New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-08-01
SIAM.
A PICTURESQUE GLIMPSE OF THE UNI
KNOWN EAST.

SIAM ON THE MEINAM FROM THE GUILE II
o, Smse Ta e and BY
Maxwell! Sommervlle Professor OF Giypt1qliNIS,ss.
tr a Octave. pp 2s7. Philadelphia: J. b.
Lippincott Company.
Written by professor In the University Oh
PENNSYLVANIA, this book Is nevertheless inno-
cent OF any specialized character. 1t Is not the
work of a scientist an explorer: II gives
simply the swiftly received Impressions OF
traveller who made brief and short trip into
the Siamese country. We cannot call II his'ofS'
But we can call 1t a pleasant. amusing pooA'
and one which gives us some Information con-
corning a land practically unknown to most
readers Furthermore. the author has prousht
home a number Of excellent photographs anu
these the publishers have reproduced IN me
form, making a handsome volume out oi ""~'
would otherwise have seemed perhaps tr"i'"e
production Siam first Of all Is one OF Tic "o".
picturesque countries in the world. Inc qu"'
architecture Of the Orient here taxes OH ''e
most Outlandish shapes. and In the case vi '
temples is not only bizarre. but peauthu'' i"e9e
TEMPLES are placed in huge Enclosures, eacn
one Of the latter covering several acres anu PRIV
yiding space for any number of separate shrines
and priesty dwellings,. The great TEMPE VI
Wat Cheng for example. at Bangkok, is sur
hardly less elaborate and fantastic in style.
The rural architecture, though simpler vi
course, is also extremely picturesque and the
canals which intersect the country would seer"
to be as fascinating to explore as the famous
waterways of Japan and China the s'ha"
boats used on these canals, by the way, bear a
our,ous resemblance to the Venetian gondoia-
and are evidently propelled in the same manner
Professor Sommerve explains how the IN
,eriors of the temples come to be as gorgeous as
-, aorihos them "Everywhere on the ap-
| nroaches to or in the vicinity of the watts TOR
| sacred inclosures) dealers in goldleaf congre-
gate seeking to sell little books or packages Oh
eoldleaf IN the devout who are on the way 10
the temple. The purchasers, on entering d
shrine remove whatever spots they may ma
on their favorite deities by attaching the sheeS
Of gold: thus the images kept richly gilt; IN
| fact the amount of gold laid on some Oh the
COLOSSAL figures must be considerable the en-
| tire population would seem to be extraordinarily
| deyout although there is a less fattering eA
| PLANTATION of their assiduity in attaching theh-
selves 20 the service Of the sacred watts. once
committed to that service, man may riot IN
| idleness. He does not beg He simply demands
| from the people the sustenance which Is MS oy
virtue Of his office and thus the priestly ranks
| are kept constantly full. Indeed. probationary
term must be served in them before man Is
eligible for official employment, and froIessor
Sommerville remarks that almost every poy
spends a year two as servitor IN one oi
the countless temples. This easy going habit Is
developed through life. Wherever found the
native is a happy, peaceabe individual living
comfortably on the fruits Of a peculiarly fruit
full land encountered with little or no costume,
and putting a pleasing confidence in the dispo-
sitions of Providence, or as the Siamese prefers
to say, Buddha
The Buddhstic mandate concerning the pres
ervation Of animal life is closely followed by
priest and layman alike. Professor Sommerviiie
describes more than one significant episode. A
Siamese passenger on one of the boats discov-
cred in the cargo a fish that still lived. lie