The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1924-04-20

to sovereign shooting Gown HIS own
subjects.
.But | doubt if the Crown Prince
understood or appreciated Won Moltkes
reply. He is a. nice and jovial young
officer, a goodssportsman, but half ed
/ ucated, narrow, and cursed with the.
afflictiOn of extreme youth.
/ had a conversation with Count
Posadowski, the secretary of state, in
wlEeh we agreed that the fact of people
Ec0ncealing their honest opinions, when
speaking to the Emperor augurs ill for
the future He told me how. very re-
Gently. he begged the imperial chancel-
lor, Prince Hohenlohe, TO make a
truthful report to His Majesty in an
i important matter. The prince replied
that this was out of the question, that
in this particular matter the Emperor
did not want to listen to the truth,
and that it was useless trying to per-
sude him. Posadowski replied:
Your Serene Highness had reached
the highest position in the Empire. You
have received the highest decorations.
You have been German ambassador
to Paris and viceroy of Alsace. Your
Serene Highness is, furthermore, tre-
mendously wealthy. Your social posi-
ton is such that nothing can affect
it. You have recalled an age when,
having worked hard all your life, you
can afford to retire into private life.
Considering all these things, why does
not Your Serene Highness risk His
Majesty'sN disfavor and make this re-
port to him, since the matter is so
urgent and so important?
II am sorry, Prince HohenlOhe
replied after long reflection, ''but l
really cannot do it,"
VERY WE'LL" answered Count Posa-y
dowski, then l. beg permission to make
the report TO His Majesty myself" And
the chancellor granted the request
The most extra0dingly thing was,
however,, that the Emperor, after "a
short argument and without much re-
sistance. accepted Posadowski's recon-
mendations, told the count that could
understand all this very well, for the
old chancellor, as result of many
experiences, lost both his perspective |
and his nerve in his relations to the
Emperor. 1t is the ultimate fate of
all who have dealings with him. {.
1t frightens me when l hear the EN-
peror exclaim: Il never read news
| He says this in most cOntemptuous
| He says hits in a most contemptuous
tone and adds occasionally: 1T is per-
fectly Indifferent to me what these |
damned fools write about met
i often blame myself for keeping
silent when he makes such remarks
and suppose / am as guilty as all
the others who have had my position
at court. Once in a great while / did
try to argue with the Emperor, re-
gardless Of the personal risk. But
never achieved a thing, and whenever
voiced a liberal opinion, he made
me pay for it. Instead of helping,
only hurt others as well as myself
| Fools And Is Fooled By Foreigners
The first American exchange profess
sor, John Burgess, made speech be-
fore the Germania society, in which
he said that no monarch had ever been
so misunderstood as the Emperor.
'Never in my life" said Professor
Burgess" have 1 met a man with a
sharper brain, greater knowledge, high
er ideals, more charming pOliteness, a
truer consideration for the opinions of
others, a greater intention to do good
and help everybody, or a greater loyalty
toward HIS friends, his nation, and the
interests of the entire civilized world"
And so Prof. John Burgess is but
one more proof of how thoroughly the
Emperor succeeds in winning over to
his side every scholar whom he meets.
nave OlJcu= WdJClReu L TOlSSSOE
ess when he was with the Emperor,
and | am quite positive that he is
! influenced by no petty personal ambi-
ton nor by the desire to flatter His
Majesty, but that he is simply fasci-
mated, in the fullest sense of the word,
by the Emper0r's personality.
Yesterday, February p, (191O), His
Ma jestX voiced the opinion that Eng
land was in the last stage of deca-
dence. Later it appeared that on the
preceding Sunday the Emperor had
given audieiice to an American, a GER
tain Mr.. Robinson, whom he knew
from the Regatta Week at Kiel and
who had superimpOsed his own ideas
upon His Majesty, with obvious sue
cess. 1t is remarkable how cleverly even
foreigners know how to invent and say
the things which he likes to hear.
Fortunately a good deal of this sort
OF thing presently vanishes into air
until the next man comes along, with
the next fairy story. But, given the
effect Of such fairy stories, how easy
it is for foreigners to be received at
court. Aide-de-eamp b. or Adjutant-
General G. happens to find out that
some interesting stranger is in Berlin
He knows that it will be in his favor
if he tells the Emperor about it. So
the most extraordinary people have
long audiences and intimate converse
tions with His Ma iesty while Prus-
sian minister at times has to wait for
months before he can make vital
personal report. 1t is not England but
Prussia the whole German Empire,
which is going down the slide i
What He said OF The Gar
The Emperor is complaining a great
deal about the vacillsting character
of the Gar.
when l write to him." he told me,
sit is impossible to get a reply from
him before three months" And he
added: 1T is due to his lack of energy,
to the same cOngential unwillingness
to face the music and make a decision
which brought about the japanese
war; .M
He continued I'D during the weeks
preceding actual hostilities between the
Russians and the japanese, the latter
had offered an honorable compromise
through British intermediary The
British submitted the proposal but
weeks and finally months passed with
out an answer being vouchsafed. The
japanese thought. quite naturally, that
the Russians were simply playing
waiting game so as to have more time
to prepare for war, until. at last. made
thoroughly suspicious, they jumped