Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-10-06
ROYALTY AT HOME.
Oddities of Manner and Habits of
Life of Royal People.
THE FADS OF EUROPE'S QUEENS.
Carmen Sylvia, the Beautiful Poet Queen
of Roumania.
ROYAL EMANCIPATORS OF WOMEN
WRITTEN FOR THE p1spArcH.,

WRITTEN FOR THE DIsPATcH.1
Queen Victoria has just walked up to thu
fact that the sun-which, unlike her, neve
sets on the British possessions-has seeI
more of her dominions than she has. Sh'
now is wild to travel. Living quietly fo
years, it was thought that she was entirely
domesticated. and only cared for funerals
and baby-watching; but her recent visits t.
the continent have completely demoralizet
her, and she wants to go to India with AL
bert Victor of Wales. She has Indian at
tendants at her table, and has even com
menced the study Of Hlndoostanee. AT an
other time she insists that she will make s
voyage to America. She is the crankiest
of all the Queens. Ex-Queen Isabella is the
fattest Christina of Spain the smartest
Margherita of Italy the most lovable. the
Empress of Germany the most domestic,
the Queen of Roumania the most cultured,
the Empress of Russia the most generous,
the Queen of Portugal the most graceful.
the Empress Frederick the most stubborn,
the Queen of Sweden eats the most. the
| American Presidents wife has the least to
| eat.
In Sweden it is customaryto to eat every two
hours, and the enormous appetites terrify all
| foreign visitors. An American friend OF
mine, tall, matter-of-fact-a regular Yankee
| related to me one of her mistakes at the
Swedish court She was to be presented to
the Crown Princess, and knew nothing of
court etiquette except that she was expected
| to kiss the hand of the Princess, who is very
short and petite. Being the stranger, by
Swedish custom, she.was obliged to advance
i1fn he nd oc
if it were a pump-handle, without bending,
she raised it to her lips and gave il re-
sounding smack. To her modification she
saw the next lady sink almost to the floor,
scarcely touching the royal hand with her
lips, but she was bright enough to repeat
her kiss exactly the same on her exit, and
to hear the whispered remark, "Americans
never stoop." She was a "woman's rights"
champion, a cause which excited more en-
thusiasm in Sweden than any country in the
world.
ROYAL DINNER PARTIES.
The royal dinner parties of England are
the most formal and studied in the world
to beginners they become frightful ordeal,
and they rarely at the end can tell what the
meal consisted Otto old stagers they are
frightful bore. The novices are expected to
arrive early so as to be posted by Sir Henry
Ponsonby on court etiquette. The Queen
usually receives her guests for afternoon tea
in her own sitting room and remains short
time with them chatting on light subjects.
then they are permitted to wander over the
castle or stay in their rooms till dinner
time, which is at 9. She says few words
to each guest as she enters the dining room
and then leads the way to the table. 1t
ALWAYS seems so discourteous for no one to
step up and offer the old lady his arm, but
it would require an equal rank to do so,
and she enters and leaves the room alone.
There is little conversation at the table.
Each guest is asked one question bv the
Queen and can make one reply. The pauses
between are dreadful, and the mechanical
parceling out of questions and answers
makes it seem as if the Queen were putting
Bible class through its catechism. Each
one waits for his turn to come next, and in
the embarrassment the "answers" are often
of the most stupid kind.
German court dinner parties are much
more brilliant, for when the young Emperor
William gets into the heat of good CONVEX
sation he does not like to leave of, so all
the guests get all the benefit of the spirited
talk, which often continues for hours at the
table. Next to Bismarck, his most conf
Dental friend is nobleman, whose Ameri-
can wife is the only woman in Germany
who dares to converse on politics. This is
her second husband. On her first marriage
the Emperor of Austria had so much re-
gard tor her that he raised her to the ranks
OF Princess in her own right so she might
be her husbands equal. The chief embar-
rassment at the German royal table is the
edict of the Emperor forbidding any French
words to be used on the menu. The new
German words are so unfamiliar in their
application and often so absurd in their
literalneSs that it is very hard to remember
them, especially as frown from the royal
eyebrows rewards any slip back into the old
court language.
COURT PLEASANTRIES.
Russia keeps up the informal habits of
Peter the Great, and the conversation is
very gay and general at the court table with
much the briliiancy of an officers mess on a
grand SCALE In old times in Russia where
ever a guest made distasteful remark
trumpet sounded. The ofense repeated the
too talkative person was led away and his
tongue cut out Nero USED to have pet
tiger extended beside him on his couch who
at sign sprang at the throat of any indis-
Greet babbler. In contrast to this life it is
almost painful to mention the clock work
formalities of other courts and the mapped.
out rules for conversation at Victoria s table
seems absurd.
The Prince of Wales Is brilliant table
conyersationalist and likes to tell original
stories, but resents the liberty when any
gentleman forgets himself over the wine
enough to tell one to him.
Prince Albert Victor of Wales, or Prince
Edward. as he is called by his family
''collars and cuffs" by his future subjects
and his brother George, the nations favor
lite, were brought up in very quiet way,
although they got into a rather fast set at
Cambridge. Once on board the training
ship, when they made their voyage in the |
Pacific, some one came on deck and found |
Prince Albert Victor giving his younger
brother fearful knocking about, and when |
asked the reason, said: 'T'm larruping this
kid because he won't sing God save his |
grandmother"
There has never been time in the history |
of the world when people really cared SO
much for splendor and publicity. And no |
time when so much was spent on dress, |
gorgeous homes and splendid entertain |
tainments. Ali of course with no outward |
show of enthusiasm or pleasure and digni-
fed acknowledgment that we must take our |
pleasures sadly. The royalties in an en-
deavor to please people and seem simple are |
laving aside their crowns and ermine robes, |
which will soon be found only in museums,
when, of course, denuded of the splendor |
which was the proper mark of their station,
they will look like every ordinary people and |
will soon be hurled from their thrones in |
contempt. People who pay to support |
royal family like to see their pets in all their
olorv-the GOLD state carriages blazing with |
jewels-the milk-white steeds and glittering |
regalia.
ROYAL WORKERS FOR WOMEN.