Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1918-01-12
Among Other Things That the Wal
Has Cost the German Emperor Il
His Sea-Island Home.
MOST ELABORATE IN THE WORLD
Art, Scenery and Historical Setting
Combine to Make 1t Most Won.
derful Place of Kind.

lerns blazed from the massive iron
gates thrown back on either side. But
these proud arms were for the mo-
ment obscured by the solid ranks of
French soldiers, native troops from
French Senegal in the heart of Africa,
black as coal, in the French grey uni
form with red fez. They saluted the
French officers as we passed through
the gate, and their trumpeter sent a
French bugle call echoing through the
German emper0r's gardens.
All about were evidences that French
had replaced German direction at this
imperial establishment, and that in
stead of being summer plaything for
majesty, it was now being put to some
real use. The island itself is temper
arily under a French military gov
ernor, French battleships and cruis-
ers crowd the harbor and dominate
the heights, and French soldiers and
sailors make up considerable part
of this medley of races emptied into
Corfu by the stress of war. Here at
the palace grounds we passed French
Red Cross nurses tending wounded
French soldiers 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 ar
rived.
This palace of the emperor Is one
Of the curiosities of the east and is
| typical in many ways of the eccentric
genius which conceived it. There are
palaces the world over, but nothing
e. sc{r In y
Emperor William could have devel-
oped such an idea The whole scheme
is imperial and heroic. The palace is
planted on the very spot where Ulys-
ses came for his sojourns, 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 came
here for his leisure, and every May
until the war began the imperial
yacht circled Europe from the North
sea to the eastern Mediterranean in
order that he might enjoy these clas-
sic surroundings during the loveliest
period of the year. Looking down the
steep cliff one sees the imperial land
ing place, where the yacht was moor
ed during these visits. Here the en-
peror first set foot, reaching the pal
ace by fight Of steps hewn in the
rock, lined with marble statues of
Greek deities Or, if he did not wish
the climb, his auto took him through
the miles of drives in the olive grove,
making gradual ascent to the lofty
palace.
The palace dominates vast stretch
of land and water-Albania Just across
the strait, then Greek Epirus to the
south, the mountains and valleys 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 directions through the
tangle of islands. tt is suggestive of
Imperialism, and one thinks of what
Emperor William had in mind when he
looked out on this circle of many
lands and their strategic waters.
His Thoughts Revealed
There is one definite clue to his
thoughts, in the heroic statue of Ach-
lilies, which he built at the highest
point dominating all this land and
water. The statue is of bronze, show
ing the hero armed from head to foot,
sword in hand and shield on his
breast, straining forward for the fight
and looking intently out on this en-
pire of foreign lands and waters
spread at his feet Perhaps, William
had in mind something more than a
toy palace dedicated to Ulysses and
Achilles, and that the old Trojan he
of
quest
The palace is of white marble,
squarely and solidly built after the
Greek classical design, with the sug-
gestion that German hand had mod
ernized the old classical lines. Along
the middle front, facing the sea, runs
a deep, wide marble gallery or porch,
and similar wide galleries are at the
eastern end, where the entrance is To-
Gated. The building is three stories
high, with frontage Of about five hun
dred feet, and has about one hundred
rooms, including ballroom, state din
ing rooms, a royal chapel, and the
suites Of imperial chambers. The
marble columns of the galleries, the
window cornices and friezes along the
front are all essentially Greek, and
the whole place has the massiveness
and majesty of Greek temple.
Entering the main hall, it was not
clear whether one was in palace, or
temple, or a museum. Immediately to
the right was the royal chapel, with
the large ffesco of Munkacsy's Christ
Before PLATE" back of the altar. By
an ingenious electrical contrivance a
food of light could be turned on to
the central figures of the fresco, CIV
ing them a sort Of luminous and liv-
ing effect, almost as in a cinema,
though it seemed queer continuance
for chapel One could hear a muir
muir of "boche" run among the Wis
itors, indicating their view that a van
dial hand had put together this mass
OF fresco and effect.
Elaborate frescoes and mirrors COW
cred the ceilings and side walls Of the
state dining room. The subjects were
always drawn from Greek antiquity
but the figures Of dancing nymphs and
fawns looked rather heavy as though
they were the big-limbed people of the
north instead of the fine and delicate
creatures of legendary Greece.
Stairway Of Marble.
The grand stairway was Of marble
with black iron balustrade wrought
into curious shapes showing the Ger
man imperial eagles. This grand stair
way runs up three stories, through
garish yellow walls covered with
strange frnscoes and nainfod poirrore