Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1916-03-03
Little Mother Of
Rumania SuCCumbS


companions at the village school.
She was born December 20. lS43. and
IN her childhood she showed predi-
lection for the poetical fairy stories
and, with some of her own imagina-
ton added, she delighted her play
mates with her fancios. At home
she received Spartan training, and
with father who was an invalid for
life and a brother who was incurably
ill., she experienced many sorrows and
hardships.
stricken With Typhus.
Upon the death of her brother. the
princess was sent away to visit her
aunt. the Grand Duches Helena of
Russia, who took her travelling to
various parts of Europe. 1t was dur
ing this tour, however. that the prin-
cess herself was stricken with typhus
fever, and when she recovered it was
to learn that her father had passed
away. She was deeply affected by
The sorrow in her family, and music
and poetry became her only consola-
ton. Must all | love on earth be
borne to the grave" is the burden
of mournful poem that she wrote
at the time of her fathers death.
Among her friends about her home
on the Rhine, 'the little wild rose
bud Of Wied" mad evinced an almost
savage dislike to matrimony. and
had often exclaimed: 81 do not want
to marry unless 1 can be queen of Ru-
mania" The principality of Rumania
had AT that time just been founded,
and there was no sense in the young
princess remark except that she be-
lioved it "a sufficiently safe way to
say that she didn't want to marry at
all.
There is a remarkable romance at
tached to the fact that some years
later her suitor became Prince
Charles of Hohenzollern. who was re-
fused on the same fanciful pretoxt
that the princess would not marry
unless she could be queen of Rumania
In 1863 Prince Charles was chosen
ruler OF Rumania. and in the autumn
OF the next year he return to WED
TO remind Princess Elizabeth of her
desire to rule over that kingdom.
Life 10 Philanthropy.
Married, and settled in the palace
at Bucharest the princess thercw her
self with great ardOr into the life of
the country. She learned to read and
write Rumanian. made herself ac-
qualnted with the needs and require
nients Of the land, and became so be-
| loved that the people called her The
private purse she founded schools,
+; hospitals and art galleries and devoted
practically her whole life to phil
arthropy. Although she had prac-
ticed her literary talents in "a limited
way for Inany years, 1t was not until
| the death of her first, and only child,
at the age of 4, that much of her work
was published. Though her poems
lose much, from the translation. one
glimpse OF favorite theme is as
| follows:
The fairest word on earth that's
heard,
On human lips the fairest word,
| Is mother.
TO whom such name shall once belong,
High honor hers her whole life long,
A mother.
| l'ut all her earthly joys are DER,
Who is and then who is no more,
A mother"
short Novels and Dramas.
| She translated into German the
favorite Rumanian folk songs and
wrote some short novels and dramas.
Some of her publications are
Thoughts of a Queen" "Edleen
Vaughan" shadows on Life's Diar'
and "A Real Queens Fairy Book"
She was an indefatigable worker.
| lHleTNleWeTS VINO nave DeCn fccelN6i
III her palace have found her answer
ing her innumerablc letters herself on
| u typewriter--four of which machines
she had in constant use, equipped for
writing IN English. Runanian, French
and German. once pupil of Rubin
! stein, She was skilled in the aying of
the piano, and she was also gifted rs
an artist.
| Having lost her own little girl she
| pictured herself as mother TO millions
| of Rumanian children, and among
them she was held in great affection.
As to woman's work, Carmen sylvia
often expressed herself in interviews.
"A woman" she said, 'is made for
the home Her hands should be
trained to do beautiful things, things
which she can do by her own fire
side, and there her husband should
| find her.
| Her husband, King Charles I of
| Rumania died in October, 1914, past
rs years of age. Since then the
queen mother herself had been in Ill
health, suffering particularly from
cataract in both eyes.