The times., 1899-02-05
A Woman's Tribute to the
Late Marie Louise.
Was Much Loved by American
Women Travellers.
Noted in Her own Country for Her
Tact In Dealing With Racial
Questions.

tact with her.
Il mourn her early death almost as
much as il | were one of her subjects" "
said woman at one of the clubs yester-
day Il close my eyes and it all comes
back to me- that brave showing with the
dainty princess as one of its central fg-
| ures.
1T was Prince Ferdinand's name day
and all the court officials and the populace
of Sofia and all the peasantry from the
hundreds of tiny villages that clustered
round the capital were crowded for
| squares about the quaint old Provo SIav
Church. They had not come TO do rever-
! ence to their prince, for Ferdinand was
| not popular. as his predecessor, the loved
Prince Alexander, had been, but il was
one Of the $50 annual holidays which fill
! the Bulgar's soul with delight, because
upon these days he wears his best clothes
! and does no work.
| ''On this day. however. there was an
| added zest to the occasion, for after the
solemn services in the old church should
| be concluded there was to be review of
| the Bulgarian army by the prince and
| princess and then all the dignitaries
| would go to the palace to set theirsnames
in the big book to SHOW their loyalty 10 the
| government.
1T was a beautiful morning IN June. In
! front OF the church great arches had been
! raised, wreathed with banners and the fra
| grant locust blossoms. and. formed about
| a hollow square, the army stood in line.
There were regiments of cavalry mounted
| on prancing black horses and gay in scar
| let uniforms; the artillery, with their car
| riages; column after column of infantry,
| the marines and military students while
closest to the church, stood the Princes
Home Guard, in gorgeous scarlet and white
uniforms. In the church the organ played
1 SOFTLY and ct0udS ~ gyUipr
ing censers filled the air.
| Upon raised dais to the right stood
the prince and princess, the former in full
| uniform, with q broad blue sash running
diagonally across his breast on which gilt
tered innumerable decorations. The prin-
| cess, slender and pale, wore q Partisan
| gown of soft black. the sleeves and bodice
| made full and filed in about the neck
| with white chiffon Her bonnet, worn well
| back on her head. was tiny French ere
alton of black gauZe and jet. Wearied as
she must have been by the long standing
her attention never faltered during the
entire ceremony. but Ferdinand took no
pains 10 conceal the fact that he IN
utterably bored.
'In the chancel was the Greek Bishop.
a venerable figure in purple robes and
enormous white mitre, while about him
stood eight priests in gold embroidered
robes, with their coarse black hair flowing
down their shoulders like the old circus
Circassian girls. The choir boys ehanted
In Slavic, candles burned all sides. each
priest holding three lighted ones tied with
the national colorS-red, green, and white.
'AS soon as the service was finished the
household guards followed by the minis
ters, the prince and princess. bowling right
! and left. and followed by the lords and
ladies in waiting and lesser digniJaries,
passed out to view the parade. The royal
party stood under the floral arches while
| DrasSinpy closer N ha
ants in sheeDskin cloaks and sandals, ca
ger for a look at their princess. As each
regiment filed by. the prince eyed them
closely, and TO such as ne approved he
gave the salute and received in return a
hoarse staccato cry: 'Diay way, Varshe,
Tar Sque, Vesochest-vo,' Long live
! Prince Ferdinand, and the princess cour-
| tested her thanks to the regiment Al
! though the crowd was so dense, American
educational prestige was evidenced when
4 gorgeous official was sent By Prime Min
| lister Stoiloff, a graduate of Robert Col
lese, to clear the way before me to an ad-
| vantageOus point for observation with the
/ announcement Make way, Madame is
| from Americai'
After the troops had all passed in re-
view, flags flying, drums beating. the royal
carriage, with much clinking of goId-plated
harness. dashed up, the princess said good
by to her maids, who courtsied low. A
footman in silk stockings, gold buckles and
knee breeches helped her in, the prince
followed, an obsequious lackey threw his
gray and scarlet overcoat over his shoul-
ders, the bands played, and off thev rush
ed like whirlwind, followed by the gal
looping scarlet-jacketed guards on their
black horses. The soldiers marched away
to their barracks. the gaping peasants went
off to their holiday merrymaking the
! crowd dissolved. and the pageant was over
| "A day or two after an invitation came
I from the DalaCp ASKING MI to h..
maid of honor to the princess Nine Cho-
mokova, who could speak with me in Eng
lish. As | aiighted from the carriage /
was forced to leap rivulet of soapsuds
eoursins across the pavement from the
laundry, before could reach the entrance
door Although 1fia is a city of 10 O00
inhabitants, it has no system of sewerage
even in the palace, and the sanitary con-
ditions frightful.
Il found Nine. ChOmokova a most charm
ing woman, anxious to know OF American
women. and quite willing to tell me about
the princess, whom she characterized as
my best-beloved friend The princess was
not at all strong or well, she said. and life
at Sofia was not so happy in many ways as
the princess had hoped She was devoted
to her Two little sons. Prince Boris and tiny
keril. They had had no governess as yet
except Swiss and German nurses. who had
taught Boris 10 read little
The princess is fond of horseback rid
! ing said Nine. ChomOkova, as she took
down pretty picture of her on her fa-
vOrite horse. She is anxious to educate
, the. Bulgarian girls she continued and
has established the First Domestic School
for Females. to teach the peasant girls
sewing and cooking. She goes often TO the
school, and the pupils call her Mother of
, Our School," Although the tuition is but
so year. many of the girls are unable
10 pay even that small sum, and the prin-
cess has made good the deficit
Il talked later with a Bulgarian woman
who was educated in the PainesviIle Semi
nary, Ohio, who said: All Bulgarian wo-
men love our princess. The prince is
naughty. but the princess loves us and we
adore her She is simple and quiet in her
: tastes, walks the streets unattended and
has our interests at heart in every way
While every one knows the story Of her
enforced baptism of the little prince into
the Russian Church. and the agony that il
$ cost the princess, who is a devout Catholic
) the Bulgarians. one and ALL commend
i the lovely way in which she has adapted
herself to the necessity. and the xci she
has shown in dealing with the racial and
5 religious prejudices of the people
In the death OF the gentle. Iovahle prin-
$ cess, Bulgarian women have lost true
; friend.
I