KAISER DEFAMES ZITA.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIX, Issue 262, 2 November 1918, Page 15

KAISER DEFAMES ZITA.

COWARDLY ATTACK ON KARL'S ITAIJAN WIFE. ENRAGKD BY BTHJTHERS FKiHTIN*} WTTH ALLIES. The Ivahiur spares neither man nor woman in hia wrath, and when bis egotism I nnd jealousy arp aroused at the same time is his anger there is no nuik in life too lofty for him to attack, no bond of ohltgntlon too sacred for him to break. All the Hals of hi 3 venom arc now being ponre.i out on the Kmpress of Austria, the frail Kirl who carries a burden of responsibility calculated to crush the most Herculean shoulders, the wife of his ally. Emperor fharles Francis of the Dual Monarchy. Kmpress Zlta committed the unpardonable sin, in the Kaiser's eyes, of sending ncr two brothers. Prince si-uuw and rrince Xavier, to fight for the Allies. When the crucial hour came and I he youni* men f-H called to take their part in the great con-fli.-t whh-h the Hun chief has loose.! on the world, the only question to he considered w.is the dell<-nte posirton of their sister as fhe wife of the nun who. in the natural course of events, was soon to tnke : his place on the Imperial throne of Aus . trin-Hunpnry. The sister's -mind, however. was already made up. and encerly and nrtrottly she made the why smooth for hot hmthers. I'.rinsrfng them to her hnshand. she said to him: — ••Sixtus and Xavior feel it their dnty to tnke their part in the war. VTtv.it do you advise?" "1 advise. - said the yonne man who was on ih" eve of becoming Emperor. I conscience. And may Owl he with them'" ■ TIIK RAITR OF THK RKAST. I Two sister* of tlip Kmpress Zlta a!* , took service in the war on the side of the Allies Nuns in an Kncltsh .-.invent, they promptly offered themselves as nurses for ! the wounded soldiers, and their sWtcr. the Kmprr-ss. has continued to correspond with them, through the special r-onrtes? or J the French ainl r.ritish Clnveninn-nts. There was already enough to : r »usp the lmtred and vengear 'f the Kaiser, hut when the Empress of Austria lr-ierv-ned in behalf of the Bohemians, who were helnu mnssixTPd hy order of the denunn I (ireat General Sxaff because they refused !to take part in Uermany's war of murder ' and con.iuest. wben she became the re.-nc il.ised Hdvoonte of all the oppressed ! nationalities i>f the Austrian Empire, and when tinal'y she came to be re-arded as the most powerful factor in the movement In Austria towards peace with the Allies the Klliser's fury knew no bounds. He determined on the young woman's destruction. The bestial instincts that instigated the outnuriiiß of the uuus of IleL-ium now sought to violate the honour of the Emto shreds, the Hun leader believed that he could force the Austrian Emperor to put her aside and -nake of her an outcast before the nations. Accordingly he oirc-.i hi ted throughout Germany and amone his allies the Turks and Bulgarians, the most ntrocions slanders, the vilest accusation* of immorality airalnst the austere and pious Trim-ess, the assiduous wife, guide, and counsellor of the young Austrbin monarch and the tenderly devoted mother or his infant children. But |he Kaiser in his brute rage overreached l himself. All Austria-Hnn en ry "ahorrintvl at the unjust and odious assault on the young woman. If anything was apt to stir revolt, anions every element of ihe dual monarchy mralnst the German war lord it was this cowardly attack, which wns regarded as a wanton yutraire against the sentiments of all the varied nationalities, for the one real bond still existing among all these peoples was their rpsp"Ct, admiration, and affection f.>r the yunni; Kmpress who suffered with the siifrerinsK of all ..r them, and was ever ready to tnke what action was in her i>ower to alleviate their misery. Thpir anper was lieinc loudly voiced when 'the Austrian t;ovennncnt realised that the time had come when it was Imperative that measures he taken to react against the <;erm:in slanders. Official denial accordingly was made in the Relchsrath of the Nile stories which had been spread against tipKmpress Zita. In the countries of tue Allies they had never been believed. VENTING HIS HITTE. l!ut the Kaiser's vengeance did not end with lib frustrated attacks on the honour nf the Kmpress Zita. The suave hypocrite who ast-crts blasphemously that the Deity lin his partner In his work of rapine and 'destruction is capable of the lowest basc|ue*;s in ventinc his personal enmity und.-r the s.'Uise nf national need. Uc has put a special prh-e on the head of the Kmpress' brothers, who are ntrhtinfi for the cause of liberty, and it is believed to be by no mere accident that the Kaiser's airmen have devoted tintirilic efforts to bombing the I hospitals In England where they have reason Itn think her sisters are engaged In nursluu British and Belgian soldiers. The Kaiser, furthermore, has started the mjjst elaborate intrigues to bring to subjection to him the whole Imperial family or Austria In order to reach the Empress. Fortunately Zita, though frail In body, has !n character of masculine mould. Oue of jthe epics in the great world conflict may well prove to be the struggle between tli" unspeakable Hun and Uiis stout-hearted girl, the descendant of a long line of French and Italian kings and rulers. It i.s ajrain the clash between Teuton 'brmality ami the mental superiority of the Latin, between ■ ■oarseness and Oneness, between the cowardly bully and the rapierlike wit aud courage of an uuconquerable will. Princess Zita was born In Itnly. in the Villa l'i.inore, ut Viarogglo. She always has considered herself an Italian princess. Her education wae received from French aurl Italian tutors, and she early acquired, a sound knowledge of the Knglish langnajte. Her whole outlook on life has been from the viewpoint of the great nations which are to-day at war with the dynasty Into which she married, and she always has frcr-ly ciprrKsr-d her abhorrence of the purely material view ~f hnmiin existence Uinght by the military mobilised body of She is one nf the nineteen children of that Duke Robert of I'arma who was born in the dDcal pajace of Florence, heir to the throne of Tuscanj, and the last, nominally, of the rulers of that section of Italy as a separate principality. She was nineteen when, in 1911, she was married to Archduke Charles Francis, who. through the death of Archduke Francis Ferdinand, three years later, was to become direct heir to the Imperial throne. She Is now twenty-sis, and the mother of four children. SHE HAS A WILL. Iler-liusband, who is nearly flre years her senior, Is devoted to her to-day with the same tenderness of sentiment or on the j rlny of their wedding. Theirs was a love'match. This tall, dark girl, rather shy aim dillident In manner, has a will of her own. ! Those who have had occasion to watch the youthful couple at close quarters declare It is the Bmpres» who ha* stiffened the will

of her consort and who has prevented htir from becoming a mere tool in the hands o! the designing and offensively domlnecrlnj: German Kaiser. Her brothers Sixtus, born In 1888, and Xnvier, horn in 1891>. were dear to nor in c particular way, and, although she was younger than eltbtr of them, they both regarded her as their best friend ami adviser %\hcn they set ont to join the armies of the Allies Ihey met with discouragement whlcti lntxht have dampened the ardour of men who had been inspired from a less source. The French authorities refused to take them into the armies of Prance, on account of the French law which forbids the rte-s,-cn<!anls of royal families that had once ruled I'ninn' from beinß accepted as French woldiers. In Italy nnd In England they were courteously [ejected, as those countries, through deference to France, de-t-lilrd that they could not accept into their able by (heir ally. The youn K men won! 10 HelEium. There also, for like reason. It «as decided that thry could not be taken as tUliilriL- men. The princes, however, were not In be denied. They propped that they be allowed In serve Willi the medical corps, anil their request was granted. No more heroic or mnn 1 self-sacrificing stretcher-hearers, hospltJll .-111011,1111115, or ambulance drivers hare }"'■' appeared than these two princes. Finally their turn mine as comrratauts. When (he Germans, in violation of nil [heir formal agreements at the Oenevn ConMM.iion. attacked the I!elffi:ui hospitals and niurdereil the wounded and the nurses, the non-combatants, Slxlus and Xavler. put themselves in charge of artillery batteries and undertook the defence of the hoKpltnls. Their military training had tltted them for the «,.rk. nnd they acinittod themselves or (Ue task with admirable enercj and success. rvRPf>RATKD Rγ FRAN'-OTC. And thus they remained artiMery ofli.-crs. anil .k,, brilliantly .11,1 they handle Nx-ir I'lirtpi-lifi hi IMvmude and- otheT parts of the HelgHn from a,,,) „,„. llmi . )n Hulwmi with KrvMi troop*, that !'re«i<lent presem-e .>r MeU-lan. Frem-h, and Itritieh armies, conferred on them the decorations of Cue republic whl.* had felt constrained ;*' refuse th»"lr M'rrt,*rs In tier armies. Belclan ami ISTitixh honours have a!so been runferred on them, and they have won |.y their cull race an,] aWllty a distinct plaoe HMlimc the Alllf-rt fl(dltem. It was to Sivtits that Un- famous M.ter from Ent-]>.■-■.r Ohnries whs ad.lri-s.srrL decfnriiw the laser's nf the return of MnareI/orraine Ut F^nin^e. The two sisters of the Bin-press -who are wervlilc .-is a>r the AUIr-s are I'rl>Adelaide ami I'rtiice.ss Pr.im-ls .Irwph. •Hiey Joined an Ivtijrlißh of unns in the !>•!,. of VVtßht. (he former beiin; kmwn a> sisti-r Marw l:«i«llcta, and the latt*r hs Sister Sc-h.ilastU-a. Th.ir bem-voiemc ministrations tuive 1 n eitend.-J u> nrtlish. Helrians. (>nmdlarj«. nnd Australians. I'.Hltempt for the ll.>h<-nx<>lh»rn has l»H-u n tradltlon in the fa-miry of Rmpresw Zlta. In ViemiH the yonnif rrirr>-eK« found a struiii; stUmulatiou to he- feel-loth-Ji with t!ir jv.wert'iU l"rln<T-ss isabeUe. ••f t!ie famous ItelciUl family of Croy. ono ••f the mediatised families o f Rurope. thoeo K-ho by ri«ht <>f hlrth an- the e»jualK of the rt'timint; 1-sabflle is the wife r*{ the ('ti^i who at the (nv'nulnc of the wax nswumed the rank r>i commaniier-ln-i-hlef of the :irini.-s ..f AiiKtrUi-iiuiipm-y, trre npe<l Binp.Ttir I'ran.-k J..se,,h hehi X ti>o fe t -l>le fur Freilcrlok Charles ten yenrs oH wihcn Tnissla spruriK a w«r of contju<**t on hi« .-.Fiiiury. 11,. has tated nil thlncs l>rnmn, an,l has des-plwd the llo-lii-ii7»U«Tn. ami in this ho \n foOnwrtaf the exaurple of l,i s parents. Hie fntlwr. Arrbdnki- eh:irl<*s Ferdinand, so f.-ir In hJw open hatred of the Cvrman nilere as atone time to remain for ricii m<«ilu in bed m or'l.-T to esr-npe from the npf-nwHty of n«-el-Ini ttie Klmr of Truss-in, aird all l-Jurrrpe ma*- m-erry at the Im-Ident. The Atvfc- ■ hik<-s innfber had nmrrlwl an It-aHan princ,; fn fi-st wi>dlo.-k. and wtien later she lived in Austria Klie forbade a word of iJennim t.. srK.kim in her presence. It -s thus thh imnaturul that the Arclxiuke Frederick Charles and hi-s -wife. isabeJle dc Oroy. <mly Frpiw-h and take It ainLse if anyone addri»--ses them in <ri'j-man. no <;bk-ma_v win;. The Archduke had ntfnsi-d to allowr hlrasvlf to |,p marrle.l to any of the, Orman princess..s who Jk,,] be<-n sokxctej for him as a f*pcnise. "1 will no; marry a he -would say to live Austrian scatwmon vrh-o were tein.Hine the litatter. "| refuse to be r-ii.«slanlwe<l.-Instead. !,.- did a very irreru-lirr nbin-p. for those days, of c hlmsvlf i,, of n brWe. 11,. round ~i:e at ihe famous. mitnce i>astle. in Belfrrnm. one of Uie tin-e stru«-tur.'S ~f V.rthen, &,r«,,e. Th P re the 1~-at,tif,,l IsaboHe d e CVuy was married to Hi,- Austrian An-hduke. NV-t a Ntmie ~f th<; Jlrm.VL-LcT. is tiMln.T Standing ~n stone. T},o Kah-er's armies denied It. and destroyed It. and in the minds of many Uwre is Uttlc dmibt that a »pe,-i.U Piece .n" petty s-;,ii,. ~n the part of the self. styled AH Jlldiest was ,-arrie.i out the ,i, v that Hun troops d-vnted themselvos w -, th zeal to a, ,I^.cn,ti« n an,l ra z| lt « of IIHS lieiiutifu] l'.el vl;ai structure. [Kabelle ,le Ooy lras nol wol| m . plvp(| wIH-n sl.e tlrst -appeared at fhe curt of lem>a. but to this »»n,nnn,th, f w ,,rmu, it <tid- n.,t n,atter. Soot, s he inpratlat«l her--.r u-i,n the ~m,H.T Or hwh Joseph , am , r:,,,n, ,y she ,oo k ,™tr..l of the cn n «. •■•he Nw. And ,;he »■„" " I if It wu, mentioned at all, was named oniv m dcrimon. To Isuhell c , d,, nir hter of one or the TromicM ~f Knrop< , ~^ sceruled from a Une of were u t «tarl.s. anti nlU|( , r Bar upstjiTts at that. VFher, war |,e CT n nn.l hor b(v came conimanrt<-r-ln-e.Me/f, am>tt pnnled .him int., the field. she saw to It that «n the o.x.Tt J, quetb- were ,-arrted ouu and she madH, j t I very .Hfllcult for what she the nrr-rafr German officers to appro a , h her husband, and arranged that If o le _ bad be admnted to ,a«e even at a J,, T^ H l " , -V? ro P ,l a Wb ° r ' > thBS, "elonred. •.. the foot or the table, helow the younj- Ans oe?t" r " f "" ,rh l ' ra ' Vr ™ ak, bat ° f battles omrJd be more surely wot"" in* to the o,d-time courtliness of warfmre as Archduchess Ifwbelle Interpreted it, but It Is undemable that where this princess bad any i ~a.v there were no barbarities committed , • iic-h as have dis-ra-ed for all time the ! name of Germnn, And the Arehrlnke eom--nander-ln-chief yielded Eladly and amor Misly to the dominion of his stront'uiin.le,] ' wife. ' ■ 1