The Globe-republican., 1899-05-04

4
cult ON account of the lack of teachers.
We mist send out our missionaries for
evangelistic work.
In the grade schools for boys there
were seven grades, with pupils from to
25 years. We teach them u great deal Of
Bible study. Boys in first grades can
tell you more about Old Bible characters
than some of our boys in this country.
What is true Of the boys school is also
true of the girls school. There are ma
tive auxiliary teachers, who are fitted for
missionary work, and help the regular
missionaries.
The people are more like the japanese
than the Chinese. They are not dc :
scendel from fine Chinese. The Laos
area is equal to the area of the State of
Ohio. The people are not tall, but they
are rugged and partly lazy. They must
have their way in anything you want
done. If you want it done your way in
hurry, you may not get it done at all.
progressing. So are the Laos people.
They are refined in their own way. and
are as careful of their manners as we are
Of ours. They are fond Of music. Hog
raising is degrading and meuial. The
head is held the most sacred. The COM
mon class of people have very good man.
ners. They respect old age. and do not
call the old people BY their proper names
"Grandfather" and grandmother suf-
flee.
The ruler Of Siam until recently made
his subjects crawl about on their knees
and bump their heads on the floor when
they appeared before him. Siam is
called the 'Land of White Elephants"
The people honor the "Whire Ele-
phants," quite as much rs they do their
king. The reason for this we find in the
religion of Siam, which is a form of
Buddhism. Among the Siamese. as we
have seen. The souls of men at their
deaths are supposed to go into the bodies
of animals, and each elephant by ii is
theory has the soul Of some man in it,
The women have no souls. but they may
some day return to this lite in the form
of man.
The country is full of priests who beg
their food. Their faces are hid by palm
fans-not to be looked at by common
people. There are more than ten thou
sand Buddish priests in Bangkok. They |
are of all ages from 16 to SO, ard by a |
Custom of the country every man at some
time of his life, expects to be priest.
The priests shave their heads. They |
wear stripes of yellow cloth wound
around their naked bodies. Yellow was
the color chosen by Buddha as sign of
humility, because when lie was alive the
thieves and criminals Of India wore yell
low clothes. The Siamese priests we
lind far from humble. They strut about
with cigars and cigarettes in their
mouths. chewing the betel as they go
house, begging for rice and presents.
The people make holy Offering to the
begging priests.
Miss GhOrmerlv spoke of an old woman
Who waded through water and mud and
held her clothes iD bundle high above
Ter head, in order to reach the mission
md hear the father teacher. She wanted
o hear more about Jesus. Such devotion
md fidelity is worthy of the cause.
Missions do pay in China and other
ands. The lecturer in conclusion said,
nay God open the pocket books for the
ending of missionaries to the Laos
ountry.
There was very good attendance at
he church, and the people we're delight
4 with the lecture. The mission cause
Il this country certainly needs a stimu.
us, and Miss Ghormerly's lectures will
end to give encouragement to a most
oble cause.
The recent territorial acquisitions, or
he recent requirement Of the several is
ands by the United States, has added
reater interest in foreign mission work.
he former belief that it was proper to
,Ok after home mission work fret mag
e true in local sense only. The larger
nd greater interest in the foreign work {
My adds greater interest in the home
Ork. The object Of missions is more