The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1873-12-27 00:00:00

THE LATE QUEEN ELIZABETH OF

PRUSSIA.

The Como pondeut of the Datly New, writing from Harlin,
the 19th lutt , Rands the follogrliof luteretth,g hketch of the
late 1)0..g.r Q 11.3.1 Rift .I,tth I Proatts

:
The into quero Ron theth of Pr 1141116 woe taken ill
while celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of her
marriage. She had goo« hi Dresden to spend the
period with her now widowed sister, the Dowager
Amelia, and was o‘ertaken by the wet, foggy,
dangerous weather which has hovered over Germany
for • fortnight. No member of the Royal Family of
Prinfeia4l think, WWI with her in her last m Anents,
The Enuaror is himself too ill to make the journey ;
aid the Crown Prince, who returned from • "meet"
and hurried off to premien on receipt of the grave
news. arrived too late.

Elizabeth, Princess of Bavaria, was • woman whose
personal gifts were in every way worthy of her Royal
birth and station. Her proud spirit and deep religious
nature, embellished as these were by thorough culture,
fitted her admirably for the upright hut gloomy and
even misenthropic influences which prevailed at the
Court of Frederick William IV., and since the death
of that monarch his widow has 'seemed to live as a
relic not only of him and; hie reign, but of the
features which characterised his reign. She was
as desolate and afflicted as Andromache herself.
In vain the new ltheral, progressive era in
Prussia sued for her favour. She regarded it as
the murderer of her husband axd the destroyer
of Prussia; and she rejected its advances with a per-
sistent an 1 dignifiol firmness. Her residence at
Ctailett-nburg WiLS the headquarters of the Prumben
Irreconcilable... What Fri hsdorf is ti French
Legitimiete, Queen El z•abeth's Castle woe to the
melanfflely friends of the old regime in this country.
Her Majesty herself all flattered by the distloction
thus a:corded to her; and the chamtions of Junkerism
were of course proud to rally around an tamest on.
yielding woman. In all the details of her life she was
loyal to the traditions of her former station. The
new was hated as treasonable. To the last day she
rode through the streets of Berlin in an old lumber-
ing State coach, with carefully-powdered footmen
and postilione. It made no difference whether she
was going to a grand Court ceremony or only to buy •
spool of thread—the outriders, and powdered footmen,
and venerable vehicle, were always brought out. This
ecrnpulous attention to etiquette was never relaxed.
Is Junker theory, one of the results of the pernicious
growth of Radicalism, that is to say, of the decline el
a State, lean indifference to those erand rules of Court
etiquette which throw • lustre around Royalty with-
out injuring them who are cot Royal. This is the
principle to which the late Queen seemed to have
dedicated the expiring years of her life.
Queen Elizabeth was never popular with the people
of Prussia. She was disliked for her reserve, her
Royal exclusiveness, her coldness and pride, and she
was always suspected by the common people on
account of her Roman Catholic birth and education.
When she became a Prussian Query she nominally
embraced Protestantism, but it was a form of Protes-
tantism about which the Vatican would have had few
scruples. If she was known to belong to the extreme
High Church Proteetant party, she was believed, by
peoele of narrow prejudices, to be little better than
a Jesuit at heart. There wee something amus-
ing in the solemn mysterious manner in which a Berlin
sane culotte would assure one that the evil genius of
Prussia linked about the old castle of Charlottenburg.
She was about the only member of the Revel circle
toward whom the working meet seemed to feel personal
hatred, and of whom they epe k,--with disrespect. Yet
it was ai reed that the Queen had a wemsn's heart.
She IWAA kind to the poor, and no lady of equal rank
here seemed to take heartier interest in benevolent
enterprises.
About her perfect devotion to her husband there
never was any question. She was proud of Frederick
William—of hie culture, his piety, hi, unselfishness,
his honesty, and of theteincere obstinacy which brought
80 much personal and political trouble upon him. A
friend of mine who wrote'for some peraedical a sketch
of the late King's life, containing a severe criticism
of his reign, but a warm efflogium of his personal
qualities, was surprised one day by the receipt of
a very warm and touching autograph letter of
thanks from Queen Elizabeth. The article had
met her eye, and the tribute to her deceased husband
as a man touched her heart. The Royal Mouse of
Prussia has been remakably freefrom domestic ssndal.
The mutual loyalty of Frederick William 111. and
Queen Louisa is a sacred tradition in Prussia. Ihe
sculptor Rauch has embodied it in marble at the
Charlottenburg Maueolenm. The domestiJ relations
of their successors were quite as exemplary; and the
fact may well be pleaded in their behalf now that
they have both been removed from the field of politial
strife.