Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1899-06-05

DESCRIPTION OF SIAM-THE
MANNERS, CUSTOMS AND RE-
LIGIOUS BELIEFS OF THE PEG
PLE1THE MISSIONARY WORK
CARRIED ON.
Rev. r. R. Bigger, Phi. d., delivered a
very interesting sermon upon the sub
ject, Our Brethren in SIAM at the
Third Presbyterian church last even
ing, before a large and attentive aud
fence. 1t was the first of series OF
sermons on "Our Brethren in the ORR
ent, which the clergyman has prepar-
ed and in which he intends to tell of
the manners, customs and religious be-
liefs of the Oriental peoples, also Of the
missionary work being done among
them: His remarks were as follows:
Siam is one of our mission fields,
situated in the peninsula of Farther
India, and is a few thousand square
miles larger than the State Of Texas.
1t has population of between five
and six million people, who belong to
the Monaghan or yellow race of peo-
pie. The Siamese are gentle, timid,
careless, indolent, and yet peaceable
and polite. Marriage takes place as
early as Is for males and IA for females,
without the aid Of priest or magistrate,
though the former may be present to
offer prayers. Among the higher and
Weather class polygamy is practiced.
"A considerable portion of Siam is
covered by hills and mountains. The
great river of the country is called Me-
nan, and it is the Nile of Siam, for it
overf1ows its banks six months out of
the year. All of the tropical products
grow richly and the animal kingdom
is quite varied, notably among which
is the white elephant. Because of this
Siam is some times called the Land of
the White Elephant
"The religion Of the Siamese consists
of Buddhism and low superstitious
form of spiritualism. AS for Buddhism
it really is not a religion at all. 1t is
simply a system of morals and in many
respects very poor morals. In fact
several Buddhist nations have no word
in their languages to express the idea
of God. 1t admits of no beings with
greater supernatural power than man
can reach by virtue and knowledge.
Buddha, the sage who founded this
so-called religion, takes the place of
God. For twelve and one-half CEN
turtles has this boosted Light of Asia
prevailed in Siam. But what has it
done for her? 1t has given her a
mass of scriptures at least four times
as great at the Bible, written in an an
Gent language, which only few of the
priests can understand. A few copies
are carefully written on palm leaves
and preserved in the temples. 1t has
given her an army of priests, tens of
thousands strong, who feed upon the
people and live in idleness. They con-
duct formal services unintelligible to
the people
They chant in an unknown tongue
at the various religious and social
gatherings. 1t has given the awful
doctrine of the TRANSPORTATION of souls
that is it teaches that when a good man
dies he may go to heaven, but if a bad
man dies his soul enters into some wild
beast or toad ar snake, and in this
form he continues to wander over the
earth. Twice twelve centuries of such
system have not sufficed to make a
single nation happy or prosperous. 1t
has proved to be darkness ever deep
ening into despair.
This is the religion of the upper
class. But Siam and Loas, the adjoin-
ing province, is in slavery to the wor-
ship of spirits. They have peopled the
world with gods and demons and COB
Inns. Although spirit worship is strict
ly prohibited by the teachings of Bud
dha, yet we find it in its most horrible
form right where this religion is found.
To show you the low and foolish ideas
of these spirit worshippers, let me de-
scribe to you in the language of c. H.
Denman, M. D., one of our mission
aries. They believe that in every hui
man body there are 80 spiritual enti-
ties. These by their presence in the
body preserve a normal state of health.
But if one of them wanders away the
resistance to evil is to that extent
weakened. When man dies they be-
lieve that some of these spirit entities
instead of entering into the human
body or some animal, wander over the
face of the earth with no place in which
W QWCii, dAQ that lnSy may ldhG up
an abiding place in a deserted temple,
or at the foot of some tree, or near
some dwelling. After the spirit has
thus lowered for some time, it may in
wade the body of some woman or child.
And if that person ever becomes sick,
of course that spirit is the cause of it,
and the family Immediately consults
the oracles of some so-called doctor or
prophesy. who says, you must go and
build house and feed that spirit. The
popular belief is that spirits are good
only so long as they are well fed and
not offended. Now before that time,
that household may never have wor-
shipped spirits. Henceforth they are
slaves to this awful superstition.
Therefore to appease this spirit, a little
house, the home of the spirit, is erected
nearby, and within the course of two
or three years, little shelf. or altar is
set up in that household and the spirit
invited to come in and dwell with the
family. That spirit now having a
home, is of sociable and philanthropic
disposition, and he goes forth to hunt
up other spirits who may be wandering
about, to get them TO come and dwell
with him.
ssrThuc aaoh household noyooc 70 hove