Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-12-04
The Inside OF Siam.

AN EX.GOvERNESS SHOWS UP THE COURT AND
ITS wICKEDNEss.
From a Review In the Cincinnati Enquirer.
Mrs. Leon Owens, who was the governess Of
the young princes of Siam, published a sketch
of the prime minister of that country as fol-
lows "He was the actual ruler OF that semi
barbarous realm and the prime contriver of it's
arbitrary policy. Black, but comely robust
apd vigorous, neck short and thick, nose large
and nostrils wide, eyes inqufsitive and pene-
trating; his was the massive brain proper 10 an
founded in the best idioms of his native tongue.
he expressed strong and discriminative thought
In words at once accurate and abundant. His
his harem.
eve discover in the center of the hall a hong
line of girls with skins of olive, creatures who
in years and physical proportions are yet but
children, some twenty in number, with trans
parent draperies with golden girdles, their
arms and bosoms wholly nude and covered
with barbaric ornaments of gold. Their only
garments the lower skirt, floating in light folds
about their limbs, is one of very costly material
their fingers they wear long nails of gold, taper
ing sharply, like the claws of bird" She de-
scr1bed dance in this harem while the prime
minister sits stony and grim, his huge hands
resting on his knees in statuesque repose His
department to his female slaves was studiously
ungraciOuS and mean.
In the midst of Bangkok is a sort of sanctuary
Tor criminals, where Turk fugitives of every
class. Women disguised men, men in the
ness and crime of every enormity, at once the
most disgusting, the most appalling, and the
most unnatural the heart of man has conceved3
Most of the women who composed the harem
OF the king, who died in 1868, were of gentle
blood, the farest OF the daughters Of the Sia-
mese mobiles and princes of the adjacent trib,-
tary states. The queen consOrt was his own
haif-sister. Beside many choice Chinese and
INDIANS girls purchased annually for the royal
hafem by agents from Bangkok and Bengal,
enormous sums were offered year after year at
Bangkok and Singapore for an English woman
Oh beauty ana good parentage to crown the sem
sual collection. French women offered them
selves for the harem, but the king would not
accept them. Although religious ceremonies
Were held at this court, Mrs. Leon Owens saws:
The King OF Siam was more systematically
educated, and a more capacious devourer OF
books and news than perhaps any man of
equal rank In his time. In Unborn integrity and
steadfast principle he had faith whatever.
He sincerely believed that every man strove to
compass his own ends, and when sometimes
Ventured to disabuse his mind of his darling
scorn for motive and responsibility had the
1nortifcation 20 discover that had but helped
him to argument against myself. 1t was
simply my pecuniary interest to do So Money,
money, money. That could procure anything
The love of children was the constant and
hearty virtue of this forlorn despot. They APP
pealed to him by their beauty and their trust
fulness; they refreshed him with the bold III
nocence OF their ways. At 9oclock he retired
to his private apartments, whence issued i'm
med1ate1y peculiar domestic bulletins, in
which were named the women whose presence
he particularly desired in addition to those
whose turn 1t was to wait that night. His spies
penetrate into every family OF wealth and in
huence. Every citizen suspects and fears
always his neishoor, sometimes his wife
JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY SCHOLARSHIPS
BY a change ordered iastJune at theJohns Hop
kins University, ten university Scholarships
l for graduate students from any institutions
who have been studying u part ofthe session at
the university. The scholarships will be given
after examination OF the applicants. The ex-
amin alton will take place this month