Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-02-07


know of the feverish anxiety he
showed when as son of the heir appar-
ent he watched the progress of his
fathers illness at San Reno while the
old grandfather was SLOWLY petrifying
on the throne. You have heard. too,
of his parricidal fever during the hun
dred days reign OF his poor cancerous
father. Frederick. All. 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 ferooious energy
and supreme cunning were blended.
Abominated Empress
Bismarck never cared for the EN-
peror Frederick, who he thought
wished to change the order OF things,
and as for the Empress he aoominated
her because of her English ideas. and
referred to her as the stranger" be
devoted himself to filing William with
the appetite for power, taught him to
criticise every written and spoken
word OF his father and to believe that
the influence of his English mother
was antinational and therefore dan
gerous. But Bismarck. shrewd 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-even in the bedroom of his
invalided father.
Through one of these spies William
learned OF the existence OF a journal
which his father had kept for some
years. Frederick had a taste for writ
ing, and the fact that there was cold
ness between him and his son led Will
liam TO fear that this secret journal
might contain some criticism of his
conduct. The fear of il haunted him
and he bent all his thoughts to obtain
ing possession of It.
The Empress, however, was clever
enough to conceal the diary before
her husbands death. Eluding the sur
veillance of her son. she sent the pa
pers TO her mother. Queen Victoria, or
to her brother, then Prince of Wales
Il 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 feigned ignorance
William insisted. He spoke as master,
giving his mother the order to obey.
She persisted in declaring that she
knew nothing of the paper. Her son
menaced her brutally with his wrath
To his dry eyes her tears were only
stratagem. The more she resisted the
more determined he became. 1t
seemed TO him that the Importance of
the papers might be measured by the
stubbornness of her opposition, be-
sides which he was enraged that in
the first hour of the reign he had so
feNerishly awaited some one dared
thwart him.
Was not his mother merely a
princess of the house of which he was
the head? Was she not merely lady
Colonel OF one Of his regiments? Was
she not his subject? Anger drove
him stark mad.
Arrests Mother
We'll, he commanded. purple with
wrath you will remain under close
arrest until YOU have obeyed me-"
Bismarck, arriving at Potsdam two
hours after this, found the palace sur
rounded by squadrons of armed cav
airy.
The Emperor. whom he found still
excited, told the old Chancellor how
ne had met the disobedience of his
mother.
And she need not expect pity or
consideration until she has obeyed
me- he declared. You understand
that, Mr.. Chancellor? Until she has
obeyed met
The pupil had gone much too far.
bismarck saw at once that the buff
toohery continued might mar the
whole of Williams reign. Later in
me- ne said. he used to wonder how
ne Kept from laughing in his sover-
eign's face.
What he did was to receive Will
liam's news with deferential silence
and later, when the Emperor was
Gamer, show him that his course was
sure TO meet with general disapproval.
Ihere was way, he thought. of pro-
ceeding much more vigorously and at
the same time efficaciously. Why not
rather cut down the income of the
Empress? Suspend her appanages?
know her Majesty" said the good
Bismarck. She has pride. Forced
arrest she can brave out. accepting IL
as sort of martyrdom: but the
money. Sire, the money!-who can re-
sist money!"
Further he laid tactful stress upon
the probable representations of Eng
land. rs II really the moment, Sire ?''
The Kaiser. becoming appeased, lis
tened TO Bismarck's counsel. The ar
rest of the Empress was removed. The
onicers led their cavalry back to quar-
ters. and William turned his attention
to the details of his fathers obseouies
which he wished to be most fastidi-
Gus.
Struggle Lasted Months
The struggle between the Dowager
Empress and her son lasted for sew
eral months; six at least. Finally the
Emperor obtained the manuscript and
the Empress her money.
was II not a worthy debut. ask
YOU Tor an Emperor, who. despairine
oil ever attaining the glory of having
made Bismarck. discerned that the
glory OF daring 10 dismiss him was
the only thing that could be thrown
into the balance?
What did he risk, after all? Ger
many was already madei
And so il comes about that +ho
has, in William H.. the
hrst new-fashioned Emperor of Ger
many; an Emperor of brilliancv ana
noise. he squares himself majesticaIIv
upon the imperial throne and cara
coles spectacularly upon the field of
manoeuvres. VI
His character is paradoxical. Some
times | think of him as a good cor
man poy. lie has some true friends
TOO; some of them obscure peonIa sb
solutely disinterested. To hesr h,,,,
talk intimately. without arro1ance o.
pomp, his body slouchins in a Low,
armchair and his legs crossed bieb
smoking his pipe and laughing bois'
terously. one can hardly realize thar
ne is actually the formidable autocrat
Who terrorizes not only his own conn
trE' put the whole world with the
tumult or his personality.