The San Francisco call., 1896-02-09

lege chooses members of the Diet. This
college is TO be elected one-third by citi-
one-third by the class with incomes not
less than $500, and the remaining third by
those under that figure who have votes.
This will insure that the working and
small trading classes will never be able to
name more than fraction of the electors,
and, of course, they will get no members
in the Diet at all. 1t is avowedIy aimed at
the Socialists, who are now fourteen IN the
Saxon Diet out of total of eighty-two
If the bill becomes a law in Saxony it is
assumed that it will be extended to other
states, while Prussia already has some
thing equally plutocratic. This outlook
obviously threatens the whole principle of
imperial universal suffrage, and it is ex-
citing alarm in all liberal quarters. Even
Bismarck is advising against it, but the
current of absolutism is running so strong
just now that hardly even he could stem
Meanwhile new personal alterations
and alterations in the inner imperial cir
cles are constantly occupying the gossips
of Berlin. Prince Albert of Saxe-AIten-
burg has given up his Berlin palace, and
settled with his family on his Schwerin es-
tate.
Through a quarrel with the Emperor
more serious still, the Kaiser's remote
Catholic cousin, Prince Frederick of Ho-
henzollern, brother to the King of Rou-
mania and one of the most prominent mil
itarv figures in Prussia, has thrown up his
command of the Third Army Corps in dis
gust and quilted the capital for good to live
in Bavaria. Lists are being published of
other Princes of great feudal families, like
Stolberg. Wernigerode. Ratibor. Plesses
and many others who since the present
reign have turned their backs on Berlin
for the same cause, namely, their unwilling
ness to eat dirt.
The Incorporated Authors Society is to
have its annual general meeting week
from Monday, and the literary atnos-
phere is alive with rumcrs of tremendous
things there are to be done.
An author named w. II. Wilkins, whose
name, l confess, is unknown to me in
connection with books, but who writes
with distinguished fluency and fervor in
the correspondence columns of newspa-
pers. Is to move a repudiation of the re-
cent authors address on the Venezuelan
difficulty, and what practically amounts
to vote of censure on the officers who
allowed the society to seem responsible
for it. They say he has drummed up
lot of support for his motions, but when
it comes to actual test, I fancy that the
knights, backed by those who expect to be
knights, will not have much difficulty in
putting the temerarious Wilkins down.
Speaking of knights, 1 hear that Rider
Haggard is to have "Sir' put before his
name during the year following.
Despite professions Of the academy's
calm here, a really earnest scuff1e is pro-
ceeding inside the Royal Academy as to
Lelghton's successor. All the papers were
supplied early in the week with para
graph expressing the academy's profound
regret that the state of Sir ohm Millais'
health would not enable him to accept the
post, which otherwise would be his by ac-
clamation, but Millais promptly had his
physicians to publish round-robin de-
claring that his health was perfect with
the trivial exception of sort of wart in
his throat, which they will be able to
abate in no time. There is now sent out a
feeler in the shape of hint that MilIais
may NC pICNdliCu upOu ~ dCCGpG the OITlco
till, at least, the close of the wear. but
there is no sign that he will consent to en-
ter into bargain of that humiliating ma
ture. As there is no rule concerning the
time of filling the post the date of the cleo
ton is still in the air, but the academy
meets February % for the choice of three
new associates, among whom Shannon is
almost certain to be one, and after that it
will be easier to get the notion into shape
of canvasslng for Leighton's shoes.
Only one or two papers have thought it
worth while to print Austin's poem on
Prince Henry of Batten berg in its entirety.
and many do not give the smallest extract
from it. Such editorial illusions to it as
are made are at best cautiously non-com
initial, and for the most part frankly con-
temptuous. His tragedy on Alfred, en-
titled "England's Darling has no polite
treatment, however, in any quarter. 1t is
guyed from one end of the island to the
other, and even his own Standard opens
its columns to long series of corre-
spondents, showing that when he said
that Alfred had been neglected by the
English poets he was ridiculously ignorant
of the facts.
A good deal had been expected of the
memoirs of Due de Persigny, published in
Paris yesterday, but the result is described
as extremely disappointing. There is not
word in them about the coup d'etat, and
except for somewhat interesting personal
glimpses of Bismarck, there is little of
value to the student of the second empire
and its times.
The memoirs OF Bernadotte are creating
much greater interest in Paris, where it is
reported without contradiction that their
anonymous editor is really King Oscar IL
of Sweden. HAROLD FREDERIC.
Germany aud Silcer.