The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1907-10-18
HATS ON BEFORE KINGS.
Penn, Austria, Napoleon and the De
fCnureeve

CourceyS.
Mark Twain has Indignantly denied
the assertions that he kept his hat on
while conversing with Queen Alexan-
dra and that he put his arm around
King Edwards neck and addressed
him in terms not consonant with the
English idea of the dignity for such
occasions made and provided. or
course, the denial will not catch up
with the erroneous report. and those
who desire to believe the latter Will
make much Of Twain's admission that
on Queen Alexandra for a second time
requesting him to put on his hat he
complied. The fake" for such the
story must have been, with the addi-
ton that Twain kept his hat on all the
time he was talking with the king, OBJ
tanned such currency as to inspire
New York evening paper to ask:
WAS William Penn the last American
citizen who kept his hat on while
conyersing with the king Of England?'
This of itself is very interesting
question for the student of manners
end customs, who before entering up
on the studies will pause to say that
William Penn never was an American
citizen but lived and died British
subject.
We should hope that the American
investigator would find that few OF
his countrymen had been guilty of
such rudeness or love of advertising
as to keep on their hats when con-
vercing with the monarch or execu-
tive Of any nation II a foreigner
were guilty of equal discOurtesy to
President Roosevelt what sermons the
American press would address TO
said foreigner and his country! Penn
had the justification that his refusal
to remove his hat in the presence OF
royalty was dictated by his religion.
With him it was a case of conscience.
The hat is often the index of charac-
ter Napoleon wore his hat when
Metternich presented his credentials
as Austrian ambassador, and kept it
on throughout the interview. The
shrewd Austrian saw in the incident
the character of the Corsican, and in
wardly pronunced him a ''paryenue"
uncertain OF his position The En-
peror of Austria said Metternich,
would not have. worn his hat in receiv-
ing the representative OF the meanest
nation in the world. He would have
uncovered out Of courtesy not merely
to the ambassador, but to the latter's
country. But, as Metternich added,
the Emperor of Austria was a gentle
man and would never in his own
house assert social superiority to his
guest
Hat wearing in the kings presence
is a matter of prescription with at
least one family in Great Britain.
The DeCourceys, Barons Kingsale,
have the prescriptive right granted
by King John, to keep their hats on
in the presence of the monarch. The
Lord Kingsale Of George HIS time
asserted this right in peculiarly of
fensive manner The king Temon-
strating. Lord Kingsale, so the story
goes, retorted: King John authorized
the De Courceys forever to keep their
hats on when the king was present"
Did he authorize them to keep their
hats on when ladies were present,
too?' asked the king, who must have
had one of his lucid moments, as he
pointed to the queen and her attend
ants. It seems difficult to believe
George III. was capable Of saying any
thing so neatly pointed. Rather are
we prepared to accept as Characters
tic of him his estimate of Shakes
peare; "A great deal. Of sorry stuff i'll
Shakespeare, only, of course, one
must not say. soi"-Boston Transcript