The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1909-07-01
HIGH ROYAL TITLES
LITTLE MoDEsTY SHOWN BY oc-
cUPIERs OF THRONES. !
One Sovereign Of Insignificant Empire
Rejoiced in the Appellation
"Great Thief"-Many Others
Equally Ludicrous.

II, as reported, the czar OF Russia
intends to abandon his title, auto
crat of all the Russias," he will sacri-
fee the most exalted of his many dig
mites, a mere recital of which would
fill half a column and which are GER
tainly numerous enough to equip a
score of reasonable potentates.
But even the cars proud array OF
titles cuts a poor figure beside that of
the sultan of Turkey, who in a Turkish
newspaper was described not long
ago in these e%xtravagant terms:
"The finest pearl of the age and
the esteemed center of the universe,
at whose portals stand the camels Of
justice and mercy, and to whom the
eyes of the kings and people in the
west have been drawn, the rulers
there finding an example of political
prowess and the classes q model OF
mercy and Kindness; u lord and
master the sultan Of two shores and
the high king of the two seas, the
crown of ages and the pride of all
countries, the greatest of all khalifs,
L1C 6udOOW " NOO OA OdAIu, I1O 5uS-e
cessor of the apostle of the lord OF
the universe, the victorious conqueror5
(AlGhazi) Sultan Abdul-Hamid Khan"
There have been several sovereigns
who have actually claimed to be di-
vine; among them the kings of Ava
and of Ceylon, each of whom was
called God"
His majesty Of Ava in his letters to
his fellow sovereigns spoke of himself
as king of kings, whom all others
must obey, as he is the aus of pres
ervation of all animals, the regulator
of the seasons, the absolute master of
the ebb and flow of the sea, brother to
the sun and king of the four-and-
twenty umbrellas"
The Kandyan monarch, equally lack
ing in humility, described himself as
"the protector of religion, whose fame
is infinite and Of surprising excel
lence, exceeding the moon, the unex,
banded jessamine buds. and the stars,
whose feet are as fragrant to- the
noses of other kings as flowers to
bees, most noble patron and God by
CUSTOM" etc.
The shah of Persia has an amazing
array of titles, ranging from shah-in-
shah liking of kings) to such
| poetical attributes as "the rose of de-
light" "the branch of honor and the
mirror of virtue;" while his majesty
of Arracan used to be proclaimed as
emperor Of Arracan, possessor of the
white elephant and the two earrings,
and in virtue of this possession legiti-
mate heir Of Pegu and Drama; lord
of the. II provinces of Bengal and of
the IL kings who place their heads un-
der his feet"
The king of Achem boosted almost
as many high dignities as. there are.
days in a year; among them "the
sovereign of the universe, whose body
is luminous as the sun; whom God
created to be as accomplished as the
moon at her plenitude; whose eye
glitters like the northern star; a king
as spiritual as a ball is round, who,
when he rises, shades all his people;
and from under whose feet q sweet
odor is waited"
But perhaps the most remarkable
title any monarch was ever proud to
own was n borne by the, king of
Monomotapa, whose praises were
sung by his court poets and musicians
as '.'lord of the sun and moon, great
magician and great thief"