The Washington herald., 1914-08-07
War Lord Put to the Test.

One OF NapoleonS marShalS al waterloo Is re-
corded as saying that they recognized the mistake
made, but that the Emperor possessed personal
magnetism which compelled their admiration and
obedience to his WILL even when they knew him to
Ibe wrong The Kaiser of Germany seems to pos
sess the same magnetism and Germans of high and
low degree have followed and obeyed him when they
believed him to be wrong.
Germany has built up great army and navy as
we'll as great industries and commerce under the ad-
ministration of Emperor William IL In that he has
followed the example of the first Napoleon rather
than that of his own ancestors. But unlike Napoleon
l. or rather like Napoleon III he has acquired great
personal glory as a soldier without having had any
experience in war The first Emperor William, with
the aid of Bismarck and Won Moltke organized the
army and conducted the campaign which overwhelmed
France in 1870 and resulted in the German en-
pire When the present Emperor came to the throne
Germany's position military power had been es-
tablshed and one of his early acts was to drop
Prince Bismarck his counselor begin TO dominate
the policy OF Germany without the adviser who had
supplied the genius for creating the empire, and in
fact scorn all advice that did not harmonic with his
own imperial will
The Kaiser is known as the War Lord of Eu-
rope" and yet he is having his first experience
in real war. His reputation soldier has been
largely inherited and enlarged by attractive per-
sonalty, expanding ego a keen sense of the dra-
matte and the resultant publicity which follows a
man who has confidence in himself and the audacity
to unusual powers and prerogatives. In COM
mon American slang the Kaiser's reputation a
War Lord has been somewhat dependent on bluff
and after many years the bluff has been called, as
was that of Napoleon III by King William He has
waited for other power TO declare war on Ger
many; he has taken the initiative and declared war
on Russia, France, Great Britain, and Belgium and
sent his ultimatum to Italy. No monarch of modern
times has shown more audacious courage. He has
combined the dramatic attitudes OF Ajax and Col.
Roosevelt.
What will be the outcome of this general war
fare of Germany on all the other European powers
can only be conectured but it is an anti-emax in
the Kaiser's drama that his army has had its first
repuIse in the smallest kingdom OF Europe on ter
ritory that he had pledged Germany's aid for pro-
lection against invasion and to the historic field
of Waterloo, where the first Napoleon had his final
defeat the hands OF the English and the Prussians
That the German army in a dash to Paris should be
defeated on territory of small neutral power puts
upon Germany the criticism Of having challenged a
giant and fought pigmy with the pigmy displaying
the strength of David. Should English and French
troops join the Belgians and give final defeat the
Germans at the place where the English and
the Prussians crushed Napoleon century ago, ii
would complete the fasco of the War Lord who has
held Europe under hypnotic spell of fear for gen.
Grafton by his dash and his audacity, his martial
posturng, and his assumption of all the military
glories won by Germany in the past. Then would
fall another idol credited by the dramatists who make
war heroes without war, great discoveries of what
have been common highways for ages, great leaders
by the assumption of extraordinary powers and
virtues and great combinations of all these
binary qualifications of mortal man by aid of the
theatrical who poses them with appropriate
background before the for the moving picture
drama
The old Emperor William l. like Grant and Wei
! lnCton and other successful military commanders
did not boast of his fighting spirit. The present
Kaiser has not however stood alone in his assump-
ton of being a war hero without war experience OF
in his in hypnotzing the people with his ego
tism, his audacity and his assumption of superior
virtues. But his bluff has been called.