Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-01-23
FAMOUS WOMEN OF HISTORY.
QUEEN LOUISE OF PRUSSIA,
177h-181O
1776-181O.
tCopyright. 1912. By Willis J. Abbott

1t is said tina, Gustav Richter in his
we'll known portrait OF Queen Louise
chose the moment when she was de-
scending the stairs to meet the conquer
ling Napoleon at Tilsit and plead with
him for mercy to stricken Germany.
The expression on the beautiful face
scarcely bears out this theory. but II 1t
be well founded one does not wonder that
Napoleon said after the interview: Il
knew that should see beautiful woman
and a queen with dignified manners, but
found the most admirable queen and
at the same time the most interesting
woman l had ever met with
Auguste Wilhelmine Amalie Louise was
born March 10. 1910, in Hanover, where
her father was field marshal of the
household brigade. Sorrow came early to
her, for her mother died when she was
her father married to provide
for his children. died fourteen months
after the marriage. The child was thus
left motherless twice before her ninth
year. As q result she furnishes a rather
serious. or as one might say old-fash-
toned. type Of childhood. 1t was the
practice then to have real footmen who
ran beside the state carriage, Keeping
pace with the steeds. however sharp the
gait. Louise learned that the father Of
ing himself by this exertion that his life
was in jeopardy. Weeping. she told her
grandmother that she could never again
ride with pleasure in the carriage II those
poor men were forced to race alongside.
and for the first time in court circles
the custom was abandoned.
Meets the Crown Prince.
In 1893, being at Frankfort. Louise
met the crown prince. Frederick Will
liza moi Prussia. She was then seventeen
years old. blue eyed, fair haired. tall.
graceful. with a beautiful complexion and
Ia frank, natural manner. With the
crown prince 1t was a case of love at
first sight. II felt when 1 first saw her,
tits she or none on earth. said he
later. quoting a phrase from Schiller.
Christmas eve. 1873, and lived together
a life all too short but always full of
love. Their bodies rest side by side in
a stately mausoleum at Charlottenberg,
under beautifully carved recumbent
statues.
Louise was crown princess of Prus-
STA, resident at the court in Berlin. This
station was hers for five years, during
which period she made herself widely be-
loved of her subjects. Her manners were
democratic. count and a cobbler being
at the same time waiting in her anteroom.
she said: SHOW in the shoemaker first;
his time is more valuable than the
counts
Once. when queen, she was doing some
Christmas shopping, and was recognized
at a counter by woman who Instructive
ly stepped respectfully aside. DO not
go away, my dear woman" said the
queen What will the shOpkeeper say
il we drive away his customers?" Then
learning that the woman had boy at
home about the age of her eldest she
handed her a number of toys, saying,
Take these toys and give them to your
crown prince in the name of mine
r. Come Into Their Kingdom.
In 1877 the old king. Frederick Will
liam III, died and Louise and her hus-
band came into their kingdom. When
they entered upon their reign Napoleon
was just beginning his bloody struggle
upward to imperial power. Prussia
had kept out Of war since the days Of
Frederick the Great and sincerely de-
Napoleon was crowned emperor-or
rather crowned himself-and straight
way began war against Russia Treaties
seemed to secure the neutrality of Prus-
sia, but the impetuousity OF Napoleon
OVERRIDE all written agreements and
Prussia was at last unwillingly forced
into the field. Whenever King Fred
erick reviewed his troops Queen Louise
rode beside him: when the whole army
took the field she accompanied it. The