y drawn by
sailors from Windsor Station.

Photo by Paul Thompson, N. Y.]

CHAPTER XXVIII.

The New King and His Imperial Responsibilities

In assuming the burden of his great position and manifold duties King
George V had the disadvantage of succeeding a great monarch; he had also
the advantage of having been trained in statecraft, diplomacy, and the
science and practice of government, by a master in the art. He was young
in years--only forty-five--strong, so far as was known, in body and
health, equipped with a vigorous intelligence and wide experience of
home and European politics and, what was of special importance at the
time of his accession, instinct with Imperial sentiment and acquainted,
practically and personally, with the politics and leaders of every
country in the British Empire--notably India, Canada, South Africa and
Australia. He was not known to the public as a man of genial temperament
but rather as a strong, reserved, quiet thinker and student of men and
conditions. Great patience and considerable tact, common sense and
natural ability, eloquence in speech and fondness for home life and
out-door sports, he had shown as Prince of Wales or Duke of Cornwall. He
spoke German, French, and, of course, English with ease and accuracy; he
had seen much service in the Royal Navy and was understood to be
devotedly attached to the wide spaces of the boundless seas; his Consort
was beautiful, kindly, and graceful in bearing, with a profound sense of
the importance of her place and duties and a sincere belief in the
beneficence and splendid mission of British power.

The Prince of Wales became, of course, King at the moment of his
Father's death; on May 7th His Majesty met the Privy Council, signed
the proclamation relating to his Accession and accepted the oath of
fealty from the Lords and gentlemen assembled. To them he delivered a
brief address expressive of his personal sorrow and sense of his onerous
responsibilities: "In this irreparable loss, which has so suddenly
fallen upon me and the whole Empire, I am comforted by the feeling that
I have the sympathy of my future subjects, who will mourn with me for
their beloved Sovereign, whose own happiness was found in sharing and
promoting theirs. I have lost not only a Father's love, but the
affectionate and intimate relations of a dear friend and adviser. No
less confident am I of the universal and loving sympathy which is
assured to my dearest Mother