Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1874-10-03
A PRINCELY TENOR.
The Latest Romance.


The London Globe prints the follow
ing story: A romance in very high
life has just been brought to its last act.
One of the most noted of the South Ger
man mobiles was the Prince of Thurm
and Taxis. He had been Minister to
the late King of Bavaria, and his son
was Aid-de-Camp to the present King.
1t is this son who is the hero of the Ger
man romance. Long ago the Lord Of
Burleigh chose his wife from the peas
antry, and King Cophetua swore royal
oath that beggar maid should be his
bride; but neither OF these traditional
lovers went so far as the young Bavarian
Prince of our own days. 1t was an OBJ
scure actress who fascinated him, and
for whom he was content to sacrifice
everything These conventional words
meant a great deal in this case. The
marriage actually was solemnized, but
it was made subject to conditions of
very rigorous character, which were i'm
posed upon the bridegroom as a condi-
ton of the family assent. He was to be
no longer the Prince of Thurm and
Taxis, but plain bourgeois, and he was
to receive an annual allowance of
5000 horins. 1t might seem that such
conditions would be impossible. The
only answer is that they were exacted,
that the marriage did occur, and that the
Prince descended into plain M. De Fels.
He had, however, very fine tenor voice
and a very beautiful bride, and he made
his debut short time ago at the theater
at Zurich. The story so far reminds one
of Mario's history, who was Marquis of
Gambia in his own right; but here the
resemblance ceases. The Swiss are not
an imaginative people. and care very
little for romantic sacrifices. M. De
Fels was hissed off the stage at Zurich,
and retired into private life. TWAS easy
to descend from rank and position; it was
difficult to reacquire them. The young
Prince was brotherin-law of the Ouch
ess of Bavaria, nephew of the Major
domo to the Coart of Prince Oettingen,
so great efforts were made to restore this
would-be tenor within the princely circle
At last a way was found to achieve the
end. On the Lake of Chem King Lud-
wig has an estate known as Herreninsel,
and there it has been the custom to
give great water parties and nau-
tical fetes. A theater is to be built
there, of which the artists are to consist
almost exclusively of the aristocracy.
Scenes out of Wagner's operas are to be
represented, and Ofenbach and Herve
are also to appear on the bills. But
for this distinguished theater q dig
nifed manager has to be provided, and
the Grand Duchess of Bavaria, who has
a taste for diplomacy, has thus found the
means of introducing her nephew within
the ring fence of his native aristocracy.
The name of Paul de Fels, which APP
peared on the Zurich play bill, will be
heard OF no longer, and the Prince of
Thurm and Taxis will be known In fu-
ture as Marshal Of the Royal Palace
aud Master of the Revels to the young
King of Bavaria. 1t is the habit of some
foreign editors to admit statements into
their journals under all reserve" and
when this sentence is seen it is tacitly
understood that Imagination has some
thing to do with the announcements, but
no such qualification has accompanied
the reports of this chapter of romance.