayed at Chieng Kawng, and was much -interested in having his men get the Bibles. - -Letters were presently received by Dr. Denman summoning him back to -Chiengmai on account of the illness of his wife. This left me again -without an associate, and with the added care of the medical work, which -cannot be avoided on such a tour, and which, of course, rests more -heavily on a layman than it does on a trained physician. Before -returning home I made a call—and I believe it was the last one—at the -Mūsô villages beyond the Mê Kōng. Again my hopes were raised of gaining -the whole tribe. With such a prospect I would gladly have remained with -them several months. But again I had to leave them with only the “next -year” promise—which never was fulfilled. I reached home on May 5th, -after an absence of three and a half months. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - XXXIII - - THE REGIONS BEYOND - - -Two important tours were undertaken by the Lāo Mission in 1897—one at -the opening of the year, eastward and northward beyond the Mê Kōng River -into French and Chinese territory; and the other after the close of the -rainy season, northward into British territory. The latter tour led to -far-reaching results, but it does not come within the scope of this -personal narrative. The former was rendered possible by the timely gift -of seventy pounds from Mr. Arthington, already mentioned; and -represented the nearest approach we could then make toward the -fulfilment of his great desire to reach with the Scriptures those -“tribes of Aryan origin” in the “regions beyond.” Dr. Peoples, then of -Nān, was my companion during part of this tour; and we went well -supplied with Scriptures and tracts, no less than fourteen carriers -being loaded with these alone. I left home on January 12th, going -eastward by way of Lakawn and Prê to Nān, where Dr. Peoples was to join -me. At each of these stations I spent a busy and a delightful Sunday; -and from Lakawn as far as Nān I had the pleasant company of Miss Fleeson -and Miss Dr. Bowman, returning to their post from the Annual Meeting. - -One night on this portion of the trip we were awakened by the cries of -our men and the snorting of the ponies, to find that we had a visit from -a night prowler, coming so near that we heard the clatter of the loose -stones which he dislodged as he sprang away. The tracks we found in the -morning showed him to be a large Bengal tiger. On this same stretch of -road, as recently as 1910, the mails for Nān were interrupted by a -man-eating tiger, which killed several men and women, till, finally, he -was despatched by Dr. Peoples within a few hundred yards of the mission -compound. - -Ten days were spent in journeying northward through the great province -of Nān, stopping night by night in its villages and towns, where we -always had good audiences at our evening worship. Sunday we spent at -Mûang Ngôn, and then turned eastward, striking the Mê Kōng at Tā Dûa, -and making our way up its western bank. At Bān Hūi Kûa we found such -interest that we were sorry that we must move on. The Prayā—or Pīa, as -the name is called throughout this region—spent an afternoon in -transcribing in the Lūang Prabāng character the tract entitled “The Way -to Happiness.” He had heard something of our religion before this from a -former princess-pupil of Miss Cole in the Wang Lang School at Bangkok. -As he bade us good-bye he said, pointing upwards, “I hope we shall meet -up yonder,” and seemed pleased that we had the same anticipation. - -The next Sunday we camped in the monastery grounds at Bān Hūa Ling. The -people began to assemble before breakfast, and long before it was time -for the morning service the grounds were full. The abbot, with his monks -and the officers, sat directly before me as I explained the method of -salvation through Jesus Christ. The audience listened most attentively. -At the close the abbot and the officers remained for further -conversation. The abbot expressed surprise at our errand. He had never -known of anybody’s travelling about simply to teach the people. Some -expressed fear of encountering the anger of the spirits if they should -no longer worship them. To this the doctor gave the scientific answer -that fevers and most other diseases were caused and propagated by -specific germs, over which the spirits have no control whatever. This -was to them a new idea, but they seemed to comprehend it. Next morning, -when we left them, the people followed us with expressions of regret. - -When we reached Chieng Mên, a town on the western bank of the river and -opposite Lūang Prabāng, we found a European with a group of boys, who -turned out to be the French schoolmaster. He invited us to dine with him -that evening, and the next day aided us in crossing the river. Our first -duty in Lūang Prabāng was to report to the French authorities, M. -Vackle, the Commandant Supérieur, and M. Grant, the Commissaire. They -had been notified from Bangkok of our coming, and received us with -genuine French hospitality. We never met two more perfect gentlemen. -They even offered us a house; but, as the abbot of the principal -monastery was a personal friend of mine, they yielded to our preference -to stop with him, but only on the ground that there would be more -comfort and room for our men. - -That evening we were invited to dine with M. Vackle. M. Grant and his -staff were present; and the dinner was a royal one, to which we were -prepared to do full justice. We had the embarrassment of not being able -to converse save through a native interpreter not well versed either in -French or in English. But our host was most considerate, as were also -his French guests. And every evening during our stay we dined with one -or another of the officials. - -Next day we called on the Lāo “King,” as he is still euphemistically -called, though possessing only such powers as the French give him. When -we made our business call on the French officials to ask permission to -proceed on our missionary tour through the French territory, they were -very obliging. We freely discussed together alternative routes, and they -offered us passports for any of them. When at last with some hesitancy, -the question of permanent work and a mission station was broached, M. -Vackle replied that for that he had no authority. Application would have -to be made to the Governor General at Hanoi, and preferably through -Washington and Paris. The prospect still seemed hopeful. - -On the evening before our departure, M. Vackle invited us to dine -informally and spend the evening with him at his beautiful cottage and -garden two miles out in the country. On meeting us, our host said, “The -other night I was the Commandant Supérieur. To-night I am simply M. -Vackle. I want to have a pleasant informal evening with you.” And surely -we did. We talked of the old friendship between France and the United -States, of Washington and La Fayette, the Chicago Exposition, the -Parliament of Religions, and of M. Vackle’s own work in the new -province. He was interested in the Parliament of Religions, and asked if -Roman Catholics were equally welcome with Protestants. He had an -exaggerated idea of the number of our religious sects. We told him that -the great body of Protestants were included in five or six groups -somewhat like the orders of the Catholic church, but there were numerous -smaller subdivisions. He had heard of one that lived wholly on milk. Of -this we had to confess ignorance, unless it were that large group that -we call infants. - -It was after eleven when we rose to take our leave; and even then he -detained us to see by torchlight his beautiful garden, artificially -watered, and his bowling alley—insisting that we try a turn on it. This -was what I had never done before, but at the first bowl I brought down -several pins. This pleased him, and he said that he had never seen a -better first play. - -On taking our final leave, we spoke a last word for permanent mission -work, reminding him that while Catholicism and Protestantism had alike -produced great nations, Buddhism never had; and that it was therefore -political wisdom to encourage and foster the Christian religion in the -provinces. He assented, but said he feared that the “King” might imagine -that his subjects would be less loyal if they became Christians. We -assured him that the reverse would be true, since it was a fundamental -point in our teaching as well as in the Scriptures, that Christians were -to be obedient to their rulers. - -Among the routes offered we chose the northern one as most nearly -meeting Mr. Arthington’s desires. Our passport stated that we were Bāt -Lūangs, i.e., Catholic priests. We left Lūang Prabāng on Monday, March -8th, crossed the Nam Ū near its mouth, and spent three weeks on our way -to Mûang Sai. At one point there was a theft of a considerable amount of -our money, which delayed us a day or two, but annoyed us more. The -thieves turned out to be some of our own men, who afterwards confessed, -and eventually we recovered the money. From Mûang Sai there is a good -route to Nān, and as no man had been left in that station along with the -ladies, Dr. Peoples felt that he must return to it, while I should go on -northward to the Sipsawng Pannā and finally return to Chiengmai along -the route which I took with Mr. Irwin in 1893. His departure was a great -loss to me personally, and to the effectiveness of the tour. He left us -on March 31st. - -The next week was one of intense interest to me. One of its days was the -thirtieth anniversary of my arrival in Chiengmai, and fraught with -memories of the hopes, achievements, and disappointments of all those -years. And were we now, perhaps, on the eve of a new opening with wider -possibilities than ever? So it seemed. For, one day as I was in the -monastery at Mûang Sai, there entered an officer, Sên Suriya by name, -who, making the obeisance usually made to priests, explained that, -having been absent from home, he had not heard the instruction we had -given at our evening worship. His wife, however, had reported that a -teacher from a great and distant country was come with Scriptures and an -offer of salvation from the great God of all. It was the great desire of -his heart to be saved from his sins. His interest was evidently intense, -and that roused our interest in him. From three o’clock till nightfall -our elders and I explained to him the great truths of revelation, while -he listened almost with rapture. - -In the midst of this earnest conference the “āchān,” or chief officer of -the monastery, came in; and Sên Suriya joined us in explaining to this -friend the strange news he had heard. The āchān was soon as deeply -interested as he. He also desired to know further of this matter. Before -we parted that evening, Sên Suriya had accepted the teaching joyfully; -and his friend, with more reservation. - -Soon others had joined these two—notably a family of refugees from -persecution for witchcraft. They were ready to accept anything which -would deliver them from bondage to the spirits. On Sunday at the public -service the instruction was directed to the needs of these enquirers, -all of whom were present. The cost was to be counted; the cross was to -be taken up; but the reward was great. Sên Suriya’s wife and family all -opposed him. He had spent an anxious night, and was under great strain; -but was still firm. He was ready at any cost. - -His friend the āchān had received his appointment in the monastery from -the Pīa, or head-officer. For honesty’s sake he felt he must notify the -Pīa and resign his position. It was, therefore, arranged that our elders -and I should go with the two friends on that errand that very afternoon. -We went, and were kindly received. Sên Suriya, as spokesman, witnessed a -good confession. They had been men, he said, who all their lives had -sought merit and followed the teachings of the Buddha, but with great -anxiety, on account of their failures. Now they had learned of the great -refuge of the God who could pardon and save both in this and in the -coming world. Their motive was strictly religious. They would be as -loyal as ever, and would perform faithfully their government duties. The -āchān said that his friend had fully expressed his views, but he wished -further to resign his position in the monastery. The Pīa listened with -evident interest, but with some surprise. When he spoke, he said: “All -that I know of religion I have learned from these two men. They know -manifold more than I do. If they see it right, how can I oppose? I will -still take them as my religious teachers, and will learn Christianity of -them.” - -I added a word, emphasizing their assurance that being good Christians -would only strengthen their loyalty. Thanking the Pīa for his kindness, -I retired. How much of his liberality was due to my presence—if it were -so due at all—I do not know. But next morning Sên Suriya came to say -that he could not withstand the opposition of his wife and family. While -his faith was firm as ever, he could do no more this year. By another -year he hoped their opposition might be relaxed. Meantime the family of -refugees had weakened. I supplied all these with medicine, and urged -them to remain steadfast in the faith, reminding them that baptism was -not essential to salvation. - -I had made further stay in Mûang Sai dependent upon the outcome in the -case of these two men. So now it seemed best to continue my journey -northward. I went out to a retired wooded hillock, and there spent a -quiet season in prayer, commending those in whom I had become so -intensely interested to the care of the Divine Teacher, and seeking -direction for my further course. - -So far we had not met many of the hill-tribes, which had been one of the -main objectives of the tour. As I descended from the hill, I found some -thirty Kamus just arrived on some government work, and encamped by the -road. I turned aside to speak with them, when, to my surprise, one, -taller and more intelligent than the rest, answered me in good Lāo. To -my greater surprise, when I handed him a tract, he began to read it. It -seems that, when a lad, he had been initiated into the monastic order by -the Princess of Lūang Prabāng, and was one of the very few of his tribe -who was a fairly good Lāo scholar. He was delighted to get the book; but -I was like a miner who has found a new gold mine. Had they been ready to -return to their homes, I should at once have gone with them. A new -vision seemed to open before me of work among that interesting tribe. I -had seen the great value of the help afforded by Cha Pū Kaw, the first -Mūsô convert, in work among his tribe. But he was not a scholar, and was -too old to learn. Here was a Kamu scholar. Might he not have been raised -up for this very purpose? - -That evening I spent with my elders in their camp. I left with my new -friend a number of books, which he promised to read to his people. I -took down the names of their villages, and promised if possible to visit -them next year—which they all begged me to do. That apparently casual -meeting seemed to me a loud call, Come over and help us! And it led to a -most interesting work, which was stopped only at the command of the -French. - -Leaving Mûang Sai, we journeyed northward along the telegraph road, -enlivened by noble views of long slopes, deep gorges, and high peaks. We -passed some villages of the Yao tribe with whom we could converse only -by signs. On the third day out, at Bān Nā Tawng, we left the telegraph -road, turning off at right angles to Mûang Lā. At one village the head -man assembled his people to meet us, when he learned that here was a man -from seven days beyond the great French country! At one place we passed -a village of Lentīns, so named from the district in Cochin China from -which they came. They showed their Chinese ingenuity by having their -rice-pounding done by water-power. - -Mûang Āi was the last town in French territory; beyond it one enters the -province of Yunnan, China. Here we had scarcely pitched our tent before -the governor had read our little tract on “The Way to Happiness,” and -asked us to stay awhile to teach his people. This we did, remaining from -Friday till Tuesday. He invited us to worship in his house, which was -filled to overflowing. On Saturday, in company with the governor, I -attended a wedding feast. I got along finely with the various dishes -until a bowl of blood fresh from a slaughtered hog was passed around, -and each guest took a spoonful! My note upon leaving the town was, “It -is wonderful how many, especially of the officers and the more -thoughtful class, are struck with the self-evidencing truths of the -Gospel on its first presentation. And their first thought is the sincere -conviction that the Gospel meets their wants. Nor is this testimony -invalidated because, when they come to count the cost, they are not -willing to pay it.” - -I was much pleased to hear uniform testimony to the uprightness of -French officials. My own respect for French rule had greatly increased -since we entered their territory. Is it that the Tai race beyond the Mê -Kōng is more religious, or is it on account of the French rule, that -people there seem more deeply interested in the Gospel message? But such -has been the fact. I have never been cheered by brighter visions of -hopeful and speedy results of our labours. It seems almost inconceivable -that a European nation should forbid missionary work among its people. - -From this point on we were warned not to allow our party to be separated -on the march. Shortly before this a merchant travelling with his son had -been attacked and killed. I heard of two mountain tribes in this -neighbourhood new to me, and of a third further to the northwest, which -sacrifices at every rice-harvest a human victim captured from some other -tribe. Scarcely any one had ever heard of the name of Jesus. - -Not far from the town we passed on a ridge a well-marked boundary stone -with the letters R. F. (République Française) on one side, and C. R. -(Chieng Rung) on the other, in large Roman capitals. Noticing by the -roadside a large stack of bricks, we learned that we were near the salt -wells, and that the salt was compressed into bricks for easier -transportation on mules. The salt industry makes Bān Baw Rê an important -place. No one with white clothes, white hair, or white beard is allowed -to enter the enclosure about the salt wells; so I did not see them. I -could get no reason for the prohibition, save that the spirits would be -displeased. - -The time of my visit was unfortunate, being the beginning of their New -Year festival, which is always a season of carousal. That night we had a -scene that defied description. After supper a man came to tell me to get -ready; they were going to “saw” me. I did not know what “saw”-ing might -be; but I soon learned, to my disgust. Presently a noisy crowd entered -the sālā where I was, with drums, fifes, and other musical instruments, -and surrounded me with deafening noise and songs. A great personage had -come to their place, and they were come to do him honour. He had great -riches, and they expected a treat of fifty rupees. Paying no attention -to my attempted disclaimer, they went on: “Give us out your money. Give -us fifty rupees! Give us twenty-five!” Pushing my way out of the noisy -circle, I was followed with more imperative demands. At last the -governor’s son came up as a friend and advised me to give them five or -six rupees, or they would never depart. Then one of my elders came to -me, anxious regarding the outcome, and said that it was only a New Year -custom, not a religious one—intimating that I need have no conscientious -scruples in the matter. Finally the governor’s son said he could get -them off with three rupees. I had only one in my pocket, and did not -dare open my box before that mob. At last I handed the young man that -one, and, with an emphasis which they understood, told him that I would -give no more, appealing to his father for protection, and holding him -responsible for the consequences. They went off sullenly enough. Having -gone so far, I doubt whether they would have desisted without something -“to save their face.” From me they went to the governor’s, and so on, in -order, throughout the place, with their hideous noise, which I could -hear far on into the night. - -At another village further on, the people seemed in doubt how to receive -me, till a young man came forward and asked if I were not the man who a -few years before travelled through that country with an elephant, and -let the Prince of Mûang Pōng have a gun. Then, turning to the head man, -he said, “You need not be afraid. He is a teacher of the -Jesus-religion.” My standing in that village was assured. One of the -listeners at our worship in the monastery that night was much impressed, -not with the idea of pardon, as is commonly the case, but with that of -the Holy Spirit to purify and cleanse. That was what he needed; and he -earnestly enquired how to obtain his aid. This led to the subject of -prayer to a living, personal God, who has promised this aid. We left him -with the hope that his great need would be supplied. - -Mûang Lā was the furthest point reached on this tour. From it we struck -westward into our old route of 1893 at Mûang Pōng. The Chao Fā who got -my gun had been killed by his people. I was much struck with the -judicial aspect of the act as told me. One of the officers said, “He was -a bad man, who oppressed the people, fined and executed them unjustly, -and, of course, we killed him. That is the way the Lāo do.” A nephew and -adopted son of the murdered Prince succeeded him, but the authority was -largely in the hands of the Prayā Lūang, though the young Prince’s -mother also had great influence. She invited me to a good dinner, and we -had a most interesting conversation. Among other things she asked, “How -is it that you say Buddhism cannot save?” and she seemed much impressed -with the answer: “Because Gautama Buddha is gone, and it is more than -twenty-five hundred years before the next Buddha is expected.” - -We were now travelling southward, and soon came once more upon the -tricolour floating over the French post at Mûang Sing. I felt like -saluting it. I was greatly surprised to find an Englishman, Mr. Eva, in -charge. He fairly shouted to hear his mother tongue once more. He had -scarcely heard a word of it for three years. Seeing that I was spent -with my long, hot ride, and that my carriers would not get in till -nightfall, he kindly offered to hunt me up some luncheon. This I -declined, if only I might have a cup of tea and a piece of dry bread. -Holding up both hands, he exclaimed, “You’ve got me there! I’ve almost -forgotten how wheat bread tastes.” He insisted on my taking up my -quarters in his bungalow, till I said, “If you were on French business, -you would wish to stop where you could best accomplish it, would you -not? I am here on missionary work, and my business is with the people. -The monastery grounds will suit me better.” “Looking at it in that -light,” said he, “you’re right. I’ll say no more.” I knew that in the -home of a French official I should have no visitors at all. - -He was the son of an English Wesleyan minister; but, being a wild lad, -he had wandered away and drifted into the French army, where he rose to -an official position. But the influences of his early days had not been -lost. We had many heart-to-heart talks together. He wanted an English -Bible. Having only my “Oxford” along, I could not spare him that, but -brought him one on my next tour. On Sunday he attended the service led -by the elders, pleased at the evidence they gave of the reality of our -missionary work. He had six thousand Kamus in his district. - -The opium habit is very common. We found but few monasteries in the -Sipsawng Pannā whose abbots and monks did not use opium. One man, when -asked whether he used it, made a significant answer: “When I have money, -I do. When I have none, I don’t.” - -The Chao Fā of Mûang Sing was busy preparing for the marriage of his -daughter with a son of the great Chao Fā of Chieng Rung. So I did not -see much of him. I had a long talk, however, with the prospective groom. -He doubted the possibility of pardon for sin. I had several interviews -with Dr. McKean’s patient for calculus, before mentioned. He was not so -near Christianity as I hoped to find him, but was profuse in praise of -the doctor and the hospital. He had two wives before the operation, and -now was utilizing his new lease of life by taking another younger one. I -saw here some peaches not quite ripe—which was very tantalizing. But I -did get some ripe plums. - -When I left Mûang Sing on April 28th, Mr. Eva escorted me six miles on -my way, and we bade each other good-bye four or five times before we -could finally part. At Wieng Pūkā I had another warm welcome from the -French Commissaire. I had to decline his invitation, also, to good -quarters with him; but dined with him at night, and next morning he sent -me a nice shoulder of beef. A large number of Kamus were here engaged on -some public works. Unlike most of their tribe, these are Buddhists, and -there were a number who could read, and who were delighted to get books. -It was remarkable that their women spoke Lāo fairly well. Their chief -officer had eighteen hundred men under him. After talking with them till -near midnight, I turned them over to the elders, and was soon asleep. -Next morning my cook came to my tent to enquire whether I were not ill. -It was half-past six, and breakfast was ready! - -We passed many Kamu villages in this portion of our route. Most of them -would welcome a missionary, and seemed ripe for the Gospel. Formerly, -under the government of Nān, they had an easy time, with no taxes and -almost voluntary service. Now they naturally complained of the stricter -régime of the French. I consoled them with the fact that the world over -people have to pay taxes to the government that protects them. For this -I did not at all need the warning which Mr. Eva gave me, that the one -thing which the French would not tolerate was interference with their -government work. At Chieng Kawng I took leave of French territory, with -nothing but feelings of gratitude for the uniform personal kindness of -their officials, and their apparently kind interest in our work. That -work I must now dismiss with the very brief outline I have given. I -believe that light was conveyed to many seekers after truth, and seed -was sown which will not be lost. - -From Chieng Kawng onwards I was on old touring ground, and among -friends. I spent a Sunday there, made a short visit to the Mūsô hills, -and found a warm welcome in Chieng Rāi from the two missionary families -who were now established in that station, as well as from my many native -friends. Here I received my long-desired mail. Its good cheer was -tempered by one sad piece of news—the death of my sister Mary and my -brother Evander, the last of my own mother’s children. On May 16th I -entered upon my own three-score and tenth year. Leaving Chieng Rāi on -the 18th, I reached home on the 26th, after an absence of four and a -half months. - -Meanwhile the work in our own and in all the other stations had been -energetically prosecuted by a faithful band of younger workers, better -prepared than the old ones to carry it on to completion. And the other -long tour to the English territory, planned for the later portion of the -year, was successfully carried out by Dr. Briggs, Rev. Mr. Dodd, and -Rev. Mr. Irwin. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - XXXIV - - THE CLOSED DOOR - - -The tour of 1898 was undertaken with two special objects in view: (1) to -follow up the auspicious beginnings of work among the Kamu and Lamēt -tribes, the largest and most important within the mountain area explored -during the previous season, and, apparently, ready as a body to accept -the Gospel; and (2) to secure the sanction of the French government for -continued work in French territory. I was unable to secure a missionary -colleague for the tour, and therefore went accompanied only by native -evangelists. I took the most direct route, crossing the Mê Kōng at Pāk -Bêng, following the Bêng River to its source, and crossing by the pass -at its head to Mûang Sai, the point at which the most promising work of -the previous tour was begun. The journey so far occupied nearly a -month’s time. - -The tour was organized on notice too short to permit my passport from -the United States Minister in Bangkok to reach me in Chiengmai before I -started. It was, therefore, sent on direct to the French authorities at -Lūang Prabāng. Meantime M. Vackle, the Commandant Supérieur, who was so -kind to us the year before, had been superseded by M. Luce; and him, -unfortunately, we just missed at the crossing of the Mê Kōng. He passed -up in a steamer the day before we reached the river. By the time we -reached Mûang Sai, M. Luce had returned to Lūang Prabāng, and had wired -to the office in Mûang Sai that my passport was come, and that I was -expected in Lūang Prabāng. No instructions were given regarding my work, -and the authorities were in doubt what to do. Under the circumstances, -the only passport they could issue was one to the capital, Lūang -Prabāng. - -They were not particular, however, as to the route I should take. So I -chose a circuit to the northeast, leading through the mountain region to -the Ū River, down which I could descend by boat to Lūang Prabāng. This -would enable me to find Nān Tit, the Kamu scholar whom I met at Mûang -Sai on my previous tour, and to visit with him a few Kamu villages. The -extent of the work I hoped to undertake that season would depend upon -the opening I found there. A passport was given me by that route, and a -soldier was sent along as guide and escort. - -Nān Tit, as I hoped, had read the books I gave him, had prepared the way -for me by teaching the substance of them to his neighbours, and now -would assist me in teaching his tribe. With him as interpreter and -assistant we visited a number of contiguous villages, holding night -conferences, at which the whole population of the village would be -present. Everywhere a wonderfully ready response was given to the -Gospel. They, too, were oppressed by the dread of spirits, and welcomed -deliverance from their bondage. They would accept the Gospel, but, -naturally, referred us on to the Pīa. - -To his village at last we went. He was a venerable man near seventy, and -though for years hopelessly crippled by paralysis of the lower limbs, -his bright mind and business talents had raised him to his present -position, and given him a commanding influence. I shall never forget our -first interview. He had heard the rumour that our religion could -overcome the spirits and save from sin. Crawling painfully on his hands -to meet us, he welcomed us to his village and his people. He had heard -of the Jesus-religion, and wished to embrace it. Since he was old, he -must do it soon. This was on Friday afternoon. By Saturday night every -family in the place had made the same decision, and would begin by -keeping their first Sabbath next day. Our elders entered with heart and -soul into teaching them. The young folks soon learned a verse or two of -“The Happy Land,” and some a verse or two in the Catechism. Next -morning, before I was dressed, old and young of both sexes were -gathering to learn how to keep the Sabbath. It was a great day, just the -like of which I had never seen. It settled the decision of hundreds, -possibly of thousands, of people. - -Still, everything depended upon the French authorities. They could -forbid our teaching, as, in fact, they afterwards did. But up to this -point I could not believe that they would. A prompt and candid interview -seemed all that would be necessary to settle that matter, and make the -Kamus feel safe. If such an opening were found, I had determined to -remain with them throughout the season. But in that case my family and -the mission must be informed. More medicine and books and some comforts -would be required to carry me through. It was, therefore, decided to -move on a day’s journey to Mûang Lā, a convenient point, leave there two -elders to instruct the people, and send back three carriers to Chiengmai -for the needed supplies and another elder; while I went on overland to -Mûang Kwā, and there took boat down the Ū River. - -The mountain scenery along this river is very beautiful, especially so -near its junction with the Mê Kōng. We reached Lūang Prabāng on Monday, -May 9th, and called at once on M. Grant, who was so kind to us the year -before. He gave me a greeting as warm as ever. The king was having an -interview with M. Luce that day, so I could not see him till Tuesday. I -dined that night with M. Grant, he himself coming at dusk to walk over -with me. We had a delightful evening. There had been a regular exodus of -Kamus that year to Chiengmai and other southern provinces. M. Grant -asked if I had heard any reason assigned for it. I told him that I had -heard of three—the dearness of rice, owing to the failure of the last -crop; the exhaustion of the mountain lands, and the lack of remunerative -employment by which they could earn the money required to pay their -taxes. - -On Tuesday afternoon the Commandant Supérieur sent his secretary to -invite me to an interview. He, too, gave me a cordial greeting. He had -received my passport together with a letter of introduction from the -Consul Général in Bangkok. I had also a kind personal letter from our -United States Minister, Mr. John Barrett. He had used his personal -influence, and assured me that it would all be right. My interview was -very pleasant. M. Luce enquired about our mission work, the number of -our converts, and other similar matters. He then referred to the large -emigration of Kamus; asked if I had heard of any reason for it, and how -many of our three thousand converts were Kamus. He was much surprised to -learn that the converts were almost entirely Lāo, with not a half dozen -Kamus among them. Putting his anxiety about the emigration and our work -among these people together, it seemed to me later that he must have -thought the movement a religious one. - -When, at last, I stated my special errand to the city, namely, that a -number of villages in his province were interested in our religion, that -I wished to teach them further, and that, since they were French -subjects, I thought it proper to inform him and secure his sanction, he -thanked me for doing so, but his manner at once changed. He said he -should have to consult the king about that; the mountain people were -hard to teach; the country was unhealthy; the Catholic missionaries in -the south were leaving, or had left; the king would fear that the Kamus -would become disloyal to him if they became Christians. To this I -replied that the native officials had uniformly granted us permission to -teach among their subjects; that they realized that it was a benefit to -their country, and even gave us their assistance; and that it was the -fixed policy of our mission to teach Christians loyalty to their rulers. -M. Luce said he would consult with the king, and would let me know the -decision. I expressed my wish to pay my respects to the king, which he -said was a very proper thing, and, on my leaving, he gave me a cordial -invitation to dine with him that night. - -Next day, through M. Grant, I secured a very pleasant interview with the -king. My long residence in the country and acquaintance with both -Siamese and Lāo officials, gave us much common ground for conversation. -He was pleased that I had known their Majesties, the present King of -Siam and his father, his former liege-lords. Quite in line with native -ideas, he thought I must be a man of great merit to be so old and yet so -strong. I explained at his request the teaching of our religion, -pointing out some of its distinctive differences from Buddhism, in all -of which things he was interested. He said that it was all very good, -but he was born and reared in the Buddhist worship, and was too old to -change. Gradually introducing my errand, I told him of my interest in -the Kamus, and of their desire to become Christians; that I had come -down to get permission to work among them. We taught them a better -morality, of which loyalty to rulers was a fundamental article, enjoined -by Jesus on His disciples. He raised the objection that the Kamus were -ignorant, and we would find them harder to teach than the Lāo. To this I -replied that these villagers had become believers, and I was going to -spend several months in teaching them. He asked if I did not think I was -running great risk in living so long in the forest, and so far away from -home. “Well,” said I, “I am used to life in the forest and jungle, and -you can see for yourself how I have fared.” At which he smiled, and made -no further objection. I left with the firm conviction that if M. Luce -were not unwilling, there would be no difficulty with him. - -While at dinner that night, I informed M. Luce of my pleasant audience -with the king; how I told him my plans, and he had virtually given his -consent. “Is that so?” said he. “I must see the king myself about that.” -And as I took my leave, he said again, “I will see the king to-morrow, -and will let you know the result.” - -The next afternoon, Thursday, M. Luce had a long interview at the -Prince’s residence. On Friday afternoon I called on M. Grant on my way -to the Commandant’s office. He told me that M. Luce wished to see me, -but had instructed him to notify me that the king did not understand -that I was to spend several months among the Kamus—though he certainly -did, or why should he have raised the question of my health? I reminded -M. Grant that my passport was not to the king, but to the French -authorities. All the world recognized the country as French territory. -It would have been considered a discourtesy to the French if the -representative of the United States had sent a letter to the Lāo king as -such. He admitted that in a limited sense this was true; but they did -not treat the king as a conquered vassal. Cochin China had fought the -French, and had been conquered and annexed. But Lūang Prabāng had put -itself under their protection without firing a gun. M. Grant delivered -his message with as much consideration toward my disappointment as was -consistent with loyalty to his superior. But my disappointment I could -not conceal. - -M. Luce, I was informed, was very busy that day, but would be glad to -see me on Saturday afternoon. The decision, however, was irreversible. -Further pressure would be useless, and might be unwise. In that case, I -said, of course I must submit. I had shown proper respect for the ruling -authority, and my own desire to avoid future misunderstanding, by making -the long and costly journey to Lūang Prabāng. My errand was now ended. I -would take my leave at once, and return next morning. - -This being reported to M. Luce, he sent word that he must see me before -I left. I might come immediately. Personally, again, he was very kind, -but made a studied effort to put the responsibility upon the king, who, -as he said, had not understood that I wished to make a long stay among -the Kamus, which he thought was unsafe for me. Of course, I had no -complaint to make of the king, who had been most gracious. I submitted -to their decision, and would return home. But my arrangements required -my return to the Kamu villages, where I had left my men and my goods, -and would be detained there till my messengers should return from -Chiengmai—which, he said, was all right. Since the responsibility had -been put on the king, and the adverse decision had been based solely on -the danger to my personal health and safety, I thought it unwise to -raise the question of native assistants, and so felt free to leave these -on the ground to teach the new believers, as, indeed, I felt under -obligation to do. - -Thanking M. Luce for all his personal kindness, I begged to take my -leave of him then, so that I might start on my return the next morning. -But he evidently was not satisfied with his own part in the matter, and -wished to make some personal amends to soothe my disappointment. He -hoped I would not leave in the morning, but would remain till Monday, -and give him the pleasure of a dinner with me and M. Grant on Sunday -night. I hoped he would still excuse me, since, if I remained, that -would be our time for public worship. “Then,” said he, “we shall be -pleased to have you on Saturday night; and if you are not ready now to -give an affirmative reply, I hope you will so arrange it as to notify my -secretary in the morning.” Notwithstanding his evident disingenuousness -in trying to shift the responsibility for his own acts to another, there -was no reason for making it a personal matter; and it would be impolitic -to leave apparently angry. So I decided to remain till Monday, and -accepted the invitation for Saturday night. - -I feared there would be great constraint on both sides at the dinner; -but in this I was agreeably disappointed. That very day a long telegram -had arrived, reporting the declaration of war with Spain, and the -particulars of the great naval victory of Manila Bay. On my arrival at -his house, M. Luce handed me a full translation of these into English, -which he had had made for me. They were much surprised at the victory, -for they thought the Spanish navy much larger and stronger than ours; -and they were high in their praise of the victors. We really had a -delightful time. After dinner our host and M. Grant both laid themselves -out to show me beautiful maps and pictures. M. Luce invited me to call -on Monday morning, and he would send a long telegram to my wife without -charge. This he did, and we all parted friends. The departure on the -16th, my seventieth birthday, was not as joyful as I had hoped. - -On my return to Mûang Sai, I found that my carriers had been delayed by -sore feet and sickness. I could not leave till they came, for fear of -missing them and causing further complications. So my long trip home was -thrown into the middle of a very rainy season. I had to apologize as -best I could to the new converts for the change in my plan to remain -with them. But they were glad to have our elders stay and teach them. If -that shady tree on the little hill at Mûang Sai could speak, it would -tell of much anxious prayer on leaving the Christians and starting on -the long journey before me. My Ebenezer was left on that tree. - -That journey was altogether the worst I ever had. I did not reach home -till August 6th, after the longest tour I had ever taken. M. Luce’s -telegram had prepared my family and friends for my changed plans. - -A few lines must close the history of the work among the Kamus. In -December the three evangelists returned with a most encouraging report. -The converts had remained firm, and others were waiting to join them. -The next season a native minister was sent to them. In 1903 the mission -ventured to send two of our younger men, Dr. Campbell and Mr. Mackay. to -Mûang Sai, to visit the Christians, and respond to a pressing call to -extend the work. Imagine their surprise on reaching Mûang Sai to find -that the local commissioner had received orders to forbid our -missionaries to visit the Christian community, or to hold any religious -service with them, on penalty of being conducted out of the country, by -force if necessary. The command was so imperative that the Commissioner -dared not disobey. He begged them for his sake to return peaceably. No -effort has been made since to reach the Christians at Mûang Sai, or to -extend the work. - -It will be remembered that a few members of the Chieng Sên church—never -more than half a dozen families—lived on the east bank of the Mê Kōng, -in French territory. So objectionable was the very presence of a -missionary making a few days’ visit among his flock, that it was -regarded of sufficient importance to warrant an official protest from -the authorities at Lūang Prabāng, sent through the Governor General of -Hanoi, and the United States Minister at Bangkok. Complaint was made of -a visit made by the Rev. ——, who had exhibited Scripture pictures and -distributed books among the people—which was so contrary to their policy -that they forbade the Roman Catholic missionaries from working in their -territory. They begged that the thing be not repeated! For the credit of -the French authorities I should have been glad to suppress the latter -part of this story. But, on the other hand, I think it should be known, -in order that it may become a burden on the prayers of the Christian -world of all denominations, that God’s providence may open the whole -peninsula of Indo-China to the preaching of the Gospel. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - XXXV - - CONCLUSION - - -My advancing age suggests the wisdom of not attempting to continue this -personal narrative beyond the account just given of my last long -missionary tour. I may venture to add, however, by way of conclusion, a -few suggestions and criticisms concerning the work of our mission as a -whole, and briefly notice a few of the more important personalities and -events of these later years. - -Special prominence has been given throughout to the evangelistic work, -as being the foundation of all other missionary work. A Christian Church -and a Christian constituency must be the first aim in all missions. In -this we have not been unsuccessful. Our ideals, it is true, have not -been realized. We have not witnessed among the Siamese or the Lāo any -racial movement towards Christianity; nor have there been any great -revivals resulting in large accessions to the church. Both of these we -hope for in the not far distant future. Yet the uniform, healthful -growth of the church, as distinguished from spasmodic or sporadic -increase, has been most gratifying. Seldom does a week pass without -accessions to some of our churches. - -An adult membership of four thousand is a good foundation. And it must -never be forgotten that the roll of church-membership is a very -inadequate index of the real influence and power of a mission. In -addition to a much larger constituency of adherents, there is our large -roll of non-communing members, the hope of the future church. And signs -of most hopeful promise have appeared within the present year. The -growth of the Chieng Rāi church during that time has been surpassed only -by the results of Dr. Campbell’s recent tours, amounting to eighty -accessions within a few weeks. The supporters of our missions have every -cause for gratitude, and a call for earnest, effectual prayer in their -behalf. - -A review of our evangelistic work suggests one or two criticisms. On one -line at least, with a smaller amount of hard work done by the missionary -himself, we might have accomplished more, might now be better prepared -for advanced work, and the native church might be better able to stand -alone, if we had addressed our efforts more steadily to the development -and use of native assistance. While we have not had the material of well -educated young men out of which to form a theological seminary and to -furnish a fully equipped native ministry, we have not used, to the -extent to which we should have used it, the material which was -available. For a mission as old as ours, we must confess that in this -most important matter we are very backward. - -The delay in starting our school for boys was not our fault; it was -inevitable. The Lāo rulers of the earlier years were absolutely -indifferent to all education, and were positively jealous of any that -was given by the mission. But as the church began to increase, we had -accessions of men trained in the Buddhist priesthood. Some of these were -among the best educated men in the country. They understood—as young men -even from mission schools could not be expected to understand—the -religion, the modes of thought, the needs of their own people, and how -to reach them. Their education, however deficient, brought them many -compensations. They form the class from which nearly all of our -evangelists have been drawn. When such men have been drilled in the -Scriptures, their Buddhistic knowledge makes them the very best men for -successful work among their countrymen. They visit and sleep in the -homes of their people, and are one with them. The missionary in his work -must rely largely on their judgment and advice. - -It must not be understood that we have not taught these men or used -them. A great deal of labour has been spent in training them; very much -in the same way in which in American churches, a generation ago, busy -pastors trained up young men to be some of our best ministers. The -criticism I make—and in it I believe all my colleagues will concur—is -that we have not made as much of them as we should have done. No doubt -there have been difficulties in the way. Their families must somehow be -provided for during the process. The native churches were not strong -enough to undertake their support. We were warned that to aid them with -foreign funds would make the churches mercenary. What the missionary -himself sometimes did to eke out their subsistence was irregular and -difficult, and often unsatisfactory. But the labourer is worthy of his -hire. Hungry mouths must be fed. The Board and the churches at home do -not begrudge a thousand dollars or more to support a missionary in the -field. Should they begrudge the same amount spent upon half a dozen men -who will treble or quadruple the missionary’s work and his influence? In -any business it is poor policy to employ a high-salaried foreman, and -then not furnish him cheaper men to do that which unskilled labour can -accomplish better than he. - -In this matter, as in some others, we might have learned valuable -lessons from our nearest missionary neighbours in Burma, even though the -conditions of our work have been in many respects very different from -theirs. Making all allowance for our conditions, I frankly confess that -our greatest mistake has probably been in doing too much of the work -ourselves, instead of training others to do it, and working through -them. This conviction, however, must not in the least lead us to relax -our efforts in the line of general education. For the ultimate -establishment of the church, and to meet the demands of the age, we must -have workmen thoroughly equipped. Till that time comes, we must, as we -should more fully have done hitherto, rely on whatever good working -material we find ready to hand. - - * * * * * - -With regard to plans and methods of work, another thought suggests -itself. In a business organized as ours is, where the majority in the -Annual Meeting has absolute power, it is difficult to avoid the -appearance—and sometimes the reality—of a vacillating policy. New -stations are established, and missionaries are located by the ballot of -the mission there assembled. From year to year the personnel of the -mission is constantly changing by reason of furloughs, breakdown of -health, and necessary removals. We make our disposition of forces at one -meeting, and at the next an entirely new disposition has become -necessary. A family has been left alone without a physician or -associate. Missionary enthusiasm, or an earnest minority interested in a -particular field or a particular cause, may initiate a policy which a -subsequent majority may be unable to sanction, or which it may be found -difficult or impossible to carry out. - -Again, as between the policy of maintaining one strong central station, -and that of maintaining several smaller ones in different parts of the -country, it is often difficult to decide. With the aim originally of -establishing the Gospel in all the states under Siamese rule, we seem to -have been led to adopt the latter policy. Through God’s blessing on -evangelistic tours, in Lampūn and in the frontier provinces of the -north, there grew up churches which called for missionary oversight. The -famine in Prê summoned us thither; and to secure the work then done, a -missionary in residence was needed. Though no church had been formed in -Nān, yet our tours had opened the way to one, and the importance of the -province and its distance from our centre demanded a station. In every -case these stations were opened with the cordial approval of the mission -and of the Board at home. Yet it has been difficult to keep them all -manned, as has been specially true in the case of Prê—and there to the -great detriment of the work. It is easy to say now that a strong central -policy might have been better. And that criticism would probably hit me -harder than anyone else, for I have sanctioned the establishment of -every one of those stations. It is possible that a more centralized -organization might have accomplished more toward the education of native -workers—the point last under discussion. - -With reference to the establishment of stations in the north beyond the -frontier of Siam, there was not until recently absolute unanimity in the -mission. But that was not from any diversity of opinion as regards the -question in itself, but because a sister denomination had established -itself there. There has never been reasonable ground for doubt that the -language and race of the ruling class, and of the population of the -plains would naturally assign them to the Lāo mission. And no other -mission is so well equipped for working that field. A Lāo Inland -Mission, somewhat on the plan of the China Inland Mission, would be an -ideal scheme for reaching the whole of the Tai-speaking peoples of the -north and northeast under English and French and Chinese rule. The -obligation to carry the Gospel to those peoples should rest heavily on -the conscience of the Christian Church, and on our Church in particular. -Who will volunteer to be the leaders? - -It has already been noticed that in our educational work the Girls’ -School had the precedence in time, and possibly in importance. Boys did -at least learn to read and write in the monasteries. At the time of our -arrival in Chiengmai, only two women in the province could read. The -Chiengmai Girls’ School has had a wide educational influence throughout -the north, and to-day our Girls’ Schools have practically no -competitors. - -The Phraner Memorial School for small children, in connection with the -First Church, Chiengmai, under Mrs. Campbell’s direction, is preparing -material both for High Schools and for the College. We have good schools -for girls in Lakawn, Nān, and Chieng Rāi; and parochial mixed schools in -most of our country churches and out-stations. The young women who have -been engaged in this department, and many self-sacrificing married -women, have great reason to rejoice over the work accomplished. No -greater work can be done than that of educating the wives and mothers of -the church and the land. Educated Christian men are greatly handicapped -when consorted with illiterate and superstitious wives. Without a -Christian wife and mother there can be no Christian family, the -foundation both of the church and of the Christian State. - -On a recent visit to Chiengmai, Princess Dārā Ratsami—one of the wives -of His late Majesty of Siam, and daughter of Prince Intanon of Chiengmai -and his wife, the Princess Tipakēsawn, often mentioned in the preceding -narrative—was much interested in the Girls’ School, and was pleased to -name it the Phra Rajchayar School, after herself—using therefor her -title, and not her personal name. - -The mission had been founded twenty years before it had, and almost -before it could have had, a School for Boys. It is the intention of the -mission to make of this school—the Prince Royal College—the future -Christian College. Similar schools have been established in the other -stations. - -Since the Siamese government assumed control in the North, it has -manifested a laudable zeal in establishing schools, in which, however, -the Siamese language alone is taught. His Majesty is most fortunate in -having such an able and progressive representative in the North as the -present High Commissioner, Chow Prayā Surasīh Visithasakdī. And the -country is no less fortunate in having a ruler whose high personal -character and wise administration command the confidence and respect of -all classes. He is interested in educating the people, and in everything -that advances the interests of the country. - -I regard the educational question as the great question now before the -mission. The existence of the Siamese schools greatly emphasizes the -importance of our own work, and the necessity of maintaining a high -standard and a strong teaching force in Siamese, English, mathematics, -and the sciences. Their schools then will be tributary to ours. - -The ultimate prevalence of the Siamese language in all the provinces -under Siamese rule, has been inevitable from the start. All governments -realize the importance of a uniform language in unifying a people, and -have no interest whatever in perpetuating a provincial dialect. The -Siamese, in fact, look down with a kind of disdain upon the Lāo speech, -and use it only as a temporary necessity during the period of -transition. And the Siamese is really the richer of the two by reason of -its large borrowing from the Pali, the better scholarship behind it, and -its closer connection with the outside world. - -These two forms of the Tai speech—with a common idiom, and with the -great body of words in both identical, or differing only in vocal -inflection—have been kept apart chiefly by the fact that they have -different written characters. All of the Lāo women and children, and -two-thirds of the men had to be taught to read, whichever character were -adopted; and they could have learned the one form quite as easily as the -other. Had the mission adopted the Siamese character from the start, it -would now be master of the educational situation, working on a uniform -scheme with the Siamese Educational Department. Moreover, the Siamese -language in our schools would have been a distinct attraction toward -education and toward Christianity. And thus there would have been -available for the North the labours of two or more generations of able -workers in the southern mission, from which so far the Lāo church has -been mostly cut off. The whole Bible would have been accessible from the -first; whereas now nearly half of it remains still untranslated into the -Lāo. If the future needs of the Siamese provinces alone were to be -considered, it might even be doubted whether it were worth while to -complete the translation. When the monks, in their studies and teaching, -adopt the Siamese, as it is now the intention of the government to have -them do, Lāo books will soon be without readers throughout Siam. When -for the young a choice is possible in the matter of such a transcendent -instrument of thought and culture as language, all surely would wish -their training to be in that one which has in it the promise of the -future. These words are written in no idle criticism of the past, and in -no captious spirit regarding the present; but with full sense of the -gravity of the decision which confronts the mission in shaping its -educational policy for those who henceforth are to be Siamese. - -Meanwhile, Lāo type and books in the Lāo dialect are needed, not merely -for the present generation of older people who cannot or will not learn -a new character, but also for the instruction and Christianization of -that much larger mass of Lāo folk beyond the frontier of Siam as -revealed by recent explorations. Removed, as these are, entirely from -the political and cultural influence of Siam, and divided up under the -jurisdiction of three great nations of diverse and alien speech, it is -inconceivable that the Siamese should ever win the ascendency over them. -Nor has either of these nations any immediate and pressing incentive -toward unifying the speech of its provincials, such as has actuated Siam -in this matter. If the field of the Lāo mission is to be extended to -include these “regions beyond”—as we all hope that it soon may be—Lāo -speech will inevitably be the medium of all its work there. Then all -that so far has been accomplished in the way of translation, writing, -and printing in the Lāo tongue, will be so much invaluable capital to be -turned over to the newer enterprise. - -As regards the medical department of the mission, the Lāo field has been -an ideal one for its operation and for demonstration of its results. -When the field was virtually closed to the simple Gospel, the missionary -physician found everywhere an exalted, not to say exaggerated, idea of -the efficacy of foreign medicine, and a warm welcome for himself. Dr. -Cheek, who virtually founded our regular medical work among the Lāo, had -been on the field but a short time when he reported thirteen thousand -patients treated in one year. Probably no subsequent physician has had -such absolute control of the situation as he had, so long as he gave his -time and talents to his calling. But even the layman finds his medical -chest an invaluable adjunct to his evangelistic work, as we have had -frequent occasion to notice. We are devoutly thankful for—we might -almost envy—the influence that our medical missionaries have exerted in -the civilization and the Christianization of the Lāo tribes. - -Somewhat of the present status and importance of the medical mission may -be judged from the following facts: Dr. J. W. McKean’s projected Leper -Asylum is the largest charitable institution ever planned in the -kingdom. The new Overbrook Hospital in Chieng Rāi, the generous gift of -the Gest family of Overbrook, Pennsylvania, is the finest building in -the mission. The Charles T. Van Santvoord Hospital in Lakawn is another -similar gift. Native physicians, trained as far as present opportunities -permit in Western surgery and medicine, are now maintained at certain -posts by the Siamese government. And especially the work of Dr. Arthur -Kerr, the government physician in Chiengmai, and his unremitting -kindness to the mission, are deeply appreciated by us all. - -I cannot close these remarks without making special reference to the -work of my old friend and classmate and early associate in the mission, -Dr. Jonathan Wilson. In addition to his other most valuable labours, he -spent years of loving and devoted service in the preparation of hymns -for Lāo worship, Which will mould and lead the spiritual life of this -people for years to come. The Lāo are lovers of music. Many of them have -received much of their religious instruction through the use of these -hymns. His influence in the Lāo church may be compared to that of Watts -and Wesley for the English race. - - * * * * * - -Our long isolation as a mission has enabled us to appreciate the coming -to us in late years of a number of distinguished visitors, who have -greatly encouraged and strengthened us. - -At the Annual Meeting in December, 1900, we were favoured with a visit -from our United States Minister, Hon. Hamilton King, and his two -daughters. Referring to his visit, the “Lāo Quarterly Letter” said: “His -addresses to the missionaries and native ministers and elders of the -Presbytery were much appreciated, and our large church building was -crowded on two successive Sabbaths to hear his eloquent words of -encouragement to native Christians, and his warm commendation of -Christianity to non-Christians. It has been said that one of the best -things which a United States Minister can take to a non-Christian land -is a good Christian home. And this is just what Mr. King has brought to -Siam.” - -At the Annual Meeting of the following year, in Lakawn, we received the -first official visit we ever had from one of the Secretaries of our -Board, in the person of Rev. Arthur J. Brown, D.D., accompanied by his -good wife. The importance of these secretarial visits to distant -missions can hardly be overestimated. It is impossible to legislate -intelligently for a constituency twelve thousand miles away. No amount -of writing can give the varied kinds of information necessary for a full -understanding of the people, the missionaries, their surroundings, and -the needs of the field, which a single visit will convey. Then, too, -there are questions of administration and mission polity, requiring -settlement in the home Board, which can with difficulty be understood -through correspondence. Dr. Brown’s official visit was most helpful, as -also his words of encouragement, his sermons and addresses. The pleasure -derived from the personal visits of Dr. and Mrs. Brown to various -members of the Mission will always linger in our memories. - -[Illustration: - - HIS MAJESTY, MAHĀ VAJIRAVUDH, KING OF SIAM] - -Another notable visit to Chiengmai was that of the Crown Prince of Siam, -now His Majesty Mahā Vajiravudh, in the winter of 1905-6. On this visit -His Royal Highness very graciously accepted the invitation of the -mission to lay the corner stone of the William Allen Butler Hall, the -recitation hall of the new Boys’ School. On that occasion he delivered -an address, of which the following is a translation: - - “Ladies and Gentlemen:—I have listened with great pleasure to - the complimentary remarks which have just been made. I regard - them as indisputable evidence of your friendship for the whole - Kingdom of Siam. - - “During my visit to the United States, the American people were - pleased to give me a most enthusiastic welcome. I may mention - particularly the sumptuous banquet with which your Board of - Foreign Missions honoured me. I perceived clearly that the - American people received me whole-heartedly and not - perfunctorily. This also made it evident to me that the American - people have a sincere friendship for the Kingdom of Siam. Of - this fact I was profoundly convinced, and I certainly shall not - soon forget my visit to the United States. - - “This being so, I feel compelled to reciprocate this kindness to - the full extent of my ability. As my Royal Grandfather and my - Royal Father have befriended the missionaries, so I trust that I - too shall have opportunity, on proper occasions, to assist them - to the limits of my power. - - “Your invitation to me to-day to lay the corner stone of your - new School Building, is another evidence of your friendship and - goodwill toward Siam. I have full confidence that you will make - every endeavour to teach the students to use their knowledge for - the welfare of their country. Therefore I take great pleasure in - complying with your request, and I invoke a rich blessing on - this new institution. May it prosper and fulfil the highest - expectations of its founders!” - -In response to a request from the Principal that he would name the new -school, His Royal Highness sent the following reply: - - “CHIENGMAI, January 2d, 1906. - - “I have great pleasure in naming the new school, the foundation - stone of which I have just laid, The Prince Royal’s College. May - this School which I have so named, be prosperous, and realize - all that its well-wishers hope for it. May it long flourish, and - remain a worthy monument of the enterprise of the American - Presbyterian Church of Chiengmai. This is the wish of their - sincere friend, - - “VAJIRAVUDH.” - -Little did we then think that His Royal Highness would so soon be called -to fill the high office left vacant by the lamented death of his -distinguished father, King Chulalangkorn, which occurred October 22d, -1910. - -In December, 1908, Mrs. McGilvary’s brother, Professor Cornelius B. -Bradley of the University of California, while on a visit to the land of -his birth and of his father’s labours, paid us a visit in the North. He -was present at our Annual Meeting in Lakawn, and on Sunday preached the -Communion sermon, and again in Chiengmai. It was to the astonishment of -all who heard him, both natives and foreigners, that he could converse -fluently and flawlessly, and could so preach, after an absence of -thirty-six years. It was upon this visit to Siam, that he made a special -study and translation of the Sukhōthai Stone—the earliest known monument -of the Siamese language. - -In company with Professor Bradley came Mr. William McClusky, a business -man, on a visit to his daughter, Mrs. M. B. Palmer. The significance of -this visit lies in the fact that Mr. McClusky has remained among us, and -has identified himself with the work of the mission, endearing himself -to all. - - * * * * * - -In 1905 Mrs. McGilvary returned to the United States for a much-needed -change. I remained on the field until 1906, when I was cabled for on -account of the very serious state of her health. I found her very low, -and my visit was devoted to the restoration of her health. In the autumn -she was sufficiently recovered to make our return possible, and the -voyage was undertaken in compliance with her own ardent wish. She was -greatly benefited by the sea-voyage, and since her return her health has -been fully restored. - -On May 16th, 1908, my daughter, Mrs. William Harris, gave a dinner in -honour of my eightieth birthday, at which all our missionary and -European friends in Chiengmai were guests. Dr. McKean expressed the -congratulations of my friends in an address, from which I quote the -following: “Eighty years of age, sir, but not eighty years old! We do -not associate the term old age with you, for you seem to have drunk of -the fount of perpetual youth.” But the sentiment to which I most -heartily subscribe is the following: “There is a common maxim among men -to which we all readily assent; namely, that no man is able to do his -best work in the world without having received from God that best of all -temporal gifts, a helpmeet for him. We most heartily congratulate you -that, early in your life in Siam, Mrs. McGilvary was made a partner in -this great life-work. And no one knows so well as yourself how large a -part she has had in making possible much of the strenuous work that you -have done. To her, likewise, we offer on this happy occasion our hearty -congratulations and our fervent wishes for an ever-brightening future!” - -On December 6th, 1910, Mrs. McGilvary and I celebrated our Golden -Wedding. As this occurred during the Annual Meeting of the Mission, most -of our missionary friends, as well as our friends of the foreign colony, -were present. It was a matter of great regret, however, that Dr. Wilson, -who was present at the wedding fifty years before, was too feeble to -come to Chiengmai on this occasion. The many beautiful gifts received -were another token of the loving regard of our friends and dear ones in -this and in the homeland. Among the many letters and telegrams received -was a cablegram from our children in America. “It was like a hand-clasp -and a whisper of love flashed around the world.” Dr. Arthur J. Brown, -speaking for himself and the members of the Board of Foreign Missions, -wrote: “We greatly rejoice in your long and conspicuously devoted and -influential service for the Lāo people. We share the veneration and love -with which we know you are regarded by the people among whom your lives -have been spent, and by the missionaries with whom you have been so -closely associated. It would be a joy if we could join the relatives and -friends who will be with you on that happy day in December. We invoke -God’s richest blessings on you both. Mrs. Brown and all my colleagues in -the office unite with the members of the Board in loving -congratulations.” - -One of the most valued of these messages came from H. R. H. Prince -Damrong, Minister of the Interior: “I just learn from the local papers -of the celebration of your Golden Wedding. I wish you and Mrs. McGilvary -to accept my sincere congratulations and best wishes that you both may -be spared to continue your great work for many more years. Damrong.” - -Our good friend, H. E. Prayā Surasīh Visithsakdī, High Commissioner for -the Northwestern Provinces, brought his congratulations in person, -presenting Mrs. McGilvary with a very rare old Siamese bowl of inlaid -work of silver and gold. - -[Illustration: - - DR. AND MRS. McGILVARY FIFTY YEARS AFTER THEIR MARRIAGE] - - -From the native church in Chieng Rāi a message in Lāo was received, of -which the following is a translation: “The Chieng Rāi Christians invoke -Divine blessings on the Father-Teacher and Mother-Teacher McGilvary, who -are by us more beloved than gold.” - -We were deeply touched by a most unexpected demonstration of the -Chiengmai Christians, who assembled at our home, and with many -expressions of loving esteem and gratitude presented us with a silver -tray, designed by themselves, on which were represented in relief the -progress of the city in these fifty years: on one end the old bridge, on -the other the new bridge just completed; on the two sides, the -rest-house we occupied upon our arrival in Chiengmai, and our present -home. The inscription, in Lāo, reads: “1867-1910. The Christian people -of Chiengmai to Father-Teacher and Mother-Teacher McGilvary, in memory -of your having brought the Good News of Christ, forty-three years -ago.”—It makes one feel very humble to quote such expressions from our -colleagues and friends. But it would not be in human nature to fail to -appreciate them. - - * * * * * - -I would not close this life-story without expressing, on behalf of my -wife and myself, our heartfelt gratitude to our friends, native and -foreign, for the great kindness shown us in our intercourse with them -during these long years; and, above all, our devout gratitude to the -Giver of all good, for sparing so long our lives, and crowning them with -such rich blessings. Of these the greatest has been in permitting us to -lay the foundations, and to witness the steady growth of the Church of -Christ in Northern Siam. - -[Illustration: - - SKETCH MAP OF SIAM AND THE ADJACENT REGIONS - TO ILLUSTRATE THE MISSIONARY TOURS OF REV. DANIEL McGILVARY, D.D.] - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - INDEX - - - Arthington, Robert, 373-376, 386. - - - Bradley, Rev. Dan Beach, M.D., 45, 52, 54-57, 67-70, 131-132, 164, 199. - - Buddhist shrines, 172-173, 188, 252-253. - - - Ceremonies and Festivals: - Dam Hūa, 84-86; - cremation, 145-147; - dedication of a shrine, 188-189; - rice-harvest, 274; - fairs, 327, 356, 366; - “kin waw,” 323, 343; - sacred days, 318-319; - wedding feast, 395; - New Year, 396-397. - - Chulalongkorn, King of Siam, 211-213, 382, 426. - - Commission, Royal, 112, 121-131. - - Commissioners, High: - Prayā Tēp Worachun, 193-194, 205, 206, 208, 210, 213-215, 222, 300; - Commissioner not named, 300-304; - Chow Prayā Surasīh, 419. - - Cushing, Rev. J. N., DD, 138-139, 244, 247, 250, 373. - - - Demonism and witchcraft, 75-76, 91, 93-94, 173, 194, 203-208, 214, - 266-270, 278, 321, 324, 331, 340. - - Diseases: - cholera, 51; - fever, 88, 190, 195, 205, 242; - goitre, 88; - smallpox (vaccination), 57, 89-91, 243, 250; - scurvy, 196; - mortality of re-peopled districts, 202, 282. - - - Education: - Girls’ School, 177-178, 221-223, 274, 284, 287, 292, 418-419; - Boys’ School, 284, 291, 300, 419, 424-426; - Phraner Memorial, 377, 418; - parochial, 418; - government, 419-420; - educational policy as regards language, 222-225, 420-422. - - Elephants: - saddle, 62, 151-152, 157, 246, 249-250, 311-312, 317-318, 330-331, - 355, 359-360, 382-383; - wild, 156, 253, 311; - baby-elephants, 246-247, 309. - - Evangelists and ministers, native, 257-263, 377-380, 414-416. - - - Famine, 335, 346, 349-352. - - French Indo-China, 332, 354, 358, 384, and chapters xxxiii, xxxiv. - - - Hallett, Holt S. (railroad survey), 244-254. - - House, Rev. S. R., M.D., 37-38, 45, 53, 67, 92-93, 110-112. - - - Intanon, Prince of Chiengmai, 81, 90, 108-109, 132, 137, 142, 145, 187, - 193-194, 209, 245, 262, 293, 300. - - - Kamu tribe, 368, 393-394, 400, 403, 405, 407, 411. - - Karens, 89, 143-144. - - Kāwilōrot, Prince of Chiengmai (1855-1870), 57, 67, 69-70, 85-86, 90, - 95, 102-106, 121-129, 133-138, 146-147. - - - Lāo: - the name, 13-14, 57-58; - spelling of Lāo words, 12-13; - people, 58, 156; - states, 130, 191-192, 218-219, 262; - language, 357, 358, 420-422, see also Education; - women, 144-145. - - Lāo Mission: - planted, 77; - Rev. J. Wilson arrives, 92; - first church organized, 93; - a gift of land, 95; - first native members received, 96-101; - persecution, 106-117; - mission supposedly abandoned, 126; - intervention, 130-132; - new régime, 137-144; - permanent buildings, 140-142; - first physician, 149; - Girls’ School, 177; - teachers arrive, 221-222; - reinforcement, 242; - Presbytery organized, 257; - printing-press, 320; - Christian Endeavor, 381; - summaries, 217-218, 225, 287-288, 299, 304, 401; - general review, 413-423. - Later Missionaries: - Briggs, Rev. W. A., M.D., 10, 319, 336-337, 351-352, 401; - Campbell, Rev. Howard, 376, 411, 414; - Mrs. Campbell, 418; - Campbell, Miss Mary, 177, 221-222, 234, 236-237, 240; - Cary, A. M., M.D., 283-284, 296, 298; - Cheek, M. A., M.D., 166, 169, 178, 190, 195, 212, 233, 236-237, - 283, 292; - Mrs. Cheek, 169, 242, 293; - Cole, Miss Edna E., 177, 221-222, 233, 240, 284, 387; - Collins, Rev. D. G., 283, 284, 296, 301; - Curtis, Rev. L. W., 376; - Mrs. Curtis, 9; - Denman, C. H., M.D., 376, 381, 382-385; - Dodd, Rev. W. C., D.D., 283, 284-286, 289, 291, 296, 301, 358, - 377-378, 382, 384, 401; - Mrs. Dodd (Miss B. Eakin), 292, 293, 303; - Fleeson, Miss, 292, 293, 299; - Freeman, Rev. J. H., 9, 296; - Griffin, Miss I. A., 240, 243, 284, 292, 299; - Hearst, Rev. J. H., 239, 243; - Irwin, Rev. Robert, 319, 353, 362, 367, 401; - Martin, Rev. Chalmers, 239, 250, 252, 268, 270, 271-273, 276, 283; - McGilvary, Cornelia H. (Mrs. William Harris), 199, 306, 308-316, - 427; - McGilvary, Rev. Evander B., 337, 371; - McGilvary, Margaret A. (Mrs. Roderick Gillies), 197, 337; - McKean, J. W., M.D., 306, 316, 320, 338, 341, 422-423, 427; - Peoples, Rev. S. C., M.D., 239, 250, 257, 263-265, 289-291, 300, - 319, 387; - Mrs. Peoples, 240; - Phraner, Rev. Stanley K., 319, 320, 326-329, 376-377, 418; - Mrs. Phraner (Lizzie Westervelt), 238, 274, 284; - Taylor, Rev. Hugh, 299, 308-309; - Vrooman, C. W., M.D., 149-159, 166. - Native Converts: - Āi Tū (Prayā Pakdī), 277, 280, 287; - Cha Pū Kaw and Cha Waw, _see under_ Mūsô; - Chao Borirak, 158, 163, 197; - Lung In, 168, 170, 202; - Nān Chai, 100-101, 114-117; - Nān Chaiwana, 266-270; - Nān Inta, 96-99, 149, 161, 163, 207, 208, 210, 233, 243, 257, 258; - Nān Tā, 225-228, 234, 243, 248, 258, 272, 276, 277, 283, 299, 301; - Nān Sī Wichai, 199, 243; - Nān Suwan, 197-198, 233, 248, 257, 280, 287, 327, 330, 333, 341, - 359; - Noi Intachak, 230, 257, 260; - Noi Siri, 301-304, 333; - Noi Sunya, 99-100, 114-117; - Noi Tāliya, 278-279, 290, 334; - Pā Sêng Bun, 205-206; - Prayā Sīhanāt, 199-201, 232-233; - Sên Utamā, 230, 232; - Sên Yā Wichai, 79, 100, 105, 203, 281, 291. - - - Mahā Mongkut, King of Siam, 37, 47-48, 70. - - Mahā Vajiravudh, King of Siam, 425-426. - - Mattoon, Rev. S., D.D., 39, 45, 67, 165-166. - - McDonald, Rev. N. A., D.D., 53, 68, 103-104, 121ff. - - McFarland, Rev. S. G., D.D., 53, 70-71. - - McGilvary, Rev. Daniel, D.D., birth (1828), 20; - parentage, 19-20; - childhood, 20-28; - conversion, 27-28; - Bingham School, 29-31; - teaching, 31-32; - Presbytery of Orange, 32-34; - Princeton Seminary (1853-1856), 35-38; - pastorate, 38-41; - ordination, 42; - voyage, 43-45; - Bangkok (1858-1861), 45-52; - marriage (1860), 52; - Pechaburī, 53ff; - first acquaintance with the Lāo, 57-58; - tour of exploration to Chiengmai, 59-65; - charter of the Lāo mission, 66-70; - removal to Chiengmai (1867), 71-76; - pioneer experiences, 77-83; - ceremony of Dam Hūa, 84-86; - non-professional medicine and surgery, 88-91, 95, 120, 147-148, 158, - 190, 195-196, 322, 362; - visit from Dr. House, 92; - First Church organized, 93; - first-fruits, 95-101; - the gathering storm, 102-105; - it breaks (Sep. 1869), 106; - terrifying suspense, 107, 118-119; - alarm in Bangkok, 111-113; - the martyrs, 114-117; - Siamese Royal Commission, 121; - a stormy audience and its results, 122-129; - death of Kāwilōrot, 133-135; - visit from Dr. and Mrs. Cushing, 138-139; - the new rulers, 137-144; - building, 140-142; - arrival of a missionary physician, 149; - First Tour (1872, with Dr. Vrooman)—exploration north and east, - 150-159; - visit to Lakawn and Nān, 161-168; - first furlough (1873-1875), 159-168; - Second Tour (1876)—exploration northwestward, 170-177; - conversation with the Princess, 180-187; - shrine on Doi Sutēp, 188-189; - firmer Siamese policy—the Resident High Commissioner, 191-194; - the deaf Prayā, 199-201; - struggle with demonism:—Pā Sêng Bun, 203-206; - Christian marriage defeated, 207-209; - appeal unto Cæsar, 210-212; - Edict of Religious Toleration (1878), 213-220; - teachers for the Girls’ School, 221-222; - the harvest of twelve years, 225; - the nine years’ wanderer, 225-228; - voyage to Hongkong, 228-230; - Rahêng, 230-232; - churches organized, 233; - second furlough (1881-1882)—reinforcements and losses, 236-243; - a surveying expedition (1884), 244-254; - equipment for touring, 249-251; - semi-monthly mail to Maulmein, 255-256; - death of Princess Tipa Kēsawn, 257; - Presbytery of North Laos and the training of native evangelists, - 257-262; - station established at Lakawn, 263-265; - struggle with demonism renewed—Bān Pên, 266-270; - work among the villages, 270-274; - Third Tour (1886, with Mr. Martin)—Christian communities in the - north, 276-283; - reinforcements, 283-284; - river trip with Mr. Dodd, 285-286; - Fourth Tour (1887), 286-287; - Fifth Tour (1888, with Dr. Peoples and Mr. Dodd):—church organized in - Chieng Sên, 289-291; - serious illness, 291; - marriage of his daughter—the Prince and the charades, 293; - foothold secured in Lampūn, 294-296; - trip to Bangkok, 297; - week at Bān Pên, 297-298; - a marvellous recovery, 298; - the “prisoner of Jesus Christ,” 300-304; - tax-rebellion, 305-306; - Dr. McKean, and a continuous medical mission at last, 306-307; - Sixth Tour (1890, with Miss McGilvary):—Lakawn, Prê, Nān, 308-310; - the lost elephant, 311; - Chieng Kawng and the “Teacher’s Road,” 313-314; - Chieng Sên and Chieng Rāi, 314-315; - elephant runaways, 317-318; - Buddhist sacred days to be observed by Christians, 318-319; - Seventh Tour (1891, with Mr. Phraner), 320-336:—first meeting with - the Mūsôs, 322-327; - Mûang Len, 327-329; - Chieng Sên, 329-330; - a thrilling experience, 330-331; - Chieng Kawng and Mûang Tông, 332-333; - Mūsôs baptized, 333-336; - Eighth Tour (1892, with Dr. McKean)—among the Mūsô villages, 338-348; - tragic struggle with opium, 348; - famine, 349-352; - Ninth Tour (1893, with Mr. Irwin)—the Sipsawng Pannā, 353-368; - Mûang Yawng, 354-355; - an undiscovered peril, 358; - Chieng Rung; - ferry and ford of the Mê Kōng, 359-360; - dysentery and heroic treatment, 362; - Mûang Sing, 363-366; - Mūsôs east of the Mê Kōng, 367-368; - third furlough (1893-1894), 370-376; - Mr. Arthington of Leeds, 373-376; - Presbytery and a native ministry, 377-380; - Tenth Tour (1896, with Dr. Denman)—Chieng Rāi chosen for a station, - 382-384; - evangelists sent forth, 384; - Mūsôs, 385; - Eleventh Tour (1897, with Dr. Peoples)—the “regions beyond”: Lūang - Prabāng, 388ff.; - courtesy of French officials, 388-390, 395, 398, 400; - Mûang Sai, 390-394; - Mûang Āi, 394-395; - wedding feast, 395; - surprise party, 396-397; - Mûang Sing, 398, 399; - Twelfth Tour (1898)—the closed door, 402-412; - summoned to the U. S. by illness of Mrs. McGilvary (1905), 426-427; - Golden Wedding, 427-429; - appreciation by Dr. Arthur J. Brown, D.D., 1-7. - Observations and criticisms: Continuity in mission policy, 416-417; - Converts with more than one wife, 231-232; - Exclusion of the Lāo mission from the Lāo-speaking peoples of the - north, 157, 332, 368-369, 404, 411-412; - Girls’ Schools as Christianizing agencies, 178, 203, 280, 284, 287, - 418-419; - Heresy trials, 371-372; - Language problem, 222-225, 420-422; - Native evangelists and ministers, 257-262, 377-380, 414-416; - Parliament of religions, 370-371; - Obedient to constituted authority and law, 208, 301, 393, 400, 406; - Outlying Christian communities—their claim on the missionary, - 329-330; - Rulers—importance of cultivating their acquaintance, 90, 144, 161, - 170-171,330. - Religious teachings and conversations, 97-98, 161-162, 174-176, - 180-188, 199-200, 342-343, 365. - - McGilvary, Mrs. Sophia Bradley, marriage, 52; - wins first Lāo convert, 79, 100; - life in a bamboo shack, 140; - furlough after twenty-three years in Siam, 159-160; - river journey Without escort, 164; - opens first Lāo school, 177; - sole assistant in the mission, 195-197; - translates first Gospel into Lāo, 288, 320; - visits to the U. S., 158, 229, 238, 426-427; - Golden Wedding, 427-428. - - Medical Mission, summary, 422-423. - - Merit-making, 64, 133, 134, 147, 180, 257. - - Mission, American Baptist, of Burma, 138, 143, 254, 368, 383, 418. - - Mūsô tribe, 276, 322-327, 334-336, 338-348. - - - Nevius, Rev. Dr., 378-379. - - - Opium, 136, 335, 346-348, 357, 399. - - - Presbytery: - of, Siam, 47, 59, 71; - of North Laos, 257-260, 377-380. - - Princess: - Tipa Kēsawn, 55, 90, 108-109, 145, 178, 180-187, 209, 222, 257; - the younger, 55, 63-64, 105, 114, 115, 119, 136. - - Printing-press, and Lāo type, 224, 320, 338, 353, 384. - - Posts and telegraphs, 91, 121, 255-256, 296, 320. - - - Rapids: - Mê Ping, 71-75; - Mê Kōng, 154-155. - - Regent of Siam, 112, 132. - - Robbers and brigandage, 91, 164, 233, 329, 358; - bandit chieftain, 84, 96, 146, 147. - - - Toleration, Edict of, chapter xix. - - - Warfare of depopulation, 218, 353-354, 355, 357, 363. - - White ants, 179. - - Wild game; - deer, 253, 339; - cattle, 253, 313; - tigers, 72, 152, 153, 311, 386-387. - - Wilson, Rev. Jonathan, D.D., 36, 38, 43, 51, 65, 67, 92, 95, 113, 140, - 148, 169, 221, 233, 263, 291, 381, 423, 428. - - - - - PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - BIOGRAPHY - - -ROBERT E. SPEER, D.D. - -=The Foreign Doctor=: “The Hakim Sahib” - -A Biography of Joseph Plumb Cochran, M.D., of Persia. Illustrated, 12mo, -cloth, net $1.50. - - Dr. Cochran came to a position of power in Western Persia which - made his life as interesting as a romance. He was one of the - central figures in the Kurdish invasion of Persia, and was the - chief means of saving the city of Uramia. In no other biography - is there as full an account of the actual medical work done by - the medical missionary, and of the problem of the use of the - political influence acquired by a man of Dr. Cochran’s gifts and - opportunities. - - -HENRY D. 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The Missionary with the native Bible-woman is seen on - her daily round of love and mercy, in the home, the hospital and - the school, winning the weary and despairing women and - widows.”—George Smith. - - - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - ● Transcriber’s note: - - ○ Missing or obscured punctuation was silently corrected. - - ○ Typographical errors were silently corrected. - - ○ Inconsistent spelling and hyphenation were made consistent only - when a predominant form was found in this book. - - ○ The cover image was created by the transcriber and is placed - in the public domain. - - - -***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A HALF CENTURY AMONG THE SIAMESE AND -THE LāO*** - - -******* This file should be named 63818-0.txt or 63818-0.zip ******* - - -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: -http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/6/3/8/1/63818 - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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} - </style> -</head> -<body> -<h1 class="pgx" title="">The Project Gutenberg eBook, A Half Century Among the Siamese and the -Lāo, by Daniel McGilvary</h1> -<p>This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States -and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no -restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it -under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this -eBook or online at <a -href="http://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you are not -located in the United States, you'll have to check the laws of the -country where you are located before using this ebook.</p> -<p>Title: A Half Century Among the Siamese and the Lāo</p> -<p> An Autobiography</p> -<p>Author: Daniel McGilvary</p> -<p>Release Date: November 20, 2020 [eBook #63818]</p> -<p>Language: English</p> -<p>Character set encoding: UTF-8</p> -<p>***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A HALF CENTURY AMONG THE SIAMESE AND THE LāO***</p> -<p> </p> -<h4 class="pgx" title="">E-text prepared by Brian Wilson, Barry Abrahamsen,<br /> - and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team<br /> - (https://www.pgdp.net)<br /> - from page images generously made available by<br /> - Internet Archive<br /> - (https://archive.org)</h4> -<p> </p> -<table border="0" style="background-color: #ccccff;margin: 0 auto;" cellpadding="10"> - <tr> - <td valign="top"> - Note: - </td> - <td> - Images of the original pages are available through - Internet Archive. See - https://archive.org/details/halfcenturyamong00mcgi - </td> - </tr> -</table> -<p> </p> -<hr class="pgx" /> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> - -<div class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/cover.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p><span class='small'>The cover image was created by the transcriber and is placed in the public domain.</span></p> -</div> -</div> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c000' /> -</div> -<div> - <h1 class='c001'>A HALF CENTURY AMONG THE<br />SIAMESE AND THE LĀO</h1> -</div> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c002' /> -</div> -<div id='frontis' class='figcenter id002'> -<img src='images/frontis.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>Daniel McGilvary</p> -</div> -</div> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c003'> - <div><span class='c004'>A HALF CENTURY AMONG</span></div> - <div><span class='c004'>THE SIAMESE AND THE LĀO</span></div> - <div class='c000'>AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY</div> - <div class='c005'>By</div> - <div class='c000'><span class='c006'>DANIEL McGILVARY, D.D.</span></div> - <div class='c005'>WITH AN APPRECIATION BY</div> - <div class='c000'><span class='c007'>ARTHUR J. BROWN, D.D.</span></div> - <div class='c005'><i>ILLUSTRATED</i></div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c008'> </p> -<div class='figcenter id003'> -<img src='images/publogo.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -</div> -<p class='c009'> </p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c005'> - <div><span class='sc'>New York</span> <span class='sc'>Chicago</span> <span class='sc'>Toronto</span></div> - <div><span class='c006'>Fleming H. Revell Company</span></div> - <div><span class='sc'>London and Edinburgh</span></div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c002'> - <div>Copyright, 1912, by</div> - <div><span class='large'>FLEMING H. REVELL COMPANY</span></div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='lg-container-b c002'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>New York: 158 Fifth Avenue</div> - <div class='line'>Chicago: 125 N. Wabash Ave.</div> - <div class='line'>Toronto: 25 Richmond St., W.</div> - <div class='line'>London: 21 Paternoster Square</div> - <div class='line'>Edinburgh: 100 Princes Street</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c002' /> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c002'> - <div><i>TO</i></div> - <div><i><span class='large'>MY WIFE</span></i></div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c002' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_1'>1</span> - <h2 class='c010'>AN APPRECIATION</h2> -</div> -<p class='c011'>Missionary biography is one of the most interesting -and instructive of studies. It is, -however, a department of missionary literature -to which Americans have not made proportionate -contribution. The foreign missionary Societies of the -United States now represent more missionaries and a -larger expenditure than the European Societies, but -most of the great missionary biographies are of British -and Continental missionaries, so that many Americans -do not realize that there are men connected with their -own Societies whose lives have been characterized by -eminent devotion and large achievement.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Because I regarded Dr. McGilvary as one of the great -missionaries of the Church Universal, I urged him several -years ago to write his autobiography. He was -then over seventy-five years of age, and I told him that -he could not spend his remaining strength to any better -advantage to the cause he loved than in preparing -such a volume. His life was not only one of unusual -length (he lived to the ripe age of eighty-three), but his -missionary service of fifty-three years covered an interesting -part of the history of missionary work in Siam, -and the entire history, thus far, of the mission to the -Lāo people of northern Siam. There is no more -fascinating story in fiction or in that truth which is -stranger than fiction, than the story of his discovery of -a village of strange speech near his station at Pechaburī, -Siam, his learning the language of the villagers, -his long journey with his friend, Dr. Jonathan Wilson, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_2'>2</span>into what was then the unknown region of northern -Siam, pushing his little boat up the great river and -pausing not until he had gone six hundred miles northward -and arrived at the city of Chiengmai. The years -that followed were years of toil and privation, of loneliness -and sometimes of danger; but the missionaries -persevered with splendid faith and courage until the -foundations of a prosperous Mission were laid.</p> - -<p class='c009'>In all the marked development of the Lāo Mission, -Dr. McGilvary was a leader—the leader. He laid the -foundations of medical work, introducing quinine and -vaccination among a people scourged by malaria and -smallpox, a work which has now developed into five -hospitals and a leper asylum. He began educational -work, which is now represented by eight boarding -schools and twenty-two elementary schools, and is -fast expanding into a college, a medical college, and a -theological seminary. He was the evangelist who won -the first converts, founded the first church, and had a -prominent part in founding twenty other churches, -and in developing a Lāo Christian Church of four -thousand two hundred and five adult communicants. -His colleague, the Rev. Dr. W. C. Dodd, says that Dr. -McGilvary selected the sites for all the present stations -of the Mission long before committees formally sanctioned -the wisdom of his choice. He led the way into -regions beyond and was the pioneer explorer into the -French Lāo States, eastern Burma, and even up to -the borders of China. Go where you will in northern -Siam, or in many sections of the extra-Siamese Lāo -States, you will find men and women to whom Dr. McGilvary -first brought the Good News. He well deserves -the name so frequently given him even in his lifetime—“The -Apostle to the Lāo.”</p> - -<p class='c009'><span class='pageno' id='Page_3'>3</span>It was my privilege to conduct our Board’s correspondence -with Dr. McGilvary for more than a decade, -and, in 1902, to visit him in his home and to journey -with him through an extensive region. I have abiding -and tender memories of those memorable days. He -was a Christian gentleman of the highest type, a man -of cultivation and refinement, of ability and scholarship, -of broad vision and constructive leadership. His -evangelistic zeal knew no bounds. A toilsome journey -on elephants through the jungles brought me to a -Saturday night with the weary ejaculation: “Now we -can have a day of rest!” The next morning I slept -late; but Dr. McGilvary did not; he spent an hour before -breakfast in a neighbouring village, distributing -tracts and inviting the people to come to a service at -our camp at ten o’clock. It was an impressive service,—under -a spreading bo tree, with the mighty forest -about us, monkeys curiously peering through the -tangled vines, the huge elephants browsing the bamboo -tips behind us, and the wondering people sitting on -the ground, while one of the missionaries told the -deathless story of redeeming love. But Dr. McGilvary -was not present. Seventy-four years old though he -was, he had walked three miles under a scorching sun -to another village and was preaching there, while Dr. -Dodd conducted the service at our camp. And I said: -“If that is the way Dr. McGilvary rests, what does he -do when he works?” Dr. McKean, his associate of -many years, writes:</p> - -<p class='c009'>“No one who has done country evangelistic work -with Dr. McGilvary can ever forget the oft-seen picture -of the gray-haired patriarch seated on the bamboo floor -of a thatch-covered Lāo house, teaching some one to -read. Of course, the book faced the pupil, and it was -<span class='pageno' id='Page_4'>4</span>often said that he had taught so many people in this -way that he could read the Lāo character very readily -with the book upside down. Little children instinctively -loved him, and it is therefore needless to -say that he loved them. In spite of his long snow-white -beard, never seen in men of this land and a -strange sight to any Lāo child, the children readily -came to him. Parents have been led to God because -Dr. McGilvary loved their children and laid his hands -upon them. In no other capacity was the spirit of the -man more manifest than in that of a shepherd. Always -on the alert for every opportunity, counting -neither time nor distance nor the hardship of inclement -weather, swollen streams, pathless jungle, or impassable -road, he followed the example of his Master in -seeking to save the lost. His very last journey, which -probably was the immediate cause of his last illness, -was a long, wearisome ride on horseback, through -muddy fields and deep irrigating ditches, to visit a -man whom he had befriended many years ago and who -seemed to be an inquirer.”</p> - -<p class='c009'>Dr. McGilvary was pre-eminently a man who walked -with God. His piety was not a mere profession, but a -pervasive and abiding force. He knew no greater joy -than to declare the Gospel of his blessed Lord to the -people to whose up-lifting he had devoted his life. -“If to be great is ‘to take the common things of life -and walk truly among them,’ he was a great man—great -in soul, great in simplicity, great in faith and -great in love. Siam is the richer because Daniel McGilvary -gave her fifty-three years of unselfish service.” -Mrs. Curtis, the gifted author of <i>The Laos of North -Siam</i>, says of Dr. McGilvary: “Neither Carey nor Judson -surpassed him in strength of faith and zeal of purpose; -<span class='pageno' id='Page_5'>5</span>neither Paton nor Chalmers has outranked him -in the wonders of their achievements, and not one of -the other hundreds of missionaries ever has had more -evidence of God’s blessing upon their work.”</p> - -<p class='c009'>Not only the missionaries but the Lāo people loved -him as a friend and venerated him as a father. Some -of his intimate friends were the abbots and monks of -the Buddhist monasteries and the high officials of the -country. No one could know him without recognizing -the nobility of soul of this saintly patriarch, in whom -was no guile. December 6th, 1910, many Americans -and Europeans celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of his -marriage. The King of Siam through Prince Damrong, -Minister of the Interior, sent a congratulatory -message. Letters, telegrams, and gifts poured in from -many different places. The Christian people of the -city presented a large silver tray, on which was engraved: -“The Christian people of Chiengmai to Dr. -and Mrs. McGilvary, in memory of your having brought -the Gospel of Jesus Christ to us forty-three years ago.” -The tray showed in relief the old rest-house where Dr. -and Mrs. McGilvary spent their first two years in -Chiengmai, the residence which was later their home -of many years, the old dilapidated bridge, and the handsome -new bridge which spans the river opposite the -Christian Girls’ School—thus symbolizing the old and -the new eras.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The recent tours of exploration by the Rev. W. Clifton -Dodd, D.D., and the Rev. John H. Freeman have -disclosed the fact that the Lāo peoples are far more -numerous and more widely distributed than we had -formerly supposed. Their numbers are now estimated -at from twelve to sixteen millions, and their habitat -includes not only the Lāo States of northern Siam but -<span class='pageno' id='Page_6'>6</span>extensive regions north and northeastward in the Shan -States, Southern China, and French Indo-China. The -evangelization of these peoples is, therefore, an even -larger and more important undertaking than it was -understood to be only a few years ago. All the more -honour, therefore, must be assigned to Dr. McGilvary, -who laid foundations upon which a great superstructure -must now be built.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Dr. McGilvary died as he would have wished to die -and as any Christian worker might wish to die. There -was no long illness. He continued his great evangelistic -and literary labours almost to the end. Only a -short time before his death, he made another of his -famous itinerating journeys, preaching the Gospel to -the outlying villages, guiding perplexed people and -comforting the sick and dying. He recked as little of -personal hardship as he had all his life, thinking -nothing of hard travelling, simple fare, and exposure -to sun, mud, and rain. Not long after his return and -after a few brief days of illness, he quietly “fell on -sleep,” his death the simple but majestic and dignified -ending of a great earthly career.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The Lāo country had never seen such a funeral as -that which marked the close of this memorable life. -Princes, Governors, and High Commissioners of State -sorrowed with multitudes of common people. The -business of Chiengmai was suspended, offices were -closed, and flags hung at half-mast as the silent form -of the great missionary was borne to its last resting-place -in the land to which he was the first bringer -of enlightenment, and whose history can never be truly -written without large recognition of his achievements.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Fortunately, Dr. McGilvary had completed this autobiography -before his natural powers had abated, and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_7'>7</span>had sent the manuscript to his brother-in-law, Professor -Cornelius B. Bradley of the University of California. -Dr. Bradley, himself a son of a great missionary -to Siam, has done his editorial work with sympathetic -insight. It has been a labour of love to him to -put these pages through the press, and every friend of -the Lāo people and of Dr. McGilvary is his debtor. -The book itself is characterized by breadth of sympathy, -richness of experience, clearness of statement, -and high literary charm. No one can read these pages -without realizing anew that Dr. McGilvary was a man -of fine mind, close observation, and descriptive gifts. -The book is full of human interest. It is the story of -a man who tells about the things that he heard and -saw and who tells his story well. I count it a privilege -to have this opportunity of commending this volume -as one of the books which no student of southern -Asia and of the missionary enterprise can afford to -overlook.</p> -<div class='c012'><span class='sc'>Arthur J. Brown.</span></div> - -<p class='c009'><span class='sc'>156 Fifth Avenue, New York.</span></p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_9'>9</span> - <h2 class='c010'>PREFACE</h2> -</div> -<p class='c011'>Years ago, in the absence of any adequate work -upon the subject, the officers of our Missionary -Board and other friends urged me to write a -book on the Lāo Mission. Then there appeared Mrs. -L. W. Curtis’ interesting volume, <i>The Laos of North -Siam</i>, much to be commended for its accuracy and its -valuable information, especially in view of the author’s -short stay in the field. But no such work exhausts its -subject.</p> - -<p class='c009'>I have always loved to trace the providential circumstances -which led to the founding of the Lāo Mission -and directed its early history. And it seems important -that before it be too late, that early history should be -put into permanent form. I have, therefore, endeavoured -to give, with some fulness of detail, the -story of the origin and inception of the Mission, and -of its early struggles which culminated in the Edict -of Religious Toleration. And in the later portions of -the narrative I have naturally given prominence to -those things which seemed to continue the characteristic -features and the personal interest of that earlier -period of outreach and adventure, and especially my -long tours into the “regions beyond.”</p> - -<p class='c009'>The appearance during the past year of Rev. J. H. -Freeman’s <i>An Oriental Land of the Free</i>, giving very -full and accurate information regarding the present -status of the Mission, has relieved me of the necessity of -going over the same ground again. I have, therefore, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_10'>10</span>been content to draw my narrative to a close with the -account of my last long tour in 1898.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The work was undertaken with many misgivings, -since my early training and the nature of my life-work -have not been the best preparation for authorship. -I cherished the secret hope that one of my own children -would give the book its final revision for the -press. But at last an appeal was made to my brother-in-law, -Professor Cornelius B. Bradley of the University -of California, whose birth and years of service -in Siam, whose broad scholarship, fine literary taste, -and hearty sympathy with our missionary efforts indicated -him as the man above all others best qualified -for this task. His generous acceptance of this work, -and the infinite pains he has taken in the revision and -editing of this book, place me under lasting obligations -to him.</p> - -<p class='c009'>I wish to acknowledge my indebtedness to Dr. W. A. -Briggs and to Rev. J. H. Freeman for the use of maps -prepared by them, and to Dr. Briggs and others for the -use of photographs.</p> -<div class='c012'><span class='sc'>Daniel McGilvary.</span></div> -<p class='c013'>April 6, 1911,</p> -<p class='c014'><span class='sc'>Chiengmai</span>.</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_11'>11</span> - <h2 class='c010'>NOTE BY THE EDITOR</h2> -</div> -<p class='c011'>The task which has fallen to me in connection -with this book, was undertaken as a labour of -love; and such it seems to me even more, now -that it ends in sadness of farewell. It has not been -an easy task. The vast spaces to be traversed, and -the months of time required before a question could -receive its answer, made consultation with the author -almost impossible. And the ever-present fear that for -him the night might come before the work could receive -a last revision at his hands, or even while he was -still in the midst of his story, led me continually to -urge upon him the need of persevering in his writing—which -was evidently becoming an irksome task—and -on my part to hasten on a piecemeal revision as the -chapters came to hand, though as yet I had no measure -of the whole to guide me.</p> - -<p class='c009'>It is, therefore, a great comfort to know that my -urgency and haste were not in vain; that all of the -revision reached him in time to receive his criticism and -correction—though his letter on the concluding chapter -was, as I understand, the very last piece of writing -that he ever did. How serene and bright it was, and -with no trace of the shadow so soon to fall!</p> - -<p class='c009'>But the draft so made had far outgrown the possible -limits of publication, and was, of course, without due -measure and proportion of parts. In the delicate task -of its reduction I am much indebted to the kind suggestions -of the Rev. Arthur J. Brown, D.D., and the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_12'>12</span>Rev. A. W. Halsey, D.D., Secretaries of the Board of -Foreign Missions of the Presbyterian Church, and of -the Rev. W. C. Dodd, D.D., of the Lāo Mission, who, -fortunately, was in this country, and who read the -manuscript. For what appears in this book, however, -I alone must assume the responsibility. “An -autobiography is a personal book, expressive of personal -opinion.” And whether we agree with them or -not, the opinions of a man like Dr. McGilvary, formed -during a long lifetime of closest contact with the matters -whereof he speaks, are an essential part not only -of the history of those matters, but of the portrait of -the man, and far more interesting than any mere details -of events or scenes. On all grave questions, therefore, -on which he has expressed his deliberate opinion, -I have preferred to err on the side of inclusion rather -than exclusion.</p> - -<hr class='c015' /> - -<p class='c009'>The plan adopted in this volume for spelling Siamese -and Lāo words is intended to make possible, and even -easy, a real approximation to the native pronunciation. -Only the tonal inflections of native speech and the -varieties of aspiration are ignored, as wholly foreign to -our usage and, therefore, unmanageable.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The consonant-letters used and the digraphs <i>ch</i> and -<i>ng</i> have their common English values.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The vowels are as follows:</p> - -<div class='lg-container-l'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Long ā as in <i>father</i></div> - <div class='line in5'>ē as in <i>they</i></div> - <div class='line in5'>ī as in <i>pique</i></div> - <div class='line in5'>ō as in <i>rode</i></div> - <div class='line in5'>ū as in <i>rude</i>, <i>rood</i></div> - <div class='line in5'>aw as in <i>lawn</i></div> - <div class='line in5'>ê as in <i>there</i> (without the <i>r</i>)</div> - <div class='line in5'><span class='pageno' id='Page_13'>13</span>ô as in <i>world</i> (without the <i>r</i>)</div> - <div class='line in5'>û is the <i>high-mixed</i> vowel, not found in English.</div> - <div class='line in8'>It may be pronounced as u.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Short a as in <i>about</i> (German <i>Mann</i>)—<i>not</i> as in <i>hat</i>.</div> - <div class='line in5'>e as in <i>set</i></div> - <div class='line in5'>i as in <i>sit</i></div> - <div class='line in5'>o as in <i>obey</i> (N. Eng. <i>coat</i>)—<i>not</i> as in <i>cot</i>.</div> - <div class='line in5'>u as in <i>pull</i>, <i>foot</i>—<i>not</i> as in <i>but</i>.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>The last four long vowels have also their corresponding -shorts, but since these rarely occur, it has not been -thought worth while to burden the scheme with extra -characters to represent them.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The diphthongs are combinations of one of these -vowels, heavily stressed, and nearly always long in -quantity—which makes it seem to us exaggerated or -drawled—with a “vanish” of short <i>i</i>, <i>o</i>, (for <i>u</i>), or <i>a</i>. -<i>ai</i> (= English long i, y) and <i>ao</i> (= English <i>ow</i>) are -the only diphthongs with short initial element, and are -to be distinguished from <i>āi</i> and <i>āo</i>. In deference to -long established usage in maps and the like, <i>ie</i> is used -in this volume where <i>ia</i> would be the consistent spelling, -and <i>oi</i> for <i>awi</i>.</p> - -<hr class='c015' /> - -<p class='c009'>A word remains to be said concerning the name of -the people among whom Dr. McGilvary spent his life. -That name has suffered uncommonly hard usage, especially -at the hands of Americans, as the following brief -history will show. Its original form in European -writing was <i>Lāo</i>, a fairly accurate transcription by -early French travellers of the name by which the -Siamese call their cousins to the north and east. The -word is a monosyllable ending in a diphthong similar -to that heard in the proper names <i>Macāo</i>, <i>Mindanāo</i>, -<i>Callāo</i>. In French writing the name often appeared -<span class='pageno' id='Page_14'>14</span>in the plural form, <i>les Laos</i>; the added <i>s</i>, however, being -silent, made no difference with the pronunciation. -This written plural, then, it would seem, English-speaking -people took over without recognizing the fact -that it was only plural, and made it their standard -form for all uses, singular as well as plural. With -characteristic ignorance or disregard of its proper pronunciation, -on the mere basis of its spelling, they have -imposed on it a barbarous pronunciation of their own—<i>Lay-oss</i>. -It is to be regretted that the usage of American -missionaries has been most effective in giving currency -and countenance to this blunder—has even added -to it the further blunder of using it as the name of the -region or territory, as well as of the people. But the -word is purely ethnical—a proper adjective like our -words <i>French</i> or <i>English</i>, and, like these, capable of -substantive use in naming either the people or their -language, but not their land. Needless to say, these -errors have no currency whatever among European -peoples excepting the English, and they have very little -currency in England. It seems high time for us of -America to amend not only our false pronunciation, -but our false usage, and the false spelling upon which -these rest. In accordance with the scheme of spelling -adopted in this work, the <i>a</i> of the name Lāo is marked -with the macron to indicate its long quantity and -stress.</p> -<div class='c012'><span class='sc'>Cornelius Beach Bradley.</span></div> -<p class='c013'><span class='sc'>Berkeley, California</span>,</p> -<p class='c014'>December, 1911.</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_15'>15</span> - <h2 class='c010'>CONTENTS</h2> -</div> -<table class='table0' summary=''> -<colgroup> -<col width='17%' /> -<col width='73%' /> -<col width='9%' /> -</colgroup> - <tr> - <td class='c016'>I.</td> - <td class='c017'><span class='sc'>Childhood and Youth</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#ch01'>19</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c016'>II.</td> - <td class='c017'><span class='sc'>Ministerial Training</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#ch02'>35</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c016'>III.</td> - <td class='c017'><span class='sc'>Bangkok</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#ch03'>43</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c016'>IV.</td> - <td class='c017'><span class='sc'>Pechaburī—The Call of the North</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#ch04'>53</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c016'>V.</td> - <td class='c017'><span class='sc'>The Charter of the Lāo Mission</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#ch05'>66</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c016'>VI.</td> - <td class='c017'><span class='sc'>Chiengmai</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#ch06'>77</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c016'>VII.</td> - <td class='c017'><span class='sc'>Pioneer Work</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#ch07'>84</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c016'>VIII.</td> - <td class='c017'><span class='sc'>First-fruits</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#ch08'>95</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c016'>IX.</td> - <td class='c017'><span class='sc'>Martyrdom</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#ch09'>102</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c016'>X.</td> - <td class='c017'><span class='sc'>The Royal Commission</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#ch10'>118</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c016'>XI.</td> - <td class='c017'><span class='sc'>Death of Kāwilōrot</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#ch11'>130</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c016'>XII.</td> - <td class='c017'><span class='sc'>The New Régime</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#ch12'>140</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c016'>XIII.</td> - <td class='c017'><span class='sc'>Exploration</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#ch13'>150</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c016'>XIV.</td> - <td class='c017'><span class='sc'>First Furlough</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#ch14'>160</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c016'>XV.</td> - <td class='c017'><span class='sc'>Mûang Kên and Chieng Dāo</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#ch15'>169</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c016'>XVI.</td> - <td class='c017'><span class='sc'>Seekers After God</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#ch16'>180</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c016'>XVII.</td> - <td class='c017'><span class='sc'>The Resident Commissioner</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#ch17'>191</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c016'>XVIII.</td> - <td class='c017'><span class='sc'>Witchcraft</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#ch18'>199</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c016'>XIX.</td> - <td class='c017'><span class='sc'>The Edict of Religious Toleration</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#ch19'>207</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c016'>XX.</td> - <td class='c017'><span class='sc'>Schools—The Nine Years’ Wanderer</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#ch20'>221</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c016'>XXI.</td> - <td class='c017'><span class='sc'>Second Furlough</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#ch21'>236</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c016'>XXII.</td> - <td class='c017'><span class='sc'>A Surveying Expedition</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#ch22'>244</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c016'>XXIII.</td> - <td class='c017'><span class='sc'>Evangelistic Training</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#ch23'>255</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c016'>XXIV.</td> - <td class='c017'><span class='sc'>Struggle With the Powers of Darkness</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#ch24'>266</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c016'>XXV.</td> - <td class='c017'><span class='sc'>Christian Communities Planted</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#ch25'>276</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c016'>XXVI.</td> - <td class='c017'><span class='sc'>A Foothold in Lampūn</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#ch26'>289</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c016'><span class='pageno' id='Page_16'>16</span>XXVII.</td> - <td class='c017'><span class='sc'>A Prisoner of Jesus Christ</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#ch27'>300</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c016'>XXVIII.</td> - <td class='c017'><span class='sc'>Circuit Tour With My Daughter</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#ch28'>308</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c016'>XXIX.</td> - <td class='c017'><span class='sc'>Lengthening the Cords and Strengthening the Stakes</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#ch29'>320</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c016'>XXX.</td> - <td class='c017'><span class='sc'>Among the Mūsô Villages—Famine</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#ch30'>338</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c016'>XXXI.</td> - <td class='c017'><span class='sc'>Chieng Rung and the Sipsawng Pannā</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#ch31'>353</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c016'>XXXII.</td> - <td class='c017'><span class='sc'>Third Furlough—Station at Chieng Rāi</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#ch32'>370</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c016'>XXXIII.</td> - <td class='c017'><span class='sc'>The Regions Beyond</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#ch33'>386</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c016'>XXXIV.</td> - <td class='c017'><span class='sc'>The Closed Door</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#ch34'>402</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c016'>XXXV.</td> - <td class='c017'><span class='sc'>Conclusion</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#ch35'>413</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c016'> </td> - <td class='c017'><span class='sc'>Index</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#idx'>431</a></td> - </tr> -</table> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_17'>17</span> - <h2 class='c010'>ILLUSTRATIONS</h2> -</div> -<table class='table1' summary=''> -<colgroup> -<col width='83%' /> -<col width='16%' /> -</colgroup> - <tr> - <td class='c019'><span class='sc'>Daniel McGilvary</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#frontis'><i>Frontispiece</i></a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c019'><span class='sc'>William J. Bingham</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#i030'>30</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c019'><span class='sc'>Mahā Monkut, King of Siam</span>, 1851-1872</td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#i048'>48</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c019'><span class='sc'>Pagoda of Wat Chêng, Bangkok</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#i056'>56</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c019'><span class='sc'>Rev. Dan Beach Bradley, M.D.</span>, 1872</td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#i070a'>70</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c019'><span class='sc'>Kāwilōrot, Prince of Chiengmai (about 1869)</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#i070b'>70</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c019'><span class='sc'>A Rest Between Rapids in the Gorge of the Mê Ping River</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#i076a'>76</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c019'><span class='sc'>Poling up the Mê Ping River</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#i076b'>76</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c019'><span class='sc'>Temple of the Old Tāi Style of Architecture, Chiengmai</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#i082'>82</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c019'><span class='sc'>A Cremation Procession</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#i146'>146</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c019'><span class='sc'>Interior of a Temple, Prê</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#i158'>158</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c019'><span class='sc'>An Abbot Preaching</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#i188'>188</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c019'><span class='sc'>Intanon, Prince of Chiengmai</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#i202a'>202</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c019'><span class='sc'>Elder Nān Suwan</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#i202b'>202</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c019'><span class='sc'>Dr. McGilvary</span>, 1881</td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#i238a'>238</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c019'><span class='sc'>Mrs. McGilvary</span>, 1881</td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#i238b'>238</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c019'><span class='sc'>Chulalongkorn, King of Siam</span>, 1872-1910</td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#i242'>242</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c019'><span class='sc'>Presbytery, Returning From Meeting in Lakawn</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#i264'>264</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c019'><span class='sc'>Market Scene in Chiengmai</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#i274a'>274</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c019'><span class='sc'>In the Harvest-Field</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#i274b'>274</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c019'><span class='sc'>Girls’ School in Chiengmai</span>, 1892</td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#i284'>284</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c019'><span class='sc'>Rev. Jonathan Wilson, D.D.</span>, 1898</td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#i294'>294</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c019'><span class='sc'>First Church in Chiengmai</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#i318a'>318</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c019'><span class='sc'>Dr. Mcgilvary’s Home in Chiengmai</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#i318b'>318</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c019'><span class='sc'>Mrs. Mcgilvary, 1893</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#i332'>332</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c019'><span class='sc'>Mūsô People and Hut near Chieng Rai</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#i348'>348</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c019'><span class='pageno' id='Page_18'>18</span><span class='sc'>Group of Yunnan Lāo</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#i356'>356</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c019'><span class='sc'>Phya Sura Sih, Siamese High Commissioner for the North</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#i384'>384</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c019'><span class='sc'>His Majesty, Mahā Vajiravudh, King of Siam</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#i424'>424</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c019'><span class='sc'>Dr. and Mrs. McGilvary, Fifty Years after Their Marriage</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#i428'>428</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c019'><span class='sc'>Map of Northern Siam Showing Mission Stations</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#i326'>326</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c019'><span class='sc'>Map of Siam</span></td> - <td class='c018'><a href='#i430'>430</a></td> - </tr> -</table> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_19'>19</span> - <h2 id='ch01' class='c010'>I<br /> <br />CHILDHOOD AND YOUTH</h2> -</div> -<p class='c011'>Heredity and early environment exercise such -a determining influence in forming a man’s -character and shaping his destiny that, without -some knowledge of these as a clew, his after-life -would often be unintelligible. And beyond these there -is doubtless a current of events, directing the course -of every man’s life, which no one else can see so clearly -as the man himself. In the following review of my -early life, I have confined myself, therefore, to those -events which seem to have led me to my life-work, or -to have prepared me for it.</p> - -<p class='c009'>By race I am a Scotsman of Scotsmen. My father, -Malcom McGilvary, was a Highland lad, born in the -Isle of Skye, and inheriting the marked characteristics -of his race. In 1789, when Malcom was eleven years -old, my grandfather brought his family to the United -States, and established himself in Moore County, North -Carolina, on the headwaters of the Cape Fear River. -The McGilvarys had but followed in the wake of an -earlier immigration of Scottish Highlanders, whose -descendants to this day form a large proportion of the -population of Moore, Cumberland, Richmond, Robeson, -and other counties of North Carolina. My father’s -brothers gradually scattered, one going to the southwestern, -and two to the northwestern frontier. My -father, being the youngest of the family, remained with -<span class='pageno' id='Page_20'>20</span>his parents on the homestead. The country was then -sparsely settled; communication was slow and uncertain. -The scattered members of the family gradually -lost sight of one another and of the home. My mother -belonged to the McIver clan—from the same region of -the Scottish Highlands, and as numerous in North -Carolina as the McGilvarys were scarce. She was -born in this country not long after the arrival of her -parents.</p> - -<p class='c009'>I was born May 16th, 1828, being the youngest of -seven children. As soon after my birth as my mother -could endure the removal, she was taken to Fayetteville, -thirty-five miles distant, to undergo a dangerous -surgical operation. The journey was a trying one. -Anæsthetics were as yet unknown. My poor mother -did not long survive the shock. She died on the 23d -of November of that year.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Since feeding-bottles were not then in use, the -motherless infant was passed around to the care of -aunts and cousins, who had children of like age. Two -aunts in particular, Catharine McIver and Margaret -McNeill, and a cousin, Effie McIver, always claimed a -share in me for their motherly ministrations till, at last, -I could be turned over to my sister Mary. She, though -but six years my senior, was old beyond her years; and -the motherly care with which she watched over her little -charge was long remembered and spoken of in the -family.</p> - -<p class='c009'>When I was four years old, my father married his -second wife, Miss Nancy McIntosh. The next nine -years, till my father’s death, June 8th, 1841, were spent -in the uneventful routine of a godly family in a country -home. My father’s rigid ideas of family discipline -were inherited from his Presbyterian ancestors in -<span class='pageno' id='Page_21'>21</span>Scotland, and his own piety was of a distinctly old-school -type. He was a ruling elder in the church at -Buffalo, Fayetteville Presbytery, in which office he was -succeeded by my brother, Evander, and three others -of his sons became elders in other churches. No -pressure of business was ever allowed to interfere with -family worship night and morning. A psalm or hymn -from the old village hymnbook always formed part -of the service. My father was an early riser, and, in -the winter time, family worship was often over before -the dawn. Almost every spare moment of his time he -spent in reading Scott’s Family Bible, the Philadelphia -<i>Presbyterian</i>, or one of the few books of devotion which -composed the family library. The special treasure of -the book-case was the great quarto Illustrated Family -Bible, with the Apocrypha and Brown’s Concordance, -published by M. Carey, Philadelphia, 1815. It was the -only pictorial book in the library, and its pictures were -awe-inspiring to us children—especially those in the -Book of Revelation:—The Dragon Chained, The Beast -with Seven Heads and Ten Horns, and the Vision of -the Four Seals. These and the solemn themes of Russell’s -<i>Seven Sermons</i>—which on rainy days I used -to steal away by myself to read—made a profound impression -on me.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Scottish folk always carry the school with the kirk. -Free schools were unknown; but after the crops were -“laid by,” we always had a subscription school, in -which my father, with his large family, had a leading -interest. The teacher “boarded around” with the -pupils. Our regular night-task was three questions -and answers in the Shorter Catechism—no small task -for boys of ten or twelve years. My memory of the -Catechism once stood me in good stead in after-life. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_22'>22</span>When examined for licensure by the Orange Presbytery, -I was asked, “What is man’s state by nature?” -In reply I gave the answers to the nineteenth and -twentieth questions in the Catechism. A perceptible -smile passed over the faces of many of the presbyters, -and Father Lynch said, “He is right on the Catechism. -He will pass.” In those days to be “right on the -Catechism” would atone for many failures in Hodge -or Turretin.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The church was at the village of Buffalo, four miles -from our home, but no one of the family was expected -to be absent from the family pew on “the Sabbath.” -Carriages were a later luxury in that region. Our two -horses carried father and mother, with the youngest -of the little folks mounted behind, till he should be -able to walk with the rest.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The great event of the year was the camp-meeting -at the Fall Communion. It served as an epoch from -which the events of the year before and after it were -dated. For weeks before it came, all work on the -farm was arranged with reference to “Buffalo Sacrament”—pronounced -with long a in the first syllable. -It was accounted nothing for people to come fifteen, -twenty, or even forty miles to the meetings. Every pew-holder -had a tent, and kept open house. No stranger -went away hungry. Neighbouring ministers were invited -to assist the pastor. Services began on Friday, -and closed on Monday, unless some special interest suggested -the wisdom of protracting them further. The -regular order was: A sunrise prayer-meeting, breakfast, -a prayer-meeting at nine, a sermon at ten, an intermission, -and then another sermon. The sermons -were not accounted of much worth if they were not an -hour long. The pulpit was the tall old-fashioned boxpulpit -<span class='pageno' id='Page_23'>23</span>with a sounding-board above. For want of -room in the church, the two sermons on Sunday were -preached from a stand in the open air. At the close -of the second sermon the ruling elders, stationed in -various parts of the congregation, distributed to the -communicants the “tokens,”<a id='r1' /><a href='#f1' class='c020'><sup>[1]</sup></a> which admitted them -to the sacramental table. Then, in solemn procession, -the company marched up the rising ground to the -church, singing as they went:</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c021'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“Children of the Heavenly King,</div> - <div class='line in1'>As ye journey sweetly sing.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='footnote c022' id='f1'> -<p class='c023'><span class='label'><a href='#r1'>1</a>. </span>The “token” was a thin square piece of lead stamped with the -initial letter of the name of the church.</p> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>It was a beautiful sight, and we boys used to climb the -hill in advance to see it. When the audience was -seated, there was a brief introductory exercise. Then -a hymn was sung, while a group of communicants filled -the places about the communion table. There was -an address by one of the ministers, during the progress -of which the bread and the wine were passed to the -group at the table. Then there was singing again, -while the first group retired, and a second group took -its place. The same ceremony was repeated for them, -and again for others, until all communicants present -had participated. The communion service must have -occupied nearly two hours. One thing I remember -well—when the children’s dinner-time came (which -was after all the rest had dined), the sun was low in -the heavens, and there was still a night service before -us. Notwithstanding some inward rebellion, it seemed -all right then. But the same thing nowadays would -drive all the young people out of the church.</p> - -<p class='c009'><span class='pageno' id='Page_24'>24</span>With some diffidence I venture to make one criticism -on our home life. The “Sabbath” was too -rigidly observed to commend itself to the judgment and -conscience of children—too rigidly, perhaps, for the -most healthy piety in adults. It is hard to convince -boys that to whistle on Sunday, even though the tune -be “Old Hundred,” is a sin deserving of censure. An -afternoon stroll in the farm or the orchard might even -have clarified my father’s vision for the enjoyment of -his Scott’s Bible at night. It would surely have been -a means of grace to his boys. But such was the Scottish -type of piety of those days, and it was strongly -held. The family discipline was of the reserved and -dignified type, rather than of the affectionate. Implicit -obedience was the law for children. My father -loved his children, but never descended to the level -of familiarity with them when young, and could not -sympathize with their sports.</p> - -<p class='c009'>But dark days were coming. Brother John Martin -presently married and moved west. In August, 1840, -an infant sister died of quinsy—the first death I ever -witnessed. On June 8th, 1841, the father and “house-bond” -of the family was taken away. The inheritance -he left his children was the example of an upright, -spotless life—of more worth than a legacy of -silver and gold. These we might have squandered, but -that was inalienable.</p> - -<p class='c009'>At thirteen, I was small for my age—too small to do -a man’s work on the farm; and there was no money with -which to secure for me an education. Just then occurred -one of those casual incidents which often determine -the whole course of one’s life. Mr. Roderick McIntosh, -one of my mother’s cousins, being disabled for -hard work on the farm, had learned the tailor’s trade, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_25'>25</span>and was then living in the village of Pittsboro, twenty-one -miles away. His father was a neighbour of ours, -and a man after my father’s own heart. The two families -had thus always been very intimate. While the -question of my destiny was thus in the balance, this -cousin, one day, while on a visit to his father, called at -our house. He had mounted his horse to leave, when, -turning to Evander, he asked, “What is Dan’l going -to do?” My brother replied, “There he is; ask him.” -Turning to me, he said, “Well, Dan’l, how would you -like to come and live with me? I will teach you a -trade.” I had never thought of such a thing, nor had -it ever been mentioned in the family. But somehow it -struck me favourably. Instinctively I replied, “I believe -I should like it.” A life-question could not have -been settled more fortuitously. But it was the first -step on the way to Siam and the Lāo Mission.</p> - -<p class='c009'>On the last day of August, 1841, I bade farewell -to the old home, with all its pleasant associations. -Every spot of it was dear, but never so dear as then. -Accompanied by my brother Evander, each of us riding -one of the old family horses, I started out for my new -home. The departure was not utterly forlorn, since -Evander was still with me. But the parting from him, -as he started back next day, was probably the hardest -thing I had ever experienced. I had to seek a -quiet place and give vent to a flood of tears. For a -time I was inexpressibly sad. I realized, as never before, -that I was cut loose from the old moorings—was -alone in the world. But the sorrows of youth are soon -assuaged. No one could have received a warmer welcome -in the new home than I did. There were two -children in the family, and they helped to fill the void -made by the separation.</p> - -<p class='c009'><span class='pageno' id='Page_26'>26</span>Pittsboro was not a large village, but its outlook was -broader than that of my home. The world seemed -larger. I myself felt larger than I had done as a -country boy. I heard discussion of politics and of the -questions of the day. The county was strongly Whig, -but Mr. McIntosh was an unyielding Democrat, and as -fond of argument as a politician. According to southern -custom, stores and shops were favourite resorts for -passing away idle time, and for sharpening the wits of -the villagers. The recent Presidential campaign of -1840 furnished unending themes for discussion in our -little shop.</p> - -<p class='c009'>There was no Presbyterian church in Pittsboro at -that time. The church-going population was divided -between the Methodist and the Episcopalian churches, -the former being the larger. With my cousin’s family -I attended the Methodist church. On my first Sunday -I joined the Methodist Sunday School, and that school -was the next important link in my chain of life. Its -special feature was a system of prizes. A certain number -of perfect answers secured a blue ticket; ten of these -brought a yellow ticket; and yellow tickets, according -to the number of them, entitled the possessor to various -prizes—a hymnbook, a Bible, or the like. On the -first Sunday I was put into a class of boys of my -own age, at work on a little primer of one hundred -and six questions, all answered in monosyllables. By -the next Sunday I was able to recite the whole, together -with the Lord’s Prayer and the Apostles’ Creed -at the end. It was no great feat; but the teacher and -the school thought it was. So, on the strength of -my very first lesson, I got a yellow ticket, and was -promoted to the next higher class. That stimulated -my ambition, and I devoted my every spare hour to -<span class='pageno' id='Page_27'>27</span>study. The next book was one of questions and answers -on the four Gospels. They were very easy; I -was able to commit to memory several hundred answers -during the week. In a few Sundays I got my first -prize; and it was not long before I had secured all the -prizes offered in the school. What was of far more -value than the prizes was the greater love for study -and for the Scriptures which the effort had awakened -in me, and a desire for an education. The shop was -often idle; I had plenty of time for study, and made -the most of it.</p> - -<p class='c009'>At one of the subsequent Quarterly Meetings, a Rev. -Mr. Brainard, who had considerable reputation as a -revivalist, preached one Sunday night a vivid and -thrilling sermon on Noah’s Ark and the Flood. So -marked was the impression on the audience, that, at -the close, according to the Methodist custom, “mourners” -were invited to the altar. Many accepted the invitation. -A young friend sitting beside me was greatly -affected. With streaming eyes he said, “Dan’l, let us -go, too,” rising up and starting as he spoke. After -a few moments I followed. By this time the space -about the altar was well filled. There was great excitement -and no little confusion—exhortation, singing, and -prayer going on all at once. A number of persons -made profession of religion, and soon my young friend -joined them. He was full of joy, and was surprised -to find that I was not so, too. The meetings were continued -night after night, and each night I went to the -altar. As I look back upon it from this distance, it -seems to me that, with much exhortation to repent -and believe, there was not enough of clear and definite -instruction regarding the plan of salvation, or the offices -and work of Christ. One night, in a quiet hour -<span class='pageno' id='Page_28'>28</span>at home, the grounds and method of a sinner’s acceptance -of Christ became clear to me, and He became -my Lord.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Soon after, when invitation was given to the new converts -to join the church as probationers, I was urged -by some good friends to join with the rest; and was -myself not a little inclined to do so. It was no doubt -the influence of my cousin that enabled me to withstand -the excitement of the revival and the gentle -pressure of my Methodist friends, and to join, instead, -my father’s old church at Buffalo. But I owe more -than I shall ever know to that Sunday School, and -since then I have always loved the Methodist Church. -Meanwhile the prospects for an education grew no -brighter, though Mr. Brantley, then a young graduate -in charge of the Pittsboro Academy, but afterward a -distinguished Baptist minister of Philadelphia, gave -me a place in his school at idle times; and a Dr. Hall -used to lend me books to read.</p> - -<p class='c009'>When the opportunity for acquiring an education -finally came, it was as unexpected as a clap of thunder -out of a blue sky. The celebrated Bingham School, -now in Asheville, North Carolina, was then, as now, the -most noted in the South. It was started by Rev. William -Bingham in Pittsboro, North Carolina, in the -closing years of the eighteenth century. It was moved -to Hillsboro by his son, the late William J. Bingham, -father of the present Principal. The school was -patronized by the leading families of the South. The -number of pupils was strictly limited. To secure a -place, application had to be made a year or more in -advance.</p> - -<p class='c009'>My surprise, therefore, can well be imagined, when -one day Baccus King, a young boy of the town, walked -<span class='pageno' id='Page_29'>29</span>into the shop with a letter addressed to Master Daniel -McGilvary from no less a personage than William J. -Bingham, the great teacher and Principal. At first I -thought I was the victim of some boyish trick. But -there was the signature, and the explanation that followed -removed all doubt. Nathan Stedman, an influential -citizen of Pittsboro, was an early acquaintance -and friend of Mr. Bingham. He had visited the school -in person to secure a place for his nephew, young -King, and had brought back with him the letter for -me. What Mr. Bingham knew of me I never discovered. -No doubt Mr. Stedman could have told, -though up to that time I had never more than spoken -with him. Be that as it may, there was the letter -with its most generous offer that I take a course in -Bingham School at the Principal’s expense. He was -to board me and furnish all necessary expenses, which, -after graduation, I was to refund by teaching. If I -became a minister of the Gospel, the tuition was to be -free; otherwise I was to refund that also. To young -King’s enquiry what I would do, I replied, “Of course, -I shall go.” My cousin, Mr. McIntosh, was scarcely -less delighted than I was at the unexpected opening.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The invitation to attend Bingham School came in -the fall of 1845, when I was in my eighteenth year. -There were then only two weeks till the school should -open. I had little preparation to make. A pine box -painted red was soon got ready to serve as a trunk, for -my wardrobe was by no means elaborate. Mr. Stedman -kindly offered me a seat with Baccus and a friend -of his who was returning to the school. On the way -Baccus’ friend entertained us with stories of the rigid -discipline, for this was in the days when the rod was -not spared. I had no fears of the rod, but I trembled -<span class='pageno' id='Page_30'>30</span>lest I should not sustain myself as well as such great -kindness demanded. It might be a very different thing -from winning a reputation in a Methodist Sunday -School.</p> - -<p class='c009'>It was dusk when we reached The Oaks. The family -was at supper. Mr. Bingham came out to receive -us. He told Baccus’ friend to take him to his own old -quarters, and, turning to me, said, “I have made arrangements -for you to board with Mr. C., and to room -with Mr. K., the assistant teacher, till my house is finished, -when you are to live with us. But we are at -supper now. You must be hungry after your long -ride. Come in and eat with us.” After supper, Mr. -Bingham went with me to my boarding-house, and -introduced me to my hosts and to my chum, David -Kerr. He welcomed me, and said he thought we -should get along finely together. We not only did -that, but he became a warm friend to whom I owed -much. So I was in the great Bingham School, overwhelmed -with a succession of unexpected kindnesses -from so many quarters! What did it all mean?</p> -<div id='i030' class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i030.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>WILLIAM J. BINGHAM</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c011'>My highest anticipations of the school were realized. -If there ever was a born teacher, William J. Bingham -was one. Latin and Greek were taught then by a -method very different from the modern one. Before a -sentence was read or translated, the invariable direction -was—master your grammar. In grammar-drill -Mr. Bingham could have no superior. Bullion’s -Grammars and Readers were the text-books. The principal -definitions were learned practically verbatim. -The coarse print was required of all in the class. The -older pupils were advised to learn notes, exceptions, -and all. I never became so familiar with any other -books as with that series of grammars. We were expected -<span class='pageno' id='Page_31'>31</span>to decline every noun and adjective, alone or -combined, from nominative singular to ablative plural, -backwards or forwards, and to give, at a nod, voice, -mood, tense, number, and person of any verb in the -lesson. These exercises became at last so easy that -they were great fun. Even now, sixty years later, I -often put myself to sleep by repeating the old paradigms.</p> - -<p class='c009'>It may seem that my estimate of Mr. Bingham is -prejudiced by my sense of personal obligation to him -for his kindness. Yet I doubt not that the universal -verdict of every one who went there to study would -be that he should be rated as one of the world’s -greatest teachers. The South owes much to him for -the dignity he gave to the profession of teaching. No -man ever left a deeper impress on me. Thousands of -times I have thanked the Lord for the opportunity to -attend his school.</p> - -<p class='c009'>I was graduated from the school in May, 1849, a few -days before I was twenty-one years old. On leaving -my kind friends at The Oaks, I was again at sea. It -will be remembered that, by my original agreement, I -was booked for teaching—but I had no idea where. -Once more the unexpected happened. In the midst -of negotiations for a school in the southern part of -the state, I was greatly surprised at receiving an offer -from one of the prominent business men of my own -town, Pittsboro, to assist me in organizing a new -school of my own there. With much doubt and hesitation -on my part—for there were already two preparatory -schools in the place—the venture was made, and -I began with ten pupils taught in a little business office. -The number was considerably increased during -the year. But when the second year opened, I was put -<span class='pageno' id='Page_32'>32</span>in charge of the Academy, whose Principal had resigned. -Here, in work both pleasant and fairly profitable, -I remained until the four years for which I had -agreed to stay were up.</p> - -<p class='c009'>I had by no means reached my ideal. But, as my -friends had predicted, it had been a success. Some -of my warmest supporters were sure that I was giving -up a certainty for an uncertainty, in not making -teaching my life-work. It had evidently been the -hope of my friends from the first that I would make -Pittsboro my home, and build up a large and permanent -school there. But my purpose of studying for -the ministry had never wavered, and that made it -easier for me to break off.</p> - -<p class='c009'>During these four years my relations with the newly -organized Presbyterian church had been most pleasant -and profitable. There was no resisting the appeal -that I should become ruling elder. The superintendency -of the Sunday School also fell naturally to me, -and opened up another field of usefulness. The friendship -formed with the pastor, the Rev. J. H. McNeill, -is one of the pleasant memories of my life.</p> - -<p class='c009'>One feature of the church connection must not be -passed over. Neither of the other elders was so circumstanced -as to be able to attend the meetings of the -Orange Presbytery. Three of the leading professors -in the University were members of the Presbytery, and -all the leading schools within its bounds were taught -by Presbyterian ministers or elders. To accommodate -this large group of teachers, the meetings were held in -midsummer and midwinter. Thus it fell to my lot to -represent the Pittsboro church at the Presbytery during -nearly the whole of the four years of my stay in -Pittsboro. As it was then constituted, its meetings -<span class='pageno' id='Page_33'>33</span>were almost equal to a course in church government. -The Rev. J. Doll, one of the best of parliamentarians, -was stated clerk. A group of members such as the -two Drs. Phillips, father and son, Dr. Elisha Mitchell, -of the University, and many others that could be -named, would have made any assembly noted. Professor -Charles Phillips, as chairman of the committee -on candidates for the ministry, came into closer touch -with me than most of the others. He afterwards followed -my course in the Seminary with an interest -ripening into a friendship which continued throughout -his life.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The meetings of the Presbytery were not then -merely formal business meetings. They began on -Wednesday and closed on Monday. They were looked -forward to by the church in which they were to be -held as spiritual and intellectual feasts. To the members -themselves they were seasons of reunion, where -friendships were cemented, and where wits were sharpened -by intellectual conflicts, often before crowded congregations.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Union Seminary, now of Richmond, Virginia, has -always been under the direction of the Synods of North -Carolina and Virginia; and there were strong reasons -why students from those Synods should study there. -They were always reminded of that obligation. But -the high reputation of Drs. Hodge and Alexander was -a strong attraction toward Princeton. My pastor and -Professor Phillips, chairman of the committee in charge -of me, had both studied there. So I was allowed -to have my preference. No doubt this proved another -stepping-stone to Siam. Union Seminary was not then -enthusiastic in regard to foreign missions, as it has -since become. At the last meeting of Presbytery -<span class='pageno' id='Page_34'>34</span>that I was to attend, Dr. Alexander Wilson moved that, -inasmuch as Orange Presbytery owned a scholarship in -Princeton Seminary, I be assigned to it. To my objection -that I had made money to pay my own way, -he replied, “You will have plenty of need of your -money. You can buy books with it.” I followed the -suggestion and laid in a good library.</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_35'>35</span> - <h2 id='ch02' class='c010'>II<br /> <br />MINISTERIAL TRAINING</h2> -</div> -<p class='c011'>I entered Princeton Seminary in the fall of -1853. I did not lodge in the Seminary building, -but, through the kindness of Rev. Daniel -Derouelle—whom, as agent of the American Bible Society, -I had come to know during his visits to Pittsboro—I -found a charming home in his family. There -were, of course, some disadvantages in living a mile -and a half away from the Seminary. I could not have -the same intimate relations with my fellow students -which I might have had if lodged in the Seminary. -But I had the delightful home-life which most of them -missed altogether. And the compulsory exercise of -two, or sometimes three, trips a day, helped to keep -me in health throughout my course. I became, indeed, -a first-rate walker—an accomplishment which has since -stood me in good stead in all my life abroad.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Being from the South, and not a college graduate, as -were most of the students, I felt lonesome enough -when, on the first morning of the session, I entered -the Oratory and looked about me without discovering -a single face that I knew. But at the close of the -lecture some one who had been told by a friend to look -out for me, touched me on the shoulder, made himself -known, and then took me off to introduce me to J. -Aspinwall Hodge, who was to be a classmate of mine. -No man ever had a purer or a better friend than this -<span class='pageno' id='Page_36'>36</span>young man, afterward Dr. J. Aspinwall Hodge; and -I never met a friend more opportunely.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Of our revered teachers and of the studies of the -Seminary course there is no need to speak here. Our -class was a strong one. Among its members were such -men as Gayley, Mills, Jonathan Wilson, Nixon, Lefevre, -and Chaney. Of these Gayley and Mills were already -candidates for missionary work abroad. In other -classes were Robert McMullen and Isidore Loewenthal, -destined to become martyrs in Cawnpore and -Peshawur. Many were the stirring appeals we heard -from these men. Dr. Charles Hodge, too, had given a -son to India; and he never spoke more impressively -than when he was pleading the cause of foreign missions. -Princeton, moreover, because of its proximity -to New York and to the headquarters of the various -missionary societies established there, was a favourite -field for the visits of the Secretaries of these organizations, -and of returned missionaries. A notable visit -during my first year was that of Dr. Alexander Duff, -then in his prime. No one who heard him could forget -his scathing criticism of the church for “playing at -missions,” or his impassioned appeals for labourers.</p> - -<p class='c009'>So the question was kept constantly before me. But -during the first two years, the difficulty of the acquisition -of a foreign language by a person not gifted in -his own, seemed an obstacle well-nigh insuperable. -Conscience suggested a compromise. Within the field -of Home Missions was there not equal need of men -to bring the bread of life to those who were perishing -without it? With the object of finding some such opportunity, -I spent my last vacation, in the summer of -1855, in Texas as agent of the American Sunday School -Union.</p> - -<p class='c009'><span class='pageno' id='Page_37'>37</span>Texas afforded, indeed, great opportunities for Christian -work; but in the one object of my quest—a field -where Christ was not preached—I was disappointed. -In every small village there was already a church—often -more than one. Even in country schoolhouses -Methodists, Baptists, and Cumberland Presbyterians -had regular Sunday appointments, each having acquired -claim to a particular Sunday of the month. -Conditions were such that the growth of one sect usually -meant a corresponding weakening of the others. -It was possible, of course, to find local exceptions. -But it is easier even now to find villages by the hundred, -with three, four, and even five Protestant -churches, aided by various missionary societies; where -all the inhabitants, working together, could do no more -than support one church well. This may be necessary; -but it is surely a great waste.</p> - -<p class='c009'>From this trip I had just returned with these -thoughts in my mind, and was entering upon my senior -year, when it was announced that Dr. S. R. House, a -missionary from Siam, would address the students. -Expectation was on tiptoe to hear from this new -kingdom of Siam. The address was a revelation to us -all. The opening of the kingdom to American missionaries -by the reigning monarch, Mahā Mongkut—now -an old story—was new then, and sounded like a -veritable romance. My hesitation was ended. Here -was not merely a village or a parish, but a whole -kingdom, just waking from its long, dark, hopeless -sleep. Every sermon I preached there might be to -those who had never heard that there is a God in heaven -who made them, or a Saviour from sin.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The appeal was for volunteers to go at once. None, -however, of the men who had announced themselves as -<span class='pageno' id='Page_38'>38</span>candidates for service abroad were available for Siam. -They were all pledged to other fields. The call found -Jonathan Wilson and myself in much the same state -of expectancy, waiting for a clear revelation of duty. -After anxious consultation and prayer together, and -with Dr. House, we promised him that we would give -the matter our most serious thought. If the Lord -should lead us thither, we would go.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Meanwhile the Rev. Andrew B. Morse had been appointed -a missionary to Siam, and the immediate -urgency of the case was thus lightened. Shortly before -the close of my Seminary course, in 1856, there -came to me a call to the pastorate of two contiguous -churches, those of Carthage and of Union, in my native -county in North Carolina. The call seemed a providential -one, and I accepted it for one year only. My -classmate, Wilson, soon after accepted a call to work -among the Indians in Spencer Academy.</p> - -<p class='c009'>My parish was an admirable one for the training of -a young man. The church at Union was one of the -oldest in the state. The church at Carthage, five -miles away, was a colony from Union. No distinct -geographical line separated the two. Many of the -people regularly attended both. That, of course, made -the work harder for a young pastor. The extreme -limits of the two parishes were fifteen miles apart. -But these were church-going folk, mostly of Scottish -descent—not “dry-weather Christians.” The pastorate -had been vacant a whole year.</p> - -<p class='c009'>At the first morning service the church was crowded -to its utmost capacity. Some came, no doubt, from -curiosity to hear the new preacher; but most of them -were hungry for the Gospel. They had all known -my father; and some had known me—or known of me—from -<span class='pageno' id='Page_39'>39</span>boyhood. I could not have had a more sympathetic -audience, as I learned from the words of appreciation -and encouragement spoken to me after -church—especially those spoken by my brother, who -was present.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The year passed rapidly. The work had prospered -and was delightful. In it I formed the taste for -evangelistic touring, which was afterwards to be my -work among the Lāo. There had been a number of -accessions in both churches. It was easy to become -engrossed in one’s first charge among a people so sympathetic, -and to overlook far-away Siam. Indeed, I -had become so far influenced by present surroundings -as to allow my name to be laid before a meeting -of the congregation with a view to becoming their -permanent pastor. Their choice of me was unanimous. -Moreover, I had been dismissed from my old Presbytery -to the one within whose bounds my parish -was. The regular meeting of the latter was not far -off, when arrangements were to be made for my ordination -and installation.</p> - -<p class='c009'>As the time drew near, do what I might, my joy -in accepting the call seemed marred by the thought -of Siam. I learned that the Siamese Mission, instead -of growing stronger, was becoming weaker. Mr. -Morse’s health had completely broken down during -his first year in the field. He was then returning to -the United States. Mrs. Mattoon had already come -back an invalid. Her husband, after ten years in -Siam, was greatly in need of a change; but was -holding on in desperation, hoping against hope that -he might be relieved.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The question of my going to Siam, which had been -left an open one, must now soon be settled by my accepting -<span class='pageno' id='Page_40'>40</span>or declining. I needed counsel, but knew not -on what earthly source to call. When the question of -Siam first came up in Princeton, I had written to leading -members of the Orange Presbytery for advice, stating -the claims of Siam so strongly that I was sure -these men would at least give me some encouragement -toward going. But the reply I had from one of them -was typical of all the rest: “We do not know about -Siam; but we do know of such and such a church -and of such and such a field vacant here in Orange -Presbytery. Still, of course, it <i>may</i> be your duty to -go to Siam.” In that quarter, surely, there was no -light for me. So I devoted Saturday, August 1st, to -fasting and prayer for guidance. In the woods back -of the Carthage church and the Academy, the decision -was finally reached. I would go.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Next morning I stopped my chief elder on his way -to church, and informed him of my decision. After -listening to my statement of the case, he replied, “Of -course, if it is settled, there’s nothing more to be said.” -It chanced that Mr. Russell, my former assistant in -the Pittsboro Academy, had just finished his theological -course; and, wholly without reference to the -question pending in my mind, had arranged to preach -for me that day. The session was called together before -service, was notified of my decision, and was reminded -that the preacher of the day would be available -as a successor to me. He preached a good sermon, -had a conference with the session afterwards, and -was virtually engaged that day. The following week -brought notice of my appointment as missionary to -Siam.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The last communion season of that year was one of -more than usual interest. The meetings began on -<span class='pageno' id='Page_41'>41</span>Friday. Since the minds of the congregation were -already on the subject of foreign missions, and since -Dr. McKay, from my home church, had been appointed -by the Synod to preach on that subject at its coming -session in Charlotte, I prevailed upon him to preach -to us the sermon that he had prepared. The text was -from Romans x:14, “How shall they hear without a -preacher?” No subject could have been more appropriate -to the occasion. It produced a profound -impression. Some were affected to tears.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The sermon was a good preparation for the communion -service that followed. At the night service -there was deep seriousness throughout the congregation, -and a general desire to have the meetings continued. -On Monday there was an unexpectedly large -congregation. At the busiest season of the year farmers -had left their crops to come. The meetings soon -grew to be one protracted prayer-meeting, with occasional -short applications of Scripture to the questions -which were already pressing upon our minds.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Finally, after the meetings had been continued from -Friday until Wednesday week, they were reluctantly -brought to a close; both because it seemed unwise to -interrupt longer the regular life of the community, -and also because the leaders no longer had the voice -to carry them on. As a result of the meetings, there -were about eighty accessions to the two Presbyterian -churches, as well as a number to other churches. Many -asked if I did not see in the revival reason to change -my mind and remain. But the effect on me was just -the opposite. It was surely the best preparation I -could have had for the long test of faith while waiting -for results in Siam.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Inasmuch as my certificate of dismissal had never -<span class='pageno' id='Page_42'>42</span>been formally presented to the Fayetteville Presbytery, -I preferred to return it to my old Orange Presbytery, -and to receive my ordination at its hands. On December -11th, the Presbytery met at my old home in -Pittsboro. The installation of a foreign missionary -was new to the Presbytery, as well as to the church -and the community. When the ordaining prayer was -ended, there seemed to be but few dry eyes in the congregation. -It was a day I had little dreamed of sixteen -years before, when I first came to Pittsboro an -orphan boy and an apprentice. I felt very small for -the great work so solemnly committed to me. Missionary -fields were further off in those days than they -are now, and the undertaking seemed greater. The -future was unknown; but in God was my trust—and -He has led me.</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_43'>43</span> - <h2 id='ch03' class='c010'>III<br /> <br />BANGKOK</h2> -</div> -<p class='c011'>On reaching New York I went directly to the -Mission House, then at 23 Centre Street. As I -mounted the steps, the first man I met on the -landing was Jonathan Wilson. We had exchanged a -few letters, and each knew that the other had not forgotten -Siam; but neither expected to meet the other -there. “Where are you going?” said one. “I am -on my way to Siam,” said the other. “So am I,” -was the reply. In the meantime he had married and, -with his young wife, was in New York awaiting -passage. We took the first opportunity that offered, -the clipper ship <i>David Brown</i>, bound for Singapore, -and sailing on March 11th, 1858.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Sailors have a tradition that it is unlucky to have -missionaries on board; but the weather was propitious -throughout, and the voyage a prosperous one. We -three were the only passengers, and we proved to be -good sailors. Our fare was reasonably good. We -had plenty of good reading, and soon settled down to -steady work. The ship was somewhat undermanned; -and this fact was given as an excuse for not having -service on Sundays. But we had a daily prayer-meeting -throughout the voyage, with just a sufficient number -present to plead the promise: “Where two or three -are gathered together in my name.” We also had -free access to the men in the forecastle when off duty.</p> - -<p class='c009'>We had the excitement of an ocean race with a twin -<span class='pageno' id='Page_44'>44</span>ship of the same line, which was to sail a week after -us. As we reached Anjer Straits on the seventy-eighth -day out, a sail loomed up which proved to be our competitor. -She had beaten us by a week! Ten days -later we reached Singapore, where, indeed, we met no -brethren, but were met by welcome letters from Siam. -Like Paul at the Three Taverns, “we thanked God and -took courage.” One of the letters ran thus:</p> - -<p class='c024'>“Those were good words that came to our half-discouraged -band—the tidings that we are to have helpers in our -work.... In our loneliness we have sometimes been -tempted to feel that our brethren at home had forgotten -us. But we rejoice to know that there are hearts in the -church which sympathize with us, and that you are willing -to come and participate with us in our labours and trials, -our joys and sorrows, for we have both.”</p> - -<p class='c025'>We were fortunate to secure very early passage for -Bangkok. On Friday, June 18th, we reached the bar -at the mouth of the Mênam River. The next day we -engaged a small schooner to take us up to Bangkok. -With a strong tide against us, we were not able that -evening to get further than Mosquito Point—the most -appropriately-named place in all that land—only to -learn that we could not reach Bangkok until Monday -afternoon. There was no place to sleep on board; and -no sleeping would have been possible, had there been -a place. By two o’clock in the morning we could -endure it no longer;—the mosquito contest was too -unequal. At last we found a man and his wife who -would take us to the city in their two-oared skiff.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Fifty years’ residence in Siam has not surpassed the -romance of that night’s ride. Leaving our goods behind, -we seated ourselves in the tiny craft. With gunwales -but two inches above the water’s edge, we -<span class='pageno' id='Page_45'>45</span>skimmed along through a narrow winding canal overhung -with strange tropical trees. The moon was full, -but there was a haze in the air, adding weirdness to -things but dimly seen. The sight of our first Buddhist -monastery, with its white columns and grotesque figures, -made us feel as if we were passing through some -fairyland.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Just at dawn on Sunday morning, June 20th, 1858, -we landed at the mission compound. Our quick -passage of only one hundred days took our friends by -surprise. Dr. House, roused by our voices on the -veranda, came <i>en déshabillé</i> to the door to see what -was the matter. Finding who we were, the eager man -thrust his hand through a vacant square of the sash, -and shook hands with us so, before he would wait to -open the door. We were in Bangkok! It was as if -we had waked up in a new world—in the Bangkok to -which we had looked forward as the goal of our hopes; -which was to be, as we supposed, the home of our lives.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The Rev. Mr. Mattoon was still at his post, awaiting -our coming. Mrs. Mattoon and her daughters had -been compelled to leave for home some time before our -arrival. And not long thereafter Mr. Mattoon followed -them on his furlough, long overdue. Besides -the two men of our own mission, we found in Bangkok -the Rev. Dan B. Bradley, M.D., who was conducting -a self-supporting mission; Rev. S. J. Smith, and Rev. -R. Telford of the Baptist mission.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Since neither Bangkok nor Lower Siam proved to -be my permanent home, I shall content myself with a -very summary account of the events of the next three -years.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The first work of a new missionary is to acquire the -language of the country. His constant wish is, Oh -<span class='pageno' id='Page_46'>46</span>for a gift of tongues to speak to the people! As soon -as a teacher could be found, I settled to work at my -<i>kaw</i>, <i>kā</i>, <i>ki</i>, <i>kī</i><a id='r2' /><a href='#f2' class='c020'><sup>[2]</sup></a>. No ambitious freshman has such an -incentive for study as has the new missionary. It is -well if he does not confine himself to grammar and -dictionary, as he did in the case of his Latin, Greek, -and Hebrew. Pallegoix’s <i>Dictionarium Linguae Thai</i>, -and his short <i>Grammar</i> in Latin, were all the foreign -helps we had. The syntax of the language is easy; -but the “tones,” the “aspirates,” and “inaspirates,” -are perplexing beyond belief. You try to say “fowl.” -No, that is “egg.” You mean to say “rice,” but you -actually say “mountain.”</p> - -<div class='footnote c026' id='f2'> -<p class='c023'><span class='label'><a href='#r2'>2</a>. </span>The first exercise of the Siamese Spelling-book.</p> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>A thousand times a day the new missionary longs to -open his mouth, but his lips are sealed. It is a matter -of continual regret that he cannot pour out his -soul in the ardour of his first love, unchilled by the -deadening influences to which it is sure to be subjected -later. But the delay is not an unmitigated -evil. He is in a new world, in which he is constantly -reminded of the danger of giving offence by a breach -of custom as unalterable as the laws of the Medes and -Persians. A bright little boy runs up and salutes you. -You stroke his long black hair, only to be reminded -by one of your seniors—“Oh! you must <i>never</i> do that! -It is a mortal offence to lay your hand on a person’s -head.” So, while you are learning the language, you -are learning other things as well, and of no less importance.</p> - -<p class='c009'>In the mission school there was a class of bright -boys named Nê, Dit, Chûn, Kwāi, Henry, and one -girl, Tūan. To my great delight, Dr. House kindly -turned them over to me. It made me think I was -<span class='pageno' id='Page_47'>47</span>doing something, and I really was. I soon became -deeply interested in these children. Nê grew to be an -important business man and an elder in the church; -Tūan’s family became one of the most influential in -the church. Her two sons, the late Bun It and Elder -Bun Yī of the First Church in Chiengmai, have been -among the very best fruits of the mission; though my -personal share in their training was, of course, very -slight. In the September after our arrival there was -organized the Presbytery of Siam, with the four men -of the mission as its constituent members. During the -first two years, moreover, I made a number of tours -about the country—sometimes alone, oftener with Dr. -House, and once with Mr. Wilson.</p> - -<p class='c009'>I had the pleasure of meeting His Majesty the King -of Siam, not only at his birthday celebrations, to -which foreigners were invited, but once, also, at a -public audience on the occasion of the presentation -of a letter from President James Buchanan of the -United States. This was through the courtesy of Mr. -J. H. Chandler, the acting United States Consul. Two -royal state barges were sent down to the Consulate to -receive the President’s letter and the consular party. -Siamese etiquette requires that the letter be accorded -the same honour as would be given the President in person. -In the first barge was the letter, placed in a -large golden urn, with a pyramidal cover of gold, and -escorted by the four officers who attend upon His -Majesty when he appears in public. In the second -barge was the consular party.</p> - -<p class='c009'>After a magnificent ride of four miles up the river, -we were met at the palace by gilded palanquins for -the members of the party, while the letter, in a special -palanquin and under the golden umbrella, led the way -<span class='pageno' id='Page_48'>48</span>to the Palace, some quarter of a mile distant. At the -Palace gate a prince of rank met us, and ushered us -into the royal presence, where His Majesty sat on his -throne of gold, richly overhung with gilded tapestry. -Advancing toward the throne, and bowing low, we -took our stand erect, while every high prince and nobleman -about us was on bended knees, not daring to raise -his eyes above the floor.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The Consul then read a short introductory speech, -stepped forward, and placed the letter in the extended -hands of the King. Having glanced over it, the King -handed it to his secretary, who read it aloud, His -Majesty translating the substance of it to the princes -and nobles present. The King then arose, put his -scarf about his waist, girded on his golden sword, -came down, and shook hands with each of the party. -Then, with a wave of his hand, he said, “We have given -President Buchanan the first public reception in our -new palace,” adding, “I honour President Buchanan -very much.” He escorted the party around the room, -showing us the portraits of George Washington, President -Pierce, Queen Victoria, and Prince Albert. Then, -turning to the proper officer, he directed him to conduct -us to an adjoining room to partake of a luncheon -prepared for us; and, with a bow, withdrew.</p> - -<p class='c009'>After “tiffin,” we were escorted to the landing as -we had come, and returned in like state in the royal -barge to the Consulate. Altogether it was a notable -occasion.</p> - -<div id='i048' class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i048.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>MAHĀ MONKUT,<br />KING OF SIAM, 1851-1872</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>Of the tours undertaken in Lower Siam, the one -which led to the most lasting results was one in 1859 -to Pechaburī, which has since become well known as -one of our mission stations. For companion on this -trip I had Cornelius Bradley, son of the Rev. Dr. Bradley -<span class='pageno' id='Page_49'>49</span>of Bangkok. Shortly before this a rising young -nobleman, and a liberal-minded friend of foreigners, -had been assigned to the place ostensibly of lieutenant-governor -(Pra Palat) of Pechaburī, but practically of -governor. He was a brother of the future Regent; -had been on the first embassy to England; and at a -later period became Minister for Foreign Affairs. At -our call, His Excellency received us very kindly, and -before we left invited us to dine with him on the -following evening.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The dinner was one that would have done credit to -any hostess in America. I was still more surprised -when, at the table, addressing me by a title then given -to all missionaries, he said, “Maw” (Doctor), “I -want you to come and live in Pechaburī. You have -no family. I will furnish you a house, and give you -every assistance you need. You can teach as much -Christianity as you please, if only you will teach my -son English. If you want a school, I will see that -you have pupils.” I thanked him for the offer, but -could only tell him that I would think the matter over. -It might be, after all, only a Siamese cheap compliment. -It seemed too good to be true. It was, however, -directly in the line of my own thoughts. I had -come to Siam with the idea of leaving the great commercial -centres, and making the experiment among a -rural population like that of my North Carolina -charge.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The next day the Pra Palat called on us at our -<i>sālā</i>,<a id='r3' /><a href='#f3' class='c020'><sup>[3]</sup></a> and again broached the subject. He was very -anxious to have his son study English. In my mission -<span class='pageno' id='Page_50'>50</span>work I should be untrammelled. Before leaving us, he -mentioned the matter again. It was this time no -courteous evasion when I told him I would come if I -could.—What did it all mean?</p> - -<div class='footnote c026' id='f3'> -<p class='c023'><span class='label'><a href='#r3'>3</a>. </span>A public rest-house or shelter, such as Buddhist piety provides -everywhere for travellers, but especially in connection with the -monasteries.</p> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>I returned to Bangkok full of enthusiasm for -Pechaburī. The more I pondered it, the greater the -offer seemed to be. Beyond my predilection for a -smaller city or for rural work, I actually did not like -Bangkok. Pechaburī, however, was beyond the limits -of treaty rights. Permission to establish a station -there could be had only by sufferance from a government -not hitherto noted for liberality. Here was an -invitation equivalent to a royal permit, and with no -further red tape about it. I could see only one obstacle -in the way. The senior member of the mission—the -one who was naturally its head—I feared would -not approve. And he did, indeed, look askance at the -proposition. He doubted whether we could trust the -promises made. And then to go so far away alone! -But I thought I knew human nature well enough to -trust that man. As to being alone, I was willing to -risk that. Possibly it might not be best to ride a -free horse too freely. I would go with my own equipment, -and be at least semi-independent; though the -Palat had said that he did not mind the expense, if -only he could get his son taught English.</p> - -<p class='c009'>There could at least be no objection to making an -experimental visit, and then continuing it as long as -might seem wise. Pechaburī is within thirty hours -of Bangkok. If taken sick, I could run over in a day -or two. With that understanding, and with the tacit -rather than the expressed sanction of the mission, I -began to make preparations.</p> - -<p class='c009'>At last my preparations were complete, even to -<span class='pageno' id='Page_51'>51</span>baking bread for the trip. I had fitted up a touring-boat -of my own, and had engaged captain and boatmen; -when, on the day before I was to start, cholera, -which for some time had been sporadic in Bangkok, -suddenly became epidemic. Till then Dr. James Campbell, -physician to the British Consulate, and our medical -authority, thought that with caution and prudence -I might safely go. A general panic now arose all -over the land. Dr. Bradley came to tell me that -deaths were occurring hourly on the canal by which -I was to travel. To go then would be to tempt providence. -I had earnestly sought direction, and it came -in a way little expected.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The first man I met next morning was Dr. House, -coming home from Mr. Wilson’s. He had been called -in the night to attend Mrs. Wilson, who had been suddenly -attacked with “the disease,” as the natives -euphemistically call it, being superstitiously afraid -of uttering the name. Dr. House had failed to check -it, and sent me to call Dr. Campbell. But he was not -at home, and did not get the message till near noon. -By that time the patient had reached the stage when -collapse was about to ensue. The disease was finally -arrested, but Mrs. Wilson was left in a very precarious -condition.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Meanwhile her little daughter Harriet was also taken -ill, and for a time the life of both mother and daughter -was in suspense. The child lingered on till May 13th, -when she was taken to a better clime. On July 14th the -mother, too, ceased from her suffering, and entered on -her everlasting rest.</p> - -<p class='c009'>During these months, of course, all thoughts of -Pechaburī had been abandoned; nor would it then -have been deemed wise to travel during the wet season. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_52'>52</span>Before the next dry season came, Bangkok began -to have more attractions, and I had become less -ambitious to start a new station alone. On the 11th -of September I became engaged to Miss Sophia Royce -Bradley, daughter of the Rev. D. B. Bradley, M.D. -On December 6th, 1860, we were married. In my -wife I found a helpmeet of great executive ability, and -admirably qualified for the diversified work before us. -It was something, too, to have inherited the best traditions -of one of the grand missionaries of his age.<a id='r4' /><a href='#f4' class='c020'><sup>[4]</sup></a></p> - -<div class='footnote c026' id='f4'> -<p class='c023'><span class='label'><a href='#r4'>4</a>. </span>Dr. Bradley’s life would be the best history we could have of -Siam during its transition period. He left a voluminous diary, and -it was from his pen that most of the exact information concerning -Siam was long derived.</p> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>Samrē, our mission station in Bangkok, was four -miles distant from the heart of the city. We greatly -needed a more central station for our work. Dr. -Bradley offered us the use of a house on his own -premises—one of the most desirable situations in -Bangkok—if we would come and live there. The mission -accepted his generous offer. With reluctance I -resigned whatever claim I might have to be the pioneer -of the new station at Pechaburī. We were settled, as -it would seem, for life, in Bangkok.</p> - -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_53'>53</span> - <h2 id='ch04' class='c010'>IV<br /> <br />PECHABURĪ—THE CALL OF THE NORTH</h2> -</div> -<p class='c011'>By this time the mission generally had become -interested in the establishment of a new station -at Pechaburī. Dr. and Mrs. House were -designated for the post. The Doctor actually went -to Pechaburī; procured there, through the help of our -friend the Palat, a lot with a house on it; and thus -committed the mission to the project. But the day -before he was to start homeward to prepare for removal -thither, he was so seriously hurt by a fall from -his horse that he was confined to his bed for several -months. It was even feared that he was permanently -disabled for active life. A new adjustment of our -personnel was thus necessitated. Dr. Mattoon had -just returned from the United States with the Rev. -S. G. McFarland, the Rev. N. A. McDonald, and their -wives. Dr. Mattoon could not be spared from Bangkok, -nor was he enthusiastic over the new station. -Mr. McDonald had no desire for such experiments. -Both Mr. and Mrs. McFarland were anxious to move, -but were too new to the field to be sent out alone. -They were urgent that we should go with them. My -opportunity had come. So, early in June, 1861, we -broke up the first home of our married life, and, in -company with the McFarlands, moved on to our new -home and our new work.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Our friend, the Pra Palat, seemed pleased that we -<span class='pageno' id='Page_54'>54</span>had come, after all. His slight knowledge of English -had been learned as a private pupil from Mrs. McGilvary’s -own mother. He was glad, whenever he had -leisure, to continue his studies with Mrs. McGilvary. -Mr. McFarland preferred school work. He took the -son that I was to have taught, and left me untrammelled -to enter upon evangelistic work. The half-hour -after each evening meal we spent in united prayer for -guidance and success. Two servants of each family -were selected as special subjects of prayer; and these, -in due time, we had the pleasure of welcoming into -the church.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Of the incidents of our Pechaburī life I have room -for but a single one. As we were rising from the -dinner-table one Sunday shortly after our arrival, we -were surprised to see a man coming up the steps and -crossing the veranda in haste, as if on a special errand. -He led by the hand a little boy of ten or twelve years, -and said, “I want to commit this son of mine into -your care. I want you to teach him.” Struck by his -earnest manner, we drew from him these facts: He was -a farmer named Nāi Kawn, living some five miles out -in the country. He had just heard of our arrival, had -come immediately, and was very glad to find us.</p> - -<p class='c009'>We asked whether he had ever met a missionary before. -No, he said, but his father—since dead—had -once met Dr. Bradley, and had received a book from -him. He had begged other books from neighbours who -had received them but did not value them. Neither -did he at first, till the great cholera scourge of 1849, -when people were dying all around him. He was -greatly alarmed, and learned from one of the books -that Pra Yēsū heard prayer in trouble, and could save -from sin. For a long time he prayed for light, until, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_55'>55</span>about three years ago, he believed in Jesus, and was now -happy in heart. He had heard once of Dr. Bradley’s -coming to Pechaburī, but not until he was gone again. -He preached to his neighbours, who called him “Kon -Pra Yēsū” (Lord Jesus’ man). He had prayed for -Dr. Bradley and the missionaries; he had read the -story of Moses, the Epistle to the Romans, the Gospel -of John, a tract on Prayer, and “The Golden Balance”; -and he believed them. He could repeat portions -of Romans and John verbatim; and he had his son -repeat the Lord’s Prayer.</p> - -<p class='c009'>My subject at the afternoon service was Nicodemus -and the New Birth. Nāi Kawn sat spellbound, frequently -nodding assent. At the close we asked him -to speak a few words; which he did with great clearness. -On being questioned as to the Trinity, he replied -that he was not sure whether he understood it. He -gathered, however, that Jehovah was the Father and -Ruler; that the Son came to save us by dying for us; -and that the Holy Spirit is the Comforter. The difference -between Jesus and Buddha is that the latter entered -into Nirvana, and that was the last of him; -while Jesus lives to save. He even insisted that he -had seen a vision of Jesus in heaven. His other experiences -were characterized by such marks of soberness -that we wondered whether his faith might not -have been strengthened by a dream or a vision.</p> - -<p class='c009'>This incident, coming so soon after our arrival, -greatly cheered us in our work. His subsequent story -is too long to follow out in detail here. His piety and -his sincerity were undoubted. He lived and died a -Christian; yet he never fully identified himself with -the church. He insisted that he had been baptized by -the Holy Ghost, and that there was no need of further -<span class='pageno' id='Page_56'>56</span>baptism. Not long after this Dr. Bradley and Mr. -Mattoon visited Pechaburī, examined the man, and -were equally surprised at his history.</p> - -<hr class='c015' /> - -<p class='c009'>What changed our life-work from the Siamese to -the Lāo? There were two principal causes. The various -Lāo states which are now a part of Siam, were -then ruled by feudal princes, each virtually sovereign -within his own dominions, but all required to pay a -triennial visit to the Siamese capital, bringing the -customary gifts to their suzerain, the King of Siam, -and renewing their oath of allegiance to him. Their -realms served, moreover, as a “buffer” between Siam -and Burma. There were six of these feudal principalities. -Five of them occupied the basins of five chief -tributaries of the Mênam River; namely—in order -from west to east—Chiengmai, Lampūn, Lakawn, Prê, -and Nān. The sixth was Lūang Prabāng on the Mê -Kōng River. The rapids on all these streams had -served as an effectual barrier in keeping the northern -and the southern states quite separate. There was -no very frequent communication in trade. There was -no mail communication. Official despatches were -passed along from one governor to the next. Very -little was known in Bangkok about the Lāo provinces -of the north. A trip from Bangkok to Chiengmai -seemed then like going out of the world. Only one -Englishman, Sir Robert Schomburgk of the British -Consulate in Bangkok, had ever made it.</p> - -<div id='i056' class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i056.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>PAGODA OF WAT CHÊNG, BANGKOK</p> -</div> -</div> -<p class='c011'>Of these Lāo states, Chiengmai was the most important. -After it came Nān, then Lūang Prabāng -(since ceded to the French), Lakawn, Prê, and Lampūn. -The Lāo people were regarded in Siam as a very -warlike race; one chieftain in particular being famed -<span class='pageno' id='Page_57'>57</span>as a great warrior. They were withal said to be suspicious -and unreliable.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Almost the only visible result of my six months’ stay -within the city of Bangkok, after my marriage, was -the formation of a slight acquaintance with the Prince -of Chiengmai and his family. Just before my marriage -he had arrived in Bangkok with a great flotilla -of boats and a great retinue of attendants. The -grounds of Wat Chêng monastery, near to Dr. Bradley’s -compound, had always been their stopping-place. -The consequence was that, of all the missionaries, Dr. -Bradley had become best acquainted with them and -most deeply interested in them. He earnestly cultivated -their friendship, invited them to his printing-office -and to his house, and continually preached unto -them the Gospel. They were much interested in vaccination, -which he had introduced, and were delighted -to find that it protected them from smallpox.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The day after our marriage, in response to a present -of some wedding cake, the Prince himself, with his two -daughters and a large train of attendants, called on us -in our new home. This was my first introduction to -Chao Kāwilōrot and his family, who were to play so -important a rôle in my future life. All that I saw -of him and of his people interested me greatly. During -the short time we remained in their neighbourhood, -I made frequent visits to the Lāo camp. The subject -of a mission in Chiengmai was talked of, with apparent -approval on the part of the Prince. My interest in -Pechaburī was increased by the knowledge that there -was a large colony of Lāo<a id='r5' /><a href='#f5' class='c020'><sup>[5]</sup></a> there. These were captives -<span class='pageno' id='Page_58'>58</span>of war from the region of Khōrāt, bearing no -very close resemblance to our later parishioners in -the north. At the time of our stay in Pechaburī, the -Lāo in that province were held as government slaves, -engaged all day on various public works—a circumstance -which greatly impeded our access to them, and -at the same time made it more difficult for them to embrace -Christianity. Neither they nor we dared apply -to the government for the requisite sanction, lest -thereby their case be made worse. Our best opportunity -for work among them was at night. My most -pleasant memories of Pechaburī cluster about scenes -in Lāo villages, when the whole population would assemble, -either around a camp-fire or under the bright -light of the moon, to listen till late in the night to the -word of God. The conversion of Nāi Ang, the first one -from that colony, anticipated that of Nān Inta, and the -larger ingathering in the North.</p> - -<div class='footnote c026' id='f5'> -<p class='c023'><span class='label'><a href='#r5'>5</a>. </span>The application of this name is by no means uniform throughout -the peninsula. From Lūang Prabāng southward along the eastern -frontier, the tribes of that stock call themselves Lāo, and are so -called by their neighbours. But the central and western groups do -not acknowledge the name as theirs at all, but call themselves simply -Tai; or if a distinction must be made, they call themselves Kon Nûa -(Northerners), and the Siamese, Kon Tai (Southerners). The Siamese, -on the other hand, also call themselves Tai, which is really the -race-name, common to all branches of the stock; and they apply the -name Lāo alike to all their northern cousins except the Ngīo, or -Western Shans. Nothing is known of the origin of the name, but -the same root no doubt appears in such tribal and geographical -names as Lawā, Lawa, Lawō—the last being the name of the famous -abandoned capital now known as Lophburi.—<span class='sc'>Ed.</span></p> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>But there was more than a casual connection between -the two. My labours among them increased -the desire, already awakened in me, to reach the home -of the race. Here was another link in the chain of -providences by which I was led to my life-work. The -time, however, was not yet ripe. The available force -of the mission was not yet large enough to justify -further expansion. Moreover, our knowledge of the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_59'>59</span>Lāo country was not such as to make possible any -comprehensive and intelligent plans for a mission -there. The first thing to do was evidently to make a -tour of exploration. The way to such a tour was -opened in the fall of 1863. The Presbytery of Siam -met in Bangkok early in November. I had so arranged -my affairs that, if the way should open, I could -go north directly, without returning to Pechaburī. I -knew that Mr. Wilson was free, and I thought he -would favour the trip. This he readily did, and the -mission gave its sanction. So I committed my wife -and our two-year-old daughter to the care of loving -grandparents, and, after a very hasty preparation, -we started on the 20th of November in search of far-away -Chiengmai.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The six-oared touring-boat which I had fitted up in -my bachelor days was well adapted for our purpose -as far as the first fork of the Mênam. The Siamese -are experts with the oar, but are unused to the setting-pole, -which is well-nigh the only resource all through -the upper reaches of the river. It was sunset on a Friday -evening before we finally got off. But it was a -start; and it proved to be one of the straws on which -the success of the trip depended. The current against -us was very strong; so we slept within the city limits -that night. We spent all day Saturday traversing a -canal parallel with the river, where the current was -weaker. It was sunset before we entered again the -main stream, and stopped to spend Sunday at a monastery. -To our great surprise we found that the Prince -of Chiengmai—of whose coming we had had no intimation—had -camped there the night before, and had -passed on down to Bangkok that very morning. We -had missed him by taking the canal!</p> - -<p class='c009'><span class='pageno' id='Page_60'>60</span>We were in doubt whether we ought not to return -and get a letter from him. A favourable letter would -be invaluable; but he might refuse, or even forbid our -going. If we may judge from what we afterwards -knew of his suspicious nature, such probably would -have been the outcome. At any rate, it would delay -us; and we had already a passport from the Siamese -government which would ensure our trip. And, doubtless, -we did accomplish our design with more freedom -because of the Prince’s absence from his realm. It -was apparently a fortuitous thing that our men knew -of the more sluggish channel, and so missed the Lāo -flotilla. But it is quite possible that upon that choice -depended the establishment of the Lāo mission.</p> - -<p class='c009'>All went well until we reached the first fork at Pāknam -Pō. There the water came rushing down like a -torrent, so swift that oars were of no avail. We tried -first one side of the stream and then the other, but -all in vain. Our boatmen exchanged their oars for -poles. But they were awkward and unaccustomed to -their use. The boat would inevitably drift down -stream. The poor boatmen laughed despairingly at -their own failure. At last a rope was suggested. The -men climbed the bank, and dragged the boat around -the point to where the current was less swift. But -when, as often happened, it became necessary to cross -to the other side of the river, the first push off the -bank would send us into water so deep that a fifteen-foot -pole could not reach bottom. Away would go -the boat some hundreds of yards down stream before -we could bring up on the opposite bank. We reached -Rahêng, however, in nineteen travelling days—which -was not by any means bad time.</p> - -<p class='c009'>In our various journeyings hitherto we had controlled -<span class='pageno' id='Page_61'>61</span>our own means of transportation. Henceforth -we were at the mercy of native officials, to whose -temperament such things as punctuality and speed -are altogether alien. From Rahêng the trip by elephant -to Chiengmai should be only twelve days. By -boat, the trip would be much longer, though the return -trip would be correspondingly shorter. We had -a letter from Bangkok to the officials along the route, -directing them to procure for us boats, elephants, or -men, as we might need. We were in a hurry, and, -besides, were young and impulsive. The officials at -Rahêng assured us that we should have prompt -despatch. No one, however, seemed to make any effort -to send us on. The governor was a great -Buddhist, and fond of company and argument. He -could match our Trinity by a Buddhist one: Putthō, -Thammō, Sangkhō—Buddha, the Scriptures, the -Brotherhood. Men’s own good deeds were their only -atonement. The one religion was as good as the other. -On these subjects he would talk by the hour; but when -urged to get our elephants, he always had an excuse. -At last, in despair, we decided to take our boatmen -and walk. When this news reached the governor, -whether from pity of us, or from fear that some trouble -might grow out of it, he sent word that if we would -wait till the next day, we should have the elephants -without fail.</p> - -<p class='c009'>We got the elephants; but, as it was, from preference -I walked most of the way. Once I paid dear for my -walk by getting separated from my elephant in the -morning, losing my noonday lunch, and not regaining -my party till, tired and hungry, I reached camp at -night. Our guide had taken a circuitous route to -avoid a band of robbers on the main route which I -<span class='pageno' id='Page_62'>62</span>had followed! This was my first experience of elephant-riding. -We crossed rivers where the banks were -steep, and there was no regular landing. But whether -ascending or descending steep slopes, whether skirting -streams and waterfalls, one may trust the elephant’s -sagacity and surefootedness. The view we had from -one of the mountain ridges seemed incomparably fine. -The Mê Ping wound its way along the base beneath -us, while beyond, to right and to left, rose range beyond -range, with an occasional peak towering high -above the rest. But that was tame in comparison -with many mountain views encountered in subsequent -years.</p> - -<p class='c009'>We were eight days in reaching Lakawn,<a id='r6' /><a href='#f6' class='c020'><sup>[6]</sup></a> which we -marked as one of our future mission stations. On -being asked whether he would welcome a mission -there, the governor replied, “If the King of Siam and -the Prince of Chiengmai approve.” At Lakawn we -had no delay, stopping there only from Friday till -Monday morning. Thence to Lampūn we found sālās, -or rest-houses, at regular intervals. The watershed -between these towns was the highest we had crossed. -The road follows the valley of a stream to near the -summit, and then follows another stream down on the -other side. The gorge was in places so narrow that -the elephant-saddle scraped the mountain wall on one -side, while on the other a misstep would have precipitated -us far down to the brook-bed below.</p> - -<div class='footnote c026' id='f6'> -<p class='c023'><span class='label'><a href='#r6'>6</a>. </span>A corruption of Nakawn (for Sanskrit <i>nagara</i>, capital city), -which is the first part of the official name of the place, Nakawn -Lampāng. The Post Office calls it Lampāng, to distinguish it from -another Nakawn (likewise Lakawn in common speech), in the Malay -Peninsula—the place known to Europeans as Ligor. The general -currency of this short name, and its regular use in all the missionary -literature, seem to justify its retention in this narrative.—<span class='sc'>Ed.</span></p> -</div> - -<p class='c009'><span class='pageno' id='Page_63'>63</span>At Lampūn my companion was not well, so that -I alone called on the authorities. The governor had -called the princes together to learn our errand. They -seemed bewildered when told that we had no government -business, nor were we traders—were only teachers -of religion. When the proper officer was directed -to send us on quickly, he began to make excuses that -it would take two or three days. Turning sharply -upon him, the governor asked, “Prayā Sanām, how -many elephants have you?” “Four,” was the response. -“See that they get off to-morrow,” was the -short reply. He meekly withdrew. There was evidently -no trifling with that governor. One day more -brought us to Chiengmai—to the end of what seemed -then a very long journey. As we neared the city, Mr. -Wilson’s elephant took fright at the creaking noise -of a water-wheel, and ran away, crashing through -bamboo fences and trampling down gardens. Fortunately -no one was hurt.</p> - -<p class='c009'>We reached the city on January 7th, 1864, on the -forty-ninth day of our journey. The nephew of the -Prince had been left in charge during the Prince’s -absence. He evidently was in doubt how to receive -us. He could not ignore our passport and letter from -Bangkok. On the other hand, why did we not have -a letter from the Prince? Our story of missing him -through choosing the canal instead of the main river -might or might not be true. If the deputy were too -hospitable, his Prince might blame him. So he cut -the knot, and went off to his fields. We saw no more -of him till he came in to see us safely off.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The elder daughter of the Prince had accompanied -her father to Bangkok, but the younger daughter was -at home. She was a person of great influence, and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_64'>64</span>was by nature hospitable. Things could not have -been better planned for our purpose. The princess -remembered me and my wife from her call on us after -our wedding. She now called on us in person with -her retinue; after that everybody else was free to -call. It is not unlikely that that previous acquaintance -redeemed our trip from being a failure. Our -sālā was usually crowded with visitors. We had an -ideal opportunity of seeing the heart of the people. -They lacked a certain external refinement seen among -the Siamese; but they seemed sincere and more religious. -Buddhism had not become so much a matter -of form. Many of the older people then spent -a day and a night, or even two days, each month fasting -in the monasteries. There was hope that if such -people saw a better way, they would accept it. One -officer, who lived just behind our sālā, a great merit-maker, -was a constant visitor. Years afterward we -had the pleasure of welcoming him to the communion -of the church.</p> - -<p class='c009'>From every point of view the tour was eminently -successful. Many thousands heard the Gospel for the -first time. In our main quest we were more than successful. -We were delighted with the country, the -cities, the people. Every place we came to we mentally -took possession of for our Lord and Master. In -Chiengmai we remained only ten days; but one day -would have sufficed to convince us. I, at least, left -it with the joyful hope of its becoming the field of my -life-work.</p> - -<p class='c009'>From the first we had planned to return by the -river through the rapids. But the prince in charge -was very averse to our going by that route. We -knew that the route positively made no difference to -<span class='pageno' id='Page_65'>65</span>him personally. He had only to give the word, and -either elephants or boats would be forthcoming. Was -he afraid of our spying out the road into the country? -At last we were obliged to insist on the wording of -our letter, which specially mentioned boats. Then he -offered us one so small that he probably thought we -would refuse it. But we took it; and our captain -afterwards exchanged it for a larger one. We made -a swift passage through the famous rapids, and reached -Bangkok on January 30th, 1864.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The first news that we heard on our arrival was -that Mrs. Mattoon was obliged to leave at once for the -United States, and that Mr. Wilson was to take his -furlough at the same time. This, of course, ended all -plans for any immediate removal to Chiengmai. We -hastened to Pechaburī, where the McFarlands had -been alone during our absence. Three years were to -pass before our faces were again turned northward.</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_66'>66</span> - <h2 id='ch05' class='c010'>V<br /> <br />THE CHARTER OF THE LĀO MISSION</h2> -</div> -<p class='c011'>In the meantime, with two children added unto us, -we were become a family much more difficult to -move. We liked our home and our work. At -the age of thirty-nine, to strike out into a new work, -in a language at least partly new, was a matter not -to be lightly undertaken. Might it not be better that -Mr. Wilson should work up in the United States an -interest in the new mission, should himself select his -associates in it, and that I should give up my claim -to that place? It was certain that three families could -not be spared for Chiengmai. More than one day was -spent, under the shade of a great tree behind Wat Noi, -in thought on the subject, and in prayer for direction.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Finally—though it was a hard thing to do—I wrote -to Mr. Wilson, then in the United States, suggesting -the plan just stated. Feeling sure that it would -commend itself to him, I considered the door to -Chiengmai as probably closed to me. In the meantime -Mr. Wilson had married again; and on the eve -of his return wrote to me that he had failed to get -another family to come out with him, and was discouraged -about the Chiengmai mission. Probably the -time had not yet come, etc., etc. I was delighted to -get that letter. It decided me to go to Chiengmai, -the Lord willing, the following dry season, with only -<span class='pageno' id='Page_67'>67</span>my own family, if need be. Dr. Mattoon and Dr. -House were absent on furlough. Mr. Wilson and I -would be the senior members of the mission. The -Board had already given its sanction. The mission -in Bangkok meanwhile had been reinforced by the -arrival of the Georges and the Cardens. On the return -of those then absent on furlough, one of these families -could join the McFarlands in Pechaburī, and yet there -would be four families in Bangkok. Such a combination -of favourable circumstances might not occur -again.</p> - -<p class='c009'>When Mr. Wilson arrived in Bangkok in the fall of -1866, a letter was waiting for him, asking him to -visit us in Pechaburī to talk over the question. On his -arrival we spent one Sunday in anxious consultation. -He was still eager to go to Chiengmai, but could not -go that year. His preference would be that we should -wait another year.—But that might be to lose the opportunity. -So next morning, leaving Mr. and Mrs. -Wilson to visit with my family, I hurried over to -Bangkok. There was no time to be lost. The Prince -of Chiengmai had been called down on special business, -and was soon to return. The whole plan might -depend on him—as, in fact, it did.</p> - -<p class='c009'>It was after dark on Tuesday night when I reached -Dr. Bradley’s, taking them all by surprise. I made -known my errand. Another long and anxious consultation -followed. I knew that Dr. Bradley’s great -missionary soul would not be staggered by any personal -considerations. It would be but the answer to -his own prayers to see a mission planted in Chiengmai. -In his heart he was glad that it was to be planted -by one of his own family. Earnest prayer was offered -that night at the family altar for guidance in the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_68'>68</span>negotiations of the following day, and for a blessing -on the mission that was to be.</p> - -<p class='c009'>On Wednesday, after an early breakfast, Dr. Bradley -accompanied me to our mission. My colleagues, -McDonald, George, and Carden, were easily induced -to consent. Mr. McDonald said that he would not go -himself; but if I were willing to risk my family, he -would not oppose the scheme, and would vote to have -Mr. Wilson follow me the next year. Thus another -obstacle was removed.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Taking Mr. McDonald and Mr. George with us, we -proceeded next to the United States Consulate, where -Mr. Hood readily agreed to give his official and personal -aid. The two greatest obstacles remained yet: -the Siamese government and—as it turned out in the -end—the Lāo Prince<a id='r7' /><a href='#f7' class='c020'><sup>[7]</sup></a> also. The Consul wrote immediately -to the King, through our former Pechaburī -friend, who had recently been made Foreign Minister, -a formal request for permission to open a station in -Chiengmai. It was Friday evening when the reply -<span class='pageno' id='Page_69'>69</span>came that the decision did not rest with the King. -He could not force a mission upon the Lāo people. -But the Lāo Prince was then in Bangkok. If he gave -his consent, the Siamese government would give theirs. -He suggested that we have an audience with the -Prince, at which His Majesty would have an officer in -attendance to report directly to him.</p> - -<div class='footnote c026' id='f7'> -<p class='c023'><span class='label'><a href='#r7'>7</a>. </span>The Lāo ruler was a feudal vassal of the King of Siam, governing -an important frontier province, and granted, within that province, -some of the powers which are usually thought of as belonging to -sovereignty—notably the power of life and death in the case of his -immediate subjects. His title, Pra Chao, like its English parallel, -Lord, he shared with the deity as well as with kings; though the -Kings of Siam claim the added designation, “<i>Yū Hūa</i>,” “at the -head,” or “Sovereign.” By the early missionaries, however, he was -regularly styled “King,” a term which to us misrepresents his real -status, and which leads to much confusion both of personality and -of function. Meantime both title and function have vanished with -the feudal order of which they were a part, leaving us free to seek -for our narrative a less misleading term. Such a term seems to be -the word Prince, thus defined in Murray’s Dictionary (<i>s. v.</i> II. 5):—“The -ruler of a principality or small state, actually, nominally, or -originally, a feudatory of a king or emperor.” The capital initial -should suffice generally to distinguish the Prince who is ruler from -princes who are such merely by accident of birth.—<span class='sc'>Ed.</span></p> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>So on Saturday morning at ten o’clock we all appeared -at the landing where the Lāo boats were -moored, asking for an audience with the Prince. We -were invited to await him in the sālā at the river -landing. In a few moments His Highness came up in -his customary informal attire—a <i>phānung</i> about his -loins, no jacket, a scarf thrown loosely over his shoulders, -and a little cane in his hand. Having shaken -hands with us, he seated himself in his favourite attitude, -dangling his right leg over his left knee. He -asked our errand. At Mr. Hood’s request Dr. Bradley -explained our desire to establish a mission station -in Chiengmai, and our hope to secure his approval. -The Prince seemed relieved to find that our -errand involved nothing more serious than that. The -mission station was no new question suddenly sprung -upon him. We had more than once spoken with him -about it, and always apparently with his approbation. -To all our requests he now gave ready assent. Yes, -we might establish ourselves in Chiengmai. Land was -cheap; we need not even buy it. Timber was cheap. -There would be, of course, the cost of cutting and -hauling it; but not much more. We could build our -houses of brick or of wood, as we pleased. It was explained, -as he already knew, that our object was to -teach religion, to establish schools, and to care for the -sick. The King’s secretary took down the replies of -<span class='pageno' id='Page_70'>70</span>the Prince to our questions. The Consul expressed -his gratitude, and committed my family to his gracious -care. We were to follow the Prince to Chiengmai as -soon as possible.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Such was the outward scene and circumstance of the -official birth of the Lāo mission. In itself it was -ludicrous enough: the audience chamber, a sālā-landing -under the shadow of a Buddhist monastery; -the Consul in his official uniform; the Prince <i>en -déshabillé</i>; our little group awaiting the answer on -which depended the royal signature of Somdet Phra -Paramendr Mahā Mongkut authorizing the establishment -of a Christian mission. The answer was, Yes. -I was myself amazed at the success of the week’s -work. On the part both of the Siamese government -and of the Lāo Prince, it was an act of grace hardly -to be expected, though quite in keeping with the liberality -of the truly great king who opened his country -to civilization and to Christianity. And the Lāo -Prince, with all his faults, had some noble and generous -traits of character.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Later in the day I called alone to tell the Prince -that as soon as I could after the close of the rainy -season, I would come with my family. After the intense -excitement of the week, I spent a quiet Sabbath -in Dr. Bradley’s family, and on Monday morning could -say, as did Abraham’s servant, “Hinder me not, seeing -the Lord hath prospered me.” Taking the afternoon -tide, I hastened home to report the success of my trip, -to close my work in Pechaburī, and to make preparation -for a new station, which was soon to be a new -mission.</p> - -<div id='i070a' class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i070a.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>REV. DAN BEACH BRADLEY, M.D.<br />1872</p> -</div> -</div> -<div id='i070b' class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i070b.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>KĀWILŌROT, PRINCE OF CHIENGMAI<br />(ABOUT 1869)</p> -</div> -</div> -<p class='c011'>The work in hand was easily turned over to Mr. McFarland, -an earnest and successful worker, who had -<span class='pageno' id='Page_71'>71</span>become specially gifted in the Siamese language. The -Presbytery was to meet in Bangkok in November. The -last busy weeks passed rapidly away. At their end we -bade good-bye to our home and friends in Pechaburī.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Friends in Bangkok gave us their hearty assistance. -The Ladies’ Sewing Society made a liberal contribution -to the new mission. Dr. James Campbell supplied -us with medicines and a book of instructions how -to use them. The German Consul gave us a Prussian -rifle for our personal protection. All our missionary -friends added their good wishes and their prayers.</p> - -<p class='c009'>We had great difficulty in securing suitable boats -and crews for the journey. On January 3d, 1867, we -embarked, leaving Mr. and Mrs. Wilson to follow us -the next year. Mr. George accompanied us as far -as Rahêng. The trip is always a slow one, but we enjoyed -it. My rifle was useful in securing pelicans -and other large birds for food. Once I fired into a -large flock of pelicans on the river and killed three -with a single shot. Fish everywhere abounded. My -shotgun furnished pigeons and other small game. The -trip afforded fine opportunity for evangelistic work. -Nothing of the sort had ever been done there save the -little which Mr. Wilson and I had attempted on our -earlier trip.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Rahêng was reached in four weeks. There we dismissed -the boats that had brought us from Bangkok, -and procured, instead, two large ones of the sort used -in up-country travel. We should have done better -with three of smaller size. We spent nearly a month -in toiling up the thirty-two rapids. At one of them -we were delayed from Friday noon till Tuesday afternoon. -At another, to avoid the furious current of -the main river, we attempted a small channel at one -<span class='pageno' id='Page_72'>72</span>side. As we slowly worked our way along, the water -in our channel became shallower and shallower, till we -had to resort to a system of extemporized locks. A -temporary dam was built behind the boat. The resulting -slight rise of water would enable us to drag -the boat a little further, till again it was stranded—when -the process would have to be repeated. After -two days of hard work at this, our boatmen gave up -in despair. A Chiengmai prince on his way to Bangkok -found us in this extremity, and gave us an order -to secure help at the nearest village. To send the -letter up and to bring the boatmen down would require -nearly a week. But there was nothing else to do.</p> - -<p class='c009'>My rifle helped me somewhat to while away the time -of this idle waiting. We could hear tigers about us -every night. I used to skirt about among the mountain -ridges and brooks, half hoping to shoot one of -them. Since my rifle was not a repeater, it was no -doubt best that my ambition was not gratified. Once, -taking a Siamese lad with me, I strayed further and -returned later than usual. It was nearly dark when -we got back to the boats, and supper was waiting. -Before we had finished our meal, the boatmen caught -sight of the glowing eyes of a tiger that had followed -our trail to the further bank of the river, whence we -had crossed to our boat.</p> - -<p class='c009'>One of the boat captains professed to be able to call -up either deer or tiger, if one were within hearing. By -doubling a leaf together, and with thumb and finger -on either side holding the two edges tense between his -lips while he blew, he would produce a sound so nearly -resembling the cry of a young goat or deer, that a doe -within reach of the call, he claimed, would run to the -rescue of her young, or a tiger, hearing it, would run -<span class='pageno' id='Page_73'>73</span>to secure the prey. The two captains and I one day -went up on a ridge, and, selecting an open triangular -space, posted ourselves back to back, facing in three -directions, with our guns in readiness. The captain -had sounded his call only two or three times, when -suddenly a large deer rushed furiously up from the -direction toward which one of the captains was facing. -A fallen log was lying about twenty paces off on the -edge of our open space. The excited animal stopped -behind it, his lower parts concealed, but with back, -shoulder, neck, and head fully exposed. Our captain -fired away, but was so excited that he would have -missed an elephant. His bullet entered the log some -six inches below the top. In an instant the deer was -gone. We found not far off the spot where evidently -a young deer had been devoured by a tiger. We tried -the experiment a number of times later, but with no -success.</p> - -<p class='c009'>After we had waited two days and nights for help -from the village above, on the third night the spirits -came to our rescue. Either with their ears or in -their imaginations, our crew heard strange noises in -the rocks and trees about them, which they interpreted -as a warning from the spirits to be gone. Next morning, -after consultation together, they made another -desperate effort, and got the boats off. It was still -several days before we met the men that came down -in response to the prince’s order. But some of the -worst rapids were yet before us. We could hardly -have got through without their aid.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The efforts of a single crew, it must be remembered, -are utterly inadequate to bring a boat up through -any of these rapids. Only by combining two or three -crews can the boats be brought up one by one. Some -<span class='pageno' id='Page_74'>74</span>of the men are on the bank, tugging at the tow-rope -while they clamber over rocks and struggle through -bushes. Some are on board, bending to their poles. -Others are up to their waists in the rushing water, by -main force fending off the boat from being dashed -against the rocks. On one occasion I myself had made -the passage in the first boat, which then was left -moored in quieter waters. The crew went back to -bring up the second boat, in which were my wife and -children. With anxious eyes I was watching the -struggle; when, suddenly, in the fiercest rush of the -current, the men lost control of her. Boat and -passengers were drifting with full force straight -against a wall of solid rock on the opposite bank. It -seemed as if nothing could save them. But one of the -fleetest boatmen, with rope in hand, swam to a rock -in midstream, and took a turn of the rope about it, -just in time to prevent what would have been a -tragedy.</p> - -<p class='c009'>At night, about camp-fires on the river bank, we were -regaled by the boatmen with legends of the country -through which we were passing. One of these legends -concerned the lofty mountain which rises above the -rapid called Kêng Soi, where we were camped. The -story was that on its summit there had been in ancient -times a city of <i>sētīs</i> (millionaires), who paid a gold -<i>fûang</i> (two dollars) a bucket for all the water brought -up for their use. It was said that remains of their -city, and particularly an aged cocoanut tree, were still -to be seen on the summit.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Since it would take our boatmen at least two days -to surmount that rapid, I resolved to attempt the -ascent, and either verify or explode the story. Starting -at early dawn with my young Siamese, zigzagging -<span class='pageno' id='Page_75'>75</span>back and forth on the slope all that long forenoon, I -struggled upward—often despairing of success, but -ashamed to turn back. At last we stood on the top, -but it was noon or later. We spent two or three hours -in search of the cocoanut tree or other evidence of -human settlement, but all in vain. I was satisfied -that we were the first of human kind that had ever set -foot on that lofty summit. We had brought lunch—but -no water! Most willingly would we have given a -silver <i>fûang</i> for a draught.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The legend of the rapids themselves was one of the -most interesting. At the edge of the plain above the -rapids there is pointed out a wall of rock dropping -fully a hundred feet sheer to the water’s edge. The -story goes that in ancient times a youth made love to -the Prince’s daughter. The course of true love did -not run smooth; the father forbade the suit. The lovers -resolved to make their escape. The young man -mounted his steed with his bride behind him, and -together they fled. But soon the enraged father was -in hot pursuit. They reached the river-brink at the -top of the precipice, with the father in plain sight behind -them. But there the lover’s heart failed him. -He could not take that leap. The maiden then begged -to exchange places with her lover. She mounted in -front; tied her scarf over her eyes; put spurs to the -horse; and took the fatal leap. To this day the various -rapids are mostly named from various portions of -the equipage which are supposed to have drifted down -the stream and lodged upon the rocks.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Lāo witchcraft was another favourite theme of our -Rahêng boatmen. They were very much afraid of the -magical powers of wizards; and evidently believed -that the wizards could readily despatch any who offended -<span class='pageno' id='Page_76'>76</span>them. They could insert a mass of rawhide -into one’s stomach, which would produce death, and -which could not be consumed by fire when the body was -cremated. They could make themselves invisible and -invulnerable. No sword could penetrate their flesh, -and a bullet fired at them would drop harmless from -the mouth of the gun.</p> - -<p class='c009'>But we have lingered too long among the rapids. -Some distance above the last one the mountains on -either side recede from the river, and enclose the great -plain of Chiengmai and Lampūn. Both passengers -and boatmen draw a long breath of relief when it -opens out. The glorious sun again shines all day. -The feathery plumes of the graceful bamboo clumps -are a delight to the eye, and give variety to the otherwise -tame scenery. But the distant mountains are -always in sight.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The season was advancing. The further we went, -the shallower grew the stream. Long before we -reached Chiengmai, we had to use canoes to lighten -our boats; but presently a seasonable rise in the river -came to our aid. On Saturday evening, April 1st, -1867, we moored our boats beside a mighty banyan -tree, whose spreading arms shaded a space more than -a hundred feet wide. It stands opposite the large -island which forty years later the government turned -over to Dr. McKean of our mission for a leper asylum. -Stepping out a few paces from under its shade, one -could see across the fields the pagoda-spires of Chiengmai. -There, prayerfully and anxiously, we spent the -thirteenth and last Sunday of our long journey, not -knowing what the future might have in store for us.</p> -<div id='i076a' class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i076a.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>A REST BETWEEN RAPIDS IN THE GORGE OF THE MÊ PING RIVER</p> -</div> -</div> -<div id='i076b' class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i076b.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>POLING UP THE MÊ PING RIVER</p> -</div> -</div> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_77'>77</span> - <h2 id='ch06' class='c010'>VI<br /> <br />CHIENGMAI</h2> -</div> -<p class='c011'>On Monday morning, April 3d, 1867, we reached -the city. We had looked forward to the arrival -as a welcome rest after the long confinement -of our journey in the boat. But it was only the -beginning of troubles. We were not coming to an -established station with houses and comforts prepared -by predecessors. The Prince was off on a military -expedition, not to be back for over a month. -Till he came, nothing could be done. We could not -secure a house to shelter us, for there was none to be -had. Just outside the eastern gate of the city, however, -a sālā for public use had recently been built by -an officer from Rahêng, to “make merit,” according to -Buddhist custom. He had still a quasi claim upon it, -and, with the consent of the Prince’s representative, -he offered it to us. It was well built, with tile roof and -teak floor, was enclosed on three sides, and opened -in front on a six-foot veranda. In that one room, some -twelve feet by twenty, all our belongings were stored. -It served for bedroom, parlour, dining-room, and study. -In it tables, chairs, bedstead, organ, boxes, and trunks -were all piled one upon another. A bamboo kitchen -and a bathroom were presently extemporized in the -yard. That was our home for more than a year.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The news of the arrival of white foreigners soon -spread far and wide. It was not known how long they -<span class='pageno' id='Page_78'>78</span>would remain; and the eagerness of all classes to get -sight of them before they should be gone was absolutely -ludicrous, even when most annoying. “There -is a white woman and children! We <i>must</i> go and see -them.” Our visitors claimed all the immunities of -backwoodsmen who know no better. In etiquette and -manners they well deserved that name. Within a few -feet of the sālā was a rickety plank-walk leading over -marshy ground to the city. Everybody had to pass -that way, and everybody must stop. When the veranda -was filled, they would crowd up on the ground -in front as long as they could get sight of anybody -or anything. If to-day the crowd prevented a good -view, they would call to-morrow. The favourite time -of all was, of course, our meal-time, to see how and -what the foreigners ate. Almost never in the daytime -could we sit down to a quiet meal without lookers-on. -It was not uncommon for our visitors to pick up a -knife or a fork or even the bread, and ask what that -was. “They don’t sit on the floor to eat, nor use their -fingers, as we do!”</p> - -<p class='c009'>This, however, is only one side of the picture. In -one sense we were partly to blame for our discomfort. -We could soon have dispersed the crowd by -giving them to understand that their presence was not -wanted. But we ourselves were on trial. If we had -got the name of being ill-natured or ungracious, they -would have left us, probably never to return. No. -This was what we were there for. It gave us constant -opportunities from daylight till dark to proclaim -the Gospel message. The first and commonest -question, who we were and what was our errand, -brought us at once to the point. We were come with -messages of mercy and with offer of eternal life from -<span class='pageno' id='Page_79'>79</span>the great God and Saviour. We were come with a -revelation of our Heavenly Father to His wandering -and lost children. While the mass of our visitors -came from curiosity, some came to learn; and many -who came from curiosity went away pondering whether -these things were so. Friendships also were formed -which stood us in good stead afterwards when we -sorely needed friends. During our time of persecution -these persons would come in by stealth to speak -a word of comfort, when they dared not do so openly.</p> - -<p class='c009'>As the annoyance of those days fell most heavily -on the nerves of my wife, it was a comfort to learn -afterwards that possibly the very first convert heard -the Gospel message first from her lips, while she was -addressing a crowd of visitors very soon after our arrival. -Reference will be made to him later, but it -may be said here that from the day when he first heard -the news, he never again worshipped an idol.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Whatever was their object in coming to see us, we -soon gave every crowd, and nearly every visitor, to -understand what we had come for. We had come as -teachers—primarily as teachers of a way of salvation -for sinners. And we never addressed a crowd of -thoughtful men or women who did not readily confess -that they were sinners, and needed a saviour from sin. -But we were not merely teachers of religion, though -primarily such. We could often, if not usually, better -teach religion—or, at least, could better lead up to it—by -teaching geography or astronomy. A little globe -that I had brought along was often my text.</p> - -<p class='c009'>I presume that most Christian people in America -have a very crude idea of the method of preaching the -Gospel often, or, perhaps, generally, used by missionaries, -particularly in new fields. If they think that -<span class='pageno' id='Page_80'>80</span>the bell is rung, that the people assemble in orderly -fashion, and take their seats, that a hymn is sung, -prayer offered, the Scripture read, a sermon delivered, -and the congregation dismissed with the doxology and -benediction,—they are very much mistaken. All that -comes in time. We have lived to see it come in this -land—thanks to God’s blessing upon work much more -desultory than that. Long after the time we are now -speaking of, one could talk of religion to the people by -the hour, or even by the day; one might sing hymns, -might solemnly utter prayer, in response to inquiry as -to how we worshipped—and they would listen respectfully -and with interest. But if public worship had -been announced, and these same people had been invited -to remain, every soul would have fled away for -fear of being caught in some trap and made Christians -without their consent, or for fear of being made to -suffer the consequences of being reputed Christians before -they were ready to take that step. Forty years -later than the time we are now speaking of, I have -seen people who were standing about the church door -and looking in, driven quite away by the mere invitation -to come in and be seated.</p> - -<p class='c009'>In one sense our work during the first year was very -desultory. I had always to shape my instruction to -the individuals before me. It would often be in answer -to questions as to where was our country; in what -direction; how one would travel to get there; could -one go there on foot; and so on. Or the question -might be as to the manners and customs of our nation; -or it might be directly on religion itself. But -as all roads lead to Rome, so all subjects may be turned -to Christ, His cross, and His salvation.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Of the friends found in those early days I must -<span class='pageno' id='Page_81'>81</span>mention two. One was Princess Būa Kam, the mother -of the late and last Lāo Prince, Chao Intanon. At -our first acquaintance, she formed for us a warm -friendship that lasted till her death. Nor could I ever -discover any other ground for her friendship than the -fact that we were religious teachers. She was herself -a devout Buddhist, and continued to the last her offerings -in the monasteries. I believe that the Gospel -plan of salvation struck a chord in her heart which -her own religion never did. From Buddha she got no -assurance of pardon. The assurance that pardon is -possible in itself seemed to give her hope, though by -what process a logical mind could hardly see, so long -as she held on to a system which, as she confessed, -did not and could not give pardon. She was always -pleased to hear the story of the incarnation, the birth, -life, and miracles of Christ. She was deeply touched -by the recital of His sufferings, persecutions, and death. -Illustrations of the substitutionary efficacy of His sufferings -she readily understood. She acknowledged her -god to be a man who, by the well-nigh endless road to -nirvāna, had ceased to suffer by ceasing to exist. The -only claim he had to warrant his pointing out the way -to others was the fact that he had passed over it himself. -There was one ground, however, on which she -felt that she might claim the comfort both of the -doctrines which she still held and of ours, too. A -favourite theory of hers—and of many others—was -that, after all, we worship the same God under different -names. She called hers Buddha, and we call -ours Jehovah-Jesus.</p> - -<p class='c009'>She had by nature a woman’s tender heart. Benevolence -had doubtless been developed in her by her religion, -till it had become a second nature. The gifts -<span class='pageno' id='Page_82'>82</span>she loved to make were also a means of laying up a -store of merit for the future. She was most liberal in -sending us tokens of remembrance. These were not -of much value. A quart of white rice, a few oranges, -cucumbers, or cocoanuts on a silver tray, were so customary -a sight that, if ever any length of time elapsed -without them, we wondered if the Princess were ill. -And, on the other hand, if for any cause my calls were -far apart, she would be sure to send to enquire if I -were ill. The “cup of cold water” which she thus so -often pressed to our lips, I am sure, was given for the -Master’s sake.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Another remarkable friendship formed during that -first year was that of a Buddhist monk, abbot of the -Ūmōng monastery. As in the other case, there was no -favour to ask, no axe to grind. He never made a request -for anything, unless it were for a book. But the -little novice who attended him almost always brought -a cocoanut or some other small present for us. Very -early in our acquaintance he came to see that the universe -could not be self-existent, as Buddhism teaches. -On his deeply religious nature the sense of sin weighed -heavily. He was well versed in the Buddhist scriptures, -and knew that there was no place for pardon in -all that system. He understood the plan of salvation -offered to men through the infinite merit of Jesus -Christ. At times he would argue that it was impossible. -But the thought that, after all, it might be -possible, afforded him a gleam of hope that he saw -nowhere else; and he was not willing to renounce it -altogether.</p> - -<div id='i082' class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i082.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>TEMPLE OF THE OLD TĀI STYLE OF ARCHITECTURE, CHIENGMAI</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>During the dark months that followed the martyrdom -of our native Christians, when many who were -true friends deemed it unwise to let their sympathy -<span class='pageno' id='Page_83'>83</span>be known, the good abbot visited us regularly, as, indeed, -he continued to do as long as he lived. At times -I had strong hopes that he would leave the priesthood. -But he never could quite see his way to do that, -though he maintained that he never ceased to worship -Jesus. The only likeness, alas! that I have of his dear -old face is a photograph taken after death, as his body -lay ready for cremation. Unto whom, if not unto such -true friends of His as these, was it said, “I was a -hungered, and ye gave Me meat; I was thirsty, and ye -gave Me drink; I was in prison, and ye visited Me.—Inasmuch -as ye have done it unto one of the least -of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me”?</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_84'>84</span> - <h2 id='ch07' class='c010'>VII<br /> <br />PIONEER WORK</h2> -</div> -<p class='c011'>The military expedition in which the Prince was -engaged detained him in the field until some -time in May. It was one of many unsuccessful -attempts to capture a notorious Ngīo chieftain who, -turning outlaw and robber, had gathered about him a -band of desperadoes, with whom he sallied forth from -his mountain fastness, raiding innocent villages and -carrying off the plunder to his stronghold, before any -force could be gathered to withstand or to pursue him. -In this way he kept the whole country in constant -alarm during the earlier years of our stay in Chiengmai. -What made matters worse was the fact—as the -Lāo firmly believed—that he had a charmed life, that -he could render himself invisible, and that no weapon -could penetrate his flesh. Had not the stockade -within which he had taken shelter been completely surrounded -one night by a cordon of armed men, and at -dawn, when he was to have been captured, he was nowhere -to be found? Such was the man of whom we -shall hear more further on.</p> - -<p class='c009'>At the Lāo New Year it is customary for all persons -of princely rank, all officers and people of influence, to -present their compliments to the Prince in person, and -to take part in the ceremony of “Dam Hūa,” by way -of wishing him a Happy New Year. Because of the -Prince’s absence in the field, this ceremony could not -be observed at the regular time; but it was none the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_85'>85</span>less brilliantly carried out a few days after his return. -The name, Dam Hūa, means “bathing the head” or -“head-bath,” and it is really a ceremonial bathing or -baptism of the Prince’s head with water poured upon -it, first by princes and officials in the order of their -rank, and so on down to his humblest subjects.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The first and more exclusive part of the ceremony -took place in the palace, where I also was privileged -to offer my New Year’s greetings with the rest. The -great reception hall was crowded with the Prince’s -family and with officials of all degrees. The air was -heavy with the fragrance of flowers which loaded every -table and stand. All were in readiness with their silver -vessels filled with water, awaiting His Highness’ appearance. -At length an officer with a long silver-handled -spear announced his coming. The whole company -received him with lowest prostration after the -old-time fashion. Seeing me standing, he sent for a -chair, saying that the ceremony was long, and I -would be tired. The Court Orator, or Scribe, then -read a long address of welcome to the Prince on his -return from his brilliant expedition, with high-sounding -compliments on its success. Then there was a long -invocation of all the powers above or beneath, real or -imaginary, not to molest, but instead to protect, guide, -and bless His Highness’ person, kingdom, and people, -with corresponding curses invoked on all his enemies -and theirs. Then came the ceremonial bath, administered -first by his own family, his relatives, and high -officials—he standing while vase after vase of water -was poured on his head, drenching him completely -and flooding all the floor. It is a ceremony not at all -unpleasant in a hot climate, however unendurable it -might be in colder regions.</p> - -<p class='c009'><span class='pageno' id='Page_86'>86</span>This was the beginning. According to immemorial -custom, a booth was prepared on a sand-bar in the -river. To this, after the ceremony in the palace, the -Prince went in full state, riding on an elephant richly -caparisoned with trappings of solid gold, to receive a -like bath at the hands of his loyal subjects—beginning, -as before, with some high nobles, and then passing on -to the common people, who might all take part in this -closing scene of the strange ceremony.</p> - -<p class='c009'>I was not in the concourse at the river, but watched -the procession from our sālā, the Prince having said to -me that he would call on his return. This he did, -making us a nice little visit, taking a cup of tea, and -listening to the playing of some selections on the organ. -He asked if I had selected a place for a permanent -station, and suggested one or two himself. But I was -in no hurry, preferring to wait for the judgment of -Mr. Wilson on his arrival. Meanwhile I was assured -that I might remain in the sālā, and might put up a -temporary house to receive the new family. When I -requested his consent to the employment of a teacher, -he asked whom I thought of employing. I mentioned -the name of one, and he said, “He is not good. I will -send you a better one,”—and he sent me his own -teacher.</p> - -<p class='c009'>It was a very auspicious beginning. I knew that -neither the Siamese nor the Lāo trusted the Prince -very thoroughly; yet every time that I saw him it -seemed to me that I might trust him. At any -rate, I did not then look forward to the scenes that -we were to pass through before three years were -gone.</p> - -<p class='c009'>After the first curiosity wore off, many of those who -came to our sālā were patients seeking medical treatment. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_87'>87</span>The title “Maw” (doctor) followed me from -Bangkok, where all missionaries, I believe, are still so -called. This name itself often excited hopes which, -of course, were doomed to disappointment. To the -ignorant all diseases seem equally curable, if only there -be the requisite skill or power. How often during -those first five years I regretted that I was not a -trained physician and surgeon! My only consolation -was that it was not my fault. When my thoughts -were first turned towards missions, I consulted the -officers of our Board on the wisdom of taking at least -a partial course in preparation for my work. But -medical missions had not then assumed the importance -they since have won. In fact, just then they were at a -discount. The Board naturally thought that medical -study would be, for me at least, a waste of time, and -argued besides that in most mission fields there were -English physicians. But it so happened that eleven -years of my missionary life have been spent in stations -from one hundred to five hundred miles distant -from a physician. So, if any physician who reads -this narrative is inclined to criticise me as a quack, I -beg such to remember that I was driven to it—I had -to do whatever I could in the case of illness in my -own family; and for pity I could not turn away those -who often had nothing but superstitious charms to -rely on. It was a comfort, moreover, to know that -in spite of inevitable disappointments, our practice -of medicine made friends, and possibly enabled us to -maintain the field, at a time when simply as Christian -teachers we could not have done so. Even Prince -Kāwilōrot himself conceded so much when, after forbidding -us to remain as missionaries, he said we might, -if we wished, remain to treat the sick.</p> - -<p class='c009'><span class='pageno' id='Page_88'>88</span>In such a malarial country, there is no estimating -the boon conferred by the introduction of quinine alone. -Malarial fevers often ran on season after season, creating -an anæmic condition such that the least exertion -would bring on the fever and chills again. The astonishment -of the people, therefore, is not surprising when -two or three small powders of the “white medicine,” -as they called it, taken with much misgiving, would -cut short the fever, while their own medicines, taken -by the potful for many months, had failed. The few -bottles of quinine which it had been thought sufficient -to bring with me, were soon exhausted. The next -order was for forty four-ounce bottles; and not till our -physicians at length began to order by the thousand -ounces could a regular supply be kept on hand. I -have often been in villages where every child, and -nearly every person, young or old, had chills and fever, -till the spleen was enlarged, and the whole condition -such that restoration was possible only after months of -treatment.</p> - -<p class='c009'>There was another malady very common then—the -goitre—which had never been cured by any remedy -known to the Lāo doctors. I soon learned, however, -that an ointment of potassium iodide was almost a specific -in the earlier stages of the disease. That soon gave -my medicine and my treatment a reputation that no -regular physician could have sustained; for the people -were sure that one who could cure the goitre must be -able to cure any disease. If I protested that I was -not a doctor, it seemed a triumphant answer to say, -“Why, you cured such a one of the goitre.” Often -when I declined to undertake the treatment of some -disease above my skill, the patient would go away saying, -“I believe you could, if you would.”</p> - -<p class='c009'><span class='pageno' id='Page_89'>89</span>One other part of my medical work I must mention -here, since reference will be made to it later. The -ravages of smallpox had been fearful, amounting at -times to the destruction of a whole generation of -children. The year before our arrival had witnessed -such a scourge. Hardly a household escaped, and -many had no children left. I was specially interested -to prevent or to check these destructive epidemics, because -the Prince had seen the efficacy of vaccination -as practised by Dr. Bradley in Bangkok, and because -I felt sure that what he had seen had influenced him -to give his consent to our coming. One of the surest -ways then known of sending the virus a long distance -was in the form of the dry scab from a vaccine pustule. -When once the virus had “taken,” vaccination went -on from arm to arm. Dr. Bradley sent me the first -vaccine scab. It reached me during the first season; -and vaccination from it ran a notable course.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The Karens and other hill-tribes are so fearful of -smallpox that when it comes near their villages, they -all flee to the mountains. Smallpox had broken out in -a Lāo village near a Karen settlement. The settlement -was at once deserted. Meanwhile the news of the efficacy -of vaccination had reached the Lāo village, and -they sent a messenger with an elephant to beg me to -come and vaccinate the entire community. Two young -monks came also from an adjoining village, where the -disease was already raging. These two I vaccinated -at once, and sent home, arranging to follow them later -when their pustules should be ripe. From them I vaccinated -about twenty of the villagers. During the following -week the Karens all returned, and in one day -I vaccinated one hundred and sixty-three persons. It -was a strange sight to see four generations all vaccinated -<span class='pageno' id='Page_90'>90</span>at one time—great-grandfathers holding out -their withered arms along with babes a month old.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Success such as this was naturally very flattering -to one’s pride; and “pride goeth before a fall.” I -had kept the Prince informed of the success of my attempt, -and naturally was anxious to introduce vaccination -into the palace. The patronage of the palace -would ensure its introduction into the whole kingdom. -Having a fine vaccine pustule on the arm of a healthy -white infant boy, I took him to the palace to show the -case to the Prince’s daughter, and to her husband, who -was the heir-apparent. They had a little son of about -the same age. The parents were pleased, and sent me -with the child to the Prince. As soon as he saw the -pustule, he pronounced it genuine, and was delighted. -His younger daughter had lost a child in the epidemic -of the year before, and the family was naturally very -anxious on the subject. He sent me immediately to -vaccinate his little grandson.</p> - -<p class='c009'>I returned to the palace of the son-in-law, and very -carefully vaccinated the young prince on whom so -many hopes were centred. I watched the case daily, -and my best hopes seemed realized. The pustules developed -finely. All the characteristic symptoms appeared -and disappeared at the proper times. But -when the scab was about to fall off, the little prince -was taken with diarrhœa. I felt sure that a little -paregoric or some other simple remedy would speedily -set the child right, and I offered to treat the case. But -half a dozen doctors—most of them “spirit-doctors”—were -already in attendance. The poor child, I verily -believe, was dosed to death. So evident was it that -the unfortunate outcome could not have been the result -of vaccination, that both the parents again and again -<span class='pageno' id='Page_91'>91</span>assured me that they entertained no such thought. But -all diseases—as was then universally believed among -the Lāo—are the result of incurring the displeasure -of the “spirits” of the family or of the clan. The -“spirits” might have taken umbrage at the invasion of -their prerogative by vaccination.</p> - -<p class='c009'>No doubt some such thought was whispered to the -Prince, and it is not unnatural that he should at least -have half believed it. In his grief at the loss of his -grandson, it is easy to see how that thought may have -fanned his jealousy at the growing influence of the -missionaries.</p> - -<p class='c009'>No year ever passed more rapidly or more pleasantly -than that first year of the mission. We were too -busy to be either lonesome or homesick, although, to -complete our isolation, we had no mails of any sort -for many months. Our two children, the one of three -and the other of six years, were a great comfort to us. -When we left Bangkok it was understood that a Mr. C. -of the Borneo Company was to follow us in a month on -business of their teak trade. He had promised to bring -up our mail. So we felt sure of getting our first letters -in good time. Since he would travel much faster -than we, it was not impossible that he might overtake -us on the way. But April, May, and June passed, and -still no word of Mr. C. or of the mails he was bringing. -In July we received a note from him, with a few fragments -of our long looked-for mail. He had been attacked -by robbers below Rahêng, himself had received -a serious wound, and his boat had been looted of every -portable object, including our mail-bag. Fortunately -the robbers, finding nothing of value to them in the -mail, had dropped as they fled some mutilated letters -and papers, which the officers in pursuit picked up, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_92'>92</span>and which Mr. C. forwarded to us. Otherwise we -should have had nothing. We could at least be devoutly -thankful that we had traversed the same river -in safety.</p> - -<p class='c009'>It was long before we were sure that Mr. Wilson and -his family were coming at all that year. It was at -least possible that any one of a thousand causes might -delay them, or even prevent their coming altogether. -Their arrival on February 15th, 1868, was, of course, a -great event.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Not long after this we were eagerly awaiting a -promised visit from our old associate and friend, Dr. -S. R. House. Both Mrs. Wilson and Mrs. McGilvary -were expecting shortly to be confined, and the good -doctor was making the tedious journey that he might -be on hand to help them with his professional skill in -the hour of their need. Our dismay can be imagined, -when, one day, there appeared, not the doctor, but his -native assistant, with a few pencilled lines from the -doctor, telling us that he was lying in the forest some -four or five days distant, dangerously, if not fatally, -gored by an elephant. We were not to come to him, -but were to stand by and attend to the needs of our -families. He begged us to pray for him, and to send -him some comforts and medicines.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The accident happened on this wise: The doctor had -been walking awhile for exercise behind his riding -elephant, and then attempted to pass up beside the -creature to the front. The elephant, startled at his unexpected -appearance, struck him to the ground with a -blow of his trunk, gored him savagely in the abdomen, -and was about to trample him under foot, when the -driver, not a moment too soon, got the creature again -under control. With rare nerve the doctor cleansed -<span class='pageno' id='Page_93'>93</span>the frightful wound, and sewed it up by the help of -its reflection in a mirror, as he lay on his back on the -ground. He despatched the messenger to us; gave -careful instructions to his attendants as to what they -should do for him when the inevitable fever and delirium -should come on; and resigned himself calmly -to await whatever the outcome might be.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The situation was, indeed, desperate. We could -not possibly hope to reach him before the question of -life or death for him would be settled; nor could he be -brought to us. The best we could do was to get an -order from the Prince for a boat, boatmen, and carriers, -and despatch these down the river, committing -with earnest prayer the poor sufferer to the all-loving -Father’s care. The doctor was carried on a bamboo -litter through the jungle to the Mê Ping River, and in -due time reached Chiengmai convalescent, to find that -the two expected young missionaries had arrived in -safety before him. After a month’s rest he was able -to return to Bangkok; but not until he had assisted -us in organizing the First Presbyterian Church of -Chiengmai.</p> - -<p class='c009'>In the <i>Presbyterian Record</i> for November, 1868, will -be found an interesting report from the doctor’s pen. -Naturally he was struck with the predominance of -demon-worship over Buddhism among the Lāo. We -quote the following:</p> - -<p class='c024'>“Not only offerings, but actually prayers are made to -demons. I shall never forget the first prayer of the kind I -ever heard.... We had just entered a dark defile in the -mountains, beyond Mûang Tôn, and had come to a rude, -imageless shrine erected to the guardian demon of the pass. -The owner of my riding-elephant was seated on the neck -of the big beast before me. Putting the palms of his hands -<span class='pageno' id='Page_94'>94</span>together and raising them in the attitude of worship, he -prayed: ‘Let no evil happen to us. We are six men and -three elephants. Let us not be injured. Let nothing come -to frighten us,’ and so on. On my way down the river, at -the rapids and gloomy passes in the mountains the boatmen -would land, tapers would be lighted, and libations would be -poured, and offerings of flowers, food, and betel would be -made to the powers of darkness.”</p> - -<p class='c027'>The doctor speaks also of “the favour with which the missionaries -were received, the confidence they had won from all -classes, the influence of their medicines, and the grand -field open for a physician.” He frankly says, “I must confess -that though at one time I did have some misgivings -whether, all things considered, the movement was not a little -premature, I now, being better able to judge, greatly honour the -Christian courage and enterprise which undertook the work; -or rather bless God who inspired Mr. McGilvary’s heart, and -made his old Princeton friend, Mr. Wilson, consent to join -him in thus striking out boldly into an untried field. It -will prove, I trust, a field ready to the harvest.”</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_95'>95</span> - <h2 id='ch08' class='c010'>VIII<br /> <br />FIRST-FRUITS</h2> -</div> -<p class='c011'>During the first three months after Mr. Wilson’s -arrival we were so occupied with mission -work and with family cares that we had -not made choice of the lot which the Prince had promised -to give us. On the very day that Dr. House left -us, however, the Prince came in person, selected, and -made over to us our present beautiful mission compound -on the east bank of the Mê Ping. He would not -allow us to offer any compensation; but, learning afterwards -that the native owners had received no remuneration, -we secretly paid them. Mr. Wilson began at once -to erect temporary bamboo buildings, and soon moved -to the new compound. Since it was difficult for me -to spare time for further work of building for myself, -and since the old location was an ideal one for meeting -the people, I moved with my family from the sālā -into the bamboo house the Wilsons had occupied, and -we made it our home for the next two years.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Mr. Wilson was greatly interrupted in his work by -sickness in his family. Little Frank had fallen ill -on the journey from Bangkok, and continued to suffer -during all these months. His death on November 17th, -1868, was a heavy stroke to us all. In vain we combined -our slight medical skill, and searched our books -of domestic medicine for his relief. It was pitiful -enough to see the natives die, with the sad feeling in -<span class='pageno' id='Page_96'>96</span>our hearts that a physician might have saved their -lives. But the death of one of our own number, so -soon after the trying experiences early in the year, -emphasized, as nothing else could have done, our appeals -for a physician. Yet it was not until 1872 that -we welcomed the first physician appointed to our -mission.</p> - -<p class='c009'>During this time raids were continually being made -into the Lāo country by the renegade Ngīo chieftain -already spoken of. Five hundred men from Prê, and -one thousand from Lakawn were drafted for the defence -of the city, and were stationed near our compound. -Thus hundreds of soldiers and workmen furnished us -an ever-changing audience. All we had to do, day or -night, was to touch the organ, and people would crowd -in to hear. The dry season of 1868-69 was, therefore, -an exceptionally good one for our work. We had constant -visitors from other provinces, who would converse -with us by the hour, and, on returning to their -homes, would carry the news of our presence and of -our work.</p> - -<p class='c009'>In the fall of 1868 occurred two events which, widely -different as they might seem to be, were in reality -closely connected, and of much importance in their -bearing on the mission. One was a total eclipse of the -sun on August 17th, and the other was the conversion -of Nān Inta, our first baptized convert. I well remember -his tall figure and thoughtful face when he -first appeared at our sālā, shortly after our arrival -in Chiengmai. He had a cough, and had come for -medicine. He had heard, too, that we taught a new -religion, and wished to enquire about that. Some -soothing expectorant sufficiently relieved his cough to -encourage him to make another call. On each visit -<span class='pageno' id='Page_97'>97</span>religion was the all-absorbing topic. He had studied -Buddhism, and he diligently practised its precepts. -As an abbot he had led others to make offerings for -the monastery worship, and he had two sons of his -own in the monastic order. But Buddhism had never -satisfied his deep spiritual nature. What of the thousands -of failures and transgressions from the results -of which there was no escape? The doctrine of a free -and full pardon through the merits of another, was -both new and attractive to him, but it controverted -the fundamental principle of his religion.</p> - -<p class='c009'>We had some arguments, also, on the science of -geography, on the shape of the earth, on the nature -of eclipses, and the like. What he heard was as foreign -to all his preconceived ideas as was the doctrine -of salvation from sin by the death of Christ. Just before -the great eclipse was to occur I told him of it, -naming the day and the hour when it was to occur. -I pointed out that the eclipse could not be caused by -a monster which attacked the sun, as he had been -taught. If that were the cause, no one could foretell -the day when the monster would be moved to make -the attack. He at once caught that idea. If the -eclipse came off as I said, he would have to admit -that his teaching was wrong on a point perfectly -capable of being tested by the senses. There would -then be a strong presumption that we were right in -religion as well as in eclipses. He waited with intense -interest for the day to come. The sky was clear, and -everything was favourable. He watched, with a -smoked glass that we had furnished, the reflection -of the sun in a bucket of water. He followed the -coming of the eclipse, its progress, and its passing off, -as anxiously as the wise men of old followed the star of -<span class='pageno' id='Page_98'>98</span>Bethlehem—and, like them, he, too, was led to the -Saviour.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Early the next morning he came in to see me. His -first words were, “Mên tê” (It’s really true). “The -teacher’s books teach truth. Ours are wrong.” This -confident assurance had evidently been reached after -a sleepless night. A complete revolution had taken -place in his mind; but it was one that cost him a -severe struggle. His only hope had rested on the -teachings of Buddha, and it was no light thing to see -the foundation of his hope undermined. The eclipse -had started an ever-widening rift. He began, as never -before, to examine the credentials of Christianity. He -soon learned to read Siamese in order to gain access -to our Scriptures. We read the Gospel of John together. -He studied the Shorter Catechism. He had -a logical mind, and it was never idle. Whenever we -met, if only for a few moments, he always had some -question to ask me, or some new doubt to solve. When -tempted to doubt, he fell back on the eclipse, saying, -“I know my books were wrong there. If the Gospel -system seems too good to be true in that it offers to -pardon and cleanse and adopt guilty sinners, and give -them a title to a heavenly inheritance, it is simply -because it is divine, and not human.” While the truth -dawned gradually on his mind, the full vision seemed -to be sudden. His own account was that afterwards, -when walking in the fields and pondering the subject, -it all became very plain to him. His doubts all vanished. -Henceforth for him to live was Christ; and -he counted all things but loss for the excellency of -the knowledge of Him.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The conversion of Nān Inta was an epoch in the history -of the mission. The ordinary concourse of visitors -<span class='pageno' id='Page_99'>99</span>might be for medicine, or it might be from mere -curiosity. But when one of the most zealous -Buddhists, well known by members of the royal family, -openly embraced Christianity, the matter began -to assume a different aspect. What was more remarkable -still was that he urged his two sons to abandon -the monastic order. The Prince’s younger daughter, -herself a strong Buddhist, told me that this was to her -convincing evidence of his sincerity. Whether Christianity -were true or false, he certainly believed it true. -It was the height of ambition for every Lāo father to -have a son in the order. If he had none of his own, -he often would adopt one and make him a monk. But -here was one of the most devout of them urging his -own sons to come out and be Christians! We regarded -it as a favourable circumstance that the patron -and protector of this our first convert was high in -princely rank. Nān Inta’s defection from Buddhism -produced a profound impression among all classes. -Emboldened by his example, secret believers became -more open. Not the number alone, but the character of -the enquirers attracted attention.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The second convert was Noi Sunya, a native doctor -from a village eight miles to the east. He has the -enviable distinction of never having postponed the -Gospel offer. He was the chief herdsman in charge -of the Prince’s cattle. Coming to the city on an -errand, he called at our sālā to see what was the attraction -there. As in the case of so many others, it -was the good news of pardon for a sinsick soul that -arrested his attention. On his return in the afternoon -he called again to make fuller enquiry concerning -“the old, old story of Jesus and His love.” He -promised to return on Sunday. Promises of that sort -<span class='pageno' id='Page_100'>100</span>so often fail, that we were surprised and delighted to -see him early on Sunday morning. We had an earnest -talk together before the time came for public worship. -He remained through the afternoon, and spent the -night with us. In answer to a final exhortation before -he left us in the morning, he said, “You need not -fear my going back. I feel sure I am right.” He was -willing to sell all—even life itself, as it proved—for -the pearl of great price. He went home, called his -family together, and began family worship that very -night. Only four brief months after this his labours -were ended by the executioner’s stroke, and he wore -the martyr’s crown.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The third, Sên Yā Wichai, has already been mentioned -as receiving his first instruction in Christianity -from the “mother-teacher,” as Mrs. McGilvary was -called, during the very first month of the mission. He -then received the great truth of the existence of God -and of man’s accountability to Him. He was an officer -living six days’ journey to the north, and was under -the jurisdiction of the Prince of Lampūn. On his -visit a year later, he received further instruction, was -baptized, and returned to tell his neighbours what he -had found. They only laughed at him for his oddity -in refusing to join in the Buddhist worship, and in -offerings to the spirits.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The fourth was Nān Chai, a neighbour and friend of -Noi Sunya, and destined to suffer martyrdom along -with him. He, too, was an ex-abbot, and, therefore, -exempt from government work. He was a good -scholar, and was employed by Mr. Wilson as a teacher. -When he became a Christian, he was strongly tempted -to hold on still to his position in the monastery, explaining -that he would not himself engage in the worship, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_101'>101</span>but would only sweep the buildings and keep -the grounds in order for others. But when his duty -was pointed out to him, he readily gave up his position, -and was enrolled for regular government service. -Here were four noble and notable men at once deserting -the Buddhist faith! No wonder it became an -anxious question whereunto this was to grow.</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_102'>102</span> - <h2 id='ch09' class='c010'>IX<br /> <br />MARTYRDOM</h2> -</div> -<p class='c011'>In the course of these events our second year of -work in Chiengmai had come to its end. We -were now beyond the middle of the year 1869. As -some indefinable sense of oppression in the air gives -warning of the approaching storm, so there were ominous -hints, and even some dark forebodings. Our -Christian people—who understood far better than we -did both the character of their rulers and the significance -of furtive looks and innuendoes—were -anxious. But they stood firm, and their faith strengthened -ours.</p> - -<p class='c009'>In the light of subsequent events we now know -that the most dangerous element in the gathering -storm was the angry surprise of the Prince himself at -the discovery that the old order seemed actually passing -away under his very eyes; that his will was no -longer supreme in men’s minds, nor always consulted -in their actions—this and the deep treachery and ruthless -cruelty of his nature which it brought into play. -But there were other sinister influences at work also, -and among them we must not overlook that of a certain -Portuguese adventurer, Fonseca by name. He was a -thoroughly unprincipled man, who, having played his -game in Bangkok and lost, had worked himself into -the favour of the Prince during his recent visit to the -capital, and had accompanied him on his return -<span class='pageno' id='Page_103'>103</span>to Chiengmai. The Prince was persuaded that this -man could be of great service to him in the two matters -which were then causing him most disquietude; -namely, the defence of certain lawsuits involving large -sums of money, brought against him in the British -Consular Court by Burmese timber merchants; and -the getting rid of the missionaries. These last were -more in Fonseca’s way than they were in the Prince’s. -He could accomplish his ends more readily if they -were not there.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The most plausible excuse that could be offered -for desiring to be rid of the missionaries was the failure -of the rice crop that year. In the early part of the -season there was no rain at all. When at last the -fields had been planted, one of the worst floods ever -known in that region destroyed all the lowland rice. -Then, finally, the rains ceased prematurely, and the -upland crop was cut off by drought. The presence -of the missionaries in the country had offended the -spirits, and they had withheld the rain. Such was the -pretext urged in a petition sent to Bangkok to have -the missionaries removed. The specific address of the -petition to the Minister for Foreign Affairs and the -United States Consul leads one to suspect that the -matter was directed by some one who understood the -order of official business much better than did the Lāo -Prince.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The Minister forwarded the document to Mr. McDonald, -the acting Vice-Consul at the time. Mr. McDonald -replied to the Minister that there must be -some mistake about it. It appeared that the scarcity -of rice complained of had begun the year before the -arrival of the missionaries; it was not confined to -Chiengmai, but extended over all the northern -<span class='pageno' id='Page_104'>104</span>provinces. He added roguishly, however, that he -would strictly enjoin the American missionaries to be -very careful in future not to cause any famine. Of -all this secret plotting we were entirely ignorant at the -time, and learned of it only long afterwards. While -these plots were developing, I was frequently visiting -the Prince, and all our relations with him were apparently -satisfactory. But we knew that he was under -the influence of a wily and unprincipled adversary.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The other matter in which Fonseca was supposed to -be able to help his patron out of difficulties even more -pressing, was the Burmese lawsuits pending before the -British Consul. But the British government was the -last party to permit officious meddling with its public -business from such a quarter. It is presumed that -there was evidence of his interference with official correspondence. -This much is certain—a peremptory demand -was made on the Siamese government for his recall. -The official order sent up was too emphatic to -be neglected. The man was sent out of the country -in quite different style from that in which he entered -it. This man is known to have been present at the -consultation relative to the mission. If the jealousy -and suspicion on the part of the Prince did not originate -with him, there is no doubt that he at least -worked on the Prince’s suspicious nature, increasing -his jealousy of the growing popularity of the mission, -and leading him to think that it would be wise to stop -it in its incipiency.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Yet even when the blow was about to fall, we could -not believe that the Prince was so treacherous as to -plan to drive us out of the country, at the same time -that he continued to treat us so kindly, and would -even come to dine with us. We could not believe that -<span class='pageno' id='Page_105'>105</span>the younger Princess, who had a predominating influence -over her father, could encourage one of the -Christians to put himself under her protection, only -that he might the more surely be sent to his death a -day or two later. We could not believe that an excursion -down the river had been planned by the -Prince, only that he might be out of reach when the -executions should take place. We were still incredulous, -even after we received reliable information from -the agent of the Borneo Company that he had heard -the Prince and a certain high officer consulting together -to stop our work. The plan which he reported was -to expel the converts from the country, giving their -wives and children the option to follow them or to -remain. After all, that would not have been so great -a disaster. These men had no great possessions to -lose. Their banishment would only plant the Gospel -in other provinces or other lands.</p> - -<p class='c009'>When, in September, 1869, just before the fatal -stroke, the Prince started on what purported to be a -three weeks’ fishing trip, we thought that his absence -would give us a respite from our present fears, and -would afford him leisure for better thoughts. As his -boats pushed off, we waved him a parting good-bye from -the shore. His first business was at Lampūn, to secure -the co-operation of the governor of that province -in ridding the country of the new religion. Inasmuch -as Sên Yā Wichai, the third convert mentioned above, -was a Lampūn officer, it was thought prudent in his -case to secure the action of his own immediate superior. -He was at once sent for, and was condemned to -death, but was saved by his young master, the governor’s -son, on the plea that he was a backwoodsman, -and knew no better.</p> - -<p class='c009'><span class='pageno' id='Page_106'>106</span>Of the deep designs against us and our work we -were thus either ignorant or incredulous till, on the -evening of September 13th, just before dark, our -night watchman came to us with the common excuse -for leaving us, that some relative was dead or dying, -and insisting that he must go immediately. In vain -we urged that he must not leave us thus in the lurch. -As a final argument, we threatened to dock him of a -month’s wages. But wages were nothing to him then. -“All that a man hath will he give for his life.” While -we talked to him, he had reached the gate and was -gone. So, also, fled the cook and the coolie, leaving -only one blind Ngīo who had taken refuge with us.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Mr. Wilson then lived across the river on the new -premises, and it was not until the next day that we -learned that all his people, too, had fled in like manner -and at the same hour. We went to Prayā Tēpasing, -the Prince’s executive officer, to enquire the cause. He -feigned surprise, and professed entire ignorance of -any designs against the Christians. He said, however, -that the Prince had given an order that the inhabitants -of certain villages should bring in each a -hewn slab of timber to repair the stockade. Possibly -the scare might have somehow arisen from that. We -were aware of the order, and had told the Christians -that if pressed for time to procure the timber, they -might each take a slab of ours. We now told the -Prayā that we would ourselves be responsible for the -timbers required of them. To assure us with regard -to our servants, the Prayā sent for our cook, gave him -a letter assuring his safety, and threatened, besides, -to have him flogged if he deserted us. The cook remained -with us all through these troubles, until we -could find another to take his place. For some reason -<span class='pageno' id='Page_107'>107</span>Mr. Wilson did not avail himself of this offer. He and -Mrs. Wilson got on as they could without servants for -several months.</p> - -<p class='c009'>We now know that the order for the execution of -the Christians had been given long before by that -same Prayā Tēpasing—in such fear of the Prince was -the highest officer in the realm! Not only had our -servants vanished—there was a sudden cessation of our -visitors as well. Few even dared to come for medicine -for fear of being suspected of becoming Christians. -There were, however, a few notable exceptions, -the abbot of the Ūmōng monastery being the most conspicuous.</p> - -<p class='c009'>During the following week Mr. Wilson waded out -across the flooded country to the home of Nān Chai, -his teacher. But his family did not dare to give any -information concerning him. To tell what they knew -would cost their lives also—so they had been told. He -then went on another mile to Noi Sunya’s home, with -the same result. The wives of both these men pretended -to believe that their husbands had gone to the -city to visit us. Mr. Wilson noticed that one of the -women had tears in her eyes as she spoke. Puzzled -rather than satisfied by the result of the visit, Mr. -Wilson returned with the hope that, after all, the -men were still alive, and that we yet should see them -in the land of the living.</p> - -<p class='c009'>It was two weeks before our suspense was broken by -the certainty of their death. On Sunday morning, -September 26th, a Ngīo friend and neighbour of the -martyrs called at my house. After looking all about -him, he asked where the Christians were. I told him -there seemed to be a mystery about them that we could -not unravel, but we hoped they were secreting themselves -<span class='pageno' id='Page_108'>108</span>in safety somewhere. Seeing that I was really -ignorant of their fate, he came close up to me, and -looking around again to assure himself that no one -was near, he asked, “If I tell you, will you promise -never to betray me?” Having demanded and received -an emphatic promise equivalent to an oath, he -drew his hand significantly across his neck, and whispered, -“That is the way.” His gesture was too well -understood in that reign to leave any doubt as to what -was meant. The man had really come on a sad and -dangerous errand of kindness. As soon as it was accomplished, -he hurried away, evidently fearing that -the birds of the air might hear it, or that some breeze -might waft it to the palace.</p> - -<p class='c009'>On Monday morning Mr. Wilson and I went again -to the Prayā. He could now no longer lie for his -master as to the fact of the execution of the men, -but he offered the flimsy excuse that it was because -they had not brought in their slabs on time. We were -then obliged to charge him with patent falsehood. He -knew that they were executed for no crime whatever, -but only for being Christians. Poor man! He seemed -somewhat ashamed; but what could he do? He was -not at heart a bad man, as his letter of protection for -the cook showed. The lives of two peasants were no -great matter in those days. He had been so trained -to execute every behest of his master, that it scarcely -occurred to him that he ought to hesitate at this.</p> - -<p class='c009'>But it was some relief to know the worst, and to -know that it was known that we knew it. Before this -we had been obliged to feign hopes that we hardly believed -ourselves. Now we could speak openly. The -Prince had not yet returned from his fishing trip; so -we went to his elder daughter and her husband, afterward -<span class='pageno' id='Page_109'>109</span>Prince Intanon. In their position they could not -say much; but they did say that what the Prince had -done was not right, and that they did not approve of -the act.</p> - -<p class='c009'>One outcome of the situation was a flood of the -wildest rumours—some of them, no doubt, started on -purpose to frighten us away. One of these touched us -in a most tender point. One of our most faithful -servants, who had been with us from the very first, was -desirous of visiting Bangkok. So we arranged to have -him go down in charge of a boat that was to bring -up our supplies for the year. By him we sent a large -package of letters written before we had reason to -suspect so serious an outcome of the troubles that were -brewing. While we could not conceal some gloomy -forebodings, our reports were, on the whole, full of -hope for the speedy progress of the Gospel. The boat -left for Bangkok a few days after the Prince started -on his fishing trip. Presently it was reported that the -boat had been intercepted, and that this man, with his -wife, his son, and his son’s family, even down to a little -grandchild of two years old, had been killed, and -the boat broken to pieces and burned.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Although such atrocity seemed beyond belief, yet a -number of circumstances combined to give the report -credibility. Why, for instance, was the long, unusual -trip down the river taken just before our boat was to -start? What did it mean that, after the murder of -the Christians was known, no sum of money could induce -a Lāo man to take a letter to Bangkok? If the -story of the fate of our messenger were true, the act -was the act of a madman—and there is no telling -what a madman may not do. He was in a position -to keep us from escaping; and if he had really gone -<span class='pageno' id='Page_110'>110</span>so far as that, he evidently did not intend that we -should be heard from alive.</p> - -<p class='c009'>For a time we virtually resigned ourselves to what -seemed inevitable fate. When we could get no letters -sent, we actually began writing the history of those -days on the margins of books in our library, so that, -if we were never heard from again, some of the precedent -circumstances of our end might thus, perhaps, -come to light. It was a great relief, therefore, when an -influential Burmese, knowing our situation, offered -to carry a letter through to our friends in Bangkok.</p> - -<p class='c009'>On September 29th, when the letters carried by the -Burmese were written, we were still under the impression -that our boatman had been murdered, and -that neither he nor the letters and reports carried by -him had been heard from. It was the knowledge that -these rumours were false, and that he had passed -Rahêng in safety, that first relieved our minds. So, -too, his arrival in Bangkok gave our friends there the -first assurance of our safety. With this explanation -the letters themselves will give the best idea of our -situation in those dark days. The following is from -a letter of Dr. S. R. House to our Mission Board in -New York, printed in the <i>Presbyterian Record</i> of -February, 1870. It is dated November 11th, 1869.</p> - -<p class='c024'>“Since our last mail was despatched, tidings have been -received from the mission families in North Laos which -have greatly distressed and alarmed us, causing no little -anxiety for their personal safety. This outburst of persecution -from which they are now suffering must have been quite -unlooked for, for their letters down to September 10th were -full of encouragement. Never had the king and the princes<a id='r8' /><a href='#f8' class='c020'><sup>[8]</sup></a> -<span class='pageno' id='Page_111'>111</span>seemed more friendly; never had their prospects seemed -brighter. Seven interesting converts had been baptized -since the year began, and they had just been enjoying a -wonderfully favourable opportunity to make the gospel message -known to the people from every part of the kingdom.... What -has caused this sudden change in the demeanour -of the king of Chiengmai toward our missionaries there, -does not appear....</p> - -<div class='footnote c022' id='f8'> -<p class='c023'><span class='label'><a href='#r8'>8</a>. </span>That is the Prince of Chiengmai and the nobility. These terms -are so used generally throughout this correspondence.—<span class='sc'>Ed.</span></p> -</div> - -<p class='c024'>“Thus far they seem to have had no apprehension for -themselves personally; but the next letter, of two days’ later -date, indicates that something had occurred or had come to -their knowledge which led them to believe that their own -lives were in jeopardy. On September 29th Mr. McGilvary -writes hurriedly to his father-in-law, Rev. D. B. Bradley, -M.D., of the A. M. A. mission as follows:—</p> - -<p class='c027'>“‘Dear Father and Mother:—We write to tell you that we -may be in great danger. If you never hear from us more, -know that we are in heaven. Send some one up here to look -after our Christians, and do not, we beg you, grieve over the -loss of our lives. Two of our church members died at the -martyr’s stake on the 14th of September. Warrants are -out for the others. What is before us we do not know. We -are all peaceful, and very happy. We have written letters -giving the full facts, but dare not send them for fear of their -interception.</p> - -<p class='c027'>“‘Lung Puk left here on the 12th direct for Bangkok. -Should he never reach you, you may fear the worst for -us.... He had a large mail with our reports, etc. Should -worst come to worst, we have counted the cost beforehand, -and our death will not be in vain. Love to all the dear ones. -Good-bye, dear father, mother, brothers, sisters, and friends—perhaps -till we meet in heaven!’”</p> - -<p class='c025'>Dr. House then continues:</p> - -<p class='c024'>“That these letters—the last one especially—awakened our -deepest solicitude, I need not assure you. The brethren -from the Pechaburī station reached Bangkok, to attend the -annual session of Presbytery, the very day the startling -tidings came; and anxious were our deliberations, and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_112'>112</span>earnest our prayers in behalf of those brethren beloved and -their helpless families. A month had then elapsed since the -date of the letters. Were they still in the land of the living?</p> - -<p class='c027'>“It was deemed advisable that some of our number should -proceed as far up the river as possible—to Rahêng at least—to -learn the existing state of things and extend all possible -assistance. After consultation this service devolved on Bros. -McDonald and George.</p> - -<p class='c027'>“Owing to the peculiar allegiance which holds the Lāo -tribes tributary to the Siamese, it was thought best not to -press any doubtful treaty rights and claims through the -United States Consul—that is, the protection they would -be entitled to claim anywhere on the soil of Siam proper—but -to throw ourselves on the friendliness and goodwill -of the Siamese Government as old residents here, most of -us, who are greatly troubled lest harm should befall our -friends who are living in one of their tributary states. -What could they do to help us?</p> - -<p class='c027'>“The deputation, consisting of Dr. Bradley, Mr. McDonald, -Mr. George, and myself, were most kindly received -by the new Regent of the kingdom, the late Prime Minister—were -received in every respect as friends, and the best endeavours -of the Siamese Government were promised. A -government official would be despatched at once bearing a -letter to the king of Chiengmai, enjoining on him to give -protection to the missionaries. But the Regent added, ‘It -is difficult to deal with a man so moody and arbitrary as this -Chief of Chiengmai. He is like King Theodore of Abyssinia.’—This -too significant comparison had already suggested -itself in anything but an agreeable way to ourselves.</p> - -<p class='c027'>“The Siamese move slowly at the best, and the brethren -who have consented to go on this errand so full of perplexity -and possible peril started several days before the -royal messenger’s preparations were completed. We are -waiting with the greatest solicitude further tidings. I must -say from what I know of the character of the man in whose -hands and at whose mercy they are, that I have great fears. -Others here, however, are confident that no harm can come to -them personally.”</p> - -<p class='c025'><span class='pageno' id='Page_113'>113</span>The following, from a note of mine to the Board, -will throw further light on our letter to our friends -and on our situation. It was dated October 31st, while -we were anxiously waiting for the reply to our letters.</p> - -<p class='c024'>... “But the particular fact that filled us with deepest -anxiety when we sent that note to Bangkok, was a rumour -that the king had, in person, stopped a boat in charge of our -old servant whom we had sent down to Bangkok after money -and supplies, and had put him, his wife, and all the boatmen -to death. That rumour was currently believed here, and we -had so many questions asked us about them by persons in -high and in low station, that we were constrained almost to -believe it. And if that had been done, we knew not what -would come next. Of course we had serious apprehensions -regarding our own safety; yet our duty was clear. However -dangerous our position, we felt that flight would be more -dangerous.... Our strength was to sit still....</p> - -<p class='c027'>“After waiting a month in suspense about our servants, -we have just learned, on pretty good authority, that they were -not murdered. They have been reported as having passed -Rahêng. In a few days we shall know the truth. If they -are safe, our greatest fears were groundless. We wait to see -the Lord’s purpose in reference to this people. We yet believe -they are purposes of mercy. The excitement has somewhat -died down, and we have daily many visitors. But there -is great fear of the authorities. No one feels safe; no one -knows what will come next.”</p> - -<p class='c025'>I quote from a letter of Mr. Wilson to the Board the -following account of the suffering and death of the -martyrs, written January 3d, 1870, after all the various -rumours had been sifted, and the facts were clearly -known. Meantime the Commission referred to in the -letter of Dr. House had come, and this letter was -brought to Bangkok by it on its return. This letter -and the one cited just above were printed in the <i>Foreign -Missionary</i> for March and for May, 1870.</p> - -<p class='c024'><span class='pageno' id='Page_114'>114</span>“Till within a very short time before their execution, we -had no apprehension that any serious obstacle would be -thrown in the way of the Lāo becoming Christians. All the -baptisms had taken place publicly. The number, and some -of the names, of the Christians had been given in answer -to questions asked by the younger daughter of the king, -and by others of royal blood. We had become convinced -that the king must know that some of his people had become -disciples of Jesus. His two daughters had assured Mr. -McGilvary that no one should be molested for becoming -Christians. With such an assurance from the highest -princesses in the land, we flattered ourselves that the king -would tolerate Christianity. The fearlessness, also, with -which all but Nān Chai professed Christ, made us feel that -there was no danger to the life of any one who had received -baptism.</p> - -<p class='c027'>“Nān Chai, however, seemed anxious. Some two months -before his baptism he requested us to write to Bangkok and -get the King of Siam to make proclamation of religious -toleration. Not a month before his baptism he asked me, ‘If -the king should call me and ask, “Are you a disciple of -Jesus?” would it be wrong to say “No”?’ We knew that -for some time he had loved the Saviour, but he was following -Him tremblingly. His position as overseer (ex-abbot) -of the monastery made his renunciation of Buddhism a -more noticeable event, and rendered him more liable to persecution -than some of the others. I may here state that -those who, after leaving the monastery, are appointed overseers -of the temple, are, by virtue of their position, exempt -from the call of their masters to do government work. Nān -Chai belonged to this class. His resignation of this post -when he became a Christian, both proved his sincerity, and -made him a mark for Buddhist hate and reproach.</p> - -<p class='c027'>“Noi Sunya’s work was to tend the king’s cattle, and in -this way he performed his share of public service. He also -worked a farm, and was a physician. He was of a genial -disposition and cheerful temper, always looking on the bright -side of life, happy himself, and trying to make others happy. -He was thus a general favourite. His reception of the -truth was hearty and childlike. How his face beamed with -<span class='pageno' id='Page_115'>115</span>joy that communion Sabbath! Next day, Monday, September -6th, about noon, he started for his walk of nine -miles across the plain to Mê Pō Kā. In bidding him good-bye -we little thought we should see his face no more.</p> - -<p class='c027'>“Our teacher, Nān Chai, came in the following Thursday, -somewhat sad because the head man of his village was urging -him for some government work and supplies that were then -being raised for the army. After resigning the oversight of -the temple, being virtually without a master, he had come in -to the city to put himself under the king’s younger daughter. -On Saturday morning, the 11th, she gave him his protection -papers, for which he paid the usual three rupees. -Some ten days before, when Mr. McGilvary had called with -him in reference to this matter, he had, at the princess’ -request, made a statement of his Christian faith, even to -the repeating of a prayer.</p> - -<p class='c027'>“On that same Saturday afternoon a message came from -the head man of the village for Nān Chai’s immediate return -home. The message was so urgent that he concluded not to -wait for the accustomed Sabbath morning worship. Knowing -that there was a disposition on the part of some of the -public officers to find fault with the Christians, I thought it -best for him to go home, and not return to us till quiet -should be restored. He seemed very sad, and said that his -master was disposed to oppress him. All that I could say did -not rouse him from his depression. He took leave of us -about ten o’clock at night. When we awoke on Sabbath -morning, he was gone. We know now that shortly after -the princess had given him her letters of protection on -Saturday morning, she despatched a messenger to the head -man of the village ordering Nān Chai’s arrest. Imagine -that Sabbath morning’s walk of nearly nine miles, much of -the way through water nearly knee-deep! Dear gentle -heart, full of care and fear!</p> - -<p class='c027'>“He reached home about noon. After dinner he called -upon the head man of the village; but no one knew the -nature of the conference. He was permitted to sleep at -home that night. Next morning came the order from the -chief man of the district for the overseers of the temples -and those doing the king’s own work to appear at his house. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_116'>116</span>This order included, of course, both our brethren, Noi Sunya -and Nān Chai. But to make their attendance doubly sure, -armed men were sent with clubs and pikes to conduct them -to the appointed rendezvous. Noi Sunya took leave of his -wife and six children in tears. He knew what that call -and those clubs and spears meant. When they reached the -house of the district chief, they found a large armed force -ready to receive them. When arrested at their homes -they had been charged with refusing to do the king’s work. -But now Nān Chai was asked, ‘Are you an overseer of a -temple?’ He answered, ‘I was, but am not now.’ ‘Have -you entered the religion of the foreigners?’ ‘Yes.’ Noi -Sunya was asked the same question, to which he also answered -‘Yes.’</p> - -<p class='c027'>“They were then seized, and after further examination -were told that they had been condemned to death. While -Nān Chai was giving the reason of the faith that was in -him, one of the examiners kicked him in the eye, leaving -it bloodshot and causing it to swell till the eye was closed. -The arms of the prisoners were tied behind their backs. -Their necks were compressed between two pieces of timber -(the death-yoke) tied before and behind so tightly as painfully -to impede both respiration and the circulation of the -blood. They were thus placed in a sitting posture near a -wall, and cords were passed through the holes in their ears -and tied to a beam above. In this constrained and painful -position—not able to turn their heads or bow them in slumber—they -remained from Monday afternoon till Tuesday -morning about ten o’clock, when they were led out into the -jungle and executed.</p> - -<p class='c027'>“When Nān Chai was arrested, his wife started on a run -to inform us, supposing that he would be brought to the -city to undergo a regular trial. In that case she hoped the -missionaries could ensure his release. She had arrived in -sight of our house, when a messenger from the head man -of the village overtook her, and informed her that if she -called on us, it would be at the risk of her life. She returned -immediately, to join him at the district chief’s house; -but was informed that if she made the least demonstration -of grief, she too would be put to death. She sat down by -<span class='pageno' id='Page_117'>117</span>her husband for a time. They conversed together as opportunity -offered, being narrowly watched by the merciless -guard. The prisoners both said, ‘Oh, if the missionaries -were here, we should not have to die!’ Nān Chai’s last -words to his wife were, ‘Tell the missionaries that we die -for no other cause than that we are Christians.’ One of the -guards angrily asked what he had said. She saw that it was -best for her to retire, and they parted.</p> - -<p class='c027'>“When Nān Chai knew that he and his comrade were -doomed, he said to one of the officers, ‘You will kill us; we -are prepared. But I beg you not to kill those who are in -the employ of the missionaries. They are not Christians, -and are not prepared to die.’ What a triumph of faith in -this once fearful disciple! What a noble forgetfulness of -self in that earnest request for the lives of others!</p> - -<p class='c027'>“And now, after a long and weary night of painful -watching, the morning of Tuesday, the 14th, dawns upon -them. The hour is come. They are led out into the lonely -jungle. They kneel down. Nān Chai is asked to pray. He -does so, his last petition being, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my -spirit.’ The tenderness of the scene melts his enemies to -tears. The heads of the prisoners—prisoners for Jesus’ -sake—are drawn back by slightly raising the cruel yoke they -have worn for more than twenty hours. The executioner -approaches with his club. Nān Chai receives the stroke on -the front of the neck. His body sinks to the ground a corpse.... Noi -Sunya receives upon the front of his neck five or -six strokes; but life is still not extinct. A spear is thrust into -his heart. His body is bathed in blood, and his spirit joins -that of his martyred brother. Their bodies were hastily -buried. Their graves we may not yet visit....</p> - -<p class='c027'>“Only a few days before his death Nān Chai wrote, at -Mrs. Wilson’s request, a little slip which she forwarded to her -friends as a specimen of the Lāo language. The last line—the -last, no doubt, that he ever wrote—contained the following -words ‘Nān Chai dai rap pen sit lêo. Hak Yēsū -nak’ (Nān Chai has become a disciple. He loves Jesus -much).”</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_118'>118</span> - <h2 id='ch10' class='c010'>X<br /> <br />THE ROYAL COMMISSION</h2> -</div> -<p class='c011'>After the despatch of our hurried notes by the -Burmese on September 29th, 1869, we felt reasonably -sure that our friends would learn the -news of our situation, and we were in a measure relieved. -But at that time we still believed the reports -about the murder of Lung Puk. In fact, it was these -reports, which we had just heard before writing the -letters sent by the Burmese, that caused the great -anxiety expressed in them. But though we poured out -our hearts and unburdened our fears to our friends, -no one in Chiengmai outside of our two families ever -knew the fears that agitated our breasts. For two -months or more we still feared that we might be -treacherously murdered under colour as though it were -done by robbers or dacoits. We knew not on lying -down at night what might happen before dawn.</p> - -<p class='c009'>One of the hardest things of the situation was that, -in the presence of our own dear children, we felt -obliged to speak to each other of these matters by -signs alone, since it seemed wise to conceal our fears -from them. When we had native callers, or in our -visits to the natives, we preached to them just as if -nothing had happened. Some that we know were -sent as spies to see what we were doing and what we -were planning to do, had nothing to report except the -Gospel message which they had heard.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Then was the time when a few tried friends endeared -<span class='pageno' id='Page_119'>119</span>themselves forever to us. Among these was -the Princess Būa Kam, and the abbot of the Ūmōng -monastery, both of whom have been mentioned before. -The silver plate with a little rice or fruit from the -Princess never ceased to come; and the abbot often -made an excuse of errands elsewhere in our neighbourhood -that he might have occasion to call and express -his sympathy.</p> - -<p class='c009'>One incident which occurred before the various -rumours had been cleared up, though well-nigh tragic -at the time, seemed afterward amusing enough. After -the appalling treachery of the younger daughter of -the Prince in regard to Nān Chai, while professing -constantly such personal friendship for us, we naturally -regarded her with profound distrust. What, then, -was our surprise, when, one night in the darkest time -of our troubles, a summons came for me to go at once -to her palace with the officer who brought the message. -I was by no means to wait till morning, and I -could get no clue to the object of the summons. But -it was almost a royal command. Whatever it might -mean, nothing would be gained by refusal; so I promised -at once to go. But a difficulty arose. My wife -positively refused to let me go alone. If the worst -were to come, she would be there to see it.</p> - -<p class='c009'>So the children were left in bed, and off we walked -three-fourths of a mile in the dark to the palace. We -found it brilliantly lighted up. Was it for the final -act? But our fears were soon allayed. The Princess -received us as she always had done—probably a little -surprised to see Mrs. McGilvary with me. A foreign -rug was spread for us, and soon was produced a -formidable package of documents in English, which -the Princess wanted us to translate! They were from -<span class='pageno' id='Page_120'>120</span>the court in Maulmein, and had reference to the lawsuits. -They had just arrived, and she could not wait -till morning. We glanced over them, gave her the -substance of them, and promised that if she would -send her scribe down next day, we would translate -them. She was relieved to find that there was nothing -more formidable in them—and so were we. The whole -interview did not last more than fifteen minutes; and -when ready to return, we were escorted home by -servants with lanterns.</p> - -<p class='c009'>For a time we had very few visitors even for medicine. -But the monasteries were always open, and we -were welcomed in nearly all the homes of the princes. -I regularly called on the Prince. When he was in a -pleasant mood, I had pleasant conversations with him. -If I found him moody or busy, I paid my respects and -retired. His elder daughter and her husband were -always pleasant, and she was always interested to talk -on the subject of religion.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Another friendship formed the year before was then -a great comfort to us, though no one could really help -us. A wealthy Chinese, who had charge of collecting -nearly all the revenue of the government, had been -shot in the city of Lampūn, eighteen miles away. A -messenger with an elephant was sent, begging me to -come at once. It seemed at first impossible for me -to go, but finally I did so. The ball had entered below -the knee while the man was lying down, had followed -the bone, and had lodged in the soft part of the -thigh. It was extracted, and I remained there till -the patient was out of danger. The wife, a Siamo-Chinese, -was a merchant, and acted as our banker for -ten years. At this writing, the family has not yet -forgotten the service rendered.</p> - -<p class='c009'><span class='pageno' id='Page_121'>121</span>But our hourly thoughts were directed to Bangkok. -What would be the outcome of our letters? We were -continually asked what we were going to do. Our reply -was that, of course, we intended to remain. There -was no telegraph then, nor even a monthly mail. It -was not till November 26th that the first news of what -was doing in our behalf reached us. It was brought -by messengers sent on in advance to notify the government -that a Royal Commissioner had arrived in -Lampūn, with two foreigners and a train of eighteen -elephants and fifty-three attendants. They were to be -in Chiengmai the next day. No intimation, however, -was given as to what the object of the Commission was. -But plainly it must be a matter of no slight importance.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Early on the morning of the 27th every one was on -the alert. A body of men under the direction of an -officer were scrubbing the old sālā next door to us, for -the letter had asked that preparations be made for -the party. A prince whispered in our ears to enquire -whether we knew what the “Kā Lūang” was coming -for. But we knew as little as he did. We were so -hopeful, however, that we began to prepare for our -guests, too. The whole place seemed in an attitude of -expectancy. The sudden arrival of a Kā Lūang was -not an everyday occurrence. And then the two foreigners—two -“white kolās”!</p> - -<p class='c009'>In the afternoon the curiosity of every one was gratified -by the arrival of the long train with the Commissioner -at its head. The two “white kolās” were none -other than our associates in the Siamese mission, the -Rev. N. A. McDonald, and the Rev. S. C. George. -Were ever guests more welcome! The story was soon -told of the receipt of our letters in Bangkok, and of the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_122'>122</span>negotiations which had resulted in their coming with -a Royal Commissioner and with a “Golden Seal,” as -the royal letter is called. We now knew definitely that -the Commissioner had come on the business of the mission -and the treatment of the Christians. But our -brethren did not know the contents of the royal letter. -No human sagacity could yet predict what turn affairs -would take. Was the mission to be securely -established, or were we to be escorted safely out of the -country? The Commissioner immediately notified the -Prince of his arrival with the “Golden Seal,” and -awaited His Highness’ pleasure. The Prince’s curiosity -and anxiety were guarantee that there would be -no delay. Nine o’clock next morning was named as -the hour for the audience. The Commissioner notified -us to be ready. An officer was sent with a palanquin -to escort the “Golden Seal” under the golden umbrella -to the palace.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Mr. Wilson and I, of course, joined the procession. -On reaching the grand reception hall at the palace, we -encountered such an array of princely state as we had -never before seen among the Lāo. Every prince, -princess, and officer who could come was already there. -I quote from Mr. McDonald’s official report to the -Board, dated February 2d, 1870, an account of the audience. -(<i>Presbyterian Record</i>, June, 1870.)</p> - -<p class='c024'>“The next morning after our arrival the Regent’s letter -was conducted in state to the palace under the royal umbrella, -and the golden tray containing it was placed on a stand -near the middle of the hall. Very soon the king entered the -hall apparently calm, but pale with suppressed rage. We -arose and bowed to him, and then resumed our seats. The -Siamese officers, however, remained prostrate before him, -as did every other one in the hall. The king immediately -broke the seal and handed the letter to the Siamese secretary -<span class='pageno' id='Page_123'>123</span>to read. After the reading of the letter he looked -up, evidently quite relieved, and remarked, ‘This letter does -not amount to so much. It gives the missionaries privilege -to remain if they wish, or to go if they prefer.’”</p> - -<p class='c025'>Mr. McDonald, then, as a member of the Commission, -addressed the King, referring to the kindness with -which the missionaries had been received by him on -their arrival—which was in keeping with the favour -shown them in Bangkok, and with the beneficent nature -of their work—but regretting that late difficulties had -made their stay unpleasant. Among other things he -referred to the desertion of their servants. But neither -he nor the royal letter made the slightest reference -to the murder of the Christians. Mr. McDonald then -proceeds:</p> - -<p class='c024'>“What I said did not seem to rouse him. He continued -to suppress his rage, and replied, ‘As to servants, he had -never placed any hindrance. He had put to death a couple -of fellows—a thing which he had a right to do, since they -had failed to do their allotted government work. But that -was his own business.’”</p> - -<p class='c025'>The Prince evidently thought that the affair was -ended, and was preparing to close the audience, greatly -relieved that the one dreaded point had not been referred -to either in the letter or in the conference. But -to stop there would have been an inexcusable blunder -on our part. Not only had the good name of the Christians -been tarnished, but our own also, if we had -made all this great fuss about nothing. It was a difficult -thing to face the Prince before his whole court, -and charge him with falsehood; but he had driven us -to it. If he had not lied, we had. For once we were -called upon to stand before kings for His name’s -<span class='pageno' id='Page_124'>124</span>sake; and I believe that words were given to me to -speak.</p> - -<p class='c009'>I said that I was sorry to be compelled to say that -the Prince knew that he had not spoken the truth. -There was not a man or woman in that audience, nor -in the whole country, who did not know that those two -men had been put to death for no other pretended -reason than that they were Christians. It was done -and was proclaimed to be done as a warning to others. -They had not refused to do government work. The -charge that they had failed to get the slabs for the -stockade was a subterfuge. There was not a word of -truth in it, as the officer through whom it was done, -then present, well knew. When these men received -the order to get the slabs, they started immediately, -but were at once arrested, and were not allowed to -get them. In no sense were they dealt with as criminals. -On that very day (over three months after the -order), not one-fifth of the men in the province had as -yet brought in their timbers, and nothing was said -about it. In this country it was an unheard-of thing, -even for the gravest offences, to decoy men out from -their homes into the jungle, and to kill them there with -no pretence of a trial. There was a Sanām (Court), -there were regular officers of law, even down to the -executioner. In the case of these men, not a single -form of law had been observed. By the Prince’s own -order they had been treacherously arrested, led out into -the jungle, and cruelly clubbed to death in the presence -of a lawless mob by a ruffian hired to do it.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The old man looked on me in mingled astonishment -and rage. Possibly till then he thought we had not -been able to learn the facts and particulars in the case. -More likely he thought that no one would dare thus -<span class='pageno' id='Page_125'>125</span>openly and publicly to expose them. But what was -said had the desired effect. Up to this point the -Prince’s position had been impregnable. To assault it -successfully would have required the production of -evidence; and no man in the country, high or low, -would have dared to testify against him. But this unexpected -challenge was more than he could endure. -He flung all caution to the winds. In an instant his -sole defence was abandoned. Mr. McDonald says:</p> - -<p class='c024'>“‘Yes,’ he said, ‘he had killed them because they had -embraced the Christian religion. And he would continue -to kill every one who did the same. Leaving the religion -of the country was rebellion against him, and he would so -treat it. If the missionaries would remain to treat the -sick, they might do so. But they must not make Christians; -they must not teach the Christian religion. If they did, -he would expel them from the country’.... At one time -I feared that he might become uncontrollable, and break -over all restraints, and do us some personal injury. The -Siamese officer also was alarmed for our safety.”</p> - -<p class='c025'>Matters now had been brought to a crisis. The -Christians had been proved to be not malefactors, but -martyrs. We now understood each other, and all -parties understood the situation. The Prince’s -bravado before the Commissioner in one sense was -politic. He had read between the lines of the King’s -letter that the Siamese were afraid of him; and he -was quite willing to have it so. On the other hand, his -attitude might have the effect of convincing them that -he was a dangerous man, to be dealt with accordingly—and -I believe it did.</p> - -<p class='c009'>But, as Mr. McDonald goes on to say, “It was useless -to attempt any further argument. The missionaries -merely told him that it was their intention to -<span class='pageno' id='Page_126'>126</span>remain. The conversation then turned to other subjects, -and the Prince became more calm. After returning -to the house of Mr. McGilvary, and after -anxious consultation and prayer, it was considered -best to abandon the mission for a time.”</p> - -<p class='c009'>The Commissioner strongly advised us to withdraw. -Mr. McDonald was naturally timid, and hardly felt -safe till he was fairly out of the country. He and Mr. -George were sure that it would not be safe for us to -remain a single day after the Commissioner departed; -and Mr. Wilson agreed with them. Such, then, was -the report made to the Board, and the number of the -<i>Record</i> from which we have quoted above announced -the dissolution of the mission.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The news of the scene in the palace spread like wild-fire -over the city. We had scarcely reached home when -our neighbours and friends began to send us secret -messages that it would be foolish to remain. The -Prince was like a lion bearded in his den. When the -Commissioner left there was no telling what he might -do. The Commissioner naturally felt some responsibility -for our safety, and desired to have us return with -him. I so far consented as to allow the Commissioner -to send word to the Prince that we would retire as -soon as we conveniently could. Yet, from what I knew -of the feeling of the people toward us, I could not see -that it was the will of Providence that the mission -should be abandoned. Nor did I believe that it would -be hazardous to remain. The Prince evidently had no -thought of actually renouncing his allegiance to Siam. -He had been directed to see to our safety, if we wished -to remain. I think, too, that I understood him better -than did either our own friends or the Commissioner. -His bluster at the audience was for effect. It was -<span class='pageno' id='Page_127'>127</span>more than probable that, after sober thought, he himself -would realize that he had gone too far. Before -the coming of the Commissioner he had been summoned -to Bangkok; he was at that time busy preparing boats -for the journey, and was soon to start. He was too -shrewd a man to wish us to appear there before him -as witnesses against him. It was, I thought, more -than probable that he would meet more than half-way -any advance made toward him, though we could -not expect him to make the advance himself.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Next morning before breakfast Mr. Wilson came -over to have a long walk and talk with me. He did -not wish to express his fears before our children. He -argued with all his logic that it was better to go while -we safely could. His idea was to retire to Rahêng, -where we would be under the direct protection of the -Siamese government; for, after yesterday’s scene, he -was sure we never could be safe in Chiengmai. So far -as he was concerned, I thought it a good idea. He -might go, and I would remain—at least as long as I -could. He felt, however, that he would be to blame -if any disaster happened to us. From all responsibility -on that score I freely exonerated him. As I viewed -the case, our personal risk was at an end so soon as -the situation should be known in Bangkok. The -Prince would no longer dare either to do anything or -to cause anything to be done <i>secretly</i> as once we -feared he would. Therefore, notwithstanding the -bluster of the day before, fear for our personal safety -had little weight with me. But quite apart from the -question of danger, there was much to be said in favour -of Mr. Wilson’s going to Rahêng. The place was an -important one for missionary work. The result might -possibly be a station in both places, instead of in -<span class='pageno' id='Page_128'>128</span>Chiengmai alone. His departure might seem some -concession to the wishes of the Prince—would show -less determination to thwart his known will. If -there were any danger in remaining, it would be less -for one family than for two. All I wanted was time -to see the Lord’s will. At any rate, I was not willing -to depart without having an audience with the Prince -alone. Against this it was urged that the Prince had -a special grudge against me, because of the vaccination -of his little grandson, and that this would be increased -by my having angered him the day before. But of this -I was not afraid. The parents of the dear child had -begged me never to think that they blamed me for it. -As to what had happened the day before, I believed -the Prince’s respect for me was higher than it would -have been had I allowed him to bluff us with his bare-faced -lie. The result of our walk was that Mr. Wilson -agreed to have me call on the Prince the next day, -though Mr. McDonald maintained that for himself he -would not risk it.</p> - -<p class='c009'>So, next morning, I called at the palace at an hour -when I knew I should find the Prince alone with his -head-wife. And, just as I expected, he received me -with unwonted cordiality. I referred to the friendship -between him and my father-in-law, Dr. Bradley; -to his cordial consent given to our coming to his country -to teach the Christian religion and to benefit his -people in other ways; to his kind reception of us when -we came; to his granting us a place for a home; and -to his many other acts of kindness. We had come to -him as friends, and I could not bear we should part as -enemies. As I had anticipated, his whole manner -showed that he was pleased at my advance. That, too, -he said, was his desire. We might remain at least till -<span class='pageno' id='Page_129'>129</span>after his return from Bangkok, and take all the time -needed for a comfortable departure. I thanked him -for his consideration, and told him that Mr. Wilson -would probably go at once. We shook hands and -parted as if the scene in the palace had never occurred. -I had won my point. What I wanted was time, and I -had gained it. The Prince could not possibly return -in less than six months’ time—it might be much longer.</p> - -<p class='c009'>In a few days our friends left us. Having no faith -in the success of my new negotiations, or possibly -thinking that I might be caught in a trap, they reported -to the Board, as we have seen, that the mission -was broken up—as technically it was. This last turn -of affairs was merely a private arrangement between -the Prince and myself.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Had the matter not passed beyond our power, I -doubtless should have been credulous enough, or weak -enough, to prefer that no further action should be -taken by our friends in Bangkok. I did write to Dr. -Bradley and to our mission to pursue a pacific policy, -and to show the Prince all kindness, as, indeed, I knew -they would. But I learned afterwards that their advances -were hardly received with courtesy. Mr. -George, who asked permission to send by some one of -the numerous fleet of boats some parcels to us, was -given to understand that the things would not be -needed, as the Prince expected both families to leave -Chiengmai upon his return.</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_130'>130</span> - <h2 id='ch11' class='c010'>XI<br /> <br />DEATH OF KĀWILŌROT</h2> -</div> -<p class='c011'>The Commissioner’s report of the attitude assumed -by the Prince showed the Siamese government -that the man in control of the northern -provinces was of a spirit and temper that might be -difficult to curb—that might at any time throw everything -into confusion. Hitherto it had been their policy -to strengthen his hands to any degree not inconsistent -with his loyalty. Siam and Burma had long -been rivals and enemies. A strong buffer-state in the -north had been a necessity to Siam. But conditions -were changed. Burma was now under English control, -and had ceased to be a disturbing factor in the problem. -A change in Siamese policy as regards the North -was inevitable.</p> - -<p class='c009'>When the news of the murder of the Christians became -known in Bangkok, our friends there deferred to -the wishes of the Siamese government as expressed by -the Regent—whose goodwill to the mission and to ourselves -no one doubted. No steps, therefore, were taken -to have the United States officially represented on the -Commission. In this we believe our friends were -providentially led. But Dr. House’s letter does not -state, what was also the fact, that the United States -Consul, in whose presence the Lāo Prince had given -his official sanction to the establishment of the mission, -was anxious that the United States should be so -<span class='pageno' id='Page_131'>131</span>represented. And when that Commission so signally -failed to accomplish anything satisfactory, it was the -Consul’s turn to say to our friends, “I told you so.”</p> - -<p class='c009'>Because, as they themselves expressed it, of the lawless -nature of the Lāo Prince, and the consequent difficulty -of protecting foreigners so far away, our -Siamese friends would then have preferred to have us -recalled. In fact, that was their first thought. The -first draft of the letter prepared to be sent by the Commission -actually contained the stipulation that we be -safely conveyed back to Siam proper. It was only the -indomitable perseverance of Dr. Bradley—who frankly -declared that he would rather have no such letter sent -at all—that secured the omission of that clause, and -left the way open for the possible continuance of the -mission. So, when the Commission returned to Bangkok, -and it was known that the Lāo Prince was soon -to follow them. General Partridge, the United States -Consul, immediately took up the case, and insisted -that the Siamese government give guarantee for the -fulfilment of promises publicly made by its vassal in -the presence of officials of both governments. “Before -this you could say, ‘He is like a tiger in the jungle; we -cannot control him.’ But when he reaches Bangkok, -he is in your power. You can then make your own -terms regarding his return.”</p> - -<p class='c009'>How this negotiation was conducted, I am not aware. -But from the <i>Presbyterian Record</i> of September, 1870, -we learn that the Consul carried his point:</p> - -<p class='c024'>“Dr. House sends us word that the Siamese government -has extended its protection over the missionaries in Chiengmai; -they are not to be molested in their work. As the king -of Chiengmai is tributary to Siam, this decision will no -doubt be respected. This king is not likely to live long, and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_132'>132</span>he will be succeeded by his son-in-law, a prince who has -shown a friendly interest in the missionaries. The intervention -of the Siamese government was obtained by the U. S. -Consul, Gen. Partridge, not at the instance of the missionaries, -but he took the ground of treaty stipulations between -Siam and our country, which accorded the right of protection -to American citizens.”</p> - -<p class='c025'>From the <i>Foreign Missionary</i> of September, 1870, -we quote the following extract from the <i>Bangkok Summary</i>, -doubtless from the pen of Dr. Bradley:</p> - -<p class='c024'>“I am very happy to learn from the most reliable authority -that His Grace the Regent has been pleased to commit the -American citizens in Chiengmai to the care and protection -of the Maha Uparāt, the son-in-law of the king, charging -him to assist, nourish, and protect them so that they shall -suffer no trouble and hindrance in their work from persecutions -like those through which they have passed since September -12th last.</p> - -<p class='c027'>“His Grace, moreover, is understood to have promised that -he will certainly arrange to have those American citizens -protected in Chiengmai according to the stipulations of the -treaties, even though the present king should live and continue -his reign.</p> - -<p class='c027'>“The Maha Uparāt enjoys the reputation of being a mild -and discreet prince. He received this his new title a few -weeks since from His Majesty the Supreme King of Siam, -by virtue of which he is constituted Second King of Chiengmai. -I learn that His Grace the Regent has virtually committed -the rule of that kingdom to him during the illness of -the king, and has assured him that he is ultimately to -become the king’s successor to the throne.</p> - -<p class='c027'>“This I regard as good news, indeed, and too good to -be held a day longer from the public. Who will not agree -with me that the Siamese government is worthy of a great -meed of praise for what it has done in the matter of the -Chiengmai mission? But let us see to it that the King of -Kings, as well, receives our highest praise for all these -gratifying events of His providence.”</p> - -<p class='c025'><span class='pageno' id='Page_133'>133</span>While the Consul was pressing these claims, Prince -Kāwilōrot, as was intimated in the last extract, became -dangerously ill. He was stricken with almost -instantaneous loss of consciousness, and complete -paralysis of speech. Meanwhile we in Chiengmai, only -five hundred miles away, were in profound ignorance -of what was happening. If we had despatched a special -messenger thither for news, it would have been -three months before he could have returned with a reply. -And the first news we received was not reassuring. -Word came that the time was set for the Prince’s -return; that he had been promoted to higher honours, -and had received higher titles; that he was returning -with full power, and probably flushed with fresh victories. -Of course, that did not necessarily mean very -much. Siam understood perfectly the great trick of -oriental statecraft, the giving of high-sounding titles, -with, perhaps, a larger stipend, in compensation for -the loss of real power. But it was a time of great -anxiety for us. Revenge was a passion which that -man seldom left ungratified. Would he come breathing -out slaughter against the church and vengeance -on us?</p> - -<p class='c009'>By and by there came a message stating that the -Prince was ill, and directing that offerings be made for -his recovery. Then came news that he was already -on his way, and had sent orders for a hundred elephants -to meet him at the landing station below the -rapids. Some surmised that his illness was feigned -in order to escape the lawsuits which were pressing -him. About the middle of June we learned that he -had reached the landing station, but was very seriously -ill. It was still more urgently enjoined that his relatives -and the monasteries in Chiengmai should “make -<span class='pageno' id='Page_134'>134</span>merit” in his behalf, and propitiate the demons by generous -offerings.</p> - -<p class='c009'>On the evening of June 29th, while riding through -the streets of the city, some one called out to me, -“The Prince is dead!” No news ever gave me such a -shock. I stepped in to the residence of one of the -princes, a nephew of Kāwilōrot, to get the particulars, -but found him in a dreadful state of mind. Yes. The -Prince was dead; and word had come that he (the -nephew) was to go to Bangkok to bear the brunt of the -lawsuits—to answer in his own name for transactions -done by order of the dead Prince!</p> - -<p class='c009'>How soon the strongest prejudices fade and disappear -in the presence of death! The anxious fears -of his return that had haunted us, all dissolved into -tender sympathy now that he was gone. We forgot -his treachery and cruelty, and thought only of his interesting -human qualities. We recalled his taking tea -or dining with us, and even the dry jokes that he so -much enjoyed. He was a tender father. He could be -a warm, though a fickle and inconstant friend. In -many respects he was a good ruler. He was absolute -and tyrannical; but there was no petty thieving in his -realm. And now that voice that had made thousands -tremble was silent in death! No doubt it was with a -sigh of relief that the Siamese government turned over -the government of the North to one whom they could -better trust.</p> - -<p class='c009'>But it would be a hard heart that could follow unmoved -that long, weary homeward trip of the dying -Prince. He was so weak that he could not endure the -jarring caused by the use of the setting-poles. His boat -had to be taken in tow of another. When the last -lingering hope of life died out, his one desire was to -<span class='pageno' id='Page_135'>135</span>reach home—to die in his own palace. The trip -through the rapids he could not bear, and it was too -slow for the dying man. Travel by elephant is both -rough and slow. He is brought ashore, therefore, and -borne on a litter as swiftly as relays of men can carry -him. Over the mountains and up the valley of the -Mê Ping, under burning sun and through driving rain, -they hasten. At last, on the evening of June 28th, they -halt on the left bank of the Mê Ping, with only that -stream between him and his own country. “What -land is this?” he asks. “Lampūn,” is the reply. -“Carry me across quickly!” He is obeyed, but sinks -exhausted by the fatigue of crossing. He passes a -restless night. His mind wanders. He dreams of being -at home; of worshipping in his own palace. The -morning comes. He is still alive; but so weak that, in -spite of his eagerness to hasten on, at every few paces -his bearers must halt, while attendants fan him or -administer a cordial. At last fan and cordials fail. -The litter is set down under the two golden umbrellas -that screen it from the burning rays of the sun. The -little group stand with bowed heads and hushed hearts -while the spirit takes its flight, to appear before its -Maker.—Almost, but not quite home, and with none -of his immediate kin by him to see the end! The attendants -cover the body with a cloth, and hasten on to -the next station, a few miles below the city. The procession -halted there at about the very time that the -messenger reached Chiengmai with the news that he -was dead.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Such, as I learned next day from the attending -prince, were the last hours of His Highness Chao -Kāwilōrot Suriyawong, Prince of Chiengmai. He died -at ten o’clock in the morning of June 29th, 1870, in -<span class='pageno' id='Page_136'>136</span>the seventieth year of his age, and in the sixteenth of -his reign.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Next morning before breakfast I was sent for by the -younger daughter of the Prince, to go to the residence -of the nephew, whom I had left late in the evening -before in such a distracted state of mind. How -shocked was I on entering to find the prince cold and -dead! The Princess wished to get my judgment -whether he was really dead beyond all hope of resuscitation. -But it required no skilled physician to answer -that question. He had evidently died by a dose -of opium administered by his own hands. The little -cup from which it was taken was still by his bedside. -Whether it was intentional suicide to escape the lawsuits -of his deceased master, or was simply designed -to ease the mental troubles of that night, they could -tell as well as I. In either case, he slept the sleep -that knows no waking till the summons of the last -trump.</p> - -<p class='c009'>After breakfast I rode out to the encampment, only -two or three miles away, where the body of the Prince -was lying. The family and officers and friends were -assembled to look for the last time on that noted face. -The last act before placing the body in the coffin was -to cover it throughout with gold-leaf, to give it the appearance -of being a Buddha. But no gold-leaf could -disguise that face. The family remained there a few -days, partly for the much-needed rest, but chiefly to -await a day of good augury for carrying the remains -to the city.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The day was well chosen for such a pageant as the -country had not seen, to honour alike the departed, -and to welcome the succeeding Prince. There was a -long and imposing procession of soldiers, monks, and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_137'>137</span>people marching to the wailing of the funeral dirge and -to the slow, solemn beat of drums. Near the head of -the line, on his elephant, was the son-in-law, Chao Intanon, -soon to be Prince of Chiengmai. Not far behind -came the body of the dead Prince, borne on a -golden bier and accompanied by a large train of yellow-robed -priests. Behind this was the vacant throne, -and on it the royal crown, both testifying to the emptiness -of human pomp and power. Then came one leading -the horse His Highness used to ride; and next, his -favourite elephant, its huge body covered with trappings -of gold. After these came members of the -Prince’s family and other near relatives.</p> - -<p class='c009'>About ten o’clock the procession approached the city -which, by inexorable custom, may never open its gates -to receive the dead—not even though the dead were he -whose word for so many years had been its law. What -a comment on human glory and on the tyranny of superstitious -custom! On reaching the South Gate, -therefore, the procession turned to the right, and -passed on outside the city wall to the East Gate. -There, in the Prince’s summer garden, beside the river, -his remains lay in state until the great cremation ceremony -a year later. Meantime a lamp was kept burning -at the head and at the foot night and day. A -prince was in constant attendance. Courses of monks -chanted the requiem of the Buddhist ceremonial for the -dead. At intervals during the whole night the beat -of the drum resounded through the air, reminding -the city that there lay all that remained of one of its -greatest masters.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Prince Intanon, though not yet officially installed, -assured me, as soon as I met him at the encampment, -that we were to remain and build our houses and prosecute -<span class='pageno' id='Page_138'>138</span>our work without let or hindrance. Other -princes and officers were pleased to give the same assurance. -With the Prince’s party there came a large -mail from friends in Bangkok, giving full particulars -of the negotiations that were stopped by the sudden -illness of the Prince, and clearing up the questions -about which we were so much in doubt. The interposition -of Providence had been so marked that we could -only stand in awe before Him who had so wonderfully -led us. For, after the utmost stretch of my own -credulity in trying to trust the Prince, my final conviction -is that, had he lived, he and the mission could -not have existed in the same country. He could never -have endured to see his people becoming Christians—Not -that he cared so much for Buddhism; but it -would have been a constant challenge to his autocratic -rule.</p> - -<p class='c009'>In March, while the scenes of this tragic drama were -slowly enacting in Bangkok, and while we were -anxiously awaiting the dénouement, we had a pleasant -episode of another kind. One morning we were surprised -to learn from some natives that out on the plain, -not far from the city, they had passed two white foreigners, -a man and a woman, and that they were coming -to our house. Sure enough, about ten o’clock, who -should ride up but Rev. and Mrs. J. N. Cushing of the -American Baptist Mission in Burma! What an unexpected -pleasure! For three years we had seen but -two white faces outside of our own little circle. Some -of our latest news from home friends was eleven months -old when we received it. What a social feast we did -have!</p> - -<p class='c009'>They had started from Shwegyin, Burma, had made -a tour west of the Salwin River, crossed over to Keng -<span class='pageno' id='Page_139'>139</span>Tung, come down by Chieng Sên and Chieng Rāi, and -now called at Chiengmai on their way back to Burma. -Their visit was a real godsend to us in the time of our -troubles.</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_140'>140</span> - <h2 id='ch12' class='c010'>XII<br /> <br />THE NEW RÉGIME</h2> -</div> -<p class='c011'>One of the results of the change of government -was that we were able to build permanent -houses. For three years and more we had -lived within basket-woven bamboo walls that a pocketknife -could pierce, neither secure nor wholesome nor -favourable for our work. They bore silent but steady -testimony that we ourselves did not regard our stay -as permanent. The results of our manner of living -were already seen in the impaired health of the members -of the mission. My wife surely could never have -lived another decade in the old sālā with bamboo walls -and ceiling, where the dust from the borers in the -wood constantly filled the air and poisoned the lungs. -Mrs. Wilson bore up bravely for five years, until there -was just ready for her reception the permanent house -which she was never to enjoy. As soon as they could, -the family started for the United States on furlough, -all thoroughly broken down. After two years of rest -Mr. Wilson alone was able to return to the field, leaving -Mrs. Wilson behind. She never regained her health, -and they never saw each other again. Her departure -was a great loss to the mission. She was a gifted -lady, a fine vocal and instrumental musician, and a -consecrated missionary. She left one literary work in -Lāo, the translation of Bunyan’s <i>Pilgrim’s Progress</i>, -which has since been published.</p> - -<p class='c009'><span class='pageno' id='Page_141'>141</span>But as matters then were, there was much perplexing -work to be done before we were at all ready to begin -building. I was favoured in getting a lot of first -class teak logs delivered at a very cheap rate. Then -the trouble began. The logs must be hauled up from -the river by elephants to the lot where they are to be -sawn. The log is raised and mounted on two strong -trestles. A black line to guide the saw is struck on -either side. Two sawyers stand facing each other -across the log, grasping the handles of a long framed -saw with horizontal blade. Then the operation begins. -The saw is pushed and pulled back and forth till the -cut is carried through to the end of the log. This -operation is repeated for every stick of timber put -into the house.</p> - -<p class='c009'>But we are already too fast. Where are the sawyers -to come from? There were then no good sawyers -among the Lāo. No one dared to learn for fear of being -appropriated by the Prince, or of being compelled -to work on public buildings. There were, however, -three pairs of sawyers, debtors to the Prince, whom he -had brought up from Rahêng for his own work. -Whenever not needed by him or by some other person -of rank, they were allowed to seek employment elsewhere. -So, at odd times, I was able to secure their -services. But if the Prince needed them, they must at -once drop everything and go. Scores of times our -sawyers were called away, often for weeks at a time, -and at the busiest stage of the work.</p> - -<p class='c009'>And now for the carpenter. The Lāo dared not be -known as carpenters for the same reason as that given -above in the case of the sawyers. They would have -been constantly requisitioned for government work. -There was in the place only one Siamese carpenter -<span class='pageno' id='Page_142'>142</span>reputed to be a good workman. In order to get him, -I had to advance him three hundred rupees, professedly -to pay a debt, but most likely to gamble with. He was -to build by contract. But he had already received -his money, or so much of it that he was quite independent. -He soon slashed and spoiled more timber -than his wages were worth. So, to keep him from -ruining the whole, I had to get rid of him, even at -some sacrifice. Just then a Siamo-Chinese turned up, -who took the job by the day under my direction, to be -assisted by some Christians whom we trained thus as -apprentices. The house was built on the plan of the -East Indian bungalow—raised ten feet from the ground -on posts, with single walls and a veranda all round. -Its large lofty rooms, screened on all sides by the -verandas, make it still one of the most comfortable -houses in the mission. It was more than eight years -from the time of our arrival when we entered it; and -even then it was not finished.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Although the new government was friendly, yet -some of the ruling spirits were in their hearts as hostile -as the deceased Prince had ever been, and without his -more noble qualities. There were two in particular -who soon began to show that their secret influence -would be against the mission—and their open hostility, -too, so far as they ventured to let it appear. One -was the adopted son of the late Prince, and the other -the new ruler’s half-brother, who had been made -Uparāt, or second in power, when the new Prince -ascended the throne. Had these both lived, their combined -influence would have been nearly as formidable -as that of Kāwilōrot. Unfortunately, too, the actual -business of the country was largely in their hands. -Prince Intanon was not at all ambitious for power. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_143'>143</span>He liked nothing better than to work without care or -responsibility in his own little workshop, making fancy -elephant-saddles, and let his half-brother rule the country. -During the following year the adopted son went -down to Bangkok to receive the insignia of his new -rank, but never returned. His death was even more -sudden than that of his foster-father. He was taken -with the cholera, and died in a few hours. This left the -elder of the two avowed enemies of Christianity, and -the higher in rank and power. To give an illustration -of the kind of spirit we had to contend with in him, I -will anticipate an incident of a few years later.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Two native Karens, ordained ministers, were sent by -the American Baptist Mission to initiate in Lāo territory -a work among the Karens, a hill-people scattered -sparsely throughout all the mountain region between -Siam and Burma. The native evangelists -brought with them letters from the missionaries in -Burma, requesting us to aid them in getting Lāo passports. -We went with them to the new Prince, and he -very graciously gave direction to his brother to see -that passports were issued, stating not only that the -visitors were to be protected and aided as travellers, -but also that they were to be allowed to teach the new -religion, and that people were allowed to embrace it -without fear.</p> - -<p class='c009'>I was specially interested that they should succeed -in the first village which they were to visit, for it was -the one where I had vaccinated the whole population -during the first year of our mission. Since I had -failed to make Christians of them—partly, as I supposed, -on account of my ignorance of their language, -but more on account of the persecution which followed -so soon after—I hoped that when the message -<span class='pageno' id='Page_144'>144</span>was delivered in their own tongue, with official permission -to embrace it, the whole village might accept -the Gospel. What was the astonishment of the -preachers that, instead of being received with the characteristic -hospitality of their race, they hardly found -common civility! At last they learned the reason. -The Chao Uparāt had secretly despatched a special -messenger with a letter under his own seal, forbidding -any Karen subject to embrace the new religion. -All who did so were to be reported to him. What -that meant, or what he wished them to infer that it -meant, was well understood.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Our readers, therefore, will not be surprised that -we found it necessary to keep an eye on the Chao -Uparāt, and to use considerable diplomacy in counteracting -his schemes against the church. It was my -policy in those days to keep up as close an acquaintance -as possible with the members of the ruling family. -It was the misfortune of all of them that they -were ignorant;<a id='r9' /><a href='#f9' class='c020'><sup>[9]</sup></a> and ignorance begets suspicion. Some -of them were naturally suspicious of the missionaries. -They could not understand what motive could induce -men who were neither government officials nor -merchants, to leave a great country and come to live in -theirs.</p> - -<div class='footnote c026' id='f9'> -<p class='c023'><span class='label'><a href='#r9'>9</a>. </span>This same Uparāt, whose word ruled the country, was unable to -write his own orders.</p> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>Two objects were gained by keeping in contact with -the rulers. They saw, then, with their own eyes, and -heard with their own ears, what we were doing. In -nearly every interview our one great work was magnified -alike to prince, priest, and people. I have heretofore -specially mentioned princesses, too, as well as -princes, in this connection, because the Lāo have a -<span class='pageno' id='Page_145'>145</span>proud pre-eminence among non-Christian races in the -position accorded to woman. In the family, woman’s -authority is universally recognized. At the time we -speak of it was much the same in the government also. -The influence of women in affairs of state was doubtless -greatly increased during the previous reign, when, -there being no sons in the royal household, the -daughters naturally became more prominent. They -were trained to understand and to deal with public -business.</p> - -<p class='c009'>I have already referred to the kindness of the elder -daughter, now not, as in former reigns, the head-wife, -but the only wife of the new ruler. By birth she was -of higher rank than he; and she was in every way -worthy of the high position she now assumed. Hers -was, in fact, the strong intelligence and steady will -that kept her more passive consort from errors into -which he would otherwise have been led. At this particular -juncture she was needed as a check against -the Prince’s more ambitious and less principled half-brother. -She had a woman’s instinct to discern a -point, and a woman’s revulsion against lawless acts, -even when done by her own father. In honesty of -purpose she and her consort were one, for his kindness -of heart had drawn to him more dependents than -any other prince in the land possessed. The murder -of the Christians they both regarded as “worse than a -crime—a blunder.” For the present, however, there -was no indication of the sinister forces which came -into play later. All in authority seemed to be honestly -carrying out the orders from Bangkok concerning -the missionary work.</p> - -<p class='c009'>A year was spent in preparation for the ceremonies -attending the cremation of the dead Prince. During -<span class='pageno' id='Page_146'>146</span>the last three months of this time, everything else in -the whole land yielded place to it. Not only was there -requisition of men and materials throughout the province -of Chiengmai; but all the neighbouring states furnished -large levies of men under the personal direction -of their princes or officers of rank. Such occasions -offer exceptional opportunities for meeting people from -all parts of the country, for forming lasting friendships, -and for sending some knowledge of the Gospel -to distant provinces. In after years I never made a -tour on which I did not encounter friends whose acquaintance -I had made at the great cremation festival.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The preparations were hastened somewhat because -of the unsettled state of the country. Chao Fā Kōlan, -the Ngīo freebooter of whom we have already heard, -was still at his old tricks. Emboldened by the death -of the Prince, and the confusion incident to the change -of rulers, he had become more insolent than ever. -Villages had been burned within less than a day’s -march from the city. Bands of men, euphemistically -called an army, were levied and despatched to capture -him; but long before they could reach him, he was -safe within his stronghold in the mountains.</p> - -<div id='i146' class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i146.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>A CREMATION PROCESSION</p> -</div> -</div> -<p class='c011'>The dead Prince was born on a Sunday; therefore -every important event of his life must take place on -that day, even to the last dread summons, which is -not under man’s control—and beyond that, to the -final disposition of his mortal remains. Sunday, -therefore, was the first day of the ceremonies. On -that day the body was removed from the summer garden -to the “Mēn,” where it was to lie in state to receive -the homage of his relatives and subjects until -the following Sunday. The morning of each day was -<span class='pageno' id='Page_147'>147</span>devoted to “merit-making” of various kinds—feeding -the monks, making offerings to them, and listening -to the reading of the sacred books. The afternoons -were largely spent in boxing games, a favourite amusement -of the Lāo. The evenings were given up to -gambling.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Everything went on according to programme until -Thursday morning, when the festivities were rudely interrupted. -Chao Fā Kōlan, the bandit chief, taking -advantage of the occasion, made one of his sudden -forays to within so short a distance of Chiengmai that -he actually had posted on the city gates during the -night an insolent manifesto to the effect that the assembled -Princes need not trouble themselves further -with the cremation of the dead Prince. He and his -band would attend to that! The news produced a -tremendous panic. The whole business of the cremation -was incontinently stopped. A force was sent out -after the marauder—with the usual result. Before the -end of the week, however, the panic had sufficiently -subsided to permit the ceremonies to be resumed. The -cremation itself was carried out on the following Sunday -as planned.</p> - -<p class='c009'>During all these years the demand for medical treatment, -and the opportunity which its exercise brings, -had been constantly growing. I made, for example, -a second trip to Lampūn, this time at the call of the -Chao Uparāt of that city. The poor man had consumption, -and at first sent to me for some foreign -medicine, thinking that would surely cure him. Judging -from his symptoms as reported, I sent word that I -could not cure him; that the soothing mixture which -I sent was sent in hope that it might give him a few -nights’ rest; but that was all I could do. Presently he -<span class='pageno' id='Page_148'>148</span>sent an elephant with a most urgent appeal that I come -to see him. I was glad of the call, for it gave me the -opportunity of directing a dying man to something -even more urgently needed than medicine. I spent -a few days with him, and visited all of the leading -families and officials of the place, establishing most -valuable and friendly relations with them.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Long before this time, both the demand for medical -treatment and the responsibility involved far exceeded -what any person without complete professional -training could undertake to meet. We had urged -upon our Board the claims of our mission for a physician. -The following touching appeal, which appeared -in the <i>Foreign Missionary</i> for March, 1870, was made -by Mr. Wilson not long after the death of his son -Frank. After sending an earnest appeal from Nān -Inta for helpers, Mr. Wilson says:</p> - -<p class='c024'>“Of course Nān Inta’s call for help includes in it a -Christian physician. Who will respond? I am convinced -there are many young men in the medical profession whose -love for Jesus and whose sympathy with human sufferings -are strong enough to bring them all the way to Chiengmai, -if they will but yield themselves to this constraining influence. -Christian physician, you are greatly needed here. The -missionary’s family needs you. This suffering people needs -you. You were needed months since, when a voice so sweet -and full of glee was changed to piteous shrieks of pain. You -were not here to give relief; and if you now come, it will -not greet you, for it is hushed in death. You are needed -here <i>now</i>. A plaintive cry comes to me as I write. It is the -voice of our dear babe, whose weak condition fills our hearts -with deepest anxiety. May I not interpret this plaintive -cry as addressed to you? It is the only way that M. has -of saying to you, ‘Come to Chiengmai.’ When you arrive, -she may be sleeping beside her little brother. But you will -find others, both old and young, whose pains you may be able -<span class='pageno' id='Page_149'>149</span>to soothe, and whose souls you may win from the way that -leads to eternal death.”</p> - -<p class='c025'>Great was our joy, therefore, when, in the summer -of 1871, we learned that Dr. C. W. Vrooman, from -Dr. Cuyler’s church in Brooklyn, had responded to -our appeal, and already was under appointment of our -Board for Chiengmai. His arrival was delayed somewhat -because it was thought unsafe for him to make -the river trip during the height of the rainy season. -So it was January 22d, 1872, before we welcomed -him to Chiengmai. He came with high credentials as a -physician and surgeon with experience both in private -and in hospital practice. He began work on the day -of his arrival. He found Nān Inta at the point of -death from acute dysentery; and his first trophy was -the saving of that precious life. Had he done nothing -else, that alone would have been well worth while. -One or two operations for vesical calculus gave him -such a reputation that patients came crowding to him -for relief. In his first report he writes:</p> - -<p class='c024'>“I was very glad to commence work as soon as I arrived -in the field. The number was large of those who came to -the brethren here for daily treatment; and such is the reputation -which they have established for themselves as physicians, -that the demand for our professional services is greater -than we can properly meet. I am satisfied that the demand -for a medical missionary here was not too strongly urged -by the brethren in their earnest appeals to the Board.</p> - -<p class='c027'>“I have already had much professional work to do, and -while I am ministering to physical ailments, Brother McGilvary, -who is kindly my interpreter, has opportunity to -break unto many the bread of life.... Two men have -just left who came a long distance, hoping we could bring -to life a brother who had died hours before.”</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_150'>150</span> - <h2 id='ch13' class='c010'>XIII<br /> <br />EXPLORATION</h2> -</div> -<p class='c011'>Not long after Dr. Vrooman’s arrival it was decided -to undertake our first extended tour. It -was important to ascertain the size and population -of our whole field; and this could be accomplished -only by personal exploration. A journey for -this purpose would, of course, afford abundant opportunity -for preaching the Gospel; it would, besides, -give the doctor a needed change, and would effectually -advertise his work. Our objective was Lūang Prabāng, -then one of the largest of the provinces of Siam, as it -was also the most distant one. A journey to it seemed -the most profitable that could be made during the time -at our disposal, and the most comfortable as well, -since a large stretch of it could be made by boat. It -was already too late in the season to accomplish all -that we desired; but “half a loaf is better than no -bread.” It might be years before a longer trip could -be made. As a matter of fact, it was sixteen years before -I visited Lūang Prabāng again.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The Prince gave us a passport, sending us as his -guests to be entertained without expense; though, of -course, we always paid our way. Our letter stated -that we went as teachers of religion and as physicians -for the sick. It was a virtual proclamation for all -the sick to apply to us for treatment. This gave frequent -occasion for retort that we did not remain long -<span class='pageno' id='Page_151'>151</span>enough to comply with our letter. We could only reply -by pointing to the clouds and the long journey -ahead.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The party consisted of Dr. Vrooman, myself, a cook, -a body-servant, and eight carriers, with a newly-baptized -convert as the only available assistant in the -religious work. The elephants required for our transportation -over the first stage of our journey—to Chieng -Rāi—we had secured, for a wonder, without effort, and -very cheaply. Their owner was anxious to get them -out of the country to escape an epidemic which then -was prevalent. The start was on April 15th, 1872, after -a heavy storm which ushered in the rainy season. This -was my first trip over the road to Chieng Rāi, afterwards -so familiar to me. After leaving the plain of -Chiengmai, the road ascends the valley of the Mê -Kūang River, fording that stream no less than forty-nine -times before it reaches the summit, 3100 feet -above sea-level, the watershed between the Mê Ping -and the Mê Kōng.<a id='r10' /><a href='#f10' class='c020'><sup>[10]</sup></a> Thence it descends to the Mê Kok -at Chieng Rāi. The owner of our elephants travelled -<span class='pageno' id='Page_152'>152</span>with us, and was unnecessarily tender to his beasts. -In consequence we were ten days making this stage -of the trip, which afterwards, with my own elephants, -I used to make in less than six. On this trip I walked -almost the whole distance.</p> - -<div class='footnote c026' id='f10'> -<p class='c023'><span class='label'><a href='#r10'>10</a>. </span>In standard Siamese the vowel in the name of this great river is -undoubtedly long o, and has been so since the days of the earliest -Siamese writing. Such also seems to have been the understanding -of the early travellers who first brought the name into European -use, for Mekong is the uniform spelling of all the standard Atlases -and Gazetteers which I have been able to consult. In the Lāo dialect, -however, the vowel is that represented by <i>aw</i> in <i>lawn</i>. This is -the pronunciation which Mr. J. McCarthy, Director of the Siamese -Royal Survey Department, heard in the North, and transferred to -the Map of Siam, which he compiled, as Me Kawng. This, however, -Mr. R. W. Giblin, Mr. McCarthy’s successor in office, recognized -as an error, and assured me that it should be corrected in the -new map which he hoped soon to publish. Mr. Giblin, however, -has left the service, and the map, I fear, has not yet been issued. -But since Siamese speech and the usage of geographical authorities -are at one on this point, there can scarcely be question as to the -proper form for use here—<span class='sc'>Ed.</span></p> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>At Chieng Rāi we were cordially received. The governor -listened to the Gospel message, and, I believe, -received it in faith, as we shall see later. Thence we -took boat down the Mê Kok to its junction with the -Mê Kōng. The sand-bar where we spent the Sabbath -was covered with fresh tracks of large Bengal tigers.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Shortly after this we passed out of the Mê Kok into -the great Mê Kōng, with reference to which I take -the liberty of quoting from a recent work, <i>Five Years -in Siam</i>, by H. Warrington Smyth, F.R.G.S.</p> - -<p class='c024'>“Few can regard the Me Kawng without feeling its peculiar -fascination. That narrow streak connecting far countries -with the distant ocean,—what scenes it knows, what -stories it could tell! Gliding gently here, and thundering -with fury there where it meets with opposition; always continuing -its great work of disintegration of hard rocks and -of transport of material; with infinite patience hewing down -the mountain sides, and building up with them new countries -in far climes where other tongues are spoken; it never -stays its movement. How few men have seen its upper -waters! What a lonely life altogether is that of the Me -Kawng! From its cradle as the Gorgu River in the far -Thibetan highlands, to its end in the stormy China Sea, it -never sees a populous city or a noble building. For nearly -three thousand miles it storms through solitudes, or wanders -sullenly through jungle wastes. No wonder one sat by -the hour listening to its tale. For though but dull to read -of, the wide deep reality rolling before one had an intense -interest for a lonely man.</p> - -<p class='c027'>“Rising in about 33° 17′ N. Lat. and 94° 25′ E. Long. in -the greatest nursery of noble rivers in the world, where six -<span class='pageno' id='Page_153'>153</span>huge brethren have so long concealed the secrets of their -birth, it flows southeast through Chinese Thibetan territory -to Chuande, where the tea caravan road from Lhasa and -Thibet on the west, crosses it eastward towards Ta Chien Lu -and China, over 10,000 feet above sea-level.”</p> - -<p class='c025'>Almost within sight from the mouth of the Mê Kok -were the ruins of Chieng Sên, once the largest city -in all this region. Its crumbling walls enclose an -oblong area stretching some two miles along the river. -Seventy years before our visit it had been taken by a -combined army of Siamese and Lāo. Its inhabitants -were divided among the conquerors, and carried away -into captivity. At the time of our visit, the city and -the broad province of which it was the capital had -been desolate for three-quarters of a century. Nothing -remained but the dilapidated walls and crumbling -ruins of old temples. Judging from its innumerable -images of Buddha, its inhabitants must have been a -very religious people. One wonders whence came all -the bronze used in making them in those distant days. -To me it was an unexpected pleasure to find myself in -that old city, the ancestral home of so many of our -parishioners. Little did I think then that twenty -years later I should aid in organizing a church where -we then stood. The Mê Kōng is here a mighty stream. -It must be a magnificent sight in time of high -water.</p> - -<p class='c009'>A short distance below the city we passed a village -recently deserted because of the ravages of the -tigers. The second day from Chieng Sên brought us -to Chieng Kawng, one of the largest dependencies of -the province of Nān. There we spent two very interesting -and profitable days. I had met the governor -in Chiengmai. He was delighted with my repeating -<span class='pageno' id='Page_154'>154</span>rifle, and had us try it before him. There was also -his son, who not long after was to succeed the father; -but his story we shall come upon some twenty years -later.</p> - -<p class='c009'>At this place we were fortunate in finding an empty -trading-boat going to Lūang Prabāng, in which the governor -engaged for us passage on very reasonable terms. -We left Chieng Kawng on May 3d. The trip to Lūang -Prabāng occupied five days, and was one of the -memorable events of my life. In some respects the -scenery is not so striking as that of the Mê Ping rapids. -The breadth of the river makes the difference. You -miss the narrow gorge with overhanging cliffs and the -sudden bends closing in every outlet. But, on the -other hand, you have an incomparably greater river -and higher mountains. I quote again from Mr. Warrington -Smyth the following description of one portion -of the river scenery:</p> - -<p class='c024'>“The high peaks, towering 5,000 feet above the river, -which give it such a sombre appearance, are generally of the -very extensive limestone series. They present tremendous -precipices on some of their sides, and their outlines are -particularly bold.... Some miles above Lūang Prabāng -the large and important tributaries of the Nam Ū and the -Nam Sêng enter the Mê Kawng. The clear transparent -water of these tributaries forms a strong contrast to the -brown sediment-laden water of the Mê Kawng.... In -some of the rapids with sloping bottoms, the first jump over -the edge is very pleasant; the fun then comes in the short -roaring waves. Everybody on board is fully occupied; the -men at the bow-oar canting her head this way and that, -the helmsman helping from the other end to make her take -its straight, the men at the oars pulling for all they are worth, -and the rest bailing mightily, or shouting to any one who has -time to listen. If the rapid is a bad one, the crews land to -have a meal before tackling it, and stop to chew some betel -<span class='pageno' id='Page_155'>155</span>and compare notes after it. So it is always a sociable -event.”</p> - -<p class='c025'>My travelling companion, Dr. Vrooman, thus gives -his impressions.</p> - -<p class='c024'>“The current of the Cambodia is very swift, in places -so much so that it was dangerous to navigate. The river is -nearly a mile wide in places; and where the channel is narrow, -it rushes along with frightful rapidity. No scenery is -finer throughout the entire distance we travelled on it. -Mountains rise from either bank to the height of three or -four thousand feet. The river fills the bottom of a long, -winding valley; and as we glided swiftly down it, there -seemed to move by us the panorama of two half-erect hanging -landscapes of woodland verdure and blossom. Only as -we neared the city did we see rough and craggy mountain -peaks and barren towering precipices.”</p> - -<p class='c025'>Twenty-six years later I descended the Mê Ū River -from Mûang Kwā to Lūang Prabāng, and then ascended -it again. The perpendicular rock-cliffs at its junction -with the Mê Kōng surpass any that I ever saw elsewhere.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Of greater interest to me, however, than roaring -rapids and towering rocks were the evidences of -numerous human habitations perched far above us on -the mountain sides. Rarely can their houses or villages -be seen; but in many places their clearings have -denuded the mountains of all their larger growth. It -was tantalizing not to be able to stop and visit these -people in their homes. But my first opportunity to -make extensive tours among them was not till some -twenty years later. As for the Mê Kōng, my comment -is: If I wished an exciting river trip, and had a comfortable -boat, I should not expect to find a more enchanting -<span class='pageno' id='Page_156'>156</span>stretch of three hundred miles anywhere else -on the face of the earth.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Lūang Prabāng was then the most compactly built -of all Siamese cities outside of Bangkok, which, in -some respects, it resembled. It differs from the other -Lāo cities in having no great rural population and extensive -rice-plains near it. Its rice supply was then -levied from the hill-tribes as a tribute or tax. The -city has a fine situation at the foot of a steep hill some -two hundred feet high, tipped, as usual, with a pagoda. -The Nām Kêng there joins the Mê Kōng, dividing the -city into two unequal portions. The view from the -top of the hill is delightful. The inhabitants belong -to a large branch of the Tai race, extending southward -at least to Cambodia. They are called the Lāo Pung -Khāo (White-bellied Lāo), as ours, because of their -universal practice of tattooing the body, are called Lāo -Pung Dam (Black-bellied).</p> - -<p class='c009'>The Prince of Lūang Prabāng was absent from the -city hunting wild elephants, in which game his province -abounds. The Chao Uparāt gave us a hospitable -welcome. Behind the city is a noted cave in a -mountain, which the natives think is the abode of -the very fiercest evil spirits. No doubt the real spirits -are the malarial germs or the poisonous gas which -later we found to be the chief danger of the Chieng -Dāo cave. It was in this cave that M. Mouhot, a -noted French scientist, contracted the fever from which -he died. The natives believed that his death was -caused by his rashness in trespassing upon the domain -of the spirits who preside over the cave. We were -astonished at some sorts of fish displayed in the -market, such as I never saw anywhere else. Mr. McCarthy -tells of assisting at the capture of one, a plā -<span class='pageno' id='Page_157'>157</span>buk, seven feet long, with a body-girth of four feet -and two inches, and weighing one hundred and thirty -pounds.</p> - -<p class='c009'>We remained in Lūang Prabāng six days, leaving it -on May 14th. I was very loath to go so soon. The -people were eager for books as well as for medicine. -It was the one place where Siamese books were well -understood. We could have disposed of basketfuls -of the Scriptures, as Dr. Peoples did twenty-four years -later. It is one of the anomalies of the twentieth century -that when we finally were ready to establish a -Christian mission, after the country had passed from -non-Christian to Christian rulers, we could not get -permission.</p> - -<p class='c009'>From Lūang Prabāng we again took boat to Tā Dûa, -some sixty miles below. There we bade good-bye to -the wonderful river, and turned our faces homeward. -Our elephants were good travellers, the swiftest we -had so far found. They gave us no chance to stroll -on in advance, and rest till they should come up, as -we had done before. They brought us to Nān in six -days, four of which were spent in travel over high -mountain ridges. Our road passed near the great salt -wells; but we had no time for sight-seeing.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Two experiences on this portion of the trip will not -be forgotten. One was a fall from my tall elephant. -A flock of large birds in covert near us suddenly -flew up with loud shrill cries. I was reclining in the -howdah at the time, and raised myself up to look out -under the hood, and, while suspended there in unstable -equilibrium, another and louder cry close at hand made -the beast give a sudden start backwards, which landed -me in a puddle of water. Fortunately no further damage -was done. Another annoyance, more serious, was -<span class='pageno' id='Page_158'>158</span>the land-leeches which we often encountered when we -dismounted to walk. The whole ground and every -shrub and twig seemed covered with the tiny creatures. -Sensitive to the least noise, each one was holding -on by his tail, and waving his head back and forth -to lay hold of any passing animal. We soon found -that they had a special fondness for the <i>genus homo</i>. -Do what we might, every hundred yards or so we -had to stop to rub them off, while the blood ran -profusely from their bites. We had none of the herbs -which the Mūsô bind on their legs to keep them off.</p> - -<p class='c009'>On Saturday evening we reached Nān, the first place -where I found friends since leaving Chieng Rāi. Chao -Borirak, whom I had met in Chiengmai, nephew of the -Nān Prince, and a few others, were soon on hand to -give us welcome and to offer any aid we needed. The -Prince was a venerable old man, with four sons—fine -men, all of them. The country was well governed, -though it long continued conservative as regards the -adoption of foreign ways and the welcoming of foreign -traders. I fell in love with Nān at first sight, and -marked it for a future mission station.</p> - -<p class='c009'>On our departure from Nān, Chao Borirak accompanied -us as far as Prê, bringing his own elephants—one -of them a colt, which he rode astride like a horse—the -only one, in fact, that I ever saw so used. At Prê -we found our government letter not very effective. -Rupees, however, were effective enough to prevent any -long delay. The ruling authority in Prê has always -seemed weak.</p> - -<div id='i158' class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i158.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>INTERIOR OF A TEMPLE, PRÊ</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>There was an amusing circumstance connected with -an eclipse of the moon while we were there. Since -the conversion of Nān Inta, I had taken pains to -announce each eclipse as it was to occur. I did so in -<span class='pageno' id='Page_159'>159</span>Prê the day before it was due. The eclipse took -place early in the night, and I expected to hear the -city resound with the noise of every gun and firecracker -in the place. But everything was as quiet as -a funeral. It seemed to be regarded as <i>our</i> eclipse. -The silence may have been intended to test our assertion -that Rāhū would renounce his hold without the -noise, or possibly they were unwilling to proclaim thus -publicly the superior wisdom of the foreigner in -predicting it. At any rate, they utterly ignored it, -and let the monster have his will unmolested.</p> - -<p class='c009'>My associate had gained all that could have been -expected from the tour; but an aching tooth was giving -him great trouble, and we hurried on. We reached -home on June 22d, just sixty-eight days out. We -found neither family in very good health. The doctor’s -toothache drove him to such desperation that he -insisted on my trying—all unpractised as I was—to -extract the offending eyetooth. It broke. There was -then nothing to do but to make the trip to Bangkok -for the nearest professional help. By the time he returned, -it began to be evident that he could not hope -to remain long in the field.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Between Bangkok, Pechaburī, and Chiengmai, I had -been fifteen years in the field; and my wife had been -in the country from girlhood without change. We had -both endured it remarkably well, considering that we -had had the strain of starting two new stations. Before -the end of the year, however, my wife had reached -the limit of her strength, and it became necessary to -hurry her out of the country. So, on the 3d of January, -1873, she was carried in a chair to the boat, and -we embarked for the United States.</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_160'>160</span> - <h2 id='ch14' class='c010'>XIV<br /> <br />THE FIRST FURLOUGH</h2> -</div> -<p class='c011'>The tour of the previous season had been so -hasty and unsatisfactory, that I was very -anxious, if possible, to duplicate the homeward -stretch of it as far as Nān, then descend the Pitsanulōk -Fork to the Mênam, and so follow my family to Bangkok. -But would it be safe to leave my wife to make -the river trip without me, when she was in such weak -condition, and burdened with the care of four children, -the youngest of whom was but two years old? -I embarked and travelled with them as far as the landing -for Lampūn—where we must separate, if I were -to cross over to Nān—still uncertain as to what I -ought to do. It was then Friday. We decided to stop -there over Sunday, and see how matters looked on -Monday morning. The quiet and rest of the boat were -improving her condition somewhat; and her own -bravery made up whatever was lacking there. I had -secured a strong letter from the Prince, calling for -the best of steersmen through the rapids, and for -protection where the boat should stop for the night. -So, with some anxiety, but with strong faith that the -plan in itself so desirable would prosper, we separated—one -party going by boat down the Mê Ping, and the -other going afoot across country to Lampūn. For the -present we leave the wife and children, to hear their -report when we meet again.</p> - -<p class='c009'><span class='pageno' id='Page_161'>161</span>My plan was to rely on getting elephants from point -to point. Elephants are always very hard to get; so -it seemed doubtful whether my confidence were faith -or presumption. But I was remarkably favoured. At -Lampūn there was not an elephant nearer than the -forests, save two of the governor’s own. I had trusted -to his friendship, and it did not fail me. I got off -in fine style next morning on the governor’s two elephants, -with a letter to all the governors on the route -directing them to see that I was supplied with whatever -I needed on the journey.</p> - -<p class='c009'>I felt strong in having with me, in the person of -Nān Inta, so wise a teacher and such a living witness -of the power of the Gospel. On our first visits it has -usually seemed wise to spend much of the time in visiting -and making known the Gospel privately to those -of reputation, as we know one wise missionary did -in old times. It is necessary to give the rulers a clear -idea of the non-political nature of our work. In order -to do this, we must show positively what our message -is—not merely that we are religious teachers, but that, -as such, we have a message different from all others, -not antagonistic or hostile to them, but supplementing -rather that which they offer.</p> - -<p class='c009'>In visiting among the princely families in the old -city of Lakawn we met one most interesting case. It -was that of an aged bedridden Princess high in rank, -who received the Gospel with all readiness of mind. -By nature, habit, and grace she had been very religious. -She had in her day built temples and rest-houses, had -feasted Buddhist monks, and had fasted times without -number, in order to lay up a store of merit for the -great future. She hoped sometimes that she had -laid up a sufficient store; but the five and the eight -<span class='pageno' id='Page_162'>162</span>commands were against her. She had killed animals; -and the command is explicit, and condemns without a -saviour. That the Creator of all had made these -creatures for our use and benefit was a new idea. That -of itself would remove much of the burden on her conscience. -And as one after another of the great truths -of revelation was opened up to her, particularly the -doctrine of the incarnation and atonement of our divine-human -Redeemer, it seemed as if the burden was -lifted. Nān Inta was himself a living testimony that the -Christian teaching can and does give instantaneous -relief when simply believed. It is difficult to tell -which was more touching, the sympathetic earnestness -of the speaker, or the comfort it imparted to the -hearer. The Princess begged us to come again and -often. And neither of us found any other place so -attractive.</p> - -<p class='c009'>After a week spent in Lakawn, we departed on our -way to Nān. The next Sunday we spent in the forest. -I look back with delightful memories to the occasional -Sabbaths thus spent in the deep forest after a -busy week with no rest and no privacy—a Sabbath -in solitude, away from every noise, and even every -song except the music of the wind and the song of -birds! We always had service with our men; and -then, under the shade of some cool spreading tree, or -beside a flowing brook, one could be alone and yet not -alone. No one more needs such retirement than a -missionary, whose work is always a giving-out, with -fewer external aids for resupply than others have.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The next Sunday we spent in Wieng Sā, the first -of the numerous little outlying towns of Nān. On -Monday we reached Nān itself, the limit of our tour in -that direction. The country was well governed, the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_163'>163</span>princes intelligent, and the common people friendly. -But the special attraction that Nān had for me largely -centred around one man, the Prince’s nephew, Chao -Borirak—the one that rode astride the young elephant -to see us safe to Prê on our earlier trip, with whom -we used to talk religion about the camp-fires till the -small hours of the morning. We left him then apparently -on the border land of Christianity, with -strong hope that he soon would be ready to profess -publicly the faith which he was almost ready to confess -to us. His rank and connection would make him -of great assistance in opening a station in Nān, which, -next to Chiengmai, was the most important province -in the Lāo region. Again he offered us a warm welcome, -giving up his time to visiting with us the rulers -and the monasteries, in one of which his son had long -been an abbot. It seemed as if Nān Inta’s experience -would be all that was needed to settle his faith. At -his request I asked and received permission from the -Prince for him again to accompany us—with his young -elephant foal and her mother—five days’ journey to -Tā It, where I was to take boat. Our walks by day -and our talks by night are never to be forgotten. But -the convenient season to make a public profession never -came. He lived in hope of seeing a station in Nān, but -died not long before the station was established.</p> - -<p class='c009'>At Tā It no boat was to be had either for sale or -for hire. But my face was turned toward home, and I -would have gone on a raft. I had to do the next thing—to -take a small dug-out which the Prince got for -me, and go on to Utaradit, the next town below. There -I was able to purchase a boat, which I afterwards sold -in Bangkok for what it cost me. Nān Inta was the -steersman, and my four men rowed. Our longest stop -<span class='pageno' id='Page_164'>164</span>was at Pitsanulōk, where the Siamese mission now -has a station. On reaching Bangkok I was delighted -to find that my family had made their long trip down -the other river in safety, though not without great -anxiety, and some threatened danger. Our oldest -daughter had been quite ill on the way. Once they -came perilously near falling a prey to a band of -robbers. It was only by a clever ruse of the captain -that they escaped. As soon as he caught sight of the -suspicious-looking group of men on a sand-bar ahead, -he had the gong loudly sounded. That and the waving -American flag evidently made them think that this -was the leading boat of some prince’s flotilla. They -incontinently fled into the forest. At the next stopping-place -our boatmen learned that it was, indeed, -a marauding band that had committed many depredations -on passing boats. What a merciful preservation!</p> - -<p class='c009'>We spent a few weeks in Bangkok, resting and visiting -in the home of my father-in-law, Dr. Bradley, of -sainted memory. It proved to be the last time that -we ever saw him. He lived only a few months after -that.</p> - -<p class='c009'>In fifteen years the world had moved. Going round -“the Cape,” even in a good clipper ship like the <i>David -Brown</i>, had become too slow. We took, instead, the -steamship <i>Patroclus</i> from Singapore to London, via -the Suez Canal. The Rev. Mr. Keyesberry, a missionary -friend of Dr. Bradley’s, had been waiting to find -an escort to England for two young sons and a -daughter. We gladly undertook that service, and so -had a flock of seven young folks to look after!</p> - -<p class='c009'>We were barely under way when our own children -broke out with the measles. The disease, fortunately, -proved to be of a mild type, and our new charges were -<span class='pageno' id='Page_165'>165</span>not hard to manage. So, on the whole, we got along -very well. In London we had unexpected trouble because -the friend who was to meet Alice Keyesberry -at the dock failed to appear, and, strangely enough, we -had received no memorandum of her destination. It -cost us two days’ search to discover her friends at the -Walthamstow Mission School.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The boys I had promised to convoy as far as Edinburgh. -So, leaving my family in London, I had the -great pleasure of a visit to the beautiful Scotch capital. -The day spent there was to me a memorable -one. It was, however, a matter of great regret that, -being so near the Highlands, I could not also visit the -original home of my ancestors.</p> - -<p class='c009'>We arrived in New York on July 11th, 1873, after -an absence of fifteen years. Under any circumstances -fifteen years would work great changes. But that -particular fifteen had included the Civil War. The -changes in the South were heart-rending.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Though North Carolina was drawn late into the -Confederacy, it is said that she furnished a larger -number per capita of soldiers and had a larger number -of casualties than any other state in the South. -The havoc among my old schoolmates and pupils, and -among my flock, was distressing. In many places, too, -the sectional feeling was still bitter. The wisest of -the people, however, were becoming fully reconciled -to the results of the war. The largest slaveholder in -my own section assured me that the freeing of his -slaves had been a boon to him, and that he was clearing -more from his old farm under free labour than -he had done before with slaves.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Unfortunately in the churches the feeling was more -bitter. My old associate, Dr. Mattoon, had accepted -<span class='pageno' id='Page_166'>166</span>the presidency of Biddle Institute at Charlotte—now -Biddle University (colored). For a time he was very -coldly received except by such broad-minded men as -his old Princeton classmate, and my friend, Dr. Charles -Phillips. By virtue, however, of his noble Christian -character and his conservative bearing, Dr. Mattoon -overcame these prejudices, and lived to be welcomed -in the largest churches in the state. I spent most -of my furlough in North Carolina; and personally I -received a welcome almost as warm as if I were a missionary -of the Southern Board. Returned missionaries -were not numerous then. It was not an uncommon -thing for me to lecture in churches which had never -before seen the face of a foreign missionary.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Soon after our arrival in the United States news -came of the resignation of Dr. Vrooman; and my first -duty was to find a successor. For myself, and even for -my family, I could endure to return without one. But -I could not face the distressing appeals from the sick -whose ailments I was powerless to relieve. In my visits -among friends in North Carolina I met a young -medical graduate, Dr. M. A. Cheek, who received from -warm friends of the mission flattering recommendations -for the place. He himself was pleased with the -opening, and would willingly accept it, if he could first -take a graduate course in surgery. This was easily -arranged, and he was ready to return with us the following -summer.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The hardest thing to face was the parting with our -children. But the bitterness of this pang was softened -by the kindness of friends which opened the best -of Christian homes and schools to receive them. We -can never sufficiently express our gratitude for the -kindness shown us in this matter by the late Mrs. E. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_167'>167</span>N. Grant and Miss Mitchell of the Statesville Female -College, and to Mrs. McNeill, the widow of my old -pastor.</p> - -<p class='c009'>These two great questions settled, we left North -Carolina in March, 1874—my wife with the two -younger children, to visit friends and relatives in the -North; and I, as I hoped, to visit the churches and the -seminaries in search of recruits. But a cold contracted -on the trip north ran into a dangerous attack -of pleuro-pneumonia, followed by a slow recovery. Thus -I missed my visits to the seminaries and the meeting -of the General Assembly in St. Louis.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The return to the field was by way of San Francisco, -and we reached Bangkok on August 27th, 1874. -On November 14th a son was given us to take the -place of the children left behind. In December began -our river journey to Chiengmai. The river was -low, and we were a month and a day from Bangkok -to Rahêng. There we found four missionaries of the -Nova Scotia Baptist Board seeking to establish a station -among the Karens of Siam. But they found their -villages too small and too widely scattered to justify -the establishment of a station. So they were returning -to Burma. On Saturday night we all dined together, -and had a sociable hour. On Sunday evening -we drew up our boats side by side, and had a prayer-meeting -that we shall long remember. There was -something delightful in thus meeting and enjoying -Christian fellowship on a sand-bar, and then passing -on to our respective fields of work. Some of these -men afterwards went to India, and started the Telegu -mission, which has had phenomenal success.</p> - -<p class='c009'>There were still the rapids and four more weeks -of travel before we could reach our Lāo home. But -<span class='pageno' id='Page_168'>168</span>the home-coming at last was delightful. Our faithful -old coolie, Lung In, with his wife, met us in a small -boat three days’ journey below Chiengmai, with fruit -and fowls lest we should be in want. Then the tall -figure of Nān Inta, with his face like a benediction!</p> - -<p class='c009'>It was February 7th, 1875, when at last we drew -up alongside our own landing-place, and felt the warm -handshake of old friends. Among the Lāo at last!—and -no place that we had seen would we exchange -for our Lāo home. For the first time since our arrival -in 1867 we had a permanent house to enter!</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_169'>169</span> - <h2 id='ch15' class='c010'>XV<br /> <br />MÛANG KÊN AND CHIENG DĀO</h2> -</div> -<p class='c011'>Dr. Cheek’s arrival was a matter of great rejoicing. -He was very young—only twenty-one, -in fact, on the day he sailed from San -Francisco. The trying drudgery that he and others -of our early medical missionaries had to endure, is now -in great measure obviated through the help of native -assistants. The remainder of the year 1875 I devoted -very largely to assisting in the medical work, interpreting, -helping in operations, and caring for the -souls of the numerous patients, without feeling the -weight of responsibility for their physical condition, -as I had done before. Dr. Cheek came out a single -man; but, like others before him, he lost his heart on -the way. Toward the end of that year he went down -to Bangkok, and was married to Miss Sarah A. Bradley. -He returned to Chiengmai just as Mr. Wilson was -ready to start for the United States on his second -furlough. The April communion was postponed a -week that the newly-arrived and the departing missionaries -might commune together before separating. It -was Mrs. Wilson’s last communion with us.</p> - -<p class='c009'>In May, 1876, Nān Inta was ordained our first ruling -elder. The story has often been told that before his -ordination the Confession of Faith was given him to -read carefully, since he would be asked whether he -subscribed to its doctrines. When he had finished the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_170'>170</span>reading, he remarked that he saw nothing peculiar in -its teachings. It was very much like what he had read -in Paul’s Epistles! In January Pā Kamun, the widow -of Noi Sunya, was baptized. It was thus appropriately -given to her to be the first woman received into -the communion of the church. Two of her daughters, -and Pā Peng, the wife of Nān Inta, soon followed. -Lung In was elected the first deacon, but was too modest -to be ordained to that office. Meanwhile he was -becoming a most useful assistant in the hospital. -Strange as it may seem, the office of hospital nurse is -one of the most difficult to get a Lāo to fill. Lung -In, however, was not above the most menial service for -the sick. His real successor was not found until the -present incumbent, Dr. Kêo, was trained. Dr. McKean’s -testimony is that it would be scarcely more -difficult to procure a good surgeon than to fill Kêo’s -place as nurse and assistant among the hospital patients.</p> - -<p class='c009'>During the summer of 1876, in company with Nān -Inta, I made a tour among the four nearest provinces -to the north and west. The governor of Mûang Kên -had long given promise of becoming a Christian, and -now invited me to visit his people. On his frequent -visits to Chiengmai on business, he always called on -me, and no subject was so interesting to him as the -subject of religion. Before the proclamation of toleration, -while the common people were still afraid of -making a public profession of Christianity, our most -effective work was probably that with the higher class -of officials, who stood in somewhat less fear of the -known antagonism of the Chao Uparāt. They were, -besides, a more interesting class than the common -people, for they were better educated, were more accustomed -<span class='pageno' id='Page_171'>171</span>in their daily duties to weigh arguments and -decide on questions of evidence, and many of them had -been trained in the religious order.</p> - -<p class='c009'>This governor of Mûang Kên had learned enough of -the tenets of Christianity to become unsettled and dissatisfied -with the prospects of salvation offered by a -purely ethical religion. He saw the weakness of the -foundation on which he had been taught to rely, and -the difference between the authors of the two religions. -So he stood on the border land between the two, at -the very gate, wishing to enter in, but with many obstacles -in his way, and strong opposing influences to -overcome.</p> - -<p class='c009'>My first objective, then, on this tour was Mûang Kên. -The governor had asked me to come and smooth the -way for him by teaching his under-officials and his -townsmen. Nān Inta was the living, concrete argument, -and he put his whole heart into it. We had a -few days of deeply interesting work. Few, however, -saw the matter as the governor did. Most of them -“would consider it.” Some would go further and say -that they worshipped Jesus under the name of their -promised Buddha Metraya, yet to come.</p> - -<p class='c009'>From Mûang Kên we went to Chieng Dāo, where -we visited the great cave with its famous Buddhist -shrine. Ever since Nān Inta became a Christian, he -had been anxious to test the truth of some of the -legends connected with the place—a thing he dared -not do before. The cave is the abode of the great -Lawa spirit, for fear of offending whom Prince -Kāwilōrot was afraid to allow us to build to the north -of the city bridge in Chiengmai. Chieng Dāo mountain, -which rises above the cave, is seven thousand -one hundred and sixty feet high—one of the highest -<span class='pageno' id='Page_172'>172</span>peaks in all Siam, and visible from Chiengmai, some -thirty-seven miles away. One of the sources of the Mê -Ping River, twenty feet wide and knee-deep, flows -bodily out from the cave. Since no animal is allowed -to be killed in so sacred a place, the stream abounds -in a great variety of beautiful fish waiting for the -food which no visitor fails to give them. The scramble -for it is as interesting to watch as the performance of -the sea-lions at San Francisco.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The legend is that no one can cross the stream inside -the cave and return alive; and that beyond the -stream, under the crest of the mountain, there is an -image of pure gold seven cubits high. One enters the -cave at a little distance from the stream, and finds -first a grand chamber which is a veritable temple, with -arched dome, natural pulpit, and innumerable images -of Buddha, large and small. This place is regarded -as a most sacred shrine. Buddhist monks are always -there performing their devotions. The chamber is so -dark that they have to use tapers to see to read. The -dim light and the long-drawn tones of the worshippers -produce a very weird impression.</p> - -<p class='c009'>From the temple-chamber narrow passages lead off -in different directions, till there is danger of losing -one’s way in the labyrinth. I followed Nān Inta and -his sons to the stream, which is reached at some -distance farther on. Being neither tall nor a swimmer, -I stopped and sauntered about in the various -rooms, waiting for my companions to verify or to disprove -the legend. Needless to say, both parts of it -were proved myths. My companions did return alive, -and no golden image was found. The cave is too -damp to make it safe for one to remain long in those -distant passages. Farther on the tapers burned but -<span class='pageno' id='Page_173'>173</span>very dimly; and one would not choose to be left there -in pitch darkness. We could understand very well -how the legend arose of Yaks that devour those that -intrude into their dark caverns. There is no doubt -of the presence of a deadly gas much more to be -feared than the spirit of the great Lawa king, which -is believed to have taken up his abode there. We all -experienced more or less of the symptoms premonitory -of malarial attack, and before we got back to the -town Nān Inta was shaking with a genuine chill. A -heroic dose, however, of Warburg’s tincture with -quinine soon set him to rights. In this case, then, as -in many others, there is a foundation of truth at the -bottom of the legend.</p> - -<p class='c009'>That night we had a great audience. It was generally -known that we intended to explore the cave, and -many, no doubt, came to see how we had fared. It -was well that Nān Inta had so far recovered from his -morning’s chill as to be ready to join in bearing testimony -not only to the falsity of the legend, but also -to the truth of the Gospel. It was a bright moonlight -night, and the people listened till very late, while we -sang hymns, preached the Gospel, and pointed them -to the better way. The result was seen years after -in the founding of a church there.</p> - -<p class='c009'>All these provinces that we were now visiting, and -others more distant still, were originally settled by -refugees driven from the more southern districts by the -persecution for witchcraft. Now they are important -provinces. Since these people had been ruthlessly -driven forth because of the spirits, I thought they -would willingly accept any way of escape from their -control. But they seemed, if anything, more superstitious -and harder to reach than others. Having suffered -<span class='pageno' id='Page_174'>174</span>once, as they supposed, from the malicious power -of the spirits, they seemed even more than others -to dread to incur their anger again by deserting them. -But there were many hopeful exceptions.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Mûang Pāo was the next city visited. From the incidents -of our stay there I select the cases of two -persons who excited our deepest sympathy. One was -an aged Buddhist monk, a Ngīo, who, with a younger -companion, visited our tent daily. The monk was -a venerable man, with striking features, serene countenance, -earnest and intelligent. His long life had -been spent in worship, meditation, and study. All -this he soon told us with some quite natural pride. -While not bold, he was not reticent, freely stating his -own doctrines, hopes, and fears, and asking ours. To -the question what were his hopes for a future life, he -frankly said, “I don’t know. How can I? I have -tried to keep the commandments, have performed my -devotions, have counted my beads. But whether I -shall go up or down [indicating the directions with his -finger] I do not know. I have done what my books -tell me, but I have no light <i>here</i> [pointing to his heart]. -Can the teacher’s religion give me any light?”</p> - -<p class='c009'>The earnestness and the despondency of the man -drew me to him. I asked, what of his failures and -transgressions? “That,” he said, “is the dark point. -My books say that all my good deeds shall be rewarded, -but the failures and transgressions must be -punished before I can reach Nirvāna, the final -emancipation of the soul by the extinction of all desire.” -“How long will that be?” we ask. He answered -by giving a number that would baffle even -astronomers, who are accustomed to deal in almost -fabulous numbers.</p> - -<p class='c009'><span class='pageno' id='Page_175'>175</span>“But is not that virtually endless?”</p> - -<p class='c009'>“Yes; but what shall we do? That is what our -books say.”</p> - -<p class='c009'>“But is there no room for pardon?”</p> - -<p class='c009'>“No. Buddha only points out the way that he followed -himself. He reached the goal by the same almost -endless journey. How shall we hope to do so -by any shorter or different route?”</p> - -<p class='c009'>“But supposing there is a way—that there is a great -sovereign of the universe, before all Buddhas and -higher than all Buddhas, who has the right and the -authority to grant full pardon through his own infinite -merit, and his vicarious assumption of all our -obligations and payment of all our debts. Would not -that be a joyful message?”</p> - -<p class='c009'>“Yes; if true, it would be.”</p> - -<p class='c009'>And so we argued till light seemed to gleam for once -into his mind. But the image of the dear old man -pointing up and then down with the sad confession, “I -know not whither I shall go,” is a vision that has saddened -me many a time since.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The other case of special interest I state as it occurred, -with no attempt at explanation of the dream -involved in the story.—On the morning after our arrival, -Nān Inta and I started out to visit monasteries or -houses, wherever we might find listeners. I was -dressed in white clothes, and Nān Inta had on a white -jacket. We had made a number of calls, and were -about to pass by a house in which we saw only an -elderly woman and some children, presumably her -grandchildren. We were surprised to see her come -down from her house and run out after us, and -prostrating herself with the customary salutation given -to priests and princes, she begged us to stop and come -<span class='pageno' id='Page_176'>176</span>in. We accepted her invitation, though surprised at -her evident demonstrations of joy. Sitting down on -the mat, we began to explain that we were teachers -of religion, pointing out the sure way of happiness -both in this life and in the life to come. Our message -was one from the great God and Creator to all -races and nations, inviting them to return from all -other refuges, and He would give them an inheritance -as His children in the life to come. She listened with -marked interest as we explained to her our religion, -and urged her to accept it. We were surprised at the -explanation she gave of her intense interest.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Not long before our arrival she had a dream that -two men dressed in white came to her to teach her. -What they were to teach her she did not know; but -when she saw us walking up the street she said, “There -is the fulfilment of my dream!” She had watched us -as we entered other houses, fearful lest we should omit -hers. Now she was so glad we had come. It was at -least a strange coincidence, for she affirmed that the -dream was before she had ever heard of us. Whatever -may have been the cause, it was a delight to instruct -one who seemed to receive all that we said as a direct -message to her. This at once attracted Nān Inta to -her, and she listened to him with frequent exclamations -of delight, while he, in his earnest manner, explained -the Gospel message of pardon and life eternal -through Him who liveth and was dead, and behold He -is alive for evermore. She said her one great desire -had been to escape from the punishment of her sins; -but she never before had known that there was any -other way but to suffer for them herself. She, too, -was a Ngīo. We visited her frequently during the -week of our stay in Mûang Pāo, and to the last she -<span class='pageno' id='Page_177'>177</span>interpreted our coming as the fulfilment of her dream. -This was the last that we knew either of her or of the -aged monk. Before we visited the place again she was -dead, and he had moved away.</p> - -<p class='c009'>In those days when the people were afraid to make -a public profession of Christianity, it would have been -a great gain to the mission if we could have had -schools, and used them as a means of evangelizing the -youth. A first attempt, indeed, had been made by Mr. -Wilson with a few Burmese boys. A young Burmese -who had been trained in Maulmein, and who spoke -English, was employed to teach them under Mr. Wilson’s -oversight, in the hope that Lāo boys would presently -join them. This hope was not realized, and the -experiment was presently abandoned.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The first call for a Christian school was for the -education of girls. In the first Christian families girls -predominated. Mrs. McGilvary collected six or eight -Christian girls, and devoted as much time to them -as her strength and her family duties would permit. -They were really private pupils, living on our premises -and in our family. More wished to come than she -could do justice to. Hence about this time an appeal -was made for two single ladies to devote their whole -time to the school. But it was not till four years -later that Miss Edna E. Cole and Miss Mary Campbell -of the Oxford Female Seminary, Ohio, reached -Chiengmai. Very soon they had twenty pupils. From -this small beginning has grown our large Girls’ School. -Two of Mrs. McGilvary’s pupils were soon made assistants. -These and others of the first group became -fine women, who have left their mark on the church -and the country.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Notwithstanding our disappointment in the delay -<span class='pageno' id='Page_178'>178</span>of the school for boys, it proved a wise arrangement -that the Girls’ School was started first. A mission -church is sure to be greatly handicapped whose young -men must either remain single—which they will not do—or -be compelled to take ignorant non-Christian wives. -Such are a dead-weight to the husband, and the children -almost surely follow the mother. After marriage, -the almost universal custom of the country has -been that the husband lives with the wife’s family. -He becomes identified with it, and for the time a subordinate -member of it, almost to the extent of becoming -weaned from his own family. Where all the atmosphere -of the family is strongly Buddhist, with -daily offerings to the spirits and gala days at the temple, -the current would be too strong for a father, with -his secondary place in the family, to withstand. For a -while it was feared that Christian girls would have -difficulty in finding husbands. But, on the contrary, -our educated girls become not only more intelligent, -but more attractive in manners, dress, and character; -and, therefore, have been much sought after. The -homes become Christian homes, and the children are -reared in a Christian atmosphere. The result is that, -instead of the wife’s dragging the husband down, she -generally raises the husband up; and, as a general -rule, the children early become Christians.</p> - -<p class='c009'>In August, 1876, our beloved Princess became very -seriously ill. Dr. Cheek had been called upon to -treat domestics in the family, but not the Prince or -Princess. Hearing that she was in a critical condition -under native doctors, and fearing the worst, I -took the liberty of suggesting that they consult Dr. -Cheek. They seemed pleased with the suggestion, and -asked me to accompany him—which I did for one or -<span class='pageno' id='Page_179'>179</span>two visits. His treatment was very successful, and -soon she was convalescent.</p> - -<p class='c009'>About this same time we had an adventure with -white ants which came near costing us our much-valued -cabinet organ. It will serve to illustrate an -experience formerly common enough, and still not unknown. -One Wednesday evening before prayer-meeting -Mrs. McGilvary sat down at the instrument to look -over the tunes, when she found it full of white ants. -Our house was built on higher ground, into which the -creatures are driven when the lower grounds are filled -with water from the annual floods. They do not attack -the teak walls and floors of our houses, but, -climbing up the posts, at last they stumbled upon the -soft wood and leather inside the organ, and were just -beginning their feast when our meeting broke in upon -them. Had we not discovered them then, the instrument -would have been completely wrecked before -morning.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Once the white ants destroyed a trunkful of our -children’s clothes, once a box of “knock-down” chairs, -and once they attacked my library—evidently not at -all deterred by the learned discussions and deep -thought of Dr. Joseph A. Alexander’s <i>Commentary on -Isaiah</i>. They had got through the margin, and would -soon have digested the rest, had not an unexpected -occasion for opening the library saved it.</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_180'>180</span> - <h2 id='ch16' class='c010'>XVI<br /> <br />SEEKERS AFTER GOD</h2> -</div> -<p class='c011'>On New Year’s Day, 1877, I went into the city to -make some calls. The first was at the new -palace. In the large reception hall I found -the Princess, virtually alone. She was embroidering -some fancy pillow-ends for the priests—a work in -which she was an expert. Her maidens, some distance -off, were sewing priests’ robes. The Prince was in his -little workshop not far off, turning ivory rounds for -the railing of an elephant howdah, a favourite amusement -with him.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The subject of religion was one that continually came -up in all my interviews with the Princess; but hitherto -she had apparently argued more for victory than from -a desire to reach the truth. She was as keen as a -lawyer to seize a point, and her quick wit made her a -very enjoyable antagonist. Not only she and her -domestics, but the whole country as well, had been -preparing for a great occasion of merit-making in connection -with the approaching dedication of a shrine. -Whether the peculiar interest of this conversation was -due to the fact that these matters had been running -in her mind, or to some particular mood in which I -found her, I never knew. Most likely it was both. A -chance allusion to the great event which was in every -one’s mouth, at once brought up the question. Stopping -her work and resting her arms on the embroidery -<span class='pageno' id='Page_181'>181</span>frame, she asked, “Why is it that foreigners do not -worship the Buddha or his images, and do not believe -that merit is made thereby?”</p> - -<p class='c009'>She seemed to approach the question as a personal -one for herself. If we were right and she were wrong, -she would like to know it. We agreed on that point, -and I encouraged her in her estimate of its paramount -importance to every rational man or woman. If -Buddhism does, indeed, lead to happiness in a future -life, she was wise in diligently following its precepts; -but if wrong, it would be a fatal mistake. Why do we -not worship Buddha? Because he was only a man. -We reverence his character, as we do that of other -upright men who have tried to do good and to lead -their fellow-men to better things. Gautama Buddha -seems to have sought with all his soul for light—was -willing to forsake a kingdom and to renounce all -sensual and even intellectual pleasures in this life for -the hope of escaping sin and its consequences in the -next.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Why do we worship Jehovah-Jesus? Because He is -our sovereign Lord. The Buddha groaned under his -own load of guilt, and was oppressed by the sad and -universal consequences of sin among men. The Christ -challenged His enemies to convince Him of sin, and His -enemies to this day have confessed that they find no -sin in Him. Buddhists believe that Buddha reached -Nirvāna after having himself passed through every -form of being in the universe—having been in turn -every animal in the seas, on the earth, and in the air. -He did this by an inexorable law that he and every -other being is subject to, and cannot evade. Our Jehovah-Jesus, -as our Scriptures teach, is the only self-existent -being in the universe, and Himself the cause -<span class='pageno' id='Page_182'>182</span>of all other beings. An infinite Spirit and invisible, He -manifested Himself to the world by descending from -heaven, becoming man, taking on our nature in unison -with His own holy nature, but with no taint of sin. -He did this out of infinite love and pity for our race -after it had sinned. He saw there was no other able -to save, and He became our Saviour.</p> - -<p class='c009'>And take the teachings of the two systems—which -is the more credible? The sacred books of the Princess -teach that there is no Creator. Everything, as the -Siamese say, “pen ēng”—comes to be of itself. All -this complicated universe became what it is by a fortuitous -concurrence of atoms, which atoms themselves -had no creator. We come as honest seekers for truth. -We look around, above, beneath. Everything seems to -imply the contrivance of mind. The sun rises and sets -with greater regularity than our clocks strike the hour -of noon. The seasons follow each other with wonderful -uniformity. Animals are born and die, plants and -trees grow and decay, each after its kind, and in wonderful -adjustment to the conditions about them. The -eye is made for seeing, the ear for hearing, and the -air for breathing. Light is necessary for work by day, -and darkness for sleep by night. This city has its walls -and gates; this palace has its beams, its roof, its doors -and windows, and its different apartments, because it -was so planned. The Princess gives her orders, and -her servants in distant villages come at her summons. -The Prince’s command is obeyed throughout all his -dominions. Subjects obey because they are under constituted -authority. Even so we obey Jehovah and not -Buddha, because we believe that He is the Creator and -the sovereign Lord of the universe.</p> - -<p class='c009'>In His word—His letter to our race—He claims -<span class='pageno' id='Page_183'>183</span>to be Creator and Lord. We read His word, and -then we look around for evidence as to whether this is -really so. We find that evidence in earth and sea -and sky. A letter comes from the King of Siam. How -do we know that it is really his? It has his seal. -Not otherwise “the heavens declare the glory of God, -and the firmament showeth His handiwork.” By faith, -then, we believe that the worlds were made, as His word -tells us. We read the account of that creation. What -wonderful beings we are!—made in His image, endowed -in our degrees with His own attributes, and with -authority over the world in which He has placed us. -He has given us dominion over all the beasts of the -earth, the fowls of the air, and the fish of the sea. -Every time that a Buddhist kills a fish or a fowl, he -sins, because he breaks a command of his religion. -Why not so for a Christian? Because these creatures -were made for man’s use, and were given to him. We -partake with gratitude of the gifts our Father has provided -for us. This one great truth, when received by -Christians, relieves the conscience of one of the greatest -burdens that the followers of Buddha must bear.</p> - -<p class='c009'>But if God made man in His image, why all this -suffering that we see and feel? The best explanation -ever given is that given in the Bible. Man was created -holy, and was put on trial. He transgressed. A subject -who disobeys the law of his sovereign incurs his -displeasure. He suffers for it. We are suffering from -this disobedience of our first parents by a law that we -daily see exemplified. A man by extravagance or vice -squanders his estate. His children are born penniless. -The Prince of Wieng Chan rebelled against the King -of Siam. His country was conquered and laid waste, -and thousands of its inhabitants were made captive -<span class='pageno' id='Page_184'>184</span>and deported. Thousands of the descendants of these -captives are now serfs. Why are they so? Because -of the errors or misfortunes of their ancestors. The -Prince appoints a governor over a province, with the -promise that if he is faithful, his children shall succeed -him. Because of misdemeanor he is deposed. -His descendants are born subjects and not rulers. We -belong to a fallen race.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Somana Gautama belonged to the same race. He -groaned under its pains and penalties. He saw a race -sunk in misery. He saw its religion shamefully corrupt. -He inaugurated one of purer morality. But he -does not profess to be divine or a saviour. His religion -does not offer a sufficient remedy. By asceticism and -self-mortification it would extinguish all noble desire as -well as the vicious instincts with which we are born. -And then, after interminable cycles of transmigrations, -we may hope to reach a state of unconscious sleep. -Happiness and misery are inseparable things. We -escape the one only by escaping the other. That is the -dark prospect which makes Buddhism so pessimistic. -To this the Princess assented, “That is so.”</p> - -<p class='c009'>Now compare this with the religion of Jesus. The -sovereign Father who loves His wandering, sinful children, -in His infinite wisdom devised a plan that satisfies -their needs and desires, “God so loved the world -that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever -believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting -life.” Our Maker became our Redeemer by emptying -Himself of His glory and becoming man. He is Himself -the greatest possible illustration of the love of God to -the race. He came to reveal the Father. His holy life -we have in His word. He set us the only perfect example, -full of pity toward the miserable and the sinful. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_185'>185</span>Then, by a painful and shameful death, He became -Himself a sacrifice for the sins of the world. He -obeyed the law which we had broken, and which condemns -us; and suffered in our stead the penalty due -to us. He conquered death. He took away the sting of -death by taking away sin. He arose from the dead, -showing Himself for many days. He ascended to -heaven before the eyes of His disciples. He has sent -His servants and His word to offer a full and free -pardon to all who will accept. He is now, and ever -will be, our intercessor in heaven. He sends His Spirit -to purify and fit us for an endless state of conscious -existence which begins at death, and not cycles after. -Millions of the best men and women the world has -ever seen have given their testimony to the reality of -this salvation by a triumphant death, with the assurance -that all sin and all suffering were past. Jesus -removed the curse, and brought to light the immortality -which we had forfeited by sin. The missionary and his -associates have left both parents and children that -they might offer this to the Princess and to her -people.</p> - -<p class='c009'>To all of this the Princess was mainly a most interested -listener. She had asked to be taught. She -put no captious questions. I have omitted an occasional -assent that she gave, and an occasional difficulty -or doubt—not all of which could be fully answered; as, -for example, why an all-powerful God allowed the entrance -of sin, and now allows wicked spirits to tempt -us; or that other sad question, why the Gospel had not -been sent to them, so that they might have known this -from childhood—a question the burden of which should -press on my readers as well as on the missionary.</p> - -<p class='c009'>At last, after a long pause, the Princess made a wonderful -<span class='pageno' id='Page_186'>186</span>confession, the very words of which I can never -forget:</p> - -<p class='c009'>“Tā chak wā dūi kwām ching, kā han wā paw krū -ko tūk lêo.” To speak the truth, I see that the father-teacher -is right. “Kā chûa wā kong chak mī Pra Chao -ton dai sāng lōk.” I believe there surely must be some -divine Lord who made the world. “Lê bat nī ko chûa -tī paw krū atibāi dūi kān pon tōt dōi Pra Yēsū.” And -now I believe what the father-teacher has explained -about escape from punishment through the Lord Jesus. -And then, sadly—almost despairingly—she added, “Tê -chak yīa cha dai?” But what shall I do?—I fear it -will not be well to forsake “hīt paw hoi mê”—the customs -of my father, the foot-prints of my mother.</p> - -<p class='c009'>We were sitting in the new brick palace—the first -ever built in the country. In the hall was a large -pier-glass with numerous other foreign articles, most -of them bought in Bangkok, and brought up for offerings -at the coming dedication of the shrine. I asked, -“Princess, did your father or grandfather have a brick -palace like this?” Somewhat surprised at the question, -she replied, “No.” “And I see the Princess -riding down to the landing every day in a foreign carriage. -Did your ancestors do that?” Before I could -make the application, she blushed, perceiving that she -was caught. I went on: “You do daily forsake old -customs, and adopt new ones which your ancestors -never knew. The whole method of government is -changing. This foreign cloth, which your maidens are -sewing for priests’ robes, was all unknown to your -forefathers. These things all come from lands where -the people worship neither the Buddha nor the spirits. -These are only some of the fruits that grow on the tree. -Better still, plant the tree; for all good fruit grows on -<span class='pageno' id='Page_187'>187</span>it.” Just then our long conversation was interrupted -by the entrance of the Prince, who had worked till -he was tired. He asked what she and the teacher were -talking about so long. She replied that we were discussing -“bun lê bāp”—merit and sin.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The question often came up after this. She was in a -position where it was, humanly speaking, almost impossible -for her outwardly to forsake the customs of -the country. But I have reason to know that on that -morning she received truths which she never forgot. -We have seen before that neither she nor her husband -approved of her father’s act in murdering the Christians. -She continued a warm friend to the last, and -so did the Prince.</p> - -<p class='c009'>On my way home that same forenoon I had another -interesting talk with our dear old friend, the abbot of -the Ūmōng monastery, who had been so true to us during -our troubles. On the gate-posts, as I entered, were -offerings of fruit, rice, betel, etc., to propitiate the -spirits. This is in flat violation of one of the fundamental -precepts of Buddhism, which declares that any -one who makes offerings to spirits is outside of the pale, -or, as we should say, is virtually excommunicate. Of -course, my abbot friend exculpated himself from all -complicity in the offerings. He himself neither worshipped -nor feared the spirits. But his disciples and -parishioners did, and he could not withstand them. -He, too, never gave up the form of Buddhism, but he -claimed that he worshipped Jesus daily as the great -Creator and Benefactor of our race. His merit he believed -to be infinitely greater than that of Buddha, -whom he knew to be a man. The abbot was a man -of broad mind, and a true and faithful friend. It is -well that it is not for us to say how much of error -<span class='pageno' id='Page_188'>188</span>is consistent with true discipleship, even in Christian -lands. I know that his deep-rooted friendship for us -was because we were teachers of a religion that offered -hopes which Buddhism does not give. I have in mind -many others, also, who believed our doctrine, though -they were never enrolled in our church; and not a few -that would urge others of their family and friends to -take, as Christians, the open stand which, from various -causes, they themselves were prevented from taking. -But the Lord knoweth them that are His.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The great event of the year 1877 was the dedication -of a Buddhist shrine recently rebuilt on Doi Sutēp, the -noble mountain which is the pride and glory of -Chiengmai. From the level of the plain, and at a -distance of but four miles westward from the city, the -mountain rises in a single sweep four thousand five hundred -feet, forest-crowned to its very summit, seamed -with rushing brooks, and embroidered with gleaming -waterfalls. In the rainy season the play of cloud and -vapor, of sunshine and storm about its mighty mass, -forms an ever-changing picture of surpassing beauty -and grandeur. The Siamese and the Lāo are very fond -of an imposing setting and a commanding view for -their temples and shrines—on bold promontories by -sea or river, on high knolls and summits. The one on -Doi Sutēp crowns a projecting shoulder or bastion of -the mountain, some half-way up, and visible from all -parts of the Chiengmai plain. Each reigning Prince -has been desirous of doing something to beautify and -enrich this shrine. To rebuild it was, therefore, an -attractive idea to Prince Intanon at the beginning of -his rule.</p> - -<div id='i188' class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i188.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>AN ABBOT PREACHING</p> -</div> -</div> -<p class='c011'>To do honour to the occasion, and to make merit -thereby, all the northern states, as far east as Lūang -<span class='pageno' id='Page_189'>189</span>Prabāng, sent their highest officials with costly offerings; -and the government of Siam sent a special representative. -For weeks and months previously the -whole country had been placed under requisition to -make preparations. Offerings were levied from every -town, village, and monastery, and, I believe, from every -household. Each guest of honour had a temporary -house built for him at the foot of the mountain, with -smaller shelters for persons of less rank. Nearly all -the princes and nobles of Chiengmai joined the encampment -at the base of the mountain, and thither, -also, was the city market removed, so that our housekeepers -had to send four miles to market!</p> - -<p class='c009'>I had intended to pitch a tent near the encampment, -so as to be near the people for missionary work. -But a rheumatic attack during the opening days of the -festival prevented. Still, we had as many visitors at -home as we could attend to, and under conditions more -favourable for missionary work.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Such occasions are very attractive to the Lāo people. -For the time being the prohibition against -gambling is removed, and they make the most of it. -It may seem a queer way of making merit, but the -theory is that their merit earns them the right to a -good time for once. Thousands of rupees change -hands on such occasions. The mornings are given to -making offerings, the afternoons to boxing and games, -and the nights to theatricals and gambling. I was -glad that I was prevented from pitching my tent in -the midst of the noise and revelry. All those interested -in religion were the more free to call and converse -with us apart from the princes and the rabble. -Officers and monks from a distance were always especially -welcomed, and few of them in those days returned -<span class='pageno' id='Page_190'>190</span>to their homes without calling on the foreign -teacher.</p> - -<p class='c009'>I did not get off on a long tour that season, being -unable to secure an elephant. It was better so, however, -for early in May Dr. Cheek went to Bangkok to -consult a physician, and went on thence as far as -Hongkong. It was April 30th of the next year before -he got back to Chiengmai. And the season proved to -be one of the most unhealthy in the history of the -mission. Worst of all, we had only six bottles of -quinine to begin the season with. There was a rush -for the quinine, and it seemed cruel to withhold it so -long as any was left. The fever was of a violent -type, and often fatal. Native doctors were helpless before -the scourge. On looking about me for a substitute -for quinine, I found that arsenic was the next -best remedy, and that Fowler’s Solution was the best -form for administering it. But we had not a drop of -the solution. We had, however, a bottle of arsenious -acid, and a United States Dispensatory, so that I had -to become pharmacist as well as doctor. I had all the -ingredients save one, an unessential colouring matter. -So I made it up by the quart. But it was not a medicine -to be trusted in native hands. They were accustomed -to take their own medicine by the potful, and -had the theory that if a little is good, a great deal -would be better.</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_191'>191</span> - <h2 id='ch17' class='c010'>XVII<br /> <br />THE RESIDENT COMMISSIONER</h2> -</div> -<p class='c011'>In this same year, 1877, there occurred an event of -utmost importance to the mission and to the -whole country. We have seen that, up to the -death of Prince Kāwilōrot, those Lāo provinces which -are now a part of Siam had been virtually free states. -The Siamese yoke had been very easy. They had never -been conquered in war. Their original association -with Siam had been a voluntary one, in order to -escape the oppressive rule of Burma. Their location -and their weakness made it a necessity that they should -look to one of these rival kingdoms for protection -against the other. At the same time, they added both -dignity and strength to the one on which they leaned—they -served it as a buffer against the other. Nature -had connected the Lāo country more intimately with -Siam. All its communication with the sea was -through the Mênam Chao Prayā and its tributaries, -while a range of lofty mountains separated it from -Burma. In race and language too, they were Siamese, -and not Burmese.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The relation had been mutually beneficial. Both -parties recognized the advantages of the arrangement, -and were satisfied. The balance of real advantage had -been to the weaker states. Their chiefs, indeed, were -required to make triennial visits to the Siamese capital, -to present there a nominal tribute, and to renew -their oath of allegiance. But with this exception they -<span class='pageno' id='Page_192'>192</span>were virtually free. In his own country the Prince -had absolute rule. The Siamese had never interfered -with, or assumed control of, the internal affairs of the -North Lāo states. It will be remembered that the -sanction of the Siamese government to the establishment -of the mission was given only after the Lāo -Prince had given his.</p> - -<p class='c009'>It was probably an inevitable result that the stronger -power should in time absorb the weaker. And the -course of events had been tending that way. The forests -of teak on the upper branches of the Mênam were -too valuable to be concealed or to remain profitless. -The world needed the timber, and was willing to pay -for it. The country needed its value in money. The -Burmese of Maulmein, who were British subjects, had -skill in working out the timber, which the Lāo had -not. With money and valuable presents they tempted -the Lāo rulers, who formerly had absolute authority -over the forests, to grant them concessions to cut the -timber and market it in Bangkok. Both parties were -avaricious, and both were probably crooked. Larger -bribes sometimes induced a Lāo ruler to issue a second -concession to work a forest already assigned to -an earlier applicant. The result was a constant succession -of lawsuits brought by British subjects against -the Lāo. Since the Lāo states were dependencies of -Siam, the Siamese government was often called upon -to enforce judgment against them; while the Lāo felt -that the Siamese suzerainty ought to shield them from -such attack. Siam was now come to be in fact the -buffer between the Lāo and the outside world. Instead -of the pleasant relations which had hitherto existed -between the two peoples, there was now constant -friction.</p> - -<p class='c009'><span class='pageno' id='Page_193'>193</span>Up to the time when Prince Kāwilōrot gave his public -and official promise before the United States Consul -and the representative of the Siamese government, in -the little sālā at the landing-stage of Wat Chêng in -Bangkok, no foreign power other than the English had -had any claim on the Lāo or any contact with them. -It was only the impolitic act of killing the Christians -which brought the Lāo Prince into conflict with the -representative of the United States government. The -fact that it was the missionaries who were immediately -concerned had nothing to do with the question. Had -the agreement been made with American citizens in -any other capacity or business, the obligation would -have been the same. The Siamese government recognized -the obligation, and, as we have seen, guaranteed -the continuance of the mission. And that guarantee -was an additional reason for having an official representative -of Siam resident in Chiengmai.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Had the new Prince been as strong as he was mild -and good, and had the Chao Uparāt been like him, it -is possible that the old feudal relation might have continued -another generation or two. No doubt the -Siamese government thoroughly trusted the loyalty -of the new Prince; but it did not regard him as a man -sufficiently strong to hold the reins of power at that -juncture. Moreover, all the business of ruling was -largely given over to the Uparāt; and he in a number -of ways had shown his opposition to our work and his -jealousy of the English and of foreigners generally. -When news reached us first that a High Commissioner -was appointed, and then that he was on the way, there -was great anxiety to know what stand he would take -with reference to Christianity.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Prayā Tēp Worachun proved to be an admirable -<span class='pageno' id='Page_194'>194</span>selection for Commissioner. He had many of the qualities -of a statesman. He was cool, calm, patient, and -wise. Judging from the result, it is evident that his -instructions were: to be conservative; to make no rash -or premature move; and to uphold the royal authority -conjointly with the old princely rule—peaceably, if -possible, but firmly—till Siam could assume complete -control. Meanwhile he was to follow the English plan -of governing through the native rulers. He was willing -to bide his time. Every new assumption of power -on the part of Siam was reluctantly yielded by the Lāo. -But everything conspired to favour the policy of Siam. -The Lāo Prince was passive and unambitious. For -the Uparāt no one felt the reverence or the fear that -all had felt for the late Prince Kāwilōrot. The Commissioner’s -fairness and business integrity enabled -him to maintain himself perfectly in his difficult position -between the two branches of the Tai race, and -amid the conflicting interests of the time.</p> - -<p class='c009'>In religion the new Commissioner was a stoic. His -boast was that he needed no other religion than to -be loyal to his king, and upright and just in his dealings -with men. Virtue was its own reward, and vice -was its own punishment. He accepted Gibbon’s conclusion -that all religions are alike good for the state, -alike true for their adherents, and alike false for the -philosopher. He encouraged Christianity because it -taught a good morality and made good citizens. But -he could see neither the possibility nor the necessity of -an atonement for sin. On one point I should say we -were in full accord. In his opposition to the spirit-worship -of the Lāo he was almost rabid. He sympathized -deeply with the poor people accused of witchcraft, -who were driven out of the country.</p> - -<p class='c009'><span class='pageno' id='Page_195'>195</span>During the absence of Dr. Cheek and Mr. Wilson -with their families, I should have been utterly unable -to cope with the situation, had it not been for my wife’s -clear business talent and tact in planning. The little -girls, too, had begun to show somewhat of their -mother’s aptitude for work.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Meanwhile the fever scourge continued to spread and -increase in violence. The progress of the disease was -so rapid that often the person attacked would never -rally at all. An interesting example of the way in -which healing of the body sometimes opened the way -to the healing of the soul, is seen in the case of Sên -Kam, an officer who was in charge of all the irrigation -works on the Doi Saket plain, and who one day was -brought to my gate, as it was supposed, to die. The -new medicine quickly checked his fever, and presently -he began to study in Siamese the Shorter Catechism, -Genesis, and the Gospel of John. In due time he -returned home a believer. But his desertion from -Buddhism caused such opposition in his province that -his baptism was delayed. His family were so shaken -that some of them wished to return to the old worship. -But one young granddaughter of twelve or thirteen -years had begun to read our books and to attend our -services. She refused to return to the monastery, and -would run away from it to the chapel. She persevered -until she brought back the whole family into -the Christian fold.</p> - -<p class='c009'>In further illustration of the crowded experiences -of this time, I may cite the following items from letters -to our children, written during the latter half of -the year 1877.</p> - -<p class='c024'>“Last week the King sent for your father to treat a -prince who had had the fever for fifteen days. During his -<span class='pageno' id='Page_196'>196</span>paroxysms his cries could be heard throughout the whole -neighbourhood. In their extremity they sent for your -father, and gave up the case to him with permission to -remove all spirit-charms during the treatment. He is now -out of danger.” [<span class='sc'>Mrs. McG.</span>]</p> - -<p class='c024'>“For three weeks I have had a young prince in hospital -who had attempted suicide by cutting his throat. He was a -fearful sight. It did not seem possible that he could survive -the night. I sewed up the wound, however, and now he is -well, and apparently penitent.” [<span class='sc'>D. McG.</span>]</p> - -<p class='c024'>“We are well as usual, but engrossed in work. Your -father is pressed beyond measure with the work of two men. -On the return of Dr. Cheek’s boats, we received forty -ounces of quinine; but it is going at a fearful rate. The -hospital is full of patients, and there are at least one -hundred more to be prescribed for daily. If I did not drop -everything else and help him, he could not possibly get -through the day’s work.” [<span class='sc'>Mrs. McG.</span>]</p> - -<p class='c024'>“Soon the quinine was all gone, and our compound was -becoming a veritable lazaretto. Most of the patients were -anæmic and dropsical from long-standing fever. They -came, because to remain at home was to die. Then a new -complication arose. Unusual symptoms began to occur that -I could not account for. One morning at breakfast we -were called to see a little girl who had a hemorrhage. She -had no cough and had no consumption. While I was looking -up the symptoms and cause, your mother discovered -that the bleeding was from the gums. That gave us the -clue. It was scurvy. I found that we had at least thirty -others whose gums were similarly diseased. We began at -once to give them lime-juice, and prescribed vegetables, for -the lack of which they were starving. It is the invariable -custom of Lāo doctors in cases of fever to put the patient on -a strict diet of boiled rice and dried fish. On such diet -some of our patients had been living for two or three months. -They might as well have been on an arctic voyage!” -[<span class='sc'>D. McG.</span>]</p> - -<p class='c024'><span class='pageno' id='Page_197'>197</span>“Day before yesterday we tried to have a picnic. A -princess had promised us two elephants, but only one came. -Your father took a horse. The three children and I rode -the elephant. Our destination was the Doi Sutēp temple. -About half the way up the mountain the elephant either concluded -that there was no fun in going up alone, or, more -probably, that he had an uncomfortable load, and refused -to go any further. He turned out of the road, and tried -to throw the driver from his neck. The children became -alarmed, and we dismounted as best we could. The children -refused to try riding him again; and since we had -come largely for their pleasure, we had our lunch by a -brook, and returned home on foot.” [<span class='sc'>Mrs. McG.</span>]</p> - -<p class='c024'>“We had an interesting incident at our December communion. -Just as I had announced the communion hymn, -I saw Chao Borirak—the Nān prince, who had twice accompanied -me with his elephant on my journeys, and for -whose sake largely one of my trips to Nān had been taken—enter -the room. As he had been the subject of much -special prayer on our part, I could hardly command my -voice sufficiently to proceed with the hymn. On my return -from my furlough he had written that he would visit me at -the first opportunity. His uncle, the Prince of Nān, had -a grandson in danger of losing his sight from an accident. -He had persuaded the Prince that possibly our medicine -might help him. He brought a few presents from the -Prince, and for himself had brought a gold ring with a -native pearl from the Nān river. He is very anxious that I -should move to Nān, but I tell him that he must wait for -you.... With fever and death around us we have been -wonderfully preserved from ‘the pestilence that walketh in -darkness, and the destruction that wasteth at noonday.’ -We have had our anxieties about the children. During the -last hot season we were afraid that little Margaret would -melt away, she was so thin.” [<span class='sc'>D. McG.</span>]</p> - -<p class='c025'>But the labours of the year were not in vain. During -its progress Nān Suwan, who afterwards became -<span class='pageno' id='Page_198'>198</span>the founder of the church in Chieng Sên, and four -others who became influential ruling elders, were baptized. -And with these was Pā Kawng, an aged slave -of the Prince, who lived to be one of the Lāo saints.</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_199'>199</span> - <h2 id='ch18' class='c010'>XVIII<br /> <br />WITCHCRAFT</h2> -</div> -<p class='c011'>On January 6th, 1878, two native converts were -received into the church—Nān Sī Wichai, the -fine scholar who had been Dr. Cheek’s teacher, -and the wife of a leading elder—and with them our -own daughter Cornelia. This was the bright beginning -of the year that brought in religious toleration.</p> - -<p class='c009'>One day in March, as I was sitting in my study, I -was surprised to see a tall man, a stranger, with the -bearing of an officer, enter. He pointed with both -fingers to his ears, and asked if the teacher could say -“Ephphatha,” and open the ears of a deaf man as -Jesus did. It was a strange introduction—to be accosted -by a Lāo with a quotation from Scripture in -the ancient Aramæan tongue! I judged by his accent -that he was from Lakawn. In answer to my enquiry -as to who he was, I learned that he was a Prayā, the -highest rank among Lāo officials; that he had formerly -been first in the Lakawn court, but was not then in -office. But where had he received a Bible, and who -had taught him?</p> - -<p class='c009'>I learned that some twenty years before this he had -accompanied his Prince to Bangkok, and there had met -Dr. Bradley, from whom he received a copy of the Old -Testament History in Siamese, and the New Testament -so far as it was then published. He had learned -Siamese in order to be able to read and understand the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_200'>200</span>contents of these books. He often wished that he had -lived in the time of Christ. But, having no one to -guide him, he had not learned to draw the lessons that -the Bible story was designed to teach.</p> - -<p class='c009'>He had come to Chiengmai to get the assistance of -the princes there in righting an unjust decision of -the Lakawn court against him. He had heard, too, -that there were teachers of a new religion; and he -wished to know whether we taught as did Dr. Bradley -and the books received from him. His position, his -manners, his whole history, including his connection -with my father-in-law, attracted me to him with uncommon -force. Our first interview was long and very -satisfactory. His questions were such as he had long -wished to put to some one who could explain them. -The truth had been securely lodged in his mind. It -was most interesting to see how a single new thought -would illuminate it all.</p> - -<p class='c009'>But what he had sown he was then reaping. While -in power he doubtless had oppressed others. Once he -had received “hush money” from murderers whom he -should have prosecuted. If he had not taken it, he -said they would have murdered him, too. His sins -weighed upon his conscience. His most anxious question -was whether Jesus could really save <i>all</i> men from -<i>all</i> sins. When asked if Buddha could do so, he -said that he never had seen any such promise in any -of the scriptures. He would search again. He went -to an abbot friend from whom he borrowed, as he said, -“books by the armful.” He looked them over with -this one question in view: Is there hope of pardon offered -to sinners? He went a second time for more. -At his third coming the abbot, finding out what he was -after, refused to lend to him further. But he confessed -<span class='pageno' id='Page_201'>201</span>that his search was in vain. He argued with -the monks, refuted them; and they cast him off. Upon -his arrival the Chao Uparāt had promised his assistance -in the lawsuit. When, however, he found that -the Prayā was becoming a Christian, he dropped him. -But he had found an intercessor greater than any -earthly prince. For Him he was willing to face all -opposition and to bear all reproach.</p> - -<p class='c009'>He was baptized on the 8th of May, just before returning -home. The rains had already set in, and were -likely greatly to impede his journey. Yet he reached -Lakawn without encountering a shower. His account -of it afterwards was, that whenever he saw the clouds -threatening, he would wave his hands and pray that -they might be dispersed. Lāo Christians have not become -befogged with doubts as to the efficacy of prayer -for temporal blessings. After his return to his home, -his family all became believers, and others also whom -he taught. At his invitation I went over to instruct -them and to administer the sacraments. Two years -later the number was sufficient to warrant their organization -into a church, of which the Prayā was made -the first elder.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Dr. Cheek’s return at the end of April, 1878, took -from my shoulders the care of the medical work—a -very great burden. During his absence I had put up -a hospital building of six rooms. This since then has -been moved, and now forms the nucleus of the Chiengmai -Hospital. The doctor soon found himself overwhelmed -with practice. He was a fine surgeon and a -good doctor, and had great influence both with princes -and with people. Moreover, Mrs. Cheek’s inheritance -of the language—like my wife’s—was a great advantage -to them both. Only a few days after the doctor’s -<span class='pageno' id='Page_202'>202</span>arrival we lost our valuable hospital assistant, -Lung In. One evening he complained of some trouble -about the heart. He talked a few moments with his -family, then said he felt better and would go to sleep—and -in an instant was gone.</p> - -<hr class='c015' /> - -<p class='c009'>In 1878 Chieng Sên, the old abandoned city which I -visited in 1872, became the theme of anxious consultation -on the part of the government. The Lāo had -taken away the inhabitants, but could not take away -the land. It had become a rendezvous for robbers -and lawless men from all quarters. The Western -Shans from Burma were settling upon it. Siam evidently -must repopulate the province, or lose it. It was -finally agreed that one thousand descendants of the -original captives should be drafted from Chiengmai, -one thousand from Lakawn, and five hundred from -Lampūn, and sent back to reoccupy the province. Chao -Noi Inta, the highest in rank of the available descendants -of the original captive princes, was commissioned -as governor. The special interest this exodus has for -our narrative lies in the fact that among these returned -captives was the family of Nān Suwan, one of -our best men, and already an elder of the church. At -first Nān Suwan thought of buying himself off, as -many did. But when it was pointed out to him that -his going would be the means of starting a church -there, he readily consented to go.</p> - -<div id='i202a' class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i202a.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>INTANON, PRINCE OF CHIENGMAI</p> -</div> -</div> -<div id='i202b' class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i202b.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>ELDER NĀN SUWAN</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c011'>The governor was a warm friend of mine, and was -urgent that we establish a mission and a church there -before Buddhist temples could be built. The province -was virgin soil. A great mortality usually attends the -repeopling of deserted places and the clearing of the -land. The governor was very anxious that we should -<span class='pageno' id='Page_203'>203</span>send a physician. Had we gone then with five hundred -ounces of quinine, we should have had command -of the situation. As it was, Nān Suwan was furnished -with some quinine, which gave him the name of doctor. -Broad-minded, hospitable, kindly, and thoroughly upright, -there could have been no better selection. He -became the real father of the Chieng Sên church. His -family was a light in the city. His youngest daughter, -Kūi Kêo, one of Mrs. McGilvary’s first pupils, taught -most of the early Christians there to read the Scriptures -in Siamese. The elder himself became a great -favourite with the governor, who used to say that the -fact of his being governor, and, therefore, under authority, -alone prevented him from uniting with the church. -Another of the returning captives was Sên Yā Wichai, -the first believer in Chiengmai. He settled on the -western border of the Chieng Sên plain.</p> - -<hr class='c015' /> - -<p class='c009'>The Lāo as a race have been in bondage to the spirits. -We have already had frequent occasion to refer to the -slavish fear of them among all classes, from the highest -to the lowest. No event in life, from birth to the last -offices for the dead, could be undertaken without consulting -or appeasing the presiding spirits of the clan, -the household, or the country. Their anger is the fruitful -cause of every disease and calamity that flesh is -heir to.</p> - -<p class='c009'>In many ways this would seem a less elevating and -ennobling cult than pure Buddhism. But really it -has a much closer affinity with Christianity than has -Buddhism, whether as scientifically held by the learned, -or as embraced by the common people. Buddhism is -too atheistic to bring it into comparison here with -Christianity. It lacks the essential attribute of religion—a -<span class='pageno' id='Page_204'>204</span> sense of dependence on some higher power. -It belongs to a different order of thought. The spirit-cult, -on the other hand, does recognize invisible powers -whose goodwill or illwill brings prosperity or adversity. -From this to one Great Spirit, who is sovereign -over all, is but another step on the same line of -ascent. So their spirit-offerings come nearer the idea -of propitiation than do the offerings of Buddhism, -which in some quite unaccountable manner are supposed -to bring merit to the offerer.</p> - -<p class='c009'>A belief in witchcraft—that is, in the temporary -or permanent residence of some evil spirit in men—has -been confined to no one age or race. Its predominance -among the northern Tai tribes is very remarkable -in view of its inconsistency with Buddhism, which -has long been the religion of the race. In the contest -for supremacy, the spirit-cult, while it has not superseded -Buddhism, has secured the stronger hold on -the people. They worship Buddha and make offerings -in his temples; but they fear and dread the power of -the spirits to inflict present evil. It is safer to neglect -Buddha than these. And the power of a malicious -spirit is most dreaded when it has taken up its abode -in a human habitation.</p> - -<p class='c009'>From the time of our first arrival in Chiengmai we -were continually amazed to find what multitudes of -people had been driven from their homes for supposed -witchcraft. All the northern provinces and towns, as -has already been mentioned, were largely peopled by -that unfortunate class. Accusation of witchcraft had -become one of the most dreaded means of oppression -and persecution. It was a favourite way of getting -rid of an envied rival or of a disagreeable neighbour. -No family and no rank were safe from such attack. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_205'>205</span>Princes, even, had fallen under its ban. When once -the suspicion of witchcraft was well started, the individual -or the family was doomed. Our sympathies -had often been aroused in behalf of these unfortunates; -but no favourable opportunity had occurred for interference -in any other way than by our teaching.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Finally, in August, 1878, the opportunity came. I -had a request from a prince of some wealth and standing, -that I would take under our protection Pā Sêng -Bun and her family, accused of witchcraft. The -woman was first the under-wife of the Prince’s deceased -father, who was a man of note in his day. She -had two fine boys by a subsequent husband, and a niece -nearly grown. This second husband was a widower, -whose former wife was suspected of dealing in the -occult art; and the theory was that the evil spirit -came into her family through these sons. In that -season of heavy rains and flooded streams, the whole -family was to be driven off—some of them surely to die -on the way. The patron said that he was helpless; -that no one in the land, unless it were ourselves, could -shield them from that fate. I told him that we were -perfectly willing to risk the anger of the spirits, only -we did not wish unnecessarily to offend the prejudices -of the people. He was willing to assume all <i>legal</i> responsibility; -for the rest, we might fight it out with -the spirits as we pleased. After notifying the Siamese -Commissioner of the situation, we brought the family -to our place.</p> - -<p class='c009'>That very day their house was burned down; and -not a tree or bush was left standing on the premises -to furnish shelter to the spirits. But that did not stop -the clamour. There was then in their village a great -epidemic of fever. By common consent it was agreed -<span class='pageno' id='Page_206'>206</span>that this had been caused by the evil spirit resident in -the lads. With boyish curiosity they had twice or -thrice gone back to visit the site of their old home, and, -strange to say, after each visit a new case of sickness -had occurred, which was, of course, attributed to their -presence. It was vain to point out the utter ridiculousness -of the idea, or to show that no sickness had -occurred on our place since their arrival. That was -easily explained. The spirit was afraid of our God, -and did not dare to enter the premises. It took refuge -in a large tree outside till the boys came out again, -when it entered its former habitation and went with -them.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Finally the patron prince sent word that we must -give that family up. He could endure the odium no -longer. When I refused, he threatened to take the -matter into court. To this I replied that I was perfectly -willing that the case be tried; but it should not -be tried before a Lāo court, but before the Commissioner. -If they could convince him that the sickness -in the village was caused by a malicious spirit resident -in that family, they should be sent off immediately. -But, I added, it would be fair to make one condition. -If the accusers failed, <i>they</i> should be driven -off. This—as I knew it would do—put an end to the -whole affair. We heard no more of it. It was a great -victory in the demon controversy; and, later, as we -shall see, it proved a boon to scores of helpless victims. -Before the arrival of the Commissioner such -an outcome would have been impossible. No Lāo -court would have refused to expel persons so accused. -The family of Pā Sêng Bun proved to be a treasure, -becoming one of the most influential and valuable in -the Chiengmai church.</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_207'>207</span> - <h2 id='ch19' class='c010'>XIX<br /> <br />THE EDICT OF RELIGIOUS TOLERATION</h2> -</div> -<p class='c011'>Our narrative has now brought us to a point -where an apparently trivial circumstance became -the occasion of an event not only of utmost -importance to us and to our work, but of far-reaching -consequences to the country at large. Sometime -near the middle of this year, 1878, the eldest -daughter of Nān Inta was to be married to a Christian -young man studying for the ministry. Both parties -at that time were virtually members of our family. -The expected bride was a pupil of Mrs. McGilvary’s, -and the groom was a private pupil of mine. The immediate -family connections on both sides were Christians. -Inasmuch as this was the first Christian marriage -in the church, we had prepared to celebrate it -with a little wedding feast. Besides the Christians, a -few princes and a few special friends were invited, all -anxious to see a Christian marriage ceremony. Among -the invited guests was Chao Tēpawong, Nān Inta’s -liege-lord, and brother of the Uparāt.</p> - -<p class='c009'>We learned that the family patriarch—known to be -a violent opposer of Christianity—had threatened to -prevent the marriage, unless we first paid to him, as -tribal head of the family, the spirit-fee originally designed -to furnish a feast for the spirits. It was a -small sum—among common people not more than six -rupees. That payment would legalize marriage without -<span class='pageno' id='Page_208'>208</span>any further ceremony. In fact, the payment may -be regarded as a distinctively religious act, since it -recognizes the spirits as the guardians and protectors -of the family. When one becomes a Christian, that -allegiance is cast off. By an unwritten law or custom -of the country, that fee belonged to the patriarch, -and he decided to exact it or make trouble. I had -explained the marriage ceremony to the princes and to -the Commissioner. I knew that the latter recognized -the justice of our position, and I assumed that the -government would support us if the patriarch caused -any trouble.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Sure enough, early in the morning the patriarch’s -loud voice was heard in our yard threatening dire punishment -to the family if his demand were not granted. -The bride’s father became alarmed, and thought we -must have some official backing, or he would surely -get into trouble. The guests had arrived, and every -one was on the <i>qui vive</i> to see which side was to win -in the contest. I went to the liege-lord of the family -for his sanction; but he said it was too big a question -for him to pass upon. I must go to a higher authority. -It had evidently become a question that could not be -settled that morning. Old Adam would have said, -“Marry them and trust to the justice of your cause. -Let the old patriarch whistle!” But we teach our -Christians to be obedient to the law, and we wished to -avoid unnecessary trouble. So there was nothing to -do but to swallow our mortification, apologize to our -guests, invite them to partake of the feast, and seek -legal sanction afterwards.</p> - -<p class='c009'>After dinner that same day Dr. Cheek and I called -upon the Commissioner. We had failed, and were -come to him for advice. His sympathies were easily -<span class='pageno' id='Page_209'>209</span>enlisted, but he had no authority to interfere in local -or tribal matters. He advised us to go to the Prince. -We did so, meeting him and the Princess alone. Their -position was like that of the Commissioner. They, -too, sympathized with the young couple and with us. -But it raised a new question for them, and they feared -to give offence. The Princess said they had been -criticised by our enemies for standing by us; but if the -Chao Uparāt would give his sanction, no one else, -they thought, would dare oppose. So we went next to -the Uparāt; but there we ran against a stone wall. He -inwardly laughed at our predicament. He had us just -where he wanted us to be. If our young people could -not marry, our work would be virtually stopped. He -said that no one but the King of Siam had authority -to interfere in such a question.</p> - -<p class='c009'>We returned home signally defeated. Next day I -went alone to the Chao Uparāt, and argued the justice -of our case. The parties had renounced their allegiance -to the spirits. It was clearly unreasonable to require -what we could not conscientiously submit to. I -even begged him to come to our aid, since both the -Commissioner and the Prince had said that they were -sure that no one else would oppose his decision. If -we were compelled, we must appeal to His Majesty the -King of Siam, though we should be very reluctant to -do so. Since marriage is a civil as well as a religious -rite, I was sure His Majesty would admit the justice -of our appeal. Either thinking that we would not -make the appeal, or that the appeal would be in vain, -he at last refused to discuss the question further. -Little did he know, nor did we then, that he was doing -the best possible thing for us.</p> - -<p class='c009'>I returned then to the Commissioner to report. The -<span class='pageno' id='Page_210'>210</span>conflict which, as we have seen, was probably inevitable -between the royal authority represented by the Commissioner -on the one hand, and the local rulers on the -other, was becoming inevitable sooner than was anticipated. -The Commissioner just then was himself -having great trouble with officials who were restive -under his authority. The Lakawn Princes had a difficulty -among themselves, and had come to the Commissioner -to have the case adjudicated. His decision -had been unfavourable to one of the higher officials—probably -the chief himself. Whoever it was, he had -committed the unpardonable offence of departing to -Lakawn without taking leave of the Commissioner, -presumably intending to appeal to Bangkok. So that -morning I found His Excellency indignant at the insult -offered to him, and, through him, to his sovereign. -The royal authority which he represented was challenged. -Moreover, some of the acts of the Chao -Uparāt had offended him. His impressions were confirmed -and strengthened by the recital of our grievances. -He advised me to write these all out in full, -giving specifications that could be substantiated—and -such were rapidly multiplying. For, provoked at Nān -Inta and his family, and emboldened with his own success -in stopping the wedding, the Chao Uparāt had -summoned Nān Inta and had set him to watching his -summer-house on the river—the work of a menial, such -as Nān Inta had never yet been reduced to doing.</p> - -<p class='c009'>At last the moment had come when an appeal for -religious toleration might be made with fair prospect -of success. As the only way of avoiding continual -interference in the future, the Commissioner -himself advised that the appeal be made for religious -toleration in general, rather than for freedom of -<span class='pageno' id='Page_211'>211</span>Christian marriage, which was only a single item. -The Commissioner was busily engaged in writing out a -report of his own grievances, to be sent to the King. He -said that he would mention our case also in his report, -and offered to forward my letter with his despatches.</p> - -<p class='c009'>I immediately dropped everything else, and addressed -myself to writing that appeal unto Cæsar. In -it I referred to the sanction of the Siamese government -to the establishment of the mission, given after the -interview with Prince Kāwilōrot at Wat Chêng, and -subsequently renewed on the appointment of his successor, -Prince Intanon. I was very careful not only -to exonerate the latter from all blame, but also highly -to commend both him and his Princess for their uniform -kindness, and for their sympathy in this particular -emergency. But the act of the Chao Uparāt -was, no doubt, only the beginning of what he would do -if he were not restrained. It was evidently his intention -to reduce to slavery a family that had always -been free. In behalf of his loyal Christian subjects -we begged His Majesty to guarantee to them the same -privileges, civil and religious, which his other subjects -enjoyed, among which surely was the right to be married -according to the ceremony of their own religion. -One request I put in with some misgiving—that the -Christians might be exempted from compulsory work -on the Sabbath; otherwise that point might always be -used to create difficulty when the master was hostile. -While thus making our appeal to man, importunate -prayer was continually offered to Him who had been -our help in times past.</p> - -<p class='c009'>It was very necessary that the appeal should go as -the joint action of the mission as then constituted. I -was aware that Dr. Cheek, the only other member of -<span class='pageno' id='Page_212'>212</span>the mission then on the ground, did not enter heartily -into the appeal. He was fearful that it would only -make bad worse; that it would give offence to the Lāo -rulers, and possibly to the Siamese as well. But as regards -the Lāo, matters had already reached an extremity -in the case of the one who really ruled the country. -And as to the Siamese, our only human hope -was in the King. So, when my paper was finished, I -took it to Dr. Cheek, and read it over to him. He -listened very attentively to the reading, and at its -close I was delighted to hear him say, “That seems -all right.” After a few clerical alterations which he -suggested, we both signed the paper. A summary of -it was read to the Commissioner, and was afterwards -enclosed by him with his despatches. Our appeal -to the King of Siam had, of course, to be made through -the United States Consul, Colonel Sickels. Our letter -to the King was, therefore, sent unsealed under cover to -the Consul, so that he might read it; and with it went -a letter giving him a full account of all the particulars -of the case, and urging him to use his influence, both -personal and official, on our behalf. The whole was -entrusted to a special messenger in a swift boat, with -instructions to make all possible speed.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Having done our best, we waited prayerfully and -hopefully. But the greatness of the issue involved -made us anxious. The liberal policy of the young -King was not then so well known as it became later. -One could not be absolutely certain how even our -Consul would regard it. We trusted, however, to the -friendship of the Foreign Minister, who had invited me -to Pechaburī, and who had always been our true -friend. No one of all these persons concerned disappointed -our expectations, or even our hopes.</p> - -<p class='c009'><span class='pageno' id='Page_213'>213</span>Colonel Sickels acted with commendable despatch. -He was favoured in securing an audience without the -usual formalities. At that time His Majesty had a regular -day each week when his subjects and others might -approach him informally in his summer garden with -petitions on urgent business. Our appeal was presented -to him there. He was already aware of its nature -through the Commissioner’s despatches. Anxiety -with regard to the political situation in the North no -doubt prompted him to a decisive assertion of authority -in this matter as well. His Majesty informed the -Consul that his government had already reached a -decision favourable to our request, and that full religious -toleration was to be proclaimed.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The courier returned with unwonted speed, reaching -Chiengmai on Sunday, September 29th. Late in -the afternoon of that day the Commissioner notified -me of the arrival of despatches. Next morning I called -upon him. He was radiant with joy. All his own requests -had been granted, and enlarged powers had been -given him, including power to make proclamation of -religious toleration in all the Lāo states. He seemed -as much delighted with our success as with his own. -He said that he had already notified the princes and -officials to call in the afternoon, and he would then -inform them of the result. Of course, our hearts were -overflowing with gratitude.</p> - -<p class='c009'>At the appointed hour the Prince, the Chao Uparāt, -and all the high officials were assembled. When the -order for the proclamation was made known, some of -them made a final personal appeal to him to stay proceedings. -They argued that unrestricted permission -to become Christians would be the ruin of the country. -To understand the force of this objection it must be -<span class='pageno' id='Page_214'>214</span>remembered that among the Lāo, breach of the Seventh -Commandment was punished, not by civil or -criminal procedure, but by a “spirit-fine” paid to the -patriarch of the woman’s family. It was argued that -if Christian young men should transgress with Lāo -girls or women, under the new régime, no fine could be -imposed, and there would be no redress whatever. The -Commissioner then sent a messenger, asking me to -come to the audience. The scene, as I entered, reminded -me of that other notable audience with Prince -Kāwilōrot and another Commissioner. The Commissioner -stated their objection, and asked me what I had -to say. I replied that the difficulty was purely an -imaginary one. In the first place, it was a cardinal -doctrine of the church to forbid such sins. In the -second place, if a professed Christian violated his vows, -he made himself amenable to the discipline of the -church, and so put himself beyond its protection. The -Commissioner said, “I have already so answered, but I -wanted those who are present to hear it from the -teacher himself.” To this no reply was made. After -a short pause the Commissioner broke the silence. -With a gesture to the audience, he said that the business -was ended. When he had leisure, the Edict -would be issued. One after another the assembled -princes and officials retired.</p> - -<p class='c009'>On my way home I noticed that the Chao Uparāt had -stopped at his little sālā beside the river, the same -that Nān Inta had been set to watch. To show that -I had no personal grudge, I stopped to call on him. -Rising, he gave me a more respectful welcome than -usual, and ordered a foreign rug to be spread—the respectful -way of receiving guests before the day of -chairs. When I was seated he asked why I had made -<span class='pageno' id='Page_215'>215</span>complaint against him to Bangkok—he was very sore -at heart about it. I replied that I was sorry, indeed, -to be obliged to do it. Did he not remember how I -had told him that we could not submit to his decision; -how I had even entreated him not to force us to appeal -to the King? And I could not appeal without -giving the facts as my ground for so doing. But now -I hoped that bygones might be bygones, and that we -might be friends.—The fact was that my letter had -been translated in Bangkok, sent back to Chiengmai, -and had been read at the audience before my arrival. -But I never before had such a reception from the -Uparāt.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The wording of the proclamation was left to the -Commissioner. If he had been hostile, or even indifferent, -its effect might easily have been neutralized -by a little vagueness or ambiguity. But he was -anxious to have the matter settled decisively. When -I took my leave of him that morning, he promised to -show me the draft of the proclamation before he should -affix his seal. When I saw it, there were only a few -verbal changes to suggest. It was a general permission -to the Lāo to adopt any religion they pleased. I -suggested that since it was specifically granted in the -interest of Christians, it was desirable that Christianity -be specifically named—which was done. At my -request two extra copies of the proclamation were -made with the official seals attached; one for deposit -in our safe, and one that might be read to the people. -The following is a literal translation of this famous -document:</p> - -<p class='c024'>I Prayā Tēp Worachun, Representative of His Majesty -the Supreme King of Siam in Chiengmai, Lampūn, and -Lakawn, hereby make proclamation to the Princes, Rulers, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_216'>216</span>and Officers of various grades, and to the common people -in the cities and provinces named:—That His Majesty the -King of Siam has been graciously pleased to send me a -Royal Letter under the Royal Seal, to the effect that D. B. -Sickels, Esqr., United States Consul, had communicated to -the Foreign Minister of Siam a complaint signed by Rev. -D. McGilvary and Dr. M. A. Cheek against certain parties -for molesting the Christians and compelling them to observe -their old religious customs. The Foreign Minister laid -the subject before His Majesty, who most graciously listened -to the said complaint, and gave the following Royal Command -in reference to the same:—</p> - -<p class='c027'>That religious and civil duties do not come in conflict. -That whoever wishes to embrace any religion after seeing -that it is true and proper to be embraced, is allowed to do -so without any restriction. That the responsibility for a -right or a wrong choice rests on the individual making the -choice. That there is nothing in the laws and customs of -Siam, nor in its foreign treaties, to throw any restriction on -the religious worship and service of any one.</p> - -<p class='c027'>To be more specific:—If any person or persons wish to -embrace the Christian Religion, they are freely permitted -to follow their own choice.</p> - -<p class='c027'>This Proclamation is to certify that from this time -forth all persons are permitted to follow the dictates of their -own conscience in all matters of religious belief and practice.</p> - -<p class='c027'>It is moreover strictly enjoined on Princes and Rulers, -and on relatives and friends of those who wish to become -Christians, that they throw no obstacles in their way, and -that no one enforce any creed or work which their religion -forbids them to hold or to do—such as the worship and -feasting of demons, and working on the Sabbath day, except -in the case of war and other great unavoidable works, which, -however, must not be a mere pretence, but really important. -Be it further observed that they are to have free and unobstructed -observance of the Sabbath day. And no obstacle is -to be thrown in the way of American citizens employing such -persons as they may need, since such would be a breach of the -treaty between the two countries.</p> - -<p class='c027'>Whenever this Proclamation is made known to the Princes -<span class='pageno' id='Page_217'>217</span>and Rulers and Officers and People, they are to beware and -violate no precept contained therein.</p> - -<p class='c027'>Proclamation made on the Thirteenth Day of the Eleventh -waxing Moon, in the Eleventh Year of His Majesty’s Reign, -October the Eighth, Eighteen Hundred and Seventy-Eight.</p> - -<p class='c025'>The Edict furnishes a second natural division in the -history of the Lāo mission. Its first period was one of -struggle for its very existence, culminating in positive -prohibition to preach the gospel and virtual expulsion of -the missionaries. That situation was abruptly brought -to an end by the death of Prince Kāwilōrot and the -appointment of his son-in-law, Prince Intanon. In -our second period of struggle, the conclusion of which -we have just witnessed, the conditions were in many -respects similar to those of the first. Our chief antagonists -in the two contests were alike in their love -of absolute power, in their determination to break -down all rival influences, and alike, therefore, in their -settled hostility to our work. In neither case was their -antagonism to Christianity primarily on religious -grounds. But Kāwilōrot was of much more imposing -personality and figure than the Uparāt.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Within his own realm Kāwilōrot was really “Lord -of Life.” He was absolute head both of church and -of state. He brooked no rival and no contradiction in -either. The highest positions in the religious hierarchy -were bestowed or withdrawn at his pleasure. -His own brothers-in-law languished in exile in Siam, -because it was not thought safe for them to return -and be within his reach. At home he had vanquished -or terrified into submission all possible rivals. Even -the court of Siam seemed inspired with a wholesome -fear of meddling with him. The crime of the first -Christians was the unpardonable one that they had -<span class='pageno' id='Page_218'>218</span>dared to become such against the will of Kāwilōrot. -But the time and place for such rulers had passed. -Such attitude and temper suited neither a position -under superior authority, nor the policy of a government -striving to rise with the progress of the age. -But he served his purpose in the world, and Providence -used him.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Of his titular successor, Prince Intanon, and of his -noble wife, I have already spoken. His real successor -in the government of the land, and in his championship -of the old régime of feudal autocracy, was the Chao -Uparāt. But he had neither the commanding dignity -of Kāwilōrot nor his interesting personality;—had little, -in fact, of any of his qualities save his lodged and -settled hatred of all innovation. For him we had none -of a certain kind of respect which the late Prince inspired; -and we were under no constraint of gratitude -for favours. The only debt of gratitude the mission -owed him was for being, by his lawless acts, the unwitting -and unwilling cause of the proclamation of religious -freedom.</p> - -<p class='c009'>But the crisis which he precipitated hastened likewise -that centralization of government which Siam was -waiting for. The tendency of the age is everywhere -toward centralization. Strong central governments -are everywhere taking the place of weak and scattered -ones. Chiengmai itself and all the existing Lāo states -have grown by the capture and absorption of their -weaker, though by no means insignificant, neighbours. -The authority and fear of Siam had long been felt indirectly -in preventing those petty wars in which one -weak state captured and enslaved another. That -authority was now to be exerted more directly to bring -to an end the era of arbitrary, personal, autocratic -<span class='pageno' id='Page_219'>219</span>rule among its dependencies, and to establish in its -place the more equal and stable reign of law. Feudalism -with its “organized anarchy” was to give way to -the Nation.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Such was the period at which we have arrived in this -narrative of our life and work in the Lāo states. It -is a wonderful thing to have lived through such a -series of changes, and possibly to have been, under -Providence, the means of bringing some of them about. -We work for an end apparent to ourselves; but God’s -designs are deeper and broader than ours. “He -maketh the wrath of man to praise Him.” Of nations, -as well as of individuals, is it true that</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c021'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“There’s a divinity that shapes our ends,</div> - <div class='line in1'>Rough-hew them how we will.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c025'>Among the Christians the Edict, of course, was -greeted with an outburst of joy. To Nān Inta it was -like life from the dead. It was in reality freedom from -slavery. And no man made such efficient use of it as -he did. With the sealed copy of the Edict in his hand, -he returned to his village; and wherever he went he -could assure the people, on the faith of his Sovereign, -that a profession of the “Jesus-religion” meant neither -the ruffian’s club nor slavery. The effects of the Edict -upon the church will be traced in its future growth -as our story moves on. I may venture, however, to anticipate -so much—that within two years’ time two of -our strongest village churches were organized; one of -them in Nān Inta’s own village. Neither of these -churches could have existed had not the Uparāt’s -power been abridged.</p> - -<p class='c009'>To the country, the new authority conferred on the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_220'>220</span>High Commissioner at that time has resulted in a -revolution as silent and as effectual as the change of -the seasons. His new title, Pū Samret Rāchakān—he -who fulfills the King’s work—was used, I believe, for -the first time in that proclamation; and it really -marked the passing of the sceptre from the hands of -the Princes of Chiengmai. The titular Chao Chīwit—Lord -of Life—was allowed to retain his title and -honours during his lifetime; but he has had no successor. -The Lāo country has ceased to be either a -feudal dependency or a separate “buffer-state.” -Silently—almost imperceptibly—it has become an integral -portion of the consolidated Kingdom of Siam. -Autocratic rule has everywhere ceased. And all these -changes are directly in line with the civilization of the -age.</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_221'>221</span> - <h2 id='ch20' class='c010'>XX<br /> <br />SCHOOLS—THE NINE YEARS’ WANDERER</h2> -</div> -<p class='c011'>The year 1879 opened auspiciously. In March a -little variety was introduced into our secluded -life by an official visit to Chiengmai of Major -Street, the British Commissioner at Maulmein. He -and his party arrived quite unexpectedly, spent a week -in the city, and attended an English service at the -mission on Sunday. We met them a number of times, -both socially and at official dinners. They strengthened -the position of the Commissioner, and did us all -good. But at that time we were anxiously awaiting -another arrival, in which we were more intimately concerned. -Mr. Wilson, who had been for two and a half -years absent on furlough, was daily expected, and with -him were our long-looked-for teachers for the Girls’ -School.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The party was to arrive on April 9th. To please -the three children and myself, on the afternoon of the -8th we four started down the river in a small boat -to meet and welcome them. But the river was low, -and we had not yet reached them when darkness came -on and we were obliged to seek moorings. When, at -last, we got ashore, we learned to our great joy that -the mission boats were moored only a few hundred -yards below, in the same bend of the river. We -all walked down in the moonlight, and presently spied -their lights close at hand. The young ladies had retired -<span class='pageno' id='Page_222'>222</span>to read, but not to sleep. The meeting by moonlight -at the river’s brink was quite romantic. We -talked till ten o’clock, though Mr. Wilson was so -hoarse that he could scarcely speak. At daybreak our -fleet was under way. We had a jolly breakfast together -on board—our visitors at their little table, and -we on the deck. We then visited hard again until -noon; but it was two o’clock before we caught sight -of the mission premises, with the native Christians -all waiting to greet the arrivals, old and new.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The High Commissioner, a few days later, gave a -dinner to the mission, saying in the note of invitation -that it was in honour of the young ladies, for the boldness -and piety that enabled them to leave their fathers -and mothers, and come so far to teach his people. -When notified of their arrival, the Princess sent down -carriages and had us all up to call on her. She was -delighted to welcome the young ladies, and was interested -in the school.</p> - -<hr class='c015' /> - -<p class='c009'>The Siamese and the Lāo tongues are two closely related -branches of the same linguistic stock. The idiom -and the great body of common words are nearly the -same in the two, differing, where they do differ, chiefly -in accent and intonation. Siamese is, of course, the -speech of the ruling race throughout the Siamese kingdom; -and even at the time of which we are speaking -it was easy to foresee that the local dialect of its -northern provinces must eventually give way before it, -especially for all official and literary purposes. The -chief obstacle in the way of a speedy victory for the -Siamese has been the fact that the Lāo is written in a -wholly different character. Were the two alike in this -<span class='pageno' id='Page_223'>223</span>respect, there is no doubt that the standard form of -speech would take the place of the dialectal almost -without notice.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Of necessity all teaching so far attempted had been -in the Siamese. There was not a schoolbook in the -Lāo character save the spelling tables. When these -had been mastered, there was no reading-book in Lāo -that could be put into the hands of the pupils; nor was -there prospect of any such being printed for years to -come. On the other hand, in the Siamese character -there was a considerable Christian literature in print, -both religious and general, already available for purposes -of education. Our pupils, moreover, had all been -girls; and almost no Lāo women at that time could -read writing in any character. It was, therefore, not -only much simpler, but quite as well for them on other -accounts, to learn the Siamese character from the -start.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Now, however, when we were arrived at the establishment -of regular schools with a permanent organization -and policy, the question could no longer be -postponed, In which language shall instruction be -given? It was not an easy question to decide. With -regard to it there was difference of opinion among the -missionaries, both old and new. On the one hand, it -was urged, that since ours was a Lāo mission, the Lāo -should, of course, be the language of the schools. On -the other hand were pointed out the greater scope and -availability of the Siamese, its assured supremacy, and -the dwindling future of the Lāo throughout the territory -of Siam. The matter at last was compromised by -continuing the Siamese in the Girls’ School, and adopting -the Lāo for the boys.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Meantime it was desirable to have some portions of -<span class='pageno' id='Page_224'>224</span>the Scriptures in the Lāo character; and, to accomplish -this, the first requisite was a font of Lāo type. To this -end, on my first furlough in 1873, I went from North -Carolina to New York, and not only spent some time, -but was at some personal expense, in the effort to secure -such a font. The American Bible Society voted -a liberal sum for the purpose. But there turned out -to be some mechanical difficulties to be overcome in -making and using the type, which were beyond my -skill to solve. So, lest the attempt should fail in my -hands, I gave it up. And having accomplished nothing, -I presented no bill of expense either to the Bible Society -or to the Board.</p> - -<p class='c009'>There seemed, indeed, to be some fatality attending -our efforts in this direction. Mr. Wilson, on the furlough -from which he was but now returned, had gone -further. He actually succeeded in getting a font of -Lāo type. But the whole of it was lost, and never -reached the mission.<a id='r11' /><a href='#f11' class='c020'><sup>[11]</sup></a> It was not until Dr. Peoples’ -furlough in 1889 that we succeeded in getting our present -type. Meanwhile we had used the Siamese Scriptures, with -some present disadvantages, indeed, but with -some advantages as well. Some of our first Christians -were attracted to our religion by their desire to learn -Siamese; and the Siamese Bible and catechism were -our textbooks. And now, under Siamese rule, knowledge -of the Siamese opens the way to promotion in the -government service. Siamese alone is taught in the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_225'>225</span>government schools. Young monks are more eager to -study Siamese than their own tongue.</p> - -<div class='footnote c026' id='f11'> -<p class='c023'><span class='label'><a href='#r11'>11</a>. </span>Mr. Wilson brought only a few specimens with him. He -writes:—“The rest of the type was to be boxed up and sent to Mr. -Cutter, and the boxes were to be put away in the store-room of the -Mission Rooms at 23 Centre Street, and forwarded when called for. -They must have been lost when the Board moved from 23 Centre -Street to the Lenox property, and then to 156 Fifth Avenue.”</p> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>But the important thing, after all, was that we had -a school actually begun, and that there was teaching -in <i>both</i> dialects. It was like a new beginning of our -work under conditions more favourable than at the -first. For twelve years it had been a hard, and, sometimes, -an apparently hopeless struggle. But the history -of missions affords many similar instances with -even fewer visible results. In twelve years we had -gathered forty converts into the church. Some of these -were among the most useful we have ever had in the -history of the mission. It is hard to estimate rightly -the importance of work spent on the foundations of -such an enterprise. But now, with that church organized, -with the medical work well established, the -evangelistic work strengthened, and the initial school, -begun long before by Mrs. McGilvary, placed on a permanent -basis, we could write in large letters on our -altar, “Jehovah-Nissi”—Jehovah our banner.</p> - -<hr class='c015' /> - -<p class='c009'>In the early part of this year, 1879, twelve more -persons were gathered into the church. One of them -was Pā Sêng Bun, the poor woman accused of witchcraft, -who, with so much difficulty, was saved from -her persecutors. Another was Mûn C., who was a -daily visitor when we were here on our first tour of -exploration. And another was our own dear little -Margaret. Somewhat later there came to our notice -one of the most interesting of all the incidents in the -chequered history of our mission. One morning, on -returning from my work in the city, I was told that -a man had been waiting to see me, and was then talking -to Nān Inta. Stepping down to the house, where -<span class='pageno' id='Page_226'>226</span>a number of persons had collected, I saw a handsome -man of medium height, but of striking figure, larger -and more portly than is usual among the Lāo, and -thirty-three years old, as I learned.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Nān Tā, for that was the stranger’s name, said that -not long after our first arrival in Chiengmai, while he -was yet a monk in the king’s monastery, he had visited -me, and was struck with those points in the teachings -of Christianity which differentiate it from -Buddhism. He received a copy of the Gospel of Matthew -in Siamese, learned a few verses, and took the -book home with him to the monastery. Afterwards -he visited me occasionally to take a few further lessons -in it. He was a protégé of Prince Kāwilōrot, who -paid the expenses of his entering the monastic order. -He thus became the Prince’s “Luk kêo”<a id='r12' /><a href='#f12' class='c020'><sup>[12]</sup></a> (<i>jewel-son</i>), -in effect his adopted son. Not long after this he left -the priesthood, married, and settled out in the country. -But he paid us a few visits from time to time, -always, as he said, to talk on religion and to study -Siamese.</p> - -<div class='footnote c026' id='f12'> -<p class='c023'><span class='label'><a href='#r12'>12</a>. </span>A designation whose nearest parallel in English is, perhaps, <i>god-son</i>.</p> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>When the order for the murder of the Christians was -given, a monk who was a friend of his met him in the -streets, and asked whether he knew that his house was -to be burned over his head, explaining that the Prince -had nourished him as a son, and now he had apostatized -and joined the foreign religion. Advising him to consider -well and quickly, the priest hurried on. So it had -become known in the palace that he was visiting us -and studying the Jesus-religion. There was no time -to be lost, not even to bid good-bye to his young wife. -On that eventful Saturday afternoon, just before the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_227'>227</span>flight of our servants, he stopped at our door; but seeing -no one, he hastened on. On Sunday he secreted -himself in a deserted monastery near the mountains. -Next day he fell in with a company of traders, going -to Chieng Rāi, six days’ journey to the north, and -travelled with them without making known what his -errand was. At Chieng Rāi he learned that the Christians -were put to death the day after he left. He was -still within the Lāo realm, and might be arrested. He -made his way, therefore, to Keng Tung, in Burmese -territory, ten or fifteen days’ journey still further to -the north.</p> - -<p class='c009'>After remaining there some three years, he returned -to Chieng Rāi, where he heard of the death of -Kāwilōrot and the accession of Prince Intanon. Still -in fear, he passed through the towns to the east of -Chiengmai, venturing even as near as Lakawn. Then -crossing the Mê Ping valley to the south of Chiengmai, -he went beyond the Salwin into Burma, stopping -awhile among the Red Karens, and then going on to -Maulmein. Seeing there a foreigner’s house, he enquired -if anything was known concerning the missionaries -in Zimme (Chiengmai). Nothing was known -of them. Returning again to Siamese territory, he -went to Rahêng, thinking that he would go on to -Bangkok. There, however, he was told that the missionaries -had gone back to the United States—information -based, no doubt, on our departure on furlough.</p> - -<p class='c009'>During his long wanderings he had made friends as -he could, and to support himself had sometimes turned -peddler. In the haste of his flight from home he had -taken nothing with him except his copy of the Gospel -of Matthew in Siamese. He could not read it well, but -<span class='pageno' id='Page_228'>228</span>he kept it as a kind of talisman, till it was now well -worn. He had learned to pray daily. He never dared -to return till he heard of the Edict of Toleration. He -regarded it as a special providence that his wife, -strange to say, had not married again. The child born -after his flight he found grown to be a fine girl nine -years old. He was delighted to find the missionaries -again.</p> - -<p class='c009'>It was a thrilling story. This man did not have to -become a Christian—he was one already. His first -desire was to understand all that there was in his -Gospel of Matthew. It was evident that he had been -spared and kept for some wise purpose. And so it -proved. Since I needed a teacher, and since he was -a fine Buddhist scholar, I employed him as teacher, -so that I might have him near me in order to teach -him. He was an apt pupil, making rapid progress in -knowledge, and growing in grace. His romantic history -interested and attracted others. As a church -member, as a ruling elder, and afterwards as an ordained -minister, he was a power in the church till -the day when he was taken up. Thousands heard the -Gospel from his lips, and many were drawn by his -words and by his life into the fold of Christ.</p> - -<p class='c009'>How wonderful are God’s ways in leading His people! -Doubtless the defection of this man was one of the -things which alarmed Kāwilōrot. It may even have -hastened the fate of the martyrs. But no doubt the -Lord chose a wonderful way of saving to His church -this most useful minister of the Gospel.</p> - -<hr class='c015' /> - -<p class='c009'>After long-continued weakness on the part of Mrs. -McGilvary, an acute attack of pneumonia made a -<span class='pageno' id='Page_229'>229</span>longer stay in the country impossible. My daughter -Cornelia was taken ill at the same time. So, with -but little preparation, on December 28th, 1879, both -mother and daughter were carried in chairs to the -boat, and we hastened out of the country. Stopping -in Bangkok only a few days, we embarked for Hongkong. -We met the China Sea in its worst mood. For -three days and nights we did not see the captain’s face; -neither did he see sun, moon, or stars in that most -dangerous tract of the sea. The skylight was fastened -down, for the waves swept the vessel from stem to -stern. We were good sailors; but we could not but -pity the one hundred and twenty Chinese steerage -passengers, allowed on deck only a few moments twice -a day for a breath of air, after which they had almost -to be forced back into their hole again. There was -withal just enough of the spice of danger to make the -sight of Victoria Peak at last doubly welcome.</p> - -<p class='c009'>By this time my family were all so much improved -by the journey that there was question whether I -should proceed with them, or should return to Chiengmai -for another year’s work. It was evident that, in -order to regain her strength, Mrs. McGilvary would -require a longer stay in the United States than one -year. I could neither spare the time for so long a -furlough for myself, nor could I expect the Board to -grant it. The question was not an easy one; but we -decided at last that my wife and children should continue -their journey to the United States, and that I -should return to Chiengmai alone.</p> - -<p class='c009'>During my few days’ stay in Bangkok, through the -kindness of our Consul, I had an audience with His -Majesty the King. I desired to express to him in -<span class='pageno' id='Page_230'>230</span>person my thanks for the Edict of Toleration. After -some remarks addressed to the other gentlemen present, -the King asked me if I were not, during the previous -month, the bearer of despatches from his Commissioner -in the North—showing that he did not overlook -small matters, as a king might be expected to do. He -enquired how I liked the Commissioner, whether I -preached in Siamese or in Lāo, how many converts -we had, etc., etc. It was a very pleasant interview.</p> - -<p class='c009'>As I ascended the river, it became plain that the -water was too low to permit the latter stage of the -trip to be made in my large boat. At Chiengmai I -should find a house, but not a home. Before I could -reach it, the touring season would be nearly over. -The thought of stopping a season for work at Rahêng -struck me favourably. The more I considered it, the -more attractive it became. To be sure, I had not secured -the sanction of the mission to that particular -enterprise; but I had always been allowed to choose -my own touring ground. An officer, Sên Utamā, offered -me a site for a bamboo house gratis; and before -I had announced my final decision, he and others began -to cut bamboo on it to build the house. I had -asked for guidance, and the question seemed to settle -itself.</p> - -<p class='c009'>I cannot dwell on the interesting six months of the -year 1880 spent there. Sên Utamā was interested -from the first. By affliction he had been wonderfully -prepared for, and seemed to be waiting for, the very -consolation that the Gospel offered him. An ex-tax-collector, -a Chinese of some influence, was in the same -state of mind, and soon joined the other as an enquirer. -My student, Noi Intachak, entered heartily -<span class='pageno' id='Page_231'>231</span>into the work. Soon, with my cook and boy, we had -the nucleus of quite an interesting congregation who -attended worship twice a day. It was a delight to -teach them.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The case of the Chinese was deeply interesting. He -believed the Gospel plan of salvation, and was deeply -anxious to be saved from his sin and its punishment. -But there was one serious obstacle in the way of his -making an open profession—he had two wives. The -real wife—the one he had formally married—was childless. -The one he had bought was younger, and had two -lovable little children, both girls. I recall almost with -tears the burning questionings we had over that situation. -He seemed willing to make any self-sacrifice that -duty required. But what was duty? Should he divorce -one of them? If so, which one? “Of course, he -must keep the real one,” you will say. But what of -the young mother and the helpless babes? The very -mention of their being turned adrift, even with a -dower, had produced a scene in the family. The -poor woman felt quite unable to care for the children -alone. The children were his children. It might easily -have been the ruin both of mother and babes to put -her away. My heart was not hard enough to advise -that. Surely the man had not cut himself off from -the hope of salvation by his past—by an error or sin of -ignorance. The conditions of church-membership are -faith and repentance. The sacraments of the church -are baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Shall we offer a -man the pardon of his sin without its sacramental -seals?—the glorious hope of endless fellowship in -heaven, but not the communion of saints on earth? -A precisely parallel case I had met before in the person -of a native doctor at Mûang Awn. “What then,” -<span class='pageno' id='Page_232'>232</span>the reader will ask, “did you do?” Why, in each case -I just did nothing. I followed the letter of the law, -and baptized neither one. But “the letter killeth; the -spirit maketh alive.”</p> - -<p class='c009'>In due time Sên Utamā and a nephew of the Chinese -were baptized. An interesting tour was made up the -river. But the station in Chiengmai was feeling the -pressure of the growing work. In July, 1880, the -church of Bethlehem was organized, and there were -promising openings in other districts. It was evident -that the Board was not in a condition to consider a -permanent station in Rahêng. It would have been an -interesting field for permanent occupation; but for -temporary work, I had been there as long a time as -we could afford to spend in one place.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Just then Prayā Sīhanāt—the officer from Lakawn -who, two years before, had greeted me with “Ephphatha”—invited -me to return with him. His ears -were not opened, but his heart was. He had taught the -Christian faith to his wife and children and a few -others, and among these was a fellow ex-officer. He -wished with them to receive further and fuller instruction, -and to be taken into the fellowship of the church. -Without waiting to ascertain whether I could go, he -was come with a boat to bring me. This seemed -to me the guiding hand of providence, and I followed -it.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Since a single boat cannot ascend the rapids without -the help of another boat’s crew, we made arrangements -to join forces with another party, and make -the trip together. The night before we were to start, -the river, which had been steadily rising, became a flood -so strong that my host dared not face it in his small -craft. Our companions, however, did not wait for us, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_233'>233</span>but went on as they had planned. We waited ten -days for another party, as well as for the river to go -down. Imagine my sensations, then, when, presently, -we learned that the captain and owner of the principal -boat in the flotilla with which we had planned to make -the trip, was shot and killed, and his boat was -plundered! A band of dacoits secreted themselves behind -a cluster of trees where the channel runs close -to the bank, shot the steersman at his oar, and then had -the boat at their mercy. Since all foreigners are supposed -to carry money, the attack may well have been -intended for me. Earlier in that same year, while -returning alone to Rahêng, I came near being entrapped -by a similar band.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The visit to Lakawn was interesting and profitable. -Ten days were spent with the new converts. While -my friend, the Prayā, had been busy, the devil had not -been idle. One of the princes had threatened to have -one of his head men flogged if he joined the Christians. -But before we left, a church was organized, with Prayā -Sīhanāt as elder.</p> - -<p class='c009'>From Lakawn I took elephants to Chiengmai, and -spent the last Sunday of my trip with Nān Inta and -the newly organized church of Bethlehem, named after -Mr. Wilson’s old church in Pennsylvania. Nān Inta -was waiting for me where the road to his village turned -off from the main route. On Christmas day following -this, Mr. Wilson, Dr. Cheek, and Miss Cole organized -yet another church at Mê Dawk Dêng, where Nān Suwan -had been doing faithful work. In both these cases -the persecution for supposed witchcraft had furnished -a good nucleus for the church, which thereafter the -Edict of Toleration protected from expulsion.</p> - -<p class='c009'>All the departments of our work, medical, educational, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_234'>234</span>evangelistic, were prospering. Nān Tā, the -long-time wanderer, was becoming a power second only -to Nān Inta, and destined ultimately to surpass him. -Like him, he was a man of fine address and bearing, -and a good Buddhist scholar; but he was much younger. -Being, moreover, the son of a Prayā—the highest grade -of Lāo officers—he had an influence with the nobility -such as no other of our Christians had. In the church -he began to show a capacity and power such as probably -no other person has exercised.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Meanwhile Mr. Wilson was working on plans for a -building for the Girls’ High School. Already the -school numbered forty-two pupils, but with no place -in which to teach them save the teacher’s house. The -season had been very hard on Miss Campbell’s health. -She was very young, and had come direct to Chiengmai -from the seminary without any period of rest, and -with a constitution by no means robust. The mission -voted her a trip to Bangkok for rest. Little did we -think when we bade her good-bye that we should see -her face no more.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Financially for me the year had been the hardest -in my life. With all the economy we could use—and -we did not spend a useless penny—it seemed impossible -for me to keep my family going. When we left Chiengmai -we had overdrawn our salary, and the amount had -to be made up that year. This condition was one of -the straws that helped to determine me to stop over -in Rahêng. I could live more cheaply there; in fact, -could hardly spend money there if I wished to. In -only one matter had I been greatly disappointed in -Rahêng; I hoped to be in somewhat closer communication -with my family, about whom I still felt some -anxiety. I was, indeed, nearer them in space, but it -<span class='pageno' id='Page_235'>235</span>proved much further in time. The largest mail of the -year passed on up to Chiengmai, and was sent back, -reaching Rahêng just after I had left the place. It -finally reached me in Chiengmai on the last day of the -year 1880!</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_236'>236</span> - <h2 id='ch21' class='c010'>XXI<br /> <br />SECOND FURLOUGH</h2> -</div> -<p class='c011'>My health had been such that I hoped I might -safely forego my furlough, and have my wife -and our youngest child return to Chiengmai -alone. My wife, after finding a home for a while with -her brother, Professor Bradley, in Oakland, had gone -on in the spring to North Carolina. But she was not -gaining much in strength, and plainly required another -year. My own health was not so good as it was at -the beginning of the year. Certain symptoms gave me -anxiety, and decided me to delay my own furlough -no longer. If it was to be taken at all, the sooner the -better. So on March 12th, 1881, I started for the -United States. The furlough which was now beginning -ended twenty-three years of service in the general -field of Siam, and fourteen years spent among the Lāo.</p> - -<p class='c009'>I had proceeded down the river but a few days, when -a passing boat brought the astounding intelligence of -the tragic death of our esteemed and youngest co-labourer, -Miss Mary Campbell. What words can express -the shock I received! The news was confirmed -a few days later by Dr. Cheek, whom I met on the -river. At this distance it is unnecessary to enlarge -on the particulars of the sad catastrophe. Indeed, it -was all so sudden that there were few particulars to -relate. Dr. Cheek had gone down to Bangkok on -business soon after Miss Campbell left us, and now was -<span class='pageno' id='Page_237'>237</span>returning with Miss Campbell under his escort. At -the close of a hot day’s run, the boats lay moored by -a sand-bar for the night. They had had their evening -meal and worship together. Dr. Cheek had taken his -bath in the river, had examined the bar, and notified -Miss Campbell how far it was safe to venture in -taking hers. But somehow she ventured out too far—to -a depth from which only angelic arms could receive -her to a shore where there is no more death.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The brave effort of her Lāo maid, Kam Tip, and Dr. -Cheek’s unsuccessful search till long after-life must -have been extinct, were well known at the time. She -had but just come to her chosen field of work, in the -bloom of youth and in the full ardour of her first consecration, -little thinking that her work was to be so -soon and so sadly closed. Her last written words to -a friend, with the ink on them scarcely dry before her -death, were: “But I am not alone, for I have found in -my dear Lāo girls, Bûk and Kam Tip, and in Nān Tā, -my teacher, more company than I ever expected. I -wish I could lend them to you long enough for you to -know them.”</p> - -<hr class='c015' /> - -<p class='c009'>It will be evident to all that in 1881 the working -force of the mission was entirely inadequate for occupying -and cultivating the broad and inviting field, -now opened to us as never before. The medical work, -constantly enlarging, occupied the physician’s whole -time. Mr. Wilson’s physical condition, never very -strong, confined his labours to the station and its -immediate vicinity. The attention which these alone -required would more than fill one man’s time. The -death of Miss Campbell made imperative an associate -for Miss Cole. So, even if the trip to the United -<span class='pageno' id='Page_238'>238</span>States had not been rendered imperative by considerations -of my own health, the best interests of the work -itself seemed to demand that some one should go to -seek reinforcement by direct and personal appeal to -the church at home.</p> - -<p class='c009'>As for Mrs. McGilvary, after spending the spring -of 1880 with her brother in Oakland, California, she -came on with our younger son to Statesville, North -Carolina, where she could be with our daughters, and -not far from our elder son in Davidson College.</p> - -<p class='c009'>On my arrival in New York, I hastened on at once -to North Carolina, where I spent the summer with -my family and friends, lecturing from time to time in -the churches. The fall of this year I spent in Texas -and Arkansas, visiting relatives and friends who had -migrated thither from the family nest in North Carolina. -In Texas I attended the meeting of the Southern -Synod, and both there and elsewhere I found many -opportunities for presenting the cause of foreign missions; -and everywhere I encountered warm reception -and eager interest in the work among the Lāo. In the -winter I came north to visit the Theological Seminaries, -and to enlist men for the Lāo mission. On -my way I stopped in Oxford, Ohio, where I met Miss -Lizzie Westervelt (afterward Mrs. Stanley K. -Phraner), then in her senior year in Miss Peabody’s -Seminary, and preparing for missionary work among -the Lāo, upon which she entered in the following year. -This was the school which had given us Miss Mary -Campbell and Miss Edna Cole a few years before.</p> - -<div id='i238a' class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i238a.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>DR. McGILVARY<br />1881</p> -</div> -</div> -<div id='i238b' class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i238b.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>MRS. McGILVARY<br />1881</p> -</div> -</div> -<p class='c011'>While waiting for the Theological Seminaries to re-open -after the Christmas recess, I was the guest of -my wife’s cousins at Castleton Corners, Staten Island. -There I had the very pleasant experience of observing -<span class='pageno' id='Page_239'>239</span>“Watch Night” with the Moravian Church, of which -my friends were members. They called on the Lāo -missionary for an account of his experience in the field. -In that, of course, there was nothing remarkable. But -near the close of the next year, when writing to the -family, I alluded to the pleasant memory of Watch -Night and sent my greetings to the church with a request -to be remembered in their prayers. Instead of -giving my message verbally, my friends read the letter -itself, and it seemed to be appreciated. The result was -that the Lāo letter came to be looked for regularly as a -part of the watch service, and one was sent to them -every year—if I were on the field—for seventeen years. -It was a comfort to know that special prayer was always -offered for us by that great missionary church -as the old year was dying, and the new year was coming -in.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The Professors at Princeton, Union, and Allegheny -all gave their cordial endorsement and aid to me in -my efforts to secure men. “We want you to get our -best men,” they said, and the Lord gave them to us. -From Princeton came Chalmers Martin of the senior -class. He had been chosen, however, for the Hebrew -Fellowship, and was, therefore, delayed a year before -entering upon his missionary work. Though his career -in the Lāo field was a short one, he left a lasting -mark there, as we shall see. Allegheny gave us Rev. -S. C. Peoples, M.D., and his brother-in-law, Rev. J. H. -Hearst. Dr. Peoples’ bow still abides in strength. -His double preparation both as a minister and as a -physician, gave him unusual equipment for the work -he has accomplished. Mr. Hearst, however, soon succumbed -to the Chiengmai climate.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Union gave us that consecrated young man, McLaren, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_240'>240</span>who chose the great city of Bangkok—a fitting -field for him, since his broad sympathies were bounded -by no one race or people. His career also was cut -short within a few months by cholera, contracted while -ministering to dying seamen in the harbour during a -severe epidemic of the disease.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The Northwestern Woman’s Board of Foreign Missions -was then, as it has been since, a great centre of -missionary enthusiasm. It had sent out Miss Cole and -Miss Campbell; and now the sudden death of the latter -had caused its interest and that of the Chicago -churches to concentrate upon the Lāo mission. It was -to this combination of circumstances that I was indebted -for an invitation to attend its Annual Meeting -in Minneapolis, and to speak there. Then the appointment -of Dr. L. E. Wishard’s daughter (afterwards Mrs. -Dr. Fulton of Canton, China), and that of Miss Sadie -Wirt (Mrs. Dr. S. C. Peoples), from his church in -Chicago, gave me a pleasant visit in the Doctor’s family -both as I went up to Minneapolis and as I returned. -On a Sunday at Lake Forest, between the -Sunday School, the University, the Ladies’ Seminary, -and the church, the Lāo Mission had four hearings. -At Minneapolis we learned that Miss Warner from the -Northwestern Woman’s Board, and Miss Griffin from -the Southwestern, were also appointed to our mission, -and Miss Linnell to Lower Siam. This completed our -number, the largest reinforcement the mission has ever -received at one time.</p> - -<p class='c009'>After the adjournment of the Northwestern Board, -a Sunday was spent with the family and the church of -Miss Mary Campbell. After that, appointments with -other churches filled up my time till the meeting of the -General Assembly in Springfield, Illinois, which I attended, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_241'>241</span>though not as a delegate. Our Presbytery of -North Laos had not then been organized, and Dr. E. P. -Dunlap was the representative of the Presbytery of -Siam. At that meeting it seemed to me that a golden -opportunity was missed for drawing together in a -closer union the Northern and the Southern branches -of the Presbyterian Church. The outcome threw the -Southern church, much more weakened by the war -than the Northern, on its own resources. In proportion -to its financial strength, it has developed into one -of the strongest missionary churches in the land, both -as regards the home work and the foreign. Meantime, -with the growth of the country generally, the Northern -Assembly is becoming too unwieldy a body for its best -efficiency. I believe the time will come when there -will be three Assemblies rather than one, with a -triennial Assembly of all on a basis of representation -agreed upon by the three—somewhat after the plan -of the Methodist and the Episcopal churches; or, more -nearly still, after the plan of the Pan-Presbyterian -Council.</p> - -<p class='c009'>In duties and pleasures such as have just been described, -the time slipped by till it was the 6th of -June, 1882, before I again reached my family in Statesville. -We were to start Lāo-ward about the middle of -July. My furlough ended with a visit to my old charge -at Union, to attend the dedication of a new church -there, and to see my old friends once more.</p> - -<p class='c009'>We began to gather up our scattered forces at Chicago, -where the Fifth Church gave to its pastor’s -daughter, and to the rest of us there present, a hearty -farewell. The others of our large party joined us at -different points on our route across the continent. Dr. -Eugene P. Dunlap and his family, also returning from -<span class='pageno' id='Page_242'>242</span>furlough, were the very last to join us, just in time to -sail with us from San Francisco.</p> - -<p class='c009'>A missionary’s vacation is very delightful, but the -last day of it—the day that brings him back to his -home and his work—is the best of it all. The small -Bangkok steamers of those days could not furnish accommodation -for our whole party at once. Some of -us were, therefore, compelled to lie over at Canton—a -circumstance which changed the ultimate location of -one of our young ladies to the Canton mission, just as -a previous successor to Miss Campbell had in a similar -manner been changed to another station in China. -But where there are young folks, such accidents will -happen.</p> - -<p class='c009'>At Bangkok our United States Consul, General -Partridge, arranged for us an audience with the King. -His Majesty gave us a cordial reception, expressing his -gratification at seeing so many American missionaries -coming to his country; since he knew that they came -to instruct his people, and to make them more intelligent -and better citizens.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Reinforcements surely had not come too soon. Dr. -Wilson, Mrs. Cheek, and Miss Cole were the only missionaries -on the field when we returned; for Dr. Cheek -was absent on business. It was now four years since -the proclamation of religious toleration; and for the -first time was there prospect of workers enough to make -any use of the advantages it offered.</p> - -<div id='i242' class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i242.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>CHULALONGKORN, KING OF SIAM, 1872-1910</p> -</div> -</div> -<p class='c011'>But had we relied too much on human aid? Were -we too much elated in view of our present numbers, -with Mr. Martin to follow the next year? After a -short stay in Bangkok, we reached Chiengmai in the -midst of one of those violent epidemics of fever by -which the Lāo country was then, perhaps, more frequently -<span class='pageno' id='Page_243'>243</span>visited than it is now. Mr. and Mrs. Hearst -and Miss Warner were soon prostrated with the disease, -and at one time, out of the whole mission, scarcely -enough were left to care for the sick. Mr. and Mrs. -Hearst soon decided to give up the struggle and withdraw -from the field. Miss Warner continued longer, -but ultimately she, too, retired with broken health. -As already stated, Mr. McLaren died of cholera after -a few hours’ sickness in Bangkok. God was teaching -us that it is “not by might nor by power, but by My -Spirit, saith Jehovah.”</p> - -<p class='c009'>Soon other complications arose. Smallpox was -brought by pupils into the Girls’ School, and, to our -consternation, Miss Griffin fell a victim. She had been -vaccinated in her childhood, but was not revaccinated -on leaving home—which is always a wise precaution -for those expecting to travel or to live in the East. -Proper measures prevented further spread of the disease; -and though our patient had a rather hard attack, -yet she made good recovery.</p> - -<p class='c009'>During our absence, the church had sustained a great -loss in the death of Nān Inta, our first convert and assistant. -But his works do follow him, and his life -will long continue to be a precious legacy to the Lāo -church. He lived, however, until others were ready to -take his place. Nān Sī Wichai, who long had been -Dr. Cheek’s teacher, was a strong character, and he was -ordained as an elder. Nān Tā, also, who had wandered -so far and so long after the persecution, was growing -to be a power in the church, and afterwards had the -honour of becoming the first ordained minister among -the Lāo.</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_244'>244</span> - <h2 id='ch22' class='c010'>XXII<br /> <br />A SURVEYING EXPEDITION</h2> -</div> -<p class='c011'>On the 26th of February, 1884, an East Indian -appeared on our veranda with an unexpected -note from my old guest and friend, Rev. Dr. J. -N. Cushing of the American Baptist Shan Mission. -The surprise and pleasure of a visit from him and Mrs. -Cushing in the early and lonesome days of the mission -have already been referred to. The note told us that -he was now connected, as interpreter, with a surveying -expedition under Holt S. Hallett, Esq., and that the -party would arrive in Chiengmai on the following day. -The railroad for which Mr. Hallett was surveying a -route was part of a scheme, then on foot, to build a -road from Maulmein to Chiengmai, there to connect -with a road from Bangkok, through the Lāo country, -to Chieng Sên, and, if successful, to be continued up -to Yunnan, China. For some reason the scheme was -not carried out, but the prospect of any road to connect -our isolated field with the outside world was attractive -to us.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The party arrived the next day; and since it would -be very inconvenient for Mr. Hallett to be separated -from Dr. Cushing, we found room in our house for -Mr. Hallett also, and had a fine visit with both. They -soon began to tempt me to join their expedition. All -expenses were to be paid. They were not to travel on -Sunday. Their intended route, through the towns and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_245'>245</span>villages on the way to Chieng Rāi and Chieng Sên, and -southward again to Lakawn, was over ground I was -anxious to travel once more. The trip would give me -a long and profitable visit with my friend, Dr. Cushing. -But, besides all personal considerations, it seemed -right to give a little aid to an enterprise that would -redound to the good of the country.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Our Chiengmai Prince, then quite old, was most incredulous -as to the possibilities of the wonderful railroad. -In his book, <i>A Thousand Miles on an Elephant -in the Shan States</i>, Mr. Hallett has given an amusing -account of his first interview with the Prince. He had -great difficulty in understanding how a train could -move faster than ponies, or how it could move at all -without being drawn by some animal. And how could -it ascend the hills? For it would surely slide down -unless it were pulled up. “I explained to him that I -had made three railways in England, therefore he -might rely upon what I had said. Railways were -made in various parts of the world over much more -difficult hills than those lying between Zimme (Chiengmai) -and Maulmein.... He seemed quite stupefied -by the revelation. It might be so—it must be so, as I -had seen it; but he could not understand how it could -be. He was very old; he could not live much longer. -He hoped we would be quick in setting about and constructing -the line, as otherwise he would not have the -pleasure of seeing it.”</p> - -<p class='c009'>We started at last on March 3d, 1884, with four -large riding elephants, four pack-elephants, and numerous -carriers, making forty-one persons in all. The -passport from the Siamese government, supplemented -by one from the acting Commissioner, and the presence -with us of a Lāo official of some rank, sent to see that -<span class='pageno' id='Page_246'>246</span>the orders were carried out, secured for us men and -elephants and all necessary equipments, so far as the -country could furnish them. The local officials were -usually very kind, and as prompt as native officials -ever were in those days. Mr. Hallett was very considerate -in arranging to stop for the night and on -Sundays near large villages and towns, where a little -missionary work could be done. In the cities where -there were Christians, we held regular services on -Sundays. On these occasions our chief gave the influence -of his presence, though, of course, he could -not understand what was said.</p> - -<p class='c009'>On this trip we had a good opportunity for studying -the characteristics of the elephant. He is very conscious -of his dignity, and must be treated with the -respect due to a king, and not with the familiarity of -an equal. Yet one is amused at his timidity. I myself -have seen one ready to stampede if a squirrel or -a big rat ran across the road in front of him. Mr. -Hallett says: “Elephants, though immense in size, are -very timid, and easily startled. We had to take them -off the path and turn their heads away into the -jungles, whenever we heard the tinkling bells of an approaching -caravan; and they will turn tail and run at -the sight of an audacious little dog that thinks fit to -bark at them.”</p> - -<p class='c009'>On some of the stages of our march, when we had a -mother-elephant in our company, we had the mischievous -youngster along. Such are always an unceasing -source of amusement. One of these seemed to -have a special spite against Mr. Hallett’s Madras boy, -either because of his peculiar dress, or for some liberty -he had taken with him. Mr. Hallett writes: “The -little elephant was taking every chance he could get -<span class='pageno' id='Page_247'>247</span>to hustle the men over as they forded the streams, and -to souse them with water from his trunk. Portow, -who had an overweening opinion of his own dignity, -and was bent on setting up as an oracle, was, unfortunately, -the butt of the boys, but was likewise the -sport of the baby-elephant. Many a time have I seen -him hustled over by the youngster, who seemed to -have picked him out as his playmate. Slyly and softly -stealing up behind, he would suddenly increase his -pace, and, with a quick shuffle or a sudden lurch, -shoulder him sprawling to the ground. Portow, during -this part of the journey, behaved like a hunted man, -ever looking behind to see whether the dreadful infant -was behind.”</p> - -<p class='c009'>My friend, Dr. Cushing, who had been put in charge -of the train, and our prince-guide, both believed in the -oriental idea of making an impression by as imposing -a pageant as possible. On nearing Chieng Rāi, they -marshalled us in procession, so that we entered the -city in state, with ten armed men leading the way. -Possibly it had its desired effect, for a warm welcome -was given us, and every aid was granted.</p> - -<p class='c009'>In the eleven years since my first visit there with -Dr. Vrooman, the city had grown in size. The fertility -of its soil and the large extent of its arable land -were sure to attract still larger population from the -south. In addition to these natural advantages, it had -then another strong claim for a mission station. While -all the other Lāo states, through their rulers, submitted -to the introduction of Christianity rather than welcomed -it, Chieng Rāi and Chieng Sên were exceptions. -The rulers of both desired the presence of the missionaries.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The Sunday spent there was a welcome day of rest. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_248'>248</span>The week had been a strenuous one. In the morning -we held a public service—the first ever held there. -Mr. Hallett and our prince-guide attended, and curiosity -collected quite a congregation. After tiffin, Dr. -Cushing and I spent several hours—the first quiet ones -we had had—reading in the monastery grounds at the -great bend of the river.</p> - -<p class='c009'>That evening I met the governor at home and, save -for the presence of his wife, alone. His intelligent -enquiries as to the truths and teachings of our religion -showed that he had already thought much on the -subject. Krū Nān Tā and he were not very distant -relatives, and had had many conversations on the subject. -His regard for our mission and his earnest -desire for a mission station, as well as the protection -he afterwards gave the Christians when they were -wronged, had, I believe, a deeper foundation than an -intellectual interest, or even a personal friendship -for us.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Our next stage was Chieng Sên. There Nān Suwan, -our ruling elder, and his family gave us a warm welcome. -He met us at the city gate, hardly hoping there -would be a missionary in the expedition, which, rumour -told him, was coming. His house stood on the bank of -the river, just where Dr. Vrooman and I landed thirteen -years before, when the only occupants were wild -beasts. The new settlers had been so busy providing -housing and sustenance for themselves, that only one -monastery building had been roofed, and only a portion -of its images stored under shelter. Our old -friend the governor had only a bamboo residence. Nān -Suwan had made friends by the help of the quinine -with which he had been supplied, and he had the best -house in the city. It served, also, as a chapel, in -<span class='pageno' id='Page_249'>249</span>which, with grateful hearts, we worshipped on -Sunday.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The governor was even more insistent in his demand -for a mission station than the governor of Chieng Rāi -had been. He even offered to send down elephants to -move us up, if we would come. His was not the deep -religious nature of the Chieng Rāi governor. He possibly -believed that in their sphere all religions were -alike good. He urged, as he had done before, that we -might even then forestall the monasteries and preoccupy -the field. Nothing would have pleased me -more, had it been possible, than to accept the cordial -invitation. It was true, as the governor said, “The -people must and will have some religion. If you do -not give them Christianity, they must take Buddhism.” -It was only necessity that could resist such a plea. -But half a loaf is better than no bread. If we were -not ready to start a regular station in Chieng Sên, we -must somehow work the field as best we could. That -consideration determined my long tours in the dry seasons -of the years that followed.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Up to this time I had never been properly equipped -and outfitted for such tours. One outcome of this trip -was a great improvement in my means of transportation -for the future. An application made long before -this to the Board for an elephant, had been received as -a huge joke. But now it happened that in the assignment -of elephants for our upward trip, a large <i>sadaw</i>—a -male without tusks—had fallen to me. He proved to -be an exceptionally fine beast belonging to an estate -about to be divided. He must be sold, and was held at -a very cheap figure. With the help of a contribution by -Mr. Hallett, and the hire paid for its use, I was able to -purchase it. The deputy governor gave me a good howdah -<span class='pageno' id='Page_250'>250</span>for it. I was as proud of my new acquisition as -ever a boy was of a new toy. But since few elephants -will travel well alone, I now needed a mate for him. -Before long I was fortunate enough to get a cheap and -equally good female. I was then prepared for my long -tours. I could cross streams in safety, and be protected -from rain, even if my journey were prolonged beyond -the limits of the dry season.</p> - -<p class='c009'>On our return journey, in Mûang Payao, we came in -contact with the worst epidemic of smallpox that I -have ever seen. We met it at every turn in the street. -With difficulty could we keep parents with children, all -broken out with the disease, in their arms, from crowding -round us in our sālā. We had hardly taken our -seats on the rugs spread for us at the governor’s official -reception of Mr. Hallett, when we discovered -cases of smallpox all about us. Dr. Cushing was -nervously afraid of it, and retired. I had to remain -an hour as interpreter. Imagine our consternation on -reaching the next station to find that the Doctor -showed unmistakable signs of having contracted the -dreadful disease, although he had been vaccinated in -his youth. What a discovery to be made on a journey, -and four days from home! On consultation it was -thought best to hasten on to Chiengmai, a thing which -our mode of travel made possible. Mr. and Mrs. Chalmers -Martin had arrived during our absence, and had -taken up their quarters in our house. It was, therefore, -impossible to take our sick friend in. We did -the next best thing, and gave him a new bamboo house -on our hospital lot, where Dr. Peoples carefully -watched over him till he made a rapid recovery, and -was able to return home in a boat as far as Bangkok, -and thence by sea <i>via</i> Singapore. It was a sad close, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_251'>251</span>however, to our pleasant visit together, and to our -otherwise interesting and profitable tour.</p> - -<hr class='c015' /> - -<p class='c009'>I returned from Chieng Sên, as we have seen, with -an elephant of my own. On reaching home I found -awaiting me the best pony I ever had. It was sent -to me as a present from the governor of Mê Hawng -Sawn, near the Salwin River. I had never been to Mê -Hawng Sawn, and had but a very limited acquaintance -with the governor. According to my uniform custom -in those days, on his official visits to Chiengmai, I had -twice called upon him as the governor of a neighbouring -province. On both occasions we had conversation -on the different merits of the two religions. On one -of these visits he had brought down some ponies to sell, -and on my asking the price of one he said, “I am -very sorry that I have sold all my gentle ones. There -is only one left. If you can use him, I shall be glad -to give him to you.” It is a McGilvary trait not to -be timid about horses, and I said, “I will try him.” -So the pony was sent down to my house; but he proved -rather too much for my horsemanship. The first time -I mounted him, he threw me and sprained my wrist. -It was the unanimous vote of the family that he be -returned with thanks. The governor sent back word -that he was very sorry; but never mind; when he -reached home he would see to it that I had a good -pony—a message which, I am sorry to say, I took as a -good oriental compliment. I had even forgotten all -about the matter, when, on my return from this trip, -I found the pony in my stable. He was a most -valuable and timely present.</p> - -<p class='c009'>But we are not quite done with Mr. Hallett’s survey. -He made a short excursion without an interpreter -<span class='pageno' id='Page_252'>252</span>to the hot Springs. But his final trip was to be -to Mûang Fāng, six days to the north and west of the -route previously taken, and distant some eighty-three -miles from Chiengmai. His object was to see if there -were not an easier route to Chieng Rāi down the valleys -of the Mê Fang and the Mê Kok. The trip -strongly appealed both to Mr. Martin and to me, and -we gladly accepted Mr. Hallett’s invitation to accompany -him.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Mûang Fāng was an ancient city captured and destroyed -by the Burmese in 1717; so that it lay in -ruins nearly two hundred years before it was re-peopled. -Besides Mûang Fāng, we visited, either in going or returning, -four other cities—Chieng Dāo, Mûang Ngāi, -Mûang Pāo, and Mûang Kên. Not far to the south of -Mûang Fāng we visited the cave of Top Tao, noted in -the Buddhist legends of Northern Siam. Mr. Hallett -thus describes our experiences there:</p> - -<p class='c024'>“Inside was a lofty cavern lighted by a natural skylight. -On a raised platform in the cave was a great reclining -image of Buddha some thirty feet long, and around it a -number of figures representing his disciples. Numerous -small wooden and stone images of Buddha had been placed by -pious pilgrims about the platforms. Pillows, mattresses, -robes, yellow drapery, flags, water-bottles, rice-bowls, fans, -dolls, images of temples, doll’s houses for the spirits, and -all sorts of trumpery, were lying together with fresh and -faded flowers that had been offered to the images, and were -strewn in front of them. A steep ladder led up to niches -near the roof of the cave, in which images were enshrined.</p> - -<p class='c027'>“My companions, full of ardor, determined to explore -the inner recesses of the cave, and accordingly lighted their -torches and proceeded further into the bowels of the earth, -whilst I enjoyed a quiet smoke amongst the gods. Down -they went, creeping through low, narrow passages, over rocks, -and along ledges, with chasms and pits lining their path as -<span class='pageno' id='Page_253'>253</span>the cave expanded—bottomless as far as they could judge by -the faint light of their torches, but really not more than -twenty or thirty feet deep—until they could get no further, -and had to return, having proceeded about the eighth of -a mile.”</p> - -<p class='c025'>That night brought us to the Mê Fāng River. The -narrative proceeds:</p> - -<p class='c024'>“Here we spent the most unpleasant night we had yet -spent, as we were troubled with rain, heat, and mosquitoes. -We were told that game was plentiful. Wild cattle larger -than buffaloes come in droves from the hills to graze in the -plain, while the rhinoceros and the elephant roam about -the plains.</p> - -<p class='c027'>“At our next stopping-place, after we had settled ourselves -in an empty house, a villager came to inform us that -the house belonged to the Chief of Mûang Fāng, and that -anybody that slept in it would have his head cut off. As -rain was threatening, we determined to risk the penalty, -and we were soon glad that we had done so, as the rain -poured down in torrents.”</p> - -<p class='c025'>There is a small deer called tamnê, which twenty -years ago was very abundant in all the northern -provinces. They are not found in the very tall grass -of the river-bottoms, but in grass about waist-high -thickly covering the higher plains. They have their -beds in this grass by day, and graze at night. They -are lower than the grass, and never leap so as to show -the body, but glide smoothly along as if swimming, discovering -their presence only through the parting and -waving of the grass. Sometimes you get right upon -them before they will run.</p> - -<p class='c009'>One Saturday we got Mr. Hallett interested in some -survey or calculations not requiring the aid of an interpreter, -and Mr. Martin and I had our first deer hunt. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_254'>254</span>We took six of our elephants, and, going out about an -hour’s ride or more from the city, we formed in open -order abreast, about forty yards apart, and in perfect -silence moved forward over the plain. The hunter -thus starts his own game. He sits on the back, or, -better still, on the neck of his elephant, with gun -cocked, ready for a shot at the first noise or movement -in the grass. We started about a dozen of the -deer, and emptied many cartridges, but came back to -camp with no meat—much to Mr. Hallett’s disgust.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Mûang Fāng, like Chieng Sên, was rich in images -of all sizes and materials. I never saw finer bronze -ones. It was a favourite field from which Siamese -princes and officials could get a supply otherwise unattainable -in those days. Of course, <i>they</i> have a right -to them. But when a German traveller undertook a -wholesale speculation in the images of Buddha, it was -quite another matter, and he got into serious difficulty -with the government.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Soon after our return to Chiengmai, Mr. Hallett left -us for Bangkok. From his long residence in Burma -and from his close connection with the mission and -missionaries during his expedition among what he -calls the Shan States, he understood the methods and -results of missionary work better than most visitors -who have written upon the subject. The kind words -of the dedication of his book, though often quoted, -may well conclude this chapter.</p> - -<p class='c009'>“To the American Missionaries in Burma and 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.”</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_255'>255</span> - <h2 id='ch23' class='c010'>XXIII<br /> <br />EVANGELISTIC TRAINING</h2> -</div> -<p class='c011'>On our return from the surveying expedition in -the summer of 1884, we found F. B. Gould, -Esq., our first British Vice-Consul, already -established in Chiengmai. It was an important event -for the country; since a British official in any place is -a guarantee that at least the outward forms of law -and justice will be observed. In one important sense, -too, it marked a new era for the mission, or, at least, -for the missionaries.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Those who have not tried can hardly imagine the privation -of living eighteen years without a mail system -of any kind. Our only dependence so far was on -catching chance trading boats to and from Bangkok. -These were always an uncertain quantity; in very low -water they almost ceased to travel. Some boatmen -preferred not to be responsible for the mail, not knowing -what it might contain. In the great city of Bangkok, -and even in Chiengmai, it required a constant effort -to keep ourselves informed of the departures of -boats. The consequence was that an absence of news -from children, friends, and the outside world generally, -for three or four months at a time, was very common. -Sometimes the interval was as much as eight -months. Add to this the time of the long river trip, -and our news sometimes would be nearly a year old -when it reached us. Mr. Wilson’s family and mine -<span class='pageno' id='Page_256'>256</span>had schooled ourselves to these conditions; but to -those who had been accustomed to a daily mail, they -must have been almost unendurable.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The new Vice-Consul came, determined by all means -to get some regular communication established, if it -were only a monthly one. We were only too glad to -do whatever we could to that end. It was a matter -of pride to both parties that we arranged at once for -a regular and most successful semi-monthly mail overland -to Maulmein. I furnished a reliable Christian -man for chief contractor, and good men for carriers. -Since Mr. Gould had as yet no authority from his government -to incur any expense, the arrangement was -wholly a private affair, with the understanding that -all who availed themselves of it should pay a quarterly -assessment for the maintenance of the line. But in a -short time the British government assumed the whole -expense. Mr. Gould promised to get the staff exempt -from corvée, or compulsory government service. He -had to use his official authority for that.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The Lāo government had absolutely no interest in -a mail, whether weekly or yearly; but the Siamese -looked rather askance at having in their own country -a mail service over which they had no control. -It seemed to be in some way a reflection on their national -pride. There is little doubt that our private -enterprise hastened the weekly government mail from -Bangkok, which was started the next year. And since -the Maulmein route is quicker by two weeks than -the one by Bangkok, the Siamese government has of -late maintained both, the two meeting at Rahêng, and -giving us a very creditable and regular mail service.</p> - -<hr class='c015' /> - -<p class='c009'>In the spring of 1884 the mission sustained a great -<span class='pageno' id='Page_257'>257</span>loss in the death of Princess Tipa Kēsawn, Prince Intanon’s -consort, whom we were in the habit of calling -“the Queen.” Placed as she was, she could not well -have avoided the making of priests’ garments, and the -going through with the form of making offerings to the -spirits. But I seriously doubt whether she had any expectation -of laying up thereby a store of merit for the -future. One thing we do know, that in her last sickness -she turned no anxious look to any of these things, -at a time when thoughtful Buddhists are always most -diligent in their efforts. Dr. Peoples of our mission -attended her in her last illness, and the case was submitted -entirely to him. Mrs. McGilvary and I were -both with her the day before she died. Mrs. McGilvary -was with her at her death, and remained to see -the body dressed for the coffin. We missed her very -much as a friend, and the whole country missed her as -a balance-wheel for her husband.</p> - -<hr class='c015' /> - -<p class='c009'>On the arrival of the reinforcement in 1883, a Presbytery -was organized of the four ministers, Wilson, -Peoples, Hearst, and McGilvary. I was then full of -the idea of a theological training-class. My experience -of the accumulated power added to the missionary’s -efforts by having such assistants as Nān Inta, -Nān Suwan, and Noi Intachak, raised in my mind the -question, Why not increase the number? Having had -no schools, we had, of course, no body of young men -educated on Christian lines whom we might train for -the ministry; and we could not have such for years -to come. But we had in our churches mature men of -deeply religious nature, earnest students of Buddhism, -and carefully educated in all the learning of their race. -And a man so trained has many compensations for -<span class='pageno' id='Page_258'>258</span>his lack of training in our elementary schools. He -knows the sacred books of his own people, their -strength and their weakness. He understands the -thoughts, the needs, and the difficulties of a Buddhist -enquirer, and the mode of argument by which these -difficulties are to be met, as no young man of his own -race, and as no foreign teacher can do. The training -needed to make such a man an efficient preacher of the -Gospel, is training in the Christian Scriptures, together -with practical experience in evangelistic work -under efficient direction.</p> - -<p class='c009'>I was at that time giving regular instruction to Noi -Intachak, one of the finest young men I have ever -known in that country, and very anxious to become a -minister.<a id='r13' /><a href='#f13' class='c020'><sup>[13]</sup></a> To Nān Tā, afterwards our efficient minister, -I was giving instruction less regularly, as it -was possible for him to take it. But it would have -been both easier and more profitable to teach a class -of six or eight. By qualifying such a group of young -men to work, and then working with them and through -them, I believed that my own efficiency could be -quadrupled, or even sextupled, as it was doubled when -I had Nān Inta to work with.</p> - -<div class='footnote c026' id='f13'> -<p class='c023'><span class='label'><a href='#r13'>13</a>. </span>Our hopes for his future career, alas, were cut short by his untimely -death in the following year.</p> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>With these thoughts and this experience impressed -on my mind, and in order that my plan, if adopted, -might have the ecclesiastical sanction of the Presbytery -as well as the corporate sanction of the mission, -I had urged the organization of the Presbytery -just as soon as we had the minimum quorum required. -In order to give the discussion its proper outlook and -perspective, I noticed, also, in the paper which I read -before the Presbytery, the necessity of a general education -<span class='pageno' id='Page_259'>259</span>for all our Christians, and of High Schools for -both sexes; while I sketched more in detail the nature -and the methods of special instruction intended for -those in training to become evangelists and ministers.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The training proposed for this last group was intended -primarily to equip the most capable and most -promising individuals among the converts for filling -well their places as lay officers and leaders in the -churches, and for engaging intelligently in evangelistic -work. But beyond this it was thought that it would -ultimately furnish a body of picked men from whom -again the best might be chosen as candidates for -further instruction leading up to the ministerial office. -The course was to be flexible enough to permit -occasional attendance with profit on the part of men -whose household duties or whose business would not -permit them to attend regularly. Its special feature -was actual and constant practice in evangelistic work -under the direction and supervision of the Principal, -and with him as his assistants on his tours.</p> - -<p class='c009'>In view of the poverty of the Lāo generally, and in -order to make it possible for these men to maintain -their families while occupied with this training, it was -further proposed that they should receive a moderate -allowance of, perhaps, eight rupees per month of actual -service, or about three dollars of our money. This -seemed not unreasonable, since in Christian lands it -is thought a wise provision to assist students in their -preparation for the ministry; and since what is required -to support one European missionary family, -would support half a dozen fairly educated native -ministers or ten good native evangelists.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The Presbytery took hold of the scheme with much -ardour, and at once began to organize it into shape, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_260'>260</span>but on far too large a scale, and with far too formidable -and too foreign apparatus. A regular “Board -of Education” was created, with rules and regulations -better suited to American conditions than to those of -the Lāo churches. A committee was further appointed -to examine all applicants for the course, much after -the manner of receiving candidates for the ministry -under the care of a Presbytery. Their “motives for -seeking the ministry” were to be enquired into, while -as yet it was not at all known whether they would -desire to become ministers. The allowance in each -case was to be the absolute minimum which it was supposed -would suffice for the maintenance of the student -after he had provided all that he could himself. -Noi Intachak, for example, was allowed the maximum -of eight rupees a month, while Noi Chai—one of the -best Buddhist scholars in the country, a young man -with a family, living ten miles away in the country—was -allowed five rupees, on the ground that he was not -very poor; while yet another was allowed but three.</p> - -<p class='c009'>After this ordeal—which was thought to be a good -test of their sincerity—the rest of the six or eight candidates -for instruction declined to commit themselves. -None of them understood exactly what the Board of -Education was about. I myself was greatly disappointed -at the outcome. After a week of listless study, -Noi Chai begged to be allowed to withdraw, and the -whole thing was disbanded. My hopeful private class -was killed by too much “red tape,” and with it all possibility -of a training-class for four years to come. I -was again set free for long tours and my favourite -evangelistic work.</p> - -<p class='c009'>I continued to teach Noi Intachak till his lamented -death, and I devoted what spare time I could to teaching -<span class='pageno' id='Page_261'>261</span>the long-time wanderer, Nān Tā, who had become our -best evangelist. There seems to have been some fatality -connected with all our efforts to establish a theological -training school. When the next attempt was -made, under Mr. Dodd’s direction, with a large and interesting -class enthusiastically taught, through some -cause or combination of causes—for it would be difficult -to specify any single one as alone determinative—it -was allowed to slip out of our hands. Possibly a -leading cause in this case was the same that was -operative in the other. At a time when the mission -was pressing the idea of self-support to its breaking -point, an allowance probably too scanty was offered -in the evangelistic work to the men who had been -trained for it. The whole question in the Lāo field, -as it doubtless is in others, is a difficult one. As wages -in other departments rise, and the demand for competent -men becomes more pressing both in governmental -and in private business, the question will become -more difficult still. While on the one hand there -is the danger of making a mercenary ministry, on the -other hand we must remember that, the world over, -educated labour now costs more, but is not, therefore, -necessarily dearer. The same penny-wise and pound-foolish -policy has lost us the strength of some of the -best men in our church, our schools, our hospitals, and -our printing-press, because more lucrative positions -are offered elsewhere. But we must remember first of -all that theological schools, like all others, are not -made, but grow; and, second, that the law of competition -prevails here, too, as well as elsewhere. It is -easy to say that it ought not to do so, as between the -ministry and other professions, or between the missionary -work and other more lucrative callings. But -<span class='pageno' id='Page_262'>262</span>to a certain extent the same law does hold, and it is -a fact to be reckoned with.</p> - -<hr class='c015' /> - -<p class='c009'>In May, 1884, H. R. H. Prince Krommamûn Bijit, a -brother of the King of Siam, arrived and took up his -residence in Chiengmai—probably to give prestige to -the High Commissioner, and possibly to smooth the -road of the new British Consul. It was an open secret -that the Prince of Chiengmai could see no need whatever -for a British Resident, and at times he was not -slow to make his views known. For a while the relations -between the two were somewhat strained. Yet it -was of the utmost importance that the relations between -England and Siam should remain cordial. At -the same time it was a part of the plan of Siam, since -fully carried out, to assume complete control of the -government in the northern states. What was of more -special interest to us was, as we shall see, not only -that Prince Bijit was personally friendly, but that he -brought with him substantial evidence of the good will -of His Majesty and of the Siamese government toward -our work.</p> - -<p class='c009'>It was in this year that our first attempt at establishing -a mountain sanitarium was made. It was designed -to furnish a refuge from the great heat of the -plain, to be a retreat for invalids, and a place where -new missionaries might more safely become acclimatized, -and still be studying the language. But as -a matter of fact, new missionaries are put to work so -promptly that it is about as hard for them to withdraw -from the battle as it is for the older ones. Since -we kept no watchman on the premises, the sanitarium -was afterwards burned down—possibly by forest fires. -Later a better and more convenient situation was found -<span class='pageno' id='Page_263'>263</span>nearer the city, so near that a man can ride up in the -evening, spend the night there with his family, and return -in the morning to his work for the day. It is in -a delightful situation beside a cool brook, but is too -low for the best results as a health resort.</p> - -<hr class='c015' /> - -<p class='c009'>At the Annual Meeting in December, the importance -of opening a new station in Lakawn was discussed. -The baptism of the officer from that city, and the -organization of a church there, have already been -mentioned. The officer was constant in his appeals -for the establishment of a station there, with a missionary -in residence. Although Mr. Wilson was soon -to start with his family for the United States on a furlough, -there would still be left in Chiengmai—if I were -sent to Lakawn—two ministers and two physicians, -even if these were but three men in all. Besides, there -were beginning to be some good native assistants in -Chiengmai. No one had expressed a desire to open a -new station, and no one had been sounded in regard -to the matter. So I determined to make now the visit -to Lakawn which I had planned for the previous fall, -but had been unable to accomplish. My wife and our -little son Norwood were to accompany me. When our -preparations were well advanced, what was our delight -to find that Dr. and Mrs. Peoples wished to accompany -us, if they could obtain elephants. When this was -mentioned to Prince Bijit, he not only volunteered the -elephants, but informed us that he had authority from -His Majesty to see that we had a lot for our station -there, and, furthermore, that, in passing through -Lakawn, he had already secured for us one of the most -desirable lots in the place. In addition to this, His -Majesty had sent by him two thousand rupees as a contribution -<span class='pageno' id='Page_264'>264</span>toward the new station and a hospital. Who -could fail to see that the guiding hand of the Lord was -in it! Before this I had written to our United States -Consul to get permission to secure a lot there, but had -never once thought of a contribution, much less of one -so liberal. Mrs. McGilvary thus reports our trip in -a letter to our daughter:</p> - -<p class='c024'>“Lakawn, January 30th, 1885. We reached Lampūn on -Friday. I curtained off one end of the sālā just north of -the city, and Mrs. Peoples did the same at the other end, -leaving the space between and the veranda for callers. -There we spent the Sabbath. Your father preached twice -to very attentive audiences. We were impressed with the -favourable prospect for mission work, and hope to make a -longer visit to the place soon. We left on Monday, and -reached this place on Thursday noon, and lodged in a public -sālā just opposite the beautiful lot which the Prince has -given us for a station. It is in a fine site, one of the best -in the city. We called on the Chief this morning, and all -seemed pleased at the prospect of having a mission station -here. It is not yet settled who is to open it. We are willing -to come, and so are Dr. and Mrs. Peoples.”</p> - -<div id='i264' class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i264.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>PRESBYTERY, RETURNING FROM MEETING IN LAKAWN</p> -</div> -</div> -<p class='c011'>As may well be imagined, we returned to Chiengmai -with grateful hearts for the many providences that -had favoured us. The new station was assured. We -had not then thought of keeping two physicians for -Chiengmai. Dr. Cheek had charge of the medical -work. Dr. Peoples, naturally, preferred a field where -he would have ample scope both for his medical profession -and for the itinerating work of which he was -equally fond. His double profession and other qualifications -fitted him as no one else could be fitted -for opening the new station. On my wife’s account I -was very willing to yield him the pleasure—for such -<span class='pageno' id='Page_265'>265</span>to me it has always been—of breaking new ground. -Mrs. McGilvary had already had the labour and self-denial -of opening two stations, one of which was a new -mission. The importance of Lakawn as the next station -could not be challenged. Dr. and Mrs. Peoples -themselves were pleased with the place and the prospect -of the new field. So they were unanimously appointed -and set apart to the new and important work.</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_266'>266</span> - <h2 id='ch24' class='c010'>XXIV<br /> <br />STRUGGLE WITH THE POWERS OF DARKNESS</h2> -</div> -<p class='c011'>The belief in witchcraft was still prevalent everywhere, -and this year brought us striking illustrations -of its cruel power. An elderly man -with his wife and family, living in one of the outlying -villages, was accused of witchcraft. The pair of elephants -which he owned and used had belonged to a -man suspected of harbouring a malicious spirit; and it -was thought that the demon had followed these elephants -into the family of their new master. The family -was promptly ostracized; but by driving off her -husband with his elephants, the wife might avoid expulsion, -and might save for herself and her daughters -the comfortable home. I endeavoured in vain to prevent -this outcome. “I am much more afraid of the -spirits,” said the wife, “than of bears and tigers.” -The husband could no longer face the universal odium -which he encountered, and so was driven forth. But -the spirits served the old man a good turn—they -drove him into the Christian religion, which he lives to -adorn, and they gave him two good elephants. The -family afterwards applied for one of them. As a matter -of equity he gave up one, and lived comfortably -with a Christian son on the proceeds of the sale of -the other.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Then there was a great epidemic of fever in Bān Pên -in the neighbouring province of Lampūn. Few homes -<span class='pageno' id='Page_267'>267</span>were left without sad hearts and vacant places through -the death of one or more members. The destroyer -must be some demon which had taken up its abode in a -human habitation, and was preying on the inhabitants -of the village. The family of one of the most prosperous -men in the village was finally selected as the one -which must be the abode of the destroyer. As they -could hardly decide in which particular member of it -the demon resided, they regarded all with equal suspicion, -and proceeded to wreak their vengeance to the -uttermost upon them all.</p> - -<p class='c009'>First, according to the usual custom, anonymous letters -were dropped at the gate, warning the family to -flee, or dire would be the consequences. When threats -failed, armed with an order from the court, the whole -village appeared on the scene and compelled the family -to flee for their lives. No sooner were they out -of the way than their two large teak dwelling-houses, -with rice-bins, outhouses, etc., were torn down and scattered -piecemeal over the lot. Not even a tree or shrub -was left on the place. To gain a breathing-spell, the -family moved into a bamboo shed hastily extemporized -on the banks of the Mê Ping, some two miles distant -from what had been their home. By some accident -they were directed to our mission. They had learned -that the King’s edict protected the Christians, and, -above all, that the Christian religion protected them -from all fear of evil spirits. And so they came to see -if it were true, and if there were any refuge for -them.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Whatever was to be done for them in the way of -earthly succor, must evidently be done quickly. Their -neighbours in their temporary refuge would doubtless -soon drive them away again. At the earnest entreaty -<span class='pageno' id='Page_268'>268</span>of the man I took one of the elders, and went down to -look into the case for myself. It was heart-rending. -Whatever they had been able to snatch from the wreck -of a well-to-do home—beds, bedding, furniture, kitchen -utensils—was heaped up in a pile that covered the -whole floor-space of their shack. The great-grandmother, -helpless in her dotage, and the little children, -were lying here and there wherever a smoother spot -could be found. Their case seemed almost hopeless -as far as human aid was concerned. Nān Chaiwana -had himself appealed for aid both to the court and to -the governor, and had been told that there was nothing -they could do for him. The court was committed -against him. The governor, however, was personally -friendly to us, and had shown no ill will towards the -man. It was barely possible that something might -be accomplished there. We all had worship together -amid the confusion of their hut—the first Christian -service they had ever attended. They assured us of -their joyful acceptance of the Gospel, and pledged -obedience to all its teachings. We promised to do -whatever we could in their behalf, and returned home.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Next day Mr. Martin and I went down to Lampūn -to call on the governor. He was not at home, but in -the rice-fields several miles out in the country. We followed -him there. He received us kindly, but said, -“Were I to make proclamation to protect that family, -it would be impossible to enforce it. Nearly everybody -in that neighbourhood believes that the bodies -or ashes of fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, or children -are in that graveyard, sent there by the demon in -that family. If you can devise some plan to protect -them, you are welcome to try it; but if they return -to that village, I cannot be responsible for the results.” -<span class='pageno' id='Page_269'>269</span>When told that they had now renounced the spirits, -and put themselves under the Great Spirit, he said, -“That is all very well, but how am I to convince the -others that <i>they</i> are safe?” We then begged that he -would give the place over to us. We wanted a place -for preaching. We would put up one of the houses -and establish a Christian family in it, with medicine to -cure their fevers. I would oversee it, but would ask -the family to help in the work. To this he readily -consented. We trusted his promise, and we returned -encouraged.</p> - -<p class='c009'>A few evenings later I arrived on the scene with our -elder and some other Christians, and pitched tent at -the edge of the ricefield, a hundred yards from the -deserted lot, to engage in a contest with the destroying -demon. It was, moreover, a crucial contest as between -Christianity and demonism. Our whole future -work in that province, and, to a large extent, throughout -the land, depended on the result. Soon curiosity -brought to our tent the head man and a large number -of the villagers. We spent the evening in preaching -to them. When asked what we proposed to do -with the situation, we explained that we had come -to take possession of the house and lot—the governor -had given it over to the mission for a station. It -was now the property of the Christians, over whom the -spirits had no power. It was to be dedicated to the -Lord’s work, and we even asked their aid.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Next morning we began work, bringing in some of -the men of the outcast family to assist in identifying -and reassembling the scattered timbers of the house. -With much difficulty bone was joined to bone, and timber -to timber. In a few days some of the villagers offered -to be hired to help. One or two women of the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_270'>270</span>family came over to cook for the workmen. Before -long one house was set up, roofed, and floored; whereupon -we moved up into it, and invited the neighbours -to attend its dedication that evening. The evening was -spent in song and prayer and praise. Many came up -into the house. More listened from the ground below. -We had given quinine to the fever patients, who were -glad to get well by the help of Christian medicine. -Meanwhile the epidemic subsided, and the worst fears -of the people were allayed.</p> - -<p class='c009'>When it became necessary for me to return to Chiengmai, -I left the elder to furnish moral support to the -poor outcasts, who, little by little, came back to their -home, and became the Christian family which we had -promised to establish there. To save the land from -being utterly lost to him, Nān Chaiwana had mortgaged -it to one of the princes for the trifling sum of -one hundred rupees. Not trusting to the prince’s unselfishness, -I took Nān Chaiwana’s own money, paid the -mortgage, and with some regret the prince released the -property to me. Thus was it all restored to the family. -Mr. Martin and I visited the station as often as -we could. It became an interesting centre for our -work, and ultimately grew into the Bethel church.</p> - -<hr class='c015' /> - -<p class='c009'>While I was engaged in this work, a strange thing -was doing on the other side of the Mê Ping. One day -a man came in from the “Big Tamarind Tree Village” -to tell us that his whole village had become Christians, -and were building a chapel. When it was finished, he -would invite us to come down and indoctrinate the -people in the teachings of our religion. This was something -new, and, of course, most interesting. In due -time the man came to Chiengmai to inform us that -<span class='pageno' id='Page_271'>271</span>the chapel was finished, and we were invited to go -down, take possession, dedicate it, and teach the -people.</p> - -<p class='c009'>On the following Friday, Mr. Martin and I took -boat and went to the village landing, where we separated, -he going east to receive and baptize the converts -in the “new home of the teachers,” as the house -at Bān Pên long was called; and I to dedicate the -new chapel at the “Big Tamarind Tree Village.” I -found the chapel there all right, and the whole village -assembled to welcome the teacher; and, apparently, -like the audience that Peter found in the house of -Cornelius, ready “to hear words whereby they might -be saved.” The chapel was built mostly of bamboo, -but so new and neat that I complimented the villagers, -and expressed my great delight. After our reception, -I invited them up into the chapel for worship, and began -by announcing a hymn, and inviting them to join -in learning to sing it; expecting, with my assistant and -other Christians who had accompanied me, to spend -the time in teaching them what Christianity is; presuming -that their reception of it was a foregone conclusion.</p> - -<p class='c009'>But somehow things did not seem to run smoothly. -I was conscious of being in a wrong atmosphere. The -leader of the movement seemed ill at ease. None entered -in with the accustomed zeal of new converts. My -assistant noticed the same thing, and whispered in -my ear that something was wrong. They were whispering -to him, “Where is the money?” “What -money?” “Why, the fifty or one hundred rupees that -we were told would surely be forthcoming to every -family that aided in the building, and that entered -the new religion. The foreigners are rich, and, of -<span class='pageno' id='Page_272'>272</span>course, will be delighted to distribute money freely.” -The leader, of course, expected the lion’s share. It -had all been a mere business venture on his part—or, -rather, a swindle! This was on Saturday. On Monday -morning Mr. Martin and I met at the boat according -to agreement, he to report a good day and -the baptism of ten adults along with as many children, -and the reception of a number of catechumens; and I -to confess how I had been sold.</p> - -<hr class='c015' /> - -<p class='c009'>In the summer of 1885 a most interesting work was -started in some villages to the southwest of the city. -Our indefatigable Nān Tā had visited that region, and -many had professed their faith. Mr. Martin and I -both responded to the call, and made a number of visits -there. Two chapels were built by the enquirers, one -at Lawng Kum, and one at Chāng Kam. I quote the -following account of this work from the New York <i>Observer</i>:</p> - -<p class='c024'>“June 9th, 1885.—I have just returned from the villages -referred to in my last letter. I found twenty-two families -of professed believers at Lawng Kum Chapel, which with -the aid of a few dollars from elsewhere they had succeeded -in building. Among them are at least six persons -who give good evidence of a change of heart, and the rest -are interesting enquirers. Ten miles from there, at Chāng -Kam, I visited by invitation another company who had renounced -Buddhism, and who call themselves Christians. On -arriving there a roll of thirty-five families was handed me. -Most of them had attended worship at times in the chapel at -Chiengmai, and a few of them are no doubt true Christians. -Here also we secured a native house for a chapel. They -contributed a part of the small sum needed, while in this -case, as in the other, their contribution was supplemented -from the monthly contributions of the church in Chiengmai. -Deputations have been sent also from places still further -<span class='pageno' id='Page_273'>273</span>away, representing in one case twenty, and in another case -twelve families enrolled by themselves, with others only -waiting for the arrival of a teacher.</p> - -<p class='c027'>“It is probably premature to predict what will be the -result of all this. The simultaneousness of the movement in -villages thirty or forty miles apart is remarkable. It shows -a longing for something they have not. To turn this -awakening to most account, we need more help, both native -and foreign. Mr. Martin enters into the work with all his -zeal, and has contributed no little toward keeping up the -interest.”</p> - -<p class='c025'>Our expectations in regard to the work at Lawng -Kum were disappointed mainly by removals of families -to other places. The chapel in Chāng Kam was -burned down by incendiaries, but was soon replaced, -and the village has continued to be one of our most -important out-stations. Its people have recently -[1910] built a new and large chapel, and will soon -be organized into a church. One zealous man in Mê -Āo led first his own family and then his neighbours -into the faith, till they, too, have now a chapel built -of teak, with a band of faithful workers to worship -in it.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Our first visits to these new places were intensely interesting. -It seemed as if the Gospel would be embraced -by whole villages. But the burning of the -chapel tells a tale of a strong adverse influence. Opposition -usually drives off the timid and the merely -curious. The lines, then, are sharply drawn, and the -Christian society really finds itself.</p> - -<p class='c009'>During the last week of the year I spent a few days -at the village of Mê Dawk Dêng to hold a communion -service there, and incidentally to give my family and -the teachers of the Girls’ School a much-needed outing. -It was at the height of the rice-harvest, and, one evening, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_274'>274</span>we all greatly enjoyed the sight of a regular rice-threshing -“bee” at the farm of one of our elders. The -“bee” is always at night. The bundles of rice from -the harvest-field are piled up so as to form a wall five -feet high around a space of some twenty-five feet square, -with an opening for entrance at one corner. In the -centre of this square is a horizontal frame of bamboo -poles, against which the bundles of rice-heads are -forcibly struck. The grain falls to the ground below, -and the straw is tossed outside. In those days the -whole plain at rice-harvest was lighted up by bonfires -of the burning straw—a glorious sight as I have -watched it from Doi Sutēp.</p> - -<p class='c009'>We pitched our tent near by to enjoy the scene. The -men and boys do the threshing, while the women and -girls do the cooking for the feast with which the work -ends. The village maidens are always on hand to encourage -their beaux in their work by passing to them -water or betel-nut, and to serve the viands at the feast. -It reminded me much of the husking bees I had seen -as a lad in the South seventy years ago. How near of -kin is all the world!</p> - -<p class='c009'>We had a delightful communion service on the Sabbath. -Seven adults and six children were baptized. -On Monday morning we returned home refreshed and -better prepared for the work before us.</p> - -<hr class='c015' /> - -<div id='i274a' class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i274a.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>MARKET SCENE IN CHIENGMAI</p> -</div> -</div> -<div id='i274b' class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i274b.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>IN THE HARVEST FIELD</p> -</div> -</div> -<p class='c011'>The year had been one of marked progress. The -Girls’ School had been strengthened by the arrival of -Miss Lizzie Westervelt. The new station at Lakawn -had been opened, and Dr. and Mrs. Peoples had been -installed there. More new work had been opened in -the neighbourhood of Chiengmai and Lampūn than in -any one year of the history of the mission. One hundred -<span class='pageno' id='Page_275'>275</span>and two adults were added to the communion roll, -and about as many children were baptized. Our new -“witchcraft-house” at Bān Pên, with its hospitable -family, afforded a comfortable prophet’s chamber for -the missionaries and a chapel for worship. The Bethel -church was afterwards organized in it. That family -became highly respected, and has furnished some of -the most influential members of our church. The work -in Nawng Fān, seven miles south of Chiengmai—Nān -Inta’s village—had steadily grown. It still continues -to be one of our best out-stations, and will, during the -present year [1910] be organized into a church.</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_276'>276</span> - <h2 id='ch25' class='c010'>XXV<br /> <br />CHRISTIAN COMMUNITIES PLANTED</h2> -</div> -<p class='c011'>The year 1886 opened auspiciously. But Mr. -Martin had brought malaria in his system from -his old home; and the Lāo country is a better -place for contracting the infection than for eradicating -it. He worked indefatigably, but seldom with a -blood-temperature down to the normal. In January -he accepted an invitation from Mr. Gould, the British -Vice-Consul, to accompany him on a tour of inspection -through the northern provinces, hoping that the change -might prove beneficial. It afforded, moreover, opportunity -for some missionary work in places seldom or -never visited. He was the first to visit the Mūsô villages -high up among the mountains. He baptized a -few converts in Chieng Sên, and reported an interest -there that should be followed up.</p> - -<p class='c009'>About this same time Krū Nān Tā—for such, though -not yet ordained, I shall in future call him—returned -from Chieng Rāi with a most encouraging report of -developments there. Later a deputation of seven men, -with Tāo Tēpasing as their leader, came to us from the -village of Mê Kawn in the Chieng Rāi province, -earnestly entreating a visit from the missionary. In -their number was Pū King from Chieng Rāi, who had -been a notorious bandit, robber, and murderer. He -had now submitted to the government, and was given -a place as public executioner and as doer of other jobs -from which only a lawless man would not shrink. Before -<span class='pageno' id='Page_277'>277</span>meeting Krū Nān Tā, he had gone so deep in sin -that no hope was left him, and he became hardened in -despair. But his conscience was ill at ease. Hearing -rumours of the Christian religion, he determined that -if it could give him hope of pardon, he would seek it -at any cost. He and his wife walked one hundred and -ten miles to see if it were really true that Jesus could -save even him. Our good friend the governor encouraged -his coming, and said, “If the Christian religion -can make a good man out of Pū King, I shall have -no more doubts of its truth and power.” And we have -no doubt that it did that very thing.</p> - -<p class='c009'>In a few days Krū Nān Tā and I returned with the -party. Elder Āi Tū of Chieng Rāi,<a id='r14' /><a href='#f14' class='c020'><sup>[14]</sup></a> with his family, -accompanied us. We thus had quite a little congregation -to worship nightly about the camp-fire, and -every one of the party was either a Christian or an enquirer. -This was my third trip to the north, and the -first of those annual trips that have made that road so -familiar to me.</p> - -<div class='footnote c026' id='f14'> -<p class='c023'><span class='label'><a href='#r14'>14</a>. </span>Afterwards Prayā Pakdī.</p> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>The little colony of Christians at Wieng Pā Pāo was -prospering. One of them was the man whom his wife -had driven off, elephants and all, for witchcraft. Nān -Tā reported the governor of the place as a believer. -He had ceased to make offerings in temples, and he -ridiculed the idols. He received us most hospitably, -and desired to have a mission station there. Afterwards, -however, through policy and the influence of -a Burmese son-in-law, he resumed his old worship; -though to the last in his heart of hearts, I think, he -believed our teachings to be true. In the case of subordinate -officials, the final step of joining the church -is terribly hard to take.</p> - -<p class='c009'><span class='pageno' id='Page_278'>278</span>At Salī Toi, “Grandma” Pan had been praying day -and night for our coming. She lived some distance -away from the road, and feared that we might pass -her by. She was overjoyed to see us, and we had to -check the homage she offered us. The poor woman was -sadly in need of support. She was the only Christian -in the place, and was surrounded by hostile neighbours -who absolutely rebelled against her establishing herself -in the place. Her family had renounced the spirits, -and therefore her “patriarch,” to whom she could -rightly look for protection, became her chief accuser. -He went to the governor of Chieng Rāi for an order -forbidding her to settle there. But he had his thirty-mile -walk for his trouble. The governor told him that -the family was not to be interfered with. How could -he forbid those whom the King’s edict allowed?</p> - -<p class='c009'>Having failed with the governor, they tried to draw -away the daughter-in-law. But she said she would -stick by her husband and his family. Their religion -should be her religion, and their God should be her -God. The villagers then notified the family that it -would be held responsible for the value of any buffalo -or elephant that might die in the village. The theory -was that the demons would take vengeance on the village -for allowing the trespass of an enemy on their -domains. But all their efforts to shake the poor -woman’s faith were futile.</p> - -<p class='c009'>At Mê Kawn village, from which the delegation had -chiefly come, of course we were received with a warm -welcome. On the recent visit of Nān Tā, when the -leading supporters of the temple became Christians, -the less religious families also deserted it. I even saw -oxen sheltered from the rain under its roof. A club-footed -man, Noi Tāliya by name, a good scholar in -<span class='pageno' id='Page_279'>279</span>Ngīo, Burmese, and Lāo, had been the life of the temple. -And it is the earnest Buddhist that makes the -earnest Christian. His son first heard the Gospel, and, -coming home, explained it to his father. Calling his -family together, the father said to them, “There are -the spirit shrines. Any one may have them who -wishes to continue their worship.” No one making a -bid for them, a bonfire was made, and the once valued -treasures all vanished in smoke. When he went to -Chieng Rāi to announce his conversion to the governor -and to the Uparāt, he said that he prayed all -the way that he might answer their questions discreetly -and wisely. He did not know that the governor -had no more confidence in his deserted idols -and spirits than he himself had.</p> - -<p class='c009'>On the evening of our arrival, the largest house in -the village was filled to overflowing till late in the -night. Before Sunday the people had extemporized a -chapel which afterwards became the foundation of the -Mê Kawn church. Two Sundays were spent in teaching -these people before we moved on to Chieng Rāi, -leaving the new disciples under the oversight of Noi -Tāliya.</p> - -<p class='c009'>On reaching Chieng Rāi we were invited by the governor -to take up our quarters in his old residence, -which we did. It was a better house than his present -one, but there had been two deaths in it, and it was -pronounced unlucky. He knew we were not afraid -of ill luck. On the contrary, it was very good luck -that we got it, for the rains were now falling daily. -The governor and Nān Tā were near relatives and very -intimate friends withal. His interest in us was as -teachers of the only religion that ever afforded him a -ray of hope. But on this trip Pū King, the reformed -<span class='pageno' id='Page_280'>280</span>bandit, and his family, were the centre of our interest -there. And it was not long before he, too, like Saul -of Tarsus, became a striking illustration of the grace -of God.</p> - -<p class='c009'>A few hours beyond Chieng Rāi on the road to Chieng -Sên, was the home of Āi Tū. His was the first Christian -family in the province. He had built—in part -that it might furnish a guest-chamber for the missionary -on his visits, and in part that it might serve as -a chapel for worship—the largest house in all that -neighbourhood. When we arrived, he had already vacated -it for us, and had moved his family down into a -shed. A number of families had begun to attend worship, -and to keep the Sabbath; but were frightened -away by that ridiculously stale story that missionaries -were making Christians in order to carry them off in -their ships to feed the Yaks! Strange that such a -palpable absurdity should deceive any one; yet we -have known whole villages to be frightened away by it.</p> - -<p class='c009'>At Chieng Sên, in the home of Nān Suwan, we were -at once aware of being in a Christian atmosphere—in -a consecrated Christian family. That family was a -city set upon a hill—a leaven in the new city and -province. It alone had given Christianity a good -name. The governor was free to say that if Christianity -made such men as Nān Suwan, he would like -to see the whole country Christian. The influence of -the Girls’ School in Chiengmai was strongly reflected in -his daughter, Kuī Kêo. She taught no regular school -other than her Sunday School; but from time to time -during the week she taught the neighbours. Young -men who began by trying to ridicule her out of her -religion, now treated her with the greatest respect. -We were told that rude young fellows singing vulgar -<span class='pageno' id='Page_281'>281</span>songs would lower their voices when passing by the -house.</p> - -<p class='c009'>We crossed the river in a small boat to spend a few -days in teaching four new families of Christians on -the eastern side. One of the men was Tāo Rāt, the -village officer, and another was his son, Noi Chai. The -latter became an influential ruling elder, and, like Nān -Suwan, one of the pillars of the church.</p> - -<p class='c009'>From Chieng Sên we crossed the broad prairie-like -plain westward to Bān Tam. The officer of the village -was Sên Yā Wichai—mentioned in the early part of -this narrative as the very first believer in Chiengmai. -The journey was one of the worst for elephants that -I ever made. Heavy rains had soaked the ground so -that at every step it seemed almost impossible for -them to pull their huge feet out of their tracks. The -Sên lived only a quarter of a mile from a remarkable -feature of the mountain ridge. The Mê Tam, the -largest river in the plain, flows bodily out from under -the mountain, much as does one of the sources of the -Mê Ping at Chieng Dāo.</p> - -<p class='c009'>It was a great pleasure to spend a Sunday with our -now venerable Christian and his family. It was a family -of officers, his three sons all being either of the -grade of Tāo or of Sên—which shows the esteem in -which the family was held. But, unfortunately, their -official position made it more difficult for the sons to -follow the example of their father.</p> - -<p class='c009'>On Sunday night the rain came down in torrents, -reminding us that it was better for us to be at home. -We started homeward early the next morning. Our -route skirted the beautiful mountain range, crossing -brooks and the larger streams of the Mê Tam and the -Mê Chan. Already the road had become almost impassable -<span class='pageno' id='Page_282'>282</span>except for elephants and natives unencumbered -with shoes or trousers.</p> - -<p class='c009'>We have already spoken of the great mortality incurred -in the attempt to people these new Lāo states. -Occasionally the straggling remnant of a family might -be seen returning. One poor little boy awakened my -deepest sympathy. All of his family had died except -himself and his brother, a monk, who were trying to -save themselves by flight back to their old home in -the province of Chiengmai. After I passed them I -began to wonder whether the pale, weary-faced, and exhausted -travellers would ever reach the rest they -sought. Then I began to think that here I was enacting -again the old tale of the priest and the Levite -who passed by on the other side. At last I could stand -it no longer. I stopped and waited for them to come -up. I offered the pitiful little skeleton of a boy a seat -with me on the back of the elephant. At first he somewhat -distrusted my motive, wondering what I wanted -to do with him; but he was too weary to refuse. When -he revived, he proved to be a veritable little chatterbox, -and good company. I kept him nearly a week, till we -entered the Chiengmai plain at Doi Saket. Only four -years ago, eleven children out of five Christian families -who had settled in Wieng Pā Pāo, died during -the first year.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Returning through Chieng Rāi, we revisited the new -families of Christians in that province. In the city the -governor’s wife asked us to have worship in their -new house, to which they reverently listened. When -we ended she said, “Why, they pray for everybody!” -Pū King, the executioner, was holding on with a death-grip -to the hope of salvation for the chief of sinners. -The case of the apostle himself, and of the penitent -<span class='pageno' id='Page_283'>283</span>thief, greatly encouraged him. Nān Tā also was -greatly rejoiced that his brother Sên Kat became a -believer on this tour.</p> - -<p class='c009'>On my return I found Mr. Martin but little, if at all, -improved, by his trip. He was so thoroughly discouraged -that he felt that he could not face another hot -season. He remained with us till the end of the rainy -season, and then, with his family, left Siam for the -United States. I never had felt so thoroughly crushed -as I was at his departure. During three whole years -we had lived in the same house, and worked together -hand in hand in the evangelistic work, of which he was -very fond.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Dr. Cheek already had severed his official connection -with the mission, and had gone into business of his -own. But he kindly gave his professional service to -the missionaries, and was ready to perform pressing -surgical operations for the natives who came to the -hospital.</p> - -<hr class='c015' /> - -<p class='c009'>I have often wondered whether all foreign missions, -have as many and as rapid alternations of sunshine -and shadow, as the Lāo mission. Our medical work -was once more at a standstill; and by the departure -of Mr. Martin, the evangelistic work again was crippled. -But at Hong Kong Mr. Martin met Rev. and -Mrs. D. G. Collins, Dr. and Mrs. A. M. Cary, and Rev. -W. C. Dodd, on their way out for the Lāo mission, with -Rev. W. G. McClure for Lower Siam. Mrs. Cary had -become so exhausted by continual sea-sickness during -the whole voyage, that, on her arrival in Bangkok, -many thought her unable to endure the long river -trip of six or seven weeks. Mr. McClure offered to -exchange fields with the Carys; but Mrs. Cary, with -<span class='pageno' id='Page_284'>284</span>true pluck, said that she had been appointed to the -Lāo mission, and to the Lāo she would go. But, alas! -it was to be otherwise. She became worse soon after -leaving Bangkok. On Sunday, January 16th, 1887, a -mile above Rahêng, she became unconscious, and -shortly after gently passed into her everlasting rest.</p> - -<p class='c009'>It was still a month’s journey to their destination. -There was nothing to be done but to lay the body -to rest in the grounds of a monastery. Who can portray -that parting scene, or adequately sympathize with -the bereaved husband and sister (Mrs. Collins), or with -the other members of the party, as they performed the -last sad offices, and then resumed their lonesome journey!</p> - -<p class='c009'>When the party reached Chiengmai on the 17th of -February, they found there only the McGilvarys, Miss -Griffin, and Miss Westervelt. Miss Cole had gone to -Bangkok. But the Girls’ School was flourishing under -the direction of the two ladies last mentioned. -Former pupils of the school were then doing good -service in three different provinces as teachers. But -the arrival of the new forces made possible for the first -time a Boys’ High School. Circumstances now were -much more favourable than they were when Mr. Wilson -made the attempt in the earlier days of the mission. -We now had Christian patrons, and there was a -growing desire in the land for education. Buddhist -pupils were willing and anxious to attend our school. -Mr. Collins preferred the educational work. As soon -as he acquired the language sufficiently well, he was -put in charge of the school for boys, and it was soon -crowded with pupils.</p> - -<div id='i284' class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i284.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>GIRLS’ SCHOOL IN CHIENGMAI<br />1892</p> -</div> -</div> -<p class='c011'>Mr. Dodd’s preference was along the line of a Training -School for Christian workers. Happily, the taste -<span class='pageno' id='Page_285'>285</span>and preference of both these men were along the lines -of greatest need. Meanwhile Mr. Dodd entered into -the evangelistic work also with a zeal that has never -abated. As newcomers see things with different eyes, -it is always interesting to get their first impressions. -Mr. Dodd’s first experience is thus given in a letter -to the Board of June 9th, 1887:</p> - -<p class='c024'>“On Friday, June 3d, Rev. D. McGilvary of the Lāo mission -left Chiengmai by boat for a tour southward, taking -attendants and all necessary equipments, accompanied by a -raw recruit, and three efficient native helpers. We arrived -at our first station about the middle of the afternoon, and -before bed-time held religious conversation with as many enquirers -as time would permit. Our audience chamber was -the house of one of our newly-received members. Our ‘outward -and ordinary means’ of attracting an audience was a -watch, two mariner’s compasses, a magnifying glass, a stereoscope -with an assortment of views, and a violin. The raw -recruit played the violin, and thus called the audience together. -We used both the other attractions to hold them -and to gain their confidence and interest; and afterwards -Dr. McGilvary easily and naturally drew them into religious -conversation. Soon the conversation became a monologue -of instruction in the religion of the great God. The violin -was no longer needed to arouse or sustain an interest. -Every day, and late into the evening, the Doctor and the -three assistants conversed; sometimes to quite an audience, -sometimes to individual enquirers.</p> - -<p class='c027'>“The religious attitude of the people was a revelation to -the newly-arrived missionary, and doubtless would be to -most of God’s people in the United States. Nearly all of -these people had heard of the ‘religion of the great God,’ -but knew nothing about it, since the district had never before -been visited by a missionary.... But their receptivity -was marvellous.... Without exception these -Buddhists confessed at the outset, or were soon brought -to concede, the immeasurable superiority of Christianity. -Many said, ‘It is of no use to argue. Your books tell the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_286'>286</span>beginnings of things; ours do not.’ On one occasion when -Dr. McGilvary had finished reading and explaining the first -chapter of Genesis, one of his auditors remarked to his fellows, -‘There is more real information on that one page than -in all Buddha’s writings.’ The sense of sin is universal, so -too is the insufficiency of the works of merit. Many sad -souls confessed that they had long been dreading the penalty -for sins for which they feared that ‘merit-making’ could not -atone.</p> - -<p class='c027'>“The results we cannot measure. We were absent two -weeks. Religious service or conversations were held in more -than twenty different homes, and in some of these several -times. Audiences varied from a single enquirer to fifty. -Thus hundreds heard the gospel for the first time. Many -who seemed above the suspicion of hypocrisy professed to -believe and accept what they heard.... One principal -reason for this tour just now, was to baptize in his own -home and among his subjects the chief officer of the district. -Himself, his wife, and his whole family were baptized—a -most interesting household. The abbot of one village monastery -professes to accept Christianity. For some time he -has been sending his parishioners, including his own sister, -for instruction. There is another district officer of the -same rank as our newly-baptized convert, a constant visitor -and deeply interested. This is a specimen tour, neither better -nor worse than the average taken these days. For the -last two years, although most of the time there have been -but two ordained missionaries in the field, over ninety ascessions -have been made to the First Church.”—<i>Church at -Home and Abroad</i>, May, 1888.</p> - -<p class='c025'>Before the short trip reported by Mr. Dodd, I had -taken a longer one to the northern provinces, going -over the same ground which Mr. Martin and I had -travelled the season before. This time I baptized thirty-six -adults and thirty-two non-communing members. -The communion was administered eight times. I married -two couples and ordained one elder. Each Sunday -was spent in villages where there were already Christians. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_287'>287</span>This encouraging success was the harvest of -seed sown on former tours, but gathered largely -through God’s blessing on the work of faithful elders. -Both in Chieng Rāi and in Chieng Sên we might then -have organized churches with a goodly number of -members communing and non-communing, and with -very good material for officers. Nān Suwan at Chieng -Sên, like myself, never had the gift of fluent speech, -but his reputation for sterling integrity has left a -mark that eloquence might envy. And Āi Tū at Nāng -Lê bids fair to be another power in the province of -Chieng Rāi. Both of them are strongly aided by their -daughters, the first-fruits of our Girls’ School.</p> - -<p class='c009'>During the year 1887 the whole number of adult accessions -was one hundred and seven; and one hundred -and eleven non-communing members were added -to the roll, making two hundred and eighteen additions -to our little flock, exclusive of Lakawn. As I -now look back over these years, it is plain to me that -the great lack of the mission all the way through has -been the lack of well-trained native helpers; and -for this lack the mission itself is largely to blame. -Those who are eager to accomplish the evangelization -of the world within the present generation, should first -of all lay hold of the present generation of Christians -in every mission field. Fill <i>these</i> with enthusiasm, -qualify them, and send them forth, and we have a -lever that will lift the world.</p> - -<p class='c009'>From the Report of the Board in the same number -of <i>The Church at Home and Abroad</i> cited above, we -quote the following:</p> - -<p class='c024'>“Dr. and Mrs. Peoples are still left alone in Lakawn, the -utmost picket of the foreign missionary line. Mrs. Peoples -has not one lady for a companion; and the doctor is dangerously -<span class='pageno' id='Page_288'>288</span>burdened, bearing all alone the labour of teaching -and healing. For more than two years they have been -waiting for help. No station under the care of the Foreign -Board calls so loudly for reinforcements as this. Again -and again we thought we had found a Christian couple for -Lakawn; but in each case we have been disappointed. Single -men could have been sent, but it is very much to be desired -that the new missionary going there should be married. -Dr. Peoples’ medical work has won for him increasing -friendliness throughout the city.... Mrs. McGilvary has -revised the Lāo version of Matthew’s Gospel, and has translated -for the first time about half of the book of Acts. -The Scriptures have had considerable circulation among the -Lāo, but only in the Siamese tongue.... Dr. Cary had -no sooner reached the field than through the assistance of -Dr. McGilvary and Norwood McGilvary, a young lad, acting -as interpreters, he was able to begin work with regular -hours for receiving patients, and for surgical practice.... Mr. -Collins has made a beginning in the much-needed -school for boys.</p> - -<p class='c027'>“Only one other mission now under the care of our -Presbyterian Church has during the last year shown as much -growth, in proportion to the missionary force employed, as -the Lāo mission.... It is never out of place to remind our -Presbyterian Church that it is to her alone that God has -committed the evangelization of the Lāo tribes.”</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_289'>289</span> - <h2 id='ch26' class='c010'>XXVI<br /> <br />A FOOTHOLD IN LAMPŪN</h2> -</div> -<p class='c011'>At a meeting of the Presbytery shortly before the -opening of the year 1888, a committee consisting -of Dr. Peoples, Mr. Dodd, and myself, was -appointed to organize two churches, one in Chieng Sên -and one in Chieng Rāi, if the way were found open -to do so. We also arranged that Mrs. McGilvary -should accompany our son Norwood as far as Bangkok -on his way to the United States. And both expeditions -were to start on the same day, Monday, -February 7th.</p> - -<p class='c009'>To ease somewhat the strain of such a parting, I -took an earlier leave, and went on Saturday with Mr. -Dodd to spend Sunday with the church at Mê Dawk -Dêng. That evening we performed a marriage ceremony -in the church. The next day thirteen adults were -received into the church—nine by baptism and four -who were children of the church. On Monday Mrs. McGilvary -and I exchanged our last good-byes by note, -and both parties got off on Tuesday morning. Dr. and -Mrs. Peoples, starting from Lakawn, made the first -stage of their journey separately from us to a rendezvous -at the Christian village of Mê Kawn, twelve -miles south of Chieng Rāi.</p> - -<p class='c009'>At our next Christian village another wedding was -waiting for us, but the course of true love did not run -smooth. The bride belonged to a well-to-do Christian -<span class='pageno' id='Page_290'>290</span>family; but no member of it could read the Scriptures. -They, therefore, “redeemed” a Christian family for -four hundred rupees, in order to secure the services of -the son as a sort of Levite in the family, and to teach -the eldest daughter to read. Naturally, the two young -people fell in love with each other. That was a contingency -the mother had not planned for, and a difficulty -arose. She asked, “If I take Nān —— for a -son-in-law, where do my four hundred rupees come in?” -It was all in vain to tell her that she got her pay in -a good son-in-law. She said he was hers already till -his debt was paid. At last she so far relented as to allow -the ceremony to take place, but she would not see -it performed. We invited the father and the rest of -the family and the neighbours into our tent, where, -to their great joy, the two were made man and wife. -The implacable mother lived to see that she had not -made a bad bargain, after all.</p> - -<p class='c009'>At Mê Kawn we were joined by Dr. and Mrs. Peoples, -and we had a good Sabbath with the little flock -there. Our club-footed man had looked after it well, -and he became later a good elder and a fine disciplinarian. -About this time I was taken with a severe attack -of indigestion, from which I did not recover for -many months—the only continued sickness from which -I have suffered in all my connection with the Lāo -mission.</p> - -<p class='c009'>On reaching Chieng Rāi, we found our good friend -the governor mourning the death of his wife, the same -who, when we last saw her, invited us to worship in -her house. It was a pleasure to point the bereaved -man to the divine Comforter, and we are fain to believe -that our words were not in vain. He was still -anxious to have the mission station established, which -<span class='pageno' id='Page_291'>291</span>we, unfortunately, could not yet promise. The Chao -Uparāt invited Dr. Peoples to lecture with his magic -lantern, and to have worship in his residence, where we -had a crowded audience. We did not organize a -church in Chieng Rāi, however, partly because the two -Christian villages, equidistant from the city north -and south, could not agree on the best place of meeting. -But we found the way open in Chieng Sên, and -did organize a church there, in Nān Suwan’s house, -on the very bank of the Mê Kōng, and with one-half of -its members living on the other shore.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Dr. Peoples had left a large practice in Lakawn, and -was obliged to return. Mr. Dodd returned with them -to Lakawn, and thence to Chiengmai. I had come untrammelled, -to remain as long as duty called. It seemed -very desirable to follow up the impressions already -made on that community. But I was not well, and a -week’s delay found me no better. Thinking that a -change might be beneficial, I crossed the plain to Sên -Yā Wichai’s home at the foot of the mountains. It -was a hard day’s ride, and I became worse on the way. -On reaching my destination I could hardly stand. -Resting there on my back a few days without improvement, -it seemed my first duty to get to a physician as -soon as possible, or, at least, make the effort to do so. -Most of the way I could stop at night either with or -near Christian families. This I did, and so reached -Chiengmai on April 14th.</p> - -<p class='c009'>During my absence the building of the Boys’ High -School was completed; and the school was opened under -the direction of Mr. Collins on March 19th, with an enrollment -of forty-five boys, nearly all children of Christian -parents. In June Dr. Wilson reached Chiengmai -on his return from the United States; and with him -<span class='pageno' id='Page_292'>292</span>came Miss Fleeson, destined with the Doctor to join the -Peoples at Lakawn, and Miss Belle Eakin (now Mrs. -Dodd), for the Girls’ School in Chiengmai. Miss Griffin -was already gone on her furlough.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The building for the Girls’ School had long been -in process of construction. Builders and plans had -been several times changed, till at last Dr. Cheek took -the contract, and finished it in the summer of 1888. It -has served its purpose admirably these many years, and -we then thought it would do for all time. But though -the lot then seemed amply large, it proves now entirely -too small for the needs of the school. Moreover, it is -impossible to enlarge it. On its south side runs the -most travelled road in the country; while on the east -the land is owned by a wealthy official, who would not -sell at any price.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Our congregations had grown till a church building -became a necessity even more urgent than, a schoolhouse. -The first mission dwelling-house was planned -in part with reference to such need, its largest room -long being used for Sunday worship. Then a small -temporary chapel took its place. After that a larger -teak double dwelling was bought. That, however, -would not hold more than two hundred persons—not -more than half of our largest congregations at the -present day. Then for a time we worshipped in the -unfinished building for the Girls’ School. When, at -last, that was finished, it was needed for its original -purpose, and we again must move. It was then decided -that we must have a church, and one worthy of -our cause—such as would attract rather than repel -both rulers and people. So one Sunday afternoon we -held a meeting of the congregation to take steps for -building it. We were delighted to see the interest -<span class='pageno' id='Page_293'>293</span>manifested in the enterprise. Pā Kawng, an aged -slave of the Prince, laid down a silver rupee, which -was all the money she possessed—and it was the very -first money received toward the building. The church -was completed by the end of this year.</p> - -<p class='c009'>We had continued evidence of the friendship of -Prince Intanon, and even of his growing interest in -our work. One Sunday, in answer to an invitation -given by Mrs. Cheek, he attended our communion -service, conducted that day by Mr. Wilson. Although -he arrived an hour and a half too soon, he remained -all through the long service, and bowed as he took -his leave, just when the communion cups were about -to be passed. On the day of our daughter’s marriage -in Statesville, North Carolina, he and the High Commissioner -attended a reception given in honour of the -event. The Prince had known her as a child, and -seemed much interested. “Is it this very night that -the marriage takes place?” he asked. The reception -was a very pleasant affair. Though my wife was still -in Bangkok, Miss Fleeson and Miss Eakin entered with -all their hearts into the thing, and, with the assistance -of Mr. Dodd and Mr. Collins, carried it through in -splendid shape. After refreshments we had charades -and other games. It was amusing to see the look of -surprise on the face of the Prince when the charades -were played.—“What are they doing?” “What does -that mean?” “I don’t understand.” But the game -was quite too recondite to be explained to him. So, -after the first charade, His Highness and his party took -their leave, assuring us that they had enjoyed the evening -very much.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Dr. Wilson and Miss Fleeson presently journeyed on -to their post at Lakawn. The governor there gave the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_294'>294</span>mission a very desirable plot of ground for the new -buildings which would be required, saying, “I am glad -to have you come. It would be a shame, when you -come to live in our country, if the government did not -do something to make you comfortable.”</p> - -<p class='c009'>Scarcely less important than the opening of the -new station in Lakawn, was the opening of permanent -work in Lampūn, the largest and most important sub-station -of Chiengmai. Lampūn is a little gem of a -walled city in the same great plain as Chiengmai, and -only eighteen miles distant to the south. From the -first settlement of the country, however, it has been -a separate state, yet governed by a branch of the same -ruling race.</p> - -<p class='c009'>We have seen that the new governor of Lampūn was -friendly to the mission and the missionaries. The -opening of the work in Bān Pên and other important -villages near it, rendered it almost essential to have a -footing in Lampūn itself. After some negotiation we -secured a suitable lot, the grounds of the second governor -recently deceased. We purchased from the family -the land with the old residence and the stockade. -But presently the family became alarmed lest they had -been too hasty in selling it to foreigners, and brought -back the money, begging us to restore the land. They -brought, also, a message from the governor, saying that -he wanted the residence and the stockade himself, but -would <i>give</i> us the rest of the land. It was to our interest -to keep on good terms with him, and we agreed -to the arrangement. We got what we wanted, a good -station, and we retained, and probably increased the -governor’s friendship.</p> - -<div id='i294' class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i294.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>REV. JONATHAN WILSON, D.D.<br />1898</p> -</div> -</div> -<p class='c011'>To make possession sure, I purchased a newly-built -house which had come to be regarded as unlucky, because -<span class='pageno' id='Page_295'>295</span>the owner’s wife had suddenly died in it. Having -arranged to have the house moved and set up on -the lot, I was about to return to Chiengmai, thinking -that there was nothing more to do, when I was sent -for by the chief executive officer of the Court. He said -that the governor, indeed, had given us the place, but -the Court wished to make one proviso. He begged that -I would sign a paper promising in few words that if -the government at any time should need it, we would -give it up. The governor was growing old, and they -themselves would be held responsible. I saw at once -that such a step would put it in the power of any one -to oust us. A need might be feigned, and yet we should -be powerless to withstand it. I was perfectly dumfounded. -My first thought was to go directly to the -governor. But presently I bethought me of the terms -on which H. R. H. Prince Bijit, the brother of His -Majesty, had given to the mission the fine lot for its -hospital. The lot was given in perpetuity on condition -that it be used for medical and missionary purposes -only. As long as it was so used, it was ours. -But it could not be sold, or used for other purposes, -without forfeiture to the Prince. The thought came to -me as an inspiration. I told the officer of that written -deed. “Very well,” said he. “If you have such a -paper as that, show it to me, and I will give you one -like it for this lot.”</p> - -<p class='c009'>The difficulty was solved. A swift footman was -despatched to Chiengmai asking Mr. Martin to send me -at once a copy of the Prince’s deed of gift. Next morning -it came, and I took it immediately to the Court. -The officer’s surprise was evident. He took it and -read it carefully through. His word was given. After -a moment’s thought he said, “That is all right. It -<span class='pageno' id='Page_296'>296</span>will relieve me of all responsibility.” Then he called -up his clerk to copy its terms and execute the new -deed. The land was ours to use as long as we should -use it for the purposes specified; and that I hoped -would be until the millennium! With a light heart I -was soon aboard my boat and homeward bound.</p> - -<p class='c009'>When the house had been removed and set up on the -lot, Mr. Collins and I went down and spent a week -there, with interested audiences every night. It at -once became an important out-station of the Chiengmai -mission. In the meantime Mr. Dodd had already collected -some twenty students for his training-class, but -without any quarters for them in Chiengmai. Later -Mr. and Mrs. Dodd were put in charge of the station, -and the Training School was moved over to Lampūn. -When the Lampūn church was organized, its charter -members numbered nearly two hundred. It is now -the mother of two other churches. Scarcity of men in -the mission, openings in other places, and other causes -have prevented the Lampūn station from being continuously -manned. But now, with such efficient workers -there as Mr. and Mrs. Freeman, it has an important -future before it, as a sub-station of Chiengmai.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Meanwhile my own sickness had continued, with -several relapses. A minor surgical operation had so -delayed my recovery that Dr. Cary now advised a -change and rest in a boat trip to Bangkok. After the -departure of our son to the United States, my wife -had remained in Bangkok for a visit, and was soon to -return. The telegraph line which the Siamese government -had recently completed, enabled me to wire to -her to wait for me to come and bring her back. Dr. -Cary himself, who had never recovered from the shock -occasioned by the tragic death of Mrs. Cary, and who -<span class='pageno' id='Page_297'>297</span>was never well during his whole stay in the mission, decided -to accompany me as far as Rahêng.</p> - -<p class='c009'>At Pāknam Pō I left my boat, and took passage for -Bangkok by river steamer, thus saving seven days. -After remaining in Bangkok only three nights, my -wife and I took passage in the same steamer on her -return trip, and rejoined our boat at the forks. The -water was at its best stage, and we passed up some of -the rapids without knowing that they were there. But -my trouble had not left me. A low diet and long illness -had left me thin and weak. The round trip occupied -only two months. Our last Sunday was at Pāk -Bawng, two days below Chiengmai. There we held a -communion service with the Christian families, and a -new family was baptized.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Three miles to the east is Bān Pên, the village which -has figured in a previous chapter. The Christians -there had long been asking for a visit, which my own -sickness and want of time on the part of others rendered -it impossible to make. On Monday morning I -decided to take the risk and visit it. With some misgivings -I saw my wife’s boat move off and leave me—burning, -so to speak, my bridges behind me. The -whole country was flooded. Discarding shoes and -stockings, I made my way on foot, weak as I was, -through water, across ditches, or along the narrow -ridges of rice-fields, and finally reached Bān Pên in -safety.</p> - -<p class='c009'>And what a week I spent in that neighbourhood! -At Nawng Sīu, a village two miles distant from Bān -Pên, there were six families of professed believers -whom Dr. Dodd and I had visited the season before—almost -swimming at times to reach them in their scattered -homes. Their admission was postponed at that -<span class='pageno' id='Page_298'>298</span>time until they should have had further instruction. -To these I specially addressed myself. During the -week our faithful elder, Nān Tā, came down to assist -me in the work. On Friday evening the session met -at Nawng Sīu to examine and instruct these new -converts, and again on Saturday morning, closing -finally at two o’clock in the afternoon with baptism -and the Lord’s Supper. On counting up the numbers, -it was found that twenty adults and seventeen children -had been baptized. Among them was an aged -couple with their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. -It was a memorable sight. The Sabbath -was spent at Bān Pên, where seven more adults -and one child were baptized. On Monday I made my -way back to the boat as I had come, and reached home -on Tuesday. And now for the strange part of the -story. <i>I reached home well.</i> My week’s wading in the -water, and the hard work, had done what medicine and -doctors and a long boat trip had failed to accomplish!</p> - -<p class='c009'>But a new disappointment awaited me. Before I -reached home, Dr. Cary had resigned. His short -career is one of the mysteries to be explained in the -great beyond. A consecrated physician, he had given -his life to the Lāo people. Crushed by his tragic bereavement -on the way out, and with a constitution -never strong, he contended manfully for two years -against the debilitating effects of a malarial climate. -But at last he had to give up the fight. His work had -been successful. “He saved others; himself he could -not save!”</p> - -<p class='c009'>His departure threw on me again the oversight of -the medical work. But this time most of the dispensing -of medicine to the natives fell on Chanta, a protégé -of my own, who had had good training under two physicians. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_299'>299</span>Meanwhile Dr. Cheek looked after the mission -families, and, as already stated, was always ready to -respond to an urgent call in the hospital. My time -was largely given, therefore, to the evangelistic work, -to instructing Nān Tā and other elders, and to teaching -enquirers and others to read in Siamese, first the -Shorter Catechism, and then a Gospel.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The growth of the Chiengmai church, though not -phenomenal, was very healthy and very uniform -throughout the year. There were accessions every -month save one, amounting in all to one hundred and -sixty souls. At the end of the year Miss I. A. Griffin -returned from furlough, and served a very useful term -until 1896, when she retired greatly missed. At -Lakawn, Rev. Hugh Taylor and his wife began a -twenty years’ course of evangelistic work carried on -with indefatigable zeal, while Miss Fleeson was no less -zealous and successful in laying the foundation of a -Girls’ School, destined to be a power in that province.</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_300'>300</span> - <h2 id='ch27' class='c010'>XXVII<br /> <br />A PRISONER OF JESUS CHRIST</h2> -</div> -<p class='c011'>We have had frequent occasion gratefully to -record the good will of the Siamese government, -and of its commissioners and representatives, -towards our mission. In all its history the -only exception to this uniform friendliness was in the -case of the Commissioner who, in 1889, succeeded -Prayā Tēp Worachun. The Boys’ School was on an -old deserted monastery-site given by the Prince to Dr. -Peoples for a medical or a mission compound. An -old ruined chēdi or pagoda was still standing on it. -Such lots, deserted by the monks, were then regarded -as abodes of the spirits, and on such the natives dared -not live. In preparing for the school buildings, the -débris about the foot of the chēdi had been dug -away. One of the early acts of the new Commissioner -was to send a written notice to the mission that it was -improper to use old Buddhist shrines for purposes -other than those for which they were originally built; -and he gave us notice that we were to have three months -in which to find other quarters. But as no other lot -was offered in its place, we remained quiet, and that -was the last we heard of it.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Another incident, occurring soon after, was more -serious, and gave us a great deal of anxiety; for it -came near costing the life of one of our best native -assistants. A deputation from some twelve or fifteen -<span class='pageno' id='Page_301'>301</span>families in Chieng Dāo came to us with a request that -a native assistant be sent up to teach them. Krū Nān -Tā went up, and they became believers, but required -much further instruction. We selected Noi Siri, the -most prudent of our elders, for the task. We charged -him specially, inasmuch as it was in a province new -to our work, to use great caution and give no just -cause of offence to the rulers or to others. He remained -there a month, and then was recalled by the -illness of his wife. He stopped at the mission to report -progress, giving a good account of the conduct and -diligence of the new Christians.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Great was our surprise, then, in a few hours to learn -that Noi Siri had been arrested, put in heavy irons, -and thrown into prison on a charge of treason against -the government. Mr. Collins, Mr. Dodd, and I called -upon the Commissioner to enquire the cause of his arrest. -The Commissioner replied, Yes; he had him arrested -on the grave charge of disloyalty in teaching -the converts that they were exempt from government -work. Such teaching was treason; and if the charge -were true, the penalty was death. It was not, therefore, -a bailable offence. At the same time, he said, no -specifications had been forwarded. He would summon -the accusers, and the man should have a fair trial, -and should have the privilege of producing any witnesses -he pleased in his defence. That was, of course, -all that we could ask, save to beg that the trial be -hastened as far as possible—to which he consented. -Krū Nān Tā was allowed to see the prisoner in his -cell. From him he learned that so far was the accusation -from being true, that he had taught the Christians -that they were <i>not</i> exempt from government work; and -that, furthermore, no call had been made on them for -<span class='pageno' id='Page_302'>302</span>service while he was there. We sent immediately for -all the Christian men to come down.</p> - -<p class='c009'>After some delay the prisoner was called into court -and examined. According to Siamese custom, his examination -was taken down in writing.</p> - -<p class='c009'>“Are you Noi Siri, who has been teaching in Chieng -Dāo?”</p> - -<p class='c009'>“Yes.”</p> - -<p class='c009'>“When did you go there to teach?”</p> - -<p class='c009'>“On the fourth of the third waning moon.”</p> - -<p class='c009'>“Have you taught that Christians are exempt from -public service?”</p> - -<p class='c009'>“No. On the contrary, I taught that, as Siamese -subjects, Christians are to pay their taxes and perform -all the duties of other subjects.”</p> - -<p class='c009'>The testimony of the governor of Chieng Dāo, his -accuser, was then taken in his presence. Among the -questions asked him were these:</p> - -<p class='c009'>“Can you state any particular time and place when -the Christians were called to do government work and -refused?”</p> - -<p class='c009'>“Yes. I called a man or two, and they did not -obey.”</p> - -<p class='c009'>“When was that call made?”</p> - -<p class='c009'>“On the fourth day of the third waxing moon.”</p> - -<p class='c009'>This was the only specification which the governor -gave. The date, it will be noted, was fifteen days -earlier than that of Noi Siri’s arrival in Chieng Dāo. -If the statement were true, it might have subjected -the persons who were summoned to trial and punishment -for disloyalty; but it absolutely cleared Noi Siri. -An upright judge would have dismissed the case. The -Christian witnesses were in attendance to testify as -to the nature of the instruction they received; but -<span class='pageno' id='Page_303'>303</span>were not given the opportunity to do so. The accused -man was remanded to prison. We waited, but nothing -was done. We called once more on the Commissioner; -but were told that the case had been referred to -Bangkok, and he must wait for a reply. We waited -again. At last we made a written appeal on his behalf, -and in answer were told that the case was one -with their own subjects, and we had nothing to do with -it. Meantime Noi Siri had become quite ill, and all -that we could do was to get him transferred from his -dungeon to the common prison.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Eight months after this, when Mr. Dodd went down -to Bangkok to be married to Miss Eakin, he made, -through the United States Minister, an appeal to the -Prince Minister of the North, who promised an immediate -order for his release. As soon as we were assured -of that, we went to the resident Prince in Chiengmai, -H. R. H. Prince Sonapandit, who promised that -the order should be issued at once. The next day we -called on the Commissioner to remind him of the -Prince’s promise; but he and the Judge had just gone -out for a stroll in the city. It was then Saturday -afternoon. Next day was our communion service, and -I was determined to have Noi Siri present. To do this -I had to follow those men up at once. I was a fast -walker, and, when necessary, could run. My race -after them was the ludicrous sequel of the case. Two -high officials closing their office and escaping, in order -to keep their victim in chains another night, pursued -by swifter feet, and overtaken in the street! The -Judge acknowledged that the Prince had given the -order. He would attend to it to-morrow. Since to-morrow -would be Sunday, I need not come. But I -knew that we should not see Noi Siri in time for our -<span class='pageno' id='Page_304'>304</span>worship unless I went for him. So on Sunday morning -I called once more on the Judge, who again said -that I need not wait; but I had to tell him that I -would not return till I saw his release. So the prisoner -was called, and I saw the fetters taken off from -his ankles.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The second bell was ringing when I entered the -church; but Noi Siri was with me. The congregation -rose and sang the long metre doxology. There were -not many dry eyes in the room. Mr. Dodd preached -from the text, “And we know that all things work -together for good to them that love God.” Among the -converts who then stood up to make a public profession -of faith was Nāng Su, a daughter of Noi Siri—and -this happy coincidence was no planning of -ours.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Noi Siri’s faith had been tried by fire, and he had -come forth from the furnace as pure gold. In addition -to his own imprisonment and distress, his wife had -been for months very low with sickness, and one of his -grandchildren had died during the interval. But from -his prison cell he had written to his family not to -let their faith be shaken either by his trials or by -their own. During the eight months and ten days of -his imprisonment, one hundred and thirty-three persons—his -daughter closing the list—were received into -church-membership. A European in employ of the -government, who had cognizance of the whole case, -afterwards said to me, “It might be well to get the -Commissioner to imprison a few more Christians!” A -history of the case was afterwards published by our -Board in a leaflet entitled, “The Laos Prisoner.”</p> - -<p class='c009'>Before the close of the year there was an event which -for the time came near to overthrowing the government. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_305'>305</span>A new tax, levied chiefly on areca trees, caused much -exasperation throughout the country. As usual, the -tax was farmed out to Chinese for collection. The -local officers in various districts formed a coalition to -resist to the uttermost the collection of the tax. Of -course, this could not be allowed, since the collectors -were the agents of the government. The resistance was -centred chiefly in the districts to the eastward of -the city, where Prayā Pāp, who had some reputation -as a soldier, went so far as to gather a considerable -force of the insurgents within a few miles of Chiengmai. -A day even was set for their attack on the city. -If they had made a dash then, they could easily -have taken it, for the sympathy of the people was -wholly with them, and the government was unprepared.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Our house was only two hundred yards away from -the Chinese distillery, which was the objective of the -insurgents. The residence of the Commissioner and -that of the Siamese Prince Sonapandit were nearly opposite -us on the other side of the river. Our position -was further compromised by the fact that the wives -and children of a number of influential Chinese had -almost forcibly taken refuge in our compound. In -any case, we should have been in a position of great -danger from the guns on the other side of the river -aimed at the distillery. We were strongly advised -to take refuge in the British Consulate, whose shelter -was kindly offered us. But the whole population in -our neighbourhood was watching us. If we stirred, -there would have been a general stampede.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Fortunately for themselves and for the country, the -courage of the common people failed. One after another -they deserted the leader, till at last he also fled. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_306'>306</span>He was caught, however, and with seven other leaders -was executed. This was the end of the matter in -Chiengmai; but certain parties of the insurgents, escaping -northwards, became roving bands of marauders -that for some time disturbed the peace of the frontier -towns. The rebellion never had any chance of ultimate -success; but had the attack on the city been actually -made, the immediate consequences would have been -direful, and untold calamity would have been entailed -on the whole country.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The arrival of Dr. McKean at the close of the year -marked an era in our medical work. He was accompanied -by our daughter, Miss Cornelia H. McGilvary, -now Mrs. William Harris Jun. It was the pleasant -duty of Mrs. McGilvary to escort the party up from -Bangkok. The appointment of our daughter was no -less a surprise than a delight to us. During her school -days she always said that she would not become a -missionary. When the question came up for final settlement, -she fought it out in her own mind alone, -and reached her own decision. The Lāo language, -which, during her ten years’ absence, she seemed to -have lost entirely, came back to her very soon and with -little effort.</p> - -<p class='c009'>It has been Dr. McKean’s privilege to continue the -work begun by able physicians, and to carry it to a -higher degree of efficiency. He has combined, as most -of our physicians have done, the two great objects of -the medical missionary, the medical and the evangelistic, -making the former a means to the latter. While -the professional and the charitable features of the work -have not been minimized, but rather magnified, no minister -has more loved to preach the Gospel, or has been -more successful in it. At the same time it may be -<span class='pageno' id='Page_307'>307</span>that the great work now enlisting his sympathy and -his strenuous efforts—the establishment of a leper colony -and hospital, and the amelioration of the condition -of that unfortunate class—may be the one with -which his name will be most intimately associated.</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_308'>308</span> - <h2 id='ch28' class='c010'>XXVIII<br /> <br />CIRCUIT TOUR WITH MY DAUGHTER, 1890</h2> -</div> -<p class='c011'>I had been appointed by Presbytery to organize -in Chieng Rāi the church which was not found -ready for organization on my previous visit. I -had planned for a tour longer than usual, to include -the eastern provinces as far as Nān, as well as the -northern ones, and expected to take with me native -assistants only. But upon the arrival of our reinforcement, -I was no less surprised than delighted to -find that my daughter desired to accompany me; and -so it was arranged.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Starting on February 5th, we spent the first Sunday -in Lakawn. Here we met another surprise. Mr. -Taylor had spent his first year in that annoying -work for the new missionary, the building of a house. -He was anxious to get out among the people, but -feared he was not sufficiently versed in the language -to make profitable a tour alone. He and Mrs. Taylor -would join us if they could get elephants—a matter -which was easily arranged. Mr. Taylor proved to be -an efficient helper. My daughter had a delightful companion, -and it was a great pleasure to initiate the new -missionaries into the evangelistic work which Dr. and -Mrs. Taylor since then have carried on so successfully -for twenty years. It is still their delight—may they -live to carry it on for many years to come!</p> - -<p class='c009'>One of the chief diversions of the trip thenceforward -<span class='pageno' id='Page_309'>309</span>was afforded by the pranks of an uncommonly mischievous -baby-elephant which accompanied its mother. -On one occasion a footman coming towards us stepped -out of the trail and stood beside a large tree to let -us pass. The mischievous creature saw his opportunity, -and before the man knew what was up, he -found himself fast pinioned between the elephant’s -head and the tree trunk. The frightened man extricated -himself with loud outcry, while the beholders -were convulsed with laughter. Our own men were constantly -the victims of his pranks; so that, one day, I -told them that there would be no trouble if they -would only leave the creature alone—adding, by way -of clinching my advice, “You see, he never troubles -me.” Just then, to the great delight of all, he made -straight for me, and if there had been a tree behind -me I should have been in the same unpleasant position -in which the footman found himself.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Mr. Taylor’s account of the earlier portion of the trip -is as follows:</p> - -<p class='c024'>“We left Lakawn on the 12th of February with Dr. McGilvary -and his daughter, and in four days reached Mûang -Prê. Our tents were pitched by the road just outside the city -gate. The advent of four foreigners, two of whom were -women, created quite a stir; and we were all kept abundantly -busy in visiting and being visited. Mrs. Taylor and Miss -McGilvary were the first white ladies to visit the place; -and of course, much to their own discomfort, were the centre -of attraction....</p> - -<p class='c027'>“The people of Prê seemed very ready to listen to the -Gospel; so plenty of auditors were found everywhere. On -Sabbath, the 16th, the first convert in Prê was baptized. -He is a blind man, Noi Wong by name, who came to -Lakawn to have Dr. Peoples operate on his eyes; but as -nothing could be done for him, he returned home carrying in -his heart some of the teachings there received, and in his -<span class='pageno' id='Page_310'>310</span>hand a manuscript copy of a small catechism I was able to -spare him. From his answers before the session, it was evident -that he had used his brother’s eyes well in having it -read to him.</p> - -<p class='c027'>“On Wednesday we started on for Nān, and arrived there -the following Tuesday. We received a very cordial welcome -from the officials of that city, who sent a man to put in order -a rest-house for us, and another to conduct our elephants to -a place for food and water. Next day, after the court closed, -some of the officials came to visit us. After wading through -the crowds on the first and second verandas, and finally -planting himself cross-legged in the middle of the thronged -reception-room, their Chief said they thought we would be -lonesome; so they had come to visit us. No idea could have -been more comical to us; but he was seriously in earnest, -and explained that he had never known the people to visit -with other foreigners who had come to their city. They -would not, however, listen well when the subject of religion -was broached, and with one or two exceptions would not attend -any of our services.”</p> - -<p class='c025'>The morning after our arrival in Nān, my -daughter met in the market-place a daughter of the -Prince, and, before she was aware, found herself -escorted into the palace. Her newly recovered language -stood her in good stead, and she had a pleasant -talk with the Prince and his daughters and wives. -Next day he sent word that he would be pleased to give -our party an audience. He was of venerable age, and -second only to our Chiengmai Prince in his influence -at the court of Bangkok. He expressed his pleasure at -our visit to his country. He was too old to embrace -a new religion. We might teach his children and -grandchildren. What they would do he did not -know.</p> - -<p class='c009'>At Nān the Taylors left us, returning to their station, -while we journeyed on. Our next stage was -<span class='pageno' id='Page_311'>311</span>Chieng Kawng, one hundred and fifty miles to the -northwest. We usually stopped for the night at large -villages, or sometimes in small towns. But once we -spent two days in the forest, where bears, tigers, and -wild elephants abound. The first evening we just -missed the sight of three tigers. Our men had gone on -ahead to select a camping-place for the night, and saw -a mother with two cubs crossing the road. Next -morning one of my elephants, that had been hobbled -and turned loose, was not on hand. It was nothing -unusual for one of them to be a little belated, so we -loaded up the others and prepared for starting. But -when an hour had passed, and then two hours, and the -elephant still did not come, we unloaded them and -waited a long weary day and an anxious night. Early -next morning, however, the driver appeared. That -was a relief, but still there was no elephant. He had -followed her trail over the mountain ridge, down -gorges, and across knolls, till, tired and hungry, he -had retraced his steps. Night overtook him, and, -crouched under a tree, he had caught snatches of sleep -while keeping watch for tigers. For two nights and a -day he had not tasted food. With an elephant’s instinct, -the beast was making her way towards her old -range in Chieng Rāi, many days distant. It was a -relief to know that she had not joined a large wild -herd, in which case her capture would be practically -impossible.</p> - -<p class='c009'>We could not remain indefinitely in the forest. So -giving the driver food, a gun, and two carriers for -company, with instructions not to return till the elephant -was found, we moved on five or six miles to the -next village, Bān Kêm. This was the noon of Wednesday. -Our detention seemed providential. We found -<span class='pageno' id='Page_312'>312</span>the place fever-stricken. Our medicines at once made -us friends. Our tent was crowded with visitors, so -that I had little time to think of the lost elephant. The -people seemed hungry for the Gospel. Three substantial -men in the village, on the night before we left, -professed a sincere and cordial acceptance of Jesus as -their Saviour.</p> - -<p class='c009'>On Saturday, shortly after midday, there was a -shout, “Here comes Lung Noi with the elephant!” -I was both glad and sorry to hear it. Had I been alone, -I should have remained longer. But we had lost so -much time, that every one was eager to depart. I -promised if possible to come again, but the time never -came.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Chieng Kawng was our next point, a place I had -visited with Dr. Vrooman seventeen years before. The -young lad who then was so much interested in my repeating -rifle was now governor, and came running out, -bareheaded and barefooted, to welcome us. In the interval -I had met him from time to time in Chiengmai, -and he always begged that I would make him another -visit. I had been better than my word—I had come -at last, and brought my daughter, too. His brother, -the second governor, had seen us in time to don his -audience dress, and he appeared more like a white -man than any one we had seen since the Taylors left -us. He was ready to start on an expedition to Mûang -Sing, five days northward beyond the Mê Kōng. The -Prince of Nān had received permission from the King -of Siam to repeople that old province. Hence this expedition. -The leader had three hundred men, and gave -me a cordial invitation to go as chaplain and physician! -After this, while the work was well under way, -the territory was turned over to France as the result -<span class='pageno' id='Page_313'>313</span>of the long and troubled negotiations over the boundary -between Siam and French Indo-China.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The wives of both the governors could scarcely be -content with my daughter’s short stay. They would -surely become Christians, if she would remain one -month to teach them. All I could do was to promise -once more to come again if possible. The promised -visit was made two years later, but then the “Nāi” -was not along.</p> - -<p class='c009'>From there the only travelled route to Chieng Sên -was by Chieng Rāi, both hot and circuitous. The alternative -was a blind, untravelled track through the -forest, made over forty years before, when Siam sent -its last unfortunate expedition against Keng Tung. -Here was a tempting chance to test the old proverb, -Where there’s a will, there’s a way. The governor -procured a noted hunter to guide us. Every carrier -and driver and servant in the party carried his bush -knife, and all promised to aid if we only would take -the cooler road. It was, however, literally making in -the forest “a highway for our God,” over which several -missionary tours have since been made. In the denser -parts of the forest, we could force our way only by cutting -away branches and small trees, and at times felling -clumps of bamboo.</p> - -<p class='c009'>We had a cool place for rest and worship on Sunday. -Our hunter had not promised to keep the Sabbath, -and we were on his old hunting-grounds, where game -of all kinds abounded. At dawn he was off with his -gun, and we saw no more of him till sunset, when he -appeared smiling, with some choice cuts of beef hanging -from the barrel of his gun. He had found and followed, -all day, a herd of wild cattle—the Kating—and -succeeded in killing one of them near our road, a mile -<span class='pageno' id='Page_314'>314</span>or more ahead of our camp. Though killed on Sunday, -we ate it and asked no questions for conscience’ -sake. It was surely the most delicious beef we ever -tasted. We should have had a mutiny the next day, -had we proposed to pass on without stopping to save -the meat. And what a huge creature it was. It must -have weighed nearly a ton. Our men extemporized -frames over the fire, and were busy cutting up the meat -and drying it until late at night. Next day each man -went loaded with it to his utmost capacity. What we -could not carry away, the guide stored in the fork of a -tree against his return.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The journey through the forest was shorter and far -more comfortable than would have been the regular -route. When next I travelled it, it had become a -public highway. And as long as I continued to -journey that way, it was known as the “Teacher’s -Road.”</p> - -<p class='c009'>Chieng Sên was the limit of our trip. Before reaching -it, we began to hear rumours of war—that the city -was blockaded, no one being permitted to enter or -depart. The country population had been called in -to defend the city, etc., etc. We were advised to return, -but kept on. At the gate the guard admitted us -without difficulty.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The disturbance was the aftermath of the previous -year’s tax-rebellion, which, as we supposed, was completely -ended before we left home. But a portion of -the insurgents had fled to Keng Tung, and, gathering -there a larger force, came south again as far as Mûang -Fāng, where they were either captured or again scattered. -It was the fear that this lawless band, on its -retreat northward, might attack and plunder the city, -that caused the confusion. But the fugitives would -<span class='pageno' id='Page_315'>315</span>have been fools to linger about two weeks after their -defeat, when they knew that both the army behind -them and the country in front of them would be on -the alert for their capture. The governor was delighted -to see us, and we were able in some degree -to allay his fears. We were there, too, to speak a -word of comfort to our own flock, who, like the rest, -had been called in to protect the city. The panic -gradually subsided, and the people returned to their -homes. Owing in part to the unsettled condition of -the country, we did not remain long in Chieng Sên; but -long enough to visit in their homes every Christian -family save one, and to have a delightful communion -season with the church on Sunday.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Our special commission on this tour was to organize -a church in Chieng Rāi, where our next Sunday -was spent. Our governor friend was disappointed that -we had not come to take possession of the fine lot on -the bank of the Mê Kok which he had given us. At -his suggestion a house on it was purchased from his -son at a nominal price, with the promise that we -would urge the mission to occupy it the next year. On -April 13th, the three sections of the church assembled -by invitation at Mê Kawn. The obstacles which prevented -the organization before were now removed. -Fifty-one communicants and thirty-two non-communing -members were enrolled, two ruling elders were -elected and ordained, and the new church started with -fair prospects.</p> - -<p class='c009'>We reached home on April 29th, after an absence -of eighty-one days. We found all well, and the work -prospering along all the lines. It was none too soon, -however. We were just in time to escape the rise of -the streams. At our last encampment on the Mê -<span class='pageno' id='Page_316'>316</span>Kūang we had a great storm of wind and rain, with -trees and branches falling about us. The trip was a -long one for my daughter; but her presence greatly enhanced -the importance of the tour. On my subsequent -tours through that region the first question always -was, “Did you bring the Nāi?” and the second, “Why -not?”</p> - -<p class='c009'>On our return we were surprised to find Dr. McKean -in a new and comfortable teak house, toward -the erection of which neither axe nor saw nor plane -had been used when we left. The saw-mill could deliver -at once whatever was needed. But <i>my</i> house had -been seven years in building!</p> - -<p class='c009'>By this time nearly all the Lāo cities of Siam had -been visited by missionaries. In two of them—Chiengmai -and Lakawn—we had established permanent stations. -For the third station, Chieng Rāi seemed to -present the strongest claim. Politically it was not so -important as Nān. But Nān, while very cordial to -foreigners personally, was very jealous about admitting -foreign influence of any kind. And the absolute control -of the people by the princes of Nān would be an -obstacle in the way of the acceptance of Christianity -there until the princes themselves embraced it. In -Chieng Rāi province the governor was known to be -favourable to the Jesus-religion. Its broad plains and -fertile soil were sure to attract a large immigration -from the south, where population is dense and land -very dear. The city is about equidistant from the five -cities of Wieng Pā Pāo on the south, Mûang Fāng on -the west, Chieng Sên on the north, Chieng Kawng on -the northeast, and Chieng Kam on the east. In our -reports to the mission and to the Board, these facts -were urged as arguments for the establishment of a -<span class='pageno' id='Page_317'>317</span>station there. The mission gave its cordial sanction -to a temporary occupancy. A longer tour was authorized -for the next season; but the heavy debt of the -Board forbade the expenditure of more than two hundred -and fifty rupees for a temporary house in order -to secure the land which had been given us. Our long -delay sorely shook the good governor’s faith that we -would ever come.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The arrival of young missionaries on the field rendered -some kind of physical and social recreation necessary. -Croquet had formerly been tried, but it gave -very little exercise, and had been supplanted by the -better game of lawn tennis. In the fall of 1890, Mrs. -McGilvary prepared a court in our front lot, and invited -the missionaries and the small European community -to an “At Home” on Tuesdays at 4:30 P.M. -The game furnished the very exercise needed after a -day’s confinement in school or study. It proved so -beneficial to health and to efficiency in work, that the -“At Home” was continued, with occasional interruptions -from weather or other causes, for thirteen or -fourteen years. This was Mrs. McGilvary’s little contribution -to the health and the social recreation of the -community in which we lived; and it was highly appreciated.</p> - -<p class='c009'>In August I had occasion to visit Wieng Pā Pāo. -Before I was out of the Chiengmai plain I had an exciting -runaway on my big sadaw elephant. A mother -cow was grazing at some little distance from her calf. -As the elephant approached the calf, the mother became -alarmed for its safety, and rushed frantically -towards it, bellowing to the utmost capacity of her -lungs. This was quite too much for my big timid -beast. He started off at a fearful pace, which the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_318'>318</span>driver in vain endeavoured to control. Fortunately it -was on an open plain with no woods or trees. The same -elephant on a previous occasion, when Mrs. McGilvary -was riding him, on some slight alarm rushed off into -a thicket of low trees; and once, with me on his back, -went crashing through the standing timber in the -forest. In both cases it was nothing but the strength -of the three-strand rattan girth that saved either howdah -or rider. The elephant’s fastest run is not a -“lope,” but a kind of long swing from side to side. -It is an awful sensation. I never was in an earthquake, -but I imagine the two experiences must be -somewhat similar, with the fear in this case of being -at any instant dashed from your lofty perch to the -ground.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The special reason for this trip was the fear of some -collision or trouble between the government and the -Christians with regard to the Sunday question. Besides -keeping their own Sabbath, the Christians were -forbidden to do any manual work on the Buddhist -sacred days as well, making altogether eight days in -each month. Had the rule been the outcome of conscientious -scruples on the part of a religious people at -seeing their sacred day desecrated, we should have respected -their scruples. But the day was a mere holiday, -and, except by a few of the more religious, it was -largely spent in hunting and fishing. I had to remind -the governor of his beautiful inconsistency. He -would not allow the Christians to use an axe or a plow -on sacred days, while the people generally were allowed -to kill animals, thus breaking the most stringent -of Buddha’s laws. He must have felt the force of the -argument, for before the very next sacred day an -order was issued forbidding hunting and fishing on it.</p> - -<div id='i318a' class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i318a.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>FIRST CHURCH IN CHIENGMAI</p> -</div> -</div> -<div id='i318b' class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i318b.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>DR. McGILVARY’S HOME IN CHIENGMAI</p> -</div> -</div> -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_319'>319</span>But till the original order was revoked, strict obedience -was enjoined upon the Christians.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The Annual Meeting was held in Lakawn early in -December. Just before it convened, Dr. and Mrs. W. -A. Briggs and Rev. Robert Irwin arrived, together with -Dr. and Mrs. Peoples, returning from furlough. For -the present these were stationed at Lakawn. At the -same time Rev. and Mrs. Stanley K. Phraner were -nearing Chiengmai on the Mê Ping fork. But our -song of joy over their arrival was destined soon again -to have a sad refrain. The two young brides had -scarcely reached their husbands’ field of labour—which -they thought was to be theirs also—when they were -both called to a higher sphere.</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_320'>320</span> - <h2 id='ch29' class='c010'>XXIX<br /> <br />LENGTHENING THE CORDS AND STRENGTHENING THE STAKES</h2> -</div> -<p class='c011'>While in the United States, Dr. Peoples had -succeeded in procuring a font of Lāo type, -with the necessary equipment for printing. -For twenty-three years we had used only the Siamese -Scriptures and literature. With many present disadvantages, -it had some compensations. Those who -could read Siamese had access to the whole of the -Old and New Testaments. The press was set up in -Chiengmai, and Rev. D. G. Collins was made manager. -The first printing done was Mrs. McGilvary’s -translation of the Gospel of Matthew.</p> - -<p class='c009'>My daughter had been sent down to aid the Phraners -on their river trip. Word was sent ahead that Mrs. -Phraner was not well. As they drew nearer, her condition -became so critical that Dr. McKean hastened -with all speed to meet them. When she reached -Chiengmai, her condition, while still critical, was more -hopeful. I was ready to start on my tour as soon as -the party arrived. When I left home, we were still -hopeful that rest, kind nursing, and medical treatment -would set her right again.</p> - -<p class='c009'>During my absence this year I was fortunate enough -to receive a regular weekly mail from Chiengmai. A -staff of engineers were surveying a railroad route for -the Siamese government, and had a weekly mail sent -<span class='pageno' id='Page_321'>321</span>to their stations along the line. They were very kind -to include my letters also, which was particularly fortunate -in that thus I could have news of the invalid -left behind.</p> - -<p class='c009'>I have learned to start on my tours with very flexible -plans, leaving much to the guidance of providential -openings on the way. On this trip, at the village -of Pāng Krai—which, because it was a mile or -two away from the road, I had not visited in seventeen -years—I was delayed three days by a reception so cordial -that I could not pass on. On my previous trip a -man from the village, Noi Tēchō by name, came with -his little girl across to our camp and begged us to -visit it. This I could not then do; but he remained -with us till late at night, and seemed to be a believer. -I now found that in the interval the man had -kept the Sabbath, and had given such other evidence -of his sincerity, that we could not refuse his reception -to the communion and fellowship of the church. On -the last night of our stay we had a baptismal and communion -service that was memorable. The man made a -good confession before many witnesses, and his little -daughter was baptized as a non-communing member.</p> - -<p class='c009'>As in many other cases, this family had been -driven by trouble to our religion. Originally he was -the slave of a prince in Lakawn. The accusation of -witchcraft then settled on the family; but before they -were driven off the Prince compelled them to borrow -money in order to redeem themselves from him—to do -which the man had to give two of his children as security. -After a move or two, he was driven by famine -from Lakawn, and came to this village.</p> - -<p class='c009'>One morning at Wieng Pā Pāo I was summoned -in great haste to attend one of the engineers who -<span class='pageno' id='Page_322'>322</span>was thought to have been nearly killed by a fall from -a runaway horse. I found that he had broken a collar-bone, -but was otherwise uninjured. I applied all -of my amateur surgical skill, and set the bone. But -my patient, naturally enough, could not feel quite sure; -and thought it safer to go down to our hospital and get -Dr. McKean’s judgment on the case. He found the -bone set all right.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Late one Saturday evening I reached Bān Pā Hōng -in Chieng Rāi province, and stopped with the first -Christian family. Next day I learned that in the next -section of the village there was a Christian girl very -low with consumption. Early on Monday morning I -moved on, but was only in time to see a lovely form -and face apparently in the most natural sleep; but -the living soul had departed. I had baptized her two -years before, when she was fourteen years of age. -She had been sick for seven months, and had spent -most of the time in prayer. It made me inexpressibly -sad when I learned that her strongest desire was to see -her own “Paw Krū” before she departed. On the -previous evening, when she heard that we had reached -the village near by, she said, “And the Paw Krū is at -Noi Lin’s, and I cannot see him!” I preached her -funeral sermon, and saw her decently buried.</p> - -<hr class='c015' /> - -<p class='c009'>The next Sunday morning, while sitting in the Mê -Kawn chapel and preparing for service, I looked up -and saw standing on the ground before the door some -people in a strange costume evidently not Lāo, looking -in as if in doubt whether to enter or not. I immediately -recognized them as belonging to the Mūsô tribe, -quite numerous in the mountains near by. Their ready -acceptance of my invitation to come in showed that -<span class='pageno' id='Page_323'>323</span>they were waiting to be asked, and feared only lest -they might be intruders. As the Mūsôs will be prominent -in our narrative of this and the two following -years, a word of introduction may be desirable.</p> - -<p class='c009'>They are one of a numerous group of hill-tribes which -have gradually followed the mountain ridges down -from the interior of the continent. They live under a -patriarchal government, if it may be rightly called a -government at all; and they enjoy great personal freedom, -though the authority of the clan approaches very -near to absolute despotism. They are worshippers of -spirits, which are held to preside over the universe -and the destinies of men generally; while as a tribe -they are under the guardianship of their own “spirits.” -They have a twelfth—day sabbath or sacred day, not -very definitely marked. They make a great deal of -their “kin waw” or New Year feast, when all communication -with other villages even of their own tribe -is cut off during the five or seven days of their feasting. -The religious head of the village is called Pū Chān, -and the head Pū Chān of a province holds in his hands -the conscience of all his flock.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Their manner of life is as follows: They select a locality, -the higher up the better, near the source of a -mountain brook. They fell the trees and undergrowth -at the close of the rainy season, let them dry during -the hot season, and just before the next rainy season -set fire to the clearing on a windy day. All that is -readily combustible is consumed, leaving the logs on -the ground. With a small hoe or a narrow spade they -make shallow openings in the earth some ten inches -apart, all over the field, and deposit in each a dozen -rice grains, more or less. The rains do the rest till the -harvest. The second year’s crop is the best, but it is -<span class='pageno' id='Page_324'>324</span>seldom that they can compete with the scrub-growth -for a third crop. A temporary shack is easily erected, -if possible, contiguous to three clearings. When these -are abandoned, they move on and repeat the operation -elsewhere. By this means all the higher mountains -are being steadily denuded of their forests.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Being bound by no system of hoary age and venerable -associations, like Buddhism or Brahmanism, most of -the hill-tribes are very receptive of the Gospel. Their -clannishness, however, is such that if they become -Christians at all, they come in a body. But it is -very difficult for individuals or families to break away -from the clan. At the same time their migratory and -unsettled habits are by no means favourable to their -education and civilization. To any other power than -that of the Gospel that would seem to be a hopeless -task.</p> - -<p class='c009'>But to return to our visitors at the chapel. There -were seven men and boys in the party. The spokesman, -Cha Pū Kaw, was tall and well proportioned, -with the bearing of one who might be a leader of some -position. He understood Lāo better than most of his -tribe, and through him it was by no means difficult -to draw the others into conversation. They were from -three families that had been driven down nearer the -plain by accusation of witchcraft. They had learned -from our elder that Christians were not afraid of -witchcraft, nor of expulsion from the country. They -had also talked over with him the plan of salvation -for sinful men provided in the Gospel, and had asked -to be informed whenever we should come again. They -readily consented to remain through the morning -service, which was modified to suit the needs of the new -audience. It was the first Christian worship they -<span class='pageno' id='Page_325'>325</span>had ever attended, and they were evidently pleased. -The Christians invited them to share their dinner, -and the most of the afternoon was given up to their -instruction. The boys were put to reading the catechism -and learning to sing the Lāo version of “There -is a Happy Land.” They remained with us till there -was only light enough left to enable them to find -their way home.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Early next morning we crossed the plain to the foot -of the mountain, where we struck the little brook -along which and in which lay our pathway. The climb -was a stiff one, but with noble outlooks over the plain -below. In their little hamlet there were three families, -or, rather, three divisions of one family, numbering -twenty-six souls. By their intercourse with -the Christians at the chapel the soil had been prepared -for the seed. So from nine o’clock till noon we -addressed ourselves to teaching the elders, while the -children were becoming more and more interested in -the catechism, and especially in the “Happy Land.”</p> - -<p class='c009'>While the men and boys were thus engaged, the -grandmother and her daughters were busy preparing -dinner. When all was ready, the steaming white -rice was emptied on a board like that on which our -housewives knead their bread. With it was a vegetable -curry, sweet potatoes steamed over the rice, bananas, -and other fruits, with native sugar in cakes for dessert. -The board piled with food was set before me, and I was -invited to partake. They were delighted that I could -eat and enjoy it.</p> - -<p class='c009'>After all had finished their meal, the exercises of -the morning were resumed, with the women now disengaged -and free to listen. Long before night Cha Pū -Kaw and his brother-in-law, Cha Waw, of about the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_326'>326</span>same age, expressed their firm belief in the truth of -our religion, and their acceptance of the Gospel offer -as far as they understood it. The women said they -would follow their husbands. The sun was already -getting low when we had worship together before leaving. -When we came to bid our hosts good-bye, we -found that we were to be escorted down by the two -elder men and the boys, lest a tiger might meet us on -the way. It was almost dark when we reached the -chapel.—A day never to be forgotten!</p> - -<p class='c009'>At the chapel I found letters from Chiengmai bringing -the news that Mrs. Phraner’s long and painful sufferings -were ended. She died on February 13th. All -that three able physicians could do was done; but in -vain. Her mother and her family were never willing -that she should become a missionary, being sure that -she could not endure the strain of a missionary’s life. -That fact filled the husband’s cup of sorrow to overflowing. -My letter stated that he was beside himself -with grief; that the physicians, and, in fact, the whole -mission, strongly advised him to join me on my tour; -and that he would reach me not long after the letter.</p> - -<p class='c009'>On the following Friday, while getting the new -chapel ready, I heard the shout, “There comes the new -teacher!” He was worn and haggard, and visibly -older than when I left him; but making a brave effort -to be cheerful. He said very little of his great loss.</p> - -<div id='i326' class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i326.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p><span class='sc'>Map of Northern Siam, showing Mission Stations, underlined.</span></p> -</div> -</div> -<p class='c011'>On Sunday the whole Mūsô village was on hand long -before the hour for worship. The women came with -their babes tied with a scarf to the mother’s back, according -to their custom. The news that they were -become Christians had spread, and drew a larger number -than usual of our non-Christian neighbours to the -services. The Christians, too, were greatly encouraged -<span class='pageno' id='Page_327'>327</span>thereby. In the afternoon a few of the tribe -from another village were present, and listened with -surprise to Cha Pū Kaw’s first sermon. He had evidently -entered upon his new faith in earnest, and was -not ashamed to bear his testimony.</p> - -<p class='c009'>On Monday we moved on to Chieng Rāi, where I was -to direct the removal of a house to the lot which the -Governor had offered us. But Mr. Phraner’s condition -demanded movement and change of scene. Arrangements -were, therefore, made to have the house moved -by others, while we went on at once to Chieng Sên. -There we found the Chao Uparāt just returned from a -trip via Mûang Len to Mûang Sing, some hundred -miles or so to the northeast on the other side of the -Mê Kōng River. He was profuse in his praise both -of Mûang Sing and of the journey thither; and suggested -that it would be a fine opening for a mission, -and a most interesting tour. The suggestion seemed -attractive to us both. So, after a week of work in the -church and in the city of Chieng Sên, we started for -Mûang Len and Mûang Sing.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Mûang Len is the common market centre of a large -number of hill-tribes that inhabit the mountain ridges -in all directions round about. All the cities and towns -north of Chieng Sên hold a fifth-day fair or market. -We were fortunate in striking market-day on the Saturday -of our arrival. Early in the morning people began -to pour into the place from all directions. The -mountain tribes came out, their beaux and belles all -in gala dress, some to buy and sell, and others because -it was their weekly holiday.</p> - -<p class='c009'>From Chieng Sên I had brought along Nān Suwan, -the Lû elder, who had come into closer contact with -these mountain tribes than had our elders from the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_328'>328</span>south. He could make the men, and especially the head -men, understand fairly well. To all who understood -the Lāo I could, of course, speak directly. We took -our stand at the end of the market, and the crowd -gathered about us. None of them had ever seen a -missionary. None, save some few of the Lāo men, had -ever read a book, or knew even a letter of any written -language. They were children of nature, artless -and unsophisticated. We pressed home the thought, -new to them, that there must be a maker of the world -and of all creatures in it. We told them the old, old -story of the infinite love of God, our Father, and of -Christ, His Son, who suffered and died to save us, and -of pardon freely promised to all who believe in Him. -This is the final argument that wins these people.</p> - -<p class='c009'>After the merely curious among the crowd had withdrawn, -this doctrine of salvation from sin held the -more thoughtful, and brought them to our tent in the -afternoon, and even far on into the night. The head -men especially, who were more free to come to me, -expressed a deep personal interest in the new doctrine. -The most interested and interesting man was Sên Ratana, -the governor of the Kôn quarter of the city. We -met him on Sunday. On Monday we called on him and -spent most of the morning at his house, explaining to -him the plan of salvation and dictating to him portions -of Scripture for him to copy; for by this time -the Lāo manuscript copies which we brought with us -were exhausted. He copied, also, the first few questions -and answers of the Shorter Catechism, hoping -that with these as a key, he could learn to read the -Siamese Gospel and catechism which I gave him.</p> - -<p class='c009'>On our return to our tent on Monday evening we -found almost a panic among our people. Some lawless -<span class='pageno' id='Page_329'>329</span>men had lounged about the tent most of the day, -asking suspicious questions about how much money -we carried, and how many guns, and whither we were -going from there, etc., etc. The result was that those -who had been most eager for the trip beyond the Mê -Kōng to Mûang Sing, began now to beg us to return. -Mr. Phraner, moreover, became uneasy about his borrowed -elephant, which would be a great prize for robbers. -So, after consultation, it was decided to retrace -our steps. However disappointing this might be -to me, I had at least learned the road to Mûang Sing -and Mûang Yawng. The tour to both those places, and -to many others, was only deferred to the following -year, when we might hope to have at least one printed -Gospel in the Lāo language, and a tract or two to distribute. -The news of Cha Pū Kaw’s conversion spread -far and wide, and was preparing the way for further -work among his tribe.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Leaving Mûang Len on Wednesday, we breathed more -freely after we had crossed the border into Siam. On -reaching Chieng Sên, Mr. Phraner decided to return -to Chiengmai. He had reaped all the benefit possible -from change of scene. He felt that he ought now to be -in his future home, settling down to a systematic study -of the language. But I greatly missed his pleasant -company.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The object of the missionary’s visit to an outlying -church like that of Chieng Sên, is to “lengthen the -cords and strengthen the stakes”—to awaken the -careless, to attract the indifferent, and to deepen impressions -already made. Within the range of influence -of such a church there are always those who, though -taught, indeed, by its native officers, still need further -instruction by the missionary—who have objections to -<span class='pageno' id='Page_330'>330</span>be met and doubts to be resolved beyond the power of -these officers to cope with. Not infrequently some one -who is already a believer has a wife, a husband, or children -on whom his own final decision depends. These -must be visited in their homes. Their confidence must -be won and their friendship gained as a preliminary to -awakening their interest in our religion.</p> - -<p class='c009'>For the sake of the Christians personally, as well -as for the work in general, it is important to cultivate -the friendship of the local rulers. It is to them that -the Christians are responsible. And then the Christian -families must be visited, their children instructed, -their difficulties settled, their sick be treated, and instructed -how to treat themselves in our absence; and -as much Scriptural teaching is to be given as our time -by night and by day will permit. But our most important -duty is to instruct the elders themselves, and -give them an uplift.</p> - -<p class='c009'>When my work in Chieng Sên was done, I started -for Chieng Kawng, taking Nān Suwan along, for he -was well known there and in most of the region to be -visited as far as Chieng Rāi. The Mê Tam, already -referred to as the stream which rises from under the -mountain west of the plain, becomes quite a river as -it enters the Mê Kōng near Chieng Sên. The bottom -land is covered with reedy grass so tall that a large -elephant carrying a high howdah can be seen only a -short distance away. Here we lost our way completely, -and wandered about bewildered for a long -time.</p> - -<p class='c009'>When finally we reached the stream, its trough was -so deep that we failed in a number of attempts to get -down to the water. At last we dug down as best we -could the edge of the high sandy bank, and, after much -<span class='pageno' id='Page_331'>331</span>urging, and some protest on his part, my sadaw tremblingly -reached forth his front feet, lay down, and -slid like an alligator, dragging his hind legs after him, -till, with a mighty plunge, we landed in deep water. -It was an awful sensation for the rider. The place -was in a bayou with “back water” so deep as to be -quite over one’s head; and, unlike the natives, the rider -could not swim! The landing on the further shore was -little better. There the elephant struggled up the -bank until he got his forefeet on the edge above. Then, -with a gigantic effort, he drew himself up so suddenly -that the rider had to hold on for dear life to avoid -being thrown over his head. It was a feat that only -an elephant could perform, and one would much prefer -witnessing it from a distance to being on his back during -the operation.</p> - -<p class='c009'>At Chieng Kawng I was sorry to find the governor -sadly crippled. In descending a flight of steps he had -slipped to the ground, dislocating his ankle and bruising -the bone. The joint had been barbarously treated, -was fearfully swollen, and caries of the bone had evidently -set in. I urged him to take an elephant and -go to our hospital, as the only possible chance of cure. -He was favourably inclined to the idea, and promised -to do so after trying somewhat longer the incantations -of a noted sorceress, who was believed to have great -power over wounds. It almost passes belief that such -an intelligent man could have any faith in it. Yet reason -and ridicule alike failed to dispel the hope that -she might succeed. The result might have been predicted. -After giving him great suffering, the treatment -cost him his life.</p> - -<p class='c009'>While I was in Chieng Kawng, a Nān prince returning -from Mûang Sing brought the news that negotiations -<span class='pageno' id='Page_332'>332</span>then on foot between France and Siam would -put a stop to all further settlement of that district; -would, in fact, transfer the whole region east of the -Mê Kōng to France. The Prince of Nān was greatly -disappointed; but little did we think that the transfer -would ultimately prove an effectual barrier to our work -also. It is surely one of the anomalies and anachronisms -of the twentieth century that a Christian nation -of Europe should oppose the introduction of Christianity -into a region over which it has absolute control!</p> - -<p class='c009'>On the last night before we left, all the princes and -officers came to see us, and remained till midnight. -They were as loath to have us leave them as we were -to go.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The journey from Chieng Kawng was intensely hot; -the thermometer standing at 103° in my howdah by -day, and on one night in my tent at 96°. On the banks -of the Mê Ing I found native white roses in bloom -in abundance, and brought home with me a plant -which Mrs. McGilvary greatly prized, for this was the -only native rose I had found in the Lāo territory.</p> - -<p class='c009'>On the way to Mûang Tông I passed the camp of -Chao Wieng Sā, a Nān prince whom I had met in -his home on two former visits. He was overseeing the -felling and running of teak timber down the Mê Ing -and the Mê Kōng to Lūang Prabāng. He had received -and read a Siamese New Testament, was quite familiar -with the life and teachings of Jesus, and admired His -character. A lawsuit afterwards brought him to -Chiengmai, where I saw a great deal of him. He was -surely a believer at heart. To me he was willing to -confess that his only hope was in Jesus Christ, but was -not ready to make a public profession of his faith. I -love to think of many such whom I have met as like the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_333'>333</span>Gamaliels, the Nicodemuses, and the Josephs of Christ’s -day.</p> - -<div id='i332' class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i332.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>MRS. McGILVARY<br />1893</p> -</div> -</div> -<p class='c011'>At Mûang Tông, as soon as I dismounted from my -elephant an officer met me to enquire who I was, and -to escort me to the public sālā. I soon learned that he -was the brother of another officer whom I had found -on the road to Chieng Rāi the year before, unable to -travel and, apparently, sick unto death with fever. His -company could not linger indefinitely in the forest, -and so had left him there with two men to watch him, -and probably to see him die. A dose of calomel, and -the quinine which I left with instructions as to its -use, seem to have cured his fever and enabled him to -reach his home in safety. He was himself now absent, -but his brother’s heart had been opened to friendship, -and he did all that he could for my comfort. At -night he invited his friends to the sālā to meet me, -and we had an interesting evening. In all these places -Nān Suwan and Noi Siri would often be heard talking -to the audience after I had retired, and until sleep -closed my eyes.</p> - -<p class='c009'>During our absence from Chieng Rāi a case of oppression, -or, at least, of evident injustice, on the part -of the Court, had led our friend the governor to take all -Christians under his personal protection as his own -dependents. The kindness was well meant, and we -thanked him for it. But I doubted its wisdom. The -only scheme under which Christianity can really establish -itself in all lands, is to have Christians stand on -precisely the same level before the law as Buddhists -or Brahmans or the followers of any other religion.</p> - -<p class='c009'>From Chieng Rāi the elders were sent on to Cha Pū -Kaw’s village to see how the Mūsôs were getting on. I -followed them in a day or two. When I reached the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_334'>334</span>chapel at Mê Kawn, the elders had returned from the -Mūsô village with a glowing account of their constancy. -This the testimony of Noi Tāliya and of all -the Lāo Christians confirmed. They had not missed a -single Sunday service; old and young alike came, and -mothers, as before, bringing their children tied on their -backs. They had shamed the Lāo Christians by their -earnestness, getting to the chapel first, studying hard, -and returning home late.</p> - -<p class='c009'>On Saturday morning the whole village came down, -and we spent the day together. They remained that -night as the guests of the Lāo. The next day, Sunday, -was largely given up to their instruction. They -all had renounced the worship of spirits; they all accepted -Jesus as their Saviour; they were all diligently -learning to read and to sing. Their conduct was most -consistent; they had a good reflex influence upon the -church; and their conversion was an astonishment to -the non-Christian community.</p> - -<p class='c009'>These Mūsôs had all come, expecting to join the -church. They had been taught that public baptism—confessing -Christ before men—was the consummating -act, the external seal of their initiation into the privileges -of the church. Although we impressed upon -them that they were not saved by the mere ceremony -of baptism, yet somehow they felt that without it they -were not quite in the church, and hence probably not -quite safe from the spirits. Since it would be nearly -a year before they would have another opportunity, it -seemed unwise not to receive some of them at this -time. The greatest doubt was about Cha Waw. Yet -he felt that more than any other he needed whatever -protection and assistance the church could afford him. -He had begun with his whole strength to break the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_335'>335</span>chains of his opium habit, to seek pardon and be saved. -He felt confident that with God’s help he would succeed.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The final decision was that, in order to bind them -to the service of Christ, they were all to appear before -the session and make their profession; but that only -the two old men should be received into full communion, -and that one grandson from each family be -baptized as non-communing members. It was thought -best to let the others wait till our next visit; though I -have never been satisfied that they should not all have -been admitted that day. Three of these Mūsô boys -accompanied me to Chiengmai on my return, and entered -the Boys’ School. It is not at all surprising that, -in surroundings so different from those of their mountain -homes, they presently grew lonesome and homesick. -But they were satisfactory pupils, and remained -in school long enough to get a good start in -reading and singing.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Cha Waw, after a manful struggle, finally succeeded -in breaking away entirely from his opium—by the help -of prayer and of quinine, as he always believed and -affirmed. When the non-Christian tribesmen with -their opium pipes visited his village, he was accustomed -to go down to the elders at Mê Kawn, to be away -from temptation, and under Christian influence. He -lived a number of years after this to attest the reality -of his victory—the only case I have ever known where -the victory was surely won.</p> - -<p class='c009'>That year there was a famine among all the hill -tribes. The upland rice was almost entirely cut off -by a plague of rats. I do not believe in “rice Christians”; -but when people are famishing with hunger, -I believe in feeding them, whether they are Christians -<span class='pageno' id='Page_336'>336</span>or not. These did not ask either for money or for any -other aid. But when I left them, I made arrangement -with the Lāo elders to furnish them with sixty buckets -of rice, for which I paid ten rupees in advance. They -were very grateful for the aid.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The days spent among the Mūsôs that week were inspiring. -Glowing visions arose before us of a new -tribe brought into the Christian church, of which these -were the first-fruits. On this whole tour, indeed, only -nine adults and seventeen children were baptized. But -in addition to the opening of work among the Mūsôs, -we had for the first time preached the Gospel beyond -the borders of the kingdom of Siam; and our longing -eyes were turned toward the Sipsawng Pannā, and -beyond the great river. By this time the rains had -already begun to fall. A new season was needed to -fulfil our desires.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Much as I always enjoy my long tours, when my -work is done and my face at last is turned homewards, -the gait of my sadaw seems distressingly slow. On -reaching Chiengmai I found all in fair health, and -all departments of work in full operation. But while -I was still on my way, word reached me of the death -of Mrs. Briggs in Lakawn, only a month and nine days -after that of Mrs. Phraner. So unexpected was it -that I was not even aware that she had been ill. In -answer to my request for a few particulars from Dr. -Briggs, I have received the following, which I know he -will excuse me for transferring to these pages:</p> - -<p class='c024'>“<span class='sc'>Mrs. Alice Hamilton Briggs</span> was from Truro, Nova -Scotia. Although within a year of graduation, she gave up -her medical course and accompanied her husband to the -Lāo mission in answer to the call of the Board. When she -bade good-bye to the Secretaries of the Board, Dr. Gillespie -<span class='pageno' id='Page_337'>337</span>said to her, ‘It is a pleasure to see you so robust and strong. -In this respect you are better off than your husband. There -have been so many missionary women who have broken -down on the field, that we are glad to see that you have a -reserve of health.’</p> - -<p class='c027'>“Before leaving American shores, however, Mrs. Briggs -contracted a slight cough which developed in severity during -the voyage. On her arrival in Siam it became apparent -that the case was one of pulmonary tuberculosis. The disease -seemed to respond to treatment, and for months improvement -was marked. Up to within twenty-four hours of death Mrs. -Briggs was so hopeful of a return to health that she refused -to allow her family at home to know of her condition. On -Saturday she was cutting out a new dress for herself. On -Sunday night she passed away. Dr. Briggs was spending -the evening with her, when a call came to attend a child -said to be dying just across the road. The doctor said he -would be back soon. A few minutes later he was called -back too late even to hear a last word of farewell.”</p> - -<p class='c025'>The event most interesting to us as a family during -the fall of this year, 1891, was the arrival of our son -Evander with his young bride, and our daughter Margaret, -to carry on the work begun by their parents. -Our son had made special preparation for translating -the Scriptures into the Lāo language, then the most -pressing need of the mission.</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_338'>338</span> - <h2 id='ch30' class='c010'>XXX<br /> <br />AMONG THE MŪSÔ VILLAGES—FAMINE</h2> -</div> -<p class='c011'>For the tour of 1892 I was to have the company -of Dr. McKean as long as he could be spared -from Chiengmai, which would greatly enhance -the value of the trip. We had also three native -evangelist-assistants, and, last, but not least, we were -well supplied with Scriptures and tracts in the Lāo -dialect. Our start was made on January 5th.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Our first two Sundays and the intervening week we -spent in Wieng Pā Pāo, where we established ourselves -in the new chapel which the people themselves had -built since our last tour. We observed the Week of -Prayer with two chapel services daily, and house-to-house -and heart-to-heart work in the intervals. The -church was formally organized with thirty-six adult -members and thirty children, three ruling elders, and -two deacons.</p> - -<p class='c009'>From Wieng Pā Pāo we moved on to the village of -Mê Kawn, the centre of our very interesting work of -the previous year among the Mūsô tribe. The Sunday -we spent there was a red-letter day in our missionary -life. Of it Dr. McKean writes: “This has -been a blessed day. All [of the Mūsôs] desire baptism. -Two boys baptized last year were admitted to the -communion. Eleven other adults and seven children -were baptized, making twenty-two Mūsôs now members -of the visible church. One Lāo girl was received on -<span class='pageno' id='Page_339'>339</span>confession, and three Lāo children were baptized. Our -Christian Mūsôs were out in full force. A Mūsô officer -and others not Christians attended from another -village. Before this we had visited these people in -their homes. We found that they had built a good -chapel for their worship, a better building than either -of their own houses. They had been very diligent in -observing the Sabbath, in studying the catechism, and -in worship.”</p> - -<p class='c009'>We could not have been better pleased with our first -success. The exclusion of this little group from the -large villages made it possible and easy for all of them -to become Christians. The whole-hearted zeal with -which they entered the church awakened strong hopes -for the conversion of their race. Cha Pū Kaw’s -knowledge of the Lāo tongue was above the average -even of their head men. It would be a long time before -we could have another such interpreter and assistant. -And he was nearly, or quite, seventy years -old; so that whatever he was to do in teaching his -people must be done soon. It was, therefore, thought -best to make a strong effort through him and his family -during that season.</p> - -<p class='c009'>At our next stopping-place, Nāng Lê, we came near -having a serious casualty. Our boys were out on a -deer hunt, and one of them bethought him of a novel -expedient for getting the game. He climbed a tree, -and had the grass fired on the other side of the open -space. The grass was tall and dry, and the wind blew -strong towards him. He became so engrossed in looking -for the deer that he forgot the fire, till it was too -late to flee. He could climb beyond the actual flames; -but meanwhile the whole air had become like the breath -of a furnace. When, at last, the fire had swept past -<span class='pageno' id='Page_340'>340</span>him, and he was able to descend, he was a mass of -blisters. The swiftness of the rush of the fire alone -saved his life. Had it been slower, he could not have -escaped suffocation.</p> - -<p class='c009'>From Nāng Lê we visited a very large Mūsô village. -It was a steep foot-climb of four solid hours, and, to -make it longer, our guide missed the way. The first -sign of human life we saw was a Mūsô girl alone watching -a clearing. She fled for dear life, till, recognizing -Cha Pū Kaw’s Mūsô speech, she stopped long enough -to point the way to the village. Her fleet steps outran -ours, and when we reached the village, the people -were already assembling to see the unwonted sight of -the white foreigners. But the community was greatly -disturbed over another matter. One of their leading -officers, it seemed, was accused of being the abode of a -demon that had caused an epidemic of disease. The -authorities were hourly waiting for an order from the -court in Chieng Rāi to expel him and his family by -force from the province. They had heard of Cha Pū -Kaw’s conversion, and were anxious to hear from himself -his reasons therefor—which he gave and enforced -till late in the night. They were expecting, however, -on the morrow a regular conflict which might result -in bloodshed, and they evidently preferred that we -should not be there. The head Pū Chān was several -days’ journey distant. They would confer together -among themselves and with him, would let us know -the result, and would invite us up again before we -left their neighbourhood.</p> - -<p class='c009'>About midnight a fierce storm of wind and rain -broke upon us to our great discomfort. Our thin tent -afforded but poor protection. We doubled up our bedding -over our clothes, and sat upon the pile under our -<span class='pageno' id='Page_341'>341</span>umbrellas, and laughed at the novelty of our situation -and the poor prospect of a night’s sleep. But later -the storm passed off, and we did get a little sleep. -Our visit to that group of Mūsô villages was evidently -not well timed. We took the advice of their officers, -and returned to Nāng Lê.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Two days later we reached Chieng Sên. Here we received -a mail from home, with news that Mrs. McKean -was not well, and other members of the station needed -the doctor’s presence. It was expressed as “the unanimous -judgment of the station that he should return -immediately.” We had planned a regular campaign in -the Mūsô districts on both sides of the Mê Kōng—the -sort of trip in which the medical missionary finds his -best opportunity. But the recall was so imperative -that it could not be ignored. So I was left to continue -the work alone.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The Mūsô tribe was about equally numerous in the -mountain ranges on both sides of the big river. On -the east side there were eleven villages. It seemed advisable -to take that section first, because they were under -Chieng Sên rulers, of whose cordial and sincere interest -in our work we were sure. Sên Chai, the head -man of the large village nearest to the city, was a -friend of Nān Suwan, and was strongly inclined to -embrace our religion; but felt the difficulty of breaking -the tribal bond. Before this I had made him a -visit of two or three days, and saw clearly that our -only chance of accomplishing anything was to gain all -the head men of the eleven villages. It was actually -easier to win over the whole as a unit than to win it -piecemeal. This was a formidable task to undertake, -but with God’s blessing on the labours of Cha Pū -Kaw and Nān Suwan, it seemed not impossible.</p> - -<p class='c009'><span class='pageno' id='Page_342'>342</span>We set out for the first village one morning shortly -after ten o’clock. It was four o’clock when we stopped -for rest at the first cluster of houses on the outskirts -of the settlement. The news of our arrival soon -reached the main village. When we started again we -met Sên Chai with a regular serenade-party of men -and boys with native reed instruments, blowing their -plaintive dirge-like music, to welcome us and escort -us in. Soon the population was all assembled—the -maidens in their best sarongs, the mothers and grandmothers -each with an urchin strapped to her back by -her scarf, the men coming in from their work, and the -inevitable crowd of children. Cha Pū Kaw was already -answering their questions, with Nān Suwan’s -sympathetic aid. They were respectfully shy, but there -was no cringing. Sên Chai invited the local Pū Chān -and all the villagers to assemble after their evening -meal to hear the new doctrines. We first had worship -with singing, and prayer by Cha Pū Kaw. It was the -first time they had heard the Great Spirit addressed -in their own Mūsô tongue. There were frequent exclamations -of delight that they were able to understand -every word.</p> - -<p class='c009'>And then, before that motley crowd, drinking with -them their native tea from an earthen teapot, the men -seated close around, or reclining as they smoke their -pipes, the women and children walking about or sitting -on the ground—we tell of God the great Spirit, the -Creator, and Father of all—the Bible, His message to -men—the incarnation, life, and death of Christ, and -redemption through His blood. Before we get through -you will hear man after man say, “I believe that. It -is true.” One man takes up the story from Cha Pū -Kaw’s mouth and repeats it to another—a story that -<span class='pageno' id='Page_343'>343</span>till now he himself had never heard. Another says, -“Nān Suwan has told us this before, but now we hear -it from the father-teacher.”</p> - -<p class='c009'>Before we retired that night Sên Chai said to us, -with the approval of most of his village, “Go on to -Sên Bun Yūang and the head men of the other villages. -If they agree, we will all accept Christianity. One village -cannot accept it alone. If we do not ‘kin waw’ -with them—join in their New Year’s feast—we shall -be treated as enemies by the whole tribe.”</p> - -<p class='c009'>So, next morning, we set out to find the great Pū -Chān—the religious head of the province. On our -way to his village we fell in with a man to whom Cha -Pū Kaw was speaking with great earnestness. I found -on approaching him that he was not a Mūsô, but a Kūi—of -a tribe which we had planned to visit later. He -was the Pū Chān of his village. He had already invited -us through Cha Pū Kaw to change our plan, -and visit his village first. It was nearer than the village -we were intending to visit, and we were already -tired enough with our climb to be willing to stop at -the nearest place.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The village was a large one, as mountain villages go—of -twenty-five or thirty houses, and from two hundred -and fifty to three hundred souls—in general not unlike -the Mūsô villages we had seen. The Kūi language -also, while different from the Mūsô, is cognate with it, -so that Cha Pū Kaw could still act fairly well as our -interpreter. His talk with the Pū Chān on the way -had already laid a good foundation for our work in the -evening, when curiosity and interest in our errand -brought the whole village together to hear Cha Pū -Kaw’s new doctrine from his own lips. The news of -his conversion had already reached them, and he had -<span class='pageno' id='Page_344'>344</span>made a good impression on the religious head of the village.—And, -then, it was something new to see the Mūsô -boys able to read and to sing. Nān Suwan and Cha -Pū Kaw led in prayer, the one in Lāo and the other in -Mūsô. Then our religion was explained in its two -leading ideas—rejection of the spirit-cult, and acceptance -of Jesus for the pardon of sin and the life eternal. -Questions were asked and answered.</p> - -<p class='c009'>At last the Pū Chān suggested that, while we continued -our reading and singing with the women and -children, he and the men, with Cha Pū Kaw, withdraw -to a neighbouring house and talk the matter over. It -was evident that they would be more at their ease by -themselves, unawed by the presence of the foreign -teacher. For some two hours the debate continued. -I could hear their earnest voices from the neighbouring -house, with only now and then a Lāo word that I -could understand. Then they returned to make their -report. With oriental politeness, they expressed their -gratitude to the “great teacher” who had come so far -and at such expense, and had brought with him a fellow-mountaineer -of theirs, to teach them, creatures of -the jungle, the way to happiness. They had talked -these matters over, and understood them somewhat, but -not fully. Some were greatly pleased with the teachings, -and believed them true. But they could not yet -come as an entire village, and they dared not separate. -Next morning we parted as friends. They were glad -that we had found the way to their village. “Be sure -to come again!” That I thought surely I should do; -but this proved to be my only visit.</p> - -<p class='c009'>At the Sên Lūang’s village, where the great Pū Chān -lived, we had the same experience—a good reception, -many apparently interested and anxious to escape their -<span class='pageno' id='Page_345'>345</span>own spirit-worship. A number of the head men said, -“If such and such a village accepts the Jesus-religion, -we will.” But no one could be found to face the clan -and make a start.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Thinking that our native evangelists might get at -the heart of the people all the better if left to do it -alone, and being anxious to get my mail from home, I -went down on Saturday to Nān Suwan’s to spend the -Sunday there with the Christians. On Tuesday, to my -disappointment, the evangelists returned to me discouraged. -They were convinced that in the district -east of the Mê Kōng River, no break in the -solidarity of the clan could be accomplished that -season.</p> - -<p class='c009'>But it was important not to leave these people with -the impression that we had abandoned them. I had -left Sên Chai’s village with the promise to return. So -I went up with the Mūsô Christian boys, and spent a -last night with them. The village again assembled, -and we had an interesting evening. The Sên was -greatly disappointed that none of the other villages -would join him. But the New Year was at hand, when -the clan must be unbroken. They would wait another -year, and try to get the other villages to join them. On -the whole, I was encouraged. When we left them we -were escorted out of the village to the music of their -plaintive flutes, more like a victorious than a vanquished -army.</p> - -<p class='c009'>After a day or two with the Chieng Sên church, we -visited the ridge to the southeast of that city, between -it and Chieng Kawng. Our experience there was but -a repetition of that from which we were just come—cordial -receptions, night audiences, manifest interest, -individual believers, anxious consultations, promises -<span class='pageno' id='Page_346'>346</span>for the next year; but the tribal bond was too strong -to be broken.</p> - -<p class='c009'>But Cha Pū Kaw was anxious that we should not -pass by his own mountain villages on the Mê Kok. So -we turned southward again toward Chieng Rāi. This, -moreover, was one of those famine years, such as we -have already encountered in our story, and shall encounter -yet again; many people were on the verge of -starvation. In places we could not get food for our own -men. And famine was beginning to be followed by -disease and death. This was a serious obstacle to -our work.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Another serious obstacle was the use of opium, which -became more prevalent the further west we went along -the Mê Kok range towards Mûang Fāng. We presently -reached villages where the poppy was cultivated, -until, in the last village, men, women, and boys, and -sometimes even girls, were its slaves. Fevers and dysentery -prevail during the rainy season. These people -have a very scanty pharmacopœia, and no antidotes -whatever for these diseases. Opium in some form is -probably their surest remedy. Many persons told me -that they began by using it in sickness. As sickness recurred -the habit grew, until they were fast bound in -its chains. These facts largely determined the character -of the instruction we gave, and made our tour -a kind of anti-opium crusade. Encouraged and disappointed -at every village, I was still tempted on by -visions of capturing some large village that would -prove a more effective entering wedge for the tribe than -Cha Pū Kaw’s poor little hamlet. The six weeks so -spent were at the time the most novel and exciting, as -well as most arduous, of all my missionary experiences -so far.</p> - -<p class='c009'><span class='pageno' id='Page_347'>347</span>We took both the old Mūsô men as assistants, and -the younger ones as carriers for our equipment. Our -first day’s journey was a fair sample of what we had -to do continually. In many places it would be a misnomer -to speak of the track we travelled as a path. -We left the plain in the morning, and it was half-past -two in the afternoon when we reached the first summit. -It was five o’clock when, desperate with thirst, we came -upon a flowing brook. There was, then, still another -hard climb before we saw our long looked-for first village -ahead. And, in general, because of the habit these -people have of planting their villages upon the very -highest points where they can get water, the journey -from one of these villages to another in plain sight, -and, apparently, but a short distance away, would take -hours of the hardest travel. Sometimes we would walk -weary hours through rain, or through bushes as wet as -rain, to visit a village; only to walk back again after -sitting three hours in wet clothes trying in vain to -awaken some interest in old or young.</p> - -<p class='c009'>One of the most interesting, and, at the same time, -one of the saddest, cases we met was that of Mûn -Kamprai, the head man of a village which clearly bore -the impress of his character in the intelligence and industry -of its inhabitants. From opium he had kept -entirely aloof until, only a few years before this time, -under the stress of a severe illness, he began to take it. -The poor man now realized that he was becoming a -wreck, but seemed to have no will-power left to make -the effort to break away from the habit. He was much -interested, however, in his two fellow-tribesmen whom -I had brought as my assistants; and Cha Waw’s example -seemed to afford him a faint gleam of hope. If -we would stop a week and teach his people, and would -<span class='pageno' id='Page_348'>348</span>stand by to aid him, he would try. If successful, he -would surely become a Christian—and then his village -would be the one we had been hoping for to free itself -from the tribal bond, and become Christian.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The experiment was, indeed, pathetic. Removing all -temptation, he began with a desperate determination -to succeed. We encouraged him with human sympathy -and the hope of divine aid. We pushed as far as we -dared the use of a tonic which Dr. McKean had given -me for such cases; and it aided him perceptibly. He -held out manfully for several days. But, at last, in an -evil hour, he could endure the torture no longer, and -before we knew it, he had resumed the use of the drug. -For two nights he had not slept. In his own expressive -language, it was not his eyes, but his heart -that could not sleep. Poor man! his sufferings must -have been as near those of the infernal regions as it -is possible to experience in the body. And then his -absolute wreck of mind, and the contempt he felt for -himself when he gave up the struggle as hopeless!</p> - -<p class='c009'>We spared no labour to reach the homes of these -people, or their hearts. We tried to become Mūsôs to -the Mūsôs that we might win them. Sometimes we -had to sleep in their huts—on a floor raised two or -three feet from the ground, which the dogs shared -with the family, while the pigs and goats were on -the ground beneath. In the centre was a raised fireplace -on which the native teapot always boiled. Sleeping-mats -or thin bedding lay about on the floor, and -on this, before bedtime, some of the inmates would lie -down and fall asleep even while listening to the conversation.—But -everywhere the tribal bond was too -strong to be broken.</p> - -<div id='i348' class='figcenter id001'> -<span class='pageno' id='Page_349'>349</span> -<img src='images/i348.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>MŪSÔ PEOPLE AND HUT NEAR CHIENG RAI</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>By this time the rains had set in. The trails—and -the leeches that infested them—were getting worse and -worse. Soon the torrent-streams would become impassable. -We must return while yet we could. Our -six weeks’ wanderings we retraced in four days of -constant tramping. It had been a hard trip for all of -us. I myself had a touch of fever. It seemed good -on reaching our camp to have once more the luxury of -a chair and a table. And then to be on the sadaw’s -back travelling homewards, and to meet a good mail -on the way! My three-score and fourth birthday was -spent in the forest, and I reached home safely -on the 18th of May, after an absence of nearly five -months.</p> - -<hr class='c015' /> - -<p class='c009'>The peninsula of Farther India is largely exempt -from the terrible scourge of famine which has become -almost chronic in Hindustan, its greater neighbour on -the west. There the population is so numerous that -the normal production of food is just sufficient to supply -its needs. Even a local or a partial failure of the -crops must produce distress. Siam, on the contrary, -is happy in that it not only produces an abundant supply -for its own people, but is a granary for the surrounding -countries. The worst that has ever been experienced -in Lower Siam in years of greatest scarcity, -has been the necessity of checking the export of rice. -The annual floods there cover the whole country, so -that a general failure of crops is, humanly speaking, -impossible.</p> - -<p class='c009'>In the northern states the land is higher; and considerable -portions of it, being above inundation, are -directly dependent upon the seasonal and local rains. -But with a population by no means dense, this very -<span class='pageno' id='Page_350'>350</span>diversity of the cultivated areas is a source of safety. -A season of heavy rainfall which drowns the lowland -rice, is apt to prove exceptionally good for the uplands. -And, on the other hand, a season of light rainfall, -which cuts short the upland crop, is apt to be a good -season for the flooded areas. And in considerable sections -of the country there is the chance that a second -crop in the same season may make good the loss of the -first. There is a further security also in the fact that, -until communication with the coast becomes such as to -make exportation profitable, the excess of fruitful years -remains unconsumed in the country, to supply the need -of less fruitful ones. It thus comes about that scarcity -amounting to a real famine cannot result from the -failure of crops in any single year. It requires two -consecutive failures to produce extensive suffering -among the very poor, and three to result in a real -famine.</p> - -<p class='c009'>This last, however, was the case in 1892. In 1890 -there was a light crop throughout the land, with less -excess than usual to be stored. In 1891 the crop was -lighter still. In the eastern provinces, particularly in -Lakawn and Prê, there was very little rice to be reaped. -Famine conditions began there long before the time -for harvest. People were scattering off in squads or -by families into Chiengmai and the northern provinces, -begging a daily morsel. They were poverty-stricken as -well as famishing. The distress led the brethren in -Lakawn to make an appeal to friends in the United -States for a famine fund. Quite a liberal response, -amounting to several thousand dollars, was made to -this call, largely by the friends of the Lāo mission. -The relief was almost as timely for the missionaries -as it was for the famishing people. Otherwise they -<span class='pageno' id='Page_351'>351</span>scarcely could have lived through the long strain on -their nerves and sympathies caused by the constant -sight of sufferings which they could not even in part -relieve.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The province of Chiengmai could have met its own -needs until the new crop came in, had it not been for -the constant draft upon its reserves to meet the demands -of Lakawn and Prê. But, between high prices -offered and pity for the less fortunate, those reserves -were steadily drained away, until, during the latter -months of the year, famine was upon us in Chiengmai, -too. Bands of men from destitute villages, maddened -by hunger and unable to buy food, began to roam about -the country by night, or, sometimes, by day, and seize -rice wherever any little remnant of it could be found. -The authorities were powerless to restrain them or to -keep order. The condition of the more destitute provinces -can better be imagined than described.</p> - -<p class='c009'>At last the relief committee in Lakawn were asked -if they could not spare us a small portion of their -fund, for it seemed that their condition could not be -much worse than ours. A letter from Dr. W. A. Briggs -brought us three hundred rupees, but with the following -<i>caveat</i>—the italics are his:</p> - -<p class='c024'>“<i>Wherever</i> we can reach the absolutely starving, that is -a place to invest. We do not pretend to relieve all the -<i>suffering</i>. Now, if the need in Chiengmai, or in the district -mentioned, is so great that people are actually dying -from starvation, and those now living are living on such -stuff as the sample enclosed (cocanut-husks, leaves, bark, -etc.), <i>with never a grain of rice</i>, then I would advise -you to form a Famine Committee, and go into the business -as we have done. The actual starvation <i>must</i> be attended to, -<i>no matter where it is</i>. But our saddest experience is within -Prê. Some one should be sent there at once.”</p> - -<p class='c025'><span class='pageno' id='Page_352'>352</span>The scenes reported from Prê were harrowing. I -will not pain the reader by dwelling upon them. One -happy result followed the efforts of the brethren who -went to the relief of that district. While administering -to bodily wants, they preached the Gospel, making -such an impression that there was a strong demand -for a permanent station there—which was established -the next year, with Dr. and Mrs. Briggs as pioneer -missionaries.</p> - -<p class='c009'>It should be stated that, toward the last, the Siamese -government sent up supplies of rice; but, because of the -distance and the difficulty of transportation, not much -reached the suffering people in time to help them; and -much was lost in passing through the hands of so many -officials.</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_353'>353</span> - <h2 id='ch31' class='c010'>XXXI<br /> <br />CHIENG RUNG AND THE SIPSAWNG PANNĀ</h2> -</div> -<p class='c011'>At the Annual Meeting of the mission in December, -1892, the broad field of Tai peoples north of -the frontier of Siam was discussed, and Rev. -Robert Irwin and myself were appointed to make a -tour into that region as long and as far as in our -judgment might be deemed wise. The tour occupied -nearly five months—from January 3d to May 25th, -1893. This time we went fairly well supplied with portions -of Scriptures and tracts, and a good outfit of -medicine. Of quinine we carried a hundred ounces, -and returned with less than twenty-five. We relied on -the medicines for the welcome they never yet had failed -to win for us. And Mr. Irwin had a cornet which did -excellent service throughout the tour. For riding I -had my big “sadaw” elephant, and Mr. Irwin had a -pony; so we could exchange mounts at our convenience. -I pass over the earlier portion of our route, already -so often described, and the two weeks spent among -the hill-tribes visited on previous trips.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The chief object of our trip was to visit, in their ancient -homes, two northern tribes of the Lāo race—the -Kôn and the Lû—from which very many of our -parishioners in the southern provinces derived their -origin. For, under conditions which lasted very nearly -down to our own time, there was almost constant -predatory warfare going on in this northern country—stronger -<span class='pageno' id='Page_354'>354</span>states raiding the weaker, and sweeping away -the entire population of the districts they overran, to -plant them in their own realms. Thus whole villages, -and even entire districts, in the Lāo provinces of Siam, -are peopled by the descendants of such colonies of captives. -We found it unadvisable to attempt both visits -in the same season, and the Lû were the more accessible, -living on the nearer slopes of the Mê Kông -valley. We went up on the west of the river along -the edge of the British territory, now known as the -South Shan States, and beyond it into Chinese territory, -as far as Chieng Rung;<a id='r15' /><a href='#f15' class='c020'><sup>[15]</sup></a> then, returning, we made -a somewhat wider sweep to the east of the river, -through French Indo-China; finally recrossing the -river at Chieng Lāp, where we struck once more our -outgoing trail.</p> - -<div class='footnote c026' id='f15'> -<p class='c023'><span class='label'><a href='#r15'>15</a>. </span>This name appears on some maps as Chieng Hung, initial <i>r</i> in the -North being generally pronounced as <i>h</i>.—<span class='sc'>Ed.</span></p> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>After leaving Mûang Len, the utmost point of a -former trip, we travelled awhile by a fine road along -the summit of a ridge so regular as to seem almost like -an artificial embankment, and affording noble views -over the valley. At Wieng Mai, a recent offshoot of -Mûang Yawng, we spent a most interesting Saturday -and Sunday. Here the Prince-Governor sent to ask if -he should not put up a sālā to shelter us during our -stay. In the morning we preached in the market-place, -and afterwards I distributed medicine and talked -with the people till noon, when I had to flee away to -rest under the shade of a big tree by the river. The -people seemed hungry for the bread of life. I could -not supply all the requests made for copies of the -Scriptures.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Mûang Yawng, the older and larger city, we reached -<span class='pageno' id='Page_355'>355</span>on Monday forenoon, after a two hours’ ride. An officer -met us at the gate, and showed us to the sālā. -When the Chao Mawm heard of our arrival, he sent -for us, meeting us at the door. We had a very interesting -interview, but he was not inclined to talk on -the subject of religion. He told me that the city and -district had been entirely depopulated in 1809 by a -force from Chiengmai, when “nothing was left behind -but the ground.”<a id='r16' /><a href='#f16' class='c020'><sup>[16]</sup></a> It had recovered itself, however, -and its population was now larger than that of Lampūn. -With Nān Suwan I visited the market and the -Court. At the latter place I learned that the British -Commissioner would arrive the next day. Knowing -that everything would be in confusion, we decided to -move on the next morning.</p> - -<div class='footnote c026' id='f16'> -<p class='c023'><span class='label'><a href='#r16'>16</a>. </span>This incident is a striking illustration of the methods of warfare -in those days. The expedition in question was directed against the -Burmese, who had established themselves in Mûang Yāng some -sixty miles or more to the northwest. On its way it passed through -Mûang Yawng, where it was loyally received. But being defeated -at Mûang Yāng, it fell back upon Mûang Yawng, and there gathered -up all the inhabitants and swept them off to Chiengmai to prevent -their falling into the hands of the enemy!—<span class='sc'>Ed.</span></p> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>From this point on, our elephant was everywhere an -object of great interest. Sometimes the people climbed -trees to get a better view of him. A long day’s march -brought us to Mûang Yū, picturesquely situated on -high bluffs, with deep gorges running down to the Mê -Lūi. Here we remained only overnight, leaving early -the next morning for Mûang Lūi, which we reached -about noon. That evening we had a large attendance -at worship, the governor and officials remaining till -after eleven o’clock. The original population of both -these districts, as well as that of Mûang Yawng, are -now scattered throughout the provinces of Chiengmai -and Lampūn.</p> - -<p class='c009'><span class='pageno' id='Page_356'>356</span>Next morning we crossed the beautiful stream on a -raft, while our elephant took the ford. During the -forenoon we came upon Captain Davis of the Commissioner’s -staff, who had been sent to make a detour by -Mûang Sing, and was then on his way to join his party. -He was resting by the roadside, ill with fever, and was -glad to get from me some quinine.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The following day, Saturday, brought us to Mûang -Lūang, the largest and most important place in the -valley and the southernmost of the old Sipsawng Pannā -confederacy. The valley population is wholly Lû. -There is scarcely a Ngīu (Western Shan) to be found -east of the Keng Tung watershed. Here were the best -roads we had seen anywhere in Farther India, with -a real arched bridge of stone across the stream at -the entrance to the city. Early next morning we were -awakened by a noisy crowd about our tent, anxious to -see us. It was the great market day, so, instead of -attempting a regular service in camp, we chose the -market-place. There, whether reading or speaking, we -always had some attentive listeners.</p> - -<p class='c009'>On Monday our road lay for many miles along the -summit of a low ridge on which at intervals were -fifteen large villages, just at the edge of the long -fertile plain, where are the rice-fields that feed the -country. I never saw in all my touring anything quite -to equal that row of villages. It seemed too bad to -pass through so many without even stopping.</p> - -<div id='i356' class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i356.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>GROUP OF YUNNAN LĀO</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>On the fourth day from Mûang Lūang we reached -Chieng Rung, the limit of our northward journey. Its -location is strikingly beautiful, on a high steep bluff -overlooking the Mê Kōng River, which sweeps in a -majestic curve about its base. It is in Chinese territory, -and is ruled by a Chao Fā appointed from Yunnan. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_357'>357</span>An officer from Yunnan was there at the time -collecting tribute. The influence of the English was -already felt there. Mûang Chê, to the west, had -rebelled against the Chao Fā, who thereupon sent out -an expedition which captured and brought away some -three hundred families of the inhabitants. But England -cannot allow border warfare to go on along her -frontier. An English officer appeared on the scene, and -the thing was stopped.</p> - -<p class='c009'>At Chieng Rung we were still in the midst of an -area of Lāo-speaking people—an area which extended -far beyond on every side. I gave a portion of Scripture -to a Lû whose home was ten days’ journey northward; -and others to men from as far to the east and to -the west.</p> - -<p class='c009'>We had an interview with the Chao Fā by previous -appointment. At the door the officer suggested that -we pull off our shoes. We replied that it was not our -custom, and was unnecessary. He looked very doubtful, -but said no more, and we walked in. The Chao -Fā received us courteously. We took him to be a man -of no great strength of character, about forty years of -age, and somewhat weakened by the use of opium. He -asked whether we had not some antidote to enable him -to stop its use. He listened attentively to our statement -of the object of our coming, and said, “You are -merit-makers, and that is a good work.”</p> - -<p class='c009'>When we called at the court, the presiding officer -had a wise suggestion as to how we might further our -purpose and establish our religion in the place—a suggestion -evidently not originating with himself, but -from a higher source. “The favour of the Chao Fā,” -said he, “will be necessary and all-sufficient. I see -you have a fine elephant. Just make a present of him -<span class='pageno' id='Page_358'>358</span>to the Chao Fā. He will be delighted, and your road -will be all smooth.” I told him that I was an old man, -far from home, and dependent on the elephant. So I -could not part with him. This same suggestion was -pressed upon us several times afterwards, by the highest -officials, and quite up to the hour of our departure; -though its form was modified from a gift to a sale. I -became at last a little anxious about the result, and -was somewhat relieved when we actually got away -without loss of the elephant.</p> - -<p class='c009'>I may mention at this point an incident of this trip -which never came to my knowledge till thirteen years -later, showing how we were providentially spared from -what would have put a sudden and tragic end to our -tour and to our lives. When Dr. S. C. Peoples and -Dr. W. C. Dodd were in Keng Tung in March, 1907, the -presiding officer of the Court told them that he had -met Dr. McGilvary and Mr. Irwin on their way to -Chieng Rung; that when the people of Chieng Rung -first heard that some foreigners from the south were -<i>en route</i> to their capital, they planned to kill and -plunder them. But when they saw that the foreigners -rode elephants and were accompanied by carriers, they -decided that this was probably the advance guard of a -formidable army, which it might not be well to attack. -And then, he said, the kindness of the missionaries -so completely won their hearts, that all -thought of murder and plunder was given up.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Our return was to be through the region to the -east of the Mê Kōng. Its northern cities still belonged -to the Sipsawng Pannā. But the rest of it was -territory recently ceded by Siam to France. The governing -race—the people of the plains—were everywhere -Tai, speaking the Lāo language and using the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_359'>359</span>Lāo literature. On its mountain ridges dwelt numerous -hill-tribes, especially the Kamu and the Lamēt.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The route we were to take crosses the river two days’ -journey south of Chieng Rung; so we had at first to -retrace our steps. We left the city on Monday, March -13th, safe from unseen plots, and with our elephant. -On the second day, after leaving our upward road to -strike across to the river, we entered unexpectedly a -large village, where we met with a reception ludicrously -hostile. At every door men were standing with guns in -their hands. We were surprised; but, supposing that -it might be muster-day or something of the sort, we -passed innocently along, without challenge, to the -monastery, where we dismounted and began to unload. -Then guns were laid aside and the head man and villagers -came up to see us and to offer assistance. They -had heard that foreigners were coming with elephants -and men, whether for peace or war no one knew. So -they had taken the precaution to be ready. When -they found out our peaceful errand, they were ashamed. -We had a pleasant visit and worship with them that -evening.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The next stage of our road was bad. In some -places we had to cut our way through, and there were -difficult passages of brook-beds and gorges. We -reached the river at Chieng Hā in a pouring rain, and -it rained again at night. The next day was the -Buddhist sacred day, and we were awakened early by -the crowd of merit-makers and worshippers—the -women and girls, as usual, in their head-dresses and -gay colours, and all anxious to see the elephant and -the white faces.</p> - -<p class='c009'>It was 10:30 that morning before we got -away. Ourselves, our men, the saddles and luggage, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_360'>360</span>were carried over by the ferry. Nān Suwan alone -faced the deep river on the sadaw to guide him -through. At the first plunge all of the elephant save -his trunk, and half of the rider, went out of sight. -Thence on they went, now up and now down, till they -struggled out on the further shore. Such an effort is -very exhausting to the animal, and he has to have a -good rest and breathing-spell after it.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Mûang Ham, on the eastern bank, is larger than its -neighbour on the west. Its governor was a Chao -Mawm, next in rank to the Chao Fā of Chieng Rung, -and his wife was the Chao Fā’s sister. I had a long -talk on religion with the wife. It was a new thought -to her that any one could be greater than the Buddha, -though he was neither Creator nor Saviour, but only a -man. It is unnecessary continually to state what was -everywhere the case throughout this trip; namely, that -we had good audiences and interested hearers. We -left in every place some books in the hands of those -most likely to use them; though we could have used -to advantage many more, if we had had them.</p> - -<p class='c009'>From Mûang Ham two days’ march brought us on a -Saturday to Mûang Nūn, the most important city on -our route, and, therefore, a most desirable place to -spend Sunday. The city is in the valley of the Nam -Bān. It has well paved streets, and a very large -monastery on an eminence above, where we camped. -The abbot gave us a hearty welcome, and did all he -could to make us comfortable. At our night worship -the monks and other visitors were very attentive.</p> - -<p class='c009'>On Sunday morning we called on the head officer of -the Court, and had a pleasant conversation with him, -for he was both intelligent and inquisitive. Just as we -were ready for our own morning worship, the Chao -<span class='pageno' id='Page_361'>361</span>Mawm, a relative of the Chao Fā for Chieng Rung, -sent to ask us to call. We sent word in reply that it -was our hour for worship, and asked whether he would, -perhaps, like to have us worship in his residence. His -answer was a cordial invitation to come and do so.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The Prince was young and very pleasant. He had a -spacious house, and soon he had it filled with his -own family, his officers, and his people. Mr. Irwin, -as usual, had his cornet. We find that singing our -Gospel hymns, with a short explanation of their central -truths, is a better way to hold a mixed crowd -where women and children form a goodly proportion, -than is a regular service. Nān Suwan’s Lû dialect -served a very good turn. We had a very interesting -morning, and we were cordially invited to hold a -similar meeting at night, when many who had been -absent in the morning might attend.</p> - -<p class='c009'>At night the house was crowded with a remarkable -gathering, for one could hardly call it a congregation. -The invitation, the place, the attendant circumstances, -were all unique. We sang and prayed and preached -with as little restraint as if we had been in our own -church in Chiengmai. The part of the service which -most impressed them was Nān Suwan’s prayer—a direct -appeal to a Person unseen, whom he addressed as -Father, Redeemer, Saviour, and Friend. Seldom have -I felt so strongly for any as for these, that they were as -sheep needing a shepherd; hungry souls asking for -bread, and getting that which satisfied not. Ethical -teaching they had in abundance, but no Divine Voice -asking, “Wilt thou be made whole?” or saying, “Thy -sins be forgiven thee. Arise and walk!”</p> - -<p class='c009'>Next morning we made our formal call upon the -Prince; but he sent to our camp for our books and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_362'>362</span>the cornet, and soon we had another congregation, and -were having worship again. In the afternoon the -Prince made us a long call. Then there was a continuous -stream of visitors, mostly for medicine, and I -vaccinated a number of persons. The son of the chief -officer of the Court, a fine young man, was almost ready -to come with us to Chiengmai to study our religion -further. His father, too, was willing that he should -come. The young man promised that he surely would -do so next year, if we came again. And now, seventeen -years after these events, it saddens me to think no missionary -has ever been there since. An occupancy, -then, of those open Sipsawng Pannā States would have -turned the flank of French obstruction, and have ensured -an entrance from the north.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Early on Tuesday morning we left Mûang Nūn, after -a visit all too short. The Prince, with his officers and -a large crowd of people, were on hand to bid us good-bye. -That day we found our track very much obstructed -by the jungle growth, and had some difficulty -in cutting our way through. Another complication -presently arose in the illness of my associate, Mr. -Irwin. An attack of indigestion developed next day -into symptoms of dysentery, which made further travel -for the time impossible. So we were laid up until the -following Tuesday at Mûang Wên—and anxious nights -and days they were. Milder measures failing, we had -to resort at last to a most heroic treatment which I -had seen used in the hospital, namely, large doses of -ipecac. By this means the disease was got under control; -and by care and dieting Mr. Irwin was able at -length to continue his journey on my elephant, though -throughout the rest of our tour he was far from being -well.</p> - -<p class='c009'><span class='pageno' id='Page_363'>363</span>At Mûang Pōng, one of the three largest cities on the -route, we again stopped over from Thursday night till -Tuesday. Here I had an ague-chill on the night of our -arrival, but, with free use of quinine and a little rest, -I escaped further attack. There was a great deal of -fever in the place, and I spent much time in ministering -to the sick.</p> - -<p class='c009'>On Saturday I called upon the Prince and his chief -officer. I was told that the city furnished five hundred -men for the Chao Fā’s expedition, and had seventy -villages within its jurisdiction. In former times it -had been raided by an expedition from Nān, and some -of the Nān villages to this day are peopled by descendants -of those captives.</p> - -<p class='c009'>On Monday the Prince and his chief officer made us -long calls. The Prince had never seen a repeating -rifle, and seemed incredulous that it could fire twelve -shots in unbroken succession, till I fired three by way -of demonstration. His look of surprise was ludicrous. -He <i>must</i> have the gun, he said, to protect his country, -and began bidding for it. At last he offered a -fine riding pony, which I accepted. He was delighted, -saying that we two should always be brothers. If I -should never come again myself, he would welcome and -aid our assistants. Four years later I did visit the -place, but the Prince had been killed.</p> - -<p class='c009'>On Tuesday we reached Mûang Māng, which proved -to be one of our most hopeful places. Sitting in front -of our tent, with the whole village about us, we talked -till midnight. I had a sore throat, but our assistants -were inspired with enthusiasm. At last we almost -had to drive the crowd away.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Mûang Sing was the objective of this portion of our -tour. I first became interested in it when it was about -<span class='pageno' id='Page_364'>364</span>to be occupied as a dependency of the province of Nān. -Mr. Phraner and I made an attempt to reach it in 1891, -but were turned back. Then, again, it seemed about -to fall into British hands, under some old claim by -Burma. Even at the time we were there, its status was -still uncertain. It gave evidence of having once been -a large city, and still had a very large territory under -its jurisdiction. Its earlier importance was reflected -in the title borne by its ruler, Chao Fā—Lord of the -Sky—a title borne by no other Lû ruler south of -Chieng Rung. My interest in Mûang Sing had been -deepened by acquaintance with a patient in the Chiengmai -hospital, of whose case Dr. McKean has kindly -furnished the following account:</p> - -<p class='c024'>“This Prayā Singhanāt, a prominent man in the local -government, had been for years a great sufferer from vesical -calculus and had tried all kinds of remedies without avail. -Fearing his disease had been occasioned by offending the -spirits in the building of a new house, he tore the house -down. This gave him no relief. Although he had spent -years in the monastery, and had taken all the degrees of the -order, he concluded to re-enter it in the hope of being cured -of his malady, spending again six months in the monastery. -A travelling merchant who had himself been cured of calculus -by an operation in the mission hospital in Chiengmai, -advised the Prayā to go there for relief. This he determined -to do, not without great opposition from the Prince and -from his own family. But he was determined. He sold his -possessions, and started with 800 rupees. His journey was -long and painful. For weeks or even months at a time he -could not travel on account of great pain. Once he was -beset by dacoits at night. A part of his money and all his -guns were stolen. When he finally reached Chiengmai twelve -months after leaving home, he was penniless, and of course -still suffering intensely. He was received into the mission -hospital and was wholly relieved by an operation. A more -grateful patient one rarely sees. He regularly attended -<span class='pageno' id='Page_365'>365</span>service at the hospital and evinced great interest in -Christianity.”</p> - -<p class='c025'>When we reached Mûang Sing, we were disappointed -to find that the Prayā was away. But he had loudly -sung the praises of the mission hospital, and that was a -good introduction for us. The chief officer of the Court -was a friend of his, and he proved to be a friend to us, -too. Hearing that we were come, the Chao Fā sent -for us, and turned out to be a relative of the great -Chao Fā of Chieng Rung. Though not of a nature so -deeply religious as some, he was interested in religion; -and our reply to his first question as to the object of -our visit, immediately introduced the subject.</p> - -<p class='c009'>At first he was inclined to cavil, asking such questions -as, whether Jesus could rise in the air as Buddha -did, and the like. But this was evidently to “save -his face” before his officers. For a while he maintained -that the universe is self-existent, having come -into being by the concurrence of the matter which composes -it. But presently he confessed that it is too -complicated for that, and plainly shows design—that -is, a mind or Mind. At last he asked what argument -made us foreigners so certain of our view that we -should come to ask them to change their religion for -ours. We told him that Jesus Christ Himself was the -all-sufficient argument. No matter how the world -came into existence, we are here, and we all know that -we are sinners. The Buddha confessed himself to be -only a man, and himself seeking a refuge like the rest -of us. Jesus Christ claimed to have come down from -heaven, and to be the Son of God. He challenged the -world to convince Him of sin. Those who knew Him intimately -saw something in Him not only different and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_366'>366</span>superior, but of a different kind. He showed this not -only by His spotless life, but by the miracles that He -wrought. He claims to have power to forgive sins. -And thousands and millions who have accepted Him -believe that He has forgiven them; and show that fact -by becoming better men. We talked thus an hour -and a half. He evidently felt the force of the arguments.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Sunday was the fifth-day market or fair—the largest -and finest we had seen in the north. The hill-tribes, as -usual, were out in full force. I was still suffering with -sore throat, but Mr. Irwin and the assistants had a fine -morning’s work, and in the afternoon had a fair attendance -at the regular service.</p> - -<p class='c009'>One of the most interesting incidents of our stay was -the night service, held in the residence of the Chao Fā -at his express request on the evening before our departure. -The audience was mainly his own family -and dependents, and the Prince was more free than -before. During the singing he asked that the cornet be -stopped in order that he might hear the words more -plainly. When Nān Suwan led in prayer, he wished to -know if we always prayed in that way. There was the -usual sad refrain—no hope of pardon, bondage to the -spirits, the drawing to a better way, but so strong a -counter-current! Yet who can tell how many, after -all, the truth may have reached?</p> - -<p class='c009'>We left Mûang Sing on Wednesday, April 12th. -There is no need to weary the reader with details of -the ten days’ travel before we reached Chieng Sên, -or with the varied incidents of our work.</p> - -<p class='c009'>At Chieng Sên we received letters that were disappointing -to my plans. The mission had unanimously -decided that, partly for considerations of our health, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_367'>367</span>and partly for reasons of mission policy, Mrs. McGilvary -and I should take our furlough at once. We had -been ten and a half years on duty in the field. My -wife was not really sick, but was not well, and the doctor -advised her going. I was very anxious to repeat -the same tour the next year, in spite of the few malarial -chills I had encountered this time. But arrangements -had been completed, and there was no option but to -submit.</p> - -<p class='c009'>My companion on this tour was far from well, and -it was important that he should hasten home at once. -What with daily rains, bad roads, and swollen streams, -Mr. Irwin had a hard trip of it alone the rest of the -way; and it was some little time before he was well -again. For my return there was no such need of haste. -The work among the Mūsô had been left, upon the -whole, in hopeful condition. The power of the tribal -bond, which almost annihilated individual responsibility, -had been somewhat weakened. Many head men -had promised to enrol themselves as Christians this -season. It was certain that no tour among them could -be made the coming year. I must visit them now.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The experiences of this visit were entirely like those -of the previous ones—everywhere the same warm welcome, -interesting night meetings, earnest consultations, -and ministering to the sick; days spent in wading -brooks, climbing mountain ridges, plunging down -ravines, to get from one village to another, where the -same round would be repeated. They would all become -Christians if only another officer or two would -join them. Thus it went on till we had visited nearly -all of the eleven villages, and were back at Sên Chai’s -and Sên Bun Yūang’s, where we began. These people -were nearer to Nān Suwan’s Christian village, had -<span class='pageno' id='Page_368'>368</span>known more of our religion, and, no doubt, were believers -in the truth of our teaching. We talked with -them till late at night, and our parting with them had a -tragic interest. They were apparently on the verge -of accepting the Gospel. We used our utmost endeavours -to persuade them to join Cha Pū Kaw on the -other side of the river, and not wait for the others -who might come in afterwards. This was probably my -last visit; but if any sufficient number would join the -church, the mission would not desert them. If not, in -all probability the offer would never be pressed upon -them again.</p> - -<p class='c009'>And so it proved to be. About half of the villages -were under the governor of Chieng Sên. The inhabitants -of these were assured of their safety in taking the -decisive step, so far as the rulers were concerned. But -some of the larger villages were under the governor of -Mûang Len. His opposition was a foregone conclusion, -because of his interest in the opium traffic. My -failure to gain a large entrance among them was one -of the greatest disappointments in my whole work.</p> - -<p class='c009'>That I was not mistaken in the hopefulness of the -work among the Mūsôs has since been demonstrated by -the many thousand converts won among the same tribe -by our Baptist brethren in the Keng Tung region. At -the same time they are better prepared for such a work -than were we. Their wide experience among the Karens -of Burma, and the large number of educated Karens -through whom they work, give them advantages in this -particular work which our mission does not possess. -On the other hand, it is surely to be regretted that our -mission should be limited in its access to all branches -alike of the Tai population found in the northern -states, for which, by identity of race and language and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_369'>369</span>literature, we are far better prepared than our Baptist -brethren. For while, to use a legal phrase, the missionary -holds a brief for no one particular tribe; while -his commission and his duty is to preach the Gospel -to all whom he can reach; yet it is a well recognized -fact that the Tai family has largely fallen to our mission. -And it will be seen from what we have said -above, that we returned from this trip with enlarged -views and bright prospects of opening up work among -our own Tai people in the north. It will take years -of hard work and a useless expenditure of time and -money for any other missionary organization to reach -the point at which we were ready to <i>begin</i> work among -these people. But this is a complicated question, the -tangled web of which it is not possible for any one -man to unravel.</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_370'>370</span> - <h2 id='ch32' class='c010'>XXXII<br /> <br />THIRD FURLOUGH—STATION AT CHIENG RĀI</h2> -</div> -<p class='c011'>On my return to Chiengmai I found preparations -well advanced for our departure on furlough. -Embarking on June 7th, we reached Bangkok -on June 22d, and San Francisco on August 12th, 1893. -Of the events of that memorable year, I shall touch -upon only two or three.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Dr. J. H. Barrows, the originator and President of -the Parliament of Religions, had invited me to attend -and participate in its meetings. After, perhaps, a -little shock at the boldness of the idea—as if Christianity -were to be put on a par with other religions—I -sympathized with the object as legitimate and proper. -It was merely doing on a large scale what we missionaries -are called upon to do on a smaller scale every -time that we hold an argument with Buddhists or -other non-Christian people. The fairness of the idea, -and even its very boldness, might do good; and I believe -they did.</p> - -<p class='c009'>On the Sunday before the opening I listened to a -really great sermon by Dr. Barrows on “Christ the -Light of the World.” I attended every session of the -Parliament, save at the hour from 11 <span class='fss'>A.M.</span> to 12, when I -usually went over to the Moody meetings to hear John -McNeill, as he was familiarly called, preach his -trenchant sermons.</p> - -<p class='c009'>If any one went to the Parliament—as possibly some -<span class='pageno' id='Page_371'>371</span>did—hoping to hear Christianity demolished, he certainly -was disappointed. But there was one criticism -which occurred to me. Whatever may have been -thought of the wisdom of the original conception and -inauguration of the Parliament, the Protestant -churches might have made a much more imposing front, -if the ablest men of the different denominations had -not stood aloof, either indifferent or hostile to it. It -was surely the opportunity of a lifetime for many, who -could not hope otherwise ever to address personally -the votaries of non-Christian religions, to bring forward -their strong reasons to bear on so many of the -most intelligent and presumably the most earnest seekers -after the truth.</p> - -<p class='c009'>While attending these meetings in Chicago, I received -news that our son, the Rev. Evander B. McGilvary, -had felt himself constrained to resign from the -Lāo mission. No good can come from now reviewing -the issues which led to this step; and it is needless to -say how bitter was the disappointment to his parents, -who had looked forward to his carrying on their -work, and to him, who had specially prepared himself -for that work, and for no other. But I must say that -bitter as was the disappointment, I sympathized with -his position, and respected his motives.</p> - -<p class='c009'>At the meeting of the General Assembly in the following -May, to which I was a delegate, the one all-engrossing -business was the trial of the Rev. Henry P. -Smith, D.D., for heresy on the question of the “Higher -Criticism.” Viewing the matter from this distance, -and entirely apart from the merits of this particular -case, I doubt whether critical and scientific questions -are proper subjects for trials before such a body. If -tried at all, such questions should be tried by a commission -<span class='pageno' id='Page_372'>372</span>of experts. Biblical criticism and science will -go on, and the questions involved will be decided according -to their own lines of evidence, quite irrespective -of the decrees of Popes, Councils, and General -Assemblies. I am much mistaken if the good -sense and temper of the church would now sanction -heresy trials on such questions.</p> - -<hr class='c015' /> - -<p class='c009'>One day some fifteen years earlier than the point we -have now reached in our narrative, a letter came to -our mission from a Mr. Robert Arthington of Leeds, -England. The letter, like all his subsequent ones, was -on small sheets of notepaper, written over once, and -then written again crosswise, so as to be almost illegible. -The writer had somewhere learned of the -journey of a French explorer who, from the upper Mê -Kōng and the headwaters of the Mê Ū, had crossed -to the China Sea through the region now known as -Tonking. The traveller had passed through certain -tribes possessed of a written language and supposed -to be of Aryan stock. By some means Mr. Arthington -had heard of our mission, and wrote to enquire whether -some of us could not visit those tribes and distribute -among them “the Gospels of John and of Luke, and the -Acts of the Apostles,” particularly “telling them that -the Acts followed Luke, <i>and was by the same author</i>.”</p> - -<p class='c009'>We had not the slightest idea who the writer was; -but the devout spirit of the letter was charming, and -such interest in obscure tribes along the northern -border of our field was most surprising. His strong -desire to send the Gospel message to “the regions beyond” -appealed to me. He appeared to be a man of -means, for he offered to bear the expense of circulating -those three books. At the same time he was evidently -<span class='pageno' id='Page_373'>373</span>somewhat eccentric and impractical in his ideas. He -seemed not to have thought that to circulate books -among newly discovered tribes would require—since -the cessation of the gift of tongues—acquisition of -their languages, translation, printing-presses, etc., etc. -But the case, at all events, seemed worth following up.</p> - -<p class='c009'>I acknowledged the receipt of his letter, pointing -out the obstacles which he seemed to overlook, directing -his attention to our own mission as occupying a -new and interesting field, with many hill-tribes on our -own border which we hoped to reach. I invited his -coöperation, stating that as soon as we were properly -enforced, we intended to go as far north as we could.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Almost to my surprise, Mr. Arthington replied immediately, -expressing his interest in our work, but still -reverting to his scheme for evangelizing the “tribes of -Aryan stock” found by his French traveller. That -was, of course, impossible for us to undertake, though -I did propose to Dr. Cushing of the American Baptist -Mission in Burma to join me in a tour through that -region at Mr. Arthington’s expense. This plan had -attractions for us both; but Dr. Cushing’s college work -made it impossible. Still, we might be able to make -some compromise with our unknown correspondent. -So, for some years, I kept up an occasional correspondence -with Mr. Arthington, just sufficient to keep us in -touch with each other. He always replied immediately -to my letters, breathing the same deep interest in missions, -and especially in the tribes hitherto unreached -by the Gospel. Touring within my own appointed field -engrossed the whole of my available time; but since -that field was already in part supplied, it did not specially -appeal to him.</p> - -<p class='c009'>After the tour, longer than usual, taken with my -<span class='pageno' id='Page_374'>374</span>daughter in 1890, I sent him a report of it. In response -he sent me thirty pounds, which aided in the -work of 1891 among the Mūsô. The tour taken with -Mr. Phraner in 1892 was nearer to his idea; and the -one taken with Mr. Irwin in 1893 intensely interested -him—but chiefly because it seemed to be a stepping -stone toward reaching his “Aryan tribes” beyond. He -thoroughly approved of that tour; expressed his regret -that we could not meet in order to come to a -clearer understanding about the geography of the -region—since all our maps were defective; and suggested, -“I should like your daughter to go with you -on your next trip, as I can well conceive the idea that -she will be a valuable help.” He was, moreover, “particularly -interested that the Cambodians also should -have the Gospels of Luke and John, and the Acts.”</p> - -<p class='c009'>Following up Mr. Arthington’s suggestion of an interview, -I met him by appointment in Liverpool on my -return from the United States. We had only a half -hour’s interview; but he thought that sufficient to enable -us to understand each other’s plans. On reaching -London I was to make out an order for what sum -I needed for my next work. This I did, asking for the -modest sum of forty pounds, which I received by return -post.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The trans-Mê Kōng tour, however, was inevitably delayed. -It was not until the Annual Meeting of the mission -in 1896 that Dr. Peoples and I were appointed to -make that tour, an account of which will appear later. -To complete, however, now the story of my relations -with Mr. Arthington, I may say that in advance of the -Annual Meeting just referred to, I wrote to him that -the projected tour would surely be taken, and suggested -that sixty pounds would probably suffice to -<span class='pageno' id='Page_375'>375</span>cover its expense. His reply came the day before our -meeting adjourned, with a cheque for seventy pounds. -The timely aid seemed to anticipate the divine approval -of our attempt. In his letter he suggested, -“Perhaps it might be a good precaution for you to let -the French know your friendly object, and to get full -permission to travel east of the upper waters of the Mê -Kōng as far as you deem proper for your purpose. -But, dear Brother, seek—and I intend to ask with you—the -Lord’s counsel and blessed comfort and guidance.”</p> - -<p class='c009'>The tour was taken, as I have already intimated, -and a full printed report was sent to Mr. Arthington. -On the whole, he was pleased; but it is not easy to -serve two masters. I had assured him from the beginning -that my first duty was to my mission and -my own field. Still he was a little disappointed that -I had to go so far out of my way to join Dr. Peoples -in Nān; and a little more so that we could not get up -nearer to Tongking to give his favourite “John, Luke, -and the Acts” to the tribes supposed to be of Aryan -descent, found by the French traveller. To enable me -to do this, he said, “I believe I should have great -pleasure in sending you all you will need from me.” -He even intimated once that he would be willing to -provide in his will for the continuance of that work. -While not jealous of my connection with the Board, -it seemed to him a tantalizing thing that, while I was -geographically nearer his goal than any one else, and -was, moreover, in sympathy with his devout spirit -and evangelistic aspirations to reach the “regions beyond,” -I was not free to carry out his favourite, though -somewhat chimerical, plans.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The last letter I had from him was dated October -<span class='pageno' id='Page_376'>376</span>22d, 1898. His passion was then as strong as ever to -get his three favourite books to “the tribes mentioned -by the French traveller, ... for they are a people for -whom I have desired much, since the day I first read -of them, that they should have the Gospel.” He expressed -great sympathy with my disappointment that -the French would not permit our labouring in their -territory, adding, “Yet the Lord will not be robbed -of His own.” His death occurred not very long after -this. Of the disposition of his large estate I found -the following account in the London <i>Daily Graphic</i>:</p> - -<p class='c024'>“The late Robert Arthington of Leeds, left about £750,000 -to the London Missionary Society, and the Baptist Missionary -Society. The total value of his estate was £1,119,843. -It is estimated that the Baptist Missionary Society will -receive £415,000 and the London Missionary Society £335,000. -The whole of the money must be spent in the next twenty -years on new missionary work, and no part of it is to be -spent in the United Kingdom.”</p> - -<p class='c025'>We reached Bangkok on September 11th, 1894. -There we were joined by the Rev. and Mrs. Howard -Campbell and Dr. and Mrs. C. H. Denman, who had -come <i>via</i> the Pacific. Earlier in this same year there -had come to the station in Mûang Prê, Dr. and Mrs. -Thomas, Mr. and Mrs. Shields, and Miss Hatch; with -the Rev. and Mrs. L. W. Curtis and Miss Margaret -Wilson for Lakawn.</p> - -<p class='c009'>On our arrival in Chiengmai we found Mr. Phraner -very ill with abscess of the liver, and suffering at times -intense pain. He had been warned by physicians and -friends to desist from his work and take his furlough. -But, as chairman of the Evangelistic Committee, he -had been pushing the evangelistic work too eagerly to -<span class='pageno' id='Page_377'>377</span>heed these warnings. He refused to leave his post -till those who were absent should return. Soon after -we arrived he started for the United States, but, alas! -it was too late. He died in Singapore on January -15th, 1895, leaving a wife and two little boys to pursue -their sad journey alone. Mrs. Phraner—formerly Miss -Lizzie Westervelt—had served a useful term in the -Girls’ School before her marriage. The Phraner -Memorial School for small children, erected by the -family and friends beside the First Church in Chiengmai, -is an appropriate tribute to their labours for the -Lāo race, to which they devoted their lives.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The year of our absence had been almost a banner -year as regards successful evangelistic work. Mr. -Dodd’s Training School had furnished a larger number -of fairly well prepared evangelists than we ever -had before. Between forty and fifty of these had been -actually at work in the field for longer or shorter -periods during the year, and their work had been very -successful. The Annual Meeting convened in Chiengmai -soon after our return. In it there was evident, -on the part both of missionaries and of native assistants, -a degree of enthusiasm and exuberant expectancy -which, under the most favourable circumstances, -could hardly have escaped the inevitable reaction. -Krū Nān Tā, a man of magnetic power among -his people, was then in his prime. The great value of -his services raised probably to an excessive degree our -estimate of the necessity of more <i>ordained</i> native labourers. -If one had done so much, what might a dozen -or a score accomplish? And there were the men, with -two, three, or even more years of training in the study -of the Bible. Most of them were elders or deacons in -the different churches. They had proved faithful in -<span class='pageno' id='Page_378'>378</span>little. Why might they not be trusted with more -talents? Nine of these men were presented for examination -before the Presbytery.</p> - -<p class='c009'>When we began, it was thought—against the advice -of Mr. Dodd, who was on furlough—that one or two -might be ordained to meet the immediate needs of -the work. Some of them had spent a number of years -in the Buddhist priesthood, and had some knowledge -of Pali. Others were without such education, but -nearly all had learned to read Siamese. In Biblical -knowledge they had made fair progress. When the -examination was closed, there was a long and anxious -deliberation, with special prayer for divine direction. -It was quite safe to ordain one or two. But the next -candidate was so near the standard of these that it -might seem invidious to exclude him—and so with the -next, and the next. When the vote was taken, six were -chosen for ordination and three for licensure. The -millennium seemed drawing near!</p> - -<p class='c009'>With the new title and responsibility, higher wages -were naturally to be expected. And it was precisely -upon this rock that our hopes and plans suffered shipwreck. -The Board, as never before, began to insist on -the native churches assuming the support of their own -evangelists. The methods of mission work set forth -and practised in China by the Rev. Dr. Nevius were -urged upon us, and became very popular, especially -with the younger members of the mission, though in -China they had not passed beyond the stage of experiment. -They are best described in Dr. Nevius’ own -words:</p> - -<p class='c024'>“These two systems may be distinguished in general by -the former’s depending largely on paid native agency, while -the latter deprecates and seeks to minimize such agency. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_379'>379</span>Perhaps an equally correct and more generally acceptable -statement of the difference would be, that, while both alike -seek ultimately the establishment of independent, self-reliant, -and aggressive native churches, the ‘Old System’ -strives by the use of foreign funds to foster and stimulate -the growth of native churches in the first stage of their -development, and then gradually to discontinue the use of -such funds; while those who adopt the ‘New System’ think -that the desired object can be best obtained by applying -principles of independence and self-reliance from the beginning. -The difference between these two theories may -be more clearly seen in their outward and practical working. -The old uses freely, and as far as practicable, the more -advanced and intelligent of the native church members, in -the capacity of paid Colporteurs, Bible Agents, Evangelists, -or Heads of Stations; while the new proceeds on the assumption -that the persons employed in these various capacities -would be more useful in the end by being left in their -original homes and employments.”<a id='r17' /><a href='#f17' class='c020'><sup>[17]</sup></a></p> - -<div class='footnote c022' id='f17'> -<p class='c023'><span class='label'><a href='#r17'>17</a>. </span><i>Methods of Mission Work</i>, p. 4.</p> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>The result was that the mission took a good thing -and ran it into the ground. Economy became almost -a craze. The churches were assessed—not heavily, it -is true—to support the ministers; and the ministers -were exhorted to take whatever stipend was agreed -upon, and count any deficiency in it as a voluntary -contribution on their part, or as a debt they owed -their countrymen for the Gospel’s sake. Neither -parishioners nor workers understood the scheme. But -it was tried for one year; and at the next Annual -Meeting (in 1895) the catastrophe came. The churches -had been asked to walk before they could stand; and -the ministers were to work, as well as walk, by faith -and not by sight. As pastors, their expenses were -necessarily increased. They had to dress better, and -to be an example in clothing, and educating their families, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_380'>380</span>and in hospitality. It seemed to them that they -were required to make bricks without straw. A little -yielding to demands that were not unreasonable would -have satisfied the ministers, and the churches would -have been encouraged by the continuance of some -support from the Board for evangelistic work, even -though the amount was much reduced. The zeal was -well meant; but we broke off too suddenly.</p> - -<p class='c009'>For the unfortunate results, the mission, the native -ministers, the churches, and, indirectly, the Board -should share the responsibility. The advantages -gained by our Training School were nullified, and all -progress toward a permanent Theological School was -at an end. After those two Annual Meetings there -was no call for theological training, and no future -for a native ministry. So we have to go on appealing -to the Board and to the American churches for -foreign workers, although the salary of one of these -would support half a dozen or more native ministers.</p> - -<p class='c009'>It is easy to say that native ministers and church -members should be willing, out of pure gratitude, to -labour for the evangelization of their own people, or -that such and such other races have done so. As a -matter of fact, the Lāo church is largely indebted for -its progress to the power exerted by the church itself. -And as to the example of other races, we must remember -that there are racial differences. Even our -nearest Christianized neighbours, the Karens, stand in -a class quite by themselves in this respect. We can -no more apply one rule to all oriental races than we -can enforce western customs in the Orient. But we -certainly cannot expect happy results from the application -of rules that would have discouraged our -<span class='pageno' id='Page_381'>381</span>own ancestors when the first Christian missionaries -found them.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Among the things of more hopeful augury accomplished -in the year 1894, two deserve special mention—the -establishment of Christian Endeavour Societies -in all the Lāo churches, primarily through the efforts -of Dr. Denman, and the publication of the Book of -Psalms and of a hymnal of over two hundred hymns -and tunes. The Psalms were translated by Dr. Wilson, -and the hymns were almost wholly from his pen.</p> - -<p class='c009'>At the Annual Meeting, to which reference has already -been made, a committee was appointed to consider -anew and report on the question whether it was -or was not advisable now to occupy the northern -portion of the field with a permanent station, and, if it -were deemed advisable, to determine the location. I -had been anxious to have it occupied two years before -this time, but had yielded then to the claims of Prê -and of Nān—of Prê because the relief work among -the sufferers from famine had furnished a most auspicious -opening there; and of Nān because it was a larger -city and province than any in the nearer north. Notwithstanding -the greater progress of the work in the -north, with organized and growing churches in Wieng -Pā Pāo, Chieng Rāi, and Chieng Sên, there seemed to -be a lingering doubt as to the wisdom of establishing -permanent stations in cities so small as these. Most -of my colleagues had never visited that northern region. -No one save myself had surveyed the whole field. Yet -no part of the work of a mission is more important, -or requires better judgment, than the location of its -permanent stations. Although fully persuaded in my -own mind, I did not wish the mission to embark on a -new project involving outlay of money and of men, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_382'>382</span>without the mature judgment of the whole mission. -Hence it was at my own suggestion that the committee -was appointed.</p> - -<p class='c009'>On January 20th, 1896, Dr. Denman and I of this -committee started northward. Mr. Dodd joined us -later. It is a great thing to have a physician along -on such a tour. He relieves a great deal of suffering -among a needy people, and so lifts a great load -of care from his companion. But beyond this, I myself -had quite an attack of fever on this particular trip, -and was much indebted to his care for my recovery. -Then we had the stereopticon along, and lectured -nearly every night to large audiences. The doctor -manipulated the lantern, and left the explanation and -application to me. Those pictures have made the -Gospel story to live in the imaginations of many thousands -of people. The occasional introduction of a -familiar scene from native life serves to give confidence -that the others also are real, while a few comic ones -interest the children, old and young. A picture of the -King of Siam—their King—with three of his children, -one of them with his arms about his father’s neck, -always attracted great attention, and was often asked -for again at the close of the exhibition.</p> - -<p class='c009'>I had some trouble this time with my sadaw elephant. -At one stage his back became so sore that I -should have left him behind, were it not that he had had -a serious encounter with a tusker, and I dared not risk -him in that vicinity. He escaped from the encounter -with some bruises, and it was fortunate that he inflicted -no serious wound on his antagonist. And he -was quite well again, before we got home. This was, -however, the last tour he made with me. Elephants -had become property so unsafe that, before the next -<span class='pageno' id='Page_383'>383</span>season, I disposed of both of mine. In one year, out -of three hundred and fifty elephants employed by a -timber firm, thirty-two died and twenty-two were -stolen. But it was like parting with a friend to see -the sadaw go.</p> - -<hr class='c015' /> - -<p class='c009'>The committee visited the three northern churches, -and, after full conference both with the local rulers -and with the Christians, reached the unanimous decision -that there should be a station established in the -north, and that it should be at Chieng Rāi. In this -we were largely influenced by the central situation of -that place with reference to a considerable group of -cities and towns within the same watershed, and all, -like Chieng Rāi itself, rapidly filling up with an agricultural -population crowded out from the dear and -densely settled lands further south. And in addition -to this was the conviction that the new station would -prove a stepping-stone to the large northern section of -the Tai race, established in territory which is now English, -French, and Chinese. We still think that some -amicable arrangement should be made with the American -Baptist Missionary Union, by which the Tai race -to the north of Siam and east of the Salwin should be -left to our mission. The Union has a great work -among the hill-tribes—a work for which they are specially -adapted and specially well equipped; while we -are equally well equipped for work among the Tai.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Dr. Denman viewed the field with special interest, -for he had been designated to help in opening the station, -and we had the virtual sanction of the Board -thereto. It was the prospect of having a physician -that specially enlisted the interest of the rulers of -Chieng Rāi; though both they and their people were -<span class='pageno' id='Page_384'>384</span>friendly to our work on other grounds. It made us -sad to think that our old friend the governor had not -lived to see the mission started. But the beautiful -lot given by him on the Mê Kok will always be a -memorial to him. In due time Rev. and Mrs. Dodd -and Dr. and Mrs. Denman moved up and opened the -station. The years have abundantly justified the wisdom -of this step. In 1910 the accessions to the -churches in Chieng Rāi equalled those of the mother -church in Chiengmai.</p> - -<p class='c009'>From Chieng Sên we sent out two parties of evangelists, -five in each, well loaded with Scriptures and -tracts, one northwestward to Keng Tung, and the -other across the Mê Kōng to Mûang Sing. This was -the very first mission work ever done in the Keng Tung -State. These parties carried also a supply of medicines, -and were limited in time to two and a half -months. They were everywhere well received, and on -their return gave interesting reports of their work. -Their books were eagerly read, and the supply of them -was far too small. There were a number of interesting -cases of believers. Some villages were loath to -have them leave. The experiment, in fact, was very -successful.</p> - -<div id='i384' class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i384.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>PHYA SURA SIH, SIAMESE HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR THE NORTH</p> -</div> -</div> -<p class='c011'>As soon as our committee work was done, Mr. Dodd -was obliged to return. After visiting the Mūsô villages, -Dr. Denman and I moved on to Chieng Kawng. This -town is situated on the right bank of the great river -within the fifteen-kilometer zone which was reserved -as neutral territory upon the cession of the left bank -to France. A French military station was on the opposite -side of the river, and a small gunboat was lying -there—the first that ever came up through the rapids. -Among the crew were two or three who could read -<span class='pageno' id='Page_385'>385</span>English, and who were very anxious to get English -Bibles. This was an unexpected request which we -could not then meet. But I applied for some to the -American Bible Society, and received them just before -I started on my trip of the next year; and, finally, -was able to forward them to the men from Lūang Prabāng. -The captain of the gunboat was very kind to -us while we stayed at Chieng Kawng, and was much interested -in having his men get the Bibles.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Letters were presently received by Dr. Denman summoning -him back to Chiengmai on account of the illness -of his wife. This left me again without an associate, -and with the added care of the medical work, -which cannot be avoided on such a tour, and which, of -course, rests more heavily on a layman than it does on -a trained physician. Before returning home I made -a call—and I believe it was the last one—at the Mūsô -villages beyond the Mê Kōng. Again my hopes were -raised of gaining the whole tribe. With such a prospect -I would gladly have remained with them several -months. But again I had to leave them with only the -“next year” promise—which never was fulfilled. I -reached home on May 5th, after an absence of three and -a half months.</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_386'>386</span> - <h2 id='ch33' class='c010'>XXXIII<br /> <br />THE REGIONS BEYOND</h2> -</div> -<p class='c011'>Two important tours were undertaken by the Lāo -Mission in 1897—one at the opening of the year, -eastward and northward beyond the Mê Kōng -River into French and Chinese territory; and the other -after the close of the rainy season, northward into -British territory. The latter tour led to far-reaching -results, but it does not come within the scope of this -personal narrative. The former was rendered possible -by the timely gift of seventy pounds from Mr. Arthington, -already mentioned; and represented the nearest -approach we could then make toward the fulfilment of -his great desire to reach with the Scriptures those -“tribes of Aryan origin” in the “regions beyond.” -Dr. Peoples, then of Nān, was my companion during -part of this tour; and we went well supplied with -Scriptures and tracts, no less than fourteen carriers -being loaded with these alone. I left home on January -12th, going eastward by way of Lakawn and Prê -to Nān, where Dr. Peoples was to join me. At each -of these stations I spent a busy and a delightful Sunday; -and from Lakawn as far as Nān I had the pleasant -company of Miss Fleeson and Miss Dr. Bowman, returning -to their post from the Annual Meeting.</p> - -<p class='c009'>One night on this portion of the trip we were -awakened by the cries of our men and the snorting of -the ponies, to find that we had a visit from a night -<span class='pageno' id='Page_387'>387</span>prowler, coming so near that we heard the clatter of -the loose stones which he dislodged as he sprang away. -The tracks we found in the morning showed him to -be a large Bengal tiger. On this same stretch of road, -as recently as 1910, the mails for Nān were interrupted -by a man-eating tiger, which killed several men and -women, till, finally, he was despatched by Dr. Peoples -within a few hundred yards of the mission compound.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Ten days were spent in journeying northward -through the great province of Nān, stopping night by -night in its villages and towns, where we always had -good audiences at our evening worship. Sunday we -spent at Mûang Ngôn, and then turned eastward, striking -the Mê Kōng at Tā Dûa, and making our way up -its western bank. At Bān Hūi Kûa we found such -interest that we were sorry that we must move on. -The Prayā—or Pīa, as the name is called throughout -this region—spent an afternoon in transcribing in the -Lūang Prabāng character the tract entitled “The Way -to Happiness.” He had heard something of our religion -before this from a former princess-pupil of Miss -Cole in the Wang Lang School at Bangkok. As he -bade us good-bye he said, pointing upwards, “I hope -we shall meet up yonder,” and seemed pleased that we -had the same anticipation.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The next Sunday we camped in the monastery -grounds at Bān Hūa Ling. The people began to assemble -before breakfast, and long before it was time -for the morning service the grounds were full. The -abbot, with his monks and the officers, sat directly before -me as I explained the method of salvation through -Jesus Christ. The audience listened most attentively. -At the close the abbot and the officers remained for -<span class='pageno' id='Page_388'>388</span>further conversation. The abbot expressed surprise at -our errand. He had never known of anybody’s travelling -about simply to teach the people. Some expressed -fear of encountering the anger of the spirits -if they should no longer worship them. To this the -doctor gave the scientific answer that fevers and most -other diseases were caused and propagated by specific -germs, over which the spirits have no control whatever. -This was to them a new idea, but they seemed -to comprehend it. Next morning, when we left -them, the people followed us with expressions of regret.</p> - -<p class='c009'>When we reached Chieng Mên, a town on the western -bank of the river and opposite Lūang Prabāng, we -found a European with a group of boys, who turned -out to be the French schoolmaster. He invited us -to dine with him that evening, and the next day aided -us in crossing the river. Our first duty in Lūang -Prabāng was to report to the French authorities, M. -Vackle, the Commandant Supérieur, and M. Grant, the -Commissaire. They had been notified from Bangkok -of our coming, and received us with genuine French -hospitality. We never met two more perfect gentlemen. -They even offered us a house; but, as the abbot -of the principal monastery was a personal friend of -mine, they yielded to our preference to stop with -him, but only on the ground that there would be more -comfort and room for our men.</p> - -<p class='c009'>That evening we were invited to dine with M. Vackle. -M. Grant and his staff were present; and the dinner -was a royal one, to which we were prepared to do full -justice. We had the embarrassment of not being able -to converse save through a native interpreter not well -versed either in French or in English. But our host -<span class='pageno' id='Page_389'>389</span>was most considerate, as were also his French guests. -And every evening during our stay we dined with one -or another of the officials.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Next day we called on the Lāo “King,” as he is still -euphemistically called, though possessing only such -powers as the French give him. When we made our -business call on the French officials to ask permission -to proceed on our missionary tour through the French -territory, they were very obliging. We freely discussed -together alternative routes, and they offered us passports -for any of them. When at last with some hesitancy, -the question of permanent work and a mission -station was broached, M. Vackle replied that for that -he had no authority. Application would have to be -made to the Governor General at Hanoi, and preferably -through Washington and Paris. The prospect -still seemed hopeful.</p> - -<p class='c009'>On the evening before our departure, M. Vackle invited -us to dine informally and spend the evening with -him at his beautiful cottage and garden two miles -out in the country. On meeting us, our host said, -“The other night I was the Commandant Supérieur. -To-night I am simply M. Vackle. I want to have a -pleasant informal evening with you.” And surely we -did. We talked of the old friendship between France -and the United States, of Washington and La Fayette, -the Chicago Exposition, the Parliament of Religions, -and of M. Vackle’s own work in the new province. -He was interested in the Parliament of Religions, and -asked if Roman Catholics were equally welcome with -Protestants. He had an exaggerated idea of the number -of our religious sects. We told him that the great -body of Protestants were included in five or six groups -somewhat like the orders of the Catholic church, but -<span class='pageno' id='Page_390'>390</span>there were numerous smaller subdivisions. He had -heard of one that lived wholly on milk. Of this we -had to confess ignorance, unless it were that large -group that we call infants.</p> - -<p class='c009'>It was after eleven when we rose to take our leave; -and even then he detained us to see by torchlight his -beautiful garden, artificially watered, and his bowling -alley—insisting that we try a turn on it. This was -what I had never done before, but at the first bowl I -brought down several pins. This pleased him, and he -said that he had never seen a better first play.</p> - -<p class='c009'>On taking our final leave, we spoke a last word for -permanent mission work, reminding him that while -Catholicism and Protestantism had alike produced -great nations, Buddhism never had; and that it was -therefore political wisdom to encourage and foster -the Christian religion in the provinces. He assented, -but said he feared that the “King” might imagine -that his subjects would be less loyal if they became -Christians. We assured him that the reverse would be -true, since it was a fundamental point in our teaching -as well as in the Scriptures, that Christians were to -be obedient to their rulers.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Among the routes offered we chose the northern one -as most nearly meeting Mr. Arthington’s desires. Our -passport stated that we were Bāt Lūangs, i.e., Catholic -priests. We left Lūang Prabāng on Monday, -March 8th, crossed the Nam Ū near its mouth, and -spent three weeks on our way to Mûang Sai. At one -point there was a theft of a considerable amount of -our money, which delayed us a day or two, but annoyed -us more. The thieves turned out to be some -of our own men, who afterwards confessed, and eventually -we recovered the money. From Mûang Sai there -<span class='pageno' id='Page_391'>391</span>is a good route to Nān, and as no man had been left -in that station along with the ladies, Dr. Peoples felt -that he must return to it, while I should go on northward -to the Sipsawng Pannā and finally return to -Chiengmai along the route which I took with Mr. -Irwin in 1893. His departure was a great loss to me -personally, and to the effectiveness of the tour. He -left us on March 31st.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The next week was one of intense interest to me. -One of its days was the thirtieth anniversary of my -arrival in Chiengmai, and fraught with memories of -the hopes, achievements, and disappointments of all -those years. And were we now, perhaps, on the eve -of a new opening with wider possibilities than ever? -So it seemed. For, one day as I was in the monastery -at Mûang Sai, there entered an officer, Sên Suriya by -name, who, making the obeisance usually made to -priests, explained that, having been absent from home, -he had not heard the instruction we had given at our -evening worship. His wife, however, had reported that -a teacher from a great and distant country was come -with Scriptures and an offer of salvation from the -great God of all. It was the great desire of his heart -to be saved from his sins. His interest was evidently -intense, and that roused our interest in him. From -three o’clock till nightfall our elders and I explained -to him the great truths of revelation, while he listened -almost with rapture.</p> - -<p class='c009'>In the midst of this earnest conference the “āchān,” -or chief officer of the monastery, came in; and Sên -Suriya joined us in explaining to this friend the -strange news he had heard. The āchān was soon as -deeply interested as he. He also desired to know -further of this matter. Before we parted that evening, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_392'>392</span>Sên Suriya had accepted the teaching joyfully; and -his friend, with more reservation.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Soon others had joined these two—notably a family -of refugees from persecution for witchcraft. They -were ready to accept anything which would deliver -them from bondage to the spirits. On Sunday at the -public service the instruction was directed to the needs -of these enquirers, all of whom were present. The cost -was to be counted; the cross was to be taken up; but -the reward was great. Sên Suriya’s wife and family -all opposed him. He had spent an anxious night, and -was under great strain; but was still firm. He was -ready at any cost.</p> - -<p class='c009'>His friend the āchān had received his appointment -in the monastery from the Pīa, or head-officer. For -honesty’s sake he felt he must notify the Pīa and resign -his position. It was, therefore, arranged that our -elders and I should go with the two friends on that -errand that very afternoon. We went, and were kindly -received. Sên Suriya, as spokesman, witnessed a good -confession. They had been men, he said, who all their -lives had sought merit and followed the teachings of -the Buddha, but with great anxiety, on account of their -failures. Now they had learned of the great refuge of -the God who could pardon and save both in this and in -the coming world. Their motive was strictly religious. -They would be as loyal as ever, and would perform -faithfully their government duties. The āchān said -that his friend had fully expressed his views, but he -wished further to resign his position in the monastery. -The Pīa listened with evident interest, but with some -surprise. When he spoke, he said: “All that I know -of religion I have learned from these two men. They -know manifold more than I do. If they see it right, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_393'>393</span>how can I oppose? I will still take them as my religious -teachers, and will learn Christianity of them.”</p> - -<p class='c009'>I added a word, emphasizing their assurance that -being good Christians would only strengthen their loyalty. -Thanking the Pīa for his kindness, I retired. -How much of his liberality was due to my presence—if -it were so due at all—I do not know. But next -morning Sên Suriya came to say that he could not -withstand the opposition of his wife and family. While -his faith was firm as ever, he could do no more this -year. By another year he hoped their opposition might -be relaxed. Meantime the family of refugees had -weakened. I supplied all these with medicine, and -urged them to remain steadfast in the faith, reminding -them that baptism was not essential to salvation.</p> - -<p class='c009'>I had made further stay in Mûang Sai dependent -upon the outcome in the case of these two men. So -now it seemed best to continue my journey northward. -I went out to a retired wooded hillock, and there spent -a quiet season in prayer, commending those in whom -I had become so intensely interested to the care of -the Divine Teacher, and seeking direction for my -further course.</p> - -<p class='c009'>So far we had not met many of the hill-tribes, which -had been one of the main objectives of the tour. As I -descended from the hill, I found some thirty Kamus -just arrived on some government work, and encamped -by the road. I turned aside to speak with them, when, -to my surprise, one, taller and more intelligent than -the rest, answered me in good Lāo. To my greater -surprise, when I handed him a tract, he began to read -it. It seems that, when a lad, he had been initiated into -the monastic order by the Princess of Lūang Prabāng, -and was one of the very few of his tribe who was a -<span class='pageno' id='Page_394'>394</span>fairly good Lāo scholar. He was delighted to get the -book; but I was like a miner who has found a new -gold mine. Had they been ready to return to their -homes, I should at once have gone with them. A new -vision seemed to open before me of work among that -interesting tribe. I had seen the great value of the -help afforded by Cha Pū Kaw, the first Mūsô convert, -in work among his tribe. But he was not a scholar, -and was too old to learn. Here was a Kamu scholar. -Might he not have been raised up for this very purpose?</p> - -<p class='c009'>That evening I spent with my elders in their camp. -I left with my new friend a number of books, which -he promised to read to his people. I took down the -names of their villages, and promised if possible to -visit them next year—which they all begged me to do. -That apparently casual meeting seemed to me a loud -call, Come over and help us! And it led to a most interesting -work, which was stopped only at the command -of the French.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Leaving Mûang Sai, we journeyed northward along -the telegraph road, enlivened by noble views of long -slopes, deep gorges, and high peaks. We passed some -villages of the Yao tribe with whom we could converse -only by signs. On the third day out, at Bān Nā Tawng, -we left the telegraph road, turning off at right -angles to Mûang Lā. At one village the head man -assembled his people to meet us, when he learned that -here was a man from seven days beyond the great -French country! At one place we passed a village of -Lentīns, so named from the district in Cochin China -from which they came. They showed their Chinese ingenuity -by having their rice-pounding done by water-power.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Mûang Āi was the last town in French territory; beyond -<span class='pageno' id='Page_395'>395</span>it one enters the province of Yunnan, China. -Here we had scarcely pitched our tent before the governor -had read our little tract on “The Way to Happiness,” -and asked us to stay awhile to teach his -people. This we did, remaining from Friday till Tuesday. -He invited us to worship in his house, which was -filled to overflowing. On Saturday, in company with -the governor, I attended a wedding feast. I got along -finely with the various dishes until a bowl of blood -fresh from a slaughtered hog was passed around, and -each guest took a spoonful! My note upon leaving the -town was, “It is wonderful how many, especially of -the officers and the more thoughtful class, are struck -with the self-evidencing truths of the Gospel on its first -presentation. And their first thought is the sincere -conviction that the Gospel meets their wants. Nor is -this testimony invalidated because, when they come to -count the cost, they are not willing to pay it.”</p> - -<p class='c009'>I was much pleased to hear uniform testimony to -the uprightness of French officials. My own respect -for French rule had greatly increased since we entered -their territory. Is it that the Tai race beyond -the Mê Kōng is more religious, or is it on account of -the French rule, that people there seem more deeply -interested in the Gospel message? But such has been -the fact. I have never been cheered by brighter visions -of hopeful and speedy results of our labours. It seems -almost inconceivable that a European nation should -forbid missionary work among its people.</p> - -<p class='c009'>From this point on we were warned not to allow our -party to be separated on the march. Shortly before -this a merchant travelling with his son had been attacked -and killed. I heard of two mountain tribes in -this neighbourhood new to me, and of a third further -<span class='pageno' id='Page_396'>396</span>to the northwest, which sacrifices at every rice-harvest -a human victim captured from some other tribe. -Scarcely any one had ever heard of the name of Jesus.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Not far from the town we passed on a ridge a well-marked -boundary stone with the letters R. F. (République -Française) on one side, and C. R. (Chieng -Rung) on the other, in large Roman capitals. Noticing -by the roadside a large stack of bricks, we learned -that we were near the salt wells, and that the salt was -compressed into bricks for easier transportation on -mules. The salt industry makes Bān Baw Rê an important -place. No one with white clothes, white hair, -or white beard is allowed to enter the enclosure about -the salt wells; so I did not see them. I could get no -reason for the prohibition, save that the spirits would -be displeased.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The time of my visit was unfortunate, being the beginning -of their New Year festival, which is always a -season of carousal. That night we had a scene that -defied description. After supper a man came to tell -me to get ready; they were going to “saw” me. I -did not know what “saw”-ing might be; but I soon -learned, to my disgust. Presently a noisy crowd entered -the sālā where I was, with drums, fifes, and other -musical instruments, and surrounded me with deafening -noise and songs. A great personage had come to -their place, and they were come to do him honour. -He had great riches, and they expected a treat of fifty -rupees. Paying no attention to my attempted disclaimer, -they went on: “Give us out your money. -Give us fifty rupees! Give us twenty-five!” Pushing -my way out of the noisy circle, I was followed with -more imperative demands. At last the governor’s son -came up as a friend and advised me to give them five or -<span class='pageno' id='Page_397'>397</span>six rupees, or they would never depart. Then one of -my elders came to me, anxious regarding the outcome, -and said that it was only a New Year custom, not a -religious one—intimating that I need have no conscientious -scruples in the matter. Finally the governor’s -son said he could get them off with three rupees. -I had only one in my pocket, and did not dare open -my box before that mob. At last I handed the young -man that one, and, with an emphasis which they understood, -told him that I would give no more, appealing -to his father for protection, and holding him responsible -for the consequences. They went off sullenly -enough. Having gone so far, I doubt whether they -would have desisted without something “to save their -face.” From me they went to the governor’s, and so -on, in order, throughout the place, with their hideous -noise, which I could hear far on into the night.</p> - -<p class='c009'>At another village further on, the people seemed in -doubt how to receive me, till a young man came forward -and asked if I were not the man who a few -years before travelled through that country with an -elephant, and let the Prince of Mûang Pōng have a -gun. Then, turning to the head man, he said, “You -need not be afraid. He is a teacher of the Jesus-religion.” -My standing in that village was assured. -One of the listeners at our worship in the monastery -that night was much impressed, not with the idea of -pardon, as is commonly the case, but with that of the -Holy Spirit to purify and cleanse. That was what -he needed; and he earnestly enquired how to obtain -his aid. This led to the subject of prayer to a living, -personal God, who has promised this aid. We left him -with the hope that his great need would be supplied.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Mûang Lā was the furthest point reached on this -<span class='pageno' id='Page_398'>398</span>tour. From it we struck westward into our old route -of 1893 at Mûang Pōng. The Chao Fā who got my -gun had been killed by his people. I was much struck -with the judicial aspect of the act as told me. One -of the officers said, “He was a bad man, who oppressed -the people, fined and executed them unjustly, -and, of course, we killed him. That is the way the Lāo -do.” A nephew and adopted son of the murdered -Prince succeeded him, but the authority was largely in -the hands of the Prayā Lūang, though the young -Prince’s mother also had great influence. She invited -me to a good dinner, and we had a most interesting -conversation. Among other things she asked, “How -is it that you say Buddhism cannot save?” and she -seemed much impressed with the answer: “Because -Gautama Buddha is gone, and it is more than twenty-five -hundred years before the next Buddha is expected.”</p> - -<p class='c009'>We were now travelling southward, and soon came -once more upon the tricolour floating over the French -post at Mûang Sing. I felt like saluting it. I was -greatly surprised to find an Englishman, Mr. Eva, in -charge. He fairly shouted to hear his mother tongue -once more. He had scarcely heard a word of it for -three years. Seeing that I was spent with my long, -hot ride, and that my carriers would not get in till -nightfall, he kindly offered to hunt me up some -luncheon. This I declined, if only I might have a -cup of tea and a piece of dry bread. Holding up both -hands, he exclaimed, “You’ve got me there! I’ve almost -forgotten how wheat bread tastes.” He insisted -on my taking up my quarters in his bungalow, till I -said, “If you were on French business, you would -wish to stop where you could best accomplish it, would -you not? I am here on missionary work, and my -<span class='pageno' id='Page_399'>399</span>business is with the people. The monastery grounds -will suit me better.” “Looking at it in that light,” -said he, “you’re right. I’ll say no more.” I knew -that in the home of a French official I should have no -visitors at all.</p> - -<p class='c009'>He was the son of an English Wesleyan minister; -but, being a wild lad, he had wandered away and -drifted into the French army, where he rose to an official -position. But the influences of his early days -had not been lost. We had many heart-to-heart talks -together. He wanted an English Bible. Having only -my “Oxford” along, I could not spare him that, but -brought him one on my next tour. On Sunday he attended -the service led by the elders, pleased at the -evidence they gave of the reality of our missionary -work. He had six thousand Kamus in his district.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The opium habit is very common. We found but -few monasteries in the Sipsawng Pannā whose abbots -and monks did not use opium. One man, when asked -whether he used it, made a significant answer: “When -I have money, I do. When I have none, I don’t.”</p> - -<p class='c009'>The Chao Fā of Mûang Sing was busy preparing for -the marriage of his daughter with a son of the great -Chao Fā of Chieng Rung. So I did not see much of -him. I had a long talk, however, with the prospective -groom. He doubted the possibility of pardon for sin. -I had several interviews with Dr. McKean’s patient -for calculus, before mentioned. He was not so near -Christianity as I hoped to find him, but was profuse -in praise of the doctor and the hospital. He had two -wives before the operation, and now was utilizing his -new lease of life by taking another younger one. I -saw here some peaches not quite ripe—which was very -tantalizing. But I did get some ripe plums.</p> - -<p class='c009'><span class='pageno' id='Page_400'>400</span>When I left Mûang Sing on April 28th, Mr. -Eva escorted me six miles on my way, and we -bade each other good-bye four or five times before we -could finally part. At Wieng Pūkā I had another -warm welcome from the French Commissaire. I had -to decline his invitation, also, to good quarters -with him; but dined with him at night, and -next morning he sent me a nice shoulder of beef. A -large number of Kamus were here engaged on some -public works. Unlike most of their tribe, these are -Buddhists, and there were a number who could read, -and who were delighted to get books. It was remarkable -that their women spoke Lāo fairly well. Their -chief officer had eighteen hundred men under him. -After talking with them till near midnight, I turned -them over to the elders, and was soon asleep. Next -morning my cook came to my tent to enquire whether -I were not ill. It was half-past six, and breakfast was -ready!</p> - -<p class='c009'>We passed many Kamu villages in this portion of -our route. Most of them would welcome a missionary, -and seemed ripe for the Gospel. Formerly, under the -government of Nān, they had an easy time, with no -taxes and almost voluntary service. Now they naturally -complained of the stricter régime of the French. -I consoled them with the fact that the world over -people have to pay taxes to the government that protects -them. For this I did not at all need the warning -which Mr. Eva gave me, that the one thing which -the French would not tolerate was interference with -their government work. At Chieng Kawng I took -leave of French territory, with nothing but feelings of -gratitude for the uniform personal kindness of their -officials, and their apparently kind interest in our -<span class='pageno' id='Page_401'>401</span>work. That work I must now dismiss with the very -brief outline I have given. I believe that light was -conveyed to many seekers after truth, and seed was -sown which will not be lost.</p> - -<p class='c009'>From Chieng Kawng onwards I was on old touring -ground, and among friends. I spent a Sunday there, -made a short visit to the Mūsô hills, and found a warm -welcome in Chieng Rāi from the two missionary families -who were now established in that station, as well -as from my many native friends. Here I received my -long-desired mail. Its good cheer was tempered by -one sad piece of news—the death of my sister Mary -and my brother Evander, the last of my own mother’s -children. On May 16th I entered upon my own three-score -and tenth year. Leaving Chieng Rāi on the 18th, -I reached home on the 26th, after an absence of four -and a half months.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Meanwhile the work in our own and in all the -other stations had been energetically prosecuted by a -faithful band of younger workers, better prepared than -the old ones to carry it on to completion. And the -other long tour to the English territory, planned for -the later portion of the year, was successfully carried -out by Dr. Briggs, Rev. Mr. Dodd, and Rev. Mr. Irwin.</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_402'>402</span> - <h2 id='ch34' class='c010'>XXXIV<br /> <br />THE CLOSED DOOR</h2> -</div> -<p class='c011'>The tour of 1898 was undertaken with two special -objects in view: (1) to follow up the -auspicious beginnings of work among the Kamu -and Lamēt tribes, the largest and most important -within the mountain area explored during the previous -season, and, apparently, ready as a body to accept -the Gospel; and (2) to secure the sanction of the -French government for continued work in French territory. -I was unable to secure a missionary colleague -for the tour, and therefore went accompanied only by -native evangelists. I took the most direct route, crossing -the Mê Kōng at Pāk Bêng, following the Bêng -River to its source, and crossing by the pass at its -head to Mûang Sai, the point at which the most -promising work of the previous tour was begun. The -journey so far occupied nearly a month’s time.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The tour was organized on notice too short to permit -my passport from the United States Minister in -Bangkok to reach me in Chiengmai before I started. -It was, therefore, sent on direct to the French authorities -at Lūang Prabāng. Meantime M. Vackle, the -Commandant Supérieur, who was so kind to us the -year before, had been superseded by M. Luce; and him, -unfortunately, we just missed at the crossing of the -Mê Kōng. He passed up in a steamer the day before -we reached the river. By the time we reached Mûang -<span class='pageno' id='Page_403'>403</span>Sai, M. Luce had returned to Lūang Prabāng, and had -wired to the office in Mûang Sai that my passport -was come, and that I was expected in Lūang Prabāng. -No instructions were given regarding my work, and -the authorities were in doubt what to do. Under the -circumstances, the only passport they could issue was -one to the capital, Lūang Prabāng.</p> - -<p class='c009'>They were not particular, however, as to the route -I should take. So I chose a circuit to the northeast, -leading through the mountain region to the Ū River, -down which I could descend by boat to Lūang Prabāng. -This would enable me to find Nān Tit, the Kamu -scholar whom I met at Mûang Sai on my previous -tour, and to visit with him a few Kamu villages. The -extent of the work I hoped to undertake that season -would depend upon the opening I found there. A passport -was given me by that route, and a soldier was sent -along as guide and escort.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Nān Tit, as I hoped, had read the books I gave him, -had prepared the way for me by teaching the substance -of them to his neighbours, and now would assist -me in teaching his tribe. With him as interpreter -and assistant we visited a number of contiguous villages, -holding night conferences, at which the whole -population of the village would be present. Everywhere -a wonderfully ready response was given to the -Gospel. They, too, were oppressed by the dread of -spirits, and welcomed deliverance from their bondage. -They would accept the Gospel, but, naturally, referred -us on to the Pīa.</p> - -<p class='c009'>To his village at last we went. He was a venerable -man near seventy, and though for years hopelessly -crippled by paralysis of the lower limbs, his bright -mind and business talents had raised him to his present -<span class='pageno' id='Page_404'>404</span>position, and given him a commanding influence. I -shall never forget our first interview. He had heard -the rumour that our religion could overcome the spirits -and save from sin. Crawling painfully on his hands to -meet us, he welcomed us to his village and his people. -He had heard of the Jesus-religion, and wished to -embrace it. Since he was old, he must do it soon. -This was on Friday afternoon. By Saturday night -every family in the place had made the same decision, -and would begin by keeping their first Sabbath next -day. Our elders entered with heart and soul into -teaching them. The young folks soon learned a verse -or two of “The Happy Land,” and some a verse or two -in the Catechism. Next morning, before I was dressed, -old and young of both sexes were gathering to learn -how to keep the Sabbath. It was a great day, just the -like of which I had never seen. It settled the decision -of hundreds, possibly of thousands, of people.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Still, everything depended upon the French authorities. -They could forbid our teaching, as, in fact, they -afterwards did. But up to this point I could not believe -that they would. A prompt and candid interview -seemed all that would be necessary to settle that -matter, and make the Kamus feel safe. If such an -opening were found, I had determined to remain with -them throughout the season. But in that case my -family and the mission must be informed. More medicine -and books and some comforts would be required to -carry me through. It was, therefore, decided to move -on a day’s journey to Mûang Lā, a convenient point, -leave there two elders to instruct the people, and send -back three carriers to Chiengmai for the needed supplies -and another elder; while I went on overland to -Mûang Kwā, and there took boat down the Ū River.</p> - -<p class='c009'><span class='pageno' id='Page_405'>405</span>The mountain scenery along this river is very beautiful, -especially so near its junction with the Mê Kōng. -We reached Lūang Prabāng on Monday, May 9th, and -called at once on M. Grant, who was so kind to us the -year before. He gave me a greeting as warm as ever. -The king was having an interview with M. Luce that -day, so I could not see him till Tuesday. I dined that -night with M. Grant, he himself coming at dusk to -walk over with me. We had a delightful evening. -There had been a regular exodus of Kamus that year to -Chiengmai and other southern provinces. M. Grant -asked if I had heard any reason assigned for it. I told -him that I had heard of three—the dearness of rice, -owing to the failure of the last crop; the exhaustion -of the mountain lands, and the lack of remunerative -employment by which they could earn the money required -to pay their taxes.</p> - -<p class='c009'>On Tuesday afternoon the Commandant Supérieur -sent his secretary to invite me to an interview. He, -too, gave me a cordial greeting. He had received my -passport together with a letter of introduction from -the Consul Général in Bangkok. I had also a kind -personal letter from our United States Minister, Mr. -John Barrett. He had used his personal influence, and -assured me that it would all be right. My interview -was very pleasant. M. Luce enquired about our mission -work, the number of our converts, and other similar -matters. He then referred to the large emigration -of Kamus; asked if I had heard of any reason for -it, and how many of our three thousand converts were -Kamus. He was much surprised to learn that the -converts were almost entirely Lāo, with not a half -dozen Kamus among them. Putting his anxiety about -the emigration and our work among these people together, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_406'>406</span>it seemed to me later that he must have -thought the movement a religious one.</p> - -<p class='c009'>When, at last, I stated my special errand to the -city, namely, that a number of villages in his province -were interested in our religion, that I wished to teach -them further, and that, since they were French subjects, -I thought it proper to inform him and secure his -sanction, he thanked me for doing so, but his manner -at once changed. He said he should have to consult -the king about that; the mountain people were -hard to teach; the country was unhealthy; the Catholic -missionaries in the south were leaving, or had left; the -king would fear that the Kamus would become disloyal -to him if they became Christians. To this I replied -that the native officials had uniformly granted us permission -to teach among their subjects; that they -realized that it was a benefit to their country, and -even gave us their assistance; and that it was the fixed -policy of our mission to teach Christians loyalty to -their rulers. M. Luce said he would consult with the -king, and would let me know the decision. I expressed -my wish to pay my respects to the king, which he said -was a very proper thing, and, on my leaving, he gave me -a cordial invitation to dine with him that night.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Next day, through M. Grant, I secured a very pleasant -interview with the king. My long residence in the -country and acquaintance with both Siamese and Lāo -officials, gave us much common ground for conversation. -He was pleased that I had known their -Majesties, the present King of Siam and his father, his -former liege-lords. Quite in line with native ideas, -he thought I must be a man of great merit to be so -old and yet so strong. I explained at his request the -teaching of our religion, pointing out some of its distinctive -<span class='pageno' id='Page_407'>407</span>differences from Buddhism, in all of which -things he was interested. He said that it was all very -good, but he was born and reared in the Buddhist worship, -and was too old to change. Gradually introducing -my errand, I told him of my interest in the Kamus, -and of their desire to become Christians; that I had -come down to get permission to work among them. -We taught them a better morality, of which loyalty to -rulers was a fundamental article, enjoined by Jesus on -His disciples. He raised the objection that the Kamus -were ignorant, and we would find them harder to teach -than the Lāo. To this I replied that these villagers -had become believers, and I was going to spend several -months in teaching them. He asked if I did not think -I was running great risk in living so long in the forest, -and so far away from home. “Well,” said I, “I am -used to life in the forest and jungle, and you can see -for yourself how I have fared.” At which he smiled, -and made no further objection. I left with the firm -conviction that if M. Luce were not unwilling, there -would be no difficulty with him.</p> - -<p class='c009'>While at dinner that night, I informed M. Luce of -my pleasant audience with the king; how I told him my -plans, and he had virtually given his consent. “Is -that so?” said he. “I must see the king myself about -that.” And as I took my leave, he said again, “I will -see the king to-morrow, and will let you know the -result.”</p> - -<p class='c009'>The next afternoon, Thursday, M. Luce had a long -interview at the Prince’s residence. On Friday afternoon -I called on M. Grant on my way to the Commandant’s -office. He told me that M. Luce wished to -see me, but had instructed him to notify me that the -king did not understand that I was to spend several -<span class='pageno' id='Page_408'>408</span>months among the Kamus—though he certainly did, -or why should he have raised the question of my -health? I reminded M. Grant that my passport was -not to the king, but to the French authorities. All -the world recognized the country as French territory. -It would have been considered a discourtesy to the -French if the representative of the United States had -sent a letter to the Lāo king as such. He admitted -that in a limited sense this was true; but they did not -treat the king as a conquered vassal. Cochin China -had fought the French, and had been conquered and -annexed. But Lūang Prabāng had put itself under -their protection without firing a gun. M. Grant delivered -his message with as much consideration toward -my disappointment as was consistent with loyalty to -his superior. But my disappointment I could not -conceal.</p> - -<p class='c009'>M. Luce, I was informed, was very busy that day, -but would be glad to see me on Saturday afternoon. -The decision, however, was irreversible. Further -pressure would be useless, and might be unwise. In -that case, I said, of course I must submit. I had -shown proper respect for the ruling authority, and my -own desire to avoid future misunderstanding, by making -the long and costly journey to Lūang Prabāng. -My errand was now ended. I would take my leave -at once, and return next morning.</p> - -<p class='c009'>This being reported to M. Luce, he sent word that -he must see me before I left. I might come immediately. -Personally, again, he was very kind, but made -a studied effort to put the responsibility upon the -king, who, as he said, had not understood that I -wished to make a long stay among the Kamus, which -he thought was unsafe for me. Of course, I had no -<span class='pageno' id='Page_409'>409</span>complaint to make of the king, who had been most -gracious. I submitted to their decision, and would -return home. But my arrangements required my return -to the Kamu villages, where I had left my men -and my goods, and would be detained there till my -messengers should return from Chiengmai—which, he -said, was all right. Since the responsibility had been -put on the king, and the adverse decision had been -based solely on the danger to my personal health and -safety, I thought it unwise to raise the question of -native assistants, and so felt free to leave these on -the ground to teach the new believers, as, indeed, I -felt under obligation to do.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Thanking M. Luce for all his personal kindness, I -begged to take my leave of him then, so that I might -start on my return the next morning. But he evidently -was not satisfied with his own part in the matter, -and wished to make some personal amends to -soothe my disappointment. He hoped I would not -leave in the morning, but would remain till Monday, -and give him the pleasure of a dinner with me and M. -Grant on Sunday night. I hoped he would still excuse -me, since, if I remained, that would be our time -for public worship. “Then,” said he, “we shall be -pleased to have you on Saturday night; and if you -are not ready now to give an affirmative reply, I hope -you will so arrange it as to notify my secretary in the -morning.” Notwithstanding his evident disingenuousness -in trying to shift the responsibility for his -own acts to another, there was no reason for making -it a personal matter; and it would be impolitic to leave -apparently angry. So I decided to remain till Monday, -and accepted the invitation for Saturday night.</p> - -<p class='c009'>I feared there would be great constraint on both -<span class='pageno' id='Page_410'>410</span>sides at the dinner; but in this I was agreeably disappointed. -That very day a long telegram had arrived, -reporting the declaration of war with Spain, -and the particulars of the great naval victory of -Manila Bay. On my arrival at his house, M. Luce -handed me a full translation of these into English, -which he had had made for me. They were much surprised -at the victory, for they thought the Spanish -navy much larger and stronger than ours; and they -were high in their praise of the victors. We really -had a delightful time. After dinner our host and M. -Grant both laid themselves out to show me beautiful -maps and pictures. M. Luce invited me to call on -Monday morning, and he would send a long telegram -to my wife without charge. This he did, and we all -parted friends. The departure on the 16th, my seventieth -birthday, was not as joyful as I had hoped.</p> - -<p class='c009'>On my return to Mûang Sai, I found that my carriers -had been delayed by sore feet and sickness. I -could not leave till they came, for fear of missing -them and causing further complications. So my long -trip home was thrown into the middle of a very rainy -season. I had to apologize as best I could to the new -converts for the change in my plan to remain with -them. But they were glad to have our elders stay and -teach them. If that shady tree on the little hill at -Mûang Sai could speak, it would tell of much anxious -prayer on leaving the Christians and starting on the -long journey before me. My Ebenezer was left on that -tree.</p> - -<p class='c009'>That journey was altogether the worst I ever had. -I did not reach home till August 6th, after the longest -tour I had ever taken. M. Luce’s telegram had prepared -my family and friends for my changed plans.</p> - -<p class='c009'><span class='pageno' id='Page_411'>411</span>A few lines must close the history of the work -among the Kamus. In December the three evangelists -returned with a most encouraging report. The converts -had remained firm, and others were waiting to -join them. The next season a native minister was -sent to them. In 1903 the mission ventured to send -two of our younger men, Dr. Campbell and Mr. Mackay. -to Mûang Sai, to visit the Christians, and respond to a -pressing call to extend the work. Imagine their surprise -on reaching Mûang Sai to find that the local -commissioner had received orders to forbid our missionaries -to visit the Christian community, or to hold -any religious service with them, on penalty of being -conducted out of the country, by force if necessary. -The command was so imperative that the Commissioner -dared not disobey. He begged them for his sake -to return peaceably. No effort has been made since -to reach the Christians at Mûang Sai, or to extend -the work.</p> - -<p class='c009'>It will be remembered that a few members of the -Chieng Sên church—never more than half a dozen -families—lived on the east bank of the Mê Kōng, in -French territory. So objectionable was the very presence -of a missionary making a few days’ visit among -his flock, that it was regarded of sufficient importance -to warrant an official protest from the authorities at -Lūang Prabāng, sent through the Governor General -of Hanoi, and the United States Minister at Bangkok. -Complaint was made of a visit made by the Rev. ——, -who had exhibited Scripture pictures and distributed -books among the people—which was so contrary to -their policy that they forbade the Roman Catholic -missionaries from working in their territory. They -begged that the thing be not repeated! For the credit -<span class='pageno' id='Page_412'>412</span>of the French authorities I should have been glad to -suppress the latter part of this story. But, on the -other hand, I think it should be known, in order that -it may become a burden on the prayers of the Christian -world of all denominations, that God’s providence -may open the whole peninsula of Indo-China to the -preaching of the Gospel.</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_413'>413</span> - <h2 id='ch35' class='c010'>XXXV<br /> <br />CONCLUSION</h2> -</div> -<p class='c011'>My advancing age suggests the wisdom of not -attempting to continue this personal narrative -beyond the account just given of my -last long missionary tour. I may venture to add, -however, by way of conclusion, a few suggestions and -criticisms concerning the work of our mission as a -whole, and briefly notice a few of the more important -personalities and events of these later years.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Special prominence has been given throughout to -the evangelistic work, as being the foundation of all -other missionary work. A Christian Church and a -Christian constituency must be the first aim in all missions. -In this we have not been unsuccessful. Our -ideals, it is true, have not been realized. We have -not witnessed among the Siamese or the Lāo any racial -movement towards Christianity; nor have there been -any great revivals resulting in large accessions to the -church. Both of these we hope for in the not far -distant future. Yet the uniform, healthful growth of -the church, as distinguished from spasmodic or sporadic -increase, has been most gratifying. Seldom does -a week pass without accessions to some of our -churches.</p> - -<p class='c009'>An adult membership of four thousand is a good -foundation. And it must never be forgotten that the -roll of church-membership is a very inadequate index -<span class='pageno' id='Page_414'>414</span>of the real influence and power of a mission. In addition -to a much larger constituency of adherents, there -is our large roll of non-communing members, the hope -of the future church. And signs of most hopeful -promise have appeared within the present year. The -growth of the Chieng Rāi church during that time has -been surpassed only by the results of Dr. Campbell’s -recent tours, amounting to eighty accessions within a -few weeks. The supporters of our missions have every -cause for gratitude, and a call for earnest, effectual -prayer in their behalf.</p> - -<p class='c009'>A review of our evangelistic work suggests one or -two criticisms. On one line at least, with a smaller -amount of hard work done by the missionary himself, -we might have accomplished more, might now be better -prepared for advanced work, and the native church -might be better able to stand alone, if we had addressed -our efforts more steadily to the development -and use of native assistance. While we have not had -the material of well educated young men out of which -to form a theological seminary and to furnish a fully -equipped native ministry, we have not used, to the -extent to which we should have used it, the material -which was available. For a mission as old as ours, we -must confess that in this most important matter we -are very backward.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The delay in starting our school for boys was not -our fault; it was inevitable. The Lāo rulers of the -earlier years were absolutely indifferent to all education, -and were positively jealous of any that was given -by the mission. But as the church began to increase, -we had accessions of men trained in the Buddhist -priesthood. Some of these were among the best educated -men in the country. They understood—as -<span class='pageno' id='Page_415'>415</span>young men even from mission schools could not be -expected to understand—the religion, the modes of -thought, the needs of their own people, and how to -reach them. Their education, however deficient, -brought them many compensations. They form the -class from which nearly all of our evangelists have -been drawn. When such men have been drilled in -the Scriptures, their Buddhistic knowledge makes them -the very best men for successful work among their -countrymen. They visit and sleep in the homes of -their people, and are one with them. The missionary -in his work must rely largely on their judgment and -advice.</p> - -<p class='c009'>It must not be understood that we have not taught -these men or used them. A great deal of labour has -been spent in training them; very much in the same -way in which in American churches, a generation ago, -busy pastors trained up young men to be some of our -best ministers. The criticism I make—and in it I -believe all my colleagues will concur—is that we have -not made as much of them as we should have done. -No doubt there have been difficulties in the way. Their -families must somehow be provided for during the -process. The native churches were not strong enough -to undertake their support. We were warned that to -aid them with foreign funds would make the churches -mercenary. What the missionary himself sometimes -did to eke out their subsistence was irregular and -difficult, and often unsatisfactory. But the labourer -is worthy of his hire. Hungry mouths must be fed. -The Board and the churches at home do not begrudge -a thousand dollars or more to support a missionary in -the field. Should they begrudge the same amount -spent upon half a dozen men who will treble or -<span class='pageno' id='Page_416'>416</span>quadruple the missionary’s work and his influence? -In any business it is poor policy to employ a high-salaried -foreman, and then not furnish him cheaper -men to do that which unskilled labour can accomplish -better than he.</p> - -<p class='c009'>In this matter, as in some others, we might have -learned valuable lessons from our nearest missionary -neighbours in Burma, even though the conditions of -our work have been in many respects very different -from theirs. Making all allowance for our conditions, -I frankly confess that our greatest mistake has -probably been in doing too much of the work ourselves, -instead of training others to do it, and working -through them. This conviction, however, must not -in the least lead us to relax our efforts in the line -of general education. For the ultimate establishment -of the church, and to meet the demands of the age, -we must have workmen thoroughly equipped. Till -that time comes, we must, as we should more fully -have done hitherto, rely on whatever good working -material we find ready to hand.</p> - -<hr class='c015' /> - -<p class='c009'>With regard to plans and methods of work, another -thought suggests itself. In a business organized -as ours is, where the majority in the Annual Meeting -has absolute power, it is difficult to avoid the appearance—and -sometimes the reality—of a vacillating -policy. New stations are established, and missionaries -are located by the ballot of the mission there -assembled. From year to year the personnel of the -mission is constantly changing by reason of furloughs, -breakdown of health, and necessary removals. We -make our disposition of forces at one meeting, and at -the next an entirely new disposition has become necessary. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_417'>417</span>A family has been left alone without a physician -or associate. Missionary enthusiasm, or an -earnest minority interested in a particular field or a -particular cause, may initiate a policy which a subsequent -majority may be unable to sanction, or which -it may be found difficult or impossible to carry out.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Again, as between the policy of maintaining one -strong central station, and that of maintaining several -smaller ones in different parts of the country, it -is often difficult to decide. With the aim originally -of establishing the Gospel in all the states under -Siamese rule, we seem to have been led to adopt the -latter policy. Through God’s blessing on evangelistic -tours, in Lampūn and in the frontier provinces of -the north, there grew up churches which called for -missionary oversight. The famine in Prê summoned -us thither; and to secure the work then done, a missionary -in residence was needed. Though no church -had been formed in Nān, yet our tours had opened -the way to one, and the importance of the province -and its distance from our centre demanded a station. -In every case these stations were opened with the cordial -approval of the mission and of the Board at -home. Yet it has been difficult to keep them all -manned, as has been specially true in the case of Prê—and -there to the great detriment of the work. It -is easy to say now that a strong central policy might -have been better. And that criticism would probably -hit me harder than anyone else, for I have sanctioned -the establishment of every one of those stations. -It is possible that a more centralized organization -might have accomplished more toward the education -of native workers—the point last under discussion.</p> - -<p class='c009'><span class='pageno' id='Page_418'>418</span>With reference to the establishment of stations in -the north beyond the frontier of Siam, there was not -until recently absolute unanimity in the mission. But -that was not from any diversity of opinion as regards -the question in itself, but because a sister denomination -had established itself there. There has -never been reasonable ground for doubt that the language -and race of the ruling class, and of the population -of the plains would naturally assign them to -the Lāo mission. And no other mission is so well -equipped for working that field. A Lāo Inland Mission, -somewhat on the plan of the China Inland Mission, -would be an ideal scheme for reaching the whole -of the Tai-speaking peoples of the north and northeast -under English and French and Chinese rule. The -obligation to carry the Gospel to those peoples should -rest heavily on the conscience of the Christian Church, -and on our Church in particular. Who will volunteer -to be the leaders?</p> - -<p class='c009'>It has already been noticed that in our educational -work the Girls’ School had the precedence in time, and -possibly in importance. Boys did at least learn to -read and write in the monasteries. At the time of -our arrival in Chiengmai, only two women in the -province could read. The Chiengmai Girls’ School -has had a wide educational influence throughout the -north, and to-day our Girls’ Schools have practically -no competitors.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The Phraner Memorial School for small children, -in connection with the First Church, Chiengmai, under -Mrs. Campbell’s direction, is preparing material -both for High Schools and for the College. We have -good schools for girls in Lakawn, Nān, and Chieng -Rāi; and parochial mixed schools in most of our -<span class='pageno' id='Page_419'>419</span>country churches and out-stations. The young women -who have been engaged in this department, and many -self-sacrificing married women, have great reason to -rejoice over the work accomplished. No greater work -can be done than that of educating the wives and -mothers of the church and the land. Educated Christian -men are greatly handicapped when consorted -with illiterate and superstitious wives. Without a -Christian wife and mother there can be no Christian -family, the foundation both of the church and of -the Christian State.</p> - -<p class='c009'>On a recent visit to Chiengmai, Princess Dārā Ratsami—one -of the wives of His late Majesty of Siam, -and daughter of Prince Intanon of Chiengmai and his -wife, the Princess Tipakēsawn, often mentioned in the -preceding narrative—was much interested in the Girls’ -School, and was pleased to name it the Phra Rajchayar -School, after herself—using therefor her title, -and not her personal name.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The mission had been founded twenty years before -it had, and almost before it could have had, a School -for Boys. It is the intention of the mission to make -of this school—the Prince Royal College—the future -Christian College. Similar schools have been established -in the other stations.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Since the Siamese government assumed control in -the North, it has manifested a laudable zeal in establishing -schools, in which, however, the Siamese language -alone is taught. His Majesty is most fortunate -in having such an able and progressive representative -in the North as the present High Commissioner, Chow -Prayā Surasīh Visithasakdī. And the country is no -less fortunate in having a ruler whose high personal -character and wise administration command the confidence -<span class='pageno' id='Page_420'>420</span>and respect of all classes. He is interested -in educating the people, and in everything that advances -the interests of the country.</p> - -<p class='c009'>I regard the educational question as the great question -now before the mission. The existence of the -Siamese schools greatly emphasizes the importance -of our own work, and the necessity of maintaining a -high standard and a strong teaching force in Siamese, -English, mathematics, and the sciences. Their schools -then will be tributary to ours.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The ultimate prevalence of the Siamese language -in all the provinces under Siamese rule, has been inevitable -from the start. All governments realize the -importance of a uniform language in unifying a people, -and have no interest whatever in perpetuating a -provincial dialect. The Siamese, in fact, look down -with a kind of disdain upon the Lāo speech, and use -it only as a temporary necessity during the period of -transition. And the Siamese is really the richer of -the two by reason of its large borrowing from the -Pali, the better scholarship behind it, and its closer -connection with the outside world.</p> - -<p class='c009'>These two forms of the Tai speech—with a common -idiom, and with the great body of words in both -identical, or differing only in vocal inflection—have -been kept apart chiefly by the fact that they have different -written characters. All of the Lāo women and -children, and two-thirds of the men had to be taught -to read, whichever character were adopted; and they -could have learned the one form quite as easily as the -other. Had the mission adopted the Siamese character -from the start, it would now be master of the -educational situation, working on a uniform scheme -with the Siamese Educational Department. Moreover, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_421'>421</span>the Siamese language in our schools would have -been a distinct attraction toward education and -toward Christianity. And thus there would have -been available for the North the labours of two or -more generations of able workers in the southern -mission, from which so far the Lāo church has been -mostly cut off. The whole Bible would have been accessible -from the first; whereas now nearly half of it -remains still untranslated into the Lāo. If the future -needs of the Siamese provinces alone were to be considered, -it might even be doubted whether it were -worth while to complete the translation. When the -monks, in their studies and teaching, adopt the -Siamese, as it is now the intention of the government -to have them do, Lāo books will soon be without readers -throughout Siam. When for the young a choice -is possible in the matter of such a transcendent instrument -of thought and culture as language, all surely -would wish their training to be in that one which has -in it the promise of the future. These words are -written in no idle criticism of the past, and in no -captious spirit regarding the present; but with full -sense of the gravity of the decision which confronts -the mission in shaping its educational policy for those -who henceforth are to be Siamese.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Meanwhile, Lāo type and books in the Lāo dialect -are needed, not merely for the present generation of -older people who cannot or will not learn a new character, -but also for the instruction and Christianization -of that much larger mass of Lāo folk beyond the -frontier of Siam as revealed by recent explorations. -Removed, as these are, entirely from the political and -cultural influence of Siam, and divided up under the -jurisdiction of three great nations of diverse and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_422'>422</span>alien speech, it is inconceivable that the Siamese -should ever win the ascendency over them. Nor has -either of these nations any immediate and pressing -incentive toward unifying the speech of its provincials, -such as has actuated Siam in this matter. If the -field of the Lāo mission is to be extended to include -these “regions beyond”—as we all hope that it soon -may be—Lāo speech will inevitably be the medium of -all its work there. Then all that so far has been accomplished -in the way of translation, writing, and -printing in the Lāo tongue, will be so much invaluable -capital to be turned over to the newer enterprise.</p> - -<p class='c009'>As regards the medical department of the mission, -the Lāo field has been an ideal one for its operation -and for demonstration of its results. When the field -was virtually closed to the simple Gospel, the missionary -physician found everywhere an exalted, not -to say exaggerated, idea of the efficacy of foreign medicine, -and a warm welcome for himself. Dr. Cheek, -who virtually founded our regular medical work among -the Lāo, had been on the field but a short time when -he reported thirteen thousand patients treated in one -year. Probably no subsequent physician has had such -absolute control of the situation as he had, so long as -he gave his time and talents to his calling. But even -the layman finds his medical chest an invaluable adjunct -to his evangelistic work, as we have had frequent -occasion to notice. We are devoutly thankful -for—we might almost envy—the influence that our -medical missionaries have exerted in the civilization -and the Christianization of the Lāo tribes.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Somewhat of the present status and importance of -the medical mission may be judged from the following -facts: Dr. J. W. McKean’s projected Leper Asylum -<span class='pageno' id='Page_423'>423</span>is the largest charitable institution ever planned in -the kingdom. The new Overbrook Hospital in Chieng -Rāi, the generous gift of the Gest family of Overbrook, -Pennsylvania, is the finest building in the mission. -The Charles T. Van Santvoord Hospital in Lakawn -is another similar gift. Native physicians, trained as -far as present opportunities permit in Western surgery -and medicine, are now maintained at certain posts by -the Siamese government. And especially the work of -Dr. Arthur Kerr, the government physician in Chiengmai, -and his unremitting kindness to the mission, are -deeply appreciated by us all.</p> - -<p class='c009'>I cannot close these remarks without making special -reference to the work of my old friend and -classmate and early associate in the mission, Dr. -Jonathan Wilson. In addition to his other most -valuable labours, he spent years of loving and devoted -service in the preparation of hymns for Lāo worship, -Which will mould and lead the spiritual life of this -people for years to come. The Lāo are lovers of -music. Many of them have received much of their religious -instruction through the use of these hymns. -His influence in the Lāo church may be compared to -that of Watts and Wesley for the English race.</p> - -<hr class='c015' /> - -<p class='c009'>Our long isolation as a mission has enabled us to -appreciate the coming to us in late years of a number -of distinguished visitors, who have greatly encouraged -and strengthened us.</p> - -<p class='c009'>At the Annual Meeting in December, 1900, we were -favoured with a visit from our United States Minister, -Hon. Hamilton King, and his two daughters. Referring -to his visit, the “Lāo Quarterly Letter” said: -“His addresses to the missionaries and native ministers -<span class='pageno' id='Page_424'>424</span>and elders of the Presbytery were much appreciated, -and our large church building was crowded on -two successive Sabbaths to hear his eloquent words -of encouragement to native Christians, and his warm -commendation of Christianity to non-Christians. It -has been said that one of the best things which a -United States Minister can take to a non-Christian -land is a good Christian home. And this is just what -Mr. King has brought to Siam.”</p> - -<p class='c009'>At the Annual Meeting of the following year, in -Lakawn, we received the first official visit we ever had -from one of the Secretaries of our Board, in the person -of Rev. Arthur J. Brown, D.D., accompanied by his -good wife. The importance of these secretarial visits -to distant missions can hardly be overestimated. It is -impossible to legislate intelligently for a constituency -twelve thousand miles away. No amount of writing -can give the varied kinds of information necessary -for a full understanding of the people, the missionaries, -their surroundings, and the needs of the field, -which a single visit will convey. Then, too, there are -questions of administration and mission polity, requiring -settlement in the home Board, which can -with difficulty be understood through correspondence. -Dr. Brown’s official visit was most helpful, as also -his words of encouragement, his sermons and addresses. -The pleasure derived from the personal visits -of Dr. and Mrs. Brown to various members of the -Mission will always linger in our memories.</p> - -<div id='i424' class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i424.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>HIS MAJESTY, MAHĀ VAJIRAVUDH, KING OF SIAM</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>Another notable visit to Chiengmai was that of -the Crown Prince of Siam, now His Majesty Mahā -Vajiravudh, in the winter of 1905-6. On this visit His -Royal Highness very graciously accepted the invitation -of the mission to lay the corner stone of the William -<span class='pageno' id='Page_425'>425</span>Allen Butler Hall, the recitation hall of the new -Boys’ School. On that occasion he delivered an address, -of which the following is a translation:</p> - -<p class='c024'>“Ladies and Gentlemen:—I have listened with great -pleasure to the complimentary remarks which have just been -made. I regard them as indisputable evidence of your -friendship for the whole Kingdom of Siam.</p> - -<p class='c027'>“During my visit to the United States, the American -people were pleased to give me a most enthusiastic welcome. -I may mention particularly the sumptuous banquet with -which your Board of Foreign Missions honoured me. I -perceived clearly that the American people received me -whole-heartedly and not perfunctorily. This also made -it evident to me that the American people have a sincere -friendship for the Kingdom of Siam. Of this fact I was -profoundly convinced, and I certainly shall not soon forget -my visit to the United States.</p> - -<p class='c027'>“This being so, I feel compelled to reciprocate this kindness -to the full extent of my ability. As my Royal Grandfather -and my Royal Father have befriended the missionaries, -so I trust that I too shall have opportunity, on -proper occasions, to assist them to the limits of my power.</p> - -<p class='c027'>“Your invitation to me to-day to lay the corner stone -of your new School Building, is another evidence of your -friendship and goodwill toward Siam. I have full confidence -that you will make every endeavour to teach the -students to use their knowledge for the welfare of their -country. Therefore I take great pleasure in complying with -your request, and I invoke a rich blessing on this new institution. -May it prosper and fulfil the highest expectations -of its founders!”</p> - -<p class='c025'>In response to a request from the Principal that he -would name the new school, His Royal Highness sent -the following reply:</p> - -<div class='c028'>“<span class='sc'>Chiengmai</span>, January 2d, 1906.</div> - -<p class='c027'>“I have great pleasure in naming the new school, the -foundation stone of which I have just laid, The Prince -Royal’s College. May this School which I have so named, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_426'>426</span>be prosperous, and realize all that its well-wishers hope for -it. May it long flourish, and remain a worthy monument of -the enterprise of the American Presbyterian Church of -Chiengmai. This is the wish of their sincere friend,</p> -<div class='c029'>“<span class='sc'>Vajiravudh</span>.”</div> - -<p class='c025'>Little did we then think that His Royal Highness -would so soon be called to fill the high office left -vacant by the lamented death of his distinguished -father, King Chulalangkorn, which occurred October -22d, 1910.</p> - -<p class='c009'>In December, 1908, Mrs. McGilvary’s brother, Professor -Cornelius B. Bradley of the University of California, -while on a visit to the land of his birth and -of his father’s labours, paid us a visit in the North. -He was present at our Annual Meeting in Lakawn, -and on Sunday preached the Communion sermon, and -again in Chiengmai. It was to the astonishment of all -who heard him, both natives and foreigners, that he -could converse fluently and flawlessly, and could so -preach, after an absence of thirty-six years. It was -upon this visit to Siam, that he made a special study -and translation of the Sukhōthai Stone—the earliest -known monument of the Siamese language.</p> - -<p class='c009'>In company with Professor Bradley came Mr. William -McClusky, a business man, on a visit to his -daughter, Mrs. M. B. Palmer. The significance of this -visit lies in the fact that Mr. McClusky has remained -among us, and has identified himself with the work of -the mission, endearing himself to all.</p> - -<hr class='c015' /> - -<p class='c009'>In 1905 Mrs. McGilvary returned to the United -States for a much-needed change. I remained on the -field until 1906, when I was cabled for on account -of the very serious state of her health. I found her -very low, and my visit was devoted to the restoration -<span class='pageno' id='Page_427'>427</span>of her health. In the autumn she was sufficiently recovered -to make our return possible, and the voyage -was undertaken in compliance with her own ardent -wish. She was greatly benefited by the sea-voyage, and -since her return her health has been fully restored.</p> - -<p class='c009'>On May 16th, 1908, my daughter, Mrs. William Harris, -gave a dinner in honour of my eightieth birthday, -at which all our missionary and European friends in -Chiengmai were guests. Dr. McKean expressed the -congratulations of my friends in an address, from -which I quote the following: “Eighty years of age, -sir, but not eighty years old! We do not associate -the term old age with you, for you seem to have drunk -of the fount of perpetual youth.” But the sentiment -to which I most heartily subscribe is the following: -“There is a common maxim among men to which -we all readily assent; namely, that no man is able to -do his best work in the world without having received -from God that best of all temporal gifts, a helpmeet -for him. We most heartily congratulate you -that, early in your life in Siam, Mrs. McGilvary was -made a partner in this great life-work. And no one -knows so well as yourself how large a part she has -had in making possible much of the strenuous work -that you have done. To her, likewise, we offer on this -happy occasion our hearty congratulations and our -fervent wishes for an ever-brightening future!”</p> - -<p class='c009'>On December 6th, 1910, Mrs. McGilvary and I celebrated -our Golden Wedding. As this occurred during -the Annual Meeting of the Mission, most of our missionary -friends, as well as our friends of the foreign -colony, were present. It was a matter of great regret, -however, that Dr. Wilson, who was present at -the wedding fifty years before, was too feeble to come -<span class='pageno' id='Page_428'>428</span>to Chiengmai on this occasion. The many beautiful -gifts received were another token of the loving regard -of our friends and dear ones in this and in the homeland. -Among the many letters and telegrams received -was a cablegram from our children in America. -“It was like a hand-clasp and a whisper of -love flashed around the world.” Dr. Arthur J. Brown, -speaking for himself and the members of the Board of -Foreign Missions, wrote: “We greatly rejoice in your -long and conspicuously devoted and influential service -for the Lāo people. We share the veneration and love -with which we know you are regarded by the people -among whom your lives have been spent, and by the -missionaries with whom you have been so closely associated. -It would be a joy if we could join the relatives -and friends who will be with you on that happy -day in December. We invoke God’s richest blessings -on you both. Mrs. Brown and all my colleagues -in the office unite with the members of the Board in -loving congratulations.”</p> - -<p class='c009'>One of the most valued of these messages came from -H. R. H. Prince Damrong, Minister of the Interior: -“I just learn from the local papers of the celebration -of your Golden Wedding. I wish you and Mrs. McGilvary -to accept my sincere congratulations and best -wishes that you both may be spared to continue your -great work for many more years. Damrong.”</p> - -<p class='c009'>Our good friend, H. E. Prayā Surasīh Visithsakdī, -High Commissioner for the Northwestern Provinces, -brought his congratulations in person, presenting Mrs. -McGilvary with a very rare old Siamese bowl of inlaid -work of silver and gold.</p> - -<div id='i428' class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i428.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>DR. AND MRS. McGILVARY FIFTY YEARS AFTER THEIR MARRIAGE</p> -</div> -</div> -<p class='c011'>From the native church in Chieng Rāi a message in -Lāo was received, of which the following is a translation: -<span class='pageno' id='Page_429'>429</span>“The Chieng Rāi Christians invoke Divine blessings -on the Father-Teacher and Mother-Teacher McGilvary, -who are by us more beloved than gold.”</p> - -<p class='c009'>We were deeply touched by a most unexpected -demonstration of the Chiengmai Christians, who assembled -at our home, and with many expressions of -loving esteem and gratitude presented us with a silver -tray, designed by themselves, on which were represented -in relief the progress of the city in these fifty -years: on one end the old bridge, on the other the -new bridge just completed; on the two sides, the rest-house -we occupied upon our arrival in Chiengmai, and -our present home. The inscription, in Lāo, reads: -“1867-1910. The Christian people of Chiengmai to -Father-Teacher and Mother-Teacher McGilvary, in -memory of your having brought the Good News of -Christ, forty-three years ago.”—It makes one feel very -humble to quote such expressions from our colleagues -and friends. But it would not be in human nature -to fail to appreciate them.</p> - -<hr class='c015' /> - -<p class='c009'>I would not close this life-story without expressing, -on behalf of my wife and myself, our heartfelt -gratitude to our friends, native and foreign, for the -great kindness shown us in our intercourse with them -during these long years; and, above all, our devout -gratitude to the Giver of all good, for sparing so long -our lives, and crowning them with such rich blessings. -Of these the greatest has been in permitting us -to lay the foundations, and to witness the steady -growth of the Church of Christ in Northern Siam.</p> - -<div id='i430' class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i430.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>SKETCH MAP OF SIAM <span class='fss'>AND THE</span> ADJACENT REGIONS<br />TO ILLUSTRATE THE MISSIONARY TOURS OF REV. DANIEL McGILVARY, D.D.</p> -</div> -</div> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c000' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_431'>431</span> - <h2 id='idx' class='c010'>INDEX</h2> -</div> -<ul class='index c003'> - <li class='c030'>Arthington, Robert, <a href='#Page_373'>373</a>-<a href='#Page_376'>376</a>, <a href='#Page_386'>386</a>.</li> - <li class='c003'>Bradley, Rev. Dan Beach, M.D., <a href='#Page_45'>45</a>, <a href='#Page_52'>52</a>, <a href='#Page_54'>54</a>-<a href='#Page_57'>57</a>, <a href='#Page_67'>67</a>-<a href='#Page_70'>70</a>, <a href='#Page_131'>131</a>-<a href='#Page_132'>132</a>, <a href='#Page_164'>164</a>, <a href='#Page_199'>199</a>.</li> - <li class='c030'>Buddhist shrines, <a href='#Page_172'>172</a>-<a href='#Page_173'>173</a>, <a href='#Page_188'>188</a>, <a href='#Page_252'>252</a>-<a href='#Page_253'>253</a>.</li> - <li class='c003'>Ceremonies and Festivals: - <ul> - <li>Dam Hūa, <a href='#Page_84'>84</a>-<a href='#Page_86'>86</a>;</li> - <li>cremation, <a href='#Page_145'>145</a>-<a href='#Page_147'>147</a>;</li> - <li>dedication of a shrine, <a href='#Page_188'>188</a>-<a href='#Page_189'>189</a>;</li> - <li>rice-harvest, <a href='#Page_274'>274</a>;</li> - <li>fairs, <a href='#Page_327'>327</a>, <a href='#Page_356'>356</a>, <a href='#Page_366'>366</a>;</li> - <li>“kin waw,” <a href='#Page_323'>323</a>, <a href='#Page_343'>343</a>;</li> - <li>sacred days, <a href='#Page_318'>318</a>-<a href='#Page_319'>319</a>;</li> - <li>wedding feast, <a href='#Page_395'>395</a>;</li> - <li>New Year, <a href='#Page_396'>396</a>-<a href='#Page_397'>397</a>.</li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c030'>Chulalongkorn, King of Siam, <a href='#Page_211'>211</a>-<a href='#Page_213'>213</a>, <a href='#Page_382'>382</a>, <a href='#Page_426'>426</a>.</li> - <li class='c030'>Commission, Royal, <a href='#Page_112'>112</a>, <a href='#Page_121'>121</a>-<a href='#Page_131'>131</a>.</li> - <li class='c030'>Commissioners, High: - <ul> - <li>Prayā Tēp Worachun, <a href='#Page_193'>193</a>-<a href='#Page_194'>194</a>, <a href='#Page_205'>205</a>, <a href='#Page_206'>206</a>, <a href='#Page_208'>208</a>, <a href='#Page_210'>210</a>, <a href='#Page_213'>213</a>-<a href='#Page_215'>215</a>, <a href='#Page_222'>222</a>, <a href='#Page_300'>300</a>;</li> - <li>Commissioner not named, <a href='#Page_300'>300</a>-<a href='#Page_304'>304</a>;</li> - <li>Chow Prayā Surasīh, <a href='#Page_419'>419</a>.</li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c030'>Cushing, Rev. J. N., DD, <a href='#Page_138'>138</a>-<a href='#Page_139'>139</a>, <a href='#Page_244'>244</a>, <a href='#Page_247'>247</a>, <a href='#Page_250'>250</a>, <a href='#Page_373'>373</a>.</li> - <li class='c003'>Demonism and witchcraft, <a href='#Page_75'>75</a>-<a href='#Page_76'>76</a>, <a href='#Page_91'>91</a>, <a href='#Page_93'>93</a>-<a href='#Page_94'>94</a>, <a href='#Page_173'>173</a>, <a href='#Page_194'>194</a>, <a href='#Page_203'>203</a>-<a href='#Page_208'>208</a>, <a href='#Page_214'>214</a>, <a href='#Page_266'>266</a>-<a href='#Page_270'>270</a>, <a href='#Page_278'>278</a>, <a href='#Page_321'>321</a>, <a href='#Page_324'>324</a>, <a href='#Page_331'>331</a>, <a href='#Page_340'>340</a>.</li> - <li class='c030'>Diseases: - <ul> - <li>cholera, <a href='#Page_51'>51</a>;</li> - <li>fever, <a href='#Page_88'>88</a>, <a href='#Page_190'>190</a>, <a href='#Page_195'>195</a>, <a href='#Page_205'>205</a>, <a href='#Page_242'>242</a>;</li> - <li>goitre, <a href='#Page_88'>88</a>;</li> - <li>smallpox (vaccination), <a href='#Page_57'>57</a>, <a href='#Page_89'>89</a>-<a href='#Page_91'>91</a>, <a href='#Page_243'>243</a>, <a href='#Page_250'>250</a>;</li> - <li>scurvy, <a href='#Page_196'>196</a>;</li> - <li>mortality of re-peopled districts, <a href='#Page_202'>202</a>, <a href='#Page_282'>282</a>.</li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c003'><a id='edu'></a>Education: - <ul> - <li>Girls’ School, <a href='#Page_177'>177</a>-<a href='#Page_178'>178</a>, <a href='#Page_221'>221</a>-<a href='#Page_223'>223</a>, <a href='#Page_274'>274</a>, <a href='#Page_284'>284</a>, <a href='#Page_287'>287</a>, <a href='#Page_292'>292</a>, <a href='#Page_418'>418</a>-<a href='#Page_419'>419</a>;</li> - <li>Boys’ School, <a href='#Page_284'>284</a>, <a href='#Page_291'>291</a>, <a href='#Page_300'>300</a>, <a href='#Page_419'>419</a>, <a href='#Page_424'>424</a>-<a href='#Page_426'>426</a>;</li> - <li>Phraner Memorial, <a href='#Page_377'>377</a>, <a href='#Page_418'>418</a>;</li> - <li>parochial, <a href='#Page_418'>418</a>;</li> - <li>government, <a href='#Page_419'>419</a>-<a href='#Page_420'>420</a>;</li> - <li>educational policy as regards language, <a href='#Page_222'>222</a>-<a href='#Page_225'>225</a>, <a href='#Page_420'>420</a>-<a href='#Page_422'>422</a>.</li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c030'>Elephants: - <ul> - <li>saddle, <a href='#Page_62'>62</a>, <a href='#Page_151'>151</a>-<a href='#Page_152'>152</a>, <a href='#Page_157'>157</a>, <a href='#Page_246'>246</a>, <a href='#Page_249'>249</a>-<a href='#Page_250'>250</a>, <a href='#Page_311'>311</a>-<a href='#Page_312'>312</a>, <a href='#Page_317'>317</a>-<a href='#Page_318'>318</a>, <a href='#Page_330'>330</a>-<a href='#Page_331'>331</a>, <a href='#Page_355'>355</a>, <a href='#Page_359'>359</a>-<a href='#Page_360'>360</a>, <a href='#Page_382'>382</a>-<a href='#Page_383'>383</a>;</li> - <li>wild, <a href='#Page_156'>156</a>, <a href='#Page_253'>253</a>, <a href='#Page_311'>311</a>;</li> - <li>baby-elephants, <a href='#Page_246'>246</a>-<a href='#Page_247'>247</a>, <a href='#Page_309'>309</a>.</li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c030'>Evangelists and ministers, native, <a href='#Page_257'>257</a>-<a href='#Page_263'>263</a>, <a href='#Page_377'>377</a>-<a href='#Page_380'>380</a>, <a href='#Page_414'>414</a>-<a href='#Page_416'>416</a>.</li> - <li class='c003'>Famine, <a href='#Page_335'>335</a>, <a href='#Page_346'>346</a>, <a href='#Page_349'>349</a>-<a href='#Page_352'>352</a>.</li> - <li class='c030'>French Indo-China, <a href='#Page_332'>332</a>, <a href='#Page_354'>354</a>, <a href='#Page_358'>358</a>, <a href='#Page_384'>384</a>, and chapters <a href='#ch33'>xxxiii</a>, <a href='#ch34'>xxxiv</a>.</li> - <li class='c003'>Hallett, Holt S. (railroad survey), <a href='#Page_244'>244</a>-<a href='#Page_254'>254</a>.</li> - <li class='c030'>House, Rev. S. R., M.D., <a href='#Page_37'>37</a>-<a href='#Page_38'>38</a>, <a href='#Page_45'>45</a>, <a href='#Page_53'>53</a>, <a href='#Page_67'>67</a>, <a href='#Page_92'>92</a>-<a href='#Page_93'>93</a>, <a href='#Page_110'>110</a>-<a href='#Page_112'>112</a>.</li> - <li class='c003'>Intanon, Prince of Chiengmai, <a href='#Page_81'>81</a>, <a href='#Page_90'>90</a>, <a href='#Page_108'>108</a>-<a href='#Page_109'>109</a>, <a href='#Page_132'>132</a>, <a href='#Page_137'>137</a>, <a href='#Page_142'>142</a>, <a href='#Page_145'>145</a>, <a href='#Page_187'>187</a>, <a href='#Page_193'>193</a>-<a href='#Page_194'>194</a>, <a href='#Page_209'>209</a>, <a href='#Page_245'>245</a>, <a href='#Page_262'>262</a>, <a href='#Page_293'>293</a>, <a href='#Page_300'>300</a>.</li> - <li class='c003'>Kamu tribe, <a href='#Page_368'>368</a>, <a href='#Page_393'>393</a>-<a href='#Page_394'>394</a>, <a href='#Page_400'>400</a>, <a href='#Page_403'>403</a>, <a href='#Page_405'>405</a>, <a href='#Page_407'>407</a>, <a href='#Page_411'>411</a>.</li> - <li class='c030'>Karens, <a href='#Page_89'>89</a>, <a href='#Page_143'>143</a>-<a href='#Page_144'>144</a>.</li> - <li class='c030'>Kāwilōrot, Prince of Chiengmai (1855-1870), <a href='#Page_57'>57</a>, <a href='#Page_67'>67</a>, <a href='#Page_69'>69</a>-<a href='#Page_70'>70</a>, <a href='#Page_85'>85</a>-<a href='#Page_86'>86</a>, <a href='#Page_90'>90</a>, <a href='#Page_95'>95</a>, <a href='#Page_102'>102</a>-<a href='#Page_106'>106</a>, <a href='#Page_121'>121</a>-<a href='#Page_129'>129</a>, <a href='#Page_133'>133</a>-<a href='#Page_138'>138</a>, <a href='#Page_146'>146</a>-<a href='#Page_147'>147</a>.</li> - <li class='c003'>Lāo: - <ul> - <li>the name, <a href='#Page_13'>13</a>-<a href='#Page_14'>14</a>, <a href='#Page_57'>57</a>-<a href='#Page_58'>58</a>;</li> - <li>spelling of Lāo words, <a href='#Page_12'>12</a>-<a href='#Page_13'>13</a>;</li> - <li>people, <a href='#Page_58'>58</a>, <a href='#Page_156'>156</a>;</li> - <li>states, <a href='#Page_130'>130</a>, <a href='#Page_191'>191</a>-<a href='#Page_192'>192</a>, <a href='#Page_218'>218</a>-<a href='#Page_219'>219</a>, <a href='#Page_262'>262</a>;</li> - <li>language, <a href='#Page_357'>357</a>, <a href='#Page_358'>358</a>, <a href='#Page_420'>420</a>-<a href='#Page_422'>422</a>, see also <a href='#edu'>Education</a>;</li> - <li>women, <a href='#Page_144'>144</a>-<a href='#Page_145'>145</a>.</li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c030'>Lāo Mission: - <ul> - <li>planted, <a href='#Page_77'>77</a>;</li> - <li>Rev. J. Wilson arrives, <a href='#Page_92'>92</a>;</li> - <li>first church organized, <a href='#Page_93'>93</a>;</li> - <li>a gift of land, <a href='#Page_95'>95</a>;</li> - <li><span class='pageno' id='Page_432'>432</span>first native members received, <a href='#Page_96'>96</a>-<a href='#Page_101'>101</a>;</li> - <li>persecution, <a href='#Page_106'>106</a>-<a href='#Page_117'>117</a>;</li> - <li>mission supposedly abandoned, <a href='#Page_126'>126</a>;</li> - <li>intervention, <a href='#Page_130'>130</a>-<a href='#Page_132'>132</a>;</li> - <li>new régime, <a href='#Page_137'>137</a>-<a href='#Page_144'>144</a>;</li> - <li>permanent buildings, <a href='#Page_140'>140</a>-<a href='#Page_142'>142</a>;</li> - <li>first physician, <a href='#Page_149'>149</a>;</li> - <li>Girls’ School, <a href='#Page_177'>177</a>;</li> - <li>teachers arrive, <a href='#Page_221'>221</a>-<a href='#Page_222'>222</a>;</li> - <li>reinforcement, <a href='#Page_242'>242</a>;</li> - <li>Presbytery organized, <a href='#Page_257'>257</a>;</li> - <li>printing-press, <a href='#Page_320'>320</a>;</li> - <li>Christian Endeavor, <a href='#Page_381'>381</a>;</li> - <li>summaries, <a href='#Page_217'>217</a>-<a href='#Page_218'>218</a>, <a href='#Page_225'>225</a>, <a href='#Page_287'>287</a>-<a href='#Page_288'>288</a>, <a href='#Page_299'>299</a>, <a href='#Page_304'>304</a>, <a href='#Page_401'>401</a>;</li> - <li>general review, <a href='#Page_413'>413</a>-<a href='#Page_423'>423</a>.</li> - <li>Later Missionaries: - <ul> - <li>Briggs, Rev. W. A., M.D., <a href='#Page_10'>10</a>, <a href='#Page_319'>319</a>, <a href='#Page_336'>336</a>-<a href='#Page_337'>337</a>, <a href='#Page_351'>351</a>-<a href='#Page_352'>352</a>, <a href='#Page_401'>401</a>;</li> - <li>Campbell, Rev. Howard, <a href='#Page_376'>376</a>, <a href='#Page_411'>411</a>, <a href='#Page_414'>414</a>;</li> - <li>Mrs. Campbell, <a href='#Page_418'>418</a>;</li> - <li>Campbell, Miss Mary, <a href='#Page_177'>177</a>, <a href='#Page_221'>221</a>-<a href='#Page_222'>222</a>, <a href='#Page_234'>234</a>, <a href='#Page_236'>236</a>-<a href='#Page_237'>237</a>, <a href='#Page_240'>240</a>;</li> - <li>Cary, A. M., M.D., <a href='#Page_283'>283</a>-<a href='#Page_284'>284</a>, <a href='#Page_296'>296</a>, <a href='#Page_298'>298</a>;</li> - <li>Cheek, M. A., M.D., <a href='#Page_166'>166</a>, <a href='#Page_169'>169</a>, <a href='#Page_178'>178</a>, <a href='#Page_190'>190</a>, <a href='#Page_195'>195</a>, <a href='#Page_212'>212</a>, <a href='#Page_233'>233</a>, <a href='#Page_236'>236</a>-<a href='#Page_237'>237</a>, <a href='#Page_283'>283</a>, <a href='#Page_292'>292</a>;</li> - <li>Mrs. Cheek, <a href='#Page_169'>169</a>, <a href='#Page_242'>242</a>, <a href='#Page_293'>293</a>;</li> - <li>Cole, Miss Edna E., <a href='#Page_177'>177</a>, <a href='#Page_221'>221</a>-<a href='#Page_222'>222</a>, <a href='#Page_233'>233</a>, <a href='#Page_240'>240</a>, <a href='#Page_284'>284</a>, <a href='#Page_387'>387</a>;</li> - <li>Collins, Rev. D. G., <a href='#Page_283'>283</a>, <a href='#Page_284'>284</a>, <a href='#Page_296'>296</a>, <a href='#Page_301'>301</a>;</li> - <li>Curtis, Rev. L. W., <a href='#Page_376'>376</a>;</li> - <li>Mrs. Curtis, <a href='#Page_9'>9</a>;</li> - <li>Denman, C. H., M.D., <a href='#Page_376'>376</a>, <a href='#Page_381'>381</a>, <a href='#Page_382'>382</a>-<a href='#Page_385'>385</a>;</li> - <li>Dodd, Rev. W. C., D.D., <a href='#Page_283'>283</a>, <a href='#Page_284'>284</a>-<a href='#Page_286'>286</a>, <a href='#Page_289'>289</a>, <a href='#Page_291'>291</a>, <a href='#Page_296'>296</a>, <a href='#Page_301'>301</a>, <a href='#Page_358'>358</a>, <a href='#Page_377'>377</a>-<a href='#Page_378'>378</a>, <a href='#Page_382'>382</a>, <a href='#Page_384'>384</a>, <a href='#Page_401'>401</a>;</li> - <li>Mrs. Dodd (Miss B. Eakin), <a href='#Page_292'>292</a>, <a href='#Page_293'>293</a>, <a href='#Page_303'>303</a>;</li> - <li>Fleeson, Miss, <a href='#Page_292'>292</a>, <a href='#Page_293'>293</a>, <a href='#Page_299'>299</a>;</li> - <li>Freeman, Rev. J. H., <a href='#Page_9'>9</a>, <a href='#Page_296'>296</a>;</li> - <li>Griffin, Miss I. A., <a href='#Page_240'>240</a>, <a href='#Page_243'>243</a>, <a href='#Page_284'>284</a>, <a href='#Page_292'>292</a>, <a href='#Page_299'>299</a>;</li> - <li>Hearst, Rev. J. H., <a href='#Page_239'>239</a>, <a href='#Page_243'>243</a>;</li> - <li>Irwin, Rev. Robert, <a href='#Page_319'>319</a>, <a href='#Page_353'>353</a>, <a href='#Page_362'>362</a>, <a href='#Page_367'>367</a>, <a href='#Page_401'>401</a>;</li> - <li>Martin, Rev. Chalmers, <a href='#Page_239'>239</a>, <a href='#Page_250'>250</a>, <a href='#Page_252'>252</a>, <a href='#Page_268'>268</a>, <a href='#Page_270'>270</a>, <a href='#Page_271'>271</a>-<a href='#Page_273'>273</a>, <a href='#Page_276'>276</a>, <a href='#Page_283'>283</a>;</li> - <li>McGilvary, Cornelia H. (Mrs. William Harris), <a href='#Page_199'>199</a>, <a href='#Page_306'>306</a>, <a href='#Page_308'>308</a>-<a href='#Page_316'>316</a>, <a href='#Page_427'>427</a>;</li> - <li>McGilvary, Rev. Evander B., <a href='#Page_337'>337</a>, <a href='#Page_371'>371</a>;</li> - <li>McGilvary, Margaret A. (Mrs. Roderick Gillies), <a href='#Page_197'>197</a>, <a href='#Page_337'>337</a>;</li> - <li>McKean, J. W., M.D., <a href='#Page_306'>306</a>, <a href='#Page_316'>316</a>, <a href='#Page_320'>320</a>, <a href='#Page_338'>338</a>, <a href='#Page_341'>341</a>, <a href='#Page_422'>422</a>-<a href='#Page_423'>423</a>, <a href='#Page_427'>427</a>;</li> - <li>Peoples, Rev. S. C., M.D., <a href='#Page_239'>239</a>, <a href='#Page_250'>250</a>, <a href='#Page_257'>257</a>, <a href='#Page_263'>263</a>-<a href='#Page_265'>265</a>, <a href='#Page_289'>289</a>-<a href='#Page_291'>291</a>, <a href='#Page_300'>300</a>, <a href='#Page_319'>319</a>, <a href='#Page_387'>387</a>;</li> - <li>Mrs. Peoples, <a href='#Page_240'>240</a>;</li> - <li>Phraner, Rev. Stanley K., <a href='#Page_319'>319</a>, <a href='#Page_320'>320</a>, <a href='#Page_326'>326</a>-<a href='#Page_329'>329</a>, <a href='#Page_376'>376</a>-<a href='#Page_377'>377</a>, <a href='#Page_418'>418</a>;</li> - <li>Mrs. Phraner (Lizzie Westervelt), <a href='#Page_238'>238</a>, <a href='#Page_274'>274</a>, <a href='#Page_284'>284</a>;</li> - <li>Taylor, Rev. Hugh, <a href='#Page_299'>299</a>, <a href='#Page_308'>308</a>-<a href='#Page_309'>309</a>;</li> - <li>Vrooman, C. W., M.D., <a href='#Page_149'>149</a>-<a href='#Page_159'>159</a>, <a href='#Page_166'>166</a>.</li> - </ul> - </li> - <li>Native Converts: - <ul> - <li>Āi Tū (Prayā Pakdī), <a href='#Page_277'>277</a>, <a href='#Page_280'>280</a>, <a href='#Page_287'>287</a>;</li> - <li>Cha Pū Kaw and Cha Waw, <i>see under</i> Mūsô;</li> - <li>Chao Borirak, <a href='#Page_158'>158</a>, <a href='#Page_163'>163</a>, <a href='#Page_197'>197</a>;</li> - <li>Lung In, <a href='#Page_168'>168</a>, <a href='#Page_170'>170</a>, <a href='#Page_202'>202</a>;</li> - <li>Nān Chai, <a href='#Page_100'>100</a>-<a href='#Page_101'>101</a>, <a href='#Page_114'>114</a>-<a href='#Page_117'>117</a>;</li> - <li>Nān Chaiwana, <a href='#Page_266'>266</a>-<a href='#Page_270'>270</a>;</li> - <li>Nān Inta, <a href='#Page_96'>96</a>-<a href='#Page_99'>99</a>, <a href='#Page_149'>149</a>, <a href='#Page_161'>161</a>, <a href='#Page_163'>163</a>, <a href='#Page_207'>207</a>, <a href='#Page_208'>208</a>, <a href='#Page_210'>210</a>, <a href='#Page_233'>233</a>, <a href='#Page_243'>243</a>, <a href='#Page_257'>257</a>, <a href='#Page_258'>258</a>;</li> - <li>Nān Tā, <a href='#Page_225'>225</a>-<a href='#Page_228'>228</a>, <a href='#Page_234'>234</a>, <a href='#Page_243'>243</a>, <a href='#Page_248'>248</a>, <a href='#Page_258'>258</a>, <a href='#Page_272'>272</a>, <a href='#Page_276'>276</a>, <a href='#Page_277'>277</a>, <a href='#Page_283'>283</a>, <a href='#Page_299'>299</a>, <a href='#Page_301'>301</a>;</li> - <li>Nān Sī Wichai, <a href='#Page_199'>199</a>, <a href='#Page_243'>243</a>;</li> - <li>Nān Suwan, <a href='#Page_197'>197</a>-<a href='#Page_198'>198</a>, <a href='#Page_233'>233</a>, <a href='#Page_248'>248</a>, <a href='#Page_257'>257</a>, <a href='#Page_280'>280</a>, <a href='#Page_287'>287</a>, <a href='#Page_327'>327</a>, <a href='#Page_330'>330</a>, <a href='#Page_333'>333</a>, <a href='#Page_341'>341</a>, <a href='#Page_359'>359</a>;</li> - <li>Noi Intachak, <a href='#Page_230'>230</a>, <a href='#Page_257'>257</a>, <a href='#Page_260'>260</a>;</li> - <li>Noi Siri, <a href='#Page_301'>301</a>-<a href='#Page_304'>304</a>, <a href='#Page_333'>333</a>;</li> - <li>Noi Sunya, <a href='#Page_99'>99</a>-<a href='#Page_100'>100</a>, <a href='#Page_114'>114</a>-<a href='#Page_117'>117</a>;</li> - <li>Noi Tāliya, <a href='#Page_278'>278</a>-<a href='#Page_279'>279</a>, <a href='#Page_290'>290</a>, <a href='#Page_334'>334</a>;</li> - <li>Pā Sêng Bun, <a href='#Page_205'>205</a>-<a href='#Page_206'>206</a>;</li> - <li>Prayā Sīhanāt, <a href='#Page_199'>199</a>-<a href='#Page_201'>201</a>, <a href='#Page_232'>232</a>-<a href='#Page_233'>233</a>;</li> - <li>Sên Utamā, <a href='#Page_230'>230</a>, <a href='#Page_232'>232</a>;</li> - <li>Sên Yā Wichai, <a href='#Page_79'>79</a>, <a href='#Page_100'>100</a>, <a href='#Page_105'>105</a>, <a href='#Page_203'>203</a>, <a href='#Page_281'>281</a>, <a href='#Page_291'>291</a>.</li> - </ul> - </li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c003'>Mahā Mongkut, King of Siam, <a href='#Page_37'>37</a>, <a href='#Page_47'>47</a>-<a href='#Page_48'>48</a>, <a href='#Page_70'>70</a>.</li> - <li class='c030'>Mahā Vajiravudh, King of Siam, <a href='#Page_425'>425</a>-<a href='#Page_426'>426</a>.</li> - <li class='c030'>Mattoon, Rev. S., D.D., <a href='#Page_39'>39</a>, <a href='#Page_45'>45</a>, <a href='#Page_67'>67</a>, <a href='#Page_165'>165</a>-<a href='#Page_166'>166</a>.</li> - <li class='c030'>McDonald, Rev. N. A., D.D., <a href='#Page_53'>53</a>, <a href='#Page_68'>68</a>, <a href='#Page_103'>103</a>-<a href='#Page_104'>104</a>, <a href='#Page_121'>121</a>ff.</li> - <li class='c030'>McFarland, Rev. S. G., D.D., <a href='#Page_53'>53</a>, <a href='#Page_70'>70</a>-<a href='#Page_71'>71</a>.</li> - <li class='c030'><span class='pageno' id='Page_433'>433</span>McGilvary, Rev. Daniel, D.D., birth (1828), <a href='#Page_20'>20</a>; - <ul> - <li>parentage, <a href='#Page_19'>19</a>-<a href='#Page_20'>20</a>;</li> - <li>childhood, <a href='#Page_20'>20</a>-<a href='#Page_28'>28</a>;</li> - <li>conversion, <a href='#Page_27'>27</a>-<a href='#Page_28'>28</a>;</li> - <li>Bingham School, <a href='#Page_29'>29</a>-<a href='#Page_31'>31</a>;</li> - <li>teaching, <a href='#Page_31'>31</a>-<a href='#Page_32'>32</a>;</li> - <li>Presbytery of Orange, <a href='#Page_32'>32</a>-<a href='#Page_34'>34</a>;</li> - <li>Princeton Seminary (1853-1856), <a href='#Page_35'>35</a>-<a href='#Page_38'>38</a>;</li> - <li>pastorate, <a href='#Page_38'>38</a>-<a href='#Page_41'>41</a>;</li> - <li>ordination, <a href='#Page_42'>42</a>;</li> - <li>voyage, <a href='#Page_43'>43</a>-<a href='#Page_45'>45</a>;</li> - <li>Bangkok (1858-1861), <a href='#Page_45'>45</a>-<a href='#Page_52'>52</a>;</li> - <li>marriage (1860), <a href='#Page_52'>52</a>;</li> - <li>Pechaburī, <a href='#Page_53'>53</a>ff;</li> - <li>first acquaintance with the Lāo, <a href='#Page_57'>57</a>-<a href='#Page_58'>58</a>;</li> - <li>tour of exploration to Chiengmai, <a href='#Page_59'>59</a>-<a href='#Page_65'>65</a>;</li> - <li>charter of the Lāo mission, <a href='#Page_66'>66</a>-<a href='#Page_70'>70</a>;</li> - <li>removal to Chiengmai (1867), <a href='#Page_71'>71</a>-<a href='#Page_76'>76</a>;</li> - <li>pioneer experiences, <a href='#Page_77'>77</a>-<a href='#Page_83'>83</a>;</li> - <li>ceremony of Dam Hūa, <a href='#Page_84'>84</a>-<a href='#Page_86'>86</a>;</li> - <li>non-professional medicine and surgery, <a href='#Page_88'>88</a>-<a href='#Page_91'>91</a>, <a href='#Page_95'>95</a>, <a href='#Page_120'>120</a>, <a href='#Page_147'>147</a>-<a href='#Page_148'>148</a>, <a href='#Page_158'>158</a>, <a href='#Page_190'>190</a>, <a href='#Page_195'>195</a>-<a href='#Page_196'>196</a>, <a href='#Page_322'>322</a>, <a href='#Page_362'>362</a>;</li> - <li>visit from Dr. House, <a href='#Page_92'>92</a>;</li> - <li>First Church organized, <a href='#Page_93'>93</a>;</li> - <li>first-fruits, <a href='#Page_95'>95</a>-<a href='#Page_101'>101</a>;</li> - <li>the gathering storm, <a href='#Page_102'>102</a>-<a href='#Page_105'>105</a>;</li> - <li>it breaks (Sep. 1869), <a href='#Page_106'>106</a>;</li> - <li>terrifying suspense, <a href='#Page_107'>107</a>, <a href='#Page_118'>118</a>-<a href='#Page_119'>119</a>;</li> - <li>alarm in Bangkok, <a href='#Page_111'>111</a>-<a href='#Page_113'>113</a>;</li> - <li>the martyrs, <a href='#Page_114'>114</a>-<a href='#Page_117'>117</a>;</li> - <li>Siamese Royal Commission, <a href='#Page_121'>121</a>;</li> - <li>a stormy audience and its results, <a href='#Page_122'>122</a>-<a href='#Page_129'>129</a>;</li> - <li>death of Kāwilōrot, <a href='#Page_133'>133</a>-<a href='#Page_135'>135</a>;</li> - <li>visit from Dr. and Mrs. Cushing, <a href='#Page_138'>138</a>-<a href='#Page_139'>139</a>;</li> - <li>the new rulers, <a href='#Page_137'>137</a>-<a href='#Page_144'>144</a>;</li> - <li>building, <a href='#Page_140'>140</a>-<a href='#Page_142'>142</a>;</li> - <li>arrival of a missionary physician, <a href='#Page_149'>149</a>;</li> - <li>First Tour (1872, with Dr. Vrooman)—exploration north and east, <a href='#Page_150'>150</a>-<a href='#Page_159'>159</a>;</li> - <li>visit to Lakawn and Nān, <a href='#Page_161'>161</a>-<a href='#Page_168'>168</a>;</li> - <li>first furlough (1873-1875), <a href='#Page_159'>159</a>-<a href='#Page_168'>168</a>;</li> - <li>Second Tour (1876)—exploration northwestward, <a href='#Page_170'>170</a>-<a href='#Page_177'>177</a>;</li> - <li>conversation with the Princess, <a href='#Page_180'>180</a>-<a href='#Page_187'>187</a>;</li> - <li>shrine on Doi Sutēp, <a href='#Page_188'>188</a>-<a href='#Page_189'>189</a>;</li> - <li>firmer Siamese policy—the Resident High Commissioner, <a href='#Page_191'>191</a>-<a href='#Page_194'>194</a>;</li> - <li>the deaf Prayā, <a href='#Page_199'>199</a>-<a href='#Page_201'>201</a>;</li> - <li>struggle with demonism:—Pā Sêng Bun, <a href='#Page_203'>203</a>-<a href='#Page_206'>206</a>;</li> - <li>Christian marriage defeated, <a href='#Page_207'>207</a>-<a href='#Page_209'>209</a>;</li> - <li>appeal unto Cæsar, <a href='#Page_210'>210</a>-<a href='#Page_212'>212</a>;</li> - <li>Edict of Religious Toleration (1878), <a href='#Page_213'>213</a>-<a href='#Page_220'>220</a>;</li> - <li>teachers for the Girls’ School, <a href='#Page_221'>221</a>-<a href='#Page_222'>222</a>;</li> - <li>the harvest of twelve years, <a href='#Page_225'>225</a>;</li> - <li>the nine years’ wanderer, <a href='#Page_225'>225</a>-<a href='#Page_228'>228</a>;</li> - <li>voyage to Hongkong, <a href='#Page_228'>228</a>-<a href='#Page_230'>230</a>;</li> - <li>Rahêng, <a href='#Page_230'>230</a>-<a href='#Page_232'>232</a>;</li> - <li>churches organized, <a href='#Page_233'>233</a>;</li> - <li>second furlough (1881-1882)—reinforcements and losses, <a href='#Page_236'>236</a>-<a href='#Page_243'>243</a>;</li> - <li>a surveying expedition (1884), <a href='#Page_244'>244</a>-<a href='#Page_254'>254</a>;</li> - <li>equipment for touring, <a href='#Page_249'>249</a>-<a href='#Page_251'>251</a>;</li> - <li>semi-monthly mail to Maulmein, <a href='#Page_255'>255</a>-<a href='#Page_256'>256</a>;</li> - <li>death of Princess Tipa Kēsawn, <a href='#Page_257'>257</a>;</li> - <li>Presbytery of North Laos and the training of native evangelists, <a href='#Page_257'>257</a>-<a href='#Page_262'>262</a>;</li> - <li>station established at Lakawn, <a href='#Page_263'>263</a>-<a href='#Page_265'>265</a>;</li> - <li>struggle with demonism renewed—Bān Pên, <a href='#Page_266'>266</a>-<a href='#Page_270'>270</a>;</li> - <li>work among the villages, <a href='#Page_270'>270</a>-<a href='#Page_274'>274</a>;</li> - <li>Third Tour (1886, with Mr. Martin)—Christian communities in the north, <a href='#Page_276'>276</a>-<a href='#Page_283'>283</a>;</li> - <li>reinforcements, <a href='#Page_283'>283</a>-<a href='#Page_284'>284</a>;</li> - <li>river trip with Mr. Dodd, <a href='#Page_285'>285</a>-<a href='#Page_286'>286</a>;</li> - <li>Fourth Tour (1887), <a href='#Page_286'>286</a>-<a href='#Page_287'>287</a>;</li> - <li>Fifth Tour (1888, with Dr. Peoples and Mr. Dodd):—church organized in Chieng Sên, <a href='#Page_289'>289</a>-<a href='#Page_291'>291</a>;</li> - <li>serious illness, <a href='#Page_291'>291</a>;</li> - <li>marriage of his daughter—the Prince and the charades, <a href='#Page_293'>293</a>;</li> - <li>foothold secured in Lampūn, <a href='#Page_294'>294</a>-<a href='#Page_296'>296</a>;</li> - <li>trip to Bangkok, <a href='#Page_297'>297</a>;</li> - <li>week at Bān Pên, <a href='#Page_297'>297</a>-<a href='#Page_298'>298</a>;</li> - <li>a marvellous recovery, <a href='#Page_298'>298</a>;</li> - <li>the “prisoner of Jesus Christ,” <a href='#Page_300'>300</a>-<a href='#Page_304'>304</a>;</li> - <li>tax-rebellion, <a href='#Page_305'>305</a>-<a href='#Page_306'>306</a>;</li> - <li><span class='pageno' id='Page_434'>434</span>Dr. McKean, and a continuous medical mission at last, <a href='#Page_306'>306</a>-<a href='#Page_307'>307</a>;</li> - <li>Sixth Tour (1890, with Miss McGilvary):—Lakawn, Prê, Nān, <a href='#Page_308'>308</a>-<a href='#Page_310'>310</a>;</li> - <li>the lost elephant, <a href='#Page_311'>311</a>;</li> - <li>Chieng Kawng and the “Teacher’s Road,” <a href='#Page_313'>313</a>-<a href='#Page_314'>314</a>;</li> - <li>Chieng Sên and Chieng Rāi, <a href='#Page_314'>314</a>-<a href='#Page_315'>315</a>;</li> - <li>elephant runaways, <a href='#Page_317'>317</a>-<a href='#Page_318'>318</a>;</li> - <li>Buddhist sacred days to be observed by Christians, <a href='#Page_318'>318</a>-<a href='#Page_319'>319</a>;</li> - <li>Seventh Tour (1891, with Mr. Phraner), <a href='#Page_320'>320</a>-<a href='#Page_336'>336</a>:—first meeting with the Mūsôs, <a href='#Page_322'>322</a>-<a href='#Page_327'>327</a>;</li> - <li>Mûang Len, <a href='#Page_327'>327</a>-<a href='#Page_329'>329</a>;</li> - <li>Chieng Sên, <a href='#Page_329'>329</a>-<a href='#Page_330'>330</a>;</li> - <li>a thrilling experience, <a href='#Page_330'>330</a>-<a href='#Page_331'>331</a>;</li> - <li>Chieng Kawng and Mûang Tông, <a href='#Page_332'>332</a>-<a href='#Page_333'>333</a>;</li> - <li>Mūsôs baptized, <a href='#Page_333'>333</a>-<a href='#Page_336'>336</a>;</li> - <li>Eighth Tour (1892, with Dr. McKean)—among the Mūsô villages, <a href='#Page_338'>338</a>-<a href='#Page_348'>348</a>;</li> - <li>tragic struggle with opium, <a href='#Page_348'>348</a>;</li> - <li>famine, <a href='#Page_349'>349</a>-<a href='#Page_352'>352</a>;</li> - <li>Ninth Tour (1893, with Mr. Irwin)—the Sipsawng Pannā, <a href='#Page_353'>353</a>-<a href='#Page_368'>368</a>;</li> - <li>Mûang Yawng, <a href='#Page_354'>354</a>-<a href='#Page_355'>355</a>;</li> - <li>an undiscovered peril, <a href='#Page_358'>358</a>;</li> - <li>Chieng Rung;</li> - <li>ferry and ford of the Mê Kōng, <a href='#Page_359'>359</a>-<a href='#Page_360'>360</a>;</li> - <li>dysentery and heroic treatment, <a href='#Page_362'>362</a>;</li> - <li>Mûang Sing, <a href='#Page_363'>363</a>-<a href='#Page_366'>366</a>;</li> - <li>Mūsôs east of the Mê Kōng, <a href='#Page_367'>367</a>-<a href='#Page_368'>368</a>;</li> - <li>third furlough (1893-1894), <a href='#Page_370'>370</a>-<a href='#Page_376'>376</a>;</li> - <li>Mr. Arthington of Leeds, <a href='#Page_373'>373</a>-<a href='#Page_376'>376</a>;</li> - <li>Presbytery and a native ministry, <a href='#Page_377'>377</a>-<a href='#Page_380'>380</a>;</li> - <li>Tenth Tour (1896, with Dr. Denman)—Chieng Rāi chosen for a station, <a href='#Page_382'>382</a>-<a href='#Page_384'>384</a>;</li> - <li>evangelists sent forth, <a href='#Page_384'>384</a>;</li> - <li>Mūsôs, <a href='#Page_385'>385</a>;</li> - <li>Eleventh Tour (1897, with Dr. Peoples)—the “regions beyond”: Lūang Prabāng, <a href='#Page_388'>388</a>ff.;</li> - <li>courtesy of French officials, <a href='#Page_388'>388</a>-<a href='#Page_390'>390</a>, <a href='#Page_395'>395</a>, <a href='#Page_398'>398</a>, <a href='#Page_400'>400</a>;</li> - <li>Mûang Sai, <a href='#Page_390'>390</a>-<a href='#Page_394'>394</a>;</li> - <li>Mûang Āi, <a href='#Page_394'>394</a>-<a href='#Page_395'>395</a>;</li> - <li>wedding feast, <a href='#Page_395'>395</a>;</li> - <li>surprise party, <a href='#Page_396'>396</a>-<a href='#Page_397'>397</a>;</li> - <li>Mûang Sing, <a href='#Page_398'>398</a>, <a href='#Page_399'>399</a>;</li> - <li>Twelfth Tour (1898)—the closed door, <a href='#Page_402'>402</a>-<a href='#Page_412'>412</a>;</li> - <li>summoned to the U. S. by illness of Mrs. McGilvary (1905), <a href='#Page_426'>426</a>-<a href='#Page_427'>427</a>;</li> - <li>Golden Wedding, <a href='#Page_427'>427</a>-<a href='#Page_429'>429</a>;</li> - <li>appreciation by Dr. Arthur J. Brown, D.D., <a href='#Page_1'>1</a>-<a href='#Page_7'>7</a>.</li> - <li>Observations and criticisms: Continuity in mission policy, <a href='#Page_416'>416</a>-<a href='#Page_417'>417</a>; - <ul> - <li>Converts with more than one wife, <a href='#Page_231'>231</a>-<a href='#Page_232'>232</a>;</li> - <li>Exclusion of the Lāo mission from the Lāo-speaking peoples of the north, <a href='#Page_157'>157</a>, <a href='#Page_332'>332</a>, <a href='#Page_368'>368</a>-<a href='#Page_369'>369</a>, <a href='#Page_404'>404</a>, <a href='#Page_411'>411</a>-<a href='#Page_412'>412</a>;</li> - <li>Girls’ Schools as Christianizing agencies, <a href='#Page_178'>178</a>, <a href='#Page_203'>203</a>, <a href='#Page_280'>280</a>, <a href='#Page_284'>284</a>, <a href='#Page_287'>287</a>, <a href='#Page_418'>418</a>-<a href='#Page_419'>419</a>;</li> - <li>Heresy trials, <a href='#Page_371'>371</a>-<a href='#Page_372'>372</a>;</li> - <li>Language problem, <a href='#Page_222'>222</a>-<a href='#Page_225'>225</a>, <a href='#Page_420'>420</a>-<a href='#Page_422'>422</a>;</li> - <li>Native evangelists and ministers, <a href='#Page_257'>257</a>-<a href='#Page_262'>262</a>, <a href='#Page_377'>377</a>-<a href='#Page_380'>380</a>, <a href='#Page_414'>414</a>-<a href='#Page_416'>416</a>;</li> - <li>Parliament of religions, <a href='#Page_370'>370</a>-<a href='#Page_371'>371</a>;</li> - <li>Obedient to constituted authority and law, <a href='#Page_208'>208</a>, <a href='#Page_301'>301</a>, <a href='#Page_393'>393</a>, <a href='#Page_400'>400</a>, <a href='#Page_406'>406</a>;</li> - <li>Outlying Christian communities—their claim on the missionary, <a href='#Page_329'>329</a>-<a href='#Page_330'>330</a>;</li> - <li>Rulers—importance of cultivating their acquaintance, <a href='#Page_90'>90</a>, <a href='#Page_144'>144</a>, <a href='#Page_161'>161</a>, <a href='#Page_170'>170</a>-<a href='#Page_171'>171</a>,330.</li> - </ul> - </li> - <li>Religious teachings and conversations, <a href='#Page_97'>97</a>-<a href='#Page_98'>98</a>, <a href='#Page_161'>161</a>-<a href='#Page_162'>162</a>, <a href='#Page_174'>174</a>-<a href='#Page_176'>176</a>, <a href='#Page_180'>180</a>-<a href='#Page_188'>188</a>, <a href='#Page_199'>199</a>-<a href='#Page_200'>200</a>, <a href='#Page_342'>342</a>-<a href='#Page_343'>343</a>, <a href='#Page_365'>365</a>.</li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c030'>McGilvary, Mrs. Sophia Bradley, marriage, <a href='#Page_52'>52</a>; - <ul> - <li>wins first Lāo convert, <a href='#Page_79'>79</a>, <a href='#Page_100'>100</a>;</li> - <li>life in a bamboo shack, <a href='#Page_140'>140</a>;</li> - <li>furlough after twenty-three years in Siam, <a href='#Page_159'>159</a>-<a href='#Page_160'>160</a>;</li> - <li>river journey Without escort, <a href='#Page_164'>164</a>;</li> - <li>opens first Lāo school, <a href='#Page_177'>177</a>;</li> - <li>sole assistant in the mission, <a href='#Page_195'>195</a>-<a href='#Page_197'>197</a>;</li> - <li><span class='pageno' id='Page_435'>435</span>translates first Gospel into Lāo, <a href='#Page_288'>288</a>, <a href='#Page_320'>320</a>;</li> - <li>visits to the U. S., <a href='#Page_158'>158</a>, <a href='#Page_229'>229</a>, <a href='#Page_238'>238</a>, <a href='#Page_426'>426</a>-<a href='#Page_427'>427</a>;</li> - <li>Golden Wedding, <a href='#Page_427'>427</a>-<a href='#Page_428'>428</a>.</li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c030'>Medical Mission, summary, <a href='#Page_422'>422</a>-<a href='#Page_423'>423</a>.</li> - <li class='c030'>Merit-making, <a href='#Page_64'>64</a>, <a href='#Page_133'>133</a>, <a href='#Page_134'>134</a>, <a href='#Page_147'>147</a>, <a href='#Page_180'>180</a>, <a href='#Page_257'>257</a>.</li> - <li class='c030'>Mission, American Baptist, of Burma, <a href='#Page_138'>138</a>, <a href='#Page_143'>143</a>, <a href='#Page_254'>254</a>, <a href='#Page_368'>368</a>, <a href='#Page_383'>383</a>, <a href='#Page_418'>418</a>.</li> - <li class='c030'>Mūsô tribe, <a href='#Page_276'>276</a>, <a href='#Page_322'>322</a>-<a href='#Page_327'>327</a>, <a href='#Page_334'>334</a>-<a href='#Page_336'>336</a>, <a href='#Page_338'>338</a>-<a href='#Page_348'>348</a>.</li> - <li class='c003'>Nevius, Rev. Dr., <a href='#Page_378'>378</a>-<a href='#Page_379'>379</a>.</li> - <li class='c003'>Opium, <a href='#Page_136'>136</a>, <a href='#Page_335'>335</a>, <a href='#Page_346'>346</a>-<a href='#Page_348'>348</a>, <a href='#Page_357'>357</a>, <a href='#Page_399'>399</a>.</li> - <li class='c003'>Presbytery: - <ul> - <li>of, Siam, <a href='#Page_47'>47</a>, <a href='#Page_59'>59</a>, <a href='#Page_71'>71</a>;</li> - <li>of North Laos, <a href='#Page_257'>257</a>-<a href='#Page_260'>260</a>, <a href='#Page_377'>377</a>-<a href='#Page_380'>380</a>.</li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c030'>Princess: - <ul> - <li>Tipa Kēsawn, <a href='#Page_55'>55</a>, <a href='#Page_90'>90</a>, <a href='#Page_108'>108</a>-<a href='#Page_109'>109</a>, <a href='#Page_145'>145</a>, <a href='#Page_178'>178</a>, <a href='#Page_180'>180</a>-<a href='#Page_187'>187</a>, <a href='#Page_209'>209</a>, <a href='#Page_222'>222</a>, <a href='#Page_257'>257</a>;</li> - <li>the younger, <a href='#Page_55'>55</a>, <a href='#Page_63'>63</a>-<a href='#Page_64'>64</a>, <a href='#Page_105'>105</a>, <a href='#Page_114'>114</a>, <a href='#Page_115'>115</a>, <a href='#Page_119'>119</a>, <a href='#Page_136'>136</a>.</li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c030'>Printing-press, and Lāo type, <a href='#Page_224'>224</a>, <a href='#Page_320'>320</a>, <a href='#Page_338'>338</a>, <a href='#Page_353'>353</a>, <a href='#Page_384'>384</a>.</li> - <li class='c030'>Posts and telegraphs, <a href='#Page_91'>91</a>, <a href='#Page_121'>121</a>, <a href='#Page_255'>255</a>-<a href='#Page_256'>256</a>, <a href='#Page_296'>296</a>, <a href='#Page_320'>320</a>.</li> - <li class='c003'>Rapids: - <ul> - <li>Mê Ping, <a href='#Page_71'>71</a>-<a href='#Page_75'>75</a>;</li> - <li>Mê Kōng, <a href='#Page_154'>154</a>-<a href='#Page_155'>155</a>.</li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c030'>Regent of Siam, <a href='#Page_112'>112</a>, <a href='#Page_132'>132</a>.</li> - <li class='c030'>Robbers and brigandage, <a href='#Page_91'>91</a>, <a href='#Page_164'>164</a>, <a href='#Page_233'>233</a>, <a href='#Page_329'>329</a>, <a href='#Page_358'>358</a>; - <ul> - <li>bandit chieftain, <a href='#Page_84'>84</a>, <a href='#Page_96'>96</a>, <a href='#Page_146'>146</a>, <a href='#Page_147'>147</a>.</li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c003'>Toleration, Edict of, chapter <a href='#ch19'>xix</a>.</li> - <li class='c003'>Warfare of depopulation, <a href='#Page_218'>218</a>, <a href='#Page_353'>353</a>-<a href='#Page_354'>354</a>, <a href='#Page_355'>355</a>, <a href='#Page_357'>357</a>, <a href='#Page_363'>363</a>.</li> - <li class='c030'>White ants, <a href='#Page_179'>179</a>.</li> - <li class='c030'>Wild game; - <ul> - <li>deer, <a href='#Page_253'>253</a>, <a href='#Page_339'>339</a>;</li> - <li>cattle, <a href='#Page_253'>253</a>, <a href='#Page_313'>313</a>;</li> - <li>tigers, <a href='#Page_72'>72</a>, <a href='#Page_152'>152</a>, <a href='#Page_153'>153</a>, <a href='#Page_311'>311</a>, <a href='#Page_386'>386</a>-<a href='#Page_387'>387</a>.</li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c030'>Wilson, Rev. Jonathan, D.D., <a href='#Page_36'>36</a>, <a href='#Page_38'>38</a>, <a href='#Page_43'>43</a>, <a href='#Page_51'>51</a>, <a href='#Page_65'>65</a>, <a href='#Page_67'>67</a>, <a href='#Page_92'>92</a>, <a href='#Page_95'>95</a>, <a href='#Page_113'>113</a>, <a href='#Page_140'>140</a>, <a href='#Page_148'>148</a>, <a href='#Page_169'>169</a>, <a href='#Page_221'>221</a>, <a href='#Page_233'>233</a>, <a href='#Page_263'>263</a>, <a href='#Page_291'>291</a>, <a href='#Page_381'>381</a>, <a href='#Page_423'>423</a>, <a href='#Page_428'>428</a>.</li> -</ul> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c002'> - <div><span class='small'>PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA</span></div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_437'>437</span> - <h2 class='c010'>BIOGRAPHY</h2> -</div> -<p class='c011'><span class='under'><i>ROBERT E. SPEER, D.D.</i></span></p> - -<p class='c009'><b>The Foreign Doctor</b>: “The Hakim Sahib”</p> - -<p class='c009'>A Biography of Joseph Plumb Cochran, M.D., of -Persia. Illustrated, 12mo, cloth, net $1.50.</p> - -<p class='c024'>Dr. Cochran came to a position of power in Western -Persia which made his life as interesting as a romance. He -was one of the central figures in the Kurdish invasion of -Persia, and was the chief means of saving the city of Uramia. -In no other biography is there as full an account of the -actual medical work done by the medical missionary, and of -the problem of the use of the political influence acquired by -a man of Dr. Cochran’s gifts and opportunities.</p> -<p class='c011'><span class='under'><i>HENRY D. PORTER, M.D., D.D.</i></span></p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div><b>William Scott Ament</b> <i>Missionary of the American Board to China.</i></div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>Illustrated, 8vo, cloth, net $1.50.</p> - -<p class='c009'>A biography of one of the most honored missionaries of -the Congregational Church, whose long and effective service in -China has inscribed his name high in the annals of those -whose lives have been given to the uplift of their fellow-men.</p> -<p class='c011'><span class='under'><i>MARY GRIDLEY ELLINWOOD</i></span></p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div><b>Frank Field Ellinwood</b> <i>Former Secretary Presbyterian F. M. Board</i></div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>His Life and Work. Illustrated, cloth, net $1.00.</p> - -<p class='c024'>A charming biography of one of the greatest missionary -leaders of the Nineteenth Century.—<i>Robert E. Speer.</i></p> -<p class='c011'><span class='under'><i>ANTONIO ANDREA ARRIGHI</i></span></p> - -<p class='c009'><b>The Story of Antonio the Galley Slave</b></p> - -<p class='c009'>With Portrait, 12mo, cloth, net $1.25.</p> - -<p class='c024'>“Reads like a romance, and the wonderful thing about -it is that it is true. A fervid religious experience, a passion -for service and good intellectual equipment were his splendid -preparation for a great missionary work among his countrymen -in America.”—<i>Zion’s Herald.</i></p> -<p class='c011'><span class='under'><i>GEORGE MULLER</i></span></p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div><b>George Muller</b>, The Modern Apostle of Faith</div> - <div>By <span class='sc'>Frederick G. Warne</span>.</div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c009'><i>New Edition, including the Later Story of the Bristol Orphan -Home.</i> Illustrated, cloth, net 75c.</p> - -<p class='c024'>“What deep attractiveness is found in this life of the -great and simple-hearted apostle.”——<i>Christian Advocate.</i></p> -<p class='c011'><span class='under'><i>KINGSTON DE GRUCHE</i></span></p> - -<p class='c009'>Dr. Apricot of “Heaven-Below”</p> - -<p class='c009'>Illustrated, 8vo, cloth, net $1.00.</p> - -<p class='c024'>“No one who has read this book will ever afterwards -repeat the threadbare objection, “I don’t believe in missions.”—<i>Continent.</i></p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_438'>438</span> - <h2 class='c010'>FOREIGN MISSIONS</h2> -</div> -<p class='c011'><span class='under'><i>ROBERT E. SPEER</i> <i>The Cole Lectures for 1911.</i></span></p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div><b>Some Great Leaders in the World Movement</b> 12mo, cloth, net $1.25.</div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c024'>Mr. Speer in his characteristic inspiring way has presented -the key note of the lives of six of the World’s greatest -missionaries: Raymond Lull, the crusading spirit in missions; -William Carey, the problems of the pioneer; Alexander -Duff, Missions and Education; George Bowen, the ascetic -ideal in missions; John Lawrence, politics and missions; and -Charles G. Gordon, modern missionary knight-errancy.</p> -<p class='c011'><span class='under'><i>S. M ZWEMER, F.R.G.S., and Others</i></span></p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div>Islam and Missions</div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>12mo, cloth, net $1.50.</p> - -<p class='c024'>This volume presents the papers read at the Second -Conference on Missions to Moslems, recently held in Lucknow, -India. The contributors are all experts of large experience -in such mission effort.</p> -<p class='c011'><span class='under'><i>VAN SOMMER, ANNIE, and Others</i></span></p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div>Daylight in the Harem</div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>A New Era for Moslem Women. <i>In Press.</i></p> - -<p class='c024'>Woman’s work for Woman is nowhere more needed than -on the part of Christian women for their sisters of Islam. -It is a most difficult field of service, but this volume by authors -long and tactically interested in this important Christian -ministry, demonstrates how effectually this work has -opened and is being carried forward with promising results.</p> -<p class='c011'><span class='under'><i>ROBERT A. HUME, D.D.</i></span></p> - -<p class='c024'><b>An Interpretation of India’s Religious -History</b> <i>Introduction by President King, LL.D. -of Oberlin College</i></p> - -<p class='c025'>12mo, cloth, net $1.25.</p> - -<p class='c024'>The author of this careful, though popular, study, is -eminently qualified to deal with the subject of his thoughtful -volume. Equipped for this purpose through long residence -in India and intimate study of India’s religious history -what he says will be accepted as the estimate and interpretation -of an authority.</p> -<p class='c011'><span class='under'><i>MARGARET E. BURTON</i></span></p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div>The Education of Women in China</div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>Illustrated, 12mo, cloth, net $1.25.</p> - -<p class='c024'>The author of this scholarly study of the Chinese woman -and education is the daughter of Prof. Ernest E. Burton, of -the University of Chicago.... The work is probably the -most thorough study of an important phase of the economic -development of the world’s most populous country that has -appeared.</p> -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_439'>439</span><span class='under'><i>Z. S. LOFTIS, M.D.</i></span></p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div>A Message from Batang</div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>The Diary of Z. S. Loftis, M.D. Illustrated, -12mo, cloth, net 75c.</p> - -<p class='c024'>Dr. Loftis went out to Tibet as a medical missionary of -the Disciples Church. His diary contains the events of the -outgoing trip together with incidents of the daily life of a -missionary in this “closed” land.</p> -<p class='c011'><span class='under'><i>HON. WILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN</i></span></p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div>The Fruits of the Tree</div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>16mo, boards, net 35c.</p> - -<p class='c024'>This is the address which Mr. Bryan delivered at the -World’s Missionary Conference at Edinburgh and contains -his views on missions—views which are the result of his -personal and painstaking investigation on foreign fields.</p> -<p class='c011'><span class='under'><i>HELEN S. DYER</i></span></p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div>Pandita Ramabai</div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>The Story of Her Life. <i>Second Edition.</i> Illustrated, -12mo, cloth, $1.25.</p> - -<p class='c024'>“The story of a wonderful life, still in the midcareer of -high usefulness. ‘Pandita’ should be known to all American -women.”—<i>The Outlook.</i></p> -<p class='c011'><span class='under'><i>MINERVA L. GUTHAPFEL</i></span></p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div>The Happiest Girl in Korea</div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>And Other Sketches from the Land of Morning -Calm. Illustrated, 12mo, cloth, net 60c.</p> - -<p class='c024'>These sketch stories of actual life in Korea by a missionary -of experience and insight portray conditions of real -life; they combine humor, pathos and vivid description.</p> -<p class='c011'><span class='under'><i>JOHN JACKSON</i></span></p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div><i>Secretary to the Mission to Lepers in India and the East.</i></div> - <div class='c000'>Mary Reed, Missionary to the Lepers</div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c009'><i>New Edition.</i> Illustrated, 12mo, cloth, net 50c.; -paper, net 25c.</p> -<p class='c011'><span class='under'><i>G. T. B. DAVIS</i></span></p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div>Korea for Christ</div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>Illustrated, paper, net 25c.</p> - -<p class='c024'>An effective report of the recent revivals in Korea told -by an eye witness, who himself participated in the work.</p> -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_440'>440</span><span class='under'><i>JULIUS RICHTER</i></span></p> - -<p class='c024'><b>A History of Protestant Missions in the -Near East</b> 8vo, cloth, net $2.50.</p> - -<p class='c024'>A companion volume to “A History of Missions in India,” -by this great authority. The progress of the gospel is -traced in Asia Minor, Persia, Arabia, Syria, and Egypt. -Non-sectarian in spirit, thoroughly comprehensive in scope.</p> -<p class='c011'><span class='under'><i>JOHN P. JONES, D.D.</i></span></p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div>The Modern Missionary Challenge</div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c009'><i>Yale Lecturer, 1910.</i> 12mo, cloth, net $1.50.</p> - -<p class='c024'>These lectures, by the author of “India’s Problem, -Krisha or Christ?” are a re-survey of the demand of missions -in the light of progress made, in their relation to human -thought. The new difficulties, the new incentives, are considered -by one whose experience in the field and as a writer, -entitle him to consideration.</p> -<p class='c011'><span class='under'><i>ALONZO BUNKER, D.D.</i></span></p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div>Sketches from the Karen Hills</div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>Illustrated, 12mo. Cloth, net $1.00.</p> - -<p class='c024'>These descriptive chapters from a missionary’s life in -Burma are of exceptional vividness and rich in an appreciation -for color. His pen pictures give not only a splendid -insight into native life, missionary work, but have a distinctive -literary charm which characterizes his “Soo Thah.”</p> -<p class='c011'><span class='under'><i>JAMES F. LOVE</i></span></p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div>The Unique Message and Universal Mission of Christianity</div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>12mo, cloth, net $1.25.</p> - -<p class='c024'>A volume dealing with the philosophy of missions at -once penetrating and unusual. It is perhaps one of the most -original and valuable contributions to the subject yet made.</p> -<p class='c011'><span class='under'><i>WILLIAM EDWARD GARDNER</i></span></p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div><b>Winners of the World During Twenty Centuries</b> Adapted for Boys and Girls.</div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c024'>A Story and a Study of Missionary Effort from the Time of -Paul to the Present Day. Cloth, net 60c; paper, net 30c.</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 class='c010'>Children’s Missionary Series</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c011'><i>Illustrated in Colors, Cloth, Decorated, each, net 60c.</i></p> - -<div class='lg-container-l'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'><b>Children of Africa.</b> James B. Baird.</div> - <div class='line'><b>Children of Arabia.</b> John C. Young.</div> - <div class='line'><b>Children of China.</b> C. Campbell Brown.</div> - <div class='line'><b>Children of India.</b> Janet Harvey Kelman.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c003'> - <div><span class='pageno' id='Page_441'>441</span>The World Missionary Conference</div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c011'>The Report of the Ecumenical Conference held in Edinburgh -in 1910. In nine volumes, each, net 75c.; the complete set -of nine volumes. net $5.00.</p> - -<p class='c009'>A whole missionary library by experts and wrought up to -the day and hour. The Conference has been called a modern -council of Nicea and the report the greatest missionary publication -ever made.</p> -<div class='lg-container-l'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Vol. 1. Carrying the Gospel.</div> - <div class='line'>Vol. 2. The Church in the Mission Field.</div> - <div class='line'>Vol. 3. Christian Education.</div> - <div class='line'>Vol. 4. The Missionary Message.</div> - <div class='line'>Vol. 5. Preparation of Missionaries.</div> - <div class='line'>Vol. 6. The Home Base.</div> - <div class='line'>Vol. 7. Missions and Governments.</div> - <div class='line'>Vol. 8. Co-operation and Unity.</div> - <div class='line'>Vol. 9. History, Records and Addresses.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c003'> - <div>Echoes from Edinburgh, 1910</div> - <div class='c000'>By <span class='sc'>W. H. T. Gairdner</span>, <i>author of “D. M. Thornton.”</i></div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>12mo, cloth, net 50c.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The popular story of the Conference—its preparation—its -management—its effect and forecast of its influence on the -church at home and the work abroad. An official publication -in no way conflicting with the larger work—which it rather -supplements.</p> -<p class='c011'><span class='under'><i>HENRY H. JESSUP’S AUTOBIOGRAPHY</i></span></p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div>Fifty-three Years in Syria</div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>Introduction by James S. Dennis. Two volumes, illustrated, 8vo, cloth, boxed, net $5.00.</p> - -<p class='c009'>“A rich mine of information for the historian, the ethnologist -and the student of human nature apart from the -labors to which the author devoted his life. A thoroughly interesting -book that will yield endless pickings.”—<i>N. Y. Sun.</i></p> -<p class='c011'><span class='under'><i>ROBERT E. SPEER</i></span></p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div>Christianity and the Nations</div> - <div class='c000'>The Duff Lectures for 1910.</div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>8vo, cloth, net $2.00.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Among the many notable volumes that have resulted -from the well-known Duff foundation Lectureship this new -work embodying the series given by Mr. Robert E. Speer -in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen, will rank among the -most important. The general theme, “The Reflex Influence -of Missions Upon the Nations,” suggests a large, important, -and most interesting work.</p> -<p class='c011'><span class='under'><i>G. T. B. DAVIS</i></span></p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div>Korea for Christ</div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>25c net</p> - -<p class='c009'>An effective report of the recent revivals in Korea told by -an eye witness. who himself participated in the work.</p> -<p class='c011'><span class='pageno' id='Page_442'>442</span><span class='under'><i>ROBERT McCHEYNE MATEER</i></span></p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div>Character Building in China</div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>The Life Story of Julia Brown Mateer. With Introduction -by Robert E. Speer. Illustrated, net $1.00.</p> - -<p class='c024'>Robert E. Speer says: “Mrs. Mateer belonged to the old -heroic school which did hard things without making any fuss, -which achieved the impossible because it was one’s duty to -achieve it. May this story of her strong, vigorous life be the -summons to many young women in our colleges and Church -to-day.—<i>From the Introduction.</i></p> -<p class='c011'><span class='under'><i>GEORGE F. HERRICK, D.D.</i></span></p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div><i>Fifty Years Missionary of the American Board in Turkey</i></div> - <div class='c000'>Christian and Mohammedan</div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>A Plea for Bridging the Chasm. Illustrated, 12mo, -cloth, net $1.25.</p> - -<p class='c024'>“Dr. Herrick has given his life to missionary work -among the Mohammedans. This book is the mature expression -of his profound belief that the followers of the Arabian -Prophet are to be won to Christianity by patiently showing -Jesus Christ, with kindly appreciation of the good while fully -gauging the deadly evil of their religious system. Opinions -from leading missionaries to Mohammedans, in all parts of -the world have been brought together in the book.—<i>Henry -Otis Dwight, LL.D.</i></p> -<p class='c011'><span class='under'><i>EDWARD C. PERKINS, M.D.</i></span></p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div>A Glimpse of the Heart of China</div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>Illustrated, 16mo, cloth, net 60c.</p> - -<p class='c024'>“A simple, clear story from a physician’s point of view -of the sickness, the unnecessary suffering, the ignorant and -superstitious practice of the native physician, contrasted -with the comfort and healing that follow in the wake of -the skillful treatment of a Christian Chinese ‘woman doctor,’ -has in it many elements of interest. 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