Penistone, Stocksbridge and Hoyland Express, etc. — 1915-02-13 (Penistone, South Yorkshire, England)

XIV., for both mode the same blunders in statecraft, and displayed itke personal qualities, including a Teat as:sawed humility before God. They both were merely born to greistnew, and could never have achieved it, each came to a throne which the battles and statesmanship of others had made famous; Richelieu wee in a measure Mazarin, had hnilt up the position of France in Durope.Bismarek and, in a measure 'Moltke, had erected the German Empire. Just as Wilhelm dismissed the essential Bie marck, so LAtMILS would have got rid of Maaarin.. if death had not done it for him: and, but for the same reason. Louis would have behaved so badly to his father as Wilhelm did to "Frederick the Noble.' The young Louis did actually behave badly to ilia mother, as the young Wilhelm did, though Bismasek was partly to blame for that, Both Louis and Wilhelm had the mightiest good conceit of themselves: both made themselves heroes to their valets by means of many ! wardrobes: both had the " fake des grandent's," the Kaieer acquiring palaces by the dozen, and Louis expending millions upon ' his. Both laid the lewdest stress erer heard , upon the hereditary "right divine of kings to govern wrong "; "L' Ebst c'est mob.," said Louis, and "There is only one master in this country: I am he," said Wilhelm. "There is only one law—my law, the law which I myself lay down." Both required their subjects to regard them with an Asiatic reverenoe, and never to dream of governing themselves themselves, "To me," said the mighty liter Lord, "the name social democrat is synonymous with enemy oi the Empire and the a.therland." Both had passion for play at soldiers with soldien,! but neither even ventured very near the firing line. Louis had an erteneive spy system eat up; Wilhelm had an existing one continued and elaborated. Both turned out. to be truculent and ruthless in war, wasting , small and innocent State. with arson, murder, and outrage, the Palatinate suffering then as Belgium does now. But no pangs that were felt by others could donut these two determined heroes, no moral shame could lcloud their shining armour, no satire, no irony, no hard facts, even, could persuade them that they were not natively and e66entially great. During both reigne, manufactures and commerce flourished, and the king in each case took credit to himself for that, but in both rests there came reversal and national ruin, Louie dying an open failure after all, his realm in ferment and his dynasty doomed, as it seems likely that Wilhelm will do  Both strove for Colonies and sea-power, both built big fleets, both yearned to wield the trident, but both made the same cardinal and fatal =Stake of going to war with Bratam and with mainland powers at the same time. Row immense and stupid a blander this is. no won's can exaggerate. Like Wilhelm's, Lotus the Fourteenth's was a squint, in,g policy—one eye on the lowlands and the other on the Atlantic. at the same tune; there:fore Louis invited into existence a Triple I Alliance against him, aa Wilhelm did the I Triple Entente. To-day German editors and ' protestors repeat the angry eccusa.tion which Flinich gazette writers first uttered u.ndet Louie, that Briton is perfidious, but the historal fact is that Britain has always been 'fortunate in having short-sighted and etupid , monarchs for her antagontsts. Colbert. the minister. would not have done what Louis did in this matter. Bwmarck warned Wilhelm against what he has now lone. Herr Mermann Ridder, of the "S!liats Zeitung." has been raving about the " perfide Albion" again. England rates nothing for her Alliee—she is pot influenced by morality—all she napes abotrt is to destroy Germany's trade and she makes a rat's-pew of the Prench, to pull commercial supremacy on of the fire." This is a mere historical blindness: in point of fact, Lonie