The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1901-06-19
[By Mrs. C. NJ. Mead.l

| llHeFIldnCe mas seldom received HlOTt
striking verif1cation than IN the case Of
Queen Victoria's eldest daughter The
want of moral sympathy between the
honored Christian queen and this
daughter was so great that for years
they seldom met. 1t was not till the
time Of the queens jubilee, and wher
| heavy affection was already impending
over the daughter, that the good moth
er's heart turned in tender reconcilia-
ton to her erring, but suffering child.
The personal qualities of the Empress
Frederick have made her much dis
liked by the better people both Of Eng
land and of Germany. A few facts will
help to explain this dislike, and to H.
lustrate her traits. They are rambling
| incidents connected with each other
! only as they are manifestations of her
character; they have not been picked
| up from rumors or from partisans, but
| learned from those who can vouch for
| their correctness.
The Empress Frederick, as is well
known, has differed widely from her
mother in religious matters; she has
| been an extreme "freethinker," and
| both bitter and ostentatiou in her ex-
| pressions of her aversion to what is
| called positive" Christianity. Her at
| titude on religious affairs often brought
| her into opposition to her good father
in-law, William the First, and has
been barrier between her and her son,
the present emperor. She seldom at
tended church, except when obliged to
II 1,y 49,. tai
der, and tho four excellent court
preachers appointed by William T. to
officlate at the Dom were especially OBJ
noxious to her. AT the christening of
one Of her children by the court chap
lain the late lamented DR.. Koegel, she
turned, as soon as his baptismal adj
dress was concluded, and remarked
loud enough to be heard around the
room, "Wie abgeschmacktn (How in
sipldD
On Christmas day. 1884, her express
sion of her dislike to another of the
court preachers was still more childish
and unbecoming. On this occasion the
emperor had ordered the royal house,
hold to attend the church, and the then
Crown Princess Victoria was there, in
the emperor's pew in the gallery nearly
opposite the pulpit On such days the
church was always thronged and many
strangers crowded near the choir, that
they might hear the Incompatible
singers, and see the imperial household.
When sermon time came, and the con-
gregaton, according to the German
custom, arose at the reading of the
text, the crown princess arose, but, in
- L. !.
pulpit, as others did, she jerked her
head around, and turned the back of it
toward the preacher till the text was
read, when she turned back and seated
herself emphatically, much like an an
cry child,
The Emperor Frederick retained the
court preachers of his father, and dur
ing the closing weeks of his life at
Charlottenburg received much comfort
from their ministration in the palace.
But when he was dying, his wife sent
for Dr. Perseus, a preacher Of the
free thinking" type, to come and offer
prayers And she again made the I'M
seemly display Of her dislike for Koegel
and one which greatly wounded the
feelings of her people, by remaining
away from the funeral services which
it devolved upon Koegel as Frederick's
court chaplain, to conduct and having
a service held by Perseus for herself
at a later hour of the day.
The sad accounts of the Empress
Frederick's unwlfely behavior are too
familiar, and have been too often COM
upon to need further remark.
Her conduct towards her husband in
his last illness was open to severe crit
icism. One or two instances of the
kind may be mentioned here, as having
come from the personal knowledge and
observation Of private and most trust
worthy witnesses.
1t will be remembered that, after the |
crown prince suspected that his throat
disease might be fatal one and had
said that, if so. he would In no case
ever assume imperial duties, his wife, |
filled with the ambition to gain the dig
mites and the annuity of an empress,
made it her constant effort to separate |
him from all who would deal frankly |
with him, or in any way increase his
suspicion of his real condition. Hav- !
ing been placed by her under the care |
Of a foreign medical man, the notorious |
and INSCRIPTIONS Morell Mackenzie, |
he was hurried to Italy without being |
permitted even to see once more his I
aged father. Messengers from the heart |
stricken emperor were, on one pretext |
)r another, denied access to him repeat
adly. At length the grief-worn father
wrote to Pastor Won BodeIschwingk, an
I'D friend and school-fellow of the
'rown prince, begging him to go to
italy, and urging that the princess
would surely not deny to him an inter
yiew with "Fritz" The pastor accord
ngly made the Journey; from day to
lay his admission to his old friend was
and at length the announce
nent was made to him that it would be
Useless for him to wait any longer
lie could not see the crown prince.
Finally the emperor determined to
end his grandson, Prince William (the
PRESENT emperor) to visit his parents.
Jpon hearing this the crown princess
wrote to one of her court ladies who
vas then in Berlin, Der Wilhelm
,ommt was will der? Err list klug,
och bin ich klueger." Civilian is
oming; what does he want? He is
hrewd, but 7 am shrewder) And on
he arrival Of her son the princess is