| Show BOY KING alfonso XIII is ie the most popular of sovereigns not only do his own subjects take delight in him but elsewhere he be is looked upon with affectionate kindness he is the boy king of europe and he belongs to us all says a writer in the atlanta his maje majest ceremonial duties began at once for scarcely had bad he drawn his first breath before he was presented to some of his more important m subjects senor sagasta the prime minister took him on a silver tray and carrying him into the neighboring apartment duly presented him to the nobles and senators there assembled to await his advent in a few touching words the minister introduced his tiny lord to the gentlemen ant an ended by shouting long live the king a cry which waa heartily taken up by all present whereupon the king no doubt most uncomfortable on his tray of silver cried lustily and the hearts of all rejoiced for it was thereby seen that he was a strong and healthy babe after this trying ordeal the king was delivered over to his nurse and other attendants and his life began the life of a royal baby during his first days can hardly be made to differ from the life of any other baby each must have a nurse and plenty of sleep ramunda a healthy woman from the traditional spanish nursing province ably fulfilled her part and the royal nursing throve well apace what should be the name of his majesty was the great ques tion of the moment the queen regent begent wished to call him alfonso alfonao after the dead father who had never seen him but an alfonso the thirteenth was pronounced unlucky the cabinet wavered between charles and philip but eventually the mother carried the day the pope who by the way is himself a number thirteen offered to stand godfather and on may the christening took place in the royal chapel by the queens express command the galleries leading to the chapel were thrown open to the public so that peasants and princes their way to the front to catch a sight of the imposing procession at I 1 his majesty made his appear once lying in the arms of the duchmas medina de las as torres A crowd of the elite of spanish aristocracy glittering in brilliant uniforms and gala toilets filled the body of the chapel and stood grouped around the font smallest mal lest but perhaps most conspicuous of all were the little sisters of the king including 1 11 the quondam queen mer cedes too young and innocent to have any feelings but those vf joy at the birth of her brother the names given to the little king were alfonso leon fernando santiago maria isidro pascual antonio immediately after the ceremony of baptism he was invested with all the spanish royal orders beginning with the golden fleece and then at length the procession reformed formed re and the baby was restored to the sheltering arms of his proud mother his household nominally consisted of numerous officers both civil and military but in reality his majesty household was pretty well summed up in raymunda who never left him day or night on the of june alfonso XIII made his first public appearance driving through the streets of his capital with his mother to the church of antocha where the queen attended a thanksgiving service it is hardly needful to state that he was everywhere received most enthusiastically A real sovereign king only five weeks old was a sight to soften the heart of a carlial or a republican his majesty s first shoes gave the occasion for another pretty ceremonial in which spanish court etiquette reduced down to a babas size ceases to be the ludicrous thing that it ills la the kings first shoes were made of white leather embroidered with gold and the day that he first put then them on the queen gave pairs of ordinary shoes to be distributed among the poor children of madrid on the first of december 1887 be ing then a year and a half old the king in person opened his first fairst parliament the crush to witness the open opening dg of that parliament was quite extraordinary and some hundreds of ladies got pushed into the body of the hall to the chagrin and exclusion of the senators the appointed occupiers the king and his mother entered the hall Atoo to the sound of charles Vs royal march the baby was dressed all in white with a white bonnet upon his head but when seated upon the throne his bonnet was taken off by his side stood the queen dressed in black while she read the royal speech the little monarch surveyed the scene with gravity looking first at his bis mother a and d then at the assemblage who we may be sure looked exclusively at him when the reading was finished his majesty showed a desire to be among the first to leave but his mother took him in her arms and then he be remained perfectly perfect I 1 y qu quiet let et during the rest of the proceedings there is something pathetic about this playing at being a king the fair innocent wh white ite robed babe seated on the throne of black cruel philip III II 11 presents a contrast bordering on the marvelous mar alfonso XIII is described as being a beautiful child with fair curling hair which until ta gently used to float over his shoulders he is bright and cheerful in manner manber notwithstanding ot his country and his bis crown he has his little sisters to play with but as a king of spain cannot meet b his is equal he be can hardly be said to have any play playfellows fell fellows lows the queen has to be pal painfully nf u ily particular about whom she asks to play with his majesty for fear of hurting the feelings feeling a of every one else or ex citing the arrogance of the favored one the poor queen mothers road is a hard one in many ways but she 1 treads it bravely and hopefully for j the sake of other her boy king |
