Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937, May 07, 1910, Page 8, Image 8

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    THE MORNING OREGOXIAX, SATURDAY, MAY 7, 1910.
LOVE OF SUBJECTS
ATTENDED KING
RELIC IS RESCUED
Prince of Wales Responsible
for Liberty Bell's Honor.
Edward's Reign, After Boer
War Was Over, One
of Peace.
AMERICAN TOUR TRIUMPH
8
PORTRAIT OF KING EDWARD VII AT SEVERAL STAGES OF HIS CAREER. AND SCENE OF HIS DEATH.
y ... . .... f
. A v -Wrfl ill! - : '
SPLENDOR MARKED RULE
Always Stickler for Ceremony, He
Was Nevertheless Ardent Sports
man, Fond of Good Company,
Had Liking for Americans.
CROSOIiOGr OF THE LTFE OF
KLa EDWARD VII.
1941. Nov. 9. Born at Buckingham
Palac.
1860 Visit to the ITnlted States
and Canada.
1863. March 10 Marriage to Princ
ess Alexandra, of Denmark, at Wind
sor. 1894 Prince Albert Victor. Duke of
Clarence, heir to the crown, born;
he died January 14. 1802.
1865. Juno 3 Prince George, Duke
of York, subsequently prince of Wales
and now King. born.
18T1 Dangerously 111 with typhoid
fever.
3 872. Feb. 27 National thanksgiv
ing for his recovery.
1873 Visit to India,
1896 Won the Derby with Persim
mon. 1901. Jan. 22 Succeeded to the
British throne.
3902, June 24 Operated upon for
perityphlitis and thought to be dying.
Hie coronation postponed.
1902. Aug. 9 Crowned King of
England and Emperor of India.
1010. May 6 Died at Buckingham
Palace.
, LONDON". May 6. When Edward VII
breathed his last, there came to a close
-the life of a unique personality. He
was loved almost universally first of
, all as a man whose natural attributes
- made him dear to the hearts of his
subjects, and next as a monarch whose
ability to fulfill the role he was called
upon to assumo was demonstrated con-
spieuously.
King Edward VII, by the grace of
God, of the United Kingdom of Great
. Britain and Ireland and of the British
dominions beyond the seas. King, De
Tender of the Faith, Emperor of India,
were his titles.
Subject to fierce criticism in his youth
by his manner of life, he lived down a
'rather unfavorable reputation through
long years of careful conduct and suc-
-ceeded In winning the confidence of his
toople as almost no other sovereign of
'.Ireat Britain except his mother. Queen
'Victoria, had done.
f. ,Edward Active Statesman.
As a statesman he was active and
successful, particularly so in the field
-of foreign affairs. The fact that he
J was the idol of the people made him a
-useful instrument of the ministry and
a pnabled him to wield more Influence
than had been given the throne In the
past. He was an able diplomat and in
all the more important questions of
foreign policy during his short reign
; lie made himself felt.
In domestic policies he was less ac
tive but succeedad in strengthening the
position of the monarchy with the
.masses, effectually killing whatever
anti-royalist sentiment existed at the
time of his accession.
His Influence with the ministers in
sn advisory capacity was much mere
pronounced 'than that of Queen Vic
toria, although his attitude on the po
litical questions of the day was not
. denned.
Edward VII assumed the throne on
( the death of Queen Victoria, January
?2, 1901. so that he was king less than
ten years.
King Ardent Sportsman.
It was as a sportsman the British
people loved him most. He was an en
thusiastic patron of racing and was
lond of yachting, cricket, athletics and
shooting. His love of cards was almost
a passion in his early days and his
gambling for high stakes got him Into
trouble several times.
When, in 1909, his horse Minoru won
the Derby at Epsom, there was a scene
- of enthusiasm at the traok which was
' unparalleled. Twice before he became
King he won the Derby with Fersim-
icon In lyoe and with Diamond Jubilee
. in 1900.
In personal appearance he was the
typical Englishman. He was rather be
clow average stature, of strong and heavy
build. His ruddy face betokened good
health and good spirits up to a short
time ago. He wore his gray beard
trimmed to a sharp point. His thin cir
c!e of gray hair diminished until he was
quite bald. Even in his latter days he
continued one of the best-dressed men
In Europe, and was regarded as a model
" for quiet refinement of drees and bearing.
Love of Pomp Great.
At the state functions In which he
' participated. King Edward revived all the
' pomp and circumstance of mediaeval
days. He drove to Westminster on the
.ppentng of Parliament in one of the
'sumptuous royal coaches attended by
- heralds, equerries, outriders, and a vast
retinue, forming a pageant of royal
(i splendor. On these occasions the King
. wore the full robes of majesty.
Tactfulness. which he possessed to a
f marked degree, was a conspicuous char
. acteristie of the late King, although he
Vwas always frank. loyal and warm-hearted.
Those who associated with him
have said he was emphatically "good
fellow." simple and courteous, but a
.stickler for the deference his rank de
t tnanded.
j. He was born at Buckingham Palace.
November 9. 1841, the eon of Queen Vic
toria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg
- and Gotha. Educated by private tutors
ron a plan outlined by his father, he
ater studied at Edinburgh, Oxford and
-Cambridge. A Ions period of travel fol
lowed, during which he went over Europe
and the East. In I860 he made a trium
phant tour through the United States
.ii nd Canada.
Six Children Born to Monarch.
The Prince was married March 10
J 863. to Princess Alexandra. oldest
daughter of the Danish Prince who some
months later became King Christian IX.
Six children were born, two of whom
the Duke of Clarence and Prlnoe Alex
anderdied. The surviving children are
George Frederick, Prince of Wales. Duke
of Cornwall and York, who now becomes
King: Princess Louise, who was married
to the Duke of Fife: Princess Victoria
, Alexandria, and Princess Maud Charlotte,
who was married to Prince Karl of Den
mark, now King Haakon VII of Norway.
The King was of the house of Hanover,
whicb. dates from, the succession to the
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throne of King George I in 1714.
Twice before ascending the throne Ed
ward's life was despaired of. In 1871 he
was so ill with typhoid fever that for
weeks his death was expected. In 1898
he fell on the stairs during a visit to
Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild, at Wad
desdon Manor, and fractured a knee
cap. Complications ensued and for a time
his condition was dangerous.
Coronation Pageant of Century.
His coronation, originally set for June
26. 3902, and postponed until August 9 by
illness, was a. pageant of almost unparal
leled splendor and the oocassion for cele
bration throughout the world. His short
reign was peaceful, after the conclusion
of the Boer War. which was in progress
when he became King.
Several times the King's life has been
In danger from anarchists or cranks. On
April 4, 1900. when, as Prince of Wales, he
was in Brussels, Jean Sipido, a 15-year-old
boy, fired at him as he was seated In a
railway coach. The shot did no harm.
The boy was held mentally irresponsible.
A plot to assassinate him and King
Carlos of Portugal while he was In Lis
bon in 1903 was discovered and frustrated.
The King was always a great traveler
and was nearly as well known on the
boulevards of Paris and in the casinos of
Biarritz and Hamburg as he was along
Plcadilly.
He always exhibited a marked prefer
ence for the society of Americans.
I. ATDI.AW
ISSUES
NOTICE
British Consul Mourns loss of Ruler
Whose Representative He Was.
H. B. M. Consul James Laidlaw, Is
sued the following; official notice last
night of the death of His .Majesty,
King Edward VII:
"Portland, May 6, 1910.
'With profoundest grief I announce
to British subjects residing in my Con
sular District of Oregon. Washington,
Idaho, Montana and Alaska, the unlooked-for
death of our beloved King,
Edward the Seventh. He ascended the
throne on the death of his universally
Pebruary 22. 1901, and her place was
a difficult one to fill but he has won
the love of the people in his widely
extended empire, and I think the ad
miration of the world. In his quality
as a great peace-maker and by his
warm sympathy with all that Is great
and good. Very touching are the last
words he Is reported to have uttered,
Well. It is all over, but 1 think I
have done my duty." Duty has been the
keystone of his life.
"When the funeral Is announced I
hope to arrange for an opportunity for
all who desire to join in the services.
"JA.MES LAIDLAW.
"H. B. M. Consul."
KING GOOD FARMER
Character of 'Squire Was
Popular With People.
NO UNDUE FAVORS ASKED
Edward's Exhibits lYom Own Es
tates Competed With Neighbors'
on Merit, Says 11. M. Brereton,
Former Norfolk Surveyor.
In the '80s, when Edward VTI was
Prince of Wales, living at Sandring
ham, he was a familiar figure at every
horse show and agricultural exhibit for
miles around, according to R. M. Brere
ton, of Portland, then County Surveyor
of Norfolk. England.
His Majesty was popular with the
farmer", for, besides being a notewor
thy exhibitor of fine hogs and cattle
from the Sandringham estate, he was
never above discussing the fine points
of the animals with his fellow-exhibitors.
While it was often that prizes
were awarded the King, it is certain
they never were awarded to rilm by
courtesy, for had there been such a
suggestion he would have stopped ex
hibiting. Character as Farmer Popular.
In the foreign papers It was common
to see caricatures of the King in the
guise of a pompous country English
farmer, resplendent in hlghly-pollshed
boots and leggings, and indeed, it was
as a prosperous farmer that the King
attended the agricultural shows.
There was an annual exhibit at San
dringham and others were held In the
towns in the vicinity. As County Sur
veyor, Mr. Brereton often came In con
tact with the King in connection with
his official duties. It was his freedom
from pomp, his lovable nature and his
whole-hearted interest in everything
that he undertook, that made Edward
so popular among the farmers. He
knew how to talk crops and never
neglected the opportunity to do so.
Norfolk Is one of the most prosperous
farming communities in England and
there, if anywhere, the King could ob-
I I
OF SEW KING'S SIX CHILDREN
ALL BUT ONE ARE BOYS.
George FTederich, who will be king;
of England. Is the second son of
King; Edward, his eldr brother. Al
bert Victor, Duke of Clarence, bavins
died in 1892. The other children of
King Edward and the dates of their
' birth are:
Born.
Ioutse Victoria. Iruchess of Fife. 38U7
Victoria Alexandra 3 868
Queen Maud of Norway 1869
King; Edward's youngest son, Alex
ander, died in the year of his birth,
1871.
The eldest son of the new King is
Edward Albert, who will become
Prince of Wales. The children of
George Frederick and the dates of
their birth axe: '
Born.
Edward Albert. Prince of Wales. 1894
Albert Frederick 1895
Victoria Alexandra 1897
Henry William 190O
George Edward 1902
John Charles... 1905
tain a liberal education in diversified
farming.
Until a few years ago he virtually
retained the active management of his
Sandringham estate in his own hands.
It was a personal source of revenue, as
were the prize fowls raised by the
Queen a source of revenue to her.
Country Fairs His Hobby.
While he was Prince of Wales it
never was difficult to induce him to
open agricultural shows and flower
shows, the three-day events devoted to
exploitation of the county or district
resources. Probably his last effort In
this direction was to open an agricul
tural exhibition, held in the heart of
London, In the Agricultural Hall, a
glass-roofed edifice much on the style
of the Crystal Palace.
While the King ... d unbend, even In
his wildest moments be never allowed
his dignity to suffer. An Instance was
his severe snub to Mrs. Lily Langtry.
The two had been exceptionally
warm friends'. At a dance one night
the "Jersey Lily" took advantage of
this to drop a piece of ice down the
Prince's back.
The King never forgave and never
forgot. Mrs. Langtry's name was at
once withdrawn from the Lord High
Chamberlain's lists and never again
did she set her foot in Buckingham
Palace.
Contrary to the general understanding
outside tbe trade. Egyptian cigarettes are
not made from Egyptian tobacco, because
Egypt grows no tobacco. The best tobacco
reaches Aden from Cavalla, and Is known
as "Basma.'
Ktag- zc&psnez rzzz
y NOT POPULAR
New Queen Cold and Haughty
in Affairs of State.
HER WILL VERY STRONG
George V's Rule May Be Greatly
. Influenced by His Wife In Opin
ion of Those in Close Touch
With the Royal Family.
LONDON, May 6. (Special.) Mary,
Princess of Wales, who now becomes
Queen Mary, is a contrast in numerous
particulars to Dowager Queen Alexandra,
whom she succeeds.
Mary resembles Alexandra in neither
appearance nor temperament, and she
comes to her crown as a consort with &
standing before the British people en
tirely different from Queen Alexandra
when the latter ceasel to be the Princess
of Wales and became the Queen Consort.
Queen's Present Contrast.
Alexandra was enormously popular
throughout the British Empire; she was
most gracious and charming in manner.
Mary, on the other hand, is popular nei
ther in England nor the colonies; she Is
severe, cold, and haughty. She is a woman
cast in a stern mold. Her public duties
are performed with scrupulous fidelity
and conscientiousness, but with severity
and haughtiness which chill her subjects.
With all quietness, haughtiness and re
tirement, which have characterized Mary
as the Princess of Wales, there goes,
nevertheless a nature of profound am
bition, mated to a mind of keen Intelli
gence. Mary is ambitious In the extreme,
for her husband and herself, declare those
who have been in a position to receive
an insight into her character, and she
may conceivably exercise an important
influence on King George V's rule as
Monarch.
George is a man who, by nature would
1
be likely to take very little active part,
even for a constitutional sovereign, in
impressing himself In policies of state.
But it is whispered that his wife, who Is
said to influence him by her strong na
ture, may force him into courses both
arrogant and self-willed. It has been
known for some years that the Princess
of Wales has exhibited a growing in
tolerance of control in matters where-on
she had a most decided view of her own.
It was often said by those in a posi
tion to know that Edward VII required
every atom of his almost matchless tact
to keep Mary in line with royal wishes.
EDWARD VISITS HOLT LAND
Young Prince Say Birthplace of
Christian Rellgon.
LONDON, May 6. Writing on October
14. 1861, to Baron Stockmar, the Prince
Consort mentioned that the Prince of
Wales' "present wish, after his time at
the university is up, which will be at
Christmas, is to travel; and we have
gladly assented to his proposal to visit
the Holy Land. This, under existing cir
cumstances, is the most useful tour he
can make, and will occupy him till eearly
In June."
So the Prince of Wales started in Feb
ruary for Egypt and the Holy Land, and
was joined at Alexandria by Dean Stan
ley, who proved, in the words of General
Bruce, "a good acquisition."
They visited Jerusalem, rode to Bethle
he mand Bethany, entered the Mosque of
Hebron (thanks to a special privilege ac
corded to the party), lived in tents at
Damascus, and spent a short time at
Beyrout. On their homeward way they
paused at Ephesus, where they saw the
supposed ruins of St. John's Church and
the great Temple of Diana; touched at
Smyrna, with its dull flat lands stretching
Inwards from the harbor; were delighted
with Constantinople, "that predestined
capital," as Lamartine called it. reigning
like a queen of cities over the Bosphorus.
Athens, where the young Prince's future
brother-in-law was to reign later as King
of Greece, -interested him greatly. The
Prince and the Dean went over the Par
thenon, and the plain where so many
ruined temples still witness to the wor
shipful spirit of the Greeks, and ascended
Mars Hill, with all its memories of the
Apostle Paul.
Curiois from all these historic scenes
were taken by t he Prince as mementos,
and many of them are preserved carefully
to this day.
King's Illness Depresses Stocks.
NEW YORK, May 6. News of the ser
ious Illness of King Edward caused gen
eral weakness today on the Stock Ex
change, where declines from one to near
ly two points were registered throughout
the list.
Digging Way, Rats Kill Chicks.
VANCOUVER, Wash., May 6. (Spe
cial.) By digging a tunnel 2V4 feet long
in the ground under a chicken coop, rats
captured and killed 21 of 23 chickens,
three weeks old, belonging to J. T. Was
son last night. The rats kidnaped the
chicks one at a time, bit them in the
back and in the head, dragged them into
a nearby woodshed and piled them in a
heap, where they were found today. Two
little chicks and the mother escaped.
Invited by President Buchanan to
Visit TTnlted States When on Trip '
to Canada. Consents to Come
Simply as "Lord Renfrew."'
LIFE OF GEORGE V, 1'KK XEW
KING, AT A GLANCE.
186, June 3 Born at Marlborough
House. London.
1877 Entered, the navy.
3880 Promoted MUlshipman.
1884 Promoted Lieutenant.
lflS9 Commander of torpedo boat-
3 890 Commander of gunboat
Thrush.
Ift92 Became in direct line of suc
cession through death of his elder
brother, the Duke of Clarence.
Created Duke of Tork.
1893 Promoted Captain la the
navy.
1S93. July 6 Married Princess
Mary of Teck.
1894 Prlnoe Edward Albert, pres
ent heir. born.
1901 Made a tour around the
world of the British rossess!ons.
1901 Created Prince of Wales.
1905 Toured India for five months.
1910 Succeeded to the throne of
Great Britain.
In the Summer of I860 the Prince of
M'ales started for a tour through Canada,
in compliance with a promise given by
Queen Victoria, and was everywhere re
ceived with great enthusiasm.
As soon as the tour was arranged,
the President of the United States wrote
a personal letter to his "good friend."
Queen Victoria, saying that the people of
the United States would be glad if the
Prince could visit America as well.
It would have been ungracious to have
declined, but at the same time the position
was not altogether easy to manipulate.
It was solved by the Queen's accepting
President Buchanan's invitation, and ex
plaining that the Prince would come to
Washington, not as the prospective Kins
of England, but as "Lord Renfrew." the
name under which he traveled Incognito.
St. Johns was the first spot reached by
the Prince, who was accompanied on hia
travels by the Duke of Newcastle, Gen
eral Bruce, Major Teesdale and a large
suite. He was greeted with loyal warmth
wherever he went, and acquitted himself
under all kinds of circumstances with
dignity and tact. At Montreal he was es
pecially well received, and the city shonved
to great advantage with Its fine decora
tions. He was in time to lay the last
stone of the bridge over the St. Law
rence, thus completing an important piecs
of engineering. A ball was given in his
honor on the same day as he had per
formed this ceremony and had also re
viewed the troops.
Prince Sees Niagara.
Twice, at least, he went to see the Falls
of Niagara, and on one occasion Blondin
made his astonishing crossing on stilts,
and even carried a man across the foam
ing waters safely. The intrepid athlc-ta
was presented to the Prince, and was
eager to have the honor of carrying him
across on the tightrope, an offer which,
needless to say. was declined with thanks.
Not many Americans are aware that
a relic of the Declaration of Independ
ence owed its recovery to a place of honor
to the Prinec of Wales. When the Prince
was in America, for the first and last
time as a young man, he was taken to
Independence Hall, Philadelphia, which
contains various mementos of the chief
historical event In the story of the United
States. He was shown portraits of the
chief protagonists, the manuscripts of the
famous Declaration. But none of these
affected him much. At last he was con
ducted to the garret where the bell was
rung when the Declaration was pro
claimed. Immediately his curiosity was
aroused, and he asked where the bell was.
It lay hidden among all sorts of debris
in what had become a lumber-room. The
Prince gazed at the cracked bell, when
it had been rescued from its obscurity,
and said to those who stood around him:
Prince Rescues Liberty Bell.
"This old bell is the greatest relic this
Republic has today. Instead of bein?
here, covered with this accumulated dirt,
it should occupy the chief place in the
land of Independence. It is to you what
Magna Charta Is to England. It i?
cracked, but it is an inspiration. Believe
me, it affects me more than anything 1
have been shown." The bell was hence
forth taken to the hall.
One of the happiest incidents of the
American tour was the Prince's visit to
the tomb of George Washington. The
spectacle of the great-grandson of Georgo
III standing bareheaded at the grave of
the great patriot touched every American
heart. It was one of those sincerities
which do more to weld nations together
than all the treaties that can ever be
signed. The event Inspired E. W. H.
Myers to write a poem which gained the
chancellor's prize at, Cambridge. His
verses on the Prince of Wales at Wash
ington's tomb had a certain happy phras
ing and originality of thought which won
attention.
As soon as it was intimated that the
Prince of Wales was crossing from Cana
da to the United States the American
newspapers began to teem with exciting
Information of a more or less reliable na
ture. The Prince had said on leaving the
Canadian frontier:
"In a private capacity I am about to
visit before I return home that remark
able land which claims with us a com
mon ancestry, and in whose extraordinary
progress every Englishman feels a com
mon interest-"
President Is Greeted.
After calling at Detroit and Chi
cago, the Prince came to Wash
ington to pay his respects as "Lord
Renfrew" to the President. He arrived on
October 30, and was President Buchanan's
guest at the White House, the official
home of the President. As Mr. Buchanan
had no wife to discharge the duties of
hospitality, his niece. Miss Harriet Lane,
acted as hostess. After the conclusion of
the Prince's stay in America, she re
ceived a fine portrait witH his autograph
as a memento of a pleasant visit. Miss
Lane married, and in her lovely home
there was no more treasured possession
than this reminder of the time when she,
as a young lady, entertained the future
sovereign of Great Britain.
The President wrote to Queen Victoria
as follows:
"In our domestic circle he has won all
hearts. His free and ingenuous inter
course with myself evinced both a kind
heart and a good understanding."
At Philadelphia he attended a grand
concert in which Adelina Patti sang. At
New York it is estimated that at least
500.000 people crowded the streets on thai
day of his arrival. He was royally enter
tained In that city for five days.