The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-12-31
CHRISTMAS OF THE KAISER.
Holiday Week Made a Festive One in
tbe Palace.


Christmas Time-Congress Of the Ger
man Miners = Letters of Sympathy
From All Countries Pouring in on the
Social Democratic Deputies An
Elopement Romance.
Berlin, Dec. 30.-The week began in fine
holiday weather-clear, mild and sunny.
but it closed in rain and cold Never
theless the Christmas trade was admitted
to be good, if not the best in the last few
years. The Christmas festival in the new
palace in Potsdam opened on Christmas
eve with the customary presentation of
gifts. Every member of the imperial fam
lily had an individual fir tree cut in the
Potsdam wild park and set up into the
Shell hall under the emperor's personal
supervision. The size Of the trees was
graduated carefully according to the i'm
portance and age of the possessors. Those
of The emperor and the empress were 20
feet high, Eitel Fredericks . feet high.
and so on down to the little princess, who
had a saplin hardly above feet Late in
the afternoon the family dined in the
Apollo hall The party consisted of the
Empress Frederick, the old Prince Alex
ander and George of Prussia, the ladies.
the officials Of the court and the children's
tutors All Joined the imperial family in a
hearty merrymaking, unmarried by the
restraint of court etiquette. After an hour
at the table. the party went directly to
the Shell hall. which was ablaze with the
light of the chandeliers and numberless
tapers. The trees had been decorated and
lighted under the emperor's eyes. He had
passed the greater part of the day in pre-
pairing the spectacle and smiled compla-
Gently over the wonder which his work
excited among his children The little
company sang the carol 'Heiliche Nacht"
and the emperor and empress distributed
the presents, which had been rolled in
voluminous wrappers to stir the curiosity
of the children. The adults had romp
with the imperial princess during the
examination of the bundles, after which
most of them left the place for home.
Later the emperor and empress enter
tained few intimate friends at a dinner
in their private apartments.
On Wednesday at the emperor's COM
mand matinee performance of Hansel
Und Gretel was given at the opera house
for the amusement of the imperial princes
and the other children of the court. Al
though the house was open to the public
it was not half flled-a fair showing OF
the great decline of interest in the doings
of the imperial family, as usually these
occasions have attracted crowds The
opera was followed with keen interest by
the emperor's boys who old not hesitate
to make loud and frequent demonstra
tions of their delight
Wednesday was the emperor's last holi-
day. Since then he has been absorbed in
his state duties and his family has been
left to seek it's own amusement
Capt. Won Pluskow, of the First Foot
guards had the honor of giving the i'm
perial couple, in accordance with a time
worn custom, the Christmas pepper cakes
which all Germans, rich and poor
associated with holiday festivals.
The emperor received the cakes with dig
nifty and piled in proper c-der on the
table before him.
The Empress Frederick continued her
visits to the hospitals throughout the
week, distributing small presents and ex-
changing Christmas greetings with the
patients In the Emperor Frederick hos
pital for children, she passed a whole af-
ternoon in going from bed to bed and
handing toys to the young sufferers. The
burg-Lippe, who passed the week with
her accompanied her to the Christmas
services in the Marien Kirche, and on
Wednesday worshipped with her in the
chapel of the Empress Augusta hospital.
A noteworthy feature of the peoples hol-
idays this year has been the absence of
the roWdy jollity which prevailed in former
years. The custom of street carousals
seems to be dying out and the police rec
ords, which once swelled enormously late
in every December, have been thus far as
meagre as in the middle of July
The first national congress of German
miners met on Thursday and Friday in
Essen. There was only limited interest
in its proceedings. The delegates mostly
social democrats, voted for an eight-hour
day, reform of the laws to prevent acct
dents and appointment Of mine inspectors
independent of the mine owners. They re-
commended, after short debate, the
abolition of child and female labor, the
suppression of the system of piece work
and the naturalization of all German
mines
The social democratic bias of the dele
gates was shown plainly by their hostility
to the Christian Miners .Association,a con-
cern which mixes theology ana socialism
in its constitution and forbids the member
ship of aVoWed social democrats. The
delegates agreed that religion, politics and
trade unionism should be kept distinct,
although resolving in almost the same
breath that social democracy and inidelity
were essential principles of trades union
ism.
Yesterday the Polish miners closed a
three days conference in Breslau. There
the delegates avowed openly their adher-
ence to the social democracy and prepared
a plan of agitation which will be extended
over all the districts of Posen and Silesia.
While proclaiming the spread Of socialism
in the cities. the speakers deplored the in
difference Of the rural population to So
cialistic appeals. This population is Cath
oIic and has turned a deaf ear to the So
cial democratic attacks upon their faith.
1t has shown persistently its detestation
of the agitators from the cities and has
clung to the priests for advice. DR.. Lezer,
delegate from Cracow, urged the exten-
sion of the socialistic campaigns to Aus
+rian Silesia Private emissaries carry
ing literature and arguments into the
yvorlxingmen's homes, he thought, would
be the best means of spreading socialism
among the Austrian Poles. The German
police decided that DR.. Lezer was a dan
perous man and conducted him to the
Austrian frontier on Friday, after noti-
fvIng their Austrian colleagues that he
would bear watching. The next time he