Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-12-03
PRINCE ,BIsMARckS WIFE
A Danish officials Account Of Her Life and
Influence.
The Romantic COurtship - She Had
More Control Over the Iron Cham
cellOr Than Any One Else.

nothing of court and official life. where
| marriage Is VIGOROUSLY made to subserve
| state and society ends. I fear the old ex-
| chancellor will not long survive" 1t was
| thus that q Danish official, located IN the
west, spoke to Star writer of the death
Of the Princess Bismarck. whose friendship
as we'll as that of her distinguished hus-
band he has long enjoyed.
Bismarck was" he said, mot the equal
of his wife in birth. nor yet in station In
| life, when they first met. She was the de-
scendant Of a noble Pomeranian family
which dates back to the early part OF the
fourteenth century, and came of long line
| of mobiles and barons, though she was the
| most unassuming Of women, quiet in her
| tastes, domestic in her habits and exceed
| iugly retiring. AS Fraulein Johanna she
was best known on her fathers estates.
| modest, sweet country maiden, despite her
| family tree. which was full Of ancestors
| who were noted for fighting and statesman
| ship She was born Puttkamer, In 1S2A
and was christened Johanna Friedrike
Charlotte Eleanor. She was just twenty
years old when she first met Bismarck
| She was acting as bridesmaid for one OF
| her friends, and among the guests was Herr
| Otto Won Bismarck.
| He was then about thirty years old. and
| had a record behind him that was not to
| be envied. He was splendid great big
| fellow. a dude in dress. addicted to mid
| exercise fis aim at any moment, quick to
give the lie and follow it with blow, and.
| In the parlance OF the present day, "a
masher.' Up to that time. however, he had
never contemplated marriage. When he
saw the pretty Johanna in her bridesmaid
| finery. he surrendered. nor asked quarter.
| He laid ardent and impetuous siege for her
hand and won her consent. AS soon as he
returned to his home. after the wedding,
| he wrote her father, Heinrich Ernest Jacob
Won Puttkamer. asking the hand of his
| daughter, which, on the whole, was rather
a cheeky thing to do, for he had never met
| his desired father-in-law, and furthermore
his station in life was not up to theirs, and
his conception OF social and moral ethics
was decidedly below par, all of which was
well known to his sweethearts father, who
questioned his daughter, and finding that
she WAS quite determined to marry young
Bismarck. concluded to do things up in a
diplomatic way, so, while Withholding his
consent, he invited the lover to visit him.
An Ardent Lover.
Every preparation was made to receive
him in solemn state. as became the dignity
of so old a house, with the idea of impress
ing upon him the value Of the gift he had
sued for so lightly, for Fraulein Johanna
was an only child. AS he entered the es-
| tates he was met by relays of retainers and
servants. and by the family in solemn ar
ray at the entrance OF the manor. he saw
but one, however. and that the woman he
loved. He walked directly to her, and en-
braced her in the most fervent fashion be-
| fore the whole Mortified family. After that
| there was but one thing to do. and con-
sent was given at once for the union. which
| took place in 1S4I. They went on a short
| bridal trip. and then Bismarck brought his
bride back to Schoenhausen, his home, and
the place where he was born. Here, year
| later. his daughter Marie Elizabeth johann
| ma, was born. Two sons have been added
| to the family.
THE next few years were hard ones for
| both, for Bismarck was just beginning to
come before the people and was thoroughly
| unpopular. 1t was about that time Mat he
! began to attract attention In the Prussian
parliament as an ultra-royalist, and an ad-
vocate Of the extremist absoluteism; and
| he was one of those who opposed the
scheme of a German empire, proposed by
| the German parliament of 1919. Through
| those years his wife stood his friend and
| won over for him many of his enemies by
| her sweet housekeeping ways, for they
| were not in society, except as 1t sought
| them out. When the tide turned, and Bis
marck became as popular as he had once
| swayed the balance In the opposite d.
| rection, he declared, and has often reiter-
| ated since. that II was the loving trust ard
encouragement of his gentle, loving wife
| that pulled him through and made him
what he is. Her influence was always
| stronger than that of any one else, and
| she could calm him with word.
| 'She was closer to him than anybody else
| living. She knew all the state secrets and
| was Bismarck's trusted adviser at all
| times, and he placed in her the most i'm
plicit confidence. Yet she was not a world
| ly wise woman, and cared nothing for the
| honors that came to her except as they
| were an expression Of goodwill toward her
husband; and she never took any public
part in politics: nothing could have been
| further from her ideas Of what was right
and proper for a wife and mother. Her &C
| complishments were Of the solid kind, and
| a more perfect housekeeper never existed.
| Princess Bismarck not only looked we'll to
4 - 49, hold h,,t oh4
| on occasion take a hand in keeping house
herself. and she was thrifty in every sense
of the word. One accomplishment she did
possess-she was finished musician, with
| a finely developed classical taste. 1t was a
talent often exercised for her friends, and
| her husband was extremely fond of her
music.
| strongly Religious.
| while the princess was a woman Of
keenest intelligence and Of a lively, rather
vivacious disposition, she was in one sense
of the word a religious bigot. Her faith
was that of the Moravians, the followers
of John Huss better known in this coun-
| try perhaps by the title Of United Broth
rem The services of the church are SIM
| pie. but are held every evening Her re-
| iigion led her to hate the French for their
| religious tenets-'heretics' she called them
| and there Is not the least doubt in the
world that II was by her advice. and really
| ~
| to his contest with the Roman Catholic
| Church which ended in the expulsion OF
| the Jesuts in 1872, and the pronunciation
| of the new ecclesiastical law at that time.
1.-THE princess was a little above medium
| height. / have seen on the casing OF
| door in tho home at FREDERICKSBURG the
| marks made by Bismarck himself when he
| measured the different members or MS
! family Above that Of his wife, who meas
| ured five feet seven inches. he wrote n
| line intimating that she had to stand on
her tin toes to reach so sublime height.
| 1.-The Bismarcks had three estates-that
| at VarZin, where the princess died, Schoen-
| hausen where Bismarck was born, and
Friedrichsr,Ihe, the residence presented to
| him Nv Emperor William I. The last named
was crce a hunting lodge. later converted
| into an inn. where the public could he en-
| tertained It is not far from Hamburg and
| stands in the center Of a deep forest bor-
| dcring on the river. 1t is not very large
building. though it ia called a castle. and
IT is painted yellow. 1t is but meagerly
| furnished according to orr ideas of COM
fort with whitewaShed walls and cell
| ings and lacks the litter of bric-a -brac
| that one expects to find in such home.
It contains no fine paintings, the only thing
| in that line being few portraits, but the
| beautiful grounds more than make up for
| the big bare rooms. Once the public was
| permitted to wander at will through these
grounds, but vandal hands. eager for
| IAI h. foI h.