Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1881-08-15
AN EMPEROR'S FLOWER.
why the Ruler of Germany Prefers
the BIuebOttle.

That the bluebottle (alsO called bache-
lor's button) is the favorite flower of the
Emperor of Germany is well known
fact. The reason why this simple field
flower should be preferred by him TO
other and much finer ones may not be
so well known. On the occasion of
small festivitY given at K9nigsberg, the
Emperor's mother, Queen Louise, ap-
peared in the presence of several French
Generals sent by Napoleon |. to the I'M
happy P-ussian King in a very simple
white dress, wearing some of these How
ers in her hair and small bunch of them
in her cOrsage, much 10 the astonlsh-
ment of the rude warriors, who did not
hesitate to exchange in loud wins
per derOgatOry remarks about the
plainness of her toilet. Turning with an
indescribably sad, yet dignited, smile to
the Generals, the Queen said lever
since your horses have trodden down our
corn fields, gentlemen, these pretty wild
flowers may well be counted among the
rare treasures of my unhappy country.
That scene and the flowers connected
with it belong hencefoTth to the Emper-
Or's sad but sweet "reminiscences of his
youthful days. When, shortly before
the battle of Friedland, Queen Louise
had once more to flee from K@uigsberg
to Memel, the carriage in which she
travelled with her two eldest sons,
Princes Frederick William and Will
liam, lost a wheel on the road.
They were obliged to alight, and,
being far away from any habitauon,
to sit down by the side of the deserted
read, while the damage was repaired. The
little Princes, being tired and very hun
cry, loudly bewailed their fate to the de-
iected mother, who did not know how
to appease the wants of her children.
The young and delicate Prince William
in particular chung beseechingly to his
dearly beloved parent, who finally rose
from her grassy seat and culled blue bot
ties in the adjacent fields, encouraging
the boys to follow her example. With
the flowers thus plucked she twined
wreathes, which occupation the Princes
looked on with great curiosity and inter
est. The feeling of helplessness and the
thought of the unhappy condition of her
family, her country, and the future of
the sons by her side, brought hot tears to
the mothers eyes, which slowly trickled
upon the flowers she held in her hands.
Prince William, deeply touched, threw
his arms around her neck and tried to
comfort her with his child like caresses,
which brought sweet smile on the ma
ternal face and lips, and won for the ir-
resistible comforter wreath of the blue
flowers upon his ten-year-old curly head.
This touching road side scene Prince, now
Emperor, William has never forgotten.
On every corn-fOWer this being the Ger
man name) he still thinks he sees the
glitter of a maternal tear. Hence his
foudness for them. Still it is not the
flower alone he loves; he has also great
partiality for its color. A peculiar con-
struction of the Emperor's eyes causes
this particular shade of blue to strike it
more pleasingly than any other, to such
a degree, in fact, as to render him almost
Indifferent, nay insensible, to all other
colors This is also the reason why he
likes to surround himself with this his
favorite shade, and the ladies of his
court have long made it point to appear
on festive occasions in blue toilets, which
not only produce an agreeable effect upon
his sight, but also upon his mood, i'm
parting to the latter that happy tinge of
cheerfulness and amiability which have
long become prOverbial in his case.