SHOEBLACK WHO BECAME KING

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 160, 27 June 1908, Page 3

SHOEBLACK WHO BECAME KING

(By 11. 1». Chapman.)

There U ;L peculiar irony in the fact that the founder of the Beniadotte dynasty. whose heir. Custavus Y. of Sweden, King Edward and Queen Alexandra intend to visit at Stockholm, was once a shoeblack. Jn 17M.'i, when tie' IJriii>h troops captured the French >< Ulement ot Poiidichcni, a Herman general named von Weltheim parsed one day through the camp of French prisoners.. and noticed that one young fellow, with a singularly prepossessing countenance wa> apparently .suil'ering- sevendv iroiu the eflrcl* ol the fever and dwseiiten 'which were rife among the pour captives. (icueial voii Weitbeim entered into conversation with the youth lor he was little more—and was so attracted by him thai he begged to be allowed to take him into his service as an orderly. His request was granted: iind on t!m lail's restoration to health he performed the duties; of an orderly l"«»r twelve inoui u-s

At tlir mil of that period, no doubi tired nj" poli-hfng tin* (ieneral's imulland accoutrement-. lie prayed to he scut | back to Trance in tho exchange of prisj crs th< i n taking place. As Genera) vou j Ueltheim was himself returning U> tiermany lie rai>ed no obstacle to hi* orderly's desire: and so they parted. Manv \eai> afterwards. when war* had broken out between his own country and I'ranee, the (General was in command of a fortress which eventually was captured by the enemy; and, deeply humiliated. vou Ueltheim was called upon to deliver up his sword to the Prince of Ponte Corvo, who eommanded the victorious troops. With head east down the tieneral went out to surrender his weapon to the Prince, who. instead of accepting ii. raised his captive's chin, and. looking squarely into his eyes, said: " \ 011 do not. recognise your young orderly. then, (ieneral?" in great aston ishmonl Oeneral von Weltheini then perceived that his captor was none other than the young lad whom he had befriended at I'oiidnherri. When this -ame Prince ol' Ponte (own. 15enmdotte. a-cended the Swedish throne,one ol his nio->t frequent visitors was the Herman ollicer who-e he used to clean.

II i- curi'iu-. too. [hat JSernadotteV great the present King of Sweden, should have married Princess \ ictoria ol jJadeii. lor -he is a greatgianddaiiginer of that (.'lHtavus who was banished trout Sweden the year belorc P»ci'uado!te ua- crowned t'havle.-, \IV. Thus it ha* been ob-erved, "the great-grandson of licrnadotte brotigh* bark to Scandinavia the great-grand-dangh'.er of the monarch whom his ancestor had removed from the throne."

The late King O-car was distinguished for hi- rare talent a> a playwright:. . as a poet, and a- an arti-i. while hi* 1 inn-deal abilities were remarkable. King 'iustavus has inherited none of these ta-tes. UU inclination-; run. rather, in the direction ot military matters aim ' statecraft, and his chief desire is to emulate the Herman Emperor, with whom in l is on terms of do-e intimacy. There is. however, one matter in which King iii M.m- and Kmpcror William are to- : .lily <,pinned. The one U frankly demo- < ralic; i lie oilier i- imbued with Imperialistic- tradition-. Of coronation festivities llii-tavus will have none. "I prefer." he said. lo put the C.'iO.OOU which they would coM to a better use." il wh- wit 11 a good deal of consternai'»n thai the tuenibei- of the l'igsdag learned thai His Map'-ly proposed also to abolish the state opening of their A--eml»ly: fcr next to the ISritish House of Commons it is the nio-t vem-rahl" and dignified Parliainenl in Hie world. What U t lie u-e of nil t hat ceremonial?" asked Hie King. "Our Parliament will be just as well Opened if I walk aero-* from Ihe palace and deliver an extempore speech. Or I might even come attired in the uniform of my guards, as it has no -howy gold braiding and other decoration to il."