Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1902-08-28


manners.
She mas been brought up in the simplest
fashion, quite out of the world, in an ola
country house, and in her young days
money was so scarce in her family that
her mother had often a hard struggle TO
make both ends meet. Her acquaintance
with points of etiquette. forms and cere-
monies was of the scantiest, as the cour-
tiers were not long in discovering; ana
many we're the significant glances they
exchanged at every little stumble 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, VINO
was then little more than 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 II been otherwise, he would have
had no time to devote to her, for his heart
and soul were in his work as soldier
and his recreations were not OF kind in
which she could share.
Then she was far too much in fear of
her clever mother-in-law. the then Crown
Princess-the late Empress Frederiek-to
make a friend Of her, even If Prince Bis
marck had not taken effectual means to
keep the two women apart. The Crown
Princess. on her side, 1t must be confessed,
troubled herself little about her daugh-
ter-in-law; but she could hardly, perhaps.
be expected to do more.N seeing that the
said daughter-in-law had been forced up
on her, and that she had not a single
taste or feeling in common with her. AS
for the Empress Augusta. the Princess
William did. not appeal to her at ALL
To have done so she must have been
beautiful and elegant. whereas she is but
comely and OF the hausfrau type; she
must. too, have had literary tastes and q
leaning towards Catholicism, whereas she
sees no beauty in Heine, and is staunch
Evangelical.
During the first few years of her mar
ried life the Princess William was lonely
in the extreme; she had practically only
one friend in Berlin, Countess Waldersee
whose first husband was Prince OF
Schleswig- Holstein. The countess is re-
markably clever woman, and she had at
that time unbounded influence over the
princess. who was. and still Is, devotedly
attached to her. Being an American, and
with no special reverence for antiquated
traditions, Countess Waldersee strongly
disapproved of the position the princess
held alike in her own homo and In Ger
man society. Nor was she content with
merely disappearing; she speedily set to
work to endeavor to bring about a change
therein.
The first thing she did was by dint Of
her tact and keen WHISKY adroit hattery,
in fact-to gain the friendship of Prince
William. This done. she succeeded In con-
vincing him. though not without great
difficulty, that as his wife was a part of
himself. any lack of attention to her was
an insult to him. This was a great ad-
vance. Meanwhile she had. of course,
taken the princess III hand, 1t was at her
suggestion that she first began to. inter-
est herself actively in philanthropic work
and to act as the protectress OF various
charitable undertakings-among others OF
the home mission that DR.. Stocker, the
famous court chaplain. had just founded.
1t was at her suggestion too, that the
princess began to hold little Informal
evening receptions and to make some fee
bic efforts to gain popularity.
AS time passed quite little court gath
cred around the Princess William-a court,
however. of which. unfortunately for her,
DIR. Stocker and his antI-Semite friends
were the most prominent mem ers.. The
result was that the most absurd rumors
with regard to her supposed hatred OF
the Jews were circulated. The anti
Sonites-the most violent and lrreSponsi-
be party in the empire-called her pub
licly as one of themselves, just as the
Liberals had always claimed tho Empress
Frederick These rumors increased, of
course. alike in number and in signih-
cance when. on the death of the EN-
peror Frederick, her husband became en-
peror. And little wonder either. for the
anti-Semite leader spoke of her openly
at a mass meeting as incline liebe freun-
din, die Kaiserin!'
This brought Prince Bismarck into the
field; he told the emperor rOundly that
DR.. Stocker ana Countess Waldersec were
using the empress as a tool wherewith
to further their own schemes. Then there
was a storm. of course. d.. stocker was
dismissed from his court chaplaincy-Bis-
marck had a long score of grudges against
hlm-and Countess Waldersee was first
snghteo and snubbed and then sent to
Altoona. In the meantime the empress had
been made TO understand that If she
wished to lead a life worth living she
would do we'll TO devote herself exclusive,
ly to her husband and her children for
the future Thus ended her ono and only
attempt 70 play a role in the world