DEATH OF THE KING

New Zealand Tablet, 12 May 1910, Page 734

DEATH OF THE KING

THE NATION IN MOURNING

During the past week disquieting cable messages regarding the King’s health were received, and, although the public felt that his Majesty’s condition was probably more serious than was admitted, still the people were wholly unprepared for the sad news that came to hand about one o’clock on Saturday to the effect that his Majesty had passed away at a quarter to twelve on Friday night. The King refused to stay in bed on Friday morning, when he rose and transacted business. He faced his illness with courage and determination, and except during attacks of coughing and choking he conversed as usual. He suffered a bad paroxysm of coughing in the forenoon, and the paroxysm recurred in the afternoon, till in the evening it took the form rather of failure of breath, and King Edward became comatose. Despite this fact the King remained up. The Royal Family was summoned, and nearly all had arrived by 7.30 p.m. As the King’s condition was not improving it was arranged that all should stay the night, and rooms were prepared for them. King Edward recognised those about him during a flicker of consciousness about 10 p.m., but he then relapsed into a state of coma, and peacefully expired. Among the callers at Buckingham Palace on Friday morning was his Grace Archbishop Bourne. Messages of Condolence. There was an indescribable outburst of grief when the news was made public, and unanimous tributes of affection were paid to the late King. The Lord Mayor of London (Sir John Knill), in acknowledging the Prince of Wales’ intimation of the death of King Edward, tendered the citizens’ true sympathy and condolence. He also telegraphed to Queen Alexandra : —‘ The city expresses profound emotion at the fact that God has called to Himself your - august husband and our most gracious and beloved King. It expresses loyal devotion and deep sympathy, and may God bless and comfort you and those dear to you in your hour of need and sorrow.’ The Irish Nationalist newspapers are shocked at the abrupt termination of the King’s active life. They state that during the nine years of his reign there never was an occasion for more critical attention than the present, when the world was looking with anxiety for the King’s decision in the constitutional crisis. On Friday his Holiness the Pope remarked that'he had offered heartfelt prayers for the King’s speedy recovery. President Taft cabled to Queen Alexandra in the following terms: —‘l offer your Majesty and your son the profoundest sympathy of the people and Government of the United States, whose hearts go out to their British kinsmen in their national bereavement. To this I add my personal appreciation of those high qualities which made the life of the late King,, so potent an influence towards peace and justice among the nations.’ On Saturday afternoon Sir Joseph Ward in the course of a message to all officers in charge of telegraph stations, said:—‘The loss to the world at large is one that cannot be estimated, as King Edward throughout his reign has been recognised as one of Hie greatest factors in helping to preserve the peace of nations. Our great monarch stood out as one of the greatest in- the world’s history, and it is something ' to remember that his reign was characterised by the .unique and gratifying distinction that, throughout that period, Great Britain has been at peace with all other nations.’' His Lordship Bishop Grimes forwarded the following message on Saturday to the Prime Minister for transmission to his Excellency the Governor:—* Kindly accept and convey assurance of grief of priests, people, and Bishop of our diocese in the world-wide loss of our great and good King.’ King George signed a proclamation confirming in their offices all holding appointments. Then, in a short and earnest speech he recalled with deep emotion his father’s words on ascending the throne: ‘As long as I breathe it will be my duty to strive to promote the best interests of the pfeople.’ That promise had been fulfilled to the best of King Edward s ability, and it would be his constant endeavor to. follow that example. He had sustained something more than the loss of a father. He had lost a King, father, and friend. Sketch of the Life of the Late King. King Edward VII. was born on November 9 1841 a+ Buckingham Palace. An heir to the Throne had been anxiously awaited, and Queen Victoria and Prince Albert received thousands of congratulatory messages, not only through official sources at home and abroad, but from many of her Majesty’s humblest subjects all over the world. The heir to the Throne was christened Albert, after his father and Edward, after his grandfather, the Duke of Kent’ The education of the future King was entrusted to private tutors until his eighteenth year. On November 9 1859 the prince attained his eighteenth year, and became ’legally heir to the Crown, when Queen Victoria wrote him a letter announcing his emancipation from parental control. Exactly

a month after his birthday the Prince started on a Continental tour with Mr. Tarver, travelling incognito as Lord Renfrew. He stayed some time in Rome, and was received by Pope Pius IX. He went to Oxford University in 1859, and to Cambridge in 1860, and in 1861 he joined the army at Hie Curragh. In 1860 he visited Canada and the United States. During a visit to Germany in 1861 the 1 mice met the Princess Alexandra of Denmark, his future consort. The formal betrothal took place in September, 1862, and the marriage on March 10, 1863. The year 1860 was memorable for the Prince’s visit to Ireland and for the birth of the present King. . Some years later the Prince was brought almost to death’s door by an attack of typhoid fever, contracted whilst visiting at Scarborough. In 1875 the Prince visited India, where he was received with the utmost enthusiasm. Queen \ ictoria died at Osborne, full of years and honor, on January 22, 1901, and he who had been so long known and beloved as Prince of Wales ascended the throne fnno u va ' n - The coronation was fixed for June 26, 1902, but owing to the serious illness of the King it had to be postponed until August 9. ' 1 • The New King. ; ' The new King was born on June 3, I 860; being the younger son of King Edward VII. and Queen Alexandra, then known as the Prince and Princess of Wales. On the death of his brother Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence, on January 14, 1892, he became heir to the throne, and took his seat in the House of Lords as Duke of York. He was then in his twenty-seventh year. On July 6 1893 he was married to 1 Princess Victoria Mary of Teck, who had been the intended bride of his brother. Since then as Duke of York lie paid visits to various parts of the Umpire, that which he in company with the Duchess of • ?ii/ ld , t] . ie Commonwealth and New Zealand in 1901 is still fresh in the memory of our readers. It was only on his return to England in 1902 that the Duke received the style and dignity of ‘Prince of Wales.

EXPRESSIONS OF SMYPATHY

DUNEDIN. f ~At all the Masses at St. Joseph’s Cathedral on Sunday feeling reference t was made to the death of his Majesty King Edward VII The Rev. Father Coffey, Adm., speakmg at the 9 and 11 o’clock Masses, said that in union with all the subjects of the British Empire they desired to express their sorrow and sincere regret at the death of the nn“j lg * D urin S his brief reign his Majesty had at all times and on all possible occasions shown the greatest respect and revel once for the Church and its ceremonies. For this his Catholic subjects owed him a deep debt of gratitude. During the whole of his life the late King never did anything in his relation to the Church to which the most exacting Gatholic could take exception. There was one act to which exception could be taken, and that was when at his coronation he had to make use of expressions which cast a pi." upon our holy religion and our belief in the Real Presence, but they had it on the best authority that the X Of + f heSe WOrds J was most distasteful to his Majesty, and altogether opposed to his opinions and feelings. He had always manifested the greatest interest in Catholic institutions both at home and abroad, and on the last occasion Wo aS T l i' e an ? \ ie paid a special visit to Maynooth College and showed his very deep interest in that great institution and all that concerned it. On various occasions when he visited Continental countries he showed his sympathy with, and appreciation of, the Catholic Church in various ways, and whenever he was present at any religious functions he followed the ceremonies with the greatest respect and reverence. It was not long ago since he visited Lourdes, where, with head uncovered, he watched a religious procession at that famous shrine. The Catholics of the British Empire owed a deep debt of gratitude to the late King and his Ministers for notwithstanding the protests of bigoted persons, the welcome extended to the French religious, who were driven out of their own country—a professedly Catholic land— no reason save that they were engaged in practising their religion by teaching the young, and nursing the sick, the infirm, and the old They therefore, as Catholics, desired to unite with other subjects m expressing their sorrow for the loss sustained by the British Empire. They desired also to extend their heart felt sympathy to Queen Alexandra in her sad bereavement As Irishmen and descendants of Irishmen, they had reason to mourn the death of the King, for there were grounds S believing that his Majesty was favorable to the granting of self-government to Ireland. His tact, liberality, kindnesf of heart, and diplomacy had won for him an imperishable place in the hearts of his subjects. In concluding, Father Coffey said they should pray earnestly that the new King would follow in his father’s footsteps; that he would lie auiwid with the same high ideals, display the same liberality to! nattons l Cholic religion, act as a peacemaker among wars ’ d d ° Sll m hIS Power to Prevent unnecessary ~T the 11 o’clock Mass at the Cathedral the organist (Mr. Vallis) played the Dead March from ‘ Saul.’ v g * South Dunedin. * At St. Patrick’s Basilica, South Dunedin mi Cn n j„. at the 9 and 11 o’clock Masses, Rev. D. O’Neill expressed

the condolences of his congregation with the Royal Family, and also with the Empire in the loss of a King whom all the world looked upon as a king of peace. At the- weekly meeting of the St. Patrick’s Literary and Debating Society, South Dunedin, on Monday evening, it was decided to adjourn till next Monday night as a mark of respect to the memory of the late King. - Port Chalmers. hThe Rev, Father Hearn, at Mass in St. Mary’s Church, Port Chalmers, on Sunday, referred in eloquent terms, to the worth and work of the late Monarch on behalf of peace, and said the loss in this respect was not only a loss to the British nation, but also to the nations of the world. By King Edward’s tact and diplomacy war and strife had been averted, and their late Monarch Would live in the memory of his own people and the peoples of other nations as ■‘ The Peacemaker.’ Invercargill. , . At the 11 o’clock Mass on Sunday (writes our Invercargill correspondent) feeling reference was made by Rev, Father Kavanagh to the death of his Majesty the King. At Vespers the Very Rev. Dean Burke, V.F., also referred to the loss the world had sustained by the death of the illustrious Monarch. .

CHRISTCHURCH.

An Eloquent Tribute. I At St. Mary’s Catholic Church on Sunday night (writes I the Greymouth correspondent of the Otago Daily Times), his | Lordship Bishop Grimes delivered the following panegyric: I ‘•■A mournful cloud hangs over the world to-day. A heavy I blow has befallen the British Empire and its vast dependencies. Yea, that appalling blow has fallen on the whole civilised world. The suddenness and unexpectedness wherewith it has fallen makes that blow the more keenly felt. Only a few hours ago we learnt with dismay that the hand of death had-fallen on his Most Gracious Majesty King Edward VII. The Catholics of this our diocese of Christchurch unite with all our fellow-subjects scattered through- I out the globe in expressions of heartfelt grief. Our lamented King was a great, a noble, a good King. No monarch in modern times did more to promote the peace and welfare of his people, to whom he ever strove to prove himself a father , and a friend. No monarch, ancient or modern, ever showed himself a more peaceful ambassador. During the whole of his too short reign he alone of all the European Sovereigns was successful by his wisdom and prudence and personal influence in maintaining the peace and tranquility of nations. Hence the grief caused by the news of his death is indeed world-wide. For us, as" loyal subjects, and full of Christian patriotism as the inspired writings would have us be, there is a personal reason for deep regret. No British Sovereign for the last 300 years has been more tolerant and broad-minded than Edward VII. None was ever more fearless and tactful than he. He was not afraid to enter our Catholic churches, nor to assist at the most holy sacrifices when invited to do honor to his Catholic friends, whether living or dead. Only a short time before his lamented death he visited the farfamed shrine of our Lady of Lourdes, and there he remained with head uncovered as the procession of the Blessed Sacrament wended its way along the sacred precincts. None more than he knew how to reverence the religious faith of his i Catholic subjects and their co-religionists. Faithful Ireland has lost a true friend in the death of our King. Me knew the country and its generous, warm-hearted people, and this knowledge, made him appreciate them and their long-cherished and legitimate aspirations, and the realisations whereof, had it depended on him, would long since have been an accomplished fact. We are all the poorer by his death. While we join in the universal chorus or grief, while our hearts go out in sorrow and sympathy W. ! 1 , 1 ! widowed Queen and the Royal Family, we must be ? ln lv c ot another duty incumbent upon us with regard to the {sovereign on whose shoulders the mantle of royalty I has now fallen. Let us send up fervent prayers to the l Throne of the Almighty on his behalf. Let us beseech the | King of Kings to , endow him with gifts similar to those I which made his departed father a model among kings May he, like him ever prove himself the father and friend of his people. May he, whilst promoting their peace and prosperity, long live to contribute by his wisdom and prudence a kingly influence to the peace and tranquility of the kino's -2-: Y ay i the Most High God, . “ through whom kings reign and rulers discern justice,” bless, guide and prayer Amen U ’ should be our earnest ™ h and fervent

(From our own correspondent.) • • Immediately on the death of King Edward being known L C^ h r h . th « reat bell, of the Catholic Cathedral r e ? at g 11 ” 1 , 16 intervals for over an hour. At the Cathedral on Sunday, in the presence of large congregat f he Y y sev5 ev - Father Price, Adm., feeling inference to the sad event, which had plunged the Empire in “S The . Very Rev. Father Price spoke as follows • afvou welf l tminded Cath olic,. loyalty to the Throne is not, as you well know, a mere sentiment, the,product of educalalhiM rS’ n r n V.- N ; r is aW i catchword,’tlie rallying cry of a political party. With a Catholic, no

matter what his education, no matter what his environment, or his political views, his loyalty must live with his life, grow with his growth, and be stronger than death itself. For loyalty—what. is it Ask him, and he will tell you that it is that fair flower of religion, sown into the virgin soil of his soul by the Hand of God, nurtured by the Sun of Justice through all the stages of growth, ripening at length into blossom and producing the fruits of respect, reverence, and obedience to the Sovereign, in whom he sees invested authority which comes from God. Our loyalty, then, is based on the sure and safe foundation of our holy religion, which teaches us that all power is from God,” and that “he who resisteth the power resisteth the ordinance of God, and that they who resist purchase to themselves damnation,” that is the eternal enmity and punishment of God. Hence the exhortation of'St, Paul to Titus to instruct the flock committed to his care “ to be subject to princes and to obey at a word.” Loyalty, then, to his legitimate Sovereign being, according to -the inspired Word, one of the tests of a Catholic’s loyalty to God and His Church. I venture to express the belief that our late departed King had no more loyal subjects in his world-wide dominions than we ho are met here this morning, and. none feel more keenly the great and irrevocable loss which has thrown the Whole world into mourning. Swiftly bn the announcement of his Majesty’s illness followed the sad news of his death, which has caused amongst his people deep and profound sorrow. Indeed, the Pope excepted, there is ho contemporary Sovereign whose disappearance from this mortal scene would call forth the world-w interest and sympathy excited by the passing away of King Edward VII. His uniform good health had accustomed men to regard his death as a contingency out of all question; but nature is inexorable in the case of rulers as well as in that of peasants. At the age of 69, in the tenth year of his reign, he passed peacefully away, surrounded, by the members of his family. On the day of his accession to the throne he swore to work for the good and amelioration of his people, and faithfully did he fulfil that promise. Although his reign was not a very eventful, one, the charm of his own personality, his large-minded and liberal spirit, combined with his wonderful tact, had done much to secure for the whole world that peace and quietness which it had been our happiness to behold during the past nine years. Of all the remarkable features of the Victorian era, perhaps the most noteworthy was the growth of religious toleration. From, being ■dominions in which anti-Catholic bigotry was rampant, the British Empire was changed into a home of religious freedom, wherein scope for progress was offered to every denomination. Our late departed Sovereign followed the example of his venerated mother, and we cannot but feel a special sense of gratitude towards his Majesty for haying adopted it as his own standard of duty. But now his career is ended; his life is over; he lies in the tranquil sleep of death. That light which has been a guiding star to the nations of the earth has gone to diffuse its rays in another sphere. Nature, God’s minister, has with gentle, and mournful touch begun to blot his features out. His spirit’s outward tabernacle, itself no longer the same, is all that is left to the senses. That, too, in a few days, will be buried in the bosom, of the earth. . At the conclusion of the 11 o’clock Mass, and again after Vespers in the evening, the Cathedral organist (Mr. Alfred Bunz) played the Dead March from ‘ Saul.’ Christchurch North. • At all the Masses at St. Mary’s, Christchurch North, touching references to the late King ere made by the various priests. The Very Rev. Dean Ginaty, S.M., V.G., referred in eloquent terms to the tact, wisdom, and thorough appreciation of the welfare of all his subjects displayed by the late King. He had been renowned as the peace-keeper of Empire, and the wish was expressed that the new Sovereign would emulate the many virtues of the late Edward VII. Sympathetic, references were also made at the Catholic churches at Addington and Halswell, and at the suburban churches of St. Mary’s parish. - I Lyttelton. , . At Mass at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, Lyttelton, the Rev. Father R. J. Cooney preached an impressive sermon to a large congregation. He referred to the suddenness of the great blow' to the people, in the death of their wise and gracious Sovereign. He dwelt on the office of King, on its wonderful dignity and power and its tremendous responsibilities to Almighty God and to the people. The late King, he added, had upheld the best traditions. : He was a worthy successor to a long line of worthy Sovereigns, and by his great-heartedness and kindness, his interest in the sick and affl’eted, and in all charities had endeared himself to the nation. He was pre-eminently a peacemaker amongst the nations of the earth, and by his far-seeing wisdom and tact he had been instrumental in warding off trouble and misunderstanding. He had possessed a strong sense of justice and fairplay to every denomination, and rn several occasions had given special proofs of his interest in his 12,000,000 Catholic subjects, who did not yield one iota in their loyalty to his Majesty.

AUCKLAND.

(By telegraph from our own correspondent.)

In all -the Catholic churches of the city and suburbs on Sunday sympathetic references were made to the King s

death. Rev. Father Holbrook, at the Cathedral, in a sermon on Death,’ referred to the death of the King as an occasion when human words and the faculty of speech were inadequate to give a faithful expression to their thoughts and feelings. The Church forbids a public memorial or ! prayer for one who died out of visible communion with her. This does not prohibit us expressing our feelings of sympathy,, which find an echo in every corner of the civilised I world. King Edward is dead; the sceptre has fallen from | his hands, the throne has lost its august occupant; the | Royal Family mourns the loss of a father, and -the virtuous Queen Alexandra is now a widowed mother. We honor him || tor not since Edward, the Sainted Confessor, no greater g King than Edward VII. graced the throne of England. As | peacemaker and philanthropist we honor him. He was the I patron of manly sports, and showed deepest respect for re- I ligion. He would not tolerate in public amusements any- | thing bordering on the immoral. His sympathies were with ) the smaller nations, and in him the Irish people Halve lost I a true friend, as was shown while he was Prince of Wales ( a j .I®* Fourteen days before death he was at Lourdes j and visited the Holy Grotto and Rosary Chapel, and duringj the procession stood reverently with uncovered head. May I be this visit was productive of grace and the blessing of i our Lady of Lourdes. After Benediction the Dead March I m haul was played on the organ by Air. Harrv Hiscocks, I tile whole congregation standing meanwhile. M

Oamam.

At the 11 o’clock Mass on Sunday at St. Patrick’s Basilica, Oamaru, the Rev. Father Woods made svmpathetic reference to the death of King Edward , v i l, -T 16 B P Oa of the peaceful spirit which animated the late King in Ins diplomatic actions and the liberal and impartial manner of his Majesty in bis personal relations with his subjects of every creed and nation, and concluded by expressing a hope that the future King would follow m the footsteps of his late father and uphold in a worthy manner the dignity of the high office to which he had been called At the evening service the Dead March in ‘ Saul ’ was played by the organist (Miss May O’Grady). Palmerston North. (From our own correspondent.) , The Rev. Father Costello feelingly alluded to the death or the King at the Masses and evening devotions on Sunday he Dead March in ‘ Saul ’ was played at the close of each service by Miss Ward.

THE HOLY FATHER’S SYMPATHY.

ROME, May 8. His Holiness the Pope and Cardinal Merry del Val have condoled with King George. SYDNEY, May 8. KJs Eminence Cardinal Moran expressed keen sorrow. The Kings death, ho said, would be regretted for at least three reasons— because Edward was the best King since the Reformation; secondly, he was undoubtedly the best Saxon King Ireland had ever seen; and, thirdly, bis death was of serious import, because of the gravely disturbed state of public opinion in England, and because of the imminence of Home Rule for Ireland. , LONDON, May 8. Rev. Father Vaughan said that the King was the personal friend of the ‘ man in the street,’ and the best known, the best loved, and . the best trusted man in the country. He had been a genuine friend to the Catholics, and he could settle international troubles over the breakfast table.

IRELAND IN MOURNING.

The Times Dublin correspondent says that Ireland is in mourning. The unexpected news has established an almost unprecedented bond of sympathy. All parties and creeds among the Nationalists of Ireland respected Queen Victoria, and the Unionists of Ireland loved her. But Unionist and Nationalist alike loved King Edward for his qualities as a King and a man. There was no thought of politics in Ireland in the people s regard for King Edward, and there is none in the chorus of sympathy and sorrow wherein tot n Ur" 1 + Ld Aberdeen and the Nationalist Lord Mayor of Dublin to the humblest peasant of Connemara, the whole people are united. ’

THE NEW KING PROCLAIMED.

The proclamation of King George as King was made in London and other cities on Monday morning. The proclaTuesday. WaS made throughout New Zealand at noon on 20 Tlie funeral of the late King will take place on May