The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-05-17
----5---ll-17--
KING ALPHCNSO Kill.

To-day the young King A1phonso H1li.
az Spain will take tho coronation oath
and begin his reign. His mother. Maria
Christina, who for sixteen years was
Queen Regent. simultaneously retres
from the uncnyiahle position which She
has hold. -
Christina is the daughter Of Archduke
Charles Ferdinand Of Austria. and was
married to Alphonso XII. Of Spain. on
November %. 1879 She was the second
wife of the King. and was about one
year younger than her husband. After
seven years Of married life, in which she
had borne two daughters, her husband
died. Shortly after his death the boy,
Aiphonso XIII, was born The Queen
Regent was then twenty-eight years Of
age, and she then entered upon the dill
fcult task Of rearing the young King and
of presiding over tho affairs OF Spain.
She has had sorrowful experience, and
her life llas been full OF care and anxiety
and distress. Al the beginning of her re-
gcncy there was turmoil at home and
there was turmoil in the Spanish colo
mics abroad. From the start she had to
deal with the Cuban question and the
Philippine question. while at home the
Socialist propaganda had to be reckoned
with. There were two strong political
factions, and she had to act as arbitrator
between the two. She had the advice OF
Premier Sagasta, who had been in Office
for years, and he was a sagacious adj
wiser. But she was compelled to act
largely on her own judgment, and being
but a woman without experience in
affairs of State. she had a hard and diff
cult road to travel.
By and by came the war with the
United States, and she had the distress
and humiliation Of seeing her navy de-
stroycd and her principal colonial pos
sessions taken away. In 1897 these pos
sessions covered an area of 4o5.45 square
miles. with a population Of 9,695,5S7. To-
day Spains colonial empire covers 243sT
SQUARE miles, with population of $4,000
In the war with the United States she
lost Cuba. Porto Rico. the Philippines,
the Sulu Islands and the Island of Guam,
She may take comfort in the thought,
however. that this loss is more apparent
than real Spain's colonial possessions
were not profitable. but, on the contrary,
a source of great expense and worry
and decentralization. The country is I'M
doubtedly better off without Cuba and
the Philippines then it was with them
But. while the Queen Regent puts aside
the ycstments of Office, she has not put
aside her, Cares and responsibilities. The
young King Is only sixteen years Of age.
fIe Is; her child. "a child born under pecu-
liar circumstances child reared under
peculiar circumstances, and her anxiety
i.s perhaps greater, now that he has as
Tcended the throne.
Christina is a good woman. from all
that we have heard Of her. and never
did woman discharge her duties with less
thought of her own pleasure and glory;
never did woman in her position make a
greater sacrifice to love and d. and
country. Whatever may have been her
mistakes, whatever may have been the
misfortune of her country, she has at
least the consciousness of having done
her duty as she saw it Those who pur-
she this coruse, whatever their position
in life. may well afford TO leave the con-
SEQUENCES to take care of themselves.
4 + . 81