New-York tribune., 1890-01-12
KINGS AT THEIR TRADE.
SOME REFLECTIONS ON THE MODERN MON
ARCH AND HIS ROYAL WAYS.

BERT OF ITALY AND HIS QUEEN
copyrtoht; 1889 By The Ne,O. York Tribune.
Monarchy in Europe is dying, but they make a
great mistake who suppose that II IS dying OF the
mbecility of monarchs. To draw up an imposing
list of lupatics and epleptcs connected with royal
families Is not difficult, but if the fierce hight that
beats upon throne could he turned upon equal
numbers Of anti roval American families, great
many lunatic lists could be furnished equally long
ord oouallv significant The fgure-headS of
Europe AT this moment are not mere hgure-heauS
but hold fair proportion of brains.
Monercbv is fleeing before the Time-Spirlt.'
T. is vanishing by evolution. 1t is perlshins IN
The ozone of democracy 1t is dying natural
but NOT wholly painless death. So far from merit
ing the contempt with which free people ana
free nress sometimes contemplate royalty, there
is hardly class in Europe more deserving ol CON-
miseratioh consideration, and sometimes aulhIr'-
.tjon Kings are kings under the same social oiuer
that makes peasants peasants All 'he sro"0
sovereigns of Europe to-day were born 10 thrones
of which they as innocent as e"-InsI'n'
farmers of the rocky acres they inherit; anu INC
one class are bound by ties more stern TO HE ,s
hard as the other When Count Nltzthum WouIu
have softened the heart OF the great Car Nlchois
toward his brother-in-law, the King ol RUSSIA
by reminding the Gar that at all events lhe N'"5
intentions were excellent, So much the WORST
thundered the Gar. " He is not hln4-he iic
snoiIs the trade for the rest of us. Learn then,
and he struck the floor with his foo'' 'ha' llo
ground beneath my feet is mined as well as under
his We KINGS are all conformity liable and have
a common enemy-the revolution. 30 long as
live things will be quiet enough, lor
7 am a soldier Yes, l am Soldier
II is nv calling. As for the other one that ProVl'
Sence has imposed on me7-here he lowered MS
voice to almost a whisper" | carry 1t on because
il is nv duty and because there Is no one 10
me of il. But il isn't the calling TO my TASTE
r. is easy to mock at the senihty of regal pomp
and power; and the pomp OF European IoS"'S 49,
il must be admitted, very serlle II Il man - -
be taken for anything more than man, hc sIloui"
no invested with great deal of distance and dress
and pageantry and mystery. The Grand Llama IS
the ideal monarch. A king in frock coat may
be very winning. very Intelligent, very ahll'po'
very dignifed but he is not the ideal KING. All en-
yeror. flushed. heated. dusty. with dandruf on his
coatcollar may be essentially imperial, Dut the
impression he makes on his American witness Is
purelv human not 10 say domestic Inc truly
royal atmosphere fingers only among the IackeyS'
The great straight siX-foot, relocated, white
breeched black plumed, topbooted gentry are
what make the kings carriage royal equlpage.
1t is they upon whom has fallen the Rantle OF the
Grand Monarch. 1t is they alone who wear the
royal badge with unfalllng and Impressive con-
sequence To pass between rows of them standing
in a more than marble mOtiOnleSsness or sprlnGlng
10 serve YOU with automatic promptitude-thls
is truly depressing 10 the highest spirits. lou
feel the American citizenship oozing from every
pore and all the dead Charlemagn and Caesars,
and even Cyrus and Darius lording il over You.
Il, .I,o, 4
"own folks once more. and your spirit re,lrns.
A manly man. interested and earnest, receives you
frlendwise as any gentleman may. comely
woman white and soft, gentle and courteous rises
TO greet you from the far side of chamber spacious
and stately enough and with slight but wei
coming gesture invites you 10 be seated. She is
simnly dressed and falls no further than the aver
AGE European Peeress below the standard OF fault
less costume established by the New-York Peerless
though if one were connOiSseur Of precious
stones fancy he would find the shapely wrists,
the delicate ears and the stately column of the
throat ageam with light not often seen even IN
New-York You have sympathy, respect, admira-
tion-but awe remained with the red-coats You
forget even the slightest court etiquett" which yo1
solemnly vowed to remember, and only lug forward
a late and purely conscientious Majesty for the
regal address you were ordered TO bring 10 the
front Unhappily, TO their Malestes all that the
modern spirit has left is pale and penal ghost of
royalty, the laboring oar in talk Royalty, we
have all been drilled must introduce the topic.
Royalty must put the question.
Fancy a group Of Americans who accustomed
20 talk all the time and all together, all topics
of earth and Heaven, marshalled before one poor
little gentle creature who must set them going
separately and in succession, but set them all
going, and allot TO each his fair share. 1t
is simply grotesque. One thinks Of the Shah with
the English dancers. In Persia We make our
slaves do this" In America We Ion upon our
guests part of the burden of conversation
What you really stand in awe Of is the con-
scienceless compariots who are with YOU, and
who, you know in your inmost soul, are laying
I'D every word you speak and every courtesy
YOU show TO ecr at you wherewithal the moment
you are out of royal sight and sound. You know
that you have many things 10 say which the
crowns would surely like to hear. for they are
intelligent as well as polished crowns You are
overhowing with curiosity which the crowns
could and would CRAFTY for they are also curious
they are also benevolent; they also sensible
and sympathetic. But how they hear with
out a question? How can they understand with
out a hint? 1t is not for you TO break through
barriers reared beyond the Euphratcs, foolish
though such barriers be. And foolish such barriers
be, for we-bred people do not need them, and H.
bred people do not heed them. 1t takes more than
constitutional absOlutiSm TO repreSS innate rude
ness. Let us not begrudgc 10 royalty It's last
ditch nor on the other hand, let Us deny tie
dignity with which royalty reposes in it. the grace
and graciouSness with which sovereigns enact
the ridiculous role assigned them by dead gen
eratlOns
Ardent democracy often disports itself with these
punctilos in newspaper and other banter, some
times mounting even TO serious disapproval OF
American conformity TO foreign etiquette. There
is, however, but one Christian way of escape, and
that is TO stay at home. When man Is in Rome
it is only 10 do as Romans do. When the Romans
are here il is equally our duty to expect them