THE "MISHAPSBURGS"

NZ Truth, Issue 685, 3 August 1918, Page 5

THE "M ISHAPSBURGS "

THE COUNTESS ZANARDUANBI'S EXPOSURES Kaiser Wilhclia's Ideas ef a Reyal Ctart How Archduker x^ Archducliess«R w« Maaufactured no. n.

The following is the second instalment of the Countess Zanardi Landi's exposures of Austrian Court life. This woman belongs to the Royal House ol the Hapsburgs, but was reared away from its pernicious influences. Her story of "The Doom of the Hapsburgs" was written during the war, but before the death of. the old Emperor Francis Joseph. In.the third and concluding section of her story, it Trill be seen how thiß daughter of a noble house predicted the domestic troubles ot the present Emperor and Bmpress of the "Ramahaokle Empire," The Kaiser's Ideas of «. Royal Court are paradoxically balanced between two almoat irreoonoiliable theories. In his position as a Divine Being, the rlgldness of the Austrian Court appeals to him; while, with regard to his more material interests, he had found himself obliged to imitate the example of his uncle, King Edward, by receiving all well-behaved people of any nationality. This latter theory is at least human, and is more suited to those modern ideas which m the Hapsburg Court, alas! are almost entirely lacking. Though it remained a little more difficult to be presented at Potsdam than at Buckingham Palace, the difficulty was mitigated by the understanding that any person who has been first presented at a minor German Court can be presented also at that of the Kaiser and his consort. This has never been the case m Austria. There are m Vienna two ceremonies which are the important occasions for presentation. One is the "Court Ball," the other the "Ball at Court" (Ball bei Hof). To the first every government official can go, starting with a lieutenant or anyone of corresponding rank. So also can all those who have received decorations, from the Order of Francis Joseph upwards; and, of course, the nobility. But, among ladies, only the wives of the last-named, and those of ambassadors and ministers are admitted. No scientist, no great physician, no lawyer, no eminent artist CAN COME ON HIS OWN MERITS; he must have a decoration or a title to procure him the honor of being received. Although this ceremony may seem stiff enough, the other—the "Ball at Court"—has obstacles which to many are absolutely insurmountable. Hero only ministers, ambassadors, and the so-called High Nobility, with their ladies, are admitted. This is the function at which debutantes are presented, though the daughters of ministers are debarred. The High Nobility, by the way, consists of those who can prove sixteen quarterings; that is to aay, eight noble ancestors without Interruption on the mother's side as well as the father's. No man, therefore, can present his wife if she has not the prescribed number of ancestors, though he may have os many as one hundred on his side. The only exceptions made are with the wives of nobies who have been Austrian ambassadors m other countries., A further exception extends to foreigners, who can be presented by their ambassadors on on a occasion, but who do not belong ir> fact to Court society. These are registered on presentation-lists as foreigners of distinction. Can anyone imagine a duller function, where only birth counts,, and persons possessed of brairs seem systematically debarred? It would matter less about this one particular ceremony if it were not that thoae who are not admitted to the "Ball at Court" cannot go either to other functions given by the so-called Court society. The result of this is that, with a few exceptions, this Court society is most dull and narrow-minded. Theexceptions are such people as may happen to have travelled and have thus widened their views, but, as n rule, people m Austrian high society travel but little outside their own country. The greatest sufferers are those members of the Imperial Family whoso unusually strong individuality simply cannot put up with such restriction. 1:. Considering, however, that the family consists of almost a hundred members, the notable cases of refusal to submit are comparatively very few. It should not be forgotten, too, that these people are, after all, IN THE FULL LIMELIGHT, which magnifies actions that are of no great account with ordinary men and women until they become extravagances. One of the worst institutions, which is accountable for a great deal of mischief, is the morganatic marriage. As so many people do not appear to understand what a morganatic marriageis, it is perhaps neecessary to point out that It is a perfectly legal union between a royal personage and one who is not royal. The two contracting parties, however, are as much bound by the rules of matrimony as are all other married people, except that the wife and her children cannot carry on the title of the royal husband. There is nothing left-handed about the morganatic marriage, as many people believe. Only quite recently I read m a review a statement calling the Countess Marie Larisch "the left-handed daughter of the Duke Ludwig of Bavaria." Well, there is nothing left-hand-ed about her birth. She is the issue of the Duke Ludwig of Bavaria and of his morganatic wife, Henrietta Mendel, the actress, who was created Baroness Wallersee m her own rislit: But, legitimate as ys the morganatic marriage, it is always considered a. great calamity m a family when such takes place. Attention has often beer, drawn to the greater number of these .marriages at the Court of Austria than anywhere else, and..at first glance this appears to be the case. But here again it is to THE RIGIDITY OF ITS RULES that such a state of affairs is due. The Hapsburgs are the only family where all tho junior members bear the same title as the .sons of the Emperor.- An example will explain this. In England., the cousins of the King have some title, mid their descendants m the second generation arc already intermarried with the aristocracy. For instance, iC the present Prince Arthur of Connaught, the nephew of King Edward, had three sons, the first would succeed to his father's title, while the second and third would probably get titles of-their own, to which their -eldest sons would succeed; and if they also had second and third sons, these would have no titles indicating Princely rank, and would have perfect freedom to marry any woman they

pleased. Nobody would be scandalised, and the wife would bear her husband's title. This is not so m Austria. Such a young man would still be an Archduke, because one of his father's ancestors was brother to an Emperor, and would be under restrictions without the compensating' advantage of a real right to the throne, from which his birth has placed, him too far. ' An instance can be eeen m the case of Leopold Woelulng, the much talk" ed-about brother of the still more talkod-about ex- Crown Princess Louise of Saxony, It is .most improbable that had he been simply a nobleman of high rank, his Ufa would have been considered m the slightest degree licentious. Moreover, had he not been obliged to live amidst the most terrible restrictions, he would probably not have had the i intense longing to attach himself to someone who showed him sympathy, and to whom he was attached through his sheer lack of knowledge of the world. The way m which Archdukes and Archduchesses are manufactured — "MANUFACTURED" IS THE RIGHT WORD— '• makes it impossible for them to become sensible beings. From the very '■ first these poor creatures are looked ■ upon by those who surround them as ! a sort of curio, which has to be care- ' fully preserved behind the glass doors of a cabinet, sheltered from the destroying touch of life, and only to be taken out on extraordinary occasions ; to bo exhibited to the public. And, unhappily, this conalderation is only '■ shown for tho sake of outward appearance, not at all with a view to the [ welfare of tho poor wretches. , The household of a baby Archduke or Archduchess is already quite a com- . plicated affair. First of all, there is ! tho wet nurse; for etiquette prohibits bottle-feeding, and most Archduch- ' esses aro not Inclined to nurse their babies themselves. Then there is the , Ayah, a sort of mistress of the household -entrusted with the first upbringing of the infant. Then come several under-nurses, maids, and footmen, a butler, and a coachman — perhaps, 1 nowadays, a chauffeur — etc. All these have their functions so measured and presoribed for them that no free intercourse is permitted. One can imagine v/hat a close atmo- ' sphere already reigns m the infant's 1 dwelling. The usually simple per--1 fonnance of feeding the baby Is here QUITE A CEREMONY. The wet nurse enters the baby's aparti tuent, making a deep curtsey. A second ourtsoy follows as she approaches the cradle. Then she sits down on one particular stool, purposely made low. , The Ayah or nurse m charge of the '. child takes it and places it on the wet nurse's knee and remains respectfully standing beside her. The wet nurse has to kiss the baby's hand before she gives it nourishment, and she is taken away as soon as the performance is ! over, for every moment of contact, with the royal baby is considered an . honor. If the father or mother visits the apartment, and the baby happens Lo be m one of the inferior servants' ,' arms m the presence of the Ayah or some other superior functionary of the little household, it has to be handed over to this personage, so that she may have the honor of handing it on to the royal parent. It does not mattor whether the child is unhappy over such a procedure and would prefer to stay where it ia. Etiquette hag provided otherwise. Such methods strongly influence the child's character from the very start. Ps can easily be imagined. Again, one ff the first principles m the upbringing of a Hapsburg is to teach the child never to let itself be overmastered by its affections. Thus is the first seed of selfishness sown m its heart, which domina.tes later its whole life, and which 1 has made the Hapsburgs for centuries back what they are still to-day. The. Archduchess Elizabeth -Marie (now the Princess Elizabeth Windlschsraetz), thfi Crown Prince Rudolf's only child, when she was about six years of age, would every morning upon waking up stretch her little hand out of her bed to have it kissed by her Ayah and the other ladies of her household, and would imperiously ask where So-and-so was, if she missed the presence of one of the ladies who should have attended at the miniature levee. • This little girl, therefore, was quite conscious of the meaning of the ceremony, and enjoyed it. The question of the education of such children is consequently a very difficult one, and grows worse every year. What must be the feeling of an elderly lady who has to curtsey every moment of* the clay to her pupil and to kiss her hand? Her only . means of making the child behave itself is constantly to remind it that, owing to its rank, 'it must be dignified. On the other hand, these teachers often take their revenge by being- very cruel m their methods of punishment, pretending- that this is the sole way to imvress their pupils that they themselves have, ; m spite of etiquette, full aufhority over them. As far as the intellectual education is "concerned, it is, of course, very NARROW, OWING TO CLERICAL INFLUENCE. The young Archduchesses are allowed "to read comparatively little, and their books are specially edited and printed for them. The Archduchess Elizabeth -Marie (or Erszie, as she was called for a pet name) had some canaries which were taken out of her room w,hen they were nesting, m order that she should not awaken too early to the fact that eg-g-s <5o not grow on trees or m the fields. Thpre was only one year's difference between her and myself, and my mother (who was her grandmother) would sometimes draw comparisons between our different methods of education I remember how, to my great amusement, when I was about fourteen years of age, Erszie's canaries were still being removed every season, while I was already quite awaro how the eg-frs I v/as eating at breakfast came there. > (To be Continued.) ]