The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1936-01-21
KING GEORGE V, WHOSE SILVER
JUBILEE WAS KEPT IN 1885
WAS WISE, BELOVED MONARCH


Prince George for the best of all
possible reasons-because they
loved each other.
This was in 1898. They lived a
simple life, raising a family of
five sons and one daughter, all
of whom were born before his ac-
cession- to the throne and all ex-
|cept one ofHwhich are still living.
His children are the Prince of
Wales, Edward, his successor, the
Duke of York, Princess Mary
(the Countess of Harewood), the
Duke of Gloucester, the Duke of
Kent, and Prince John. Prince
John died as a boy of Is in 1919.
King Edward died and George
assembled the throne at time of
British prosperity and peace. The
first years of his reign were I'M
troubled, but almost without
warming the world was plunged
into war. Belgium was invaded,
Russia modified; August 4, 1914,
Great Britain declared war on
Germany and her allies, in sup
port of her pledge to defend the
neutrality of Belgium.
The country seemed to turn to
it's ruler as child to it's mother
in a moment of terror. Thousands
milled around Buckingham pal
ace. And George did not fail them.
He spoke of confidence and faith
and the cause of right over might.
He worked Is hours a day, visit
ing hospitals and meeting with
his ministers. He sent his son, the
Prince of Wales and heir to the
throne, straight out of school to
the battle front. He himself Of
ten visited the front and was
source of anxiety to his generals
for his lack of caution. Once a
spirited horse he was riding rear
ed and fell on him and he had
a narrow escape.
When the war ended, King
George turned to the task of re-
storing a weary and battle scar
red nation. He faced it bravely,
always remembering the deaths
of almost a million British sub
jects in battle. In commemorate
ing these deaths, on a raw No
vember day in 1928, while stand
ing bare-headed at the Memorial
Cenotaph, he contracted the cold
that nearly cost his life and
weakened his body for the fatal
illness seven years later.
The war exiled some of the
longest royal lines of Europe, but
George made it the occasion for
uniting his empire more firmly
than ever. The imperial confer
ence at Ottawa in 1882 knitted
the dominions and mother copn-
try into a closely tied economic
group. Earlier in 1924, he had
seen the advent of Britain's first
labor government. And he saw
the succession of governments
that followed it, and finally the
national government headed by
his close friend, Ramsay Mac
Donald.
His ministers took part in the
formation Of the League of MAJ
lions, the worlds first effort for
peace and in the support of which
his nation has been so strong a
bulwark in the tension arising out
of Italy's war with Ethiopia. He
himself opened the second naval
conference in London in 1880
and also the round table confer
ences that strove to give India
some measure of independence.
In 1888, ne opened the world &C.
onomic conference which hoped
to cure the ills of depression.
To work its way out of that
depression, George saw Britain
fall into line with most countries
and adopt economic protection af-
ter nearly century of free trade
and he witnessed the suspension
of the gold standard as a measure
of urgent necessity to protect
London's reputation as'the worlds
banker. In his declining years, he
saw Britain struggle back in &C.
onomic recovery and the revival
of trade. 80 ..
In 1885, came the silver jubi-
lee when all the dominions unit
ed with the mother country in
honoring the 18th anniversary OF
his reign. The celebration began
May when huge crowds, many
of whom had waited throughout
the night, cheered the passage of
the king and queen from Buck
ingham palace to st. PauPs cathe-
dral where they returned thanks
for the welfare of the nation. In
a worldwide broadcast, the king
expressed his gratitude for the
loyalty and love shown to him and
the queen declared that he dedl-
Gated himself anew to his peoples
service.
There followed a constant sue
cession of banquets, of pageants,
of reviews. On May 8 he received
the congratulations of the diplo-
matte corps and the dominion pre-,
miers. On May. 9, he was iauded
by the House of Lords and House
!of Commons. Sixty thousand peo-