The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-02-05
THE SUM-, SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 1906.

to another trial OF CRsarisrn and, finally 10
what seems likely 10 los permanent repdb-
licanism.
! In England, also. at the time OF Queen
Nictoria's accession. the monarchy was less
popular than it had been at any time SINCE
the Inter part Of the seventeenth century.
George ". had thoroughly discredted king
ship Although his offences were condoned
by the fashionable world Of the metropolis
they were never really forgiven by the middle
classes or by the masses. by whom, espe-
cially since Queen Carone's trial. the King
had been openly and bitterly dislked. How
/ prevalent this feeling was and how little
! attempt was made 10 disguise 1t are shown
| 10y the outspoken comment OF the London
| Times when George ". died Mr.. Low re-
calls that. without making even pretenoe
! OF conventional eulogium, that newspaper
said with frankness which in these days
would strike one "a almost brutal; The
truth is-and It speaks volumes about the
man-that there never was an individual
less regretted by his fellow creatures than
this deceased King What eye has wept
! for him? What breast has heayed one
throb Of unmercenary sorrow? Was there
at any time Il gorgeous pageant on the
stage moro completely forgotten than he
! has been. even from the day on which the
heralds proclaimed his SUCCESSOR II George
". ever had frienda devoted friend-in
any rank OF life. we protest that the name
Of him or her fas not vet reached us.
! To William ". the Times was n little kinder
than il had been 20 his predecessor but
was openly contemptuous. All Is now
over The good old King OF England is
relieved from earthly trouble-from mental
anxiety. domestic and political-from bodily
suffeIings such as II was terrible TO witness.
Death has done it's worst on what was mortal
in King William. and the memory of his in
offensive nature will protect that portion
OF him which bade defiance to death from
the shafts of human envy, vengeance or
malignity." In other words, the best
that could be said of William ". was that
he had done little harm This was not
exactly the kind OF sovereign to increase
the prestige Of the institution OF Royalty.
The truth Is that when Queen Victoria
came 10 the throne a large part OF the
English people were fagrantly ani-mon-
archical. OF the two great political parties,
one was ostentatiously opposed to the
Court and what IL considered the Court
faction. The Tories were especially dis
loyal: They seem not to care one atom
for The Crown Greville noted on Sept g.
1899 Two years previously he had
ohronicled that the young Queen proceeded
in state from Buckingham House to 81.
James's without any cheering Outside
the Wings and Tories, there was an immense
body OF unenfranchised, but not nar1iculate
opinion in the country which was strongly
inclined TO rcpublicanism. BY it the ancient
constitutional monarchy Of Great Britain
was treated with unooncealed disrespeot
1t In not to he disputed that remarkable
change in the feeling with which the throne
II regarded took place during Victoria's
reign That reign was contemporaneous
with an era OF nation building all over
Europe. The loose and shaky fabrics
which in the second quarter of The nine
teenth century seemed tottering to their
fall have now in most cases. become sound,
watertight and stable structures. Many
causes have. no doubt. contributed TO bring
about these results; but, undenlably, one
Of the most efficient factors has been the
character and personality of the sovereigns
who have occupied several Of the European
thrones during greater or less portion Of
the period After George ". ard William
" and Louis Philippe and Francis and
Ferdinand Of Naples and the two Frederick
Williams Of Prussia, and the unhappy in
divioIals who finally dscredited the throne
Of the Spanish Bourbous We have had
Queen Victoria Of England. william l.
and then William II OF Prussia Francis
Joseph Of Austria. Victor Emmanuel OF Italy
Alexander II the "Czar-LAberator OF
Russia ] eopold ofBelgium King Christian
in Denmark. the Queen Regent Christina,
mother Of the present King Of Spain, and the
Emperor Mutsuhito III Japan. OF course
not all these rulers were Of eminent
genius. perhaps not one Of them was eK-
ceptionally endowed. but Questonably.
most if not all Of them have been gifted
with some OF the best and most useful
qualities which sovereign can have. II
happened, also by coincidence lucky for
royalty that several OF them lived 10 an
advanced age. for there j. perhaps no
other station in life in which length Of years
IL so palpahle m advantage AS II is in that
Of kingship We presume that no observer
doubts that the secular duration OF Queen
Victoria : reign was Of the utmost political !
value TO tho British Empire.
Mr. Low for his part has no doubt that /
the Queens personality was real consol- |
dating agent While Downing street was !
lectnring the colonies and while the col /
onist- We're still raw with the old sense Of I
suspicion and distris, there grew up among !
them sense OF pride IN the Throne and !
an increasing sentimental attachment TO /
the reigning family feeling of profound .
Interest and OF even a kind Of proprietor
chip in the Courts at Osborne Windsor
and Balmoral, quickened by occasional .
visits OF princes to India and the Colonies
did much 10 weld the widely scattered /
realms together The Bond % Empire
was not the Imperial Parliament which the
legislatures OF the self-governing colonies
regarded with jealousy. nor the Imperial
Cabinet which they look upon "a only one
OF the many committees that administer
the several self-Roverning portions Of the
British dominions: but the Throne. as rep
resented 10y venerated sovereign Our
author sees. az others must see. that in
consequence Of this feeling there has been
a remarkable modification Of the Colonial
attitude toward the royal prerogative
Colonial constitutionalists are now inclined
even to exaggerate the powers of the Crown
MIR Low doubts however whether We
should now witness this contented acquies-
cenoe on the part Of oJlonists in the royal