The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-03-11

II.
When William was born, says the Phila-
delphia Press, Notaire had been dead but
dozen years-the great Frederick but ten :
his Queen was venerable but vivacious
figure in the life of Berlin. Madame de
Stael was for years an ornament of the
court. From her alone the boy might have
heard the story of the reign of the Regent,
the ministry of Neckar, the magic of Mira
beau, the swirl of national passion that was
still agitatng Europe At an age when
most boys think, William was contempt
rary of Goethe, who had begun to discover
to the German race TINT they had Ian
guage as rich and varied as the Greek
and, to those who knew how to
use it, sweet and persuasive as the Latin.
Emmanuel Kant was illustrating in melodi-
GUS sentences the fecundity of tho tongue
IN the subtleties of philosophy, and turning
his Orphlc prophecies into the doctrine of
pure reason. Byron was sounding the
diapaSon of human passion in the immortal
poems That captivated mankind. Shelley
was weaving lyric subtleties of love and
passion, and Keats borrowing the har-
monies of the spheres to wed TO words
Colerldge was reviving the wit of Plato
and the harmony of Lucretius Such an at
mosphere as surrounded the lad during
the susceptible years of his life would
fibre instinct with an impression of great
ness in some sphere Washington was then
living i'll the serene orbit of a matchleSs
fame. Jefferson, Pitt, Fox, Burke, Frank
lin, Napoleon, Tallayrend, Schiller, Canova,
Haydn, Mozart, all wrought while William
was passing from boyhood to youth. But
his eyes were never opened to the radiant
atmosphere pregnant to spirits Of this sort
The aureole made about them never was
N xxba i.
tined to more grandiose destiny than them
all
IN THE EARLY CHAPTERS OF THIS HISTORY
allusion has been made to the vicious at
moSphere which no doubt surrounded the
sons of Frederick William Ill in their
youthful years. At the same time il must
be remembered that a century ago most of
the German courts made the court of Yer
sailles their prototype and the frivoties of
Paris We're initiated at Berlin with their
grossness unrelieved by that fine tact which
enables Frenchmen to sin politely. The
awful sorrOws which came to Prussia and
its princes during the era of Napoleon did
much toward purifying the court of Berlin,
and the story of Prince Williams early
love affair not only depicts the young prince
in charming and romantic light, but is
the keynote of the family auimosities which
are said TO have practically embittered the
subsequent years Of the King and Emperor.
When little more than 80 years Of age
Prince William fell IN love with one of the
ladies' Of the Russian cOurt-Princess
Elizabeth Radziwell. As she was not of
royal birth a marital union with her was
impossible, particularly as the Prince was
the heir prcSumpuve to the throne The
lovers took sensible view of the matter.
aud parted with the warmest protestations
OF lasting love-she going TO a nunuery and
he marrying the naughty daughter Of the
Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar. For the
Empress who now survives him William
never felt genuine affection. There was
never any preteuse Of love between the
royal pair, but by degrees came federation,
and with later years the regard of constant
companionship. There was little in common
between the dead monarch and his wife.
Princess Augusta was brought up with all
the accomplishments of the most refined
court of Europe. while William, at best.
was the type of his soldier countrymen,
nothing more. The palace Under the Lin
dens,' whore tho imperial pair resided, con-
tanned two households, that of the Empress
with the luxuries of n sybarite, and that of
the Emperor with the simplicity of an ordi-
nary citizen. His bedroom and the two
adjoining rooms forming his suite were fur
nished with the skins Of various animals
killed in the chase and with plain, single
bedstead, "a desk or two and few O binary
chairs. Only since his Sjth birthday did
the hardy old man permit an armchair to
be brought in the vicinityof his writing desk,
but he seldom used it, except in the last few