The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1888-03-14
EMPEROR WILLIAM


Crown Prince to the grave, after all For
months they ran neck and neck in the
race toward the dread goal, but latterly
the odds seemed to be with the Prince,
and the Emperors death, so long expected,
and 80 swiftly inevitable In the course OF
nature, comes at last with the shock OF the
unlocked for. The eyes OF Europe and
the world have OF late been fixed upon the
imperial sufferer at San Reno, quite for
gelful for the moment OF the old monarch
in the grim and lonely palace OF the Inter
den Linden upon whom, the while, death
was creeping with stealthy but certain
tread. Well, its all over; the brave old
man has succumbsd to the universal enc
my at last; he has paid the debt OF nature,
these many years overdue; and the
shadows OF the tomb toward which his
body will quickly be borne are already
heavy across the pathway OF him upon
whose shoulders falls the mantle OF the
dead. It's the old, old story, always old
and yet always new; the old, old lessJu,
ever teaching, but never learned; the old,
itself, that nature has been chanting to all
the countless generations that have come
and gone since first the morning stars sang
together. 1.-THE old must die, the young
may die'' Is the familiar adage. But the
young, too, are mortal, and Unser Fritz,
only turned fifty, but yesterday, as it
were, strong, active, stalWart-just on the
threshold, as It seemed, OF a great career;
Unser Fritz is to-day in the very valley OF
the shadow, through which the Kaiser,
bearing his heavy burden OF nearly a CEN
tury, is just vanishing into the Invisible.
The late Emperor was remarkable man
and his career was among the most extra.
ordinary in history. When he was born
Napoleon Bonaparte was Emperor of the
French; George III was King OF England
John Adams had but just been inaugurated
President Of the United States. He was on
the verge OF manhood when the battle Of
Waterloo was fought, having accompanied
the allied armies In the final campaigns
against the great Corsican. He was ap-
preaching middle age when the telegraph
and the railroad were introduced; was well
on toward the zenith when the first
steamship crossed the Atlantic; was
already an old man-as old men go-when
the first ocean cable wert into operation.
Since he attained maturity there has been
q complete and most wonderful transfjr-
nation in the social, political and indus
trial life of two continents. The American
Republic has gown from a feeble, Strug.
Cling, puny interloper in the family of
nations into one OF the mighty powers of
the earth. England has bee ome republic
in everything but the name. United
Germany and United Italy have realized
the dreams of centuries. France has
passed through all the stages of political
existence from absolutism to anarchy,
end half way back to absolutism. Serfdom
has been abolished in Russia, slavery in
the United States. The last traces
of feudslism, which were still a
potent force in the social organization Of
Europe ninety years ago, are rapidly dis
appearing. Indeed bare enumeration of
the vital changes which have taken place
embraced by the Emperor's life, and in
some of the more notable Of which he
was a conspicuous actor, would fill a
library. We only name some of the more
striking, as an illustration of how fast and
how far the world has travelled away from
the old landmarks since this rugged leu
ton first opened his eyes upon it.
He was q man of strong parts; not
genius, not thinker, not creator; but
man of aboundIng courage, of
great tenacity Of purpose, Of rare
judgment, an intuitive knoRl-
edge of human nature, a phenom-
email aptitude in the selection of men; with
a keen military Instinct, joint product of
beredity and environment; and above
all a magnificent physique, his rightful
heritage as a Hohenzollern, of which full
account must be taken in any estim ate of
the factors that combined In the making of
his career. Without Bismarck, Wilhelm
would never have been Emperor of Ger
many there would have been no Germany
to rule over; but with one Of different
type IS King OF Prussia, twenty years ago,
we may well doubt whether even q Bis
marck could have created that great EN-
pire which to day controls the destinies of
Europe.