The Washington herald., 1915-10-03
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the mother of his dynasty. 1t was her
destiny to become the mother Of tho
Bernadotte dynasty in Sweden and ma
ternal ancestor of all three of the reign
ing Kings Of Scandinavia. For when
Napoleon's godson, Oscar Bernadotte.
went a-wooing as the Swedish crown
prince his choice fell upon the Princess
Josephine Of Leuchtenberg. daughter of
Eugene Beauharnais and Granddaughter
Of the divorced Empress of the French.
And a daughter to this Queen Josephine,
as she is known to Swedish history. be-
came the mother Of the present King Of
Denmark and Of the present King Of
Norway. But no drop of Napoleonic
blood courses beneath a crown any
where.
Triple Alliance Against War.
At the breaking up Of the union of
Sweden and Norway there was a nat
ural fear that in the enmity aroused
by the separation. the two Kingdoms
would no longer stand together against
foreign foes. But the war quickly re-
united them in an agreement that
amounts to a sound. working alliance
for all defensive purposes. This pact
was followed last September by the meet
ing of the three Kings of the North In a
conference at Malmo on the Swedish
shore. and there the foreign ministers
of Scandinavia laid plans for defending
its neutrality.
For several years before the war the
countries were agitated over the ques-
ton of military preparedness for the
inevitable struggle, but radical and an
ti-militarist ministries were in power.
Nevertheless. large amounts of money
for the military and naval equipment
were raised by public appeals. In the
spring, before the outbreak Of hostilities
great demonstration by the advocates
of preparedness was made at Stockh )lm.
The King having manifested his SYM
qathy with it. the cabinet resigned | but
in the election that followed the King
gained some added supporters for the
plans of the military faction.
Since the war came. the Kingdoms
have anxiousiy counted noses and have
marshaled their forces. Almost all
Scandinavians of military age are TAX
ing turns with the colors and there Is
continual going and coming between
farms and shops and camps Tie boast
is made that Scandinavia will soon have
full million of more or less trained
men.
But the jealousies Of the great are
the surest protection of the small states.
After Norway had set herself up as an
independent nation. England. Germany.
Russia. and France united in guaran-
teeing her independence. And no one Of
them would stand idly by while another
tore up that scrap of paper. Germany
does not want Russia over her head. and.
of course, no one wants Germany to be-
come the sole gate keeper of the Baltic
Perhaps England might like to seize a
Scandinavian base for an invasion Of
North Germany. But she ought to hes-
tate to yield to the temptation while
Germany's navy is in being" for if she
did undertake such an operation the
Kiel Canal would be on her right flank.
United for Peace, Divided for War.
The Scandinavisns are likely to cling
more earnestly to their neutrality be-
cause 1t is the only thing they can surely
agree upon amid the distractions of the
war. For they view the strife from very
different standpoints. Every nation has
its own favorite bugbear and the Rus
sian bear Is Sweden's and Norways.
They know that their territory hangs
like a curtain over the window which
Peter the Great opened on Europe when
he planted Russia on the shores of the
Baltic
Down IN Denmark. on the other hand.
the German Michael is the bogy man.
For Prussianized Schles~ig is the Danish
irridenta, and there was long lively
suspicion that the mailed fist might close
In on Denmark. which is the gate Of the
Baltic. The construction of the Kiel
Canal relieved that situation, however.
by giving Germany her own exit from
the northern sea But the Danes no
more than the French forget the lost
provinces In Pruss!an captivity.
At the same time. Sweden remembers
her lost province In Russian captivity.
Although she hardly dreams of regain.
ing Finland. she and Norway dread the
next westward step of the bear In his
unresting. but long-baffied search for
warm water. And he knows only too
well that the Gulf Stream never lets the
Ice thicken In Norwegian harbors.
It Is well that the peoples Of tho
north are SO firmly united for peace.
II unhappily that should fail them, II
might not be easy to unite them for
war.
COPYRIGHT. 1915. b James MossaaJ