Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-09-05
THE GERMAN EMPRESS
SHE IS IGNORED IN NEARLY ALL
MATTERS.
Takes No Interest in Politics - Her
Health Destroyed in TAX
ing Cure.

| Never was the consort of a sovereign Of
less account in her own land than the Ger
| man empress. Her influence there is nil;
no one ever dreams of consulting her wishes
| or of taking her feelings into considera-
| ton. OF this some two years ago we had
curious proof. few days after her
mother died-on the eve in fact, of her
funeral-all Berlin was astir with rejoic-
lngs; the streets were festooned with
flowers, flags were flying and at night
there was an Illumination. For it was the
emperors birthday, as 1t chanced; and it
| never occurred, either to him or to his sub
| jects that it would be but seemly to post
pone its celebration out Of Difference to his
wife
1t Is the fashion in Germany to speak
of the empress model wife and mother,
and this she undoubtedly is. Prince Bis
marck indeed, used always to maintain
that she was a perfect ideal of what the
consort of a sovereign should be. But,
then, he held somewhat peculiar views on
the subject, the results, perhaps, of the
bitter warfare he had to wage against the
consorts of two of his sovereigns. In his
eyes, for a woman to have brains was a
serious blemish, and for her to use them
was high treason.
Cares Nothing for Politics.
The present empress cares no more for
politics than she does for deep-sea fishing.
| To this day she does not know the names
| of the rival parties in the reichstag; and
| she is quite capable of congratulating
| Eugen Richter on his sound conservative
| principles. And this was. Of course, ac-
counted unto her by Bismarck as a virtue.
That she is singularly sweet-tempered,
kindly and patient cannot be denied; even
when most tried-and she has been Soreiy
| tried in her time-she has never been known
| to make an ill-natured remark or do an
| ill-natured action. Her devotion to her
| husband is unbounded; she seems to have
| no will but his no wish but to find favor
in his sight. She was most tenderly at
| tached to her mother; yet, because he
| chose to look askance on her she hardly
| ever saw her for years; and, because the
fancy seized him to have his wife by his
| side at some ceremony other she left
the poor old princess just she was dying,
| and hurried back to Berlin.
1t Is an open secret that 1t was only to
please him that she underwent the cure
| that has robbed her Of her health and
| strength. and wrought such havoc with
| her nerves. She had the misfortune to
develop" in way that did not appeal to
his taste-to become fat, in fact, whereas
/ he admires the sim. Whereupon he in
| sisted that this should be changed; and
| changed it was Within three months the
| empress slight as GIRL and from
| that day to this she has never been well.
Made by Her Marriage.
When, some twentyone years ago, the
| Princess Augusta Victoria of Schleswig-
Holstein was married to Prince William of
| Germany, she was regarded by the world
! at large, and especially by her husbands
| relations, as the most fortunate of women,
| for she insignificant parsonage in
herself. one without beauty. wealth or pres
| tige. yet she had secured the best parti in
| all Europe
| The marriage was one de convenience.
n D,:x.s nj
| marck for the express purpose of reconcil-
| ing the Schleswig-H olsteiners to their lot
| as Prussian subjects. At the German court
| 1t was regarded as mesalliance on the
part OF Prince William; consequently the
| welcome accorded to the princess on her
arrival there bride was more than a
| little condescending. Her dress was scanned
| with critical eyes, and SO were her man
nerS.
She had been brought up in the simplest
| fashion. quite out of the world, in an old
! country house; and in her young days
! money was SO scarce in her family that her
mother had often a hard struggle to make
| beth ends meet. Her acquaintance with
| points of etiquette, forms of ceremonies
| was of the scantiest. as the courtiers were
| not long in discovering: and many were
the significant chances they exchanged at
every little stumble she made. So far as
they were concerned, she was speedily
weighed in the balance and found wanting
Even among those who stood nearest to
her She met with no great sympathy in
those early days. Prince William, who
was then little more than a boy-she is
Older than he is-WaS too much under the
Influence of another to profess to have for
her any special attachment. Besides even
had 1t been otherwise. he would have had
no time to devote to her, for his heart and
soul were in his work soldier and his
| recreations We're not of a kind in which she
could share.
As for the Empress Augusta, the Princess
William did not appeal to her at all. To
hayyn hoo boo, ,f,,r
and elegant, whereas she Is but comely and
or the hausfrau type; she must. too have
| had literary tastes and a leaning toward
catholicism, whereas she sees no beauty in
| l. x.4o A.