The Washington herald., 1913-01-18
COURT GOSSIP ON SUBJECTS.
OF GREAT GENERAL INTEREST

At the death of her father, wilhelmina.
then only ten years Of age, became
Queen, and the very helplessness Of her
young years warmed the hearts of the
| phlegmatic Dutch burghers toward the
| little girl. And this affection she was
wise enough, despite her young years, to
| retain.
| 1t must be confessed that whoever was
her tutor or adviser in statescrart the
young ruler understood how to avoid en-
tanglements for she kept aloof from the
powerful dreibund, headed by the Kaiser,
and equally steered clear OF the triple
entente, headed by Edward Vii Of Eng
land, thus reserving for her little "buf-
fer" state a balance Of power by means
of which she judiciously furthered its
inviolable neutrality and independence
politically, as well as upheld the glory
of its flag upon the colonial markets OF
| the Far East, where Holland owns a
veritable empire that for centuries has
enriched its Golfers.
! II is quite difficult to reconcile the ar
fection with which the phlegmatic myn-
| heers Of to-day treat their Queen, with
the fact that they compelled her ancestor
William of Orange, TO abdicate Tin 1s4O)
when he endeavored to agaln usurp
powers of which the constitution had
deprived the dynasty upon changing the
Republic of the United Netherlands into
a kingdom to which the treaty Of Paris
had added Belgium and upon which the
treaty of Vienna also had bestowed Lux
| embourg.
His father and family had been obliged
TO pass his youth in England as guests
of the British prince regent. their kins-
man, at the palace of Hampton Court.
where the former, the last hereditary
| "Stadthalter' of Holland, had been
driven from the country by the French
Gen. Pichegru.
Thus, the son had grown up grouchy
and soured against fate, and, being
placed upon the throne by fortunate
circumstances. he proceeded to take his
spite for his and his fathers i'll fortune
out OF his new subjects.
But they would not have II. First.
Belgium seeded lin 1880 and the powers
made Leopold OF Saxe-Coourg their rul-
er, and ten years later, as stated above.
the Dutch drove William from his throne
when he not only tried TO deprive them
OF the benefits of their constitution. but
declared that he would wed his favorite,
the Countess d'Oubemont, who was
greatly dlsliked by the people. Once
more an exile. he wended his weary way
toward Prussia, the native country of
his mother, purchasing a fine country
ne died.
His son succeeded him as William II,
but he reigned only nine years, dying
in 1919. Educated in England, during
his fathers exile. he served with dis
tinction under Wellington in the pen
insular war lin PortugaD. and also COM
manded the Netherland forces at Water
loo. His wife, Anna Pavlovna, sister OF
Emperor Alexander ! of Russia COM
pletely lost her mind. He was not much
OF ruler and, as a man, was greatly
disliked. His character was so little
thought OF that when the Jewels of his
Queen, valued at about two and a half
million forms. disappeared. he was ac-
cused of their theft. But this may have
gone too far, for my American readers
may recollect having read or heard that
a large portion of these gems were later
discovered near Brooklyn after having
been buried in Greenwood Cemetery.
The next to ascend the throne OF the
Netherlands was the father OF Will
helmina, who. though having no love
for political liberalism. was very dip
lomatic. and by playing one party
against another, managed to increase
the authority OF the crown. The story
of his private life is we'll known. II
was one continued scandal, so much
King Wilhelm I of Wurttemberg, left
him. His favorite, an American,
known as Mrs Mouzard. in 1868 came
near 20 embroiling France and Ger
many into a war over the Luxembourg
succession in the interest Of Napoleon
III, and by the urgent and insistent
demand of the Dutch cabinet had to
leave the country. Apoplexy fortu-
nately carried William off after he had