The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1918-07-11
INTIMATE SKETCH OF TALL HIGHEST" SHOWING THE KA!SEER!|'SS s OBSESSION
 WITH HIS OWN GREAT IMPORTANCE

 and whose two sons are now fighting with the American forces in France)
 My wife has asked me to set down these few personal memoirs of the Kaiser. She tells me that it will aid in no small way my hope of a reborn and e-Prussianized Germany after the war, by it's effort to picture %he very human side fo him. will lend my aid to anything that will help to achieve that hope-the hope of many conservative and intelligent German born now in America
 was born noble but trust that my readers will listen to me more kindly if they will bear in mind that on the day after Belgium was invaded l ap- piled for my first papers of American citizenship. Fortunately for me the good name and social position of my wife assure my status here. My two boys are volunteers.
 Exceptional Intimacy with the Kaiser
 For several years I enjoyed excep tiona1 intimacy with the Kaiser. I might have been on still closer terms had not my marriage to an American girl caused me to spend most of my time in America. Once I took con siderable pride in this friendship. So did my wife. Even when my appre- ciation of the significance of Ger many's world-policy caused me to look upon the Kaiser as a menace to civ ilization-an appreciation that burst upon me only some twelve years ago my wife was none the less pleased over the existence of that friendship but now she is rather touchy upon the subject.
 As I recall His Majesty Git is diff cult to overcome the habit of a life time in referring to Wilhelm) the one most indelible impression of him that invariably assumes the foreground of my memory is his abnormal vanity. One must positively bear this in mind when he or his actions are under dis cussion.
 In vain have I tried to remember on any one occasion when this predomin- ant attribute of the Kaiser was not in evidence. By far, the greater part of my time, with the German Emperor was passed in hunting expeditions. On such occasions one would fancy that even the mighty monarch of many people might relax and lay aside the symbols of his rank for the moment merely for the physical exa1tation that would accompany the act.
 The Arch Hun in Love with Himself.
 But not Wilhelm. He was always obsessed with his own importance. He took the Divine Right of the Success sion of the Hohenzollerns so seriously Il at it was impossible for him to un- bend to the plane of an ordinary mor- tai
 The world is full of vain people. have met many notable personages who were inordinately vain, but none to the degree displayed by the Kaiser in his incessant shiftings of uniforms, his posturings, his posing for pictures and his obvious attempts to conceal or distract attention from his shrunken arm. In this respect he is a com mensurate master of stagecraft and his own best public director.
 With Royal Hunting Party. I had been well prepared for the Kaiser's shortcomings by my father, upon whose estates His Majesty had more than once played the principal began the paying of my social obliga- tions to the court I found his vanity more amusing than otherwise. It re- mained for my third or fourth visit to Potsdam, however, to open my eyes to its incredible extravagance. | On this occasion I had been fnclud- ed in the royal hunting party that had been suggested on the spur of the mo- ment by Wilhelm. Incidentally, he is a good marksman, especially under the handicap of his infirmity. Now it is the custom during these parties that the very best game be driven up ser-a custom that he has never been known to alter even when entertain ing such a distinguished guest as the late King of England.
 On this day through chance I had moved up next to the Kaiser. A re- markedly fine boar headed out of the brush directly toward us. The Kali ser fired point blank-and missed. ] fired and killed the beast. I remem- Der we'll how thrilled at the prospect of hanging the trophy in my own hall For the boar was a splendid brute being about the size of a Shetland po- ny and bearing tusks that curved through fully ninety degrees more than a complete circle.
 Kaiser Claims the ssKin." l Of course, I was fully prepared te offer my kill as a present to my roy al host but when we came together for the photograph that the Kaiser in. variably has taken after the hunt, you can imagine my consternation to ob serve the imperial huntsmen drag m! kill up to the feet of the Kaiser. And when the camera clicked, Wilhelm ac tually had his foot on the head 0, the boar, signifying that he, himself had killed the big prize of the hunt.
 I was furiously angry and it requir
 ed all of my training to restrain mt from making a scene that would hay, caused me immeasurable harm. Al it was, determined that the Kaise1 should not bluff me out of my prizt without a protest. So that as soor as the photographer withdrew I step
 ped up to him. My voice must hav'
 been shaky with the emotion I felt bu
 I managed to say loudly and distinct ly:
 May I ask that your Majesty con
 descend to accept as a symbol of m. , admiration of your prowess as g. hunt
 CT and your courtesy as a host the fin, 7 boar which my poor rifle was forum 1 ate to bring down today 7 It was impossible to mistake m,
 meaning. Several members of tn
 party told me afterward that the,