, 1910-12-17
Ian
Outlook, 5th Noo }

ONNSOOby wv 4'OC
Last week there passed away Ckulalong-
korn, King of Siam. He was not a we'll
known monarch, because Siam is not O we'll
known country. Yet he did a great deal for
his country during his long reign of forty
two years, O reign exceeded among living
rulers only by those of Austria-Hungary, Ru-
mania, Greece and Japan. When the Klng
came to the throne, Siam was not q half
civilized State but during the four decades it
may be said to have become more than half
civilized.The executive power, once exercised
by the King only, is now exercised by him
under the advisement of q Cabinet consisting
of the heads of the various departments of
the Government, and also by a Legislative
Council Of forty members, composed of the
Ministers of State and others appointed by
the Crown. The introduction of many
American and European ideas into the Gov
eminent has been due to the astuteness Of
the monarch in calling to his counsel an
American General Adviser, q British Judicial
Adviser. q French Legislative Adviser, and q
Japanese Legal Adviser. The work of these
agents has been specially noted in the pro-
gress made in the administration Of Justice
in the native courts and in the InternatiOnal
Court, which tries suits of foreigners against
natives, IN the completion of "a penal code,
and in the progress made in the framing OF
other codes. A transformation has also taken
place in the police force under the superin-
tendence of English police officers loaned by
the Government Of India. The financial
position of the country has become very
favourable, the expenditures being less than
the revenue, which is steadily increasing.
Most notable of all improvements, however,
WAS the Kings decree, ten years ago, liber-
ating the slaves. The oppressive system of
forced labor has now been mitigated by the
substitution of q police tax. The CONNER
ciRl position of Siam has also become notable.
It's chief produce and the staple article of its
export is rice. Next in Importance comes
%teakwoOd, the cutting of which IS a great
industry all upper Siam consists of dense
forests. The accounts of the country written
by those who saw it a quarter of n century
ago must now be modified, for railways and
tramways, telegraphs and telephones, have
been introduced, and Siam is an example to
many other more civilized nations by reason
of the introduction of a parcels post service.
ThOugh!the .country's area is no longer as vast
as it once was, by reason Of the aggressions
of France from Anam on the east and of
Great Britain from Burma on the west, the
area is still very considerable, amounting to
about two hundred thousand square miles
halfway between the areas of California and
Texas-in which nearly seven million people
find q more or less easy livelihood, one which
COMFORTS well with their traditional light
heartedDess and gayety. Americans have a
special interest in the Siamese, not only be-
cause the late Edward Henry Strobel was fo~'
many years the trusted General Adviser for
the Siamese King, but also because of ..the
gratifying progress made by our religious
missions in the country. The Presbyterian
missions, lin particular, have been 81 strAg
that the lame of their college at Chiengmai
was, at the Crown Princes suggestion,
changed to the Prince Royal College. Both
the King and his son have been liberal con-
tributors ito these institutions. The son,
Prince Chowfa Maha Vajiravudh, is now
King. 1t is believed that he will prove his
fathers worthy successor.