The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-04-11


apparent and as monarch set the
royal seal Of approval on the cause OF
temperance and who contributed more
man any other sovereign, statesman
or temperance leader OF his day 10
put heavy drinking out OF fashion.
Although Edward VII. spent but a
little over nine years on the throne,
yet owing to the withdrawal Of Queen
Victoria from public life after the
death Of her husband. in 1852, dele
eating to her first born most of her
duties as arbiter OF society. he was
enabled to exercise very great
amount of authority and power In all
social matters during the nearly forty
years that interviewed between his
marriage and his succession to the
crown. The powers with which he
was thus entrusted by the Queen were
usefully employed In the cause of tenn
perance.
During the first half of the nine
teenth century excuses alike in
drinking and in speech were the rule
rather than the exception. Convcrsa-
ton was puntuated With oaths, and
come to such an extent part and par
Gel OF ordinary speech that royal
dukes and great statesmen were UNI
able to refrain from making use Of
them even in conversation with prcl-
ates Of the Church.
\ most amusing story is related in
contemporary memoirs Of how Queen
Nictorias uncle, the old Duke Of
Sussex. having during n debate in the
House of Lords volunteered To secure
an expression Of opinion from the
Archbishop OF Canterbury upon the
subject under discussion, returned
after an interview with that prelate
in the library with an intimation e.
the upper chamber that The Prima;e
would see himself damned in hell be-
fore he would vote in favor Of the
motion" Nor did the form Of speech,
thus wrongly imputed TO the Most
Reverend Father in God. seem to
strike any Of the assembled peers as
incongruous.
In the same way, inebrlety was the
fashion To be drunk as Lord"
was no mere figure OF speech. and
the highest as In the lowest ranks Of
society. Small respect or considera-
ton was accorded by the great world
in England to the man who could not
dispose Of the traditional three
bottles" at dinner. after the women
rad left the table, and the example
thus set by the classes was followed
and adopted in a still more Intensified
degree by the masses. the only DIFF
ference consisting in the quality and
character of the liquor. Queen Vic
toria's uncle and immediate prede-
cessor on the throne. William ".
rarely arose from the table without
being much the worse for wear, and
Charles Greville and others OF his
contemporaries have related IN their
memoirs extraordinary scenes which
took place at dinners at Windsor
Castle when, wholly drunk, the Old
King had so far forgotten himself as
to assail with the most violent
rsproaChes his sister-inl law. the
Duchess OF Kent. in the presence OF
her daughter. his niece and heir ap-
parent. who in her eighteenth year
succeeded him on the throne as Queen
Victoria.
King Edward. az Prince Of Wales.
from the time of his marriage and the
commencement OF his social reign, set
his face in the most determined
fashion against hard drinking and
cOarseness of speech, and frowned on
such excuses whenever there was an
opportunity to do SO. Those who per-
sisted were made to feel the weight of
his dispeasure and THAT entailed
something very much akin to social
ostracism.
The result was that drunkenness
came to be regarded as being in bad
form In the dining rooms and ban
quoting halls of the peer Of the realm
AS in the back parlor of the small
shopkeeper, in the smoking room of