The Washington herald., 1911-09-05
RESTORER OF GREAT LONDON
CATHEDRAL WAS NOTED MAN

turesque ruin in the Erzgebirge (Ore
Mountains). is to be restored architec-
turally and modernized In its interior.
Princess Zita. accompanied by her moth
er, will spend this month in Paris. where
she will purchase her trousseau, just as
did Crown Princess Caecilie of Germany
five years ago, despite the loud protests
of the German merchants. The SINH
larity Of character between the future
two emperors and their mates is striking.
All have strongly developed cosmopoli-
tan tastes, are ardent lovers of sport,
and prefer the French and English fash
ions to those Of the Germans or Aus
trians.
The marriage of ArChduke Karl Franz
Josef and Princess Zita, which is to
take place next month at the Castle Of
SChOenbrunn, near Vienna, is a genuine
love match. But, owing TO the Chagrin
felt by ArChduchesS Marie Valerie, in
whose house the bridegroom-to-be was
treated as her own child, where he almost
grew up, and where his mating with one
of the daughters seemed a foregone con-
clusion, not all of the members of the
house of Hapsburg will attend, not even
the Emperor, owing to his advanced age.
Princess Zita, who is Of the Toscany
branch of the Austrian archdukes. is
bright and YivaciOus, but exceedingly
plain and homely as to looks.
On the occasion of the demise last win
ter of one of the many Princes of Reuss,
l explained the family custom of distin-
gushing one of them from another-they
are all of them named Heinrich-by the
addition of a numeral in Roman figures
to their names. Quite often this leads
to confusion. as there are a number
of the Reuss family each reigning over
diminutive principality in the German
federation. There is Reuss Aeltere LIME.
Reuss Juengere LIME, Reuss-Greiz,
Reuss-Gera, Reuss-Schleiz. and Reuss-
| Lobenstein. Now another Reuss is dead
died on a train while en- route to Kissin-
gen, in Bavaria CBismarCks favorite
health resorD. He was Heinrich XIV.
eighty years old, hereditary sovereign of
Reuss-Gera, but since 1908 also the re-
gent of Reuss-Greiz, when his father be-
came mentally incapable of ruling his do
main. His successor Is his eldest son.
Heinrich XVII, who since 1908, when
his father abdicated. has been regent at
Gera, and who now will unite the two
| principalities of Reuss-Gera and Reuss-
Greiz under one head
| I have related before how queer are
the Reusses and the people they rule
over. Their prince is their father, and
rules them with an absolutism that Is
surprising in the days of our civilization.
This goes so far even that some of these
rulers actually supervise the Gaming of
school children, If they do not do 1t them
selves as real fathers of their sub
tects The custom of numbering all the
Heinrichs dates from the fifteenth CEN
turv But in the year 1705 the two
branch lines had to start out with
fresh series of numbers, while in the
old line (Greiz) the numbering has gone
on unbroken.
The new ruler of Reuss-Gera and Re-
gent of Reuss-Greiz, Heinrich XVII,
married Princess Else of Hohenlohe. He
Is n general in the Prussian army and
received his training with the Hussar
Guards, a crack regiment which the
Kaiser commanded prior to his accession,
10 the throne. Emperor William and the
new ruler OF Reuss-Gera, therefore, are
old comrades in arms, but they are
likewise warm friends. 1t was quite dif-
ferent, however, in the days of his grand
father, who was at daggers' points with
the court of Berlin, and especially with
Bismarck, owing to some unintentional
only did that unorgiving Heinrich for
bid his people to erect any memorial
either to the old Emperor or to Bismarck
but he prohibited them even from ex-
hibiting any signs of mourning at the
Emperors death. But all this antagonism
has long since passed away. FLANEUR
CCOpyright. lsll. b. cOurt Gosap syndicAtaA