Show as contrasts 4 siam L 02 44 X Z A quaint siamese cart prepared by national society washington D a ser merlea lcK lea aam still Is oriental in spirit but S SUM possesses modern occidental appointments point ments of great variety in assimilating things western slam ha has maintained its distinctive individuality few countries offer more startling win contrasts it Is not unusual in S siamese lamese cities to see policemen halting motor and street car traffic to make way for some kaleidoscopic medieval pageant with avit modern hospitals and dispensaries dispensa ries available many people still prefer medicinal concoctions concoct ions made from rhinoceros horns borns snake galls and strange herbs slow moving oxcarts and shuffling elephants vie with motorcars for the right of way on many country roads siamese rebeccas in dan bangkok ekok fill their jars or oil tins with water at sanitary street hydrants in some parts of north slam tiger whiskers are considered much more effective in punishing an enemy than Is a police court yet yell on the visit of the ling king and queen of slam to the united states in 1931 when king revealed his keen heen interest in athletics radio and motion pictures and discussed in excellent english with newspaper correspondents and business leaders such things as free press and democracy while the queen played golf many people were amazed to discover how modern the royal family really was again through the forthcoming visit of the king for further optical treatment the land of the free in asia will meet our united states and mutual appreciation will be increased slam a land of the free such la Is the meaning of muang milani that thai the name by which the siamese have always known their country superficially it might seem somewhat of an anomaly tor for until less than two years ago when a constitution was born slam was the sole remaining absolute monarchy in the family of nations yet tet the name came muang thal thai has sl significance ance of all the numerous races and tribal groups who in successive migrations have hare swept down across southern asia only the siamese have emerged victorious against many vicissitudes they have maintained their complete independence and forged themselves a modern state now quite accessible today we can step aboard the magic carpets provided by imperial airways K X L II 11 and air france at london amsterdam or marseilles and be whisked away to this interesting oriental land in a little over a week for slam lies at the aerial crossroads of the far east easl or we can go by boat and drop off at singapore or hong kong as bangkok Is linked to by train to bitong kong by local steamer and to singapore by both in the long curving sweep of bang koks river highway the me lie nam chao khraya Is revealed the pageant of slams siama commercial activity many of Bang koks 80 rice mills line the water front chinese junks and lighters clutter their wharves with endless queues ol of perspiring bare backed coolies dumping baskets of rice in their holds other boats lift their rough matt matting ling sails and slip doAn downstream stream to the olt off coast island of koh sl chang where deep draft steamers take on cargo nearly 00 per cent of all slams foreign trade moves up and down this waterway accompanied by all the strange smells and cries peculiar to an oriental port As a capital city bangkok Is not old it Is but a few years senior to washington ing ton on the potomac the new rama I 1 bridge its enormous spans etched sharply against a background of colorful temples and waterfront water front shops gives the city its date line this foot structure first to link the two portions of the city was dedicated in april 1031 1932 in commemoration of the one hundred fiftieth anniversary of the founding of bangkok and the reign of the present dynasty extensive festivities brilliant in eln oriental splendor attended its dedication at six in the morning on that april day after having salil sald prayers and lighted incense before the statue of the rama kama 1 I which stands at the approach of the bridge king pok clad in ancestral garments cut the thread of silk that barred the en trance then mounting the golden palanquin surrounded by parasols of state and accompanied by the taff princes and high officials lie made the first crossing of the bridge american influence america has touched slam siam in many ways through american missionaries modern medicine was first practiced and progressive schools developed in the country americans brought the first printing presses and also adapted the 44 consonants and 20 vowel and tonal marks of the siamese written language to the keyboard of 0 it typewriter aided by Aine american rican advis advisers erg of 0 tor for eign affairs slam siam in 1025 secured the abrogation of outgrown extraterritorial treaties and won her complete sovereignty el ginty originating in the mission schools the physical training idea has spread rapidly throughout the land the late king himself was scout chief for the wild afi tiger r corps although that organization has since ceased to function its spirit Is c carried on in a doy boy scout organization known ns as the wild tiger cubs education lias has become compulsory more M re than 86 per cent of local schools and 50 per cent of government schools are situated in monasteries or are modern out growths of the old temple schools in Banc bangkok kok too Is a well functioning university and medical school in the east of slam bordering on french indochina indo china Is a wide moun tain encircled plateau feet to COO 00 feet above sea level and tilted slightly to the east so that it drains into the mighty mekong during the six mouths months dry season this territory Is very arid and during the rains it Is often heavily flooded consequently it Is the poorest section in slam and the people often have difficulty in securing a comfortable livelihood until recently when the railway was extended beyond Rajas lma korat to abol the people were severely handicapped in getting their produce out to market centers considerable wealth however lies in the redwood and other forests located in the mountains these and other resources will be developed because railroads and highways are being extended tended ci into the region Chanda burl province bordering the gulf of slam finds prosperity in its ita forested hills bills in pepper coffee and in ruby sapphire and zircon mines minerals and rice south slam embodies about one halt half of the elongated malay pe peninsula nisula sula with its population gradually shading into almost pure malay like lower malaya tt it Is rich in minerals especially tin and also produces considerable quantities of 0 rubber in normal times an average of nine million dollars worth of tin annually goes into foreign marts from these mines eastward we westward and northward from bangkok stretches the vast alluvial plain of central Siam Slam level as a table top the rice granary of the country it Is the heart of the kingdom and the source of nine laine tenths of its wealth an area of roughly square miles Is enclosed between the high mountain backbone that extends along the burma burini border and the battlements that face the korat plateau what the nile Is to egypt the Us ma narn nam chao khraya Is to this fertile valley every year during the summer rainy season the river overflows ts banks and stretches out through itil lt network of canals and distria barles depositing rich silt and providing provid ng the tha required water for the file rice ian lands s nearly two thirds 0 of all slams sla s export trade consists of rice host of I 1 the he people devote their lives to its cul ti Iv atlon and it forms the chief food tor for both people and domestic animals I 1 second city of slam was founded in the eleventh century and subsequently gained ascendancy 0 neighboring principalities because of its importance it long sat on the fence between burma and slam and was pulled first one way and then the other according to which rival sought by force of arms to claim its allegiance Is attractively located on the me ile ping one of the chief tributa ries of the ile he nam kam chao beyond YO ad it stretches a rice plain backed by the imposing foot mountain of dol do Is her chief charm there are no hotels only a railway rall ivay visitors usually stay with friends oue one associates with lao saleswomen the come and bit on your veranda for hours displaying beautiful handwork specimens of antique and modern silver bronze silk and lacquer ware which few can see and resist the staffs of several teak companies and of the missionary schools and hospitals comprise the principal foreign one of the outstanding missionary enterprises in the city Is the asylum for lepers many of 0 these unfortunates are made comfortable for in the excellent cottages provided for or them they are treated with the esters of oil and in many cases the disease Is arrested it if not completely cured so effective has been this work that the government now grants an annual subsidy toward its upkeep each year approximately teak logs go down tho the river to bangkok are routed by the malween river to durma burma and another ride the turbulent waters of the mekong to indochina indo china |