Democratic Sentinel, Volume 19, Number 16, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 April 1895 — PRINCE HOHENLOHE. [ARTICLE]

PRINCE HOHENLOHE.

Peculiarities of the Chancel lor of the German Empire. Prince Hobenlohe, the chancellor of the German empire, is cast in a different physical mold from his two stalwart predecessors. He is far from being so impressive in appearance as Bismarck or Caprivi. He looks more like the headmaster of a school in a middiesized town than like a statesman. Although of a more noble lineage than either of the ex-chancellors, he looks much less like the traditional aristocrat. His early life was, however, passed amid comparatively humble surroundings, and his birth helped him little. He practiced law until 1846, and, pitted against young men of the middle classes, never distinguished himself. In the year mentioned he succeeded to the dignity of Schillingsfurst, and ■took his place as hereditary legislator in the Bavarian reichsrath. The prince is remarkably active for a man of his age. His excellent health he attributes to the fact that he spends as much time as possible in the open air—especially in the hunting field—and cooks his own coffee. Coffee he considers the principal course of a meal, although he likes good things to eat, and employs one of the best cooks in Germany. When in his palace at Strasburg he always prepared his own coffee. Even when he travels he carries the coffee machine with him, and uses it to make his favorite beverage at least three times a day. In the course of years he has become an expert, and few cooks can equal his brew. His guests flatter him on his art, as a matter of course, and there is no better way to reach his heart than by eulogy of his coffee. Like many other men who have accomplished considerable in this life and love praise of their hobbies, he would rather hear praise for his ‘ drink which eomforteth head and heart”— to use the language of Bacon—than for his political wisdom. The prince is immensely wealthy. He inherited through his wife vast estates in Russia, but being subject to the law forbidding foreigners to hold landed possessions in the dominions of the czar, he was ordered to sell the property within a certain time. When that period had expired he had succeeded in selling only about one-third of the land. For this he received about 10,000,000 rubles, nearlj r $5,000,000. The czar then extended the time. If the estates are not disposed of, however, at the time specified, he will forfeit them. The land might have been retained in the family had the prince’s heir consented to swear allegiance to the Russian ruler. But this he declined to do, preferring to lose money and remain true to the land of h’s birth.