The Waterbury Democrat., 1936-12-16
BY LADY sNdITH-DORRIEN
(CopyriRht 1898 By United Press)


GEORGE VI Is A MAN.
Ever since his childhood, Prince
Albert Is he was known then, has
fought and triumphed over I'D.
veEsity. Just as your President
Roosevelt worked his way up TO
the highest post In your land. over.
coming the handicaps Of infirmity
by sheer will power. 20 has Eng
lands King &c orge vi conquered
even physical pain, recovered from
ill-health and with indomitable grit
forced them into the background.
FL you can force your heart and
nerve and sinew
'.To serve your turn long after
they are gone
.And 50 hold on. when there Is
nothing In you
Except the will which says To-
them: Hold ONT"
Made Plucky Struggle
-Kipling's words might have
been written solely with the object
Of describing the amazingly plucky
struggle which has enabled our for
mer Duke Of York to fit himself
for the role Of King Of England.
Many times during his extraord-
inarily gallant fight with and for
life, his heart must have bled and
his nerve and sinew been on the
verge Of swapping. When, for IN
stance, time and time again at
school he remained speechless In
the presence Of his examiners who
asked comparatively simple ques-
tons to which he knew the answers
well. Other students obtained the
marks which he would have had II
his voice had not failed him at the
crucial moment.
When, In the navy. he failed to
name that part Of his ship which
he knew to be the quarterback, SIM
ply because his throat would not al
low the sound @" to come from his
lips
Or, when, for years he had to
refer to his father. the late King
George v, as my father" or His
Msjesty,"-one marvels at the fact
TINT his speech today Is perfectly
normal.
Carried on In Navy
One marvels, too, at the pluck
with which he carried on in the
navy. Up at 8 o'clock In the morn
ing with the others. At night, eat
ing the traditional supper Of onions,
brend cheese and beer although at
the time he should have been on
strict diet.
Few II any knew that the one
whom they knew to be the son OF
the king sometimes had TO grit his
teeth as he bent over to hard work
on board ship In order to conceal
his pain from what was later dag
nosed as duodenal ulcer. And today
one wonders how prince Albert"
managed to make such q complete
recovery and become the normal,
healthy man he Is now.
Not many, either, know how
deeply he was hurt on innumerablc
occasions by his inability to master
speech or at least to Synchronize
the action Of the vocal cords with
those Of the BRAIN.
All Almost Doubted Him
He trusted himself when all but
his wife, the queen, and his I'M
mediate family and friends doubted
him. Indeed, 1t was often stated
that because of the impression that
might be created by his defect
which handicapped him, he was to
some extent kept In the back
ground. But all the time those who
loved him offered him the encour-
agement which. coupled with his
formidable courage, enabled him TO
x.,tv, +l,ros,oI, fy, the end
II ever q man vanquished heavy
odds, King George vi did so. He
had to contend with the unparallel-
ed popularity Of his brother Ed
ward, then the Prince Of Wales. He
had to play what one might term
second fiddle. Ills we're those royal
Jobs which Edward couldn't find
time to do"
such has been his lot, his fate,
his great modesty that to this day
not very many people know OF his
great qualities.
ID Good Sportsman
Nor Is 1t generally known how
splendid a sportsman he Is. Indeed,
In spite Of ill-health In earlier life
he proved himself to be o remark
able horseman, remarkable marks
man Che Is what Is known as q
crack shot, q remarkable swimmer
and tennis player, among other
things.
One can tell anecdotes by the
dozen concerning almost every
member OF the royal family except
the present king. That Is only one
instance Of how comparatively lit
tie known to the general public he
Is I'D to the present time. Yet un-
doubtedly one could cite Just as
many incidents IN his career Of de-
votion to country and duty as in
the case Of other better known
members Of the royal family, had
those innumerable incidents been
publicized Is were those Of the for
mer Prince Of Wales.
He was cited In dispatches for
gallantry during the war, when he
was In the navy. Indeed. 1t Is little
known that he Is among the few
monarchs of modern times whose
naval training Is not confined to
the academic. He saw active service
as n naval officer during the war.
He was under fire ut the battle OF
Jutland.
One Anecdote About Him
One anecdote ! win tell because
it shows the utter charm and sim
plicity of our king. II shows how
good q son he always has been. and
gives an insight into how excellent
q husband and father he 10. 1t
shows, too, that even king In love
tells his story In very much the
same way as the genuine version
Of what your Hollywood producers
picture upon the screen. A.
For three years the king had
.ourted Lady Elizabeth Bowes-I.y-
on. fxr three years he had hesitate
cd 10 propose simply because.
As they do In the pictures. he. was