Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-09-24
LITTLE KING ALFONSO
Takes Great Delight in Watching Military
Maneuvers.
But Goes in for All Sorts of Fun
Like other Lads-Prudent
in Speech.


1 have just had a conversation with a
well-known Spanish courtier concerning the
health. amusements and general way of
living of the little King Alfonso XIII, the
gist of which 1 shall endeavor to repro
duce, as nearly as possible as it occurred
What are the usual amusements of
King Alfonso kip" 1 inquired.
Like those of most lads of his age, they
are legion and any change Of place, per-
sons or circumstances may suggest new
ones. Among the perennial pleasures which
seem to keep their charms forever. watch
ing military maneuvers, evolutions and
ceremonies is his favorite. He once de-
clared that one and the same officer had
taken part In the ceremony two days run
ming. a circumstance which ought never to
occur. and although he was assured that
he must be mistaken he insisted that he
was right, and commander IN INQUIRY to
be made. just to ascertain whether or not
he was In error. The investigation showed
that the child was right, and that the Of
nicer was guilty of a misdemeanor, which
he had committed in order to extricate a
comrade from trouble.
He and his comrade. the watchma n 8
son., who shares the kings amusements
work together If We can call the amateur
gardening of the boys anything more than
play. 1t Is interesting to watch the two
running about with little spades or rakes
wheelbarrows or shovels, garden scissors
or Hover baskets, and it would be bot h
amusing and instructive to listen to the
conversation carried on by the pair One
day some trees in the royal garden were
being pruned, and the kings humble com
panion having gone off for few minutes
on an errand of his comrade and monarch
reappeared wearing a leafy crown over his
mead, which he had improvised out of a
somewhat gnarled bough. What's that
around your hat? asked the king. That's
my crown rpplip1 ba n,
nearly tore the ribbon around my hat as
pinned 1t. There are plenty more UP there
where they are pruning the trees Would
you ike me to get you one?
y" The Little Kings tongue is uuite nc
sharp as his eyesieht; but he is made to be
very careful how he EMPLOYS 1t whenever
grown-up people are present. Possibly
considerable part of what he saws is a mera
modification of what he hears from people
much older than himself. Some of the
caustlc eplthets he applies to certain of the
eminent politicians of the cortes are Of this
category; but they are daily becoming less
ana less frequent. One day his PLAYMATE
instead of doing something which the king
desired. endeavored to show that it was
el.her very difficult or wholly impossible,
anu IN order to prove it he spoke on and on
I'LL the royal boy lost patience, and stamp
ing his foot said, Shut up, x calling him
by the name OF celebrated deputy famous
LOT MS long and eloquent discourses) or
else you may leave me and the garden and
take yourself off to parliament
"One day, during his history lesson the
King asked his professor to tell him how
Spain ,came to lose Chile, Mexico and the
other Spanish-American colonies The story
was narrated so thrillingly and artisticaiiy
that the royal boy listened spellbound, and
continued, after it had ended, to sit alb
sorbed in medita ton. At last a thought
having struck him, he looked I'D to his
professor and inquired, What must L do in
order to get back those countries for
Spain" The first and most important
thing of ALL replied the cautious and dipIo-
Observation-Disclosures up to be a man
w men you are a man - HIM. muttered
the lad, disenchanted when I'm a man it
is not history professors advice that I
shall be asking. l shall have prime min
lister to tell me then
The restraint of court life would be
source of exquisite suffering to a vivacious
youth like Alfonso XIII. Were he obliged to
submit to it. Fortunately the existence he
leads is that of a boy in an aristocratic
private family, with some extra restrictions
thrown in. All his hours, or nearly all, are
filed UP with some occupation or other
according to a program which is observed
with German minuteness, and this is CALLING
to the Independent Spanish spirit of the
lad. He cannot, or will not, understand
why he must do this thing which he hates,
or refrain from that which his heart yearns
for, simply because this is absolutely
necessary for a king that is unbecoming
a monarch the other thing is harmless in
itself, but for the King of Spain at the
present moment it is impossible why
impossible? he has often asked ard nearly
derstand all this better when you are older
Why does young So-and-So do it, then?
oh, he is only the son of a deputy Well,
/ only wish l were a deputy's son, toor"