The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1913-03-04
VIENNA Carnival
SEASON DULL ONE
Lent Brings to Close One of
the Quietest the People
Have Known.

vienna. Austria. March 4.-Lent
brings to a close what Is probably the
FULLEST carnival season Vienna has ever
seen. There has not been a single
court testiyity. Of any kind. the usual
pubic balls have without exception
oeen dismal failures, and there has
peer practically no private entertain
ing. The Balkan war and the uncer-
tainty of the international situation
have paralyzed trade and Industry
throughout the dual monarchy. and
the complete failure of the carnival
season has brought bankruptcy Ia
many vfennese storekeepers.
At the beginning Of the season IL
vas hoped that there might be some
one court function. if not a court bail.
then at least a soiree. But everything
was against it. At eighty-two years
OF g n emperor finds 1t Impossible
to stand the strain of tedious court
ceremonial, and his doctors perempto.
r1ly forbade his taking any risks. His
nephew and heir. Archduke Francis
Ferdinand. could easily represent him,
but being dissatisfied with the position
that court etiquette requires his NOR
ganatic wife. Princess Hohenbere. to
the archduke steadily refuses
to take part in any cerenlonials at the
Hofburg in which women join. The
leading archduchess at court. Zita,
wife of the mex heir to the throne,
Francis Joseph, is only
twenty; too young to preside at i'm
state ceremonies. and, further.
more, she recently became a mother.
her husband with a son who
third in the succession to the
imperial crown. And in other house.
holds of members Of the imperial fam
lily there were various reasons against
joining in court festivities this year,
that in the end 1t was found inn
possible to arrange even so much aS
concert.
Ruined Public Balls.
The mobilization ruined the public
balls. Apart from the enormous ex-
pense it entailed and the loss of BUSH
ness. 1t has taken thousands of men
away from the capital. especially q
large number of officers who are the
life and soul of dances in Vienna. Rec
ognizing the necessity Of doing
thing to help the storekeepers. who
had no Christmas trade at all. unus-
success Of these public gatherings. But
1t was useless. The male guests were
lacking. and the balls fell fiat. At one
Of the most important of the whole
there were o enough persons
present to form the lines through
which distinguished visitors are led
from the entrance to the dais at the
top of the ball room.
The death Of the aged Archduke
Rainier. just tel days before the end
Of the carnival season. caused a gen.
eral abandonment of public festivities.
Secretly the committees of the balls
thus given up rejoiced. for it saved
them from a very embarrassing sit
uation, since there was not the slight
est hope of any Of the functions at
tanning even "a passable measure Of
success.
And nov that the social season is
finally ended and with it all hope of
the trading classes recouping them.
selves for the worst Christmas trade
in many years. it is feared that many
bankruptcies will he recorded. The
January figures Of in~solvencies are
the highest since the panic Of 1873.
in the dry goods branches.