Evening star., 1920-11-28

/. lie interest IN England, II
is matter Of supreme Importance to
many European statesmen, for the
business Of trading in crowns was
rot wholly killed by the war. VIII
the prince marry one of his own race?
viii he seek his wife outside the cir
Gle Of the blood royal? A few weeks
ago, on October IA. to be exact, Lon
don newspaper published the follow
ing editorial:
ters round the Prince of Wales; and
though there is the strongest desire
to respect his privacy, the public
watch him with almost parental anx-
iety. Everywhere fervent wishes Tor
his health and prosperity are the
strange II the topic Of his marriage
were not very often ON the lips and
near to the hearts Of his countrymen
nd countrywomen. He is twenty-siX.
and the marriage of the Prince of
wales is inevitably matter Of deep
public concern. We desire to speak
of it with proper reticence. express
ing, within these bounds, what we be-
Iieve to be the real anxiety of the
country that he should make a wise
choice. The war, in this as in most
other things. has, We believe. wrought
"a great change in public opinion,
which-here and elsewhere in the en-
pire-would, we are convinced. be
strongly ayerse from the thought that
there should be any compulsion upon
the Prince OF Wales to make a mar
rage Of policy.
FOR him, within the comparatively
narrow limits that his position must
impose upon him, the British peoples
would wish a marriage OF true happi :
ness; and this, it is our way to be-
yrip svea af a.
tion. It follows naturally that the
hore for him is that his wife may be
one Of his own race. for, though there
have been fortunate exceptions, 1t is
certainly true that marriages of
policy with princesses of foreign birth
havo not always had the primary
condition for happiness. Further than
to give expression to. this national
wish for the prince we shall not go.
adding only that we doubt whether
have been before the war to limit
the choice of the prince to the circle
Of the blood royal" =
/ AS might have been expected. this
judicially expressed opinion was
telegraphcd around the world. Euro
pean papers either reprinted it in full
or commented on it in their editorial
columns. The London newspaper it
II had aroused that it returned to the
subject in second editorial on Octo-
Der Is, entitled "'rhe Princes Popu-
iarity," in which IL said: I'VE wrote
tho other day about his marriage. ex-
pressing the hope that his choice
might be free and without dictation
appreciation Of that hope. which did
but repeat. what. homely people ali
through these islands are saying
among themselves"
Now in sober truth there is no rea-
son why this editorial should not have
attracted unusual attention, for if the
Prince of Wales we're to marry from
tho gentry, or even the coinmona1ty.
his action would hardly be more out
Of the ordinary than was the sugges-
ton Of the newspaper that he do just
this. Moreover. his popularity. due
rather to his charming personality
than TO incidents of life and lineage,
for which he is. after all, not respon-
sible. is so unmistaken that the Eng
lisf people are by no means alone in
their parental anxiety for him and
th",r fervent wishes for his health.
= - :, na'! -'''i,--sI -.
But enough. rs. TOO. have tue