Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1912-03-07
KING WRITES MANY
OF LETTERS HIMSELF
George v. Gives a Great Deal
of Attention to His
Correspondence.
From Strand Magazine

EIOII StItIu ANdSlIIsie.
All letters addressed to the king and
queen OF England are sent direct to
whichever of the royal residences they
are occupying from the general post
office in London in specially scaled
bags. In the case of buckingham
palace. this bag arrives. as a rule, Just
as his majesty is finishing dinner. and
is taken charge OF by the secretary on
duty, who opens il and proceeds to sort
out the contents. Such letters as will
ultimately demand the personal atten-
ton of King George are placed before
him the same night, but it is not often
that he deals With them at the mo
ment. save in matters that will not
brook delay. He chances through
them. makes a few brief notes upon
them, and they are then placed under
lock and key until he is ready for
them on the following morning.
He has barely had time to deal with
these before the royal breakfast is
served. and almost simultaneously an
even larger bag of correspondence ar
rives. Only those who ave been
called upon to handle them can real
ize the vastness of III royal post
bags, the contents of which often
range from Il private communication
from some amiable lInatic who con-
siders that his claim to the British
throne is superior to that OF King
George. BY the organization of a
well-nigh perfect system. however.
this heavy correspondence is dealt
with in remarkably quick time. Lord
Stamfordham, should he be on duty.
opens every communication. and,
slancing at it. places the bulk OF 1T IN
the large crimson leather baskets
labelled with the tenor of the epiStle.
Thus invitations to undertake public
functions of one description or another
go into n basket, charitable appeals
into another, the official report OF the
proceedings of the houses of parlia-
ment into a smaller basket. letters OF
into a fourth, and SO on: At the
finish there is a small but highly i'm
portant little pile left. This Is COM
posed of letters from the rulers of
other states. personal reports from our
ambassadors abroad, or communities
lions from ministers at home. These
never for one Instant l:ave the Gus
tody of whoever is entrusted with the
task of opening them. There is q
special box standing on he table with
take any paper. 1t is fastened with
a patent lock, of which only the king.
Lord Knollys and Lord StamfOrdham
have the keys; so that anything
dropped in, even by accident, can only
be taken out by one of these three.
These are the first letters that are
presented to the king every morning.
together with a memorandum remind
ing him of the duties he has to per-
form that day. In many cases the
king elects to write letters in reply
with his own hand, but should this
not be convenient he sends for n
OF his secretaries n dictates his
reply. His majesty is by no means a
quick thinker, and likes to ponder over
every word that he proposed to place
on paper. In this respect he presents
81 curious contrast to his late father.
who would reply to the most import
ant letter in a few seconds, and who
rarely or never revised anything
when once 1t was written. Very
careful record is kept of every letter
written by the king in person, n in
due course these are sent down to
Windsor to be added to the private
archives there