New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-05-30
English Republicans and the King
Blu Waller T. Roberts

lar In such a case the Prime Minister usu-
ally resigns. and so would King George ~
there was a strong feeling among the major
ity Of his subjects that he should do So
But nobody in England desires that me
King should abdicate. No one IN England
seriously contemplstes such a thing happen
ing and no one would desire It any more
than they would desire to sec Westminster
Abbey destroyed. To the mass OF bnglsn
people at home the monarchy IS a tnlng tha'
they arc subconsciously proud OF and greatly
attached 70. Any attempt TO get RIA OF ~
would arouse in the hearts Of the English
people feelings just as hostile as would De
aroused in them by proposal 10 pull down
Westminster Abbey.
This is broadly speaking. the feeling OF
tho English people at home toward the mon
archy; in the colonies the monarchy 49, OF
course. "the unseen thing" that holds the
cmpire together. England would not mold
India for a day without that unseen power
that attaches to the monarchy, and when
holds diversity of races and peoples to-
gether in peculiar and nexplicable bond OF
unity. =.
The war has strengthened beyond doubt
tho position of the monarchy. IL has done
this in many ways. II has brought thousands
of people Of all classes into personal contact
with King George, who IN normal tunes
would never have met His Majesty These
people have seen the King and Queen IN
their own home at Buckingham Palace or
Windsor Castle, have been their guests az
tea. have talked and laughed with their
maiesties. and have departed with sense OF
personal intimacy with the monarch that
they never had before, and this sense OF IN
timacy with the King has been dihused by
description and talk among many hundreds OF
thousands Of people. And the effect OF u has
been beyond question TO strengthen the per
sonal ties between the King and his subjects
Critics OF the English monarchy say among
other things that it encourages toadylsm ana
hunkeyism. To certain extent this crltl-
cism is justified by fact. 1t is the ultimate
ambition of most rich men, or at all events
Of their wives. to be received at court. Mr..
II. G.. Wells in one of his books, "Kipps,' !
think. declares that it is the final ambition of
every successful man in England to walk
backward out of the Kings presence.
4 Grain of Flunkeyism
But the act of being presented at court is
simplv a time-honored social ceremony that
sets seal on a persons social position. IL
defines il. but il does not magnify 1t or alter
il. and there is no compulsion on any one TO
be "presented" if he or she does not desire 10
be: and if there were no presentations az
court. if this social ceremony were abohsned
i. is doubtful if funkeyism would disappear
There is solid grain of funkeylsm IN the
/ English character which makes an English
man proverbially "to dearly love lord" that
trait in the English character is certainly
neither the fault nor the result of the mon
archy.
1t is perhaps needless to say that since
August. 1914. there have been no presenta-
tons at court in the pre-war sense The men
and women nowadays who are presented to
the King are so honored because of the spe-
cial services they have rendered to their
King and country.
In a West End club the other afternoon al
tea time heard number of men discussing
republicanism. Among the men was an eX-
ceedingly well known and distinguished Lib
eral politician, who remained silent until
some one suggested that sooner or later Eng
land would be bound TO adopt republican
form of government. The Liberal politician
| have mentioned laughed. Later rather
than sooner, | fancy" he said, and then
added after pause: There is as much
chance of the English people wanting to set
up a republic as there is of the Americans
wanting to set up monarchy"