SIAMESE SIMPLICITY

Siam, whose king translates Shakespeare while foreigners carry on his government still has its Eastern foibles. One of the most fundamental traditions, that of the harem, the present king has modified after the Oxford manner. Possibly, the high cost of educating young princes abroad caused this scion of a prolific family to be so far converted to the doctrines of Malthus, as to content himself with one wife.

But King Rama's admiration of the West could not reconcile him to the absence of an heir. As a result, the "Siamese Official Gazette" of last week announced the royal decree demoting the Queen for failing to carry out her high duties.

The motive and method were Oriental, but the idea was as Western as soap or bathrooms. Reno, Paris, the divorce mills of the Oocident are but crude counterparts of the gentle Eastern system of demotion. Many men would appreciate the opportunity of getting rid of their wives by the smooth working machinery used by His Highness of Siam. With judicious advertising, Bankok could become the demotion capital of the world.