Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-09-12
THE KAISER AS | KNEW
HIM FOR FOURTEEN YEARS
BY ARTHUR n. DAVIS D. ID.
1918, Mcclure Newspaper Syndcate)

The Kaiser had little respect for
our architecture. He thought our
skyscrapers, of which he had seen
illustrations, were hideous.
How terrible to desecrate the
landscape with such tall buildings" ="
he commented. They hurt the
eye. How can people live in them %
L explained that most of the
buildings to which he referred were
office buildings, but that we did
have fourteen and tifteen-st
apartment houses and hotels, and
even higher ones, in which the upper
floors were used for living purposes
just the same as the lower ones. He
couldn't believe it possible that peo-
pie would consent to live so far
above the ground, and from his own
aversion to visit a place that was
even one story above the ground
floor, 1 rather got the idea that he
was afraid of height. Under the
building laws prevailing in Ger
many no building of more than five
stories may be erected.
Perhaps the quality that he en-
We'd most in us was our inventive
genius. When Orville Wright was
flying at Tempelhofer Field, in Ber-
lin, in the early days of aviation,
the Kaiser could not restrain his
admiration.
'I wish 1 could encourage my
people to become great inventors,
such as America has produced" he
declared, rather hopelessly. I ad-
mire your wonderful inventive gen.
ius."
If the Germans could not dupli-
cate our inventions, they were quick
enough to realize their value and
adopt them. Almost as soon as
Wright's demonstration was seen to
be a success, a company was organ
lied in Germany to build them under
the Wright patent, and the Germans
have continued to push aviation ever
since. Just before left Germany l
heard from one of the highest mill
tary officials that they had just per-
fected an airplane with six motors
that could accomplish more than
had ever been dreamed of. "It will
carry twelve passengers" he said,
"and it will carry enough fuel to
make the trip to New York and
back and still have enough left to
reach New York gain" Since my
return home l have read that just
such a machine was shot down on
The Kaiser told me of an Ameri-
can, with both arms cut off nearly
to the shoulders, who had patented
an artificial arm and had come to
Germany to demonstrate 1t. He
wanted to sell his patent or manu-
facture the arms for the German
wounded. The Kaiser invited ham
to army headquarters and watched
him eat, clothe himself, shake
hands, shave, light cigaret and, in
fact, do almost everything that a
man can do with his own arms and
hands. Evidently the Kaiser was
very much impressed with this
Americans demonstration, for he
spoke to me about it for half an
hour and was most enthusiastic.
1T was very wonderful. Davis.
he concluded. Here is one of your
countrymen who has made it posi-
BILE for my armless men to make
themselves useful and self-support-
ing. Your people are always talk
ing about humanity, but this is the
only humanity they've displayed in
this war. That is what 1 call real
humanity. Certainly furnishing mu-
nitions and supplies to the Allies to
enable them to starve my people
and shoot down my soldiers isn't
humanity"
Apparently the Kaiser believed II
was our part in the worlds economy
to provide artificial arms and legs
and his to provide a demand for
theml
The Kaiser's peculiar interest in
our red Indians was somewhat sur
prising. He frequently asked me
about them, and was particularly in
terested in their diet. He had an
idea that they were for the most
part vegetarians. Perhaps the fact