Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-05-10
BY WILLIAM HARD.

BE affable and almost everybody will
think you have a right to be a ruler"
Somebody like Machiavella invented the
maxim, and the King of Siam, while
here in washington, ably illustrated it.
He particularly did so in the course of
an incident which occurred at the re-
cepton in the White House given Just
after the state dinner ceremonially Of
fered to him there by President Hoover.
The President shook hands with the
reception guest in the American man
ner. The King stood near the Presi-
dent. He, too, shook hands with
Americans in the American manner.
However, there presently appeared some
Siamese visitors They grasped the
hand which the President extended to
them. When they approached His
Siamese Majesty. however, they revert
ed to Siamese custom. They retreated
from him slightly and bowed to him
deeply from the waist Thus a-eertain
social emergency arose. The King was
being treated more deferentially than
the President. The King was equal,
nevertheless, to the emergency. He
stepped forward toward the Siamese
and extended his hand. They grasped
it, for presumably the first time in
their lives, and gave him the democratic
handshake which His Majesty had OBJ
served to be the customary greeting by
a guest to the American Chief Magis-
trate.
The Queen followed the Kings exam
pie and received likewise from her ST.
amese subjects a handshake instead of
an obeisance.
The comment among the Americans
temporarily attached to the service of
their majesties was principally:
There you are! They certainly de-
serve to be majestiesl"
Machiavelli, or whoever said it first,
was right.
His majesty was reported, in his turn,
to have been especially impressed with
the affability of Mr.. Chief Justice
Hughes. This affability of Mr..
Hughes has been, as is well known,
a slow but irresistible growth. Born
in 1862 with frown and a growl, he
advanced by the time he was Governor
of New York to an aspect merely of
calm petrifying severity. This severity
was then gradually developed into neu-
trail GOODNESS, and the neutral GOODNESS
gradually into slight thaw, and the
slight thaw gradually into amiability,
and the amiability gradually into an
incandescence of general and universal
good will which now makes him glow
continuously like public light house.
He rotated his beams upon the King
Of Siam, and the King, like everybody
else, was dazZled, charmed, and con-
quered.
Again Machiavelli was right. People
can and do resent some of Mr..
Hughes law decisions but then even
VyoOSf Of thu raenntHrS saw.
Look at him! He's a great and
grand Chief Justicel"
The same gift was remarkably pos
sessed by the late Nicholas Longworth.
When he was first candidate for the
speakership of the House of Represen-
tatives, some of his enemies put detec-
tives upon him. They professed to be-
lieve that he was a frivolous character
who reveled too much. They aspired
toward presenting to members OF the
House an authenticated record OF the
light pastimes to which, instead OF to
craftsmanship, they claimed that he
gave his daytimes and the night-tlmes.
Mr.. Longworth presently observed that
he was being followed He thereupon
abated none of his habits. He pursued
the even, or uneven. tenor Of his ways.
He continued to play as he pleased.
hb lcLlBO1l bAlC NS
upon which the speakership vote was
to happen was reached. Mr.. Longworth
played" and "reveled" in friends
house till 2 am. He then emerged
with two cigars in his hand and walked
up to the two detectives who were
lurking" in the neighbcrhood OF his
car. He smiled from ear to ear and
addressed them as follows:
Gentlemen, wish to say that I
deeply appreciate the unfailing courtesy
which you have exhibited in your pur-
suit of me. I also admire your loyalty
to your employers. You have never
ceased to keep me in your sight, and
vet YOU have never been aggressive or
obtrusive about it and you have never
subjected me to any public humiliation
Here are two of the best cigars in the
world which beg you to accept as a
slight testimonial of my gratitude to
you. Moreover, have brought you an
other present which l hope you Will be
pleased to take from me. Here are two
tickets to excellent seats in one OF the
galleries of the House of Representa-
lives from which. II you will avail your
selves of my suggestion, you will watch
me being elected Speaker tomorrow"
Those two detectives felt deeply that
Mr.. LongWorth, after all, really was
properly and rightfully a destined
speaker.
AS for the affability Of our present
President, it is a double theme. First
there is his general public affability,
Il. Ill ie