Show Simplicity I Instead of Cleverness Marked Von Hindenburg's Character Futuro Future Field Marshal Saw First Service Against Austria This Is the second of ot a series in which a writer who knew him well tells the story of President von on Hindenburg's career By CYRIL A A. PLAYER PLATER Copyright 1934 by the North American American Amerlean Amer Amer- ican lean Newspaper Alliance Inc for lor The Salt Lake Telegram Paul Hindenburg's four years at athe atthe atthe the he academy drew to lo a close He was not a clever boy He was not a clever man But he was an honest man with that penetration and shrewdness derived from sim sim- of heart and directness of or mind nind which are so unfathomable to complicated characters For if fl the i simple man such as Hindenburg might not comprehend the infinite I j variety of ot a It Rath nau or ora a Schacht so o a really clever man roan as stood tood baffled before the direct depths ot of f a Hindenburg The boy pleased his teachers suf suf- and passed on to lo the special cadet school at Berlin At the very first review in the Prussian capital in n the spring of 1863 Cadet Hindenburg Hindenburg Hinden Hinden- burg set eyes Ces for the first time on the 10 man who was to embody for lor him all 11 that was wa-s fit to be served King William of Prussia later to be Emperor Em Em- perez eror William L Further the thel third year at Berlin brought rought him one of ot those honors which an aristocratic family especial especial- ly y when in modest circumstances can expect from the court Was Appointed Pare Page Paul Hindenburg was appointed page page age to Queen Elizabeth widow of Frederick William IV The gold watch she gave him remained in his possession and and he proudly told this writer in 1931 still goes although he e then was wearing what he called calle an n iron watch gunmetal given him im by his wife during the war when it was unpatriotic to exhibit gold in ina a hy y form The war with Denmark broke out too oo soon for Paul Hindenburg and andic he ic took to dreams wrote his mother that hat he had dreamed of at her ill health which proved true I had a feeling feeling feel leel- ing you were very ill and sternly ordered her to take good care of herself Hindenburg joined the Third regiment regi regie ment of the guards April 7 1865 as a second a-second lieutenant Austrian War Broke Paul Hindenburg scarcely had passed assed into the Pruss Prussian Ian army array when Bismarck entered on his carefully calculated war with sinking Austria already was breathing with difficulty Kb difficulty Bismarck as if it by accIdent and absentmindedly sat down own hard on the invalids invalid's chest For or the army array this war simply was a n recreation of the days of or Frederick the Great Hindenburg shared hared the general satisfaction when the grenadiers grenadiers grenadiers grena grena- diers mobilized zed at Potsdam were taken to the tomb o of that revered sovereign It n was a strange war and Hind Hindenburg Hinden n- n burg was wai commanding the first skirmishing skirmishing skir skir- section of the second battalion battalion bat bat- of his regiment for for- some me time he had to content his appetite with having smelled powder and gone through some of the emotional experiences experiences experiences ex ex- ex- ex which are the lot of the soldier when he first comes face to i cb N J Paul von Is 15 shown at tho the left leU his Ns first t. t election as president of Germany in 1925 center the young yonn Von as a cadet at military mill mili tary school in 1865 right as a lieutenant in the Third foot foot- guards In Prussia's Prussia war against Austria face tace with the enemy Among other unattractive duties far lar from glory as that of searching a a cornfield for lor forthe forthe the dead and then burying them Shot Durin During Skirmish Then was upon him He took patrol a-patrol toward the fortress of ot wet and cold and I apparently unsuspecting For a soldier soldier sol sal dier he wrote his parents war is a normal experience and andI I am in Gods God's hands bands They were only a half hill battalion bat bat- advancing through the m mist and the half bat standing corn when they surprised surprise some enemy infantry and ran headlong into an Austrian bat bat- tery A shot whistled through Hindenburg's Hindenburg's Hin un- denburg's helmet and laid him low his men captured the guns Hindenburg Hindenburg Hindenburg Hinden Hinden- burg sat up r rejoiced received a decoration decoration decoration deco deco- ration and and- to the day of his death had the stricken helmet on h his walls as evidence of his first Bout with his tory A little tittle later at Prague the boy met his father now a knight of honor honorof of the order of or St. St John the boy smelling g of ot blood and powder the father seeking the wounded Three years of peace and the Franco Prussian war broke Hindenburg Hindenburg Hindenburg Hinden Hinden- burg took the field as adjutant of the first battalion of f the guards Circumstances Circumstances Cir Cir- threw him into the battle of ot St. St Privat where his detachment met very heavy fire lire I III do not myself myself my ray- self understand he wrote to his family fam lam ily how I could have r remained so cold cold Yet we had to try and execute the movement which had be A cloud of dust Paul Jaul yon von Hindenburg Hindenburg Hinden Hinden- burg lieutenant and regimental adjutant adjutant tant gazed curiously and skeptically after j it Napoleon IlL III Incredible Yet over there in one direction was was humiliated Sedan and over there in I another direction was the dr dry high highway highway I Iway way to imprisonment So that was France Hindenburg gazed attentively attentive ly iy at the whirling ling dust lust cloud of ot victory victory victory vic vic- vic vic- tory If It I had reached that road a afew afew afew few minutes earlier I w would uld have I V 4 3 I been an art eye witness of the historic spectacle First Irs Glimpse of Paris ParI Thence to Paris over fields to become be become come memorable to Hind Hindenburg en burg 46 years ears later with the all highest all as his companion And when at last the troops glimpsed on a perfect autumn autumn au au- nu- nu tuma day the gilded domes of the Hindenburg reflected that so 0 must the Crusaders have bave felt when fir first t they lo looked ked down on Jeru Jeru- salem Paul Hindenburg with a sergeant was to represent his regiment at the ceremony which was to make King William the first German emperor emperor- a title he abhorred Due to various exigencies Hindenburg and his sergeant sergeant sergeant ser ser- geant made the trip on a transport wagon and in a dog cart in turn The wagon if slow was sale safe but the dog cart lost a wh wheel whee el and pitched the future president of Germany into a ditch The proclamation of the empire on January 18 18 1871 coincided with the anniversary of f the creation of the kingdom o of Prussia It took place in the historic Hall Hall of of Mirrors in IIi the royal city where XIV had held his brilliant court Saw History Made Mado In this awed assembly bending ea ear i I I 4 I 4 4 r 4 t I A 4 t I J S n I to the resounding words pone none was wa S I more eager than Lieutenant P Paul ul von vot H Hindenburg He lie noticed then as a. later that the south Germans were the more vociferous the Prussians the more reserved for lor he proudly remarked we have to know our own value at ala a time when Germany Germany Ger Ger- Germany many was but a geographical expression expression sion Many years later he added sadly That cannot be said in the future He witnessed attentively the struggle struggle gb gle between the French government and the commune disdained the telescopes telescopes telescopes tele tele- scopes set up by commercially minded persons and leaned out of the hotel window or rode carelessly about and saw what was to be seen He saw the end of it from his window window window win win- dow in the glow of fiery French re re- re- re action Thus informed he lie turned his back backon on Paris Austria Fr France nce had been beaten The empire had been erected on their common disasters and the future was to be glory glor- Nor did i he perceive any more than the great Bismarck that the empires empire's birth was not the climax of ot one historic phase but the origin of the next |