NOT QUITE SATISFACTORY

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 538, 15 December 1928, Page 1

NOT QUITE SATISFACTORY

King’s General Condition SOMEWHAT DISTURBED DAI Last Evening’s Bulletin FfE King has had a somewhat disturbed day, and his general condition is not quite satisfactory. His pulse, however, remains steady."’ Thus is phrased the latest bulletin, issued last evening British Official IVirelcss

Reed. 11 a.m. RUGBY, Friday. . The Queen, iu reply to Mr. Coolidge. ’ alter expressing gratitude to the Pre- | sident for his message, says the King ! will be informed of it as soon as his strength permits, and adds : “Though I the recent operation has successfully treated one phase of the King's seri- j ous illness, the consequences of the ! general infection will entail many weeks of slow and anxious progress ! before convalescence can be reached." The following bulletin was issued from Buckingham Palace this evening:— “The King has had a somewhat disturbed day, and his general condition is not quite satisfactory. His pulse, however, remains steady.—(Signed) Stanley Hewett. Hugh Rigby, Dawson of Penn.” It is authoritatively stated that there i is more confidence at the Palace; but nevertheless anxiety must continue for some time. Both the bulletin and the Queen’s message to President Coolidge in-' dicate that the doctors are preparing 1 for a long and difficult struggle. Though much noxious matter has j been removed from the body, there j are still risks to be faced. The conflict between the general infection and j the King’s strength continues. It was officially stated at three o’clock i that his Majesty’s condition was unchanged. It is officially stated at the Palace , that the operation did not involve the removal of a rib section. Throughout the illness of his Majesty shoals of letters from all parts of the world have poured into the Palace. To-day the number was greater than ever. Many of the letters were addressed to the Queen conveying sympathy, but most were addressed to the doctors. These contained advice from people who had recovered from similar illnesses. Many homely remedies were delivered at the Palace and also at the homes of the Duke of York and Prince of Wales. DISQUIETING REMINDER OPTIMISM PREMATURE ANXIETY AT THE PALACE (Australian and K. 7.. Press Association J Reed. 1.35 p.m. LONDON, Friday. To-night’s bulletin gives a disquieting reminder that the time has not yet arrived for optimism about the King’s condition. The successful operation had been regarded by the public as the turning point of the illness, but every authoritative statement, including the official warnings from the palace, stresses the anxiety which is still felt. To-night’s bulletin has not lessened the anxiety. The fact that the King

iliad a disturbed day. and that liis ! general condition is not quite so i satisfactory, are definitely not to tile | good. i Nevertheless, it is learned author! j tatively that the slight retardation in liis progress was an eventuality for | which the doctors were quite pre- ! pared. During the long struggle ahead, j other such fluctuations may occur The fact that the pulse remains steady ! saves the situation from being a serii ous one. Anxiety must definitely con i tinue until it is known whether thv 1 King’s strength is sufficient to banish I the microbes. NO COMET FOR KING QU££R BELIEF PRESAGES Mi 6 RECOVERY No great comet has flashed into the heavens to mark a fatal issue in the illness of King George. This augurs bis eventual recovery, j according to the fiat that comets mark the ‘‘death of Princes" (says a Sydney j paper). ' Queen Victoria's death was marked j by the Great Southern comet of 1901. ; ahuge object that was visible close | to the sun, even in open day. King Edward's death was even more I dramatically marked by Halley’s comet in 1910. The weird, misty monster was burning in the daybreak sky when the King contracted his fatal bronchitis, and a few days after bis death the comet grazed the earth. Scetpics point out that Halley a comet was really due in 1912, but its path had been altered by i emote planets. To the believer, this is merely evidence that the planets curtailed King Edward’s life by two years. ASTROLOGERS PREDICTED ILLNESS ! No gerat comet lias so far appeared I in the sky as possible omen for the j present King. But it is held that the ; comet may appear shortly, after a. potentate’s death. Victoria’s comet appeared thus; in fact, American astrologers claim it was for President McKinley, who was assassinated later the same year. It is a curious fact that King George's illness was forecast at the meeting of the Sydney Dodge of International Astrologers, held last February. Mrs. Parker, reading 1928 horoscopes, predicted that the solar entry into Aries marked a. period “bad for King George's health and rule.” This wall dated for the “second quarter of 1928,” but it was pointed out that in the last quarter Saturn, the maleficent planet, would be in midheaven, spelling misfortune for Europe’s rulers generally. By law of averages ,a big comet is now overdue. Its appearance would strengthen the forebodings of those who believe that human destiny is governed by the stars.