Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1916-11-22
Albuquerque Morning Journal Wednesday November e. 1916


mon dclieacy and courage.
Nctucd by the continual humiila-
! ton of such distasteful scandal-mon-
! eering. she devised a way to end II.
! one day she took her youngest daugh-
| ter hy the hand and, TO the immeas-
urahle establishment Of her guests set
| out 10 pay a long call on Frau Schralt
at her country palace i'm Ischl, where
| all the world knew the emperor spent
! hours daily That ended It effectual-
! N 1t was impossible to gossip before
| the empress about condition which
! she herself had socially legalized by
| her presence.
Whatever the truth ibout Kath-
arna and the emperor she had the
good sense never to attempt to IN
| fluence him politically Those of her
! predecessors who had dared more
boldly paid the penalty of sudden and
noisoless removal from his surround
ings. When. with the assassination Of
the empress, the court went into
mourning, Frau Schratt was seen but
little. shortly the old intimacy was
openly resumed, but it was impossible
TO continue malignant about a friend
ship that heightened into old age, and
the sting Of criticism gradually died
out. Az Shonbrunn castle, Frau
Schratt appeared nearly every after
noon to keep the emperor company for
an hour or two. In turn, he would call
on her at her town house as a private
gentleman, whore he could meet a few
friends Of his own choosing, and not
guests imposed on him by etiquette or
reasons of state Politics was never
discussed. Frau SChratt had her town
house and her country house, togethe"|
with a goodly allowance, but it never
was objected that the emperor was
lavish with her and she had the dis
erection not to make her ostentation
a national scandal.
Beloved of the Army.
As a soldier, the emperor was be-
loved of his army In a crushing
reverse 10y the French at Solferino, he
suffered such humiliation that he is
said TO have so wished to die with his
men that he stood motionless in the
fire Of a battery hoping to he struck
down But none of his reVerses made
him any the less popular at home.
In recent years he interrupted his
winter rides, but each spring found
him on horseback again, and he at
tended the army maneuvers to the
last. In the field he was the em-
bOdiment Of interchangeable energy
Three or four horses It day he would
wear out riding in a gallop to the
foremost front Of the reserve and
from wing to wing to acquaint himself
with the last tactical details.
His popularity reached beyond the
army He was truly the idol of his
people and especially of Vienna. His
tail, gaunt figure was familiar to |
every Niennese. He rode through the |
streets unguarded, bowling to the /
salutions of his loving people. IF it
became known that he was to leave /,
the city, crowd would congresate |,
to see him drive by. He was imperial |
vet democratic, and for years he held !
weekly audiences with the common /
people, at which any one of his sub /
jects could appeal to him fer the |
of a wrong When there was .
rioting in the city once and cabinet /
minister proposed to quarter two regi- /
ments i'm the center of disturbances, |
the emperor said. bah Send them |
the imperial band" All night the band !
played and the people danced, and i'm /
the morning they went home to sleep /!
off their anger.
As the emperor grew older and sad
der he permitted himself fewer recre-
ations. 4 week of shooting each
year. and a few bottles of priceless
Gastein to warm his chilling blood, a
daily hour of gossip with Katharine
Schratt, who held his affections to the
last-that was all He complied rig
idly with the required etiquette of the
court but personally his tastes were
simple. lie ate a breakfast of freshly
boiled ham, rolls, and coffee every
morning at 8 o'clock, smoked three