Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-05-07

monarch for the Greeks.
The affection and esteem in which
the late king was held were never bet
ter exemplihed than in December, 1871,
when he was attacked by typhoid fe-
yer and for some weeks hung between
life and death. The anxiety of the
public was intense, and the news of
his recovery was greeted with great
joy. On his first appearance IN public
to take part in the memorial thanks
giving service" in st. Paul's cathedral
on Feb. 81, 1872, the streets along the
line Of his route were crowded with a
cheering multitude.
After his recovery several years were
devoted to quiet work, though he as
sumed great deal of the responsible
ty attaching to the celebration of his
mothers jubilee in 1887.
Death of His Eldest Son.
1t is impossible not to mention two
notable occurrences of recent years
the baccarat scandal and the death of
the princes eldest son and his heir, the
Duke of Clarence. The card scandal
came up in the winter of 1890 while
the prince was visiting Mrs. Arthur
Wilson at Tranby Croft. Sir William
Gordon-Cumming a cavalry ofacer Of
good family, was charged with cheat
ing. 1t was said that he increased his
stake after seeing that the cards were
In his favor. The case got into the
courts; the prince was a witness, and
Sir William Gordon-Cumning lost. The
latter married Miss Garner of New
York, the daughter of a millionaire,
and retired into private life.
Two years later the Duke of Clar-
ence fell victim to the grip 1t was
great blow to both the parents and
bereavement from which they never
fully recovered. After the funeral the
father retired to the deepest privacy,
and it was many months before he felt
equal to the task of resuming his pub
lie duties
OF late years the brief holidays of
the late king were almost always spent
on the continent. He generally Travelled
when abroad as the Earl of Chester
and sometimes as Baron Renfrew. A
private saloon carriage which cost 1885,
600 was kept at BouIogne for his use.
His trips were exceedingly expensive
both he and the princess being lavish
in their tastes.
In his love for sports the late mon
arch when he was Prince of Wales de-
voted much attention to yachting. He
looked forward each year to the re-
gatta at Cowes, where he first won the
Queens cup in 1877 with his schooner
Hildegarde. He was also fond of horse
racing and won some of the most his
49,. 80 LA
Albert Edward was initiated into the
mysteries of Freemasonry in Sweden
in 1868 and was elected grand master
of Engla1 nd in 1876.
The Late Kings Tact.
The tact of the late king in social
matters has been apparent all the time
that he has ruled English society with
a rod of steel sheathed in velvet. No
sprejudices. theories or preconceived
ideas were allowed to stand in the way
of his DEGREES. For example, it is due
to him alone that all the i'll feeling to-
ward the Jewish race has disappeared
in England and that Hebrews are now
found occupying seats in the house of
lords, when in the early days of the
Victorian era a Jew was not even al
lowed the full rights and privileges of
ordinary citizenship. Hebrews are also
to be found in the front rank of the
most exclusive and aristocratic social
circles of England.
1t is another evidence of the tact of
the late king that even his most in
innate friends and associates were
kept in ignorance concerning his po-
litical opinions. He always manifested
just as much regard and consideration
for Gladstone as for Lord Salisbury.
He was never inclined any more to-
ward the Tories than to the Liberals,