Birmingham state herald., 1896-04-26

of too much fat. If he were a jockey or an overfed burlesque singer he could not be more fearful of his increasing weight.
 The same hour he arrived i'll London he called a consultation of his physi- clans and asked them what he should do. The conference was brief, as it was speedily decided that England's future ruler must be put through a vigorous weight reducing system. The nrinaa is now hard a 1t, and will keep 1t up until the dreaded fourteen pounds of his royal highness has been completely dss' pated
 It may appear laughable to some peo- pie that the prince should be 50 troubled by q little thing like an increase in weight, but it means considerable to him. In the first place the society season will soon be in full swing in London, and the prince will be kept on the go from early morning until midnight. On some of these days he must change his clothes completely twelve times between get ting up and going to bed time.
 The prince has more than forty distinct uniforms some of which cost as much as $1S0O. They are made to fit him like 8 glove, but if he were hampered with fourteen extra pounds he could not be squeezed into them with a hydraulic press. Even if he could be. there would always be the danger of something break ing a a critical moment, and the prince IS not taking any chances on catastro- phe to his wardrobe.
 All of his spring and summer clothes for ordinary wear have been made. and as his street clothes average about $150 a suit, 1t would mean good deal to the royal pocketbook to have them replaced. He never wears suit more than four or five times and never for more than four or five hours during the day, His usual routine is morning suit between and l2, a half dress afternoon suit between 1 and 3, more gorgeous suit between and 6. and evening clothes until bed time. He also changes his socks three times a day and his underwear twice.
 Columns and pages could be written about tho wonders of Wales wardrobe, but these few facts show what 2n im- portant matter dress is to his royal high ness.
 Moscow Trip in Danger.
 There was a still more potent reason for his wishing to get rid of his surplus weight On May 24 next the coronation of the young cZar takes place at Moscow and the prince will be the chief repre- sentative of Great Britain at the great ceremony and the ensuing festivals. All the great men of the world will be there and, of course, the prince must make a fitting appearance.
 Every day during the festival he will have to change his uniform six or eight times, and if he were too big to get into them the result would be disastrous He would not have time to have new uni forms made, as some of them are very intricate affairs made solely by hand and only a few skilled tailors and lace makers can work on them at the same time. It is to be in good condition for the Moscow ceremony that he is working so hard just now, as he could make no fitting excuse for his failure to attend were he too fat to wear his numerous suits of clothes.
 The princes system of weight reducing is simple. but it is very trying to his luxury loving soul. Moreover he is get ting to be an old man now, for he is 55, and his many years of rapid living are beginning to tell their own story. He gets up in the morning at ocicl and is at once plunged into a cold bath. He is rubbed down with coarse towels by a couple of muscular attendants and has a light breakfast of half-broiled chops, one cup of coffee. dry bread and all the fruit he cares for.
 He is allowed to smoke as much as he pleasea, and this is his only luxury. An hour after breakfast he takes a hot bath, with the water almost at boiling point He is again rubbed down and then. when he has been muffled up in warm clothes, with two heavy sweaters next to the skin, he goes for an hours ride. He is in a profuse precipitation on his return and is again rubbed down.
 Luncheon consists only of a half pint of champagne, some crackers and fruit. At o'clock he takes another boiling hot bath and gets another rubbing own. Dinner consists of one-quarter of a pound of very rare steak, a half pint of wine, crackers and fruit. Before re- tiring a night he takes a cold bath. and gets his fifth rubbing down for the day
 Once before he had to reduce in weight, and he decided that two cold baths and two hot baths each day, with little or noth ng to eat, formed the most effective system for overcoming the too generous moods of nature.
 JOHN EDWARD BARKER