Evening star., 1924-05-18
Siamese Envoy Covers
Longest Distance of
Any Diplomat in u. S.
1900 Miles From Bangkok
and Women Folks Seldom
Make Journey-Wife Pre-
pairing for Trip.

Forty Independent nations send en-
Voys to the American Capital. but
the one who comes from Siam makes
the longest journey from his capitaI
10 this. If the journey is by the
eastern route through the Suez canal,
IL Is 1900 miles and requires more
than seven weeks If the traveller is
In luck and makes close connections
at every point. If it is by the
western oceans. the journey is the
same number of miles. but may re-
auiie all OF seven and one-half to
eisht weeks, for many trains must
oe boarded and the missing of one
i"ay mean several days added to the
totdi number passed in transit. This
IS lhe reason, it has been explained
oy the Siamese diplomat, that SO few
vi the ministers sent from the foreign
once In Bangkok are ACCOMPANIED
oy the ladies of their family.
nya Burr Navarasth, present
representative of the King of Siam,
Wno mas been in Washington less
nan a year was for three years in
!i-onoon, and while there. he was
Ioineo oy his wife and young family,
Hu. when he was transferred to
~ nlngton Nine. Buri went back
opSHai oSi affairs and she is with her
I,nlioren now making ready for the
iiong Journey here. Her arrival will
ne most notable event for very few
auies from this far-off country have
erer come to Washington. and those
VINO have were invariably the ,rives
u undersecretaries and attaches,
Scnly once before has the wife of q
oldmese minister come to Washington
ano that Tor the reason assigned, and
nI ,H. eIat there is the least restriction
piaced on the movements of the
women of this nation. Mr. Edward
n. LOTUS. an Englishman, who has
in neeh th tor more than twenty-five years
NJ me oiamese diplomatic service, and
Mrs. LOTUS, have played a leading
part IN the social affairs OF this es.
adjustment and the latter has acted
IS cnatelalne for a succession of
Siamese ministers since 1902
hya burl and his wife belong to
Grass of the gentry of Siam. The
minister is graduate of Kings Col
lege at Cambridge, England. He sne-
clallzed in history and later took a
comprehensive course in law. He
had, however. previously entered tbe
diplomatic service and his studias
were more of the nature of accesso-
rles to his career than intended for
a profession. Nine. Buri received the
thorough education which the lady
VI eIaln or the younger generation
invariably receives and she has en-
Joyed the advantages of study in sew
eral foreign countries, including Eng
land and France. She is a native of
the suburbs of Bangkok and was
married about ten years ago. She and
Ine minister both speak English per-
fectly and they also imbibed the
British love of athletics during their
SoJourn in London. The Siamese
legation contains one of the most
spacious tennis courts in the city and
this will present lively scenes when
Phya Burr has been joined by his
1amliy. The minister is a tennis en-
thusiast and has won his laurels in
tournaments in his own country and
In England. He plays on his own
court almost daily and is frequently
the guest on other courts in the
vicinity. The legation of Siam is on
the crest of the hill where Kalorama
road and 23d street descend to join
ROCK Creek Park and the west side
or the grounds is almost 300 feet in
length and about half as wide and is
at present wonderful garden plot
and lawn, which is 4 rival of the
marvellous one of the John Hays
Hammond home. directly opposite.
The mansion is commodious and fur
nlshed in the modern western fashion
Phya Burr has fine mansion in Bang
kok and a beautiful country home in
the suburbs, both of which are filled
with the priceless teakwood and carved
woods Of other varieties. But naturally
the long and rough journey across the
seven seas would prove disastrous to
such fragile treasures.
One feature of wide interest in the
coming of the chatelaine for the 1ega-
ton of Siam, will be to attract the stu
dent body from that country and which
numbers several hundred young men
and women in the seats of learning in
almost every state of the union. Siam
is making great progress in educational
matters and her best students are sent
here to specialize. There are eight or
ten girls studying medicine and nursing
in Boston and as many more in Johns
Hopkins in Baltimore, Chicago and Ann
Arbor. Nine. Burr will naturally inter-
est herself in their welfare and will
have them here on occasion to see the
wonders of the American Capital. En-
gineering is an important profession in
Siam and there are brilliant students
sent by the government at Bangkok in
the Boston Tech. in Cornell. in Pennsyl-
vania and in every college of note in
this country. Students of agriculture
are also dispersed in various sections,
many in the state universities of Ken
lucky, Missouri, Iowa and Kansas.