Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-03-10
Continued From Saturday,

Especially to Frederick William
the First's cleverness as a painter,
constant reference is made, although
any one acquainted with the his
tory of the Prussian Court might be
aware of the untenableness of that
claim. The father of the great
Frederick wrote his royal signature
true, but few of the pictures at
tributed to his brush were really his.
AS a matter of fact, instead of being
the Apelles of the Brandenburg
dynasty, its first noted painter, he
started the fashion of counterfeiting,
of which his son became past-mas-
ter. His scheme was to employ poor
artists by the year, and to let them
paint daubs of all sizes and sub
jects. These he adorned with his
name, adding a little coloring here
and there into the bargain, and sold
at high prices to f1attererS and enc
mics, as the case might be, for in
those days the modes of punishment
at the disposal of a Majesty were
manifold and curious.
A cunning knave this second King
of Prussia, and his august example
was not entirely lost upon his sue
cessors. But there is still another
point to be noticed. Williams daily
program precludes in itself the un-
dertaking of serious work on the
Kaiser's part. Having forever one
foot in the stirrup and planning new
diversions before another is fairly
under way, how should this alleged
jack of -alI-tra find time for the
literary, musical, and artistic pur-
suits credited to him?
There are geniuses who accom-
plish a prodigious amount of work
by turning night into day; but,
with all my experience in the royal
household, l am at Il loss to account
for the newspaper statements that
used to set forth that now and again
the Kaiser had spent half, or three
quarters of the night studying state
papers or working out great projects
in the interest of public concern.
In the first place, his constitu-
tional aversion to sitting still for
considerable time was against night
work, even supposing that the days
or evenings amusements had not
tired out William so completely as
10 make it impossible for him to
give the necessary attention TO I'M
portant business.
Still, to defend myself against ac-
cuSations of inaccuracy | had better
quote certain notes from my diary.
OF three hundred and siXty-five
days, the Kaiser was away from
his official residence one hundred
and ninety-nine, devoting himself
TO the army on twenty-seven days,
and employing sixteen days in duties
of representation. One hundred and
over, I doubt that he thinks it neces-
sary to do so. A person who, rely
ing merely upon his musical ear, and
without having had instruction in
singing, or being able to play an
instrument, gets up in a stately
gathering to sing an aria abound
ing in difficult passages, is certainly
the quintessence of self-reliance.
That is exactly what William did
at Castle Schlitz, with Count Goertz
as accompanist, the boldness of the
exploit before an audience distin-
guished for artistic accomplishments
being none the less pronounced on
account of the fact that the air was
alleged to he his OWN composition.
OF the performance, Countess
Goertz spoke to the Empress IN
most enthusiastic terms; but, to
quote William, Her Ladyship is a
woman so beautiful that to expect
sense from her would be hoggish."
nat Oli tllt SdIlG oCCdSiOl HIS
Majesty acquitted himself quite well
of conducting the band, military
one. which had been thoroughly
drilled in performing the Song to
Aegi.'," is not astonishing. With
his ear for music and a little atten-
ton to technique, il would have
been difficult, indeed, to lead so
finished an organization into blum
ders, when every man knew that his
slightest mistake would be followed
by professional disgrace.
Now to the one hundred and sixty
six days when he was Officially"
at home. Seventy-seven of them
were pleasantly passed in shooting,
boating, yachting, or other outdoor
exercise in the neighborhood of
Potsdam or Berlin, while of the re-
naming eighty-nine days, each
twenty-four hours We're diversified
by banquets, corsos, concerts, thea
trical performances; by receptions,
reviews, or speechmakings. The
number of miles covered by the
Kaiser during the period mentioned,
amounted to three-quarters of the
earths circumference.
y dozen members of our Court So
ciety were discussing the above at
musicale given by the widow of the
Red Prince in her palace on Leip-
ziger PlatZ, when Princess Aribert
of Anhalt, a sprightly young Eng
lish- woman, remarked: Granted
the Kaiser cannot ply the fourteen
trades and arts imputed by some his
torians TO Peter the Great, no one
will gainsay that he is a brilliant
speaker and an adept in military
science"
"Of his rhetorical qualities" re-
piled our hostess. foreigners, even
those understanding German as we'll
as you, my dear, can hardly form a