Nelson Evening Mail SATURDAY, FEB. 15, 1913. A MAN OF PEACE.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLVIII, Issue XLVIII, 15 February 1913, Page 4

Nelson Evening Mail SATURDAY, FEB. 15, 1913. A MAN OF PEACE.

"MONARCHS and Men" is the title of an interesting book just published, by Herr Maximilian Harden, editor of the German papor "Zuk-unft" ("Thn 1< uture"). Tho author is described as being one of the most brilliant political writers in Germany, and he has certainly brought- to this task a wealth of descriptive detail, and his story is told in telling style. Herr Harden deals with King Edward VII. in a manner that- is distinctly generous and appreciative. The few extracts cabled out here it is seen gave an entirely erroneous impression of his views 011 the late King. The essayist, according to the reviewers, examines the relations between King Edward and his nephew, the Kaiser, with subtle and penetrating judgment, and explains King Edward's statesmanship as flowing from a- conviction, which persisted until 1908, that the Kaiser would not fight. King Jidward's diagnosis of his nephew, we are told, was "active, but will do nothing." Hence "he twice offered armed assistance to France, and he urged the French at. Algeciras, through his confidential agent, Sir Donald Mackenzie Wallace, not to abate a single inch of their pretensions. He took a right royal pleasure in the effect of his bluff, and paralysed German diplomacy in its most important negotiations by an artful wink which meant, 'Don't be intimidated : there is no intention whatever to appeal to the last rtsort of geoples and Kings. Behind all his high-sounding words, my nephew, whom I know to the marrow of his bones, will not go. to war.' " I>ut in 19C8 King Edward was at last convinced that the Kaiser would fight, if necessary, for in that year the Kaiser sprang to the assistance of his ally, Austria, "in shining armour," and, as a result.of the German threat to invade Russia within 24" hours, Isvolsky ca-pi tula-ted and withdrew the Russian objection to Austria's annexation of Bosnia-Herzegovina. "From that time," writes Herr Harden, "the King thought only of peace." The German writer describes King Edward as apph-ing the methods of a business man to the management- of the great- Empire committed |to his charge. He was the friend of J Baron. Hirsch and Cecil Rhodes, of | Rothschild and Sir Ernest Casael. "Ae the friend of shrewd business men," iwe read, "he ha£ learned what life is. Such ah experience lifts him above a dozen other monarchs." Here 10 an estimate of King Edward's character which may be riglib or wrong. But there is no doubt- that, if it is accepted, it affords ' a very good explanation of the AngloFrench agreement of 1907j and also of the Japanese Alliance. Herr Harden writes-:

Wherever he appears, every thoughtful man sa.ys:—"The man on th.s throne is the greatest modern business man on a. large scale—greater than Louis Napoleon and Leopold 11. of Belgium. He never makes threatening speeches ; he never says what he is going to do; he does not want applause, but results; and he is always ready, like every prudent heir to a business that has been conducted on old-fashion-ed lines, to pass from apparent to real trade Hp will not rob his customers- or conceal his scales, or urge the Continental Powers to work for his Most- Gracious Majesty without reward- • - Edward says to everybody who cares, to listen, 'My dear nephew i£ a, remarkably gifted man, but, unfortunately, un-

reliable ; if we do "not all join in opposing his designs he will set poor Europe on fir© one of these days. I have tried everythittyit family , friendship enables me to do, but in vain. What do I want ? To maintain peace, to protect civilisation from the horrors of war. Nothing more. Whoever is for prosperity and peace can deal with me. An innocent man who is threatened can count on my sympathy.' And everything turned to his jirofit." The summing-up puts the matter in a nutshell. "He seemed to live only for pleasure, yet increased the resources of his Empire by work which never met the eye. He was the most popular figure in the Empire. He never experienced the pain of unfruitful conduct. On everv dark day in the liistoi'y of Britain the soul of his people—a people scattered over the globe—will yearn to see him again." That cannot be regarded as a bitter and .prejudiced estimate of the late King Edward's life and work. It is beyond all comparison a. more favourable estimate than that of Sir Sydney Lee.