Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-12-24
tsrcc,al Correspondence


ONDON, Dec. 15.-What with pub
lie and domestic affairs King
George. who. after Il flying visit
to town. has gone to York cot
tage. his modest country house near
Sandringham. has been of late as busy
man us anyone in the Kingdom. With
decided political views Of his own.
which for obvious reasons lie has 10
keep severed: to himself, he has been
following the course of electioneering
S politics with some anxiety, because II
the Radical Socialist coalition should
come back from the polls with their
hands in any way strengthened there
Is no reason to believe that they will be
burdcncd by any constitutional scru-
pies against dragging the crown into
the political mess.
SO far King George has kept very
stiff upper lip, but in the event of the
return of the Radicals the question OF
guarantees" which undcnably helped
to worry King Edward into his grave.
will have to be fairly and sduarely
faced No one who knows the king per-
sonally doubts that lie will be quite
equal to keeping his end up, for Il man
who has in his time commanded tor
redo gunbont of his own, Is not the
sort of person to be ratified by politi-
clans A lady who has known King
George well for several years told me
recently that the trait which impressed
her most in the kings character was,
without any trace of clevcrness or brill
liancy his sound, imperturbable COM
mon sense. And common sense Is just
the commodity we can do with at the
present iuncturc.
STRAINED RELATIONSHIPS
His domestic problems have in the
meanwhile been no less troublesome.
Queen Mary and the queen mother have
always been on more critical than cor
dial terms, and since Queen Mary seems
inclined to assert her position as queen
consort their relationships have become
those Of strained politcncss. Tho new
queen undoubtedly lacks the charm OF
personality and manner which endearcd
Queen Alexandra to the nation. and en-
sured her popularity in general society.
Herself n woman of the most fawless
virtues both as n wife and mother, there
are such n number of things and per-
sons Queen Mary "disapproves' of, that
her personal circle Is bound to become
restricted and the new American wom-
en-. among them Lady Lister Kaye and
Mrs, David Beatty, who rank among
her personal friends, have, since tn.
kings accession. found her manner for
NAL. not to say frigid OF many ladies'
in the late kings intimate circle, dis
tInSuishcd for their smartness and VI
vacity. rather than by their obscrv-
ance of the conventions, she disap-
proves. Lady Paget, for example, ever
since she gave some French plays on
n sunday afternoon when she was en-
tertalning King Edward at Kingston
fiill. Is said to be in her bad books. Her
lrlgidity has before now made King
George, who lnhcrits good deal of his
fathers gcniality. feel none too comfort
able, and the probabilities are that
Anglo American society will find the
court good deal duller and more for
nal than ii used to be- in the Edwardan
era
RCYAT. STANDARDS GALORE.
In the meantime, Queen Alexandra
mas shown no disposition for grace
iul retirement to the shelf as queen
mother, u designation for which she
mas no liking. This was made clear
quite early by the battle of the stand
"tds The royal standard over Buck
,,nsham palace was not lowered while
me King and his consort were in resi-
aence in Marlborough house simply
:!oeause Queen Alexandra personally
insisted on keeping 1t flying. This is
me only explanation for the unpre-
oHdentcd spectacle of two royal stand
ards flying simultaneously over two
buildings. The king only compromised
tna nlitculty by giving the queen moth
ca an official standard of her own
Huarterng tho royal arms of Denmark.
NOW hear n rumor that Queen Mary