Palisadian. [volume] (Cliffside Park, N.J.) 1906-current, 1917-12-08
His Majestic Myself

When at the Union League Club
banquet given in New York in April
1899, Captain Coghlin, of the United
States Navy, recited the now famous
verses entitled "Hoch der Kaiser" or
"Me-und Gott," the verses were re-
celved amid roars of laughter. It is
said, however, that the captain, for
! reasons of state diplomacy, had to be
reprimanded pro forma by the Secre-
tary of the Navy-though we can
well believe the story, then current,
| that the reprimand was accompanied
and softened by twinkle in the Sec
retary's eye.
But there is another bit of verse,
In much the same vein as the one
made famous by Captain Coghlin,
which, besides escaping the charge of
blasphemy that might be brought
against "Me-und Gott," is much wit
tier of the two jingles. Written
twenty-five years ago by John Ken
drick Bangs-originally as an offhand
and ephemeral bit of satire-it has
since been lost sight of. But it is
worthy of being recalled to public at
tention in the present world crisis,
when the free peoples of the world
have awakened to the arrogant and
dangerous pretentions of this Mad
Mullah of modern nations.
Like "Me-und Gott," Mr.. Bangs
jingle has in a sense ceased to be
humorous, because unconsciously it
was prophecy of the autocratic and
anachronistic position that is still
claimed by the House of Hohenzol-
lern in this era of popular liberty.
Moreover, as in the case of "Me-und
Gott," we now see that it symbolizes
the arrogant attitude taken by Prus-
sianized Germany toward the rest of
the world.
Before quoting Mr.. Bangs skit on
the Kaiser, it will perhaps interest
the readers of this article to know
how he came to write it.
When Kaiser Wilhelm II had been
upon the throne about two years he
dismissed Bismarck, the pilot of the
new German Empire. The writer Of
this article matriculated at the Berlin
University shortly after that sensa-
tional event. In the flush of his
things the youthful Kaiser did was to
repudiate one of Bismarck's pet for
eign policies. The Iron Chancellor,
who was then living in virtual exile
at his country estate Friedrichsruhe,
growled his criticisms of the new de-
parture.
Thereupon, in a speech delivered
to the Brandenburg Regiment, this
modern Caesar, in the following head
strong utterance, sharply reminded
! his former mentor of the new order Of
things-"Ich bin der Herr i'm Lande-
| Ich verde keinen amieren dulden"-
| am the Lord of the Land-I will toll
crate no other" before Me).
That bold challenge was like an
echo from the Ten Commandments
making one think of the thunders and
lightnings of Sinai, and with a gasp
the world realized that the new War
Lord of Germany meant to carry
things with high hand. The dictum
of the Kaiser. which we now recog-
nize as thoroughly characteristic, re-
/ calls remark that was made q
think u by Southey, who said that he
"once fknew man who had reached
such d pitch 81 selfcoEceitAsssaAe~ -
never spoke of himself without first
taking off his hat" The Kaiser's
/ rebuke of Bismarck was clear case
j of ellis Majesty MYSELF"
! That prologue to the Hohenzollerr
/ Decalogue fell under the eye of John
/ Kendrick Bangs, and he was moved ia
/ write the deliciously satirical lines
i quoted below. He whimsically pro-
4 fessed to have found them in the
Kaiser's personal wastepaper basket
and that he had sent the original to
the British Museum for safekeeping
Had he been in Germany he would
undoubtedly have been indicted for
,lese-majeste.
| The short opening lines are the
motifs or text of what follows:
/ Wilhelm The Only-His Speech
t Oh Me,
Oh My.
And likewise l!
Sit still we churls, whilst l crate
ME, /. MYSELF, the Throne, the
State,
1 am the Earth, the Moon, the Sun,
All rolled in one,
Both hemispheres am /.
Oh, My.
| If there were three,
The three I'd be.
am the Dipper, Night and Day.
The North and Southern Poles, the
Milky Way.
I'm they that walk, or fly on wing,
Or swim or creep-I'm EVERY
THING
1t makes me tremble like an aspen
| tree,
1 To think Pm ME-,
And blink like stars up in the sky,
] To think Pm l,
And shrink in terror, like fright
! ened elf,
To realize that I'm-MYSELF.
Ye blithering slaves beneath by iron
heel,
What know We of the things feel?
Did't ever walk at dead of night
| And stand in awe of thine own might :?
God took six days to make the land
and sea
But CENTURIES were passed in
making ME-,
The universe ?-an easy task. But / =?