Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-11-21
Special Correspondence.

+ Gpeclal .SsbTEtS)ulut-llSt' Is
" EIPSIC, Nov. 13.-Although in
sanity frequently has been tho
,4lot Of royalty, very remarkable
Tea lures distinguish the case of
the ruling lSnasties OF the two princi-
palities OF Reuss the picturesque Ger
man states tucked away in a corner
Of The kaiser's empire. For the country
has bee,l ruled for generations by
princes about whose mental state the.
most charitable thing that can be SAID
IS that it was unbalanced. Many OF
them have been famous the world over
for their ecCentricitieS and several OF
them have developed into open mad.
ness.
The attention of . the outside world
was drawn to these little states lately
by the marriage of the selt-appointeu
GEAR" Ferdinand Of Bulgaria, at Os-
terstein castle. the residence OF the
reigning family to the sister of Prince
Henry NNIV. But for some time pre-
yio,1s to thatfcvent, and since, the Ger
man people have been discussing the
future Of the states. Just at the pres
ent moment the state Of mind OIL IT'S
princes is the cause of a more than
usual muddled condition of affairs. the
erstwhile ruler Of both branches ottthe;
Reusses is Prince Henry N1N, but re-
Gently, in his seventy seventh year he
was compelled to leave his capital be-
cause Of a ridiculous love affair With a
Young actress (Whon he afterward
n,arred), and he since has been de-
clared ''npantally irresponsible. Inc
real ruler in his absence is his son,
Prince Henry NNNlI, who is as un-
popular as his father was popular with
the people over whom he rules, unfof-
tunately for the regent and the hopes
OF his race he is in poor health. and,
moreover there is the inevitable faint
of insanity, which seems to have pur-
sued his lire like veritable Nemesis,
In his family. His heir and son is
hopeless lunatic and one OF his daugh-
ters is mentally and physically para
lyzed.
TOY KINGDOM.
Reuss' only claim, almost, to the at
tcntion OF the world for many years
has been this affliction of the members
Of its ruling family. The two princi-
palities together, forming part OF that
complex of small German states known
by the common name of Thuringia, are
not more than one third the size Of the
state OF Rhode Island. Translated into
figures, their area covers less than 4oo
square miles. Were its rulers normally
constituted, there would be no reason
for the world at large outside of the
numerous American and German tex
tile manufacturers who are In the habit
Of buying their raw material from
Gera, Greiz, Zeulenroda, and T'riebes TO
take the slightest interest in the R.eus-
rem and their toy country.
Everything in the Reusses. even their
modern manufacturing centers like
Cora and Greiz, is in some measure out
pf the ordinary The houses are old
fashioned, with huge. sloping roofs,
sE.air upper stories hanging over the
path, as If in imminent danger OF top-
ping upon the heads of the passersby,
and capped With peaked gables of the
fifteenth century style. In the streets
p:rambulate square-built villagers in
oddly shaped hats and clothing of obso-
eete cut, OF which almost every village
and hamlet have their particular type.
PERPLExING HISTORY.
The two municipalities have history
'ull OF curves and 2igzags orisinaliy
liey We're loose bundle of two. dozen
mall .Grafschafteh. or sovereign
counties; then they We're united: thel,
hey were torn asunder again ana
patched together anew; until in 1865 the
bnal division between an elder ana
younger line. of the ancient prince
y house took place.
Ever since this division the male
members of both branches have adopt
"a the perplexng custom Of bearing
he name Of Heinrich" the individual
Jeng distinguished by numerals IN
The older line the remuneration begins
again when the number 100 Is reached
while in the younger house II opens
Ind closes with the century. NUM-
Der OF German prncely houses favor
,ne. or Il few Christian names. as, for
Instance. the Hnhenzollerns. where the
names Frederick. William and Henry
frequently recur; but the Reuss rnode
Administering their male offspring IKE
TO the specialist OF German history
Ind to the learned prof Of herfal q !.