THE KING AT WORK AND PLAY

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXVIII, Issue 3619, 8 February 1906, Page 4

THE KING AT WORK 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 every night an abstract of the work of the house of commons.

One of the happiest moments of ths king’s life was when he won the Derby with Persimmon in 18SG. This had

been the ambition of his life,

Shooting, the king places above all other entertainments that can be offered him, and his principal visits hove always been paid in the shooting season.

In his own set his favorite topic ol conversation has been clothes. Over the fashion of a tie, the cut of o jacket, and even the shape of a boot, he will grow loquacious.

The Icing ia 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 ia sent to the mansion house quarterly, signed by his majesty, and is a survival ol an ancient custom.

Euler of the largest empire the world has ever known, Edward VII. of England, the mightiest of monarch!, reigns over about 400,000,000 people, or a quarter of mankind, la other words, nearly one person out of every four owe# 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 bronates.