The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1897-03-22
A GERMAN CENTENNIAL.

UOuaN, Une nunuTeuUn anniversary VI
the birth of the Emperor William I.
And they do right to honor the men,
DRY of a monarch under whose sway
the various petty states of Germany
became United Germany and one of
the greatest powers in Europe. 1t is
only ten years ago that he died, full
of years and of DEMONSTRATING an
historical reputation second to none
in the long list of Emperors of that
country.
The Emperor William l was born in
the year his father Frederick William
III became king of Prussia. At the
time the successes of Frederick the
Great had raised Prussia to the posi-
tion of a first class power. The future
Emperor's mother was Queen Louise,
whose memory is dear to every Ger
man heart, and whose melancholy
story touches the heart of the sympa-
thetic of all nations. In 1906, when
William l was nine years old, came the
battles of Jena and Auerstadt, in
which the might of Prussia was brok-
en- by Napoleon, and the Royal Family
of Prussia had to ny for their lives be-
fore the French Dragons. William l
was among the children hurried along
and must have remembered the Incl
dents of that gloomy period to the
end of his life. But this dark begin
ming of his career was destined to end
in such glory as could never have been
dreamed of in those dismal days. At
that time the Napoleonic star seemed
to dominate Europe and the German
States seemed but an appenage of
France.
The love of liberty, however, was in
grained in the German people and
when in 1913 the opportunity came,
they rose as a people and hurled back
their oppressor, crushing him in the
battle of Leipsic so effectually that he
had to fly to his capital with the Ger
mans and Russians at his heels. The
allies entered Paris and among those
his fathers side. That was his first
entry into Paris.
Poor Queen Louise, had she lived to
see that day she would have been a
proud woman. But, alas, she died of
II broken heart long before. The hui
initiation of her country and of her
family practically killed her. Hermem
DRY, however, kept alive the spirit of
liberty in the German people.
Then came the episode of Elba, the
breaking forth of Napoleon, the cam.
paign of hundred days eliminating
in Waterloo, and once more William
rode into Paris as a part of a conquer.
ing army. He was then between eigh'
teen and nineteen years of age. He
such patriots as Geisenhau, Scharn
horst, Schill, jain, Stein, Lutzow, Kor
ner and last, but not least, the great
Marshal Norwartz, old Butcher; CRANE
historical names never to be forgotten
This was the beginning of the car.
eer. The middle of the career is seen
in 1861 when he became King of Prus
STA upon the death of his brother
Frederick William ". At this time
he was excessively unpopular. But this
passed away, and with Bismarck as
Chancellor, and Won Moltke as mil
itary leader in 1866, after the battle
of Koniggratz, Prussia and its mon
arch took the lead in German affair
and Austrian influence became nil
The French war, which broke out il
1870, put the eliminating stroke t.
this career. and amidst the widest en-
thusiasm William l, King of Prussia
was proclaimed Emperor of German,
at Versailles on January IS, 1871, ant
on the 3rd of March, in the same year
William | entered Paris with a victor
ious army, for the third time in hi
career, just siXty-five years after HI
was being chased through Prussia b,
the victorious French. 1t is not givel
to many men to have assisted in ant
finally led an army three times to tn
humiliation of his inveterate enemies
The career of the Emperor William
marks an epoch not only in Germany
but in European history. The old sys
TEN of petty principalities, Away
jealous of one another and always in
triguing, making the great German
people a source of weakness rathe
than of strength, was, under him ant
his great advisers, welded into nigh
ty whole, whose destinies must PLAY
one of the principal parts in the futur
history of Europe and mayhap of Asia