The Manawatu Herald. Saturday, May 7, 1910. THE PASSING OF EDWARD VII.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXII, Issue 836, 7 May 1910, Page 2

The Manawatu Herald. Saturday, May 7, 1910. THE PASSING OF EDWARD VII.

Thk message received to-day that His Majesty King Edward VII. had passed away at midnight will be received with universal regret and heartfelt sorrow throughout the great British Empire, and also by millions of people outside this realm. His recent indisposition must have been far more serious than was allowed to leak out. It may possibly have been his Majesty’s wish that his subjects should not be rendered anxious on his behalf. But the recalling of Queen Alexandria and the close attendance ot the Prince of Wales at the bedside, and the consultation by three famous physicians, were ominous signs. The silent messenger has come at a time least expected, and at a period when a crisis is about to take place in the history of British politics—a crisis which may strike at the constitution ot Parliament. What his removal from the scene will mean is not easy to guess. He has been called “ Edward the Peacemaker,” and there is no need at this time to refer to the part he has played in bearing aloft the olive branch, not only to the nations but among contending parties in the Old Eand. This Dominion, which again and again has given evidence of its loyalty, mourns the loss of its great and good sovereign.