The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-07-06
He Has Wonderful Collection of
Drawings of Him
self.

n ARICATURISTS on this side OF the
Atlantic may be Interested to
| learn that every caricature
which they have ever printed in the
public press of the German Kaiser
finds place In his wonderful collec-
| ton OF caricatures of himself, Ger
man as we'll as foreign. that I'LL u mum
Der of folio volumes of his library in
| the Neues Palais at Potsdam. He has
been collecting them ever since no
attained manhood. that is to say, for
period considerably over thirty
years. and 1t must DO borne In mind
! that since his accession to the throne,
! Just a quarter OF century ago
scarcely week has passed without
| his figuring In caricature. boN, in tho
German and In the foreign press.
AT first the German newspapers,
| particularly the comic press. held
! back. being afraid OF mourning tho
| divers pains and penalties, including
iines and imprisonment. provided for tho
archaic crime or lcse majestic But
| Emperor William soon caused II to be
known that he should look upon every
caricaturo OF himself as Joke, and
az subject for amusement rather
! than ofensc. This caused German
caricaturists to set aside their npprc-
! tensions. and to abandon their eau
! ton and reserve.
| Some OF tho unkindest caricatures
that have ever been printed OF the
| Kaiser have been designed on this
side OF tho Atlantic. But no matter
! now much ridiculc they lavished upon
| the Kaiser. they have all been care
| fully filed away In his collection.
1t is collection the examination or
which cannot fail to have taught him
| many 4 salutary lesson For the carl
ca,ures and cartoons have served TO
call his attention to his little weak
nesses. TO the things that he has done
and the things that he has said that
| have invited satire. No one else. GER
tainly not his ministers. not even the
members OF his family and his near
est relatives. would have cared to
! point out 10 him tho errors OF his
ways, In the manner that this has
| been accomplished by caricaturcs
which. every ono OF them bearing the
name of the artist, cannot even be re-
| Eardcd rs anonymous attacks upon
his conduct. That he should have col
! lcctcd them shows that tho Emperor
! has wonderful amount OF up-to-date
common sense. ana that he has also a
verNekeen sense OF humor. which is
n saving grace in every human being
and especially In monarchs And I'm
ally the fact that tho Kaiser should
! have so !ndustriously compiled all the
that AT heart he has far less pride and
sclf-suf'icicncy than that with which
he is so generally credited. Like all
! really brilliant and clever mon. he is
at heart doubtful about himself and
from his youth up. his arcctation or
self assurance has very often. II not
| all the timc. been employed by him
! 10 conceal mis- dinidence.
Another very celebrated collection
] Of caricatur.s is that contained In the
| royal library at Windsor Castle, form
| ed by Queen Victoria, and continued
by Edward VII. and her grandson. the
/ present King. The old Queen was an
| invetcrate reader of the comic papers.
! and the caricatUres OF which She was
mostly fond were those OF political
nature. especially the ones relating
to her own constitutional advisers at
home ana to her relatives abroad
Aware OF this hobby Of Her Majesty,
each English statesman who held cab
/ met office during her reign, made n
/ point OF keeping her supplied with all
the caricaturcs that appeared In any
domestic or foreign paper OF himself
They were sent to the Queen from time
TO time In the form OF scrapbooks OF
| certain pattern, and all alike; and
inasmuch as every minister who serv-
| ed her, from her accession to the
throne until her death. sixty-four
years afterwards. kept UP the practice.
/ which was continued throughout tho
reign OF Edward VII. IL will be un-
! derstood that the great library OF
! Windsor Castle contains a very COM
! pleta and unique collection OF the po-
litical caricatures of the Victorian era.
They will form in time TO come an
! invaluable corollary TO the history or
| the nineteenth and twentieth centu-
rics. much in the same way as In
too fur ~
cartoons OF Gilray enable us 10 un-
derstand mary things IN connection
with the reign of King George III OF
| England which would otherwise re-
! main incomprchens!blc.
Caricatures, when they take the
form OF political cartoons. do not
merely follow the opinion of the pub
lie, but frequently lead it. exercising
an astonishing influence upon the
course of events. A cartoon in the
pages of London punch has sometimes
| sufficcd 70 turn at it's flood the tide or
popular sentiment: while II was the
appearance of n wonderful picture IN
tho now defunct Tomahawk. showing
! the throne vacant and the crown close
by, covered with Il glass case. queen
| Viotoria's Highland gillie. John Brown
leaning with his arm presumptuously
| on tho glass case, the Queen behind
! him. on q lower step OF the dais. wip-
| ing away tears as she gaZed at bust
Of her dead husband, that served to
! recall her to her senses. and TO remind
| her in the latter sixties that the nurs-
ing OF her grief was causing her to
neglect her duties to the nation. BY
no other means could this have been
| accomplished.
Almost every country is represented
in these collections of caricatures he
longing to the Kaiser at Potsdam,
and to King George at Windsor, even
Turkey. China and Japan. One alone
| is absent, namely, Russia. For al
though the Czarina is a wonderfully
| clover and amusing caricaturist. ana
| Nicholas H. has whole volumes OF
| caricatures which she hhs made. or
himself, of the other members of the
| reigning house OF Romanoif. of the
| dignitarics of his court, Of his army,
! and Of the leading statesmen the press
| laws of Russia are still in such n con-
dition that comic papers are out OF
| the question in the Muscovite empire.