The Washington herald., 1910-10-15

the Emperor was ready enough 10 agree
to Bismarcks triple alliance plan. Thus
fortified Franz Josef was able 70 look
the future more cheerfully In the face.
Added TO this Is the personality Of the
beloved old ruler. who IS being wor-
SHIPPED by his popu!ace, that alone more
than all OF the political moves. plans. and
subterfuges making his throne safe for
him As 10 the time after his death, he
shall leave his lands in peace with the
Turks. which means great deal, and he
has the good will OF Germany. which, ow-
ing 10 the brotherhood OF Teutonic ORR
gin. is not likely to permit any nation 10
make good any threats Of ACKNOWLEDGMENT
Of the Heterogeneous country SO often
heard nowadays.
No use 10 recall the faults OF poor Ru-
dolf and the tragedy Of Meyerligk lie
was a bit Eighty. Ever since the sue
| cession he had been great Worry 10 the
Emperor. who lost wife. son, and sec
ond heir al IN short space Of time
Called 10 the throne al the age OF eight
cen, he has passed through national
storms and private sorrows OF almost
unparalleled severity. Then there was
revolution. followed by wars that deci-
mated his territory. His wife was muir
dered by an anarchist Then the So
called suicide OF his heir, and the fate
/ that befell his brother, Macmillan, who
foonshly had allowed himself 10 be per
suaded by the third Napoleon 10 90 TO
/ Mexico and put an imperial crown upon
his head that ended with his death al
| the hands OF a Hberty-loving populace
| The only solace Of his old age are the
children OF his daughter Archduchess
| Elisa beth, who hardly ever are permit
ted 10 leave him. and several old friends.
picked not from the Ultra-fashionabie
society OF his ultra-conservarive court.
but from the middle classes, and with
whom every afternoon he plays his game
OF cards al the castle OF Schoenbrunnen.
Archduke Franz Ferdinand, who vii.
succeed Emperor Franz Josef. has a
wife. hut she is not likely TO become his
! Empress. The situation is pregnant w.th
idenouements VIII Franz Josef do any
thing 20 straighten out the matter before
he dies? or will Franz Ferdinand. on
becoming Austrian Emperor. be able 10
do anything All this is open TO discus
sion. ! believe that the cast-iron clauses
OF the "pragmauc sanction" viii prove
an unsurmountahle difficulty for the low.
Ing pair
, The archduke married the Countess
Sophie Chotek, a lady-in-waiting at th'
) Vienna court. In 1900 the cd ruler an
} nounced 70 the empire that his nephew
marriage was only morganatic and that
therefore. neither his wife nor his chill
dren had any OF the rights OF the i'm
periaI family.
Franz Ferdinand and the countess hav,
taken the situation philosophically. yea
even hopefully.
Gratitude is said 10 be a sense OF IA
vors 20 como rather than Of favors con
ferred That and the proverbial shor
memory OF rulers and governments MAJ
account for a phrase in Kaiser WNhel9'
recent speech at Vienna on HIS return
from his hunting trip to the Hungarian
estate OF one Of the archdukes who's
son. 1t IS said, is 10 wed the Emperor
! only daughter. 10 more firmly cemen
the undying friendship Of the two EN-
plres, Il Is 20 be doubted II the Aus
,rians are particularly elated over VII
llam's reminder OF former dependence
upon the shining armor" OF their ally
whose grandfather, he who was enables
by Bismarcks policy 10 put the imperia
crown upon his aged head at Versatile
after subduing the French in $50, Tough
and so badly beat the Austrians at Koen
igsgraetz and Gitchin in 1867, and who's
guns pointed toward Vienna until he ha,
wrested from the Hapsburgs the suprem
acy in the old German empire.
The aid his shining armor gave Austri
two years ago, when one OF the period
crises arose in the near East owing Z
the annexation OF Bosnia and Here
gOvina by Austria. was not so much,
seeing that in return the dual monarch
was obliged 10 acknowledge the indie
pendence Of Bulgaria from Ottoman su
ze-ainty Therefore the circumstances
the friendly meeting at Vienna and o.
the occasion Of reception rendered Fran
Josef and his august guest by the citizen
of the gay capital by the blue Danub
did hardly warrant such gushing.
Still that damatic moment was seize
by William in order to don his 'shinin
armor." Sometimes he calls il my MALE
fist" and TO perform one Of the mos
favorite acts of German diplomac
known as rafting the saber.'
True, and, by the way, far more TO III
point, would have been a mention
what Bismarck's fnely-engineered trip
alliance has done for the present peal
and prosperity Of Austria, for the stanC
ing Austria has gained through II wit
the nations Of Europe, and how Bismarcl
by this favor, not only tried 10. but "a
tually did wipe out the remembrance
the war Of 1866 between brother an
brother But William is not magnan
nous. Thou shalt have no other Gods
His must be the glory and his alon
He cut the Gordian knot two years ag'
He preserved peace by getting his goo
friend the Sultan, 20 agree 10 the al
nexation Of the two Balkan provinces
Austria, when, otherwise, he had meal
TO avenge il with the flaming sword
Islam, and that was what the Vienne'
ought to he grateful for to his 'shiniT
armor." FLANEUR.
Copyright. 1910. by Mcclure Newspaper syndicat'