The Washington bee., 1902-02-15
SPANS YOUNG KING.
Will Assume the Responsibilities
of Office Next May.
Statements as to the YOungster'E
Health Are ReassurinE VIII
Have Plenty of Hard O1ciaI
Work to Perform.

ly TO be PAID Dy the young KING OF
Spain. 1t will form at once his debut
to the world and the finishing touch.
so to speak, TO his royal education.
The boy king has now entered his
sixteenth year, for it was the 18th OF
May, 1856, when Senior Sagasta an
nounced to the anxious nation that
the widow of their dead king had
borne a son. Maria Christiana, now
no longer called the Austrian, has
accomplished the greater part of her
task. In May next she will lay down
the regency, and her only son will
assume the dignities and responsible
tiles of kingship.
Alfonso XIII. is at first sight a del-
icate lad-thin, pale and of nervous
appearance. Some say he has inheF-
tied the constitutional infrmityo of his
father; others that his appearance is
something he shares in common with
all the men of the house of Hapsburg.
During the maneuvers held at Cara
banebel the young king remained
seven hours in the saddle without
exhibiting any symptom of fatigue,
and his personal staff noticed that
even a prolonged canter did nothing
to weaken his voice. When the days
work was over he was as animated
as he was at the beginning. This is
excellent news from Spain as far as
it goes, but it does not go far enough.
He is already handicapped by his re-
- An oh 10 aN
years, whatever his position, would
net be carrying half the load OF
knowledge borne by Alfonso XIII. He
speaks English, French and German
as well as Spanish; has a careful
mathematical training, is a student Of
history and is devoted to military
matters. For boy his knowledge OF
the elements of military science il
quite uncommon.
a strong, healthy king can give the
land the period of Tepose that will
enable it to develop its internal re-
sources, find occupation for it's grow
ing population outside the corrupt
world of officialdOm, amend it's ed
ucatiOnal defects, Outgrow Carlism
and become once more a power TO be
reckoned with. The reverse of the
picture is not pleasing. An invalid
director of state whose various fune-
tions are like an unruly horse that
must be ridden on the curb cannot
fulfill his duties. and if anything hap
pened 10 him the princess of the
Asturias would become queen of
Spain, and her husband. Carlos de
Bourbon, prince of Asturias, would
become king consort. Against such a
development the old unquiet elements
in Spain would rise up again. The pos
sibility of it is said to have brought
Senior Sagasta into temporary opposi-
tion with the queen regent when the
question of the marriage was first
mOOted
When Alfonso NIL comes to his
own he Will be entirely dependent, for
some time at least. upon the advice
and guidance of the people who have
the power in their hands to-day.
With statesmen who desire no more
than the progress of Spain, and a
mother whose life has been marked
by most rigid devotion to duty, the
young king will start upon his work
well equipped. 1t will be we'll for
the country if his advisers succeed
in impressing upon him the necessity
of refraining from experiments OF
every sort.
If the young king becomes a reae-
tionary he will arouse the radicals
and strengthen the republicans; if he
shows too much zeal for reform he
will weaken the allegiance of the
conservatives and strengthen the Car
lists. They say in Madrid that his
best policy lies in a continuance OF
the existing order of things and a
devotion to such works as the i'm
prOvement of the financial situa-
ton the substitution of some less
direct method of taxation from
the octroi duties, and the main
tenance of army efficiency, the
creation of a small navy on the most
modern lines and the granting of
such concessions to democracy as the
Spanish official mind can accept with
out Offense. II is not a very heroic
programme, nor is il one that can ap-
peal very strongly to a young, en-
thusiastic, ambitious ruler; buti
Spain is a very tired country Just
now; she has passed through sew
eral years of internal convulsion.
Peculiar Detective System.
In Newcastle, England, profess
sional shoppers are employed by =
certain large firm of drapers TO test
the ability of shop assistants. This
firm owns over 80 large shops and
employs nearly 1000 assistants. To
find out whether every customer Il
politely served, number Of lady GUS
toners are employed to call at the
various shops. They are told to
give as much trouble as possible, and
sometimes to leave without making =.
purchase after looking at nearly
everything IN the shop.