Evening Republican, Volume 14, Number 163, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 July 1910 — UNHAPPY NAME. [ARTICLE]

UNHAPPY NAME.

The Four British George* Not the Sloat Beloved of Monarch*. The death of King Edward VII and the accession to the 'throne of the Prince of Wales under the title of King George V has set a wagging the heads of those who recall British history, for the name of George has not been a happy one for the people of England. George I.—Reigned for 13 years. He was the first monarch of the House of Hanover. IJe was 54 years old when he ascended the English throne, and he never could learn to speak more than enough English to say that he preferfed ver to his - new; gpuntry. George II. —Son of George I reigned for 33 years. He owed more to the sense of his wife, Carolina Wilhelmina, than to his own, quarreled with Walpole, and found a ready tool in .Carteret in his efforts to make himself absolute, as had been Henry VIII. He

was the last English King to appear on the field of battle. England was In the turmoil of war a great part of his reign, but the wisdom of Pitt and the skill of her soldiers saved her colonial supremacy, and the heroism of Clive saved her In India. George lll.—Grandson of George 11, reigned 60 years. His unpopularity was so great that his statue in London had to go without a name lest the people should smash It. To him, however, were due the birth of the United States of America, and the final establishment of Parliamentary government In England—the two things he tried most to prevent. In the end his Insanity became unmistakable, for wherever he went attendants had to follow him to rub off the walls the indecencies he chalked there. Four times he was partially cured, and then became permanently mad. George IV.—Son of George 111, was regent during his father’s periods of recognized madness, and reigned In his own name for 10 years. He, too, was unpopular. After marrying Mrs. Fltzherbert in secret, he married Caroline of Brunswick and then tried to divorce her. His brutal treatment of his wife aroused the hostility of the English people to the highest pitch. Parliament as a rebuke to him voted Caroline a large annuity. He opposed many measures of reform, and had the country on the verge‘of civil war when death removed him. Perhaps the reign of George V will serve to offset some of the discredit associated with the name, so that heads now wagging In doubt will be glad to nod In approval.