The San Francisco call., 1897-07-04
WALKING BACKWARD
Ex-Attache Writes in His Usual Vigorous
Style on an Absurd European
Custom.

openly at the idea of their being COM
PEELED to accord the ''pas" to the husband
IF their Queen. The manner in which
Prince Albert set all this to rights was as
etficacious as it was radical and character
istic.
A Liberal in politics, and that TOO of
the most advanced description, he revived
at the English court all those medieval
ideas according to which no one was
entitled to wait upon the sovereign CT
upon the members OF the reigning family
unless possessed of noble lineage and rank.
He ransformed those peers and peeresses
which had objected to his precedence into
something very much akin to tunkeys,
compelling them to perform services
which many would describe as menial to
his wife and to himself. When he went
with her Majesty in state or semi-state
to the opera or to the theater. duchesses.
marquises and earls would be compelled
not to sit in the royal box, but stand
behind the chairs of the Queen and the
Prince throughout the entire performance,
and it is hardly necessary to recall here
the well-known story of the action
of the Queen while on visit to King
Louis Philippe at The Chateau d'Eu,
when, although very thirsty, she refused
glass of water handed her by servant at
the Kings orders. and declined to receive
it until rendered to her by one of the
Kings own sons, the late Prince of Ne
mours Prince Alberts plan, although it
would not commend ilseIf to democratic
ideas, was most polite one if We are to
judge by the results. For in spite of lis
being subject to constitutional form of
government, there is no country in the
world where ROYALTY is treated with more
profound regard, and is accorded more
unstinted homage than Great Britain, a
land where the greatest mobiles now vie
with one another in their eagerness to OBJ
tain at court offices entailing discomfort
and fatigue as we'll as the performance Of
services that in establishments of lesser
rank would be performed by a menial.
There is no longer any of that "laisser
aIler' which formerly prevailed, and
which is now so conspicuous feature at
many of the Continental courtA Nor are
there to be wtne ssed at Buckingham Pal
ace such extraordinary scenes as those
which characterize state balls at Madrid
and the QuirinaI, where, as soon as the
by storm, just as if it were the refresh
ment bar of some railroad restaurant and
the royal guests a horde of famished tray
elers Indeed, the etiquette al the English
court rivals if indeed it does not surpass
that of the courts OF Vienna and ST. Pc
tersburg, and it is to be regret tied, under
the circumstances that when the EN-
peror of Japan resolved to organize the
court OF Toxic on a European basis he
should have applied to Emperor William
for Baron Won Mohl, instead OF see king
the assistance OF Queen Victoria or the
Prince of Wales in the matter and aski ng
them to place some of their court dignita-
ries at his disposal.
Baron NJ OIL was not altogether success
full in weaving the retainers and dlgnlta-
ries OF the Mikado of their old habits and
manners, and few who witnessed 1t will
ever forget the break made by young
Japanese nobleman attached to the court. |
and who was at the same an officer of the |
Imperial Guard, one day when the latter !
was being reviewed in the presence of the |
diplomatic corps by the Emperor Every
thing had gone well and the troops had |
marched by the saluting point in fine |
oho pc QutlA Iat com named DIV |
the young officer in question. He was
marching proudly past in approved Euro
pean style, arrayed in his half German,
half French uniform, when suddenly all |
new-fangled ideas vanished as if by en-
chantment from his brain.
He remem bered only that he was in |
the presence OF his diviney descended |
ruler, to whom the most abject tokens of |
homage were due, and, dropping from his |
erect position into crouching attitude,
his body bent in half and his hands rest,
ing upon his knees, he thus marched, or
rather crouched in old japanese fashion.
past the saluting point, every soldier and
officer behind him following suit, to the
of the Emperor and his
staff and to the intense and ill-conceaIed
amusement of the diplomatic corps and of
Ex ATTAcHE.