The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-06-24
ROYAL TELEPHONES.
sovereigns of Europe VINO Use the
Ten-TaIe Wires.

AeA-A aAAf " res
From the New York Mail and Express.
Now that Queen Victoria has al length
permitted the installation Of the telephone
at Windsor Castle, Osborne house, Bal
moral and Buckingham palace, there is
not a sovereign in Europe who does not
utilize this instrument for communicating
royal and imperial wishes, as well as com
mands to subjects and officials. Even the
pope. who has lately decided that. while a
confession may be heard over the tele-
phone, the priest cannot use the wire for
the purpose of granting absolution, has
had receiver installed in his private
apartments, by means of which he often
communicates with the PROPAGANDA fde,
which is situated on the east of the tt
Der and at a considerable distance from
the vatican. 1t is generally his valet,
Cintra, who does the talking over the
wire for him, but he occasionally speaks
over it himself and only the other day,
when a Jesuit priest was taken suddenly
i'll during a private audience the pope
rushed to the little red-lined booth and
personally called UP the Jesuit College,
King Leopold IS enabled, by means of
the telephone. to communicate with his
ministers at Brussels without leaving
either his palace at Lacken, or his marine
residence at Ostend. When, a year ago,
the little King Of Spain was Frustrated
with the ItdHltS, anu SEElultu At one emu
of the huge palace at Madrid, the queen
regent was able to hold intercourse with
him, located in distant wing of the edi-
hce not only daily, but almost hourly,
over the wire.
Queen Victoria, however, Is so ultra-con-
sentative that II Is most difficult to get
her consent to any modern innovation, and
1t was only two years ago that she per-
mitted the installation of electric light in
the state apartments of Windsor. Pre-
V,ously electricity, as well as gas had been
1rrC civ haTrnd from he ff
apartments. Yet II is almost impossible to
eXaggerate the importance of thus placing
the various residences of the queen in tele-
phonic communication with London, as
far as the transaction OF official business
is concerned.
Until now, whenever the queen was de-
srOus of consulting one of her constitu-
t!onal advisers upon any point or when any
cabinet minister had some matter of ur-
gency TO impart to her majesty the I'M
fortunate dignitary had to travel all the
way from Windsor to Balmoral-a twenty
four hours journey-or to Osborne, which
entailed sea trip across the stormy So
lent, very often only for the sake Of ten
minutes talk with the sovereign. Then,
too, Lord Salisbury and even Mr. Cham
berlain, both of them busy men, have had
to spend a good deal Of their time explain
ing matters TO the queen in writing, the
library at buckingham palace containing
many volumes of letters such as these
written TO the queen by her various minis
tiers through her long reign Of Well-nigh
sixty-years. Henceforth the queen will be
in a position 10 be consulted by her minis
ters at a moments notice, which will
greatly simplify matters.
In the same proportion that the queen Is
old-fashioned in her views, in her sur
roundings, In her manner and in her ap-
pearance, 50 is the Prince of Wales up TO
date. Marlborough house and Sandring-
ham are fitted up with telephones and
electric lights, in the most approved style.
Should the prince survive his mother, his
advent to the throne Is likely to be mark
ed by all sorts of innovations, which will
intricate manner Of conducting the busi-
ness of state.
In this respect he resembles his nephew,
Emperor William of Germany, whose pre-
objection for the telephone Is a source Of
disgust TO the various government officials
at Berlin There are instruments I'm mis-
library and working room, as well as IN a
number of other Of the imperial apart
ments, and he IS all day long engaged in
ringing up one government official or an
other or else talking with his friends and
courtiers over the wire. He seems to find
the same pleasure in calling up the various
government departments over the tele-
phone that he does in alarming the va
rious garrisons at night time, being evil
IDENTIFY under the impression that by so
doing he keeps the officials strictly atten-
tive TO their duties, and convinced that If
not the eye, at any rate the ear, of the
emperor Is on them
Although ii may hatter the pride of the
telephone people at Berlin to have the EN-
perior among the subscribers of the sys-
TEN, yet he gives them far more trouble
than any other subscriber. For when he
telephones 10 any part Of the government
departments the operators at the central
stain from listening to the conversation.