Evening star., 1921-09-30
YANKEE CUSTOMS
PREVAIL IN SIAM
But Wild Men Still May Be
Found in Outlying
Portions.

ment of a paper plant from this
country to Bangkok for experiment
| with such raw materials as rice
| straw and native grasses. is more
| characteristic of Slams civilization
than the white elephants or little
boys smoking big cigars popularity
associated with that Asiatic king
dom, says a bulletin from the WASH
; ington headquarters of the National
Geographic Society. =.
Quaint and curious customs do
prevail in Siam. wild men still may
be found on the Burmese half of the
Malay peninsula, and in the northern
forests of Siam roam the tiger, leop-
ard, rhinoceros and tapir," continues
| the bulletin.
But in Bangkok electric lights IL
lumine streets traversed by trolley
cars, erstwhile elephant paths have
been converted into boulevards along
\ mobiles, and royal establishment
! which clings to the sacred elephant
employs a yacht for week end trips
| on the Menam river.
"BObbed Hair'' ~~d "Exnickers."
'In some superficial aspects 1t
would seem that Bangkok is several
laps ahead of ultra modern America
when worn by American women in
city streets, and bobbed hair is
frowned on in some of our conserva-
tive business and social circles. Yet
the Siamese woman wears the knee
length panung. as does her brother,
and for generations she has refused
to be bothered with long hair. She
has a freedom that has developed q
shrewdness and independence in con.
trast to most oriental women, though
she is apt to be uniettered.
THE spirit Of progress in Siam lies
much deeper than surface likenesses
or acceptance Of fads. No duress
compelled her sovereign to convert
tract formerly used for cremating
members of the royal family to a
playing. From this park in the Royal
Palace runs a boulevard with three
roadways, set apart by double rows of
trees and flanked by shaded foot
paths-an avenue which would do
credit to the plan of an American
city. Nor are Bangkok's many i'm
provements due to foreign promotion.
for there are fewer Europeans in
Slams capital than in almost any
other eastern city of its Importance.
Bangkok is a city Of half mil
lion inhabitants. the capital. metrop-
oils and port city of Siam. The king
dom has an area about equal to that
of Spain and a population of some
eight million.
They Pickle Their Tea.
1.-The high civilization of Bangkok
has a contrast in extreme primitive
conditions of other parts of the coun-
try. Curious customs abound. In
Upper Siam tea is picked for chew
ing instead of being used as bev-
erage. First the leaves are sun dried.
then they are steamed to rid them of
tannin. Next they are weighed down
for fermentation-a process suggest
i've of the German preparation of
sauerkraut. The substance thus
formed is placed in the mouth until
ance of the individuals with the balls
in their cheeks forms never ending
source of amusement for travellers.
THE capital of Upper Siam is
Chieng- Mai. famous for it's lacquer
ware and center of the teak tree
Water routes form virtually the only
lines of communication between the
upper and lower kingdom.
''In eastern Siam a plateau and a
plain support population which
must move from swamp lands in the
rainy season to higher elevations.
which are barren and stony, Hence
living conditions are most primitive.
"venice Of the East
Bangkok has been called the
Venice of the East The Menam
river is the great trading street Of
the city. Floating houses do a cash
and carry business through vim
dows opening toward the channel,
where pass the shoppers in almost
every conceivable sort of craft. These
range from great steamships to the
priests boats propelled by novitiates,
and from the immense rice boats, to
the canoes which carry the postmen.
Then there are the river-going cafe
terias.> serving residents of floating
houses. These. tod. are canoes. equip
ped with tiny stoves.
"Perhaps the most colorful river
scene is the water market, where
each tiny boat with its cargo of food
bears a little lamp. The market,
hours are from midnight until early
morning. And during that period the
market section of the river resembles
a fairyland with its myriad slimmer-
ing lights"