The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1910-11-13
Tremendous Matrimonial Experiel
of the Late Hing of Siam Who
Has Left a Thousand Wild
ows and Children
OWS and Children

odd costume. consisting of a bodice
in European style. satin breeches.
tight white silk stockings and little
patent leather shoes with gold
buckles. This costume reveals a very
neat pair of underpinnings. Every
wife has two front teeth blackened.
The wives live all together in vast
barracks. Only those OF high rank
are. ever. permitted to go out of the
royal enclosure. Their greatest happi-
ness in life was a glimpse Of their
royal master. No wife was ever per
mitted to approach the king with
out banging her head on the ground.
A traveller from China has re-
Gently told US how the emperor of
China's narem is recruited and
managed. The governor Of every
province in the vast empire examines
the girls of every province and
sends 100 whom he considers the
most beautiful 10 the capital. Then
the palace officials select one out of
every batch 10 be added to the I'm
perial harem in the Forbidden City.
The wives are told that they must
never look at the emperor, who is the
Sun of Heaven. When so disposed he
walks along the corridor and looks
them over, but they have been warned
not to look up under pain Of death.
If one of them pleases his ma esty she
is taken to his apartments in the dark
The king of Slams harem is some
thing Ike this, although not so ex-
tensive.
The king of Slams wives were
mostly trained dancers. They per-
formed elaborate symbolical dances
representing ancient legends of the
history of the country They wore
quaint costumes, breeches and gold
headdresses. These performances
sometimes lasted for days, and took
the place of the drama of other
countries.
Very much as an American hus-
band might ask his wife TO play or
sing for him, the king of Siam
would ask a hundred of his wives
to dance for him. Thus he made
| them do something for their keep.
The king of Siam built a beautiful
! floating palace of glass. which he
/ kept on the lake in his grounds.
When the weather was very hot he
would take some portion of his
harem and sink with it in the float
ling palace to the bottom OF the lake
| There it was delightfully."- cool and
quiet
No one knows just how many
! children he had The number has
/ been placed as high as 1000. He sent
| eleven of them, all nearly of an age
/ to be educated in Europe, but they
were sons of wives Of high rank only
Nine JOmelii. distinguished
| French operate prima donna, who was
invited 10 visit the kings palace, re-
lates that she saw the house where
/ a, I aa hurled
"They were placed in little sealed
! cells. one above the other, just like Sc
many letter boxes, and upon each wa
the name and date of birth and dealt
4 of the infant. I counted one hundred
and ten little inches"
The king took care of all the wild
! ows of his predecessors, and thus j
/ will be understood why the haren
I numbered about five thousand persons
II On ''The Art Of Wife Managing, TIT
/ king OF Siam wrote several months be
fore his death as follows;
II Managing a wife! How funny ]
sounds! That, it seems. Is the grea
\ problem of the Europeans and Amer
1 leans. To me, and to my subjects,
is very little difficulty al all.
L can give some useful advice abou
l managing wife. for ! have had ex
perience with some six hundred, will
most Americans have had only one.
The very reason why you have s
much trouble is probably because vol
Il have only one wife Many of you hav
learned that large families of ehildrel
are best and happiest. Il is equal
Il true that large families of wives ar
best and happiest.
When you have only one wife yol
are likely to spoil her. You are lik
"A mother with only one child. Sh
keeps on -humoring it until she gets
sroiled She does nor permit il 10 &c