The Washington herald., 1907-02-24

their birth.
Prince Albert. the cousort Of Queen
Victoria, suffered cruelty in this respect
Although a man Of the most blameless
character and of the most perfect tact
and chivalry. ne was made the subject OF
every conceivable attack by the news
papers, especially during the first ten or
fifteen years of his marriage. The Lon
don press. even the Times Itself, was
never tired OF abusing him in the most
cruel fashion for alleged German inter
ference" in the affairs of the British
nation. The advice which he was alleged
to tender to his wife. the Queen. was de-
nOuuCed as unconstitutional" and stig-
matized as IAN alien intruder. he was
charged with usUrpng privileges to
which he had no legal or constitutional
right. His impeachment was suggested
and even iutrigues OF an uUsavOTy char
acter, for which there was not the shadow
OF a foundation, we're laid al his door It
was only toward the latter part of his
twenty years OF married life that English
men began To know and appreciate him
at his true worth, to trust him us a man
lmbued with sentiments of the most
patriotic devotion toward the country Of
which he had become "A citizen. and to
see IN him the most sagacioas and dis
interested counselor OF their sovereign.
Deeply moUned throughout the land at
his premature death, he lives to-day in
British memory and ga the history of the
Victorian era. as Albert the Good. and
there is hardly a big town or city I'm the
United Kingdom which has not commemo-
rated his virtues by means of a statue
or monument of some kind or other
Prince Heury'S experiences in Holland
have been very much the same as those
of the late Prince C0nsort OF Great Brit
ain. In some respects the difficulties
which he has had 10 encounter have been
even more serious. For Inc came to The
Hague to marry Queen Wilhelmina as
German prince and as an officer of the
Prussian army; that is To say, the Dutch
regarded him rs thoroughly stepped in
Teuton prcdjudices and saturated with
TeUton Influences. Now, If there is one
nation which the Dutch fear more than
any other, it is Germany. They are firmly
convinced that she is n menace TO their
political and, above all, to their economic
independence that she aims to bring Hol-
land into the federation Of states known
as the German Empire. and 10 thus Sc
cure control OF her home ports and of her
rich transporting dependencies. These
fears have been strengthened by the in
discreet utterances, in speech and i'm print
by pan-Germanists. VINO have even gone,
10 the length OF publishing maps on which
Holland end her colonies figure as part
and parcel of the German empire. Prince
Henry at first was looked upon by the
Dutch as more or less willing instru-
ment of these alleged designs on the part
of Germany, and from the very outset of
his marriage was, therefore, viewed by his
wife's countTymen with disfavOr and dis
trust. With public sentiment thus aroused
against him. il was only natural that a
willing ear should be lent TO any Islander
that came along concerning him. no mat
ter what the source or improbability. He
was charged. like Queen Victoria's nus
band. with undue interference in the af-
fairs of the nation. Intrigues with women
were falsely imputed TO him. And he was
accused not only of drunkenness. but
even OF maltreatment OF the Queen. Enor-
nous debts were ascTibed to him. and IL
was said that these We're among the
causes of dissensiOn between his wife and
himself The climax was reached when a
story, traced to a royal servant, dismissed
In disgrace for gross misconduct. was cir
culated to the effect that an officer Of the
Queens household, Baron Van Taets. had
succumbed 10 injuries inflicted during the
course of duel which he was said TO
have fought in behalf OF the Queen with
her husband the prince. II was added
that the conflict between the prince and
the baron had originated in the latter's
attempt TO protect the Queen. then ia a
delicate condition Of health. from il-usage
by her consort in a ut OF his drunken
fury. And to this day, thanks to this pre-