The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-08-19
The KAISER AND HIS HOME.
His Idea Of Happiness Is TO Dine
With His Wife,

With His Wife,
Read a French Novel and Retire-He
Believes in Peace and Thinks 1t
Better for a King to Make Men
Good Than Brighten Them
One of the most remarkable articles
! published this year is undoubtedly Jules
Simon's interview with the Emperor Will
liam, which appears in the Revue de Paris
for August. In France it has created a
sensation, chiefly by reason of the unusu-
ally attractive portrait it gives of the
sovereign. NJ. Simon writes:
Il should like, before telling you the
theme of our conversation, to describe the
person of the emperor I am not too san
guine of my success. l never saw him ex-
cept in military uniform, in the street, at
the theater, at various ceremonies, and
even at that evening gathering of which
l spoke. do not believe he ever wears
any other costume. On the day of which
I speak he wore the uniform of the
White Hussars, and, as he is very
smart 1 took him at a distance for
a young officer. 1t is said that
he gladly adopts the Hussar uniform
to hide the immobility of his left
arm. 1t is certain that noticed nothing
special about him, and that it never even
occurred to me to note whether he easily
used his left arm. know only by com
mon hearsay the infirmity with which he
is said to be afflicted. If 1 had met him
without knowing his quality I should
hauo TO = fo,-
and alert. His face is agreeable his air
affable and full of kindliness. His chest
nut hair has blond and golden CLEANS. Do
not think that l am speaking little in
the style OF the old passports, but l add.
to complete the likeness, that the emperor
had but little color. He gave me rather
the idea OF one of our young Norman
MOBILES. He had their aftability and their
gayety.
TO tell the whole truth l thought that
/ detected behind this amiable aspect
something which warned you that it
would not be well to differ from him in a
serious matter. Perhaps this idea came
to me from the knowledge l had of his
quality. l think, however, that it came
to me from an attentive examination of
his face, features and person. Where I
was especially stuck with his char
acter was when l saw him amid
great pomp in the throne room.
We were grouped by classes in the
neighboring salons, and as one class was
called, the members composing it passed
before the emperor and empress witch low
bows. Their majesties were on a rather
low platform, standing upright in front of
their armchairs. You know the famous
definition of a throne-'four pine boards
covered with little velvet; he who sits
there forms its strength" | believe that
the throne of this young prince was
solid seat, and he made this evident two
days afterward, when he broke like glass
the chancellor, who was said to be ON
nipotent and everlasting.
The empress was in deep mourning. The
emperor wore his White Hussar's costume.
But that evening he wore IL in all It's
pomp He would not have been taken for
a sub-lieutenant, as l was once tempted to
think of him. He had under his arm
fur headdress, surmounted by an aigrette
attached with a large diamond. The
stuff of his mantle disappeared under the
insignia of all the orders in the world. 1t
was quite the emperor saw there, mo-
tionless, impossible, stern, and, as Saint
Simon would have said, NE bronchant
pour personne."
Before telling you of his conversation
| must say word about his way of speak
ing. He spoke French Easily Very
easily. Correctly2 Very correctly. Had
uG III dCCChbF NOb bl6 slightest. IQepOQe
OF US who spoke the most purely was he
for have little-a very little-of the
Breton accent, and the emperor speaks
like a Partisan. He asked me with
smile how found his pronunciation
You speak said l, like Partisan
That is not surprising said he. 4
have friend Che affects this term when
speaking of his servitors), who was my
professor for ten years, and who has re-
NAMED with me. He is a Partisan and
purist. And have you heard me use an
expression hardly orthodox q am not
only an Academician | am a member of
the dictionary committee).
"'Once only said l, and l saw that he
was little frightened
But whenl said he.
Just now, when your majesty said
we shall return here to godailler'
'Godailler is French; it is in the
Academy dictionary
60 1t is in the dictionary. but it is not
used at the academy, nor in the salon of
the academy
s. I shall remember; and it is the only
time?
~ swear it. Your majesty is like your
professor, purist. He appeared to be
much amused at this little play of
words"
M. Jules Simon goes on to tell how thor
ough was the emperor's acquaintance
with French writers, how surprised he
was 10 ind that the emperor had time to
read French novels, how the emperor as
sured him that his idea of happiness was
to dine quietly in his private apartments
like bon bourgeois de Berlin" with his
wife, to whom he read a chapter of a
novel before going to bed; how the en-
peror liked M. Georges Ohnet and detes-
ted Nj. lola, whom M. Jules Simon tried
to defend as an Incompatible contour
anu profound observer He then goes
on to the question of politics, and writes
as follows:
II should have liked to obtain from the
emperor some words about politics. /
could not start such subject without in
discretion. | made several attempts with
all the cleverness of which was capable
and all the innocence which l could con
jure up, but he showed a consummate tact
IN not hearing word of what / said. I
succeeded, however, in extracting from
him two phrases, which l heard not with
out pleasure, in spite of their generality.
We were speaking of war in the abstract.
~ have often reflected since nv Access
SION said he, and l think that in the
situation in which am placed it is better
worth while to do men good than to
brighten them And as l narrowed the
question little by speaking of a war
between our two countries, and by adding
that France was for the most part pa,
cihc, he said:
- am speaking TO Won with entira IN,