Polk County news. [volume] (Benton, Tenn.) 191?-1983, 1920-08-12

T\ HE recent death of his royal high
ness, Chao Fa Chrakrabongs Phiva
narth Prince Phitsanulok, the hei
presumptive to the Siamese throne
directs attention to the fact tina
n9<GI& King Rama VI is the first bachelo
%EZE5&N king of Siam in $500 years. And
W. 'II}N what is more, it is international
WI FHg diplomatic gossip that he is waiting
SIA lX1 to win American woman to share
XS1H&ASX his throne One reason may be thai
NdEESRR King Rama has American
@SD Wy beauties in twenty states of the
Union.
Rama VI known to his own people as Semdet
Phra Paramndr Maha Vajiravudh Mongkut Krao
Somdet Phra Rama Thlbodi VI, is one of the most
interesting monarch, writes Frederick Dean NJ.
A., in the New York Tribune. The first bachelor
that ever sat upon the Siamese throne, he is said
to be waiting for American girl to share his
throne. The kings grandfather, Maha Mongkut,
used to say that he desired-and had-a member
- of every family of note in his kingdom in MS
"household" No outsider ever knew just how
many wives he did have His son. Maha Chula
longkorn the father of the present king, had three
wives on the day before he made crown
prince. On that day he married ninety-seven
to make up the complement of one hundred,
which the proper number of wives for the
crown prince to have. When he ded-ten years
ago-he had between 1000 and 5000 When his
son, the then prince returned from his long
stay in Europe-he had spent a third of his life
in England, France, Germany and Russia, and had
made frequent visits to Belgium, Italy and Spain,
Norway, Sweden and the Netherlands-his father
presented him with n collection of Siamese
beauties saying:
'NIy son, here are something hundred
of the beauties of the court for you start light
housekeeping with, and to these you may add as
you see fit"
But the young prince, much to the discomfort
of his royal father told the monarch that he would
have none of this wholesale marriage business,
and added that when he was ready he would marry
zone wife and she shall be the queen of my heart
as well the queen of my realm" His father
took the decision Of his son very much to heart
and some have gone so far as to say that his boys
stubborn adherence to his word helped to end his
royal fathers life. When his majesty Maha
Vajiravudh-known thereafter as Rama VI
came to the throne there was no queen and
heir, crown prince, or, they say in Siam,
heir presumptve had to be chosen, and the
lot naturally fell to the late Prince Phitsanulck,
who was a brother of the king by the same
mother
Siam is a poygamous country According TO
Siamese law man may have as many wives as
he can support The households of royalty ran
into almost countless numbers. Old King Mong-
kut the grandfather of the present monarch, used
to say
81 like large families have eighty-six
children"
The present king has something like twenty
halfbrothers and any quantity of halfsisters. In
doing away with the royal harem his majesty
struck a blow Mt of the Oldest and most funda-
mental customs of the country. And If he
chooses to step out of the beaten track and marry
a foreigner he will be carrying out but one more
of his unexpected reforms, for which he has been
noted ever since he came to the throne.
Rama VI Is remarkable man in many re-
spects At the age of twelve he sent to
England where he fitted into the foreign school
regime in less than six months. He played foot
bali at Rugby, learned TO fence. ride and swim;
entered into tournaments of golf and tennis fired
and wrote love lyrics. Later he went to Heidel-
berr where he crossed swords with the daredevils
and drank and sang his way into the hearts of his
fellow workers. Returning to England he entered
Christ college oxford, where ON graduation he
took the first prize away from seven of the brain
lost Of Britishers. and then went TO Paris, where
no wrote play that was produced at the Coincide
franchise he returned to Germany and wrote his
.,nss for his doctors degree In German, and
,fter visiting every court in Europe, returned
nome by way of America, where he stopped long
enough to pay the president an extended visit and