The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1920-12-11
THELATE EMPRESS EUGENE

Windsor, where Queen Victoria gave
them a warm welcome, was one of the
happiest events of the empress's life,
and laid the foundation of a lifelong
friendship between the queen and her
self. The return visit of the queen
and prince consort to Paris was a
great success, and did much to estab-
lish the empress's position at other
courts. On March 16, 1857 the prince
imperial was born and proudly styled
by the people L'Enfant de France. The
enthusiasm and excitement were in
tense, and at the empress's request the
Pope consented to be his godfather.
The baptism was solemnized with
great pomp, but the empress had not
the strength to hold the child up after
the amounting, so the emperor did.
Some very happy years Followed at the
Tuileries. A treasure which the en-
press valued highly, and kept until
1870 in her bedroom at the Tuileries
was the golden rose presented to her
by the Pope on the occasion of the
,, princes baptism. Cardinal Patrizi, in
offering it, addressed her majesty in
Latin. "The rose" he said, "signifies
the joy of the two Jerusalems-that
| is, of the Church triumphant and the
Church militant. The rose represents,
in the eyes of all the faithful, that
most magnificent flower, the joy Of the
saints. Accept this rose, beloved and
noble daughter, puissant and adorned
,, with many gracious qualities, in order
that thou mayst be still more ennobled
| by all the virtues of Jesus Christ, like
rose planted by the banks of full
flowing stream. May this boon be
granted unto thee, through the ever
abundant favor of Him Who to all
eternity is Three in One.'
Troubles and Trials.
In 1858 the attempt on the emperOr's
life by Orsini much affected the en-
press. Her majesty established hos
pitals and convalescent homes in
Paris, and personally visited the pa
tients, while her heroic conduct dur
ing the cholera at ST. Lazare and else
where in Paris won all hearts. Her
first great grief was the death of her
favorite sister, the Duchess d'Albe.
Her influence over the emperor was
very great, and her dislike and jeal-
ousy of any intrigues Notwithstanding,
she never forgot her duty as a wife.
She was very fond of dress, and no
one showed it off to greater advan-
tage; but she thereby encouraged
trade, and was by no means person
ally eXtravagant She was deeply re-
ligous Time and space fail to tell of
her many doings, when at the height
of her glory and power at the Exhibit
ton of 1867; of her visit to the Aus
trian Court, where the empress took
great fancy to her; of her visit to the
Suez Canal, when she had all the
world at her feet; and Of her brilliant
reception at Constantinople.
The Downfall.
The failure of the Mexican expedi-
ton and the war with Prussia were
terrible trials to the empress. Her
famous charge to her son, when he
, Louis" her noble, dignified, calm, and
, courageous attitude when the last sad
crisis came, and her romantic flight
, to England in August, 1870, are mat
ters of history. After her many heart
: rending adventures she settled down
: with the exiled emperor and her disin.
o herited son at Chiselhurst, in Kent.
r. Napoleon only lived few months
8 after his arrival in England. and it was
!. not many years after lin 1879 that
n their son was killed in Zululand. For
), him the heartbroken Eugene erected
j. a beautiful memorial chapel at Farm
n borough, and here for the rest of her
i days she lived. Queen Victoria and
d all the royal family, as indeed the
people of the whole of the United
Kingdom, sympathized deeply with
her. and she has lived ever since a
n quiet and retired life, devoted to the
n duties of religion and the poor, re
r spected and loved by all who knew
It her. Until very recently the empress
J. was a familiar figure of the country
e side, driving about the lanes in little
h pony carriage, or walking from cottage
e to cottage on quiet errands Of swee
n. solicitude among the poor. No woman
S. ever had stranger, more eventfu
h history. None could have brought /
,f to a more harmonious or a more dig
le nified close. May she rest in peace