The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1907-07-22
taking Luncheon
With The kaiser
German Emperor Has Sew
eral Ideas About The
Art.
A SOLEMN FUNCTION
Interesting Account Of a
Frenchman at the I'm
perial Court.
A SOLEMN FUNCTION

ana the DurGen OF the talk SnlileQ u
his companion, who had known Will
| liam II rather as an amateur and
patron of the arts. 1t had pleased the
sovereign to honor him with an invita-
ton to luncheon and the method of it
had been altogether German. Heaven
lknows--and we French, too-that there
is rule and system in France, but
Germany Is the paradise of them in
exact minuteness. An imperial lunch
con was indeed a solemn function. but
it was part and parcel Of a Germany
that provided you with numbered re-
eeptacles for temporary abandoned ci-
gars and cigarettes; that warned you
on every letter box not to forget to
address and to stamp your letter, and
that if you were living in apartments
gave you little box into which the
bakers boy could slip the morning
rolls. The Frenchman stepped into his
study, and took from a drawer huge,
oblong Of bristol board. On it were the
| imperial arms; below in the blacklist
and precisest Of characters the invita-
ton to the imperial luncheon table,"
addressed by the name to the guest
and signed by the marshal Of the
court, Then-the strange part of 1t
all--was a polite request ito read the
other side, and on it were minute di-
lreotions as to the dress to be worn, and
as to entrance to the palace. The
guest was to enter by the gate of
such and such a number cross to a
door of another number, proceed by q
certain stairway, and finally reach the
apartment where the appropriate off,
Ger of the imperial household would
await him.
1t was all magnifcently systematic.
You. seemed to be propelled by invisi-
1 Bile machinery into the imperial pres
ence through Introduction to the en-
iperor and finally to the table itself.
You seemed to discover yourself there
il and then gradually to realize what was
passing around you. The other guests
3 were men Of the court and Of the arts
"A --plainly, except few strangers, like
A the Frenchman-lnen with whom the
emperor was on comparatively fani-
I liar terms. AS conslderate host, he
sought first of all, but very unobtru-
4 sively, to put his new guests at. their
| ease. He showed the same quiet pose
that the other Frenchman had observ-
ed in his graver interview, but now il
was lighter and more supple The
, lemperor talked lightly Of trifles to his
, quests. AS they warmed to self.
possession he gave quick pleasantrie;
; and received them In return. He leaned
eagerly toward some guest with whom
he would converse and as the talk pro
lceeded, he touched him lightly on arm
I Tor shoulder to emphasize the poin
that he would make. Again he wal
courteous without condensation; init
: innate without touch of grosser fani
. liarity You never forgot his position
when YOU most felt his charm. Hi
uniform-every one else was frocR
| coated-seemed the visible sign of al
: this. He talked much and impartially
q He paid agreeable compliments as o
one who knew each mans work and
distinguishing trait or two Of 1t. H
5 Laughed often and heartily and he list
g ened often with shrewd half smil
!. THAT now and then turned littl
knocking.
The conversation became general
f wandered into this bypath or the 9th
er, and nowhere was the emperor with
out some ready and significant sayin
: that now and then was genuinel
!, acute He spoke warmly of his inter
est and his delight in the arts and
Ilightly-of his own practice of som
of them. He recalled the inciden
= when out of the senidarkness c
/ the auditorium at the opera house
u had instructed the ballet master as
s the dances in a ballet that he ha
n seen elsewhere, and that the dancer
$ could barely follow, so awed were the
from the source whence these direC
IS lions came. He had been that morn
/ ing at a rehearsal at another of tn
/ state theaters, and he feared that tn
o reviewers might not like the play s
e well as he did.
:, He spoke Of his own drawings an
: of the permission he had finally give
to have reproductions of them printed
Q After all, he was an amateur in thes
d things. His ear was his only guide
music; and a printed score sgniie
nothing to him. He had sketche
what pleased him like petite femm
IAnglaise' wandering about the Unite
l. den Linden He liked old music be
cause 1t was limpid. Complex, suh
tie, evasive modern music he could nc
l. understand. 1t sought hidden thing
d and APPARENTLY failed to discover then
i So he preferred old pictures becaus
"a he could understand them, too. Fl
loved simplicity in the arts, and h
u was wary of vagaries and subtletie
y He smiled even at his own creed, an
" he became more and more animated q
! he talked of it, Then he passed
II trihes again, with the insistent heart
y laugh, the readiness to be amused q
every flash of wit and to do as niue
u by the company as 1t was doing b
e HIM Then swiftly his air changed
s. Thoughts Of business and engage
ments seemed to recur to him. Agai
Vt he became the gravely courteous hos
o He rose, took half ceremonious, hal
IS gracious leave of us, and the luncheo
e was done.
'sWas the crown prince. at the lunch
eon?" one of the listeners asked. M
he had not come. One Of the guest
IS had said that he was not interested
4 the arts. and gossip ran IN Berlin tha
It behind his fathers back he mad
l