The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1907-12-12

not foreseen, and his early years were
devoted to the pursuits of a Swedish
country gentleman, to literature and to
art. He had already attained a repu-
tation as a poet and an author of real
merit, when the chance of death called
him to the throne. His new vocation
left him little leisure to WOO the muse,
but his gift for oratory came into fire.
quent play, n he became noted for
his real eloquence as well as for his
felicity of expression. The details of
klngcraft he easily mastered, and his
reign has been of a character to win
him the love and loyalty of all Swe-
den.
Though the Swedish court is most
ceremonious, the old king had the gift
people. He was most democratic in his
banners n easily a~pproachable.
When In the early days of the crisis,
10000 Stockholders marched out to
his palace through the glorious twt-
light of a Swedish June night to ex-
press to him the love and confidence
of his people in the hour of trial, the
old king came out OF a balcony md,
with his gray locksb barred to the breeze,
invited them all to come up close where
a deputation and kept a respectful
distance themselves. Come right up
close" he called out. where we can
see and hear each other. You are not
afraid Of your old king, are you?"
Oscar H., king of Sweden, and pre-
vious to 1905 king of Norway and
Sweden. was born January 81. 1929.
lie was the third son of King Oscar
and Of Queen Josephine, daughter of
Prince Eugene, of Leuchtenberg, and
Oscar IL. succeeded to the throne at
the death of his brother, King Carl
XIV, september IS, 1872. He was
married June s. 1857, to Queen So
phia, born June 9, 1886, daughter of
the late Duke William of Nassau.
Survived by Four.
Four children survive King Oscar
Crown Prince Gustave, born June 16,
1858; Prince Oscar Bernadotte, born
November Is. 1859; Prince Carl, born
February 81, 1861, and Prince Eugene.
BORN August l, 1865. Prince Gustave
was married September 20, 1881, to
Princess Victoria. of Baden-Baden.
Their Oldest son, Prince Gustave, was
married June Is, 1905, to the Princess
Margaret Victoria, of Connaught.
Prince Oscar his succession
to the throne and married, March Is,
1888, Ebba Munck, of Fulkila.
In the years 1892 ana 1893 the late
King Oscar steadfastly opposed the
proposition of the Norwegian parlia-
ment for a separate consular service,
which led to Norway, October 26.
and Norway dissolved. The throne of
Norway was offered to g prince Of the
.reigning house of Sweden, but was
declined by King Oscar, and after an
appeal to the Norwegian people.
ed king of Norway by the Norwegian
parliament November IS, 1905.
An event of international import
ance in the life Of King Oscar was his
arbitration of the Samoan claims in
1902, when he ~adjudged the American
and Pritich rnuarn repfS to no ra-
sponsible for the fighting in the Sa-
moan islands in 1899. He also at
tanned prominence at the time of the
Venezuela dispute which caused fric-
ton betWeen the United States and
Great Britain in 1895.
1t was then proposed, in case the
Cleveland arbitration commission con
sisting of four members failed to agree.
that the r2atter be referred to King
Oscar. An agreement was reached at
Paris, where the arbitration tribunal
met in the spring of 1899 and King
Oscars Intervention was not neces-
sary.
King Oscar was called the ablest
ruler Of the nineteenth century and
the most democratic king that eve
lived. He never made any attempt to
conceal the humble origin Of his fam
lily and he travelled to the
south of France he made it a point to
visit the little house at Pau where his
grandfather was born. A tablet owe
the door of the little one-story house
bears this inscriptions:
The peasant, Charles Bernadotte,
who subsequently rose to be field mar
shall Of France and ultimately King
Charles XIV, of Sweden and Norway,
was born In this cottage in 1888"
In appearance. however, King Os-
car was every inch a king, and there
is no sovereign in all Europe who was
more stately and more regal in bear
ing than was he. King Oscar stood 6
feet 2 inches. taller than most of his
subjects, who, as a rule, are tall men.
His eyes were blue in color, distinctive
of his race, and were commanding, but
kindly.