THE KING AT WORE AND PLAY

Alexandra Herald and Central Otago Gazette, Issue 356, 5 March 1903, Page 8

THE KING AT WORE AND PLAY

The king is an inveterate smoker. ' Edward VII. is rather a light eater except at dinner, and has never been a great wine drinker. Whether in England or on the continent, the king receives by telegraph •very night' an abstract of the work of the house of commons. One of the happiest moments of the king's life was when he won the Derby with Persimmon in 1896. This had long been the ambition of his life. Shooting, the king places above all other entertainments that can be offered him, and his principal visits have always been paid in the shooting season. In his own sst his favorite topic of conversation has been clothes. Over the fashion of a tie, the cut of a jacket, and even the snaps of a boot, he will grow loquacious. The king is an expert shoemaker, a handicraft he chose to learn when a boy, being obliged by his royal parents to learn some trade. He has worn shoes of his own make. The king, the lord mayor and the constable are the only ones who know the password of the Tower of London. This password is sent to the mansion house quarterly, signed by his majeaty, find is a survival of an ancient custom. Ruler of the largest empire the world has ever known, Edward VII. of England, the mightiest of monarcha, reigns over about 400,000,000 people, or a quarter of mankind. In other words, nearly one person out of every four owes allegiance to him. One hobby of Edward's is collecting crystals. For some time he has been collecting historic specimens, those expensive baubles which for centuries have been regarded in the orient as revealers of the future. Last year, at an auction of crystals his majesty was outbid by an American woman, who paid $4,000 for a crystal. He also knows all about ceramics and bronsM.