, 1885-01-30
sIAMEsE BEAUTIES.
A COUNTRY WHERE WOMEN EXCEL
THE MEN IN sHREWpNEss.


Uorciam Letterl
The SIamsse consider themselves to be a
handsome race, and in their opinion their
women are more beautiful than those OF any
other country. La Loubsre, a French writer,
says that DO once exhibited TO tho Siasuese
tho por traits Of somo celebrated beauties Of
the court OF Louis XIV. and was compelled
To acknowledge that they excited no admin
tinn whatever. A large Wrench doll, how
over, which he presented TO one OF the
princes. was pronounced a model Of physical
perfection. and he wns assured that a woman
OF such a form and with such exquisite
features would command a high price In the
royal city.
The native women OF Siam arc certainly
remarkably handsome, and though some
what diminutive. they are naturally grace
full in their movements, and excel the men
in Intelligence and shrewdnesx They are
cashiers in almost every native establish
ment, and are considered TO be safer guard
ians OF the money-box than the propristors.
or even their own husbands, to whom they
dole out the copper OTIS or silver fuangs with
frequent precautions and admonitions. Al
though, in accordance with eastern ideas,
they are regarded as inferior to men in every
respect, there are few countries where they
20 thoroughly Demonstrate and maintain
their equality as they do in Siam. In every
WtlA-RANAhAAU ann RtoHoNAl ~t3A4 AIloA .
ness house they are acknowledged TO be in
dispensible. and nearly all the mnltitudinous
native hongs and retail establishments at
Bangkok, as well as those in the remote prov
inces OF the realm, are either owned or man.
aged by them.
They seem TO possss a genius for trade,
and are marvelously successful In all kinds
Of mercantile pursuits. As saleswomsn IN
the native shops they are precise and per-
sistent in making a bargain, and always win
their customers by a genial crnftiness that IS
too fascinating TO resist and an unaffected
plausibility that disarms suspicion. The
Chinese merchants who settle In Siam and
engage in trade have a keen appreciation OF
these qualities, and select Siamese women
for their wives in preference to those Of their
own race, who are seldom capable Of be-
coming anything but toys and msnials.
Thus, wiz the Eurasians on the one hand
and the Siamo- Chinese on the other. that
section OF the far east Is being gradually
peopled by new-formed races in which only
a few distinguishing traces Of the ancestral
types viii ultimately be found.
Siainese women are also important factors
in the body polite. In the state, as we'll as
In the household, she performs a part which
commands the respect OF even those who pre-
lend to despisa her sex. In the palace her
will Is "the power behind the throne greater
than the throne ITSELF Her majesty, the
queen consort, though Unprecedented as the
royal spouse, Is, nevertheless, practically
supreme In influence, " not in authority.
She d less beautiful than some of the inmates
Of the royal mansion, but more noted for her
ability aud intelligence than any Of the
women that surround the court. The young
king has been devotedly attached to hsr
from his boyhood, and denies her nothing
that his generous nature can bestow TO COM
plete her happiness.
II Is even asserted that he would abolish
the time-honored custom nf the country by
casting aside his other wives IL she demanded
10 She is his constant acompanion at home.
and always accompanies him on every
journey, and, l was informed by a mission.
airy Indy who ha. been a frequent visitor at
the palace for many years, that in tho
Affairs OF state he ROLES NOR upon her
judgment than upon the service OF the mem.
bers Of the privy council. VIII are presumed
TO DO skilled In ths subtle art OF diplomacy
and statecraft Besides being amlable, in
t~elligent, frugal, and Industrious, she is
gifted with good sense and endowed with
other admirable virtues. When Mira Grant
was presented to her in the private audience
chamber Of the royal palace she conducted
herself with n simplicity and dignity OF
manner that could not have been surpassed
II she had been a we'll trained scholar in thu
school Of etiquette.