Most notable and doubtless most valuable of their services for Siam
after their retirement was the rearing and educating of two lads
whom they had brought from that country, Boon Itt and Nai Kawn.
These lads are still remembered by the people of Waterford who were
associated with them in their earlier years in America. The story
is told of the two boys having their first experience with snow.
One autumn morning, finding that a light snow had fallen during
the night, the two went out into the back yard, dropped down on
their knees and began to feel the snow; and then getting down on
all fours touched it with their tongues again and again. Among Mrs.
House’s letters was a copy of a letter which Kawn wrote to a boy
friend in Siam, in which he labours to explain how the water of the
river had become hard so that he could walk on it with skates.
Boon Itt was the son of Maa Tuan, the matron of the girls’ boarding
school under Mrs. House. Dr. and Mrs. House chose him to be the
subject of a Western education partly because he had shown himself
to be a bright pupil in the boys’ school, and partly because he was
one of the few children of second generation Christian Siamese.
After the completion of his elementary education at Waterford,
Boon was sent to Williston Academy, Williams College, and Auburn
Theological Seminary. This long course of education occupied
seventeen years. In 1893 he returned to Siam as a Christian
missionary to his own people. His life and work, worthy of an
extended account, will occupy a separate chapter.
The other lad, known familiarly as Nai Kawn in America, was Kawn
Amatyakul, born 1865, the son of a nobleman Pra Pre Chah; and the
grandson of Kuhn Mote, one of the progressive nobles who early
formed a lasting friendship with Dr. House because of their mutual
interest in science. Before the boys’ boarding school had been
fairly established, Kuhn Mote placed his son under the tutorship
of Dr. House to learn English and chemistry. It was this son who,
as Pra Pre Chah, learning that his former tutor was retiring to
America, solicited Dr. House to take his son Nai Kawn along and
supervise his education in Western science. To this Dr. House
consented, with the understanding that the son of the nobleman was
to be reared in a democratic fashion as a companion with the son
of a plebeian, and that he would be subject to intensive religious
training according to the Christian faith.
After his preparatory education, Kawn entered Lafayette College
for a four years’ course in mining engineering, though not as
a candidate for a degree. Finishing there in 1888, he returned
to Siam early the next year. His life work was devoted to the
educational program of the government, his professorial labours
being chiefly in chemistry and physics in various schools and
colleges of the government. At length he became chief of the
examination division of the department of education. He was given
the title of Luang Vinich Vidyakarn in 1902; and some years later
was elevated to a higher rank with the title Phya Vinich Vidyakarn.
Kawn united with the Presbyterian Church of Waterford upon
profession of faith in 1879. Although he gave evidence of sincerity
in making this profession and in other ways manifested an earnest
purpose to live according to the teaching of Jesus, yet it must
be acknowledged that upon return to his native land he did not
identify himself with the native church and eventually held himself
altogether aloof from fellowship with the Christians. No doubt one
cause for this course was the barrier of social rank. His education
and culture led him to prefer his own class. On the other hand,
it must be recorded that he never made open repudiation of his
profession, at least in any formal manner, neither did he manifest
any antipathy to the Christian faith. His death occurred April,
1922.