Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-04-08
The Grandfather of Europe.


are all too numerous, it is refreshing
to read something altogether whole
some and pleasant of kings and queens
and their children. Today is the S5th
birthday anniversary of King Chris
tian of Denmark, the oldest of reigning
monarchs and the man who is often re-
ferred to as "the grandfather of Eu-
rope" No man in modern times has had
SO many children and grand children
on thrones and in line for thrones as
King Christian, and those of his kin
who are now gathered around him from
the capitals of Europe must fill his
stuffy little Danish palace almost to
bursting.
King Christian is a simple, kindly,
| hard working man, thoroughly Chris
tian in character as we'll as in
name, and deeply loved by both his de-
| scendants and his subjects. No
breath OF scandal ever touched his
court and his children and their chill
| dren have kept untarnished his name.
There is story that, half century
ago, when the King was merely Prince
of Schleswig- Ho,stein- Sonderburg-
| Glucksburg, with a great deal more
name than money and no particular
prospect of ascending to the Danish
throne, his two plainly dressed little
girls encountered an old crone one day
| near the modest little house in Copen-
hagen, in which their father then lived,
ing their palms examined, to be told
that they We're to sit on the two great
est thrones in the world and that they
would have a sister who was to be
queen without a kingdom. The witch
might have done lot better than that,
for not only did little AIix become
Queen of England and little Dagmar,
or Mini, as her father used to call her,
become Empress of Russia, and their
sister Thyra become rightful Queen of
Hanover, but one of their brothers be-
| came King of Greece, a sister, in law
became Queen of Portugal, and anoth-
er sister law is next in line to be-
come Queen of Italy, while the oldest
brother will, of course, in the natural
course of events, become King of Den
mark.
The result is that when the entire
family gathers under King Christians
roof there are Is royalties who have
been, and are. or are to be, crowned
heads, not to mention the Duke and
Duchess of Cumberland, who were to
have been King and Queen of Hanover,
and the little Grand Duchess Olga, who
will be Empress of Russia if her faith
er, the Car, has no sons and feminine
succession is permitted. Governing
country rather smaller than the state
of West Virginia, with population
not much larger than that of the single
city of Chicago, the King has Il direct
influence through the crowns of his
children on a territory seven times as
big as that of the United States. With
such a tremendous family influence,
King Christian might control the des-
TIMES of Europe. He never cared
much about International politics, how
ever, but his wife, the good Queen
Louise, vino died not long ago. took
almost as keen a delight in it as in
matchmaking, for which she was even
more famous than Queen Victoria She
was the only woman of whom Prince
Bismarck was afraid. She was. he
said, the cleverest woman in Europe,
and the most dangerous. At any rate
no royal mamma ever placed her chill
dren so well before. May today's fam
| lily reunion be most happy one, and
| long may King Christian and his de-
| scendants in whom he has well incul-
| Gated the homely virtues, reign on
| their thrones.
FTESTXY