The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-06-01


wnich this letter comes. followed a few
paragraphs bitterly bewailing the fate OF
me ie man VINO marries Queen and declar-
ing mat the business Of prince consort isn't
what IL Is cracked up 10 be.
HER ILLNESS a CALAMITY
Then came real tragedy in Wilhelmina's
life, one of death and life. Six months ago
she was taken III. She recovered. but the
pretty gifts that had been prepared for her
by the gentle ladies of The Hague and her
dear subjects throughout Holland were laid
away for another time. In any other land
they would have been destroyed but Hol-
land is not land of superstition and the
people are sturdy. healthy and not inclined
to morbid fancies
Wilhelmina did not show herself TO her
people for six weeks and then she was such
a shadow Of her former self that their
cheers died down in tears Then came ty-
phoid fever and the court physicians made
the ofhcial announcement that this had
caused the premature birth of the child so
anxiously expected.
more loyal country than Holland does
not exist There is less of the purple less of
the blare. less Of the trumpet and the
shout, but there is a deal Of deep feeling
and an awful deal of devotion and stead
fastness. If you know the Hollander you
know that it is till death us do part-noth-
ing less; That Is the deep, strong feeling
which they have for their Queen.
And for her heir! They had lost a future
ruler in the little tragedy and they
mourned because they loved Wilhelmina
and would have had more just like her.
Ihere is in Wilhelmina's life another I'M
MrltIeh Tragedy even unsuggested, though
through the tales that are told of her.
And What is this unwritten tragedy
this unsuggested one-this one of mystery?
II Is the tragedy Of temper,
Pretty, winning, accomplished. all but
faultless, the Queen has always been blest
or afn1cted-with a peculiar temperament
IL Is really more Of a temperament than
disposition, for she is generous and con-
sclentious- She is religious and good in eV-
cry way, sound mentally and morally.
But she has spells" and what that
means everybody with such person in the
family knows. The good and pretty Queen
gets the blues; she has days when things
90 not go Just right, she has hours when
the cares of the nation press heavily upon
her. And then she is just a little bit diff
cult TO handle. That is the way the story
The Queen mother knows how to deal
with her, how to humor and wait upon her,
now 10 coax her back TO smiles again But
IL is unfortunate. If any one is to blame it
is the Queens mother and the ministers,
for from Wilhelmina's babyhood they have
impressed the cares Of state upon her. and
when she would have laughed and danced
and played they have called her in to Hear
the history of Holland and to study its
Constitution and learn its ways
UNFORTUNATE ILLNESS.
Wilhelmina has been impressed with the
fact that she is Queen and now she feels
it. Burdensome it undoubtedly is to her
to one so conscientious as she. Wilhel-
minas seventh tragedy is at hand. To be
i'll and i'll of typhoid. To be taken down
when hopes are again at a height. To be
actually strickeN in ones prime at the most
promising minute of ones life is a tragedy
for any woman, old young Queen
commoner. For young Wilhelmina, upon
the throne at twenty-one. with the people
looking 10 her for succession of the line
of Orange, ii was the worst fate that could
befall her. One worse might happen, for
she might lose the prince, and that the
Queen loves her cOnsOrt there is no doubt,
in spite of the fact that he Is not such a
man as the American woman would natur-
ally admire.
When lie married he was hopelessly in
debt because of his dissipation and eX-
travagance. Some of his debts have been
paid by the Queen, but the increasing de-
mands caused her to investigate the
causes of the expenditures, and she found
them to have been incurred in a manner
that would cause estrangement in a.
family, royal or simple. Henry thereupOn
showed the material OF which he Is made
by assuming brutal attitude toward her.
attitude that was resented by the court
which adores the young Queen.
Prince Henry is type of the titled brute
that abounds in Europe: He is a younger
son of the reigning family Of Mecklenberg-
Schwerin, a little principality of the Ger
man empire having a population hardly
larger than that of the city of Buffalo 1t
is his boast that he belongs to the Oldest
reigning family in Europe and the only
reign-ng family In western Europe that is
of SlavOnic origin. He is known as roy
STEERING, rough, awkward, ill-mannered and
british young man, who saw his twenty
fifth birthday last April Since he reached
manhood his chief occupation ras been the
accumulation of debts. He is big and bulky
of frame, but there is nothing handsome
and nothing intellectual in his face In the
mines of Butte and the smelters of Ana
cOnda there are many men of foreign
peasant birth who have a more princey
bearing than this scion of hundred kings.
From early childhood Wilhelmina knew
she was to become Queen and she seemed
to realize the dignity of that position far
better than do the majority of those of her
rank. Her early life naturally differed
greatly from that of other children, for in
spite of her remarkable good sense the
novelty of her monarchical dignity upset
the little girls head slightly, and she WAS
wont at first to be somewhat arrogant and
bit naughty. 1t became, therefore, the
duty of the Queen Regent and of her CO.
adjutOrS in the task of bringing up HOl-
lands tiny but unruly Queen TO repress the
traditional violence and overbearing OF the
house of Orange, which she had inherited
to a marked degree from her father, King
William. With a great deal Of patience and
tact the child was made aware of her grave
responsibilities as the last branch of her
race proper belief and admiration for
the exploits of her ancestors was instilled
into her. and finally she became what she
now is-namely, really attractive and eX-
ceedingly well-meaning woman.
ANECDOTES OF HER CHILDHOOD.
Many anecdotes are told concerning the
DAYS of her childhood and one of the most
popular is about terrible threat which she
uttered and which convulsed her little
country of dykes and windmills with laugh
ter. One day the small Queen was stand
ing befor noble array of dolls, all propped
up against the wall with truly military
precision and stiffness. ready for general
inspection, with the exception of one that
would insist upon Hopping down upon the
floor. to the absolute fury of Wilhelmina.
Suddenly, with flashing eyes and height
ened color, the child stamped her foot
viciously and, clnching her fists, she
shrieked out, Now, if you don't behave
yourself and stand up straight l shall make
YOU a Queen. and then you will have no
one to play with, and be very unhappy, do
you understand
Queen Wilhelmina's patriotism is singu-
larly and strongly developed, and in this
matter she clings to her ideas with such
logged tenacity that her fathers cele-
brated obstinacy is reSurrected in her con-
duct. with positive fierceness. She never
pardons a Dutch subject for not knowing