The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-07-16

by La MARQUISE DE FONTENOY.
> ING FERDINAND of Bulgaria has
become almost as stone deaf as
was his shrewd old mother. the
late Princess Clementine OF Co
burg. and although the Partisan press
maintained discreet silence about the
matter during his recent state visit 70
Paris. yet his hardness of hearing was
a subject of much comment among the
French people and the foreign diplo-
mats with whom he was brought into
contact; also of remarks to the effect
that no Bulgarian statesman or minis
ter could boast Of having his sove-
reign's ear 1t was noted that the
Wife, and he had her constantly By his
side. so as to keep him properly posted
as to what people were saying, and
whether he had understood them
and as old as himself-that is to say.
over ffty-yet she is q perfectly ideal
consort in the assistance which she
renders him in this respect. For she
Is very sensible. quiet. collected. and
thinks before she speaks, while her
training as hospital nurse, as ambu-
lance directress, and as school teacher.
has endowed her with vast amount
of patience and of tact. Indeed. she
made an excellent impression in Paris.
despite her German birth and bringing
up.
This deafness of King Ferdinand Is
the House of Orleans. His uncle. the
late Prince de Joinville. was stone deaf
So. too. was his other uncle. the Duo
de Nemours. Els first cousins. the
Due de Chartres and the Due de PEN
thievre. who received his training as
a naval officer at Annapolis are ter
ribly hard of hearing; and while King
Leopold's hearing was excellent the
latter's brother. the Count of Flanders
Gather of the present King OF Bel
giuml. had inherited the family Attic
ton through his mother, who was a
sister of Princess Clementine. So in
tense was the deafness of the late
Count of Flanders that whenever some
particularly important secret affecting
royalty or international politics reached
the public, the leakage was always laid
at his door. and ascribed to his prac-
tice of discussing such matters with
his clever wife, the Countess Of Elan
ders. after dinner. the windows of the
dining room opening directly on to the
street, so that any passerby could not
help hearing what the count was say
ing: for, ike all deaf men. he spoke
in very loud and sonorous voice.
while the countess was obliged to talk
equally loud in her efforts to make
him understand
Herr Won Valentini the principal pri-
vate secretary of the Kaiser, and who.
like his predecessor In office. the late
Baron Won Lucanus, Is intrusted with
mating to cabinet ministers that they
have ceased to enjoy the confidence of
their sovereign and that their resig-
nation is requested, cannot be said to
lose any time or to waste any words
in the fulflment of his mission: for.
although Herr Won Moltke, a nephew
of the celebrated field marshal, Herr
Won Arnm and Baron Rheinhaben, had
several weeks ago requested permits
sion to resign--a request which had
been refused-they were totally nnpre-
pared for TIE curt letter received the
other day from the angel of DEATH"
as Private Secretary Won Valentino is
now called. which contained the three
following brief lines:
I'm view of the necessity of enhance
ing the homogenety of the ministry,
your excellency is requested to hand in
your resignation at once"
Baron Rheinhaben, who has been
reappdinted to the governorship OF
the Rhine Province, which he held be-
fore becoming minister of finance near
| ly decade ago, was one of the candi-
dates for the chancellorship of the
empire. on the resignation of Prince
Won Buelow, and has never got on very
| we'll with the present chancellor since
| But his position has been shaken from
| the time he incurred the displeasure
of the Kaiser by declining. on finan-
cial grounds, to countenance his pet
scheme of building q new royal opera
house for Berlin, alta cost Of some
\ $6,0O0,000, on the borders of the Thier'
/ garten, close to the Kemperplatz. ir
| the place Of the old opera house. Untel
i den Linden Baron Rheinhaben took
\ the ground that the finances Of the