Omaha daily bee., 1906-08-26
Kaiser Reads Only Those Articles His
Reviewer Thinks he Should.
PERSONAL CENSOR FOR PRUsslAN KING
Result is that He Does Not Know Trend of
Thought.
HAS BUT VAGUE IDEA or JOURNALISM
Crftfcises Writers and IL Called
sharply TO Account by Influential
Newspaper which Questions
His Knowledge.

BERLIN. Aug. 2.-(special Cablegram.)-
Just at present the German emperor Is
having all kinds OF trouble with the news
papers and the newspapers are having all
sorts of trouble with the German emperor.
At the present moment the discomfort
with the fashion in which the kaiser is
kept Informed Of the trend OF public opin-
ion, both in Germany and abroad, is be-
coming more and more accentuated. For
his knowledge of the press opinion in Eu-
rope and in Germany his majesty is de-
pendent on the press bureau OF the Foreign
ONCE and the ministry OF the interior. In
each ministry there is special offcial
whose business II Is TO go through the
papers and cut out all that he thinks would
interest the kaiser or that II is advisable
he should read. II. however. this Official
as is likely develops into a sort Of censor,
who decides what the kaiser should or
should not read, his majesty ends by having
a completely false idea Of what is happen
ing In the world.
No Good I'm once.
Your correspondent used to watch the
process of the preparation of the kaiser's
mental pabulum in the wllhelmstrasse a
matter Of a dozen years ago. At that time
supervision was entrusted 20 Herr Ga
briel, one of the assistants Of Geheimrath
Lindau, and later Of Lindau's successor,
Geheimrath Rossler. Your correspondent
first met Herr Gabriel in Sofia, in Bulgaria,
when he was German vice consul in that
principality, he was young and pushful
German diplomatist OF considerable intelli-
gence, intelligent enough, at least to give
the kaiser a fair selection from the Euro
pean press. He is now back in the east
| L..
distinctly inferior, Just as 0eheimrath Ham,
mann. the present chief of the press bureau,
ia as far inferior TO his predecessor.
Geheimrath Rossler, as the latter was to
Geheimrath Lindau. Under these circum-
| stances Il is not to be wondered at II the
kniser occasionally goes on at tangent.
His knowledge OF the trend of European
public opinion is poisoned at the source.
| Recently the German emperor has given
indications that he ts breaking through this
| false environment-ssticKing over the
traces" as you would say in America For
instance, there was the remarkable inter.
view with M. CASTOR Menier OF chocolate
| fame. While on cruise In northern waters
on board his yacht Ariane he met the
kaiser and was imperially entertained by
! him. The kaiser. talking French all the
time, showed that he knew Paris and its
latest fashions or fads 20 his finger tips
He discussed the theater hat question with
keen interest. and proved an uncompro'
missing opponent of big millinery. He dit
not talk much politics. but did not avoit
| them. on the contrary. touching upon tn,
/ Franco-German incident OF last year, ht
said that his Intentions had been mis-
understood and misconstrued," and accused
the press in the matter.
! Kaiser Rs Critic.
The irresponsibiiity prevailing in Journal
ism the kaiser considered most singular
In other professions certain conditions
| must be fulfilled. Journalists require neither
study nor examination. A young man o.
% can write in the greatest and most re
spected journal In the world articles which
make the deepest impression on his contem
| porartes. #-r-.
While employing all the necessar!
courtesy of language in criticsing tn
kaiser's views, there is much, indignation
expressed here that his majesty should re
sort to these regrettable generalizations oi
such insufficient evidence. The Berline
Tagebiatt, for example wants to know
where those a2-year-old leader writer's are
According to the Hamburger Nachrichten
the kaiser, early In his reign, did reail!
try 10 understand the press. but relin
quishsd the idea after he had set on foo
and qualifications OF the men who wrot
for It. His inquiries at the time were con
Quoted by military men. and It is believe,
that the kalser's lingering dislike to tn
fourth estate is largely due to the infiu
ence Of his military advisers. who nourisl
traditional suspicious of newspaper mel
skANu