The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-12-24
CHRISTMAS TINE IN BERLIN.
TradeSmen BemOln the Absence Of the
Imperial Family.

The Family to Remain at Pot tsdam Until
the Middle Of January-Co Court Life to
be Resumed at the Old Castle on Their
Return-Many of the Rooms in the
Palace Redecorated-The Flow of
Christmas Charity as Full as Ever.
Chancellor Hohenlohe's Tenure of
Office Uncertain.
Berlin. Dec. 23.-Christmas week opens
with most of Berlins society people at
their country homes The example has
been set by the imperial family who will
remain in Potsdam until the middle of
January when court life at the old cas-
tie win be resumed The date fixed is
seven or eight days later than last sea-
son. and the tradesmen VINO clothe. feed
and adorn society at the big receptions
land dinners are bemoaning the heavy
losses which this delay will cause them.
The absenteeism Of the court grows
more noticeable yearly Some say that
the emperor is preiudced against his own
capital because it is fun of radicals and
social-democrats. This is about the only
attempt to assign reason for the short
ness of his stay here. 1t is certain that
the emperor manifests no dislike OF so
ciety functions The empress does not
conceal her delight in balls. dinners. the
opera and the play All amusements
within the range OF her position seem to
please her now more than ever before
The old castle has been altered consid
erably in the last few months. and the
work is hardly yet completed. Under the
emperor's supervision. some of the larg-
est rooms have been redecorated and sew
eral new pictures have been hung in the
state apartments. The rooms used by
the imperial family, however, We're left
unchanged.
The absence OF the court circle has not
had much effect upon the holiday aspect
OF the town. General trade has every APP
pearance Of briskness. and the flow of
. Christmas charity and good feeling is as
fun as ever. On Thursday the Empress
Frederick attended agrand fete OF the chill
dren of the Peztalozzi Frobelhaus These
children she regards as her special wards,
and as usual she contributed a large
sum toward their Christmas fun. The
I Empress Augusta Victoria entertained the
children Of the Empress Augusta home
still more elaborately. She brought them
in court carriages from Charlottenburg
to the new palace in Potsdam and treated
them to chocolate. cakes and fruits in
! the presence of the small princes who
sat at the table with their visitors and
afterward Joined them in dance and gem
eral frolic. After three hours of fun the
children had lemonades and cakes and
went home.
The imperial princes will have an un-
usually splendid tree on Christmas eve.
I ba ~ oh hoe 81 . l,a
best part of several days in dressing IT,
| and has bestowed on it a vast amount
Of Christmas stuff sent to her by the
Prince of Wales, her brother, through
Sir T. b. Malet. In the evening she has
tried to fulhll some Of the functions
which would devolve upon the court were
il here. on Thursday she gave "A recep-
tion and dinner in honor of the czars en-
voy, Gen. Swetchn. Among those pres
ent We're Ambassador Theodore Runyon
and Mrs. Runyon, the Austrian and Span
ish ambassadors and their wives. Count
Won Schlieffen and Count Won Kanitz.
Emperor William, while avoiding such so
cial duties, has gone off hunting In the
neighbOrhood of Koenigs- Wusterhausen.
AT his urgent request Count Botho Zu
| Eulenburg, the former premier, accom-
panied him. The imperial faVors bestowed
upon this unpopular and untiring office
seeker have caused much dubious head
shaking in the lest week, as they have
given rise to reports that he soon will
succeed Prince Hohenlohe.
1t is regarded as reasonably certain that
the present chancellor can be only a stop
gap. His few appearances in the Reich
stag have shown that his vocal powers,
which never were great, are waning rap
idly. AS a debater, he cuts no figure what
ever, generally reading his speeches as
he would official statements and when di-
far,r,. y In m
suggestions from the secretary at his ell
bow His lifeless manner and thin voice
make a forlorn impression on all who re-
member Chancellor Capriyi's vigorous de-
livery and penetrating tones. Persons
who have done business with Chancellor
Hohenlohe in his office say that there
ne is a quite different man, easy. affable
and keen He has a wonderful grasp of
detail and mentally is always alert The
old Prussian tories boast also that he
VIII give the most brilliant receptions seen
in the Wilhelm Strasse for a generation,
and the chancellor Is reftting the chan
celery on scale of magnificence which
verihes their predictions.
The semi-official newspapers say that
neither the emperor nor chancellor is
anxious over the results Of their failure
to discipline the social democrats In the
Reichstag The emperor is represented as
holding aloof from parliamentary bust
curtail the privileges of members, and
not caring whether his attempt succeeded
or not
Yesterdays Koelnische Zeitung says:
prince Hohenlohe has other aims than a
conflict with the Reichstag He knows
that such a conflict would hamper and
might even make impossible the govern
ment's policy. Those who expect a con-
nict show their ignorance Of the real sit
uation."
The Berlin Tageblatt. however, said yes
terday that the government would APP
peal to the country next March, and the
Boersen Zeitung that the dissolution
would follow directly the rejection
Of the tobacco tax bill AS other newspa-
pers Of equally high standing have made
similar predictions almost daily for a
week. the United Press correspondent APP
piled yesterday for information to Herr
Won Koeller, who, as Prussian minister of
the interior is regarded as the head and |
front of the conflict group in the cabinet |
The minister said there was no truth |
whatever in the newspaper reports that |
the government sought a conflict with /
the Reichstag. The minister's were ready |
to discuss the anti-reYolutionary. tobacco /
and other hills In a fair spirit. and were /