The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-08-17

guished father, turned to good account,
although with perfect propriety, his per-
sonal acquaintance with William Ii. OIL
Germany, by giving to the world some
valuable materials for a character por-
trait of the present exile of Amerongen,
before he had revealed the characteristics
which have brought down upon him the
scorn of the civilized world. Public inter
est in the personality of the fallen Kaiser
is as great to-day as it ever was; and
book that tells us everything really new
about him is sure of warm welcome
For this reason-though not for this
reason alone-it is safe to predict an
appreciative> demand for Poultney Blge-
lows Prussianism and PdcifSm, study
of the two Wilhelms who occupied the
throne of the German Empire between the
Revolution of 184S and 1918.
The book is an Illuminating essay in
comparative biography, in which the por-
trait of the grandfather commands de-
gree of respect almost commensurate with
the honor in which his memory was held
by his people Far different is the I'M
preston left by the authors sketch OF
the traits of the grandson.
II.
William H., says Mr.. Bigelow, became
Kaiser in 1888 and thirty years later ned
from the midst Of his troops on the battle
front. This is a short and shameful sum
mary of his reign. Its outset, however,
promised anything but such an end.
civilian H." says Mr.. Bigelow, showed
me a side of himself that was wholly sym
pathetic; he professed to hate nothing SO
much as war, and on each occasion that
the subject required he vehemently pro-
tossed the one ambition of mounting TO
heaven on a band wagon blazing with
the text: He kept us out of war" Dur
ing the first eight years of his reign, ne
cultivated the friendship of the English
and visited England every year, seek
ing always to be regarded as true brlt-
ish sportsman to whom the rigid frus-
sian etiquette was onerOus. In those days
he used to reel off to Mr.. Bigelow details
concerning the names, tonnage, speed ana
armament of British men-of-war when
would ordinarily only be known to an
officer of Queen Victorias navy. Inc
eleven foot, however, began to show itself
toward America during the German naval
mannvres at Kiel, where Admiral Evans
represented the United States. line
German Emperor passed jovial evening
on the American flagship; Inspected the
latest inventions which we had success
fully applied; made himself popular by
his bluffness and infantile thirst for
novelty and carried this beautiful nursery
trait so far that he the next day secured
through a trusty deputy, and OF course
with American assistance, all the detained
information he coveted. In return no
american uas permitted to see anything
aboard anu of the Kdiser's crGftF
The most startling fact concerning
Kaiser William II. contained IN Mr..
Poultnev Bigelow's new book is the asser-
ton that the German Emperor was a
kleptomaniac! Mr.. Bigefow begins his
tbirtv-frst chapter as follows: of a guest
should carry off a pair of my trousers IN
his baggage the inference would be that
it had been done by mistake. If, how
ever. the same sort of absent mindedness
should recur at other houses and by the
same agency we might be justified in
diagnosing the disease either as klepto-
mania or worse He then proceeds to
tell us that although he has never accepted
ANYTHING from the Kaiser except innumer-
able portraits (which his wife carefully
conceals behind posters of Gen. Pershing)
William II. has taken from him many
and valuable objects to which the mon
arch's title is little better than that OF the
authors supposititious guest with