Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-03-10
When Englanfs King Was a Prince
BY N. s. HANDY.
Hurrahi We've a little prince at last
A roaring royal boy;
And nil day loup fha hootniuv haItz

And all day long the booming bells
Have rung their peais Of joy.
These words told of the rejoicing In Lon
don town when King Edward was born.
All England was glad that they would
some day have a king. the son of Queen
Victoria. whom they dearly loved. There
had been a little girl born to the queen
two years before, and unless this little
boy had come along she would have been
queen to succeed her mother. II you had
been in London ON that November o. lS4t.
you would have known that some extraor-
binary event had occurred. Fiery one
joined In singing the national b, mn. and In
all the streets and theaters The excitement
was so great that all play amt business. too,
had to be stopped until the people had
shouted and sung themselves hoarse
And what was the little prince named?
Can any OF you guess? L am afraid not,
for his titles were long and so many.
Amidst the greatest scenes of spiendor, sur
rounded by officials in bright uniforms,
with ribbons and decorations shining from
their coats, with princes from other coun-
tries. the little fellow was baptized Ten
titles We're his, but we know him only by
his simple name of Albert Edward, and his
first title the Prince of Wales
AS the people were so happy to a have
a prince 1t was but right that they should
see him once In a while. His first public
appearance was when he was four months
old, when his mother was inspecting some
troops near windsor Castle. The baby was
heid up by his nurse from a window of
the castle SO that the crowd could see him
He was an active little chap and on this
occasion SO raised his arms and legs that
the people shouted with glee. The princes
BABY antics called forth as much applause
as the drilling of a regiment of soldiers
AGAIN IN september of the next year the
royal children were taken to Brighton, a
seaside place. The people used to take
great delight In waiting for the daily outing
on the beach of the little prince and his
sister. Every day loyal salute was made
by the raising of hats and the waving of
handkerchiefs. The little boy had been
taught to raise his chubby fist to his fore
head in reply to these salutes A little
later party of nine Indians from America
were presented to the queen at Windsor
Castle. Prince Edward was toddling around
the moor not at all afraid of the red men
The chief looked at the baby prince very
graVeiy, and later spoke of him In hfs
speech as, The very big little white father
whose eyes are like the sky that sees all
things and who is fat with goodness like
a winter bear"
Once when Tom Thumb, the famous
dwarf, who was less than three feet tall.
visited England he was, invited to- the pal
ace ana greatly entertained the baby prince
soon after he had one of the greatest pleas
ureS that boy can have. Can YOU guess
what 1t was? 1t was chance'sto Ego to
the circus. How he clapped his hands
when the clown went through his funny
pranks! After the circus the clown was
brought to the royal box and the little
prince shook hands with him and thanked
Nun, For making me laugh SO much.''
When eight years old a great reception
was given for him In Westminster, and he
trav eied with all pomp and splendor to
LONDON. An London turned out to see him
Royal. Miss Louisa Alcott, who is the
author Of Little Women" which every
boy and girl should read, saw this won
derful procession and wrote home: THE
prince was a yellow-haired laddie very
much like his mother. Fanny and nodded
and waived as he passed, and he openly
Winked his boyish eye at u.s."
But you must be told Of the happy time
the children had at their home or homes
for sometimes the prince was living at
Windsor or Osborne. Once during the winter
the children were given a party where all
wore masks. Prince Bertie." as he was
sometimes called, then twelve years of
age He WIS dressed to represent winter
and was clad In a coat covered with imita-
ton fcicles. Princess Alice, his sister was
spring. and his older sister. the Princess
Royal, was summer. Prince Alfred, his
brother, was autumn You may be sure
that the rooms of the castle echoed with
fun and laughter as the four seasons played
pranks and romped as merriIy as boys and
girls less distinguished would have DONE
After Edward was fourteen he Travelled
through England, Ireland and Scotland his
teachers going with him. This was done
that he might become better acquainted
with the people he was to some day rule,
and also to know all about what they were
doing. He visited factories and railroads
and schools and hospitals and workshops
and his teachers told him all they could
about them. Later he was taken through
Europe. where he travelled not al the Prince
of Wales but by one of his other ten titles
Thus you see the advantage of having these
titles. The people were not allowed to
stop their work because he was locking on,
otherwise he would not have been able to
learn so much.
Now something happened which was very
sad for Prince Edward. When he was
nineteen the first great sorrow of his life
came to him. His father, whom everybody
loved, died. From this time the young
prince became a man. He was obliged to
help his mother, and to learn all she had to
do. He proved to be a good son, and for
many, many years after his fathers death
helped her in all the ways he could. This
training was useful TO him. although he
was not called upon TO act as king to the
English people until sixty years after that
morning when throughout London was
heard the glad tidings,
"IIurrahi We've q little prince nj last