The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1918-12-05
The German People.

INC aCV"AU SOptSs
The oath Of allegiance which every
German soldier and public Official
takes binds him first to support the
kaiser, with his life and his money,
and then the fatherland.
That Is what the kaiser referred to
when he said. In the course Of an ad-
dress to a body Of recruits at Pots.
dam:
"Body and soul you belong to me.
If l command you to shoot your IA
theirs and your mothers . . . you
must follow my command without q
murmur."
The same thought Is involved. Of
course. In the kaiser's invariable use
of the possessive pronoun, first person.
In talking of the German people. He
always says my people," never "the
people," The worst feature about 1t
is that not only does the kaiser pro-
coed upon the assumption that he owns
the German people body and SOUL"
but the people themselves are willing
to admit it. The Germans are the most
willing vassals In the world.
Veneration and W of the kaiser are
bred In the bone of the Germans. Even
among the socialists, who are not near
ly as opposed to the monarchial idea
as Is commonly supposed, there Is
strong sentiment of loyalty toward the
emperor. True. the socialists are
clamoring constantly for the refokm
vote and other political changes, but I
doubt very much whether-before the
war, at any rate-any large percentage
Of socialists would have seized the op-
portunity to dethrone the kaiser had
1t presented itself. Certainly any such
attempt would have been speedily
smothered by those who remained
loyal, even without the aid Of the
military.
AS long as the kaiser Is able to up
hold German 8 place among the ma.
tons Of the world, so long will his
people uphold him. They will stand
behind him as long as he goes forward:
they will repudiate him as 500 as he
turns back. They will acclaim him in
tlluLlPup OuI VIII NV lolCh0tC ulih Al
defeat. The kaiser himself realizes
that mis- tenure of Office rests upon
victory. The wal was started for the
sake of world dominion; 1t has been
continued solely to ave the kaisers
throne.
quent contact with the kaiser, l had a
wonderful opportunity to observe the
relations which existed between him
and his people.
The conduct Of the people since the
war affords no safe criterion of their
normal views and sentiments. The
activity Of government agents and the
power of the inspired press exerted
such a great influence on the feelings
Of the people that any outward signs
Of enthusiasm which they displayed
must be literally discounted. The
demonstrations In favor Of the kaiser
and his leaders since the war have
been more or less artificial. the crowd
being worked up by government agents
and the press accounts have invariably
magnifed them. Before the war. how.
ever, whatever acclaim the kaiser re-
ceived from the public anne sponta.
neously. and al for that reason Of
greater Significance.
l know that whenever the kaiser
called at my Office great crowds gath.
cred outside to catch a glimpse Of him
when he came out. They waited pa
tiently. sometimes for as long as an
hour. for the sake Of greeting their
emperor. Their conduct on these oc-
casions showed very plainly that he
had a strong hold on their affections.
The kaiser was their idol, and they
were ready to suffer any Inconvenience
for the sake of doing him honor.
1t was customary for classes Of
school children to he taken to the Tier
garten from time to time to study the
groups of statues of the kaiser's an
cestors In the Sieges Alice. They usual
iy passed my house on their way to
their object-lesson In patriotism. Some
times, when the kaiser was at my
house. l have seen these children halt
ed In front Of the place to await the
emperors departure. their teachers, no
doubt, feeling that the youngsters
would gain greater inspiration from
q fleeting glimpse Of the living mon
arch than they could possibly derive
from a prolonged study of the statues
Of his departed ancestors.
Most of my patients knew that the
kaiser visited me, and they never tired
Of asking questions about him. It was
almost impossible for them to believe
that they were to have the privilege Of
sitting in the very chair which their
kaiser had occupied.
"Does the kaiser actually sit In this
very chair7" they would ask In incred-
ulous tones. "Does he eve talk about
anything? Please tell me what he said
the last time he was here"
A new German Office girl whom I had
engaged attracted the kaiser's atten.
tion, and he was gracious enough to
shake hands with her. After he had
left the girl held out the hand the kali
ser had grasped and said she wouldn't
wash II for a week!