The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1884-12-24
A City that Smells Badly.


A City that Smells Badly.
A North Carolina young lady recently
went to Bangkok, the capital OF Siam, to
serve as a Missionary. From her letter
to Greensboro Workman we take an ex-
tract
VISITING IN A CANOE.
The water in the river looks muddy
and uniniting, and all along its banks are
fringed, not with tropical verdure and
gorgeous flowers, but With ugly, unsightly
little shanties, some of them built on
boats, so that they are floating houses,
others with foundations on shore, but
built out over the water, aDd all looking
filthy and repulsive, except where occa-
sionally We pass. Compound occu-
pied by foreigner. These are all very
pretty both in situation and arrange
ment. and give one an idea of how beau
tilul Bangkok might be.
SIGHTS, SOUNDS AND SMELLS.
The river is bad enough, but it is al
most paradise to the hideous sights and
smells that greet one on entering some OF
the canals. The water looks thick with
slime and filth, yet constantly we are
passing people floating and sporting In 1t,
or standing, like swine, with the mud
and slime covering the part of the body
not submerged iu the water. o! such
strange sights, and sounds and smells at
greet the stranger in Bangkok
On the particular day of which was
writing our way led through one of thu
dirtiest of the canals. and We stopped al
one of the most univiting looking sheds
which we reached by a ladder, very
lrudely constructed We were in ques
Iof fire works with which to amuse The
children. In the shed was table OF
which sat q number of women and chill
dren, with the FIRE works of various fan
cies spread around But more strang,
and interesting than all else was tht
motley group that gathered around II
gaze and laugh at the stranger. Som
, babies looked curiou.ly at me, but cries
ani turned away their faces 10 frigh
whenever my eyes net theirs, to the 10
, tense amusement Of the children of large
} growth.
Ii vas tie first near view had had G
t the natives in their wholly native state
and | wish | could give you the pictur
f As saw il. But | cannot. They wer
! all chewing bctel, waich turns their lip
inside out, and makes them look yer
thick tnd red. If it were not for tn
: horrid habit they would not be al ug
t people by any means.
:. SEES BUDDHA AT HOME
y BANGKOK is called The City of Ten
pies and | suppose there might
e something imposing, at least IN mln'
! degree about these heathern temple
/! but | find [ was quite mistaken.
We turned in TO landing among tt
e most disagreeabe surroundings that
e have seen. A rude ladder serves as Il
g ou!y means of reaching the landin
II which itself is a very rlckery looki;
2, scaffold or bridge, reaching to the sol
l. ground beyond. You can scarcely in
e asine a place more filthy and disgustin
t and though the foul smells which me
Is us are only such as we very frequent
~ meet in going about Bangkok, [ ha
II by no means become accustomed
n them; so | hold my nose and try to st
5. breathing till l shall get through Il
he place, which my companion tells l
IN is the market. We emerge fIom
IN market into a set of narrow courts, w
s. images of men and beas is, all very ug
RS here and there pools of dirty water, gre
ne with stagnatiOn, IN which the soldl'
es were washing their clothes and sprei
to ing them on the sacred ground to d
nd But we are in the temple of the gr'
y- idol. aud my first and strongest impr
ed sion is that l have never seen place
or old, dilapidated and neg glected in appe
ne ance.
ci- A BIG IDOL.
~ Buddha lies with his back toward
=, door by which we entered. All ale
:, at the back of the idol are set gr
az mum Der OF the ugliest images l ever S,
~ ,ro and the most absurd looking-elepha
- with their tails thrown erect, gazing
a., iu Buddha. Women, or rather figure;
- which the upper part represented
10 men, the lower birds aud fishes, 1
= and many other ridiculous look
H. things. all gazing toward the large inn
,,' in wonder and admiration.
- When we reached the other side,
"a as to have a front view of this abs
n ,au looking image, l could see that it
IS, "a something like the form of a man,
~ ~ perhaps not so badly proportion
al al though of that could not judge.
~ -, whole form is covered with tlnsel pa
.nt ~, except i. places where it had been r
his ed off.
IN We measured the base of the idol
a.. found it to he I30 feet long. The
!. .ou on which the head rests is larger {
-. . the largest tree ever saw. and the
90 look exactly like pair of very Il
- doors The bottoms are inlaid thu
:" with bits of mother-of-pearl, put in
out any special design or pattern.
deed, the huge image is ornamente'
so over in the same manner. 4
,hly -