f ^ ■ 
 
 ^Things 
 
 Siamese 
 
 
i^itsanuloke Field 
 
 The most northern station of the South Siam 
 ^Mission is Pitsanuloke, located on the Nan 
 River, lialf way by rail between Bangkok and 
 Chieng j\Iai. 
 
 Pitsanuloke station field includes five monthons 
 (provinces), with a population of 1,238,393. 
 
 According to the most conservative estimate, 
 in order to evangelize the world in this genera- 
 tion there should he one missionary to each 
 25,000 persons to be evangelized. Therefore 
 Pitsanuloke field needs 49 missionaries. At 
 present, there are two ordained men and one 
 doctor. 
 
 The two medical assistants and the two teach- 
 ers in the hoys’ school are earnest Christians 
 and good workers, but their evangelistic efforts 
 must necessarily be confined to the city of Pits- 
 anuloke. There should be two ordained men, 
 with headquarters at the city of Pitsanuloke, to 
 give their time to touring and one man to look 
 after the local work. The doctor has his hands 
 full looking after the hospital and two dispen- 
 saries. 
 
 A part of this year two of the families were 
 absent on furlough. 
 
 In this emergency a missionary was taken 
 from another station to assist in the work, but 
 he goes on furlough soon, so that the force is 
 not really increased. 
 
 The physician returned in September and the 
 ordained man is now on his way to the field. 
 
 In December a trip was made up the Sawan- 
 kaloke River, going from Pitsanuloke to Sawan- 
 kaloke by rail and hiring a boat at the latter 
 place to continue the journey. Work was done 
 both below and above Sawankaloke. There is 
 one Christian woman here, a converted hospital 
 patient, who gladly opened her house for ser- 
 vices. On this trip more than eight hundred vol- 
 umes of Christian literature were sold. Six even- 
 ings were spent in showing and explaining Bible 
 
 3 
 
pictures. The acetylene lantern given by the 
 Juniors of Waterford, N. Y., worked finely and 
 was a great help. 
 
 In January and February a tour was made up 
 the Chow Phya River to Raheng and beyond. 
 Raheng is almost due west of Pitsanuloke, but in 
 order to reach it, it is necessary to go down the 
 Nan River to Pakmampo and then up the Chow 
 Phya against a strong current. Raheng is 
 girdled by hills and the wide river spreads out 
 like a lake over the soft sands. I 
 
 The principal part of the town is on the east I 
 bank. There is a large farming community on 
 the west hank, hut no market. There is talk of j 
 extending the railroad from Sawankaloke to Ra- 
 heng. This will probably be done in the next 
 ten years and will be a paying line. It is an 
 important caravan route now, and Raheng is in 
 direct line east and west, and is the largest place 
 between Chieng Mai and .Yyuthia. 
 
 Paknampo is also in the Pitsanuloke field. Its 
 situation at the confluence of the Chow Phya 
 and Nan rivers makes it an important place. 
 There is a large floating population, since all the 
 river traffic must pass through it and workers 
 here could reach hundreds of people who live 
 on the canals opening out of it. Copies of 
 Scripture distributed at this point would reach 
 villages and farms where there is no hope, with 
 the present force, of the missionary going. 
 
 There are several Chinese and Siamese Chris- 
 tians living in Paknampo who should have help 
 and encouragement in living a Christian life. 
 
 There are great possibilities throughout this 
 entire Pitsanuloke field, but the force of workers 
 is so pitifully small opportunities to push the 
 work must be allowed to pass. 
 
 Where are the workers who ought to be in 
 this part of the vineyard at work? Are they 
 standing waiting because the company or in- 
 dividual appointed to send them are so busy 
 with other things that they pay no attention to 
 these waiting ones? 
 
 The night cometh when no man can work. 
 
 Let not the evening shadows find our work in 
 Siam still undone. 
 
 {Mrs A. W.) Eleanor Cooper. 
 
 4 
 
PROCESSION CARRYING ICING’S PICTURE TO THE CEREMONY OF DRINKING WATER OF 
 ALLEGIANCE ON KING'S BIRTHDAY-CHIENG RAI 
 
Festivities at 
 Nakon Sri Tamarat 
 
 The hirtlidays of His Majesty the King, Jan- 
 uary 1, 1914, and Her Majesty the Queen Alother 
 were celebrated right loyally in this distant cor- 
 ner of the kingdom. Illuminations and sports, 
 theatricals and banquets made the occasion a 
 week full of red-letter days. The schools were 
 represented, one afternoon, in the sports, and 
 prizes were distributed. Bull fights every day 
 did not seem to pall, and some were stoutly con- 
 tested. Racing events were arranged, though 
 the number of entries was not large. In one 
 race a pony distinguished itself and caused much 
 amusement by leaving the course at the first 
 bend, making straight across the field, and 
 plunging into a creek by the city wall, while its 
 rival traveled leisurely about the circle. 
 
 A banquet was given in honor of His Majesty 
 on his birthday, at the local Government build- 
 ing, to which the more prominent officials and 
 the foreign gentlemen were invited. 
 
 The Queen’s feast. January 5th, at the Royal 
 rest-house adjoining the Governor’s residence, 
 was to have been held on the lawn, had not a 
 shower, just at dusk, driven the party indoors. 
 At this dinner the wives of many officials were 
 present, and the catering was Siamese, on the 
 popular plan of one especial delicacy from each 
 family. 
 
 Christmas day was also the occasion for a 
 joyous celebration, to which the children of the 
 Christian community and the Mission schools 
 looked forward quite as long and eagerly as those 
 across the sea. 
 
 A statel)- and symmetrical tree graced the new 
 church, touching the ceiling and bending almost 
 to the floor under its many-colored load of 
 fruits. A large proportion of these were gifts 
 from one child to another, and the giving seemed 
 quite as joyous as the receiving. 
 
 A program of appropriate songs and recita- 
 tions was given, closing by a short address by 
 the pastor, the Rev. Chas. Eckels, impressing on 
 
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the hearers what should be the true significance 
 of the anniversary. 
 
 The first church wedding in town proved to be 
 an occasion of more than ordinary novelty and 
 interest. The bride is the eldest daughter of 
 Towkay Soon Nguan, and the fortunate suitor 
 is the first assistant in the American School. 
 
 The time set was January 2nd, and a large 
 number of invitations were issued to relatives 
 and friends of the parties. The groom was 
 escorted by his elder brother and the bride fol- 
 lowed with her father, who gave her away in 
 foreign fashion. 
 
 Appropriate music was rendered by the or- 
 ganist. Miss Moeller. The ceremony was a 
 Siamese translation of usual church form. The 
 happy pair received the congratulations of their 
 friends at the home of Air. and Airs. Eckels, and 
 at high noon sat down to an elaborate wedding 
 breakfast (with about twenty guests), while a 
 much larger number were entertained elsewhere 
 in Siamese and Chinese fashion. Air. Eckels 
 and Dr. Wachter returned on January 20th from 
 a visit to their flock in the northern part of the 
 province. They started again on the 27th, by 
 elephants, to cross the mountains, strike the 
 Bandon River, following it to the coast, and 
 returning by Samuie and Pangau Islands. 
 
 Before leaving town on this last trip Dr. 
 Wachter turned over the management of the 
 Alemorial Hospital, permanently, to his new 
 associate. Dr. Van Aletre, who has been busy 
 since his arrival in November at the usual task 
 of a new-comer, studying the language, the peo- 
 ple. and the workings of the institution to which 
 he was appointed. 
 
 — (Miss) L. J. Cooper. 
 
 An Important Mission 
 By-product 
 
 We have just begun, in a small way, an im- 
 portant work for the Mission and for Siam. 
 The contract has been made for three small 
 
 7 
 
buildings on our new compound here at Petcha- 
 buri, to lie used for the training of teachers of 
 country ^•illage schools. 
 
 In connection with this Station, there are now 
 more than 900 persons enrolled as professed 
 believers in Christ, living in sixty country towns 
 and villages. These people are beginning to 
 want to have their children taught to read and 
 write ; hut teachers are not to he found. Yet 
 they are jealously suspicious of the Mission 
 school, because they have known of hoys who 
 have attended this school and after receiving 
 their education did not return to the life on the 
 farm. The parents are afraid of losing their 
 hojs, if they let them leave home to attend 
 school. 
 
 Here is an illustration of this feeling. When 
 I sent men up to Sarahet to prepare lumber 
 for the new rest house, the people hindered their 
 work. The men told them that we would start 
 a school for their children ; that the King favored 
 these schools and approved of starting them in 
 the country. They replied. “If the King gives 
 orders to start a foreign school here, we will all 
 move away.” Now the rest-house has been built 
 and one of their boys is here in school preparing 
 to be a teacher in that village. All opposition 
 has been overcome by the exercise of patience 
 and tact. 
 
 Recently I consulted Prince Damrong, the 
 Minister of the Interior, with regard to this 
 work of training country teachers, proposing to 
 ask His Majesty, the King, and the Princes to 
 support the enterprise financially. The Prince 
 replied that it would be premature to do that 
 at present, because His Majesty and the Min- 
 ister of Education are planning out a course of 
 study suited to village schools. To present this 
 plan now would be to anticipate their decision. 
 But he said : “Do not think that I am opposing 
 
 you. Go on and make a demonstration in a 
 small way, showing the kind of training you 
 propose to give, and the Government can take 
 up the work afterward.” 
 
 Following this suggestion. I gathered up enough 
 8 
 
money from friends of the work outside the 
 Mission to erect the first three buildings, which 
 are now under way. and we have several boys 
 already in training to be teachers. 
 
 The problem before the Government and the 
 Mission is complicated by this fact. If they 
 train their teachers in the town schools to teach 
 the course of study taught there, the effect will 
 be to draw the country boys into the towns. 
 Already the country districts are under-populated, 
 and anything that would increase the usual drift 
 from the country to the towns is much to be 
 deprecated. The solution of the problem may be 
 stated in very simple form. Give the country 
 boys such an education as would be of great 
 benefit to them in their countrj- homes, but of 
 little use to them in the town. Then they will 
 be content to stay on the farms. 
 
 The influence of our tours is seen in increased 
 confidence in the good will of the missionaries 
 on the part of the country people, as well as the 
 quickening of the desire of parents to have 
 their children taught. We seem to have found 
 the opportunity to extend greatly our school 
 work with but little cost to the Mission. 
 
 In order to provide support for these boys in 
 training to become teachers, an appeal was made 
 to the old students of the Bangkok Christian 
 High School to show their gratitude for past 
 benefits by contributing to this object. Their 
 response has been so hearty and generous that 
 we are sure of ample funds to meet this need. 
 So that the new Normal Training work is self- 
 supporting from the outset. 
 
 We have reached the point in our touring 
 where these Christian schools in the villages are 
 necessary to success. The establishment of such 
 a school means a Sunday School and later on a 
 Christian church. Humanly speaking, much de- 
 pends on the character of the teacher in charge. 
 W'e greatl}' desire the prayers of our friends in 
 the home land for these young men who are 
 soon to occupy the responsible position of Chris- 
 tian teacher in the isolation of country- life and 
 exposed to the temptations and petty persecu- 
 tions of old friends and neighbors. 
 
 — J. A. Eakiii. 
 
 9 
 
ONE OF THE "WTI.D TIGER CORPS" OF SIAM 
 
Address given during the birthday 
 festivities, January, 1914, by His Maj- 
 esty, the King of Siam, to the “Wild 
 Tiger Scouts and Boy Scouts.” 
 
 Note — In the May. 1912, number of the “Assembly Herald" we pub- 
 lished an account of the organization by the King of Siam of the 
 “Royal Tigers.” This is the organization of the youth of Siam into 
 companies for daily drill and discipline, to be at the service of the 
 Government. The following address of the King speaks for itself. 
 — Editor. 
 
 His Majesty’s Address 
 (Translation.) 
 
 Wild Tiger Scouts and Boy Scouts : 
 
 I desire to thank you all for your rally to-day 
 to do honor to me as your Scout Chief. Your 
 readiness in coming together on this occasion 
 affords a strong proof that every one is inspired 
 hy a feeling of unanimitj-. The objects which I 
 have in mind and which you all aim at in join- 
 ing the Honorable Corps of Wild Tigers and 
 Boy Scouts are already indicated in your Scout 
 Oath and the Boy Scouts’ Promise with which 
 you are all acquainted. Having become Scouts 
 3'ou must prove yourselves so in fact and not 
 treat it as mere play or as mere fanc>' dressing. 
 You should make up j'our mind that the spirit 
 of unanimitj' which can call you together on a 
 ceremonial occasion, as the present, shall also 
 prevail when necessitj- arises for ever>' one of 
 you to do your duty, which you are resolved to 
 do in defence of our nation and our Fatherland, 
 or for the preservation of order and tranquillity 
 within our own country. By continuing to be a 
 Wild Tiger Scout, it must be understood that 
 one is still willing to act up to what has already 
 been mentioned in the beginning ; nameljq ready 
 to give up personal comfort, flesh and blood and 
 even life itself in maintaining the peace and 
 security of the countrj', which is the same as 
 guarding our own homes; for if there is no 
 peace and security in our country there can be 
 
 11 
 
no safety for our own homes, whatever we may 
 do. Accordingly we should consider the defence 
 of the State a greater object than that of the 
 Home, or, in other words, we should devote 
 ourselves to the interests of the Siamese nation 
 more than to our own personal interests or those 
 of individuals. Wild Tiger Scouts who are 
 officials of the Government in charge of various 
 duties should understand that they are not Wild 
 Tiger Scouts only while wearing the uniform, 
 hut are such at all times. Having joined the 
 Wild Tiger Scouts, they should think and act as 
 such, no matter what garh they may wear ; and 
 if they are true Wild Tiger Scouts, they must 
 model their conduct in the way I have just 
 mentioned, namely, subordinate personal interests 
 to that of the nation ; this is an important point 
 that must never be lost sight of. 
 
 Every one who is devoted to the welfare of 
 the nation, the community, and the country in 
 which we live and have our well being should 
 suppress all undue personal ambitions and con- 
 centrate his efforts on the duties belonging to 
 his position, no matter whether superior or in- 
 ferior. For example, if you are ordered to 
 sweep a doorway, a staircase or a road, you 
 should do that work in the best possible man- 
 ner, and not condole with yourself for having 
 to do such lowly work while some other person 
 is given a higher task to perform, and so neglect 
 your proper work by being filled with feelings 
 of envy. If such feelings prevail, disaster will 
 he certain to ensue wdien any grave emergency 
 arises, because every one’s proper duty will have 
 been neglected for egotistical reasons. In fact, 
 if every person devotes his attention only 
 to gain personal rew'ard and advantage, the in- 
 terest of the community is sure to suffer. If 
 we are true Wild Tiger Scouts and true Sia- 
 mese, we must understand that it is our duty to 
 carry out our work, no matter what it is, to 
 the best of our ability. It is not for us to judge 
 what we are able to do; that is a matter for 
 others who observe our actions. If we do w'ell 
 they will see and commend ; but if we do badly 
 we cannot expect other people to praise us, no 
 matter how high a value we may place upon 
 ourselves. Bear this point well in mind, every 
 
 12 
 
one of you Wild Tiger Scouts and Boy Scouts, 
 both those who are Government officials and 
 those of other occupations. Whatever you have 
 to do, do it faithfully and honestly to the best 
 of your power and ability, for by so doing you 
 prove yourselves true Siamese, worthy of your 
 manhood. It is only by having endeavored to 
 perform your duties to the best of your ability, 
 and having the consciousness of having done 
 so, that you are entitled to call yourself a real 
 patriot. Do not boast of patriotism by empty 
 words ; you cannot be a patriot through your 
 mouth any more than go to heaven by the same 
 means. Nobody respects a person who is only a 
 good talker ; deeds only are worthy of true 
 respect, not mere boastful words. 
 
 -4s the majority of you Wild Tiger Scouts are 
 present here, I take this opportunity to assure 
 you that the interests of the Honorable Corps 
 of Wild Tigers always occupy my thoughts. I 
 never consider myself really different from any 
 one of you ; like yourselves, I am a Siamese and 
 a Wild Tiger Scout. As holder of the highest 
 position among the Wild Tiger Scouts and as 
 Sovereign of the country, I also pledge myself 
 to act up to what I have just said, namely, to 
 discharge to the best of my ability the duties 
 which are confided to me, and without any de- 
 sire to gratify exalted personal ambitions. I 
 say this to you in all frankness. And to show 
 that I have not allowed the welfare of the Wild 
 Tiger Scouts to escape my thoughts, I have 
 appointed a day during the celebration of the 
 Anniversary of my Birthday on which I could 
 meet you all and present the Colors to the various 
 Corps here assembled. In every good action 
 which we aspire to achieve, it is necessary to 
 have an emblem to look up to for inspiration, 
 so that every one may be always reminded of the 
 good work which he has to perform. Let, there- 
 fore, this Standard he a reminder to all Wild 
 Tiger Scouts to remember the words of advice 
 which I have spoken, and let it be a constant 
 reminder to anyone who finds himself failing in 
 any respect, to mend his conduct and prove 
 himself worthy of being a Wild Tiger Scout, a 
 worthy guardian of this precious Standard and 
 
 13 
 
follow it to victory when necessity arises to 
 face our country’s foe. 
 
 In conclusion, I desire to declare to all you 
 Wild Tiger Scouts that I shall endeavor to fulfill 
 in every respect the promises which I made be- 
 fore you when this Honorable Corps was first 
 inaugurated. I shall do my best to promote the 
 welfare of the people of the Kingdom of Siam; 
 to protect and maintain the Nation, the State 
 and our Holy Religion, so that they shall endure 
 forever, and I shall never shrink from facing 
 danger in case of war. I shall support the Hon- 
 orable Corps of Wild Tigers so that its stability 
 shall be assured and the institution continue to 
 flourish as was intended from the beginning. I 
 ask all of you who are assembled here to re- 
 member your Scout Oath and your Oath of 
 Allegiance. 
 
 I now invite all you Wild Tiger Scouts, for 
 our common happiness and prosperity, to salute 
 the Standard of the Honorable Corps of Wild 
 Tigers, which is our emblem of auspiciousness 
 and an inspiration to us all. 
 
 Three cheers for the Honorable Corps of 
 Wild Tigers! 
 
 14 
 
A STREET IN CHIENG RAI 
 
Reported April 1, 1914 
 
 
 SIAM 
 
 LAOS 
 
 American Missionaries 
 
 46 
 
 55 
 
 Native Force 
 
 73 
 
 92 
 
 Churches 
 
 13 
 
 26 
 
 Communicants 
 
 662 
 
 6,299 
 
 In attendance on Sunday-school 
 
 667 
 
 6,269 
 
 Schools 
 
 9 
 
 42 
 
 Pupils in School 
 
 486 
 
 1,568 
 
 Hospitals and Dispensaries 
 
 11 
 
 14 
 
 Patients treated 
 
 8,455 
 
 21,877 
 
 Board of Foreign Missions of the 
 Presbyterian Church in the U. S. A. 
 
 156 Fifth Avenue, New York 
 Form No. 2147 May. 1914 
 
 A. E. Dittrich. Ltd., 209 \V.S8th St..X.Y.