WOMEN, HAIR-CUTTING, AND SLAVERY.
The boys occupied themselves very industriously in writing for their
friends at home the accounts of what they had seen and heard in Siam.
They told of the trip to Ayuthia, and the visit to the elephant corral;
of their stay at Bang-pa-in; of the journey down the river; and,
finally, of the flotilla of boats and barges, and the state procession
of the king to the temples. When they had brought the story down to the
hour of writing, there was a day to spare before the closing of the
weekly mail to Singapore, and thence to America.
Frank thought it was time for him to say something specially intended
for Mary and Effie; he remembered his letter from Japan about the women
of that country, and concluded that a similar missive from Siam would be
quite in order. Then he recollected that he had seen fewer women in his
walks and rides about Bangkok than when he strolled through the streets
of Tokio and Kioto, and that in all probability he could not tell as
much of the Siamese as of the Japanese women, for the simple reason that
he had not learned so much about them. But he was determined to make the
effort, and, after talking with the Doctor on the subject, he wrote as
follows:
[Illustration: SIAMESE GENTLEMAN AND LADY.]
"The dress of the Siamese men is so much like that of the women that a
stranger cannot tell at first whether he is looking at the one or the
other. I will send you a picture, so that you may understand how they
look much easier than if I took half a dozen pages in writing to tell
it. You see that a gentleman and lady have the same garments, except
that the lady wears a scarf over her shoulders, or rather over her left
shoulder, and passing under her right arm. The gentleman has a tiny bit
of a linen collar on his jacket, while the lady has none, and he also
has wristbands, something after the European model. The trousers are
like a piece of cloth four or five feet square, and one corner is tucked
under a belt in the centre of the waist; the ladies generally wear
brighter colors than their husbands, but the cut of the garment is
practically the same.
"Nearly everybody goes barefoot; and when they do put anything on their
feet, it is rarely more than a light sandal. The custom of wearing shoes
and boots such as we have is never likely to become popular in a country
so hot as this is, and where there is no snow or ice. Children, up to
five or six years of age, have no garments of any consequence; and even
when they are older, their clothing would not shield them from the cold
if they were compelled to face a New York winter. A tailor would not
make a fortune by coming to Siam and trying to get the people to wear
clothes like American ones; and as for a corn doctor, he would have no
chance at all where tight boots, or boots of any kind, are practically
unknown.
"Then, too, they dress their hair in pretty much the same way, so that
you cannot tell a man from a woman by looking at their heads, as you can
in most other countries of the world. They shave all the lower part of
the head, and leave the crown covered with a tuft, or bunch, that
reminds you of a shoe-brush. The men have very light beards, like all
Oriental people; and whenever one of them finds that he can raise a
mustache or a beard, he is pretty sure to do so, as he wants to look
unlike his neighbors. But as a general thing beards do not become the
Oriental features, though mustaches do; and when I see a Chinese or a
Japanese or a Siamese with a beard, which is not often, I feel like
asking him to go home and shave it off.
[Illustration: A YOUNG PRINCE OF THE ROYAL HOUSE, WITH HIS ATTENDANT.]
"The first hair-cutting, at the time a child is twelve or fourteen years
old, is a very important ceremony. No matter how poor the parents of a
child may be, they manage to have some kind of an entertainment, be it
ever so humble, while with the rich a great deal of money is spent on
the affair. In the case of a royal child the festivities are on a grand
scale, and the whole population is expected to rejoice. We heard
something about the ceremony when we were in Cochin-China, and we have
heard a great deal more about it since we came here. We wish one was to
come off now, but unfortunately there is nothing of the kind in
prospect.
"A few months ago the eldest of the king's children reached the proper
age for the So-Kan, as the hair-cutting ceremony is called, and for
weeks before the event the preparations for it were going on. I cannot
do better than copy the account that was published at the time in the
Siam _Daily Advertiser_, a newspaper that is printed here by some
Americans who have lived a long time in Bangkok. Here it is:
"'Princess Sri Wililaxan is the eldest daughter of his majesty the King
of Siam; her mother is one of the daughters of his excellency Chow
P'raya Kralahome, the Prime-minister of Siam. This princess is
consequently the great-granddaughter of his grace the ex-regent, and the
granddaughter of the prime-minister.
"'It is said that his majesty has fifteen children. Four of these are
Somdetch Chowfas. Only one of these Somdetch Chowfas is a son.
"'The Somdetch Chowfas are the children of the king, and their mothers
are princesses. The son, consequently, who is the eldest Chow-fa of the
present king is by law and the customs of the country the heir-apparent
to the throne.
"'When the So-Kan ceremonies take place they must be of the most
imposing kind. In the present instance they were continued six days, and
on each day there was an imposing procession.
"'The sound of music announced the approach of the procession.
[Illustration: FEMALE HEAD-DRESS AND COSTUME.]
"'Soon a company of seemingly masked men, representing Japanese
warriors, made their appearance. Then came companies of Siamese military
and their band. Then followed companies of Siamese women dressed after
the manner of the country, with the right arm and the shoulder bare; and
then companies of men and boys and women dressed to represent the
contiguous nationalities--Malays, Peguans, Burmans, Laos, Karens, etc.
The groups as they passed were quite grotesque.
"'His majesty the king ascended to a prominent hall near the Maha
Prasaht,[2] which was handsomely furnished. In front of him, to his
right, were a group of pretty and richly-dressed ladies, holding in
their hands a small silver tree. They went through the slow motions of a
Siamese dance. Groups of Siamese ladies were seated in a line, with the
new palace forming one side of a parallelogram. These were spectators,
and evidently persons of rank. On the left of his majesty, forming the
second long side of the parallelogram, were crowds of Europeans and
other foreigners who had been invited to the performance.
[2] An immense temple or chapel in the palace enclosure, where the kings
are crowned, and where they lie in state for twelve months after their
deaths, awaiting the ceremony of cremation.
"'The side wall enclosing the Maha Prasaht, on an elevated part of which
was the hall in which his majesty sat, formed the west side of the
parallelogram. Directly in front of the king was the artificial
Trailaht, seemingly a mountain of gold, and forming the east side of the
parallelogram.
[Illustration: MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS.]
"'At the summit of the Trailaht was a beautiful gilt edifice dazzling in
the sunshine. As soon as his majesty was seated, a group of
gayly-dressed lakon girls descended from the gold mountain from the gilt
house, and at the base of the mountain, in full view of the king,
performed their dance to the sound of native music, of which there was
an abundance. On the lawn to the left of his majesty, and in a temporary
and beautiful hall, sat his grace the venerable Ex-Regent; his
excellency the Prime-minister; his excellency the Foreign Minister, and
the principal nobles of the country.
"'On the lawn were men who danced and made amusement for the masses.
"'When the Princess Sri Wililaxan advanced, seated in a grand sedan,
heavily weighted with her crown and gold chains of jewellery, followed
by a group of ladies bearing her gold salvers and insignia of rank, she
was received by her royal father and placed at his side.
"'The mountain Trailaht cannot be easily described. Here and there at
its base there were representations of the popular plays and acts of the
country. The images were moved by machinery, and went through their
performances to the merriment of the crowds, who clamored for a
repetition of them.
"'One represented a court of justice, where two persons were ordered to
dive; the one who could remain longest under water rendered his
testimony valid. It was amusing to see the artifice of the one who came
up first and found his antagonist still under water.
"'There were artificial pools containing representations of fish, whose
movements amused the spectators.
"'There were artificial trees, with representations of animals--such as
squirrels, monkeys, birds, and snakes--and their movements were quite
life-like.
"'Each day the princess receives presents from the noble families. The
ceremonies of each day were in some respects similar, but varied enough
to interest the vast crowds that visit the palace. Abundant refreshments
were provided by the government for the active participants and the
leading spectators. The noble families from all parts of Siam were
represented in the assemblage, and the display was the finest that the
country has known for years.'
"This is what I find in the newspaper, and it seems to be a very good
account. There are some things that it will be necessary for me to
explain, so that you will get a good understanding of them. In the first
place, I am told that the royal top-knot is taken off in a temple close
to the artificial mountain on the first day of the ceremony. Doubtless
they would cut it every day; but even in so fertile a country as Siam
the hair does not grow fast enough to make a daily cutting feasible.
"After this ceremony the hair is allowed to grow in the shoe-brush style
that I have described. Before that time it is in the shape of a twisted
knot, about as large as a silver dollar, but when it takes its new form
it covers the greater part of the top of the head.
"The Trailaht, or golden mountain, where the ceremony takes place, is
not really constructed of gold, though it appears to be. It is made of
wood and iron for a framework, and is then covered with sheets of lead
that have been gilded. The machinery that moves the figures is concealed
in the interior of the mountain, and the pathway that runs up the
outside is made to look as much like nature as possible. There are
valleys, and forests, and grottoes, and miniature rocks on the mountain,
and the path is usually arranged so that it goes three times around
between the bottom and the top. The Siamese pay great attention to the
numbers '3' and '9;' they have pagodas and canopies of three stories,
and others of nine; and in nearly all their religious ceremonies their
movements are in threes and nines. The same is true of all countries
where Buddhism is the religion; and, if you go as far off as Peking, you
will find that the temples have triple terraces and triple roofs, while
threes, or the multiples of three, may be found in the arrangement of
the stones of the steps and pavements, and in the walls of the
buildings.
[Illustration: LAKON GIRLS.]
"Perhaps you did not understand what was meant by the lakon girls that
danced before the king as soon as he was seated. In this country there
are girls who are trained to dance, like _geishas_ in Japan, and just
as the girls of the ballet are trained in a theatre in Europe and
America. Dancing is their profession, and they combine singing and
acting with it; and some of the princes and great men have troops of
these lakon girls to dance and sing for them. It is very common for them
to invite their friends to an entertainment, and it generally consists
of singing and dancing by these young ladies. Those around the palace
are the prettiest that can be found in the kingdom, and they have
wardrobes that cost a great deal of money, and are as grand as the
wardrobes of any actress in America. Very often in their acting they
wear the most hideous masks that can be imagined, and when they are
dressed up to resemble men or demons you can hardly believe that they
are really pretty girls. I send you a picture of two of them, so that
you may know what they look like.
[Illustration: A NATIVE BAND OF MUSIC.]
"The native band of music is a curiosity, as it is quite unlike anything
you ever saw. The king has a band after the European style, with a
French leader, and with instruments imported from London or Paris. It
plays very well, and can render some of the popular pieces that we are
familiar with just as well as any ordinary band in New York or London.
When we were passing the palace the other day we heard them playing a
selection from Faust, and another from the 'Grande Duchesse;' and one
evening we heard the Siamese national hymn, which is a very pretty
composition, and worthy of a place among the national airs of Europe.
But the native music is quite another thing.
"The performers sit down to their work instead of standing up, and they
do not sit on chairs, but on the floor. The only band of the kind I have
yet seen consisted of five performers, all women--one of them having a
sort of guitar, another a violin, another a drum played with the fingers
of one hand, another with a row of bamboo sticks that were struck with a
small hammer, and the last of the five had a row of metal cups that were
played like the bamboo sticks. There is a good deal of variety to the
music in some ways, and very little in others; it seemed to be capable
of considerable modulation in time and tune; and while at times it was
loud and harsh, at others it became low and plaintive. Whether they have
any regular tunes or not I am unable to say; they seemed to start off on
a measure, and then repeat it over and over again for twenty or thirty
minutes. Perhaps they would keep it up for a week or two if the weather
was not too warm for continuing one's exertions for that length of time.
They didn't seem to keep very closely together, and probably there was
no occasion for them to do so, as the tune is of such a nature that each
player can do pretty much what he likes.
[Illustration: A SIAMESE THEATRICAL PERFORMANCE.]
"These lakon girls are the performers in the theatres of Bangkok, or
rather at the private theatricals that are given at the houses of the
nobles and high officials. These affairs are generally given in a garden
or court-yard, where carpets are spread under the trees that grow there.
The dialogue is accompanied by music of the kind I have described, and
sometimes they have drums like small barrels suspended on triangles or
propped up on little frames. The performances are usually historical,
but not always so, as the Siamese drama abounds in love-plays, which are
taken from their literature. In the historic plays the costumes are
frequently very hideous, though richly gilded and decorated; they have
very little scenery or stage settings, and I think that a first-class
theatre of New York or Paris would astonish them greatly. When not
occupied on the stage, the performers stand or sit around the wings, and
the audience is supposed not to see them.
"The voices of the singers are very sweet; and Doctor Bronson says that
some of them only need careful training to make excellent performers.
They are said to be much more musical than the Chinese or the Japanese,
and much quicker to catch foreign music when it is taught to them.
"If you expect that women occupy in Siam the same position that they do
in America, you will be disappointed. Their condition has been greatly
improved by the king since he ascended the throne, and he is evidently
determined to overcome the prejudices of his people as rapidly as he can
do so. He is the first ruler of Siam who has ever given his arm to
escort a lady to the dinner-table after the European manner, and the
first lady to receive this honor was the wife of an American admiral.
"The country has never been ruled by a woman, and women have never held
a high place in the royal councils. Polygamy is customary in Siam; and
the king has a harem, just as the Sultan of Turkey has one. He has one
chief wife, or queen-consort, and is said to have about two hundred
other wives; but nobody knows exactly how many there are--at least
nobody outside the palace. Like all other monarchs with a harem, he has
his favorites; and when one of his wives manages to attract his
attention and secure his preference, she is very speedily the envy of
the others. Probably human nature is the same the world over, and the
history of royal and imperial harems everywhere is not greatly varied.
"Among the common people a man may have several wives if he chooses, and
can afford the expense, but ordinarily he has only one. Where he has
more than one, the first wife is the head of the household, and her
authority is generally undisputed, though they sometimes have domestic
quarrels, like people in other countries. Marriages are commonly
arranged between youths of eighteen and girls of fourteen, and not
infrequently at earlier ages. The ceremony consists of a feast such as
the parties can afford; and though priests are not considered necessary,
they are generally present to offer prayers. Among the poorer classes
there is more approach to equality between husband and wife than with
the rich; fashionable society does not permit the wife to eat with the
husband, and she is regarded more as a servant than a companion; but the
Siamese husbands are said to be much more kind to their wives than the
Chinese, and to treat them with more respect.
"A great many wives, both among the nobles and the common people, are
bought as slaves, and I am told that probably a quarter of the
population is held in slavery. Men sell their wives, children, sisters,
brothers, and even themselves; and in times past great numbers of slaves
were held that had been captured in wars with neighboring countries.
Slaves are not dear in Siam, compared with the prices that were paid in
America before the emancipation of the negroes; a child may be bought
for a small sum; and when a man wants to purchase a wife, he expects to
get her for not more than eighty or a hundred dollars. Much of the
slavery in Siam is the result of gambling; and it is not unusual for a
man to gamble away his family, his clothes, and then himself, in a
single day or evening.
"While we are considering this subject of slavery, I will make an
extract or two from the laws of Siam concerning the treatment of persons
in bondage:
"'If the inhabitants in embarrassed circumstances sell temporarily their
children, wives, grandchildren, brothers, sisters, relatives, and
slaves, males or females, to serve the purchaser, and the slaves be
overtaken with a calamity, let the money-master inform the seller that
he may come and take care of him at the money-master's house. If the
money-master take no care of him, and the slave dies, said money-master
cannot claim any refund from the seller, because he abandoned the sick
slave. His death must be the loss of the money-master, because he
neglected a subject of the State.
"'If persons pecuniarily or otherwise embarrassed sell temporarily their
children, nephews, nieces, or grandchildren to a purchaser, to be used
by him in lieu of interest, and the purchaser or master has business or
trouble, and takes his slave to accompany him, and thieves or murderers
cut, stab, and kill, or tigers, crocodiles, or other animals kill and
devour the slave, the law declares, being the slave of the purchaser who
took him with him, the purchaser is entitled to no refund from the
seller, because the slave accompanied his master.'
"I have copied this from an English translation of the Siamese laws, and
suppose it is correct. I am told that the slavery of Siam is not like
what we had in the United States, as the slaves are of the same class
and color as their owners, and there is not much difference between a
poor free man and a slave. Both of them must work for their living; and
I am told it sometimes happens that a man will deliberately sell
himself, so as to have a master who will give him steady employment and
feed him properly. The king has done a good deal towards improving the
condition of slaves, and on every festival occasion those who have been
a certain number of years in bondage are declared free. It is a common
thing for men to pledge themselves and their families or relatives as
security for money loaned or to pay interest, and when the debt is
discharged they are free. The two sentences I have quoted from the
Siamese laws relate to this kind of temporary slavery. It very often
happens, when a man has thus pledged himself and family for a short
time, and is confident that he will soon be free, his hopes are not
realized, and he remains a slave for years and years--perhaps for his
whole life. His relatives remain in bondage with him, and their
happiness or misery depends very much upon whether they have a kind
master or a cruel one.
"For persons who are not held as slaves, divorce is very easy in Siam.
The laws are not very strict; and if they simply desert each other,
there is generally an end of their marriage. I have been told of a funny
sort of divorce among the lower classes, but cannot say if it be true.
When a couple have determined to separate, they sit down on the floor in
the middle of their house, and each lights a candle. They sit there in
silence while the candles burn slowly down, and the property that they
owned in common will all belong to the one whose candle lasts the
longest. The one whose light goes out first is only entitled to the
clothes he or she may have on at the time--which is not much anyway.
"What a lot of patent candles we should have if the same custom
prevailed in America! Ingenious men would puzzle their brains to invent
candles that would burn longer than any others; and we might expect to
see any morning the advertisement of 'The Patent Inexhaustible Candle
that will neither burn nor be blown out!' And somebody would devise a
system of making a secret connection between the candle and a gas-pipe,
so that the supply of combustible material would never be exhausted. The
lawyers would not like this mode of settling matrimonial difficulties,
and there is no probability that such a law will ever be made.
"To go into mourning, the people shave their heads; and when the king
dies, the top-knots are removed from the heads of all his male subjects
from one end of Siam to the other. The only exception to the rule is in
the case of princes who are older than the king; and sometimes this
exception gives rise to lively disputes concerning the princely age."