Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-07-26

the pioneers of the present government
landed at Bangkok and there established an
abiding place within easy reach of the roll
ing ocean. The sweat of strife soon gave
place to an oriental love of ease. and the
heat of the humid lowlands soon Slapped
the martial vigor of a race that, alone of
all its ancient rivals, has survived in ma
tional independence. An inglorious indo-
lence was soon born with the dreamy boom
of the distant bar. Leisure loving took the
place of energy, and right willingly the
Siamese threw the burden of thrift upon
the willing shoulders of the crowding thou
sands of Cinnamon that sought the bounty
of so rich a field. Official life lapsed into
all that is part of oriental luxury. Dignity
without a salary waXed potent by virtue Of
the eastern squeeze.
Double-dealing became national evil in
an official sense and was sanctioned so long
as the proper revenues reached the throne.
To retrench. the victim of overtaXation
sought the gambling Gens countenanced by
the government, and, again to recover stole
openly and pledged his ill-gotten booty in
the wickedly numerous licensed pawn
shops. Court life-no matter how good the
purpose Of the ruler-was one seething pot
of plot and counterpart, of intrigue and
antagonism, of sworn fealty and faithful
ness of trust and abuse, of deceit in all Its
cloaks and all its nakedness. Such was the
heritage of the present king. Chulalong-
korn, when he assembled the throne in 1865,
and acquired with his new power all of the
handcaps placed upon him by custom,
that age-long bugaboo of the orient To
help him administer his office, custom had
given him a cabinet of ministers composed
mostly Of half brothers-none too few of
them only too enyious Of his right OF birth.
Legislative opposition was more frequently
a matter of personal spite than objection TO
the merits of the case. King Chulalong-
korn. Slams savior, was too sbrewd man
not to see the need of earnest reforms. The
governors of provinces were stripped OF
much of the feudal powers, unsatisfied liti-
giants were heard anew, unsettled claims
were adjusted and thousands of prisoners
langushing untried in iails were promptly
brought to bar, and guilty judges made to
serve their own terms of imprisonment At
once a new hope was born in the hearts of
the natives and the king became at once
something more than an object of heredi-
tary resard-he loved his people and had
shown it to their understanding. Ali OF
this was not plain sailing by a good deal,
and no small share of the correction of old
evils was due to the aid of capable foreign
eTS.
What She Has Lost
Geographically, Slam has suffered The
British have made encroa chments from
Burmah only as recently as 1884, while
France, through the Vaccinations of her
colonial party, brought things to hostile
climax in 1898. when she forced the Menam
with three warships under the flimsy pre-
text of protecting her subjects-just three
in number-in Bangkok at the time. II was
only ruse to cover a rnonstrous trespass
from AMMAN and the forceful annexation of
q goodly slice of Siamese territory. How
far France might have gone in support of
the colonial partys avowed purpose to have
the country down even to Bangkok Is not
known. but Great Britain called a halt. and
the Angio-French treaty of 1896 settled the
question for a whiie-at the same time
showing up the misunderstanding spirit and
real intent of French consular officers in
Siam. Since then, the king. quite naturally,
has looked with espe cial kindliness to Eng
land. and, since then he has practically
tration.
Foreign advisers, mostly from the non
aggressive countries of Europe. havT nsiasd
him In his work, and uiuch-needed MEAS