New-York tribune., 1894-04-29
nTHE KINGS CLOTH"
THE OCCUPATIONS OF ROYALTY.
,,po1roN 1u-A SAFEGUARD FOR
n,GNrrY-THE PRINCE OF WALES
->orc>-,T LIKE UNIFORMS.

WIN .,oxrry-THE PRINCE OF WALES
DOESN'T LIKE UNIFORMS
, .ho world would Royalty get along
ho" .,,,forros? 4 considerable portion OF
wi'ho'' 80 of these lofty beings is devoted
the so,ninc and doffing uniforms or else
e'". ,.,.,.,ne notifications of their cut color ana
10 oe'' T. would be wrong. however. to
s"' them with frvolity and waste OF time on
o""' ..ount for the uniform occupies FAR more
"''' ,or, place in the construction of the mon>
inpo od;ece than most people might imagine.
ST." arst nlace. it serves 10 remind both the
j" ~ I'D the spectator Of the gradations or
~ the existence Of a hierarchy which
'a"" ,he.corner-stones Of Royalty. since the
Is o"' -, the apex thereof Then. too. 1t is the
Nv. the state. personifed by the sovereign, in
...,,re that the wearer is bound to the one ana
S'' nv special ties of allegiance and loyalty;
..s.sd in many parts of Europe 1t is known
me- ty,rr's cloth" Nor must 1t be forgotten
o.. tho greater part Of the popularity OF the
"a &c attributable TO the picturesque ana
..,,ocent pageantry by which it is surrounded
I'd there can be no pageantry without uni
rs Finally. the uniform is often full OF polt-
~, ua,eht and significance. 1t has more than
= heen the cause OF a revolution. while in
r-.rcs il certainly precipitated the coup detat
-,,,h ,naugurated the accession to the throne OF
v.noson III When President of the Republic
-. latter was in a constant state OF perpleXity
-, dfsculty as TO what uniform to wear He
..o,,,sd that a prince bearing the name of Ma
'.,.or and the nephew and heir Of the Great
-.oror could not very well array himself in
...,,ng dress and white tie. as does NJ. Carnot
-, ,,a nurpose Of reviewing the army. The uni
..,,, ~ general Of the National Guard (mlitia).
~.,oh was suggested as a suitable attire for the
n..,,ssnt of a republic. was the reverse OF be-
.,,ro q subject Of inveterate ridicule alike to
.n,,.rv men and civilians. and 1t was besides
.s., mo intimately associated with inglorious
.r,ores of the bourgeois King Louis Philippe.
n,o vas in the habit Of wearing It, NJ. Theirs.
nth q touch Of malice, advised the Prince to
.aoo, the sem-mediaeval and fantastic-lookins
os,une donned on state occasions by his uncle
~ First Consul; while General Changarnier
and other veteran Republican generals and
statesmen Indignantly opposed the wish Of the
President 10 array himself In the regimentals OF
general of division Of the regular army. declar-
rg the wearing thereof to be a prerogative linn
rss exclusively to professional soldiers who had
ror the epaulettes OF field officer by long. ac-
.,.. ora glorious service Bent on having his
NAV and yet anxious to avoid trouble, the
prince decided 10 adopt the regular generals uni
farm by degrees-to feel his way, so TO speak
snd commenced by donning the red trousers that
form mart Of the regmentals Of a French field
oHcer. retaining however, his civilian morning
iscket The first occasion upon which he showed
himself in this somewhat incongruOus attire was
whom he received at the Elysee Palace the Par
uamentary Commission OF the Budget. and
the appearance Of the Presidential trousers
produced somewhat the same effect upon
the members Of the commission as the
traditional red rag on the bull. They
were made the subject Of a parliamentary
INTERPOLATION of the Cabinet that very afternoon.
and by the following day they had developed into
the al-absorbing topic Of discussion In political
circles on the boulevards and in the press. They
we're declared to constitute the danger signal
da military coup detat on the part Of the
President and so great was the uproar created
by the affair that the Prince was forced to pre-
cipita,e matters and to put into execution his
projects with regard to the suspension Of the
Constitution several months earlier than original
ly intended Indeed, the coup d 'etat Of December
!? which placed the Prince upon the throne OF
France as Napoleon III may be said TO have had
its origin In pair Of red trousers
incidentally may state here that when Theirs
became President Of the French Republic after
the overthrow Of Napoleon and the conclusion
Of the war with Germany he experienced the
same perplsxity as his predecessor with regard
TO his attire as Chief OF the State when taking
part in any official function or holding reviews Of
the troops Like Napoleon III, he hankered
after military costume. and II was only with
the utmost difficulty that the little man. dwarf
In stature. fat-paunched. short-legged. squeaky-
voiced, bespectacled and generally standing on
tfptoe. could be dissuaded by his Ministers and
friends from appearing at the great review held
at Longchamps in 1872 in the gold-embroidered
coat and cooked hat Of a general Of division.
Why chiefs Of state. who are in most cases
monarchs. should manifest 50 much anxiety TO
wear uniforms is explained by that very amusing
cancature by Thackeray, which shows us II
0'shd Monarque, on the one hand arrayed In
royal attire. with all the insignia Of his rank. and
again. The same king, almost in a state Of nature.
without even his wig or teeth-a shrunken. weaz-
ened little creature. whose aspect is calculated to
inspire pity and rldicule rather than to impress
one with any idea his majesty. NOt that
oil soVereigns and royal personages are 80 physi-
caiy artificial was Louis the Magnhcent-bui
'ney sui all more or less depend upon the assist
'dnce Of uniforms and decorations to recall people
va proper sense Of heir rank and dignity. The
majority OF Continental rulers would no more
'rsam OF going about their capitals without some
such distinctive mark Of their high station than
'e rope would think Of doffing his white cas-
.Nh and donning a tweed suit and derby hat
'Or MS daily stroll in the Vatican gardens. They
""n 70 show people that, Notwithstanding all
~e progress OF democratic doctrines. they
SUI govern. and that they occupy positions i'm
'asufaoiy superior TO the remainder Of man
ANU The uniform in their eyes constitutes a
sa'esuard for their dignity against the presump-
aon and possibly the ignorant impertinence Of
.''elors. On no other grounds is IT possible to
1''Ouht Tor their persistence in wearing It at the
'acrhce Of ease and comfort.
Inc only prince that | can think Of who is an
NNStpuON 10 this vi dc