The Union daily times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1918-current, 1922-11-04
c concerniAss tie
:, '$; .i; ikaisSe's Marriage

~; 'kaissr's Marriage
The Hague, Nov, GSssip in Ger;
many has it Tint the inafriass 10.
morrow of former Emperor william
of Germany add Princess Hermine o.
Reuss augurs Tar more wise ant
workable, union than that. between
William and his first wife, Princes;
Augusta Victoris, which took place IN
February, 1881, and .terminated jus,
40 years, and two months later when
she died an, exile from her beloved
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 Germon
empire, was in festive attire to cele-
brate the marriage Of its heir appar-
cnt, even the most optimistic, were
compelled to admit that the two royal
scions could not have been father
apart had they been of different
worlds.
Princess Augusta was shy, trustful,
essentially feminine, q lover of her
home, and with no sympathy for pomp
and ceremony. For more than 12
years Of her married life she was a
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 gaudy uniforms, and was
happy only when he could pay lead
ing 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 al
most noisy scrupulousness, He be-
lieved, first and always, that a man,
whether he be exalted or not, should
choose his wife as she would her gown
for qualities that would wear well.
Intellectual strength or briIliancy
emotional vigor, and pronounced char
acter were not among the qualities he
looked for in a wife.
Fortunately, it was many years af-
ter 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 no experience with
court life and knew little if anything
about cities, therefore it was years
before she mastered the details of
her royal social status.
Yet with all their disparity of tenn
pcraments, those who had predicted
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 we'll founded rumors of separa-
tion, or even of disagreement. The
political wiseacres, who usually are
able to assign a reason for all royal
Itterances or actions, were hopeless
ly at sea when one day William is-
sued statement characterizing En-.
press Augusta as "prescious pearl;
the type Of all the virtues of a Ger
manic Princess. To her I owe It that
! am able to tackle and perform in a
cheerful spirit the difficult duties of
my position"
Docile and uninterested In affairs
of state, Empress Augusta neverthe-
less 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 immed-
late supervision. Once the Emperor
told one Of his officers that he wanted
the young princes to learn how 10
paddle canoe. When the officer nieli-
toned this to the Empress; she re
fused to hear of them taking such
risks.
but the. Kaiser has already given
TIE order" said the officer.
"That may be as you say" she re-
piled, smiling, 'he is the Kaiser of
Germany, but I 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 Ger
,aa nborders, and seldom if ever was
mentioned, even in the newspapers Of
Germany before her engagement to
the ex-Emperor was announced still
there are many households, in Gen.
tral Europe which; profess to have an
intimate knowledge of her character,
and In these the preponderance of
opinion is that she has all the quail
ties to make her q valuable and SYM
Dathotic, eosso nm rioy, IA, tho :, ,Tooy,ov{o al