The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-04-07

have to have It pounded up Tor them IN
order that they may masticate it between
their toOthless gums, and have seen nc
more disgusting sight anywhere than one OF
these lean, wrinlzled, withered old hays
chewing away under her short, stiff, gray
hair and splitting out as it were blood in
puddles.
HANDSOME GIRLS.
The Siamese girls have beautiful eyes
and the plump, olive cheeks of maidenS of
fifteen would be very attra ctive were it not
for the betel. Their eyes are black, lus-
trous and full of soul They are friendly
set, too and they do not shrug their rosy
uncovered shoulders nor attempt to pull
down their ballet girl costume in the pres
ence of the men, Many of them are ped
dlers in this city of Canas, and they sit in
| these long, narrow canOe-like boats and
paddle along their wares from house to
house They seem to be the managers of
| the stores and these river shops of Bangkok
are out on the water and the maiden store
keeper squats down on the floor with her
goods all around her and with her betel
box and tobacco beside her. Her
husband is usually lying in the back
room or loatng. Her stock is
very small, and there is nothing for
the foreigner to buy. The wants of the
people are few. Siamese washing takes
neither soap nor starch, and vegetables and
people. When they want dainty, they
take little raw, rotten fish and mix it with
their curry, and the majority of them do
not know what meat is.
HOW THEY WASH.
The Siamese wash their clothes and their
bodies at the same time and this river
Menam is always full of bathers. The
girls step down into the water with this
yard-Wide strip around their waists and
rJll about like mermaids. The men battle
the same way, and they delight in taking
a vessel and filling it with water and stand
ing or sitting on the Wharves of their
houses and raising it high above their heads
and letting the cool stream pour over their
warm persons. After Il e. have had a bath
they stand a minute to let themselves dry, |
then slipping another cloth loosely about |
the waist over their wet garment, they let |
the other fall to the floor, wiring it out and |
dry 1t for second wearing. In the evening |
you see this bathing going on everywhere, |
and the play ground of the children of
Bangkok is in the river. So far | have
seen none with floats upon their backs such
rs l saw upon the river on children of
Canton.
THEY ARE VERY WATER RATS,
and even the smallest of them seem to be
able to take care of themselves. Children
Of the poorer classes under ten wear no
clothing, but nearly every baby and every
boy or girl has gold or silver iewelry upon
5 naked body. The most of the children
have anlllets and bracelets, as well as neck
aces of gold or silver, and the boys wear
around theirnaked wrists string of charms
Il silver and stones, while the girls have
simply string, to the center of which a
silver or gold heart, perhaps two inches in
liameter, hangs down forming miniature
ig-leaf apron, as it were. Of late the
children Of the better classes, those of the
princes and mobiles, have taken to wearing
bands of woven gold and silver about the
waist, and as patted the son of the gov
,rnOr of the city on the head yesterday,
noted that around his waist cloth of bright
sreen silk was buckled heavy silver belt
# woven links, at least an inch wide and of
he most beauti1u workmanship.
The children seem to be quite as happy,
however, as though they had pantaloons,
rest, underwear and Overcoats, and the
music of their voices is as sweet here on the
waters of the Menam, as it is anywhere.
IN their floating homes they have not more
han ten or fifteen square feet as play
,rOund, and many Of them have never been
IpOn the land.