The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-01-31
WILLIAM OF GERMANY,
He Eats Plain Food and Goes to Bed
Early.


Edgar Saltus, in Golfers Weekly.
The German Emperor, on the 9Th day of
this month, attains his fortieth year.
Forty is about the time when a man who
is man comes of age 1t would be
stretch of fancy to assume that there is
anything feminine in the Kaiser. To
Charlemagne, Haroun-al-Raschid sent a
box of checkers. Although it was the
first article of the kind which Europe
had beheld, what became of il history
has neglected to relate A Teuton trades
man sent William II a dressing gown
What became of 1t appeared in loaded
type. 1t was returned with the words:
"A Hohenzollern wears but uniform +"
Leonidas, at Thermopylae. Napoleon, at
Marengo, Roosevelt, at San Juan, could
not have said better. What is more not
able, the Kaiser, In so far as he was per-
scnally concerned, spoke the truth. Apart
from a garden party at Windsor and an
other at LiVadia, Ii Is in uniform that
he has lived, moved, and had his imperial
being. The task was not difficult In his
quality of colonel to more regiments than
a stenographer could conveniently shake
a pencil at regiments parenthetically, of
every European nationality, except
French and In his quality, also, of ad-
miral of pretty nearly every foreign feet,
barring that of Switzerland, so many
uniforms has he that they fill immense
cupboards in four immense rooms. Being
economical and being too unable to wear
them all in, he must wear them out.
Hence, the ringing words addressed to the
tradesman
William III looks well in uniform. He
looks the soldier and every inch the King
He holds himself, not, indeed, with the
grace which Napoleon acquired in a
course of six lessons from Taln1a, but with
the arrowy straightness of a Cuirassler
of the Guard. His figure helps him. So
also does his face. In his features he
produces at Will a masque of dignity,
which is imperial and superb It is trick,
of course, a part of his training; but he
does it very we'll very naturally, and,
what is best semi-unconsciously at that.
To what is known as the divine right TO
reign he would testify on oath. Though
in many things the actor, in that after
much thought and many vigils we believe
him sincere. It is so medieval that it is
a pleasure to. In recent years there has
been but one other who had the same
conception, and that was the Comte de
Chambord. In other respects the Kaiser
is quite modern. He eats plain food. goes
to bed early, and smokes three-penny CT
CARS. Some years ago Immediately after
his great act of dropping the pilot over
board, a journalist compared him 10 Ca
lgula. Why? Why, indeed For no 9TH
err reason, perhaps than that the name
ran off the end Of his pen. II was fiatter-
ing, to be sure, but that was all. Caligua
was one of the great misunderstood. Ev-
erybody understands William. Caligua
was one of the most fascinating tyrants
that the world has known. There Is
nothing fascinating about the Kaiser
Apart from that masque, which he got
not from his father, not from his grand
father. but remotely from Paul Of Russia,
who was mad. he suggests not the war
lord, but the martinez.
Harold Frederic once said of the Kaiser
that he inherited the resolution of the
Hohenzollerns, the comeiness OF the
Guelphs, the intellect of the Coburgs, and
the Ascanien strain which Catherine H.
took TO Russia and her great-granddaugh
ter brought to Berlin-a heaven, the late
Mr.. Frederic added, "half-divine, half
daemonic which swings between genius
and madness" Granting all OF which the
leaven has not yet swung into sight. When
the Kaiser leaped on the throne, and TO
swarm of cringing sovereigns announced
himself monarch specially ordained by
God, and then, leaping down, jumped In
front of the biggest army in Europe, the
world expected great things. The world
has since taken ID out In expecting. The
trouble with william is that he promised
and has not fulfilled. lie has not. indeed,
committed any act of overt violence. But
peace hath her defeats. He has had his
He has lost for Germany the preponderant
place which she held. He has weakened
the Triple Alliance, and If he has not thor
oughfy alienated England It has been
through no fault of his own. He is not q
genius, and he is not insane; what Is
worse, he Is not a statesman He is a
drill sergeant i'm whose hand fate has
placed a scepter, but upon whose brow
fame has put no laurels yet This month
he is 40. We are, OF course, very glad 10
congratulate him upon his birthday, yet
we really wish we could congratulate him
on something else. But let US see. Is
there nothing? Yes, indeed. and here It
is. At his age Alexander the Great had
been dead seven years. Let us congratu-
late him on that.