Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-02-20
SLAMS NEW ELEPHANT.
The Collection Now Is Six of These
Sacred Beasts.

Siam is much elated because it has
new white elephant on its hands.
This, however is not greatly to be
wondered at. considering the fact that
the flag of the country is a white ele-
plant on d red field. The new white
elephant has been captured up country
and brought to Bangkok, where it was
received by the King, Buddhist and
Brahmin priests and the people with
much acclaim, and, after a great public
parade, was added to the collection of
white elephants which is one of the
greatest features of the Siamese cap
ital. The new arrival is a playful male,
said to be only about ) years old.
They have found a foster mother for
him, as he does not seem to be fully
weaned. The total number of Slams
sacred white elephants is now raised
to six.
The Brahmin court astrologers had
predicted that he was to land at All
P. NJ. this being an suspicious time,
but as King Valjravudh, who was to
witness the landing, arrived about half
an hour late, the animal was not
brought ashore till about $50 P. Nj.
Then he was inspected by the king, the
mine flowers over him, number of
pigeons were let go, and the animal,
who did not seem 10 be able to UNDER
stand it all, was taken off to his stable.
The procession escorting him was
c0mnosea as follows: First came q
strong detachment of the Second In
fantry, headed by band. then a mum
Der of Laos drummers. and then big
IL Il L., e,.At in t.asT 70 n
body of Laos trumpeters came next,
and then, after a number of golden
umbrellas and other insignia OF state,
came the new white elephant, escorted
by two other elephants, one of which
acts as his nurse, followed by num-
Der of Brahmins. More umbrellas and
insignia were succeeded by number
of men in antique white garb, some of
whom carried on a lofty stand pure
white monkey. Some Boy Scouts and
a detachment from the royal navy,
headed by band, came next, and
were succeeded by body of infantry,
the rear being brought up by de-
tachment of the Chulalongkorn body
guard. The roads along the route
taken by the procession were lined
with many thousands of people, and
the sight was an extremely picturesque
one. Arrived at his stable, the ele-
plant was visited again by the king,
Buddhist priests went through some
religious ceremonies and a kind of
fancy fair was held, lasting for three
days.
| 1t is not exactly clear why white ele-
phants should be reverenced in Siam,
why they should even be exalted by
being the national symbol and the
flags decoration. But Siam is not
alone in this reverence. There is the
| same in Indo-China, Ceylon, Burma
and other Buddhist Sountries. and in
India there is the parallel in the sacred
white cows, and in Japan in white
horses which one finds at Miyajima,
Nikko and other shrines. The only
difference, as far as the traveller can
see, is that at Bangkok and in India
one buys hay for the sacred white ele-
plants and cows of decidedly mundane
, appetites, while in Japan it is beans.
Precisely when the white elephant
! came to be looked upon with reverence
is not diseoverable even by the most
learned of pundits, but it would seem
/ that they first came to be regarded
with kind of aye as being out of the
usual order of things, and then came
| to be considered as incarnations of
certain deities. To account for the
honors with which they are treated in
these days. it is supposed by some peo-
pie that they are looked upon as pos
sible incarnations of the Buddha: but
this is obviously not the true explana-
/, ton. The ceremonies attending the