The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1909-08-25
Jokes ON MONARCHS.
Some Daring Franks Played
Upon Royal Personages.
A FLOWER FOR THE KAISER.
Decorations That Made His Majesty
Explode With Wrath--A Medical Di-
pIoma For Prince Of WaIes--Ths
Duke and the Stockholders.

ed In Berlin daily stating that Prince
Henry. who had just returned from
his visit to the United States, had
brought home as present to his
brother number of plants of n new
variety Of crimson carnation. "As
every one knows" the paragraph con-
cluded. "the red carnation is his i'm
perial majesty's favorite fiower.'
On the day after the publication of
this news the kaiser was due at AK
la-Chapelle. A member of the town
council suggested that every one In
the town wear buttonhole of the
kaiser's favorite flower
The suggestion was at once acted
on. The frock coated members of the
deputation which waited next morning
ON the platform each wore proudly a
buttonhole of the deepest crimson.
The poor fellows could not conceive
why the kaiser's demeanor was so
freezing. He dismissed them with
few words, got into his carriage and
drove off.
At the town hall was another deputa-
tion, similarly decorated. Then his
majesty's wrath exploded. "What Is
the meaning OF this insult?" he de-
manded. Some one explained, and
then one of the kaiser's attendants took
the mayor aside MY dear sir" he
said, surely you know that the red
carnation is the emblem of the Social
Democrats aud of all flowers the one
| which his majesty chiefly detestsw
Many years ago King Edward VII.
then Prince of Wales, was the sub
| ject of n stupid hoax. He received
letter informing him of his unanimous
election as honorary member of the
Princeton medical faculty and signed
by three students. With his invarlable
courtesy the recipient requested his
private secretary to acknowledge 1t.
The reply said, His royal highness
| will remember with pride and salts
| faction the mark of distinction re-
ceived at the hands of the Princeton
medical faculty"
| As n matter of fact, there is not and
never was such an organization.
| AS impudent hoax as ever was
heard Of was perpetrated in 1904 upon
/ ~ btlSuh BuDtis "a ltttti
to be In the handwriting and above
| the signature of Princess Louise of
Coburg was received by the editor,
| who very foollshly published 1t with
out first assuring himself as to its gen
uineness.
] This letter gave long catalogue OF
the wrongs of Princess Louise and OF
her sisters and constituted most
brutal attack upon her father, the king
of the Belgians.
| The letter was at once copied by
number of other papers, including
more than one In England. Naturally
It gave great pain to the princess her.
self, and the only wonder is that
prosecution for libel was not the I'm
mediate result.
| Some years ago young American
woman who was staying in Copen-
hagen made n bet with a friend that
she would propose to the king Of Den
| mark.
On one of the kings public reception
days the American lady found her way
| to the royal residence.
"What can | do for you, MADAME"
asked the king.
"Yonr majesty. desired to ask you
II you would like to marry mel" was
| the reply.
The king merely smiled.
81 am afraid | am little too old"
be sald and at the same moment he
beckoned to one OF the officials to con-
duct the lady to the door He had
| put her down as harmless lunatic.
| A joke of rather rough order was
played upon the first cousin of the em.
peror of Austria, the Archduke Sal.
vator, once when lie was In Paris. He
was passing the bourse-the Partisan
| equivalent of tho Stock Exchange
when his companion, lanky young
French count. suggested that he
might look inside.
| "lf you walk straight in" he said,
"no one will notice you. They will
take you for stockbroker."
| The duke took him at his word, but
of course he was no sooner inside
than he was recognized as n sightseer.
His silk hat was instantly spirited
| away. and he was at once surrounded
4 ny luOD VI uehleTS WITH nOteDOOkS
shouting fabulous offers TO buy or sell
| stock.
The duke had a desperate struggle
TO reach the front lobby. and when at
last he got there, hatless and breath
less, he found that some genial soul
had pinned a long price list to the
tails of his coat.
II is not likely that any reigning
| sovereign ever got more unpleasant
scare than did Ferdinand of Bulgaria
some five years ago. His private Sec
retary. a young baron, was away In
| Austria on a vacation when letter
arrived for his royal master announc.
ing that he did not propose to return
aud that he would be glad for the sum
of 10000; otherwise, he wrote. he
would be compelled to sell O number
of secret documents which he had
taken away with him.
| Instantly Prince Ferdinand dis.
patched couple OF secret service en-
yoys In chase OF his missing secretary,
whom they ran 20 ground peacefully
H.s..a In. 81