Evening star., 1905-11-11

WhenS a common person Is hOnored by
being an invited guest at kings hunt
ing party-eyen one of the little kings-the
compliment is immense and the pleasure is
correspondngly small. Even the princes
dukes counts and peers who meet royalty
every day and more or less at ease in
the exalted presence are not permitted to
do much except to breathe in any manner
or time not prescribed by a solemn cere
monial code; and as to the common per-
son, the awful surroundings generally tend
to make even that natural function of
breathing anything but easy.
There was an American business man
once-one of our merchant princes, you
know-who worked 1T so that he was ac-
tually invited 10 Sandringham to hunt
when King Edward was only the Prince of
Wales and known 'Tummy' by his pc
culiar set of ariStocratic Bohemians. The
American was really after a chance to do
that low and vulgar thing-se!l goods to
the prince.
He was a good shot and keen sports
man in his own country. where he was and
Is very naughty and dignfed. not to say
pompous. But the splendor of royal ma jes-
ty so over-awed him that to this day he is
unable to say what was shot. who shot 1t
or even if ne fired his own gun at all
The only clear recollection that he has of
those wonderful two days of royal nunt-
ing is: First that on the second night the
prince did him the incred BILE honor of ap
pearing in his room in his shirt sleeves, and
secondly, that he sold a bill of goods be-
fore he left the sacred place.
And yet the Prince of Wales Is not an
overpowering sample of royalty. He has a
pondercus, permeating gnity that is
waterproof but he is nothing like his
like that much more sociable old gentle
man, Franz Joseph
Kaiser Wilbelm's Democracy.
Their hunting parties rarely include or
dinary persons who are not born" The
persons who are privileged to carry guns
when these two king-emperors hunt have
family trees with more branches than any
of the trees in the forest where they shoot.
There are no Jack or Bills even Johns
or Williams, among them. Every one has
a handle as long as frypan whereby to be-
addressed. and If a stranger listened to tie
conversation all day he would never be
able to tell a single name of a single guest
for all he would hear would be ''highness,
"durchlaucht," "excellency,'' ''herr graf"
herr prinZ," general and other impress
sive titles like them.
poor creature who Is not even a herr
von,'' but simply plain mister, would find
it impossible to do more than Just survive
in that rarified and hgh-class atmosphere.
Enjoying the hunt would be out of the
question.
Even the drivers (the peasants who beat
the cover and chase the game toward the
shooters) spot commoner Immediately
and address him little less respectfully
than they would dare to do If he were
alone and in his proper surroundings The
keepers and foresters look at him conde-
scendingly and give him infuriatingly
friendly advice as to his shooting.
OF course he gets the poorest place In the
line If it Is deer drive, as far away from
airy danger of shooting either the kaisers 5
deer or the kaiser himself as is possible
without posting him outside of the woods
altogether. And after the ordeal Is ended
and the royal party assemblies for jolly
unceremonious luncheon under the green
wood tree he is saluted with crushingly
democratic "Well, Mister -. what luck?'
from the very lips of royalty itself, and
he may even be invited to take very per-
sonal and intimate drink with such an aD-
solutely terrifying air of cameraderie that
the poor, unborn mister generally swallows
1t the wrong way and retires In confusion,
not to recover for days and days TIL the
splendid honor that was shown to him has
become less poignant memory.
"Care-Free Merriment."
For generations it has been an under
stood thing that when a king hunts the
occasion shall be one for care-free merri-
ment. without fetters of ceremony or rank;
and in accordance with this tradition, 1t IS
always accepted that serene majesty shall
pretend to be amazingly democratic ana
'euual" But it Is also understood solemnly
that none of the rest of the party shai
dream of being the same.
So when the kaiser appears on the ter
race of one of his several score OF hunting
lodges with a delightfully."- familiar Morn
ing gentlemen" there is little danger that
any one will answer back, Morning, Bill
or even plain Good morning, Wltnou,
the Bill" 1T is Good morning majesty
and mighty devoted salute, too;
hot of