The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1918-11-14
Tewspaper syndicatal

kaiser, condeScendingly "but he is to-
tally ignorant Of world history. He's
just advanced US five million for
wOrld-peace. We accepted it naturally,
but, of course, we intend to continue
our policy of maintaining our army and
navy in full strength"
Indeed, there is hardly any subject
TO which the kaiser has devoted any
considerable attention in which he
doesn't regard himself as the final au-
thOrity.
AS an art collector and antiquarian
he claims first place and he is rather
inclined to feel that second place
should be left vacant. He Always re-
sented very much the acquisition by
American milliOnaires of art treasures
and antiquities which their wealth en-
abIed them to buy, but which their
limited acquaintance with history and
their lack of culture and refinement
made them unable to appreciate
the kaiser's estimation.
Of his own taste in art little need be
said. The monuments which he caused
TO be erected to his ancestors and their
advisors and which adOrn the Sieges
Alice, the street he had opened through
the Tlergarten especially for them, are
at the same time a monument to the
kaiser's ideas of art. They are the
laughing-stOck of the artistic world.
They have been so frequently defaced
by vandalS whose artistic taste they
offended that it was necessary to sta
ton policemen in the Sieges Alice to
guard them Not long ago a burglary
occurred in the vicinity. The burglars
were observed while at work and d
startled civilian rushed to the Sieges
Alice to summon one of the officers
who were known to be on guard there.
IF you hurry" exclaimed the civil
ian, excitedly, you can catch these
burglars red-handed."
I'm sorry" replied the policeman,
But cannot leave the statues"
Realism is the kaiser's idea of what
is most desirable in dramatic art.
When he put on ''Sardanapal,'' Greek
tragedy in pantOmime, at the Berlin
opera house, he sent professors to
the British museum to secure the most
detailed information available regard
ing the costumes of the period. Every
utenSil, every article of wearing ap-
parel, every button, every weapon, in
fact, every property used in the play
were TO be faithfully reproduced, par
dcular pains being taken to produce a
most realistic effect in a funeral pyre
scene in which a king ended his life
The kaiser sent me tickets to see it.
King Edward attended the perform
ance at the Berlin Royal opera and I
asked the kaiser how the king of Eng
land enjoyed it.
. MY gracious" the kaiser replied.
unable to repress his satisfaction at
the effect the pantomfme had had on
his royal uncle, ''why, the king was
very much alarmed when the funeral
pyre scene came on. He thought the
whole opera house was on fre!''
Perhaps the kaiser'S love for details
might be attributed to his keen obser-
walton. Nothing, no matter how trfv-
ial, escaped his attention.
A couple of years before the war I
had the empire furniture in my wait
ing room reuphOlstered. On the very
first occasion of the kaiser's calling at
my Office after the change he noticed it.
MY. my, how beautiful the chairs
Napoleon HIMSELF
On another occasion, between two Of
the kaiser's visits, I had had put up
in the waiting room a new portrait OF
Mrs. Davis. The kaiser noticed it the
moment he came into the room and
made some complimentary remark
about it.
The kaiser frequently accused the
Americans Of being dollar-worshipers
and the English of being ruled by
Mammon. but that he himself was not
totally unmindfu1 of the value and
power of money was clearly revealed
by the manner in which he catered to
people of wealth in recent years.
The richest man in Berlin and one
of the richest in Germany was a He
brew coal magnate named Fried
lander. The kaiser ennobled him and
made him Won Friedlander-Fuld. An
other wealthy Hebrew to whom the
kaiser catered was Schwabach, head
of the BIeichroeder bank, one of the
strongest private banks in Germany,
and he, too, was ennobled, becoming
Won Schwabach.
number of other wealthy Hebrews
in Germany were also hOnored by the
kaiser in another way. Although ne
was averse to visiting the homes of
private individuals who lacked social
standing. he departed from his rule In
their favor and visited their mansions
ostensibly to view their art collections,
but actually to tickle their vanity
Shortly after Leishman became am
bassador to Germany, the kaiser called
on me.
"Your new ambassadors daughter is
the best looking young lady who has
attended our court in many day." he
declared. 'sHalf a dozen OF my young
staff officers are very anxious to marry
her. Can you tell me, Davis, whether
these Leishmans have money?
If the kaiser despised the American
propensity for money-making, he was
certainly not averse to acquiring
American dollars.
He told me once that every trip the
Hamburg-American liner Amerika
made from New York to Hamburg re-
suited in transferring $4,000 from
American to German pockets, and
added: Were mighty glad to get some
Of