Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1900-09-27

The announcement of the engage
ment of Queen Wilhelmina Of Holland
OF Prince Frederick Adolph Of Neck
lenburg- Schwerin has created great in
terest The marriage of these royal
personages will be an event Of more
than ordinary Importance in royal cir
cles, and the German and Holland peo-
pies cannot fail to be greatly interest
ed in it. Attention will be called to
the history Of two OF the most eminent
families from which kings and queens
have descended for centuries. The
young royal pair viii be hailed ana
blessed as one appointed of heaven 70
renew in their own persons the glOries
of the houses Of OIdenburg and Of
Orange.
WiIhelmina Helena Pauline Maria
was born Aug. 81, 1880. She was the
daughter of the late King William of
Holland and Of his second wife, Prin
cess Emma, daughter Of Prince George
Victor Of Waldeck Wilhelmina sue
ceeded to the throne on the death Of
her father Nov. %, 1890, became Of age
Aug. 3d. 1898. and was inaugurate1
Sept. Of that year.
Prince Frederick Adolf of Mecklen-
burg-SchWerin was born Oct. 10, 1873,
and is uncle to the reigning grand duke,
Frederick Franz " He is, according
Iy, seven years older than WiIhelmina.
The grand ducal house OF MecklenbuTg
is the only reigning family in western
Europe Of Slayonic origin, and claims
to be in point Of years the ranking
SC, ereign house in the western world.
The genealogical table of the grand
dukes begins with NiklOt, who died in
1160, and comprises twenty-five geneT-
atoms. The title OF grand duke was
assumed in 1915 Mecklenburg terri
tory is in the northern part of Ger
many. 1t has an agricultural pOpuia-
ton which as long ago as 1850, sent
out to America a large colony thai
settled in North Carolina. The colon
lists gave Jneir name to a county Of that
state, and in 1775 publicly renowned
allegiance to Great Britain and adopt
ed a declaration OF independence No
doubt some descendants of those old
colonists will find their blood stirred
by reading the accounts of the mar
rage of a Meckenburg prince to Hol-
lands young queen.
The royal family of the Netherlands,
at whose head is Queen WiIhelnlina,
descends from a German Count Wal
ram, who lived in the eleventh century
Through a marriage in 1904 of a prince
of the blood with Jane of Polanen it
became settled in the Netherlands.
The alliance with another heiress, only
sister of the childless prince of Orange,
brought to the house a rich province in
the south of France and a third matri-
monial union, that of Prince William
Ill of Orange with a daughter of
James II, led to the transfer OF the
crown of Great Britain to that prince.
The house of Orange has ruled ever
since, though in various circumstances
and under different titles. Upon the
partial settlement Of continental affairs
In 1915 by the treaty of Vienna the
union of the Netherlands was estab-
lished, but this arrangement was tenn
porarily upset by the Belgian revOlu-
ton of 1880. In 1889 the political rela-
tions of the Netherlands were read
iusted by the treaty of London, which
constituted Belgium an independent
kingdom. The house of Orange has
given four SOVereigns to the Neither
lands since its reconstruction as a
kingdom by the congress of Vienna
William |, William II, William III and
Wilhelmina. From the foregoing it is
evident that the engagement Of Prince
Frederick to Queen Wilhelmina is IN
event that cannot fail to interest great
ly the royal families of europe, and
what greatly interests them is pretty
sure to attract the notice OF the COM
ms ! people.
No Political Significance.
Royal marriages are not nowadays
brought about by dynastic intrigue and
state diplomacy, as formerly they were
something of this, no doubt, is prac-
ticed even now, but not enough or not
SO openly as TO threaten the peace Of
nations. The queen OF the Netherlands
will we'd a German prince and the ma
tional or dynastic interests Of no other
power be affected. But there was
time, and that not so very long ago,
when ruler of the Netherlands could
not have married a member of any
other royal family without challenging
the scrutiny and obtaining the consent
of most of the powers of Europe.
The French government and people
have within this century and down to
the establishment of the existing re-
public, been a great deal troubled by
royal marriages. During that period
the throne of France descended irregu-
larly, and the example of the imperial
rule of Napoleon and of the Orleans
dynasty established precedents which,
haC things continued on that line,
would have marked France as an elec
tive monarchy. When NAPOLEON. on
being chosen emperor by the French
senate, submitted the question to the
people of France the vote stood 1872,
32S for the emperor and 1854 votes
against him. The number Of votes
when Louis Philippe came into power
was 100000, and when Louis Napoleon
was confirmed by the people as emper-
or he received 100000 votes. AS the
people chose their own supreme ruler
they claimed the right to look after that
ruler when he was getting a wife. They
would have the emperor marry wO-
man of royal blood or one extremely
aristocratic, and two Austrian prin-
cesses-Marie Antoinette and Maria
Louise-became queens Of France