The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1912-11-16
Foreign Gossip.

| shows the stun these German mother
are made of. but II recalls similar occur
rences during the so-called potato war
| OF 1871, when foodstuff prices also were u
| exorbitant that a famine at the Prussiai
capital was the result. An empty stom
ach. is likely to aid the demon Of up
heaval. as Berlin once before has iearnet
to its cost. for II was this very potato
war which begot the revolution Of lsts
sowing seeds which sprouted In all Ger
man nations TO civil war. insurrection
and bioodshed. driving many freethink
ers from their homes, and gave to THU
country men like Carl Schurz. Fran
Sigel Gen. Rosecrantz. and a number o.
other leading soldiers OF our war Of ls6
TO 1854
This years distress In Berlin invitel
. retrospect OF the hunger riots in that
| city in February, 1877. during the reigr
Of the fourth Friedrich wilhelm. follow
| ed by the much talked-of potato war
In April OF that year, which infiamatory
theoretical dreamers of liberty had not
caused, but hunger and the empty
| stomach OF the masses, who, led by some
Of the best known and substantial citi.
zens of Berlin, marched to the ''Schloss,
throwing stones through the windows OF
their Kings home, tore up the pavement,
erected barricades. and attacked the sol.
diery which marched from their barracks
to brighten them on.
II IL historic though little known out.
side OF Germany that Prince Wilhelm.
the kings younger brother Qater the
first German Emperor, being crowned
at Versailles on January Is. 1s71. after
the subJugation OF France), paid dearly
for his interference. The mob demanded
that their king should show himself.
This Fredrick Wilhelm did, stepping out
upon a balcony. Whereupon one Of the
rioters. more infiamed than the rest.
cried out: Hat on"
Prince wilhelm standing beside his
royal brother. then made that mistake
which cost him ten years Of exile, and
might have cost his life. had he not
been quickly smuggled out of the city
to safety. He said to the king:
Your majesty. my cannons dominate
the 'Schlosspark' Say but the word and
my gunners will shoot shrapnels into
this cheeky 'canaiIle.''
Fortunately Friedrich Wilhelm "
knew better than to enrage the mad
crowd still more. He was convinced
that nothing but a cool head would
insure peace, would retain for him the
supremacy and possibly his crown. He
therefore quietly and composedly stepped
to the very front OF the balcony and
dOffing his helmet, said to the surging
mass who had suddenly became as quiet
as IL in a church:
Certainly I shall greet my loyal sub
jects barring my head None deserve II
more than my Prussians! But now,
gentlemen, am very tired after so
strenuous a day. Won't you please go
quietly to your homes and let me and
my wife enjoy a much needed rest?'
OF course the crowd skunk away. The
victory was his. And when, an hour
later. a delegation OF citizens, who had
heard Prince Wilhelm's remarks about
shooting the ''canaiIle." appeared at the
Schloss demanding that he be turned
over to them so that he might be pun
ished properly for his insult, there was
no Prince Wilhelm TO be found, though
the castle was searched from top to bot
tom. But at that moment a post chaise
and four drove up TO the porte-cochere
The ''pOstillion" in his blue and canary
uniform on his seat sounded his horn,
intuning-
''schier DreissiE Jahrc hist Du alt
Hast manchen sturm eriebt-"
One Of the court dignitarfes whose face
was familiar to all Berlin entered the
"caleche'' and OF few the impatient
horses.
That ''postiIlion.' driving OF at top
speed, as only ''eNtra-posts'' in those
days were allowed to speed. was Prince
Wilhelm, fated to be afterwards, not
only King Of Prussia. but the first Ger
man Emperor; in short the grandfather
of the present Kaiser. Truly, ''tempora
mutantur!''
Fifty-two years ago, in October, 1850.
100 children sang Oliver Wendell
Holmes international Ode" in unison
to the tune of America" or God Save
the Queen" the occasion being the visit
OF the Prince OF Wales to Boston. The
last Verse IS:
Lord let wars ternper1 cease.
Fold the whole earth in peare
Under thy wings:
Make all thy nations ons.
All hearts beneath the EIn
Till thou shalt reign alone
Great King Of Kings
In 1872 the Balkans also were sblaze,
and the story OF how the flames were ex-
tinguished by the treaty OF Bucharest is
one of the most romantic in the history
Of British diplomacy. II was Sir STRAIT
ford Canning, minister plenipOtentiary
at Constantinople, who, at the age Of
twenty-three. did the whole thing with
out aid or suggestion from London. and
so released the Russian army on the
Danube in time TO fall upon Napoleon in
his retreat from Moscow. The career OF
the great ''Elchi," the British first am
bassador, as the Turks called him. de-
serves to be held in remembrance by
Christian and MosIem alike, for he
brought about more reforms in Turkey
than all the Sultans put together. He
persuaded the Sultan to abolish torture,
the execution of Mohammedans who be-
came Christians, the poll tax on nom
and secured the admission
of Christian evidence in the law courts
and a hundred other things England
has had no grander figure to represent 1t
abroad than the man who later became
ViscOunt Stratford de Radcliffe.
The Sultan certainly is not 'Ehalif'' or
OF the faithful. Abdul Hamid
and indirectly played at being
formally would be heretical and illegal,
and would have brought down upon him
a ''bulI' OF accommodation and depo-
sition. The Musselmen have been with
out a Khalif for nearly 400 years, and
the Sultan of Turkey is disqualified by
race for the office.
''Khalif'' is not one Of the legal titles
Of the Sultan. but he staggers under
these: He is by the grace Of the AL
mighty Creator Lord of Lords. Dominant
Sovereign in Arabia, Persia, and Greece,
invincible and Always Victorious EN-
peror of Constantinople, Distributor OF
Crowns to the Great Prince Of the Earth,
Sovereign Master of the Two Seas. and
Of all the Ajacent Counties, Lord Of the
Orient and the Occident, Protector of the
Sacred and August Cities of Mecca and
Medina, and of endless other countries,
kingdoms, empires, isles and peoples"
argF