New-York tribune., 1903-04-19
FDU Ard III IN FIR R-lNCE.
To Rrnc7c hc Popularity He En-
j0yrd as Prince If U'aicS.


no roya' prr=onage. either foreign OF even Gal
If.. who .nisysd = s..atar au.euut of popularity
and Of put lie sympathy in France than the then
English Eer apparent it was good viii tnat
was manifested hy all Glasses OF tte population,
irrespective Of rank and political i@duiuSs. and
his friends We're erlIits 4. not alone from the
RoyaIyt~ and the Imperialists but likewise
among the Republicans. If ~ dined with The
aged Princess MIthilda ROEaparte. he would
lunch with Gan-lett.t and 4 dejruEar with one
Of the prince Of the krtse ri Orleans would be
followed by a banquet at .Ee Elysee. "a visit -
one of the theatres ard subsequent ADJOURN
ment to the Jock-r C.u5. He naS III first ri
foreign royalties aft-r 5h- downfall If the En-
pir and TIE To bills hr,.- If ,Ee Third EepJhIi-
TO set the fashion If e-i.,i"s on th- President
and also Jn tn Ittttr's Nif-, Zach time that he
went to Paris thus giving lesson in courtesy
TO some af The S,flcs nf p-he = rrigHjug hc..ses
who had until then de-a Ell g, tit ignore the
chief magistrate of tn land hose hospitality
they We're enjoying.
He was a fayorte 9ue=t 80 French ch5tt-aus
and country houses enlightened patron of
the French stage his approval having often
given 4 vogue To actors ana actresses that start
ed them on most brilliant and successful careers
was a personal friend Of nearly all the leading
painters and sculptors. q familiar figure on the
French turf and III word Partisan in the
best sense Of The word 70 his v-ry finger tips
The French people. realizing that ne both liked
and understood them. did NOT hesitate To accord
to him, net merely thei: sympathy. but even
their affection. never tied of v;tuntng his
thoroughly Partisan wit. MS tact and his bon
homie, and it may safely b.. asserted that
even at the rument Of rhe Widest enthusiasm
in connection with the Russian alliance there
was no prince. not even any of those Muscovite
banks of the Seine. who enjoyed strong a
hold upon the French heart as the Prince de
Gales
1t used often to be asserted that the republic
had cause for congratul;ttion in the fact that he
was an English instead of a French prince
Since if he had belonged either to the house of
BOnaparte to that of Bourbon he could easily
by means of plebiscite have secured his cleo
ton to the throne and the consequent overthrow
of the existing regime. During the palmy days
of the Empire he was, to speak an 'enfsnt
de la maison" "a child of the houseD Of Napoleon
III and Empress Eugenie who had known him
from his early DOyhOOd. and had always his
apartments ready for him at Saint-Cloud and at
Compiegne, and. while he never forgot their
kindness. and treated them with even still
greater affection and regard after the downfall
of the Empire than when they were on the
throne, he never permitted his relations toward
them to affect in any way his attitude toward
the existing form of government in France
That England derived advantage from this
popularity which Edward VII enjoyed in France
as Prince of Wales it is impossible to deny.
His fondness for everything pertaining to the
French nation went in the eyes of the latter a
long way toward OffSetting the predilection of
his mother for Germany True, Queen Vic
toria was greatly respected in France. But its
people were well aware that her preferences
were wholly TeutOnic whereas they were con-
vinced that those of her son and heir were alto
gether in their favor. Thanks to this he was
enabled on several occasions. notably in 1878. at
the time of the Cyprus Treaty which was re-
garded at Paris a distinct breach of faith
and as piece of trickery on the part of Eng
land. to allay the irritation aroused thereby
against Great Britain. not alone in political cir
cies, but likewise in the press and among the
public in France. "A soft answer turneth away
wrath, and the Prince. without ever forfeiting
his dignity the heir apparent TO the. crown
of the British Empire. forgetting his English
patriotism, managed by friendly and sympa-
thetic words and by his ready tact to smooth
over much unpeastntness arisir, from the