The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-05-09
William 7. Stead Gives ES-
innate of His Character
GREATEST GOOD NATURE
Sfend Criticises the Ruler as Man
Who Rambled in Conversation and
Never Finished Subject
Once Begun
BY WILLIAM 4. STEAD

BY WILLIAM 4. STEAD
London May ESPECIAL Cable king
Edward has not been Z hours dead
and all the papers of the. world are
busy discussing his ten years reign just
ended In this article it is not my de-
sire to write a history of his reign or
to do anything beyond stringing together
before American readers my personal
impressions concerning the King as man
and as ruler
Let us first see what king is sup
posed to be; first. in the sight of God;
secondly, in the sight of his subjects.
curious computation was made in 1881
that the prayer prescribed to be said for
the royal family must be said in the
hearing of congregations at home and
abroad at least 100.8o0,0oo times between
the birth of the Prince of Wales and
his 50th birthday In 1901 the nation
ceased to pray for Edward as Prince
of Wales. The moment the Queen died
he was prayed for in the terms of pray
err duly set forth and prescribed in the
prayer book for the Kings majesties,"
where the invocations to the King of
Kings and Lord of Lords are more ex-
plicit, as is fitting considering that the
parsonage prayed for had then assembled
the throne
A sovereign so surcharged with the
grace Of God that he always fears God
viii and walks in his way weighted down
with heavenly gifts, healthy, wealthy and
so strong he can vanquish every foe-that
is the king for whom pious folk of the
national church pray.
That is the ideal king of the prayers
OF the church.
A Theoretical King
The ideal or theoretical king of the
constitution is almost as far removed
from the real.
The king is never an infant in the
law Neither can he ever ole. The king
car do no wrong.
Blackstone in his famous commenta-
ries. lays it down as the law of Eng
land that the King is not only inca
Bile of doing wrong, but even of think
inF wrong. He can never mean to do
an improper thing. In him there is no
folly or weakness"
According to Sir Erskine May. His
majesty cannot be supposed to have a
private opinion apart from that of his
responsible advisers
But, according to Mr.. Walter Bagehot
the sovereign possesses such extensive
powers as to be virtually omnipotent.
Parliament Is powerless to pass any
laws of any kind on any subject with
out the kings consent. Yet. since the
days of Queen Anne, no sovereign has
refused his assent to any bill sent up
from the two houses of parliament. He
must sign his own death warrant" says
Walter Bagehot. eff the two houses unan-
imously send it up to him"
Such is the king in church and state.
In the former a vessel clear full to
the brm with divine grace, whose abid-
ing delight Is to do the VIII OF GOD
and to walk in His ways; In the latter
ar impeccable, infallible. omnipotent, i'm
mortal fiction of the constitution, who
despite all of his immense prerogatives.
csrnot even have a private opinion of
his own apart from that of his min
listers
The Real King of England
Now let us turn to see the king as
he was when Edward VII was on the
throne.
The first outstanding characteristic Of
tho real king, who has just died, was
his extraordinary good nature which
was at once his chief Characteristic and
his besetting sin. He was so anxious
to say pleasant things and to do KIM
actions that he did not always remember
in his desire TO say pleasant things to
persons with whom he was talking that
he might have said somewhat inconsist-
ent things to some other person with
whom he had been previously IN con-
yersation. This characteristic is ever
more prominent in the Car or Russia.
of whom his enemies declare he Is al
ways of the same opinion as the last man
with whom he talks.
TT is a waste of time trying to in
auence King Edward one of his
friends said to me- 1T is like writing
on water When you think you have
made an impression on MIN ana ne as
sures YOU soleninly that he is of your
opinion. when you leave the room the
greatest idiot in the world comes IN,
makes his little joke, sneers at you
and. hey presto in moment his royal
highness (who was a prince them Is
off on another tack and ridicules the
very ideas with which FIVE minutes be-
fore he had expressed his entire con-
currence."
This is an exaggeration. no doubt
but there was an element of truth
in it.
Meeting With the King
| never met the hlns Since ne pe-
came king, but ! met him several
times before he came to the throne
on one occasion l mad long talk
with him at luncheon and had very
good opportunity of forming a con-
ception of his character. The first
thing that struck me was the extraor-
binary desultory nature of his mind
He hoped about like flea on hot
plate, from subject to subject.
ati IN laaH
sation with royalty-royafty always
takes the lead and you are supposed to
follow. Now in the case of Edward
found 1t absolutely necessary to bring
him back to a subject. He took 1t very
we'll l must admit The habit of be-
ing allowed to fly off at tangent in
the middle of any converse ton without
ng5brought back TO the point Is not
good mental exercise.
! remember once the Prince had
asked me to come to town one Sunday
to meet him at tea. | was not in the
habit of going up town on Sunday and
Notwithstanding the unwritten law that
the Princes invitation is general
command, I excused myself on that
ground. saying / was very sorry but II
he wished to see me he would have
to Ak some week day when / would be
in London. He took it very graciously
and said | was quite right and so the
tea was fixed for a week day.
One Man Who Dared
Il want you to come very much be-
cause at the present moment there is
only one person who dares to speak to
the Prince as If he were only an ordi-
nary mortal and tell him the exact
truth. That person is myself. If he
gets to know you there will be two
of US
We had hardly started talking before
/ found myself in a lively polemic with