New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-01-15

| his family or not. I remember my at
tention being drawn a couple of years ago to
| the peculiar fact that the appointment Of A.
d. c. and equerry to young Prince Alfred Of
| Coburg had been made. not by the lads father.
| the sovereign Duke Of Coburg but by Emperor
William 1t may be added that while these pre-
| tensions on the part of the Kaiser have been
| tolerated by some o; the German courts, they
! have been strongly resented by others, notably
| by those Of Bavaria and of Coburg both Prince
Louis Of Bavaria and the Duke of Coburg hav-
| ing withdrawn their from Berlin as soon
as ever they perceived that the Kaiser was at
| tempting to usurp their parental rights
! CROWN PRINCESS sTEPHANIEs CASE.
| Probably the case where the exercise Of this
right on the part of the sovereign to the control
of the Junior members of his family has ex-
cited the most attention in late years Is that OF
the Emperor Of Austria in connection with the
young Archduchess Elizabeth The latter was
only six years old at the time of the tragic
death Of her father, the Inflated Crown Prince
Rudolph. While the good old Emperor lost no
occasion of publicly and privately manifestinS
his sympathy and goodwill toward his widowed
daughter-in-la law ne not only insisted on per-
sonaIly selecting and appointing the titled Wom-
| en- who were to serve duennas and govern
esses to the child. and likewise the latters
teachers. but absolutely forbade the nttie girl
to leave his dominions. During the early years
Of her widowhood Crown Princess Stephanie,
finding that she was an object Of illwili and
even Of luminosity on the part OF her imperiai
relatives, as we'll as Of the Austrian aristocracy
and people, who. rightly or wrongly. held her re-
sponsbie for the matrimonial miseries or her
husband that eliminated In the Tragedy Oh
Meyerng spent much Of her time in foreign
travel, searching and finding surroundings more
consenial than those at her disposal In the Dual
Empire. Naturally she would have wished to
have the -companionship OF her little girl
But the Emperor would not hear of 1t, and de-
clined even to permit the child to accompany
it's mother on a visit to the iatters parents In
Belgium.
| In fact, Crown Princess Stephanie was per-
mitted to have her little girl by her side only
when in Austria and even then her sentiments
as mother were constantly subjected TO
severe strain by the knowledge that the women
appointed by the Emperor to take charge OF
the little Archduchess had greater rght u
the control Of the child than herself and looked
TO the Emperor instead OF to herself Tor their
instructions and directions. Indeed, she was
made to understand thoroughly that she had
no voice whatsoever in the management OF ner
daughter. and while have no desire to pose as
a champion Of the festive and thoroughly heart-
less coquette who rejoces In the nickname OF
step" among her English relatives, 1 am DIS
posed to believe that the charges which nave
been brought against her of having displayed
glazing lack of maternal affection in leaving her
only child nearly all the year round to the care
of attendants, while she was enjoying herself
abroad. are unjust, since her foreign tours were
F,ct tb..f har
rendered intoIerabe not only as widow or the
Crown Prince. but also as mother of little Arch
duchess Elizabeth.
LEAVE OF ABSENCE MUST BE ASKED.
But, as indicated before. the despotism of the
monarchs of the Old World is by no means re-
stricted to this question of the control ana GUS
tody Of the junior members OF their respective
families. Every prince and princess or the iat
ter no matter what his or her age or superiority
In mint Of years to the sovereign may be. Is
subject to the will Of the head OF the mousse.
For instance. no Russian Grand-duke or Grand
duchess can leave the Muscovite Empire without
previously asking and obtaining the permission
of the Gar, and in the same way Engnsh
princes and Processes have TO crave the sane
,ior of Oueen Victoria. the Austrian arch
dukes and archduchesses that OF emperor
I,rarc;s Joseph. and the Prussian princes ana
nrincesses that of the Kaiser before they can
leave their respective countries for foreign
trim Thus. with regard to the projected stay
Of Empress Frederick in the South OF France
this spring. perhaps as the guest OF her mother
Queen Victoria It is certain that she VIII oe
obliged to obtain the permission OF her son. the
Emperor. before yenturing to set her ioo' VI
French soil. ~.
A couple OF years ago every Court OF inc Oi'
VIA was aeog In connection with the unpar-