The daily morning journal and courier., 1897-07-06
 SIAM'S KING AND THE POPE.
An Interesting Meeting That Took
 Place Recently in the Vatican

l oCcupleu the throne TOT tWenly-nlIle
 years, coming to that dignity in his fif-
 teenth year From his early youth he
 was Instructed in the language and the
 ideas of the civilized world, as distin- guished from the notions prevailing in
 the land he was to rule, by an Ameri-
 can goVerness, Mrs Leonowens, and
 later in life by Captain John Bush.
 This early Introduction to the modes of
 western civilization created an endur-
 ing desire in him to become acquainted
 still more with European civilization
 and to see with his own eyes and for
 himself the civilization of the west.
 Old chroniclers tell us, says a recent
 Writer, that as far back as the Georgian
 epoch mission ftom the king of Siam
 in the East Indies was received at the Court of St. James, in London. The
 present ruler of Siam. however, has
 never until now Journeyed further
 westward than the city of Calcutta It
 is something more than natural desire to see the world that has brought him
 here, aud is bringing him to England
 which seems to be the goal of his jour-
 ney.
 That he should stay with King Hum- 1 bert was natural; that he should seek
 audience with the Pope was somewhat | surprising to those who ignored the I former relations of Siam with the Ro- | man pontiffs. In the sixteenth century the Catholic faith was preached In that ! kingdom by Jesuits, Dominicans and | Franciscans. Afterward 1t formed the | first care of the missionaries of the | Paris seminary. The founders of this I institution, Mgr. de la Mothe Lambert
 and Mgr, Pallu, received from the pro- 1 paganda the mission of establishing l themselves in the capital of the country | In the years 1862 and 1864, These men had certain amount of success in their
 labors. The first vicar apostolic was l sent to Siam in 1873. A revolution that l took place brought about immense suf- 1 ferings, and in 1772 a terrible persecu- | tion burst out and Christianity was all
 most trampled out In 1921 the propa- 1 ganda established new missions. which l have continued with more or less sue | cess till now when the number of l Catholics in the country is calculated at twenty-seven thousand The pres l ent king is large minded in his views, l and his tendencies are not opposed to l the civilization which accompanies the | spread of Christianity.
 1 It is said that in his hours of likeness and these must come even to so active
 a man as Chulalongkorn-h occupies l himself with European literature, and not only sees that books in the German
 and English languages are translated l into Siamese. but likewise exercises his | pen in furnishing royal version of the
 works he deems fitting for his people. I To find the King of Siam among the | list of royal authors" is quite sur
 prise, but nowadays kings are taking to | art and literature quite readily. The | emperor of Germany writes songs com | poses music, and paints historical and allegorical pictures; the ex-empress of | Germany has a facile pencil and | might make her bread in depicting | genre subjects; the king of Portugal l has furnished excellent versions in Por- 1 tuguese of several of Shakespeare's l plays a like task has been accom-
 pished for his people by King oscar of Sweden; Queen Margaret of Italy
 writes drawing-room plays and con- structs sonnets in an admirable man.
 ner Thus the king of Siam is but keeping abreast of hts royal and impe-
 rial colleagues.
 If the present ruler of Siam but takes
 after his father he will at least feel
 respect for the Pope The father, Mana
 Mongut, wrote in 1852 to Plus TX, giv- ing him the title of Prince of Heaven
 and Most Excellent Lord of the Grand | Crown" He said "I have not yet the | faith of Christ 1 am good follower of
 Buddhism, but I follow only the philos- ophy of this religion, which has been
 masked by so many absurd fables that
 rear 1t will soon disappear from this | world. Your holiness may be firmly persuaded that under my rule there will 1 be no prosecutions against Christians,
 that Roman Catholics will be protected
 ln special manner, and that they will
 never be employed in any superstitious ceremony contrary to their religion" l When, therefore, the king of Siam
 went this afternoon to the Vatican he 1 was received with royal honors. He and his suite first proceeded in King
 Humbert's grand carriage to the Grand
 Hotel There he entered a hired car
 riage, the members of his suite follow | ing his example, and proceeded to the
 Vatican. He was grandly dressed in | his military costume and wore all his decorations, prominent among them be- ing that of the White Elephant in dia- monds. In the great square in front of
 St. Peters Italian soldiers were drawn up. At the foot of the Scala Regia, or royal staircase of the Vatican, the king
 was met by Prince Ruspoli, master of | the Sacred Hospice, in his ceremonial
 costume. Then Mgr Sambucetti sec-
 retary of ceremonial; Mgr. Della Volpe,
 major domo; Mgr. Constantini, almo-
 ner, and marquises, counts and com- | mendatores of the Papal court in great numbers accompanied the royal visitors and their suite toward the Pope's | apartments.
 It is needless to dwell on all the forms ! and ceremonies, so pretty and sugges- | tive as they are, which are bestowed on | such distinguished visitors. At the en- trance of the private apartments Of Leo XIII. the Pope in his white son. | tame, with white silk sash, appeared, | and came forward to welcome the king | of Siam. The king, holding his helmet ! in his left hand, knelt down with the princes of his family and kissed the Pope's hand. After the first compli- | ments were paid the king offered the | Pope the gift of magnificent jardiniere an original and artistic Siamese work | in very fine gold, with setting of ena- mels. It had been sent up to the Vati- | layF EfO FIz-a .I, 1rt tl