The daily sentinel., 1913-03-13
VIENNA HAS DULL
CARNIVAL SEASON
Associated Press

! Associated Press.
Vienna, Austria. March 13.-Lent
4 brings to a close what is probably the
duilest carnival season Vienna has
ever seen. There ras not been sin
gle court festiritE Of any kind, the
usual public ball have without eX-
eeption been dismal failures, and
there has been practically no private
entertaining. Tic Balkan war and
the uncertainty ot the International
situation have pHralyzed trade and
Industry throughout the dual mon
archy, and the complete failure of the
carnival season has brought bank
Iuptcy to many Vienuese storekeep-
ers.
AT the beginniug of the season it
was hoped that there might be some
one court function. if not court
ball. then at least a soiree. But ev-
erything. was against it. At eighty
two years Of age the Emperor finds
il impossible to stand the strain of
tedious court ceremonial, and his doc
tors peremptorily forbade his taking
any. risks. His nephew and heir,
Erchduke Franeis Ferdinand, could
easily represent him. but being dis
satisfied with the position that court
etiquette rcjuires his morganatic
wife, Princes HohenbeFg, to assume,
the Archdule steadily refuses to take
part in any ceremunials at the llof-
burg in which women Join. The
leading archdnchess at court, Zita,
wife OF the next heir TO the throne.
Archduke Francis Joseph, is only 20
too young to preside at imposing
state ceremonies: and. furthermore,
she recently became a mother, pre-
senting her husband with a son WHO
stands third in the succession to the
Imperial crown. And in other house
holds of members of the imperial
family there Were various reasons
against joining in court festivities
this year, so that, in the end, it was
found impossible TO arrange even so
much as concert.
The mobilization ruined the public I
balls. Apart from the enormous eX-
pense it entailed and the loss of busi- /
ness, ii has taken thousands of men
away from the capital, especially a |
large number of officers who are the /
life and soul of dances in Vienna. /
Recognizing the necessity of doing
something to help the storekeepers,
who had no Christmas trade at all. /
efforts were made to ensure
the success of Shese public gather
ings. But ii was useless. The male
guests were lacking. and the balls
fell flat At one OF the most import
ant of the whole season there were |
not enough persons present to form 4
the lines through which distin-
guished visitors are led from the en-
trance TO the dais Mt the top of the
ball room.
The death of the aged Archduke
Rainer, just ten days before the end I
OF the carnival season, caused gen
eral abandonment of public festivi-
ties. Secretly the committees Of the
balls thus given up rejoieed for it
saved them From very embarrassing
since there was not the
slightest hope of any of the func-
tons attaining even passabe meas
ure OF success.
And now that the social season is
iiually ended and with 1t all hope
OF the tradin 3 classes recouping
themselves for che worst Christmas
trade in many fyears. it is feared
that n.ang bankruptcies will be re-
corded, The January figures of in
solvencies We're Che highest since the
panic Of 1873. Specially in the dry
Soods branches. Wholesale houses of
many years standing are hard
pressed TO meet their engagements,
and retail firms are in an equally
lad plight, Everybody is complain
ing that here is no money to be got.
and collectors are going around beg
ging customers TO pay debts so tri-
fling that in ordinary times the firms
would have waited many months be-
fore applying for payment.