The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1912-09-14

Of sorrow. He is at once the most ex-
perienced and most AFFLICTED sovereign
OF his time.
The task which fell to the Emperor In
is4s was TO weld these heterogeneous ele-
ments into q semblance Of a united whole
and to change a hitherto absolutely des-
potic form of government to suit modern
conditions and demands. We know that
he has succeeded. But whether his sue
cess will be lasting or win end with his
life is something which time alone can
disclose.
That his achievement is one Of the
most notable ones in modern history Is
apparent when II is considered what
troublous times Franz Josef has seen.
At the age Of eighteen he received the
crown from the hands Of old. defeated.
helpless Emperor Ferdinand. Loyalty to
the house OF Hapsburg had almost en-
tirely disappeared. The many-tongued
empire was In revolt from the Tyrol. 10
the mouth Of the Danube. Hungary, Bo-
hernia, the italian provinces, even the
Germans OF lob ind Inter der Ems. !"
and of the archduchies of "ober und
Nieder Oesteich" and this "Saizkammer-
gut" and the "Steyermark" had risen,
despite their favored political position.
In Vienna itself the critIzens-the most
determinedly loyal subjects In the whole
worid-had fought behind barbados on
the Stefenspiatz, the Graben. and the
Ringstrassen. Russia had TO send sew
eral army corps to crush Hungary. then
a nameless section OF the Austrian EN-
pire, despite the great Kossuth's hero
ism. But the tail proved too heavy for
the kite. After the battle Of Solferino,
Austria lost most of her Italian prov
inces, and the rest of them followed as
result of the short but disastrous
struggle OF 1856.
wrecked the then German federation. put
Austria out of Protestant Germany. and
set Prussia on her feet firmly as the
head OF a new Germany. Finally, Hun
gary had TO be given her independence.
the Emperor. as King Of the Magyars.
being the link with Austria.
|. The aged Emperor-King has lived 10
see his country go to war five times.
While he has seen It's prestige reduced.
he Is living TO see It rise again. His
family life has been desperately tragic.
Fate certainly has dealt him its hardest
blows. when his beloved Empress was
foully murdered by an anarchist. and
his only son and heir. Crown Prince
Rudolf met a violent death. some say
by his own hand. others by that OF the
avenging brother of a certain young
baroness.
Franz Josef has a strong sense OF
duty, and the first Emperor Wilhelm
used to say OF him that he could absorb
more work and more rapidly than any
other man he knew. Only a man Of IRON
will could have passed through the tur-
bulent years he witnessed and live to
tell OF Il. He has been patient under
adversely He has shown endurance IN
the face OF great difficulties which have
confronted him in his-not dual but null
tipie-monarchy.
An heir has been born TO the Grand
Duke Of weImar- Eisenach, who II
one OF the richest royal personages in
Europe. He inherited a fortune esti-
mated at 100, on. 90 marks from his grand
mother. the Grand Duchess Sophie. who
was a sister to the late King William Of
the Netherlands. Besides this. he owns
a number Of large estates in Holland
and In various sections Of Germany. and
his crown domains In the fertile Saale
Valley and Thuringia earn big revenues.
Should the daughter OF Queen wIlhel-
mine die, the Grand Duke Of Weinar
will be the next heir TO the throne of the
FLANEUR.
tOrr,risht lel, by Court Goszdp syndicatel