The Washington herald., 1911-07-31

Speaking Of the pontiff, It is not gen
orally known that Pope Plus possesses
Keen sense OF hunor. In fact, It Is one
OF his chief characteristics This was
admirably exemplified recently when he
asked Hebrew gentleman from Venice
whom he had received In audience TO
convey his apostolic blessing to sick
friend in that city, the Popes native
place.
but. your holiness" said the visitor,
II am a Jew
NO matter" replied tho Pope. The
goods are all right. though the packing
may be trifie bad"
Somewhat unconventional. the Pope has,
to the great CONSERVATION of the Vatican
officials. broken down many rules Of
etiquette which he considered obnoxious.
Soon after he attained his present high
position in 1903 he caused a great deal OF
talk by asking his sisters to dinner with
him at the Vatican, despite the fact that
papal etiquette decreed that the Pope
must not ask any one to dine with him at
his own table, much less women.
The nuptials of Archduke Karl Franz
Josef, second in line Of succession to the
dual throne Of Austria-Hungary. are to
take place next October in the chapel of
the Vienna Hofburg. The bride-to-be.
Princess Zita, Of Parma. is to be present.
ed to the aged Emperor at his summer
residence, Lainz. in the Salzkammergut.
and later she will make her obeisance to
the members Of the imperial family at
grand court ball to be given in her honor
at the Castle of Schoenbrunn. near
Vienna. 1t is already being forecasted
in court circles that the Duchess Of Ho-
henberg, the morganatio wife Of the heir
to the Austrian throne, Archduke Franz
Ferdinand, will not be present at that
function. The reason Is obvious.
The villa where the betrothal took
place, Pianora. near Lucca, IN Tuscany,
is the last Of the late Duke Of Parma's
italian possessions. The widowed duch-
ess, a former infanta Of Portugal was Q
famous beauty. She Is the youngest Of
the Braganza sisters, whose brother Is
Dom Miguel, the pretender TO the throne
of Portugal, and whose nephew, the
Duke de Vizeu, married Anita Stewart, Of
New York.
The infanta, at the age Of twenty
two, became the second wife Of Duke
Robert of Parma, a widower, and the
father of eight children by his first
wife, Princess Maria Pia OF Bourbon
Sicily. This Robert, in fact, was no
real Duke of Parma, since that duke
dom had been incorporated into the new
united kingdom of Italy when he was but
ten years of age. Still 1t has been the
custom of most OF the dethroned rulers
who found a home in Austria to retain
their empty titles. which they were
IN hopes might one day become real
once more. Just to show how far this
desire for royal honors was carried,
let me quote here all the titles of this
man: Grand Duke of Tuscany, King OF
Hanover, Duke of Brunswick. Duke OF
Parma, King of Naples, &C, all empty
and all assumed through distant reIa-
tionship when death brought the bearer
step nearer to n possible attainment
OF the coveted throne. But the duke
did leave immense properties to his
widow and the twenty children of his
two unions. The duchess lives IN the
magnificent Castle of Schwarzau, a few
miles from Vienna, in the foothills Of
the Austrian Alps. 1t is built amid
large park which is lighted throughout
by electricity and contains the most
wonderful hothouses in all Europe.
FLANEUR.
Copyright, 1911. by Court Gossip syndicate.I