The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1890-12-15
THE ~EMPRESSOF GERMANY
She Is an Ideal Housewife and
Wears Aprons at Home-The
Little Princes.

Since she came to the throne the
Empress Augusta Victoria continues
to be the sensible and modest woman
that she was when only a Princess.
While her husband runs about with
a feverish activity. visiting present
and possible allies, she is content TO
remain at home, and perform the
very limited duties that the constitu-
ton has marked out for the wives of
German sovereigns. Owing to n
many reayemen in the royal
family. the court at Berlin has not
been very CAV since William ii. be-
gan to reign. In fact, in the days OF
his grandfather &c was not renowned
for its liveliness.
The present Emperor continues the
economical traditions of the Hohen-
zollern family, and court receptions
are not much more frequent than
State balls were at Paris under M.
Jules Grevy. Having scarcely any
other public duties to perform thanto
appear at the head of her regiment OF
c~uirasslers during the rare moments
when the Emperor is at homer tue
Empress devotes most OF her time TO
her household cares, and perhaps
continues to put up her W pre-
serves. as she did when she was the
Princess William. The Emperor is
not at all displeased at this kind OF
talent, as the following incident Will
show
Soon after William ii was crowned,
a committee of Berlin ladies, having
resolved to offer "a gift to the new
Empress. decided, without a very long
d~eliberation, that the souvenir should
consist of a white silk apron trimmed
with costly laces, and having h
names of the five little Princes EN-
broidered in garlands. In receiving thu
present. the Empress told the donors
that she was happy to accept such a
gift. for the apron had always been
the symbol OF a good German house,
wife. Besides" she added, my
husband will be satisfied with your
offering, for he desires that | should
always veal an apron in the ouseg
The Empress Augusta Victoria Is
now in her thirty-first year, and Is
three months older and somewhat tai
Ter than tine Emperor; but her fair
and fresh complexion makes her look
than her age. An oval face,
soft blue eyes,, beautiful teeth, and an
abundance of blond hair give her a
decidedly agreeable il not positively
pretty physiognoIny, while she passes
for having smaller feet than those
that nature has generously bestowed
upon the sisters of her race. The
Empress has already given hve sons
to her husband; but her motheriy
care is not long bestowed on each one,
for as soon as possible their father
takes them away from the nurse, and
sends them to the drill master In
Thuringia, where they are uniformed,
booted, spurred and taught to train q
sabre in true German fashion. Per-
haps the Empress would like TO have
a daughter among this little flock, but
William ii. is satisfied with the sons.
Speaking one day TO his elder sister,
the Princess of Saxe-Meiningen, he
said:-.'It is better to have only boys,
because when there is "a daughter,
that immediately causes more embar-
rassment and entails greater expense.
First of all, there must be a COVER
ness, one or more maids OF honor, and
a lot OF complicated finery.
On the contrary, when there are
only boys, they can all be dressed In
the same fasnion-in uniform. A
piece of cloth will serve for all of
them, My boys are all dressed as
a~rtillerymen, eve the smallest one,
who is already a corporal" And it is
in this costume that they play all day
longl Only, the poor little Princes
cannot play as other children do; their
sole recreation is to amuse themselves
with military theory and exercise, so
as to become warriors, and win laurels,
as their ancestors nave done, and as
their father hopes TO do.-1heodoTe
child an HGqpe1's Bazdf.