The Washington herald., 1913-08-02
Court Gossip of Interesting
Events on THO Continents

| all horse thieves then In prison, the
imperial clemency has rather the air Of
adding Insult to injury.
Tho Firms are one Of the model nations
Of Europe. Their country. previously An
integral part OF Sweden, was annexed
by Alexander In 1907, after the treaty
Of Tilsit. by which that monarch and
Napoleon parcelled out Europe between
themselves. But Alexander and his sue.
cessors had the good sense to leave Fin.
land In the enjoyment Of its ancient in
stitutions and liberties. and they never
had cause to regret it. For a century
past these alien subjects Of the Car
q people Of Teutonic stock and language.
and Lutherans in religion-have lived
their national life in their own way.
governing themselves admirably. assimi-
lating all that IL best in Western civiliza-
ton. and in many particulars marching
in the van of modern progress. They
have nothing in common with the
Russians. who by comparison with them.
are little better than Oriental barbarians;
but they have never given any trouble
to the Russian government. and they
have been an example to all the Cars
subjects in orderliness and loyalty az well
as In enlightenment.
That the Car, like his predecessors.
swore at his coronation to observe the
Finnish Constitution. and again In 1906
after granting a sort Of constitution to
Russia, sanctioned a law enacting that
no new law should be valid in Finland
without the assent of the Finnish Diet.
should now repudiate his own oath and
DEGREES. rob the Finnes Of their ancient
rights and liberties. and inforce his will
by such violent measures. as have Just
been described. is nothing less than
crime against humanity, and q stupid
one at that
In Finland they attribute the calamity
that has overtaken them to the grouping
OF the great powers. and particularly TO
the relations between the British and
Russian governments. There are good
rea sons for that opinion. The sort of
"entente" that has lately been estab-
lished between England and Russia is an
improvement on the antagonism that
preceded II for fifty years. but Its ad-
vantages to the rest Of the world are
not evident. In Persia the results have
cen disastrous enough for the Persians.
and II they are also to include the Rus
siication Of Finland by brutal violence.
British policy has much to answer for.
The King Of Italy who was visiting the
Kaiser at Kiel. made the acquaintance OF
his Imperial hosts father at a very early
age. Although the triple alliance WAS
not signed until 1852 II was already on
the tapis when the Emperor Frederick.
while still Crown Prince, spent some
days In Rome. On his arrival at the
Quirinal crowds stood cheering outside SO
insistently that the handsome. tall He.
henzollern Prince had to show himself.
He carried the youthful Victor Em-
manuel, the present King, in his arms
as he stepped onto the balcony. and all
the time that he was bowling his ac-
acknowledgements it was noted with
amusement that the boy kept tugging al
Frederick's long silky blond beard.
The feat OF shaking hands with thou
sand people performed by Lord Strath-
coma at Queens Hall. London, might
temporarily disable anyone who had not
learned the knack of gripping firmly
and in advance every hand proffered
United States Presidents, who do mora
hand shaking than anybody else have to
acquire this knack, and IL is well for their
wives to acquire il also. Mrs. Grover
Cleveland neglected to do so. and she
took up driving and violin playing with
a view of remedying the disparity. The
wife Of President Harrison never could
learn the right grip, and at all her recep-
tions carried a bouquet in one hand ana
a fan in the other. SO as to have no
hand available to shake.
FLANEUR