Year: 1877

There is curious story told of the manner in which Frederick the Great could deal, where other men had foiled, with a prima donna of the period who was inclined to set too little store by the public. This great artist seemed to catch a cold, which had the effect of rendering her hoarse and consequently unable to sing, whenever anybody or thing had displeased her.

 One day certain opera was to be per- formed at Berlin before the King him. self. At the appointed hour the mana. ger came forward ana said: "Ladies and gentlemen, we grieve to inform you that our prima donna has sore throat, and that the representation an- nounced cannot therefore take place." The stolid Teutonic audience seemed no whit surprised, and was moving out tranquilly, when the King rose and com manded the musicians to keep their places. The audience sat down again and waited patiently on events.

 In less than a quarter of an hour the manager reappeared and spoke as fol- lows: "Ladies and gentleman, I have the most unfeigned pleasure in inform ing you that our prima donna is com pletely cured of her sore throat and will have the honor to sing before you to- night" Surely enough the famous singer soon appeared, and never had she sung better. Her triumph was com- plete.

 The Kings prescription had been a very simple one. The prima donna, having dismissed the unhappy manager, was sitting comfortably before tho fire in her own room, and rather pleased at the idea of having spoiled the pleasure of several hundreds of persons, when the door was violently thrown open, and there entered an officer followed by four dragons. "Mademoiselle. :" quoth the officer, 'Ethe King, my mas ter, has sent me to ask after your health" ''The King is very good; have bad sore throat" "His Majesty knows it, and has charged me to take you at once to the military hospital, where you will be cured in few days '' Mademoiselle turned pale. 'You are jesting," she simpered; but Prussian officers, she was informed, never tested. The lieutenant gave the order to his men, who seized Mademoiselle and car ried her out of the theatre.

 X coach was in attendance; the lady was deposited therein; the officer took his place beside, after shouting his ad- dress to the driver, ''The military hos pltal;" and off they went, the dragons riding alongside. In few seconds, .Stay," said the lady;" "I think feel better" "The king is anxious, Madem- oiselle, that you should feel quite re- stored, and even that you should sing tonight" CT will try," murmured the prisoner. "Back to the theatre, '' cried the officer to the coachman. Ar rived there, Mademoiselle began to think she had yielded too easily. "I will sing, since his Majesty commands me-" she said, "but God knows how ''You will sing" replied the officer. ''like the great artist you are." ''l shall sing like an artist with a bad cold.' ''I think not" "And why r ''Because couple of dragons will bt in attendance behind the scenes, and a the least couac they have orders to ar rest you and carry you off again to th' military hospital" The hoarsenes was now completely gone.

 The Law of Honor.

 The law of honor, as understood by William Rufus, is the real original law of honor; what the other man calls by the same name is not the law of honor but something great deal better. t. which he would do we'll to give its req name. We sometimes ask what i meant by true gentleman" and WI get for an answer a description of man who is morally perfect. If so, wh. give him a false nameP Why not cal him the honest man that he really is Such portrait may be the portrait o yirtuous man in any time or place it is not the portrait of the histori gentleman" at the time when gentle men first began to be heard of. Tn

 

 dard of the gentleman is, in its origin the law of an exclusive and overbear ing military oligarchy. It is the law O William Rufus, and of men like Win jam Rufus. It Is the law which binds not men as men, mot citizens as citizens but members of an exclusive order a members of that exclusive order. It standard is the opinion of that order; it code, the law of honor, prescibes wha is deemed to be worthy of honor by tn opinion of that order. It prescribe certain forms of courage, certain form of truthfulness, often such fantasti forms as to go far toward turning thos virtues into vices.

 I have always specially delighted i the story of the knight who, for love ( his lady and in discharge of his vov rode up and drove his spear into tn gate of the enemy's castle. and who, { he went back, having thus gloriousl preserved his honor. was cut down b the eplebeian hand of butcher. Here chivalry developed to the point of It macy. The man is not even rash or foo hardy for rashness or foolhardinei may consist either in miscalculation ( yielding to mere impulse of daring He simply goes for the sake of h honor, to do thing which is the act of madman and of no one else. He is nC good soldier; for tle duty of a goo soldier is to do all that in him lies, a' cording to his degree, to advance tf enterprise on which he is engaged. Bt the taking of the castle was in no wa advanced by the knight running h lance into the gate. All that he di was to risk, and to lose, for no pul pose life which might have been us' full for the business in hand. Tn kind of thing is genuine chivalry;