The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-06-04

sand and some wretched pools.
 The chapters upon the cures of the faith healer. Count Szapary, carry readers ai- most out of the range of belief By the prayers, passes, treatment of this man of lofty character and accredited with all most marvellous powers. the mother of Carmen Sylva, who had not walked in many years, was enabled to walk. AS a celebration and thank offering for her own recovery the Princess of Wied was accus- toned to help the count with his other cures. Tn later years, when the extra ordinary cures wrought by Metzger and other masseurs were spoken of in my mothers presence, it did not astonish any one who knew her that she could calmly remark, with a pitying smile: That Is all very well, but 1t Is nothing to what I could do I had but to stretch out my hand and say: Rise up, thou are healed .
 For character sketches drawn with skill this book abounds. The poet Arndst at 80 years with ''the lava flood of eloquence" that constantly delighted his hearers; Barnays, with his favorte assertion, that the Jewish Is the only religion which has kept itself free from any taint of feticn- ism.' The delightful Fanny Lavater of whom she writes: "I was in truth Fraul- chen's pupil, her spiritual child,' Buasen, friend of Frederick William W, 'who loved to be the Mecaenas of men of tall ent." Clement Perthes, the best and wisest councillor. an unfailing source of help and comfort
 Intimate and surprising glimpses of court life are given. Of the old Duke of Nassau, widower of five years standing, going incognito, even disguised, with face muffled up, to Stuttgart there to stand under the window to see and hear for himself of the reputed charm of face and manner of the young Princess of Wurtem- burg. Satisfied that report had not been exaggerated later he returned to the pal ace with all due formality as suitor for the hand of the young girl, fair as re- ported. One fancies that the young prin- cess was not to be an over-happy bride, for thus Carmen Sylva writes of the we'd ding journey: My grandfather Duke of Nassau, that there might be no mistake at all as to the position he intended to as- sume, the wedding ceremony no sooner over and the newly married couple alone in their travelling carriage than he pro- ceeded to light his pipe and closing the windows smoked hard in her face for a few hours, just to see if she would ven ture to remonstrate or complain" Tt was this same august duke who in the bosom of his family laid about him with his riding whip pretty freely is annoyed.
 But tempting as 1t is to note the literary gatherings of the royalties, poems written anonymously and offered for prizes, ama- teur theatricals in which future kings and emperors trod the stage, there is space only for the account of her own betrothal She wore a, pretty and becoming dress a white lowered silk over pale blue un- derskirt,' but the young prince of Rou- mania was comforting with the mother in stead of telling his love to the daughter Coming from the conference the mother slipping her arm in the daughters began to pace the room, saying: The Prince Of Roumania was here just now to ask you to be his wife She stopped and looked at me, half expecting the decided refusal with which hitherto all such proposals had been met. But instead Already? was the only word brought out heard my mother telling me of the high and mo- ble mission awaiting me should I accept the princes hand, of the wide field in which my energies might fine scope, and the honor she accounted 1t that his choice should have fallen upon me- It was not long before I said to her. Let him come. He is the right one.' 1"
 In 1889 Princess Elizabeth of Wied wss married to the Hohenzollern Prince Car los; in 1881 she was crowned first queen of Roumana. And now this German princess loves Roumania more than her fatherland; ; she has given to the world the example of pure court. where high thought and intellectual life abound To quote James Carleton Young. who has passed many days at the palace in Bucharest: Eliza beth is the ideal of a majestic queen but she is also a queen who would renounce her throne, live in a peasants hut, attend the flocks among the Carpathians, if thereby she might bring happiness and prosperity to her people,"