The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1893-03-01
TIE GOLDEN CHERSONESE.
The Lecture by Mrs. Clement
Leavitt, Given Last Evening.

Leaviff, Given Last Evening.
notwithstanding the stormy night
d good audience assembled to hear
Mrs. Mary Clement Leavitt's address
upon the above subject.
Miss Bird has added to the mys-
terry that hangs over this land-its
ancient despotism, its wonders of
palms and pagodas, white elephants
and emerald gods, by calling it in
her book the Golden Chersonese
Miss Bird has not dissipated the
charm nor drawn the line clearly be-
tween the regions of romance and
reality.
This country has been known as
farther India, the Malay Peninsula
and the Sumatra Peninsula. 1t con-
tains Burma, Siam and the coutin-
entail part of Malay. Tue whole
region covers twenty eight degrees of
latitude and half as much longitude
The peninsula itself stretches from a
few miles above the equator to Is de-
grees north latitude. and Is seldom
more than sixty miles wide. Across
a channel from its southern end lies
the island of Singapore, about twenty
miles long and fifteen wide. Upon it is
the city of the same name contain
ing about 100000 inhabitants, one
half of whom are Chinese, large
number of Malays and Killings, and,
ruling over all, a few Europeans.
The religions are as numerous as the
races. Confucianism, Moslimism,
Brahminism, and now Christianity is
making great Roadway.
Its climate more nearly rivals that
of Honolulu than any other she had
seen, and its gardens, trees, flower
ing shrubs quite equal those to be
found here
Johore is the end of the Malay
peninsula. is inhabited by Malays
under its Sultan. As yet he is NOM
inally independents, but at his death
the country comes under the Eng
lish. Even now, though it is not
much talked Of, an Englishman lives
at his court as an adviser. The Sui
tan is progressive prince; has re-
Gently dismissed his harem, retaining
only the first, an elderly, extremely
able Chinese lady. The Sultan is
expected at the Great Exposition. In
the Century magazine, for the cur
rent month, is much reliable infor-
nation about him. The whole article
is correct, and the illustrations accu-
rate.
Leaving the narrow tongue of land,
to the north on the eastern side is
Siam, and to the west Burma, the
dividing line being mountain ridge.
Burma sweeps around to the north
of Siam. King Chulalongkorn, of
Siam, has brought about many re-
forms, but still clings to the
abomination of a harem. Old
custom forbids him but one
woman in the kingdom, and that
one his own mother. He has nearly
hundred wives and concubines in
the barracks Of the women, near his
own palace which none of the women
dare approach unsummoned. The
religion of Siam is Buddhistic, and
makes its chief expression in build
ing immense idols, (the largest of
which, reclining Buddha is 145 feet
long) and ornamenting them with
jewels of gold and precious stones.
Old wives are cast into the streets
to beg and die, nor will their chill
dren or grand children receive them
in their houses or give them
crumb. The king is favorable to
Christian missions, and of late they
are entering upon an era of greater
prosperity.
A generation has passed since
England conquered Lower Burma,
but not yet a decade since King
Theebaw, and his disquieting wife
were taken from their gilded
palace, put in bullock cart, then on
board a steamer and carried away to
the western coast of Hindostan, where
they now live in physical comfort.
Barbaric splendor reaches its
height in Mandalay, three miles
from the Irewaddy, Thebaw's CAPT
tai. The palace and temple where
the king worshipped are completely
covered with gold within and with
out. American Baptist missionaries
were the first to enter the country,
Judson being the pioneer. Their
mission to the Karens is one OF the
most successful in any country The
Karens are multiplying, but the Bur
mese are decaying.