The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-09-16
SOVEREIGNS AS TESTERS.
Shaw Put Dignified Officials on
Skates.

Although the kaiser has been known
to allow one American millionaire to
slap him heartily on the shoulder, and
another TO tell him that he is "a jolly
good fellow" without showing trace
OF offended dignity, says the London
Tit-Bits, he is said never to permit the
least familiarity from even the most
exalted of his subjects.
And yet no monarch better enjoys
joke at the expense Of his officials as
was recently proven by a remarkable
photograph presented by him TO an ad-
miral who usually accompanied him on
his yachting expeditions On recent
trip this admiral was not present, and
his majesty, in order to show him what
he had missed, bad a wonderful photo
graph faxed representing a, gigantic
and fearsOme sea serpent gliding
through the water within pistol shot
Of the imperial yacht
A more froliesome monarch is the
shah of Persia, of whom the following
story is told. During his last visit to
Paris the shah, 5ust as he was leaving
his hotel, summoned the two police in
spectOrs who always accompany him
on their bicycles and begged the loan
of their machines, as his court mar
shall and chief chamberlain were anX-
ious to try them. These dignifed off,
Gals had never been on a bicycle in
their lives, and great was their con-
sternatiOn when their royal master
commanded them to mount the unsta-
BILE steeds and ride away.
There was, however, no escape, so
summoning up their courage the two
dignitaries tucked up their frock coats,
got somehow astride Of their respective
wheels and began to wabble down the
| Champs Eiysees. They had scarcely
gone half dozen yards, however, be-
! fore crashi went one machine, and then
the other, and the gallant riders were
sprawling on the ground, while the
shah laughed so COnsumedly at the lu-
| dricrous spectacle that he was obliged
| to dry his eyes with his handkerchief.
"All you want is a little practice" he
gasped between his paroxysms Of
| laughter, as the fallen heroes picked
themselves up and began ruefully to
brush the dust off their garments.
| On another. occasion his majesty put
several of his most adipOse and grave
courtiers on roller skates, and was SO
! cOnvulsed BY their antics that he had
to command them to desist.
! But perhaps no living sovereign rel
! ishes a Joke of this kind more heartily
than the irrepTessible king of Spain,
who is never so happy as when he Is
shocking his grave and deeorous cOur-
/ y
he interrupted an interview with one
Of his ministers to show him how clev-
erly he could turn sOmersault, an aero
batic feat which he also performed for
| the benefit Of Queen Alexandra short
time ago in one of the corridors OK
Buckingham palace.
Francis I practiced some cruel jokes
on Jacob Paul Won Gundling. an emf
nent scientist, on one occasion dress
ing I'D a monkey in clothes similar to
| those worn by the professor and max
ing the latter embrace him in public
and acknowledge his as his own son,
and on Gundling's death the king had
his body dressed in state uniform and
buried in a wine cask.
l Charles III loved to go abroad in dis
] guise, assaiIing his subjects in the
I coarsest terms. He would enter the
/ shops of vendors of breakable materi-
/ ais, and, taking up a mirror or drink
ing glass, would let it fall TO the
ground. laughing unTestrainedly at the
1 damage that he had done and at the
| abuse that was showered on him. And.
to give but one more example, Peter
! the Great loved at Christmas time to
take part in the annual sledge process
sion in which the clergy, gorgeously
attired. stopped at certain houses, sang
a carol and received charitable offer
inpS