The times., 1899-04-02
Comic Opern Roxnits.

postponed until the war was over.
Comic Opern Royalty.
A king who not very long ago set three
great nations by the ears in the harbor OF
Apia. Samoa, has a record which reads
more like the libretto of spectacular ex-
travaganza than like a court chronicle.
Some one has lately been unearthing the
history of the late Malietoa Laupepa, King
of Samoa, and among the facts discovered
are these:
The nominal income of this King was
one hundred and fifty dollars month,
which seems rather slender compared
with the annual salaries of royalty in
more favored climes, or even the
income of an American chief of police.
But when that salary was discounted and
made available it footed up to about forty
eight dollars and sixty cents. and obliged
the King to open credit account at the
nearest grocery, with a mortgage on the
kingdom as security. The traders had their
eyes wide open, and saw in the near fu-
ture vision of the throne of Samoa in
their own hands
thought. There were Consuls on the
island, and it was part of their businesI
to see that no Samoan King misiaid or
pawned his kingdom. They speedily Sc
cured the enactment of law which said
! that any person who gave credit to the
King of Samoa did it at his own risk. and
should not be allowed to recover any part
OF the kingdom or personal property of his
royal debtor. This was bad for the traders
and worse for the King The head that
| wore crown began to evolve o. nights
| various schemes for keeping the breath of
life in its owners body on an income
of forty-eight dollars and sixty cents a
| month, cash down
The situation was the more annoying be-
cause the subjects of this poverty stricken
monarch regarded their ruler as person
literally rolling in wealth Every month
he could have paid over to him, should he
desire, four thousand eight hundred
and sixty copper cents, or whatever
the equivalent may be in the coin of the
realm. They thought, therefore. that he
ought TO be munificent and lend some of
this wealth when ii happened to be needed
by subject Anyone who has ever lent
money on account of having the reputation
of a good-natured man can tell what hap
pened then. The successful borrowers re-
duced their King to a condition of abject
pauperism three days after pay day. while
| those who were dilatory, and thus unsuc-
| cessful, became cross and proceeded to in
cite rebellion against the Government OF
course, they could not really accomplish
| very much, but to a conscientious and
hard working King it is painful to have
his most trusted mobiles stalking about
| with compiexions much blacker than usu-
al, on account of anger. and telling the
common people what they will do to him
| when they get him where they want him.
1t does not conduce TO the maintenance of
proper respect for the royal person.
Another result of this salary was that the
people OF lowly birth stopped bringing in
their offerings of vegetables, pigs, fowls.
and other food supplies, as had been the
| custom in that region from time immemo-
rial. When King has an annual donation
| party every day. he is three hundred and
sixty-fve times better off than an old
| fashioned country minister who only has
donation party once a year And when
these donation parties entirely cease the
case is rather hard. To be sure. prize an
| imals were still brought TO King Malietoa
as sort OF conventional mark OF respect.
not that 1t WAS supposed that he would
/ need them, since he could buy for himself
all that the royal table required, but SIM
ply for old times sake. But when King
| is hungry it does not help him TO know that
farmer somewhere in the jungle on the
other side of the island will bring him a
| prize pig when IL has grown to be the
largest pig in the neighborhood. He does
not even know which farmer will bring him
this tribute so that he cannot levy on it
| informally.
The Kings finances We're particularly
| perplexing when he wished to entertain
] a stray missionary, or one of the
Consuls on the island, and offer him as a
delicate attention some champagne and
| cigars. The result of all this was that on
/ one occasion His Majesty was forced to
send for trusted friend and beg for loan
of twenty dollars for particularly i'm
| ctlSDTdtiOH WHICH must take place
In day or two. II would be pleasant to
| record that he got the twenty dollars But
he did not He only got q store order for
a keg OF salt beef. valued at about three
dollars and fifty cents. And he was glad
10 get that
This story should convince any Ameri-
can who is thinking of capturing an ori-
entail island on his own hook, and there
| establishing a monarchy, that being King
| OF the Cannibal Islands is not so easy as il
looks in the novels OF Rider Haggard 1t
is better TO stay at home and be one of the
uncrowned sovereigns OF the American Re
| public, who at least stands a chance to
| give somebody the royal touch for double
sawbuck during a political campaign.
4 Vanderbilt Dinner
| The farewell dinner given by young Mr..
] Vanderbilt, in New York, to company OF