The Washington herald., 1909-02-14
ITALY'S KING IT CLOSE RANGE
Victor Emmanuel Prefers Courtesy to
Etiquette and English to French.
Has No Taste for Art, Thereby show
Ing same Indifference of Other
Members Of savoy Dynasty.

King Victor Emmanuel does not smoke.
differing therein from his predecessor on
the throne. He saw when a lad what
bad effect the abuse of the cigar had on
his fathers health. and made UP his
mind 20 abstain from tobacco. Whereas
his father was wont 20 receive people
standing, thereby compelling them to re-
main on their feet Victor Emmanuel
points with a courteous gesture TO a chair
when receiving visitor. and sits down
himself. says the New York Tribune.
His grandfather and namesake was less
ceremonious. and General the MARQUIS
de Gallifet. who was one Of the orderly
officers OF Napoleon III al the battle Of
solferins, relates in his published Rem
iniscences~ that when dispatched by the
French Emperor 10 convey message on
The eve Of the battle 10 the Italian King.
the latter received him lying in his bed,
without a single stitch Of cIothing, and
painting from the heat
The King talks English perfectIy-in
fact. his English is much better than his
French, owing 20 his having been edu-
Gated by wonderfully clever English
governsss, a Miss Lee. His education
was completed by Col OssiO. who.
having spent a number OF years as milf
tary attache at Berlin. had become ac-
Quainted with the somewhat Spartan
manner IN which the sclons Of the House
Of HohenZOlieTn are reared. and he ae-
cOruingly brought Up Victor Emmanuel
with considerable amount OF severity.
lie exacted from his royal charge polite
ness toward servants, but no familiarity.
and respectful politeness toward the
different professors
There were twelve OF them. including
the fencing. gymnsstic. and equestrian
masters, and a lady who gave lessons
entirely useleSS-On the piano. for We
tor Emmanuel has no ear for music HIS
French IS more correct than fluent. and
i strikes strangers as odd. owing 10 his
practice OF speaking TO his visitors in
French In the third person. This is ar
act Of difference which fn France itself
Is restricted 20 people OF the humber
classes. such as domestics. peasants. and
petty tradesmen. Coming from q king OF
ancient lineage. II savors OF old-fashioned
courtesy. which. though strange. IS ex-
ceedingly attractive
Victor Emmanuel. indeed. although
somewhat short in his speech which Is
characterized by a military brevl:v and
direCtness, is extremely courteous, and
disdains the laws Of etiquette where
they DO not accord with those Of cosir-
tesy-
Thus. most sovereigns who have paid
state visits to Paris have on the occasion
Of the gala performances at the opera
yielded to the requirements OF etiquette.
u the extent OF preceding the wife of
the president. and allowed her 70 walk be-
hind them King Emmanuel would not
hear Of any such thing. and alone among
them offered her his arm. there and on
every other occasion during his sojourn
on the banks Of the Seine with Queen
Helen.
Like most Of the other members of the
house, he is IN no sense Of the word an
artist. II IS strange. indeed. when one
recalls the pre-eminence OF Italy as a
nation in the various branches OF art. in
painting. poetry. architecture. and music
that hardly a scion or the Savoy dynasty
should have ever shOne in this respect
with the exception Of Queen Margaret
who is a musician and a poet, and Prince
Thomas Of Savoy. who in the beginning
of the seventeenth century collected all
those matches Van Eycks and other
[ Flemish paintings that now form the
glory Of the Turin Museum.
( Victor Emmanuel cares nothing for
music. although his wife Is one Of the
+ most gifted amateur viOlinists in Europe
I He is equally Indifferent TO poetry. de-
spite the fact that she has published
some exquisite poems IN the 'sNadana. d
as well ss she versifies and plays. But
! some tastes they have in common. name
ny. the love Of children. the love Of flow
ers. and fondness for every form OF sport
/ The King is very obstinate. this being
{ no doubt. due TO the touch Of Breton
I blood in his veins; a strain dating from
! the eighteenth century. when his ances-
! tor. one OF the princes Of Savoy Carig
I nan, married a Nile. Magon. daughter
/ Of Breton country gentleman. residing
/ near Rennes. and a cousin OF the poet
( Chateaubriand. Few students OF history
can give any information offhand Of The
I house Of Savoy. and even the great Ger
man ssvant Mommsen was satisfied L
! think 1t Teutonic and to believe # to bt
/ founded by Berthold OF Zachringen
whom the German Emperor sent in the
/ twelfth century to act as an admins
trative vicar in the kingdom OF Burgundy
To Queen Margaret. however, belong,
/ the credit Of having obtained. through
! diligent research. definite data about the
matter. II results from her Inquiries
which have included examination Of ar.
/ chives at Aries. Chambrey, Lyons. Sens
/ Vienna. ChalOns-sUr-Saone Turin. Milan
/ &c. that the founder Of the house O.
Savoy was a Burgundian OF the name oi
/ GARNER.
He had nothing whatsoever 10 do witt
| BeTenger II. King Of the Lombards
whom some genealogists place at the rooi
/ Of the family tree Of the house Of Savoy
Neither is the Count de Viennois no,
Constantine. natural son Of the Burgund
ian Emperor Louis the Blind. the mair
| ancestor.
Queen Margaret's researches go TO show
/ that soldier CT fortune named Gar.
nier achieved military distinction unde;
King Raoul OF Burgundy. from whom ht
obtained the command OF the County oi
Troyes and Of the Viscounty Of Sens He
was killed II battle with the Normans
at Mont Calais in 925. and left a large
family and widow, Thiberga His son
Hughes GARNER. married villa Of Bur
gundy, and through his defense Of Savo1
against the Saracens and the Huns be.
came its count