THE PRINCE OF WALES SHORTCOMINGS.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXI, Issue 41, 17 February 1900, Page 5 (Supplement)

THE PRINCE OF WALES SHORTCOMINGS.

The way American papers have of doing up in spicy ga_rb and exaggerating any little item referring to royalty is amusingly illustrated • by; a . paragraph con tributed to the "Chicago Tribune" by its London correspondent. Writing to his paPer. under date of the 16th of December he says;— .;..'.

"The Prince of Wales is quite franlic and society, is holding its sides with daughter aild amazement over the letter JUst disclosed in the.'Life of Dr. Benson,' the late Archbishop of Canterbury, written to him by the Prince. "After the notorious Tranby Croft bac?arat scandal the Archbishop had asked "ta to make some public disclaimer of the accusation of incessant gambling-. The * * |nee piously replied :— "A recent trial, which no one deplores frore than I do/and which I was powerless to prevent, gave occasion for the Press" to ma"ke the most bitter and unjust attacks uporf me, knowing that I was de- . fenceless, and I anrnot sure that politics J^s not mixed tip in it. The whole matand. I .think, therefore, it would be inopportune for me in any ■■■public manner'to allude again to a Painful subject which has brought such a torrent of abuse upon me not only by the |jSMJ but by the low church and specially 'he nonconformists. ■ They have a perfect I am well aware, in a free country % our own to express their opinions, • W I do not consider that they have a pt right to jump At conclusions regardln S myself without Icnowing the facts. ; has horror of gambling. '."•!;'I have a horror of gambling and should always d<imy; utmost to discburage others who hive'"an lincfihatlori for it, as I consider gambling, like intemperance, « one of the greatest curses, with which could be afflicted. . ','Horse-racing may produce gambling, .? r it may not,1 but I" Have always looked Upon it as.-a manly,sport,, which is PPPUiar -with/Englishmen. of all classes, and the« is no reason why it should be lookedu Pon as a gambling transaction..-

" 'Alas, those who gamble 'will, gamble at anything.

! "'I have written quite openly to; you, ray dear Archbishop, whom I have had the advantage of knowing- for so many years.' CONSIDERED A BAD BLUNDER. "In view of the Prince's known addiction to gambling this letter is grotesquely disingenuous, but beyond that, his assertion that politics was concerned in forcing suit to trial, and above all his slighting allusion to low churchmen and nonconformists, which include an overwhelming body of his future subjects, is regarded as one of the most unfortunate events in his life."