Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-02-07

oS any means impose MS lueds upoi
US. but accepted differences of opinion
sensibly. / may add that his ideas are
usually commonplace. He would joke
even in the midst of the most lively
controversies, and to his credit be ii
said that when beaten in an argument
he never hurled his imperial crown at
his adversary's head in order to come
out ahead. Perhaps he revenged him
self on his generals and his ministers,
Has Trembling Fits
In the last few years he has changed
a good deal. His trembling fits eX-
asperate him, and he grimaces until
one might almost call IL facial ague.
lie has formed habit of swapping his
hngers and making conVulsive move
ments with his hand when speaking.
his laugh, formerly so buoyant, has
acquired q false tone. Likewise he
SHOWS lesst tolerance. less kindness
toward his friends. In short, the En-
peror is loutrunning the man. 1t spells
the end of our friendship.
They said of him at first that-the
opposite of Fenelon-he had "a hand
OF velvet in a glove of steel" Lately
II mas too often happened that the
hand has hardened, while the glove is
form.
l attribute these alterations in him
tQ three principal, causes:
His mischief statecraft
His sickly condition, which preoc-
cupies him more than is believed.
The slow, tenacious influence of the
Empress.
The Empress influences him in spite
OF hlmselr. She fights doggedly against
any ease or comfort at court and
stands out grimly for the stiff old
feudal spirit. She is the personifica-
uoh or virtue. and, as is sometimes the
case with aggressively virtuous per
sons, is sad. rather dull. determined
and sectanan. and uncharitable in her
estimates of those around her. To me
she is the most boresome person in
the world. Mind YOU, I don't insist
upon a womans being beautiful: I
only ask that she be gracious. More
than to his religious education, more
than TO what he considers political
necessities, William H. owes to his
wife that sort of absurd piety which
often gives his discourses a note so
comical and false.
Empress as Censor
me EmpreSs's regard for the pro
prieties" has led her to assume the
bureaucratic mission Of censoring the
pieces which are presented at the
Schauspielhaus of Berlin, and | can
assure You that she fills the place con-
Scienuously. She crosses out without
mercy the wordl love in all manu-
scripts. 1t is a word which she re-
CARDS as highly improper. She only
tolerates it in the dramas of Schiller
ana IN French works played at the Ma
tlonal Theater by Coquelin. OF course
the awful word when said in French
uoesn so much endanger German
virtue. If the Empress visits a mu-
scum she causes nude pictures and
statues to be draped in advance of her
arrival
With such conceptions of life. litera
ture and art, YOU may imagine
whether the court is amusing. The
tetes and receptions at the palace are
so loaded with heavy pomp and icy'
etlquette as TO be entirely funereai.
let all this does not prevent intrigue
ana scandal; on the contrary. there is
no court in Europe which is more nm
bridled in this respect, and~as any
one can see-they never succeed in
huShlng up the scandals.
10 animate a court like ours there
should be at the head of il a woman
possessing that mixture of grace and
bravery which YOU French call allure.
Allure. How many princes lack ii
ana now many workmen show It un-
sHpsxGteoly: II is something incom-
patlhle with arrogance, something
Whlch accomm odates itself to perfect
simplicity. The least affectation de-
stroys 1t. There must be grandeur
with ease. character, a certain energy
and the gift for always finding hapny
attitudes without inventing them.
EuuCalon may be made TO serve in
stead or allure, but il cannot entirely
replace IT, Our sweet old Augusta
mad IT when on that July afternoon
In 30. conducting William l. TO the
station, whence he departed for the
frontier, she wept broken-hearted on
the cushions of her gilded coach, while
the crowds acclaimed her.
The Danish princesses who were
Drought up so simply at Copenhagen
and Amelienburg also have allure
ooth Dagmar, whom a hard fate made
the wife of a blockhead and the
mother OF an imbecile, and her sister.
Alexandra, impeccably elegant, sweeter
and more refined than Dagmar. whose
situation as the consort of a high liver
has often been difficult Both have
truly imperial grace which never
struggles for effect.
Mixes With Glasses
Last year the Empress spent some
weeks at the castle of k. To
please her professional conuueror of
a husband she determined To male
conquest of the country squires, mid
die class people. peasants, workmen
and paupers. She made visits. re-
ceiVed them and spoke as pleasantly
as she could with the women. chill
dren and girls she met in the streets
and fields. She also deluged the sicl,
with presents and delicacies. And all
with what result?
They were only half pleased with
her efforts. At the end of her STAY 7
happened to question an old woman
VINO was knitting on her doorstep.
We'll, you have seen your Empress
and she has spoken to you; ! suppose
you are very happy"
oh. yes; oh, yes
She's good Empress. isn't she p"
The old woman looked up uuizzi
cally. F"'-''
What's the mstter?" I asked. Can
you deny that she's a good Empress %
Good? oh. yes, of course she's
good; but Empress began 10
knit again Empress she is not
Laugh at Kaiscr's Art
I'll not speak much of Williams
taste in art. You know about IL. All
Europe has been convulsed with
laughter over it. The average German
is lacking in taste; Berlin is a city
without tradition I'm art. However. II
had until recent years the merit of
belng a nice large provincial town.
What little adornment it had was
good. for Frederick the Great brought
some notable architects from Paris
and built several fine palaces. around
which clever landscape gardeners
worked with excellent effect.
But alas, Berlin did not ston thera
What between William and the Cruen.
derZeit Wa have davaIonna =