The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-06-23
GOOD SIDE or WILLIAM IL.
Interesting GIimpses of the Emperor
in Private Life.

Interesting GIimDses of the Emperor
in Private Life.
Private Letter to Springfield Republican.
The press Of to-day is so full of absurd
anecdotes illustrating the insanity of the
German emperor that we are coming to
look upon him as the monster Of the nine
tenth century. Surely his attitude toward
the Grecian question seems most surpris-
ing to American christendom, but the
game which the European powers are
playing is not opened by American leads, /"
and we cannot be expected to understand
1t yet.
William II is still in private life very
human man, as numberless incidents
which have come under my own observa-
ton go to prove. AS a boarding school
girl in Berlin, l was imbued with some
thing of the romantic admiration with
which large class of his people regard
him. Our daily walk was always on the
streets where he most frequently rode or
drove, and when fortune so favored us
that he passed by the sedate line of mai
dens walking in boardng-school style flew
even into the middle of the street, and
under his very horses feet. His goodna-
tured, amused smile was sufficient reward
for the weary days of waiting when we
had not seen him, and the cool, green
Thlergarten could not notice us from the
dusty street where he might pass.
On one occasion there was great excite
ment, for a friend of ours in a neighbor-
ing school was invited to take lunch with
the royal family. Her brother, a lieuten-
ant in the army, had done the emperor
some small service, for which he had
shown his appreciation in various ways.
The royal carriage waited before the
school for our comrade and she drove
fl
she came back in high glee. She had been
the only guest at luncheon with the en-
peror empress and princes. No servants
even were in the room. and Eitel Fritz
had to jump down and fetch the napkins,
which had been forgotten. All the after
noon she played with the princes, and the
emperor chatted with them a long time
swinging his legs from the arm Of the
sofa" on which his wife sat. He even
went to hear the baby say his prayers,
and was quite like any happy father.
In those days there was no lovelier sight
in Berlin than the young emperor with
his dear old friend and counselor Pastor
Frommel The snow-white hair of the
beautiful old man fell about a face rarely
spiritual, and at the same time keenly
genial. His kindly face and dignified de-
ference before the young ruler was met
by the respect and love of a pupil for his
most revered master. No one who has
seen these two together can believe that
William II is utterly lacking in respect
and admiration for spiritual forces supe-
rior to his own. BY the death of From
mel this winter the royal family lost one
of its most trusted friends. The emperor
always received him very informally, and
an amusing story is told of the old mans
once leaving his silk hat in the ante room
while talking with the emperor. Young
Eitel Fritz mistook it for an opera hat
and when unsuccessful in making it shut
he sat down on it, which flattened it quite
to his satisfaction. The emperor coming
out with Pastor Frommel at just that mo-
ment, caught the young mischief-maker
in the very act, and he had to make most
humble apology, while a servant was sent
out for a new hat.
There are countless stories of the SIM
plicty and beauty of the emperor's home
life. which the Germans love to tell The
man as we know him from our newspapers
is a purely American creation. If we must
condemn many Of his public acts, why de-
light in ina gining him to be monster Of
absurdity?