St. Paul daily globe., 1891-03-22

queen regent during the minority of her
son, born May II, 1856, after his fathers
death. and WHO'S in the peculiar position
of having depoSed his elder sister,
Maria-de-las-Mercedes. by virtue of his
being male.
1t is fortunate for Spain that the
queen regent is not only woman of
great popularity among the people of
the country of her adoption, but one
possessing the power aud decision Of
character requisite to maintain her po-
sition during the long minority of her
son.
In Holland, or, as it is more correctly
termed, the Kingdom of the Neither
lands, the reigning monarchS have, for
a century past. been members Of the
House of Orange, that gave to Great
Britain sovereign under the title of
William III. The present monarch,
who was born in 1917, has, by decree
of the states general, been declared in
capable of carrying on the government,
owing to the decay Of his mental facul-
ties, and the supreme power is tempo
rarily vested in the council of state,
which is bound to propose a regent
within one month.
In this case there is no question as to
choice; it will fall upon Queen Emma,
the second wife of the king, to whom
she was married Jan. :. 1879. AS the
wife of William Ill. and the mother of
his only child, the Princess Welhemina,
the heireSs-apparent to the throne.
Queen Emma becomes regent almost of
right, as the natural protector and best
adviser OF the future ruler, and, in addi-
ton to these claims, she may be re-
garded without doubt as the most popu-
lar woman in the Netherlands, although
of In afr1- fot
being Prince George of Waldeck, a
small prncipality of some 400 square
miles, which is now included in the
German Empire.
The prospects Of the kingdom of the
Netherlands, with its immediate ruler
the queen regent and its future
monarch, now the Princess Wilhemina,
are. as far as can be humanity foreseen,
of the fairest kind. The Dutch women
have always been celebrated for shar-
ing the struggles and responsibilities Of
life with the men. The nation has pro-
duced women who have been foremost
in patriotism and shown fortitude in
defense of their liberty from the time
when, at the siege of Haarlem, 800
! women, armed with musketS and spears,
shared in many of the fiercest engage
mentS with the enemy, both within and
without the walls. The administration
Of Queen Emma during the long illness
of her husband has endeared her TO the
people, and is good augury for her
future success. With regard to the
| princess, now in her eleventh year,
we are informed by Mrs Lecky, who
| knows the country from long experience.
| that she eXempiifes Dutch girlhood in
| its most attractive form-a concise state
ment which. when we take into conSid-
GRAFTON the admirable manner in which
! Dutch girls are educated. and morally
| as well as mentally trained, means even
| more than the words seem to express.
| Each successive year we are told by this
! competent historian, endearS the prin-
! cess more and more 10 the people. The
! day of her birth is called Princess day,
| and is kept as one of rejoicing and holi-
day all over the country. Everywhere
| are flags unfurled, orange flowers OF
ribbons are universally worn, whilst IL
luninations at night and popular games
during the day make it the happiest
holiday of the year for the children.
who regard their own princess as one
of themselves.
In limited mOnarchies, such as now
| exist in most civilized countries, there
is noreason why the permanent head OF
the executive should not be a woman
That such an arrangement works well
i'll actual practice is evidenced by ou,
own country. Whatever faults queens
| poSSeSS-and they are but human-tbey
are usually free from the lust of con
quest. and prefer the peace and the
progress of the arts of life to the false
glorieS and unutterable miseries of war