The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1901-09-15
.Satest SOssNp from 2oNdoN.
King Edward VIII Get Out of Life All the Fun There Is
in it-One Weeks Work Since He Came to Throne
RY HENRY pEvEREAux.

Iondon.-King Edward is likely to go
down In history as the pleasure-chasing
monarch.
number of hours he has given to public
business would not make up working
week of seven hours a day It is true
there is very little for him to do In the
way of governing, the ministry attend
ing to all that; but thoughtful persons
are of opinion that 1t would be judicious
on his part to keep UP the semblance of
the fiction that the King has some voice
in the conduct of the affairs of the most
splendid empire In the world. For in
stance, his action in running off to the
continent just as Parliament was about
to be prorogued was severely criticised.
The formality of a speech from the
throne had to be gone through with, so
that It was necessary to telegraph him
the substance If not the text of the docu-
ment that was read to both houses, he
being ostensibly the author of it. Queen
Victoria, with all her infirmaties, was
rarely out of the Kingdom on such an
occasion She was a stickler for the pro-
prieties, and II not at Windsor she was in
some of the other royal residences in
Scotland or the Isle of Wight. Edward
on this most important and historic occa-
sion of the ending of his first Parliament,
was In Germany, nomina1ly for his
health, but really for the purpose of en-
joying the attractions of a famous fash
ionabla resort. 1t was almost a snub to
the Lords and Commons, who only few
weeks before had dealt with him so gen.
erously In the provisions made for the
civil list.
Again, If the King has not put in one
days work for every month he has been
on the throne, neither has he spent more
than one-third of the whole period within
what he Is pleased to call This DONNA
ions" This is curious condition of az
fairs, and utterly at variance with the
practice of all the other monarchs. The
Kaiser sticks close to Germany. Aus
trials Emperor is a stay-at-home So is
the Gear, unless he has a great political
object In view by making a foreign visit.
King Edward, on the other hand, Is most
of the time away. There are no reasons
OF state for his absence, and he does not
pretend that the interests of the empire
send him flying from home to the gay
corners of the continent. If that were
the object of his trips abroad he would
soon find a ministerial fire In his rear
that would recall him to his senses. So
cial dissipation, not politics or statesman
ship, is what the King lives for, what he
has lived for during thirty of the sixty
years of his life. If he had come to the
throne while yet young man and be-
fore he had been spoiled and morally
stunted by his aristooratic surroundings,
the situation might, nay, possibly would,
have been different from what 1t is, but
the bent twig Is now a gnarled old tree
and 1t must follow the law of Its growth.
The trend is not upward to the stars and
the storm it Is downward to the social
sordidness of the earth, earthly. King
Edward can never win a great name or
place In the story of the empires of the
twentieth century. He has come upon
the scene to late in life, and all his in
stincts lead him into the rosy pathways
of life, not toward the rough roadways
that lead to high achievement.
What is English Radicalisms Here is
the latest best and most forcible defini-
tion of 1t that has been given in a long
time, written by the brilliant pen of one
of the very ablest of Englishmen in pub
iic life Henry Labouchere: THE basis
of Radicalism Is in season and out of
season to wage a war of attack on all
that stands In the way OF social, political
and religious equality, and to allow no
vested interests TO hinder the triumph of
the creed that the government must look
to the interests of the many. Radicals
must make a stand against the militar-
ism which just now passes as patriotism
and must appeal to the country to sup
port them In carrying measures that will
once and for all deal a death blow to the
class rule with which we are cursed" 1
have never been in the United States.
but from a long and earnest study of
your institutions, and the policies Of your
modern political parties 1t seems to me
that our English Radicalism Is pretty
sound Americanisn. Occasionally, on
this side, Tory newspaper reproduces
an article from an American journal In
which 1t is set forth that we In Eng
land are In the enjoyment of larger de-
gree of genuine democracy or republican
ism than are the people of the United
States. These articles excite the wonder
and surprise of intelligent men, and lead