Show A KINGLY TRAGEDY One of ot the great human tragedies tra edles IP I coming to Its cloe clo in the palace of th the emperor of ot Austria Francis Joseph J T r ru August u st last he was 77 71 years old ant am for tOr almost sixty years he lie has won the heavy crown of ot the Governing a empire that has more elements of ot discord U than any I other on earth he has hRS held Its territory Intact almost solely by the force of ot his own personality and th tha affection he J 1 has luts h s Inspired in his subjects Now he helies helies helies lies dying and no rio one knows what storm may burst burnt or where the frag fragments fragments fragments ments of the empire will finally lodge In his going is more portent oC ot ultimate war than is held In any possible con contingency contingency j known nowa to the of Europe S Francis Joseph was called to the throne at 18 to face rebellion in Hun Hungary Hungary Hungary gary almost Immediately He was forced to appeal to Russia for help to save his kingdom Later he was drawn into the war with Germany and hu humiliated humiliated humiliated by defeat at the hands of the then minor pow power r of ot Prussia In all his days he ho has known few of the Joys of ot men men inen or monarchs and no man has known so much bitterness and woe To read the tale tae of Qt his life Inevitably re recalls recalls recalls calls the fate of ot Lear In Its desolation and dreary end Send His brother was that poor Maximil Maximilian ian who attempted to found an empire in Mexico and was abandoned by France to die at the hands of ot aliens His wife the empress was waa assassinated ed and Rudolph his only son died a i violent death under circumstances which have never been revealed if in indeed Indeed indeed deed they have ever been known ac accurately accurately accurately The Tho succession to the throne which should have been falls into hands of undetermined strength and doubtful popularity and the sun that sets on Francis Josephs death deathbed deathbed deathbed bed may rise on and berment of ot the empire Not a great man in the sense that Frederick was great or 01 even the first German Gennan William the Austrian has still been great in his power to draw men mento mento mento to him and hold their allegiance Rul Ruling RulIng Ruling ing races antagonistic by nature and tradition bridging the gap between the days when absolutism was unquestioned unquestioned unquestioned and the present when all au authority authority is shaken he has been great In ability to meet conditions as they developed and harmonize apparently Irreconcilable forces Probably among all the monarchs of Europe he ho has h been the most powerful single agency for peace In that he alone has held to together together together gether the elements clements that threaten to precipitate a great armed conflict when he is gone And yet et life must seem a bitter failure to him He departs con conscious conscious conscious that all his efforts have zave been useless to avert ultimate dissolution of ot the empire for which he has suffered so much His only son the pride of ot his life Ufe has as gone before and his throne passes to those not of ot his own blood The Germans who vho have been b en his allies and friends he knows look with long longing longIng longing ing eyes to the day when they can seize a portion of ot his heritage Rus Bus Russia Russia sia the neighbor to whom he once ap appealed appealed appealed pealed for f help covets another part His own people Magyar and German Gennan can never unite on terms that will make the empire Impregnable from as assault assault assault sault without or give it strength with within in No more complete failure no desola desolation desolation tion so BO bitter has been pictured In fic fib fiction fiction tion or passed across stage I in the history of ot a century I |