The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-11-14
PRINCE JOHN
 OF LIEGHTENSTEIN Who Has the Appropriate Christian Name of
 Placidus. IS VERY HOSPITABLE Easy, But He Wont Have Vaduz Made a Monte
 Carlo.
IS VERY HospITABLE

Prince John of Lieehtenstein, who
 likewise rejoices in the singularly ap-
 propriate Christian named of Placi-
 dus-appropr1ate because he never
 troubles or disturbs in any manner
 his 5000 subjects, who form the pop
 plation of his GA square miles sover-
 eignty-has just turned over to the
 order of St, Vincent de Paul beau
 tiful building which he has caused to Joe constructed, together with the
 large park in which it stands, in one
 of the most picturesque portions of
 Styria, for use as an institution Tor
 the care of incurable cases of cancer
 until death brings relief from sutfer-
 ing. He has likewise given large
 sum of money for the endowment and
 maintenance of the institution, which,
 differing from hospitals where people
 go to be cured, Is in reality home
 for the dying. This is only one more
 to a long list of similar philanthropic establishments which owe their crea- tion and existence to his initiative and
 generosity. Tn fact, it is doubtful whether there is any reigning sover- eign In Europe who has greater number of deeds of charity and for
 the relief of suffering to his credit than Prince John of Leichtenstein.
 Yet few can boast of ever having set eyes upon him. Although he has been near 50 years on his throne, and is almost TO years of age, few even of his near relatives and subjects are acquainted with his appearance, and it is no exaggeration to state that with the exception of his only brother, the childless and unmarried Prince Francis Llechtenstein, so long Aus trian ambassador at St. Petersburg, and his confidential secretaries and
 servants, nobody knows what he real ly looks like. The reason for this mysterious seclusion is that he has been afflicted almost from his child hood with an allment of such a char acter as to lead him to shun the so- ciety of his fellow creatures. It does not affect his mind in any way On the contrary, he Is one of the most in tellectually brilliant sovereigns in Europe, and the imperial academy of science at Vienna, and number of other organizations of the same kind, both in Austria and abroad, carry ] him on their roll of honor.
 The prince spends most of his time ! in his magnificent castle of Eisgrub,
 in Moravia, where, in spite of his af- ! fliction, he entertains large parties, especially during the shooting season. He likewise dispenses hospitality at , other of his many castles and
 chateaus, and gives dinners, balls and grand concerts at his superb palace at & Vienna every winter. But his guests
 never see their host. They are ilev- & CT permitted to want for anything and E are simply overwhelmed with delicate 2 attentions. But from the time that
 they cross the threshold until their 4 departure they never catch a glimpse of him. Yet they are in some way S conscious of his presence. It is un- q derstood that he is very fond of so-
 ciety, and that if he dispenses hospi- & tality it is not only from a sense of # duty, but likewise because he likes to M see and hear agreeable, clever people # about him. They do not see him, but
 he sees and hears them, when they are at the table, in the music-room, in 5 the salons, the picture galleries and < the ball rooms, by means, it is said, of E hidden passages, carefully contrived peepholes, speaking tubes and elec- Arical contrivances.
 The prince is in every sense of the word an absentee ruler, and although his principality has justly been de- scribed as idyllis, lying as it does be- tween Switzerland and the Vorarlberg ! and fed by the waters of the Rhine, with no taxes and no national debt, and without even prison, yet the $ prince has always lived wholly 2 abroad; that is to say, in Austria, in
 which country as well as in Hun
 gary and in Germany his private es-
 tates extend over an area of 500 square
 miles. His subjects at one time rebell-