The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-07-15
ROYAL TELEPHONES.
all the Palaces Of Europe Provided
with the Instrument
Queen Victoria Was Very Reluctant to
Adopt the Invention, Eut the Prince
of Wales and Emperor william
Are More Up-to-Date.

length permitted the installation of the
telephone at Windsor castle, Osborne
house and Balmoral and Buckingham
palace, there Is not sovereign in Eu-
rope who does not utilize this instru-
nent for communicating royal and i'm
perial wishes, as well as commands to
subjects and officials. Even the pope,
who has lately decided that, while con-
tession may be heard over the telephone,
The priest cannot use the wire for the
purpose of granting absolution, has had
a receiver installed in his private apart
ments, by means Of which he often COM
municates with the Propaganda Eide,
which is situated on the other side of the
Tiber, 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 . Jesuit priest was
taken suddenly i'll during private au-
iience, 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 Lalten or his marine
residence at Ostend. When, year ago.
the little king of Spain was Frustrated
with the measles, and secluded at one
end of the huge palace at Madrid. the
queen regent was able to hold inter-
course with him, located in distant
wing of the edifice, not only daily, but
almost hourly, over the wire.
Queen Victoria, however, is so ultra
conservative that it is most difficult to
get her consent to any modern innova-
ton, and it was only two years ago that
she permitted the installation of cleo
trio light in the state apartments Of
Windsor. Previously electricity, as well
Rs gas. had been uncompremisingl
barred from her private apartments.
Yet it is almost impossible to aggregate
the importance Of thus placing the va-i-
ous residences of the queen in telephone
communication with London, as far as
transaction Of official business is con-
cerned.
Until now, whenever the queen was
DESTROYS cf consulting one of her con-
stitutional advisers upon any point, or
when any cabinet minister had some
matter of urgency to impart to her
majesty, the unfortunate dignitary had
to travel all the way from Windsor to
Balmoral-a "a hours journey-or to
Osborne, which entailed sea trip across
the stormy Solent very often for the
sake of only ten minutes talk with the
sovereign. Then, too, Lord Salisbury
and even Mr.. Chamberlain, both of them
busy men, have had 10 spend a good deal
of their time explaining matters to The
queen in writing. the library at Buck
ingham palace containing many vol
umes of letters such as these written to
the queen by her various ministers
through her long reign of well-nigh 60
years. Henceforth the queen will be
in position to be consulted by her min
listers at a moments notice, which will
greatly simplify matters.
In the same proportion that the queen
- Oio ACI NiCN0, Ii hCi oQi-
in her manner and in her ap-
psarance, so is the prince of Wales up to
date. Marlborough house and Sand
bingham are fitted up with telephones
and electric lights, in the most approved
style. Should the prince survive his
his advent 10 the throne is like
ly to be marked by all sorts of innova-
tons, which will have>th effect of SIM
piifying the present intricate manner
Of conducting the business of state.
In this respect he resembles his
nephew, Emperor William, of Germany,
whose prediction for the telephone is
q source of disgust to the various gov
eminent officials at Berlin. There are
Instruments in his library and working
room, as well as in number of other
of the imperial apartments. and he is
all day long engaged in ringing up one
government official or another. or else
TALKING with his friends and courtiers
over the wire. He seems to find the same
pleasure in calling up the various gov
eminent departments over the tele-
phone that he does in alarming the vari-
ous gaTTisons at night time, being cvi-
IDENTIFY under the impression that by 50
doing he keeps the officials strictly at
tentive to their duties, and convinced
that If not the eye, at any rate the ear,
Of the emperor is upon them.
Although it may hatter the pride of
III. telephone people at Berlin to have
the emperor among the subscribers OF
IA system, yet he gives them far more
trouble than any other subscriber. For
when he telephones to any of the gov
Prnment departments the operators at
the central Office are under the strictest
orders to abstain from listening to the
Y. Mail and Express.
MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS.