Show THE GERMAN ADVANCE THE THE VE VERSATILE KAISER BY FREDERIO J. J HASKIN for nearly two years the star of his destiny has been in ALTHOUGH A partial eclipse the German emperor emperor emperor em em- sun stilt remains the most Interesting Interesting in interesting In- In and picturesque figure on the stage of ot the world William II is not only emperor and king for the world knows him also as a soldier and sailor a preacher and a prophet a Journalist t tand and nn n J a manager and nd an orchestra tra l leader ader a factory manager and a merchant a a. student philosopher and a hard riding sportsman He believes In his VV 4 soul that he Is th the V divinely appointed L priest prophet and V prince who is to show to the world the way to Gods God's salvation sal sal- and he considers considers considers con con- siders any man who dares to oppose his hla fr will to be not only z an enemy of king V V V and country but also alsoto to Itu r. r an enemy of God And yet he is so pitifully so BO painfully and so frailly human His withered arm hangs useless at his side side side-a a constant reminder re reminder re- re minder of the gins Ins of his fathers and the tile daily dally despair of court photographers who must not let the infirmity be manifest manifest mani mani- fest test in the portraits of their august kai kai- ser His blood is bad there is ever the fear of the dread malady which cut short his fath fathers father's rs r's reign after only three months on the throne A common plebeian boll boil on the majestic knee of the emperor is a terror to him and to his people for whether or not the take tale their crown from God alone as William has boasted it is most terribly certain that the bodies are cursed with disease Yet it is his humanness more than his divine commission that makes the German German German Ger Ger- man emperor a figure of such commandIng command- command Ing interest He is intensely human and he is what every Prussian would like to tobe tobe tobe be if he had the opportunity opportunity soldier soldier artist artist ar ar- ar- ar philosopher and business man in one First of all William is a soldier He is never happier than when mingling with army officers in their messes not as commander In chief but as a brother officer of of- fleer exhibiting a fraternal spirit which he never permits a German civilian to see An American journalist now dead who knew the kaiser well and who often otten was his guest on yachting or shooting expeditions said that the kaiser was most democratic in his demeanor when in company com corn pany of foreigners especially Americans and of German military men but that whenever a German civilian be he even evena a high cabinet officer came suddenly into the room William Immediately was transfigured transfigured transfigured trans trans- figured and the man was lost In the em em- This quality of character is shown in the fact that the kaiser frequently frequently fre Ire has admitted British and American American Ameri Amen can Journalists to his most intimate personal personal personal per per- circle all the while maintaining the ban which forbids a German Journalist Journal journal- 1st even Seven to appear at court on the most formal occasion There ever has been this strange strang-e mixture mixture mixture mix mix- ture of autocracy and democracy in the career of the emperor both before and since he came to the throne The re remarkable remarkable remarkable re- re feature of his versatility is that he has been able to maintain his imperial Isolation and superiority in all of his democratic activities He He can manage a pottery factory factor and conduct a retail chinaware store and all the while be quite as much an emperor as when projecting a plan to make his empire the supreme naval power of the world He is an indefatigable worker worker- He will appear In the royal opera house at Berlin at 8 S o'clock in the morning and usurping usurping usurp usurp- ing the place of the stage manager will rehearse the company until after midnight midnight midnight mid mid- night without giving either himself or orthe orthe orthe the singers any opportunity for rest or refreshment He has been known to leave the theatre after one of these all day rehearsals without showing fatigue leaving leaving- the opera company in a state of 1 I complete exhaustion It Is said that the opera singers dread lis appearance ut at a 11 rehearsal more than anything else elso that possibly can befall them He Ile believes himself to be a painter of merit and a composer of no mean order and of course there Is no one ono who dares to criticise adversely his canvases or his scores He Ho likes to be regarded as asan asan asan an artist and as a patron of the arts and his capital and other German dUes cities are filled with monuments to his taste good or bad His famous avenue of Victory in Berlin lined with statues of or his Ho- Ho ancestors pleased few artistic critics but himself lf and yet the great maJority ma ma- of ordinary people who see it consider con con- sider skier it to bo be one orle of the most beautiful things In the world He has cherished alwa always s the notion of a state church a German church united and militant headed by br the ruling prince He Is himself the head of the German church which he hopes one day will be a universal church admitting all dogmas consonant with I and enforcing none except those essential to all aU Christians Not only would he be priest but prophet He I is always happy when preaching a a. sermon from the pulpit of one of his churches But above and beyond all he is the soldier soldier soldier sol sol- sol sol- dier bent upon conquest conquest tho the t typical representative representative representative rep rep- of the line of conquering princes It is gall nd nd wormWOOd wormwOOd wormwood worm worm- wood to his soul that he has not been able to add one rod of territory to his continental continental continental conti conti- domain The commander of the strongest and most efficient Prussian army th that t i-t ever existed the chief of the strongest cst German navy ever afloat the ruler over the wealthiest and most Industrially Industrially In- In V powerful Germanic nation of history he has been thwarted In every plan of territorial aggrandizement His colonial experiments in Africa and Asia have been practical failures the population population population tion of his hie empire is increasing more rapIdly rapidly rapidly rap- rap Idly than that of any other European country and yet there Is no place where the overflow may go and still remain under under under un un- un- un der the folds of the German flag flag- These things Indicate the reason why other rulers always have regarded William as a I dangerous war lord b bent nt upon embroiling I Europe In Jn a a. general war The kaiser always has been suspected and not without reason of adhering to the doctrines of the Pan Germanic jingoes jingoes jin jin- un- un goes who demand the Absorption of Germanic Germanic Germanic Ger manic Holland Switzerland and Denmark Denmark Denmark Den Den- mark the Incorporation In the empire of western Austria the acquisition of colonIes colonies col col- col- col onies onles In the temperate zone where Germans Germans Germans Ger Ger- mans may live and work In Aia Asia Minor I South America South Africa or Pacific Asia He is suspected of a desire to leave to his son an empire stretching stretching- across Europe from the Baltic to the Adriatic from Russia to the waters of or the English English Eng Eng- lish channel He has declared with emphasis that Germany attained to its present greatness by virtue of victories gained on the fled fiod of battle and he is known to hold Ild that augmentations of this greatness must come in the same fashion and by the same means He takes the substance and the service of his people to maintain the most powerful army ever supported by a nation at peace although h ho is not threatened from any source He adds from time to time to the already crushIng crushIng crush crush- ing burden of taxation in order to build a navy that will be at least strong enough to challenge the sea power of the British empire And yet the kaiser has been known to boast that his reign has had its greatest justification In the fact that he has kept the peace not broken It that he has prevented prevented pre pro vented wars not waged wag them that he has been not the lawless war lord but the successor on earth of the prince of peace He holds that the great groat German army is responsible for the fact that the peace of western Europe has not been disturbed for thirty-nine thirty years and that the construction con cone of an equally great reat German navy will guarantee the continuance of that peace for decades to come But whether he be chieftain bent beat upon blood and conquest or prophet preaching the virtues of peace he always Is the monarch believing believing- in his own divine right absolutely to rule Ills his people and he Is always the nervous energetic hard working man who wishes to have a hand in everything That he ha suffers keenly under under un un- un- un der the restraints laid upon him in th the kaiser krisis of 1908 1905 cannot be doubted Once in a while there has appeared a flash of his old independent t indiscretion tion but the official denial has been quick to come and the kaiser has re relapsed relapsed re- re lapsed Into silence If he keeps his health it is morally certain that this condition condition con con- of affairs cannot last very long He will break out and when he does the world will have something worth while to talk about His people do not love him as the Eng Eng- lish Ush love their king king- but they admire him as no other people of this day admire a ruler It Is only necessary to be in a street in Berlin to hear afar oft off the commanding com corn manding manding- note of the imperial bugler and to see all traffic stop as if by magic every every ev ev- ev- ev ery head uncovered and ever every e eye e sharp to catch a glimpse b bf be the emperor a as he flashes by in his huge automobile at Unlimited unlimited un un- limited speed to know that the Germans ls still consider him the greatest man alive f lie is toda today not only an interesting Ung and picturesque figure In Inter international poli poll tics but upon him more than upon any other person pr collection of persons in the world depends the question whether her or not the British empire and the German empire wilt will settle their differences by by- I peaceful or by warlike warlike means Tomorrow Tomorrow The The British Situation |