The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-11-15
EDWARD A GOOD KING
SOME INTERESTING DETAILS OF
 HIS LIFE AND DUTIES.
Not for. Two Centuries Has Great Britain Had More Popular s Sovereign Than Present
 Head of Nation,

Great Britain for two centuries has not had a more popular King than Ed ward VII, writes Wm. E. Curtis from London, to The Chicago sRecord-Herald He has shown remarkable tact and abil- ity in every respect. and although his mother was regarded with veneration by the masses of the, people. 1t is doubtfui whether she was more satisfactory as a. sovereign than he has proved to be. His recent visit to Ireland has emphasized his popularity, for, notwithstanding the unrelenting hostility of the Irish' leaders to everybody connected with the throne. they were compelled Sto admit that he is a charming gentleman, who knows what to do ,on every occasionl and has deep sinterest inSthe welfare and hap piness of his subjects. The King has had his sport. He had led a rather fast life at times, although the 'stories that are told of him are grossly unjust and .exag- gerated. His wild oats were sown freely but ehe has always been, gentleman, and could not be anything else, Since his accession, particular1y during the war and while the Irish land bill was under consideration in parliament, he had sew eral opportunities to display his ability and diplomacy and has more than met the expectations of his warmest admir-. CTS. No man realizes the seriousness of
 
 l lwho, were under the>impression that his, advent as King would inaugurate an era, Of dissipation. extravagapce 7, and splnrge have been completely disappoint- | ed.
 While the new civil list is larger by, $260,000 than under Queen Victoria, the King has, shown',a disposition to econ oniy instead of extravaganza. He has l abolished several useless offices. has dis nf4f nialo yhr have been attached to the royal family for centuries. has reduced the salaries of others, and has shown himself to be a business man who intends to run the government on business principles. At the same time he has maintained the dig nity of his office. The royal household has been kept up properly as becomes a great empire, and at the same time with out ostentation.
 The civil list of Queen Victoria amount ed to sSS5,0 900, in addition to which the Prince of Wales received .E40,O00 the Princess of Wales G10,00o and their chil- dren 936, 900, making a total of G4n, ,0O0, which Is equivalent to $2,35OOOO. This. | however, did not include the allowances to other members of the royal family. The present civil list under the King amounts to 3470,00O, to which has been added 925,0oO as pensions to members of Queen Victoria's household a3O,0OO to | the Prince and Princess of Wales, G6,00O | each to the Kings three daughters, and E64.OOO to other members of the royal | family. which makes a total of a6l2, 900, or about $S,OO0.0O0. against a total of E5SS 900 for similar purposes under Queen Victoria. r ..
 In addition to this, s1s,os5 is appropri- | ated by Parliament for the maintenance Of the palaces and stables of the royal family. Buckingham Palace receives an l allowance of s4.020 a year and s3,220 for | the stables; Windsor Castle costs about
 E10O0O year to maintain, with perhaps | 91,500 spent on the grounds. Altogether, the palaces, the parks and other buildings and grounds provided for the different members of the royal family of England cost the taxpayers about $750.00o a year to maintain in order and repair which may be compared to the appropriations made by Congress for maintaining the
 Presidents house at Washington.
 If you care to know how this money
 is expended, it is only necessary to buy
 a shilling almanac, which gives the de-
 tails, but some of the items may be in- teresting.
 The kings personal staff, including his private secretaries. clerks aids-de-camp and other attaches, cost $52, 300 a year. The lord stewards department, which pays all of the household expenses, the food, the servants and everything that comes under the housekeeper. costs $145,- 600 a year. The lord chamberlain's de- pertinent, which covers what may be properly called state expenses, the cere- monies the cost of travel, sthe entertain Tnent of guests, ,'>t the medical staff, the guard, the library, the kings band, the chaplains connected with the royal house. hold and other items of this sort, costs $295.000 a year. This includes an lex aminer of plays" an ancient retainer, who receives $500 a year: the poet Iau- reate, who receives $35O a year; the "sur- veYor of pictures" who receives $l, ,000 and the officers who look after the records of the various orders of knighthood. The disbursements of the department of the master of the horse amount annually to about $15O OOO which pays for the fora oa