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Show HOLLAND LOOKS TO WILHELMINA. WILHEL-MINA. The Girl Queen tlas Partly Promised That She Will Name a Husband Before August. (Specially Written for the Woman's department de-partment of The Intermountain Catholic.) The news that Queen Wilhelmina has ordered a Paris dress and intends going to the Paris exposition is the latest that has been received from that most interesting of all sovereigns, the young Queen of Holland. Victoria now heavy with years and weight, inspires respect, but Wilhelmina Wilhelmi-na awakens a feeling of affectionate admiration and hopeful anticipation, second only to that which Victoria herself aroused when she ascended the purple draped steps of the throne sixty-three years ago. Wilhelmina, pretty, blonde, undeniably undeni-ably young and well educated, even into in-to pedantry, keeps all Europe interested interest-ed in her, not by her eccentricities or by her .expenditures, but .-by her personnel, per-sonnel, heightened by that most remarkable re-markable faculty for Holland, her progress, pro-gress, and also by her flirtations, for the wilful girl-queen has them by the score. When Wilhelmina took the oath that August day, now nearly two years ago, she promised many things, among them being to make Holland great in all things in which a small nation can be great. Scarcely two years have passed, yet Wilhelmina has fulfilled her vow in many ways. She first attracted the attention of the world to Holland by advocating a universal peace conference. confer-ence. The delegates from all countries of the earth met at The Hague and were entertained by the loyal Dutchmen. Dutch-men. Wilhelmina met with them and gave them the benefit of her counsel; she gave dinners for them, lighted up the musty old ball room in the palace at Amsterdam and finally sent them away in love with peace and with her. Hardly had their footsteps left the shores than Wilhelmina authorized the purchase of new ships to add to her navy. She desired to protect her commerce, com-merce, she said, and to make those famous little islands of hers Java, Borneo and Sumatra worth all the money which they formerly brought into in-to Holland's coffers. She also inspected inspect-ed the standing army, and manifested such interest in the warlike preparations prepara-tions that recruits were not wanting. The girl queen turned her attention toward the industries of Holland. The Dutch delft was old as the hills, but the laces had long been neglected and the ginghams were no longer famous as Holland weaves. The old Holland linens were revived, and during the past year Dutch stuffs have flooded the markets of the world, while great was the name of Wilhelmina in Holland. A sensational rumor floated across the water early this year that Holland's Hol-land's quern desired to make war upon England because of her sympathy with her natural kin, the Boers. . But Wilhelmina Wil-helmina firmly and quietly denied this, and at the risk of alienating the Trans, vaal refused to lend her army, navy, her coffers or her name to the warring war-ring nations. But all the while Wilhelmina has been engaged upon these great tasks she has also busied herself in other Channels,, the true ones, many think, for a woman's efforts. She has been endeavoring with her whole mind, and let us hope with her heart also, to find a suitable life partner; one who will sit upon Holland's throne as prince consort, and assist Wrilhelmina in. the gathering and raising of a family to govern future Hollanders, when the pretty little queen shall have grown fat and old -and been gathered to her fathers. Wilhelmina, being pretty, rich and powerful, has many suitors. At one time no less than sixteen princes were clamoring for her hand. Of these the most prominent was the crown prince of Germany. But unfortunately the boy is only eighteen, while Wilhelmina is nearly, twenty, and the old prejudice preju-dice against a match in which the woman was the elder came to the fore. The next in . order would be Eitel Fritz, the second . German prince, but he is three years .younger than Wilhelmina. Wil-helmina. and now seems curiously like a child to her. The W'ied boys, the Swedish princes, the little Danish youngsters who are always going down to England to visit their cousins, and the swarthy Russians Rus-sians have all applied, but Wilhelmina, while she looks upon them all, ' remains re-mains unmarried. She could wed an English prince; one of Connaught, or of Coburg, or of the English branch of the Battenbergs, .but she thinks not so much of an English prince, it is said, as of a German, holding with Queen Victoria that their worth is more endurins:. Wilhelmina, never a fashionable girl, has suddenly taken a step . toward style. In ordering a Paris dress she has established a precedent not to be forgotten or overlooked. |