In addition, Wichit talked of the industry, initiative and sophistication of Thai people during the Sukhothai period. He noted that the people worked throughout the year growing rice, raising livestock, weaving cloth, forging iron as well as being involved in other productive activities.
As a result, there was a surplus of commodities which led many individuals to become entrepreneurs, actively engaged in com merce and trade. This, he suggested, represented the early development of a free market economy. Significantly, the economic aspect of the nationalist ideoiogy articulated by Wichit at that time has not lost its utility in the present, as is suggested by a recent publication of the Public Relations Department, Fact Sheets on Thailand, which cites the laissez faire trading arrangements of the Sukhothai period as proof that "free enterprise has been part of Thailand's philosophy for many generations . At the same time, the people of Sukhothai were artistic, displaying particular talents in the fields of music and dance. Creative ability, Wichit emphasized, was an important indicator of culture in the West. He told his audience that this was demonstrated by the keen interest and support given to the arts by such contemporary leaders as Mussolini and Hitler.