The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1882-08-04
BACHELORS BUTTONS.
The Favorite Flower Of the Emperor
of Germany.


The Favorite Flower Of the Emperor
of Germany.
That the bachelors button, which is
allowed to grow on several spots in the
Palace Garden, 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
80 web known. On the occasion of a
small fesiivity given at Koenigsberg, the
Emperor's mother, Queen Louise, APP
peared in the presence of several French
Generals, sent by Napoleon 1. to the
unhappy Prussian King, in a very SIM
pie white dress, wearing some of these
flowers In her hair and small bunch OF
them In her corsage, much to the aston
lshment Of the rude warriors, who did
not hesitate to exchange in a loud whis-
per derogatory remarks about the plain
ness of the toilet. Turning with an in
describably sweet yet dignifed smile to
the Generals, the Queen said "Ever
since your horses have trodden down
our cornfields, gentlemen, the pretty
wild flowers may well be counted among
the rare treasures of my unhappy coun-
try" That scene and the flowers con-
nected with it belonged henceforth to
the Emperor's sad but sweet remi-
niscences of his youthful days When
shortly after the battle of Friedland
Queen Louise had once more to flee
from Koenigsberg to Memel, the car
riage in which she travelled with her
two Oldest sons, Princes Frederick Will
iam and William, lost n wheel on the
road. They were obliged to alight, and,
being far away from any habitation, to
SIT down by the side of the road while
the damage was repaired The little
Princes being tired and very hungry
loudly bewailed their fate to the detected
mother, who did not know how to APP
pease 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 bache-
lor's buttors in the adjacent fields, en-
example. With the flowers thus plucked
she twined wreaths, which occupation
the Prince looked on with great curiosi-
ty and interest. The feeling of help
lessness and the thought of the unhappy
condition of her family, her country and
the future of the sons by her side
brought tears to the mothers eyes-hot
tears, which slowly trickled upon the
flowers which she held In her hand.
Prince William, deeply touched, threw
his arms round 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 a wreath of the blue
flowers upon his 10-year-old curly head.
This touching roadside scene Prince
(now Emperor) William has never for
gotten. On every corn flower (this be-
ing the German name) he still thinks he
sees the glitter of the maternal tear.
Hence his fondness for them. Still it is
not the flower alone he loves. He has
also great partiality for its color A
peculiar construction of the Emperor's
eyes causes this particular shade of blue
to strike them more pleasantly than any
other, to such degree in fact as to rem
der him almost Indifferent, nay, insensi-
BILE, to all other colors. This is also the
reason why he likes to surround himself
with this his favCrite shade, and the
ladies of his court have long made it a
point to appear on festive occasions in
blue toilets, which not only produce an
agreeable effect upon his sight, but also
upon his mood, imparting to the latter
that happy tnge of cheerfulness and
amiability which has long become pro-
verbal in his case.
The Kind Darwin.
IT is, perhaps, not universally known
that the late DIR. Darwin was one of the
gentlest and kindest-hearted men. He
was always ready to give helping hand
to poor, struggling student. Last
summer an acquaintance of mine, a
young man who was writing some popu-
Lar scientific articles, wrote to the great
naturalist, asking some questions relat-
ing to the theory of evolution. The next
day the journalist received an autograph
letter from DIR. Darwin, begging his ac-
ceptance of a copy of the Origin of
Species, (which is / believe" said the
eminent philosopher, "the most impor-
tant of my works.
Many persons imagine that Darwin
was an atheist, but that report was spread
by imbeciles who never troubled to in
vestigate his writings. Let the biologist
speak for himself. 81 see no good
reason why the views given in this
volume should shock the religious feel
ings of any one." It is satisfactory as
showing how transient such impressions
are, to remember that the greatest dis
covery ever made by man, namely, the
law of the attraction of gravity, was also
attacked by Leibnitz, "as subversive Of
natural, and theoretically of revealed,
religion" A celebrated author and
divine has written to me that che has
gradually learned to see that it is just as
neble conception of the Deity to be-
lieve that he created few original forms
capable of se'f-development into other
and needful forms as to believe that he
required fresh act of creation to supply
the voids caused by the action of his
laws"
Don't Whine.