Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-04-08
HE'S THE WHOLE THING
FRENCHMAN's VIEW teF THE EN-
PERoR OF GERMANY.
Revue de Paris Says Confederated
Princes Fear He Will Take to
Himself Their Power.

The Revue de Paris, in a recent number
publishes an interesting article on the Ger
man emperor, which can be considered the
general idea which a Frenchman has of
this much-talked-of parsonage. 1t says:
From whatever point of view the German
monarch may be considered an uncommon
man must be recognized in him. to whom
none of the ordinary definitions apply. His
temperament, his ideals and his character
remind one to a certain extent of Fred
erick William l, Frederick the Great and
Frederick William ", but he differs never
theless greatly from these monarchs as ira
dition represents them to US. The actual
emperor presents peculiar mixture of
feudal. middle age and modern ideas.
or all his predecessors he inyokes his
grandfather. William !, more than the
others, taking him as an example, there be-
ing no doubt that he has distinguished him.
self more than the others. Malicious peo-
pie have said that if William had not been
born the son of a king, he would assuredly
have made an excellent sergeant major.
His true value cannot be estimated from
the interest he showed in military matters,
but 1t Is true that he placed them above
all and that the other branches of the state
administration were considered by him only
as dependencies of the military depart
ment.
Just as he was exclusively a soldier,
was he exclusively a Prussian. and the
title of Emperor of Germany was for him
nothing more than unpleasant supple
ment to his functions as King of Prussia.
1t has been said that his greatest merit lay
in his good fortune in the selection of his
counsellors Bismarck. Moltke and Room,
and that he was able to defend them
against all their enemies.
The Contrast Presented
What a contrast IS presented by his
grandson! An impulsive nature, with an
extreme Observation-Disclosures is Will
liam II. He also feels that above all he is
soldier. But experienced army COM
manders who have seen long years of serv-
ice are not lin it, everywhere it Is the
royal person. His personal judgment must
be accepted at any cost. He mikes up in
everything; he acts as the commander at
the great maneuvers and has his ideas
adopted regarding the most triffing changes
In uniforms.
Questions of political economy, commerce
and navigat ton were subjects of inferior in
terest to the grandfather. who left every
thing to his ministers. To the grandson
they are state affairs of considerable i'm
port How many times has he not opposed
his views to those of his ministers and
against public opinion. demanding that
even in these matters his opinion be &C
cepted? There is no important question,
administrative, political or intellectual, in
which his opinion must not be awaited
without considering the judgment of per-
sons familiar with the matters involved and
the preparatory work of his ministers. Tn
der William I the ministers We're the heads
of their departments; under William II all
high officials are in a perpetual state of
nervousness and the privy councillors suf-
fer with insomnia. They fear that any
instant may see the development of new
ideas.