A MODERN SOVEREIGN AND A MODERN MAN.

Evening Star, Issue 11453, 22 January 1901, Page 8

A MODERN SOVEREIGN AND A MODERN MAN.

William 11. is now, says the writer, " the centre of the State at home and the representative of his nation abroad," notwithstanding his shortcomings. To realise this ideal was what he aimed at, not from mere personal motives, but because he considered it to be necessary for the throne and for ihe fatherland:— This is the reason, too, that though in private rather fond of plain living and doing, he loves grand display in public, which, however, his artistic nature really enjoys, lie makes the same use of pomp in the interests of royalty as the Roman Catholic Church does in the interests of religion. The great question of the future is whether he will not ona day think it necessary in the interests of royalty to have his fight with Parliament itself, which, of course, would be disastrous to all concerned—to the whole country. But as he is wise enough to see that, and lis he loves his country, it may after all be assumed that he will not go far. Mystic as he may seem—we ourselves don't quite believe in his mysticism, which very likely, too. is only a means to further his endshe is above all a modern sovereign, a thoroughly modern man, so much so that he even gave university privileges to technical schools, that he is about to modify classical learning in the high schools, and that not one year has elapsed since he ascended the throne without a law being passed in favor of the working classes.