The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1891-09-22
that. beginning az charity student in the

that. beginning az charity student in the
military school OF Bricnne, he lived to con-
quer md to intcrmarry with the HAPsBURG
CGsABs; that, In q word. while his feet were
planted upon tho humblcst clods OF earth.
his Titanic figure ovcrshadowcd Europe.
How Is the contempt expressed by the
German Emperor for the Corsican upstart
likely to affect his Indispensable supporter,
the Emperor FRANCES JOSEPH; his other
ally. King HUMBERT the King OF Sweden.
whose friendship might DO OF the utmost
Importance in the event OF war with Russia;
or. finally. tho minor sovcrcigns Of Ron-
mania and Servia. who are by no means
negligible factors in the politics OF south
eastern Europe2 1t can scarcely be pleas
ant to the HAPsBrRGs. who have never yet
given a daughter of their house TO a HoHEN-
zoLLERN. to be reminded that they permitted
the niece OF MARIE ANToISETrE and grand
daughter OF MARIA THERESA to marry n
Corsican OF an obscure and INDECENT family
without the slightest pretensons to princely
blood. From Vienna. however. ono might
retort that while the victor OF Austerltz
and jena hesitated between Russian
Grand Duchess and q child OF the German
CHsARs. he never dclgned to think Of n
Prussan Princess. Equally disagrceable
must it be to tho head OF the house OF Savoy
to be tainted by implication with the fact
that he owes the throne OF Italy to
NAPOLEON Ill, the nephew Of the Corsican
parvcnu: for nothing Is more certain thnn
that but for tho battles OF Solferino
and Magenta the Savoyard sovereign
would now DO pcnt up In Piedmont. II.
luckily for him. the Austrians allowed him
to keep his small hereditary domain. Far
more offensive must be tho talk about up
starts to the Swedish monarch. tho
descendant OF one Of NAPoLEoN's Mar
shals. BERSADorTE. who In the scale OF
parvenus was to BoNApARTE what
farthing candle is to q calcium light.
Neither Is 1t tho part OF prudence for
tho German Emperor to mortify and sour
the mushroom rulers at Bucharest and
Belgrade. whose cooperation may at any
hour DO needed on tho Danube and the
Pruth.
There is. finally. no dynasty now reigning
in Europe. except that OF BERNADoTTE. which
owes less than tho house Of HoHENZoLLERN
to hereditary right. and moro to those ma
tive abilities Of which kings. happily. have
no monopoly. The first member Of the fam
lily who emerged from obscurity was merely
Burgrave Of Nuremberg. and he became
Margrave of Brandenburg not by conquest
but by purchase--by the long purse and not
by the strong arm. 1t was not until the
beginning Of the last century-just sixty
eight years before NAPOLEON was born
that m Elcctor Of Brandenburg In his
capacity OF Duke Of Prussia ventured to
put kings crown upon his head. and he
again had to buy the recognition OF
the tito from the reluctant HAPSBuRG Kali
ser. TWAS tho contempt with which MARIA
THERESA regarded the HOHENzoLLERN
upstairs. who had once esteemed it their
highest honor to hold the stirrup OF her an
cestors. that made 1t 80 hard for her to for
give tho seizure Of her province OF Silesia by
FREDERICK the Great. 1t was. on the other
hand, by a display Of the surprising mill
tary and administrative talents which he
shared with the CorSican parvcnu that the
same FREDERICK raised his petty kingdom
to high place among the powers Of Europe.
And to whom. pray. was the superb aggran-
diZement OF Prussia. which we in our own
day have witnessed. due. SO far MS
it may be ascribed justly to individ-
ual talent. IL not to BISMARCK. tho
son OF small landowner. who in Eng
land would be called q squirearch. and to
MoLTKE. the son OF an obscure and needy
Holstencr. who was glad to procure for his
boy q soldiers education at the expense OF
the Danish State, following in this respect
with strange closeness the example Of BONA
parties parents?
Did the young Emperor think OF these
things before he gave vent so rashly to his
foolish contemp. for parvenus? OF course
he did not. But n man who will not stop to
think before he speaks is lacking in the
primary qualification OF a sovereign.