The Portland daily press., 1897-01-02
COURTS OF ROYALTY.
An Ex-Attache Describes the Fes-
tivities Of New Years Day.
Emperors and Kings Go to Church and
Then Hold Reception.
Washington Star. }

EmperOrs and Kings 10 to Church and
Then Hold Reception.
Washington Starr
Nowhere is New Year celebrated with
greater solemnity than at the courts of
the various rulers of continental Europe.
True, in some instances-as. for instance
at Berlin and at Vienna1Christma
trees and distributions of gifts are ar
ranged for the royal children week
earlier. But this license diminishes the
Importance of the New Year day solem-
| mites, and if Christmas has gradually
become the annual festival OF the family,
New Year day continues to remain, the
principal feast of the year at court, as
| well as in political, military and admin
istrative service. Christmas day is spent
! by the mon archs within their domestic
circles, among their dearest and nearest
relatives, whereas Adams birthday, as
the anoients were won't to call the first
day of the year, is devoted to a5orate
state and ecclesiastical functions.
| 1t speaks we'll for these monarchs of
the old world that with the solitary ex
ception of King Leopold, who holds re-
| ligion in very small esteem, there is not
one of them that does not commence the
new year with an appeal to the Al
mighty for strength, guidance and
blessing. Emperor William at Berlin,
before ever he mbsrks upon any of
those military ceremonies that constitute
so characteristic feature of the day,
makes point of proceeding to church
with his wife and bairns-tha service us-
ually taking place in the chapel of the
old castle at Berlin, at about 10 o'clock.
His ally, the Emperor of Austria, attends
high mass with his entire court in the
palace chapel at Vienna, his majesty &C.
cupying a throne within the altar rails,
| in order to mark the fact that he is the
anointed of the Lord. Even poor King
Humbert, who, owing to the ban of the
church. is unable to indulge in any such
luxury as a high pontitical mass, gets his
chaplain, Mgr. Anciano to read hum
BILE little low mass in the chapel that
has been arranged at the Quirinal. King
| Leopold, indeed. Is the only sovereign
| who disdains to pay his respects to his
Maker on the first day of the year, the
sole occasion on which he ever goes to
church or attends divine service being on
his namesday. On that date, which is
| treated as a national holiday in Belgium,
| he proceeds to the Church of Saint
Gudule at Brussels in great state, carrying
in his hand huge blue and silver mass
book, which only sees the light of day
on those occasions.
RECEPTION AT BERLIN.
AS soon as ever divine service is over at
Berlin on New Year day the emperor, at
the head of all the princes of the blood
and escorted by his generals and staff,
marches on foot to the main guard,
which turns out, of course, on his ar
rival, and is invariably composed of the
very finest and smartest looking man of
the eth Regiment of Guards, especially
selected for the occasion. Having re-
csived the customary reports from the
officer in command he gives the password
If the day, and then returns to the
palace, where reception of all the prin
cipal personages of the realm takes place
with great .pomp and ceremony. The
first to pay their good wishes for the new
year to the emperor and empress, who
stand on the dais, under a canopy, Just
in front Of their thrones in the whits hall
of the old castle, are their relatives,
headed, as a rule, by their mother.
The imperial couple always descend the
steps Of the dais to greet the illustrious
widow, and then invite her, as well as
the other princes and princeRses Of the
blood, to take their place beside them on
the estrada. Next come the foreign am
bassadors with their ladies and suites.
the dean or senior of the diplomatic corps
remaining at the foot of the throne to
pre- sent his colleagues as they pass before
the emperor The latter usually address
es to the heads of the various missions a
| few words, which, while sometimes
trivial, are often of such Importance as to
disturb the financial equilibrium of the
whole of Europe for the following wsek.
| Thus it was at New Year reception of
the diplomatic corps at Paris in 1859,
that Emperor Napoleon III. made use of
Austrian ambassador which led to the
war between France and Austria
| few weeks later-a war which did not
terminate before all the independent
sovereignties of northern Italy had bean
wiped out of existence and their material
| welded into uuity under the rule of King
Humbert's father, Victor Emmanuel.
| The ladies of the diplomatic corps are
presented by the wife of the dean of the
latter, and for several years past these
duties have been performed by Madame
Herbette, whose husband. the French
am bassador, has, however, been with
drawn from Berlin In consequence of his
having so seriously quarreled with the
emperor that the latter declined to hold
any further intercourse with him.
BRILLIANT SCENE.
After the diplomatic corps come the
great dignitaries Of the church, the
army, the navy, the judges of the su-