The sunny South. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1875-1907, March 15, 1902, Image 10
Pathetic Alphonso Will Ascend Spain’s Tottering' Throne Next May mis caious country. ana in-is prospect Is grand enough to cause you to put aside all your lovo nonsense. If God al lows mo to reign. I shall marry the princess whom my subjects and my min isters wish me to wed. even if I do not like her, and I shall be true to her though I may happen to love another lady.” Whether or not Anthony Hope intended it, he has drawn a wonderful picture of °f Spain in his novel, “The King's Mirror”—the favorite child of the author's brain, although the public never cared so much for it as for most of his other books. Even the details were tho same; the stern, stately mother sacrific ing maternal feelings to the education ini kingly duties of the bov who was a king when he was born; the continual repres sion and self-sacrifice and general air of sad solemnity; the sister who would have been queen. and all the rest of it. Like the king of that novel, poor little Alphonso has been stuffed night and day with the learning that' kings are sup posed to need, lie reads and writes English, French. German and Ital ian almost as readily as \ ana his own language. All • Training sorts of military science M are stowed away in his .■small head, for he began to bo a soldier ' at the age of 10, when he had a regiment of little boys to play with. Their uni forms were correct to the last button, and they even had a complete band. W ith the aid of an instructor from the army the young king drilled them until he, at least, understood the business thoroughly, whether they did or not, so that now at the mature age of 15 he can call down the most grizzled veteran of all troops without the suspicion of a blush. Alphonso is distinguished as the only bachelor king, the onlv monarch who was torn a king and also as the young est of European ironarchs. Queen \\ 11- helmina coming next in line.. He has giv en promise of a high spirit, strong pa triotism, a rather stiff conservatism and considerable haughtiness. He is devoted ly attached to his mother, and with good reason, for she has devoted her life to him and gone through unpopularity, disaster and despair for him with a spirit that has won for her the unwilling admiration of the Spanish people, who used to speak of her as "that Austrian.” but who now realize that, everything considered, Spain couldn't have been in better hands tliess past sixteen years. She will probably he the power behind the throne for some time to come, although she leaves the throne forever on May 17. Premier Sa- gasta, who is a wise and patriotic old man, will stand further in the back ground and manage both mother and son. And even behind him is still another fig ure, looming large and black—the dread ed marquis of Teneriffe—otherwise our old Cuban friend. General Woylor. They made him r inister of war to keep him quiet, but many believe it Is only a ques tion of time before he heads a republican movement and plants himself in the presi dent's chair. & Not Ji Common Farmer “Why, my daughter marry you, a com mon clod of a farmer? Young man. you must bo crazy,” remarked the choleric old gentleman with the Mark i lamia build. We looked to see the young man in the overalls wither up and disappear, but instead ho smiled faintly, even haughtily, and, jingling a bunch of loose change in his pocket, pensively remarked: “Mr. Vanderfeller, I planted 20 acres to potatoes last spring and the crop was a success.” “What!” cried tho old man, surprise and remorse in his tones, “20 acres of pota toes? And 1 called you a farmer? You're an agriculturist, sir, and I’m proud to have you as a son in law. Americans will he surprised to notice how .'ittie attention has been paid here and in' Europe to the forthcoming coro nation \at Madrid. it is very probable that th ? result of our war with Spain may he .responsible—then again King Ed ward's ettronation overshadows the lesser one. Following is a strongly and accu rately drawn picture of conditions in the unfortunate kingdom. It is rumored that Alphcrso’s incapacity for govern ment may lengthen the regency lor live years. By CURTIS' BROWN Written for 7Jf>e Sunny South ALE. narrow-chested, sensi tive. little King Alphonso XIII should he. in tho ordi nary course of events, the most interesting person in Europe for the next two months. He comes of age on May 17. and takes the oath, climbs into his throne and succeeds his mother as the first person in Spain. Thereafter, if his health 'permits. he is going to make his Jirst tour of the continent and inspect the available supply of marriage able princesses. He is only 15—in Spain royalty “conies of age” at 10—hut affairs of state acquire that a marriage should be £ rranged at once. It would be hard to imagine a more pa thetic figure than tails gallant little king being led iabout through the courts of Europe that prospective bidders may get a look at the goods. Afterwards it will he the Spanish.premier - w ho concludes tho arrangements. "How much money and how much po litical influence," he will say in effect, "is Spain ottered for the title of queen of one of the proudest nations on earth?” Then the royal guardians of some three Austrian archduchesses, one or two of the Bourbon princesses and some of the German princesses will point out how depreciated in value the goods are. Af ter due dickering the little king and some inestimably indifferent princess will be come engaged without having anythin:,* particular to say about .it themselves. It was hoped in Spain that this hit of business could he arranged before tho coronation festivities in. May, but the mutterings of revolution became too loud to permit of the royal departure frim tho country. It was planned at one time to make the coronation festivities rival in splendor those of Alphonse's brother monarch, King 'Edward ATI. at West minster abbey a month later, but the serious condition of the country has ap parently caused a considerable change in those plans. In Spain, as \in The Netherlands, the coronation isn’t really a coronation at all. In Holland the polite fiction is that the rri-ning' monarch is so lefty in dig nity that no subject could assume the moral stature necessary to place the crown on the monarch's head, and thus for the moment have a position of supe riority. The real reason is that the doughty Netherlands are too independent to relish the idea cf having one of iheir number wear a crown, the supreme sym bol of sovereignty. For a similar reason me kirgs and queens of Spam have never been actually crowned since the days of the Visigoths. All that A'phonso will hove to do to be come king In fact as well as in name will he to go to the senado or senate and take the oath to support the constitution. There will he gorgeous robes, state car- Alphonso and his mother, the Queen Regent rieges, priestly anointings, and a com pany of all the most distinguished of Spanish grordees. with the ambassadors and representatives of the other royal families of Europe: but crowned heads will oe conspicuous by their absence. I saw in an American paper the other day a page full of pictures of most of the kings and queens of all Europe, with a title explaining that they were among the folk who would make the English coronation glorious by their presence. But not one of them all, except, perhaps, the oid king of Denmark father of Queen Alexandra, will be present at either coro nation, because through some queer bit ef etiquette, for which no reason except tradition ran be given. It is not consid ered good foim for one wearer of a crown to see a fellow-monarch crowned. Beyond the general facts given above, no programme for the coming festivities has been given out yet in Madrid, and it is thought quite possi ble that the ceremonies will he kept under cover almost entirely. A great display of pomps and vanities, gauds and gew gaws before a public overburdened with taxation and infested with anarchy would seem like tempting Exclusion Almost Secrecy •Will M arK the Coro* nation Reautiful Pictures FREE The most faithful and most attractive reproductions of the world’s finest paintings. They are marvels of art, unequaled in quality, and never before dreamed of in such an offer as we make. Each Picture on the Finest Ivory-Finished, Extra-Heavy Weight Picture-Paper, 20 by 25 Inches in Size Art-stores are now selling engravings of these famous paintings at $2.50 to 510.00 each. Our reproductions are pronounced more lifelike than the most expensive engravings. They are absolutely permanent—will not fade. The actual value of the originals is Hundreds of Thousands of Dollars. One of them alone, the Immaculate Conception, by Murillo, was sold to the French government for nearly $125,000.00. SUNSHINE AND SHADOW size 20 by 25 Inches CHOICE OF SUBJECTS SUNSHINE AND SHADOW —By Stone. The picture shown in the illustration is an exquisite reproduction of the original painting worth many thousands of dollars. In the foreground stands a workman in rough clothes just taking from the arms of his wife their happy child—the “ Sun shine.” Bevond this group is a glimpse of a hand some. rich estate, and the single figure of a woman standing alone in widow’s mourning—her childless, lonely life typifying the second half of the title. PHARAOH'S HORSES -By Herring. Three fine heads of fiery horses so full of life that one can almost see their nostrils quiver and hear their quick breathing. The greatest picture of horses' heads ever painted. ST. CECILIA—By Naujok. A perfect reproduction of the original painting held at an almost priceless fig ure. The beautiful figure of St.Cecilia Is seen seated at the keyboard of a great church-organ, while cher ubs pour down on the keys a wealth of flowers. DEFIANCE, or STAG AT BAY—By Landseer. One of the most magnificent pic tures ever painted. In the middle of thepicture stands a stag. He has retreated into the water, and now turns to fight the hounds that have given him so hard a chase. The picture fairly breathes with life. These reproductions of famous paintings are owned and published by THE CROWELL & KIRKPATRICK CO., of Springfield, Ohio, publishers of the world’s greatest farm paper, the Farm and Fireside, which now has a circulation of three hundred ,and ten thousand copies each issue, making 1,500,000 READERS The Farm and Fireside is the most practical, most entertaining, most valuable farm paper published anywhere on the globe. It comes twice a month, not once a month, and gives twice as much reading matter as monthly publications. It tells about things that you are interested in, and doesn’t fool around with a lot of high-sounding words, but gets down to the meat of the thing from the start, and stays there. It has twenty to twenty-four big pages in each issue, each page brim-full of practical, seasonable, out-and-out good farm matter. It gives the best of reading for the whole family. You will get your money's worth every day in the year from the Farm and Fireside. How to Get the Pictures FREE Send just 10 cents for a three-months' trial subscription to the Farm and Fireside, six numbers, and we will give you your choice of any one of the above pictures FREE, and send it carefully packed, delivery charges prepaid. Address THE FARM AND FIRESIDE, Springfield, Ohio Provlilonee, so say the more experienced c-f Spanish statesmen. On the principle of the old lady who said she had always noticed that if she lived through the month of May she lived through the rest of the year, it is possible that Alphonso. the unlucky 13th, may survive long enough to make his influence felt in Spain. His father, al ways a rather weakly man. died of con sumption at the age of 27. six months before his only son was born. Little Al phonso. who had therefore the rare dis tinction of being born a king, has had a battle from the first start with the in herited seeds of disease. At 4 he was seized with an illness from which no one expected him to recover, hut his experi ence was another Instance of the queer fact that the sickly often can null through sickness better than the strong. Today lie is about as well as he ever has been. You will find scarcely any one in Madrid tv ho does not take it for grant ed that lie is consumptive, but he has not so far given any sign of serious in disposition. After he s'o narrowly es caped death in infancy ills mother real ized that the only hone was to keep him out of doors as much as possible. He has managed somehow to get as firm a grip of manly sports as if he were a ro bust little English viscount. They say he is as -much at home on a horse as an Arizona cowboy, and that he would have a fair chance of winning a free-for-all swimming match in which the other boys wouldn’t let him come in ahead because he was a king. But his forehead is too high and narrow, his eyes are too bright and his nerves respond too quickly to the stimuli of ordinary experiences. The rich man who has lost his wealth suffers far more than the poor man who has always been poor, and thus it is that little Alphonso of the unlucky XIII Is a rr.ore than uncommonly tragic figure. His life hangs together by a thread; his throne hangs together bv a nail; nis rroud old country hangs together only by tradition. Tho vary grandeur and vast extent of the boy’s various palaces only emphasize the contrast between the Im poverished Spain of today and the mag nificence of the empire that once domi nated all Europe, into whose coffers gold kept tumbling from every point of the compass, and that held tho western conti nents in tho hollow of her hand. Today Spain, shorn of her colonies, is a second rate power, with a disorganized army—some of w v roh it would like to disband if it were not that the discharged troops, bitter because of the loss of the only employment they understood, would be sure to become republicans forthwith; with a navy that has not existed since the overwhelming disasters of Manila bay and Santiago: with a naval depart ment which has cost the country just as much since the navv ceased to exist as it did before; with a great swarm of priests exempt from taxation and from punish ments for crime: with corruption in gov ernment departments, a custom of such long standing that the public takes it for granted; with a political system by which the results of a national election can be foretold the day before the election is held; with the great manufacturing city of Barcelona seething with revolt and bloodshed and anxious to join itself to France; with the whole country grum bling and growling with discontent and yet having no idea of how the situation can be relieveol. Is it any wonder that the king is a sad little figure of a man and that at the back of the coronation festivities hangs a black curtain. So far as I can gather, Alphonso is really popular and beloved in Spain, in spite of the fact that the republican party seems to be growing steadily I am told that as long as the little king lives the monarchy is fairly safe. But after that—the deluge. It is an odd fact that the king heir was his nominal pred ecessor to the throne—his elder sister, the princess of the Asturias. Until he was born she was queen, and if he dies without issue she becomes queen again, which would make as pretty a row as Spain has seen in this century, judging by present signs. The princess fell in love with Don Car los of Bourbon, a relative and adherent *>f tile pretender to the Spanish throne, a protege of the pop 1 on A Royal one hand and on the Love Match other of General AVeylcr, Thwarted the most dangerous man by in Soain. Premier Sa- Politics gasta, tho grand old man of Spain. opposed the marriage bitterly, and so. it is said, <jid the little king. A story was current Lit the time which seems as if it might iWa true. Queen Cristina had been urginb the girl to give up the prince, to vvhoiA the prime minister and the majority of the people were so bitterly opposed. ' "Oh, why was I born a princess in this odious country?” sobbed the girl. > Her small brother’s eves flashed an<^ he drew himself up to his full height. “I do not know.” he said, "why youi should have been born a princess of Spain, for you are unworthy of the honor' Alphonso •A. Marvel of Learn* ing and Training 15hQ High Nobility ojf Woman Continued from Editorial page be free to serve their fellow-creatures. They would have no ties, no interests, nor affections of their own, to detach them from the cause to which they give themselves—it he service of suffering hu manity. At all times and seasons, through wind and weather, they may be seen hurrying to their posts, wherever Duty calls. There Is one great sanctuary for us all —our native land—the church in which we all meet, forgetting our differences and discussions. The Altar Wh all and the Throne are side People by side in that great Meet on temple, and to be Priest- Common ess there is a calling of Ground high honor, hut one de manding every sacrifice of her who would fill it rightly. For she must needs give up all personal hopes and joys, and her own desires and wishes for the good of others, and only think and watch and live and pray for them. She is the Vigilant, whose eyes must i ever sleep, and her altar fire must shine out afar as a beacon light, signaling every danger, and guiding safe back to the haven. What great things may not a crowned and anointed Priestess accom plish for her country’s good, even turn ing curses into blessings, if the land be neath her sway be a consecrated temple of Truth ahd Justice! Every woman may be a Priestess if she but keep the altar-flame within her own breast pure and unsullied—undimmed by vain frivolity or grinding cares. Priestesses we all are by virtue of the warmth of our beating hearts, by the blessings on our lips, by the light of our watchful eyes, by the work our hands perform. Every woman who thinks of others rather than herself is a Priestess in the truest sense of the word. Priestesses are all those who help and succor the afflicted, and lead the erring back to God. And if we women have much to suffer in this, our earthly pilgrimage, such suf fering does but strengthen and make us fitter for our task. ‘ The Artist is a true Priestess, whether she work with pen or pencil—whether it be with her own voice, or some instru ment that she stirs men's souls with, awakening in them noble thoughts, and rousing them to heroic deeds. Here is a glorious mission, the more so because the herself is conscious of the strength That is in her and knows it must suffice for her appointed task. In order that her altar may burn with a bright, clear name, it must be fed with the purest fuel, with the best that she can give—her own heart's blood. And when this name of inspiration streams through the studio of the woman painter or sculptress, cr casts its glow upon the pale brow of the poete.'s, bending ever her writing table through the long night hours—may we not then liken it to the Sanctuary lamp, and feel that the room it lights is a holy place indeed—a temple of Thought—of thoughts that find expression in fair and abiding form? Hamlet despaired, and the world grew dark before him, from the hour in which his mother lost the halo of true and pure womanhood—he despaired even of him self, when he saw her fair fame smirched who should have been to him the ideal of all perfection. No Priestess is thye like the Mother; but also no such bitter disillusion to a mortal mind as to see the statue fall from its pedestal and shiver into fragments, no keener torture than to behold the mantle which con cealed her true nature drawn aside, and all its falsehood, its hollowness and in sincerity exposed to view. Our lot is never a hard one, and If at times it seem so to our failing courage, it Is simply that we have failed to pene trate its meaning. How should we, if we read the mystery aright, ever dare mur mur at the burden laid upon us, since it is but the proof of our high vocation? Let us rather gather strength from the proud consciousness that God's blessing rests on us from the beginning of the world to the end of Time—on ns who are His chosen servants. His Priestesses, the handmaidens in His Temple—Sibyls, to whom the secrets of Fate are revealed— Vestals, who keen alive the altar-flame— torchbearers, whose steady hand holds aloft that eternal light, diffusing it to the earth'”^ posts an£ I darkest corners of the Unique Citizen A group of senators gathered in Sena tor Mason’s committee room and Indulged in a pastime which is a delight to the Illinois statesman—impromptu story tell ing. One of the yarns concerned Senator Bailey, of Texas, and was to tho effect that while the Texan was a member of the house he attended a mass meeting in his district. During the meeting he constantly referred to Jacob T. Patrick, a prominent republican from Kentucky, as ’‘judge.” This Incensed Mr. Patrick, who finally arose and said: “I am not a judge. I never was, and more than that I have no title. I am plain Jake Patrick, the only strictly pri vate citizen in the entire commonwealth of Kentucky. I am not even a ‘mis ter. “Well, sir,” replied Mr. Bailey, “you are unique. I should think that you would be at least a ‘colonel.> i have always understood that in Kentucky it is the easiest and cheapest thing in the world to be a colonel.” "There Is something In that.” replied Mr. Patrick. "It Is almost as easy and cheap to be a colonel In Kentucky as to be a congressman in Texas. The laugh was on Senator Bailey and the crowd was refreshed at his expense. *- Boston Vaccination It was at a dinner party. The bright young man found himself privileged to sit next to the young woman with the beautiful arms and neck He thought him self the most favored personage In the room. Suddenly his fair companion ex hibited signs of nervousness. Two of his very best jokes, saved for a special occasion, passed by unnoticed. Her face wore a look of alarm. Apprehensively the young man gazed at her, and meet ing the look, she said; “I am In misery.” "In misery?” echoed the man. “Yes,” she replied. “I was vaccinated the other day, and it has taken beauti fully. I could almost scream, it hurts so.” The young man looked at the beautiful arms and seeing no mark there, said: “Why, where were you vaccinated?” “In Boston.” she replied, the smile chasing away the look of pain. Some one has started the srory that the wide popularity of the Russian novelist. 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Above firm is thoroughly reliable and will do just as they agree. The outfl ts are just as represented and do fine plating, and after investigation we con sider this one of the best paying busine sses we have yet heard of.—Editor Sunny South.