New Siamese Ambassador an Interesting Personality
(Copyright, by Frederic Dean.)
fptl i . I it.- n l
Willi IIIU lUllllUK Ul illU OiaiIl'!5U
nmhassnc'or to this country,
soon expected In Washington,
M. m uipiumnuc society win ue en-
" rlched by a singularly Inter
esting personality. I'hya Chnroon Rati
Mnltrl, first envoy extrnordlnnry nnd
minister plenipotentiary from Slam
to the United Stntcs, has hnd n
career, probably moro rcmarknblo than
any of the associates whom he will
most In diplomatic circles. Cousin of his
king, ns ho t. ho has bemi prince, priest,
beggnr nnd finally not only prlnco again,
but one of the most trusted ndvlscrs of
tho throne. That ho Is accredited to the
United Stntcs Is proof of this latter, for
King Chutnlongkorn Is himself an ndmlrur
nnd a student of tho Institutions of this
country, and Is so deeply Interested In
strengthening the tics botween It and his
own land that ho lias recently been con
sidering a trip hither. Up to tho present,
however, Slam has been content with a
corsubr iprescntntlvc to thlr nation, Hon.
Isaac Townsend Smith, formerly United
Statrs consul to Slam. The new ombns
sador Is tho sixth sent from his country,
tho others being accredited to Berlin, Paris,
London, St. Petersburg and Yeddo.
Phya Chnroon Hnja Mnltrl Is about 37
years old. -Like most Siamese ho Is below
medium rizc, according to our stnndards,
but Is of flno physique, deep-chested, mus
cular and straight. Mnn to man ho could
probably make easy work of tho average
American thirty pounds heavier than him
self, far he has been n flno nthlctc, pro
ficient In the severe exercises of wrestling
nnd sword piny, nnd he ptlll keeps his
youthful suppleness and strength, which Is
unusunl for an Oriental of his age. Dcsptto
his dark skin ho Is a flno looking man.
Ills eyes are calm, steady nnd well set,
his forehead broad and unwrlnklcd, his
mouth firm nnd well controlled; tho gen
eral contour of his face regular nnd pleas
ing, nnd his expression Informed with tho
dignity of a man who respects himself
nnd Is nccustomcd to respect from others.
I) eh I ml this dignity there lurks a Jovial
spirit of which no Indication shows In the
face. His excellency Is fond of n good joke
and of a good story, whether ns relator or
listener. Ho Is also fond of n good dlnnc.
nnd Is an cplcuro without being in nny de
gree a glutton. Ills ceremonial dinners arc
famous In Bangkok, tho capital of Slam.
No minister accredited from n foreign
court to this country will find himself In
moro radically changed surroundings than
the Siamese nmbassador. Uangkok Is per
haps moro given to magnificent ccrcmo
nlousncss, both socially and officially, thuh
any other capital in tho world. To him
Washington will seem strangely Informal
perhaps strangely dull. Also, he will have
difficulty In adjusting himself to tho now
conditions of rank, or rather, lack of rank.
He comes to n country where nil men arc
equal, from n country whero no two men
nrc equal. At tho Siamese court no two
officials or dlsnltnrlcs can walk or stnnd
nbreast, because every man la on a different
soclnl plane from his fellow. Much ns the
new ambassador will find to surprise him
In tho American theory of equality, nobody
will bco evidences of his surprise, for ho
Is a trained diplomat in the highest sense
of tho word; tnstcful, courteous, suavo;
nnd with that equality of acquisitiveness
and adaptability which much mingling with
all classes of men impnrts.
I
VIEW OP RIVER FROM PHVA CUAUOON'S HARDENS.
' i '
i
AM
to,
WAT CIIKNQ DUDDHIST TOWER.
Hut though tho Innci mnn may accopt
our standnnls, It Is prnbablo that thu outer
mnn will nbldu by those of his country.
In that event Washington will sco some
dazzling costumes when Phya Chnroon ar
rays himself for affairs of state It may
even bo necessary to detail a special pollen
guard for him as ho drives through the
streets, for his Jewels nro vnluablo enough
to tempt a professional crook to almost
nny risk. In Slam his collection of Jewelry
Is no finer than that ot many other men
tf high rank, but Slnm has been amassing
gems for ninny generations. Tho ambas
sador has emeralds, rubles, pearls nnd
sapphires sewed Into some of his core
monlal costumes, beside which tho rlchcBt
dlsplny of an American ball room would
palo Its Ineffectual fires to nothingness. He
sides these ho lms his moro personal Jew
elry; priceless diamonds, opals, beryl and
pearls, in rings, pins, belts nnd pendant.
With all his decorations on, chief among
them blazing tho bluc-whlto diamonds ot
tho Order of tho While Elephant and tho
prismatic gorgcousness of tho "Chlneso
Crown," ho Is literally a dazzling center of
radiance. His favorite costumo nnd that
which best becomes him is the natlvo
Siameso "panung" and embroidered Jncket.
This "panung" Is tho universal gnrment of
Slnm for both sexes and Is a long picco of
cloth so nrranged nnd wound about ns to
form n pair of baggy trousers. Tho am
bassador's outfits nro of silks that cannot
bo matched in this country, unless In tho
wardrobe of his excellency Wu Tingfang,
nnd many of them nro mngniflccntly em
broidered and jeweled. On his feet tho am
bassador wears sandals. Ho wears no hat;
doesn't own one, in fact. In his own coun
try his head is sheltered by a parasol car
ried by a slave. It Is to be hoped, in the
Interests ot plcturesqucncss, that ho will
ndhcro to this custom and bring tho pnrn
sol bearer with him.
Ills homo in Bangkok is worthy in its ap
pointments of bo mngnincent a person. It
Is n Hpaeloua palaco by tho rlvor side, tilled
with retainers nnd slnves, who servo him,
his several wives nnd their numerous chil
dren with tho silent nnd perfect oxnctltudu
of Oriental service Tho carvings nnd
bronzes nnd other work of nrt In this
palnco would furnish a whole museum.
When ho goes forth from this house,
whether to court, to worship or to tho piny,
It Is in a Buperh boat, manned by twenty
rowers, for In Ilnugkok, tho Venice of tho
east, local travel Is all by water, lie, has
n separate slave for each detail of service,
especially trained, nnd tho bearer of tho
betelnut box would naver bo expected to
carry tho pnrnsol, or tho steersman ot tho
ceromonlnl boat to tend n door In tho
palaco.
Not nlwnys has Phya Chnroon lived thus.
Slnm is tho homo of the most rigid Budd
hism nnd tho nmbassador Is a pious
lluildhlst. Ily the precepts of that religion,
os practiced In Slam, every nobleman must
serve In the priesthood a ccrlnln time. Tho
king himself has been n priest. I'liyn
Chnroon spent his allotted tli.io as a novl
tlato in one of tho monasteries, where he
became so Imbued with the religion Hint ho
donned the yellow robo of tho mendicant,
renounced his riches nnd begged his food
from door to door. In this gulso ho nnco
accoptcd with becoming gratitude a small
coin from an Englishman who wns after
ward flattered to bo his guest. Nor could
tho Briton, being challenged at Phya Chn
roon's tublo to rcenll where ho hnd mot
his host previously, remember tho clrcuin
stnnco until tho prlnco repented tho pious
proverb with which ho, as n beggar, had
acknowledged Ills benefactor's gift. In
tho Intervnls of his begging tho princely
priest mndo so profound a study of tho
Buddhist creed that ho Is now regnrded as
tho highest nuthorlty on certain Intrieaccs
of dogma.
After completing his priesthood ha
studied diplomacy and then traveled. Ha
wns nlready a fair linguist, Bangkok being
a very cosmopolitan city nnd mnny of thu
young children speaking four or live
Inngungos. In English ho was particularly
proficient, tho present king, his cousin,
having a liking for tho English language,
which ho had Imbibed from n British gov
erness, und which ho Imparted to many of
his associates, So tho now ambassador Is
nut likely to need the services of an Inter
pteter in Washington. Travel gave polish
to n naturally line mind and Ohulnlong
korn when ho enmo to the throne recog
nlzed In Phyn Chnroon n mail of good coun
sel, keen judgment, slow to form nn opinion
and slow to express It; quick of appre
hension, and, with unusual powers ot
concentration and assimilation. The king
associated Chnroon with himself Intl
mately and together they worked nut
ir.any problems of statecraft. That "UIh
n.arck of tho east," Prlnco DcnnwnnRso,
the king's brother, has also been tho am
bassador's preceptor In diplomacy.
Washington will find Phyn Chnroon n dis
tinct acquisition, not only because of his
pIcturcBquo personality, but on the sldo ot
his soclnl aptitudes. Ho Is n ready, bril
liant nnd at times n witty conversational
ist. In disposition ho Is kindly nnd con
siderate and he has self control. In
stalled by his years under tho severe re
strictions ot tho Buddhist priesthood. Tills
has not Impaired tho nnturnl gaiety ot his
disposition. He Is possessed of n healthy
curiosity; not tho kind which finds expres
sion In tho innocent but often cmbarnsilng
questions which flow from tho Chinese min
ister's plncld lips, but tho sort which im
pels Its owner to the liveliest Interest In
all strnngo nnd foreign matters. Although
ho Is not a "Indies' man" ho Is pro
foundly courteous to women nnd much given
to paying compliments bo Orlonllnlly com
plicated nnd abtruso as to bo difficult to
turn off. Ills household In Washington
will probnbly bo purely official. It Is not
likely that ho will bring nny of his wives
with him. FIIEDEIHC DEAN.
People in the Lime Light of Public Print
IOHD MINTO," says Tho Candid
Friend, "has tho knnck of popular
ity which does not como to all our
- , pro-consuls. Tho Canadians nil
lovo a good sportsman, and tho
cabmen ot Ottawa swear by him sinca
they dined with his excellency in
May. His visit to Dawson City was
a clever movo, for it confirmed tho
grumbling patriotism ot the miners, while
his visit to Washington for the McKlnloy
totes, private though it was supposed to
bo, was rogarded with great satisfaction by
tho official circles."
Soon after tho formation of tho German
empire the artist, Anton von Werner, was
appointed to paint tho scene of the Oerman
Imperial proclamation. He first made a
sketch to submit to the old Emperor Wil
liam. In this the various personages were
grouped in tho same order as during tho
ceremony at Versailles, William standing on
a raised platform, with Bismarck at his left
on a lower step, and on his right tho crown
prince, whom tho artist had represented
with ono foot on the upper level. Tho cm-
poror oxamined tho sketch and at onco
autbu u jiuaiviuii us, tuv uiunu 1 I Ml u
Frederick, Ho frowned, took his pencil and
made a thick, rapid stroko through bis son's
right leg. "Not yet!" said he.
On one occasion, just previous to oponlng
In one ot tho largo eastern cities, Joseph
Jefferson discharged bis property man, Bag
ley, for humiliating him before a number
of friends by familiarly addressing him as
"Joey." Bagley got drunk right away and
that night paid his way to tho gallery to
soo Mr. Joffcrson in "Rip Van Winkle."
When the angry frnu had Just driven poor,
destitute Rip from the cottage, Rip turned
and, with a world of pathes, asked; "Den
haf I no interest In dls lions?" Tho houso
was deathly still, tho nudlenco half In tears,
when Bagley 'a cracked volco responded:
"Only SO per cent, Joey only 80 per cent."
Captain J. A. T. Hull, chairman of the
committee on military affairs In congress,
Is to have a contest In his home district
for renomlnation next year. His opponent
Is Judgo S. F. Prouty, now of tho district
bench. If personnl beauty was to bo thu
solo question upon which tho contest was
to be dpcldcd Captain Hull would win hands
down, for Judgo Prouty is far from hand
some. However, nn incident hns proven that ho
Is not tho ugliest man In Des Moines. At
tho ccurt house, relates tho Chicago Trib
une, there Is employed a bailiff named
Thomas, who weniB eIJo wh'sbtra n' mere
than tho usual length, and who combs them
straight out from his face. Ills hair Is
somewhat grizzled and he Is moro or loss
unkempt.
Not long slnco n mnn who desired to soo
Judgo Prouty cnnio to the court houso. Ho
did not know tho judgo by Bight, nor was ho
fnmlllnr with the court rooms, so ho In
quired In the offlco ot tho county clerk.
IMP jMjWHjWV'kH
BERTIE THE LAMB ON A TRIP AROUND OMAHA Photos by a Staff Artist.
"Just go through that door," answered thu
clerk, Indicating Judgo Prouty's court room,
"and the homeliest man In thoro Is Judgo
Prouty. It's tho best description I enn glvo
you ot him, and you can't mako any mis
take" Tho mnn procoeded to enrry out tho In
structions given him. Ho onterod tho room
nnd hurriedly scanned tho occupants for tho
homeliest mnn, court being adjourned nnd
tho Judgo being off tho bench for n tuw mo
ments. Finally his eye settled on ona ot
tho numbor, nnd, approaching, ho Inquired;
"Is this Judgo Prouty?"
It was ThomaB, the bailiff.
Vlctorlon Sardou was trained to bo a doc
tor, but drifted Into plnywrltlng nnd had
vory hatd early struggles. Ho Is now, how
ever, a very rich man and resides In a sum
mer resldonco that cost him fir0,000. If an
Ignorant theatrical manngor ventures to
suggest nn alteration In ono of Snrdou's
plnys tho author roars, "Not a lino not a
word not a syllablot" Even tho actresses
nro In his powor, for ho decides thu colors
of their drosses.
Iord Morris died nt his residence nt Spirt
dal, County Oalwny, Iroland, a few weeks
ago. There were fow moro conspicuous
figures lu English political and social llfo
than tho genial and Intellectual Irishman,
cortnlnly nono of whom 'so many good
stories nro told. Lord Morris had a broad,
mellifluous (Inlwny brnguo, ot which ho was
oxtromoly proud. "Thank Ood," he onco
said, "no ono, drunk or sobor, who hears
mo speak could take mo for nnythlng but
nn Irishman."