The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1905-05-09

always within call. The prime min
lister and the foreign minister are fire.
quently in attendance, and in this
way the king is as well or better in
formed than anybody in his dominions
as to what is going on.
| If, after Knollys has gone, there
| is no special duty to be performed
| the king devotes an hour or more to
reading newspapers The late Queen
Victoria read only one daily paper
the London Morning Post, an ultra
royalist conservative organ, and such
clippings, mostly fulsome, as her at
tendants made for her. Consequent
ly she lived more or less in fools
paradise as to the actual state OF
public opinion.
The king, on the other hand, gets
all sorts of papers, and gets them
uncut. EA reads grandmotherly lee
, lures to himself in the Times on how
| he must not let his willy nephew, EN-
peror William, fool him, and on how
| he must be careful not to work his
royal prerogatives too hard. In an
other paper he gets a bucketful or
slushy fiattery, inspired by the pro-
prietor. who hopes to get title. AS
the other extreme, he gets Reynolds
Weekly, democratic organ, and the
London socialist paper, Justice, in
which he reads how royalty is fat
tening on the toll of the poor.
He frequently gets American pa
rers, and recently was 50 pleased
with an appreciate horsepower ar
ticle in one of them about himself
that he wrote the editor letter or
thanks. The editor, by the way, had
the usual modesty and discretion not
| to publish this valuable and unusual
piece of copy.
| Likes Sports and Humor.
| King Edward always has a special
liking for sporting and humorous pa
| pers. New York Life is one of his
favorites among the latter, while the
London sporting prints enable him
to keep especially well informed
about all racing matters. He peruses
the tips" carefully, and. it is said,
occasionally follows them.
Lunch at buckingham palace is a
comparatively simple affair of four
courses, and the afternoon is usually
given up to some special business or
ceremonial. OF these the most te-
dious are laying cornerstones or
launching warships. 1t is useful
family popularity of the Guelphs,
however. that they really enjoy
| heavy, stolid ceremonials. Queen Vic
toria delighted in them, and. while
| the king is enough of man of the
world to know how stupid they really
are, he is yet able to go through one
| of them with mild resignation, even
If not with pleasure. The fussy may
or of some little city is his only fear.
| These officials get themselves up in
| black robes, wigs and gold chains and
go through the most absurd. not to
say oriental genutleXions of respect.
| Once. when the king was prince of
| Wales, a delegation of up-country
mayors visited Marlborough house to
| present royal address on some SUBJ
| iect now forgotten. The chairman
| was very fat man, whose embar-
rassment was so intense that his
knees shook together and he perspired
copiously at every pore. When the
| time came to withdraw, the chairman
| evidently forgot his cue, for he con-
| tinued to vibrate from one to the
| other, murmuring, God bless your
royal 'ighness!" "God bless your royal
'ighness" Finally, a yank at his coat
| tails by fellow delegate started him
| I'm his exit backward, still muttering
| blessings. But the embarrassment,
the feeling that he had made break.
and the difficulty of shuflling back
ward over the thick carpet, were all
too much for him, and he fell in a
| faint.
The prince rushed to aid in picking
up the old gentleman, and ordered the
attendants to bring brandy. Strange
ly enough, there wasn't drop In
Marlborough house, and the mayors
resuscitation was unduly protracted.
So annoyed was the prince over the
absence of brandy that he ordered
that n full bottle should thenceforth
stand conspicuously in the entrance
hall The princes bottle of mayor
reviver" has become almost as cele-
brated as the Baby Mckee milk pitch
err which used to stand in the front
window of the White House during
| the Harrison administration.
| Dinner at buckingham or Windsor
Is an elaborate meal, at which there
are often royal or state guests Since
his illness, the king has had to pass
by the richer dishes and drink nothing
but white wine. heavily diluted with
bottled spring water Besides this
| white wine the kings only potation
| Is a glass of Scotch whisky and soda
at bedtime. The doctors have tried
to stop his cigar smoking and to re-
| strict him to one or two cigarets after
dinner, but this rule he frequently
breaks.
Fond Of the Theater.
| Edward VII Is n great lover of the
| theater and when no state function
demands his attention In the evening
he Is generally 10 be seen at one or
the other of the London playhouses
| He takes a box. which he occupies
| with the queen, one or the other of
his children, or some gentleman of
his household. The theater manager
| is not allowed to let the public into
the secret of his coming-this would
be a little too good a drawing card
and sometimes an audience will sit