The Birmingham age-herald., 1902-08-25
LOVE AFFAIR
 OF THE HOHENZOLLERNS

Prince Frederick Williams reported de sire to marry Miss Deacon, the American beauty and the strenuous opposition of his family to the match, bring about a. condition of affairs which had almost its exact duplicate in the early love of the old Emperor William, his great grand father, for a beautiful Polish countess The boys father, the present emperor. is always appealing to the memory of my illustrious grandfather" and in his love affair with Miss Deacon young Fritz might appeal to the example set by his "illustrious great grandfather"
 The old emperor was slightly older than Prince Fritz is now when he fell so violently in love with the Polish countess. and swore he would marry her in spite of all the Hohenzollern family The girl was a countess. to be sure, but in the eyes of the royal caste a countess doesn't count. She might just as well have been a plain Miss as far as that went An American heiress is looked upon as quite as eligible for matrimonial union with royalty as a Polish countess of non-royal birth that is to say, they are both re- garded as strictly non-eligible. If it ac- tually had to be a decision between the two, probably the American girl would be preferred. When a member of the royal caste shows a disposition to marry outside of the charmed circle heaven is importuned and earth moved to prevent the mesa1liance.
 When the present Emperor's grand father fell in love with the beautiful Pol ish woman he was simply Prince William of Prussia. His brother was King, but there was every prospect tnat Prince William would succeed him, and this made the idea of his marriage with simple countess. and Polish one at that, as abhorrent to the naughty Hohenzoi- lerns, as is to them today the idea of Prince Fritz's marriage with Miss Deacon. The Hohenzollerns would raise row over any of It's members marrying outside the royal caste, but when the heir to the throne seeks to do such A thing their anger is increased
 The founder of the race, the monev lending old burgrave of Nuremberg, who did business on strictly 10 per cent basis set an example to the family in the mat ter of advantageous marriages, which his descendants have copied pretty strictly ever since. It took all the threats and coaxings of his family and all the plead ings and reasonings of the statesmen of Prussia to keep Prince William from marrying his Polish love. and to the day of his death he never forgot her. He was treated in almost exactly the same man. ner as his great grandson Is now being treated, and the young woman was or dered to keep out of Prussia just as Miss Deacon is now said to have been warned off Germany.
 Finally the Prince yielded to pressure. the countess and he gave up all idea of marrying, and after a while he took for wife the Princess Augusta of Saxe- Weimar William was a true and thoughtful husband to Augusta, and al- ways treated her with the utmost con sideration and respect, but there were many evidences, even in his old age. that his heart was really away back there in his youth with the beautiful Polish girl He conquered France and founded the German empire with the help of Bis marck. but all the greatness which came to him did not make him forget
 His love for the countess made him look with favor upon everything Polish, and during his reign Prussian Poland was favored section of the empire. He would not have the Poles oppressed and bestowed upon them many privileges which they had not before enjoyed. The Prussian statemen, when they disagreed with the king and emperor regarding his Polish policy. knew that it was useless to combat his views, for they were fight ing the ghost of their royal master s early love.
 Years hence when the sweetheart of Miss Deacon shall have become king of Prussia and German Emperor, it may | be that reflection of his early love af | fair will be seen in his attitude toward | things American.
 The royal house of Prussia has a per- petual reminder of the dangers which its | princes incur by falling in love with non-royal ladies in the famous White Lady of fthe Hohenzollerns," who Is said | by popular supervision to appear fitting | about the palace when death or misfor- | tune Is about to occur to the head of the | house. In life this White Lady was