________________
202
MODERN BUDDHISM.
laid with mother-of-pearl figures illustrating stories of Buddha's life. The floor is of tesselated marble. Another great temple, the “Wat Chang," or Elephant Temple, has a lofty spire with external decoration in remarkable patterns which at a distance look like mosaics of precious stones, but are in truth nothing but a mixture of broken glass, crockery, and shells. A representation of the threeheaded elephant is prominently placed on each of the four façades of this temple.
Cremation is the usual mode of disposing of the dead. Priests pray day and night in the house until the body
... is removed to the temple-grounds. The interval Cremation. between death and burial varies according to the rank and wealth of the family; it may even be protracted for months, during which the prayers go on continuously, the coffin being covered with flowers. But the devouring of bodies by vultures and dogs is not at all uncommon.
The Laos believe that children are the offspring of the spirits; and when newly born, they are placed on the Newborn top of the ladder leading to the house, and
children. the spirits are called to take away the child at once or not to molest it afterwards. Various offerings to the spirits are made; and on the second day the child is considered out of their power, and is nominally sold to some relative for a trifle, it being supposed that the spirits would not take what has been thus sold.
The Siamese as a rule have but one wife. The Buddhist priests are called in to the marriage ceremony, read an extract from their scriptures, and pray for a blessing on the pair, who are then sprinkled with holy water. After further prayers and feasting the marriage is complete.
It is significant of possibilities of Buddhist revival, that in Siam in recent years free Buddhist churches have
Reformed arisen, rejecting the miraculous and mythical sects in Siam. elements, and recurring to the pure moral teachings of the founder. The late king gave a powerful support to these churches and their efforts. His foreign minister, Chao Phya Phraklang, wrote " a book explain
