Siam and Laos, as Seen by Our American Missionaries
History
Siam and Laos, as Seen by Our American Missionaries
Laos -- Description and travel; Missions -- Laos; Missions -- Thailand; Thailand -- Description and travel
A nobleman, the brother of Koon Lin, a former pupil in the school, who
is now, with her sister Juan, in the royal palace――the latter being a
wife of His Majesty the king――asked me to come to the palace and teach
his sisters during the two months of vacation.
I lived in the royal harem for one month, and I think it will interest
your friends to have me tell you some of the things I saw while there.
It is said that within the palace-walls there are about one thousand
women, wives, slaves and servants, as no man is permitted to live
there except His Majesty the king. I should judge that about thirty of
these women are wives of the king. Many of these wives, with their
servants, live in a long brick building which stands near the palace.
Eight of the king’s half-sisters and the only daughter of the regent
of the Belur are the highest in position, and their rooms in the harem
are more richly and beautifully furnished than those of the other
wives. The rooms of the king’s favorite, Peahong Sawang (one of his
half-sisters), are three in number. The first is trimmed with pink
silk, another blue and the third green. Even the windows and door are
colored, and all is very beautiful to the eye.
Peahong Sawang is the mother of the oldest son of His Majesty, who is
now about two years of age. To be the mother of a royal son is quite
an honor in the harem, and it is only male offspring of the king, _by
one of his sisters_, that can inherit the throne.
I lived in the harem with the women, and saw and talked with them all
very often. They were quite friendly, though they knew that I had
given up their religion, and would not bow to the image of Buddha,
which they worshiped every night, offering flowers and burning of
fragrant wood. These women sit in idleness all the day long, unless
sent for to go to the palace. They often tried to persuade me to
return to Buddhism, giving me one of their books to read instead of my
Bible, which I had with me, and making sport of me, saying, ‘Ah, you
were once in the light, but now you are walking in the darkness.’ But
my heart did not mind what they said; I told them of the religion of
Jesus, and, going by myself, I prayed to Jesus to help them. My
business there was to teach Koon Lin and Koon Juan to translate
Siamese into English. Both these girls were pupils of Mrs. Dr. House,
and speak very lovingly of her. Koon Lin still has the English Bible
Mrs. House gave her, and translated from it every day. She said that
when she was in school she believed its teachings, but now she was
indifferent, it was all so different in the palace.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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