DEPOSED MONARCHS

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 3, Issue 717, 18 December 1933, Page 3

DEPOSED MONARCHS

GREAT CHANGE TAKES PLACE AS RESULT OF WAR. COLLAPSE OF MONARCHJES. 'The present century has seen what Dr. Ernst calls a "mass flight of monarchs." "Twelve of the greatest potentates of the earth, who once ruled with regal swiay, are," he says, "still living, but living outside the lost paradise and looking longingly towards their countries," writes W. R. Gordon m a review of "Kings in Exile," by Otto Ernst. JMothing like this has ever happened before. Many monarchs in the past have lost their thrones. Some have been executed; scme of them have escaped into exile. But the present position in essentially different from anything ppeviously known, both because of the numher of the dethroned royalties and because of the peaceful way in which they gave up their thrones for life in exile. "AU our 12 monarchs," writes Dr. Ernst, "could not only leave their country in peace, unpursued and unmolested, but in royal trains placed at their disposal for this special purpose by the new Governments." . The Tsar of Riussiia alone among recent rulers lost his life as the result of a revolution. The change that has come over Europe in regard to monarchical institutions in recent times is vividly stated by Dr. Ernst in a paragraph: "Of the twenty European States — not counting Andorra, Monaco and Luxemburg — ionly ,two were republics: France and Switzerland, prior to. the war. To-day there are in Europe ten great republics, and the entire trunk of the Continent has adopted this political form. Only peninsulas and coastal States — ithe Bslkans, Italy Soandinavia, Holland and Belgium — 1 still remain kingdoms, not forgetting the British Isles. Geographical position and especially the vicinity of the sea seem not altogether without influence upon political constitution." With regard to the last point, however, one may reasonably remind the author that republican France has a faily extensive seaboard. In "Kings in Exile," Dr. Ernst has set out to paint chamcter-sketches of the most important throneless princes of to-day. His sympathies are not with the exiles, but, on the other hand, he is no insulter of fallen greatness. He is chiefly a storyteller with a mild taste for psychology. He does not abuse the ex-Kais-er, for example; he is more interested in the Kaiser's passion for woodchopping. I think, however, he goes a little too far in suggesting that if the exKaiser had been as dogged in performing his Imperial duties as he is at wood-chopping, he might still be Emperor. He writes : "It is astonishing how this man, whose chief fanlt through his life was lack of concentration and perseverance has for more than .thirteen years with the patience of a monk, with the uniformity of a machine, and with the industry of a Chinese coolie, besn performing this, for him, useless and futile work during three solid hours day after day. If in the past he had devoted but a fraction of the energy expended in this fiashion to diplomatic and political affairs — he would probably still be German Emperor to-day." Dr. Ernst has a curious psychological explanation of the ex-Kaiser's love of wood-chopping, but he has the good sense not to accept a psycholanaly.tic explanation. "Persons," he tells us, "who have had a training in ' psycho-analysis interpret this manifestation of the ego as obvious phenomena of suppression; the blows of the axe being aimed at imaginary foes." Ex-Tsar Ferdinand of Bugiaria soothes his exile with. a more attractive hobby: "From earlies.t youth Ferdinand has been an enthusiastic ornithologist. He was always passionately fond of studying every variety of bird.. Now, as a. king on the retired list, he has had hundreds of big cages built in his house at Cohurg, to house the most varied species of birds. This, again, as a little people which belongs ito him and which he rules. He looks after them all, feeds them himself, protects them from cold and disease — 'and only withholds from them — • liberty." Fortunately for himself, he has

"When a total stranger aceos'ts me in the street and tells me he objects to my smoking (as a jman did yesterday) I consider he is guilty of gross impertinence," wrote an indignant correspondent of a London daily, adding "I might just as justifiably tell him I object to the cut of the suit he is wearing. If people had always minded their own business and refrained from meddling with other people's the pages of the historian would make pleasanter reading." Hear, hear! Although tobacco cranks are growing scarcer every day there are still those who would gladly see smoking made a eriminal offence. Yet tobacco can be as harmless as fresh •air, provided it's good. If you find smoking is affecting heart or nerves your tobacco is at faxilt, and contams too much niootine. The toasted New Zealand is the best. Almost free from nicotine — eliminated by the toasting — all four brands, Navy Cut No. 3 (Bulldog), Cavendish, Riverhead Gold, and Cut Plug No. 10 (Bullshead) are not only delightful smoking but absolutely innocuous.