The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-02-14
Bad TALKS OF GO[ao
[PO[RATlOGG A(UJ 1OGl8AT9
longed
Satif -roeV Value of

tractive bodies Although, if | held some
stock in one | suppose / should feel diff
ferently. but l do believe if l did that
would vote for having civil men to meet
all Complaints. If that man had been half
way civil, sympathsed with me, and had
told me of his sorrow for my lost ducks
] should most probably have given up
duck hunting and taken to the more or
binary pursuit of earning my daily bread.
PLAYS THAT ARE INSTRUCTIVE.
Bv-the-by, / should think that at some
OF the coming costume balls there might
be handsome men who would represent
Georeg ", when he was young. Last
might | was one of an audience to listen
to the play of Mrs Burnett, called THE
First Gentleman of Europe" Later l
was one of a duet who discussed it, and l
am going to tell you what / said, this:
81 do believe i'm the value of historical
plays: people do not know half as much
as they have the credit with knowing.
Consequently, when an historical play is
put on il inciteS in the average mind a
desire to know more Of the people who
appeared in that play. To-day every
library in New York win have appli-
cants for Thackeray's -Four Georges,
for the Life and Times OF George the
Fourth, by George Croly, and for all the
other histories Of that time. Then, too,
it's good to see a play like this, which
shows in its setting and its costuming the
habits of the day. We may not approve
of the manners of that time, but If our
own are better we realize it all the more
by looking in this fine mirror of the past.
The historical play is like the good read
er, or looker-on, to the fountain head
OF information. How many Of US have
ever thought of George the Fourth as
being young, handsome, and having one
particle OF honor? And yet, so positive
ly agree with Mrs. Burnett that l think
there is no human being who hasn't had
his minute or hour OF good-the interval
when the best that was in him spoke
for il this were not true, then men would
be devils.
at is told of George that as a child
he was SO lovely people used to throng
around him to get peep at him, and
that the middle classes hoped so much
from him that the boy was their idol. In
any good edition OF Thackeray there ii
a lovely picture of nina baby ASLEEP
in his mothers arms-she has her finger
raised SIS if she would warn whoever
was around to keep quiet and not disturb
her darling. 1t is said that during thS
IS Years OF his life there were more
pictures taken of him than OF any other
Prince, or, indeed, of any human being
that ever lived He was shown witt
long, fair hair, with powdered hair, witt
a wig having a pigtail and with ont
lacking this appendage; he was in Scotch
kilt and tartans, in a Dragon uniform, il
a field marshaPs clothes, though, OF cours,
the picture best known to the world a
large il that taken In his coronation
robes. or this he was so vain that h
caused it to be circulated all over tht
world at that time. Thackeray remem
beers seeing it in every dining-room. Al
boy he was so clever that he coulC
completely floor his tutors. Bright ant
wondrous, good to look upon, do yoI
wonder, then, that wherever he went.