Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-06-02
WILHELM OPPOSES
ACTRESS IN FAMILY
Former Crown Prince Admits
Son May Be Engaged
to Lily Damita.
Special Dispatch to The Star and the North
American Newspaper Alliance.

Special pispa.eh e The Star and the North
RAPALLO, Italy, June although
the engagement Of Prince Louis Ferdi-
nand, second son of Wilhelm, former
crow prince of Germany, to a Holly
wood star Of French nationality, Miss
Lily Damita, has not been officially cor
roborated and has even been denied by
the administration of the imperial house
Of Hohenzollern in Berlin, the father
himself admitted that it might have
happened, though he did not think it
could be true.
Having no news direct from my son,
who Is a poor correspondent" he said,
Il can only refer you to the statement
given out In Berlin, and repeat that !
find it hard to believe that my son has
embarked IN this engagement He has
been in the United States en- route for
Buenos Aires, where he is going to join
the Spanish hrm of Torquist y Cha.
If the report of the engagement
should really be true my son will have
TO bear h full consequences, which,
though, ! do not believe in threats and
prefer actions to words, may be farther
reaching than he perhaps trnagines.
You English-speaktnS people have
an excellent proverb to the effect that
n cannot eat ones cake and have it,
too, and that is what my son will have
to realize If he insists on marrying a
woman not his equal in birth and sta
ton"
No Trace of Resentment.
Wilhelm spoke without a trace of re-
sentiment or emotion. The conversation
took place on the terrace of the Hotel
Excelsior, overlooking the bay. The for
mer crown prince, whom everybody in
his encourage addresses as your i'm
perial highness," has spent several
weeks here to recuperate from a severe
attack of flu.
He is perfectly set up and bronzed by
the sun, and his appearance seemed to
proclaim that the purpose Of his visit
had been fully accomplished. Despite
the devastating vicissitudes Of his life,
wilhelm, who celebrated his forty
seventh birthday only the other day,
and is the father of four boys and two
girls, does not look a day over 80, and is
slender as a boy. Only his hair is white,
He was wearing a light grey suit
with a red and blue striped tie. In his
coat lapel was the badge of the Naples
foot ball team given him "by a friend"
AS Is well known, he processes great ad-
miration for Facist italy.
Have you any definite wishes regard
ing your sons future wives?" he was
asked.
The father spread his rather thin lips
in a smile.
Besides being as pretty as possible
they should also have other points" he
said, adding Immediately, but no, jok-
people would consider old-fashioned
ideas Of marriage. I think a 'mesalli-
ance' is likely to work out as a mere
mess and is rarely Is a real alliance
If you will pardon the pun. There have
been plenty Of them lately and my own
family has furnished a very lamentable
example. leaving my aunt ruined and
mesalliances shows that they are not
encouraging.
Insists on Kaiser's Consent.
81 am still a great believer in-how
do you say" And here the former
prince, who speaks perfect English,
without a trace of accent, hesitated,
casting about for the word-"I believe
in 'ebenbuertigkeit'," using the German
word, equality of station, marrying in
your own set, you circle. It might
be perfectly admissible and normal for
one Of my boys to marry q woman not
necessarily OF royal blood, but of aris-
tocratic or noble birth, no matter what
her nationality, provided that he OBJ
tanned the consent Of the kaiser, whom
we all consider the authoritative head
Of the family. Without such consent
we could not approve of the marriage.
Royal princes have married women
not of royal birth: for instance the
Duke Of York, and as long as the mar
riage Is one of quality and Is accepted
by the other members of the royal
family which the bride or bridegroom
is entering, there Is In my opinion no
objection to be made. Princess Yo-
landa Of Italy Is another case in point.
But as regards this particular mar
rage, If it should ever be seriously in
tended on both sides, I should oppose
it on principle, also, because, leaving
apart for the moment, the question Of
birth, I do not believe in marriages
founded on passing passions. Mere
passion Is no basis for the life partner
ship and social contract as which mar
rage should be regarded.
II suppose such considerations do not
count much in America, the land of
easy divorce. But even in America I see
accidents are becoming so frequent
that prominent men are beginning to
warn the public in the newspapers that
prevention Is better than cure
1T does not seem to me that expert
Hnent and failure repeated ad infnitum