New-York tribune., 1902-01-17
TIE KLNG AND HIS PEOPLE.

What Tennyson called "0ur loyal passion for
our temperate kings shows no sign of
abatement i'll Great Britain. The love aud re-
spect which were unstintedly given TO the ven
cradle last sovereign of the Hanoverian line
seem TO have been passed on, unmarried and
undiminished to the first sovereign of the
House of Saxe-C -Coburg- Gotha. The pageant of
Yesterday at the opening of Parliament one
of the most brilliant in the history of the
brilliant court. But above all the splendor of
banners and robes and trappngs, the salient
feature was the popular interest in ii and the
sincere enthusiasm of the people, from the
peers to the crowds in the street, for their
sovereign and his cOnsort and his heir Tradi-
tion it is said. was broken in the interruption
of the Kings speech by burst of prolonged
cheering. We can easily imagine the Interrupt
tion TO have been welcome.
This agreeable attitude of the people toward
their King was warranted by the tone and
matter of his majesty's speech. True, there
was nothing better than a report OF progress
in South Africa But the popuace of Lon
don had already, a few hours before, shown
strkingy its sentiments upon that subject
Tedious and costly as the war Is, there Is no
more thought of turning back from IL than there
would be of abandoning the easiest or victories
at the very moment of triumph. The King S
confident vindication of the humanity of his
soldiers and his announcement Of the coming
of additional contngents from the great col
onies were we'll calculated to call forth the
ringing cheers which so dismayed some sticklers
for ceremonial tradition. AS for the rest of the
world, the royal speaker was able to report un-
broken peace, and strengthening of friend
ship with at least one great power In the con-
clusion OF the Hay-Pauncefote treaty. The
hope OF a repeal Of the Continental sugar
bounty systems will be heartily responded TO
by more than one British colony, and the ref
erence TO the Heir Apparent's imperial Journey
ngs will remind Britons the world over of the
essential unity of the Empire.
On the whole, then, the occasion and the ut
terance were such as may we'll afford sincere
satisfaction to both sovereign and subjects The
last two years have been time of sore trial to
the United Kingdom. But every indication IS
to the effect that the trial is such as eevates
and strengthens and not crusbes. century
ago hostile powers exultingly proclaimed the
end of England; to which England made answer
at Trafalgar and Waterloo. To-day he must be
imaginative indeed who dscerns the end of
either kingdom or empire any nearer than at
any time in centuries. Rather will the judciOus
observer pronounce that, despite all errors and
losses, the British throne IS to-day more firmly
based upon popular loyalty and love than ever
BEFORE that the United Kingdom is more united
and more secure and that the empire whose
martial airs encircle the world in one unbroken
strain is not only greater in extent, but more
coherent and more potential for permanent en-
durance, and, we may add, more worthy Of
perpetuity because OF its civilization, its prog
ress, and its ministration to the freedom and
happiness of the race.