The Washington herald., 1911-08-23
A POPULAR PRINCESS.

helm, the young wife Of the fourth son
of the Kaiser. This daughter-in-Iaw of
the Emperor was Princess Alexandra
Victoria, of Schleswig. .Holstein- Sender
berg. when at the age Of twenty one
she married Prince August Wilhelm.
three years ago. Kaiser Wilhelm's
choice, 1t is said. had fallen elsewhere,
but, as 1t was a love match. and the
princess was in every way suitable,
there was no objection made.
Princess alexandra is bright and gay
like Crown Princess Cecilie. while her
other stster-in-law, Princess Eitel-
Friedrich. is very stiff and reserved.
though somehow the Emperor deems
her undignifed. She rarely appears in
public, and when she does is Ill at ease.
Before her marriage to the second son
Of the Kaiser. she was Herzogin Ouch
ess) Sophie Charlotte Of Oldenburg. She
is very wealthy in her own right, and
costumes. Yet she never appears we'll
dressed. Although only thirty-two. she
already has acquired the embonpoint for
which German married women are so
well known. By the way. her husband.
"Eitel-Frttz'-as the Berlinese, who
adore him. have dubbed him-himself Is
getting to be rather stout for one SO
young. This may be result OF the
critical illness he passed through q
couple of years ago.
Princess Eitel has been married five
years and Princess Augustus three years,
but. greatly to the Emperors disappoint-
ment, neither Is a mother. The crown
princess, who was Duchess Cecilie Of
Mecklenburg. welded the Emperors eld-
est son six years ago. and has three sons,
Prince William, five years old; Prince
Louis Ferdinand. not quite four. and
Prince Hubert, two.
1t was Princess Augustus who engaged
Princess Eitel in a plot at the Postdam
charity fete few weeks ago to sell
daisies at a high price to a Milwaukee
millionaire who was driving around the
parade grounds in an automobile flying
the Stars and Stripes. The sale was
closed at 81 a flower. and cost the Mil
waukee Croesus $1,000.
Prince Adelbert. the Emperor's third
son, who is still single, has decided in
future to drop his incognito when travel
ing in Germany, owing to an incident
which happened at Kiel. The prince had
long wanted to visit an old retired ad-
miral whom he had known in early boy
hood. and. taking the opportunity while
in Kiel, drove out to the veterans home,
sending in his card. on which was en-
graved the title, Count Won Berg" the
princes incognito. The admiral received
the card from the servant and sent back
the message that he knew no Count Won
Berg and was too old to be trapped by
international frauds with big names.
The Moroccan situation has caused
so much to be written about the pre-
parednes of Germany for war and Of It's
great army. but it is surprising how little
iS ~ he
establishment. To begin with, 1t is not
the largest army in existence. It is out
numbered both under ordinary (peace)
conditions and on a war footing (Mo-
biD by Russia, which Officially has
more men under arms and could put
more trained soldiers In the field. But
whether this is SO, also de facto." am
not prepared to say. The best military
authorities doubt If Russia's forces on
a war footing can figure up to 1850, 900
men. The official lists claim even more
than that. The peace strength of the
Russian army is stated as 10000 men.
Perhaps this continued overestimation
and self-deceit was one OF the causes
that led Russia TO begin war with Japan.
relying upon strength that existed on
paper only and on commissariat that
contained empty storehouses.
However this may be, nothing like that
can be said of Germany's army. which.
while perhaps only the second larg-
est in number, Is beyond any manner Of
doubt the finest disciplined in the world.
Friends and foes both agree as to that.
There is not a man less in the barracks
than the lists in the Office Of the gen.
eral stan and the quartermaster general
show. Besides, the machine is in such
perfect working order that the reserves,
NJ
not only take the field quietly. but they
would be At for immediate service and
this was demonstrated in 1870.
Four days after war had been declared
by France the army corps farthest re-
moved from the French border-about
800 to 1000 English miles-the Fifth
Posen) and the Sixth (Silesia) actually
crossed the boundary at Saarlouis under
Gen. Won Steinmetz, and a day or so later
actually gave battle to the French van
guard at the Heights of Spicheren, open
ing the way, for the columns of the two
other army divisions to follow under the
then Crown Prince Friedrich Wilhelm
("Unser Fritz'O, the father of the present
Kaiser, and his cousin, Prince Fried
rich Karl (der "Rothe Prinz'D. And
all this-it is almost unbelievable, but
the writer participated in that war
while Partisan papers printed satirical
little notes whereabouts in Berlin the
victorious French officers would make
their quarters" actually naming the
mansions. and their owners already pick
ed out as victimsl This again was a
case where the ruler had been deceived
by his commanders and staff as to the
strength and reliability of his forces.
The peace" total Of the German army
is no more than $4,000 men, but, as I
said, they are all there Thus Ger
many may not have the largest army,
but it has the greatest army, and It is
safe to say that in war and emergency,
when all classes of the reserves there.
the ,"Ersatz" reserves, the "Landwehr,"
and the "Landsturm (graded according
to the years Of active and non-actiye
are called to the front Germany
will muster also the largest numbers,
for its system of keeping its reserves in
condition, well drilled, and At by a bien-
nial call to the colors is absolutely per-
feet. In short, Germany is able to mus
ter perhaps 100000 in times Of war IN
effective condition. and then have anoth- |
er million and over to man the fortresses
and to make good losses on the battle |
fields.
Princess Indira, only daughter Of the
(GaekwaD Of Baroda, who.
with her mother, is spending the summer
in England after attending the coro-
nation ceremonies, and who. with her
parents last year 4yisited the IInited