Poverty Bay Herald PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING GISBORNE, THURSDAY, JUNE 3, 1915. THE KING'S BIRTHDAY.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 13701, 3 June 1915, Page 2

Poverty Bay Herald PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING GISBORNE, THURSDAY, JUNE 3, 1915. THE KING'S BIRTHDAY.

The. year which has jus£.cloßed iri^the life of King George has .been full of., anxieties and responsibilities ffoi". oxxv beloved . Sovereign, but i£, lias had its compensations m the demonstrations of loyalty and affection which have reached him from all quarters of his /wide, Dominions. V Never m the history of *the British nation has a sovereign, been so strongly supported by his people; never" has the Crown meant so much •to the people; who m every portion of the Empire have ralied with wonderful accord and enthusiasm to the defence' of their Sovereign Lord and his Hag. There are people who m days gone by have held poor conception of kingship; s whose idea was 1 that the King could wear a fine .uniform ancl go' about and have a good time;, that he possesses an allowance which makes him a rich man and that he does not have to work Very hafd to earn it; that he has achieved kingship merely by accident of birth, and that he really does not count : very ' much m the government of the Empire. These notions of kingship have been rudely shaken during the past twelve months; their fallacy, has been , proved. His • Majesty the King has had upon his ., shoulders responsibilities and duties which few nieri ; Would be Capable of bearing. '.: It seems going back into ancient history, but just, twelve months '.ago. f when the United Kingdom seemed faced Svith the prospect of civil' war and when confidential diplomatic information " was pouring m upon thfe head of the nation showing the extreme gravity of the international situation, His Majesty must, have had an extremely anxious time, and if was mainly due to his peri < sonal influence that Birtain did not go to pieces with internal dissensions and that the Navy' was found splendidly ready for the great emergency of war* A weak monarch ■ mighV have sacrificed priceless ■ days and . hours with dallying diplomacy} King; George, to his credit, was ready when the time of crisis came to take his stand with his people against all personal . relationships — and these, must mean : just as much' ib Royalty as to the common people — and to wage, war for the Right. We honor and respect our King' because {here wasT never a swerving of one hairsbreadth from the plain course, of duty. Upon the King as head of the. Navy and j Army has rested a great responsi bility . There is no doubt that naval and military plans have invariably been submitted to him and. received his concurrence. His presence amongst them has often cheered and encouraged our troops. Whilst he is not given to showy theatricals like the Kaiser, nor does he attempt to override his responsible . admirals and generals, we have seen him m the trenches m muddy Flanders, personally superintending the comfort and welfare of his men; and on another day we hear of him with the Grand Fleet m the North Sea inspiring and encouraging the splendid men of tlio Navy. His Majesty promptly' made the personal sacrifice that every loyal father with sons of fighting age must be prepared to make m sending his heir to the front and m having his other boys well trained m arms and action. When the munitions problem arose arid it was shown that Britain's output wad being hampered by the drink evil, the King set a royal example by abolishing liquor from his table. No man lias a higher" conception of his duties and no man ti'ies to fulfil them So conscientiously . as King George. He lives up to the ideal to be m every sens* TKing of his reaim. And his kingship is not an arrogant kingship such :as '"that of vnonar^hs who have

gone betore and such as one particular* example of modern times. Government by might and militarism and over- ! powering majesty arc not his idea. He knows the tremenrloup changes that are taking plaoe m the minds of people the world over. He appreciates the efforts of education and the advancement ot the poorer classes and rtf the millions of' colored people who look to him as their sovereign! He respects the rights and feelings of other nationalities. He is essentially a democratic monarch, j taking a strong and sympathetic interest m the doings of his people, m their wotlc and their sports and really becoming one of themselves m a curiously intimate personal sort of way. His stability of character and high moral principles are an asset of immeTTSe value to the whole British Empire, especially m such times as these when there is need for the whole nation to stand finm for honor and righteousness, and m the midst of the severest struggles against the powers ofj evil always to play the game. King George, we know, will countenance nothing short of this, . and the nation, has satisfaction m knowing that it is. so. To- 1 day the Empire's sons are giving themselves freely for the: King whom they love so well. Loyalty to King is no lip service, but is proved day by day by the devotion and sacrifice of his Majesty's subjects from every part of the world. All the world over to-day flags will be flying for our King and the toast will be honored: "Long life to King George ! Long may he rule over us !" ■