Evening journal., 1904-04-07
ALI fANACH DE GOTHA
A BOOK IN WHICH TITS VERY Diff
CUT TO GET ONES NAME.


leon TerrOrined It's Editor.
If we except the Bible, the Almanach
de Gotha IS perhaps the most wonder
ful book in existence.
Although measuring only about FIVE
inches by four and an inch and a half
IN thickness, It's editor has neverthe-
less managed to compress within its
twelve hundred and odd closely print
ed pages an epitome OF the history Of
practically the whole world.
1t is also, as everybody knows, a sort
OF court guide" to the cream OF the
cream OF the great ones OF the earth.
To be 'in" the Almanach is to be IN
possession OF a passport to practically
any society and to find oneself equip
ped with almost unlimited credit
But to get 'In" Is no easy matter.
Money alone is Of no account whatev-
er. You will search in vain among
its pages for the names OF mere mil
ilonaires OF any country which are not
linked with titles.
on the other hand, the titles and dig
mites of the many American million
airesses who have married princes,
dukes and others OF that Tx are set
forth IN full-they, their sisters. their
cousins and their aunts, to say nothing
OF their descendants.
True, the whitaker Of Monarchs," 4"
as It has been not inaptly christened.
makes some few concessions to the
democratic spirit OF the age. In In
cludes the names OF presidents Of re.
publics, for instance.
But this Is a comparatively modern
innovation. II we turn back to. the
earlier issues we find that the very
mention OF such a form Of government
was ostentatiously ignored.
France. for example. according to
the Almanuch, was a monarchy ir
1902 and for many years thereafter
the editor continuing TO print in edi.
ton after edition the name OF Louis
XVII. as relgning monarch.
When, however, Napoleon was pro
claimed emperor he at once qualified
automatically for a place in its pages
And he was not long IN insisting upor
the right being recognized. Indeed Il
Is said that he wrote out with his owl
hand a complete list Of his relatives
whose names he wished inserted. ant
made It so long that the editor de
INJURED.
But Napoleon was not a man TO b
trlfed with by an almanac maker, an,
the list went I'm. He also succeed
ed IN getting the Almanach itsel
= printed in the French language, il
: which it has ever since remained. Pre-
viously, from its first publication II
1853, Il had been issued IN German.
In many other ways. too. Bonapart
exercised a rigid supervision over tn
contents or the little red covered vo
ume, In November. 1908. for instance
the edition for the ensuing year ha
just been worked of, when body {
d French troops entered the Office an
destroyed the entire impression.
The only answer Of the officer
7 charge when the proprietors exposti
lated was that he was acting. und,
. the orders OF the emperor, and by II
same authority he was also going I
n conduct the editor a prisoner TO Pari
n This was forthwith done. and ther
+ the trembling captive learned for IN
FIRST time the nature Of his offense. II
a had. It appeared. I'm obedience to tn
? usual alphabetical rule governing sue
matters, opened his list OF Germa
princes with Anhalt.
Napoleon was furious. Was he nc
protector OF the Rhenish confederl
p tion7" or coursel Very well. then. II
would be placed at the head Of tn
Rhine mobiles. In other words, the n
4 phabet was made, at his express con
s mand. to begin with IN"
Worse still, from the point Of vie
't Of the proprietors. Napoleon, havin
i. got their editor in Paris, refused I
: permit him to return to Gotha, and tt
h issues OF the Almanach up to the d
! riod OF the restoration of the Bourbon
J. were printed and published in n
I. French capital.
e, The result is a most extraordinar
= distortion Of the historical incidents I
those memorable years. No mentio
for instance. is made OF the battle
Trafalgar, and welllngton's peninsu
.s campaign might have been a dream Il
r all the notice accorded to Il, while. {
2 the other hand. all the dolngs Of Bon
parte and the deeds OF his "graT
IF army are chronicled in the most ella
Is crate detail.
% George III. is said to have offer'
- the owners Of the copyright f15,O00 4
the privilege OF being included in
pages as "king OF Corsica" only
meet with a curt refusal. This WI
3 In 17O4.
l. Forty years later Don Carlos su
denly appeafed in Spain at the he;
!; OF a large army and sent a special me
s. senger to Gotha asking to be recognize
by the editor as the legitimate ruler
= that distracted country. He, too.
II said to have offered a considerah
A. bribe. which was promptly declined.
t. London Chronicle.
of The Japanese National Anthem.
The Russian national anthem