New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-11-05
EMPRESS FREDERICK.
HER WORK FOR WOMEN.

HEX WOhk FUN WOMLN.
Although the ex-Empress Frederick. widow Of
Frederick the Noble of Germany, has not lived In
Berlin since the unhappy end of her husband, ex-
cept for a few weeks at time. she still Yields
powerful influence In German politics and German
life. Few have undergone greater and
more persistent persecution than did this daughter
Of Great Britain at the time the Emperor was hght-
ing death so hard I'm the palace OF Potsdam. Those
who we're In Berlin at the time could hear the
bitterest expressions regarding her on all sides.
Friends and followers Of the present Emperor de-
nounced her In unmeasured language and accused
her Of deep-aid plot to exclude her eldest son
from the succession and proclaim herself regent.
Hatred OF her became general that 1t was deemed
best she remain absent from the capital as much
as possible Threats indeed. made against
her life. and condemnation OF her supposed ambi-
ton open. Sitting at table In famous Berlin
house few days after the Emperor's death. the
writer heard a well-known woman declare that
she would gladly aid In tearing out her hair ana
publicly insulting her"
But Her Majesty has lived down this hatred In the
years which have gone by since those days OF stress
and storm. Admiration OF her dgnined conduct
has been forced from her btterest enemies. Doubt.
less the treatment which she received at the hands
of the present ruler aided In overcoming the pre5u.
dice against her. The mention OF her name Is ne
longer greeted with Kisses in certain circles OF the
capital where she formerly lived and praise ana
commentator have taken the place OF the con.
demnation and criticism which were once meted
out to her.
No one Is better able to talk of the work OF the
Empress than George Won Bunsen long her frieno
and admirer In recent article in one OF the Ger.
man reviews he has drawn an attractive picture
of her work among women for the elevation OF her
sex.
1.-THE life OF Empress Frederick" he writes. rich
in both happiness and misfortune, seems to-day 70
have reached new turning point She IL sun
young woman being only fifty-three years DID, She
has carried on a splendid work-under difficult con-
ditions at times-for the advancement or women ID
all the careers for which their nature and strength
specially fit them. Through all this work. II am
not mistaken, she mas had a guiding thought-the
hope OF proving the intellectual ability OF woman
equal to that of man, or, to speak practically the
hope Of opening up the way-in GERMANY loo
for women to take up those careers which nave
been closed to them heretofore. crowning or her
work. therefore. will be the opening In Berlin OK
gymnasium, or college, for women.
1.-The Crimean war. which from Its beginning 70
Its end spared the British Kingdom scarcely one
bitter disappointment, brought about a REFORM OK
the first importance-namely, the creation or
corps OF nurses from the educated ana
higher classes. The work of those women who IN
the winter of 1854 and 1855 hurried to the English
camp at sebastopo, and brought light. life ana
hope into the badly handled hospitals, had great
effect on the rich and work-loving nation. When
In Germany the errors of war In 1856 and 1910 pre-
sented the same necessities to us. 1t any wons
der that wished to take advantage OF the exc
perence OF the English ten years before ana later
the experience OF the Americans. and find that
which was best adapted for our needs? That was
brought about by the one best suited for It's ac-
complishmentthe Crown Princess Victoria OF Prus-
sa One of the pupils and aids Of Florence Night
ingale-Mile. Lees. now Mrs. craven-had aided the
Princess in establishing a model hospital at HON.
burg during the Franco Prusslan war. The idea
of a world siserhood. which had occupied the at
tention Of the Princess for years and which
had often been a subject for her pen. began then
to assume tangible form. lay sisterhood was
planned in Berlin, modelled after that establishes
In London by Miss Lees.
1T is hardly too much to say that the Victoria
House for the Care of the Sick. brought to perfec-
ton in the of years is the greatest result or
the work. intellectual and physical. which the EN-
press Frederick has devoted to the interests OF
women. Up the present day a large number OF
educated women have been found ready to join the
Victoria sisterhood in life Of discipline and sacrf-
fce Everywhere they receive the greatest praise
for their work-in hospitals clinics and In care q
the sick I'm private families
EMPRESS Frederick has endeavored to place new
goals before the eyes Of the German woman. 10
addition to those pertaining to her domestic duties
There are the Association for the Care or the
Health at Home: the branches OF the vacation
Colonies in eighty cities; the Wadzeck Institute, the
Frederick Institute. the Home House for Daughters
of the Better Classes of which she Is the protector
and founder. The Victoria Lyceum, founded by the
Empress has had great success for more tnan
twenty-five years. Thousands or young women
have listened to instructive lectures there on Ian
guages philosophy ETC., and trained themselves for
the pedagogic calling.
I'm the month of June. 1888. after the death or
Emperor Frederick, when bitter sorrow filled not
only Germany but all the nations OF the civilized
world 1t was proposed to do something TO give ex-
nression to the general grief 1t was then, on June
o. that the Empress wrote: L do not know whetner
il Is intended to erect a national monument to the
memory OF this noblest. purest OF men-ths pearl
on a throne But would 1t not be advisable to try
N carry some of his ideas into execution? For In
stance the Institute for the Training or Women.
the Clinic for Diseases OF the Throat, the houses
for workmen in Berlin, the Pestalozzi-Froebei
House? That would have pleased my angel more
than n monument Of stone and iron He was so
beautiful that his picture would be an ornament
anywhere But how often have heard him say:
| "rhe only way to show proper regard for one who
Is gone is by doing some good deed for the poor and
the suffering.
The Empress has allowed no opportunity to pass
nv when she could aid Of her SEX No one In
all Germany Is happier over the establishment OF
colleges for women, and the probability that the
barriers forbiddng their graduation from German
universities will soon be torn away for no one has
done more to bring about these results. Time ana
again she has referred to the results In England ana
| America as proof OF the ability OF women Sne "
| EDUCATION of women in Germany is to be crowned
| with success.
| A RATCATCHING FOX.