St. Paul daily globe., 1895-06-24
THE AUSTRIAN EMPRESS.
And How She PASSES the Time NJ
the Summer Palace.


the Summer Palace.
Vienna Letter.
Perfectly ideal is the Austrian EN-
press palace of Lainz. which. although
within easy drive Of Vienna. is as re-
mote and as rural in it's surroundings
as though it were 100 miles distant
from any city, environed with i'm
mense grounds. beyond which stretch
eS 1orest-like park of vast dimen-
siohs. The principal feature of this
Pdiace' especially when the empress
IS III residence there is it's phenomenal
weaieh or glorious flowers, of which
she IS passionately fond. But of all its
superb apartments, to my mind. the
most characteristic is the bedroom Of
the empress.
1t is a huge room of great baie,b+
and, while at one end stands bar
majesty's bed, at the other is n1aced
an exquisite and life size statua in
pink marble of Niobe mourning for
her children. 1t stands surrounded bv,
peautifully arranged cluster of tropi-
cal plants and palm trees. and
throughout the night the statue. with
It's surrounding foliage, is softly illu-
minated by electric lights, incIosed in
the most delicate of emeraId-preep
tinted globes. 1t is difficult to imagine
more poetic and picturesque ar
ransement. Upon it the empress eyes
rest whenever she happens to lie
awake in her bed at night.
Every evening, when at Lainz she
retlres to this room punctually at ~
O'CLOCK after having spent the previ-
Gus hour or two in writing to her chill
dren and grandchildren and to her
three sisters. with whom she keeps
up constant correspondence, espe-
clally with the eX-queen of Naples. Of
whom she is especially fond.
She rises at o'clock. and by
O'Clock is out of doors, walking about
IN the gardens arrayed in one of those
short, tailor-made black serge dresses
which she affects. She never wears 4
dress either trailing to the ground or
even touching it, save at court func-
tlons and state balls, and she insists
on having all her dresses made very
snort, as she cannot bear the trouble
OF holding them up, which she de-
clares makes her nervous.
Yet another peculiarity about this
imperial Niobe is that she never dimes.
an odd1ty which is a source of much
concern and dismay to her attendants.
True, she sometimes presides at the
family and state dinners given by her
husband, but she never eats anything.
and after sunGown until the next
morning restricts her diet to iced milk.
L will not conclude this brief refer
ence to the empress and to her favorite
palace at Lainz without mentioning
the fact that mass is celebrated every
morning in one of the two dining
rooms adjoining her majestys bed
room, and is attended not only by the
empress, but the entire personnel of
the palace, even the humblest stable
boy being welcome.
Between the two lofty windows that
light this room stands an immense
mirror, gorgeously framed and ex-
tending almost from floor to ceiling.
By touching a secret spring this mir
ror is made to revolve on a pivot 1t
shows on the reverse side an eXquis-
itely carved wooden altar and reredos,
all ready for the celebration of the
mass. The moment divine service is
over the mirror is swung round and
the altar, with all the sacred vessels,
disappears from sight into the wall
until the following morning