Adventure Magazine Cover — page 200: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

QUESTIONS and cANSWERS General Information on Outdoor Life and Activities Everywhere STRAIGHT A News Bulletin of Outdoor Equipment cADVENTURE’S “ORAVEL cASSOCIATION A Service Organization with Stations and Experts all over the World Siam OM one book in a foreign language about the legendry of this country where the dancing girls spend hours with their fingers pressed against their knees so that their hands may develop a backward curve. Request:—“Would you help us out? A friend and I are very much interested in Siam, particularly ancient Siam, as a possible subject for a play or ballet. But our resources are small, and we wondered if you would and could answer the fol- lowing: 1. What are the best books on Siamese legendry and mythology, if any? 2. What are Siamese dramatics like? What sort of gesture (stiff, natural, etc.), what sort of language (flowery or simple), and what tones of voice (chant, sing-song, natural, etc.)? What sort of subject? We ge trying to keep away from the love element in plot. 3. What are the gods of the older Siamese religion?s 4. What is the origin and early history of these people? 5. How do they dance? What sort of music do they have? I’m sorry to bother you with such questions, but practically all the material we have been able to find has to do with architecture, dress and present- day history.”—GraceE Apaws, Grinnell, Iowa. Reply, by Mr. MacCreagh:—I know of only one book in any language other than Siamese. It is—of course—in German and goes into the matter with German professorial thoroughness. The title is, I think, ‘‘Erforschunge in die Glaubensbekennthisse des Siamesischen Folkes.” A ponderous thing which I myself have no more than glanced at, and that a long time ago; so I can’t tell you anything worth while on that subject; nor can I tell you where you could get hold of a copy of the book. As to dramatics: I know of no books at all; though, if you can get anything on Burmese dra- matics you would get a fair second-hand insight 198 COMICLOO S CO