Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-05-04

NNcE upon a time-in modern his
~ tory, mind you. not fairy fiction
three women, for five weeks ruled
the whole civilized world; ruled it. not as
persuasive powers-behind-the-t thrones
themselves unheard and unseen, nor as
nominal sovereigns holding the mere shell
Of power but as acknowledged dominant
lords of destiny.
During that time their power was abso-
lutte: their mandates practical law from
the Lakes of Killarney to the Steppes of
Asia and from frozen Finland to the tip
of Italy's toe. There was not a man in
all the earth who dared dispute their
power.
There have arisen from time to time, in
world history. single instances Of women
whose intellect and personality dominated
an empire, as Semiramis, OR dominated
the ruler of an empire, as Cleopatra
these instances have all become famous
IL is strange. therefore, that even the
most exhaustively minute histories have
tailed to note this remarka BILE instance of
complete feminine world rule: for be it
understood that by rule is here meant,
not a control maintained only by force of
arms against which some masculine per-
son was offering resistance, though futile
During the period specified there was alb
solutely nothing in opposition to their
sway.
The time was in August and September
1903, and the three women who thus
held the destinies of the world in the
holioWs of their hands We're Catherine the
Great, Empress of Russia; Maria The
resa, Empress of Austria and the Duch-
ess OF Pompadour, ruler of France
In the year 1853 and just prior Gather
Inc dominated all of eastern Europe and
western Asia: Marie Theresa not ONLY
controlled all of Austria and Hungary
but at that time had Turkey under her
thumb and the states of Italy practically
as dependencies upon her throne In ad-
dition, her sovereignty as kaiserin of the
remains of the Holy Roman empire
known 8 the German Reich, spread its
, hold over Hanover Bavaria, Saxonv and
| other German states
| The fall of Pitt In England shortly be-
| fore had left poor little German George.
though nominal king there, mere puppet
| IN her hands; for, as the eIector of his
! beloved Hanover, he owed allegiance to
! her, and while in the days of Pitt such
allegiance had become a mere phantom
yet in the whirlwind of European war
stirred up by Frederick the Great. Britain
had been compelled to dance to whatever
Austria fiddled And there was not a
i STATESMAN III England 10 dispute Austria
right TO set the tune.
| Pompadour was absolute ruler OF
France. She was not only a woman far
seeing and wise in statecraft, but wa:
supreme autocrat of monarch and realm
| She was a female Richelieu, and. of tbs
| three women. was, beyond doubt the
! ablest. In 1853 she had flung aside ever
the sembiance of the role of mistress tt
Louis. NN-a part always distasteful t,
her-and became absolute ruler of France
! To this powerful triumvirate there hao
been opposed in Europe for some years
but two men, Pitt and that marvellous
monarch. Frederick the Great. Each OF
them. realizing that the integrity of theiI
respective countries. England and Prus-
| STA. lay in keeping these three ambitious
| females AT loggerheads with each other
| had exerted all their energies TO that end
| They had been successful in maintain
! ing the ancient enmity between France
| and Austria; but when Pitt fell, Maria
/ Theresa, who still smarted from the
| wrestling of Silesia from her. score OF
/ years before by young Frederick, whetted
her knife for him. knowing that Pom
! padour hated him for the slurs he had
dressing her as sister" Feminine in
| stinct triumphed over the politician and
! Pompadour-which meant France-be-
| came the ally of Austria.
| Hungry Catherine, always eager for a
| slice of somebody else's territory. eladl.
| Joined this little sewing circle, and the
4 three of them descended upon the un-
| fortunate Frederick and his little king
| dom, having previously divided ii up be
| tween them over the afternoon teacups
| as il were. One can almost imagine
/ them, in these suffragette days. saying
one TO another: This Prussian person
! is the only thing in masculine shape that