The Dominion. SATURDAY, JUNE 1, 1918. THE KING

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 217, 1 June 1918, Page 6

The Dominion. SATURDAY, JUNE 1, 1918. THE KING

The King's birthday, which falls on Monday next, naturally ' turns our thoughts to the. heavy burden of responsibility which must rest on the occupant of the throne in these perilous days. The reign of King George V will be for ever memorable as the period during which the greatest war in history was fought. At the present time more than one throne is shaking ominously, and one ancient .dynasty has been cast down; but there are indications that new monarchies arc likely to come into existence in the- near future. The more level-headed section of the Finnish people is said to be of opinion that Finland will never regain its stability until a, constitutional monarchy is established, and there is already keen competition among German princelings for the new thrones which they think will be, set up when a, victori- . pus Germany imposes a German peace- upon the world'. , The free .nations ... are, hqivcver,. determined that such a curse. shall .never bo placed upon mankind, and that there shall bo no peace until tho world is made safe for democracy. In this great fight for freedom it is entirely fitting that the King of England, the home of ordered freedom, should be at one in heart and mind with the President of the- great American Republic, which derived its high ideals of law and liberty from the Motherland of the AngloSaxon race. British kingship as it has developed from precedent to precedent is now no menace to liberty. From the earliest times the English King has been regarded as the fountain of justice, and he has now become tlvi centre of Imperial unity. The only divine right by which King George V reigns is.to be found in that principle of order apart from which true freedom cannot exist. Order is Heaven's first law, and therefore tho "powers that he," as the guardians of order, "arc ordained of God."

The English King rules by the will of thn people. He is not ah autocrat like the German Kaiser, who blasphemously claims- to be Gob's representative on caith, and who declares that he is responsible to the Almighty alone. Nc monarch knows the duties of a constitutional King better than King George docs, and no one could carry oufc those duties more , conscientiously,and with more scrupulous impartiality. Ho understands the spirit as well as the letter of,the British Constitution, and he also knows and respects the temper of the British i\m\ He has travelled extensively throughout the Empire in order to get into personal touch with his people—to know and to be known. The British overseas Dominions arc soniething more than more names to him. Queen Victoria rescued the monarchy from the disrepute into which it had been brought by her predecessor, and her wise "example- has been closely followed by Edward VII and George V. The British monarchy stands much firmer to-day than it did when Queen Victoria ascended the throne. This ancient institution'is rcsnectccl today because Queen Victoria, King Edward, and King George have recognised the full obligations of their exalted positions. They have set before them a high ideal and have lived up to it. They have proved to the world that monarchy and democracy can go hand-in-hand. The people of the British Empire are quite as free and quite as well governed as the people of the United States. The monarchy has become so closely bound up with British law and British political institutions that it wottld be almost impossible to sever them without disastrous consequences.

The present war has placed a great, load of care-on the shoulders of the King, and he has played his part in accordance with the best traditions of British kingship. By word and deed he lias set a good example. He has shared the anxieties, the discipline, and the sacrifices of his people, and has done much to maintain the moral of the nation. He has comported- himself with kingly dignity, and has not put his subjects to shame by frantic boast and foolish word after the manner of the Gorman Emperoii. An American writer contends that Great Britain is a ministerial republic and that the Sovereign is a mere ceremonial figure-head. Thishjudgnieiifc is not a sound one. As Mn. Sidkbv Low points out in his.book on The. Guvernance vf England, we know that

though the King docs not govern the country he docs still liavc ;i. share in Hie control of the Government, which may he greater or k:.\ according to circumstances, liut is »n any case substantial. The King in these days exercises influence rather than power, but his influence is great. His knowledge of affairs of State must he very extensive, and his advice should bo correspondingly valuable. "A king," says Peel, "after a reign of ten years, ought to know much more of the working of the machine of government than any other man in the country." /King Geohge V has not yet ruled ton years, hut many events of far-reaching importance have been crowded into the eight years which have passed since his accession, Difficult constitutional questions have been forced to the front, and the King has had to hold the balance evenly between the eontending nartics. The fact that ho has the full confidence of the vast majority of his people shows that he hns acted justly and prudently, and when the victory of Britain and her allies establishes a righteous peace on earth we may trust him to exorcise a wisely effective influence in the solution of the vast social and political problems which will then come up for consideration.