The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-05-08
.CLOSE-RANGE VIEW
ON PERSONAL SIDE
Vim. T. Stead Writes Rerninis.
cences Of Late Kingdom
plete Change in Character
After He Was Fifty Years
Old, Thus Controverting
Victoria's Prophecy.
BY WILLIAM Il. STEAD.

London. May fixing Edward has
not been twelve hours dead and all the
papers OF the world are busy discuss
ing his ten years reign Just ended
Ir this article /, is not my desire tc
write history OF his reign or to dc
anything beyond stringing together
before American readers my personal
Impressions concerning the King is a
man and as a 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.
A curious computation was made in
1891 that the prayer prescribed to be
said for the royal family must have
boon said. in the haring OF congrega-
lions at home and abroad at least
1o0.o0n,o00 times between the birth OF
the Prince of Wales and his iftieth
birthday. In 1901 tho nation ceased to
pray for Edward as Prince of Wales
The moment the Queen died he was
PRAYED for ~ the terms of prayer
duly Sc, forth and prescribed in the
prayer book for the Kings najesties.''
where the tnvocations for the King OF
Kings. and Lord of Lords. are more ey-
piicit. as is fitting, considering that
the parsonage prayed for had then as
cended the throne.
The Ideal King.
A sovereign so surcharged with the
grace of God that he always does
Gods will and walks in His way
weighed down with heavenly gifts.
healthy. wealthy and SO strong tina,
he can vanuuish every foe-that is the
King for whom pious folk of the ma
tIonal church pray twice day. That
is the ideal King of the prayers OF
the church.
The ideal or theoretical King oS
the constitution is almost as far re-
moved from the real.
Commentaries lays 1t down as the law
Neither can he ever die. The King can
do no wrong. Blackstone in his famous
commentaries lays 1t down as the law
of England that 1.-The King is not only
incapable of doing wrong, but even
of thinking wrong. He can never mean
to do an improper thing. In him 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 Walter Baaehot.
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
death warrant" says Walter Bagehot
."if the two houses unanimously send 1t
up to him"
Such is the King in church and
state, In the former, vessel filled
full to the brim with divine grace.
whose abiding delight Is to do the
will of God and to walk in his ways.
in the latter, an impeccable, 1nfallihle.
omnipotent. immortal fiction of the
constitution. who. despite all his i'm
mense prerogatives, cannot even have a
private opinion of his own apart from
that of his ministers.
Always t;ood-Nntured.
Now let us turn to see the King
as he was wnen Edward VII. was on
the throne. The first outstanding
characteristic of the 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 pleas
ant things and do kind actions that
he did not always remember, in his
desire to say pleasant things to the
person with whom he was talking that
he might have said somewhat incon-
sistent things to some other person
conversation. This characteristic is
even more prominent In the Gear OF
Russia, OF whom his enemies declare
he is always of the same opinion as
the last man with whom he talks.
ut Is a waste Of time trying to in
fluence King Edward" one of his
friends said to me. 1T Is like writing
on water. When YOU think YOU have
made an impression upon him and he
assures you solemnlys that he Is OF
your opinion, you leave the room and
the greatest idiot in the world comes
in. makes his little joke, sneers at YOU
and, hey, presto! In a moment his
Royal Highness (who was prince
them is off on another track and rldi-
cules the very ideas with which five
minutes before he had expressed his
entire concurrence"
This Is an eXasseration, no doubt
but there was an element of truth In
1t.
never met the King since he be.
came King. but I met him severa,
times before he came to the throne
on one occasion I had a long talk
with him at lunch and had q very GOOD
opportunity OF forming n conception
of his character. The first thing tina
struck me was the extraordinarily de-
sultory nature oflhts mind. lie hoped
about like a flea from subject to sub
ject 1t Is not etiquette to lead con
versatlon with. rayalty, Royalty al
ways takes the lead and you are sup
posed to follow. Now, In the case O.
Edward, I found 1t absolutely neces
sary to bring him hack to subject
He took 1t very we'll. admit. Th,
habit Of being allowed to fly off at .