The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1918-02-21
HOHENZOLLERN LINE
KAISER'S ANCESTORS HAVE NOT
BEEN WARLIKE RACE.
Wilhelm III Inherited All Weakness,
Niciousness. Vanity and Willfuness,
Which Trained by Rule OF Bismarck
Have Brought CataClysm TO World.

Los Angeles Times: 1t might be sup.
posed that Wilhelm II inherited his war
like spirit from long line OF hghting
men, and that the Hohenzollern line rep
resented men OF might and strength.
The history Of the last 100 years of this
dynasty is one to upset this fallacy.
Frederick William ILL., who ruled in the
early half Of the nineteenth century,
was a man of hestant. apprehensive
character, melancholy and pessimistlc
always expecting defeat, and generally
accommodated. His wife, the beautiful
Queen Louise Of Prussia, was woman
Of strength of character, with a hope.
full, happy disposition as understandings
Of the needs of her country, and q com.
prehension Of men and affairs which her
royal spouse utterly lacked. She is the
great grandmother Of the present
kaiser, but she was not a Hohenzollern,
vet her character Is the only one for
the past 100 years on the prussian
throne which shows any strength. She
displays in her letter to her relatives n
spirit Of true religious devotion, but at
no place does she imply that she or her
husband are rulers under divine selec.
ton, as Kaiser Wilhelm has always as.
serted Of himself. Queen Louise died
when she was thirty-siX, and before
Prussia had recovered from the Ma.
poleOn wars. When her oldest son be.
came King Of Prussia he displayed the
same weakness his father had possessed
and very little Of the strength Of his
mothers character. In letters which
Queen Louise wrote while he was yet q
Young boy, she was fearful about his
timidity and wavering Of purpose. And
as Frederick William " his reign was
one Of weakness and vacillatIon As he
lied without heirs, the throne went To
William, his brother, later known as
Emperor William l, the grandfather OF
the present kaiser Thus the Hohen2ol
'ern line, which should have followed
7own in an entirely different direction
was turned aside, and Wilhelm II is
emperor of Prussia not through the
'ivine grace OF Cod so much as through
the unusual twist Of rate.
Emoeror William ! inherited MS
mothers charm. lie was siXty-thrce
when he came to the throne and was a
pleasant kindly man, wholly urable 10
meet the eXigences OF the occar lion. AL
most Immediately he wished to ab1cate
being overwhelmed with affairs Of state
which he had to face 1t was then tina.
Bismarck, a man Of forty-seven. was
recommended to William, and became
his chancellor. 1t was Bismarck wnc
was the man Of blood and iron. II was
Bismarck who made Prussia a country
TO be considered. 1t was Bismarck VINO
built up the military who planned anc
ntrigued, and schemed who brought
about the wars of 1862, Of 1866 and 1870
to add power and prestige to Prussia
II was Bismarck who made William
German emperor; ii wa Bismarck who
demanded the great indemnity Of Al
SAGE and Lorraine from France beside
,he 81 600 600 600 I'm money. II was Brs
marck who when he brought about his
wars for expansion was shrewd enough
to provoke first Austria and ther
France into declaring war against Prus
STA, so that he might cry that they ha,
70 fieht for their lives, exactly as they
cried in the present war And WIZ
helm II was the willing ana eager pupr
of Bismarck methods, although as soor
as Wilhelm II came to the throne he
and Bismarck who had built up the
military autocracy, and Bismarck who
taught the German mind to hate Eng
land. Wilhelm II is the spawn OF Bis
ma"cl. The Hohen2ollern line Of which
Wilhelm II has always so piously boast
ed, does not seem to be responsible for
the Prussian militarism half so mucr
as does the Bismarck influence. VIII
helm II inherited all the weakness OF
his line, its viciousness, its vanity. us
willfulness, and these trained by tne
rule Of blood and iron Bismarck. a
raining Of ruthlessness, intrigue, du
1licity and utter lack of national honor
result in the present cataclysm to the
world
Boston TranscriDt "TuDitcr ba,