Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1886-09-13
CREMATION IN SIAM.

VI TIE ueaU Is retained In Slam In run
force to the present day, among all
the principal families. The ceremo-
ny is magnificent enough, but fear
fully expensive, and its continuance
is an intolerable burden, but no one
dares to drop it because it is ..the
old custom" A Bangkok paper con-
tains descriptions of the burning of
two Siamese mobiles, one brother of
the Prime Minister of the kingdom,
who died June IL, and the other
half brother, who died few weeks
later. During all the intervening
time, the bodies had laid in state in
their respective homes. The whole
period had been occupied in costly
preparations for the ceremony. On a
platform about eight feet from the
ground had been erected pyramid
sixteen feet high surmounted by
splendid urn highly ornamented and
gilt. Over this was an immense and
lofty white canopy, open at the four
sides. The whole was profusely dec
GRATED with flowers and fancy arti-
cles.
On the day of the funeral the py-
ramid was chiefly removed, and a
pile of frewood built in its place, on
which the bodies were placed. The
account proceeds:
"Within the enclosure on two sides
of the dome were seated priests,
| princes and noblemen, etc. On an
other side we're the female mourners
and friends, together with nearly all
the European ladies residing in the
city. On the fourth side, where his
Majesty was to approach the dome,
were the European gentlemen, COM
prising mariners, merchants, consuls,
clergymen, etc. Without the enclos-
ure on all sides were vast multitudes
of both sexes and of all classes.
The hour of p. m. had now ar
rived, which was the time appointed
for the ignition of the funeral pile.
Presently the royal heralds announc-
ed the approach of the king by their
trumpets and conch shells. All eyes
were consequently turned to the quar-
ter at which his Majesty was to en-
ter, and a few strains of God Save
the King from the brass band intro
duced him very quietly into the pres
ence of the dead, where he seated
himself, with large number of chill
dren, before ten or a dozen Buddhist
priests, arranged in line sitting on
a carpet. These went through with
certain rehearsals and incantations
for the dead, barely audible, but not
to be understood, while his Majesty
poured sacred water from little tea
pot into basin, it heing a symbol of
blessings craved for the departed
spirits as we'll as for the remaining
friends.
The screen which had hidden the
dismantling and humiliation of the
| 81, Il
aside. His Majesty then snapped an
instrument peculiar to the Siamese,
which ignited little powder, and
this a taper, which the king, having
ascended the steps. applied to the
funeral pile. Immediately the near
est mourners stepped up and placed
each his wax candle and sandal-sticks
under the wood, and then the princes
and lords in rapid succession did the
same, until all order of rank was lost
in the desire to manifest the same
respect for the dead before tbs flames
should become too hot to admit of
approach. The fire increased with
unusual rapidity.
There was no outburst of grief, but
nanifestly silent, solemn weeping
among some of the mourners. We
could not but weep with them when
we considered that they were weeping
without one ray of the glorious hopes
which the gospel affords to them who
believe in Him who is the resurrec-
ton and the life"