Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1895-06-21
HOLLANDS LITTLE QUEEN.
Who Is Considered the Greatest 1atr
monIal Prize In the Royal Market.

Who Is Considered the Greatest Watri-
monial Prize In the Royal Market.
The report which came out recently,
and which was promptly contradicted,
that the young queen Of the Netherlands
was engaged to the only son Of the Duke
Of Coburg and Edinburgh was probably
but the forerunner Of many rumors yet
to come-reports Of her engagement to
every eligible prince Of Europe, for the
little queen, though now only Az
years DID, is the greatest matrimonial
prize III the royal market 1t is said
that she is to visit England this sum-
mer, which amounts, we suppose, 10
her coming ont, and her marriage
will be planned and talked Of as a mat
ter Of affectionate interest as well as Of
great political importance, for already
she is much loved by the Hollanders.
Should Wilhelmina die without an heir
the crown Of Holland would pass to
foreign family.
Wilhelmina is a pretty, sweet faced
little girl, with fine royal courtesy and
dignity, and she is as good and as interest
ing, it is said, as she is pretty very
much loving, thoughtful girl, and very
much a queen, most charitable TO the
poor and the aged, most majestic in her
strong will, most unaffected in her
pleasures. Such at least is the notion
one gets of her from her own subjects,
who seem to like nothing better than to
talk of their little queen, and in her
face one may see the blending Of all the
characteristics which they ascribe to her.
1t was the writer's fortune to be in HOl-
land Just before Wilhelmina s last birth
day, aud though he could not stay to see
the actual festivities he did not leave
her capital city of The Hague until the
eve of the anniversary, and so caught
something Of its spirit.
That day Of preparation was glori-
ously perfect one, and the flags and
bunting were early arranged In the
morning all the shop windows were
filled with the new photographs which
the queen had had taken for the occasion
They were Of various sizes and styles,
all finely finished, and all showing the
same sweet face, whether the fair smooth
brow supported crown, or whether the
silver headgear of Dutch peasant close
ly clasped it. The sale of the pictures
seemed to be very great, but then the
stanchest republican might buy one and
forget that the little girl was a queen
In the evening the arches and the
frameworks for the gas Examinations
began to appear, and after nightfall the
streets were noisy with the cries Of the
hawkers Of her pictures, Of flags and Of
badges. OF the latter the most popular
was an orange colored bird, fixed to a
stab pin, to wear in the lapel Of ones
coat By 8 o'clock it seemed as though
everybody in the streets had one, and
very graceful and pretty they were, and
the writer was as proud of his as though
he were Dutchman.
There was something quite touching
and interesting and very foreign to
republican in the thought that whole
nation was ON the eve of thus Loyalty
celebrating the birthday Of a little girl,
only just in her teens How much 1t
all meant And was there not something
pathetic in it, too, in the thought that I
such child must seriously note these
manifestations of popular love, and now
in the news that she must think Of a
husband? Poor little girl, life's best is
closed to her l-Rochester Post Express.