The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-09-03
BY Karl II. Won Weigand.

Berlin. Sept. Il am able today
to cable some more highly interesting
excerpts from the book Around the
Kaiser" written ny DR.. Otto Ham
Ian. for fifteen years head of the
press department of the German for
eign Office. retiring in 1916. As set
forth in the exclusive cable despatch
10 Universal Service Saturday, Ham
man regards the ex-kaiser as an alb
normal mystic who fabored under the
ldelusion that he was the "predestined
savior" not only of the fatherland but
of all mankind.
DR.. Hannah touches in his book
upon The secret reports made during
the characteristics of Won Caprivi
and Prince Hohenlohe. which empha-
sized the necessity of an operation on
Wilhelm. then a young man, because
OF his trouble. He also speaks OF
the third. yet unpublished. volume OF
iTRismark's memoirs. which are said
to contain opinions of medical spe-
ciaiis,s regarding Wi,helm's mental
, responsibility, given at Bismark's re-
quest
DR.. Hamman considers the ex-
kaiser man arrested in his mental
development" He says:
Until the fifteenth year tof his
reign? - the kaiser was always known
by his people as the young kaiser
II appears to me that this contained
"a concealed truth which characteriz-
ed the basic weakness perhaps more
properly the basic suffering of Will
helm II.
..In other words. neither in his
intellect nor will power aid he expert
enee any development. He Jemained
stationary, always a youth. always
the same. in the sense thar from no
observations, no mistake or failure,
did he learn or araw@a }essson. =
The former head of the German
foreign office press bureau adds:
Peculiar Phenomenon.
Whether the peculiar phenome-
non of this lingering youthful stage
ana his answering persistence In the
Providence to bring welfare and sal
walton to his people and humanity
was already present in him as child
or whether 1t was acquired through
disease, may never be determined. =
Wiihelms spirit and intellect
"roamed about in wide spaces and
unrealities in another plane. writes
Hannah. wherever an opportunity
offered itself for him to wander in
rosy light he seized it with avidity.
I'm an optimist through and
InTtuRH anu ptSSitilSt Will Hot
tolerate, were expressions that came
Of his innermost wish 10 he regarded
as being on earth as kaiser by the
grace of Cod From this sprang for
his antourage and all visitors The
maxim. ~
His majesty must have sunshine.
and how often he found sun
shine when there was none!"
The monarch had almost no sense for
, realities, the author states. And out
OF the continuous crave for plungins
Into restless haste. from one demon
stration into another there grew that
so-called 'Lohengrin policy" or. as
Count Rolstein put It IN the middle
ntneties. the "operetta policy"
The book dwells on wilhelms
theatrical nature. The author shows
how It was impossible for the ex-
kaiser to be natural and simple: how
ordinary communications dealing with
utterly commonplace subjects were
clothed by him in theatrical. ceremo-
NAL garb. this was applying to mar
ginal comments pcnned upon reports
or Newspaper clippings sent him.
DIctatorial Tone.
Hannah tells OF the general dicta-
toriai tone In which the former mon