The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1893-08-12
Slams Capital.


An American finds Bangkok full of the
strangest contrasts and oldest sights. He
sees the river banks lined for miles with
floating houses, the homes of many thou
sands and the scene of busy trade On one
corner is the splendid palace of nobleman,
and on the next the novels of the very poor.
Here are groups of Buddhist priests in
yellow garb, shielding their faces with fans
for fear the sight of women will induce uu-
holy thoughts, and near them are gangs of
the toughest Of convicts clanking their
chains as they toll in the streets. Here are
lepers horribly repulsive, unrestrained and
clamorous for aims, and soon, perhaps, the
king passes, with brilliant retinue, sit
ting on his state chair. Fine ladies have
teeth as black as polished ebony. It'll only
the vast army of female outcasts whose
teeth are white. When member Of the
royal house dies the cremation ceremonies
cost fortune, and while thousands are
witnessing the imposing display vultures
are tearing dead bodies to pieces in the
heart of Bangkok, and the poor are burning
their dead, couple of armfuls of wood
serving as the funeral pyre.
One would have to travel far to witness a
more remarkable sight than that which is
often seen in the very heart of Bangkok.
This place is at the foot Of mound on
which great temple stands. The ground
is covered with the bones of victims, and
here is a leg from which the flesh has not
yet been entirely stripped. Here is mans
body that was thrown on the ground only
a minute before, and at little distance the
carrion feeders, standing on the ground
and perehed on the fence, are greedily
eying it.
All the vultures were allowed TO light
upon The body and tear it as they liked.
For a while the great birds completely hid
the corpse from view. Each tore off
large piece Of flesh, and grabbing it with
bill and claws, huttered away little dis
tance to quietly eat it without being jostled
by its mates. They bolted the food like
starving dogs, and it was not long before
the bones had been stripped Of everything
eatable. Persons who die of contagious
diseases and many paupers and criminals
are thus fed to the vultures.
One would think that such practices in
a great city would breed apestilence. Here
is a great capital in which nearly 100000
people live who have absolutely no sani-
tary regulations. No quarantine guards
the port against contagious diseases from
abroad. The refuse of the kitchen is
dumped in front of palaces and splendid |
temples. A wall surrounds these grounds,
covered ms they are with fine buildings, the
scene of magnifcence and splender; and
yet Just outside the wall on one side is ono
Of the pest holes Of Bangkok, squalid,
odoriferous region where the most wretched |
of the people herd. 1t is another of the
many striking contrasts one meets at every
turn in the city of beautiful temples.
These temples, by the way, are very
striking objects seen from afar, and some
of them are beautiful, but generally, as is
the case with most things oriental, distance
lends enchantment to the view. Upon
near inspection it is found that there Is a
great deal of tinsel about them, and their
gaudy, cheap ornamentation does not fa-
vorablY impress the American. They are
not neatly kept and the visitor picks his
way through rubbish heaps to the temple
entrances. Here come the people in swarms
to pray and to listen to the monotonous
chants of crowds of lazy priests. The
lower part of the edifce contains the images
of guddha, and all around the pasOda are
buildings devoted to the service of the
priesthood The most famous temple in
all Siam is the Wat Cheng, opposite the
royal palace. 1t lifts its sacred spire 200
feet from the ground, and every inch Of
its irregular surface is covered with glazed
aud coIored ornamentation, while little
bells hang from every possible projection,
and every zephyr sets them tinkling.
Another famous temple contains the
sleeping Buddha. The reclin-
ing statue is eighty-seven feet long. The
most interesting temple in BANGKOK is the
temple Of the Emerald God within the
royal enclosure. devoted to the kings Fam
ily. Il is most ornate, is filed with the
rarest specimens Of oriental and European
art, and crowning al Is the little emerald
Buddha, only foot high, solid mass Of
sapphires and other gems. Sew
eral far loiiier temples in Bangkok cost
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