The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1901-04-07
THE EMPRESS AUGUSTA.
Life of the First Empress of Germany.

I dressed his dispatches with news OF defeat
or victory; it was she who ordered their
public announcement, and 1t was she who
formed tho rallying point for the crowds
assembled outside the castle. not only be-
cause she was the wife OF the King. but
because she had. taken up her true vooa-
ton and put herself in intimate touch with
her people. The Fatherland expects every
woman TO do her duty. and the first Is to
send help to the Rhine" had been her cry
from the very beginning Of the war. and
one association after another arose under
her organizing direction, at the same time
that she herself never once failed to preside
at the meetings Of THE Red Cross" during
| the whole period of the war. THE Royal
| Samaritan" as she was called in her last
years. devoted herself in absolute %self-for-
gctfulness to her work; she drove every
day to the military hospitals to comfort
the sufferers, to encourage the nurses, to
inquire into the most urgent needs and de-
| viSe means for speedy assistance. She was
at the railway stations to give q kindly
| greeting to prisoners OF war passing
| through the city, and a lamp was seen
burning until late into the night in her pri-
vate room. where she was reading reports
| from the hospitals or forming plans for
fresh accommodation, and many a German
! and French soldier must still be able to
recall the days when he heard her kind
words and enjoyed proof Of her sympathy.
The historical survey begins with the
| days OF Queen Louise. the laughter of
Charles Louis of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and
| Caroline FREDERICK of Hesse-Darmstadt,
who was born March 16, 1776, and who mar
| ried seventeen years later Frederick Will
liam III, King Of Prussia, living happily
and quietly until the war with France. Ma
| poleon overcame the Prussians at the bat
tie Of Jena. October II. 1900. and. with his
army, entering Berlin thirty days later.
! Queen Louise and her family fled before the
~conquerors, and her sons-and especially
William. the Great Emperor
mover forgot her words to them:
Zone single day has sufflced to overthrow
what great men have been building up for
centuries. You. my sons. are old enough
to grasp the force OF events which are
| crushing us to the dust; recall them when
| your mother has ceased to live; weep. but
do not be satisfied with tears homework,
and grow strong"
One would like to linger over the story
of Queen Louise; the strong influence she
exerted upon her husband. which pre-
vented his entering into an alliance with
Napoleon; the latter becoming more and
more exasperated with such "petticoat In
t,uence'; the libels Napoleon caused to be
circulated against her private character;
the historic meeting at Ti!sit; and Napo-
Icons seizure of half the Prussian terri
tory, demanding III addition a large in
demnity, besides leaving 100000 soldiers in
that portion of PruSSlan territory lost TO
its King-not only because of its great in
terest. but through its after effect in bring |
ing about the German Empire. The death
of the Queen in July, 1910, affected most
strongly of all her second son, William. |
who, as q mere child, wished to take part in
the struggle against France, and when only |
16 made his entry into Paris with the allied
troops, shedding tears Of evaporation at ]
arriving too late upon the field Of Water |
loo.
Another strong formative influence in tho
development of the character of William
of Prussia was his early attachment to his
cousin. the Princess RadZiwill: five years
being spent in a %fruitless endeavor to show
that the ~latter's birth was sufficiently high |
to warrant their marriage. But it was an |
established rule in the German courts that |
only daughters Of reigning houses. OF Of
those that had formerly ruled. were Of suf- |
fciently high birth, so. although his love |
for his cousin never altered. Prince William |
submitted to the inevitable. and in 1S2y |
married the youngest daughter Of the Duke
Of SaXe-Weimar and his wife, the Grand
Duchess Maria P%aulowna Of Russia, sister
Of the Emperor Alexander. Augusta had
grown up at Weimar. O student, caring lit |
tie for court life; being Goethe's special ia
vorite, although all her masters were de-
voted to her.
The Princess Augustus marriage to
Prince William was solemnized on June IL,
1899, from which time their life in Berlin
dates. |