The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-12-29
CHRISTMAS GIFTS DELAYED FOR DAYS Returning Immigrants Block
 Traffic In Europe THE KAISER'S CHRISTMAS Spends the Day, as Is Ills Custom, With Members of His Family.
 Will Honor Nathan
 Straus.
THE KAISER'S CHRISTMAS
BY MALCOLM CLARKE.

Berlin, December 2S.-(Special cable.) J. Thousands of people in the southern and eastern parts of Germany and through out Austria did not receive their Christ mas presents in time because of the con- tinued influx of returning immigrants All railroad service on main and branch lines between Bremen and Hamburg in the west and frontier stations on the Austrian and Russian frontier, has been entirely demoralized because of the thousands of disappointed would-be Americans who have come back on every steamer
 The Austrian government railroad, run ming from the stations of Oderberg to Vienna, was forced to give up running freight trains a week before Christmas because of the enormous increase in the passenger service, and freight is now piling up at such a rate that 1t will take more than a month to restore order, and this only In case the number of immi- grants should decrease, as 1t usually does, after Christmas every year.
 The Kaiser, who, 1t Is now admitted. is suffering from a slight attack of influenza, spent the holidays with his family, as has been his custom for years, and the few people who saw him during the holidays declare that he Is In a very nervous state of mind.
 In spite of the fact that the Emperor is in poor health, it has been decided that unless he should grow worse he will not leave Berlin until the middle of March, when he, with the whole imperial family will go to the island of Corfu, where sev- eral weeks will be spent in the beautiful villa of Achilleion, which the Emperor bought from Francis Joseph of Austria and presented to the Empress.
 Crown Princess Cecilie may go south before the rest of the imperial family, as it is considered dangerous to have her remain in Berlin during the winter months. Since the birth of her second baby son she has grown very thin, and worry over the sickness of her favorite sister, Crown Princess Alexandrine of Denmark, who has just gone to an Austrian mountain resort in the vain hope of being cured of consumption, has broken the spirit of the formerly gay and light-hearted wife of Crown Prince Wilhelm.
 It has not yet been decided whether the young couple will go direct to Corfu ah cad of the Kaiser or spend some time at the Recerie but the latter Is considered the more probable.
 I am informed upon excellent au- thority that high Prussian order will be conferred upon Nathan Straus the well known philanthropist, in consider ation of his gifts to the cities of Heidelberg and Carlsruhe. MT. Straus was received In special audience last week by the Dowager Grand Ouch ess Louise of Baden, who wanted to thank him personally for what he had done for the health of the future generation by donating his free milk stations
 The Nestor of German socialists, Au- gust Bebel, who is now 6S years of age, has begun to write his memoirs, and expects to have them finished within year.
 As Rebel has been prominent in poli- tics for more than 35 years and, bet ter than any one else, knows the secrets of the socialistic party, the book Is ex- pected to cause d sensation when 1t ap- pears.
 As a result of the exchange of pro- fessors between Germany and Ameri- ca a number of German colleges have decided to introduce the study of the English language instead of French. IN il number of gymnasiums (high schools) the study of English Is now compul- sory while the students are allowed to decide whe ether they want to study French or not.