The sun., 1914-09-13

reign of his poor canceruus father Fred
erick Ah, William had escaped his
| parents long before that time. Bismarck
had got him away from them; an
easy game for the old diplomat in whom
ferocious energy and supreme cunning
were blended.
| bismarck never cared for the Em-
| peror Frederick, who he thought wished
| tn change the order of things. and as for
| the Empress he ahomnatcd her because
| OF her English ideas and referred to her
| as the stranger" lie devoted himself
to filling William with the appetite for
power, taught him tn Criticise every
| written and spoken word of his father
and to believe that the influence of his
therefore dangcroS0 T1r Hssmarck
| shrcwd as he was, could not foresee
| how far the young mans love of power
would lead him.
The relations between the Empress
| Frederick and her son became at last So
bitter that william placed spies about
her--cNen in the bedroom Of his in
Nalidcd father.
Through one of these spies William
learned of the existence of a journal
which his father had kept for some
years. Frederick had taste for writ
ing. and the fact that there was cold
ness between him and his son led Will
lam to fear that this secret journal
might contain some criticism Of his con-
duct. The fear of It haunted him and
he bent all his thoughts To obtaining
puss, Ssiun of 1t.
The Empress, however, was clever
enough To- conceal the diary before her
I. 4
lance of her son, she sent the papers To
her mother. Queen Victoria, or To- her
brother. then Prince of Wales don't
remember which.
Hardly had his father drawn his last
breath when William. over the dead
body. performed his first official act
1t was To demand of his widowed
mother the journal, which he termed
memorial"
The Empress fclgncd Ignorance.
William insisted. He spoke as master.
giving his mother the order tn obey.
She persisted in declaring that she knew
nothing of the paper. Her son menaced
her brutally with his wrath. To his
dry ewes her tears were only stratagem.
The more she resisted the more deter
mined he became. 1t seemed to him that
the importance of the papers might he
| measured by the stubbornness of her
| opposition, besides which he was en-
ra ged that in the first hour Of the reign
he had so feverishy awaited some one
dared thwart him.
Was not his mother merely princess
Of the house OF which he was the head?
Was she not merely lady Colonel of one
"f his regiments? Was she not his
subject? Anger drove him stark mad.
Well" he commanded, purple with
wrath. "you will remain under close ar
rest until you have obeyed me-
Bismarck, arriving at Potsdam two
hours after this. found the palace sur
| rounded by Squadrons of armed cavalry.
The Emperor, whom he found still
excited, told the old Chancellor how he
| had met the disobedience uf his mother.
| And she need not expect pity or con-
sdcration until she has obcyed me he
declared. You understand that, Mr..
| Chancellor? Until she has obeyod me-
The pupil had gone much too far. Bis
| marCk saw AT once that the buiioon"ry
continued might mar the whole of Will
| iam's reign. Later in life, he said, he
used to wonder how he kept from laugh
ing in his sOvcreign's face.
What he did was To receive Williams
| news with dcfcrcntial silence, and later,
| when the Emperor was Calmcr, show
| him that his course was sure To meet
with general disapproval. There was a
| way, he thought. of proceeding much
| more vigorously and at the same time
etiicaciuusly. why not rather cut
down the income of the Empress? Sus-
pend her appanages?
| II know her Majesty" said the good
Bismarck. "She has pride. Forced
| arrest she can brave out, accepting IL
as "A sort of martyrdom: but the money,
Sire, the moncy.-who can resist
money!"
Further he laid tactful stress upon
| the probable representations ot Eng
land. lis it really the moment, Sire
The Kaiser, becoming appeased, lis
tened to Bismarck's counsel. The
arrest of the Empress was removed
The officers led their cavalry back TO
quarters. and William turned his at
t,ntIon to the details of his father :
| ubsequics, when he Wlsheu " NC ih'H'
| fastidious!
The struggle between the DowaSer
| Emprcss and her son lasted for sew
cral months; six at least. Finally tn"
Emperor obtained the manuscript ana
the Empress her money.
Was it not "a worthy debut, l ask
YOU. for an Emperor, who, despairlhE
Of ever attaining the glory of having
lmadc Bismarck, discerncd that IN"
glory of daring to dismiss him was the
only thing that could be thrown into
| the balance?
What did he risk after all? Ger
many was already made!
And so it comes about that the
Gruenderzcit has. in William H., the
first new fashioned Emperor of Ger
many: an Emperor of hrilliancy ana
noise. He squares himself majestl-
cally upon the imperial throne and
caracolcs spcctacularly upon the helo
of manTuvres.
His character is paradoNlcal, some
| times | think of him as good German
boy, lie has some true friends 100
some Of them obscure people, ahSolut"lS
disintcrcsted. To hear him talk ln'l'
mntrlv. without arroganc" or pomp, hl'
body slouching in a low armchair ah'
his legs crossed high, smoking ms plp'
and laughing boisterously' one car
hardly realize that he Is actually th'
formidable autocrat who tcrrorlzes no
only his own country but the Whol'