The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-12-27
AN AMERICANS ROYAL Gag"
Queen VictOria's Grandson the Slave
of Young Willie Waldorf Aston.

st Louis Post DISPATCH
The grandson of England's Queen is the
slave of an American. That is startling
statement, but it is literally true. 1t has
caused something very much like conster-
nation among the more loyal subjects of
England's ruler. but the condition exists in
truth and in fact. The slave IL Prince
Arthur of Great Britain. and his owner is
young William Waldorf Aston Prince
Arthur is the son of the Duke of Con-
naught. The Duke is the Queens favorite
son and Prince Arthur is her favorite
grandchild. Yet this prince of = royal
blood is to all intents and purpos> twned
and lOrded over by the son of az Aneri-
can citizen. / ate is full Of irony ut a
ington had told his comrades sitti''s around
the camp fires at Valley Forge hat the
time would come when an American would
have his shoes cleaned by a lineal de-
scendant of King George he would have
been ridiculed out of camp. But that very
condition exists,
Young William Waldorf Astor the scion
of the great American family or that name,
is~now being educated at Elton College. He
has reached the dignity. of the upper form
and customs of the college are almost as
absolute as the principles of Englands I'M
written constitution. Every boy who enters
Elton knows that he must be bound by
those rules. There is no favoritiSm.
The son of a Queen, while in Elton Col
lege. is just as amenable to them as the son
of a brewer or a city merchant. As every
one who has read TON Brown" knows, the
system of Tagging exists In Elton College.
Tagging is in reality slavery, and that is
how the grandchild of a Queen is the slave
of an American. Prince Arthur is young AS
tors flag and he will remain in Servitude
until he enetrs the. upper form. According
to the English sentiment he is learning how
to be manly. and is being taught that there
are considerations in the world except those
of mere birth and rank. His duties are con-
slant and monotonous. He must obey the
order implicitly the moment ii is given
submit to a ..birching.' ''birching" means
that he will be castigated across the
shoulders n
He is up in the morning two hours in adj
vance of young Aston He lights the fires,
niture. The cloths he uses for busting the
Americans furniture were given to him by
the Queen of England herself, Indeed. the
young Prince took his first lesson in dust
ing" from his royal grandmother. His next
duty, after having the rooms properly
warmed for his master; is to fill his mas
must perform twice day. though ii he at
tempted to take a bath himself in his mas
ters rooms he would get ''birchng' for
1t. His next duty is to clean his masters
IT uncompainingly. There are nine pair
of shoes always in evidence in Astors
have them in readiness for their owners
Use. The one duty which Prince Arthur
rebels against is to wait on his masters
table. making tea and washing dishes.
q Aston has never "brched" his flag yet,
, but he has had the operation performed
by the head master. Among his other du-
ties the Prince must keep the wardrobe of
the senior student in good condition. This
Is no small task for young Aston is one of
the best dressed men at Elton. The flag"
too. must always be around when young
Astor leaves his apartments for any pur-
pose. The flag then gets his instructions
as to the work he is expected to perform
during his masters absence. Young Astor
bears the marks of many ''birchings" he
got in his lower form days. Perhaps IL is
to the memory of his many beatings at the
hands of the heaed master that makes him
an easy taskmaster for the royal flag"