The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-09-23


a certain line Of policy-a certain set Of ma
tional principles-and to put his foot down
on these and see that they were carried
through. For this object the really manly
and sturdy nature of the King proved
admirably adapted He upheld man.
fully and firmly the standard of the
nation. His defective qualities we're rendered
inactive, and had indeed no occasion or
chance to display themselves, while all that
was good of him came into full activity and
bold relief. But do not believe that the
character of the King is any wise changed.
He was dull, honest fanatical martinez
when he turned his cannon against German
liberals in 1S4S; he was dull, honest, fana-
tical martinez when he unfurled the flag of
Prussia against the Austrians in 1866 and
against the French in 1870. The brave old
man is only happy when doing what he
thinks to be right; but he wants alike the
intellect and the susceptibilities which enable
people to distinguish right from wrong, des-
potism from justice, necessary frmness from
stolid obstinacy But for the wars and the
national issues which rose to claim instant
decision, King William would have gone on
dissolvipg Parliaments and Furnishing news
papers, levyiDg taxes without the consent of
representatives, and making the police
officer the master of Berlin. The vigor
which was SO popular when employed
in resisting the French would as
SuTeuly OtQerWlS6 nave 1Ounu occupation
in repressing the Prussans. l see nothing
to admire in King William but his courage
and his honesty. People who know him
personally speak delightedly of his sweet and
genial manners in private life; and have
observed that, like many another old NOUS
tdche, he has the art of making himself
highly popular with the ladies. There is
| celebrated little priDaG donna as we'll known
| in London as in Berlin, who can only speak
of tha Inf Hor
''the sweet King Indeed, there are not
wanting people who hint that Queen Augusta
| is not always quite pleased at the manner in
| which the venerable soldier makes himself
| agreeable to danes and demoiseles. Ger
tainly the ladies' seem to be generally very
enthusiastic about his Majesty when they
come into acquaintanceship with him, and
| to the p7Gnad donna l have mentioned his
kindness and courtesy have been only such
as are well worthy of gentleman and of
| king. Still we all know that it does not take
| great effort on the part of q sovereign to
make people, especially women, think him
very delightful. I do not therefore make
much account Of King Williams courtesy
and bOnhOmie in estimating his character.
| For all the service he has done to Germany
last him have full thanks; but cannot bring
myself to any warmth of personal admira-
tion for him. 1t is indeed hard to look at
him without feeling for the moment some
sentiment of genuine respect The fine
head and face, with its noble outlines and its
frank pleasant smile, the stately, dignified
form, which some seventy-fve years have
neither bowed nor enfeebled, make the King
look like some splendid old paladin
of the court of Charlemagne.
He is, indeed, despite his
years, the finest physical specimen of a
sovereign Europe just now can show. Com
pare him with the Emperor Napoleon, SO
many years his Junior; compare his soldierly
presence, his manly bearing, his clear frank
eyes, his simple and sincere expression, with
the prematurely wasted ard crippled frame,
the face blotched and haggard, the lack-lustre
eyes, which seem always striving to avoid
direct encounter with any other glance, the
shambling gait, the sinister look of the
nephew of the great Bonaparte, and you will
say that the Prussians have at least had, from
the beginning of their antagonism, an i'm
the fgurehead which their State was
enabled to exhibit. But 1 cannot make
hero out of stout King William,
although he has bravery enough of the
common military kind to suit any of the
heroes of the ''Nibelungen Lied" He never
would, if he could, render any service to lib
erty; he cannot understand the elements and
first principles of popular freedom to him the
people is always, as a child, to be kept in
boisterous or noisy, smartly birched and put
| in dark corner. There is nothing cruel
about King William that is to say, he would
not willingly hurt any human creature, and
is, indeed, rather kind hearted and humane
than otherwise. He is as utterly incapable of
the mean spites and shabby cruelties of the
great Frederick, whose statue stands SO near
his palace, as he is incapable of the savage
brutalities and indecencies of Frederick's s
father. He is, in fact, simply dull old dis
ciplnarian, saturated through and through
with the traditions of the feudal party of
Germany, his highest merit being the fact
that he keeps his word-that he is "a still
strong man" who 'cannot lie;" his noblest
fortune being the happy chance which called
on him to lead his country's battles, instead of
leaving him free to contend against, and per-
haps for the time to crush, his country's aspi-
rations after domestic freedom. Kind
Heaven has allowed him to become the cham
pion and the representative of German unity
that unity which is Germanys immediate
and supreme need, calling for the postpone
ment of every other claim and desire; and
this part he has played like a man, soldier,
and king. But one can hardly be expected
to forget all the past, to forget what Hum
boldt and Varnhagen Won Ense wrote, what
jacob and Waldeck spoke, what King Will
liam did in 164S, and what he said in 1861;
and unless we forget all this and great deal
more to the same effect we can hardly help
acknowledging that but for the fortunate
conditions which allowed him to prove HIM
self the best friend of German anity, he
would probably have proved himself the
worst enemy of German liberty.
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