The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-10-24

also. many sorrows. the discovery made
her bitter and ~resentful.
I'm intellect the Princess Elisabeth
! was brilliant in the extreme. yet her
character lacked the balance vitality
necessary to enable her TO fight vic
toriously the prejud!ces which her
somewhat eccentric behavior created
against her. She inherited q good deal
OF the unconventionality of the Wit
telsbachs. and when she found herself
neglected by the Emperor and not al
lowed by her mother-in-law to exercise
over him Inc over her children the in
fuence she would have liked to ac-
Quire. she locked herself up In a kind
OF naughty reserve, This attitude was
not devoid OF grandeur, but was bound
to excite criticism and even an!mosi,y
against her person."
The love OF h Emperor for his child
wife burned out almost as soon as il
was kindled. She shut herself within
herself and assumed a coldness be-
cause she feared to are too much for
any one. This love match" cannot he
put forward rs a favorable argument
, Tor such marriages in royal more than
in other circles. The author says:
Francis Joseph always showed him.
self to he the most selfish OF fathers.
and though old, tottertng and unprin-
cipled. he yet contrived TO win the AT
lection OF his two daughters more fully
tina did his lovely. gifted and virtuous
consort. He never got on, however,
with his son and heir.
with all hts fanlto D,1n,,A -,,.
at heart n gentleman, and moreover
an exceedingly clever and intelligent
man. He was In his way also a great
patriot and chafed secretly at the veal;
grasp OF politics which the Emperor
had displayed on all the serious oc-
casions when the fate OF his dynasty
had trembled in the balance.
The Archduke had never cared for
the German alliance which was TO be-
: come so precious to his cousin. the III
fated Francis Ferdinand. n ii is
likely that had he lived the oriental
ton of Austrian diplomacy might have
been very different from what II has
become. But Rudolph died and the
succession to the throne passed to a
collateral line Of which the first rep
resentative was TO be murdered In the
days just before the opening OF the
great war OF 1914"
A 10y match that continued as Il
had begun was that Of the murdered
Archduke Ferdinand with the Count
ess Sophy Chotek:
THE Countess was not only a brill
liant, talented woman. she was also
ambitious: and she was moreover en-
tirely under the Influence of the Jes-
uits. who had protected her to n con-
siderable extent when they had found
out that she had won the affections OF
the nephew and heir of Francis Joseph.
She aspired, and others aspired for
her. to become at least Queen Of Hun
gary should fate prove strong enough
to prevent her from becoming En-
press of Austria,
Her sway over the mind Of her
husband was unlimited, and perhaps
even in excess of the love which he
undoubtedly bore her. Moreover, she
had contrived to win the good graces
Of the Archduke's stepmother, the pious
but bigoted Archduchess Marie The
reese. n Princess Of Braganza by birth,
whose virtues and high principles had
given her quite an exceptional position
at the Vienna court"
The present heir to the throne of
the Hapsburgs, Charles Francis
Joseph, has no ambitions to be a
reigning monarch. and his pretty wife
has even less. They are quite content
to lead a retired existence, ito play
with their dogs first and their children
afterward," according to h Princess
Radziwill.
"In one respect the marriage Of the
present heir presumptive to what will
be left OF the realm of the Hapsburgs
after the war was a success. 1t gave
him a consort who will never aspire
to play any political role in the history
| Of her country and who WIN remain
content with her position as an En-
press, with its attendant advantages,
without wishing to influence her hus-
band or to mix herself up In matters
Of state.
'Zita OF Parma had been brought
up as a %nonentity. in an atmosphere
of petty interests. religious fanaticism
and more or less worldly frivolity.
She is a fond mother, an affectionate
wife and q lovely little woman, who
cares only for her household duties.
and to whom a serious book affords
no pleasure to read, while the Eng
lish novels published In the Tauch-
mtg edition are a source Of unfailing
amusement. She goes regularly IA
church. fasts on prescribed days. 10