1. The American Legation 2. Hon. Hamilton King, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, U. S. A., Wife and Daughter 3. Riding the Animal of Royalty 4. View from the Lakawn, Laos Mission Compound 5. Palace of the Chow, Lakawn 6. Hon. C. C. Hansen, M. D., American Vice Consul CHAPTER VII. EVANGELISM IN SIAM AND LAOS. O speak of Siam and Laos is, in one sense, as incor T rect as to speak of the United States and Texas. Why Siam and Laos? Laos is one of the seventeen states or montons of the Kingdom of Siam. The Kingdom of Siam is theoretically an absolute monarchy; yet practically it is not. The king limits himself and is limited by the laws enacted and operative at his will, somewhat modified by a legislative body of representative men. The organization of the government is that of His Majesty, the King, who has his cabinet of princes of the royal blood. These princes are at the heads of the various departments of the government by the king's appointment. Then, there are seventeen High Commissioners, each one of whom is governor of a monton or province, also appointed by the king. Under these are subprovincial governors or Chow Muangs. These are again subdivided into districts of 10,000 people over whom are appointed rulers called Ampurs. Under these are officers and Head Men who govern respectively 1000 people, and 100 people each. These latter are elected by the people. The Kingdom of Siam extends over an area of about 200,000 square miles and has a popula tion variously estimated at from seven to ten million people. But there are reasons for speaking of the above described territory as Siam and Laos. First. Laos was once a separate state with an autonomous government. Its capital was Chiengmai, and the State was composed of a number of provinces whose names and boundaries still exist, such as Chiengmai, Lampoon, Lakawn, Pre, Nan, Chiengrai. Second. The people of Laos speak and write a different language from the Siamese, although there is a marked similarity between these two languages; both people being originally of the same stock, namely of the Tai race. Third. The Laos people are not all confined within the boundaries of the Kingdom of Siam. They are a numerous people and spread out into four adjacent countries, and are under as many different governments, viz: the Siamese Government in Laos; the French Government in French Indo-China; the British Government in Burma; and the Chinese Government in Western China. Fourth. For the above reasons, the Presbyterian Church U. S. A. has organized a separate mission among these people, known as the Laos Mission, which is a fourth reason for differentiating it from the Mission which that Church has in Lower and Southern Siam, known as the Siam Mission. The Siamese and the Laos people as has been noted, are originally of the same stock; but the Siam Mission has to do not alone with the Siamese but with the Chinese in Siam, of whom there are over one million, while the Laos Mission has to do only with the Laos speaking people |