Evening star., 1923-08-16
By THE MARaUIsE DE FoNTE

BY THE MARQUISE DE FONTENOY.
Anhalt's former sovereign Duke,
who has placed his ancestral palace
of Dessau at the disposal of the
Berlin government. for use as a
temporary refuge for those German
citizens who have been expelled,
along with their families, from the
Ruhr and the Rhineland occupied
districts in consequence of their re-
sistance to the French authorities
has made but one curious stipula--
ton, namely, that in the event OF
! the refugees being still in need of
shelter beneath his ancestral roof
throughout the winter. every fire in
the vast building and every stove
shall be exttnguished on Christmas
eve, no matter how cold the weather,
and not to be relighted until after
daybreall on Christmas morn. There
| is a reason, of which anon. He offers
no objection to the palace being
divided up into a large number of
small apartments and, with stove
chimneyS emerging from every sec
lond one of the hundreds of windows.
| the Old Gray House. as the palace is
called, presents a very odd appear
apce.
That this young ex-duke should
/ have made this most liberal and pub
| ilic-spirited offer to the government
| of the German republic is Thoroughly
| in keeping with the attitude of his
Sfate father. and of the other members
of his house, who have been noted
| for their liberalism. Their relations
with the court at Berlin were most
strained and the late duke simply
abominated the eX-katser and his
methods, execrated militarism and
l a
| always appearing In mutt. that is
I to say, i'm civilian attire. instead OF
| the uniform affected by most OF the
| German royalties when at home
| They seemed to prefer evening dress
| to gold and silver lace, epaulettes and
| swords, even at court festivities, and
| although the name of the Duke OF
Dessau is associated, in the minds OF
| all of those who have read Carlyle's
| History of Frederick the Great, >
war, yet there is no capital in Ger
many where the military element has
been so conspicuous by it's absence
dnring the last quarter of century.
y x x x
The young Duke of Anhalt belongs
TO what is undoubtedly the oldest OF
the former sovereign dynasties OF
| Germany. For the princes and duke.
of Anhalt have always claimed to be
| able to prove their descent. In an un-
| broken line, from Noah, their patro,
! nymic Ascania being derived from tn,
| Castle of Ascania, now in ruins, neal
Aschersleben, which is on record a!
| having been very powerful strong
| hold early in the tenth and eleventh
| centuries.
The fortunes of the dukes ant
| princes of Anhalt are bound up will
| toad, or rather, with talisman
! which is the gift of toad. harmless
| reptile, which Is treated with particu
| lar kindness ard consideration by al
| the people of Anhalt.
| The talisman in question, instead
of being a glass goblet like the Lucl
of Eden Hall, SO familiar to the low
ers of Longfeilow's poetry, or tn,
/ Coulston pear of the historic Scotcl
| house of Hay, or the Lee penny of tn
!, ,Lockharts, is an ancient ring with al
extraordinary history. According t.
+, the latter, a Princess of Anhalt hat
been in the hebit every day of throw
Ing out of the window, after Dime
and breakfast, the bread crumbs, fo
the birds. noticing. however, that II
addition to'her small feathered friend
ways appeared to join In the repast
/ One evening when the princess wa
on the eve of becoming a mother,
/ strange woman appeared in her bed
room bearing 2 lighted lantern, init
| mating that the Lady Toad sent he
J very best thanks for the crumbs, ais,
} the promise that the child, about T.
4 be born, weu1d be a boy who woui'
tbring honor and fortune to his house