The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1905-03-17
eUROPE'S NEWEST 9
ROYAL RULER
-
Crown Prince Gustaf OF Sweden
and Norway in His Fathers
Place.
KING OSCAR is I'LL
viii Probably Be the Permanent Sue
cessor to kink Oscar. Who Has
Abdicated in His Favor-Was
Once Very Unpopular.
KING OSCAR is I'LL

Oscar, has temporarily assuiiasu -"
reins of government of the United
Kingdoms of the scandinavian PENN
sula. is no longer Il young man. nor
is he wholly wanting in the eXper-
fences Of governing. The king. who OF
late years has been failing IN heal.h
/ and VINO has always been an inNelerate
traveller, has often entrusted the crown
prince with the responsibilities OF
handling the reins.
Grown Prince Gustaf was born on
the sixteenth of June, in lShS' ana IS
thus in his forty-siXth year. He Is
the fourth lineal descendant OF Jean
Baptiste Bernadotte. the founder of the
dynasty. but the fifth in succession TO
the throne, as his father snuccceded ms
brother, Karl XIV. who died without
s male issue. His mother. a ~kind-hearte
pious woman. who deNotes her lte al
most exclusively to charity and re-
ligion. was "A German princess of the
house of Nassau,
Married German Princess.
The prince has three brothers, Princes
Karl. Oscar and Eugen. Prince harl.
who is married to Princess 1ngebolS
of Denmark. has always been the idol
of the women of Sweden. Prince Oscar,
who ~relinquished all claims to the
throne and his other privileges as a
member of the royal family IN order
to marry the choice OF his heart. Froken
Ebba Monck. d lady IN waiting at me
court; he Was at that time the most
popular of all King oscars sons. but
later he scandalized the Swedish sense
of propriety a little too much by run
ming Methodist prayer meetings a little
too vigorously. Prince Eugen, the
youngest, is exclusively devoted to
painting, and has thrown In his lot
with the artists. Although thirty-nine
years old, he is unmarried, probably
because he does not want to cause am
, other disturbance in the harmony of
the royal household. as 1t is believed
that his choice would also fall outside
the royal circles of Europe.
In 1881. at the age of %, the crown
/, prince followed the example of his ia
: Their and married a German princess,
Victoria of Baden. Her immediate
contribution to Swedish civilization was
the Introduction of the bang and the
. name of Victoria, both OF which be-
9 came very popular for a time. She has
also blessed the country with three
heirs to the throne. the Princes Gus
tat Adolph. Wilhelm and Erik, aged
!. %, 1S and 10. respectively. For the rest
:, she has not made much of an impress
! sion one way or another, as, owing to
i continued Ill health, she has spent the
= greater part of her time, and a great
= deal of the country's money. at for
eign health resorts. AT first she was
,t more or less criticised. but the Swedes
a have now become used to an absentee
If crown princess, and take II as a matter
of course.
in his appearance the crown prince
u betrays his French origin, although he
is far from 'Frenchy." Like the Der
= nadottes in general he is very tall and
"a slender, rather slow in his movements
y and extremely dignihed in his bearing.
He has jet-black hair. parted a little
on the side. and beard of the same
% color. parted in the middle. with q
e long drawn out moustache a la suede
ia a style which he has never changed
le throughout all the metamorphoses OF
IL. fashion which this ornament of the
s. stronger sex has undergone during the
last decades. His eyes are large and
brown, often wearing a naughty ex
preston and always a pair OF gold
Is trimmed glasses. for he is very near
III sighted. He enjoys. besides. the dis
ke tinction Of being the possessor of the
largest pair OF ears In all Sweden.
Had a Shy Disposition.
% In his earlier years he was OF q sh.
and retiring disposition. almost mac
cessible. He mingled but little in 80
:" ciety. and made very few friends. Thi
was for a long time interpreted as ar
Id istocratic aloofness. He was, therefore
re rather unpopular. not because of any
thing he had done, but rather becaus
he hadn't done anything. This feelin
+o never found any public expression, ex
"a cept in malicious gossip and storie!
~ which we're circulated especially anon
the lower classes.
All THESE stories, however,, nave no.
mt largely died out. AS time has passed
TX and he has had more opportunity t
show forth his real qualities. he ha
IT. more and more revealed himself as
or man. not so scholarly. not so talented
- not so versatile and diplomatic as h
Nc father, but as a man with a stronge
will. and much less ;sceptible to fla
terry. In the interilas he has ruled du1
cir ing his fathers absence. he has show
.p- himself energetic, forceful and detel
mined.
1a- The most important question in cor
nection with the change of hands
the government of Sweden and Norws
is the attitude of the new incurnbel
she toward the Norwegian question, whie
The has now reached another of its hume
Gus crises. This question, chiefly OF
~ of consular independence, has fu.
= nished a fruitful theme for bickerir
30. and faultfinding and animosities b.
us tween the two countries almost sin,
cry the foundation Of the union some nin'
md ty years ago. On this question mil
dog listers rave fallen and risen in No
for way with amazing rapidity and reg
.,i larity. While always uppermost In Il
- political consciousness, 1t periodical
~ assumes a more acute form. al
no threatens to disrupt the union, on
to finally to end in the fall of the incur
A bent ministry and the rising into po'
er of another. Then there follows
e?" perto. of renewed negotiations and e
.o. peclations.
Once Hated by Swedes.
Through these repeated polite
contests and defeats, with their atten
ant INSCRIPTIONS methods and d
mi. tinns the masses of the two connfr
rlor have become inflamed against ca
other, until finally there nave gro
t in up certain cliques. whose only ere
II a is a hatred OF lhelr helghpor, ana "
"Swede katers" and Norwegian h
ers." with the former In the MAORI
1t Is only through an infnite amo,
of patience, coupled with a rare
'ple, gree of personal tactfulness and
life. lltical diplomacy, that Kim Oscar
for: been able to keep the refns of his {
ppy. hcult government in such excel
ess- control as ne mus.
:oms WIN ..e ea0mn euuauy