The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-11-21
MPRES MARIE EHIND THE THRONE

in a nearby thorouehtare the carriage
in which the late King Christian wa
driving with his daughter. who then
bore the name Of Dagnar, and COM
menced pelting the royal equipase
with stones. Ono Of them, a sharp
flint. struck the young Princess on the
forehead, cutting a deep cash, Of which
the scar remains to this day-A scar
for which she has always held the
Pruasians rather than the people of
Copenhagen responsible.
She exchanged her name Of Daxmar
for Mario on tho occasion Of her con-
version, to the Orthodox Greek Church
and Of her wedding at P~etroSrad. Her
marriage may be said to have been
contracted under the very shadow OF
death. For Princess Daamar had been
previously betrothed to her husbands
elder brother. the Czarovitch Nicholas
Alexandrovitch. He succumbed to In
affection OF the lungs within q few
weeks Of the date appointed for the
wedding, and when his fancee was
summoned IN haste from Copenhagen
70 his deathbed In Nice he placed her
hand in that Of his favorite brother.
Alexander. and entreated them. - his
last wtSh and prayer, to marry one
another.
The union thus arranged developed
in course Of time into q full fiedged love
match. and II may be asserted without
any fear Of denial that there has never
been any royal or imperial couple in
Europe whose relations to M another
we're 20 completely free from any
cloud and 80 ideally happy throughout
their near thirty years Of union. En-
press Marie quickly learned to love
and admire tho sound and sterling
honesty OF her hugo and burly hus-
band and was wholly wvapt Up In him,
never leaving him aud acting "a his
guardian angel. Her affection and de-
votion we're returned with interest by
Alexander. who, Il 10 no exA9geration
TO state, literally idoized his wife until
the very last.
II might be imagined that . woman
who has played 20 important . politi-
cal roe and who has exercised % re-
markAble an influence upon the reigns
Of two successive Autoorats Of all the
RuAsias would b masterful In her
ways and masculine In her manner
Yet no Empress OF Russia, o. Of any
other country. has ever been more es-
sentiaiiy feminine. Until she lost her
husband one Of her greatest passions.
next TO music. was dancing. Indeed.
she was not only the most graceful.
but also the mos indefatigable Of
walters and maIurkiste.
This became known abroad. and in
course Of time tho great Powers begun
to accredit to tho court Of Petrograd
only the very best dancers Of their
diplomatic service in the hope that
their ENJOYS, or sven tho secretaries OF
their missions. by becoming a favorlte
partner OF the Empress at state balls
might In that way secure good will for
their country at the court, in h 90
ciety and in the Government circles Of
Petrograd. It would he foolish to as
sert that Empress Marie ever per-
United herself or her husband to be In
fluenced in a political sense in this
fashion. At the same time It cannot
he denied that Throughout the reign OF
Alexander III. and even before his ac-
cession TO tho throne she selected by
preference her partners from among
the nimble footed members Of the en-
bassy OF France.
Her preference for France. however.
and the role which she played in Sc
curing the withdrawal OF her HUSBAND
from tho so-caiied Three Emperor AL
lance and in committing Russia IN
stead to An understanding with France,
was due in the main to her hatred for
Prussia: a hatred dating from the
Prussian invasion Of Denmark in 1854,
and to n prejudice against everything
German; also to the conviction which
she acquired before h had beer very |
long a. Petrogrnd that Teuton inhu-
ences. then dominant in Russia, were
intentionally detrimental to the best !
Of the land Of her adoption.
Nor was she satisfied with bringing
abort the alliance between Russia n
France: SHE never rested until eight
years ago she succeeded IN bringing
Great Britain within the sphere Of the /
agreement, rendering 1t q tripartite af-
1t Is this alliance. known as the
Entente. which IL championing
in the present war the cause Of Eber-
.A!ism and of civic freedom against
and the most despotic forms
u Cesarism.
The manner in which Empress Marie
is regarded in Germany. where che '