Evening star., 1936-01-22
BY JAMES WALDO TAWCETT.

King George v was an individual 50
distinctive Is to be forever remem-
bered. Seeing him. the average man
or woman would carry the impress Of
his figure always in mind. He never
would be forgotten.
Not tall, rather below ordinary
height, and delicate Of frame and
build. he radiated power through his
countenance and his manner. There
was none Of Lord Kitchener's tower
ing strength nor Of Gen. Won Hinden-
berg's heavy and impassive bulk about
him. In physical composition he much
more closely resembled his cousins.
Nicholas II Of Russia and William II
of Germany. Yet he made his pres
ence felt and never was overlooked in
any crowd Even gallant King Albert
Of the Belgians was less conspicuous.
But King Georges claim to atten-
ton was not merely that Of rank. He
would have been noticed in . world
from which monarchs were . missing
quantity, . world too drastically demo-
cratic to tolerate personal eminence
of any formal variety. BY birth and
breeding he was possessed OF dignity
which literally shone As Furnished sill
yer does. Self-assertion had no part
in 1t. On the contrary, he was reticent
and shy, reserved and backward In
demeanOf.
The features Of his face were small,
definitely and firmly modelled over .
skull oviform in shape. His hair, thin
tn texture, was sandy-gray. his beard
stubby white, mustache reddish-brown.
The Kings eyes, however. were his
most remarkable characteristic. They
were china blue shading to steel. very
bright and prominent, and they had a
curious capacity for widening. expand
ing upward in registration of surprise
or pleasure.
"Took After" Father.
In lineament King George took
after" his father. King Edward VII,
but his coloring was paler. His COM
plexion was pinkish, not ruddy, even
at sea.
At middle age the sovereign was
stouter than In later years. Weight
lost during his illness of 1928 never
was regained. Yet at no time was he
the despair Of tailors. He could be
0tted easily and wore clothes with a
quiet grace. OF military and naval
uniforms he had an extensive ward
robe, but his preference was for sober
afternoon dress, his lapel adorned with
q white carnation.
The Kings hands and feet were less
than normal size. His hats. gloves and
shoes were made to order over crafts
mems forms built to measure. On
occasion, but not habitually, he car
ried a cane or tightly wrapped UNI
brella. His taste in jewelry was un-
exceptional A story often told attrib-
utes to him the Queens choice in
millinery. but it also is reported that
the style was set by his mother. Queen
Alexandra.
A typical gesture Of the monarch
was an abbreviated salute and halt bow
which he employed even for children,
of whom it may be mentioned paren-
thetically he was exceedingly fond.
He could and frequently did share in
the fun" Of boys and girls, meeting
them as equals and romping with them
whole-heartedly in utter disregard for
court etiquette and fashion.
Very sensitive by nature. the King
in his youth trained himself to avoid
showing his feelings. Toward the end
of his life, however. he softened and
ceased to care about being sentimental.
When sad. tears came unchecked:
when happy. he laughed uproariously.
Contradicting the notion that he
lacked q sense of humor, he told jokes
with keen zest and listened to those
of others with enthusiastic appre-
citation.
Surreptitious in Charity.
Careful of money throughout his
career, he nevertheless was sur
reptitiously charitable in innumerable
ways. All public philanthropies en-
listed his cooperation and patronage,
but he gave privately to almost As
great . total extent. Thousands of
people appealed to him for aid, and
he usually responded through one of
the several agencies he maintained for
that purpose. His visits to veterans