The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-10-10

of the Church of England, of which she is
not only a member, but also the supreme
head The present car when at Balmo-
raj attended Presbyterian services, while
the King and Queen of Italy as well as
the Catholic Princes of Bavaria and of
SaXony, in defiance of the laws Of their
church. were conspicuous at the Luthe-
ran services held at Homburg the other
day under the auspices of Emperor Will
lam. The latter, again, although he con-
siders himself to be the "summus Episco-
pus" of the Lutheran rite, does not disdain
to kiss the crucifix that is rendered to him
when he visits any Catholic institution,
church or monastery in his dominions,
and his grandmother old Empress Angus
ia, was quite as fond of attending Roman
Catholic services and functions as are the
daughters and granddaughter of Queen
Victoria.
In olden times considerations of creed
on the part of royal princes and princesses
determined the fate, not merely of dynas-
ties, but of nations, and some of the most
sanguinaFy wars of the old world, nota-
bly, the Thirty Years War which deVas-
tated all Central Europe, were fought out
on no other grounds than these. But to-
day the religion of kings and
princes seems to have become a
subject of Indifference to them
selves, as to every one else. Thus
no one exactly knows to what church be
longs the Crown Princess of Roumania
who is granddaughter of Queen Nicto-
ria. She was christened and reared as a
member of the Church of England was
confirmed and married as Lutheran to a
prince who is a Roman Catholic; while
her children are now being brought up as
members of the orthodox Greek Church,
to which her mother belonged.
Much criticism was leVelled at the head
of the French Marshal Bernadotte, grand
father of King Oscar, in deserving the first
Napoleon and in making war upon his
own country-namely, France-after being
elected Crown Prince of Sweden. But
there is not a word of condemnation to be
found in any contemporary history of the
fact that he abandoned Roman Catholi-
cism and became Protestant solely in or
der to secure possession of the crown of
Sweden. In fact, the matter is not even
mentioned, as though it were not of suffi-
cient Importance. The Protestant popu-
lation of the kingdom of SaXony has been
perfectly content to be ruled for nearly a
century by Catholic kings, the present
queen, however being a Protestant, as is
also the consort of the Catholic King
Charles Of Roumania, while Prince Fer
dinand of Bulgaria, when it was pointed
out to him that ne would conciate Rus
sian sympathies by having his eldest boy,
the 4-year-Old Prince Boris, converted to
the orthodox Greek faith, did not hesitate
a moment to cause the child to abandon
the Catholic church, to which he had I'M
til that time belonged. Ferdinand him
self, since his recent visit to Constanti-
nople, when he kissed the hand of the sui.
tan, being the first Christian prince of the
blood to accord that act of homage to a
Mahometan ruler since the days of the
Crusades is, according to all accounts,
considering the ACCESSIBILITY of becoming
a Mahometan, since he Is debarred by or
der of the pope from participating in the
sacraments of the Catholic church. He
has nothing further to gain by joining the
Greek rite but would immensely strength
en- his position were he to turn renegade
and become a follower of the prophet
His action might give rise to some criti-
cism and disgust in the north and west of
Europe, but 1t would excite no surprise
since it is fully understood that he has
definitely thrown in his lot with the
Turks, from whom alone he has anything
to hope.
King Leopold of Belgium makes so little
pretence of being religious man that he
goes to church only once a year, namely,
on his names-day, on which occasion he
carries a big and gorgeously bound PA
roissien," which, during the other 1854 DAYS
of the year. is kept under lock and key
Empress Frederick of Germany may be
described as a free-thinker, Is a member
Oh Inc SCQOOl OF OlTdusS ana Genan, and
endeavored to bring upAher children in
their ideas, and the same may be said of
the late Grand Duchess Of Hesse, mother
of the present czarina. King Frederick
the Great of Prussia was protested athe-
list while the Emperor of Austria in spite
of his being described as "His Apostolic
Majesty" finds himself so often in conflict
with the holy see that it is difficult to de-
scribe him as an exemplary son of the
church.
From this It will be seen that, whereas
obedience TO one church or another is on
the increase among both classes and the
masses in every part Of the world, it is
distinctly declining among the Amounted
of the Lord" who nevertheless owe so
much of their prestige and of the power
which they have enjoyed until now to
those teachings of religion which preach
obedience to rulers and those in authority.
1t IL merely another illustration of that