The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-03-29
More About EDWARD VII.

Mr.. EDWARD LE0GE published king
| Edward in His True Colors." a volume
| duly reviewed in these columns ut that
time. He now follows II up with More
About king Edicuvd (Smnll. Maynard
| 4 Coz. Readers OF the first remember
what an egregious volume II was. II
was in effect the protest Of British nun
kyism at what II considered the dis
| paragement OF the Intellectual powers
and political activities Of The late mon
arch In Sir Sidney Lees article In the
Dictionary Of National Biography" The
offensive matter IN the article was the
imputation that King Edward. though
an ain!able. was rather slow witted
gentleman. and tina: he had not Sc
riously studied anything. not even Eu-
ropean politics. that he was distinctly
not reading man. and though a great
p.ayEocr not much even OF Il dramatic
| critic. Why anybody should have
| thought of taking w tho cudgc,s in
, assault OF positions FOR the mos, par;
SO obviously sound and where not oh
viously sound so well fortified and dnCu-
men:ed "a Sir Sldneys, was cause for
wonderrnen. on the part Of American
readers. They did not know the extent o!
adulst.on OF English royal personases
living or lately dead. TO which "A numer!-
cally considerable class Of the British
public can go, or 10 what an almost epi-
dcmcal ohsesslor loyalty NAV 10 A
clever Frenchm1n long resjen; IN Lon
don has lately satirizei this popularity In
his accounts OF the funeral Of Edward
VII. and the coronation OF George Mr.
Legges earlier volume did nothing 20
discredit with rational readers the re-
suits OF sir Sidney's researches. which
were by no means confined 20 pub
l!shed documents but largely founded
on conversations with people IN post
tons to know what they were talking
about, and IN fact Mr. Legges adverse
propositions commonly carried their
own combinations. II Il seems rather
strange that the original volume should
have been successful. since Il had lit;le
more novelty OF Information than SAN
ity OF Judgment, II seem, passing
strange that there should be an efs,c-
tive demand for another volume CON
tanning the "emptins" Of Mr. LegEe's
mind and memory. Nevertheless the
volume has appeared. and Il Is mere
Justice 10 say " Il that Il IL rather
better worth while than the former.
OF which tho main use was to set peo-
pie 20 reading the article Il contro-
verted. II IL equally absurd in It's
magnification Of the late Kings talents
and services. but mo compiler has been
forced 10 go afeld IN search OF fresh
gossip and anecdotaee and Some OF his
firds are worth while. In one point
he seems to correct the article which
r. again the object OF his animosity. and
that IL IN is statement that King Ed
L.. l..
critic.' Against this ne cites the t~st,-
mony Of Clement Scott. who 10 surely
esteemed in England as much Of dra-
matte critic that the Prince Of Wales
knows more about plays and good
acting than most men" But Il "a quite
useless 10 cite the passing compliment
to q royalty still living as a critical
remark. All that the real critic meant.
was manif.-tly to pay a little tribute
70 a royalty who had shown himself
"a patron OF the drama. IN other words,
who was fond OF going 70 tho theatre.
Equally irrelevant IA tho catalogue
the apolostst makes for tho Prince Of
Waless social activities, representing
them a. motived by . stern sense Of
social duty and a responsibility Of keep
ing British society from ds,ntegrat,on
II seems diary was kept Of tho Princes
doings for the year 1891. when there
devolved upon him the social duties
which his mother was paid an extremely
handsome salary for doing, and ac-
cordinG TO tho queruious radicals Of the
period, did not in the least do. Tho
diary for January II worth giving. 70
chow tho credit this apo,ogist takes TO
tho Prince Of Wales for doing as a
matter Of duty what other English gen
tlemen were doing for pleasure:
!. Ieft SandrinshAm 70 shoot with Baron
Hirsch At wrotham Haii Norfolk. g. RE-
turned 10 ssndr'nsham after Ave DAYS
shooting With Baron Hirsch T. Haze Mr.
Hsr.'s thestr.oAl company down 70 Sand
bingham 30 play "a, Arrived IN London
from Sandrtngham ard din.d vi.h Col. o.
Nontagu. 10. Went TO NewmArks; for
some shooting 10, Back to London; d!ned
at tho Amphitryon Club and went TO tho
Umpire Theatre. II. Returned to SAND.
bingham for shooting "a. Arrived N Lon.
don. IS Returned TO sandrnsham. 81
Arrived In London. Attended the opening
Of the English Opera House,
A an exposition OF the en1oy7neuts
for month OF an enjoying English
gentleman this has its interest. A, a
record of aitruistic activities Il IL I'M
Impressive. but much more comical
from that point OF view. is the record
or his more serious occupations of which
tho most that can be said In that he
went through them like a little man.
acutely As they must have bored him
But tho amusing apo!oEist contr%ves TO
suggest that tho Prince, or the King
N It may have bsen. was personally
responsible for tho magnitude or the
benehcence OF the works" no off,c,allv
"inaugurated" "He drove the las, rivet
into Stephenson's bridge over the 81
Lawrence; ne opened the Thames rm.
bankment; docks. harbors, bridges. ex-
hibitions innumerable. have been in
ausurated by him; and 90 forth ana
so forth. These no singular test,-
monies to greatness"
But, ridiculous as Mr.. I~gge.s mi.
mary contention Is, he does In this
book accumulate a farrago Of amusing
gossip which makes II distinctly more
eligible as reading matter than the
previous volume. Also. II we remem-
Der the illustrations to that accurately.
these are much better. There are all man.
ners and kinds OF photographs exhibiting
the amiable countenance and the pudry
Inquire OF the monarch. There IL one illus
tration Of him In silhouette OF his profile
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