The Daily News. FRIDAY, AUGUST 26. THE KING'S CHARACTER.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 118, 26 August 1910, Page 4

The Daily News. FRIDAY, AUGUST 26. THE KING'S CHARACTER.

King George cannot help being a king * If he were a saint, profligate or mentallj * weak the would still toe king. He is none 1 of the three. It is acknowledged that men speak evil oftener than good, and 1 that the King himself is not secure from ' calumny. In these days of criticism, it ' is no crime to traduce the fair fame of ' a monarch, although it is actionable to • traduce the fair fame of his most humble ' subject. Thus, there have been found " persons who, guided merely by hearsay, ' have accused the successor of King Ed- 1 ward with weaknesses that many men possess and do not socially suffer for. As the real wrongdoer, and the supposed 1 I wrongdoer, may obtain the services of ■ great men with clear insight to defend them in public courts of law, so may a King; who is blameless of the Bins he is charged with, finds a volunteer to speak the truth for him. It is pitiable that the greatest figure in the world should have to ibe defended. Awhile ago, Dr.' Russell Wa'kefield, Dean of Norwich, i knowing that cranks who had accepted i hearsay as evidence, had traduced the King's personal haibits, made these remarks: "The King is a man of intense self-sacrifice and high character." This famous cleric then went on to declare that the charges of insobriety levelled against the King (by cranks) was a lie. He further stated with vigor that the accusation that King George had contracted a-morganatic marriage prior to his marriage with, the Princess May was an utter falsehood. The public had to accept either the statements of cranks, or the refutations of a- sane cleric, trusted, admired, and who held a record for honesty and achievement. Then, because it seems likely that the English people might believe lies, a great journalist, with the utmost care, made a case for King George's sobriety and virtue, for the reason that King George is not in the position to refute lies made against his character. 'Mr. Stead quotes Lord Rosebery as saying that the present King has led a life of abstemiousness, pure and l healthy, that he is a good husiband and a kind father. After quoting from the writings of various personal friends of the King, Mr. Stead proceeds to say that King George is the most abstemious sovereign who has ever ascended the English throne, that he abhors 'excess, of any kind, and that he is almost a total abstainer from alcohol. The calumny went further than in assailing the King. It ' touched the Queen, the mother of many children, and who has insisted that they shall be self-dependent to the earning , of their own livings if occasion demands. This "dissipated" King of ours is held to . be one of tie three best "shots" in his kingdom.. There is quoted the fact that on one occasion the King had four dead pheasants in the air at once. Even if one hates the thought of the slaughter of driven birds, one must admit that a sovereign who can ibeat all-comers with a fowling piece cannot be addicted to alcohol. The quaint story of, the King's morganatic marriage to the vague daughter of one of three specified admirals at Malta, is dealt with fully by Mr. Stead, and copies of letters traversing the accusations are given. Sir Henry Ponsonby, in reply to letters from the journalist mentions that, at the time of the marriage to the Princess Alexandra of the late King, rumors to the effect that he also contracted a scandalous marriage were circulated. The late Queen Victoria was accused of being a supporter of immoral and irreligious bigamy, but the j absurdity of the accusations so impressed the Court and the leading journalists concerned, that the whole thing, apart from absolute disproval, was laughed to scorn. King Edward was approached about this clandestine marriage of his heir. He asked' for the register, the clergyman who had solemnised the marriage, the name of the Admiral whose daughter had been married to Prince George, and desired to know how it was that no Admiral made any enquiries, why the Navy knew nothing, and the Chiurch was silent. King Edward gave categorical denial to the statment. The Archbishop of 'Canterbury solemnised the marriage of Princess May of Teck to Prince George of York. He was deluged with letters calling him unholy names for * permitting a bigamous marriage. It was impossible for the greatest prelate in England to be party to a bigamous union, so he made the most careful investigations in ißtoyal circles, in the Navy, and j in the Court. The Archbishop declared that there never had been any union . either iby tie help of the Church or clandestinely, and he and the famous churchmen who assisted him had no compunction in celebrating the marriage of a the present King with the Princess May. Mr. Stead points out that the reason why the King Hid not at once sell the racing * stud of Ms father was because it would * have been an insult "to the memory of one * of the cleanest "sports" the English (Turf ever knew, it has been seen that the King has so conformed to the opinion of some of the people that ihe has greatly reduced his racing stud and shows no particular partiality for the' "sport of Jongs." It seems almost ridiculous to r have to assert that the King is devoted to his wife, as if this were a special vir-

tue and had to be placed l in black and white to nail it down. Tihere was never any suspicion while the King was in New Zealand that he was anything but a plain, ordinary, every-day person who had married a woman because he loved her and she loved him. It has always seemed aibsurd to us that because a man is eminent it should be considered extraordinary if lie is also virtuous. Mr. Stead has thought it necessary to prove that King George is not violently addicted to cards but that he is devoted to the pastime of collecting rare postage stamps! Could not some wild-eyed critic write King George a letter on the villainy of collecting, postage stamps? There is a gentleman in New Plymouth who in an official capacity came in contact with King George during a long period. His tribute is that: "King George is a perfect gentleman. He doesn't put on hali "9 much 'side' as plenty of New Zeaand business men." When all is said and

done, the futility of making out a case for King George's virtues must strikethe average man. He is King of England whether he plays cards or marbles. He is 'Defender of the Faith, whether he goes horse-racing or to church. He is Emperor of India and of the 'Dominions Beyond the Seas, whether he has. a family in Malta or merely a Royal family in England. And as eminent persons of repute have taken the trouble to cleanse

his character from foul imputations, it ia more believable that he is a. decent, honest King and' good-living English gentleman than the "scallywag" some people with squinting minds like to believe him.