Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1914-12-16
THE REAL KAISER
BEHIND THE MASKS
Wilhelm ii Only Man Like Many
Others, But a Man of Mystery--Sur-
prises of Diverse Personality--A
Biography Difficult TO Write.
Rr VANCE THOMPSON


He has even been seriously depicted the
Antlchrlst In Switzerland in Italy and
France I saw thousands Of savage and often
! indecent caricatures OF the Kaiser} and it is
strange and disconcerting fact that these
| postcards were made and printed In Ger
many-chiefiy in Munich.
on the other hand, the German, and espe-
cially the German-American, papers have
lent themselves to laudatlon-almost to deifi-
cation--of this unhappy sovereign one Ger
man professor-it was DR.. Adolf Lassen, pro-
fessor of philosophy in the University Of
Berlin-could find neither English nor Ger
man words fit to express his alteration of
the Kaiser and rising into Latin, he de-
clared Wllhelmus Secundus to be delica
generls humani-"the delight of the human
race'-which is quite as absurd as to call
him the Antichrlst
In Many Roles
The Kaiser is man like many others; he
Is an unhappy man with a tragic destiny
Amid all this adulatipn and vituperation 1
wonder whether 1t is possible to tell the
truth about the predestined man l have seen
him many times in the year, I have studied
him as one OF the most significant problems
in European history, and most of what I
know about him l have learned from his
German subjects. Perhaps, after all, it Is
best not to write too much, but little truth
never hurt any one-living or dead
When he came to the throne more than
quarter Of a century ago he surprisedyevery
one. He had been known as an authoritative
and bellicose Prince, and his speeches and
proclamations showed him as a pacific and
courteous monarch. And throughout the
ha bus IN eli 10
has done everything and been everybody,
and in his multiple dlsguses it is hard to
tell just who the real Wilhelm is. Is he
hunter, yachtsman, stater-he has posed in
each role-or is he painter, musician, poet
or preacher? He has played every part That
is why he is so elusive as a man. At the
moment you saw him dressed as Prussan
general; i'm an hour he was disguised as an
Austrian field marshal, an English admiral
or colonel OF the BersaGlier He has worn
the casque Of the Deaths Head Hussars and
the fez of the Turk. Under all these shifts
and changes OF costume and attitudes what
sort of real man was hid?
Physically, not an impressive man.
TIE German Kaiser is short and OF late
years rather stout
Seeking an Ideal wilhelm
Rather short and stout, with a clear eye
and an imperlous look, with n wilful chin
and straight, strong nose, with sensual
nostrlls and lips-that is he. The mustache
you know. Sometimes he wears IT dropping,
sometimes twisted up into truculent curves;
sometimes clipped short. He is always ex-
perimenting with it; and with his hair One
year he parts his hair on the side; another
year 1t stands erect EN- brasse. He has al
ways loved to vary his personal appearance,
seeking, as it were the definite and ideal
Wilhelm he is to hand on to posterity 1t is
as though in all these transformations he
had been trying to find himself. A man of
peace and prayer And yet you remember
the Moroccan crisis? 1t was as though wild
Mars awoke in him. He stormed down into
Alsace-L Lorraine-he leaped from city to city,
filling them with midnight alarms, with
bugle calls and drum beats. Some haunting
ghost of the Great Frederick had chased
away the Lohengrin in him. But he did not
make war.
That is the thing to bear in mind.
Twice he threatened but he did not make
war.
The gesture satisfied him. He had spoken
like warrior and he was content. The mere
attitude suficed. Here think we are getting
close to the ,heart Of this mystery.
Great actor, great poet, great diplomat,
great orator, great warriOr-it was in his sad
destiny that he should try to be each of
them and all, The malicious Countess van
Eplnghoven" states 1t was Professor Knack-
fuss, of Cassel, who painted his pictures
aided by Karl Saltzmann, who put in the
landscape and marine; that the Court Chap
lain Frommel wrote his sermons; that Won
Moltke composed the famous Hymn to
Fair; and that the military discourses were
prepared by the officers of his military house
hold. I do not quite believe it. In way he
did all these things. He lived for a while In
these diverse personalities. And the good
Germans, his subjects, averred It.
Tragic Destiny
DO you remember book once famous?
1t was written by Professor Quidde, of
Munich, and 10000 copies were sold in the
first two weeks In all 100000 copies were
sold and the professor made a small fortune
more than Mommsen or Won Treltschke
gained in 10 years The title was "Caigula
a Study Of the Insanity Of cesarian Power"
and what the professor did was to establish
a parallel between the acts OF the successor
of Tiberius and those OF the Kaiser of Ger
many Vaguely remember some Of the com
parsons. Like Wilhelm II. caliguIa loved
the theatre and posed himself as an actor.
taking all parts. singer gladiator. dancer;
and. too, he was fond Of making speeches.
And then. ! remember, caIigula announced
his intention OF invading Great Britain; and
he marched bis leslons 10 the sea.
That was all
And Professor ouidde, In his book. recalls
the fact that when Caligula came to the sea-
shore he ordered his legions TO gather up the
seashells and carry them back 10 Rome as
'spoils Of the conquered ocean"
! do not say that aoross these German
anecdotes and polemles you can Sc the real
Kaiser; but ! think you can see at least a
hint u the real man-for be Is neither anti