Evening star., 1937-04-25

The seal OF the British Empire.
vestiges OF the magician clung to the
monarchs Of England until relatively
recent times. Early in the eighteenth
century Queen Anne touched for
the kings evil, scrofula. 1t was her
duty, a service she could not refuse
to the poorest and most repulsive Of
her subjects.
The African system, Frazier points
out. was only survival of what
once had existed all over the earth,
except in America. In Europe and
Asia it had undergone far-reaching
notifications, but with traces of the
old system surviving as symbols. 1t
is extremely doubtful if the kingship
systematic development OF the magi-
clan into the monarch-ever touched
the New World The American
aboriginals had no kings or any other
political rulers whatsoever. Their
system was utterly incomprehensible
to the English, French, Spanish and,
for that matter, to the United States
1t led to some mix-ups which the
Department of Justice is still trying
to unravel There were, however
priests who appear to have had pow
ers almost indistinguishable from
those OF Old-World kings, 50 far as
implied powers Of life and death over
the people went. But these were not
political powers.
In the course of political evolution
the European king more and more
dlVeSted himself OF the duties OF
making magic" and concentrated
more and more political power. But
the basic concept remained OF the
welfare Of the state being bound ur
in one man.
King q Symbol Now.
But does the subject OF the British
Empire with a modicum OF plair
common sense still regard the mon.
arch as in some mystical way epito.
mizing the welfare Of the state? OF
course not-no more than the Ameri.
can The nation has not hesitatec
to chop off the kings head upor
occasion when he seemed to be tax.
ing himself too seriously. But ther,
Is a concept in the mind of tn,
| Englishman which is a trifle vague
perhaps unduly so-in the mind O
the average American. He is an in.
dlvidual. AS such he leads his ovr
life and does his own work in tn,
world But he is also a unit in az
organic Whole-the British race
which has just as real an existenc,
as the existence of himself as Bill
Smith or John Jones
Now, race is hard thing u
visualize. In order to retain it.
reality it has to be focused upor
something actual-something tina
can be seen, shaken hands with
spoken to. Through the ages, start
ing with the magician, the king ha.
been SO intimately identified with tn,
functions Of race and state that h,
has become just this-a tangibl,
manifestation Of a reality which i
felt vivldly but is itself intangible.
If Great Britain did not have
king it would be necessary to set III
some other symbol. Symbols canno
be made to order.
Every subject is a dual personality
He is, first of all, himself. AS such h,
goes about his own business and rem
ders no homage to anybody whatso
ever. There is an old Spanish adage
Under my cloak l stab the King.
That Is, if the monarch intrudes upo,
the individual it's too bad.
But besides being himself the sub
]ect Is member OF larger whole
the empire-which may be locke
upon as an organism in itself an
not just a conglomeration of indi
vidual organisms. 1t Is as a membe
OF this larger organism that he rem
ders homage to the King. He is it
tangible manifestation