The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-10-05
AUsTRIA's EMPRESS DESCRIBED.
A Royal Lady Whose Best Qualities
Were KNOWN to the Few.

In the current number of Golfers Week
ly the murdered Empress of Austria is de-
scrlbed at length by lady of her court.
The article concludes as follows:
The Emprcss-Queen was a noble woman
in the full sense OF the word very silent at
times, always brave and resolute, and en-
dOwed with a heart so soft and loving, when
once one succeeded in reaching 1t through
it's outer envelope of assumed coldness, that
she truly could be called the one in mil
lion who wins forgiveness and mercy for
the rest. She has often been compared to
the "Edelweiss" this ice blossom which
can thrive only in an untainted atmosphere;
but this comparison holds good only in so
far as her crystalline putty went, for she
was not really icy-simply and beautifully
passionless, in the grosser sense of the
word far removed from human frailties and
sins. This is what made her the most poet
ical, most lovabie figure among the royalty
Of Mysf haye no M feoafo or
the absolutely unique type of blameless
womanhood represented by Empress Eliza
attainable and can be procured from the
inha bitants of any Alpine village, thus be-
coming vulgarized; a far likelier smile
could be drawn between her and the Wolf
very summit of the Garntnerkogel in her
Majesty's beloved Carinthian mountains,
Empress soon dropped in any atmosphere
that did not suit her, and her avoidance of
just such atmospheres was what caused the
unbalanced mind This was a very great
mistake for there was no more accomp-
lished level-headed, sagacious woman in the
length and breadth of Europe than was
Elizabeth Alone, her horror for the shams
and for the narrow conventionalitieS of mod
ern existence made her avoid as much as
possible the requirements of bauble-lov-
ing, vulgar social system; truly an unpar-
donable crime in the eyes of both classes
and masses. and one which led society to
very housetops that the Empress-Queen
was mentally unbalanced" Would to
heaven that there We're in this sorry planet
of ours more such unbalanced minds,
and less of those who, from worldly point
of view, are so admirably constructed that
they find their greatest joy in tearing to
shreds whatever they are unable to under
stand: namely, that which scars so i'm
measurably above them.
The void left by the death of her Majesty
the Empress-Queen of -Austro- Hungary is
one which can never be. filled. She was too
perfect. too different from other women not
to arouse the bitterest criticisms on their
part. There were times when the tempta-
ton to cast off all trammels and ceremonies
became too strong for her to withstand.
alone, on long restless travels, freeing her
self thus from the horrible incubus of per-
petual show and parade.
Since the crown princes death she was
almost perpetually on the wing The iron
was in her SOUL the knotted cords around
her waist. but she always bore a brave
the world should pity her. She was never
heard to say an unkind thing or known to
do one. Generous to a fault, she had not a
trace of selfishness in her grand nature, and
always spared those about her as much as
possible but she did not understand the art
of forgetting. of laughing and dancing
when her heart was full of sorrow. She
did not take kindly to fools and their fol-
lies, and refused to make perpetual show
figure of herself for the benefit of a pa
geant-loving public. Those were her
crimes: how objectionable they were every
sensible wording will readily understand.
Her lovely face and her luminous eyes were
accused of being too sad Alas, it was the
sadness of a noble nature that has borne
the burden of other peoples sins and faults,
and lack of comprehension.