New-York tribune., 1895-02-17
CANDLES.
THE PART THEY PLAY WITH KINGS
AND PRINCES


w was brought up by candle light" replied
Prince Hohenlohe the ether day In declining
Emneror Williams offer 10 have the official resi-
dence Of his Chancellor in the Whelmstrasse. at
par,in fitted up with electric light. And there
was far more in this quiet, apparently simple re-
marx than might appear at first sight. For 1t
was doubtless intended as reminder to the i'm
nulsive and imperious young monarch that the
Uohenlohes of quite as illustrious and an
cjent origin as the Hohenzollerns just in the
same manner that the ordinarily imperturbabe
Prince WAS on one occasion compelled to check
some into.erabe piece Of arrogance on the part
of the Prince Regent of Bavaria with the ex-
clamation: "Be good enough to remember that
what you are ! am too.'
In mentioning the fact that he had been brought
up by candle light Prince Hohenlohe drew atten-
tion to the fact that by birth. training and tastes
ne belongs to the oldest and grandest arstocracy.
and that he has nothing in common with mush-
room nobility or even mushroom royalty. Gas
and electric light may be all very well for mon
archs whose thrones have not as yet had time "
become covered with the moss Of ages. but they
are totally out of keeping with the ideas ana
preiudices of families who held sovereign RANK
as far hack as at the time Of the Crusades. Ana
in the same way that there is STRONG a"aios9
between the glare Of electric light anu 'he glare
Of the colors on new escutcheons, So too Is there
a certain sympathy between the softness or the
Hight of wax candles and the softness OF tone
Of ancient armorial bearings. the hues OF which
have been meowed by age.
Few people take the trouble to reflect on the
part which the candle plays even to this day In
the Official religious and private existence Of
those OF te scions Of royalty and the aristocracy
who remair imbued with the Tory and Conserva-
tive traditions Of their ancestors. Thus in those
Grand and exclusive old clubs in London which
remain the strongholds of the old territorial
aristocracy and county families no form OF illu-
minant is tolerated except wax candles. Not
even oil lamps permitted, dinner, WHIST
ecarte and lansouenet all taking place by can
die light And there Is something very soothing
when one enters any OF these old-fashioned clubs,
with their soft light. their gentle gloom their at
nosphere OF dignifed and high-bred repose. espe-
cially after leaving the glare. the noise and the
loud tone of modernity-with all the vulgarity
that word entas-which prevail at such up-to-
date clubs as the Bachelors, the Junior Carlton
the Devonshre ct tutti quaint.
Then too the candle fills place In oid-fash-
ioned hospitality which for one should be sorry
to see disappear. In many an English country
house. even If they do happen TO be htted up
with electric light. number Of highly burnished
silver candlesticks are set out on the nan tabe
at night and when on the evening OF your ar
rival you retire rest your host or hostess
makes a point Of lighting one and OF handing II
TO YOU with wishes not only for good night. but
also with the expression of a hope that you may
find everything arranged with view TO your
comfort Nowhere is this done more gracefully
than at Sandringham, the Prince himself. candle
stick in hand, sometimes escorting the newly ar
rived guest to his room to see that everything
Is all right.
This is perhaps a survival Of the custom that
used to prevail at the court OF Versailles in the
seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Thus,
every evening when King Louis XIV was about
to retire 20 rest a silver-gilt candlestion ~-ild
be brought by His Majesty's valet. Bontemps. lie
Grand Monarque then, glancing at those OF his
courtiers around him. would beckon to the noble
man or great dignitary Of the crown upon whom
he wished TO bestow a special mark Of his favor
that evening. The parsonage thus designated
would take the lighted candle from Bontemps
and, walking backward about four PAGES in ad-
vance of the King, would light His Majesty to
his bedchamber. which not more than thirty
or forty PAGES distant. and the entire ceremony
did not last longer than .wo minutes. But dur
ing that space Of time the bearer OF the candle
stick was the envied Of all present.
7 have seen that same candlestck at Berlin
on the writing table of the late Emperor Will
iam 1t was the solitary piece Of booty car
r:ed off by His Majesty from the conquered
country in 1870 When leaving the palace Of
Versailles to return to Berlin at the close Of the
war he stopped his carriage just as II was driv-
ing out of the courtyard, summoned the porter
and showing him the candlestick that he had on
the seat beside him exclaimed: Il wish you 10
note that l am taking this away with me.
have been using II all the time that I've been
here should not like anybody to be accused Of
having stolen it.
You have to visit the small courts Of Ger
many In order to appreciate TO what extent the
candle plays part in official functions. Thus,
whenever either the sovereign any member
Of the reignlng family visits the theatre other
wise than incognito he she is received on
alighting from the carriage by the State OFF,
cial intrusted with the superintendent OF
theatres, who. arrayed either in uniform or in
knee breeches. walks backward in advance Of the
royal visitor holding aloft In his right hand
silver-gilt double -branched candlestck to light
the way to the state "loge " or royal box The
ascent backward up the stairs. especially when
the dignitary happens to be old. fat and clothed
in a tight-itting uniform. is sometimes extremely
comical. especially when the candle grease hap
pens TO trckle over his gloved hand and inside
the sleeve Of his coat. In oden times the candle
stick would be left on consol in the box, and il
the play did not meet with the satisfaction Of the
royal visitor he would hurl the candle. though
not the candlestick upon the stage, to put
stop to the performance a custom to which might
be attributed that old French saying which is
rendered in English THE game is not worth
the cande.'
Wnen sovereign royal parsonage visits
private house. especially If IL belongs to one of
.neir subjects, II is customary for the host to
weIcome the royal guest IN descending from the
carriage In much the same manner that is to
s., as; WIN double-branched silver-gilt candle
80. anu cn more than occasion have |
@ m,.nesseu ESQ ora Queen Isabella Of SPAIN who is
W, .es ionu of going into society being greeted
tnus on her arrival to attend a ba or dinner