Evening star., 1923-02-26
Strong Criticism of Gen. Smuts
Brings Forth an Official Statement

4 one OF the most conspicuous figures
| in the life of the dual empire, hav-
ing filled the post of governor of the
metropolitan province of lower Aus
tria for nearly thirty years. save for
an interlude of two years during
which he held the office Of premier
1t was during his term of premier
ship that he appeared on the stage
OF Vienna, at charitable vaude-
Vile performance organized by his
brilliantly clever wife, and achieved
on that occasion a tremendous sue
cess with a number of comic songs
OF his own composftion-both as re
CARDS words, music and interpreta
tion, which he gave in a burlesque
role. while the countess danced, sang
and acted, with inimitable grace anG
chic, as a soubrette.
x X x
She was Russian by birth-thc
daughter of a petty noble OF the
name OF Lebedeff of the district
around Kishinefr. and by reason of
her lack of blueness of blood, and
OF her foreign origin, had to endure
OF the Viennese aristocracy. who
sought to cold shoulder her. Indeed
it was not until when her husband
became premier, and Emperor Francis
Joseph. In consequence thereof, had
Of :Iady Of p' ahet palace" M 'utaa that rshS sbS
acquired a recognized position al
court, from which she had until then
been barred. despite the counts high
office. She failed, however. to receive
the order of the star cross. whick
usually went with the Office Of lady
Of the palace" but for which genea-
ogical qualifications and the Roman
Catholic faith were Indispensable
Notwithstanding the difference H.
rank, the countess was for long the
tHyo Nf -.
Princess Pauline Metternich in the
matter Of the sovereignty of the revels
at Vienna. She first came upon the
scene in this connection when the
her husband. and then for her daugh
ter. Countess Waldstein, who died il
such a tragic manner. Afterward the
princess was herself prostrated by
illness. and when she eventually re
sumed her scepter as queen of the
fetes she found that she had a com
petitor in the person of the wife OF
the governor, who had by virtue Of
her husbands official position, assurn
ed the leading role in the organiZa
nature and otherwise that used to.
endow with so-much gayety and bril-
liancy the Viennese season.
x X *
Vienna gained by the return Of.
Princess Pauline. For. merry wsr
onSueQ between tn0 Two fAQleS, eacn
having her own set of followers. the
bourgeoise and the artistic world
gradually hocking around the coun-
tess, while the old aristocracy re
mained true to its allegiance to
Princess Pauline.
The Kielmanseggs hailed originally
from Hanover. Countess Sophie
Kielmansegg. wife of Count Adolf
Kielmansegg, figures in the annals OF
England as the unpopular sultana
Of King George I. was nicknamed by
the English people 1.-The Elephant,
owing to her elephantine proportions
in her old age. was created by her
royal lover Countess of Darlington.
in the British peerage. and was por
trayed with a vitriolic pen by Horace
Walpole. The old castle of ,-Kiel-'
mansegg on the Fischa in lower
Austria, from which the family takes
its title. was DESTROYED by the. Turks
on the occasion Of their last siege o.
Vienna For further particulars of.
the Kielmansegg family / would re
fer my readers to Tom Hoods fa
miliar poem, Miss Kielmansegg and
Her Golden Leg"