Little Falls weekly transcript. (Little Falls, Morrison Co., Minn.) 1894-19??, 1896-04-17

MARIA CHRISTINA, QUEEN REGENT OF SPAIN.
the first few years Of her married Life
were happy. During these her two
daughters were born. Maria de Ia Mer-
cedes, princess of Asturias, in 1880, and
the Infanta Maria Theresa two years
later.
Then the restless Alfonso. firing Of
her cold nature, sought consolation else
where and created scandals with which
all the courts of Europe rang. When the
queen discovered his fragrant offenses,
her indignation blazed out, and she
threatened to quit Spain and return to
her own people. This brought the way
ward king to his senses, and he begged
humbly for forgiveness, which she grant,
ed for the sake Of her children. In 1885,
shortly after the reconciliation, the king,
worn out by life Of dissipation, died
and was laid to rest beneath the Escurial
palace with his ancestors.
For six months Maria Christina q seat
ON the throne Of Spain was most inse-
cure one, but when it was announced,
with boom of cannon, that son had
been born to the late king, all the d.
vided loyalty Of the people was conferred
in the royal infant.
With the rare tact Of q most sensible
woman, Maria Christina took the only
course that was possible to win the
hearts of the Spanish people. She set
about devoting her whole life to the in
terests Of her son. For his sake she cut
loose from all connection with the men,
bers of her own family, the Hapsburgs,
who are cordially hated throughout
Spain; she learned to speak the Ian
guage Of her people; she studied nation
al and international politics with the
zeal of q reformer; she gave up all the
social pleasures to which she had been
accustomed and divided her time be-
tween the nursery and the council room.
The task Of keeping her hoy we'll and
strong, and when the time came Of d.
reoting his education, so that he might
be a worthy king, came naturally
enough to her, but the lesson Of politics
was a hard one for her to learn. In spite
of much opposition she succeeded in get
ting the reins Of government pretty we'll
into her hands and Of debating her
own policy. Listening neither to the
Conservatives nor to the Radicals, she
threw herself on the mercy Of the Lib
erals. In doing this she sacrificed m any
of the royal prerogatives.
It is not the concessions which she
has made to popular government, but
the devotion which she has shown to the
boy king which has almost made the
Spaniards forget that she is Hapsburg
by birth. The loyalty Of the people to
their child ruler is remarkable. There
is not q more popular monarch in all
Europe.
When few years ago his highness
was seriously i'll and his life despaired
of for time, the heart of the nation
stood still It was whispered that the
queen mother had been for five days
and nights constantly at the bedside Of
her boy. When the court physician pub
lished the bulletin that the tide had
turned in favor of the sufferer and that
the young king would get we'll, the
crowds around the royal palace in Mad
rid first gave a cheer for their SOW
ereign and next for his mother. This
broke the ice, and since that day the
queen regent has been steadily growing
in popularity. MAx1ho CUENcA !.
q = E