Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1885-04-19
THE BEAUTIFUL EMPRESS.
The Social and Family Life OF Eliza
beth of Austro- Hungary.
The Most Beautiful Princess Of Her line
IAN Interesting Letter About
Her Court and Home
Life.

VIENNA, March 3l.-When thirty years
ago the Emperor's bride, not quite elgn'
teen years old, and perhaps the most beau,
tiful woman-certainly the most beautiful
plincess-of her time, came to Vienna she
met with cold reception. 1t had been an
unwritten law in the house OF Hspsourg,
that the monarch's bride should be the
daughter Of reigning house, ard the ladies
especially did not think that beauty, youth
ara smiabili'y made up for the consld'
cred deficiency in birth. In
change from her warm hom
stmoenbere, from the brigh: life
and loving intercourse with genial parents
and large family of brothers and sisters,
TO Court where cold smiles failed to en-
liyen the dead march Of q three,hundred'
wears old etiquette, must have been dreary
indeed. And how the bright young En-
press reyolted against the rules OF that ap
palling etiquette How she shocked the
ladies in waiting, the mistress Of the ward
robe and all the rest She went so far as
to refuse putting on a new pair oil boots
every daY, and made matters worse by eX
claiming: do you think / came here OF
purpose to widen S65 pairs Of DO OTIS for you
all every year?
In Vienna the Emperors mother. the
Archduchess Sophie reigned supreme, and
her strong will and hand were felt IN al
things political and social. 1t was eS-
pected that the young wife would dispute
her mother in law S supremacy, but 1t was
very soon understood that her ambition did
not tend that way; she did not care Tor
power, despised intrigue OF every kind aud
did not even ask to be initiated INTO the
mysteries OF an ever.varying policy. Inc
first wears of her marriage were deVotel TO
her children, and tbs loss of her firstrborn,
Sophie, was bitter disappointment to the
Young mother The Emperor conflicts with
Hungary gradually began to interest her'
and she used her influence over him IN
favor of the Hungarians, whose past history
was sympathetic with her somewhat ro'
mantle turn of mind. The love Of romance
also made her look kindly upon the NOR
ganatic marriage of her brother, whose only
daughter, the Countess Wallessee, lived
with her flom her childhood to her marriage
with Count Iarisch While yet young
woman she applied herself to the study OF
The Hungarian language and mastered Its
difficulties in a short time. hungarian
history and literature absorbed her interests,
and men of renown in letters were APP
pointed to read TO her and converse with
her in the newly acquired ldlom. one
# these, a journalist, is very fond OF
~, heating instances OF the young Empress
sweetness and righteousness which were
,c,l etiurs trying 10 one who was uuaccus'
.omcd to tie aw.:of Court etiquette. One
day. as he was reading the Hungarian yer
sion of Milton poetry to her she suddenly
,,cpped him and looked him full in the face.
ui,n an epquiriug glance Of her beautiful
b,ipht eyes. asked: Tell me, what do you
think of purgalory? Is 1t place at all
likely to exist This poser was TOO much
for the Hungarian man Of letters; ne hesita-
ted about giving al answer and the Empress
INTERPRETED his hesitation correctly and add
ed: lyon see, nv husband beliyes in 1t,
but would Yather not.
Then came the year 1866. konigsgraz
had decided matters in favor of Hungary,
which was satisfied on all points aud in re.
turn swore the oath Of allegiance to Francis
who with the Empress was crowned amid all
the pomp Of former centuries at Budapest:
The Hunpariaus no sooner had King and
Queen OF their own than their Old chiyalry
awoke, and they did all in their power to
horror them and make them feel at hame In
their country. Count Julius AnirasSy, who
in ISiS had been hanged in ettigy was the
first TO devote himself to the service OF the
Queen, and with other no5lemen planned a
revival OF all ancient custom in Hungaryac.
cording to which the monarch and
his spouse were to receive valuable pres,
ent called coronation gift. The Emperor
and Queen Erzsebeth, as the Hungarlans
love to call her, graciously accepted the
castle and grOHnds OF Godollo, and the Em-
press especially has become so attached to
her new property that she spends by far the
greater part OF the year on it. 1t Is situa'
ted in the famous Rakosch field, and from
its windows commands an extensive view
over the great Hungarian PLAZA, which is
not the desert which the word Puszta
generally conveys to the public mind,
but most fertile country with un.
dulating corn fields, heavily la
den fruit trees, rich vineyards
excellent pasture land and extensive forests.
The broad expanse OF land over which the
Empress rides to her heart content is per.
naps one of the reasons why she loves
iodollo. But in the days OF melancholy
orging she is seated in the wlndow Recess
her drawiugroom, and while her eyes
hide over the immcasurable distance, her
slender fingers touch the cords OF her Either
md the airs Of her home steal s)ftIY TO her
ear. Her constant companion is the Arch.
duchess Valerie, who was educated by q
Hungarian bishop and has all her mothers
prediction for the land OF her birth, aud
,hich she knows much better than any psrI
of Austria. She made her Hungar.
ian dancirg.master teach her the
national dance. the "czardas," a,a birthday
surprise to the Empress, and is said 10
execute it with rare grace and vigor to the
merry tones Of the gypsy band a. Godollo.
The old castle did not always haroor such
peaceful guests as are Queen EZebeth and
her daughter Valerie. 1t owes its existence
to an adventurer, who in Mara Theresas
time rose from beggar studen' to power.
full statesman, prince and mill lnsire. The
wooden bowl is still preserved at Godollo
with which young Grassalkowich went from
house to house begging his dinner. He
seems to have been clever at begging, for
there was not boon in the Empress's Civ
ing which had not filled his bowl before he
reached maturity. BE built Godollo, and the
Empress gave him large property, part of
which had been con6scated from different
mobiles and converts in the neigh5orhood.
When the Prince bada grand house-warm
ing, one Of his guests, a monk, wrote some
prophetic words on the wall, to the effect
that property stolen from 80 man masters
would after only three generations belong
10 as many masters again. The prophetic
words, which by Prince GrassalkoTichs or
der were cut into the stone, came true. The
two succeeding princes managed to s4uau.
der all that their sires had accumulated, and
the heirs of the third and Last Grassalko
wioh sold Godollo to Baron Sina, from whom
Laugrand-Dumonceau bought it, to sell it
again with profit Of two million ilorins to