The San Francisco call., 1897-06-20

hecehuy an European prince conceived
lhaI IL would be an attractive freak FOR him
10 shlne b'fore the public as a saver OF
llVes' a prince always shines as some
lhg, but he is not always novel To be
mover was TO shine conspicuously. A
Prlnce as member of a life-saving crew
would be novelty. The prospect thrilled.
1he Prince set about to find life saw
ing crew that would be eligible to his COM
p any. Eligibility meant degree of in
Ierlority sufhclent to make his patronage
OF 1t htly romantic. There is much deli
clous romance 10 be derived from strik-
ing contrast-there may be harmony in
lncongruity, if the incongruity be power
1ul enough. And in the contrast OF the
Prince and the pauper with sprinkling
OF noble condescension from the one to
the other laid over it as tone the eff ect
Is particularly picturesque. The Prince 5
appearance among peasant rowers of the
hIeboat service, as a mental picture in
spired his Royal Highness with love OF
art. He proceeded forthwith to set the
picture admiringly before The gaze of the
world.
The news reports of this wonderful spec
tacie relate that "a few days ago he ac u
ally capuained the crew of the famous
Worthing ieboat and before the cine
matograph executed some evolutons
which would have done honor,to proles-
slonals. More than one thousand pic
lures were taken and almost all of them
W ere excellent. They will be shown only
to the royal family and guests at the
royal palace"
Indeed But this is dampening news,
after all, to those of US who at birth were
spared the mischance of opening our eyes
IN palace. The object lesson of princes
voluntary exposure of himself to The perils
OF the seashoTe by standing boldly (and
hrmly) on the beach and sending boat
load OF peasants into the raging sea as an
example of his skill at directing tn ings is
likely to be imperfectly appreciated if we
be denied the assistance OF pictures to
brace up our treacherous imaginations
The average American Imagination, for
instance, might picture the Prince with
his two feet planted safely on the shore
and his crew of peasants courting death
IN the laundering breakers just to crafty
royal whim. Life saving which consists
of standing on the pebbly sands and wsv-
ing picturesque directions to lot of real
meE who take their lives II their hands
and go out into the rolling pillows where
~ 4AfSS Jul IlSiE OWL are III DANGER needs
precious let of explaining to make the
need OF it clear to the general community,
or to make It at all attractive as an enter
tainment. 1t will take a good lot of
cinematographic slides 10 persuade the
world IN general-so far as the world in
general cares a rap for the Princes vaga-
rles-that this latest gallery play does not
end its usefulness at the point where il
establishes his conversion 10 Just one more
method Of being majestic ass. And he
already knew lot of other methods be-
fore that.
An American syndicate has gone to the
rains of taking" a special article on this
princely maneuver. The accompanying
illustration, done IN New York, is the
nucleus around which dIadem of glitter
ing American adjeciives IS festooned with
q patriotic arGor transcending the spirit
OF the Revolution. And it must have re-