keeper of the kennel

Along with Lincoln's birthday, today is the anniversary of Chinese Emperor Hsuan T'ung's 1912 abdication, ending the Manchu dynasty, leading to the creation the Republic of China.  His aunt, the Grand Dowager Tzu His had been the defacto ruler of China.  Fearing loss of power, Tzu His arranged the untimely deaths of the leading Emperor candidates leaving the way open for the 3 year old to rule China upon her death.

Although largely an unpleasant woman, many dog fanciers have much to be grateful to the Dowager for.  She was a dog lover.  Her passion was Shih Tzu, the Chinese Lion Dog.  ALL, as in every, Shih Tzu in China belong to her, and she kept them for herself. The Dowager kept meticulous breeding records and if any pup did not conform to her standard of the breed, it was immediately dispatched.  It is likely towards the end of her life a nonconforming puppy or two may have escaped, but no one inside China would ever be seen with a Shih Tzu.

Today, every Shih Tzu is a direct descendant of one of her 7 breeding pairs.  After her death, former palace eunuchs would occasionally gift a visiting diplomat with a puppy, but never a  breeding pair.  It wasn't until the Japanese invasion that the surviving dogs were transferred out of China, 8 to England and 3 to Norway.  By the Communist revolution the breed was extinct in its homeland.

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Winston takes over

To my mind modern Britain stands upon 2 pillars of strength, each pillar powerfully influenced the outcome of  World War II.  The first, the abdication of King Edward VIII, Hitler's King in Waiting. Perhaps the greatest single event in the history of England.  The abdication not only brought Bertie to the throne but perhaps more importantly his wife, the steely Queen Elizabeth. I attribute David's post war survival to the innate kindness of the English people and that they were simply tired of death. He and Wallis would have been strung up in most non-English speaking countries.

Kings no longer lead armies into battle but they can and often do lead the people. Bertie and Elizabeth's wartime example, staying in London and sharing the day to day suffering of the locals was a needed tonic to a country at war, and one they would have never gotten from Bertie's predecessor.

The second, and perhaps just as unlikely to predict as the abdication, was Winston Churchill's 1940 invitation from King George VI to form a government as prime minister.  Churchill had, at best, a checkered history in politics, was distrusted by both Labour and the Conservatives, but the only armed service actively preparing for the coming war was Winston's Admiralty .  On this date in 1940 Winston took on the role he prepared for his entire life. " I was conscious of a profound sense of relief" he later wrote, "At last I had the authority to give directions over the whole scene.  I felt as if I were walking with destiny, and that all my past life had been but a preparation for this hour and this trial."

World War II history is difficult to imagine without him at the helm.

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