Hickory daily record., 1922-11-04
/ GERMANY WATCHES
KALSER;S WEDDING
Say Marriage OF Emperor TO Princess Hermine
VIII Be More Compatible Than Deposed Rul-
els First Marriage Much Gossip About For
naer Royal Pair and Bride.
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
The Hague, Nov. 4.-Gossin in
Germank has it that the marriage TO-
morrom of former Emperor William
OF Germany and Princess Hermine
OF Reuss augurs far more wise
and workable union than that be-
tween William and his first wife.
Princess Augusta Victoria, which took
place in February, 1881 and terminal
ed just 40 years and two months later
when she died an exile from her below
ed Potsdam.
There are many who are able to
see much in common between the
ex-emperor and his bride-to-be, despite
the difference in their ages; while
back in 1881, when the whole German
Empire was in festive attire to cele-
brate the marriage of its heir ap-
parent, even the most optimistic were
compelled to admit that the two royal
scions could not have been farther
apart had they been of different
worlds. 1sA
Princess Augusta was shy, trust.
fui, essentially feminine, a lover Of
her home, and with no sympathy for
pomp and ceremony. For more than
IL years Of her married life she was
q semi invalid.
The bridegroom on the other hand,
was already feverishly active and pos
sessed of Unsuitable ambition. He
loved display, never tired of arraying
himself in gady uniforms, and was
happy only when he could play
3eading part before the whole world.
These were the differences that the
world at large saw. Those who were
intimate with either or both of the
principals, however, knew that the
private order OF their lives was even
farther from agreement
In matters pertaining to love and
marriage, Prince William had his
own ideas, which he lived up to with
almost noisy scrupulousness.9 He be-.
lieved, first and always, that man,
whether he be exalted or not, should
choose his wife as she would her
gown-for qualities that would wear
weih Intellectual strength or bril-
lianey, emotional vigor, and pfonounc
ed character were not among the
Qualities he looked for in a wife.
Fortunately, it was many years
after her married life began before
Princess Augusta had any important
roles to perform, thus she managed
to continue with her SIMPLE habits
without provoking unfriendly COM
ment She had not experience with
Court life and knew little if any,
thing about cities, therefore it was
years before she mastered the details
Of her royal social status.
Yet with ali their disparity of
temperaments, those who had predict
ed an unhappy union for the Crown
prince were forced, as the years wore
on, to admit that their judgment
had played them false. Never were
there any well founded rumors of a !,
separation, or even of disagreement
The political wiseacres, who usually
are able to assign reason for all
royal utterances or actions, were
hopelessly at sea when one dav Will
liam issued a statement characterlz-
ing Empress Augusta as "a prescious
pearl; the type Of all the virtues
of a Germanic Princess. To her owe
it that / am able to tackle and per
form in cheerful spirit the difficult
duties of my position"
Docile and uninterested in affairs
of state, Empress Augusta never
thelesS was supreme within the palace
walls. The accounts. the orders, the
supplies, the arrangement of the bill
of fare and the management of her
seven children were under her i'm
mediate supervision. Once the Emper-
or told one of his Officers that he
wanted the young princes to learn how
to paddle canoe When the officer
mentioned this to the Empress, she
refused to hear of them taking such
risks.
"But the Kaiser has already given
the order," said the officer.
S'That may be as you say" she
replied, smiling, che is the Kaiser
of Germany but am the Kaiser Of
the nursery"
Princess Hermine, on the other
hand, is understood to enjoy and re-
spect all the royal traditions which
Princess Augusta abhorred. While she
is hardly known beyond the German
borders, and seldom if ever mentioned,
even in the newspapers of Germany
before her engagement to the ex-
Emperor was announced, still there
are many households in Central Eu-
rope which profess to have intimate
knowledge of her character. and in
these the preponderance of opinion
is that she has all the qualities to
make her valuable and sympathetic
companion to the Imeperial Exile of
Dorm. a5