Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-12-19
KING VISITS THE SHOW
Annual Fat Stock Exhibit
Pleases Londoners.
HAS ROYAL PATRONAGE
HOUSE OF COMMONS LAWYERS
AFTER JUDGES.
Naval Experts Criticise New Battle
Ships-Electricity to illuminate
Historic Chapel.
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.


LONDON, December o. 1908
The most exciting thing in London at
present is the fat stock show. 1t is on a
par with the horse show in New York and
is patronized by royalty and all the rich and
great. who are nearly all exhibitors The
king always takes prizes for his fat cattle
and this year among titled exhibitors is
Lord Rosebery, who captured two prizes
for fat pigs.
Smithfield. with its rolling cattle and
waddling pigs. is an annual Christmas in
stitution with Londoners. 1 believe that
they would as soon lose Drury Lane and its
pantomime as the great show at the Agri-
cultural Hall. 1t is a peculiar sensation to
see the roasts and steaks of a fortnight
hence rolling along, and to think that you
may soon be eating the innocent bullock
which today pokes with wet nose confiding-
ly, if unexpectedly, into your hand But
above all it brings country relations to
town, ruddy relations, ample in curves and
Jovial in voice. These relations were pres
ent in hundreds at the judging yesterday.
OF all his predecessors there is no one
whom the present king resembles more
closely in his bluff. hearty, honest English
tastes than George III. If King Edward
were not such an all-round sportsman, US
ing the word in its widest and best sense,
he would probably go down to posterity as
Farmer Edward" His interest in cattle.
horses and sheep is not that of an amateur,
but that of a professional At the show he
examined the prize bulls carefully as if
he were judging. and in many of the classes
he carried away valuable prizes.
Some people no doubt might think that
the fact that they We're the kings cattle
would unconsciously bias the judges to-
ward an excessive loyalty, but after looking
at the animals as they stood in their stalls,
even the amateur would have awarded the
palm to the ma gnificent beasts from the
kings estates at Sandringham, Windsor and
Balmoral
King Deeply Interested.
When his majesty arrived at the show he
was taken in charge by Sir Nigel Kingscote,
the president of the club, and conducted
around the main exhibits They came upon
a splendid specimen of a shorthorn steer
standing half asleep in front of an empty
bucket. The king at once noticed the
bruteS fine proportions, and examined his
catalogue for information Oh he laugh
ed, Il see this is one of mine, and it has
won me EDS.
The human aspects of the show are per-
haps as interesting the animal side. The
king was, of course, eagerly scanned by
everybody, and there was a general agree
ment that he looked remarkably we'll and
was very active for his years. There was
only one note of discordance from a wealth
erbeaten Yorkshire farmer who observed
in serious tone, as he shook his head sage
ly, Hes lookin' a good deal older than
when 1 saw him twenty years ago"
1t was curious to notice, too, how the
king was dressed In defiance of all the sar-
torial canons of Smithfield. The gentlemen
who have been accustomed to wear velvet
cuffs on the sleeves of their overcoats will
be glad in future to have the kings example
for what dress experts have held to be vio-
lation of good taste. But the king is in all
matters supra legem. His majesty and his
encourage all wore dark doube-breasted
Chesterfield overcoats falling just below the
knee, up and down collars with black ties
and gold scarfpins
The typical farmer, who in other days
used to appear in great numbers at these
shows, was still represented by two or three
mOderniZed specimens. The broad, genial
faces, with rims of struggling whiskers
were still there, but looked woefully out of
place under stylish Bond street silk hats
and smart overcoats from the same fash
ionable thoroughfare. But their hearty, re-
verberating laughter still proclaimed them
the good oid-fashioned farmer of other
days.
The aggregate amount of the prizes now
reaches $4,000. At the first Christmas
show they amounted to 80 guineas only.
That was far back in 1899, when the modest
exhibition in Woottons Dolphin yard.
Smithfield. comprised two classes for the
cattle and two for sheep.
Criticism of New Battle Ships.
Naval experts have been complaining that
the three new battle ships which have just
been laid down at the dockyards of Ports
mouth. Chatham and Davenport are not
new specimens Of naval architecture, but
follow in the main the characteristics of the
king Edward VIZ class, the last produc-
tons Of the fertile brain of Sir William
White before he gave up his position. of
director OF naval construction: Mr. Phillip
Watts. who succeeded Sir w. White. has
now been in Office for two years. and 1t
was confidently anticipated that some of
his work would be seen in the battle ships
to be provided In the year 190S-4.
1t seems. however, that the capabilities
Of Mr.. Watts viii not be brought before
the public until tho program of the next