New-York tribune., 1915-03-08
VON HINDENBURG KIND
TO MEN OF HIS ARMY
Unlike His Pictures, Writer Finds Nothing Grim About
Appearance of Germanys War f1ero-Poise
and Manner Those of Bismarck

, most Germans Of either high or low
degree, and for that one could love
him.
The benevolence of the man, on
which everybody comments, came out
only when he listened to others, es-
pecially to the young officers seated
opposite him. Then his smile was very
gentle ard fine. To the young and
TO the private soldiers they say he
is always kind, and the most touching
of the many little stories about him
heard showed that he did not forget TO
be kind during ever the Homeric week
of Tannenberg, when the safety OF
two of the richest cities of the era
pire, as we'll as of hundreds OF miles
of frontier, depended on his nod.
Courteous to Young Officer.
One day during that week a young
lieutenant who had been assigned to
the courier service came to him with
message.
The old man bent the wonderful eyes
on him.
"What is your name? ?" he asked.
Tt" Excellenz."
Amid turmoil and anxiety such as no
soldier has faced since Wellington
$1,000
loo. the generals mind leaped back pre-
cisely fifty years to the day wheh ne
was a lad in the cadet school.
1T. r" he said. 81 had a
comrade of that name when ! was in
cadet school :,
"He was my father, Excellenz,' the
lieutenant replied.
"You will have dinner with me TO-
NIGHT said the general.
"Jawohl, Excellenz," said the young
lieutenant.
Later will tell you why ] cannot
give the lieutenant's name. The rea-
son is interesting. The story, never
theless, is perfectly authentic.
Nothing Grim About Appearance.
And so. as studied the gentle, quiet
old warrior | could make nothing grim
out Of him, nor clearly discern the
rock hewn aspect the portraits so en-
phasize Indeed, don't know that !
would have studied his face long If he
had not been notable. ] whispered
as much to my wife.
80, | would" said she. "Those eyes,
they are wonderful. Such searching
eyes! They don't look. they strike"
Once toward the end of the meal,
while the field marshal was slipping
some beer, the director of the hotel
went to his table to pay his respects.
The general pointed to a large, severe
portrait of himself that hung at the
far end of the room, and then, with an
approving nod and smile that was
almost a grin, TO the picture OF beau
tiful lady, painted in the Galnsborough
manner, that hung on the opposite wal: !:
A few minutes later the field marshal
rose from the table, and every man III
the room, civilian as well as military,
rose with him and stood facing hlm IN
perfect silence. There was something
very thrilling about this, and when 1t
happened the lips of the women trem-
bled and the eyes of some OF them hiled
with tears.
The old man bowed low and kissed
the countess's hand. Then he advanced
from the table and faced the room,
bowling thrice or four times this way
and that and saying in deep, suave
voice, "Adieu, adieu, adieu."
Recalls Manner of Bismarck.
It was then that you got the effect of
his Bismarckian proportions and polse
He is six feet tall and he carries him
self so well that he looks more than
that. He made a superb picture of
quiet dignity, and as he stood there he
seemed indubitably a great, simple,
commanding man. He dominated that
roomful of notable soldiers, men of
title and civilians of power.
1t was the eyes as much as anything
that wrought the spell, for they were
not any more the eyes of drowsy old
lion, but of a lion that was seeing
everything knew then what my wife
had meant.
Two servants hurried to the door,
swung it wide and stood at attention
while the general, followed by the So
licitous Bernhard, made his exit. In
the entresol he paused to respond to
the bows of the hotel staff.