THE KING AND THE KAISER.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVII, Issue 230, 26 September 1906, Page 3

THE KING AND THE KAISER.

The King left London on August 14th for Marienbad. by way of Cronberg and Friedrichshof, the country scat of the late Empress Frederick—where the lonorexpected meeting with the Kaiser took place. Friedrichshof now belongs to Prince and Princess Frederick Charles of Hesse, who entertained the King and the Ivaiscr. On August 16th the King resumed his journey to Marienbad, that picturesque town which lias so picturesque a history. I The whole of Marienbad and an immense J area of land stretching right across BoI hernia belongs to the monastery of Tepl. I which Mas founded so long ago as 110.'!. I The monks run the entire place. In other places monks have' indulged in industry with excellent results, as in the manufacture of that most delectable of liqueurs chartreuse; but nowhere else is ! such a. variety of interests of this world in the hands of men who arc supposed to Ibe primarily devoted to affairs of the I nest. i That, however, docs not prevent thorn J from being most excellent meu of busij ness. Any commission in search of inI formation as to how to run a town pro- ; perly could not do better than study the j methods employed by the monks of Tepl. 1 Under their" guidance the prosperity oi j Marienbad lias increased by leaps and 1 bounds. They have erected magnificent . buildings, constructed public promenade?. cut down hundreds of trees to make plea- ' sant paths through the forests, and have jirovided many other attractions for the i varied tastes of the visitors from all ua- ! tions who foregather at Marienbad durj ing the summer. EXPLOITING THE SPRINGS. ' Marienbad owes its prosperity as i much to the enterprise of the monks ah ■. \to its natural waters. When they were, first discovered the place was a wilderness of almost impenetrable for- ■ ests and virgin land, in an entirely un- ; populated region of Bohemia. iconic of them contain Glauber salt?, others iron. I and others alkaline ingredients of great healing powers, and it was found that they brought relief to sufferers from all sorts of diseases. The monks of Tepl realised thai these waters would be a new source of wealth and power to i them, and they immediately took the ex- . ploitation of the springs in hand. They I named them Marienbad in honour of the : Virgin Mary, and the first of the springs ! the water of which was used for medij cal purposes was Marienquolle, moanj ing the spring of the Virgin Mary. In the old days the monks of Tepl were the slightest bit intolerant. In I their zeal for the souls of protesting I Hussites they somewhat neglected their • physical comfort, and indeed inortitied their flesh to a good purpose. To-day j their sway is absolutely free from the ! slightest trace of religious intolerance. They welcome representatives of every creed, accept their money for the good of Marienbad, and give them good value for it. They have made presents of ' land for the erection of places of worship for the largo numbers of Anglicans. Orthodox, Greeks and Jews who visit ■ the watering place.

THE MONKS' HOTEL. | All the administrative posts, writes a correspondent of the "Buffalo Express,' , are rilled by the monks themselves. One monk is inspector of amusements, and conducts his department with a thorough comprehension of the tastes of the gayest visitors, making no effort to impose more sacred music upon them than cosmopolitan worldlings usually care to hear. Another monk is inspector of sanitation, and thoroughly enforces the maxim that cleanliness i? next to godli-

ness. He is assisted by a staff of r|oc. tors and sanitary engineers. One monk is inspector of springs and sees to it that dhe requirements of the public arc satisfled in his department. All Ihc bathing establishments are supervised by monks! All the extensive farm lands attached to the monastery aro managed by the monks. They have erected and conduct a huge hotel called the Teplcrhaus, containing,

accommodation for several hundred guests, and a restaurant in which the be>t of simple fare in the world is obtainable at remarkably moderate prices, The monastery owns tefflis grounds which have been skilfully laid out in the centre of shady forests.'shooting ranges and other establishments for the provision of popular amusements- The monks hire bands to play on the public pro ; menades which they and tleir predecessors have constructed. Just recently they have presented a larje stretch oi

land in their possession to the An"io American Holt" Club, and the links 'arc the finest in Europe. Some idea of tht dimensions of the business operations 1 conducted by the monks may be gathered 1 from the following figures. During th< ■ four or five months of the year wher Marienbad is frequented by health-seek ing visitors, an average of'ofl.OOO glasses of the waters of the springs are handed 'by attendants to every da.v

The monastery owns and conducts sis large, public establishments, including mud baths, iron baths, steel baths; arid baths the water of which is charged .with carbonic acid gas. Apart from the water which is drunk by patients at Marienbad, the monastery exports over a nlSlion bottles of water of the Marienbad springs every year to all parts of the world. Another branch of industry conducted "J' the monks is the extraction of the salt from the waters, which is then pulverised and crystallised and sold in boxes in the form of pills or powders. MY LOED THE ABBOT. The abbot of Tepl is a very important personage indeed, not only in ecclesiastical but also in political and social circles in Austria. Ecclesiastically he ranks as a bishop, and in church his mitre, staff, and throne proclaim the fact. He is the head of the wealthiest church corporation in Austria, and has the appointment of all the parish priests in several hundred Bohemian villages. Politically he is a life member of the Austrian House of Peers, and he exercises great electoral influence over the peasant populace of Bohemia. There is no affectation of simplicity about the abbot when he stirs abroad. •His gorgeous carriage and pair, With liveried servants, proclaim his high rank and great power. When King Edward arrives at Marienbad, the abbot is always among the little crowd of notables which gathers at the station to greet him, and looks a most imposing personage.