OBITUARY

Otago Witness, Issue 3234, 8 March 1916, Page 23

OBITUARY

MR HENRY JAMES. LONDON, February 29. The death is reported of Mr Henry James.

March 2

Mr Asquith states that the Dean of the Abbey was desirous that Mr Henry James's funeral service should be held in Westminster Abbey, but the family preferred the Chelsea parish church. The remains have been cremated.

[Mr Henry James was born in New York in 1843, and was educated in Franco, Switzerland, and America. He began x literary career as a contributor to journals in 1866, and in 1869 wont to reside in England, where he achieved some distinction as an author, and was recently awarded a special recognition of his merit. In consequence of the failure of President Wilson to take what he considered a stand calculated to uphold the United States's honour in the negotiations with Germanv over tho submarining cases, Mr James renounced his rights as an American citizen. |

"'CARMEN SYLVA."

LONDON, March 2,

The death is reported of " Carmen Sylva." ex-Queen of Rumania, in her seventy-third year.

The Consort of the first King of Rumania, though by birth a princess of the ancient house of Wied —which, t however, only figures in the second portion of the Almanach do Gotha, was allied through her mother, a princess of Nassau, with the whole of the German ruling caste. Paulino Elizabeth OttoJine Louise of YVicd was born on December 29, 1843, at Neuwiod. She remained her parents' only daughter, but she had two brothers, of whom one, a great invalid, died when only twelve years old, and whoso illness and death inspired his sister to write one of her most beautiful and touching books. According to tho notions of that time, she was highly educated, taught to write and read well French and English, as well as her native German, while special attention was paid to music, in which art she soon became really proficient Princess Elizabeth grew up into a very beautiful girl. Interested in literature, in art, especially in music—she was a pupil both of Rubinstein and of Madamo Schumann, —she saw something of Europe, first in Russia with the Grand Duchess Helena, later in Paris, where her intellect and beauty created a groat sensation at the Imperial Court. The Princess was six-and-twenty when she became acquainted with the young ruler of Rumania. A friendship which soon ripened into something warmer drew them at once towards one another. Prince Charles was Roman Catholic, and his princess a devout Lutheran, but this does not seem to have made any difference, especially in view of tho fact that tho Rumanian people, on tho whole, belonged to tho Greek Orthodox faith. The marriage took place at Neuwiod on November 3, 1869. A year later Princo and Princess Charles's only child—a daughter —was born. But to tho lasting grief of her parents she lived only four years. From the very first the future Queen identified herself closely in the Prince Regnant's schemes for the benefit of his people. The romance of Rumanian history fired her imagination and inspired " Carmen Sylva" with many a delightful poem and exquisitely phrased folk lore tale. When came, in 1878, the crucial moment when Prince Charles decided to throw off tho Turkish suzerainty, ho found an ardent sympathiser in his wife, and during the momentous weeks which followed she organised tho military hospitals, both at Bucharest and at the front. Thanks to her late Majesty's efforts, the Rumanian soldiery were far better tended in the RussoTurkish conflict than either the Russians or the Turks could claim to be. She devoted tho whole of her working time night and day to the hospitals and ambulances, and she earned during that anxious time tho pathetio title of " Mother of the Wounded." Three years later Princess Elizabeth shared Princo Charles's triumph when they took their place among the Sovereigns and Queens Consort of Eur.ope. Then followed a long and peaceful interval, during which "Carmen Sylvia" created the beautiful country home, Pelesch, near Sipaia, which has remained her favourite residence, and where alio has entertained so many noted German. French, and English artists, writers, and poets. In 1889 King Charles adopted as his heir-apparent his nephew, Prince Ferdinand of Hohenzollern. For two years all went well, and tho young man won golden opinions. Ho then fell violently in love with his aunt's favourite maid of honour, Mademoiselle Helenc Vacaresco. " Carmen Sylva," as might have been expected in one of her unworldly and romantic temperament, wished ardently that tho future king should follow the dictates of his heart, and raise her young friend, fellow-worker, and maid of honour to the position of Crown Princess. This suggestion met, however, with extraordinary opposition; the Rumanian peoplo had been fortunato in their choice of a ruler, and had experienced the benefit of royal alliancos. They deprecated strongly tho raising of one of their own countrywomen, however gifted, to the position of highest lady in the land. Queen Elizabeth, who had made an adopted daughter of Mademoiselle Vacaresco, threw the whole weight of her influenco on the eido of the lovers, but her efforts proved of no avail. Tho Crown Princo was persuaded to withdraw his claim to the hand of the maid of honour, and two years later he wedded tho eldest daughter of the then Duke of Edinburgh. In November, 1894-, she and the celebrated their silver wedding at Bucharest, and the occasion was marked by many gratifying -=i£rns of the esteem and affection m which the roval couple, were held both at home and abroad. It is difficult to "place" ''Carmen Sylva" as a writer. She was always touchingly anxious to bo judged in a literary sense, quite apart from her rank. Much of her verso has about it a singular charm and high quality of thought and feeling, and the same may be said" of her curious fairv talcs. She was a delightful letter writer,' and it is to bo hoped that her correspondence, or a selection will be published. How -wide were her literary sympathies will be shown b.v a mention of the fact that "Carmen Sylva" was not only a correspondent of Count Tolstoy, but a translator of the work of both Pierre Loti and do Ileredia. Of late yearn tho cxQueen of Rumania had lived almost entirely in England, where she was very popular.