The National tribune., 1910-05-12

King Edward had returned to Eng
! land from a vacation some 10 days ago.
and seemed to be in the very best of
health on his arrival at the palace in
London. He was i'll less than a week,
and it is thought that pneumonia fol-
lowed by bronchitis would not have
been fatal but for the fact that the
King was seriously alarmed and wor-
ried over political conditions in Eng
| land.
| Immediately upon the death of the
/ King, the Prince of Wales, known as
| George Frederick Ernest Albert be-
came King. and elected to be known
as King George V.
King Edward, who loved life and all
the things that make it agreeable and
pleasant, has been one of the remark
| able figures in the public eye almost
| since his birth. He was a good liver,
| in that he loved the best things to eat
and drink. He was passionately fond
Of hunting; was devoted to all kinds
of athletic games; was a lover of good
horses, and himself owned a notable
string, which he raced under his own
colors. He was a promoter of the
drama and music. interested in all char
table performances, and in a great
many ways was in advance of his
mother, Queen Victoria, in his ideas of
how and when and where to do things.
Edward was born in Buckingham
Palace, London, Nov. 9, 1841, as the
second child and eldest son of Queen
Victoria and the Prince Consort Albert.
He was christened Albert Edward, and
at his birth was created Prince of
Wales, becoming by virtue of that dig
nifty also Knight of the Garter. AS
heir apparent to the British crown he
succeeded to the title and emoluments
of the Duke of Cornwall As heir to
the crown of Scotland he became Great
Steward of Scotland. Duke of Rothe-
say, Earl of Carrick, Baron of Rem
few, and Lord of the Isles. He was
solemnly baptized Jan. 25, 1912, at st. |
Georges Chapel, Windsor amid scenes
of great splendor and in the presence
of Frederick William, King of Prussia.
who was his sponsor, and throng OF
ambassadors representing almost every
large nation in the world.
His boyhood days were spent in the |
quiet surroundings of an ideal home.
Our First Royal Visitor.
King Edward was the only heir to
a throne up to 1860 who had visited |
the United States. July 25, 1860 he |
landed in Canada to visit the Dominion |
as representative of his mother Queen |
Victoria. He was only 19 years old at |
that time. but even then was in hard |
training for the Kingship. He was |
slender, rather frolicsome young lad at |
that time, and many are the escapades |
that are told under the breath of Eng
lands future ruler as he skylarked over
the country. Sept. 20, 1860, he arrived |
in the United States. thru Detroit, |
Mich. From there he came to Wash
ington, which he reached about Oct. l.
He travelled as Baron Renfew. sup
posedly incognito, and made things
merry from that date until Oct. Is,
when he sailed for England, after three
days OF festivities in New York City.
He was received in royal style every
where and feted, wined and dined with
such hospitable intent that Queen Vic
toria expressed to President Buchanan
her personal thanks for the hospital
ity extended to the heir of England's
crown. The social festivities of that
month marked the beginning of
friendly feeling between the United
States and England. Up to that time
there had been but little more than a +
formal exchange of courtesies between
the two great countries, and even then
the power behind the throne in Eng
land was shaping things up to recog-
niZe the Southern Confederacy in case
Il turning point in National affairs in
the United States was reached. In 1861
King Edward entered his first term at
Cambridge. and it was in September of
that year that he met his Queen, then
Princess Alexandra of Denmark In
1868, when % years of age, he took
his seat in the House of Lords for the ;
first time. on March 10 of that year !
he married Princess Alexandra at st.
Georges Chapel Windsor.
Grand Master OF the Masons. l.
In 1874, as Prince Albert, he was j
elected Grand Master of the Free !
MasonS in England, which office he held ,
at the time of his death Jan. %. Ii
1901, he ascended the thcone on the {