The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-01-26
SHARPLY-DRAwN PORTRAITS.
Kaiser William, the Heir-Apparent, Won
MOltke and Bismarck.
Count Paul yasin. in Nourelle Revue.


brutally ambitious, from sentiment of covet-
BUSINESS for his neighbors goods; he al
ways desires more than he now possesses, and
cannot yet comfort himself for not appropriating
Saxony in 1866" This, 1 may add, is fact Of
public notoriety in Germany, where no one de-
MES that William of Hohenzollern is more Prus
sian than German, and, after Sadowa, in
fnitely more sensible to the attractions of vast
territorial ACCOMPLISHMENTS than to the platonic
honor of the presidency of the North German
Confederation. 1t needed Russian pressure to
save ducal Hesse, and NJ. de Bismarck's threat
to resign his portfolio to pre-
serve the integrity of Austria, in
whom the farseeing Minister already
OWNED the ally of 1879 Never has the Empe-
ror pardoned France for her interference in ia
vor of Saxony when the treaty of Prague was
| signed, and this souvenir is an edifying com
mentary upon the illusions of the two monarchs
tire victor and the Vanquished of 1866, when they
met at the unwilling of 'Gernania." on the
Niederwald, last September ''The Emperor"
affirms M. Vasili, considers his son to be in
sufficient, and desires that all Germany should
| share his opinion lie is the stanch defender of
the army, the only matter with which he has
never permitted NJ de Bismarck to NEEDLE"
| The historical role of the illustrious octoge-
marian seems to be accurately defined in these
all, been very lucky, and this luck he fully
appreciates He knows that he owes every
thing to others, but he allows no one to forget
that his name covers everything which has been
done" 1t would be more just perhaps, if the
author had admitted that the So-called luck" of
! the old Hohenzollern is derived from his &C
! knowledged shrewdness in discovering useful
instruments which he promotes and protects on
all occasions and against all hostile intrigue"
This, the most eminent quality of a sovereign,
Will explain, at least in part, 1.-The brilliant des-
tiny of one who will rank in the list Of great
monarchs without ever having been a great
man." For the Empress, Count Nasih is very
severe. AS she has always occupied an insig-
nifcant position by the side of her royal spouse
| need not quote the appropriations, and shall
Leave to him the responsibility of his assertion
that when she disappears all Germany will
heave a sigh of relief" later all Germany may
regret her.
! The Crown Prince, whose peregrinations
among the courts of Southern Europe have
! produced such sensation, is an enigma for his
people. Physically, he bears little resemblance
to his father; with his tall stature, his regular
profile, his tawny beard and pale blue eyes he
realizes the legendary type of Teutonic beauty,
| and, In his splendid uniform of the Imperial
Guard, looks an incarnation of one of the heroes
| of the Walhalla. Like all heirs apparent to
throne, he is credited with liberal ideas; at all
events he affects broader views on religious and
| philosophical subjects than his sire, and will
certainly react against the pietism now in favor
at the Prussian court In point of fact how
ever, his accession will open horizons. So
far fa1dior he . has only appeared as so4oa
as regent, after the attempt of
| MODELLING, the Emperor has always kept him out
of the way in every political question During
| five and twenty years he has lived in the situa
ton of prince who may be called to the throne
| tomorrow, and he is irritated by this false and
subaltern position" This jealousy of the EN-
| peror for his heir is so proverbial in Germany
that they tell you at Berlin how when its munici-
| DalitV preSantad RI tha KaiS clyatnh of a
| picture commemorative of the coronation in the
| Gallery of Mirrors at Versailles, in which Fred
| eric William was represented with his foot
| placed on the first step of the throne, the old
| man drew his pen through the figure, writing
! upon the margin the words: mot yeti" Doubt
less the incident invented, but it shows what
the public think of the relations existing be-
| tween the father and the son, In his pre-
diction that the ''policy of Frederic vii
liam will differ totally from that of the present
Emperor" Count Vasili does not greatly risk his
| reputation for prescience. The force of events
alone without considering any personal predlec-
tons, must constrain the new sovereign to follow
a different path from that of his predecessor EN-
peror Williams glory and popularity fill all Ger
many; he takes the place of a constitution and of
a government and no power can prevail against
his rule. But it is impossible that his successor
can enjoy the same authority or the same pres
tige, or that the confederate sovereigns and the
Reichstag bow before him humbly as they
bow before the victor of 1866 and 1871. When
the founder of German unity leaves the stage
there will be room beyond the Rhine for an init
ative and an activity which cannot now be dis
played
As you may expect County VasiG. not at all
respectful for the august personages of the
! dynasty, is still more bitter when he describes
the Prussan court Assembly of cacochymics,
fossil remains, old hearse-horses. retinue of
! cripples" are his ordinary amenities when de-
scribing the Immediate attendants upon the
Emperor. 'NIere physical decreptitude," he
writes, might be tolerated. but there is an
inevitable feeling of nausea produced by these
| favorites, who not favorites, when
they abuse not the appetite but the
kindheartedness of their sovereign in their
greed of titles and decorations All AFRO
gate to themselves the right to keep
out Of the way of those who might stand in the
| way of their ambitions watching insolently over
the monarch, as though he their special
property. The Emperor does not take notice of
these petty tricks. He insists on keeping with
him all his old servants; although too egotstical
to mourn their deaths, he wants them near so
long as they are valid" This reproach is par
| ticularly, if discreetly, murmured by the army
where there is much dissatisfaction felt because
too many veterans, who ought to be retired are
still kept in command of army corps General
D'Albeldyll, the chief of the Emperors military
cabinet, is described as one of the most re
him depending every appointment and
promotion in the army He is absolute master
of the military personnel, is only responsible to
the Emperor, makes and unmakes whom he
pleaseS, and simply refers to the War Minister
to counterslgn such acts as, necessitating an out
lay of money, need parliamentary ratification"
The chief the Emperors civil cabinet, NJ. de Kill
pmouski. is "a man who has so made himself into
a machine to have lost all influence" The
Countess Adelaide Hocke, one of the ladies of
the palace, is ''hunchback VINO, without possess
ing the wit which usually distinguishes that
variety of the human Species does possess all its
proverbial malignity." NJ Knosebeck the
Empresss private secretary, notes down all
acts of cupidity and ignoble baseness of which
he is every day the witness, and, though
he has not got used to them, cherishes
them the tablets of his memory"
Among the warriors whose swords have built
up the edce Of Prussia's grandeur n Vasi
points to two the great planets of her military
armament, i'll comparison with whom the others