Rensselaer Republican, Volume 12, Number 20, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 January 1880 — A Difficult Conundrum. [ARTICLE]

A Difficult Conundrum.

At dinner the other night the conversation lapsed, as it sometimes will lapse with the best of hosts, into questions hardly distinguishable from conundrums. A distinguished historian was present, and I put a question to him which I knew had puzzled a great many people at different times. “What is the surname of the Royal family?” * ‘ Guelph, of course.” That is the usual answer, and it was the historian’s. I ventured to suggest that, although the'" Royal family are Guelphs by descent, her Majesty's marriage with Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg must have the effect which the marriage of a lady has in all other cases, ana that the surname of the present house must be the Prince Consort’s. But what is the surname of the Prince Consort's family? Simple, but staggering. No one knew. All guessed, and all were wrong. I happened to have looked up the subject a few months ago, so I knew that the name was “ Wettin.” Of course no one had heard it before. Every one smiled at the horrible idea of the Guelphs being reduced to Wettins! The point was referred to Theodore Martin. “ You are quite right,” said the graceful biographer of the Prince ■Consort. “ Wettin is the family name of the house of Saxony, and the minor Princes of the house are therefore all Wettins, or, in German, Wettiner.” —Whitehall (London) Times.

—“Alphonso,” said Christine, thought fully, as she let down her back hairthat evening, “is this simply a sporadic case, or do voirexpect all your wives to take naturally to being shot at? Because, dear, I don’t want to be disagreeable; but, you know, I shall really nave to go back to mamma before Pm Suite perforated like a cullender, if you on’t engage a better style of assassin. Why aren’t you able to afford a dynamite explosion, like the Czar? This is not at all what I had been led to expect.”—Puck. —“ Yes, mamma, I took three lumps of sugar out of the cupboard,” says the little girl, contritely. “That was very naughty, indeed; but, as you have confessed it, I shall forgive you.” ‘‘Then, give me the other lump—l only took two.”