Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1918-01-28

! pie were flushed with pride and pa
! triotism. The emperor himself who
had just celebrated his twenty-fifth
anniversary. was adored, almost del
fed BY his people-except by the so
cialists.
But he surveyed the European sit
uation and concluded that he was
not quite ready yet.
He was in July: 1914.
Glorious dreams often are symp-
toms of madness. REWRITING to Alex
ander, to Hannibal, to Caesar, to
Napoleon, Emperor William may have
dreamed that he was to become their
equals, The dream of world domin-.
ion became an obsession to him He
saw visions of German eagle banners
floating all the way from Hamburg
his dreams, he connected Berlin with
Vienna. Belgrade, Sofia. Constantine
ople, Damascus and Mecca. He had
seen the Orient and was fascinated by
his visions.
Emperor of the world! Was that
them, seem to say that it was. There
were schemes to- COLOMBO Africa;
schemes to make South and North
American states something like an
nexes of Germany; there were plans
to master the seven cas- of the world
dIIu SNcu <ASldIIC territories were IN.
cluded in his dreams.
Do you remember the old tale-about
the fisherman's wife who wanted to
be king and pope and finally the good
lord himself?
1t is a fairy tale, but there is truth
in it. and, to some extent, it can he
applied to Emperor William. He
may not. for obvious reasons, desire
to become God, but it is quite APP
parent that he considers himself
Gods favorite deputy.
When otherwise normal minds ap-
proach this condition, we speak of
madness in a very literal and pain
full sense. But when a mailman con-
siders himself Attila and the ally OF
the God of Mercy at the same time,
mental disease which has not yet been
classified by the specialists.
Today, then, this supreme mailman
celebrates his birthday. Germany
will be afiutter with flags, and
Deutschland ueber allies will re-
sound from every city and hamlet
throughout the empire.
This imperial mailman is still being
adored by perhaps Il majority of his
countrymen. They do o know him.
They have not vet realized to what in
describable disaster his folly has led
them. To them he is the savior of
Germany, the greatest hero of centur-
les.
But, looked at from the outside, the
aging emperor presents a sorry spec
tacle. The boundless energy of his
manhood has resulted in nothing but
death and destruction of all thai
which had been carefully built up
through years and years of civiiiza-
ton.
1t is not necessary that the world
today point it's finger at him, accusing
him of the greatest crime of history.
He knows it already. His con-
science rings it into his ears night af-
ter night. day after day.
And the world will never forget
him: He has. indeed. won fame, and
his place in history is secure. No one
will ever envy him that.
his majesty realizes thai he who as
pired to become "the instrument of
the Lord" is nothing but a poor NOR
tai human who should not be allowed
to be at large. He is to be pitied
more than hated. for his disease
seems incurable.
Motherless children of, Belgium
and Serbia clinch their tiny fists and
curse his name. Widows in many
lands call down the wrath of heaven
upon this The millions Of
graves. planted on battlefields far and
near, bear mute testimony to his mad
ness. Smoking towns watt his ac-
cursed name to the skies.
Congratulations, your. imperial ma
iesty! s%r e~ " 80