The Washington herald., 1911-01-29
THRONES SAVED
THROUGH BIRTH
OF ROYAL HEIRS

petua1ly re-enacted.
Some large and expensive thrones show
signs of tottering. Revolutions are half
born, strangled and born again, or a
whole people begins TO gaze with Somber
dubiety on its presumably beloved rulers,
while it tentatively tries its boot toes
on a few of the less attractive stones of
the constitution. or. pretending to stum-
BILE. makes a good. stiff kick against
some royal appropriation.
Unrest and brooding anxiety spread a
painful pail over local politics. and the
wicked anarchists and socialists begin to
boast that they can get trust for more
than one beer at a time. The dynasty
seems to be on the brink of something
worse than trouble.
Then along comes an unofficial rumor
that her gracious majesty has hopes of
an heir to the throne, followed by a court
announcement that by the blessed favor
of heaven. The rumor is correct
Phist, goes the revolution: up in the
air go TO the rejoicing hats OF the loyal
popuIaHe. And the baby is no sooner
born than whichever brand of Parliament
happens TO have been put in office
haStenS to vote a grant of million or
So to keep his infant highn1ss in bibs and
fuckers.
Or. there isn't any royal baby. or any
reasonable prospect of one. Bang. goes
the revolution, and Manuel of Portugal
instead of keeping his harmless and pic
turesque little job, gets away in a row.
boat
Case Of Alfonso.
Yet the tradition of the duty all peo-
J,les owe to their rulers. in the way OF
fip,r fI1 u.bn
drew t" the side Of Alfonso of Spain that
pretty Princess Ena, who had made such
a brilliant success of being Victoria,
queen and mother.
Statesmen of Europe have no hesita-
lion in admitting that Alfonsos throne
was only Il few pegs more secure than
Manuel'S when he won the niece OF the
late King Edward for his bride. But
he was playing in exceptional royal luck,
evidence of which is the healthy
young Prince Jaime, whom Victoria so
proudly che-ShcS.
The Spanish people. being as groteSque-
1y illogical as other peoples, We're IN
doubt whether they had any real use for
their unmarried monarch, for they had
certain dim suspicious that, if they were
To run the government themselves. they
could do as well as he and would be
saving rather high royal board bills
cessfully cIinch on their reluctant necks
the poke of "A royal heir than they joy
fully admitted that things looked better
all around. and awaited. in devout hope
of hearing further expense, the arrlVa!
of more royal heirs-whiCh Alfonso and
Victoria have patriotically continued 10 !
provide.
Across the border where the anarchists |
burn the same sort Of powder in their |
-lrI
King ManuG WAS nearer the ragged |
edge Of reNOlutlOn-ton near TO make ,
seat beside him sufficiently comfortable |
for any royal princess otherwise availa-
hle. Had he succeeded in making an
early and advantageous marriage, the
chances are that PortUsars revolution
would have mover exploded or. at worst,
would have been long delayed. Any
little toddlcr who appeared would have
been able to brace up the Portuguese
throne until far more grave quarrcis be
tween the King and people compelled the
final breach.
Saved Cars Throne.
What Manuel missed in the way of
sheet anchor Of safety the potent Car
Of all the Russians gained only when
genuine danger seemed 10 threaten the
permanrncy "f his throne. Russia exists
in a state of chronic revolutionary pos
sbilitits. complicated with varied
assortment "f diVin" rights. over and
above all these considerations however. |
queen. although Russia has held hands of
pie AMI the court to he ruled by queen.
although Russia has held hands OF queens
that swept the deck in past periods of
history.
To Nicholas and the Czarina there came
with steadily depressing regularity, "A
series of little prinCcSscS. who were as
charming and l"vablc as princcsses ever
could be. but about as useful in cnhan'-
ing the loyalty of Russia to its cZar as
So many beGger maids.
At last the Grand Duke Alexis did turn
ur. and by all accounts of his looks and
spirit he royal heir worth waiting
for. Since his arrival his proud father | ,
has actually taken A better grip on the
Russian crown and shown more nerve in
dealing with the Innumerable and often
desperate problems Of state than he ever |
displayed before. He knows he has al | {
hast fulfilled the rirst duty of a king.
The good and lovely Queen Wiihelmna ,
of Holland, whom nobody in the world, |
and least of all in Holland, could find
the smallest fault with. was nevertheless
the subject of countless speculations re-
Earding the security of her throne dur
ing the long and anxious years when
every succeeding promise of a child failed !
in frution. I
The worthy Dutch would naturally have
preferred a boy heir: but their straits ,
we're approaching so closely the desperate
that the law permitting. they were more :
than ready to he content if only their {
gentle sovereign could give them prin- c
,esS strong enough to survive. ,
ItnIy's Prince Popular.
The boy prince of Piedmont and his c
in the royal nursery of Italy f
nave had much TO do with the popularity t
If their father. and probably more to do v
With that of their mother, deSpised and
almost Haunted for her modest claims to a
'oyalty as the Princess of Montenegro c
when Victor Emanuel took her for his a
Iride. I
Archduke Francis Ferdinand of Austria, !,
whose family trait OF marrying the wom-
IN he loved made the Countess Chotek u
lis wife. has his brood of children to |
hank for his nomination as successor to Y
he proudest throne in Europe, that of ! v
francis Joseph; and Austria-Hungary has n
hem to thank for its delivery from a | il
'osSible separation.
The Crown Princess Cecilie of Germany | n
as put back another generation uprising n
gainst the Hohenzollern dynasty by her a
rompt contributions to Prussian royalty I,
md even up in Sweden and Norway the i,
,ood old rule of loyalty to the kiddos s.
olds good very profitably for the reign
elping to found :he popularity of a new d
ouse that was nothing to the nation r.
ew years ago. even as the nation was I,
,,fI, ,t,,-r 80 xl,.., ~