The Carlisle independent., 1917-08-09


 private room wherein I worked with him, often smiled at the unseemly bus tie while he calmly discriminated among men and women according to their merits.
 It is in that calm discretion that the emperor excels. possessing almost un- canny foresight.
 "1 know. Frau Kleist has told me = were the words his majesty used on many occasions when 1 had yentured perhaps to express doubt regarding some scandalous story or serious ale gation. Therefore I was confident that the seventy-year-old dancing mistress whose past was a complete mystery, was an important secret agent of the emperor's.
 And what more likely? The kaiser. as ruler of that complex empire, would naturally seek to know the truth con- cerning those who sought his favor be- fore they were permitted to click their heels or wag their fans and bow the knee in his imperial presence. And he had. no doubt. with that innate cun- ming. appointed his creature to the po- sition of court dancing mistress. Emperors First View of an AirpIane.
 On October r, 1908, had returned with the emperor and his suite from Hamburg, where his majesty had been present at the launching of one of Herr Ballin's monster American liners. I was seated at the side table in his private room in the Berlin Schloss, taking down certain confidential in- structions which he wished to be sent at once by one of the imperial couriers to the comnandant of Posen.
 Suddenly Von Kahlberg. my col league. entered with a message and handed it to his majesty. The kaiser at once grew excited and. turning 10 me said:
 The crown prince sends word from Potsdam that the American, Orville Wright, is flying on the Bornstedter field. We must go at once. Order the cars. And, Yon Krahlberg. inform her majesty at once She will accompany us, no doubt"
 Quickly.I placed before his majesty one of his tographs-knowing that it would be wanted for presentation to the daring American-and he took up his pen and scrawled his signature across it.
 Within a quarter of an hour three of the powerfultcarS were on their way to POtsdam, the emperor with Herr Anton Reitschel-a high German off cial at Constantinople-and Professor Vambery in the first car: the kaiserin with her daughter, Victoria Luise and the latter's ober-gouvernante (govern- ess), with one of the court ladies, in the next; while in the third I rode with Major von Scholl, one of the equer- rieS.
 On arrival at the Bornstedter field it was already growing dusk. and a great disappointment awaited us. The crown prince rode up to inform us gravely that the flying was over for the day At this the kaiser grew angry, for he had been out once before upon a wild goose chase, only to find that Orville Wright had gone home, declaring the wind too strong
 At his fathers anger. however. .Wil- lie' burst out laughing, declaring that he was only joking, and that all was in readiness. Indeed, as he spoke. the aviator came up and I presented him to his majesty
 Then. while he stood alone in the center of the great, sandy plain. MT. Or vile Wright clambered into his ma chine and, rising, made many circuits high above us.
 The emperor stood with Herr Reit- schel and the shaggy old professor, straining his eyes with keenest inter- est. It was the first time his majesty had seen an airplane in flight Much had been promised of Von Zeppelin's invention. yet the German public had. until those demonstrations by the American aviator. taken but little heed of the heavier-than-air machine. At that time. indeed, the emperor had not taken up Von Zeppelin, and it was only after seeing Orville Wright's demon strations that he entered with any en- thusiasm into aeronautical problems.
 High above us against the clear eve ming sky, wherein the stars had already begun to twinkle, the daring American rose. dipped and banked. his machine droning like a huge gadfly, much to the interest and astonishment of the en- peror.
 Marvellous ,'' he exclaimed. as I stood beside him, with the empress on his right. How is it done?"
 The sight of man flying in the air. maneuvering his machine at will. rising swiftly. and then blaming down with the engine cut of, was one of the most amazing spectacles the loyal Potsdam- CTS had ever seen. Even the emperor. with all his dreams of world power, could never for moment have fore seen what a great factor airplanes wouId be fin WAT