Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1897-01-30
cRoWNgp HEADS,
The Fat little Red Book That Tells All
About Them.


There is Il fat little red book that
comes into every considerable reference
library at about this time every year
with bursting load of information re-
cardinc the nations Of the earth and
their rulers. This book is the Alma
mach dc Gotha" in the diplomatic Ian
guage of the world and Der Gothaischo
Gencalogischc Hofkalendcr' in the Ian
guage of its native land Itcontains any
amount of information that may be
found in equally available form else
-yhcre 1t contains also several hundred
seScs of facts that never are collected
elsewhere in such trustworthy and con-
venient form-factS relating to the
crowned heads of Ill monarchics, great
and small. their families, their ancestors
and children and children's children
and their collateral relatives fur and
near.
Every year tho editors Of the al
manach de Gotha' send to the castles
and palaces OF royalty, wherever Access
sible, the proof sheets of the pages con-
corning the ruling families, and none of
these pages is published without having
been corrected by some princcly hand.
Consequently L man may usually rely
on what he finds III the "Almanach'
about the crowned heads and their kind,
although not always, for crowned heads
err occasionally, rs do uncrowncd heads,
in matters Of family history. On the
whole, however, the Alinanach" is
about as trustworthy rs any book Of
1850 pages could be-
The last "Almanach, received Il few
days ago from Europe, shows that the
Oldest reigning prince next to the pope,
who is Sc. is the grand duke of little
Luxembourg. WHO'S so. Denmark 5 king
is rs; the grand duke of Saxe-Weimar,
rs; Queen Victoria and the grand duke
of Mccklcnburg- Strelitz II. Three rul-
ing princes have passed 20 III the last
ycar-the Duke Of SaXe-Meiningcn, the
Duke of SaXe-Alteuburg and the grand
duke of Baden. Nine sovereigns are be-
tween go and 20, seven of them being
over Go. Eight sovereigns are in their
fiftieS, six in their forties, three i'll their
thirries ana three in their twenties-
As for several years. Wilhelmina of
the Netherlands and Alfonso Of Spain
are the youngest sovereigns. According
TO length of reign, Queen Victoria heads
the list with almost GO years. She is
followed by Emperor Francis Joseph of
Austria. with Is years, and the Grand
Duke of Baden also with Is years. The
Grand Duke of SaXc-Wcimar, the Duke
of e-Altenburg and the Grand Duke
OF Oldenburg have reigncd since 1898.
Seventeen Of the 20 European SovereiSns
have reigned more than % years and Is
less than 10 years In 1894 there was
but one change i'll throne; i'll 1895,
one; in 1896. none OF IS reiSnlng
houses in Europe, but % have heirs III
the direct line of succession. OF the
heirs to thrones. the Prince OF Wales,
with his 90 years is the eldest Then
come the crown prince of Denmark, 33
years old; the hereditary grand duke
Of Mecklenburg- Strelitz, IS; the hcred-
itarv prince OF &Ieiningen, 10; the hered-
itary grand dukes of Luxembourg and
Oldenburg. II. OF the whole number OF
heirs, only - are married. Six Of these
have grandchildren.
\ curious addition has been made to
the diplomatic and statistical part of
the little red book. 1t relates to the ma
tional holidays Of the countries of the
globe III only q few German states is
there any holiday ut the anniversary of
the emperor's birth. In honor of the
shah's birthday. however, the Persians
celebrate II holidays ard in one prin-
cipality Of India the birthday festivities
last two weeks New York Sun.