New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-08-18
King George the Fifth
London, July 20.

rven Mr. Lloyd George would not
i'll reckon His Majesty among the
idle rich" against whom he steadfasl-
Ike IA stir the animosity of both
,dln and the industrious poor. There
: not in all his dominions a harder
orrad man than the King. No Eight
,,.,r law for him, and no idle or empty
snurs In a play known as "Priscilla
pnrs Away" acted last year at the
,,ovma-ket. we are given to understand
rat Priscilla bolts because she can no
,,nger endure the monotony and the
,.on etiquette Of a German Court. This
rnqlish King endures it and does not
.rr away. The girl complained that she
ros never left to herself and had no
.;,oe she could call her own and NJ
,rivacv. There were always people in
attendance or in waiting. The House
hold was omnipresent.
Still more / that true Of the English
Court, and intellectually more numerous
ore the duties beyond the precincts of
the Court devolving upon the King. II
vas so in the time of the late King. but
with this difference. Edward the Sew
enth performed all these functions as
u he liked them; as II they were 70.
his amusement, or. at least, part Of his
natural Kingly life. His son performs
them conscientiously, indefatigably.
from a stubborn sense Of duty, and for
the mos. part as if they were all in the
davis wyrk; not in the days amuse-
ment. Serious ess is part Of his char
acter. Not a criticism can be made
upon either, nor is il necessary to say
that one way is better than the other.
II is a question Of temperament
Even at Balmoral, where life takes
on the air of a holiday, the official ana
eeremonious burden is never complete
y laid down. Queen Nictoria's Let
ters and Journal showed her toiling for
never less than six hours a day over
her boxes a word which in one passage
Of her Journal she used oddly, remark
ing that John Brown had packed them;
meaning, OF course, dispatch boxes.
The tendency here is to abbreviate, TO
omit descriptive words, so that gener.c
terms come TO have in ordinary speech
a specific Specification. There is al
ways, moreover a Minister in attend
ance at Balmoral. He is guest but
has official duties. with his bedroom for
a workshop, and stands in an othclal
Re sey ar-YN,ig afh
10 suppose that some Ministers are
better adapted to these half social and
half Ministerial obligations than others
There are twenty-one Cabinet Minis
ters. or now, since the Attorney Gen
eral for the first time has been given
Cabinet rank, twenty-five.
They are of different stations in life'
Of varying characters. with dissimilar
conceptions Of their duties and of their
relations. whether personal or official.
10 the Sovereign. They take turns in
their attendance at Balmoral. 1t hap
pened last year that one of this select
company found himself a guest there
for the first time. There was much
curiosity 20 know how he would acquit
himself and presently word went round
that he had been much liked by b0th
King and Queen. a member OF the
ROYAL Household who was there at the
same time was asked whether this was
true account, and answered:
He amused Their Majesties and
amused us all. but none Of us thought
him quite at his ease
The phrase actually used was strong
er than this, but il is Ineligible enough
as I give IT, II shows. at any rate, in
what stringent conditions this regal life
is passed. even in its least laborious
period.
SO far as. the composition Of the
Royal Household is concerned, the King
can do what he pleases except with
reference to such appointments as are
bald 70 be political and, as it were,
perquisites Of the party i'm power.
whichever il may be. If the political
places are much the more numerous 1t
may nevertheless be assumed that the
holders are not chosen without some
regard TO the Kings wishes. The Lord
Steward and the Lord Chamberlain on
His Majesty's side and the Mistress
Of the Robes to the Queen are not likely
10 be other than acceptable personages.
More than once controversies have
arisen, but none, think. of very re-
cent date.
There is now. however, a situation
which might have brought on another
bed chamber question not unlike that
Of 1899 between Peel and the young
Queen Victoria. II was settled then or
soon after that in all cases the Mis-
tees Of the Robes should be appointed
ron the party then in Office. That has
since been the rule. and is still the
rule. subject to exceptions. A Liberal
Ministry is now In power, but the Mis-
tess Of the Robes is the Duchess OF
Devonshire, who is d Conservative and
eldest daughter of the Marquis of
lansdowne. Conservative leader Of the
House Of Lords. The reason is simple:
The Mistress of the Robes must be
duchess, and there Is no available
duchess who is a Liberal. Which may
partly explain Mr.. Lloyd Georges ami
mostly 10 dukes. The same thing hap
pened late in Queen Victorla's reign.
These are in a sense great offices OF