We need hardly say that we are delighted at the
King's action, and there will, we are sure, be the keenest satisfac- tion throughout the nation. We are delighted not merely because the King's action will have a potent effect in making the nation understand the urgent need of the hour, but also because it reveals a very striking and very admirable part of the King's character, and one which by its nature tends to be bidden. What we may term the King's loyalty to the position which belongs to him in the Constitution, and his determination never to take advantage of that position in order to win applause for himself or to snatch at personal popularity, are admirable qualities. This fine reticence, this dislike of pose, this absolute refusal to "show off," marks the character of the true gentleman, and that is a character which in the end always makes a tremendous appeal to English. men. The country is learning, and will not soon forget, that the King, whatever else he may do and whatever mistakes he may make, will always set an example in good breeding, good feeling, and unpretentious self-sacrifice.
