New-York tribune., 1896-10-04

| religious revival now apparent throughout Prot
| estant Germany Prior TO the present reign.
church a rule. eschewed by the male sex.
women constituting the backbone of the congre-
cation. while the clergy Of the Lutheran persua-
sion looked down upon. being treated by the
territorial nobility much in the way up
per servants. that is to say, par with the
farm bailiffs the stewards and the housekeepers
In one word religion and everything pertaining
thereto was not considered fashionable. To-day
all Is changed Under the guidance Of the En-
press. her husband although reared by his lib
eral-rninded mother in the ideas OF Strauss and
Renan. has become strict churchman and the
court the nobility. the bureaucracy and all the
middle class have followed suit Freethinking
and neglect OF religious duties are being at pres
ent considered the acme Of bad form. Every
body processes the most profound interest in
questions and enterprises relating to the Church.
and last but by no means least. number OF
daughters of the most illustrious houses Of the
German nobility are comforting their hands and
hearts upon penniless Lutheran pastors. of
the most recent unions Of this kind being that OF
the Countess Elizabeth Won der Goltz to the Rev.
Theodore Krumacher. 1t is 10 the influence, too.
Of the Empress t,.at is attributable the astonish-
ing increase in the number Of churches that
being built on every side, especially in Berlin,
wealthy parvenus being aware that there is no
more facile way OF winning the good graces and
the favor Of Her Majesty than by building
church. 1t is pity that so really good woman
should be so narrow minded and so full OF preju-
dces For she entertains a horror for the Catho-
lie Church that smacks of early Lutheran days.
and does not hesitate publicly TO proclaim senti-
ments in regard to the latter that may be de-
scribed as worthy Of the most rabid of Orange
lodges in Ireland.
Another grandchild of whom Queen Victoria
Is very fond. but who presents in some respects
a striking contrast to the German Empress. is
the young Crown Princess of Rumania, daugh-
ter OF the Queens ond and sailor son, Duke
Alfred OF Edinburgh and ~ Saxe-Coburg and
Gotha A remarkably pretty woman, the
Princess is as devoted to frvolity OF harm
less character the Empress Augusta Is to
church matters. and is never so happy as
when dancing throughout an entire night until
the day has sufficiently far advanced TO admit
OF her mounting her horse and going off for
an early morning canter with her husband.
ont Of whose head and heart she has entirely
driven all memory OF his ridiculous engage
ment to Helene vacc1rescu the stout, swarthy
and poetic Maid of Honor OF Queen Elizabeth
of Rumania Princess Marie. besides being
the granddaughter Of Queen Victoria. the
favorite niece Of the late Car Alexander III.
and by her marriage 10 Prince Ferdinand Ru-
mania has been practically relieved Of the dan
ger OF either invasion or absorption by Russia
eyentuat,es which until that time had con-
stituted the nightmare OF its ruler and of Its
Government. To the pan-Slavonic element in
Russia the presence on the throne OF Ru-
mania OF Catholic Prince Of the Hohenzollern
dynasty had always been source OF intense
irritation. and until the moment when Princess
Marie's marriage took place the efforts made
to deprive King Charles OF his crown and to
promote instructions in favor Of Russia were
almost incessant. the Cars Legation at Bu-
charest being the headquarters of tn movement.
As soon as the heir to the throne. however,
had secured as his bride the favorte niece
OF the Cara Princess who had been brought
up to a great extent in Russia ani among Mus
covite inhuences-all these intrigues ceased as