The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1888-03-14
WILLIAMS GLORIOUS REIGN.
Life Of the Man Who Elevated and
United Cermany-T New EN-
peror's Brilliant Career.

William I, Emperor Of Germany. whose
full name was Wilhelm Frederick Ludwig,
was the son of King Frederick William Ill,
Of PFussia. and was born on March p. 1797
Thgs he needed bat Is more days of life to
complete his Fist year. His l.iothcr was the
heroic Queen Louisa. who stirred mp her
weak husband to defy Napolee,i ia 1896. and
after the fearful overthrow Of Jena gui,ied the
secret preparations for the rising OF isls.
William had natural taste for war Pie
;ures represent him a; the aye OF > drawiaga
sword, and his training was received in the
camp His mother in exile at Memel in
stilled into his heart deep hatred of the
French. On New Years Day in 1907 his
humblea father gave the lo-ycar old boy the
commission of subaltern in the Royal
Grenadiers. At the following Christmas he
i became lieutenant and began bis military
studies, and in 1899 returned to Berlin with
+; his parents at the head of company.
lie saw his first service in the campaign of
I 1918. when the Tugendbund reused Ger
many from the dust and drove the despot
/ Napoleon from her soil He accompanied
7 the German army through the campaign of
1914 in France which ended in Napoleon's
abdication.
\ At home the humiliation of his country
grieved his patriotic heart His weak father
died in 1910, only 10 be succeeded by the
/ equally weak, bur childless, Frederick Viii
/ liam ", Williams elder brother William
/ was regarded Is an absolutist, but he was
man Of powerful character When revolu-
( tion spread like fever through Europe, in
Mareh ISIS, he fled to England. only to re-
( turn in June to take his seat as Deputy in
( tine National Assembly A republican IN
surrection broke out and he was sent 10 sup
( press il. On his way to Baden to take COM
nand OF the army, an attempt to assassinate
! him was made in June, 1919, at Nie,ler- In
gclham. He soon put down the rebellion
and remained as Military Governor of West
| pbaia and the Rhine provinces and of the
| federal fortress of Metz He became his
| brothers chief adviser acted in bis stead
during the latters illness and was proclaim
ed regent in O,tober. 1858.
On tie death Of Frederick William on jan
uary ?. 1851, William became King Of Prus-
I sia and Immediately set to work to reorgan-
/ ize his kingdom. He set Gen. Won Room TO
/ work 10 reform the army and called Count
Otto Won Bismarck, who in revolutionary.
/ days had taken the lead in the movement for
! German unity, 10 manage his foreign affairs
I In July. 1862. Oscar Becker attempted the
Kings life because of his incapacity to unite
I Germany bat events disprovei the assassins
/ accusation Then he set to work to put
Prussia at the head of the German nation.
After a long diplomatic wmngle, Prussia
/ and Austria despoied little Denmark of the
I Duchies of cchleswis and Holstein in 1861.
Then they quarreled about the division of
the spoil, Prussia demolished Austrias pow
+ er in the six weeks war of 1865, took all the
( spoil of the Danish war, exhnguished Aus
tria as German power and stepped to the
! head Of the North German Confederation
/ In 1857 King William, the Car, Alexander,
+ and Napoleon Ill of France met at the Paris
( Exposition. Then Russia and Prussia and
/ their chaneellors GortsehakofT and Bismarck,
/ cemented friendship.
In 1870 Prince Leopold Of Hohenzoliern,
The Prussian Royal family, became candi-
I date for the Spanish crown, France violently
protested and war followed Ii was at first
/ only a war between Prussia and France but
/ the other German States joined with Prussia
and made it national conflict The King.
/ then already s3 years old, went TO tie front
accompanied by Bismarck. the greatest
statesman; Won Room, the great military or
( ganizer Won Mo!tke. the great sirategist,
and the Crown Prince, the soldiers idolized as
/ ''Unser Fritz Victory met the Germans on
every hand. The capitulation of Sedan pat
1 Napoleon in a German prison and toppled
over his mushroom dynasty. Bazaine's
Metz into German hands for the first time
and all the patriotic fervor OF the raw levios
raised by Gambetta's government of the
National Defense could not save gay Paris
from German occupation after the horrors
of a siege. A treaty of peace was signed on
Jaunary 20 ISL and the old German pro-
vinces Of Alsace and Lorraine were again
restored to Germany.
1t was the enthusiasm of that war that
made Germany nation. While the army
was camped around Paris, the German priu-
cipalities arranged the constitution of the
German Empire, which put at the head of
100000 people a dynasty which two CEN
tures before had ruled over the petty. pow
erty-siricken duchy of Hrandenburg. in
Northeastern Germany. The proclamation
of King William, Of Prussia. as Emperor Of
the W Germany was issued from the pal
ace of VcTsailles-the palace- built by that
Louis XIV. who brought Germany to the
lowest depths Of humiliation. He returned
to Berlin in triumph in March and opened
the first German Reichsiag and in June led
his victorious army through his capital
The work of his life was done He had by
seven years Of war male Germany one na-
ton again and now he became the arbiter Of
peace in Europe. He engaged in a long con
ilict with the Pope about the allegiance of
the Catholic Bishops 10 the secular power.
which was finally settled by a compromise.
In 1873 he joined with the other powers in
settling the treaty of Berlin, of which Russia
was deprived of many of the frniis of her
victory over Turkey. In 1879 he Joined
Austria in defensive alliance, which was
strengthened by yearly meetings between
himself and Francis Joseph, Emperor of
Austria, and last year by the accession of
Italy. II is this alliance which has restrain
ed Russian Ambition for the last ten years
In 1873 two attempts on his life were made
by Socialists, exasperate,l by the severe laws /
passed against them and their doctrines.
Max Hoedel, Of Leipsic, fired at him but
missed and was arrested and hung Dr.
Karl Edward Nobiing about month later.
wounded him severely and in his struggle
to escape inflicted wound on himself which
proved fatal. The emperor suffered greatly.
but gradually recovered his full health.
The Emperor was 4 tall, majestic, hand /
some man with iron-gray hair and whiskers
When he asccnded the throne. time and ex-
perience had impaired an air of bcnevolence
to his face which charmed all who saw
him. He was devout Lutheran and al
ways carried a New Testament in his pocket /
The Emperor was mari ed in 1s29 to Au- {
glIs,a. danghter of the Grand Duke Charles /
of SAKE Weimar- Isisenach. who is now in /
her 77th year. lie leaves two children, !
Frederick William Nicholas Charles, who /
succeeds him. and Louisa. who married the I