New-York tribune., 1920-06-27
e King of Siam Is Looking for an American Wife
Ruler Of Ancient Country Refuses
to Follow Pecedent and
Maintain Harem
d. Frederick Dean. M. A.

FEW days ago there was
announced in the tele-
~ graphic news of The Trib-
i une the fact that on June
l, bis royal highness Chao Fa
',r,,.krabongs Phivanarth, Prince
s;tsanulok, the heir presumptive to
:, s;an,ese throne, died In Singa-
.,,s Of pneumonia. Letters from the
,.nsse Legation in Washington
Lied that the prince had been suf-
ring from influenza and was on his
az to Singapore for a change of
!, when septic pneumonia was dis
srered, and that soon after arriving
S;neapore-and very unexpect-
|,,lr-the prince grew worse and
| I'D. The prince was a brother of
:, king. who is a bachelor-the
1T bachelor king Of Siam in twen-
,sre hundred years. And thereby
| sangs tale.
] Siam Is at the other end of the
,,rld. 1t is a tiny little kingdom,
| |, unningly tucked away under the
! H.,e. Of greater China that the aver
(, J. elobe-trotter passes it by without
Il much as a backward glance. But
4. who does stop fingers, and, linger-
IN, Is lost in the lure Of the luxury
4, this diminutive Asiatio paradise.
|7m Siam Is the richest country Of
ID Size in the world, and those who
4sys lived there longest, claim that
s|ss the most fascinating.
] Bangkok the Capital
The capital Of the state, Bangkok,
n dtuated on the Menam Chao Phya
sths Royal Mother Of Waters"), a
1rssm that, rising up in the teak
1nests Of the North, cuts in twain
9sh the country and it's capital and,
sosdening it's banks, flows majes-
Italy past the fishing villages, past
aas paddy fields and empties into the
3wy disagreeable, very dangerous,
aGrf Of Siam.
1 Now, at the very mouth Of the
3Nsr and in the midst Of the stream
A,. tiny little island, with its golden
1agcda and its temple to Buddha-
i gorgeous homo for Bangkok's pa
5 -n saint-a temple with a roof
I'd in blues and green's, pinks and
srples, reds and yellows; temple
SFA huge teak doors set about with
Ether of pearl and silver; a temple
Iosed in a garden Of fragrant
Hsrs and cool paths. And here the
aVeler may rest as long as he shall
sase-a minute or q month-for
BIS is the first bit of hospitality Of
srei him by these most charming
s Asiatics.
The capital proper Is ten miles up
,sam, city Of nearly nine hundred
ssusand persons. It is called the
niee Of the East and it has more
rals than its namesake in the
tiatc. There is this difference,
waver, between the Venice of
aly and the Bangkok of Siam: In
'nics your gondolier, even while
1anng his passenger from the rail-
I'D station to his hotel, is likely to
ess his way In among tall palaces
narrow and dark canals; his boat
black; he himself Is often sullen
. taciturn. In Bangkok there is
3s hngle black boat; there are no
Rpalaces to hide the sunshine, and
F6s isn't pessimist in the entire
ngdom.
All Are Optimists
IAs Siamese are a soft-voiced,
ssure-loving people; the corners
heir mouths turn up-they are
au looking for something bet
And, once in the capital proper,
traveller loses all sense of ia
Hs. all desire for strenuousness
every kind, all longing for
nty-all these drop away from
q discarded mantle and he
ZEN into the scene and becomes
v oi the actors In the drama
saiiy takes part In the glittering,
"'iW panorama that envelops
huge boats, gilded from stem
sn and manned with men in
glide by noiselessly; far ur
~ air silver bells are Ginning
ne pagoda towers; the color
as that was left behind at the
4a o. the river Is copied in the
= and the dwellings, Of the
re. Here comes a procession