New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-06-25
STEPPING DOWN.
GREAT MOBILES WHO HAVE DISPENSED
WITH HEREDITARY HONORS.



deed there are at the present moment half a
dozen sovereigns who are ycarning to abandon
their thrones and who ar prevented from Civ
ing satisfaction 10 their longings in the matter
only by The entreates Of the leading statesmen
II the countries over which they reign, and like
wise by a sense of patriotic duty. There are
also MANY cases VIII. re- nobiliary titles have been
declined by the persons upon whom they had
been conferred. But the persons who. having
inherited honOrs Of this kind. have refused to
assume them. or else who have definitely cast
them aside and stepped down. so 10 speak. TO
the level Of ordinary citizens, surrendering all
the ca prestige and prerogauFes enjoyed by
the aristocracy in the Old World. are so few
and far between that they deserve more than
mere passing notice
OF course there are a number Of European
MOBILES who making their home in the United
States have had the good sense. well as the
tact 20 drop their titles in this country. even
when they did not officially surrender them by
taking out letters of American naturalization.
But it is not with these that l propose to deal
in this letter The persons whom l have IN
view are those who remaining on yonder side
of the Atlantic where class distinctions are 50
strongly defined have stepped down voluntarily
out OF ,he privileged caste 10 which they have
belonged by birth.
PRINCE OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES CASE
In Germany an instance of this kind has just
taken place which is attracting much atteh-
ton and which possesses what may he de-
scribed as an American interest since the per
sonage who has just given up his title of prince
and his predicate Of serene hishnesS in order
to become plain mister" spent nearly two
wears In the United States a decade ago l
think it was in 1890 or 1891 that Prince Leopold
N "a these shores.
with a large suite of retainers Of one kind and
another. including private physician and a
secretary Before he had been here long 1t
became known that his pilgrimage TO the New
World was for the purpose Of finding rlch
American bride; that his mother was an arch
duchess Of the imperial house Of Austria ana
that his father was one Of those mobiles known
as mediatzed that is to say the head of
family that exercised sovereign sway over one
Of the petty states of Germany prior to the
Napoleoaic wars at the beginning Of the cen
fury
AT first he was welcomed with open arms. and
was Hospitality entertained. his name being con-
nected now with this and then with that great
heress But by degrees the fact leaked out That
his inustrious father was in financial straits,
and that he himself in even still greater
difficulties. brought about by extravaganza OF
the most insane character 1t was' further as
certained that any American girl who married
the prince would be debarred from sharing the
social and official status which he then enjoyed
and would have to choose between the alterna-
tive of becoming his morganatic wife without
the princely title for herself and for the issue Of
the union or else that he would have TO sur
roDder all his birthrights and prerOSatives to
bis vouneer brother This naturally had the
effect Of diminishing the appreciation with
which his attentions were regarded by the
daughters # Uncle Sam. none Of whom relished
the idea of linking herself to a man VINO could
not offer her share in the privileged position
that he himself enjoyed in the Old World. A
number If women are known TO have rejected
his offers Of marriage on this account con-
enicuous among the number being the dauGh-
tors If the late George ". Pullman. Of Chicago.
The Prince eventually returned To- Germany
q sadder and wiser man. and took up his resi-
deDce IN the anc straI castle. which bears the
sngularlv appropriate name Of Ohenbach'
since there has been something very Onenbach-
ian in the various queer financial eplsoieS OF
one kind and another IN which both the Prince
and his father were concerned. Last April the
father died leaving his affairs in the most
frightful confusion His eldest son. Prince Leo
mold being already overwhelmed with debts 81
his own making and seeing no prospect what
soever of Strengthening up his own affairs or
those u ms father waived hie rights If sue
c,ssior L, the large but heavily mortgasod fam
iv estates IN favor OF his one-year-oid nephew.
the son Of his second brother in the epcrtA-
ton that during the lads long minority the
trustees # the estate VIII De able 20 restore ID
measure tn. fortunes Of the family. stpuiat-