The Washington herald. [volume], June 04, 1916, Image 30

About The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939

Image provided by: Library of Congress, Washington, DC

                
AM.
ITtakes three generations to make a
gentleman and longer to makea
king.
For in the code of caste royalty
Is ,the pinnacle of gentle breeding, of
courage, of culture and of all accomplish
ments attainable by man.
True, the opinion has not always been
unanimous that rulers have possessed
these virtues. Once upon a time an in
surgent courtier declared to one of the
English Georges:
"Birth made you a king. but God Al
mighty could not make you a gentle
man."
Out of Serbia, that land of immemorial
misery, has been thrust a prince ances
tored by a peasant warrior four genera
tions back who by his clean living, his
heroic behavepr at the head of his people
in war, his gentleness and above all his
justice has redeemed the shame of a race
of profligates only to find himself a king
without a country when those he was
set over to rule had learned to love him.
Prince Alexander of the Karageorge
vitch dynasty, regent ruler of a phantom
kingdom since the abdication of his
father, King Peter, in July, 1914, is com
manding what I-emains of the Serbian
army "somewhere in France." Recently
he visited England and be not only was
a guest of Britain's royal family, but was
shown marked attention and respect by
the Prince of Wales and other members
of that reigning house.
Until the beginning of the var, when
unhiappy Serbia was made the pretext
for precipitating the conflict, King Peter
had received scant recognition as a reign
ing sovereign. True, the powers has
forg-ven him the a t o- K
Alxne n ue Drga1 wic
endd te ynatyof breovtchan
No ws t ntry b ce ee al
Iuspetemanof gultyongwerg tof ake
plo or Belgrae codc ocsted royalty
it he mennory of tegenbdhints of
theurenfculr and strall coplshs
lnimus thaste rthrouh decadessed
thisitonsho Onee upn ai youth andn
thren ouofrie dardned oneo urgin
inglish Gors: fBchs
rH aeventya wheng ht GdcAl-d
Oand Sba threesoreand ofve inmemoa
riery whapirspshv beenthutapic ance
fered byaesofan wariobladineou
tios ba44 wo by ing cleter livg his
theroya peal~atethe helgad, nd hispepl
oftored iateoly utl fndhimeplsio ain
frtout ah country Pares thse the hos
rinceo Axlexandter ounKgee-a
set dynsty, ret Fruerc Wes apantm
igo sienwa the abdirdgeation i
fa'mthe Kineter, Incesty, and had the
princlng secur atree o the Sebanh
hobe ie Engan an baest onlyapias.
abluedth fBiamin's roya gratihym bu asr
ishlowaked Tteeto anrespect bym
theon rin tofe Wales andohr mmors,
oftt eigning oubste fben.ryl
evntil the royatyiasnren of thac-r we
qunhrem erian more meeti the dpretx
eneTheai od.nPter' ofm eldvtc nand
zx6,- za 'e r
variety for the roysterer. There were
queens of the half world, the opera and
the salons. Peter knew them all. Many
tales are related of the swaggering offl
cer's escapades, and some of the scan
dals, were sordid. And Serbia, then under
reign of the Obrenovitch Milan, knew
what pet er did.'
In a way Milan was loved for his sol
diprly qualities and his democratic poli
cies. A state ball at Belgrade In the
t imeP of Milan Included the butcher, the
lbakpr and ran dlestick-maker. One was
a s apt to m eet a milk magnate as a
m ilord . a hrewer ac; a baron.
Milan was a sensualist, oppnly, brazen
ly., almost prouidly. His affairs d'amour
were so numerous and followed with
such quick succession that attempt to
chronicle them would require a book.
Moreover, they soon ceased to excite
mrore than passing curiosity in his own
capital except when an added tax was
suspected of defraying the expense.
In these crises the wise Milan went to
MS t
55M
DerneeGeorde
Xergegevow
Pais otth ars fth fuoug
an dain-ros utt te aiso
mardetoul for the momteerTer There
cameis ftrel wortheraga ahnd
ter salon Drag. butet themthel unay
tles reiu relae of the oswauringneer.
Hims Miantrsansoed tof the cn-'
daplomaticcordid. Andc eri.thed usine
nght Ptor potd frditndadw.hu
I en stub toa wslv o his tce.Tehs
badil joualitese andonis democngthispwife
yesAo statchal atrvielradehin que
ktle imeselfiand iluoreoded tht
hise adwwr h canltik-aer.iOne blask
as athrw to methe ilks Dagat beame
thelora bewernd ah barpn ad. ad
ianwa adeninist, fopenlytedraoen
ces amod prsudaly aissse aaes. Itu
shouso beumertond fnlpasin th
lady-iwaucceg tonrmae that teagat
Mchicl ftrst appeard reqcuirt. Whok
the thn'sngorosind hsl on
oinly secept wnhen hsanadd'd heart but
susectent o derayn aten exnse.cn
so.In hese crilanhde the wsMiadientt
ofahis nt thexadrso h abug
reAlry a He = maean- wome noor
DMAIC
gmd 10?
came nominal ruler, subject to a regency
established. Before he was seventeen
hisoproffigacy was the amazement of Eu
rope At eighteen he declared himself
of age and stepped upon the throne. And
to the wonderment of the world he laid
his crown and his life it afterwards
proved at the feet of the Draga Maschin
who had openly been his father's para
mour. The queen mother, Natalie, was
furious. She had been endeavoring to
make a match for her son with a Mon
tenegrin or German princess, but the
youth's reputation for licentious rest
iessness barred the way. In the end he
married Draga. then taunted with her
low birth, he said he himself was de
scended from a tender of hogs. Nothing
could deter him. The marriage took place
in 1900. It was the night of June 11.
1903. the thirty-fifth anniversary of the
assassination of the king's uncle by
Alexander Karageorgevitch. that officers
of the army and a mob of followers shot
down Alexander and Draga on the roof
of - the palace. Then the bodies were
tossed into the gardens below that the
populace might see the work was fin
ished.
Eleven days later Peter Karserorge
vitch entrained at Geneva for Belgrade,
and his coronation followed. The queen.
a daughter of the king of Montenegro.
Woman Spy
Secrets
How a woman spy carried official
secrets in the bandages on her
supposedly broken arm, is a story
told in the first issue of the Growler
published in the "Canadian Fire Trench
West of the German Lines," in war-swept
Flanders. Here is the story:
"On the Swiss-Austrian frontier." it
says, "the regulations are very strict.
Women passengers are always more close
ly examined than the men. The other
day they caught one with her arm'in a
sling-a fractured arm set in p1 ster.
Despite her tears and supplications they
removed the plaster and brought to light
an arm as sound as a beli all bandaged
with documents of military information.
Another woman had notes of information
writan nn har hbacr ith indelailen n
TlII1M
soon found favor with her ney~ people.
Peter himself was too old to find allure
ment in folly He settled down to rule
the land reclaimed to his race.
But the profligacy of Serbian royalty
was not extinguished. Peter. the rake,
had reformed when drained of vitality.
But Prince George. heir to the crown,
showed willingness to take up the role
where his father had laid it down and
an aptitude that startled.
Finances had been cramped in the Ge
neva home of the pretender and for the
first time George had ample spending
money and unlimited credit. Royally
he squandered. Early he showed his
preference for women of the theater.
His first exploit of consequence involved
a pretty actress upon whom he bestowed
such conscious favor in the theater and
Carries
in Bandages
The Growler is a unique and very in
teresting paper. A recent issue bad
twelve pages and from cover to cover was
filled with news that indicated that the
Canadians were in the thickest of the
Flanders operations, that there was mud,
and Iota of it, everywhere, but that de
spuite the handicaps the soldiers of Can
ada were confident that eventually the
great drive which would compel the Ger
mans to retreat will start.
"All communications," . says t h e
Growler, "are to be sent direct to the
managing editor, Canadian Fire Trench,
west of the German lines. A branch offiee
is contemplated just in the rear of the
Germe reserve lines."
tiery page of the Growler showed
that the Canadians were impatient to at
tempt an erlvsnsc
IMAN
Prin~ce 'Who
Shame is
Without a
Counhtry
in the apartment be maintainedf
that the king had him confinedt
palace.
He delighted In supper parties wh
favor passed to the wearer of the fewest
clot hes unless It was a tie because there
could he no further competition. On oc
casion of a religious ceremony he con
fronted the solemn procession with a
troupe of dancers some of whom wore
parts of his princely wardrobe and
others the scant costume of their call
ing. As the king passed he swayed
drunkenly to his feet, called 'Hurrah
for papa!' and sprawled on the carriage
floor.
In a drunken moment he shot a sentry
who refus'ed to bite off the head of a
live rat, in another frenzy he thrust his
sword fatally into a soldier who had of
fended him Twice he ran away to
Paris with opera singera and had to he
forcibly brought back. On an occasion
when he knew his planned elopement had
been intimated to the king he and a
show girl smuggled into a baggage
coach, got over the Austrian border,
bought a cheap gypsy outfit and took to
the road until his pursuers caught up
with them.
The escapade that forever forfeited
his chance to reign occurred during h's
father's illness. George was bored unti,
a suggestion was whispered, whereupon
he oraenizaed a mock court, at upon the
&IIONS
throne elothed an Naturel. while fan.
tastically garbed or not at all garbed sub
jects upon whom he had conferred fan
tastic and ridiculous titles passed in re
view and saluted by kissing his big toe.
For this he was disinherited and ban.
ished.
In the background, during this tumult
of the crown prince's making, was the
second son of King Peter. He was Prince
Alexander. of the same blood as the dis
graced youth, but totally different. Alex
ander was studious and serious. He .
celled in mathematics and had dreams of
being an engineer before being called to
live in a palace. He was beloved h the
troops he commanded and respected by
the officers of the army.
Alexander was made heir apparent It
was a matter of small moment to the
chancelleries of Europe, who were dis
gusted with the Serbian spectacle. and
acknowledgments of the change Rerp
perfunctory and frapped. In the two
wars preceding the big Issue Alexander
acquitted himself creditably
Then came the deluge and poor little
Serbia was annihilated In July, 1!14.
King Peter announced in Belgrade his
surrender of the throne to the regency
of Alexander and wise men foresaw that
defense and occupancy of the country
was to be of brief duration. When the
Austrians began their serious drile
through Serbia there was no chance to
stop it. The diminished and diminish
ing army fought valiantly but vainly un
til the Serb was without country.
Through the succession of reverses
and since, Alexander has been the id ao
his subjects. He has accepted their . ri
vations and shared with them h e
sou2rces. Hie has provecd himtselft a n.n
clean. ionorable, just. A gentleman and
a king.
Serbia is to be restored. That nturb
has been admitted by both sidec As~ a
buffer state it is necessary to continued
peace. But the occupant of the throne
will depend upon who dictates terms at
the final surrender. If the allies w in,
then King Alexander will ascend a throne
sta'ned with much blood in a palace no
torious for scandals and shame, and
those who know him say that he will
cleanse the atmosphere of the foulness
of which it has reeked.
A gentleman and a kinsgl
Alexander cf Serbia.
Deran.