The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1867-11-01
"From q Royal Race He Come"
I0Id PnII11

"From . Royal Race He Come"
lOd Ballad.
Many gorgeous mortal has safe on the
throne of England. A dynasty that traces
back its origin, through Stuart, Tudor, York
and Lancaster, Plantagenet, Dane, Saxon,
Jack-the-Giant Killer, Wooden, Hardi-Canute,
Hengist and Horsa, Solomon, and Noah, to Old
Father Adam, may demand an eternal royalty,
and cry Justify for those privileges of peopled
power that belong to the anointed head. There
was man who was stronger than his neigh
bors. He hit harder, or drank deeper, than
the rest and he became their leader, their
head and arms, and King. There was woman
who had all the graces of the "oueen OF
Hearts," with none of her gluttony; all the
beauty of Titania, with none of her love for
long ears; all the intelligence of Cinderella,
with none of her mania for staying out late at
balls and parties, without the consent of her
anxious parents; and this charming soul be-
came the coronet, the robe, the Queen. And
the jolly old souls lived and wassailed; and
their children, and grand children, lived and
wassailed after them.
A divinity hedged in the head man and head
woman, and no creature of meaner clay than
the painted porcelains of court might even
peep over the hedge, and live. Head-man and
Head-woman did not walk or talk, or eat or
drink, or breathe or cough, or live or die, as
did their humble subjects. The hedge was
high and thick; and ROYAL MANIKIN was never
seen but through pair of peculiar spectacles,
with one glass called "Custom," and another
called Tradition" which had the peculiar
property of giving glamour of gold and scar
let to the eyes of every wearer.
But glasses, even spectacle glasses, will
break; and the tallest, stiffest hedge will rot
and fall. 1t was not pleasant to contemplate !;
but, after sixteen or seventeen hundred years
had passed, many-headed, argus-eyed, Peep
ing Tom broke through the fence, dashed the
glasses from his eyes, and found, while the uni
verse trembled, that Monsieur and Madame
ROYAL MANIKIN were but so many pounds Of
bone and muscle, and sinew, as was Peep
ing Tom" himself.
The spell was broken, when the hedge gave
way and the spectacles were shattered. Royal
ty was no longer an idea, dream, or legend;
something ever grand, ever righteous, ever glo-
rious, and almost Divine lit was only portly
man, or fubsy woman, who acted in most things
like xnto the rest of mankind, and frequently
preferred plain hair and black bombazins, to
diadems of precious metal and robes of as
founding splendour. Then was Royalty talk
ed about, laughed at, praised or hated, as Mon
sieur or Madame was hated or loved. Down
toppled the majesty that did once environ them;
and, although they were still the knobs Of the
stick of State, it was, rather that they might
be handled and used the better, than that they
might stand silently in corner for ornamental
purposes.
But the myriad Peppers would not halt in
their prying march. They found out Royalty
and all its little games watched its perversi-
ty and wrong headeduess, its acquisitiveness
and big price and began to ask themselves
what was the use of man-or-woman Royalty at
all? Pure morals, spotless fame, disinterest-
ed virtue, turned prying eyes aside, or veiled
them with tear. But the day of the starry
breast and jewelled sceptre was past; the gaze
that was diverted from Royal Mamma was
directed to Royal Son the clay feet Of the
Golden Royal Calf were exposed to the light Of
day.
And, even now. ALBERT EDWARD, Prince and
Duke ;-wearer of bob-tailed coats, and wide
awake hats Lord of many manors, and an
nual receiver of hundreds of thousands of yell
low guineas smoker of cigars in drawing
rooms ;-upsetter of rule and polite regula-
tion heir 10 the throne of Great Britain and
Ireland and prospective ruler of two hundred
millions of faces, white, brown, yellow and
to pieces From him, more will be expected
than that he should look pretty, and make
speeches by order. Plain tongues tell him that
it demands at least as much sense, and judg-
ment, to rule Nation, as to become merchant
prince or quiet family governor. The warn
ing may be in time; age may bring discretion.
There will be the memory of Royal Mother"
to hold him up end guide him; and, if he will
not be held up and guided, then, perhaps, no
crown, no sceptre, no palaces, no honors, no
luxury, no loyal subjects, and immense income,
unon which no tax is maid
True, one blOckhead is better than hun
dred, and will do less harm. But, if block
head he be, there is trouble before the English
Prince, though ''from Royal race he come"