The Washington herald., 1911-12-21
FAMILY DISCIPLINE in
ROYAL HOUSEHOLDS

or 10 a
common form Of punishment employed
by the head of the Hohenzollern house
toward members of the family who have
incurred his displeasure. spoke about
1t briefly on the occasion Of the recent
experience Of Crown Prince Friedrich Will
helm, of Germany, but the HohenZollern
hausarrest'' is too interesting a topic
to be dismissed by short paragraph.
OF course, all of this is nothing more
than farce, and the future ruler Of the
Teutons in reality is delighted to be thus
constituted a military or patriotic martyr.
1t will add to his popularity with the
German chauvinists. But there was a
time when other punishments were in
vogue at the court of Berlin, according
to tradition. So, for instance, it was cur
rently reported in that city years ago
that Prince Friedrich Karl of Prussia,
known as the Red Prince" because he
never appeared abroad otherwise than
attired in the uniform Of his Red Hus-
sars, and a most successful cavalry gen.
eral during the Franco-Prussian war Of
1870, had been condemned by his uncle,
old King William, of Prussia later the
first German Emperor, to wear for the
rest of his life an iron collar around his
neck, to punish him for his systematic
cruelty to his wife, an amiable British
princess.
This may. or may not be true. but what
is absolutely certain is that the present
Kaiser confined his own mother, the
late Empress Friedrich, and a daughter
of Queen Victoria Cthe former prin-
cess royaD. to her palace of Frledrichshot
for a whole month to punish her for hav-
oh
her imperial sons will, OF the diary of
her late husband. the Emperor Friedrich.
What happened was this: As the En-
peror lay dying in the palace at Wild
park, near Potsdam, there arrived there
an American journalist, representing a
New York paper. He was already per-
soma grata to the Empress, having met
her on previous occasions on the mag
niticent yacht belonging TO his employer.
Emperor Friedrich was at his last gasp
and the American was waiting. at the
Empress request, to have audience of
her in a salon of the palace. Suddenly
she appeared, holding a thick manu-
script in her hand, and begged him to
conceal it. to convey ii out of the place, |
and to hand ii as soon as possible into
the safe-keeping of Queen Victoria OF
England.
II Is INV uuSDdnQ diary, Sne SAID. !
The American stuffed the packet into his !
coat, left the palace at once, returned |
from Wildpark to Berlin. where he ar
rived in time to take the night express
to London via Paris. In less than forty
eight hours the precious manuscript had |
been deposited with Queen Victoria at !
Castle
The Emperor Friedrich died almost i'm !
after the man had left the |
1n.
dead his son. the present Kaiser, gave |
drawn around the palace to prevent any
body from leaving It, The preCaution, |
however. came too late.
Several months later a Berlin monthly,
the editor of which was none other than |
the famous bacteriologist, Prof. Virchow.
published Emperor Fredrch's diary. 1t !
was full of compromising revelations. !
NirChOw was a Liberal member of the |
ReiChstaE and Il great friend of the EN-
press Friedrich. The Kaiser was furious. |
Bismarck was furious. The diary showed |
them both up in a not too hOnorab BILE |
light. The Kaiser, knowing that his
mother was responsible for this publica-
ton, took the extraordinary step which
My those can understand who appreci-
lte the curious medieval family laws by
which the Hohenzollerns are still gov
confinement TO her apartments at Fried
iChShOf.
When her Imprisonment was over she
was furious, as can be imagined very
'eafily. She rushed over to England and
'elated the Outrage" which she had to
endure to her mother. Queen Victoria.
rhe old lady at once summoned" her
imperial grandson to her presence. He
lid not dare to disObey the command of
so powerful ruler. and in a sense the
'eal head Of the two so closely related
antilles. In fact, it was solely a family
affair. but IT might be turned into an
International question. The Kaiser went
Is he was bid.
How dare you imprison my eldest
laughter" flashed out the old sovereign
when her grandson appeared before her
He WAS cOwed. Perhaps the sound
'pankings he had received from her in
he old days. when he Was forced, much
against his liking, to wear a kilt. recurred
o his memory. In any case, he made
lis amends to his mother in the pres
nee of Queen Victoria. and the recon
'ilIation between mother and son sub
listed until the Empress death. a few 1
ears later.
As keeper Of the family skeletons of
'thers, Sir George Henry Lewis. the ia
nous London solicitor and a knighted
lew. who died the other day, at the age
Il seventy-eight years. undoubtedly was
he most prominent figure in the legal
ife of England. 1t is no exaggeratIon to
ay that there had been no sensational
ase brought into court at London during
he past forty years in which he did not
gure. He was usually on the winning
ide, and the cases that this shrewd and :
iscreet lawyer kept out of court num-
er legion.
Perhaps no more than one-fourth Of
he scandals affecting prominent person -.
gcS in Great Britain ever reach the !
of the general public Sir d
George was believed to have known q
nough to have hanged half a dozen OF I
he biggest men in London and to have !
ossesed a sufficient number of danger q
us secrets OF people of rank to suffice, y
ever they should have been divulged, {
D have shattered the entire social fabric =
I Great Britain. When the announce d
1ent that he would retire came early IN q
30, there were many shivering in Eng I
sh high life, fearing that he might pub
sh his memoirs, which would have made
interesting reading. sigh of ,
elief went up when, on the relinquisn.
lent of active practice, he not only de-
Jared that he would write nothing, but :
or the past twenty-five years had even J
bapdoned his habit of keeping a diary, I
est disclosures might be made. }
This man numbered among his clients q
lany n royal personage-for they all :
ane to him when they were in a scrape.