Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1893-11-16

| Louis of Bavaria was never so happ!
as when he could get away from Nun
ich and conceal himself under some
ordinary name in a cheap boarding
house on the shores Of the lake of Ll
cerne, or that of Geneva. while his TIVE
cousins, Princes Rupert and Charles
have both already followed his eX
ample. The younger of the two was 81
eager to escape from the restraint Il
which he was subjected as being /
prince of the blood that he actually raj
away from home Il year ago with the
| intention of making his way to Ham.
burg, and there shipping before the
! mast as a common sailor. and it was
only due to the fact that he started off
with too little money in his pocket
and became stranded before he crossed
the frontier that his project proved a
| failure.
Archduke John of Austria. rs is well
known, preferred to surrender his i'm
perial rank, his generalShip in the army
and al the perogatives of his birth,
and to 90 to sea as the skipper of a
sailing ship laden with cement, rather
| than to submit to the demands on the
part of the emperor and of the govern
nent that he should refrain from giving
expression to his remarkably clear
sighted viCwS Oh the current topics
of the day, and there is one Of his
brothers who has the same notions Of
independence and who, sooner than
submit to the eXigencieS of his rank,
has turned his back on Vienna and
taken up his permanent abode on one
of the BaleaIic islands in the Medi-
terranean. l might cite many instances
such as these including the princess
Of Wales and her daughters. But |
think that | have said enough to show
that, whereas there are many of us
who would be delighted TO be taken
for and treated as persOnageS of royal
rank princes and princess of the blood
are, as rule, never so happy as when
they are mistaken for plain, everyday
people.
Of the disadvantages under which
members of the reigning houses labor
in all matters connected with the heart
and love, volumes might be written.
There are very few cases indeed where
princes or princesses have been per-
mittd to foliow the dictates OF their
own inclinatiOns in marrying. Con-
SideratiOnS of policy and of etiquette
predominant and constitute an insul-
mOuntable obstacle to the course of
true love. There is scarcely 4 welded
couple among the sovereign houses Of
the old world who do not enjoy the
reputation of having been forced to
mate by considerations of others
than those of mere affection. King
Albert of SaXony'S marriage TO Queen
Carolina was one of conStraint rather
than inclination, ad was not brought
about until his father had banished
from the kingdom the beautiful lady
ana family of children who had until
that time mOnOpoliZed his affection.
The crown prince Of Sweden affianced
himself to Il parsons daughter before
wedding the princess of Baden. Crown
Prince Ferdinand of ROumania placed
himself in similar position with re
gard to Nile. Helen Nacarescu before
becoming the husband of Princess
Marie of Edinburg The episode in
connection with gOOd-lO0ling Canon
Duckworth and Princess Louis of Great
Britain, which preceded her marriage
to the marquis of LOrne is 10 well
known to render more than a passing
reference thereto necessary, and in the
same way King Humbert Was notori-
Ously averse to plighting his troth to
Queen Marguerite, a quarter of cen
fury ago, owing to the fact Of his en-
tanglement with the duchess of Litta,
at the funeral of whose son he travelled
al the way from Rome to Milan to
attend the other day. The ear of
Russia had solemnly pighted his troth
to the beautiful Princess MeStcherSki
to whom he was DaSSionately attached
and would never have lead his dead
borther's fiancee to the altar had his
father not forced Princess Mestchersli
to become the wife of Prince Paul
Demidoff during the czarewitch's tenn
pOrary absence from st. Petersburg.
The late crown prince Of Austria may
be said to have almost been driven to
the altar, betraying the same tokens
of distaSte for his Belgian bride as
those which King George ". of Eng
land is asserted to have manifested
at the time of his union with Queen
Caroline. In some instances princes
have preferred to sacrifice their royal
rank and attributes to their inclina-
tions, as in the case of Prince Oscar
of Sweden, who married one of his
mothers maids of honor. But this is
an exceptional instance, and in most
cases members of reigning houses have
preferred either to sacrifice their hearts
to the exigencies of their position, or
! else to impose upon their partners the
4 dubious honor of q morganatic union
! 4 union which debarS that one of the
| two who is of lower rank, as well as
! the children born to the marriage
from any of the social considerations
rank or fortune of the one who is Of
royal rank.
Yet another disadvantage of royal III
! imperial birth is that there is large
and ever growing number of people
who are so strongly opposed to mon
archal doctrines that they seem TO re
gard royalty as IN actual disgrace tC
4 man. An instance in point is to DC