THE GERMAN CROWN PRINCE.

Tuapeka Times, Volume XX, Issue 1429, 15 February 1888, Page 5

THE GERMAN CROWN PRINCE.

HIS MALADY, PBIVATE RELATIONS, AND

PRIVATE LIFE.

A godson of the German Crown Prince writes as follows to the Mew York "Tribune":— . * It is no exaggeration to state that the Oiown Prince is the beau icteal of all that is finest, noblest, and best of the great German race. A tall; handsome, and noblelooking man, with an elegant figure, lightbrown hair, and a straw-coloured beard, with a most chivalrous and yet somewhat grave courtesy— a Teuton, in fact, such as Tacitu3 describes," is the portrait which the Empress Eugene draws of him in writing to her friend the Countess Walewski. His name, his appearance, and his character are famous throughout the world. They are as well known in Japan and China as in America or Europe. No breath of scandal has ever tarnished his fair name, either as an officer, gentleman, or in his domestic relations, and probably the highesi testimony in his favour is the fact that the French, .with all their intense vindictiveness against the Germans, have never either uttered or published a single offensive remark about him, and that, although he was one of the principal leaders of the invading army in 1870, his death will be nowhere more sincerely regretted than in France. A singularly devoted husband, his undisguised admiration for his clever and talented wife has given rise to the rumour that he is entirely subservient to her will. Those who make this assertion know the Prince but little. That it is entirely false everyone who has had the opportunity of becoming acquainted with the strongly defined features of his sterling and upright character will readily admit. Few parents have ever devoted themselves more completely to their ohildren, and with the solitary exception of Prince William, whose conduct towards his father and mother has been far from exemplary, the tenderest relations exist between the Crown Prince and Princess and their children. Never was depth and intensity of feeling more strikingly displayed than at the funeral of Prince Waldemar, an exceedingly bright and lovable twelve-year-old boy, and the favourite child of "Unzer Fritz " and his wife. Few of those who were present on 29th March, 1879, in the Friedenskirche, at Potsdam, will forget the scene. When the service had ended and the choir was singing the beautiful hymn " Wenn ich enimal sole schiedin, so schiede nichfc von mir," the Crown Prince strode up to the coffin ancFthrew himself on his kness at the feet of hi 3 much loved child. Quietly and gently tbe Empress and her daughter, the Grand Duchess of Baden, stole up and knelt down beside him. After about ten minutes he arose, pressed a long kiss on the velvet- coloured lid of the coffin, and, having assisted his mother to rise to her feet, led her out of the church, the tears I meanwhile streaming down his face. It is a moving thing to see a man weep, especially when the mourner is so glorious a specimen of manhood as the Crown Prince, .and there were few dry eyes in the church.

HIS SILVER SCARF PINT.

Those who, like myself, have had frequent opportunities of seeing the Crown Prince in civilian dress will have noticed that he always wears a little silver coin mounted as a scarf pin in his cravac. Remarking one day that the person with whom he was conversing was observing tbe piu with some curiosity, he pulled it out of his scarf and said: "This little silver coin is one of three which were unearthed in an old Roman grave in the presence of my three boys. I had the three coins mounted as pins for them as mementos of the occasion, and when my little Walderaar died I took possession of his, and have worn it ever since." The Crown Prince's relations with his father are of the most affectionate nature, notwithstanding all that has bean said to the contrary, and nothing is more touching than to see the tender and respectful manner in which he raises the old gentleman's hand to his lips.

BELIEVING A SCHOOL TEACHER.

With regard to his conduct towards his inferiors, innumerable anecdotes — sufficient, indeed, to fill several volume:: — are extant, showing his kindness of heart and consideration for others. The difficulty is to know how to make the selection from those at my disposal. Probably the prettiest one is that of the schoolmaster of Bornstedt, a little .village on his estate, near Potsdam. One day, when passing the village schoolhouse, he stopped, and, making his way into the class-room, sat down and began to> listen attentively to the lessons. Suddenly a telegraph messenger made his appearance, and handed the teacher a despatch announcing that his mother was dangerously ill, and wished to see him at once before she died. The Crown Prince, noticing his blanched face, immediately inquired what was the matter, and, on learning the contents of the despatch, bade the poor man hasten to his mother's bedside, saying that he himself would look after the school until arrangements could be made for obtaining a substitute during the teacher's absence. Accordingly, for more than two hours the Crown Fringe took sole charge of the school, rapping the idle ones goodhumouredly over the knuckles and rewarding the diligent ones, until the arrival of the village parson for the purpose of holding his bi-weekly Bible-class. By the afternoon a substitute had been found, but the Prince continued to superintend matters personally and in the closest manner until the regular teacher returned after the funeral of his mother. WITH THE PAGES OF HONOR.

At Court dinners I have frequently seen him, when the guests had risen from the table, call up the pages of honor — mostly boys of noble birth belonging to ' the Cadet-school — who had been helping in the service, and after chatting merrily with them for a few minutes, take the sweetmeats and bonbons from the table and Btnff them in the boys' pockets, and occasionally in their mouths. Sometimes he would stuff the latter as full as possible, and would then ask some questions demanding an immediate reply. Nothing could be more ludicrous than to observe the frantic efforts of the cadet to make a fitting reply while his mouth was crammed full of marrons, glaces, and other sticky delicacies. How different this from the manner in which the pages of honor are treated at Windsor and Osborne, where during the whole time of their service they never have a word addressed to them directly by their Royal mistress, but receive all her communications through the intermediary of the lord -in waiting or some other equally lofty functionary of the household.

AQUATIC FUW.

There is nothing that lC Unzer Fritz "is fonder of than a joke, but, unlike the English princes, he knows how to keep his temper when his victim retaliates in kind. Many of these merry encounters

used to take place at the swimming establishment of the Guards Regiment at Potsdam, where be was a constant visitor. His appearance there wa3 always hailed with delight, and was the Bignal for the beginning of a series of aquatic "larks." A splendid swimmer and expert diver, he was nevertheless ducked by the soldiers as often as he ducked them. One of his greatest delights was getting a crowd assembled on the raft floating in midstream, and then capsizing himself and those with him pell-mell into the water.

A TEKBIBLE DANGER.

Few people are aware of the terrible danger he incurred in June, 1874, when out driving near Wildpark station, in the outskirts of Potsdam. He was driving across the rails, when suddenly the heavy barriers, which are worked from a great distance, were let down on the approach of an express train. His carriage was thua caught between the two closed barriers, and it was only by the most superhuman efforts that he was able to raise one of them, and to get the vehicle off the track before the train rushed by.

" don't be shy."

During his stay last year in England with the Crown Princess, the latter met one of her old nurses at Windsor, who, when asked if she had any message tor her married sister at Berlin, replied that she would be grateful if the Princess would inform the sister that she would send her little girl across to Berlin as soon as she found a convenient opportunity. On asking for an explanation the Princess discovered that -the child, who was five years old, had been- invited by her aunt in Berlin — married to a doctor there — to stay with her. Her Imperial Highness immediately offered to take charge of the little girl, and after having put a stop to her jpld nurse's hesitation about accepting such a favour, made all the neceasary arrangements. On the day of the departure, the child, a bright, pretty, and merry little soul, waa brought to Buckingham Palace, and entrusted to the Princess, on whose lap she travelled most of the way from London to Berlin, artlessly prattling, and keeping up a running fire of conversation. On the boat, while talking in the cabin, there was a sudden pause in the conversation. The little girl looked enquiringly from the Crown Prince to the Crown Princess, and at length exclaimed : "Don't be shy, Royal Highness; ask rae anything you want to know !" Of course a shout of laughter was the result, and whenever the young Princesses waut now to raise a laugh they implore their parents " not to be shy/