Without question the King deserved every cheer he received in
the splendid public ovation accorded to him. Though he has deserved them also, he has not received, and cannot by virtue of the office he holds receive, any of the honours or rewards bestowed upon those of his subjects who have specially helped the good cause. Yet he merits them for persistent work and for the maintenance of a high spirit and a great heart, without boasting and without theatrical display, and most of all for that single-mindedness which has never made him either jealous of the honours of others or anxious to attract public attention to himself. In the best sense the King has got the highest reward. The greater public, with that curious instinct for the truth which belongs to a sane, a sincere, and a free people in the mass, has realized and appreciated the King's silent work, and conferred on him this week an honour above all other honours, just because it was spontaneous and informal. They hailed him the free presiding influence in a free people.
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