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The Review of Reviews. 



EDWARD Vll.— CITIZEN AND KING. 



The Fortnightly Review gives the place of 

 honour to an unusually interesting article by Mr. 

 Edward Legge — " King Edward VII. : His 

 Character and Personality." There are many 

 penalties attached to the crown and one must 

 always be prepared for mystery and misunder- 

 standing — King Edward was fortunate in that 

 he never encouraged the first and gave little 

 room for the latter. 



" HE WAS A GREAT KING." 



The Times aptly epitomised the truth when it 

 said " He was a great King, one of the greatest 

 in history." No monarch in England had ever 

 so approached to the real affections of the 

 common people, and there remains an abiding 

 regard for one who never shirked the heavy 

 load of his responsibilities. 



Called to his high office at a time of life when 

 most men's reputations have been made or 

 marred beyond power to redeem, it is a strong 

 testimony to the late King that he possessed 

 the power of continuous development. As Mr. 

 Legge says : — 



It is curious, but nevertheless it is the fact, that he 

 entered upon his Sovereignty a wholly misunderstood 

 man. Those who had had the best opportunilies of 

 appraising his latent qualities were mistaken in the esti- 

 mate thev formed of him. They thought not only that he 

 had come into his heritage too late in life, but that he was 

 not endowed with exceptional talents— rather the contrary. 

 From the beginning of his reign he began to disprove 

 the erroneous anticipations which had been formed of 

 his powers, and to evidence his ability to rule an 

 Empire which had been gradually expanding. 

 " AN AMBASSADOR OF GENIUS." 



The King's interest in and knowledge of 

 foreign affairs is universally admitted, and Mr. 

 Legge gives, for the first time, Edward's reply 

 to the suggestion that he should recognise King 

 Peter of Servia. The statement was made at a 

 private interview granted to two Ambassa- 

 dors : — 



" I regret very much indeed that I cannot comply 

 with your suggestions. The assassination of King 

 Alexander and Queen Draga on the 2nd of June, 1003, 

 was so terrible that it made a deep impression on public 

 opinion in England. Public opinion has not yet re- 

 covered from the shock, and would certainly not approve 

 of the re-cstablishmcnt of diplomatic relations with 

 Servia, and you know well that T and my Government 

 must take into account the public opinion of our country. 

 And besides this reason 1 have another, so to say, a 

 personal reason. Mo>i metier a mot est d'etre Roi. King 

 Alexander was also, by his mHier. ' un Roi.' As you 

 sec, we belonged to the same guild as lalxiurers or pro- 

 fessional men. I cannot be indifTcrcnt to the assassina- 

 tion of a member of my profession, or. if you like, a 

 member of my guild. We should l>c obliged to shut up 

 our businesses if we, the Kings, considered the assassina- 

 tion of Kings as of no conse(|uence at all. 1 regret, but 

 you sec that I cannot do what you wish mc to do." 

 Very characteristic, very miirh to the point, and 

 quite unanswerable. 



THE KING AS " COMMERCIAL. 



The catholic nature of the King's sympathy 

 was shown by his untiring efforts in support of 

 charity, education, and social reform, and in 

 private life those privileged to know recognised 

 an individual of more than ordinary capacity. 

 Mr. Legge pens a graceful and lifelike minia- 

 ture : — 



Did space allow, 1 could cite other examples of the 

 King's adroitness in the field of diplomacy, and of his 

 intimate acquaintance with international affairs, in the 

 control of which, as I have shown, he was something 

 more than the automaton which it has been hinted he 

 was. 



King FMward's personality was a most fascinating one 

 for those who were enabled to study it closely. Just as, 

 in his kingly capacity, there was no standard of com- 

 parison by which to judge him, so, as a mere mortal, 

 he differed in all respects from other men. The blue 

 eyes, which could be caressing, or, though very seldom, 

 aggressive ; the ruddy cheeks, the trim Henri Quatre 

 beard, the attitude — these were all his own, and made 

 him an object of attraction wherever he chanced to be. 

 . . He was first and foremost a business man. 

 This "fine gentleman" . . . became on his acces- 

 sion to the Throne a Royal merchant, acting as his own 

 commercial traveller, and "booking orders" right and 

 left on his journeys. 



SIR SIDNEY lee's MEMOIR. 



It is somewhat of a pity that Mr. Legge 

 should have felt constrained to cross swords 

 with the character sketch of the Dictionary of 

 National Biography, for doubtless the editor 

 thought it due to the public that even royalty 

 should be reduced to a common denominator. 

 This the Biography undoubtedly does, but omits 

 that appreciation of many traits which gives the 

 late King so peculiar a value, and thus manages 

 by the barest statement of truth to create a false 

 impression of a more than noteworthy man. 



THE king's AI'OTHEOSIS. 



Mr. Legge may safely leave the Memoir to the 

 curious student and may be congratulated on his 

 restraint. He concludes : — 



Edward VII. has been glorified, deified by the 

 grateful, sympathetic, and admiring allied nation. His 

 apotheosis came on the 13th of .\pril, amidst the boom- 

 ing of warships' cannon, the flashing of swords, the 

 strains of jubilant music, the fluttering of the friendly 

 flags, and the frenzied hurrahs of the populace on the 

 Mediterranean shore when the veil was drawn, and the 

 Great Figure, " in his habit as he lived," was revealed. 

 He left us only two years and some months ago - but 

 already, in Voltaire's phrase, " On est asscz cruel pour 

 pers^cutcr sa memoirc '. " 



In a democratic age when ihc monarchy must 

 stand the severest test of public criticism it is 

 no small thing to have reh.ibilitated an olTicc 

 which in his own youth was nearer to its decline 

 than when he bequeathed its inlianced tradition 

 to his successor. 



