The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-09-11

After many hard knocks. especially from
Cambodia. and also from the Burmese as late az
1857. Siam. rising again and again and turning
the tables or her foes, had finally acquired
suzerain rights over almost all the Lao States
and over the Malay Peninsula Town to Kedah
or the west side and to Treng-ganu on the east.
and these territories she ruled on the old lines
prescribed by her own immemorial usaRes and
by the practice of the nations about her. The
present King it was who first recognized the
duty Of provincial Governors to govern not for
themselves. but for their subjects. The en-
forcement Of this conception OF duty. entirely
new to Indo-Ohina. In the teeth OF the passive
but stubborn resistance offered by the ma
iority Of the mobiles. has constituted the endless
struggle OF the present reign. To carry out
the Kings determination salaried Commits
sioners have been appointed. one by one. to
last few years. the so-caIled Chaos. or feudaiI
lords. of all the great. districts on the MekonR.
found themselves suddenly Invested OF half
their power BY ne qhostentatious gentleman
B BnH aGf.'s Who wren reports Sts to oip hesd4 Tlarts if %nd
be taken. The great diffieulty has lain. as
if ii mpR %sn es .Ss t tRs 6SmmI IaflefisR'' h %Rs
mites and duties they. usurp. The innate
shortsopinGs e the siamese character are
CnHTRtdUl0 WIFI IL SLOW advance the
King has been able to make, and with the
number 81 r. European sp San,o 0iiclals that have been
civil service. to the faiIings Of many Of whom
however the new Commissioner were directly
responsible to Bangkok, and could be recalled
facility than could the, Sidd' feSdsi lords'
Pro S8S@id by Mr. fom smssR q dts s{HifSsm rai IL
the agents whom he saw at their posts
were NSI doing = E good i,o work ln,r for The hsrs country, and
note what the author has to tell us concerning
the moral qualities OF the Siamese. which arc
more noticeable among the common people
common people have a quiet goodness. pc
culiarly their own; 1t seems. nevertheless.
long us. by accident, there is no reason to be-
otherwise; To do a thing because it Is right is
thing because it viii injure their good name or
iny3ly" serious eonsoquegces Is. possibly.
U%f'th rIah the pSwe wro 9f ii b fsW; the d question ion
enter into their calculations. lGndoubtedly.,
these ! sr feelings g. are ,css shared by nearly b al Asiati;s
the qualities which constitute tho peculiar
charm Of Eastern, races are not fgw, Tested
with his chcrrfuIness and friendlincss. his hos
pitallty and gehtlGness, his patience under
head high IN, comparison with many Aslatic
races. and with not n few specimens Of Euro
dom that the SHARES close in about him, andif
then his TALL begins II is not SO much from
wickedness as from weakness.
In Siam the education OF the people has been
carried on lmmemorlallE, as 10, Burmah. by the
monks III the watts. or Buddhist inconsistencies.
which are scattered all over the country. Boys
are sent by their parents at 8 or . years OF
age 70 give t1eir services 70 some particular
return for such services a lad Is taught the A,
B.,C, the rules Of Buddha,, aud such religious
he will either leave tho wat or dawdle on,
playing football in the afternoon and pod
OF mind he may don the yellow robe OF the
novice and renounce the world in favor
lures whether, this education Is adequate
Tor the needs OF the masses of the people Is n
There 10, OF course little doubt that it might he
easily improved. The actual result Is hat every
man and boy IN Slam can, though often only
with much labor. read and write his own nanie
and make out q bit OF q letter on paper. He has
no books 70 read. but he knows o few thlnRs
Which he may or may not do; he has learned