“ABOVE CLASS.”

Waikato Times, Volume 96, Issue 15864, 8 December 1923, Page 21 (Supplement)

“ABOVE CLASS.”

_4 THE BRITISH MONARCHY. HIGHER. TYPE OP DEMOCRACY. "Monarchy is one of thc oßdest institutions in the world, bnt the term has undergone many changes or meaning corresponding to the many changes in the part which th e monarch has played," said Professor F. P. Wilson in the course of a lecture on "The Monarchy" to Senior Cadets at the Community Club at Wellington. Th c professor occupies the Chair of History at Victoria University College.

Professor Wilson said that in th< earliest times the monarch wos th< lawgiver in times of peace, and tin lender in times of Avar. He represent cd to the groups of families formim lh e tribe the idea of the patriarch Ihe head of the family. He was th< father of his people, and felt toward; them as a father felt towards his children. But, when the tic of Moot was lost, the Monarch often a Howe , his own ambition to direct his conduct and subordinating the good of hit people to his own ends, became r tyrant. Amongst the Greeks the twe terms, the "Monarch" or the "'King,' were used in a special sense as the ruler inspired by "virtue," by which they meant perfect wisdom", whilst the ruler who used his own powe for his own purpose was a tyrant. Evolution of the Monarchy. "Amongst our Teutonic ancestors." paid Professor Wilson, "th c king was essentially the leader of the tribe, chosen from a family supposed to b< descended from the god 'Woden.' Elected by the fighting men of the tribe, for (he Saxons lived in tribes or rims of a few hundred people, his mission was symbolised by the warriors raising him on their shields, as they shouted their war-cries. Alfred, iu his leadership of the Saxons against the Danes, affords a splendid example of the high-minded, self-sacrificing, patient,, and heroic leader. He is -Alfred the Great, however, not merely because he conquered lhe Danish invaders and forced them to leave his West Saxon kingdom in pence, but because, physically weak though h c was he gave his whole life to the good of his beloved people, who paid him back with an equal love. "The conquest opened a new phase. 'the king was now a conqueror, the I head of a great military organisation. | harsh and stern towards his subjects. Bid. two generations after the Conquest, William's son Henry earned the name 'The Lion of Justice' from his Saxon subjects, on whose support he leaned. After him a tyrant wouU ; meet with opposition at the hands of I his subjects, in whom Norman and J Saxon hail blended to form the English people. Government was still in the hands of the king, but his Greal Council, consisting of the greater lords, put a check on tyranny. New Era in Government. "When Edward J. called to Parliament the knights of the shire and lhe representatives of the towns lo vote taxation, he began a new era in the Government of England. Parliament Gradually realised that the power of refusing supplies gave them tie'' mastery, and redress of grievances then went hand iu band with the voting of money, from this time the importance of Parliament increased rapidly. Under lhe Tudor sovereigns Parliament seemed content to take a back seat. Thc Tudors, especially 'bluff King Hal' and Elizabeth, knew their people and worked with them for the good of England. Nothing is more striking in history than lhe perfect understanding between 'Good Queen Bess' and her subjects, and the great outburst of national enthusiasm and glory which her leadership of thc nation called out. There is a striking contrast between the love shown by her for her subjects and the suspicion willi which her successor, James J.,' was regarded—suspicion which deepened into hostility under his son, Charles 1. Charles lost his head or, the scaffold, but the stern days of the Commonwealth made England long for lhe return of the monarchy. But the monarchy must be one ruling iu accordance with law, and not an arbitrary one. So when James 11 tried to dispense with the law opposition was quickly roused, and the peaceful revolution of 1688 established the principle that the monarchy must be a constitutional one. It could no longer be a tyranny: the power had passed to Parliament, which, though corrupt, did at least represent national interests. Reigning but not Governing. "The transfer of the Crown of Great Britain to the House of Hanover marked another stage in thc position of the Crown, for the first two Kings of the Hanoverian Line did not understand British politics, and absenting themselves from Cabinet meetings en that account were content to leave the Government in the hands of Ministers. Thus the constitutional practice developed, by which the actual government of the country was not in the hands of the Monarch, but in Ministers, who, representing a majority in Parliament, could carry their measure through the House. "From that time, although the Monarchy, in theory, retains many prerogatives, it has become a fixed rule that government, though carried on in the name of the King, must always be by thc advice of Ministers. So long as Ministers command a majority in the House of Representatives, the King must take their advice, except, perhaps, when, he has reason to believe that majority is not representative of the true opinion of the country.

"The King reigns, but docs not govern. So many people, not realising what the Monarchy really is. consider it should be abolished, and some other form of government, such as a republic, set up. "A Life of Work." "Probably the two men who work hardest in the government of Great Britain ar c His Majesty the King and the Prime Minister. The King had the advantage in that he has no political leanings, If a Labour Government is set up in Great Britain, the Labour Prime Minister will gain much by his consultations with His Majesty, whose experience and sympathy will be at his disposal. At a recent Labour meeting in New South Wales one speaker declared that the King's 'job' was a very difficult and trying one. It is not one to b c envied; it involves a devotion to duty which calls for the highest qualities and for great self-sacrifice. King George is King by the will of the people. He accepts his high office with the responsibilities it entails. His is not a life of pleasure: it is one ef work. Many hours of cacti day are taken up with consultations with Ministers, attending to correspondence, receiving Ambassadors from foreign countries, attending State functions —

innumerable duties, which only one who sacrifices self to the good of

liia country could endure. He can rarely escape the public gaze: bis every action is noted and commented on.

"In return for this unselfish devotion to the public good, the Kin? receives the loyalty of his subjects. An American recently wrote: 'Few Ameri-

cans realise what, the Throne and the Royal Family mean in the life of the British people. Our idea of the Kins is coloured by our Republican pre-judices-—not knowing thai England is in many ways more democratic than America. The other day, in the City Temple, an American spoke of the King as an 'animated flag,' little dreaming of the thing of which he is a symbol and the profound affection in which he is held. There is something spiritual in this devotion to the King, something mystical, and the Fmpire would scarcely hold together without it.. Never in their true hours, do the English people brag of Britain as a world power, actual or potential. It is always the home and the hearth. Of every Briton we may say, as Bunyan said of Greatheart, 'But that which put glory of grace into ail that he did was that he did it for pure love, of his country.' This sentiment linds incarnation in the Royal Family, in whom the Home rises above party, and is untouched by the gusts of passion.' "At a time when thrones are falling, the British King- moves freely amongst his people, everywhere honoured and beloved, and all who know the worth of this Empire to civilisation rejoice and give thanks. "Represents our institutions." "Our Monarchy is part of ourselves. It represents our institutions. Us development is bound up with the development of our race. It is democratic, a higher type of democracy than one in which the nominal bead of tiyj State is the representative of a Party. It takes its full share in government, but is always at the service of themajority. It is above class, for it represents the whole nation. The King is interested in all, in every movement which promises a better England. Loyalty to the King is loyalty to ourselves and to our feliow-citi-zens. Honouring the King, we honour ourselves and our country. When wo sing the National Anthem we arc uttering a prayer, not for an individual but for ourselves and our country. The man who refuses to sing it is to be pitied, for he does not understand that the words, 'God save our gracious King' mean 'God save us, our homes, our honour, our liberty, our country-' " (Applause).