The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1917-09-27

Sept. IL, 1917. Editor Brandon
News: If you will be kind
enough to allow me space in
your paper, will try and tell of
my visit to the Island of Achill-
ion, the famous summer palace
Iof Emperor William.
This island has a lofty peak
overlooking the Bay of Corfu.
AS we came to anchor Just off
the shore we noticed the French
flag flying over the palace, so
upon entering the gates the arms
of the Hohenzollerns blazed
from the massive iron gates
thrown back on either side. But
these proud arms were for the
moment obscured by the solid
rank of French soldiers; native
troops from French Senegal in
the heart of Africa, black as
coal, in the French unitcrm,
with red fez. They saluted the
| American officers as we passed
through the gate, and their
bugler sent a French bugle call
echoing through the German
Emperor's gardens.
| All about were. evidences that
the French had replaced Ger
man direction at this imperial
establishment, and that instead
of being a summer plaything for
majesty. it is now being put to
some real use.
The island itself is temporarily
under French military govern
or. French battleships and
cruisers crowd the harbor and
dominate the heights, and French
soldiers and sailors make up a
considerable part of this medley
of races emptied into Corfu by
the stress of war.
! Here al the palace grounds we
passed French Red Cross nurses,
administering to wounded SOL
diers in the olive groves, and
one of the high officers of the
French medical service came
from the palace to greet the
party as it arrived.
This palace of the Emperor is
one of the curiosities of the east,
and is typical in many ways of
the eccentric genius which con-
ceived it. There are palaces the
world over, but nothing quite
like this exists anywhere. Only
Emperor William could have de-
veloped such an idea. The
whole scheme is imperial and
heroic. The palace itself is
planted on the spot where Ulys-
ses came for his sojourn, and
from the imperial chamber one
looks out on the classic island of
Ulysses where the great hero
spent his leisure hours. Like
Ulysses, Emperor William always
came here for his leisure, and
every May until the war began
| the imperial yacht circled Eu-
rope from the North Sea to the
Eastern Medeterian in order
that he might enjoy the classics
and heroic surroundings during
the LOWEST period of the year.
Looking down the steep cliffs
one sees the imperial landing
place where the yacht was
moored during their visits. Here
the Emperor first set foot, reach
ling the palace by a flight of
steps,. heWn in rock, lined with
marble statues of Greek deities.
The palace dominates a vast
stretch of land and water. AL
leana, just across the strait, then
Greek Epirus to the south, the
mountains and villages of Corfu
near at hand. Italy lying low in
the dim distance to the west,
and the clear blue waters of the
Adriatic reaching in all direc-
tons. through the tangle OF
islands.
It is suggestive of imperial
ism, and one thinks of what En-
peror William had in mind when
he looked out on this circle of
many lands and their stragetic
waters, There is but one def
mite clue to his thought in the
heroic statue of Achilles, which
he built at the highest point
dominating all this land and
water. This statue is of bronze,
showing the hero armed from
head to foot, sword in hand and
shield on his breast, straining
forward for the fight and look
| ing intently out on this empire
| of foreign lands and waters
spread at his feet. Perhaps
William had in his mind some
thing more than toy palace
dedicated to Ulysses and Achilles,
and that the old Trojan heroes
revived dreams of universal con-
quest.
This palace is built of white
marble after the Greek classical