Evening star., 1924-04-06

business that can be charged against
me just now is that of meddling in
our foreign commerce as to exports
and imports. I have been exporting
a daughter to Athens and importing
Grecian daughter to marry my son."
THERE is no doubt, however, but
- that her majesty has a shrewd
business turn. She has a brilliant
Imagination, and one of her visions
is a great future for Rumania, and she
does everything she can to bring that
about She wants to see the country
develop economically, and every for
eign capitalist who comes to Bucha-
rest or Sinaia is shown the immense
resources and possible development
of this country through the rose
colored glasses which her majesty
tints.
She may object to the expression,
but Ii seems to me that Queen Marie
is one of the very best of business
monarchs in a broad, patriotic way.
She would sacrifice herself at any
time for the exploitation of her coun-
try, and she proved herself the great
mother Of her subjects, in that she is
always striving after things which
will better their condition The story
of her work during the war is part
of Rumanian history. She went out
to the field and worked with the
wounded. She organized hospitals,
and there was no Red Cross nurse
who put in more hours of hard labor.
At the same time she brought her
good common sense and practical
suggestions to the aid of the admins
tration and raised money in every
possible way.
Mer majesty has contempt. i'm
agine, for the ruler who is only a
figurehead in the government of his
people. She is live, active force,
and is ambitious to rank with such
women as Queen Elizabeth, Maria
Theresa and Catherine the Great OF
Russia as one of the controlling influ-
ences of the reign OF which she is
part. In this connection and by the
way I would say that her charming
daughter, the Princess Ileana, seems
to have the same bent. She does not
like the idea Of being married into
royal family such as that of England,
where the queen has no work to do.
She is now fourteen years old, and
there is much talk of her possible
enlargement to several monarchs of
the countries about. You may have
read the gossip about her being much
sought after by king Boris of Bull
garia. He is young, full of common
sense, of great ability, and the two
would make a remarkable match.
But these countries of Europe are
very unsettled. and the republic of
today may be a monarchy tomorrow.
Not long ago there was talk of Poland
being ruled by a king, and the future
monarch was suggested as a possibil-
ity for the Princess Ileana. She was
asked what she thought of 1t. She
replied:
IL don't know that would object
Poland Is practically new country
and the queen there would have
plenty to do. think might like It,"
This is the story as told me by the
queen.
And this reminds me of another
story which / heard in Bucharest, de-
scribing how her majesty Marie. by
her own volition, lost the opportunity
of being the Queen of England and
Empress Of all the Indies. 1t was
when she was sweet sixteen-she
must have been very beautiful then
ana had only the title Of Princess
Mary. She is. you know. the daHgh-
ter of the Duke of Edinburgh, Queen
victoria's second SON, and is conse-
quently first cousin Of George v, the
King Of England. She and George were
playmates and friends. At this time
George was the second SON OF the