512 LUDWIG II, KING, OF BAVARIA. 



LUTHEEANS. 



gular actions the contempt that he formerly 

 studied to conceal. He betrayed an extraor- 

 dinary aversion toward the whole female sex, 

 not excepting his own mother. Gradually he 

 began to absent himself altogether from the 

 capital, returning only to witness operatic or 

 dramatic representations, which he compelled 

 the artists to perform with no spectator, in the 

 dark and empty theatre, besides himself. In 

 his various castles in the mountains he aban- 

 doned himself to a mania for building and dec- 

 oration. The German myths and tales of 

 chivalry, such as furnished the subjects of Wag- 

 ner's operas, he had reproduced in every form 

 of art. Overlooking his father's residence of 

 Hohenschwangau, he built the beautiful castle 

 of Neu.sehwanstein on the summit of a cliff. 

 Unmistakable symptoms of marl ness began to 

 show themselves in 1876. After a while he 

 refused to hold any intercourse with educated 

 people, and buried himself in the mountain 

 castles of Hohenschwangau and Linderhof, a 

 course in which he was encouraged by de- 

 pendents who profited pecuniarily by his folly, 

 and concealed his madness as far as possible, 

 though in his attacks of mania he wounded as 

 many as thirty persons. His ministers, with 

 whom he would only communicate through his 

 hostlers, dreaded the political consequences of a 

 regency, thinking that Prince Luitpold was 

 committed to a reactionary policy, and would 

 place the Ultramontanists in power. In 1884 

 the extravagances of the mad King had in- 

 volved him in debts to the amount of $1,800,- 

 000. The ministry raised a loan to cover the 

 debts, after obtaining a promise that he would 

 cease building. But in a short time he gave 

 orders for a new castle on a rocky height 

 above Schwanstein, and began a palace at Her- 

 ren-Chiemsee that he intended should rival 

 Versailles. One of his follies was to imitate 

 Louis XIV in everything. He labored inces- 

 santly on his architectural designs. His artis- 

 tic knowledge and judgment were remarkable. 

 The only aberration of his aesthetic perceptions 

 was a craze for imitating Nature. He labored 

 all night, and slept by day in a room that was 

 fitted up with artificial trees, flowers, singing 

 birds, a waterfall, and a vaulted ceiling repre- 

 senting a starry sky. In 1886 his new debts 

 amounted to $1,560,000. The palace in the 

 Chiemsee, on a lonely island, had already cost 

 $2,500,000, and was only one third completed. 

 By this time the King had become incapable of 

 any intelligent effort, except musical improvi- 

 sation, for which he had great genius. When 

 the ministers determined to interfere, he was a 

 raving maniac. Repeated threats that he would 

 kill himself if they did not furnish him with 

 money to complete his palaces, led them, with 

 the concurrence of Prince Luitpold, to institute 

 a judicial inquiry as to his sanity. A commis- 

 sion, headed by Baron Crailsheim, Minister of 

 the Royal Household and of Foreign Affairs, 

 went to his castle of Schwanstein on June 10, 

 but were refused admittance by the guard. 



After they had returned to the old castle, some 

 gendarmes came and took them back as prison- 

 ers to Neuschwanstein, where they were locked 

 over night in the lower part of the castle. 

 When the King descended the following day, 

 and found the statesmen and physicians, though 

 he had commanded that their eyes should be 

 put out, and that they should be confined in 

 the dungeon that had been built in the castle, 

 he expressed his willingness to go with Dr. von 

 Gudden, and was taken to Castle Berg, on 

 Starnberg Lake. He asked before leaving to 

 be allowed to ascend ihe castle tower, but the 

 doctor, knowing his suicidal purpose, refused. 

 The King showed himself extremely amiable 

 and sociable with Dr. von Gudden, and insisted 

 on his always dining with him. On the second 

 evening, June 13, they took a walk together 

 through the park, as they had done the day 

 before. During the walk Ludwig asked ear- 

 nestly that the attendants should be sent away, 

 so that they might speak privately together. 

 The doctor, in order to gain the confidence and 

 affection of his patient, commanded the serv- 

 ants to go back to the castle. The two passed 

 along the shore of the lake. The water is very 

 shallow, but the King knew of a deep hole, 

 which has the reputation of never returning 

 any body that is sunk in it. When he ap- 

 proached that place he threw off his coat and 

 vest and rushed into the water. The doctor 

 overtook him, but was strangled and drowned 

 by Ludwig, who, though obese, possessed re- 

 remarkable strength. The insane monarch 

 drowned himself five minutes later, but before 

 quite reaching the deep pool. 



LUTHERANS. The Evangelical Lutherai 

 Church in America embraces, in her annually 

 increasing membership, not only those 

 American birth, but also Germans, Swedes, 

 Norwegians, Danes, Finns, Icelanders, Slavo- 

 nians, Bohemians, and Poles. The statistics 

 for 1886 show a material increase over those 

 of previous years, a net increase, according to 

 Diehl's " German Almanac," of 175 pastors, 341 

 congregations, and 34,402 communicant mem- 

 bers. The statistics, now more satisfactory 

 than in former years, for the entire Church in 

 America aggregate 3,987 pastors and profess- 

 ors, 7,598 congregations, and 940,926 commu- 

 nicant members. There are at present, accord- 

 ing to Stall's "Year-Book," under the super- 

 vision of Lutherans and Lutheran synods, 19 

 theological seminaries, having 562 students (4 

 institutions not reporting) with 55 professors ; 

 26 colleges, having 2,627 students (3 institu- 

 tions not reporting), with 177 professors and 

 instructors; 27 classical seminaries, having 

 2,108 students (3 institutions not reporting), 

 with 117 instructors; 12 young ladies' semi- 

 naries, having 889 students and 100 instruct- 

 ors; and 47 benevolent institutions, e. g., 

 orphans' homes, asylums, hospitals, immigrant 

 missions, etc., where 34,686 (14 institutions 

 not reporting) persons were cared for by the 

 Church during the year. In this connection 



