NELSON EVENING MAIL SATURDAY, APRIL 16, 1932 THE KING AND HIS ANCESTORS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXVI, 16 April 1932, Page 6

NELSON EVENING MAIL SATURDAY, APRIL 16, 1932 THE KING AND HIS ANCESTORS

THROUGH the unprovoked challenge of reckless republican Premier, who does not command an absolute majority in the Parliament which lie leads, the question of the Crown’s position in the British Commonwealth lias been raised. More than that, the question of republicanism versus nionaichy has been brought forward and must he answered, if that Commonwealth of Nations is to continue. But of republics, of their advantages and disadvantages, little will be said at this writing, except that the British Commonwealth of Nations could not long exist on a republican basis. Our consideration, therefore, will be of monarch* and monarchies, since with monarchy the British Commonwealth must be inextricably linked, if it is to continue to flourish. It must be admitted that during the last fourteen or fifteen years Alonarchy has seemed to ho a losing force in the world, and especially in Europe. The Great War, which was primarily a war of Empires, brought to an end four Empires, and cost three Emperors and a Sultan, six Kings, six Grand Dukes and twelve lessor rulers their crowns. It is significant that these monarchs lost their thrones as a direct result of their having lost the war, and it therefore becomes evident that one of the most dangerous tilings a King can do, in these days, is to go to war, which should strengthen the cause of peace and the principle of Alonarchy in a world which is sick of war. This certainty has been j.hc case in the British Empire, which, peaceful at any time, is more peaceful than ever, after the terrible saciificcs made in the cause of liberty, when Europe was threatened by the tyrannous Emperors of Germany and Austria with over ton millions of armed men at their command, in 1914. As a result of that titanic struggle tho British Monarchy was greatly strengthened, since the Dominions demanded and received equal political status with Great Britain under the Crown, and that left. King George the sole connecting link which binds tho British Commonwealth togollicr, and necessarily enhanced his importance greatly. To-day the governments of Great" Britain and of all the Dominions are directly responsible to him, whereas in pre-war days tho governments of the Dominions were responsible to Downing Street. So well has ho presided over the affairs of his vast Empire, that to-day tho prestige of tho Crown is high indeed, and tho Governments which give allegiance directly to it arc satisfied that tho ties which unite them under the Crown are both elastic and strong. The fact is that King George has filled the Throne with such success during the trying period of war and in the difficult post-war period, that to-day his prestige is higher than ever, and it is interesting to inquire into the sources of tiie wisdom, tact, and aptitude which have characterised his reign.

There is no doubt that much of the King's aptitude in ruling is inherited from his shrewd father and his remarkably capable grandmother, Queen Victoria, who for more than sixty years presided with extraordinary success over the destiny of the British Empire, The art or ruling is in the King’s blood, inherited from Kings and Queens who played their part, some with conspicuous success, most of them successfully, some few of them without much success, and one or two without any success at all. For over eight-and-a-half centuries iris ancestors occupied the throne of England before him, among them some of the w'isest kings and queens who have ever held a sceptre. From his Norman ancestors he inherits surely something of their ability to adapt themselves to new and difficult circumstances, and to control those circumstances within workable limits; from the Plantagenets he derived that courageous mien which helped the Empire, and Great Britain especially, to bear up under the strain of the Great War; like the Tudors ho possesses great tact, which, exhibiting itself in his words and actions, has been of wonderful assistance in difficult times; from the Stuarts he inherits that happy nature and pleasant manner which, without in any way reducing his dignity, charm his subjects; from the Guelphs he derives that commonseuse which, with one exception brought them their success.- For inspiration lie lias but to read of the deeds of the greatest Kings who have occupied the thrones of England and Scotland, wliicfi were united in his ancestor, James 1. Let us consider briefly some of the King’s ancestors. Not to go too far back, there was Edward I the conqueror of the Welsh and the Lowland Scots who, respectively, infested his western and cm them borders. Of powerful physique and mind, he led his armies personally, and triumphed wherever lie led them — a magnificent man and a magnificent monarch. Then there was his grandson, Edward 111, equally great, who signally defeated his French enemies on land and sea, and whose Queen, Philippa, of Ilainrull, .vas as brave and almost as great as ho was, for while he was away in France she repelled an invasion by the S’cols, and signally defeated them, taking i heir king prisoner. Descended from that wonderful couple was Henry V, so gallant and so brave, who achieved the aim of his ancestors by conquering France which, rightly or wrongly, they believed to be theirs by right; but lie was not destined to ride over it, for death claimed him suddenly when ho was in the full flood of his wonderful career. ITow much of his tact and success in dealing with men dons our King inherit from Henry V 11", who turned a distracted England —which had been torn to pieces by I lie Wars of the Poses—into a peaceful and prosperous realm. While, the King lias in his veins none of the blood of I Henry VIII or o! the great Elizabeth,

he has the wonderful example of their love of England which they did so much to defend from foreign tyranny, religious and political, and there is not much <ioubl that during the trials of tho years 1914-18 Ilis Alajesty found a source of fortitude and determination in the example of the Virgin Queen, whose realm was threatened with invasion by the Spanish militarists of her day. Neither does the King draw any of his blood from Charles I, who turned England into a cockpit, or from the Stuarts who followed him. ’The first four Georges were undistinguished, except that Georgo II displayed conspicuous bravery on tho field of battle; but they were followed by Victoria who, like all the Queens of England, save one, who ruled in their own right, was conspicuous for the success of her reign. The world is beginning to appreciate Queen Victoria's wholehearted love of her subjects and her untiring watchfulness over their interests. Furthermore she possessed the wisdom of never trying to strain the fabric of the Constitution, though she rightly insisted on her Prime Ministers’ complete recognition of her prerogatives. Then followed the reign of Edward VII, who, foreseeing the trouble which his nephew Wilhelm II of Germany was to create, devoted much of his time to creating among the principal nations, which were menaced by tho impending onslaught, a spirit of friendship and co-operation. He it was who paved the way for the Triple Entente, which in 1914 was to become the defensive alliance of Great Britain, France, and Russia, which with the aid of Italy and subsequently of the United States, preserved freedom in Europe,

Such were some of the progenitors of King George, to whom the temporary political leader of Southern Ireland objects to pay allegiance. There is no doubt as to what tho people of Great Britain and of tho Dominions think of shell disloyalty. They wish nothing but good to ail loyal Irishmen, but it is certain that they will not stand idly by while their King, the symbol of their unity, is insulted by a misguided republican who, having taken the oath of allegiance to the King, now proposes to break it.