The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1922-12-18
The Mistakes of the Kaiser
BY RENE VIVIANI
Premier of France When the War Broke Out
Copyright 1922, by Mcclure Newspaper Syndicate.

Frederick William, who was to reign |
under the name of Frederick III.
At home, at the period when the
brain receives its first Impressions,
the child found himself surrounded |
by beneficial influences. The refined |
culture of his mother, who found no |
obstacles placed in thee path OF her
educational work by the elegant lib |
eralism of Prince Frederick, sought |
to influence the little boy and snatch
him from "Prussification." The truth
of the matter was that he was brought
up In opposition to Bismarck, whose
shadow loomed darkly before those
who aspired to the throne.
AS for the boys father, man OF
great breadth Of mind, he was no less
soncitous about the education Of the
young heir. In his journal, under
date Of January 81, 1871, on the eve
of the surrender Of Paris, he thus
wrote down the wishes which he felt
for his son: "May he become a strong
man, loyal, faithful and sincere, a
true German, who, free from prelu-
dice, shall continue the work which
has been begun" Then follow these
terrible lines, which-undoubtedly un-
der the influence of sort of PRESENT.
ment which seems to have saddened
the last years of his life-the father
wrote concerning his son: zone
really Is afraid, when one thinks of
what hopes are centered upon this
child, and what responsibilities to our
country devolVe upon US, in directing
his education"
oh, prophet! On the death-bed, to
which, like a jailer watching a pris-
1 ic xryfth
to watch his fathers agony, did not
the father perceive more clearly the
responsibility which, a few years
earlier, he seemed to have guessed !?
In order to make him more like
other men than is usual with an heir
to the throne-who lives generally
surrounded by courtiers, clad in pur-
pie, and breathing the incense of flat
tery-the young boy was enrolled at
a university. There It was that he
was shaped, far away-or farther than
he would have been-from the influ-
ences of education in the family, and
exposed to the slow but sure action
Of outside contact, and it was there
that his mind was gradually modified
Yet-how is It to be explained that
maternal affection was unable to keeu
him from feeling a precocious hatred
of England? This hatred was such
that it even made him desire a rap
prochement from France. The young
prince was then IT years old: he was
giving signs of ambition and megalo
mania.
Taught to Admire Bismarck
At the University Of Bonn, where
William Joined a celebrated student
organization. he was gay at first, anc
lived as his comrades lived, takins
part willingly, of evenings, in the
long drinking bouts at which German
chauvfnism gave itself free reign il
song.
1t was there that his enthusiasm
for Bismarck was born-an enthusi
asm which was to endure until tn
day when that redoubtable personag
: rose up before Williams throne. VIVA
, with his mother, who felt little es
. TEEN for the chancellor, his father. VIII
J took Bismarck to task for his illega
acts, and his governess, who hailet
from Slesvig-Holstein and had pain
full memories Of 1854, William ha
been prevented, IN his family circle
from feeling the fnfatuation whic
the nation felt at that time for Bis
! marck- At Bonn he met a fanatica
Quill CT VI DISuIdICh, pTOISSSOr
history, who took care to change th
princes views 4fWhen the prince lei
the university" this man wrote late
she had become, thanks to me, a fe
vent admirer of Prince Bismarck.
am proud of having brought thi
4 | about"
In addition to the influence of II
university and that derived from ce
tain casual meetings. there WAS ais