New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-12-04
SABRED THE BALLOON.
Presence of Mind of King 4lfonso's
4ide-de-Can.p.

who is the defendant in the case The plaintiff is
Fernandez Duro. the aeronaut who demands sIa 900
from the monarch for damages done to one of his
balloons It seems that on the occasion OF the
aeronaut tournament held some time ego at Ma
drid, at which the King was present, he Jumped
into his automobile the balloons had
started. and proceeded to follow them or terra
hrma with the object OF witnessing their descent,
That of Fernandez Duro to earth safely IN
a field. and the aeronaut, anchoring the balloon.
betook himself to farmhouse visible in the dis
lance for the purpose Of securing assistance and
OF hiring wagon and horses to convey the ball
loon back to Madrid.
Meanwhile the King and his aide-de-capap arrived
the scene Finding the balloon abandoned and
still inflated. Don Alfonso jumped into its car and
Immediately began to throw out the bags of sand
constituting a ballast. To his aide-de-canp. who
demonstrated with him, he announced his inten-
ton of awaiting himself of this long looked for
opportunity of indulging in a balloon ascension
his mother and his ministers having prevented him
from fulnlling his intention OF taking any part
IN the tournament earlier in the day, Mortified at
the idea of his going up in balloon even in the
care or experienced and responsible aeronauts. The
balloon, relieved of its ballast was straining on
the anchor and mooring ropes, and the King, who
had drawn his sword just preparing to cut
them herewith, when the aide-de-camp, realizing
that 1t was case for desperate measures. drew
his sabre in turn and, without losing moment,
proceeded to slash the silk envelope of the bal
loon in every direction the escaping gas of course
increasing the rents and reducing the balloon to
such condition that any further notion of
ascent was out OF the question.
The young King was at first beside himself with
rage, and just for a moment there was danger that
he might raise his sword against his aide-de-camp.
He soon quoted down. however; for If he is quick
tempered he is likewise good hearted and his
anger is always quickly over Before the aeronaut
had returned he had become quite reconciled to his
aide-de-camP and they returned to Madrid to-
gether in the same motor car.
The King said nothing about the matter, fearing
trouble with his mother and ministers, and the
officer likewise remained silent, not wishing to
embarrass the King. They counted. however, with
out the aeronaut, and the latter. being unable to
obtain any satisfaction for his demands for dam
ages, instituted legal proceedings against tie
King, which of has had the effect of bring
ing the whole story to light.
The action Of the aide-de-carnp meets with uni
versal approval and he has been warmly thanked
by the Queen Mother and by the ministers, who
realize that but for his presence Of mind and
age Spain might to-day be without a king and In
the throes of anarchy and of another civil war.
As have often pointed out before these letters,
the office of aide-de-camp and of gentleman-in-
waiting to Feigning monarch or to prince OF
the blood is something considerably more than that
Of ''gided lackey' which courtiers OF this sort
have been so often described. The aide-de-camp
is not only the attendant but the guardian and
the mentor of his royal charge. and If the latter
becomes involved in any scrape or 1ncurs any
waiting who is held accountable, not alone by the
royal family but also by the government and by
the nation at large. Had young King Alfonso gone
up in that balloon alone and had come to grief
which n view of his ignorance OF aerial navigation
would have been more than probable-t is his Off
Ger in waiting who would have been held re-
sponsible for the harm that befeu the King and
not only his military would have been at an
end, but he would likewise have become the OBJ
3ect of SO much popular obloquy and social ostra-
had 0o1ta matt hut 10
expatriate himself TO blow out his brains.
HooTING ROYALTY.
II is necessary to go back for more than hun
bred years to find any precedent for the hooting
of member of the British royal family in the
streets Of London. and that the object of this in
dignity should, of all people in the world, be the
Duchess Of Fife, shows how utterly unreasoning
is the sentiment Of the mob such these
For the Duchess Of Fife is not only the most
kindly and unassunng, but likewise the shyest. of
the reigning house, and the fact that she should
have been thus reviled by the unemployed while
in the very act of opening on "Wednesday last the
meal tents provided by the King for the dstribu-
ton Of food furnished by Queen Alexandra by
means OF the fund which she herself started with
subscription of $4,000. only renders the whole
affair more disgraceful
1t serves to bear out the assertion of General
Booth of the Salvation Army the effect that the
vast amount of indscriminate charity distributed
during the last two years in London has led to
the formation there Of class of professional un-
employed; that is TO say, of class composed OF
people who won't work and who trade on tie
charity of the phianthroicay inclined. preferring
relief in the shape Of money to employment.
queen AIexandra's fund and its application do
not in any way meet with satisfaction. For.
instead of providing them with money, as hereto
FORE it merely furnishes them with food, to be
consumed in meal tents, which the Duchess of
Fife was opening when hooted by the 'unenl-
ployed; Wednesday last. Nothing could have
been more unfortunate. For not only will the
King and Queen bitterly resent this insult to their
daughter, but 1t will likewise have the effect of
stopping all further contributions TO the fund
started by the Queen her own initiative for the
feeding of the destitute throughout the coming
winter.
The last instance OF member Of the royal family
being hooted by London mob in the streets was
when old Queen Charlotte was not only Kissed and
nsulted. but even pelted with offal while on her
way from st, James's Palace 10 what was then
known as Buckingham House now Buckingham
Palace The mob even went so far as stop her
sedan chair. and there is knowing what might
have happened had not this homeliest of all Eng
lands long line of Queens let down the glass of the
chair and apostrophized the mob with the follow
fng words
years Queen of England, and never was nsuitcd
before"
Her anger her absolute fearlessness. and at the
sa me time her wonderful dignity, turned the temper
of all those of the mob within earshot The misses
were converted into cheers, and 1t was amid the
nlaudfts of the crowd that the sedan chair
tinued it's way unobstructed to Buckingham House.
This recalls the fact that King Edward one
occasion in similar way, by a display of perfect
oro,os1,ra and dignity, converted hostile demon
trat,on into a friendly one 1t was not a street.
bovvever but in theatre, about thrty-five years
ago shortly before the attack OF typhoid fever to
which he so nearly succumbed
As soon as ever he had taken his seat, and tho
Of Vic |bao