The Washington herald., 1909-01-10
By EX-ATTACHE.

the time on the very eve OF motherhood
In doing this ne was following in the
footsteps OF his father. who some twenty
years ago when the cholera was raging
with such intensity al Naples. insisted,
in the face Of the opposition of his min
isters. upon Fastening from his country
seat at MOnza. near Milan. 10 the scene.
Meeting the Cardinal Archbishop Of Ma
pies in the hospital. BY the bed of the
dying and on being Landed and thanked
by the pTelate for coming. he cut short
his expressions % gratitude By the re-
mark that il was the trade Of kings" 10
endeavOr 10 succor and 10 bring comfort
and relief 20 the people cOn6ded TO their
rule in moments Of danger and Of dis
tress such as these.
In fact. the attitude Of Humbert and OF
some Of his brother rulers during great
epidemics Of this kind led 20 the remark
that cholera hospitals had become an
these modern times the battlefield OF
monaTchs The latter have very rarely
nowadays the occasion Of displaying their
bravery under fire. for the possibility OF
their captivity or OF their being killed by
some stray prOjeCtile constitutes 50 great
a political and dynastic handicap 10 the
fortunes Of tfeiT army that their pres
enCe at the front is always discouraged
and even opposed. They take an OppOT-
tuuity. however. of giving evidence Of
then. courage IN times of peStilence and
OF epideTnics such as those of Asiatic
cholera and o. the plague. when their
visits TO the hospital bring comfort %
the dying. cheer 10 the sick. and much
needed encouragement 10 the doctors and
nurses.
Emperor Nicholas and his father. the
late Alexander III, as well as his surviv-
ing c0nsort. Czarina Marie; Emperor
Francis Joseph. Emperor William and
has parents. have al distinguished them
selves IN this fashion. while Empress
Eugene atoned for many of the short
cominss laid al her door by the manner
in which. on the occasion Of the great
cholera outbreak IN France in 1856. she
visited all the hospitals al RoUeu. where
the disease was raging with the greatest
intensity. while on another occasion, dur
ms a particularly violent epidemic OF
smallpox. she did not hesitate 90 go
through the hospitals IN Paris affected 10
the malaGy(u order TO encourage the doc
tors and nurses 70 re5li6 p, a the post Of
duty. although by SO doing she risked
those good looiss and that beauty which
constituted her principal If not. indeed.
her only. claim 90 sovereignty.
Nor would any reference TO European
mOnaUChs I'm this connection be complete
without a brief mention OF the widowed
Queen Marie Amelie OF Portugal. who.
having rendered herself immune from
diPhtheria by incubation. with the OBJ
ject of removing the popular prejudice
against this form Of vaccination. was
wont. until the murder of her husband
and her eldest son a year ago. TO visit
the diphtheria wards Of the Lisbon hos
pitfalls each week She showed an even
still greater degree OF bravery at the
time OF the last outbreak Of the hubonic
plague in Portugal While il listed she
appeared daily in the hospitals and her
self acted as the nurse and attended the
deaJhbed Of a young physician who sue
cumbed 20 the malady while miniSteTuE
10 the stricken She IS a trained nurse
and a fuH-fedSed physician, being the
only occupant Of a throne who IS entitled
10 add the mystic letters Of n. D. 10 the
list OF her dignities.
During the terrible foundations that
spread 50 much ruin and destruction in
the dual empire OF AuStria-HUngary. in
Z
finally In 1879. Francis Joseph himself
fastened on each occasion 10 the scene
of danger as soon as ever news reached
him Of the disaster. personally directing
the work Of rescue and of relief and
saving with his own hands many people
from drowning az the peril OF his oWR
life
Napoleon III acted IN an identcaIly
similar fashion during the great inunda-
tons that devastated the south OF France
in the summer Of 1S56. and established in
this manner a far greater hold upon the
regard and good VIII Of his cOuntrymen
than by any other achievement Of his
eighteen years reign
Indeed the pictures showing him en-
gased in taking off women and children
from floating wreckage and from the
roofs Of submerged farm houses in the
midst Of storm. peltinE rain and wind.
and at much personal risk, have always
appealed far more 10 the popular imagi-
nation and also 10 the best sentiments Of
the public than the masterpieces Of great
painters representing him in the act u
directing the operations of his army and
pIucking victory from defeat on the bat
tIefeld Of SoiferinO.