THE WEEK.

Otago Witness, Issue 2804, 11 December 1907, Page 51

THE WEEK.

•' *oo<io»» »U«d oiun, altnd upltmUa dUlC"— JrrilM ' '(toad uuonwl im« mam mmmti»l*.' r ~T»n.

In that trite but too little known store- - house of wisdom, the The Death of "Maxims of State of tha Slag Oscar. Marquis of Halifax," may be found the cause of ninetenths of the depositions from the Throne inscribed upon the pages of history. A people," exclaims that political philosopher,—"a people may let a King fall, and yet remain a people, but if a King let the people slip from him, he is no longer a King." The word "p?g» according to some authorities, is derived from "konnen," to be able— that is, a man who emphatically can do what he pleases. In these democratic days the title has been shorn of much of its pristine glory, and there is a tendency to regard a King as a mere figurehead, a sort of leading ornament, tolerated as a sop to oldfashioned sentiment. Thus it is that tn* passing of a monarch is no longer attended by political convulsions and frantic fluctuations on the money markets ot Europe. One day the cables announce the decease of the head of a reigning house, the next day the accession of his successor is reported, and the affairs of the nation and of the world proceed with scarce a perceptible ripple upon the surface. But although the .apparent power of a King in the twentieth century may not be so great as in past ases, yet there never was a time in the history of the world when so great service can be rendered to the causes of culture, education, morality, and righteousness by the men whom the accident of birth has placed in positions of power and affluence. Though the Socialist may affect to sneer at Kings and Emperors and place them with the millionaires as amongst the pests of the universe, yet to the thoughtful mind the character of tlie occupant* of the thrones of the nations constitutes a. potent factor for good and evil, for the peace and prosperity of the world. While in one sense we live in an age when the individual is overshadowed by the combination of individuals, yet there is a deeper sense in which .the influence of the unit was never more essential to the well being of the whole. Thus it is that the death of King Oscar of Sweden is an event meriting more than a passing word, not alone for the outstanding qualities of the man who has been deposed by death, but because of ail that bis kingship has meant to Sweden and to the world for the past thirty-five years.

The policy of a Swedish, monarch, as laid ' down by a learned prelate, A Rtff n is not one very diffiof Peace. to follow. Ola Bishop Soreniu*, when Wring leave at the King of Sweden, aite* the feToluSo* <4 V7IZ, observed to klnj tK»*, if He wished to preeerve the love of the people, there wer# two things with fh^ , he would do vreU neve? to meddle—viz., rellgfon and brandy. Bui th« history oi Sweden, from the year 1523, ffh«i Oiwtavus Vasa. the first King, ascended the thrfiae A rifiht dowtt to ths ciUia o£ 13Q4*

goes to show that there are other subiecte concerning which Kings have t<i exercise caution if they would retain theii thrones. It may truthfully be said ol King Oscar that his was a reicn of peace. The mention of his name will have no echo of cannon thunder or of the horror of tha battlefield. He, therefore, has no place beside his illustrious ancestors — Gustavua Vasa, Gustavu3 Adolphus or Charles XH. The " Blood- Bath," in which Christian ol Denmark drowned the noblest of tha Swedes, was the fountain ' from which sprung liberty for Sweden, and when' this was accomplished Guatavus Vasa became undisputed King. It is a tribute to the growing humanitarianism of the age that for the .past thirty-five years King Oscar has been able to maintain and preserve the liberty bought at auch a terrible price, without once having to resort to th« sword: .The grayest -period- of King Oscar'a reign came in the summer of 1904. It was then that Norway, by making the consular question a crucial issue, revived the cry *for separation. Norway had originally remained united to Denmark until the political arrangements of the year 1814 destroyed the ancient connection, and under pretence of giving freedom to [ Norway annexed that country, preserving, i how«v«r, all ancient privileges. The attitude of the heads of the Norwegian, Government three years ago, Berner' Lotland, and Michelsen, tjecame almost aggressively defiant, and a now or never spirit of determination marked their political methods. The position was an acute one. Would King Oscar at last sign ~the bill (unanimously passed by the Storthing) giving the Norwegians the right to appoint consuls of their own, and cease to recognise those of Sweden? There were many anxious days of suspense. Then suddely the "Extras" announced that the Sovereign's answer was a veto. From that moment events moved with great celerity, and on June 7, 18C4, Oscar II was King of Sweden only. As a contemporary historian remarks : — " A less peace-loving monarch than he would never have gone through that crisis without bloodshed. As it was, war was narrowly averted. Had the Norwegians been dealing with Crown Prince Gustavua the result would probably have been different."

Oecar Fredrik, third son of the „ then Crown Prince Oscar (after-

A Brier wards Oscar I) and PrinBlorraphleal cess Josephine, was born Sketch, at Stockholm on January,

\-. . 21, 1829. From his grand-f-fatber Carl XIV (Johan), he received the s title of Dufce of Ostergothland. This i title he bore until 1872, when -having be- i : come heir apparent, by reason of the deaths of hie brother Gustaf and the . in- ■ fant Crown Prince- Carl Oscar, he buc- : ceeded Carl XV, whose demiae L occurred) :on September 19 of the same year. Prior* to his accession Oocar. had taken little of no active interest in the* affairs of State.. Only in an abstract way, through tha medium perhaps of temperament, did he appreciate the import of administrative matters, politics, -and diplomacy. 01 course it was inevitable that he should mingle with courtiers; and hear more at leas of the hum of the monarchical machinery. But his heart dwelt elsewhere. It is impossible to read the record of hi* apprenticeship to the navy (which ha began when he was but ten years of age), or the" even more illuminating story of hi* career as amateur traveller, poet, historian and scholar, without being struck by this troth. For a long time, however; he cherished but one prime aspiration— ta see himself the commander of a fleet. He learned to love the sea with an intelligence of instinct and a fervour of passion consummate^ wonderful. For the heroes of his boyhood and early manhood he had, an affection and admiration, the best accessible proof of which may be found iq his verses to such daring Swedish seafighters as Claes Uggla, Jonas Hokenflykt, and Nils EhrenskoW. Many pages o| King Oscar's "Ur Svensaka Flottans Minnen" (out of the Story of the Swedish Navy), are devoted to a glorification of their deeds. The same book of poems, anonymously; submitted, was awarded a prize by the Swedish Academy in 1857, and contain*: what must be considered tl>e> author* finest poetic effort, the melodious viril< stanzas to the Baltic. Very fair transla-. tions of this jjoem exist in "German an 4 French. Amongst the published writings of "Oscar Frednk" (as he always signed himself) niay be found the following sentiment: — "More than life itself t4 many a youth is a flower to adorn th^ bosoi.t of his love ; and well it is that this be so." This quaint little aphorisn* may well serve to illustrate the mosK beautiful event in King Oscar's personal life — viz., his courtship with Princess Sophia of Nassau. The young ceuple first met at Monrepo Castle, near the banks of the Rhine in Coblenz ; she was then twenty, he twenty-seven. Beautiful, lovable, dearly fond of many of the studies to the pursuit of which he was greatly devoted — history, languages, music. — Oscar Fredrik soon saw in the Germain Princess the woman of his desires. Their betrothal was announced on September 26, 1856, and in commemoration they cut them names in the trunk of a giant oak, nl benign witness to their troth. The lovers also planted a few of its acorns, one or which sprouted and became in the course of a year a two-leaved tree. This theyi transplanted in a flower pot and brought! it with them to Stockholm to set it outt in the idyllic gardens of Dottningholnu Castle. Eight or nine years later when, Hans Christian Andersen was visiting tha royal family there, Prince Oscar gave hum a branch of the memorial tree which, as the 6tory-t*llar remarks, was even then; taller than he. It is to-day one of th# sturdiest of all the oaks on the grounds.

After his marriage to Princess Sophia, ih« heir-apparent cultivated hi* Litterateur, literary talent with renewed Orater, ani zeal. Bucb wm the qualitt Art Pfttrta. of hi* interest that, it waa

no rare occurrence -with him: iao. those daifi ifl si Uft till down, discus*^

feuneberg. "or Tegner, or TSbethe* with some congenial companion. Strangely enough, however, he had no liking- for the reprecenta tires of the New School (so called), a reactionary party that-championed "the rights of fancy and feeling within the domain of poetry," and deprecated and opposed the prevailing French standards and tastes in arts and letters as instituted by Gustavus 111. In 1859 Oscar published a translation of Herder's version of "Poema dei Cid," sumptuously illustrated and dedicated to his brother, the Crown Prince, also an amateur man of letters. Two years later, on his wife's initiative, he rendered Goethe's "Torquato Ts6co " into Swedish. As an aid to the perfecting of her knowledge of the language Princess Sophia copied the translators manuscript, disfigured with many re- , visions and blurs, in an elegant hand, from which it was ultimately typed. The production was dedicated to • her. Few, if indeed any, of King Oscar's predecessors excelled him as an orator. His eloquence on more than one occasion proved a power by which he was enabled instinctively to assert his royal position and authority. Sonorous, rich, musical, bis voice was in itself a splendid artistic force. As a patron of art, King Oscar's name will be coupled- by posterity with that of Gustavua'llL It is said to be an artistic delight to wander through' the. halls and' corridors of Drottningholm Castle, where the monarch spent most of his time. Since the elaborate renovation and reconstruction of ihe interior, begun in 1885, and carried out under the King's personal supervision, and at .bis own expense, it has become one of the .most beautiful royal residences in the world. Every object reveals the most -faetidioas selection. The arrangement of the paintings; the architectural effects, the form of the furniture, the floors, ceilings, windows, all add essentially to the general harmonious beauty of the place. To see it is to be convinced of the late King's intelligent appreciation of art. He was ever a devoted theatre-goer tad an admirer of good acting. Few foreign players of note have appeared at Stockholm without being honoured by an invitation to meet the King. Some years ago, actuated by bis love for the stage, he established a neworder, or role of honour, entitled "Litteri* et Artibus." fie himself made the awards, and though the decoration was intended chiefly for worthy representatives of the histrionic profession, literary man and scientists were also eligible. Among the famous theatrical folk whohave been decorated by the -late Kitig are Sarah Bernhardt, Eleonara Duse, and Christina Nilsson.

Unlike President Roosevelt, who finds time

to write books amid his A Beeord of ■ multifarious public duties, Vn>f rest and King Oscar V literary actmrnsferHr. ties .virtasHy- ceased with ■ t his accession ip the throne. J.n the beginning .his acts were marked by' extreme caution, and he spared no effort to continue as closely as possible the administrative policy of hia predecessor, Carl XV; than whom "there was never a more popular regent in the kingdom ot Sweden. The people at first were slow to approach the new Sing,, and at. least a decode passed before Oscar 11, thanks in a large measure to his wise dealings with public questions, his' patriotism, his keen sympathies with national ideals, and prompt appreciation of the urgent need ot certain reforms, completely won his people's hearts. The progress of the country in commerce, industry, agriculture, education and other departments •has been gradual but sure during the reign of the late King. In 1875, for instance, Sweden had 2516 factories, employing altogether 52,207 hands, and producing material to the value o£ 143,000,000 crowns. In 1895 the number of factories had increased to 5083, that of the employees to 140,776, and tie value of the output to 418,000,000 crowns. Since the late King's accession \over one hundred new railways have been, constructed and thrown open for traffic. In 1875 about 6,40Q,000 acres of soil were under cultivation ; in 1895 this had increased to almost 9,000,000. All the institutions of learning owe much to the fete King's interest. The splendid International Expcsition held at Stockholm ten years ago testified eloquently to Sweden's eminence"" in the matter of national efficiency.

Contributors and corresrxmdents are reoninded that owing- to the holidays the issues of the Witness for the 25th inst. and Ist January must go to press earlier than •usual. Contributions and advertisements should reach the office not later than noon of the 21st and 28th inst. respectively. Letters from country correspondents should arrive not later than the 20th and 27th inst. respectively.

When the purchase of the Manawatu railway line is an accomplished fact stops .will at onre be taken to provide Wellingjfcon with an up-to-date railway station. The present Maua.\vatu station, will be done away with, and one general station provided, the site, in all probability, being fomewhere in the vicinity of the present IGovernment railway station, this being Ahe most central situation available.

In. a recent caee, where the carcase of a pig tbat was badly infected with tuberculosis was discovered in • local store and condemned by the health authorities, it •was the intention, we> understand, of tho .City ComnciT to hare undertaken * prosecution.' against the- firm in question, and so eet v& an object kson for others.. Under ttie terms of the existing- Abattoirs Act *hi 6, however, was found to be impossible.

Tho Hon. J. A. MUl*r visited the Girls' High School on the- 9th, in company with jfche Hon. J. ft. Sinclair, who is chaiMßftri of the Board of Governors. Mr Millar had po difficulty is realising that the reporte W ihe dilapidation of the building ware in tio way «xag-g<erated, and concurred in tho ©pinion that a new structure wa e absolutely

necessary, the present one having gone beyond repair.

Our Cromwell correspondent telegraphs as follows:— The weather is very warm, but there have been some splendid rain 3 throughout the Upper Clutiha "Valley, so there is every prospect of good crops; also plenty of feed for the 6toek.

A Press Association telegram from Auckland states that Thomas Hall, who was convicted at Timaru in 18£6 of an attempt to murder his wife by administering antimony poison, was liberated from Mount Eden Gaol last week.