The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1920-08-13

HLVo CL<zZZ |">NN'~'
>HE recent death of his royal high
ness, Chao Fa Chrakrabongs PhlVa-
narth, Prince Phtsanulok the heir
presumptive to the Siamese throne
directs attention to the fact that
1.NSN King Rama VI is the first bacheior
AlLlSsNO king of Siam in $500 years. Anu
NIp WV what is more, it is International
wv NS diplomatic gossip that he is waiting
NN GEi to win American woman TO snare
XS5ENHN his throne. One reason may De that
Y M1SSSA King Rama has seen American
S\U Wy beauties in twenty states OF the
Union.
Rama vi. known to his own people as Semdet
Phra Paramindr Maha Vajravudh Mongkut hrao
Somdet Phra Rama Thibodi W. is one of the most
interesting monarch, writes Frederick Dean M.
A. in the New York Tribune. The first bachelor
that sat upon the Siamese throne he Is saio
to be waiting for an American girl to share his
throne. The kings grandfather, Maha Mongkut-
used to say that he desred-and hadr-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 ne was made crown
prince. On that day he married ninety-seven
more to make up the complement of one hundred,
which the proper number of wives Tor the
crown prince to have. When he died-ten years
ago-he had between 1000 and 5000. When his
son. the then crown prince, returned from his long
stay in Europe-he had spent third of his life
made frequent visits to Belgium. Italy and Spain,
Norway, Sweden and the Netherlands-his father
presented him with n collection OF Siamese
beauties, saying:
my son. here something hundred
of the beauties of the court for you to 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 ready he would marry
zone wife, and she shall be the queen of my heart
well as 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
no heir a crown prince or, as they say in Siam.
an heir presumptive had to be chosen. and the
lot naturally fell to the late Prince Phisanulck,
who was brother of the king by the same
mother.
Siam is polygamous country. According to
Siamese law a may have 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:
children"
The present king has something like twenty
alf-brothers and any quantity of halfsisters. In
doing away with the royal harem his majesty
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 was sent to
England where he fitted into the foreign school
regime in less than six months. He played foot
hall at Rugby learned to fence ride and swim ;
entered into of golf and tennis, 1irted
and wrote love lyrics. Later he went to Heide-
berg where he crossed swords with the daredev'ls
and drank and sang his way into the hearts or MS
so,,ou, workers Returning to England he entered
Christ college Oxford. where on graduation ne
took the first prize away from seven of the brain
lest of Britshers and then went to Paris. where
be wrote play that was produced at the Comed1e
u-,ncotse- he returned to Germany and wrote his
thesis for his doctors degree In German, and
aster visiting every court in Europe, returned
nome by way of America where ne stopped long
anonpb 10 pay the president an extended visit and