LANDMARKS OF A LIFE.

Otago Witness, Issue 1956, 20 August 1891, Page 36

LANDMARKS OF A LIFE.

Queen Elizabeth of Roumania is the daughter of Prince Hermann of Wied and his wife, Maria of Nassau, and was born at Neve Wied, on December 29, 1843. She is therefore in her '48th year v She was fortunate in her parents, who superintended her education with devoted vigilance, and in herself,' for Providence had endowed her with rare gifts of nature. A quick intellect and retentive memory enabled her to acquire, while still in her early youth, a knowledge of several languages, as well as of science and political economy. Her taste and talent for poetry and fiction were early developed. She wrote verses at 10, and a short story at 14. That strong love of the beautiful, of birds and flowers and sunshine, which glows in her poetry, was also of early development. Moreover, she is described as having been extremely pious, and finding both comfort and joy in her re; ligion : " she looked upon the realities of life and death with a strange philosophy, and often spoke of death as a state of perfect happiness." It seems so far off, that childhood can afford to regard it with this complacency. From 1858 to 1860 she was left without tutors, professors, or governesses, each and all affirming that their precocious young pupil had passed beyond the limits of even the most elaborate curriculum — a piece of flattery which may be taken as indicating that a really elaborate curriculum was nob within the knowledge of the aforesaid tutors, professors, and governesses ! Relieved from their oppression, Elizabeth gave herself up to desultory reading. She studied the great French dramatic authors so thoroughly that she could recite from memory whole scenes from the plays of Corneille, Racine, and Moli°re. In English, her favourite authors weie Shakespeare, Charlotte Bronte, Sir Walter Scott, and the late Lord Lytton ; but one is tempted to doubt her critical faculty when one is told that the book which particularly touched her was "The Wide, Wide World," by Elizabeth Wetherell. At the a»e of 1t), this intellectual prodigy was not only an accomplished linguist and a delightful conversationalist, bub a musician of remarkable promise. She particularly delighted in Rubinstein, Mozart, and the great classics; she playecl the piano, harp, ana

organ with delightful facility. Nor did she neglect the study of drawing and painting in oils ; for it seems to have been her ambition to cultivate her faculties all round. And their healthy growth was promoted by much travel in France, Italy, Germany, and even Russia. On November 25, 1869, she was married to Prince Charles of Roumania (which had not yet been raised to the rank of a kingdom) — a man of strong character, resolute, sagacious, patient, of rare tenacity and foree — and the marriage has proved to be one of those matches .which bring out the finest qualities of both the partners to it. King Charles would have been less than he is but for his wife's fine influence, and Carmen S/lva would have been inferior to herself but for the strengthening influence of her husband. As King of Roumania, her husband has lived a laborious and anxious life, doing his duty with singular conscientiousness and success ; there can be no question that in his wife's intelligence and devotion he has found an unfailing source of happiness.