Evening star., 1935-05-05
Jubilee Expresses Esteem
OF British for the King
by A. G. GARDINER.


silver jubilee of King George v will be
celebrated throughout the British EN-
pire. It Is unnecessary here to say
anything about the ceremonies of the
occasion, the chief feature Of which
is the visit In state Of the King and
Queen to st. Pauls Cathedral; but it
will not be out Of place to refer to the
significance Of the event and the
popular feeling about the King Of
which it will be the expression.
The first thought that suggests it
self is the remarkable esteem in which
the British monarchy Is held today
throughout the Empire. 1t Is well
within the mark to say that not in
living memory has the throne been so
universally acceptable to public
opinion as it is at the end Of the
twenty-ffth year Of the reign Of
George v.
Even the Labor party. which in
some respects is the most revolutionary
political movement the country has
produced, and which has only become
effective during the present reign,
avoids any suggestion Of hostility to
the throne as studiously as the church
assembly. II there are. as there must
be, philosophic republicans in its
ranks. they never air their opinions
in public, either on the platform or in
print.
This strengthening Of the mon
archical sentiment Of the country is
more remarkable in view of the tor
nado that has swept all the great
monarchies of Europe on to the dust
heap during George VS. reign. When
he came to the throne. France. Switz-
erland and Portugal were the only re-
publics on the continent. Today,
from the Rhine to Vladivostok and
from the Baltic to Constantinople,
hereditary monarchy Is extinct. The
despots have vanished and the dicta-
tors reign in their stead. There Is q
fringe Of minor royalties in the North
west, and the King Of Italy Is still per-
mitted to grace the Roman triumph
of Signor Mussolini. But Of the great
monarchies Of the past, that Of
Britain Is the only survivor.
And 1t survives, not as an effete and
tolerated institution, but with a popu-
lar approval infinitely greater than
when George v came to the throne.
The storms which hurled Kaiser, Car,
Emperor and a host of lesser kings
from their thrones have left King
George more firmly seated on the
many causes. First Of those causes,
Of course, is the limited and conStitu-
tional character Of the monarchy,
which. when the convulsion Of the
war came, made 1t an expression Of
the national mind.
Next, the postwar years in Europe
have taught lurid lessons Of the
alternatives to monarchy and par
liamentary government. The rela-
lively mild tyranny Of kings has
been superseded by the ruthless
despotism of. dictators under which
liberty In every form. personal, polit-
ical, civil, religious, has been driven
to the catacombs. With this spectacle
before it, and with the shadows of
fascism and communism lurking in
the background Of its own life, the
mind Of the country has instinctively
mobilized to the defense Of its free
life and free institutions, Of which
the constitutional monarchy Is the
visible symbol.
But Mondays worldwide celebra-
tions will, above all else, be personal
tribute to the King Of a quite unusual
sincerity and significance. His reign
covers the most momentous quarter Of
q century in human history, in which
revolution and internal chaos have
been common to almost every country.
From this ordeal the British system
has emerged, not unscsrred, but with
its structure unshaken and its founda-
tions secure. Freedom in its fullest
expression still reignS, constitutional
government still holds unchallenged
sway, and the King still occupies his
throne-not with the cold acceptance
of his people, but with their gratitude
and affection.
For they realize how much the sue
cess Of the country In weathering the
storm Is due to the wisdom and good
sense Of George v. There was never a
less histrionic monarch, but there was
never one who served his country IN q
great crisis with more selfless and de-
voted loyalty. His outstanding merit
has been rigid adherence, in circum-
stances Of enormous difficulty and
temptation, to the strictest letter Of
constitutional monarchy. And his re-
ward is that ut the end Of IS years, in
which all the great thrones Of Europe
have fallen, he has established the
monarchy of this country more secure
ly In the hearts Of the people than,
perhaps, has ever been the case.
Copyright. 1850