The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-12-02

H1nA HFos E-ErFoF 70 SounetioF-E. -
psr.r wnns-'s Ner-is .sa Hi. sts-s-
are 81 virt-s for other--Ths I.ge.-s
whe- He K.sws Ne More --a the We
-e- Hs nae EziIe< fre- the Capital
tbs E.pr.ss ..s Hsr C~hiIsrer-Ce-rt
Csb.is s.s The Ne. whe MAKE The-.
BERLiN. Nov. ls.-For = generation the Berlin
court vas the most %virtuous Of European
capitals. There was little 20 cay about II, and
this little remained nnsaid. II was frugal and
industrious and monotonous and plain. The
old Emperor was a soldier from head 10 heel.
and he lived in a soldierly day. when an iron
arm and mailed hand weighed more than all
the gold and silver and Jewels Of palace treas
ures. To be sure. he did not count his coppers
- did Frederick William l.. nor did he hunt his
extravagsnt cooks with a stick as did Frederick
the Great; yet between squabbles with his par
Lament at home and battles with Denmark,
Austria. and France abroad. he found little time
for upholstery and interior decorations. HIS
chamberlaihs and masters Of ceremonies were
decrepit old friends Of half a century. who.
whatever their shortcomings, were allowed 20
hobble In all the great royal parades in the
palace Inter den Linden. and IN muddle and
dlsjoint arrangements 10 the utter despair Of
ambassadors from better regulated courts. As
Empress Augusta chose TO pass Der last days
among the gossiping Tables Of a byRone genera
tion. 80 her husband surrounded himself by
preference with yaletudlnarian soldiers and
worn out roues. Under this sentimental regime
system In the household went 10 pieces, and the
splendor of the court became anything but regal.
The general house-cleaning instituted by En-
peror William III. soon after he Ascended the
throne, was a terrible upset for the Berlin court,
and caused a series Of sensations. heart burnings,
and intrigues such as even the fall Of q Bis
-...E sol "a z..I ,,- -
utterly absolute and incompetent piece Of court
furniture, had succeeded the crippled Count
Pueckler in the general management OF the
household. Under them and other officials of
their class the young Emperor knew the court of
Berlin had become entangled In ridiculous
muses., and even international complications.
For instance, the GOODNESS between Windsor and
Potsdam. which had bothered Germany for
thirty years, was due more 10 the clumsiness
OF the chief court marshal than to differ
ences between the Cabinets Of London and
Berlin, for when Queen Victoria went to
Germany 70 sec her daughter marry the Crown
Prince she was horrined TO see the Prince Con-
sort. her gilt-edged paragon OF all virtues,
seated among the third rate princes Of the en-
pire, while she was placed nifty covers of in the
exalted circle OF ruling sovereigns. She was
grouty and nervous throughout the dinner. and
the moment the celebration was over she hur-
ried her husband back TO Windsor. with her
heart filled with implacable hatred Of the
Hohenzollerns. Within the young Emperor's
own experience Prince Bismarck had been
driven to the verge OF resignation by the court
marshal who seated him among the nobodiss
at 4 dinner in honor OF Alexander III. OF Russia
To be sure. the Prince thought better Of re-
signing, but he got revenge by striding
into the dining hall twenty minutes late
an unprecedented violation OF court etiquette"
says the last chroniGler OF the royal and imperial
household. Then. too. there was the famous
quarrel with Prince Henry OF Reuss-Schleiz II
occurred only q year or two before the young
Emperor assembled the throne, and vas the
masterpiece Of Perponcher's bungling. The
Reusses are n sheer countless race OF
half q dozen branches. and they have pro-
duced so many sovereign princes that ordi-
nary methods Of distinguishing them gave out
long ago and they were classified In series. and
for historical purposes were labelled with num-
bers. In one branch the princes named Henry
had got as high as L%VII.; In another up
10 LxXII. The particular Henry Of Reuss
who caused Perponcher's ultimate downfall
and tho final reorganization OF the household
belonged TO a series which had just reached
XIV. He is a ruling prince, as ruling princes go
In Germany, although. with his 900 square miles
ofterritory and his 10. 900 subjects, he would not
~ s.S~' sAS tH hAo y " Nal IA
the Duke OF Council Bluffs or the King OF Kansas
City. What lac lacks In territory and subjects,
however. he makes good In pride. aud when his
name was omitted accidentally by Perponcher
from the list OF birthday invitations there was a
storm brewing over his 300 square miles of land.
The omission was discovered by Porponcher a
few days later. and the invitation was sent.
With bitterness still In his heart, Prince Henry
XIV. accepted II. He went 10 Berlin. lie en-
AA2A Az. N-N-- III - l.
some eighty kings, queens, and princes he peered
nearsightedly along the tables for his place. He
found none, for old Perponcher's memory had
played him another trick. bursting with an
ger. he turned abruptly. stalked past royalty and
nobility 10 the door, jumped into his carriage,
and was not seen again in Berlin for years. lie
was still angry when William /. died. and re-
fused to grant . single square foot OF his 800
square miles for the erection OF . monument TO
the old Emperor.
The man first selected by the present En-
peror 20 bring order out of this chaos was Herr
Won Liebenau. He had managed the household
OF the Crown Prince William, and was expected
20 do a. well with the household Of the Emperor
William. He was named Chief Court Marshal,
and within . few months he had swept the
palace clean OF the dry bones OF former genera
lions. The pets OF the old Emperor were PEN
stoned and set out In the street by the dozen,
the intriguing old women were hustled out
after them, and young heads and faces were
brought into all the real and honorary offices
OF the court. II was an AuEean task: but
in the army Lisbenau had learnsd how
TO deal. shorthand. with the incompetent
and mutlnous. and In the imperial household
ho showed his military ability 10 establish order
with neatness and despatch Liebenau lacked
tact. lie had diniculty in mastering The Book
OF Ceremonies at the Prussian Court" a ponder
Gus volume In which Count Stillfried -AlcantAra
has told in impossible German eX-
Actly how much attention everybody deserves
a. court. He kept out Of trouble with the SOW
sreign princes. but the lieutenAnts Of the second
class, the knights OF the sixth class. and the
councillors Of the fifteenth class we're too nu-
merOus for him. ItmAy have been the difficulty
OF distinguishing between the simple Privy
Councillor and the real Privy Councillor, or the
Ad blood stirred by his letting an ordinary
Herr Won Schmidt get ahead OF an important
FEeiherr Won Schultze In greeting the Emperor
I'm Kiel or the intriRues laid hnalnsI him nv thu