A Half Century Among the Siamese and the Lāo: An AutobiographyMcGilvary, Daniel
History
A Half Century Among the Siamese and the Lāo: An Autobiography
McGilvary, Daniel
Lao (Tai people); Missions -- Lao (Tai people); Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. -- Missions
Whatever was to be done for them in the way of earthly succor, must
evidently be done quickly. Their neighbours in their temporary refuge
would doubtless soon drive them away again. At the earnest entreaty of
the man I took one of the elders, and went down to look into the case
for myself. It was heart-rending. Whatever they had been able to snatch
from the wreck of a well-to-do home—beds, bedding, furniture, kitchen
utensils—was heaped up in a pile that covered the whole floor-space of
their shack. The great-grandmother, helpless in her dotage, and the
little children, were lying here and there wherever a smoother spot
could be found. Their case seemed almost hopeless as far as human aid
was concerned. Nān Chaiwana had himself appealed for aid both to the
court and to the governor, and had been told that there was nothing they
could do for him. The court was committed against him. The governor,
however, was personally friendly to us, and had shown no ill will
towards the man. It was barely possible that something might be
accomplished there. We all had worship together amid the confusion of
their hut—the first Christian service they had ever attended. They
assured us of their joyful acceptance of the Gospel, and pledged
obedience to all its teachings. We promised to do whatever we could in
their behalf, and returned home.
Next day Mr. Martin and I went down to Lampūn to call on the governor.
He was not at home, but in the rice-fields several miles out in the
country. We followed him there. He received us kindly, but said, “Were I
to make proclamation to protect that family, it would be impossible to
enforce it. Nearly everybody in that neighbourhood believes that the
bodies or ashes of fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, or children are
in that graveyard, sent there by the demon in that family. If you can
devise some plan to protect them, you are welcome to try it; but if they
return to that village, I cannot be responsible for the results.” When
told that they had now renounced the spirits, and put themselves under
the Great Spirit, he said, “That is all very well, but how am I to
convince the others that _they_ are safe?” We then begged that he would
give the place over to us. We wanted a place for preaching. We would put
up one of the houses and establish a Christian family in it, with
medicine to cure their fevers. I would oversee it, but would ask the
family to help in the work. To this he readily consented. We trusted his
promise, and we returned encouraged.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account