Evening star., 1935-01-20

will fall short Of that in magnificence.
For in the interval thrones and
crowns of Europe have been blown like
dust before great wind.
Apart from Italy land the Italian
monarchy is overshadowed by Italy's
dictator) there is not great power In
Europe which preserves the mon
archical system, except Great Britain.
And the astonishing thing. In the
midst of this almost universal disap-
pearance of kingship, is that the
British monarchy Is to all appearances
more firmly rooted and more popular
than it has been in living memory.
1t has not merely retained its prestige:
it has strengthened 1t.
Even at the zenith Of the reign OF
Victoria there was a powerful re-
publican movement in the country, led
by men as distinguished as Joseph
Chamberlain and Sir Charles Dixie.
But today, though in the interval We
have seen labor become one Of the
two great political parties in the state,
the republican idea is simply non
existent. 1t is. of course, part OF
the program of the Communists, but
the Communists are so negligible an
element that they may be said also
to be -existent-certainly as
political force, for no Communist has
ever stood for Parliament without suf-
fering the humiliation Of having to
forfeit his deposit. So far as the
Labor party Is concerned, it might
almost be said that It Is more royalist
than the King. Certainly it never
breathes a whisper of hostility to the
throne.
This remarkable stability Of the
British monarchy Is Of course mainly
due to its severely constitutional char
acter and its strictly limited functions.
But its extraordinary popularity to-
day-a popularity which was so sig
nificantly demonstrated a few weeks
ago on the occasion of the marriage Of
the Duke of Kent-is attributable to
the wisdom and prudence of the pres
ent King. He has filled his great Office
through the most tremendous quarter
of a century in history-a period dur
ing which the whole structure Of
human society has been shattered by
an unprecedented convulsion, during
which crowns have fallen like leaves
in Autumn, revolutions have played
like lightning over the whole Conti-
nent, and liberal theories Of govern
ment have been swept away like so
much rubbish.
***
And as the storm begins to clear
away he is left as the only survivor
on the grand scale of the monarchical
system-left, not as q negligible sha-
dow Of a creed outworn, but as the
representative of an institution more
universally acceptable than 1t has
been, perhaps, at any time since the
days of Elizabeth. BY a strange and
benef1cent perversity, the war which
obliterated all the great monarchies
Of Europe established that Of Britain
on a firmer foundation than ever.
There were critical moments when
it seemed that even this rock might
be shaken, and when even 50 excellent
but willful q monarch as Victoria
might have precipitated q crisis that
would, in those tumultuous times,
have been fatal. But King George
steered his craft through the break
ers with Incompatible loyalty to the
constitutional idea, and from that
loyalty he has never since wavered.
even in the face Of internal political
upheavals that would have tempted
most monarchs to some dangerous ex-
ercise of personal government.
The result Is that he reaches his
silver jubilee year with the throne
more secure than when ne began his
reign, and with his house and his
people in more complete and affec-
tionate accord than has been the
case in any previous experience. Nor
Is it personal affection only that viii
inspire the coming celebrations.
King Georges jubilee win be much
more than personal tribute. It VIII
be q declaration that the British
people have got the Government that
they like and that they mean to keep.
toopgrisht. 1o35l