Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1889-10-17

dufdHtdSo VI the 1ealOu6l6S auu uoCA-
biting of the foreign representatives
and do nothing and if there Is chance,
benefit themselves. They are cunning
enough to pit one minister against an
other. This human nature in as all is
after ali great curse! none of these
different representatives care how the
country gets along unless sC:ne of their
countrymen reap the benefit. It can
be seen in China and Japan every day.
However, L am pleased to say Japan
is going ahead so much Though she is
long way from European ideasl she
will soon be able to punish all offenses
committed against her laws by her own
judges and magistrates and 1 think in
a more just way than it is done at pres
ent, viz: two or three persons for the
same offense- different nationalities-
tried by different men-all different
sentences.
If the different foreign representa-
tives could only be persuaded to take
united action things would be different
in most countries, especially where the
representative has to judge his own
countrymen. However, that is only a
poor shellback's opinion which is not
worth thinking Of. If Siamese gets
rich some crime is brought against him
he is beheaded and his riches for
feited to the king, unless he can have
his money deposited with some of the
foreign cOnsuls or is cute enough to get
some foreigner to have a mortgage on
his property.
lneyer was so much amongst the
aristOcrdcy before as when in Bangkok
where the court is truly oriental and
one foreigner who draws pay from the
court IS put against the other to find
out their little weaknesses, as the ma
tives being more or less dishonest
themselves expect the foreigners to be
the same. The intrigues of the court
puts one in mind of what they have
read of in ancient history.
The king is truly autocratic and
what he says is law. All the taxes col
lected are brought to the palace and he
does what he likes with them. Great
numbers of Siamese are sent to Eng
land and elsewhere to be educated,
which must do a good deal of good for
the country, by and by. Nearly all
sent to be educated are at the kings
or governments expense, and when
they arrive home again put on lot of
airs and look with disdain on most
white foreigners who return it. Yet
when i'll England they would be made
a good deal of. 1t puts one in mind of
the celebrated Dave Carson's song,
The He lthen Baboo," who when in
England was treated as good fellow
by The white people, but when he
arrived again III India, was by the
white man kicked and told TO go to
-. You will be able 10 judge of the
different treatment when abroad and
at home. Most of the Siamese are
a small race about Eve feet five inches,
though one often sees people larger.
Mr.. Editor, have spun out my story
ratli1 longer than l intended. More
especially, aS am not used to writing
articles and trust il will be Cf little in
terest to your readers; if not interest
ing, no doubt there are many writers
who have written much more interest
ing narratives. The best time for a
tourist to start on his voyage which he
could make in Six months, more or less,
would be in the months of October or
November, commonly called the cool
season. If this is found of interest l
may sometime tell of trip from China
down to Australia by the Barrier reefs
and to New Zealand, returning same
way, which | took recently.
WIN. WAXING.
THE END.