Arizona republican., 1922-02-21
GOV. HUNT HOME
AND GLAD To GET
BACK To ARIZONA
Former Minister To Siam
Returns Laden With
Souvenirs OF That Far
Away And Interesting
Land

souvenirs VI mat Far
Away And Interesting
Land
Il am certainly glad to get back
to the best part of the greatest coun-
| try in the world" was the enthu-
siastic comment made by former
Gov. c. w. p. Hunt who returned to
his home here yesterday from Siam,
where he served as minister from
the United States. BY arriving on
the Santa Fe train he disappointed
a delegation of warm friends who
had gathered at the Southern Pacific
station to greet his return. But at
his home on East Mcdowell road the
ex- governor entertained many callers
informally throughout the day.
Not since leaving Egypt last No
vember, the former minister de-
clared, had he enjoyed any real sun
shine until the westbound train
hcmeward had carried him well into
western Kansas.
1T was storming In Constantinople
when / arrived there and continued
to be disagreeable most OF the time
was in Greece" he said. "Snow
greeted me in Rome and / don't be-
lieve the sun ever ventures out more
than a few minutes at a time in Eng
land. l certainly appreciate more
than ever the brand of sunshine with
which Arizona is blessed"
Banqueted by King
Although intending to leave Siam
the first of last October the former
governor delayed his departure few
days at the command of the king,
who gave banquet in honor Of the
plenipotentiaIy. At this social func-
ton he escorted the promised bride
of the king into the banquet room
Into the rooms of his beautiful
home here Governor Hunt has
brought together the Orient and the
Occident in a. maze of relics, curios,
brica- brac, works of art and master
craftsmanship. AT the front door
hangs a Chinese gong, modestly sug-
gestive of the collection from many
hooks and corners of the world which
has been artistically arranged at ev-
cry turn in every room in the house.
This is only a small part" ex-
planned the host to visitors last night
as he showed a bundle of swords. ele-
phant prods, bronze bells, bowls of
hammered silver, hand painted and
marvelouslX scrolled screens, ebony,
silver, bronze and ivory elephants,
the scroll used by a Buddhist priest
and many other interesting souvenirs
from foreign lands. THE greater
part OF my collection remains un-
packed.
Gift From Kings Cousin
Throughout his travels homeward
Governor Hunt carried as a cane a
beautifully carved and mounted ele-
phant prod which had been presented
to him by a cousin of the king of
SIAM
SLAMS chief claim for interest from
the entire world today, in the opinion
of Governor Hunt, lies in its produc-
tion of oil from Chalmoogra trees,
which is now being used to cure lep-
rosy. Experiments with this oil
proved so successful when intro
duced into a colony of lepers on a
Siamese island that the development
OF the trees has been started on an
extensive scale in southern Florida,
Porto Rico and Hawaii.
MANY cases OF leprosy have been
cured when this oil was used during
the early stages OF the disease Mr..
Hunt said. in detailing the work be-
ing done with the curative he inter-
polated an interesting sketch OF the
originated on the island
At one time the island was fairly
well populated by natives, but a
rogue elephant finally took complete
possession. A rogue elephant is an
outlaw, cast out by his own herd and
refused admittance to any other He
is vicious and man killer. For more
than a year the rogue elephant held
lone possession of the island. Then
special permission was obtained from
the king to kill the outlaw. His
death left the island uninhabited and
the conditions were considered timely
for the carrying out Of a previously
contemplated plan to form a lepers
colony. The experimental work and
favorable results now being obtained
there are attracting the attention of
the world today
Lauds American Missionaries
Almost all credit for the inter-
course which Siam now enjoys with
the outside world and the steady de-
velopment of the country along civil
lized lines belongs to American mis-
sionaries, the recent minister de-
clared.
"All missionaries in Siam are
Americans" he said. "They began
their wonderful work in that country
ABOUT 0U years ago ana nave Deen
responsible for the establishment of
schools hospitals and other public
institutions Of similar nature"
One example of their work is in
the development Of schools for girls
and women. Governor Hunt ex-
planned that Buddhists do not believe
in educating women and that the
proposal by Christian missionaries to
establish schools and colleges for
them was gree4ed with derision sew
eral years ago. Today these schools
are proving very successful and are
big factor in advancing the country
Bertha Blount, whose father was
formerly principal of Phoenix city
schools, is now the head of the
largest girls school in Bankok and is
realizing considerable success from
her efforts.
Conditions in Austria and Germany
were viyidly described by Governor
Hunt through personal experiences.
In Vienna ne found a terrible con-
trast of poverty and luxury. For a
$40 United States bank draft he re-
ceived 103.S00 kronen, much of which
he gave out to the hundreds Of beg
gars who thronged the streets.
Poverty in Austria
"They are so very pitiful it was al
most impossible to pass them by
when few of my many thousand
kronen meant a great deal to them"
he commented. II never before real