THE
ERMAN
MPEROR
iS SHOWN IN HLS
PUBLIC UTTERANCES
CHRISTIAN GAU33
THE GERMAN EMPEROR
AS SHOWN
IN HIS PUBLIC UTTERANCES
From a photograph by BroTvn and Datvson
WILLIAM II
GERMAN EMPEROR
From a photograph taken since the beginning of the war of 1914
THE GERMAN EMPEROR
AS SHOWN
IN HIS PUBLIC UTTERANCES
BY
CHRISTIAN GAUSS
PROFESSOR Of MODERN LANGUAGES, PRINCETON UNIVERSITY
NEW YORK
CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS
1915
COPYRIGHT, 1915. BY
CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS
Published February, 1915
PREFACE
Unlike his grandfather, who shielded himself
behind his Chancellor, the present Emperor has
always insisted upon making himself the storm-
centre of the debates in his Reichstag and among
his people. He has played with many, if not all,
of his cards upon the table. In accordance with
this policy he has gone through his country from
end to end and into foreign lands, everywhere
announcing his policies and his views on every
possible subject of interest or controversy. Up
to 1905 he had made upward of five hundred and
seventy speeches, and since that time has made
almost as many more. It was manifestly impos-
sible to give all of these speeches, and it was also
thought unfair to give merely extracts which
might fail to represent the spirit of the entire
pronouncement. They are all printed, therefore,
in the completest form available. Particular
speeches have often been reported to the press
in widely differing versions. In all cases only
those speeches are here presented which have re-
ceived official or semiofficial sanction. The text
PREFACE
followed for pronouncements made before 1913,
with the one exception of the Daily Telegraph
interview, October 29, 1908, has always been
that of the recognized and standard edition in
four volumes, edited by J. Penzler and published
in the Reclam Universal-Bibliothek! Now and
then only portions of certain addresses appear
to have been reported, and on a few occasions
parts of speeches are given directly and other
parts are merely summarized. In all such cases
the speech is translated from the form sanctioned
in the official version. In no case has any change
been made. Where significant differences exist
in the versions of addresses as given officially and
unofficially, the official version is in every instance
printed first. It has been the aim to present
faithfully the language and spirit of the speaker,
and his phraseology and emphasis have been re-
produced as closely as was at all consistent with
fair English usage. The speeches have been
chosen to represent in due proportion his many
interests, and range therefore from agriculture
and art to Biblical criticism, national and inter-
national politics.
The Emperor has, of course, not given titles to
his speeches, and the headings have been as-
signed by the compiler. It has been his aim to
explain the circumstances under which each ad-
vi
PREFACE
dress was delivered and to make plain the ref-
erences to events embodied therein. Questions
which have had a continuous interest, or which
have had some lasting effect on Germ any 's policy,
such as the attitude toward Alsace-Lorraine, the
Social Democratic party, the retirement of Bis-
marck, the development of the navy, the Morocco
question, have been treated at greater length on
the first fitting occasion. For the introductions,
therefore, the compiler assumes responsibility. In
preparing them he has had recourse to many in-
cidental sources of information, and in many cases
the true inwardness of certain situations is still
as much a matter of controversy as the causes of
the present war. For his facts generally, he has
followed where possible, besides such incidental
and contemporary sources, Bruno Gebhardt's
"Handbuch der Deutschen Geschichte" (1913),
the "Cambridge Modern History — The Latest
Age," volume XII (1910), and the volumes of the
"Statesman's Yearbook." In addition, for infor-
mation concerning the internal development of
Germany he has consulted and drawn upon the
literature of this subject which has appeared in
the last decade, but is more particularly indebted
to Doctor Paul Liman's "Der Kaiser," Dawson's
"The Evolution of Modern Germany," Barker's
"Modern Germany," Price Collier's "Germany
vii
PREFACE
and the Germans," Forbes's "William of Ger-
many," Gibbons's "The New Map of Europe,"
and the " Reichsgesetzblatt."
As the Emperor has spoken upon almost every
phase of German political life, with the editorial
introductions which aim to set forth briefly the
occasion and causes of each address, it is hoped
that altogether the volume will offer a fairly ac-
curate picture of the trend of German affairs for
the last twenty-five years.
For help in the preparation of this volume, the
writer is much indebted to his wife, whose assist-
ance has amounted to collaboration.
PRINCETON, N. J.
December 20, 1914.
Vlll
CONTENTS
PREFACE
I
THE HOHENZOLLERN TRADITION I
II.
PRELIMINARIES 25
June 15, 1888— October 30, 1889.
The First Official Act of the Emperor .... 25
Schloss Friedrichskron, June 15, 1888.
To My People 28
Potsdam, June 18, 1888.
First Declaration of Policy 3 *
Berlin, June 25, 1888.
Opening of the Reichstag 39
November 22, 1888.
The Emperor and the Striking Miners 45
May 14, 1889.
Visit of the King of Italy 47
Berlin, May 22, 1889.
The English Fleet and the German Army .... 48
Sandown Bay, August 5, 1889.
ix
CONTENTS
PAGE
The English Army 49
Aldershot, August 7, 1889.
The Czar at Berlin 50
Berlin, October n, 1889.
On Board an English Flag-Ship 51
The Piraeus, October 30, 1889.
Ill
AFTER BISMARCK 53
May 6, 1890 — June 21, 1895.
Opening of the Reichstag 53
Berlin, May 6, 1890.
Review of the Ninth Army Corps 60
Flensburg, September 4, 1890.
Accidents with Agricultural Machinery 62
Berlin, November 1 1, 1890.
Alsace-Lorraine 66
Berlin, March 14, 1891.
Swearing in the Recruits 72
Potsdam, November 23, 1891.
The Emperor's First Army Bill 75
Berlin, July 4, 1893.
Arrival in Metz 80
Metz, September 3, 1893.
Dedication of Flags 81
Berlin, October 1 8, 1894.
Navy Recruits 84
Kiel, December 3, 1894.
CONTENTS
PACE
Christening of a Cruiser 86
Kiel, March 26, 1895.
Visit to Bismarck 87
Friedrichsruh, March 26, 1895.
Opening of the Emperor William Canal .... 91
Kiel, June 21, 1895.
IV
THE BEGINNING OF WORLD POLITICS 95
June 16, 1896— March 22, 1905.
The Beginning of World Politics 95
Berlin, June 16, 1896.
To the Recruits for the Navy 103
Wilhelmshaven, February 21, 1896.
A Toast to the Russian Emperor and Empress . . 104
St. Petersburg, August 8, 1897.
The Army Tradition 106
Coblentz, August 30, 1897.
Toast to the Italian King and Queen 109
Homburg, September 4, 1897.
Address at a Dedication of Flags Ill
Berlin, October 18, 1897.
On Administering the Oath to the Recruits . . . 113
Berlin, November 18, 1897.
The Chinese Situation and the Mailed Fist . . . 116
December 15, 1897.
Address to the Regiments of the Body-Guard . 1 21
Potsdam, June 16, 1898.
xi
CONTENTS
PACE
On the Death of Prince Bismarck 123
Friedrichsruh, August 2, 1898.
"Our Future Lies Upon the Water" 126
Stettin, September 23, 1898.
The Journey to the Holy Land 127
Bethlehem, October 30, 1898.
Dedication of the Church of Our Redeemer . . . 132
Jerusalem, October 31, 1898.
By Divine Right 135
Brandenburg, February 3, 1899.
The Hague Conference 141
Wiesbaden, May 18, 1899.
The Housing of Laborers 143
Early June, 1899.
French Heroism at St. Privat 143
The Battle-field of St. Privat, August 18, 1899.
V
THE GREATER NAVY 147
"Bitterly We Need a Powerful German Fleet" . . 150
Hamburg, October 18, 1899.
On the Threshold of the New Century 154
Berlin, January I, 1900.
New Boundary Posts 157
Berlin, February 13, 1900.
Seaports and Cannon 159
Liibeck, June 16, 1900.
xii
CONTENTS
FACE
The Ocean Knocks at Our Door 160
Kiel, July 3, 1900.
Open the Way for Culture 163
Bremen, July 27, 1900.
Civis Romanus Sum 167
Imperial Limes Museum, Saalburg, October n, 1900.
Cabinet Order to the Prussian Army 169
January, 1901.
Dedication of the Barracks of the Alexander Regiment 171
March 28, 1901.
To the Students at Bonn 174
April 24, 1901.
A Place in the Sun . . . .' 180
Hamburg, June 18, 1901.
The Great Elector 184
Kiel, June 20, 1901.
Entrance of Prince Eitel Friedrich into the Army . 189
July 7, 1901.
True Art 191
Berlin, December 18, 1901.
Monument to General von Rosenberg 201
April 20, 1902.
The Old Order Changeth 203
Aix, June 19, 1902.
Alfred Krupp and the Socialists 209
November 26, 1902.
The Working Man Once More 213
Breslau, December 5, 1902.
xiii
CONTENTS
PACE
Scholarship and Religion 216
Berlin, February 15, 1903.
Frederick the Great and His Army 225
Doberitz, May 29, 1903.
The Future of Germany 227
Hamburg, June 20, 1903.
The Reasons for Japan's Victory 232
March 9, 1905.
The Salt of the Earth 233
Bremen, March 22, 1905.
VI
ON THE EVE OF MOROCCO 240
March 31, 1905 — November 12, 1906.
The 'Morocco Question 240
Tangiers, March 31, 1905.
The Great Ally 242
September 8, 1906.
Optimism and Literature 247
Munich, November 12, 1906.
Twenty-Five Years of Labor Legislation .... 253
November 17, 1896.
VII
THE CRISIS OF 1907
February 5, 1907 — October 18, 1911.
Imperialism versus Social Democracy ..... 256
Berlin, February 5, 1907.
xiv
CONTENTS
FACE
The Necessity of Faith 259
Munster, August 31, 1907.
English Journalists 264
London, November 16, 1907.
Alsace-Lorraine 265
Strasburg, August 30, 1908.
The Daily Telegraph Interview 267
October 28, 1908.
The Emperor and Count Zeppelin 273
Manzell, November 10, 1908.
Regatta at Hamburg 274
Hamburg, June 22, 1909.
Review of the Fourteenth Army Corps 278
Karlsruhe, September u, 1909.
Emperor by Divine Right 279
Konigsberg, August 25, 1910.
The Hundredth Anniversary of the Founding of the
University of Berlin 285
Berlin, October II, 1910.
The Emperor in Brussels 290
October 27, 1910.
Alcohol and the Schools 292
Cassel, August 19, 1911.
International Competition 295
Hamburg, August 27, 1911.
Imperial Glories 299
Aii, October 18, 1911.
XV
CONTENTS
VIII
PACE
LAST MONTHS or PEACE 303
February 7, 1912 — June 23, 1914.
Opening of the Reichstag 303
Berlin, February 7, 1912.
Brandenburg Once Again 307
May 30, 1912.
Hauling Down the Flag 313
Hamburg, June 18, 1912.
Accident to a Zeppelin 316
Bonn, October 17, 1913.
We Germans Fear God, Nothing Else 318
Hamburg, June 23, 1914.
IX
AT THE OUTBREAK OF THE WAR 323
Forcing the Sword into His Hand 323
Berlin, July 31, 1914.
An End of Parties 324
Berlin, August I, 1914.
Opening of the Reichstag 324
Berlin, August 4, 1914.
To the Army and Navy 327
Berlin, August 6, 1914.
Proclamation to the German People 328
Berlin, August 6, 1914.
XVI
ILLUSTRATIONS
William II, German Emperor Frontispiece
FACING PAGE
The Emperor in the Year of His Coronation, 1888
(Age 29) 26
"Our Future Lies upon the Water." The Emperor
on Shipboard in the Autumn of 1898 . . . 126
The Emperor in 1900 !6g
I
THE HOHENZOLLERN
TRADITION
Ernest Renan, the author of that once heret-
ical "Life of Jesus," was by temperament unen-
thusiastic and had further schooled himself to
look upon all human events with high uncon-
cern. The great sceptic had been born in 1823;
he was therefore sixty-five at the time of the ac-
cession of William II, and his declining health, in
Horatian phrase, refused to allow him to enter
upon any long hope. In looking forward to his
inevitable end one thing, he said, afflicted him.
He regretted only that he was not to see, in its
later and more decisive phases, the unfolding of
the multiform personality of the new German
Emperor. To him it was an intellectual puzzle,
more intricate and more interesting than any he
had encountered in the many cycles of the history
of the Hebrews or in the complicated schisms of
the church. In the early years of his reign the
youthful Emperor was regarded with much in-
THE GERMAN EMPEROR
terest and some concern by his contemporaries
generally. He was the chameleon among the
royal figures of Europe. One day he receives the
Czar at Berlin and proclaims peace to the world.
A few weeks later he visits the Sultan at Constan-
tinople, and shortly thereafter he announces to
his loyal Brandenburgers that he will lead them
on to greater things. What did he mean ? Now
he is a soldier, jesting with his officers; and, with
the rising of another sun, in workman's garb, with
the axe upon his shoulder, he goes forth as wood-
man or laborer on his own estates. At home he
was regarded as Benjamin Constant regarded
Madame de Stael. He was the "bel or age" the
beautiful storm which had come upon Europe in
the dull and piping times of peace of the last
decades of the nineteenth century. He cleared
the air of Continental politics in the years of late
Victorianism. He was a dilettante of dangerous
activities, as Renan had been of antiquated heresies
and harmless, outworn systems, and to him Fate
seemed to have given the future as a toy. Such,
at least, was the view of the famous Portuguese
poet Eca de Queiroz, who cast his horoscope in
1891.
A quarter century of peace had removed much
apprehension. After the dismissal of Bismarck
he had shaped his own policy and gone his own
THE HOHENZOLLERN TRADITION
way. To his great advisers he had seemed to
say: "Ote-toi que je m'y mette." Yet his career
had ceased to disquiet, and the youthful exuber-
ance had given way to mature and conscientious
labor. With unshakable confidence in himself and
with a determined application he was making
Germany the greatest state in Europe. To those
who, unlike Renan, did not have the misfortune
to have been born too soon to be his later con-
temporaries, the riddle seemed to be solving
itself to the greater good of humanity. The Em-
peror's army, so he tells us himself, is invincible.
Never has Germany been defeated so long as she
was united, and God, who has taken such infinite
pains with us, will never leave us "in the lurch."
By means of this powerful, unconquerable army,
at whose side he had now set one of the greatest
fleets on the seas, he had, so he told us, laid firm
and sure the foundations of peace.
Then suddenly "the abyss is opened, . . .
the sword is thrust into his hand," and reluc-
tantly and with a heavy heart he goes forth to do
battle. Like a shuttle he flits from frontier to
frontier, now planning an invasion of England,
now supervising the readministration of Belgian
industries, and now directing a battle in Poland.
Surely such a destiny, so immense a power, has
been granted to no man. It may be he is the
THE GERMAN EMPEROR
great predestined victim; it may be that Time
is preparing for him a final and well-earned
European triumph.
What shall be the end, and where lies the re-
sponsibility ? No ethical or political problem of
our time forces itself upon us with greater insist-
ence. His utterances may help to make the
question if not the answer clear. Looking for-
ward dispassionately twenty-three years ago that
Portuguese student prophesied that this could
not last, that there would be war; and in the light
of later events that prophecy about "the allied
armies" has been recently recalled. It was in
these words that he closed his brilliant study of
the youthful Emperor and King:
"William II runs the awful danger of being
cast down Gemoniae. He boldly takes upon
himself responsibilities which in all nations are
divided among various bodies of the state — he
alone judges, he alone executes, because to him
alone it is (not to his ministers, to his council, or
to his parliament) that God, the God of the
Hohenzollerns, imparts his transcendental in-
spiration. He must therefore be infallible and
invincible. At the first disaster — whether it be
inflicted by his burghers or by his people in the
streets of Berlin, or by allied armies on the plains
of Europe — Germany will at once conclude that
4
THE HOHENZOLLERN TRADITION
his much-vaunted alliance with God was the trick
of a wily despot.
"Then will there not be stones enough from
Lorraine to Pomerania to stone this counterfeit
Moses. William II is in very truth casting
against fate those terrible 'iron dice' to which
the now-forgotten Bismarck once alluded. If he
win he may have within and without the frontiers
altars such as were raised to Augustus; should
he lose, exile, the traditional exile, in England
awaits him — a degraded exile, the exile with
which he so sternly threatens those who deny his
infallibility.
"M. Renan is therefore quite right: there is
nothing more attractive at this period of the cen-
tury than to witness the final development of
William II. In the course of years (may God
make them slow and lengthy !) this youth, ardent,
pleasing, fertile in imagination, of sincere, perhaps
heroic, soul, may be sitting in calm majesty in his
Berlin Schloss presiding over the destinies of
Europe — or he may be in the Hotel Metropole
in London sadly unpacking from his exile's hand-
bag the battered double crown of Prussia and
Germany."
This drama of a life is twenty-three years
nearer its climax than it was when Renan bade
5
THE GERMAN EMPEROR
the world good night. With a certain finality of
pathos a Greek poet whom Renan loved, thinking
doubtless of his unhappy countrymen who had
fallen in the long wars between Athens and
Sparta, had said: "They that have died are not
sick, nor do they possess any evil things." If
this be true, quite possibly, then, the world was
kinder to this aged Frenchman than he shall ever
know. For the disasters which were to follow
the rising star of the Emperor, which he regarded
so curiously, were to be far greater than he had
ever dreamed. It may be, therefore, that it is he
and not some of his younger countrymen who are
to be congratulated on the bournes which marked
the time of his coming and his passing.
The question of the responsibility of the Em-
peror and the limits of his power is one which per-
haps only time can decide. Undeniably Germany
has a written Constitution. But that Constitu-
tion is of comparatively recent date (April 16,
1871). It is not looked upon, as is the American
Constitution, as the source of Germany's political
life. It is the empire and not the Constitution
that is holy. Struggles for personal liberty find
little place in the history of Prussia. They have
no Cromwell, no Washington, no Robespierre,
and, significantly too, they have had in times
past no Ravaillac and no Guiteau. There, still, a
6
THE HOHENZOLLERN TRADITION
certain majesty doth hedge about a king. The
old idea of fealty, of deutsche Treue, which led
the retainers of Teutonic chiefs or rulers to sub-
mit uncomplainingly to every abuse and all op-
pression and to follow their lords into misfortune
and into exile, though it has doubtless waned,
nevertheless retains some vestiges of its traditional
force even to-day.
When, therefore, in 1878, by a curious coin-
cidence, two attempts were made upon the life
of Emperor William I (one by Hodel, an irrespon-
sible person of diseased mind and body, who had
been dismissed from the Social Democratic party;
and another by Nobiling, who was not a Social
Democrat), Bismarck immediately and easily
seized this occasion to crush Social Democracy
and increase the imperial power. He dissolved
the Reichstag, and in one month the law-courts
inflicted no less than five hundred years of im-
prisonment for lese-majeste. Within eight months
the authorities dissolved two hundred and twenty-
two workingmen's unions, suppressed one hundred
and twenty-seven periodical and two hundred
and seventy-eight other publications, and in-
numerable bona-fide co-operative societies were
compelled by the police to close their doors with-
out trial and with no possibility of appeal. With
equal despatch numerous Social Democrats were
7
THE GERMAN EMPEROR
expelled from Germany on a few days' notice.
This traditional attitude toward the Social Demo-
crat, who from our standpoint is the German
radical and liberal, appears again in the present
Emperor when he declares (May 14, 1889) that
every Social Democrat is synonymous with enemy
of the country. How Social Democracy has grown
in spite of the Emperor's attempt to check it
will be evident from a consideration of the follow-
ing figures, in which the forty political parties are
grouped into their four larger divisions:
1871
1881
1893
1907
1912
Right, or Con-
servative
Liberal
895,000
1,884,000
973,000
124,000
1,210,000
1,948,000
1,618,000
312,000
1,806,000
2,102,000
1,920,000
1,787,000
2,151,000
3,078,000
2,779,000
3,259,000
1,149,916
3,227,846
2,012,990
4,238,919
Clerical
Social Demo-
crats
In spite of this representation in the Reichstag,
the power of the German political parties is slight.
The power lies far more with the Emperor and the
Bundesrat. According to Article II of the Con-
stitution, the Emperor represents the empire in-
ternationally and can declare war if defensive
(in German eyes the present is a defensive war),
can make peace as well as enter into treaties with
other nations, and appoint and receive ambas-
8
THE HOHENZOLLERN TRADITION
sadors. When treaties are related to matters
regulated by imperial legislation, and when war
is not merely defensive, the Emperor must have
the consent of the Bundesrat, in which, together
with the Reichstag, are vested the legislative
functions of the empire. But de facto, and through
her power of veto, Prussia controls the Bundesrat,
and as King of Prussia the Emperor controls
Prussia.
That, even so, the Constitution is not the real
and final source of political power, but a convenient
political instrument, which in the mind of so great
an authority as Bismarck might still easily be
changed without consulting the people, we may
gather from the fact that the Great Chancellor
frequently debated the question of limiting the
suffrage. "The blind Hodhur* [the German elec-
tor] does not know how to manipulate in his coarse
hands the Nuremberg toy [the Reichstag] which
I gave him, and through his voting he is ruining
the Fatherland." According to Hohenlohe, Bis-
marck considered setting aside the Reichstag and
returning to the old Bundestag.
The late Price Collier, an enthusiastic admirer
of Germany, is therefore quite justified in saying:
"This Reichstag is really only nominally a por-
*In Norse mythology Hodhur was the powerful blind god who
slew Balder.
THE GERMAN EMPEROR
tion of the governing body. It has the right to
refuse a bill presented by the government, but
if it does so it may be summarily dismissed, as
has happened several times, and another election
usually provides a more amenable body." And
if the following judgment seems somewhat down-
right, it is none the less substantially true:
"The fact that the members of the Reichstag
are not in the saddle but are used unwillingly
and often contemptuously as a necessary and often
stubborn and unruly pack-animal by the Kaiser-
appointed ministers, the fact that they are pricked
forward or induced to move by a tempting feed
held just beyond the nose has something to do,
no doubt, with the lack of unanimity which exists.
The diverse elements debate with one another and
waste their energy in rebukes and recriminations
which lead nowhere and result in nothing. I have
listened to many debates in the Reichstag where
the one aim of the speeches seemed to be merely
to unburden the soul of the speaker. He had no
plan, no proposal, no solution, merely a confession
to make. After forty-odd years the Germans, in
many ways the most cultivated nation in the
world, are still without real representative gov-
ernment. "
History, to be sure, may be read in many ways,
but from one standpoint it is perfectly possible to
10
THE HOHENZOLLERN TRADITION
regard the framing of the present Constitution
and the building up of the present German Em-
pire not as the last stage in the attempt to give
freedom and self-government to the German peo-
ple, but to guarantee and maintain the supremacy
of Prussia. Whether or not this is a possible
view, it is, in any case, one occasionally to be
found implied in the speeches of the Emperor,
and it came to open expression in the statement
of William I that the empire was merely a
"greater Prussia." So, too, when a few years
ago Alsace-Lorraine proved itself recalcitrant to
the wishes of its imperial master, he threatened
that he would make of it a "Prussian province."*
It need, therefore, not appear as startling as
would otherwise be the case if on occasions which
to us would seem peculiarly appropriate (as, for
instance, the famous Konigsberg speech, August
25, 1910) the Emperor makes no mention what-
ever of the Constitution. The sources of his power
and the sanction for his authority he finds not in
this instrument but in the history of his ancestors.
To understand the personality and the speeches
*On this occasion a Socialist orator deckred in the Reichstag:
"We salute the imperial words as the confession, full of weight and
coming from a competent source, that annexation to Prussia is the
heaviest punishment that one can threaten to impose upon a people
for its resistance against Germany. It is a punishment like hard
labor in the penitentiary, with loss of civil rights."
II
THE GERMAN EMPEROR
of the Emperor it is, therefore, necessary to re-
call that he is also King of Prussia and that the
foundation of his ancestors' rule was laid in the
province of Brandenburg, of which they became
some centuries ago the margraves and electors.
In 1300 Prussia was a wilderness inhabited by
savages who were ruthlessly massacred by the
Teutonic knights. It was looked upon as lying
outside the German Empire. Through the knights
the country was converted to Christianity, and the
reduced native population was largely augmented
by immigration from other German states.
Although the Emperor is not slow to accept
traditions with regard to his house, he never men-
tions the old shoot in the genealogical tree of an
elector which carries us back to one of the fugi-
tives who fled from Troy with .'Eneas. For our
purposes, it was not until 1273 that a count of
Hohenzollern first came into prominence, when,
after a fortunate marriage, he became burgrave
of Nuremberg and prince of the Holy Roman Em-
pire. With the exception of Frederick William II,
they have been a thrifty race. A little more than a
century later there appears in history that one of
the Emperor's ancestors to whom he frequently
refers as the founder of his house and that one
who began to acquire for it divine right.
Frederick VI of Hohenzollern had already come
12
THE HOHENZOLLERN TRADITION
into prominence through the fact that he had cast
in his lot with King Sigismund of Hungary. The
services which he rendered the King, , however
valuable, were not altogether disinterested, and it
is said that he largely increased his fortune thereby.
He seems not to have been content with mere
promises, and it is a matter of record that Sigis-
mund pledged to him certain districts in Hungary
as security for 40,000 gulden. As Frederick was
to lay the foundation for the greatness of the house
of Hohenzollern and as Emperor William is fond
of repeating that he came to Brandenburg in
obedience to a summons from on high, this chapter
in the history of the Emperor's house is particu-
larly significant and interesting.
For some time previously Brandenburg had
been unfortunate in its rulers and had frequently
changed hands. In 1373 it had been sold for
500,000 gulden to Emperor Charles IV, who
turned it over to his son Wenceslaus. In 1378
it passed to Wenceslaus' half brother, the Sigis-
mund mentioned above. Sigismund was in
financial difficulty. A few years later, therefore,
he pledged the mark of Brandenburg to his
cousins Jobst and Procop of Moravia as security
for a loan of 500,000 gulden. Sigismund de-
faulted payment in 1393, so that the margraviate
passed to them. In 1410 Sigismund eagerly de-
13
THE GERMAN EMPEROR
sired to be elected Emperor of Germany. He
entrusted the management of what might quite
properly be called his "campaign" to Frederick
of Hohenzollern. Jobst of Moravia, who, as we
have seen, now had claims to Brandenburg was a
rival candidate. Sigismund, without deigning to
make repayment, coolly declared that the trans-
action with Jobst concerning Brandenburg was
null and void and instructed Frederick to cast the
vote for the mark. To this vote Frederick clearly
(if anything in these complicated proceedings
is clear) had no right. He none the less managed
the campaign and in a "snap" election cast the
vote of Brandenburg with assurance. This at
least was the view of other electors, and this high-
handed performance did not meet with their ap-
proval. They called a rival council and elected
Jobst to the imperial dignity. For both Sigis-
mund and Frederick it was "fortunate" (we take
the word from the Prussian historian Eberty)
that Jobst died shortly after. It is perhaps un-
fortunate that it should have been suspected ever
since that he died of poison.
Sigismund himself seems to have been some-
what doubtful about the validity of that election
which Frederick had compassed and after the
death of Jobst had himself re-elected and was
finally acknowledged as Emperor. If the times
14
THE HOHENZOLLERN TRADITION
were bad, Sigismund and Jobst were no better
than their times. It was this same Sigismund
who, after having granted a safe conduct to the
great reformer John Huss, allowed him to be
judicially murdered, a proceeding which made
even Charles V blush for the empire.
For the purpose of electing Sigismund, Frederick
had incurred considerable expense, amounting to
some hundred thousand gulden. It is perhaps
again fortunate for all concerned and for the
honor of the venal empire that no bill of partic-
ulars specifying the uses of this fund is now avail-
able, if any was ever rendered. That Frederick,
however, had not served Sigismund "pour I' amour
de Dieu" is plain from the fact that he again took
security for his advances. This time he was
given the unhappy mark of Brandenburg which,
as we have seen, had belonged to Jobst by virtue
of a mortgage which Sigismund had never taken
the trouble to discharge.
If, then, the law of God is at all similar to the
law recognized by men, Sigismund had no right
to give and the ancestor of William II no legal
right to accept that province. The right by which
Frederick came into possession of this first state
of the later German Empire was, consequently, a
right quite different from rights generally recog-
nized. This, therefore, must be that " divine right "
IS
THE GERMAN EMPEROR
which William II is so fond of proclaiming. At its
best, the document of June 7, 1411, which gave
the Hohenzollerns their first claim to their first
province was in reality a mortgage to a piece
of property of doubtful title, and it the rather
florid style of that document seems to bring in
the business transaction as something quite in-
cidental, it is altogether similar to the forms in
which other mortgages were couched in those
days. That this was so is further evidenced by the
fact that the Brandenburg cities looked upon Fred-
erick as the holder of a mortgage and did homage
to him "zu seinem Gelde" — "for his money";
that is, they recognized that they were bound to
him only until he should be paid. The nobles did
not do homage to him at all. After "the rain of
margraves" of the previous decades, it is not
strange that they should have been slow to rec-
ognize their latest overlord. Emperor William
II is, therefore, quite right when he describes the
mark of May, 1412, as devastated, unruly, and
altogether unpromising. It could hardly have
been otherwise. Before Frederick was invested
with Brandenburg (and he was formally invested
only after a further payment of 400,000 gulden),
in 1417, his princely possessions included merely
partial claims to smaller districts like Ansbach
and Bayreuth, which he shared with his brother
16
THE HOHENZOLLERN TRADITION
John. In spite of Frederick of Hohenzollern's devo-
tion to the cause of religion, the Shakespearean
motto, "Thrift, thrift, Horatio," may be taken to
explain satisfactorily his conduct in this regard.
That the nobles would be unruly he must have
expected. His own activities and his acceptance
of the mark had helped to make them so. Fred-
erick's later service consisted in dispelling a con-
fusion which he had helped to create.
In these larger transactions the first great
Hohenzollern does not seem to have been given
to listening to the still small voice. Incidentally,
he was later to turn against Sigismund. The
assumption, therefore, that he left his southern
home for the mark out of heed for a divine call,
as Emperor William in his speech of February 3,
1899, tells us that he did, is historically, like La-
place's God, a useless hypothesis. Self-interest,
for which he seems to have had a fairly keen sense,
would have impelled him to do no less. Yet it is
upon the fails et gestes of Frederick of Hohen-
zollern that Emperor William II bases his claims
to rule Germany by divine right.
As we have seen, the mortgage was not dis-
charged, and Frederick had been formally invested
with the margraviate and electorship in 1417.
He lifted the mark out of the deplorable condition
in which he found it, compelled obedience, and
17
THE GERMAN EMPEROR
during the period of his rule — he died in 1440 —
its lot was much improved and the power of the
house of Hohenzollern much strengthened. His-
tory must give him credit for his ability and his
difficult achievement if not for his motives.
In the process of establishing himself, his rule,
like that of his successors was the rule of the
sword and his policy the Machtpolitik, or policy
of force. In spite of her comparative poverty,
therefore, Prussia in the seventeenth and eight-
eenth centuries maintained an army larger than
that of Austria or France. The connection be-
tween the ruler and the army in a state which
was founded and maintained by force of arms
was, therefore, and remains in modern Prussia so
close that the Emperor is from the standpoint of
tradition justified in repeating that "the only
pillar on which the empire rests is the army."
It was literally ein Folk in Wafjeny a people in
arms. The first really outstanding ruler of the
province was the Great Elector (1620-88), who
has always been cited by William II as his model
and of whom he speaks with a respect that amounts
to veneration.
He was born in Berlin and, after passing part
of his youth in the Netherlands, became ruler of
Brandenburg and Prussia in 1640, before the
close of the Thirty Years' War. He restored the
18
THE HOHENZOLLERN TRADITION
prestige of the army and centralized the govern-
ment and, we are informed by recognized author-
ities, by a clever but unscrupulous use of his
intermediate position between Sweden and Po-
land, procured his recognition as an independent
Duke of Prussia by both powers and eventually
succeeded in crushing the stubborn and pro-
tracted opposition which was offered to his au-
thority by the estates of the duchy. His success
in organizing the army was proved by his great
victory over the Swedes at Fehrbellin, 1675.
From childhood the Emperor has worshipped
the Great Elector as his favorite hero. In their
policies there is a striking similarity, for the elector
was the first to recognize the importance of sea
power and is praised by William II for having
founded the Prussian navy and for having en-
couraged commerce. He built the first great
German canal, from the Oder to the Spree (an-
other lead which the present Emperor was to fol-
low), and he inaugurated the colonial policy by
founding a settlement on the west African coast.
This, likewise, was to be revived by the present
Emperor, for it was allowed to lapse even under
Frederick the Great, who considered a "village
on the frontier" a much greater asset than a state
oversea. The aim of the Great Elector was to
make himself an absolute ruler, as he regarded
19
THE GERMAN EMPEROR
this best for the internal and external welfare of
the state. But he raised Brandenburg and Prussia
to a high place and laid the basis of their later
power.
Under these lords and their followers the prog-
ress of Prussia was amazingly rapid. In 1650,
when London and Paris were cities of a little more
or less than half a million inhabitants and Am-
sterdam counted 300,000, Berlin was a village of
10,000. The population of Prussia itself, which,
to be sure, had been more than doubled in size, in-
creased from 1,500,000 in 1688 to 19,000,000 in
1865. It was in the time of Frederick the Great,
however, that her power as a state was first firmly
established. His military genius (he is usually
said to have originated "the oblique order" of
battle) and his policy of dissimulation here stood
him in good stead. He sowed discord among
his neighbors and awaited the favorable opportu-
nity to attack even on very slight pretexts and in
the case of Silesia without the formality of a
declaration of war. Like William II, he was a
patron of the arts and sciences and invited noted
litterateurs and scientists, especially Frenchmen,
to his court. The scientist Maupertuis and Vol-
taire were his proteges, and the exiled Rousseau
for a time found refuge in his domains. He him-
self wrote in French. It is probably because of
20
THE HOHENZOLLERN TRADITION
his French sympathies and the fact that he was,
in this regard, not a kerndeutscher Mann that Wil-
liam II rarely speaks of him personally and men-
tions usually only his services to his country.
Frederick died in 1786. He had raised Prussia
to the position of a first-rate power and, in Dis-
raeli's phrase, left it "regarded if not respected."
His successor, Frederick William II, is remembered
mostly because of the scandalous character of his
life, and he showed none of the characteristics of
the energetic Hohenzollerns. A contemporary
says of him: "He bears the greatest resemblance
to an Asiatic prince, who, living within his harem
with his slaves of both sexes, leaves the business
of the state to his viziers. The wall, twelve feet
in height, by which the new garden at Potsdam is
enclosed, reminds one of the enclosure of a
seraglio." He was succeeded by his son, Freder-
ick William III, in 1797. This conscientious but
ill-starred ruler was to be rendered famous through
his misfortunes in the time of Napoleon and has
been overshadowed somewhat in history by his
beautiful, devoted, and heroic wife Louise. They
stand closer to modern history than is generally
realized. The present Emperor often mentions
them for their heroism and the brave part they
played in the War of Liberation and in freeing
their country from the incubus of the Napoleonic
21
THE GERMAN EMPEROR
Empire. They were the parents of Emperor
William I, the illustrious grandfather of the
present sovereign. If, then, Emperor William II
frequently takes occasion to recall the memory of
1813 it should be remembered that in his own
family these events were very near to him, since
his grandfather had spent his childhood in those
years of humiliation and had served in the allied
armies in the time of Napoleon. The man who
was to become Emperor William I had been born
as the second son of Frederick William III in
1797. He was to be preceded on the throne by
his elder brother, Frederick William IV, who, like
the present Emperor and like Frederick the Great,
was an accomplished lover of the arts, but who
lacked the strength to guide his country with a
sure hand through the troubled years of the forties.
He became afflicted in his last years with hopeless
mental disease, and his brother, after having served
as regent, became King of Prussia as William I
in 1861.
The idea of uniting Germany into a single em-
pire had already been seriously agitated in the
time of Frederick William IV, but it was under
his brother, largely through the tireless activity
and wonderfully successful diplomacy of Bis-
marck, that this great aim was to be achieved in
the lifetime of the present Emperor. It was in
22
THE HOHENZOLLERN TRADITION
the chapel at Konigsberg that William I arranged
for and held his coronation. He cannot be said
to have been crowned; for although his brother
had granted Prussia a constitution William him-
self raised the crown from the altar, set it on his
own head, and announced in a loud voice: "I re-
ceive this crown from God's hand and from none
other."
It was such a legacy that the present Emperor
inherited when, after the few months' reign of his
father, he succeeded to the imperial office; and it
is this legacy and this tradition which, in fairness
to the Emperor, we must * remember in reading
such seemingly strange pronouncements as his own
address at Konigsberg in 1910.
The later events in German history and the
subsequent policies of the empire are touched
upon in such detail that further preamble is
hardly necessary. That the Emperor has every-
where energetically taken the lead is undoubted.
That he should be held responsible in general for
German diplomacy is implied in his position.
That he has urged and directed the movement in
nearly every field of endeavor is plain from the
varied character of his addresses. No one can
doubt after reading him that he desired peace, in
the sense that he preferred peace to war. The
question that will undoubtedly interest the reader
23
THE GERMAN EMPEROR
most is the problem of the consistency of his vari-
ous policies; whether, for instance, the exaggerated
worship of the army, the devout desire for peace,
and the insistent imperialism of his later years
can be brought into harmony; whether they can
be reduced to any common denominator. How-
ever that may be, that he has been one of the
most devoted and conscientious servants of the
German cause as he sees it cannot possibly be
denied,
24
II
PRELIMINARIES
JUNE 15, 1888— OCTOBER 30, 1889
THE FIRST OFFICIAL ACT OF THE EMPEROR
SCHLOSS FRIEDRICHSKRON, JUNE 15, 1888
The aged Emperor William I, grandfather of
William II, departed this life March 9, 1888.
He was succeeded by his son, Frederick III, who,
after a reign of only a few months, died on June
15 of the same year. The present Emperor, who
was born on January 27, 1859, was, therefore,
twenty-nine at the time of his accession to the
throne. It is characteristic that his first official
act should have been an order to the army.
The close connection between the army and the
Prussian Kings is a tradition which William II
sedulously maintained. In later speeches he will
frequently give evidence of this desire on his part
and will quote characteristic sayings of his an-
cestors to the effect that the army is the "rocker
de bronze," that it is "the only pillar on which the
empire rests." He will repeat to the army of-
ficers that phrase of his grandfather: "These are
the gentlemen upon whom I can rely."
25
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [JUNE
If the extraordinary versatility of William II
is one of his most striking qualities, a reading of
his speeches will convince us that it is none the
less true that he is first and foremost a soldier.
By far the great majority of his speeches are on
military occasions, and it is the martial triumphs
of his ancestors that he is most fond of commem-
orating. He seems to be most at home with his
officers, and although at one time or another dif-
ferences have arisen between him and every party
or caste in the empire, even including the Prus-
sian nobility, this close relationship with the
army has never been clouded by even a momen-
tary estrangement. More than any other one
subject, army reviews have provided the occasion
for his speeches. If but a few of these are given
here it is because his sentiments in this regard
have suffered no change and these addresses are
largely repetitions of his sense of satisfaction
and the expression of his good-will. That he
intended to be the virtual leader of his own host
is perhaps best indicated by the fact that Von
Moltke (who was, to be sure, an old man) re-
signed six weeks after his accession to the throne.
The present war has proved his capacity in this
regard, and the army has certainly lost nothing
in efficiency and has probably gained somewhat
in confidence since he took over the direction
from his ancestors and their advisers. The
present order was issued on the very day of
his father's death. On that same date a some-
what similar proclamation was addressed to the
navy.
26
THE F.MPEROR IN THE YEAR
OF HIS CORONATION, 1888
[Age 29]
i888] THE FIRST OFFICIAL ACT
Even ere you, my troops, had put aside the
external signs of mourning for your Emperor
and King, William I, who lives ever in your
hearts, you are called upon to suffer another
heavy blow through the death this morning, at
five minutes past eleven, of my dear and deeply
beloved father, his Majesty, the Emperor and
King, Frederick III.
It is in these serious days of mourning that
God's will places me at the head of the army, and
it is from a heart stirred deeply, indeed, that I
address my first words to my troops.
I enter with implicit confidence, however, upon
this duty to which God has called me; for I know
what a sense for honor and duty has been im-
planted in the army by my glorious ancestors,
and I know to what degree this sense has ever
and at all times displayed itself.
The absolutely inviolable dependence upon the
war lord [Kriegsherr] is, in the army, the inheri-
tance which descends from father to son, from
generation to generation. I would direct your
gaze to my grandfather, who stands before the
eyes of all of you, the glorious war lord, worthy
of all honor — a spectacle more beautiful than
any other and one which speaks most tellingly to
our hearts; I would direct your gaze to my dear
father, who even as Crown Prince won for himself
27
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [JUNE
a distinguished place in the annals of the army,
and to a long succession of famous ancestors
whose names are resplendent in history and whose
hearts beat warmly for the army.
So are we bound together — I and the army — so
are we born for one another, and so shall we hold
together indissolubly, whether, as God wills, we
are to have peace or storm.
You are now about to swear to me the oath of
fidelity and obedience, and I vow that I shall ever
be mindful of the fact that the eyes of my fore-
fathers look down upon me from that other
world and that I one day shall have to render up
to them an account of the fame and the honor of
the army.
WILLIAM.
CASTLE FRIEDRICHSKRON, June 15, 1888.
TO MY PEOPLE
POTSDAM, JUNE 18, 1888
Three days after his pronouncements to the
army and navy Emperor William II issued the
following proclamation to his people. In tempera-
ment the son was quite unlike his father. The
wife of Frederick I and the mother of the present
Emperor was an English princess, Victoria (daugh-
ter of Queen Victoria), and through her Frederick
is generally said to have been influenced by the
28
i888] TO MY PEOPLE
more liberal English tradition. Critics of William
II have occasionally annoyed him by repeating,
justly or unjustly, that his father regarded certain
elements in his character with disapproval. How-
ever that may be, it is true that the people re-
garded Frederick in a different light from that in
which they have come to regard his son. In read-
ing the speeches of William II one is conscious of
the fact that he is speaking from a certain emi-
nence, that the Emperor never forgets that he en-
joys the advantage of position. He has, therefore,
put between himself and his people a certain dis-
tance which did not exist in the case of his father.
The father treated his subjects as if he were one of
them, and it is this fact that led them fondly to call
him "Unser Fritz." However great the respect
which they feel for the son, none of his subjects
would think of bestowing any such title on Wil-
liam II, and, even if they did, it is doubtful
whether he would feel in any way complimented
thereby. He is in this respect more like his an-
cestor Frederick the Great than like his father
or grandfather, and it is a striking fact that
in all his speeches he never once mentions this
somewhat familiar title, of which his father was
proud.
God has again hung about us the pall of deepest
mourning. Hardly had the grave closed upon
my ever-memorable grandfather, than his Majesty,
my dearly beloved father, was called from this
29
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [JUNE
earthly sojourn to everlasting peace. The heroic
energy, born of Christian humility, with which,
unmindful of his sufferings, he accomplished his
royal duties seemed to leave room for the hope
that he would be spared still longer to the Father-
land. God has willed it otherwise. To the royal
sufferer whose heart was moved by all that was
great and beautiful, only a few months were al-
lotted in which he might display upon the throne
the noble qualities of heart and soul which have
won for him the love of his people. The virtues
which adorned him and the victories which he
gained on fields of battle will be gratefully remem-
bered as long as German hearts beat, and undying
fame will illumine his knightly figure in the history
of the Fatherland.
Called to the throne of my fathers, I have taken
over the government, looking to the King of all
kings, and have vowed to God, following the ex-
ample of my father, to be a righteous and gentle
prince, to foster piety and the fear of God, to
maintain peace, to further the welfare of the coun-
try, to be a help to the poor and oppressed, and
to be to the righteous man a true protector.
If I pray God for strength to fulfil these royal
duties which He has laid upon me, I am buoyed
up by that faith in the Prussian people which a
consideration of our past history confirms in me.
30
i888] FIRST DECLARATION OF POLICY
In good and in evil days Prussia's people have
ever stood faithfully to their kings. I, too, count
upon this fidelity, which has ever been preserved
inviolable toward my fathers in all times of trial
and danger; for I am conscious that I reciprocate
it whole-heartedly, as a faithful prince of a faith-
ful people, and that we are both equally strong in
our devotion to a common Fatherland. From this
consciousness of the mutual love which binds me
to my people, I derive the confidence that God will
give me wisdom and strength to exercise my kingly
office for the welfare of the Fatherland.
WILLIAM.
POTSDAM, June 18, 1888.
FIRST DECLARATION OF POLICY
BERLIN, JUNE 25, 1888
After the death of Frederick III the Reichstag
was summoned to meet in extraordinary session.
Most of the affiliated sovereigns of the German
states assembled to pay homage to the youthful
Emperor. On this occasion he made from the
throne a declaration of policy which is interesting
as showing his ideas before he was subjected to the
pressure of events. Before he had succeeded to
the throne it had been generally reported, possi-
bly because of his known fondness for the army,
that he was by nature bellicose. This report seri-
ously distressed the new so 'ereign, and he began
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [JUNE
his reign with declarations, which have often been
renewed since, that he would work for peace. He
likewise outlines his foreign policy and expresses
the hope that he may further develop friendly re-
lations with Russia. In this he was to achieve
but little success, and a few years later the agree-
ment which bound Russia to observe neutrality
in case Germany were involved in war was al-
lowed to lapse, much to the disgust of Bismarck,
who at that time had been superseded by Caprivi.
Frederick the Great had warned his successors
that in the future, in case Prussia wished to wage
any war, she would first have to assure herself of
the neutrality of Russia. Bismarck had followed
this policy and had established it on the basis of
an agreement. As the relationship to Russia was
to be of particular consequence, it will be inter-
esting to have before us an article which appeared
October 26, 1896, in the Hamburger Nachrich-
ten, recognized as expressing the views of the
great Chancellor. It announces that already in
Bismarck's time the wire between Berlin and St.
Petersburg was cut and takes up certain events of
the year 1890. "Up to this time," we are told,
"both empires were fully agreed that in case one
of them should be attacked the other would pre-
serve a benevolent neutrality. After the depar-
ture of Bismarck this agreement was not renewed,
and if we are correctly informed about events in
Berlin, it was not Russia, piqued at the change in
chancellors, but Count Caprivi who declined to
continue this mutual assurance, while Russia was
prepared to do so."
32
i888] FIRST DECLARATION OF POLICY
Emperor William's announcement with regard
to his personal friendship and the interests of the
realm may be taken as heralding a new era in
German foreign policy. He inaugurated what has
been called "personal diplomacy," and felt that
it was possible to arrange the relationships be-
tween states by personally visiting and confer-
ring with other sovereigns. Shortly after his ac-
cession, therefore, he set out on a tour of the
European capitals. Bismarck, who planned his
foreign relations on the basis of race psychology
and possible future clashes of interests, opposed
this strenuously. The visit to St. Petersburg
(i9th to 24th of July, 1888) gave rise to certain
unpleasant scenes and was only returned by the
Czar in a very perfunctory manner fifteen months
later (October 1 1 , 1 889) . The effect of the friendly
attentions shown the Czar on this occasion was
doubtless weakened by the fact that, less than
three weeks later, Emperor William felt called
upon to visit the Sultan, by whom he was most
enthusiastically received in Constantinople. Even
though the Emperor was most sincere in his de-
sire to preserve friendship with Russia, events
were to prove that his method of cultivating diplo-
matic relations was far less successful than Bis-
marck's way of working in silence and waiting for
events.
With regard to the internal administration of
the realm, the problem that seemed most pressing
to William II was the rapid growth of the Social
Democratic party. This problem had already en-
gaged the attention of William I and of Bismarck,
33
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [JUNE
who recognized its gravity. But here, too, the
Emperor and Chancellor were to disagree. The
former felt that he could easily master the situa-
tion, as may be seen from his remark to Bismarck:
"Leave the Social Democrats to me." He was
doubtless sincerely concerned for the welfare of
the laborer and recognized in it one of the sources
of the prosperity of the state. His policy was to
be patriarchal and, bluntly put in Shakespearian
phrase, amounted to giving them medicine to
make them love him. But if, to change the meta-
phor, he offered them his hand in a velvet glove,
they were, as may be seen from his speech, soon
to discover that it was a hand of iron.
HONORED GENTLEMEN:
I greet you with deep sorrow in my heart, and I
know that you grieve with me. The recent mem-
ory of my late father's sufferings, the astound-
ing fact that three months after the death of
his Majesty, Emperor William I, I am called upon
to mount the throne, arouses the same feeling in
the hearts of all Germans, and our grief has found
a sympathetic response in all countries of the
world. Under the weight of this sorrow, I pray
God to give me strength to fulfil the high office
to which His will has called me.
As I follow this command I have before my
eyes the example which Emperor William be-
queathed to his successors when, after serious
34
i888] FIRST DECLARATION OF POLICY
wars, he ruled with a love of peace. This same
example the reign of my late father strove to
maintain in so far as he was not thwarted in his
aims by his illness and death.
I have called you together, Honored Gentlemen,
in order in your presence to announce to the Ger-
man people that I am determined, as Emperor
and as King, to follow in that same path by which
my late grandfather won for himself the trust of
his allies, the love of the German people, and the
kindly recognition of foreign countries. It lies
with God whether I shall be successful in this or
not; but earnestly shall I strive to that end.
The most important tasks of the German Em-
peror lie in the province of establishing military
and political safety for the realm from without
and in supervising the execution of the laws of the
empire within. The Constitution of the empire
forms the highest of these laws. To guard and
defend it and all those rights which it secures to
both of the legislative bodies* of the nation and
to every German citizen, as well as those which
it secures to the Emperor and to each of the states
of the union, and to the reigning princes, is the
most important right and duty of the Emperor.
With regard to legislation in the realm, accord-
ing to the Constitution I am called upon to act
* Bundesrat and Reichstag.
35
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [JUNE
more in my capacity as King of Prussia than in
that as the German Emperor; but in both it will
be my aim to carry out the work of imperial legis-
lation in the same spirit in which my late grand-
father began it. Especially do I take to heart in
its fullest application the message published by
him on November 17, 1881,* and shall proceed in
that spirit to bring it about that the legislation
for the working population shall make more secure
the protection which, in accordance with the prin-
ciples of Christian ethics, it can afford the weak
and oppressed in the struggle for existence. I
hope it may be possible in this way more nearly
to eliminate unhealthy social distinctions, and I
*As this message of Emperor William I was practically the be-
ginning of labor legislation in Germany and is several times referred
to, its significant portion is given below. Emperor Wijliam I had
already failed in his policy of crushing Socialism through drastic
measures of repression. He was now to initiate a policy of attempt-
ing to kill it with kindness. In spite of certain admirable provisions,
this too was to fail. The Social Democrats had learned from bitter
experience that they did not enjoy the good-will of either the grand-
father or the grandson, and for this reason the projects of social
legislation were looked upon with suspicion and accepted without
enthusiasm. The awkward and compromising nature of the Em-
peror's position is evident in the preamble.
"Already in February of this year we expressed the conviction
that the healing of social grievances was not to be sought exclusively
in the repression of Social Democratic excesses, but also in the direct
advancement of the welfare of the laborer. We hold it to be our
royal duty to impress this matter upon the Reichstag, and we would
look back with greater satisfaction upon all the achievements with
which God has blessed our reign if we could carry away with us the
conviction that we had left to the Fatherland new and lasting pledges
of internal peace and to those in need of help greater security and
36
i888] FIRST DECLARATION OF POLICY
cherish the hope that in fostering our internal
welfare I shall receive the harmonious support of
all true subjects of the realm, without division of
party.
I hold it, however, likewise my duty to see to
it that our political and social development pro-
ceeds according to law and to meet with firmness
any attempt which aims at undermining the order
of the state.
In foreign politics I am determined to keep
peace with every one in so far as in me lies. My
love for the German army and my position in it
will never lead me into the temptation of robbing
the country of the benefits of peace, unless some
provisions for support, upon which they may make rightful claim.
In our attempts to this end we are sure of the support of all the af-
filiated governments and count upon the support of the Reichstag
without distinction of parties. To this end a draft of a bill for the
protection of laborers against accidents, which was presented by the
affiliated governments in the previous session, will be reformulated
in view of the discussions held in the Reichstag and will be offered
for further consideration. As a supplement to it, a project will be
brought forward which proposes a similar organization of the funds
for laboring men's sick insurance. But those, too, who on account
of age or infirmity are no longer able to work have just claim upon
the community for a higher degree of governmental protection
than it has previously been possible to accord them. To find the
proper ways and means for making such provision is one of the most
difficult but one of the highest tasks of any society which is based
upon the foundations of a Christian national life. By calling upon
the sources of this strong national life and organizing it into in-
corporated associations under state protection we hope to bring
about the solution of problems which the state alone could not solve
with the same success. But even in this way the goal cannot be
reached without the employment of important means."
37
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [JUNE
attack upon the empire, or her allies, forces war
upon us. The army is to make our peace secure;
yet if that should, nevertheless, be threatened, the
army will be able to re-establish it with honor.
And it will be able to do so by reason of the
strength which it has received from the last army
bill, which you voted unanimously. To make use
of that force to wage a war of aggression lies far
from my thoughts. Germany needs no new mar-
tial glory nor any conquest of whatever sort after
she has, once for all, established her right to exist
as a single and independent nation.
Our alliance with Austria-Hungary is publicly
known; I hold fast to this in German faith not
only because it is concluded but because I per-
ceive in this defensive alliance a basis for European
balance of power as well as a legacy from German
history. The public opinion of the entire Ger-
man people supports this alliance, and it is founded
upon the European law of nations, as it prevailed
undisputed until 1866. Similar historical rela-
tions, and the fact that we have similar national
needs to-day, ally us with Italy. Both nations
wish to hold fast to the blessings of peace in order
to devote themselves undisturbed to the strength-
ening of their newly acquired unity, to the devel-
opment of their national institutions, and to the
furtherance of their prosperity.
38
i888J OPENING OF THE REICHSTAG
To my great satisfaction, our existing agree-
ments with Austria-Hungary and Italy permit me
to foster carefully my personal friendship for the
Russian Emperor and the friendly relations which
have existed for a hundred years with the neigh-
boring Russian Empire, a course which accords
with my own feelings as well as with the interests
of Germany.
I stand as ready to serve the Fatherland in the
conscientious promotion of peace as in the care
for our army and rejoice in the traditional rela-
tions with foreign powers through which my efforts
in the former direction are being furthered.
Trusting in God and in the ability of our peo-
ple to defend themselves, I entertain the hope
that for an appreciable time we may be allowed
to preserve and strengthen through peaceful labor
what my two predecessors on the throne had ac-
quired through their efforts on the field of battle.
OPENING OF THE REICHSTAG
BERLIN, NOVEMBER 22, 1888
The first months of the Emperor's reign were
devoted largely to visiting the heads of the con-
federated German states and in cultivating the
acquaintance of foreign rulers. His main pur-
pose, as he tells us on a later occasion, was to com-
39
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [Nov.
bat the idea that it was his intention to enter upon
a career of war.
The workingman's insurance act, which has
been referred to, was one of the most important
legislative provisions ever made in the interests of
labor. The cost of this insurance was distributed
between the employer, the employed, and the
state. In spite of its undoubted benefits, it had
failed to disarm the Social Democrats, and the
party had continued to increase. They com-
plained that the proportion of the cost borne by
them was too great, and, as they had been previ-
ously and were soon again to be treated as
enemies, they were inclined to look upon it as a
bribe. By his "social-political" legislation the
Emperor meant to forestall the Socialist pro-
gramme. When this well-intentioned movement
failed to dissolve the party, which continued to
increase, he was not slow to show his resentment.
HONORED GENTLEMEN:
When I greeted you for the first time, at the
beginning of my reign, you stood with me under
the weight of the severe visitations which my
house and the empire have experienced in the
course of the present year. The sorrow over this
loss will never be wholly extinguished during the
lifetime of the present generation, but it cannot
hinder me from following in the footsteps of my
late ancestors and completely fulfilling the de-
mands of duty with manly vigor and fidelity.
40
i888] OPENING OF THE REICHSTAG
Buoyed up by this sense of duty and assuming
that this exists in you to the same degree, I give
you my greeting and bid you welcome as we again
take up our common labors.
My travels have carried me into different parts
of the empire, and everywhere I have found evi-
dences, both on the part of my exalted colleagues
and of the people, that the princes and the popu-
lation of Germany are, with absolute trust, de-
voted to the empire and its institutions and find
the pledge of safety in their union. From such
testimony you have doubtless come to the con-
clusion, no less satisfying to you than to me, that
the organic union which now binds the empire
together has taken deep and firm rooting in the
people at large. I therefore feel the need of grate-
fully expressing on this occasion the pleasure which
it gives me.
It fills me with great satisfaction that, after diffi-
cult and laborious negotiations, the inclusion of
the free Hanseatic cities, Hamburg and Bremen,
into the customs union of the empire has now
been realized. I see in this the blessed fruit of
our combined efforts. May the expectations
which we count upon from this extension of the
empire's customs districts be realized in fullest
measure, both for the empire and for these two
most important seacoast towns !
41
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [Nov.
The government of the Swiss Federation has
suggested a revision of the commercial treaty be-
tween Germany and Switzerland. Filled with the
desire of confirming the existing friendly relations
between the two countries and of extending them
also into the realm of their commercial policies,
I stand ready to meet their proposal. The nego-
tiations have been conducted through the offices
of representatives from the states bordering upon
Switzerland, and their result consists in a further
agreement through which the treaty regulations
for reciprocal trade will be extended and the ex-
change of industrial products will be made easier.
After its successful acceptance by the Bundesrat
the agreement will be presented to you with the
proposal, in order that you may bestow upon it
your constitutional sanction.
The budget for the next fiscal year will be laid
before you without delay. The draft gives proof
of the satisfactory condition of the imperial fi-
nances. As a result of the reforms instituted in
the last few years, with your co-operation, in the
way of tariff's and internal revenues, surplus re-
ceipts may be expected, and upon this basis we
shall not only be provided with a new means of ful-
filling the inevitable obligations of the empire but it
may be possible for our constituent states to ex-
pect an increase of means for their own purposes.
42
1888] OPENING OF THE REICHSTAG
I greet with joy the signs of a revival of eco-
nomic activity in various fields. Even though
the pressure which bears upon the farmer is not
yet relieved, nevertheless, as I look forward to
the possibility which has lately appeared of a
greater utilization of certain agricultural prod-
ucts, I hope that an amelioration also of this most
powerful branch of our industrial work will be
brought about.
The bill which has already been announced on
the regulation of the industrial and agricultural
societies will be laid before you for your decision.
It is to be hoped that the enfranchising of asso-
ciations with limited liability which the bill pro-
poses will prove itself beneficial in increasing agri-
cultural credit.
Certain shortcomings which have appeared in
connection with the insurance against sickness
call for legal remedy. The necessary preliminary
investigations for this have so far progressed as to
make it possible, in all probability, to lay before
you in the course of this session an adequate pres-
entation of the case.
As a precious legacy from my grandfather, I
have taken over the problem of carrying out the
social-political legislation begun by him. I do
not allow myself to be carried away by the hope
that through legal measures the exigencies of our
43
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [Nov.
time and human misery can be abolished from the
world. I judge it to be a duty, however, of the
executive power to strive with all its faculties
toward the mitigation of existing industrial griev-
ances and through organized measures to empha-
size the fact that love of our neighbor, which has
its foundations in Christianity itself, should be a
recognized duty of the entire state. The difficul-
ties which stand in the way of the state's assisting
in the universal insurance of all workers against
the dangers of age and sickness are great; but,
with God's help, they are not insurmountable.
As the result of extensive investigations a bill will
be presented to you which reveals a possible means
of attaining this end.
Our settlements in Africa have imposed upon
the German Empire the duty of converting that
part of the world to a Christian civilization. The
friendly government of England and her Parlia-
ment has known for a hundred years that the ful-
filment of this obligation must begin with com-
bating the hunting of slaves and the trade in
negroes. I have, therefore, sought and concluded
an understanding with England, whose meaning
and aim you shall learn. On it depend further
negotiations with other friendly and interested
governments and further proposals for the Reichs-
tag.
44
i888] THE STRIKING MINERS
Our relations with all foreign governments are
peaceful, and my efforts are continually directed
toward cementing this peace. Our treaties with
Austria and Italy have no other aim. It is in-
compatible with my Christian faith and with the
duties which as Emperor I have assumed toward
the people needlessly to bring upon Germany the
sorrows of a war, even of a victorious one. In this
conviction I have looked upon it as my duty soon
after I ascended the throne to greet not only my
affiliated rulers within the realm but also the
friendly neighboring sovereigns. I have sought
to find an understanding with them concerning
the fulfilment of this trust which God has placed
upon us, of preserving, so far as in us lies, the
peace and welfare of our people. The confidence
with which I and my policies have been received
at all the courts which I have visited leads me to
hope that, with God's help, I and my allies and
my friends will succeed in preserving the peace
of Europe.
THE EMPEROR AND THE STRIKING MINERS
BERLIN, MAY 14, 1889
The Emperor's change of attitude toward the
Socialists is evident from his conduct in the con-
flict which had arisen in the Rhenish and West-
45
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [MAY
phalian coal districts between the miners and
their employers. He personally received dele-
gations from both sides. The miners' delegation
consisted of Schroder (spokesman), Siegel, and
Bunte. In answer to Schroder's speech, the
Emperor announced:
It goes without saying that every subject, when
he presents a wish or a petition, has the ear of his
Emperor. Of this I have given evidence in that
I have invited the deputation to come here and to
set forth their wishes in person. You have, how-
ever, placed yourselves in the wrong, because your
agitation is unlawful for no other reason than the
fact that the fourteen days of warning have not yet
expired, after which the workers would have been
legally justified in ceasing work. In consequence
of this you are guilty of breaking a contract. It is
self-evident that this breach of contract has an-
gered and injured the employers.
Further, there are workers who do not wish to
strike and who, either through force or by means
of threats, are hindered from continuing their work.
Also, certain of the workers have seized upon or-
gans of the authorities and upon property which
did not belong to them and have even, in indi-
vidual cases, offered resistance to the military
force called to protect them. Finally, you wish
that work should be generally resumed again only
46
i889] VISIT OF THE KING OF ITALY
when your combined demands shall have been ful-
filled at all the mines.
As for the demands themselves, I shall, through
my government, carefully examine them and have
the results of the investigation delivered to you
through the appointed authorities. Should, how-
ever, there occur transgressions against the pub-
lic order and peace, or should the agitation ally
itself with the Social Democrats, then I should not
be in a position to reconcile your wishes with my
good-will as ruler. For, to me, every Social Demo-
crat is synonymous with an enemy of the realm
and of the Fatherland. Should I, therefore, dis-
cover that Social-Democratic tendencies become
involved in the agitation and instigate unlawful
opposition, I will step in sternly and ruthlessly
and bring to bear all the power that I possess —
and it is great.
Now go to your homes, think over what I have
said, and seek to influence your comrades to re-
flection. Above all, however, you must not,
under any circumstances, hinder your comrades
who wish to return to their work.
VISIT OF THE KING OF ITALY
BERLIN, MAY 22, 1889
At the time of the great spring review of this
year, King Humbert came to Berlin to return the
47
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [AUG.
Emperor's visit. A state banquet was held, at
which the Emperor proposed the following toast
to the King of Italy:
May it please your Majesty to accept from me
and my people our heartiest thanks for the proof
of the friendship which your Majesty has given
me by this visit !
My troops, likewise, are filled with grateful
pride that they have been able to conduct them-
selves with honor in the eyes of your Majesty, an
experienced soldier.
Full of the happy remembrance of the army
manoeuvres at Rome, I raise my glass and drink
to the health of your Majesty and of her Majesty,
the Queen; to the health of your brave troops as
well as to the unchanging friendship with the
house of Savoy, whose motto, " Sempre avanti,
Savoja" has led to the unification of the kingdom
of Italy. Long live his Majesty, King Humbert !
THE ENGLISH FLEET AND THE GERMAN
ARMY
SANDOWN BAY, AUGUST 5, 1889
On this date the Emperor was created admiral
of the English fleet by Queen Victoria. On the
same day he was present at a regatta on Sandown
Bay, where he replied as follows to a toast offered
by the Prince of Wales:
48
18891 THE ENGLISH ARMY
I prize most highly the honor which has been
shown me by the Queen in appointing me admiral
of the English fleet. I sincerely rejoice to have
seen the manoeuvres of the fleet, which I consider
the finest in the world. Germany possesses an
army which answers to her needs, and if the Brit-
ish nation possesses a fleet sufficient for the needs
of England, this in itself will be considered by-
Europe in general as a weighty factor in the main-
tenance of peace.
THE ENGLISH ARMY
ALDERSHOT, AUGUST 7, 1889
On his mother's side, who was a princess royal
of England, the Emperor was a grandson of Queen
Victoria, to whom he paid frequent visits and
whom he held in high regard. William II began
his reign with cordial feelings toward his island
neighbors. If the friendship between the two na-
tions was never particularly close, the estrange-
ment of modern times may be said to have begun
in colonial and commercial rivalries in the last
decades of the nineteenth century and to have
been sharpened by events in China and especially
by the Boer War. The situation became more
acute after the Morocco incident, in 1904-5,
and when on that occasion England sided with
France she was by a large portion of the German
people definitely aligned with their enemies. The
49
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [Ocr.
present toast, which was reported in this form in
the Kreuzzeitung of August 9, 1889, was received
with no protest or denial. The Emperor had been
present at the manoeuvres of 29,000 English troops
at Aldershot, under General Sir Evelyn Wood.
The toast was offered in the camp tent of the Duke
of Cambridge, in response to one by that officer.
It gives me particular satisfaction to have ap-
pointed the Duke of Cambridge, the commander-
in-chief of the English army, as a member of the
28th Regiment, since this same regiment had as
chief at one time our comrade at Waterloo, the
Duke of Wellington.
The friendship with the English, which had
been sealed in blood, my honored grandfather
maintained to the end of his life.
The British army fills me with the greatest ad-
miration. If ever the possibility of counting upon
volunteers is doubted, I shall be in a position to
give testimony to their capacity.
At Malplaquet and at Waterloo the Prussian
and British blood was shed in a common cause.
THE CZAR AT BERLIN
BERLIN, OCTOBER n, 1889
On the occasion of Alexander Ill's visit to
Berlin the Emperor offered the following toast
at the banquet in the White Room of the Royal
So
1889] ON BOARD AN ENGLISH FLAG-SHIP
Palace. It may be "considering too curiously
to consider so," but to many there will seem to
be something matter-of-fact in the Czar's reply,
which is printed below. This friendship between
the rulers of the two neighboring countries was,
however, outwardly preserved up to the time of
the present war, as is evident to those who will
consult the telegrams exchanged between William
and Nicolas on the eve of the outbreak.
I drink to the health of my honored friend,
his Majesty, the Emperor. of Russia, and to the
continuation of the friendship which has existed
for more than one hundred years between our
houses and which, as a legacy received from my
ancestors, I am determined to foster.
The Czar replied in French, as follows:
Je remercie Votre Majeste de Vos bonnes -paroles
et je partage entierement les sentiments que Vous
venez d'exprimer. A la sante de Sa Majestey
rEmpereur et Roi — Hourra!
ON BOARD AN ENGLISH FLAG-SHIP
THE PIRAEUS, OCTOBER 30, 1889
On visits to his English relatives the Emperor
had, as a lad, made occasional sojourns in Great
Britain, and that romantic temperament of which
he was to give indications even in much later
Si
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [OCT., 1889
years was much impressed by the sight of En-
glish ships. He recalls the memory on many oc-
casions. As will be plain later, he early conceived
the idea and realized the necessity of a powerful
fleet. As this is his first reference to the navy
in the present volume it is interesting to note
the attitude of humble discipleship which in the
mid-years of the next decade is to give way to
quite another conception.
I am proud of the rank which Queen Victoria
has bestowed upon me. It might be supposed
that my interest in the British navy dated from
my appointment as admiral; that, however, is
not so. From my earliest youth, when as a boy
I ran about on the wharves at Portsmouth, I was
much interested in British ships. My inspection
of the ships to-day has afforded me great satis-
faction, and I congratulate you on their appear-
ance. Nelson's famous watchword is no longer
necessary. They all do their duty, and we as a
young sea power follow England in order to learn
from the English navy.
Ill
AFTER BISMARCK
MAY 6, 1890 — JUNE 21, 1895
OPENING OF THE REICHSTAG
BERLIN, MAY 6, 1890
This address to the Reichstag is of particular
importance. The Emperor had now visited most
of the sovereigns of Europe and felt that he had
established himself. He was here definitely out-
lining a policy which he himself had framed. In
that period when the Emperor was still Prince
William, Bismarck had said: "In him there is
something of Frederick the Great, and he is also
able to become as despotic as Frederick the Great.
What a blessing that we have a parliamentary
government!" He had likewise prophesied that
the Emperor would be his own chancellor, and he
had discovered in his own case that the prophecy
was a true one. In the spring of this year, after
numerous misunderstandings, Bismarck had him-
self been forced into retirement, and henceforth
his name will be mentioned but rarely. One of
the points on which they had disagreed was pre-
cisely this project for labor legislation, which
was, unfortunately, not destined to fulfil the hopes
S3
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [MAY
entertained by William II. A number of the
projects here laid down were carried out only
partially and others not at all. So, for instance,
in this same year the Emperor had issued the fol-
lowing decree:
"For the fostering of peace between employers
and laborers legal regulations are contemplated
regarding the forms in which the laborers shall,
through representatives who possess their con-
fidence, participate in the regulation of matters
of common concern and the protection of their
interests in negotiations with employers and with
the organs of my government. By such institu-
tions the laborers are to be enabled to give free
and peaceful expression to their wishes and com-
plaints, and the state authorities are to be given
the opportunity of continually acquainting them-
selves with the conditions of the workers and of
cultivating contact with the latter."
As late as 1905 it had not been carried into
execution, though chambers of labor have since
been established which partially carry out this
end.
The industrial courts of which the Emperor
speaks have been far from successful in arbitration
disputes. They are established in all cities of over
20,000 inhabitants and consist of equal numbers
of employers and employees. Dawson holds that
unwillingness to mediate lies with the employers.
During the year 1905, 406 courts acted as boards
of conciliation on 350 occasions, all told, and in
only 128 cases were they successful. Part of the
failure lies in the fact that no wage agreements
54
1890] OPENING OF THE REICHSTAG
existed. Of 219 "aggressive" strikes in Berlin in
1905, organized by the "free" trades federations,
55 were for the introduction of wage agreements.
The Emperor's disappointment at the failure of
his policy to check the growing disaffection of
the laboring classes will later be evident.
It is significant that in this address, though
measures for the army are strongly urged, there
is as yet no mention of the navy.
HONORED GENTLEMEN:
Since you have been chosen in the recent elec-
tions to work in common with the allied govern-
ments, I bid you welcome at this the opening of
the eighth legislative session of the Reichstag. I
earnestly hope that you may succeed in finding a
satisfactory solution for the important problems
of legislation which here confront you. A num-
ber of these problems are of so pressing a nature
that it did not seem possible to defer longer the
summoning of the Reichstag.
I consider as most important among them the
further enlargement of the bill concerning the pro-
tection of the laborer. The strikes which have oc-
curred in different parts of the country during the
past year have given me occasion to bring about
an investigation of the question as to whether our
present legislation has, to the fullest extent, taken
cognizance of those wishes of the working people
55
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [MAY
which are really just and reasonable and within
the state's power of regulation. The question of
first importance concerns the guarantee of Sunday
as a day of rest for the laboring man, as well as the
limitation of woman and child labor in accordance
with consideration for humanity and with regard
to the natural laws of development. The govern-
ments of the affiliated states are convinced that the
proposals in this connection made by the last
Reichstag can, according to their present content,
be given legal effectiveness without harm to other
interests. In this connection, however, numerous
other provisions have shown themselves unsatis-
factory and capable of improvement. To this
category belong especially the legal provisions for
the protection of the laborer against danger to his
life, health, and morals, as well as the laws con-
cerning the announcement of regulations of labor.
The prescriptions concerning the working men's
books need amplification with the aim of insuring
the respect due the older men against the increas-
ing impertinence of the younger laborers. The
consequent changes demanded and the further ex-
pansion of the trade regulations find their expres-
sion in a bill which you will shortly receive.
A further proposal endeavors to secure the
better regulation of the industrial arbitration
courts and, likewise, an organization of these which
56
i89o] OPENING OF THE REICHSTAG
shall make it possible to use them as mediators in
cases of dispute between employers and employees
over the terms on which labor shall be continued
or resumed.
I trust that your willing co-operation will secure
an agreement of the law-making bodies concern-
ing the reform laid before you and thereby take a
step forward toward the solution of our relations
to the laboring class. The more the laboring
population recognizes the serious earnestness with
which the government is striving to render their
status satisfactory, so much the more will they be
conscious of the dangers which must arise from
their insistence upon extravagant and impossible
demands. In the proper provision for the laborer
lies the most effective means of increasing the
strength which I and my associated rulers are
called upon and willing to use in opposing with
unyielding determination any attempt to shake
the provisions of the law.
Nevertheless, in the case of this reform there
can be question only of such measures as are fea-
sible without endangering the Fatherland's indus-
trial activity and with it the most important vital
interests of the laborer himself. Our industry
forms only one department in the economic work
of all the peoples who take part in the competition
in the market of the world. With this in mind, I
57
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [MAY
have sought to bring about an interchange of
opinions on the matter, among the states of Europe
where similar economic conditions prevail, as to
how far a general recognition of the legislative
problems relative to the safety of the working man
can be established and brought to pass. I am
compelled to gratefully acknowledge that these
suggestions have found favor in all states concerned
and especially in those where the same idea was
already being agitated and was approaching exe-
cution. The course of the international confer-
ence which met here fills me with especial satis-
faction. Its conclusions are the expression of a
general attitude with regard to this most important
province of our contemporary civilization. The
principles there laid down will, I have no doubt,
prove a rich field which, with God's help, shall
blossom to the blessing of the workers of all coun-
tries and which will also bear fruit in drawing all
nations together.
The continued preservation of peace is ever the
goal of my efforts. I dare express the conviction
that I have succeeded in securing the confidence
of all foreign governments in the good faith of
this policy of mine. Like myself and my esteemed
affiliated rulers, the German people recognize that
it is the problem of the empire to preserve peace
by cultivating the alliances already concluded for
58
1890] OPENING OF THE REICHSTAG
our defense, and the friendly relations now exist-
ing with all foreign powers, in order to further
prosperity and civilization. For the accomplish-
ment of this task, however, we need an armed
force compatible with our position in the heart of
Europe. Every postponement of matters per-
taining to the army endangers the political bal-
ance of power and with it the success of our
policy directed toward maintaining peace.
Since the basis of our army organization was
decided upon for a definite period the military
organization of our neighbors has been broadened
and perfected to an unforeseen degree. Indeed,
we, too, have neglected nothing in our attempt to
strengthen our forces, in so far as this was possi-
ble within the limits prescribed by the law.
Nevertheless, what we could do within these
limits was so little that we cannot postpone a
consideration of the whole question without danger
to ourselves. An increase of the present peace
strength and an increase of the bodies of troops
—especially for the field-artillery — must not be
longer deferred. A bill will be laid before you
according to which the necessary measures for
strengthening the army will go into effect on the
ist of October of this year.
The plan which has been instituted in West
Africa toward the suppression of the slave-trade
59
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [SEPT.
and for the protection of the German interests
has, during the last months, made progress, thanks
to the self-sacrificing activity of our officers and
officials who are stationed there. The complete
restoration of peace in those districts may be ex-
pected very shortly. The expense thus incurred
will be covered by an additional grant.
The budget for the current fiscal year already
needs a corresponding enlargement on account of
the plans referred to. Furthermore, the increase
of salary for a part of the officials of the realm,
which has long been projected and which has be-
come ever more pressing, can no longer be delayed.
The supplementary budget which is to be sub-
mitted to you will give you an opportunity to
prove your friendly interest in satisfying this need.
If the labors hereby imposed upon you come to
a successful issue, new and sound guarantees for
the inner welfare of the Fatherland will then have
been won. May it be granted to us through com-
mon effort to achieve this end !
REVIEW OF THE NINTH ARMY CORPS
FLENSBURG, SEPTEMBER 4, 1890
The review of the Ninth Army Corps took
place in the presence of the Empress, Princes
Henry and Albert, of Archduke Karl Stephen of
Austria, and Count Moltke at Flensburg. It
60
1890] REVIEW OF THE NINTH ARMY CORPS
will be remembered that in 1864 Bismarck suc-
ceeded in enlisting Austria to aid Prussia in a
war upon Denmark, which was at that time de-
prived of Schleswig-Holstein, the harbor of Kiel,
and more than 1,000,000 inhabitants. One of the
battles of the war to which the Emperor refers
was fought in this district. The address was
made at the banquet following the review.
'My opinion of to-day's performance of the
Ninth Army Corps under the command of your
Excellency [General von Leszczynski] I have al-
ready expressed to you and your officers.
Whoever, like myself, has for any length of
time stood at the front or partly at the front and
partly as spectator has been present at many
imperial manoeuvres knows what such a parade
means to an army corps. I know very well what
arduous preliminary labor is involved, the agita-
tion, the attention, the exertion of the troops. I
know very well how each individual officer, high
or low, every soldier, rejoices in and yet with a
certain solicitude looks forward to the moment
when he shall parade before his war lord.*
I know from my own experience when I was
still a captain what satisfaction I felt when my
adjutant could call to me that the Emperor had
nodded as the company passed by him. This
* Kriegsherr.
61
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [Nov.
is true to-day, likewise, in the case of every
officer.
I repeat to you my hearty thanks and express
to you my congratulation for the magnificent
parade. This army corps which you have mar-
shalled before me has a bearing and discipline
which I must demand unconditionally from every
army corps. I do not doubt for a moment that
the work done in preparing for a review will prove
useful in the preparation for battle.
We stand here upon historic ground, on which
our armies, united with those of Austria, jointly
won a bloody victory.
I raise my glass and drink to the Ninth Army
Corps in the expectation that here and hereafter,
in war as in peace, it will maintain its famous
traditions. Long live the Ninth Army Corps !
ACCIDENTS WITH AGRICULTURAL
MACHINERY
BERLIN, NOVEMBER n, 1890
The following address shows the Emperor in
one of the little-known phases of his amazingly
versatile career. It exhibits, likewise, his command
of detailed knowledge in a field where we should
least expect it and his solicitude for the welfare
of faithful subjects. Besides his interest in the
sea, he has also for many years been much inter-
62
1890] AGRICULTURAL MACHINERY
ested in agriculture; and his estate in East Prussia
has been in a sense an experiment station. He
prides himself on being a pioneer and in person-
ally supervising his domain and is occasionally
pleased to call himself a farmer. He attended the
meetings of the Prussian Agricultural Commis-
sion and at one of the sessions took part in the
discussion on the means of safeguarding the life
of the laborers.
Two points have occurred to me which I would
like to ask you to consider. It is worthy of note
that during my reign there have been brought
to my attention many striking cases in which
laboring women have been killed through acci-
dents with machinery. I receive regularly from
the Minister of Justice tabulated lists of requests*
for pardon, and it seems to me that there is among
them a striking number of cases of women farm-
hands who have met with accidents in tending
machines. As has already been said, I am not
granting these pardons as freely as formerly. It
is to be noted, furthermore, that a great differ-
ence prevails in the adjudication of the cases in
which penalties may be inflicted and in the
penalties themselves. I next inquired why these
women workers — it was especially girls working
with the thrashing-machines — were killed, and it
* From employers, of course.
63
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [Nov.
usually appeared that the girls were caught by
their dresses in the transmission pulleys and so
became entangled in them. Then I asked if there
were no means of protection there. Yes, indeed,
they said, according to the police regulations the
pulleys must have a cover or a box must be put
over them, but in each of these cases this had
not been attended to. There also appeared here,
on the one side, a certain indifference either on
the part of the owner or of the person who was
conducting the work concerning the life of the
women in his employ and, on the other side, an
indifference on the part of the women themselves,
who had become accustomed to working near the
moving parts of the machines and to stepping
over the pulleys, and finally the accident hap-
pened. Therefore, may I ask you that in using
the word "machines" these provisions regarding
power transmission be not forgotten. Many of
the machines stand in one place and the ap-
paratus for transmission is in another place or in
the yard, and that is a chief cause of the acci-
dents. For every one passes through the yard, and
especially if there are children playing there, all
too easily some misfortune may occur.
Let me, therefore, remark, concerning what one
of the preceding speakers has said, that I myself
have come to the same conclusion as Professor
64
1890] AGRICULTURAL MACHINERY
Schmoller. I believe that it is not sufficient that
the state should lay upon the worker the obliga-
tion to be careful and that it should give him
directions how to conduct himself with regard to
the machines. This cannot be carried out.
I am much more of the opinion that, if such is
your desire and if it is plain that harm has re-
sulted from the fact that the workers move about
too carelessly, it is much better that the obliga-
tion should be put upon the owner or upon the
person commissioned to conduct the machines
and that he be required to watch over the em-
ployees more carefully. If the owner cannot
burden himself with it then he should have such
officials as would have sufficient influence with
the worker to make him be careful. We must not
forget what, for the most part, such a worker
is like and what he knows of machinery. Fre-
quently he knows only that it cuts or that it is
otherwise dangerous. A certain grip is shown him
— he must do it like this — but the rest he does
not understand and regards with indifference.
Consequently regulations which concern only or
more particularly the laborer would not help, for
the people would not understand their aim and
when the regulation caused them annoyance or
trouble would fail to consider it and thus render
themselves liable to accident.
65
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [MARCH
I believe, therefore, that it is most important in
the question of the conduct of agricultural ma-
chinery that we should work toward proper super-
vision over the laborer by the employer. When
this happens accidents will begin to diminish.
It has interested me very much to learn here
that it is not the machines but altogether differ-
ent circumstances which cause most of the acci-
dents in agricultural operations and that par-
ticularly in all provinces where horses are employed
accidents are frequent. I am therefore pleased
that this phase of the question of protecting
against accident has also come up here and that
the gentlemen are now engaged upon it.
For the rest it has been a great pleasure to me
to take part in these deliberations.
ALSACE-LORRAINE
BERLIN, MARCH 14, 1891
On this occasion a deputation from Alsace-
Lorraine presented a protest against the continu-
ance of the Passzwang, a rule which made it im-
possible to leave Alsace-Lorraine except under
very special circumstances and on receiving a
pass from the imperial agent. The rule was par-
ticularly obnoxious, and the strictness with which
it had been enforced was much resented, even by
subjects favorably disposed to the empire. It
66
1891] ALSACE-LORRAINE
was, however, merely one of many grievances.
Since the time of the Franco-Prussian War,
Alsace-Lorraine had been governed like a con-
quered province — by a governor appointed by, and
responsible to, the Emperor alone. Up to this
time the policy had been one of repression, save
for a very brief period. It is possible that the
Emperor might have been inclined to give them
some relief had it not been for the unfortunate
result of the visit of his mother to Paris. After a
visit in London, the Empress Frederick, in Feb-
ruary, 1891 (it is supposed on the advice of her
son), visited Paris and, while there, was to ask
certain of the French artists to exhibit at the
Berlin exhibition. It had evidently been assumed
that the time had come for a rapprochement. The
Empress descended at the German embassy very
quietly and had received promises from several
artists, when her presence in Paris became known
to the League of French Patriots and to the ger-
manophobe Deroulede, who immediately started
a violent agitation and demonstrations against
Germany. The artists withdrew their promises
under the pressure of outraged patriotic opinion,
and the situation became so tense that the Em-
press was forced to depart very hastily in a manner
that suggested flight. The incident tended to
make bad feeling on both sides and reacted un-
favorably upon the attitude of the empire toward
the former French provinces. The difficulties of
circulation were increased, and the regulations
about passes were made particularly trying.
These difficulties were removed in 1899, but the
67
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [MARCH
provinces continued to protest, as they were not
given equal rights with the other German states
and have not enjoyed them up to the present.
In May, 1911, a new so-called constitution was
given to Alsace-Lorraine. The executive power is
exercised by the Emperor in the name of the em-
pire; the province has three votes in the Bundesrat,
which are so restricted that they give very little
satisfaction to Alsace-Lorraine and are so far
under the control of Prussia that they give con-
siderable dissatisfaction to other German states.
The Emperor appoints officials, including the
Statthalter, or governor, and the delegates are in-
structed by the Statthalter and must vote according
to instructions. The votes do not count in any
vote concerning the imperial Constitution. There
was much protest because the new constitution
did not grant the provinces sufficient indepen-
dence. The previous Provincial Assembly (Landes-
ausschuss) had been summarily closed on the 9th
of May, 1911. Affairs were but little improved
under the new arrangement, and the Emperor
came to Strasburg in great anger, May 13, 1912,
and made the following threatening address:
"If this keeps up I shall knock your constitution
to bits. Up to the present you have known me
from my good side, but you can perhaps learn to
know me from the other side also. If things do
not change, we will make of Alsace-Lorraine a
Prussian province." This speech of the Emperor's
is not printed officially, but it was made the sub-
ject of an interpellation in the Reichstag on May
17, 1912, and the burgomaster of Strasburg ad-
68
i89i] ALSACE-LORRAINE
mitted that the sense of the imperial utterance was
properly given. With regard to Alsace-Lorraine,
the Emperor has tried both kindness and severity.
The Zabern incident proved that in neither of
these policies had he succeeded in winning either
the love or the subjection of the inhabitants.
The following is the estimate of Dr. H. A. Gib-
bons on the situation in Alsace-Lorraine im-
mediately before the outbreak of the European
War:
"One could easily fill many pages with illustra-
tions of senseless persecutions, most of them of the
pettiest character, but some more serious in na-
ture, which Alsace and Lorraine have had to
endure since the granting of the constitution.
Newspapers, illustrated journals, clubs, and or-
ganizations of all kinds have been annoyed con-
stantly by police interference. Their editors,
artists, and managers have been brought fre-
quently into court. Zislin and Hansi, celebrated
caricaturists, have found themselves provoked
to bolder and bolder defiances by successive con-
demnations and have endured imprisonment as
well as fines. Hansi was sentenced to a year's im-
prisonment by the High Court of Leipsic only a
month before the present war broke out and
chose exile rather than a Prussian fortress.
"The greatest effort during the past few years
has been made in the schools to influence the minds
of the growing generation against the ' souvenir
de France,' and to impress upon the Alsacians what
good fortune had come to them to be born Ger-
man citizens.
69
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [MARCH
"Among the boys, the influence of this teaching
has been such that over twenty-two thousand
fled from home during the period of 1900-13 to
enlist in the Foreign Legion of the French Army.
The campaign of the German newspapers in
Alsace-Lorraine and, in fact, throughout Ger-
many was redoubled in 1911. Parents were
warned of the horrible treatment accorded to the
poor boys who were misguided enough to throw
away their citizenship and go to be killed in
Africa under the French flag. The result of this
campaign was that the Foreign Legion received
a larger number of Alsacians in 1912 than had
enlisted during a single year since 1871 !
"Among the girls, the German educational
system flattered itself that it could completely
change the sentiments of a child, especially in
the boarding-schools. Last year the Empress of
Germany visited a girls' school near Metz which
is one of the best German schools in the Reichs-
land. As she was leaving she told the children
that she wanted to give them something. What
did they want ? The answer was not sweets or
cake but that they might be taught a little French !
"The former French provinces have been flooded
with garrisons and have been treated just as they
were forty years ago. The insufferable spirit of
militarism and the arrogance of the Prussian
officers in Alsacian towns have served to turn
against the empire many thousands whom an-
other policy might have won; for it must be
remembered that by no means all the inhabitants
of the Reichsland have beea by birth and by home
70
1891] ALSACE-LORRAINE
training French sympathizers. Instead of crush-
ing out the 'souvenir de France,' the Prussian
civil and military officials have caused it to be
born in many a soul which was by nature German.
"The Prussian has never understood how to win
the confidence of others. There has been no
Rome in his political vision. As for conceptions
of toleration, of kindness, and of love, they are
non-existent in Prussian officialdom.'*
It gives me great satisfaction that the com-
mittee of the provinces has turned to me in an
important question concerning the interests of
Alsace-Lorraine. I see in this fact a valuable
proof of the increasing understanding which my
good-will and my interest in the development of
your home country has begotten in the minds of
its representatives. I am also pleased to accept
this assurance that the people of Alsace-Lorraine,
satisfied for the time being with the existing politi-
cal relations, spurn every interference by foreign
elements and look to the empire alone for the
protection of their interests.
While I offer you my thanks for this expression
of loyal sentiment, I regret that for the present I
cannot fulfil your wishes. I must confine myself
in this matter to expressing the hope that in a
not too distant future our relations may make
possible the alleviation of conditions on the west-
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [Nov.
ern boundary. This hope will be the sooner
realized the more the people of Alsace-Lorraine
are convinced of the inviolability of the union
which binds them to Germany and the more de-
cidedly they exhibit their resolution to remain
forever faithful and immovable in their loyalty
to me and to the empire.
SWEARING IN THE RECRUITS
POTSDAM, NOVEMBER 23, 1891
Every year the Emperor is present at the swear-
ing in of the recruits to the guard and to the navy.
He has made innumerable speeches on such occa-
sions. The present somewhat striking pronounce-
ment was delivered at a time when his feeling
toward the Socialists, who had been guilty of no
particular outrage, still ran very high. Tolstoi
saw in it the worst excesses of militarism and
issued shortly after the following criticism of the
Emperor's attitude:
"This man expresses what all wise men know
but carefully conceal. He says frankly that men
who serve in the army serve him and his advan-
tage and must be prepared for his advantage to
kill their brothers and fathers.
"He expresses frankly, and with the coarsest of
words, all the horror of the crime for which the
men who enter into military service are prepared,
all that abyss of degradation which they reach
when they promise obedience. Like a bold hyp-
72
iSgi] SWEARING IN THE RECRUITS
notizer, he tests the degree of the hypnotized man's
sleep: he puts the glowing iron to his body, the
body sizzles and smokes, but the hypnotized man
does not awake.
"This miserable, ill man, who has lost his
mind from the exercise of power, with these
words offends everything which can be holy for
a man of our time, and men — Christians, liberals,
cultured men of our time, all of them — are not
only not provoked by this insult but do not even
notice it."
It is possible that such criticism and the resent-
ment aroused in the minds of the law-abiding
Socialists led him later to tone down his utter-
ances, though on one subsequent occasion, again
with the Socialists in mind, he made a somewhat
similar address (March 28, 1901).
RECRUITS TO THE REGIMENT OF MY GUARD:
You are brought together here from all parts
of the empire to fulfil your military duty, and
in this holy place have just sworn fealty to your
Emperor to your last breath. You are still too
young to understand all this. You will, however,
little by little, be made familiar with its signifi-
cance. Do not imagine it too difficult, and trust
in God; occasionally also say the Lord's Prayer
—that has frequently given many a warrior fresh
courage.
Children of my guard, to-day you have become
incorporated into my army; you now stand under
73
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [Nov.
my command and have the privilege of wearing
my uniform. Wear it honorably. Think of the
famous history of your Fatherland; remember
that the German army must be armed against
the internal as well as the external foe. More and
more unbelief and discontent raise their heads in
the Fatherland, and it may come to pass that you
will have to shoot down or stab your own rela-
tives and brothers. Then seal your loyalty with
your heart's blood ! And now go to your homes
and fulfil your duties.
— (According to the Breslauer Lokalanzeiger of
December 8.)
According to the Neisser Zeitung, the second
paragraph ran as follows:
Recruits ! You have now before the conse-
crated servant of the Lord and before His altar,
sworn fealty to me. You are still too young to
understand the true meaning of what has just
been said; but be diligent now and follow the
directions and instructions given you. You have
sworn loyalty to me; that means, children of my
guard, that you are now my soldiers, you have
given yourselves up to me, body and soul; there
is for you but one enemy, and that is my enemy.
In view of the present Socialistic agitations it may
come to pass that I shall command you to shoot
74
i89i] THE EMPEROR'S FIRST ARMY BILL
your own relatives, brothers, yes, parents — which
God forbid — but even then you must follow my
command without a murmur.
Entirely similar, but shorter, is a clipping from
the Berlin paper Das Yolk, according to the ac-
count of one who heard the speech.
You have sworn to me the oath of loyalty; that
means, from now on you know only one command,
and that is my most high' command; you have
only one enemy, and that is my enemy ! And so
I may sometime — which God forbid — have to bid
you to shoot upon your own relatives, yes, brothers
and parents — then remember your oath !
THE EMPEROR'S FIRST ARMY BILL
BERLIN, JULY 4, 1893
The opposition between the Reichstag and the
government reached a climax when the session
which opened in 1886 was dissolved in January,
1887, because it refused to vote for the bill fixing
the army status for the ensuing seven years.
The next Reichstag, elected in February, voted
the bill. In spite of the fact that the new ar-
rangement was to have been effective until
March, 1894, as early as the session of 1890
changes were introduced which fixed the peace
footing at 468,983 men, exclusive of the one-year
75
THE GERMAN EMPEROR UULY
volunteers. In November, 1892, a new army bill
was presented, to run for six years, fixing the
peace footing at 492,068. All infantrymen were
to serve two years. In the debates of 1887 it was
announced that Russia was an ally of Germany.
The failure to renew the neutrality agreement
with that power and the growing rapprochement
between France and Russia seems to have been
most in the Emperor's mind in calling for an in-
crease. The increased appropriation of 1887 was
covered by a tax on spirits, sugar, and grain.
The new increase was to be met by indirect taxes,
mostly on beer and brandy. When the Reichstag
refused to vote the bill as it stood, it was dissolved
and a new one called. The new Reichstag, which
is here addressed, accepted the bill on July 15.
As much of the opposition had been due to the
fear of the Jess-favored classes that the increased
cost would fall heavily on them through indirect
taxes, the Chancellor assured the representatives
(as the Emperor here indicates) that there would
be no tax on beer or brandy nor any other neces-
sities of life.
Since you have been called to work in common
with the confederated governments, it is my de-
sire at the beginning of your deliberations to greet
you and bid you welcome.
The draft of the bill concerning the peace foot-
ing of the German army, through which a strength-
ening of our available force would have been
76
i893) THE EMPEROR'S FIRST ARMY BILL
achieved, was presented to the last Reichstag.
To my great regret the project did not meet with
the approval of the representatives of the people.
The conviction, unanimously shared by my co-
rulers, that in the face of the development of the
military arrangements of the other powers this
government could no longer put off such a shaping
of its military status as should guarantee its safety
and its future led to the decision to dissolve the
Reichstag and, by the calling of new representa-
tives to attain the end recognized as necessary.
Since the proposal of this law the political situation
of Europe has undergone no change. To my great
satisfaction, the relations of the empire to the
foreign states are altogether and everywhere
friendly and free from any cloud. The organized
military force of Germany, however, compares
still more unfavorably with that of our neighbors
than it did last year. Since her geographical
position and her historical development impose
upon Germany the duty of taking thought for a
proportionately large standing army, the further
development of our defensive strength, therefore,
with regard to the progress of other countries be-
comes a pressing necessity. In order to satisfy
the duties constitutionally laid upon me, it seemed
to me incontrovertible that I should exercise
every existing means at my command toward the
77
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [JULY
restoration of a sufficient and effective defense of
the honor of the Fatherland.
There will, therefore, be laid before you with-
out delay a new bill concerning the peace footing
of the army. In it the wishes which were strongly
expressed during the discussion of the former bill
are taken account of, and, in accordance with this,
demands made upon the personal capacity and
upon the people's ability to pay taxes have, in so
far as this could be done without endangering the
end sought, been lessened.
The interest of the realm demands, especially
in looking forward to the impending expiration of
the seven-year arrangement next spring, that the
bill should be decided upon with all possible des-
patch, in order that this year's recruiting can be
undertaken on the new basis. A delay in carry-
ing out this proposal would be felt for more than
twenty years, to the detriment of our defensive
strength.
To make it possible for you to give your undi-
vided attention to the discussion of the bill, the
confederated governments will refrain from bur-
dening the session with other important matters.
I and my honored corulers are still of the opin-
ion that the means necessary for the reorganiza-
tion of our military equipment can be raised
properly, and without overburdening the people,
78
i893] THE EMPEROR'S FIRST ARMY BILL
in the manner brought forward last autumn in
the -draft of the proposed taxation bill. Never-
theless, the question of making good the deficit is
still the object of continued discussions. I expect
that a proposal will be set before you by the be-
ginning of the next winter session in which is ex-
pressed, even more strongly than in the former
bill, the principle that the providing of the neces-
sary means must be carried out with the utmost
regard for the individual's ability to pay and
with as little draft as possible upon our power of
levying taxes. Until the expiration of the present
official year the contributions from the various
states may be drawn upon to cover the excess.
Honored Sirs, we have succeeded in the diffi-
cult task of welding the German race into a strong
union. The nation honors those who have given
their possessions and their blood for this work
and who have brought the Fatherland to political
and industrial prosperity — a prosperity which is
the pride and the pleasure of their contemporaries
and which, if they build in the same spirit as their
fathers, will guarantee to the generations to come
the greatness and the happiness of the empire.
To protect the glorious acquisitions with which
God has blessed us in our struggle for indepen-
dence is our most sacred duty. We can, however,
only fulfil such a duty toward the Fatherland by
79
THE GERMAN EMPEROR , [SEPT.
making ourselves sufficiently strong in military
power to defend ourselves, so that we may re-
main a reliable guarantor of the peace of Europe.
I trust that your patriotic, self-sacrificing assist-
ance in the pursuance of this aim will not fail me
and my honored corulers.
The Emperor followed the formal address from
the throne with the following:
And now, gentlemen, go forth. May our an-
cient God look down upon you and bestow upon
you His blessing to the end that you may bring
to successful issue an honorable work for the wel-
fare of our Fatherland ! Amen.
ARRIVAL IN METZ
METZ, SEPTEMBER 3, 1893
On the 3d of September the Emperor, accom-
panied by the Crown Prince of Italy, paid a visit
to Metz. To Burgomaster Halm's speech of wel-
come the Emperor replied as follows:
It is with a heart deeply stirred that I enter
the city of Metz, and if I could not come last year,
as I wished,* I see, nevertheless, that the reason
* The Emperor came to Metz ordinarily to review the Eighth and
Sixteenth Army Corps. Because of the cholera scare, the imperial
manoeuvres had not taken place in the previous year, 1892. The
Emperor, who was anxious to conciliate his subjects, had taken
up a domain in Urville.
80
i893l DEDICATION OF FLAGS
for my remaining away has been rightly under-
stood.
I rejoice to see the monument to my late grand-
father at length finished and to be able to allow
my troops to pass before it. Metz and my army
corps are a corner-stone in the military might of
Germany, destined to protect the peace of Ger-
many— yes, of all Europe — and it is my firm pur-
pose to maintain this peace.
I thank the city of Metz for its festive welcome,
and I pray you that my thanks be made known to
the citizens through an official announcement.
If I have removed my headquarters to Urville it
is because as a landholder in Lorraine I could not
do otherwise, since my subjects in this province
wish to have me there. In token of my imperial
favor I extend to the burgomaster a golden chain
of office which the burgomasters of Metz shall be
entitled to wear from this time forth. It gives
me especial pleasure, however, to be able to
bestow this chain upon the present burgomaster.
DEDICATION OF FLAGS
BERLIN, OCTOBER 18, 1894
Through a reorganization of the army which
was to be made effective in the next legislative
session, a large number of partial bodies of troops
were created which were later to be increased to
81
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [OCT.
bring up the peace footing of the army from 538
whole and 173 half battalions to 624 whole bat-
talions. Every two of these constitute a regi-
ment and every two regiments a brigade. On
the anniversary of the battle of Leipzig the
Emperor, in the presence of a large number of
princes, including the young King of Servia,
turned over flags to these troops. His statement
that the only pillar upon which the empire rested
was the army was strongly resented by many of
his loyal subjects of the empire who happened
to be merely peaceful merchants or farmers or
laborers. The Emperor was doubtless provoked
into making the statement from the fact that some
of his legislative policies had met with determined
opposition on the part of representatives of the
people. This he has always regarded as dis-
loyalty and as boding disaster to the empire.
Since the army's tradition for loyalty to the
imperial war lord renders opposition here im-
possible, he saw in it the only salvation of the
state.
In order that they may serve as a shining sym-
bol of glory for the troops, we have had the bless-
ing of Heaven called down upon the ensigns which
I have bestowed upon every fourth battalion of
my regiments, and I now turn them over to the reg-
imental commanders and to the regiments them-
selves. This inspiring day is one whose mem-
ories move the world and which marks an epoch
82
1894] DEDICATION OF FLAGS
in our German history. I first salute the mauso-
leum of him* whose birthday was once wont to
fill the entire German Fatherland with jubilation,
the mausoleum of him to whom it was granted to
win glorious victories under the eyes of the great,
heroic Emperor, his father, and to cover 'the
flags which were consecrated in 1861 with glory.
They were nailed to their staffs in the rooms in
which the history of Brandenburg and Prussia is
immortalized in paintings: The monuments of
the rulers and of the generals who created the
glory of Prussia have looked down upon them.
These flags have now been brought before the
monument of the Prussian King who focussed the
eyes of the world upon them in years of fierce
conflict and whose last breath was a wish of
blessing for his army. In the year 1861, when
my grandfather undertook the reorganization of
his arms, he was misunderstood by many and
attacked by even more; nevertheless, the future
gave him his splendid justification. Just as at
that time, so now, too, distrust and discord are
rife among the people. The only pillar on which
the empire rested was the army. So is it to-day !
The flags which are assembled here are destined
for entire bodies of troops, and I hope that the
half battalions to which they are to-day delivered
* Emperor Frederick III.
83
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [DEC.
will soon stand as entire battalions in the army
of the Fatherland.
But you, gentlemen, now take over these en-
signs and with them the obligation of maintain-
ing the tradition of devotion, of discipline unto
death, of unconditional obedience toward the
war lord against all inward and outward enemies.
Even as heretofore, may the blessing of the Most
High rest upon our army, and may the watchful
eyes of our ancestors look down upon and protect
Prussia's army and her flags ! With God for King
and Fatherland !
NAVY RECRUITS
KIEL, DECEMBER 3, 1894
It is part of the Emperor's duty to administer
the oath every year to the recruits for the navy
as well as to the recruits for the guard. He is in-
clined to talk to them usually in very simple lan-
guage, as here, for instance. Indeed, though they
are usually twenty years of age, he often addresses
them as the "children of my guard."
The oath is holy, and holy is the place in which
you swear it. The altar and the crucifix bear
witness to this; it means that we Germans are
Christians, that we at all times first give the glory
to God in every affair that we undertake, esoecially
84
i894l NAVY RECRUITS
in the highest — that of strengthening the defense
of the Fatherland. You wear the uniform of the
Emperor; you are thereby preferred over other
men, and take your rank equally with your com-
rades of the army and navy; you receive a special
place and assume obligations. By many you will
be envied because of the uniform which you wear;
hold it in honor, and do not besmirch it; this you
will accomplish best when you think of your oath
—you especially, you people of the sea, who so
often have the opportunity in your various
journeyings upon the water to learn to know the
almighty power of God !
Wherein lies the secret of the fact that we have
often overcome our adversary with lesser num-
bers ? In discipline. What is discipline ? Single-
hearted co-operation, single-hearted obedience.
That our ancient forebears already clung to this
ideal a single example will show: On one occasion
they were marching to war against the Romans.
They had climbed over the mountain and found
themselves suddenly face to face with the huge
masses of the army. Then they realized what a
difficult moment was before them. They first
prayed, giving God the glory, and then, bound
together with chains, side by side, they fell upon
the enemies and conquered them. To-day we no
longer need the actual chains; we have a powerful
85
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [MARCH
religion and our oath. Remain true to it, and
think of it, whether you are within the country or
without. Hold your colors high, the black, white,
and red which here stand before you, and think
of your oath, think of your Emperor.
CHRISTENING OF A CRUISER
KIEL, MARCH 26, 1895
The Emperor, as will be plain, took much satis-
faction in the development of his navy and was
to make innumerable addresses on these occasions.
The present is a fair type of a number of the
shorter speeches. Very soon they were to become
occasions in which he was to broach the idea of
the greater navy. The present address will serve
to illustrate the spirit he was hoping to instil into
this branch of the service.
As a testimony to the industry of the Father-
land, after the diligent labors of the imperial
dockyards, this vessel now stands before us ready
to be given over to its element. Thou shalt now
be enrolled in the German navy. Thou shalt
serve in the protection of the Fatherland to bring
defiance and annihilation to the enemy. The
names of the ships which belong to the same
class are taken from the old Germanic sagas.
Therefore thou also shalt hark back to the ancient
time of our ancestors, to the powerful divinity who
86
i89sl VISIT TO BISMARCK
was worshipped and feared by all our German
seafaring forefathers and whose mighty realm
stretched from the north even unto the south
pole, in whose province the northern battles were
fought, and whence death and destruction were
brought into the land of the enemy. Thou shalt
bear the name of this great and mighty god.
Mayst thou prove thyself worthy of it ! So do I
christen thee with the name of JEgir.
VISIT TO BISMARCK
FRIEDRICHSRUH, MARCH 26, 1895
Historians of modern Germany have discussed
and explained in various ways the causes of the
retirement of Bismarck, the "Iron Chancellor."
From the moment he became "Minister President
and Minister of Foreign Affairs," in 1862, his hand
was the hand that guided German policy, and his
was the genius that presided over and shaped the
unification of Germany and the building of the
empire. It has been truly said that the biography
of Bismarck is the history of German union. He
had been born in Brandenburg and spent his life
in the service of the Prussian Kings. It was he
who in the dark days preceding the victories of the
sixties had given William I heart and had pre-
vented him from giving up his task. It was,
therefore, a great shock to the German world to
learn that, two years after the accession of William
87
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [MARCH
II, the great founder of German unity had been
forced into retirement. There had been rumors
of previous disagreements. The German Chan-
cellor is responsible not to the Reichstag but
solely to the Emperor; he takes the responsibility
of shaping the imperial policy. It was said that
Bismarck resented certain interference with his
authority in his own cabinet. It is certain that
he looked with disfavor on the Emperor's policy
with regard to labor legislation. With regard to
the attitude toward Russia there was likewise
disagreement, and Bismarck opposed the Em-
peror's visit to Constantinople. But aside from
these questions of policy, there were deep psy-
chological incompatibilities. Crabbed age and
romantic youth could not live together. Further-
more, the Emperor wished to take the credit for
initiating and carrying through his own policies.
He was not content to be a shadow king. Bis-
marck, after nearly forty years of service, was not
willing to be a puppet chancellor. He insisted
on the form of cabinet government decreed in
1852. The Emperor's disposition of mind may
be gathered from the following extracts from a
speech delivered shortly before Bismarck's retire-
ment, and it should be remembered that at this
time Bismarck was far from being an enthusiastic
supporter of certain measures then taking shape
in the mind of William II. On the 5th of March,
1890, the Emperor announced to the Branden-
burgers:"All those who wish to help me in this
work I bid heartily welcome, whoever they may
be; but all those (whoever they may be) who op-
88
i89sl VISIT TO BISMARCK
pose me in this work I shall smash to pieces"
(zerschmettern). Bismarck was forced to offer his
resignation two weeks later. Besides his ducal
title, he was given the honorary title of general
of cavalry, with the rank of field-marshal. Be-
cause of his opposition, he was treated in the fol-
lowing years with extreme coolness and occasion-
ally as an enemy. The German ambassador at
Vienna was instructed from Berlin, on the occa-
sion of the marriage of Bismarck's son, not to
accept an invitation to the wedding. Foreign
ambassadors were informed, that for the Emperor
there were two Bismarcks: the former responsi-
ble servant and the present irresponsible subject.
The honors given him were not generally honors
due a great ex-chancellor, but honors due a mili-
tary officer. "Living," said Bismarck, "they
give me the honors of the dead." On this, his
eightieth birthday, the Reichstag voted down the
proposal that they send him their congratulations.
The Emperor, with an exclusively military suite,
however, paid him this visit and presented him
with a sword engraved with his arms and with the
arms of the conquered provinces, Alsace-Lorraine.
In all probability, Bismarck felt the lack of men-
tion of his services as Chancellor; his entirely
diplomatic reply printed below would seem to in-
dicate this.
YOUR HIGHNESS:
Our whole Fatherland decks itself out to cele-
brate your birthday. This day belongs to the
89
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [MARCH
army. Its first duty is to do honor to its com-
rades, to its old officers, whose efficiency made it
possible for it to carry through the mighty deeds
which found their reward in the crowning of a re-
generated Fatherland.
The military host which stands gathered here
is a symbol of the whole army, especially this regi-
ment which has the honor of calling your Highness
its commander, and especially that standard which
reminds us of the fame of Brandenburg and Prus-
sia, which dates from the time of the Great Elector
and is consecrated by the blood shed at Mars-la-
Tour. Your Highness will see in spirit, behind
this gathering of troops, the collected army of the
entire German race in battle array to celebrate
this day with us.
In sight of this host, I come now to present to
your Highness my gift. I could find no better
token than a sword, this noblest weapon of the
Germans; a symbol of that instrument which
your Highness with my late grandfather helped
to shape, to sharpen, and also to wield; the symbol
of that great, powerful period of building whose
mortar was blood and iron; that weapon which
is never dismayed and which, when necessary, in
the hands of kings and princes will defend against
internal foes that unity of the Fatherland which
it had once conquered from the foes without.
90
i89sl THE EMPEROR WILLIAM CANAL
May your Highness be good enough to notice the
linking of your arms with those of Alsace-Lor-
raine here engraved and feel again all that history
which found its conclusion in the events of twenty-
five years ago !
But we comrades call out: His Highness, Prince
Bismarck, Duke of Lauenburg — Hurrah ! Hurrah !
Hurrah !
Bismarck replied with more pith:
Your Majesty will allow me to lay my humblest
thanks at your feet. My military position with
regard to your Majesty does not permit me to
further express my feelings to your Majesty. I
thank your Majesty.
OPENING OF THE EMPEROR WILLIAM
CANAL
KIEL, JUNE 21, 1895
In furthering Germany's economic and indus-
trial development, the building of canals has
served an important function in reducing the cost
of transportation and in making possible com-
petition with other nations. Although the Em-
peror William Canal was an idea of Bismarck's,
his name is not here mentioned. Emperor Wil-
liam II has taken a very lively interest in this de-
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [JUNE
velopment of inland waterways and has rendered
a great service to the industrial development of
his country in this regard.
In memory of Emperor William the Great, I
baptize the canal "Emperor William Canal."
The Emperor then accompanied his three ham-
mer strokes with the following words: "In the
name of the Triune God, to the honor of Emperor
William, to the blessing of Germany, and to the
welfare of the people !"
He proposed this toast at the banquet:
I behold with pleasure and with pride this bril-
liant and festive gathering, and in the name of
my honored colleagues I bid you all, the guests
of the empire, most heartily welcome. We wish
to express our inmost thanks for the interest you
have taken in the completion of a work which,
begun in peace and accomplished in peace, is
to-day given over to general trade.
It is not only in our own day that the idea first
existed of joining the North and Baltic Seas by a
great canal; far back in the Middle Ages we find
drafts and plans for the working out of this under-
taking. In the past century the Eider Canal was
built, which, while it affords a wonderful example
of the ability of that day, still, as it was intended
only for the passage of the smaller craft, could not
92
i89sl THE EMPEROR WILLIAM CANAL
satisfy the increased demands of the present day.
It remained for the newly founded German Em-
pire to find a satisfactory solution for this great
problem.
It was my immortal grandfather, his Majesty,
Emperor William the Great, who, thoroughly ap-
preciating the significance of the canal for in-
creasing the national welfare and strengthening
our defense, devoted his unflagging interest to the
plan for the building of an effective waterway
between the North and the Baltic Seas and for
overcoming the many obstacles which stood in the
way of its accomplishment. Joyfully and con-
fidently the affiliated rulers of the empire, as well
as the Reichstag, followed the imperial initiative,
and for eight years the work was industriously
carried on which, as it approached completion,
aroused in ever-increasing measure the public in-
terest. What technic on the basis of its great
development has been able to accomplish, what
was possible through pride and joy in the work,
what finally could be done in promoting the wel-
fare of the numberless workers engaged in the
task, in accordance with the principles of the
humane social politics of the empire, has been
accomplished in this undertaking. Therefore the
Fatherland dare rejoice with me and my noble
colleagues in the success of this enterprise.
93
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [JUNE, 1895
However, we have worked not only for our own
interests. In accordance with the great cultural
mission of the German people, we open the locks
of the canal to the peaceful trading of the nations
with each other, and it will give us great satisfac-
tion if its increasing use shall prove not only that
the intentions by which we were led are under-
stood but that they are becoming fruitful in in-
creasing the welfare of the people.
The interest in our celebration on the part of
the powers whose representatives we see among
us, and whose magnificent ships we have to-day
admired, I greet with greater joy the more I have
the right to see in it the complete justification of
our efforts directed toward the righteous main-
tenance of peace. Germany will also place the
work inaugurated to-day in the service of peace
and will consider herself fortunate if the Emperor
William Canal strengthens and promotes in this
service for all time our friendly relations with the
other powers.
I empty my glass to the friendly sovereigns and
powers. Hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah!
94
IV
THE BEGINNING OF WORLD
POLITICS
JUNE 1 6, 1896 — MARCH 22, 1905
THE BEGINNING OF WORLD POLITICS
BERLIN, JUNE 16, 1896
It is difficult to fix any definite date at which
any new movement in politics may be said to have
begun. Toward the close of the year 1894 there
appear unmistakable signs of a new dispensa-
tion. In this year Caprivi, Bismarck's successor
as Chancellor, retired in favor of Prince Hohen-
lohe. The latter appears in his new office for
the first time in the session of the Reichstag which
opened December 5, 1894. In that session the
insufficient protection of Germans residing in for-
eign lands was repeatedly insisted upon, and the
colonizing spirit and the agitation for a very con-
siderable increase in the navy began to make them-
selves felt. The building of three new cruisers
was authorized, but the plan to erect a dry dock
at Kiel was rejected. The year 1895 was to be
crowded with festivals celebrating the twenty-
fifth anniversaries of the victories of the Franco-
Prussian War, and there resulted a consequent
impetus to what might be called nascent imperial-
ism. This was further stimulated by outward
95
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [JUNE
events. In 1895 France, Germany, and Russia
intervened between Japan and China, then at
war. In 1897 Germany seized and then leased
Kiaochow from China for ninety-nine years and
intervened in the war between Greece and Turkey
on behalf of the Turks. She began, therefore,
to take a more prominent part in world politics
and definitely entered upon her policy of ex-
pansion. The German people felt that this was
rendered necessary by the fact that Germany
had become a great industrial and exporting
nation, whose interests demanded insistence on
the "open-door" policy. Her rapidly increasing
population (the annual increase was between
800,000 and 900,000) also, we are told, made
necessary the creation of new colonies to take care
of surplus population and to provide sustenance
for those at home who were being drawn off into
industrial pursuits.
It should be remembered in this connection, how-
ever, that emigration from Germany is very far
from being on the increase. It has diminished
astonishingly since 1880. In the decade from
1880 to 1890 the annual emigration averaged
about 135,000, and in 1881 it reached its highest
point, 220,000. In the decade from 1900 to 1910
it never in any one year ran over 37,000 and
averaged about 27,000 — in other words, it had
declined, in spite of the increase in population and
in the number of colonies, to one fifth of its former
proportions. The figures have only a relative
significance. The annual emigration from Bel-
gium, for instance, which has little more than one
96
1896] BEGINNING OF WORLD POLITICS
tenth the population of Germany, was considerably
higher, averaging 35,000 annually for the years
from 1906 to 1910. The annual emigration from
the United Kingdom to places outside of Europe
in the same period was approximately 532,000
annually. As, therefore, German emigration has
in the last quarter century steadily declined, it
may be safely inferred that the problem of finding
colonies for her surplus population is not now, at
least, a more pressing one for Germany than it
was twenty-five years ago.
A conscientious American student of con-
temporary politics has said quite justly that "the
most vital and burning problem in the world to-
day" is the problem of Germany's Weltpolitik.
It is not the purpose of this volume to enter into
questions of controversy. He who wishes, how-
ever, to understand Germany's position and the
Emperor's position toward the world to-day must
consider carefully not only the problem itself
but some of its practical implications. In one of
his bursts of enthusiasm the Emperor will tell
us later* that this policy implies that no question
in the world — no question of international politics,
in other words — is to be decided without Germany.
This would mean, strictly interpreted, that no
transfer or change of status in colonial possessions —
Cuba or the Philippines, for instance — no inter-
national canal, like Panama, could be made with-
Germany's greatness makes it impossible for her to do with-
out the ocean — but the ocean also proves that even in the distance,
and on its farther side, without Germany and the German Emperor
no great decision dare henceforth be taken." (July 3, 1900.)
97
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [JUNE
out her sanction. And there are those in Germany,
like Doctor Liman, who believe that this doctrine
should have been more rigidly maintained than
had hitherto been the case. A priori, Germany
is, of course, as much entitled to the right to pursue
such a policy as any other power. Ethically, how-
ever— if ethics have any place in the discussion —
it must be the result which justifies such a policy:
not the results merely to the nation pursuing the
policy but the results also to the nation or tribe
at whose expense the policy is pursued. In the
utilitarian phrase, it must redound to the greater
good of the greater number.
A dispassionate consideration of Prussia's treat-
ment of her dependencies must convince any ex-
cept the most partisan that her efforts here have
been far less successful than those of most other
nations, if they are not to be qualified as utter
and absolute failures. Chancellor Caprivi had
said quite justly that the worst blow an enemy
could give him would be to force more territories
in Africa upon him. Nevertheless, Germany has
since Caprivi's time and at imminent risk of war
acquired further African possessions. The attempt
to colonize Africa, begun, as we have seen, by the
Great Elector, was Germany's first venture in
this field. Yet at no time did the Germans seem
to get on well with the blacks. In the Emperor's
speeches to the Reichstag he has spoken of his de-
sire to introduce Christian customs and Christian
morality among the negroes. Yet his attempts
here were hardly successful. The Herreros in
Southwest Africa revolted and massacred Ger-
98
1896] BEGINNING OF WORLD POLITICS
man colonists, sparing the Boers and English who
had come before the German occupation. Doctor
Gibbons tells us that the suppression of this rebel-
lion took more than a year and cost Germany an
appalling sum of money and many lives. But it
cost the natives more. Two thirds of the nation
of the Herreros were massacred, and, while only
six or seven thousand were in arms, the German
official report states that forty thousand were
killed. The Germans confiscated all the lands of
the natives. In 1906, after twenty-one years of
German rule, there were in Southwest Africa
sixteen thousand prisoners of war out of a total
native population of thirty-one thousand. All
the natives lived in concentration camps and
were forced to work for the government. It may
be conceded that Germany's problem here was a
difficult one; it must also be recognized that her
policy had been neither of advantage to the na-
tives nor to Germany herself.
In other cases, where the problem would seem to
have been simpler, the results have likewise been
disastrous. It is not our purpose to give the
reasons but to state the facts. After one hundred
and twenty-five years of incorporation into Prussia
the Poles of East Prussia have in large part not
been amalgamated and are still the victims of
discriminatory legislation. In judging such a
policy it is not merely a question as to whether
Alsace-Lorraine, for instance, did or did not once
belong to Germany. Morally it is difficult to con-
cede to any nation the right to govern any popula-
tion which it makes permanently unhappy. After
99
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [JUNE
forty-four years the problem of Alsace-Lorraine
seemed to be very little nearer a solution than it
was at its inception. It is a mistake to believe
that the discontent was due principally to the
fact that the inhabitants must transfer their al-
legiance from France to Germany. The dis-
content was due to the empire's refusal to give
the population rights and status compatible with
their self-respect as enlightened subjects of a
twentieth-century government. Men of German
as well as of French descent, and even German
emigrants who were induced to settle in the prov-
ince since 1870, took part in the opposition. In a
recent haphazard list of the "real leaders" of
Alsace-Lorraine, we find the following six names:
Wetterle, Preiss, Blumenthal, Weber, Bucher,
and Theodor. Of these the last five, at least, are
wholly or in part of German descent. Yet the
most serious demonstration in Metz since its an-
nexation took place in June, 1910. On July 25
of that same year, for the first time since the
University of Strasburg had been re-established
by the Germans, a professor was hissed out of his
lecture-room; and, as we have seen, in spite of an
energetic propaganda by German newspapers, in
1912 more Alsacians enlisted in the French For-
eign Legion than in any single year since 1871.
The situation in that province has been already
discussed in connection with the Emperor's speech
of March 14, 1891. Quite evidently, the problem
there was hardly on the way to successful solution
in August, 1914. Of course, Germany's success in
colonizing is not the only question to be con-
100
1896] BEGINNING OF WORLD POLITICS
sidered with regard to her Weltpolitik. It is,
however, an essential factor.
As will be evident from subsequent addresses,
it was the Emperor who everywhere gave the
initial impulse. Whether or not he involved him-
self in contradictions here, the student must de-
cide. To certain of his subjects he appeared to
be doing so, and it was for this reason that one
of his hostile critics, Doctor Liman, tells us in
bitterness that German politics of the last twenty
years is "a fantastic mixture of tearful longing
for peace and an inflated desire for prestige."
("Der Kaiser," p. 317.) The present empire had
been proclaimed on the i8th of January, 1871,
and the anniversary marked the crowning cele-
bration of the year. In his speech the Emperor
announces that "The German Empire has be-
come a world-empire." This may be said to pro-
vide the key to his subsequent policy and to mark
the dawning of a new era. The address was de-
livered at a dinner held in the Royal Palace.
The present day, like the entire year in all its
festivities, is a day of grateful retrospect. It is
a continued high festival of gratitude for and in
commemoration of the great departed Emperor.
A blessing rests upon the present day, and over
it hovers the spirit of him who lies in Charlotten-
burg,* and of him who sleeps in the Friedens-
kirche.f What our fathers had hoped and what
* Emperor William I. t Emperor Frederick III.
101
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [JUNE
German youth in her dreams had sung and de-
sired it was granted to them, the two Emperors, to
achieve; working with the princes, it was granted
to them to reconquer and re-establish the German
Empire. We are privileged gratefully to enjoy its
advantages; we have a right to rejoice on the pres-
ent day. Nevertheless, it is our earnest duty to
maintain what the great lords have won for us.
The German Empire has become a world-empire.
Everywhere in distant quarters of the earth thou-
sands of our countrymen are living. German
guardians, German science, German industry are
going across the sea. The value of what Germany
has upon the seas amounts to thousands of mil-
lions. It is your earnest duty, gentlemen, to help
to bind this greater German Empire firmly to
our ancestral home. The vow which I made you
to-day can become truth only if you are animated
by a united patriotic spirit and grant me your
fullest support. It is my wish that, standing in
closest union, you help me to do my duty not only
to my countrymen in a narrower sense but also
to the many thousands of countrymen in foreign
lands. This means that I may be able to protect
them if I must. It is with this wish, and deeply
conscious of the injunction which is issued to us
all— "What you have inherited from your fathers,
conquer it in order that you may possess it" — that
102
1896] TO THE RECRUITS FOR THE NAVY
I raise my glass to our beloved German Fatherland
and call out: Long live the German Empire!—
once again, may it live ! — and a third time, long
live the Empire !
TO THE RECRUITS FOR THE NAVY
WlLHELMSHAVEN, FEBRUARY 21, 1896
On the occasion of administering the oath to
the naval recruits at Wilhelmshaven the Emperor
delivered the following address:
In the sight of God and of His servants you have
sworn to me the oath of allegiance, and I expect
from you that you will become good and sturdy
sailors. Keep to what you have sworn, for "one
man, one word." The soldiers of the army fre-
quently have the occasion to show what they have
learned and what they are capable of under the
eyes of their superiors. This is not true in the
navy, for many of you will be for years in foreign
waters. But you must not think that on that
account my eyes have been turned away from you.
In relation to other navies our own navy is still
small, is in the budding stage; but through our
discipline we must become strong and by it com-
pensate for all that we lack in material strength.
What is discipline ? Nothing but the uncondi-
103
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [AUG.
tional subjection of our own will to a higher will.
Even if every one intends to do good, he must
none the less subordinate his intention to the good
of the whole. Only by holding together can we
create a firm body that will be able to accomplish
something complete and great.
A TOAST TO THE RUSSIAN EMPEROR AND
EMPRESS
ST. PETERSBURG, AUGUST 8, 1897
The visit which the Czar had paid Emperor
William at Breslau the year before (September 5,
1896) had led to unfortunate consequences. The
Czar, in his answer to the wishes of the Emperor
that the two empires might draw more closely
together, had announced, according to the official
report, that he was animated by the same tradi-
tional sentiments as his Majesty, Emperor Wil-
liam II. Certain important papers printed a
reading which made it appear that the Czar had
said that he shared the same feelings which had
moved his father (who was notoriously anti-
German). The State Secretary, Von Marschall,
was drawn into an ugly suit as a result. It was
stated that the Foreign Office was involved. Al-
though this was not true, it left a decidedly bad
impression, and several officials resigned.
On the occasion of the visit of the German Em-
peror and Empress to St. Petersburg they were
greeted by a most friendly address of welcome
104
,8971 A TOAST TO THE CZAR
from the Czar, and Emperor William II was made
an admiral of the Russian fleet. On this occasion
he offered the following toast to the Russian Em-
peror and Empress:
In the name of her Majesty, the Empress, and
in my own, I thank your Majesty warmly for the
hearty and magnificent reception which you have
given us and for the gracious words with which
your Majesty has so lovingly bid us welcome. At
the same time, with deep feeling I would like to
lay at the feet of your Majesty my grateful ac-
knowledgment for the renewed and unexpected
distinction which your Majesty has conferred upon
me in giving me a place in your glorious fleet.
This is a particular honor, which I appreciate at
its full significance and which is also a distinction
conferred very particularly upon my navy. In
my appointment as a Russian admiral I see not
only an honor conferred upon my person but also
a new evidence for the perpetuation of the close
relationship, traditional and unshakable, which
exists between our two empires. The unalterable
decision of your Majesty to preserve now and
hereafter peace for your people finds in me also
a joyful echo, and wandering together in the same
way we two shall strive in concert, under the bless-
ing of this peace, to guide the cultural development
105
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [Auo.
of our peoples. My whole people is behind me,
I know, as I confidently lay this renewed pledge
in the hands of your Majesty — I shall bestow
upon your Majesty my most powerful support
and stand at your side with all my heart in this
great work of preserving the peace for the nations
and in directing my strength against any one who
might attempt to disturb or break this peace. I
drink to the health of their Majesties, the Emperor
and the Empress ! [These last words the Emperor
spoke in Russian.]
0
THE ARMY TRADITION
COBLENTZ, AUGUST 30, 1897
On this date the Emperor reviewed the great
parade of the Eighth Army Corps, under the
leadership of the commanding general, the Grand
Duke of Baden. At the dinner after the review
the Emperor offered the following toast. The ad-
dress illustrates what Doctor Liman calls the ro-
manticism of the Emperor. He is easily impressed
by his surroundings and speaks with particular
animation and fervor on the occasions (and they
are frequent) in which the memories of his ances-
tors are brought back to him:
A review in the Rhine country, what an en-
trancing and what a beautiful picture ! But a
review on the shores of the River Rhine itself,
106
i897l THE ARMY TRADITION
and in sight of the old historic city of Coblentz —
how this appeals to our hearts ! The sight of the
soldierly sons of the Rhine country, under the
command of your Royal Highness, has moved
me to deep joy. But it moves me with deep sad-
ness, likewise, for the place on which we stand
and the city in which we tarry is a witness to
a great time and reminds us of great names and
figures.
We, therefore, do not wish to forget that the
time* which Emperor William the Great spent in
Coblentz was of deepest significance, especially
for us in the army. Here the work which he was
called upon to carry through came to maturity;
here it was granted him in quiet retirement to
work out the organization of his army, which was
often attacked with animosity and often misunder-
stood but which has so magnificently justified it-
self. His nation under arms has proved in three
victorious wars that he was right.
And now let us turn from our glance into the
past to the present day. The splendid corps
which I took from the hands of a general [Vogel
von Falckenstein] whose name spelled bravery,
whose conduct, chivalry, and whose life, fidelity on
the battle-field and in peace, I have now given
over to you, the grandson of the great Emperor,
* 1850-7.
107
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [AUG.
the son* of the lofty Princess who would not
be deprived of the pleasure of appearing here
to-day and, in the spirit of her great departed
mother, of celebrating and tarrying for a while
with us in memories.
The corps has been honored by the fact that
his Royal Highness, the Duke of Cambridge, who
was for a long time the highest in command of
the brave British army, has decided to appear
here and to lead before me his gallant historic reg-
iment. I express my hearty thanks to your Royal
Highness. The corps, is indeed, highly fortunate
in this. We are privileged to greet in the noble
person of your Royal Highness an associate, a con-
temporary of our departed great Emperor, about
whom I know particularly that he always spoke
with deepest respect and greatest friendship of
your Royal Highness, and that he always praised
your Royal Highness's military achievements.
My dear Fritz [turning to his Royal Highness,
the hereditary Grand Duke], to-day's parade does
you and the corps great honor in every respect,
* The hereditary Grand Duke of Baden at this time was Frederick
William, born July 9, 1857, son of the Grand Duke Frederick I and
the Grand Duchess Louise-Marie, Princess of Prussia. The Grand
Duchess Louise-Marie was the daughter of Emperor William I.
The hereditary Grand Duke, who since the death of his father, in
1907, has been reigning Grand Duke of Baden, is therefore a grand-
son of William I and first cousin of the present Emperor, which will
explain the somewhat unusual familiarity of the Emperor's address.
1 08
i897) A TOAST
and we can say with a clear conscience that the
sons of the Rhineland who have marched by
to-day will do their duty as completely, and that
they are as well trained and as brave as they were
in the time of the great Emperor. It is our duty
to maintain, in all its parts, the army, the work of the
great Emperor, against every influence and to defend
it against every opposition from without, and I hope
that every general will be as faithful and as upright
as you are, and that he will strive to achieve this aim
in his field with as good results as you have done.
With this hope I raise my glass and drink to
the health of the Eighth Army Corps and its com-
manding general. The Eighth Army Corps !
Hurrah ! Hurrah ! Hurrah !
TOAST TO THE ITALIAN KING AND QUEEN
HOMBURG, SEPTEMBER 4, 1897
On this day the Emperor reviewed the Eleventh
Army Corps, which was under the command of
General von Wittich, in the presence of the Em-
press and of the King and Queen of Italy. At the
banquet which followed in the Castle of Hom-
burg, the Emperor offered this toast:
MY DEAR WITTICH:
I am happy to be able to express to you before
our royal and princely guests and to the whole
109
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [SEPT.
army corps my heartiest congratulations on this
day. I am pleased to be able to say that the
present day in its achievements does not suffer in
the least by comparison with the day when, many
years ago,* the corps defiled before my late grand-
father, my dear father, and the late Grand Duke.
I thank his Royal Highness, the Grand Duke, for
the splendid division which he has led, and I am
pleased to see him at the head of the magnificent
troops which have done such great things under
his father.
A great honor has been conferred upon the
corps through the fact that riding at the head of
one of his regiments [i3th Hessian Hussar Regi-
ment] his Majesty, King Humbert of Italy, has
led it before us.
Your Majesty ! My army thanks your Majesty
whole-heartedly for the great honor which has
been conferred upon it. Not only my army but
also the whole German Fatherland greets in the
person of your Majesty the lofty prince, the close
friend of my departed father, the faithful ally,
whose coming here shows again to us and to the
world that the bond of the triple alliance stands
firm and inviolate, the triple alliance which was
founded in the interest of peace and which, as
time goes on, strikes deeper and firmer root in the
* September 25, 1883.
IIO
i897l DEDICATION OF FLAGS
consciousness of the peoples, in order finally to
bring forth greater fruit.
In deepest gratitude I bid the great Queen wel-
come in the name of my people. We rejoice that
she has not disdained to come here, leaving behind
her her repose and her activities dedicated to art
and literature, and that she should have graced
with her fair presence this camp of our soldiers.
Her Majesty is particularly dear and precious to
us Germans, because she is like the image of the
great constellation to which her people and Fa-
therland look up with confidence; because the art-
ist, the wise man, the musician, and the student
always have free access to her, and because under
the protection of her Majesty so many a German
can fulfil his life devoted to learning and so many
an invalid can go in search of his health to the
beautiful sunny south.
With a whole heart I bid you both welcome,
and call out with my Eleventh Corps: Their
Majesties, the King and Queen of Italy! — Hurrah !
Hurrah ! Hurrah !
ADDRESS AT A DEDICATION OF FLAGS
BERLIN, OCTOBER 18, 1897
On this occasion sixty-three new flags were dedi-
cated to the newly formed regiments of the guard,
in
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [Oct.
of the First to the Eleventh and of the Fifteenth
to the Seventeenth Army Corps. The Emperor
and people celebrate this anniversary of the battle
of Leipzig, 1813, with particularly patriotic demon-
strations, and he almost invariably makes it the
occasion for a military address. After the religious
ceremony the Emperor addressed the following
words to his troops:
The flags which have just now been consecrated
before the altar of God and which have received
His blessing I now turn over to the new regiments
which spring from their old and proved predeces-
sors in accordance with the custom of our army,
which forever renews itself and its youth out of
the ranks of its older and proved regiments. I
do this in a hallowed place, before the statue of
the great King and before the windows of the
great Emperor. If the site is holy, so too is the
day. It is the anniversary of the great victory
after which the German people for the first time
dared look forward in prospect to the dawn of
coming union and the future greatness which was
conditioned thereby. The day on which, for
everlasting memory, the October fires leap from
Germany's hills is the birthday of the heroic first
German Crown Prince and of the second German
Emperor.*
* Frederick III.
112
i897l ADMINISTERING OATH TO RECRUITS
Out of the old and proved regiments which he
led to battle and victory the shoots have been
taken for these new ones to which I now turn over
their field insignia. May Almighty God, who has
ever been so faithful and well intentioned to our
Prussia and to the whole German Fatherland,
help always to maintain the vows of the thou-
sands of German youths who shall stream from the
circles of the people to these new flags and who
before them shall swear their oath of allegiance !
I hope that in these regtments the qualities of
the great Emperor will live on — the absolutely un-
selfish devotion to the whole, the unreserved sacri-
fice of one's own capacity, bodily as well as spiri-
tual, for the honor of the army and for the safety
of the beloved Fatherland. Then, I am convinced,
will the foundations remain firm and intact in
these new regiments, the foundations upon which
the discipline of our army rests — bravery, sense of
honor, and absolute and unconditional obedience.
This is my wish for the new regiments.
ON ADMINISTERING THE OATH TO THE
RECRUITS
BERLIN, NOVEMBER 18, 1897
After the administering of the oath to the re-
cruits of the garrisons of Berlin, Charlottenburg,
"3
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [Nov.
and Spandau by the representatives of the Evan-
gelical and the Catholic churches, the Emperor
took the occasion to deliver the following admo-
nition :
To-day I greet you as soldiers of my army, as
grenadiers of my guard. With the oath to the
flag you have sworn allegiance as German men,
and even before the altar of God, under the open
skies, and upon His crucifix, as good Christians
must. He who is not a good Christian is not a
brave man and no Prussian soldier; and he cannot
fulfil under any circumstances what is demanded
of a soldier in the Prussian army.
Your duty is not easy; it demands of you self-
control and self-abnegation, the two highest quali-
ties of a Christian, and in addition unconditional
obedience and subordination to the will of those
who are appointed above you.
But you have examples before you out of the
history of the German army. Thousands before
your time have sworn their oath and kept it.
And because they did keep it our Fatherland has
become great and our army victorious and uncon-
querable. Because they kept their oath, their
flags stand before you, garlanded with honor and
covered with the tokens of glory, and wherever
they are shown, heads are uncovered and regi-
ments present arms.
"4
i897l ADMINISTERING OATH TO RECRUITS
In the time of your service temptation will
surely draw near to many of you. If it does ap-
proach, either with regard to your personal con-
duct or with regard to your relationship as a
soldier, turn it from you with the thought of the
past of your regiments; turn it from you with the
thought of your uniform, which is the uniform of
your King. Whoever offends against the uniform
of the King lays himself open to the most grievous
punishments. Wear your .uniform in such wise
that you will compel respect from the world and
from those who oppose you.
My glorious ancestors look down upon you from
the vaulted heavens. The monuments of the Kings
look down upon you and, above all, the statue of
the great Emperor. When you are discharging
your service remember the grievous times through
which our Fatherland had to pass; remember
them when your labor seems heavy and bitter.
Stand firm in your inviolable faith and trust in
God who never forsakes us. Then will my army
and especially my guard be equal to its task in all
times, whether in peace or war.
It is now your task to stand faithfully by me
and to defend our highest possessions, whether
against enemies from without or from within, and
to obey when I command and never to forsake
me.
"5
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [DEC.
THE CHINESE SITUATION AND THE
MAILED FIST
DECEMBER 15, 1897
In accordance with her general colonial policy,
Germany had for some time been attempting to
obtain a footing in China. Already in 1895 tne
German consul-general had arranged an agree-
ment with the Chinese authorities which was to
allow the establishing of a base at Hangchow.
German explorers had examined the coast and had
noticed the favorable situation of the harbor of
Kiaochow. In November, 1897, two German
Catholic missionaries were murdered. Admiral
Diedrichs, who is remembered in America for his
interference with Admiral Dewey at Manila Bay,
resolved upon immediate action, steamed into the
harbor of Kiaochow and took possession of the
island of Tsingtao. He announced the occupation
of the bay and of all the islands and dependencies
on November 15. An indemnity of 200,000 taels
was demanded, as well as the repayment of the ex-
penses of the occupation, a ninety-nine year lease
of the captive territory, and the cession of all
mining rights and railway privileges. All this was
granted, and Germany made good use of her priv-
ileges. At the outbreak of the European war
the country had been developed and reclaimed
to such a degree that Tsingtao with its buildings
and forts looked like a bit of Prussia set into the
Chinese coast.
116
i897l THE CHINESE SITUATION
Through her occupation of this rich province
and through the fact that Germany thus estab-
lished a naval base opposite Japan's coast, she in-
curred the ill will of Japan. This ill will was later
to be increased through Germany's conduct with
regard to commerce regulations. At the time of
the occupation Germany declared that Tsingtao
was to be a port open to all the world. Sub-
sequent regulations which she had made amounted
to very serious discrimination against the com-
merce of other nations, especially that of the
Japanese, which had already attained considerable
importance. A plan was evolved in 1906 accord-
ing to which Chinese customs duties were allowed
to be collected in the colony in return for an annual
consideration, which amounted to twenty per cent,
of the entire customs duties of the Tsingtao dis-
trict. In this way, what she allowed China to
collect from German merchants she forced China
to pay back to her. Other merchants were, of
course, likewise forced to pay the duties, and Ger-
many received a considerable percentage of the
toll. The discrimination, if not obvious, was very
real, and the feeling of the Japanese distinctly
hostile.
Prince Henry was sent out to take command of
the increased East Asiatic Squadron on December
16, 1897, and took command in the following
March. On the eve of his departure a great fare-
well dinner was given him in the Royal Palace at
Kiel. The Emperor spoke as follows:
117
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [DEC.
MY DEAR HENRY:
As I rode into Kiel to-day I thought of the
many times on which I had visited this city joy-
fully at your side and on my ships, either to be
present at the sports or at some one of our military
undertakings. On my arrival in the city to-day
an earnest and deep feeling moved me, for I am
perfectly conscious of the task which I have set
before you and of the responsibility which I bear.
But I am likewise conscious of the fact that it is
my duty to build up and carry farther what my
predecessors have bequeathed to me.
The journey which you are to undertake and
the task which you are to accomplish indicate
nothing new in themselves; it is merely the
logical consequence of what my departed grand-
father and his great Chancellor inaugurated polit-
ically and what our glorious father won with
his sword on the field of battle. It is nothing
more than the first expression of the newly united
and newly arisen German Empire in its tasks be-
yond the seas. The empire has developed so
astonishingly through the extension of its com-
mercial interests that it is my duty to follow up
the new German Hansa and to give it the pro-
tection which it has a right to expect from the
empire and the Emperor.
Our German brothers of the church who have
118
i897l THE CHINESE SITUATION
gone out to their quiet work and have not spared
risking their lives in order to spread and make a
home for our religion on foreign soil have placed
themselves under my protection, and it is now a
question of providing support and safety for these
brothers who have been so often insulted and op-
pressed. For that reason the undertaking which
I intrust to you and which you must fulfil in
company with your comrades and the ships which
are already out there is really one of protection
and not one of defiance. Under the protecting
banner of our German flag of war we expect that
the rights which we. are justified in demanding
will be guaranteed to our commerce, to the German
merchant, and to German ships — the same right
which is vouchsafed by strangers to all other
nations.
Our commerce is not new; in old times the
Hanseatic League was one of the most powerful
enterprises which the world has ever seen, and
the German cities were able to build a fleet such as
the sea's broad back had never carried in earlier
days, but finally it came to naught because the
one condition was lacking, namely that of an
Emperor's protection. Now things have changed;
the first condition, the German Empire, has been
created; the second condition, German commerce,
flourishes and develops, and it can only develop
119
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [DEC.
properly and securely if it feels itself safe under
the power of the empire. Imperial power means
sea power, and sea power and imperial power are
so interdependent that the one cannot exist with-
out the other.
As a token of this imperial sea power the squad-
ron which has been strengthened by your division
must now .take its place, with all the comrades of
the foreign fleet out there in close relationship and
on good terms of friendship, but for the purpose
of protecting our particular interests against every
one who might be tempted to intrude upon the
right of the Germans. That is your task and
your mission.
Make it clear to every European there, to the
German merchant, and, above all things, to the
foreigner in whose country we are or with whom
we have to deal, that the German Michel* has
set his shield, decorated with the imperial eagle,
firmly upon the ground. Whoever asks him for
protection will always receive it. And may our
countrymen out there cherish the firm conviction,
whether they are priests or merchants or whatever
profession they follow, that the protection of the
German Empire as exemplified in the Emperor's
* The German Michel is the proverbial representative of the
German character, as Uncle Sara is of the American or John Bull of
the English. He is usually pictured as a simple, good-natured fellow.
120
i897l ADDRESS TO THE BODY-GUARD
ships will continuously be granted them! But if
any one should undertake to insult us in our rights
or to wish to harm us, then drive in with the mailed
fist and, as God wills, bind about your young brow
the laurels which no one in the entire German
Empire will begrudge you !
In the firm conviction that you, following good
examples — and, God be praised, examples are not
wanting in our house — will carry out my thoughts
and wishes, I raise my glass and drink it to your
health, with the wish for a good voyage, for a
happy issue to your task, and for a joyous return.
Long live his Royal Highness, Prince Henry !
Hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah!
ADDRESS TO THE REGIMENTS OF THE
BODY-GUARD
POTSDAM, JUNE 16, 1898
On the day of the tenth anniversary of his
coming to the throne the Emperor assembled the
regiments of the guard in the gardens of Potsdam
and made them the following address:
The most important heritage which my noble
grandfather and father left me is the army, and
I received it with pride and joy. To it I addressed
my first decree when I mounted the throne. As
I enter into the next decade of my reign I again
121
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [JUNE
address it in these words: You who are now as-
sembled here constitute the ist Infantry Regiment
of the guard, in which I grew up; %the Regiment
of the Gardes du Corps, the most distinguished
regiment of the cavalry body-guard of the Prussian
Kings; the Hussar Regiment of the Body-Guard,
which I have always commanded; and the Cadet
Corps of the Infantry Battalion, which represents
the entire army and which in Potsdam enjoys the
honor of providing the guard for the King and his
house.
Perhaps never did an army suffer such severe
loss as in the year 1888. Never has an army lost
in the course of a single year two such powerful
leaders crowned with laurel and honor, who were
at the same time its war lords.* I look back
gratefully upon the years which have passed
since that time.
Seldom has so difficult a task fallen to the lot
of a successor who in a brief period had been
forced to see both his grandfather and his father
carried away by death. The crown was weighed
down with heavy cares. Every one lacked con-
fidence in me; everywhere I was falsely judged.
One alone believed in me, one alone had faith—
* It is interesting to note that the Emperor here himself ex-
plicitly makes the distinction between commander of an army,
Heerfuhrer, and war lord, Kriegshfrr, a. title which can only be be-
stowed upon the Emperor.
122
1898] DEATH OF PRINCE BISMARCK
that was the army. And leaning upon her,
trusting upon our old guard, I took up my heavy
charge, knowing well that the army was the main
support of my country, the main support of the
Prussian throne, to which the decision of God
had called me. I therefore turn to you first to-
day and express to you my congratulations and
my gratitude, and in these expressions I include
likewise with you all your brothers in the army.
I am of the firm conviction that, through the self-
sacrificing devotion of the officers and men in
their faithful work of peace, the army during the
last ten years has been maintained in the same
condition in which I received it from my departed
predecessors.
In the next ten years, faithfully bound together,
let us seek further the unconditional fulfilment of
our duty in old and unremitting labor, and may
the main supports of our army remain forever
intact! They are courage, sense of honor, and
unconditional, iron, blind obedience.
That is my wish which I to-day address to you
and with you to the entire army.
ON THE DEATH OF PRINCE BISMARCK
FRIEDRICHSRUH, AUGUST 2, 1898
After the founding of the German Empire
Prince Bismarck, who initiated and carried through
"3
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [AUG.
many of the policies which brought great prosper-
ity to the German people, was looked upon with
much favor and enjoyed great popularity. Em-
peror William II, as has been noted, dismissed him
from his post as Imperial Chancellor in the second
year of his reign. His attitude toward Bismarck
has already been discussed (March 26, 1895).
In most of his speeches which recount the prog-
ress of the empire the Emperor is strangely silent
about this great figure in German history. When
Bismarck died, however (July 30, 1898), the Em-
peror immediately interrupted his journey into
the north and returned on the second of August to
pay his respects at the bier of the first Imperial
Chancellor in Fried rich sruh. On the same day he
issued the following statement which appeared
that evening in the special edition of the Reichsan-
zeiger.
It is noticeable that on this occasion the Em-
peror speaks of his grandfather as "William the
Great." His tendency to set his ancestors upon
lofty pedestals and to praise them somewhat
extravagantly finds expression in many of the
speeches. He was very desirous of having his
grandfather called by this title, and here as every-
where took the initiative. His lead, however,
was not generally followed. When the city of
Hamburg erected a monument to William I the
pedestal was left without an inscription. This
has been explained by the fact that they were un-
willing to say, " William the Great," and afraid
to say merely, " William I."
124
1898] DEATH OF PRINCE BISMARCK
With my lofty peers and with the whole Ger-
man people I stand in mourning at the bier of
the first Chancellor of the German Empire,
Prince Otto von Bismarck, Duke of Lauenburg.
We who were witnesses of his masterly work, who
looked upon him as the master of statecraft, as
the fearless champion in war as in peace, as the
most devoted son of his Fatherland and most
faithful servant of his Emperor, are deeply shaken
by the demise of the man in whom the Lord God
created the implement with which to carry into
effect the deathless idea of Germany's union and
greatness.
At this moment it is not fitting to recount all
the deeds which the great departed accomplished,
all the cares which he bore for the Emperor and
the empire, all the successes which he won. They
are too powerful and manifold, and only history
can and will engrave them upon her brass tab-
lets.
But I feel constrained to make some expres-
sion before the world of the whole-hearted grief
and grateful reverence which to-day fill the en-
tire nation and, in the name of the nation, to make
a vow that what he, the great Chancellor, built
up under Emperor William the Great I shall
maintain and develop and, if need be, defend with
our possessions and our blood.
125
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [SEPT.
In this may the Lord God help us !
I commission you to bring to public attention
this, my decree.
WILLIAM, I. R.
To the Imperial Chancellor.
"OUR FUTURE LIES UPON THE WATER"
STETTIN, SEPTEMBER 23, 1898
A previous address shows that in the mind of
the Emperor the idea of world-empire carried
with it the idea of naval supremacy. In this
period he was increasingly interested in the in-
dustrial and especially the naval and maritime
expansion of Germany. A number of his speeches
take up this subject; so, for instance, he was pres-
ent at the opening of the new harbor at Stettin
and delivered this address:
With full heart I congratulate you on your
completed work. You began with a fresh spirit
of daring. You were able to begin it, thanks to
the interest of my departed grandfather, the great
Emperor, who built the iron girdle around the
city. After the moment when this iron mantle
fell you could take a larger and wider point of
view. You did not delay but carried it out
with real Pomeranian recklessness and obstinacy.
You have succeeded, and I am pleased that the
126
"OUR FUTURE LIES UPON THE WATER"
THE EMPEROR ON SHIPBOARD IN THE AITCJIS OF 1808
i8981 JOURNEY TO THE HOLY LAND
old Pomeranian spirit has again come to life in
you and has driven you from the land upon the
water.
Our future lies upon the water, and I am deeply
convinced that this work which you, Herr Burgo-
master, have carried out with foresight and care
and energy will always be linked with your name,
even after centuries, by the grateful citizens of
the city of Stettin and that your work will always
be recognized.
But I, as lord of the land and King, express
my thanks to you that you have brought the city
of Stettin to such a flourishing position. I hope
and expect, yes, I might say, I demand, that she
shall go on developing at this same rate, not
divided by party strife and with her glance fixed
upon the great whole, in order that she may come
to a state of development such as has never yet
been achieved. That is my wish !
THE JOURNEY TO THE HOLY LAND
BETHLEHEM, OCTOBER 30, 1898
On the 1 2th of October, 1898, the Emperor and
Empress set out on their journey to the Holy
Land, accompanied by many representatives of
the church. In Venice they visited the Italian
King and Queen and passed on by way of Mes-
sina and Constantinople. They reached Jerusalem
127
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [Ocr.
on October 29. During his stay at Constantinople
the Emperor obtained the rights to a piece of
land, the Dormitio Sancta Virginis, and turned it
over to the German Catholics in Jerusalem. On
November 4 they began their return journey via
Damascus. Though the dedication of the Church
of Our Redeemer constituted the ostensible object
of the visit, the Emperor had also other purposes
in mind. He took the occasion to announce that
he would protect the interests of all Germans of
whatever faith. This is the more significant when
we remember that up to this time the French had
always been allowed to assume the duty of pro-
tecting the Catholics there. The Emperor like-
wise had in mind increasing his prestige in the
East. One of the outward indications of the
growing friendliness between Turkey and Germany
which was then strengthened may be found in
the fact that the building of the Anatolian rail-
way was intrusted to a German company, to
which was also granted a concession for a harbor
and permission to extend the line through Bagdad
to Bassora.
It will be noted that the approach to Jerusalem
aroused a very unfavorable impression in the Em-
peror. Nevertheless, he had somewhat unusual
preparations made for his entrance. The old walls
of the sacred city were breached in order to allow
him to make his entry in imperial state. In
pursuance of his policy as a world-emperor he
attempted during his visit, as we have seen, both
by his acts and by his speeches, to conciliate all
sects and creeds; the Catholics through the grant
128
1898] JOURNEY TO THE HOLY LAND
of land, which likewise pleased the Centre or
Catholic party at home; the Evangelicals through
the dedication of a church; and the Moslems
incidentally and through his speech nine days
later at Damascus, in the course of which he said:
"May the Sultan and may the three hundred mil-
lion Mohammedans who are scattered over the
face of the earth and who recognize him as their
caliph be assured of the fact that at all times the
German Emperor will be their friend!" This
friendship of the Emperor for the Sultan was not
to be clouded by the Armenian massacres, nor
did the assassinations in Asia Minor evoke any
protest. Indeed, we are told by a well-known
foreign correspondent that "five days after the
great massacre of August, 1896, in Constantinople,
when Turkish soldiers shot down their fellow
citizens under the eyes of the Sultan and of the
foreign ambassadors, William II sent to Abdul-
Hamid for his birthday a family photograph of
himself with the Empress and his children." At
Damascus, he likewise laid a wreath upon the
tomb of Saladin.
After the service in the Evangelical Church at
Bethlehem the Emperor gathered about him the
Evangelical ministers and made them this address,
which was reported by E. Bosse, who at that time
was the Prussian Kultusminister.
If I am to give you the impressions of these last
days, then I must tell you that, above all, I am
very much disappointed. I did not wish to say
129
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [OCT.
that here, but after I had heard that the same thing
had happened to others also, and among them to
my court chaplain, for instance, I no longer wish
to hide this from you. It may, indeed, be that
the very unfavorable approach to the city of
Jerusalem has contributed to this impression,
but when one sees such conditions in the holy
places and sees how things happen there it cuts
one to the quick.
That the emanation of the love of the Creator
took place here where we are now standing is a
fact of extraordinary import, and yet how little
does it correspond to what we have seen ! I am,
therefore, doubly pleased to have received my
first elevating impression in the Holy Land at
this service among you. The particular example
of Jerusalem warns us insistently that we must
suppress as far as possible the slight deviations in
our sects, and that the Evangelical Church and
the Evangelical creed must put forward a firmly
united front here in the East. Otherwise we
can accomplish nothing. We can only work
through example, through the practice and proof
that the gospel is a gospel of love in all quar-
ters of the heavens and that it bears other
fruits.
Only the life of Christians can make any im-
pression upon the Mohammedans. No one can
130
1898) JOURNEY TO THE HOLY LAND
criticise them if they have little respect for the
Christian name. Our churches divide against
each other. Indeed, they must be restrained from
quarrelling through the external power of arms.
In the political world, under all possible pretexts
we take away from them [the Mohammedans]
one piece of territory after another, for which we
have no justification, so that our influence has
been much weakened and we have fallen to a very
low level.
And now it is our turn ! The German Empire
and the German name have now won a considera-
tion in the entire Ottoman Empire such as has
never existed before. It is, therefore, for us to
show what the Christian religion really is, that
the practice of Christian love even toward the
Mohammedan, not through dogmas and attempts
at conversion but merely through example, is
our plain duty. The Mohammedan is a very
zealous believer, so that preaching alone will not
suffice. But our culture, our institutions, the life
which we live before them, the manner of our con-
duct toward them, and the proof that we are
united among ourselves, these alone will have
effect.
It is a kind of examination which we must pass
for our Protestant faith and our creed. Through
this we must give them proof of what Christianity
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [OCT.
is. In this way we may inspire in them an inter-
est for our religion and for the Christian creed.
See to it that this remains so !
DEDICATION OF THE CHURCH OF OUR
REDEEMER
JERUSALEM, OCTOBER 31, 1898
The Church of Our Redeemer at Jerusalem was
dedicated in the presence of the Emperor by the
general superintendent and head court chaplain,
Doctor Dryander, of Berlin. The church had
been planned by King Frederick William IV.
After the dedication there was a special church
service, and after the prayer by the general super-
intendent the Emperor offered the following ad-
dress:
God has been gracious enough to allow us to
dedicate in this city, which is holy to all Chris-
tians, and in this place, which is consecrated by
labors of true love, a house of worship which we
have built to honor the Saviour of the world.
Through the building and dedication of the Church
of Our Redeemer there has now come to success-
ful issue a plan which my blessed predecessors
cherished for more than half a century and sought
to carry out as the protectors of the work of love
which was founded here in Evangelical interests.
132
1898] DEDICATION OF A CHURCH
Through the saving power of the love which
serves, all hearts should now here be brought to
the consideration of those things in which alone
the troubled human spirit may find salvation,
rest, and peace here and hereafter.
All Evangelical Christians, even far beyond
Germany's borders, are following our service here
with closest interest and sympathy. The dele-
gates of the Evangelical congregation and many
who share the Evangelical faith from all parts of
the world have come with us to this place in order
to be personal witnesses to the completion of this
work of faith and love through which the name of
our great Lord and Saviour is to be glorified and
the kingdom of God upon earth to be advanced.
Jerusalem, the lofty city on which our feet are
standing, calls to mind memories of the great act
of redemption of our Lord and Saviour. She shows
us the common labor which unites all Christians,
regardless of confessions and nations, in the apos-
tolic faith.
The power which renewed the world through
the gospel which originated here drives us to fol-
low Him; it warns us to look up in faith to Him
who died for us upon the cross. It warns us to be
patient Christians and to carry out the doctrine of
unselfish love of our neighbor in regard to all men.
It promises us also that if we hold firm to the true
133
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [OCT.
teaching of the gospel even the gates of hell shall
not prevail against our dear Evangelical Church.
It was in Jerusalem that was born the Light of
the World, in whose splendor our German people
has grown great and powerful. What the Ger-
manic peoples have become they have become
under the protection of the cross upon Golgotha
and through the practice of self-sacrificing love
of their neighbors. Just as two thousand years
ago, so to-day that call, "Peace upon earth,"
which voices the earnest hopes of us all, should
go forth to all the world.
Not splendor, not might, not glory, not honor,
not earthly goods it is that we seek here. We
pant, beseech, and strive only for the one highest
good, the salvation of our souls, and as I now on
this solemn day here repeat the vow of my an-
cestors who are resting in God, "I and my house,
we will serve the Lord," so I ask you all to make
the same vow. Let every one seek according to
his position and his calling to bring it about that
all those who bear the name of the crucified Lord
will live their lives under the sign of His holy
name to a victory over all the dark powers which
are begotten in sin and selfishness.
May God grant that rich streams of blessing
may flow back from here into united Christendom,
and that on the throne as in the hut, that at home
1898] BY DIVINE RIGHT
as abroad, trust in God, love of our fellows, pa-
tience in affliction, and thorough labor may re-
main the brightest jewels of the German people,
and that the spirit of peace may permeate and
hallow the Evangelical Church more and more.
He, the God of grace, will hear our prayers;
that is our expectation. He alone is the strong and
safe retreat upon which we build.
" Did we in our own strength confide,
Our striving would be losing;
Were not the right man on our side,
The man of God's own choosing.
Dost ask who that may be ?
Christ Jesus, it is He;
Lord Sabaoth His name,
From age to age the same,
And He must win the battle." *
BY DIVINE RIGHT
BRANDENBURG, FEBRUARY 3, 1899
There is a particular whole-heartedness notice-
able in all of the Emperor's speeches to his heredi-
tary subjects, the Brandenburgers. He seemed
to take them most fully into his confidence and
expect from them a higher degree of loyalty and
understanding. For them he felt a particular
kinship. His personal pretensions are, therefore,
* Luther's "Ein' Feste Burg," translated by F. H. Hedge.
135
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [FEB.
set forth in these speeches and in those to the
Prussians, as for instance in his Konigsberg speech
(August 25, 1910) with less reserve than usual,
if we may speak of reserve in one who shows but
little and who is unusually frank and personal
in his statements. It is for this reason that these
speeches have occasionally been severely criticised
by his South German subjects, as for instance by
Doctor Liman in his "Der Kaiser." This address
was delivered by the Emperor at a banquet which
was given by Doctor von Achenbach, Oberprdsi-
dent of Brandenburg Province and Minister of
State, to the members of the Provincial Assembly.
The wording is taken from the " Reichsanzeiger."
The historical facts here referred to will be found
in chapter I.
MY HONORED PRESIDENT AND DEAR MEN OF
BRANDENBURG:
The speech which we have just heard has laid
before us in small compass and in patriotic spirit,
embellished with poetic flights, the deeds of my
house and the history of our people. I think
that I speak from the heart of all of you when I
say that there were two circumstances which made
it possible for my ancestors and my house to dis-
charge their tasks in this way. The first and
prime circumstance was the fact that, above all
other princes, and even in a time when perhaps
such thoughts and feelings were not yet current,
136
1899] BY DIVINE RIGHT
they felt and discharged the personal responsibility
of the ruler toward Heaven. The second circum-
stance is the fact that they had behind them the
people of the mark. Let us look back to the time
when Frederick I had been named Elector and
when he exchanged his magnificent Prankish
home country for the mark, which at that time
was in a condition which we can hardly picture to
ourselves even from the description of historians.
We can only understand this exchange on the
assumption that the ruler felt within himself the
call to journey to this land, which had been in-
trusted to him by the imperial protection in order
here to bring about a better-ordered condition,
not only for the Emperor's sake or for his own
sake, but he was convinced that the task had been
given him from above.
The same conviction we shall find in all of my
ancestors. Their great battles without and the
development and the making of laws within
the country have always been dictated by the
thought that they were responsible for the people
given over to them and for the country which had
been intrusted to them.
Your President has been kind enough to men-
tion our journey to Palestine and the acts which I
accomplished there. I dare say that many dif-
ferent impressions of a lofty nature forced them-
137
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [FEB.
selves upon me, and they were partly religious,
partly historical, and partly drawn from modern
life, but aside from the celebration in our church
(October 31, 1898), the loftiest and the deepest
was the consciousness that I was standing on the
Mount of Olives, that I was treading upon the
very place where the greatest battle which was
ever fought out upon the earth, the battle for the
salvation of mankind, had been fought out by our
Saviour. This fact moved me, as it were, on that
same day to renew my oath to the flag above
that I would leave nothing untried in order to
unite my people and to push aside whatever might
be able to divide it.
But as I was tarrying in the far country, and in
different places where we Germans feel so keenly
the lack of dear woods and beautiful waters, I
remembered the lakes of the mark with their dark,
clear waves, and the woods of oak and of fir, and I
thought to myself that, although in Europe they
sometimes looked down upon us, we are none the
less much better off" in Brandenburg than in for-
eign countries. And when I think of the tree and
of the use we make of it and our love for the
woods I am reminded of an incident that is very
interesting for us as we begin to develop the
empire.
It was after the great and noble achievements
138
i899l BY DIVINE RIGHT
of the year 1870-1. The troops had returned
home; the tumult and the enthusiasm had sub-
sided, and the old work of founding and developing
our newly conquered Fatherland was now to begin.
There, for the first time, the three paladins of the
great old Emperor, the great General,* the power-
ful Chancellor,! and the faithful Minister of War,f
were sitting together at their common meal.
After they had emptied the first glass to the Lord
of the Land and to the Fatherland, the Chancellor
spoke and turning to his two colleagues said:
"We have now achieved everything for which we
have striven, suffered, and fought. We have
reached the highest point of which we had ever
dreamed. What can there now be, after what we
have lived through, which shall interest or elevate
or inspire us?" There was a pause and then the
old master of battles said suddenly, "We can
watch the tree grow," and a deep silence fell upon
the room.
Yes, gentlemen ! The tree which we watch
growing and for which we must care is the German
imperial oak. A healthy growth is in store for it
because it stands under the protection of the
people of the mark in whose land it is rooted.
It has lived through many a storm and has often
been threatened, but the stalk and the shoot which
* Moltkc. t Bismarck. J Roon.
139
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [FEB.
are sunk in the sands of the mark will, God willing,
endure to all eternity !
I can merely vow once again to-day to do every-
thing for it that is in my power! And even the
journey to hallowed shrines and places will help me
in this, and I shall be better able, therefore, to pro-
tect this tree and to watch and foster it, cutting
back like a good gardener the branches which are
superfluous, and keeping watch upon and exter-
minating the animals which would gnaw at its
roots. I hope that I may then see this picture.
The tree will have developed gloriously and before
it the German Michel will be standing, his hand
upon his sword, and looking out into the distance
in order to protect it. That peace stands firm
which stands under the shield and under the sword
of the German Michel.
It is a magnificent thing to begin with the idea
of bringing peace to all the nations; but an error
is likely to slip into our calculations. So long as
there is unregenerate sin in humanity, so long
there will be war and hatred, envy and discord,
and one man will try to take advantage of another.
But the rules which govern men govern nations
also. Therefore we must see to it that we Ger-
mans, at least, stand together like a firm block.
Far beyond the seas* and here in Europe, may
* The Spanish-American War was ended by treaty December
10, 1898.
140
1899] THE HAGUE CONFERENCE
every wave that threatens peace break upon this
" rocher de bronze" of the German people ! But it is
the mark and its inhabitants first of all which are
called upon to help me in this, and as I assume
that it is not hard for you to follow the black and
white banner and your red one,* so I hope that I
shall be understood by you when I say that I in-
tend to look for aid to the mark now and here-
after, and that I count upon its loyal support !
Therefore I raise my glass and call out: Long
live Brandenburg and the inhabitants of the
mark. Hurrah ! Hurrah 1 Hurrah !
THE HAGUE CONFERENCE
WIESBADEN, MAY 18, 1899
On the Czar's birthday the Emperor was present
at the banquet given in Wiesbaden, to which the
Russian Ambassador, Count Osten-Sacken, had
been invited. The Emperor proposed the follow-
ing toast. On the same day the peace conference
at The Hague had been opened and the Russian
delegate De Staal had been elected its president.
At the end of August, 1898, the Russian Minister
for Foreign Affairs had issued the following com-
munication to all the representatives of the powers
in St. Petersburg. "The maintenance of universal
peace and a possible reduction of the armaments
* The flag of Brandenburg is a red griffin on a white field.
141
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [MAY
which burden all nations in the present state of
civilization is an ideal for all the world toward
which all governments must be directed." The
Czar believed that a conference might achieve
this object, and he suggested that they might
regulate the reduction of armaments all around
and eliminate many of the horrors of war through
the establishment of certain humane principles.
The programme was presented by Russia on Janu-
ary n, 1899, and the conference was called on her
invitation for May 18 of that year.
Every year I offer my toast to the health of his
Majesty, the Emperor of Russia, with deep feeling.
To-day I add to it my heartiest good wishes for
the success of the conference which owes its incep-
tion to his Majesty's initiative.
My honored Baron, my wish includes the hope
that the two tried and experienced statesmen,
his Excellency Baron de Staal and Count Miin-
ster, may succeed in their efforts and that they
may conduct the conference on the old, established
tradition which unites my house to that of his
Majesty and the German people to the Russian;
and by doing so, in accordance with the exactly
similar orders which the Emperor and I have
issued, that the conference may result to the en-
tire satisfaction of his Majesty.
His Majesty, the Emperor Nicholas! Hurrah !
Hurrah ! Hurrah !
142
1899] FRENCH HEROISM AT ST. PRIVAT
THE HOUSING OF LABORERS
EARLY JUNE, 1899
Kadinen is one of the Emperor's many farming
estates and is situated in the neighborhood of
Elbing, in East Prussia. It was here that he ex-
pressed the following sentiment:
Many things must be changed at Kadinen;
especially the housing of the laborers must be
changed. Here in the east this seems still to be
a particular evil. The fine cattle stable in Kadinen
is a veritable palace compared to the homes of
the laborers. We must see to it that the pigsties
are not better than the laborers' houses.
FRENCH HEROISM AT ST. PRIVAT
THE BATTLE-FIELD OF ST. PRIVAT, AUGUST 18, 1899
The following noble address of the Emperor's
was delivered at the dedication of the monument
to the soldiers of the ist Regiment of the Guard,
who fell in the battle of St. Privat (August 18,
1870). In it he speaks of the splendid heroism of
the French troops who were fighting for their
Emperor. It should be remembered that the mon-
ument was erected in the provinces which had
been conquered from France by Germany. At
this time the Emperor had adopted a conciliatory
attitude toward the inhabitants of these provinces.
M3
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [AUG.
(See speech of March 14, 1891.) If, therefore, it
may seem ungracious, it is nevertheless merely
just to call attention to the fact that when he later
(March 28, 1901) presented a painting of the
battle of St. Privat to the Alexander Regiment
of the Guard in Berlin he did not mention French
heroism and speaks a different language.
Serious and solemn memories surround this day
and make our hearts beat high. My ist Infantry
Regiment of the Guard is represented here by my
company of the Body-Guard, by its glorious flags,
and by many old comrades who once fought and
bled in this place. They are to-day to unveil this
monument to their fallen comrades. This cere-
mony will take place in the presence of my young-
est regiment,* and the troops of the Fourteenth
Army Corps, which represent the entire German
army.
It has been almost the only regiment which up
to the present has not been represented by a monu-
ment in this place, where so much blood was shed,
and yet it had full claim to be thus commemorated.
Through its history it is closely associated with my
house, and it is called upon to train its Princes
and Kings, and may therefore be properly re-
garded as a family and a house regiment. Never-
theless, my imperial grandfather did not hesitate
* Infantry Regiment No. 145, garrisoned at Metz.
144
1899] FRENCH HEROISM AT ST. PRIVAT
a moment to hazard these troops, which were so
dear to him, for the good of the Fatherland.
History teaches us how the regiment fought and
bled and respected its oath to the flag and how its
conduct, its sufferings, and its losses won the
praise and the tears of the great Emperor.
With me as its oldest comrade the regiment now
erects this shaft to the memory of the heroes that
rest beneath the green sod. The form of the
monument differs from that which is usually found
on battle-fields. The archangel in armor, peace-
fully at rest, is leaning upon his sword, which is
decorated with the proud motto of the regiment,
"Semper talis."* I therefore wish that a general
significance should be attached to this figure. It
stands upon this bloody field as the guardian of all
the brave soldiers, both the French and our own,
who fell here. For bravely and heroically the
French soldiers sank to their honored graves,
fighting for their Emperor and their Fatherland.
And if our flags touch each other as they are
lowered before the bronze monument and sadly
rustle over the graves of our dear comrades, may
they also wave over the graves of our opponents
and whisper to them that in reverent sorrow we
remember the brave dead!
* By an unfortunate error Penzler prints the motto as "Semper
talio" — "Retaliation forever." The reading has been changed, as the
motto of the regiment is in reality " Semper talis" — "Ever the same."
145
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [AUG., 1899
Let us look up to the Lord of Hosts and thank
Him for the guidance graciously given to our
great Emperor. Let us picture to ourselves to-day
that the souls of all those who once opposed each
other in fierce conflict upon this field are now
gathered about the throne of the Supreme Judge
and that, united in the everlasting peace of God,
they now look down upon us.
146
V
THE GREATER NAVY
Many of the speeches which follow will be
found to bear upon the question of increasing the
navy, and from this time forth, for various reasons,
that idea will be uppermost in the Emperor's
mind. His statement that he had, from the first,
strongly urged an increase in the navy must be
accepted with certain reserves. Such increases as
were suggested were slight as compared to the
programmes now to be urged, and his speeches of
that time give little evidence of any particular
insistence or disappointment at his failure in this
regard. He really begins to preach the need of
the greater navy insistently in the last years of
the century, and his present statement, " Bitterly
do we need a powerful German fleet," is his sharp-
est pronouncement up to this time. It takes on
an added significance if we remember that it was
made nine days after the Boer ultimatum which
began the Boer War had been despatched. In
this connection it is well to read the telegram sent
H7
THE GERMAN EMPEROR
to President Kriiger, printed with the Daily Tele-
graph interview (October 28, 1908).
William II had in 1889 divided the admiralty
and appointed a naval officer to act as head of
the organization and development of the fleet. It
was only in the late nineties, however, after the ap-
pointment of Admiral Tirpitz, that this work began
to go forward with leaps and bounds. That Ger-
man sentiment was quick to follow the lead of the
Emperor is shown by the immense enthusiasm
which has made the German Navy League (or-
ganized in 1898) so great a success. In 1907 it
already counted a million paying members, and
its journal, Die Flotte, had a circulation of over
370,000 copies, which is about as large as that of
nearly all other important German monthlies com-
bined.* Shortly after the disaster of Spion Kop
Admiral Tirpitz spoke thus: "We do not know
what adversary we may have to face. We must
therefore arm ourselves with a view to meeting
the most dangerous naval conflict possible." The
preamble to the German navy bill of 1900 reads:
"Germany must have a fleet of such strength that
a war against the mightiest power would involve
risks threatening the supremacy of that power."
Emperor William protests, and there is no reason
* These are the figures given by J. Ellis Barker in "Modern
Germany."
148
THE GREATER NAVY
for doubting his sincerity, that this policy of in-
creasing the navy was not primarily directed at
England. It was necessary to protect Germany's
commerce and increase her prestige. On this
point his famous interview given to the Daily
Telegraph is interesting. Undoubtedly, however,
this rapid increase in the navy, which began with
the navy bill of 1900 and which happened to
coincide with the events of the Boer War, did much
to heighten the ill feeling which had already be-
gun to spring up between England and Germany.
The idea of increasing the navy met with more
general support among the people than any other
policy of the Emperor's, though it called for very
decided increases in taxation. How keen was
the Emperor's personal interest in the matter we
may judge from the fact that in 1897 he sent to
all the members of the Reichstag and innumerable
other officials a memorandum comparing the
naval strength of Germany, France, Russia,
America, and Japan. The appropriation bill of
that year calling for 240,000,000 marks was voted
with a slight reduction. The sense that the
struggle for naval supremacy with England was
impending made necessary immensely larger ap-
propriations in the bill of 1900.
149
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [OCT.
"BITTERLY WE NEED A POWERFUL
GERMAN FLEET"
HAMBURG, OCTOBER 18, 1899
The Kaiser Karl der Grosse was launched in
Hamburg on the i8th of October, 1899. It will
be noticed that the Emperor is always careful to
observe the anniversaries that commemorate the
military prowess, the birthdays, and the achieve-
ments of the members of his house. The present
date is again an anniversary of the battle of
Leipzig, 1813. In the evening the Emperor spoke
as follows at the banquet in the Rathaus:
It is with particular pleasure that I find myself
among you again on this historic anniversary.
It always gives me new strength and vigor when
I feel around me the dashing spray and bubbling
life of one of the cities of the Hanseatic League.
It was a solemn act that we have just witnessed
when we gave over to its element a new portion of
the floating defense of the Fatherland. Every one
who was present must have been impressed with
the thought that the proud ship would soon be
able to take up its calling. We feel its lack, and
bitterly do we need a powerful German fleet.
Its name reminds us of the first glorious days of
the old empire and of its mighty protector. The
first beginnings of Hamburg date from that time,
150
i899l "WE NEED A POWERFUL FLEET"
even though it was merely the point of departure
for the missions in the service of the powerful
Emperor. Now our Fatherland has been newly
united through Emperor William the Great and
is in a position to take up its glorious outward
development. And right here in this great em-
porium of trade we feel the sense of power and
energy which the German people are capable of
putting into their enterprises through the fact
that they are bound together and united. But
here, too, we can most readily understand how
necessary it is that we should have powerful sup-
port and that we can no longer continue without
increasing our fighting strength upon the seas.
But this feeling penetrates all too slowly into
the German Fatherland, which unfortunately
wastes its strength in fruitless party strife. I
have had to watch with deep concern how slow
is the progress of interest in, and political com-
prehension of, the great world problems among
the German people.
If we look about us we can see how in the last
few years the face of all the world has been
changed. Old world empires are disappearing and
new ones are arising. Nations have appeared
among the peoples and are taking their place in the
competition — nations which previously the layman
had scarcely noticed. Events which change the
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [OCT.
whole field of international relationships and the
whole field of our national economy, and which
formerly were accomplished only in the course
of centuries, now take place in a few months.
Through this fact the tasks of the German Empire
and the German people have grown greatly in ex-
tent and demand from me and my government
extraordinary and serious efforts. They can be
crowned with success only if the Germans stand
behind us firmly united and give up their party
divisions. But our people must make up their
minds to make sacrifices. Above all things, it
must give up the attempt to find the highest by
dividing itself more and more sharply into parties.
It must cease to put the party above the good of
the nation. It must put a check upon its old he-
reditary failing to make everything the occasion
of unrestrained criticism, and it must realize the
boundaries which its own vital interests draw for
it. For it is precisely these old political sins which
are now being visited upon our interests on the sea
and upon our fleet. I insistently requested and
warned that it must be strengthened in the first
eight years of my reign, and if these requests had
not been continually refused, and refused in ways
which heaped scorn and ridicule upon me, we
would have been able to advance our growing
trade and our oversea interests far differently.
152
1899] "WE NEED A POWERFUL FLEET"
But my hopes that the German will choose the
manlier way have not yet disappeared, for in him
love of the Fatherland is great and powerful. The
October fires which to-day he lights upon the hills
and by which he celebrates the noble figure of the
Emperor* who was born on this day bear eloquent
witness to this fact.
And, in fact, Emperor Frederick with his great
father and his great paladins did help to build a
wonderful edifice and left it to us as the German
Empire. It stands before us in glory, as it had
been yearned for by our fathers and celebrated
by our poets ! Let us no longer, therefore, as
heretofore, dispute uselessly as to how the partic-
ular rooms, halls, and apartments of this building
are to look or how they are to be furnished; but
may the people, burning like these October fires
with an ideal enthusiasm, strive to follow its ideal
second Emperor, and above all things let it re-
joice in the beautiful edifice and help to protect it.
Let it be proud of its greatness. Let it be conscious
of its inner worth. Let it watch every foreign
state in its development. Let it make the sacrifices
which our position as a world-power demands. Let
it give up the spirit of party and stand united and
firm behind its princes and its Emperor — then
only will the German people help the Hanseatic
* Frederick III.
153
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [JAN.
cities in carrying out their great work for the
benefit of the Fatherland.
That is my wish to-day, and to it and the
health of Hamburg I raise my glass.
ON THE THRESHOLD OF THE NEW
CENTURY
BERLIN, JANUARY i, 1900
The military New Year's celebration took place
near the armory, and the standards of the entire
Berlin garrison were for this purpose brought from
the Royal Palace. The Empress and her younger
children watched the celebration from the windows
of the armory.
The first day of the new century sees our army,
that is our people under arms, gathered about its
standards and kneeling before the Lord of Hosts.
And, indeed, if any one has particular cause for
bowing down to-day before God it is our army.
A glance at our flags will explain the reason, for
they embody our history. At the beginning of the
last century what was the position of our army ?
The glorious army of Frederick the Great had be-
come ossified and was interested only in petty
and insignificant details; it was led by generals
feeble with age and no longer capable of conducting
active campaigns; its corps of officers had lost the
THE NEW CENTURY
habit of invigorating labor; through a life of lux-
ury and comfort and foolish exaltation of self it
had fallen asleep upon its laurels. In one word,
the army was not only no longer capable of carry-
ing out its task, but had forgotten it.
The punishment of Heaven was grievous, for it
was suddenly visited upon our entire people. Cast
down into the dust, Frederick's glory vanished,
and the army's standards were broken. In the
seven long years of grievous slavery God taught
our people to take thought, and under the pressure
of the foot of an insolent conqueror developed
the idea of universal military service, the idea that
the greatest honor lies in dedicating our services
in arms and in sacrificing our blood and our pos-
sessions for the Fatherland. My great-grand-
father gave the idea form and life, and new laurels
crowned the newly established army and her
recent flags.
But the idea of universal military service
reached its full significance only under our great
departed Emperor. In spite of opposition and
lack of comprehension he quietly went to work at
the reorganization, and at the re-establishment of
our army. Victorious campaigns, nevertheless,
gave his work an altogether unexpected sanction.
His spirit filled the ranks of his army, even as his
trust in God carried them on to unheard-of vic-
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [JAN.
tories. With this, his own creation, he brought the
Germanic peoples together again and gave us the
German unity for which we had prayed. We owe
it to him that, thanks to this honor, the Ger-
man Empire commands respect again and takes
up its appointed place in the council of the na-
tions.
It is for you, gentlemen, to cherish and ex-
emplify in the new century the old qualities
through which our forefathers gave greatness to
the army. This means that you must make few
demands in daily life,* that you must practise
simplicity and give yourselves up unconditionally
to the royal service, that you must in ceaseless
labor offer all the powers of body and soul to the
building up and development of our troops, and,
* "To the Americans the pay of the German troops, officers and
men, is ludicrously small. It is evident that men do not undertake
to fit themselves to be officers, and do not struggle through frequent
and severe examinations to remain officers, for the pay they receive.
A lieutenant receives for the first three years $300 a year, from the
fourth to the sixth year #425, from the seventh to the ninth year
#550, and after the twelfth year $600 a year. A captain receives
from the first to the fourth year $850, from the fifth to the eighth
year $1,150, and the ninth year and after $1,275 a year. Of one
hundred officers who join, only an average of eight ever attain to
the command of a regiment. In Bavaria and Wiirtemberg promo-
tion is quicker by from one to three years than in Prussia. In Prus-
sia promotion to Oberleutnant averages IO years, to captain or
Rittmtister 15 years, to major 25 years, to colonel 33 years, and to
general 37 years. It would not be altogether inhuman if these gen-
tlemen occasionally drank a toast to war and pestilence." — PRICE
COLLIER, "Germany and the Germans."
IS6
NEW BOUNDARY POSTS
just as my grandfather labored for his land forces,
so, undeterred, I shall carry through to its com-
pletion the work of reorganizing my navy in order
that it may stand justified at the side of my army
and that through it the German Empire may also
be in a position to win outwardly the place which
she has not yet attained.
When both are united I hope to be in a position,
firmly trusting in the leadership of God, to carry
into effect the saying of -Frederick William I:
"If one wishes to decide anything in the world,
it cannot be done with the pen unless the pen is
supported by the force of the sword."
NEW BOUNDARY POSTS
BERLIN, FEBRUARY 13, 1900
On the occasion of the return of Prince Henry
from the Orient, whither he had been sent at the
time of the troubles in Kiaochow, the Emperor
greeted him at a dinner held in the Royal Palace
in Berlin. The question of the imperial foreign
policy, as during all this period, is evidently here
uppermost in the Emperor's mind.
YOUR ROYAL HIGHNESS, MY DEAR BROTHER:
I bid you a hearty welcome to our Fatherland
and our capital ! Two years ago I sent you forth
to carry out your task in the far East, and could
iS7
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [FEB.
only hope that God would give you His protec-
tion and bring the work to a successful issue.
The joyous and enthusiastic reception which all
classes in my home city, Berlin, give you is a
testimony to the loving interest which our entire
people have in the completion of the task which
you had set yourself.
But this reception has a still deeper significance.
It is an unambiguous indication which proves how
deeply the people have come to understand the
need of strengthening our sea power. The German
people is of one mind with its princes and its Em-
peror in the feeling that in its powerful develop-
ment it must set up a new boundary post and
create a great fleet which will correspond to its
needs.
Just as Emperor William the Great created the
weapon by whose help we became again black,
white, and red, so the German people is now
lending its efforts to forging the weapon through
which, God willing and in all eternity, both here
and in foreign countries, it will remain black,
white, and red.
On your return you find a little lad* in the arms
of your faithful wife. As sponsor for the growth of
our young fleet may you see him grow up to full
maturity under the protection of God ! Hurrah !
* Prince Henry, born January 9, 1900.
IS8
i9oo] SEAPORTS AND CANNON
SEAPORTS AND CANNON
LUBECK, JUNE 16, 1900
The opening of the Elbe-Trave Canal took
place at Liibeck in the presence of the Emperor.
He again took up the question of the development
of the German Empire.
On this day I congratulate the city of Liibeck
most heartily. First of all I offer my heartiest
thanks for the wonderful reception which you pre-
pared for me. I have seen in the attitude and the
faces of the citizens how joyously their hearts are
moved to-day; for they know that I, too, take a
lively interest in all that now moves them. May
the canal which they have carried through with
their irresistible Hanseatic activity not fall short
in any way of their expectations, and I am con-
vinced that it will not do so. You see, as you
look upon the completed work, how significant
it is that a united German Empire now exists.
Its past glories Liibeck owed to the German Em-
perors, and its present glory it owes to the German
Empire, so I hope that everywhere in the empire
and among the people the conviction may grow
that through the re-establishment and strengthen-
ing of the German Empire we are now called upon
to carry through those old tasks which could not
159
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [JULY
be accomplished formerly and which were rendered
impossible through the unfortunate lack of union
of our ancestors.
I hope that in the future, under my protection,
Liibeck may continue to develop. I could not ex-
press this hope with the same satisfaction if I did
not now stand before you joyously buoyed up by
the hope that we to-day have the prospect of at
last possessing a German fleet.
An Emperor can only undertake to protect a
seaport when he is in a position with his cannon
to protect her flag, even in the farthermost corners
of the world, whether it be that of Liibeck, or of
Hamburg, or of Bremen, or of Prussia.
May it be granted us to maintain peace out-
wardly through our fleet, and may we succeed
through the building of the necessary canals
within to simplify the problem of transportation !
A blessing will certainly always rest upon our
waterways.
THE OCEAN KNOCKS AT OUR DOOR
KIEL, JULY 3, 1900
The ship of the line "Wittelsbach" was launched
on this day. As the house of Wittelsbach is the
reigning house of Bavaria, Prince Rupprecht of
Bavaria was present at the christening and gave
160
igoo] THE OCEAN KNOCKS AT OUR DOOR
the boat its name. A banquet took place in the
evening at the officers' casino. The Emperor
replied to Prince Rupprecht as follows:
I thank your Royal Highness for the friendly
words which you have been good enough to ad-
dress to me.
At the christening of this new ship your Royal
Highness has mentioned the support which the
house of Wittelsbach has given to the German
Emperors. I would like to call attention in this
connection to an episode in the early history of
our houses.
On the fields before Rome it was granted to one
of the ancestors of your Royal Highness in
company with one of mine to be made the re-
cipient of a very unusual distinction. Mounted
upon their horses and clad in armor, in sight of
the hostile squadron of knights, they received the
accolade from Emperor Henry VII. The inci-
dent is immortalized in a picture upon my yacht
Hohenzollern.
The descendants of those princes gave each
other assistance at Miihldorf,* where the Hohen-
zoller won the battle for Emperor Ludwig of
Bavaria. Just as at that time the houses of
Wittelsbach and of Hohenzollern fought side by
* Battle fought in 1322 between two competitors for the empire,
Louis V and Frederick the Fair.
161
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [JULY
side for the good of the empire, so now, too, and in
the future they will work together.
Your Royal Highness has had the opportunity
to be present during these days when we came
to weighty conclusions and to be the witness of
historical moments which mark a new point in the
history of our people. Your Royal Highness has
been able to convince himself how powerfully the
wave beat of the ocean knocks at the door of our
people and forces it to demand its place in the
world as a great nation; drives it on, in short, to
world politics.
Germany's greatness makes it impossible for her
to do without the ocean — but the ocean also proves
that even in the distance, and on its farther side,
without Germany and the German Emperor no
great decision dare henceforth be taken.*
I do not believe that thirty years ago our Ger-
man people, under the leadership of their princes,
bled and conquered in order that they might be
shoved aside when great decisions are to be made
in foreign politics. If that could happen the idea
that the German people are to be considered as a
world-power would be dead and done for, and it is
not my will that this should happen. To this end
it is only my duty and my finest privilege to use
* See the introduction to chapter IV, " The Beginning of World
Politics."
162
OPEN THE WAY FOR CULTURE
the proper and, if need be, the most drastic means
without fear of consequences. I am convinced
that in this course I have the German princes
and the German people firmly behind me.
It is of great significance that precisely at this
time, when Bavarians and Wiirtembergers, Saxons
and Prussians are going into the far East in order
to re-establish the honor of the German flag,
your Royal Highness should have accepted the
honor of the a la suite position to the naval bat-
talion. Just as the house of Wittelsbach took up
arms in 1870 to fight for Germany's honor, for
her union, and her imperial dignity, so I hope that
the empire may always be assured of the support
of this noble race.
As a representative of this noble house I greet
your Royal Highness with the wish that the close
connection which the a la suite position to my
navy now gives you will always maintain your
Royal Highness's interest for our fleet.
I drink to the health of his Royal Highness,
Prince Rupprecht of Bavaria. Hurrah ! Hurrah !
Hurrah!
OPEN THE WAY FOR CULTURE
BREMEN, JULY 27, 1900
Events in China touched upon in the speech
delivered on December 15, 1897, had finally
163
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [JULY
brought about the Pekin crisis. Baron von
Ketteler, the German Minister, had been shot
down in the streets on June 20.
The following is one of five speeches which the
Emperor delivered on the occasion of the de-
parture of the German troops for China. This
particular one was delivered to the troops at
Bremen in the presence of the Empress, Princes
Eitel Friedrich and Adelbert, Chancellor Hohen-
lohe, Secretary of State von Billow, Minister of
War von Gossler, and Lieutenant-General von
Bessel. Various versions of this speech exist and
in many of them the harshness of the Emperor's
expression has been toned down. We give first
the version which was printed in the Reichsan-
zeiger, the official journal, and which seems to
have been somewhat edited. In order that the
reader may realize more fully the impression con-
veyed by the Emperor's farewell address to his
troops, we print under it the account which a
volunteer of the 1st East Asiatic Regiment of
infantry sent home to his family.
Great tasks oversea have fallen to the lot of
the newly arisen German Empire, tasks far greater
than many of my countrymen have expected.
The character of the German Empire makes it a
duty for it to protect its citizens no matter how
far they may have penetrated into foreign lands.
The new German Empire is in a position to dis-
charge the task which the old Roman Empire of the
164
igoo] OPEN THE WAY FOR CULTURE
German Nation could not discharge. The instru-
ment which makes this possible for us is our army.
In thirty years of faithful and peaceful labor it
has been developed according to the principles
of my late grandfather. You too have received
your training according to these principles, and
are now called upon to give proof before the enemy
whether or not you have observed them well.
Your comrades of the navy have undergone this
trial; they have shown you that the principles of
our training are good, and I am proud of the
praise which has come from the mouths of foreign
leaders, in recognition of the service which your
comrades out there have given. It is now for you
to do likewise.
A great task is waiting for you. You are to
right the grievous wrong which has been done.
The Chinese have overthrown the law of nations;
in a way which has never been heard of in the
history of the world, they have scorned the duties
of hospitality and the sanctity of the Ambassador.
This is the more revolutionary, as this crime was
committed by a nation which is proud of its very
ancient culture. Preserve the old Prussian thor-
oughness; show yourselves as Christians in joyfully
bearing your trials; may honor and glory follow
your flags and weapons! Give the world an ex-
ample of manliness and discipline.
165
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [JULY
You know very well that you are to fight against
a cunning, brave, well-armed, and terrible enemy.
If you come to grips with him, be assured quarter
will not be given, no prisoners will be taken. Use
your weapons in such a way that for a thousand
years no Chinese shall dare to look upon a German
askance. Show your manliness.
The blessing of God be with you! The prayers
of an entire people and my wishes accompany you,
every one. Open the way for culture once for all !
And now take up your journey! Adieu, com-
rades!
We here subjoin the account of this speech as
given in the letter of a volunteer in the ist East
Asiatic Regiment of infantry:
After the Emperor had gone down the front
and had greeted separately every battalion, every
division or squadron, he pictured the present
situation in eloquent words and called attention
to the fact that no crime which so cried to Heaven
had been recorded in the history of the world,
but he also set in their proper light the difficulties
of the task which we had set for ourselves and
emphasized the fact that we had before us an op-
ponent equal in equipment and fame but ten
times superior in numbers. But, and his words ran
about as follows, "you will and must defeat him
166
i9oo] CIVIS ROMANUS SUM
with the help of God and, indeed, in such a way
that the Chinese in thousands of years will not
presume to raise his hand against a German"; and
his voice became deeply moved and powerful as he
spoke the following words: "On the strength of
the oath to the flag which you have sworn to me
I demand that you give no pardon, that no
prisoners be taken, for you shall be the avengers
of the abomination which has been committed in
this present time." Then followed certain words
of farewell, and the speech of the Emperor which
for me and for many others will be unforgetable
closed with the phrase, "Adieu, comrades."
CIVIS ROMANUS SUM
IMPERIAL LIMES MUSEUM, SAALBURG, OCTOBER n, 1900
Limes was the Latin name for the boundary
wall extending for about 300 miles from the Rhine
to the Danube and separating the Roman Empire
from the free Germanic peoples. At Saalburg, in
the Taunus Mountains, there stood on the Limes
an old Roman citadel which was excavated and
restored. The Romanized ceremony at the laying
of the corner-stone of the Imperial Limes Museum
struck certain German critics as somewhat the-
atrical. The guards had been drilled to clash
their swords on their shields after the manner
of the Pretorian guards, the rector of the school
167
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [Ocr.
offered his homage in Latin verses, and boys whose
hair had been dressed in Roman fashion swung
their censers. The Emperor's historical references
here about the relation of Germany to Rome are
somewhat one-sided. It may be recalled, in con-
nection with the Emperor's remarks about Augus-
tus and his salutary influence on Germany, that
in the Forest of Teutoburg there is a great monu-
ment to commemorate the fact that the united
German tribes, struggling victoriously against this
" Roman culture which fell so fruitfully upon
Germany especially," there annihilated the forces
of the general of Augustus, Quintilius Varus,
My first thought to-day goes back in solemn
gratitude to my father of everlasting memory,
Emperor Frederick III. It is to his creative will
and to his activity that Saalburg owes its res-
toration.
Just as in the far east of the monarchy at his
bidding the powerful stronghold, which once had
implanted German culture into the east, rearose
and is now nearing completion, so, too, here in
the beautiful Taunus Mountains the old Roman
citadel has arisen again like a phoenix from its
ashes. It is a testimony to the Roman power, a
link in the great chain which the legions of Rome
built about the powerful empire which, at the bid-
ding of the Roman Emperor Caesar Augustus
alone, forced its way upon the world and opened
168
THE EMPEROR IN 1900
i9oo] ORDER TO THE PRUSSIAN ARMY
the whole world to that Roman culture which fell
so fruitfully upon Germany especially.
With the first blow of my hammer I therefore
dedicate this stone to the memory of Emperor
Frederick III; with the second I dedicate it to
German youth, to the generations now growing
up who may learn here in this restored museum
what a world-empire means; with the third I
dedicate it to our German Fatherland, to which
I hope it will be granted, through the harmonious
co-operation of princes and peoples, of its armies
and its citizens, to become in the future as closely
united, as powerful, and as authoritative as once
the Roman world-empire was, and that, just as
in old times they said, "Civis romanus sum," here-
after, at some time in the future, they will say:
"I am a German citizen."
CABINET ORDER TO THE PRUSSIAN ARMY
JANUARY, 1901
The relationship of the army to the Prussian
Kings here referred to is treated in chapter I.
To MY ARMY:
To-day, at the celebration which commemorates
the two-hundredth anniversary of our taking over
of the royal power of Prussia, my thoughts are
169
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [JAN.
directed first of all to my army. In Prussia the
King and the army belong indissolubly together.
This close personal relationship between me and
every single one of my officers and soldiers rests
upon a tradition that dates back 200 years. The
spirit which from the time of Frederick the Great
has been fostered in the army by all the Kings, the
spirit of honor, of fidelity to duty, of obedience, of
courage, of chivalry has made the army what it is
and what it ought to be, the sharp, reliable weapon
in the hand of her Kings for the protection and the
blessing of the Fatherland's greatness.
To serve the Fatherland at the head of the army,
that is my will and that also was the foremost wish
of all my predecessors. It is to their care that the
army owes its power and the consideration which
it enjoys. For 200 years she has proven true the
sentence of the great King: "The world does not
rest upon the shoulders of Atlas any more securely
than the Prussian state upon the shoulders of the
army!" It has sealed with its blood its love and
gratitude for its Kings !
For all this I thank the army deeply. I thank
it for the devotion which it has unselfishly shown
me and my house year in and year out, in its
unceasing service for the Fatherland. So long as
this spirit binds the army to its Kings, so long we
need fear no storms; and Prussia's eagle will
170
i9oi] DEDICATION OF BARRACKS
proudly pursue its lofty and undeflected flight
for the good of Prussia, for the good of Germany !
May God grant us this !
WILLIAM, I. R.
BERLIN ROYAL PALACE.
DEDICATION OF THE BARRACKS OF THE
ALEXANDER REGIMENT
MARCH 28, 1901
On the 6th of March the Emperor had been
struck in the face by a piece of iron hurled at him
by an irresponsible youth, Weiland, in the streets
of Bremen. It was doubtless this incident coupled
with the increasing strength of the Social Demo-
crats that made him think of the possibility of an
uprising and deliver the following address to the
population of Berlin. The Social Democrats and
many others resented his suggesting the possi-
bility of turning the troops upon the citizens. We
give first Penzler's more or less official account
of the speech as it appeared in the Kreuzzeitung.
If the extract which we quote from Doctor Liman's
work "Der Kaiser" may be considered at all
authentic, the speech seems to have been some-
what edited before publication.
MEMBERS OF THE EMPEROR ALEXANDER REGI-
MENT:
To-day a new period in your history begins.
May the spirit of the memories which you leave
171
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [MARCH
behind you in the old barracks live on in your
new home. They are memories of beautiful days
of peace and of fierce days of conflict. Like a firm
bulwark, your new barracks stand in the neighbor-
hood of the palace, which it is primarily your duty
to be ever ready to defend. The Emperor Alex-
ander Regiment is called upon in a sense to stand
ready as body-guard by night and by day and, if
necessary, to risk its life and its blood for the
King and his house; and if ever again (the Em-
peror here called to mind the faithful bearing of
the Alexander Regiment at the time of the revolts
against the King in 1848) a time like this should
reappear in this city, a time of uprising against
the King, then I am convinced the Alexander
Regiment will be able energetically to force back
into bounds any impertinence and rebelliousness
against its royal master.*
I hope that a brilliant and beautiful existence
may be in store for the regiment in its new home,
and that such an existence will be reserved for it
in the future. May it cherish above all things its
memories of its earlier leaders and its enduring
* This last sentence reads as follows in Doctor Liman's work:
"But if the city should ever again presume to rise up against its
master then will the regiment repress with the bayonet the imperti-
nence of the people toward their King." Doctor Liman states that
it was currently reported that this sentiment had been expressed
in phrases which were even more objectionable to the citizens who
were standing outside the circle of soldiers.
172
igoi] DEDICATION OF BARRACKS
relationships to them. These memories can only
be fostered through courage, fidelity, and uncon-
ditional obedience. And if this old spirit lives on
in the regiment then must its acts always win for
it the satisfaction of its royal master.
(After the banquet in the officers' mess the
Emperor turned over to them a large painting of
the Alexander Regiment on the evening of the
battle of St. Privat. The official report gives the
Emperor's speech partly in his own words and
partly in summary.)
He was convinced that the officers had brought
the old spirit into their new quarters, and that
they would continue to foster it. He, too, on his
side, wished to contribute something to the
decoration of their new home, and to this end had
chosen an episode out of the victorious history
of the regiment, and in doing so he wished- to
carry out a wish of the officers.
"In most of the pictures based upon the martial
history of Prussia the Prussian troops are repre-
sented in victorious advance when, under their
powerful shock, they are overthrowing the enemy.
I thought it fitting for once to have the Prussian
toughness and endurance on the defensive repre-
sented in the battle of a smaller body against an
overwhelmingly superior force. The picture repre-
173
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [APRIL
sents how a small number from the Alexander
Regiment defended themselves with heroic spirit
against an entire brigade and finally victoriously
repulsed it. My grandfather expressed to the
body-guard as a whole his gratitude for its brave
conduct in the face of the enemy and for all its
heroic deeds. I am firmly convinced that the
officers of the Alexander Regiment will always be
mindful of its task, seeing that it educates soldiers
for the one moment when it is a question of sealing
with their life-blood their fidelity toward King and
Fatherland. This consciousness gives me the
certainty that we shall conquer everywhere, even
though we be surrounded by enemies on all sides;
for there lives a powerful ally, the old, good God*
in heaven, who, ever since the time of the Great
Elector and of the great King, has always been on
our side."
TO THE STUDENTS AT BONN
APRIL 24, 1901
Emperor William had himself been a student at
Bonn. On this day the Crown Prince was matric-
ulated at that university and in the evening the
students held a Festkommers, a kind of banquet of
the student societies, at which the Emperor ap-
peared with the Crown Prince and his brother-in-
* Der altf, gute Gotl.
174
i9oi] TO THE STUDENTS AT BONN
law, Prince Adolph von Schaumburg-Lippe. After
singing two student songs, the student leader
of the KommerSy "Studiosus" von Alvensleben,
greeted the Emperor with a speech of welcome.
In this friendly gathering the Emperor took oc-
casion to discuss the history of the empire and
especially the reasons for the failure of the older
empire because of its cosmopolitan character.
The new empire must be based upon a recognition
of the characteristic German traits and will be
possible only through the whole-hearted support
of the constituent states of the realm.
I do not need to emphasize or even to mention
to you, my dear young comrades, what emotions
thrill my heart at finding myself again among
students in beautiful Bonn. There unrolls before
my mind's eye the glimmering picture of sunshine
and happy contentment with which the period
of my own sojourn here was filled. It was the joy
of living, joy in people old and young, and, above
all things, joy in the development of the young
German Empire !
It is therefore my wish at this moment, when I
place my dear son among you, that he, too, may
have as happy a time as a student as was once
vouchsafed to me. And, indeed, how could
it be otherwise ? For Bonn, the lovely city, is so
accustomed to the presence of young men full of
life and seems by nature to have been designed
i7S
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [APRIL
to no other end. Here the Crown Prince will
find memories of his glorious grandfather who
could not forget Bonn — his kindly eyes brightened
whenever the name of the city which had become
so dear to him was mentioned — memories of his
great-grandfather, the noble prince consort, the
companion of that now sanctified royal lady,* who
always strove to maintain a peaceful and friendly
relationship between her people and ours, which
are both of German stock — memories of many
another noble German prince who here prepared
himself for his later career.
But even more than that — Bonn is situated on
the Rhine; it is here that our grapes are gathered;
our legends cluster about it, and every castle,
every city, speaks to us of our past. The magic
of Father Rhine will certainly exercise its power
upon the Crown Prince likewise. And when you
joyfully pass the cup and sing a new song, then
I hope that your spirits may rise and enjoy the
beautiful moments as becomes happy German
youths ! But may the source from which you
draw your joys be as clear and pure as the golden
juice of the grape, may it be deep and constant
as Father Rhine! If we look about us in the
joyous Rhineland, our history rises up before us
in very palpable form. You may well rejoice that
* Queen Victoria.
I76
i9oi] TO THE STUDENTS AT BONN
you are young Germans, as you travel through
the stretch from Aix to Mainz, that is, from
Charlemagne to the time of Germany's splendor
under Barbarossa.
But why did all this glory come to naught ?
Why did the German Empire dwindle away ?
Because the old empire was not founded upon a
strictly national basis. The universality idea
of the old Roman Empire of the German Nation
did not admit of any development in the spirit
of German nationality. The life of a nation de-
pends upon its frontiers, upon the personality of
its people, and upon its racial traits. And so the
glory of Barbarossa had to fail, and the old im-
perial structure had to fall, because through its
idea of universality it hindered the process of
crystallization which might have made it a rounded
and completed nation; for the smaller units
crystallized into the form of powerful principali-
ties and laid the foundation for new states. But
through this process their rulers unfortunately
came into conflict with the empire and the Em-
peror, who dreamed of universal dominion, and
internal peace was lost to the ever weakening
empire. Unfortunately, at the head of this
chapter in the development of our German
people we must write the telling words of Tacitus,
that great student of Germany: " Propter in-
i77
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [APRIL
vidiam." The princes were envious of the power
of the Emperors, just as once they were envious of
the power of Arminius in spite of his victory.
The nobility was envious of the cities which had
become wealthy, and the peasant was envious
of the noble. What unhappy consequences and
what grievous woes our dear and beautiful Ger-
many had to suffer " propter invidiam"! The
shores of Father Rhine can tell you long stories
about this. But finally God allowed one to ac-
complish what before had been impossible. Aix
and Mainz are for us historic memories; the
longing to be brought together into a single na-
tion remained in the German breast, and Emperor
William the Great, in union with his faithful
servants, achieved it. So cast your eyes from
Coblentz to the German Eck and from Riidesheim
to the Niederwald ! The pictures teach and prove
to you that you are now Germans in a German
land, citizens of a definitely bounded German
nation. You are here to prepare yourselves to
contribute to her future welfare and development.
In its proud flower the empire stands before you.
May you be filled with joy and grateful happi-
ness, and may you be thrilled with the firm and
manly resolve, as Germans, to give your service
to Germany, to support, strengthen, and elevate
her! The future waits for you and will need
178
i9oi] TO THE STUDENTS AT BONN
your strength; it does not expect that you will
waste it in idle cosmopolitan dreams or enlist
it in the service of selfish party tendencies, but
that you will devote it to strengthening the na-
tional idea and our own ideals. Powerful, indeed,
are the intellectual heroes which the Germanic
stock, through the grace of God, has produced,
from the time of Boniface and Walter von der
Vogelweide to Goethe and Schiller; and they
have become a light and blessing to all humanity.
Their influence was exerted universally, and yet
they were strictly Germans, set apart by them-
selves; that is, personalities, men. We need them
to-day more than ever. May you strive to become
such as they were !
But how is this to be possible, and who is to
help you ? Only one, our Lord and Saviour, whose
name we all bear and who has borne our sins and
redeemed us, has provided us with an example,
and labored as we are to labor. He has implanted
moral earnestness in you so that the springs of
your activity may remain pure and that your aims
may be lofty ! The love of father and mother, of
the ancestral home and Fatherland, is rooted in
the love for Him. Then will you be provided
with a charm against temptations of every sort,
above all against pride and envy, and you can
sing and say: "We Germans fear God, nothing
179
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [JUNE
else in this world." Then will we stand firm and
spread culture through the world, and I shall
close my eyes in peace if I see such generations
growing up and gathered about my son. Then
" Deutschlandj Deutschland uber Alles!" With this
prospect in mind I call out: Long live the Uni-
versity of Bonn !
A PLACE IN THE SUN
HAMBURG, JUNE 18, 1901
From his childhood the Emperor has been fond
of the sea. Most of his vacations have been taken
aboard his famous yacht Hohenzollern, and al-
most every year he has been an enthusiastic
spectator, and occasionally participant, in the
regattas on the Elbe. On this occasion the steam-
yacht Prinzessin Victoria Luise was placed at
his disposition by the directors of the Hamburg-
American Line. He is using his famous phrase,
"a place in the sun" with reference to the happy
outcome of events in China, for on May 27 of
this year China had finally accepted the terms of
the powers. Of the 90,00x5 men sent by the
powers, Germany had furnished 22,000, and the
general direction of the expedition had been in-
trusted to the German general Von Waldersee.
Ballin, of the Hamburg-American Line, had ac-
quired 3,000 feet of water-front and had leased
for twenty-five years most of the landings of a
Chinese navigation company. The Emperor's
1 80
A PLACE IN THE SUN
speech was delivered in reply to one by Burgo-
master Monckeberg of Hamburg.
I offer my heartiest thanks for the eloquent
address of your Magnificence. I express to you
and all comrades on the water the pleasure which
I feel that I should once more be allowed to ap-
pear among you and take part in the races of the
North German Regatta Association.
His Magnificence, in his short and pregnant
speech, gave us as good and beautiful a picture as
possible of the development of our Fatherland
during recent years in the field of water sports
and of our relations to foreign countries. It will
be my sole task for the future to see to it that the
seeds which have been sown may develop in peace
and security.
In spite of the fact that we have no such fleet
as we should have, we have conquered for our-
selves a place in the sun. It will now be my task
to see to it that this place in the sun shall remain
our undisputed possession, in order that the
sun's rays may fall fruitfully upon our activity
and trade in foreign parts, that our industry and
agriculture may develop within the state and
our sailing sports upon the water, for our fu-
ture lies upon the water. The more Germans go
out upon the waters, whether it be in the races
181
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [JUNE
of regattas, whether it be in journeys across the
ocean, or in the service of the battle-flag, so much
the better will it be for us. For when the German
has once learned to direct his glance upon what is
distant and great, the pettiness which surrounds
him in daily life on all sides will disappear.
Whoever wishes to have this larger and freer out-
look can find no better place than one of the
Hanseatic cities. What we have learned out of
the previous history of our development amounts
really to what I already pointed out when I sent
my brother to the East Asiatic station (Dec. 15,
1897). We have merely drawn the logical con-
clusions from the work which was left us by Em-
peror William the Great, my memorable grand-
father, and the great man whose monument we
have recently unveiled.* These consequences lie
in the fact that we are now making our efforts
to do what, in the old time, the Hanseatic cities
could not accomplish, because they lacked the
vivifying and protecting power of the empire.
May it be the function of my Hansa during many
years of peace to protect and advance commerce
and trade !
In the events which have taken place in China
I see the indication that European peace is as-
sured for many years to come; for the achieve-
* Bismarck.
182
J9oi] A PLACE IN THE SUN
ments of the particular contingents have brought
about a mutual respect and feeling of comrade-
ship that can only serve the furtherance of peace.
But in this period of peace I hope that our Han-
seatic cities will flourish. Our new Hansa will
open new paths and create and conquer new
markets for them.
As head of the empire I therefore rejoice over
every citizen, whether from Hamburg, Bremen,
or Liibeck, who goes forth with this large outlook
and seeks new points where we can drive in the
nail on which to hang our armor. Therefore, I
believe that I express the feeling of all your
hearts when I recognize gratefully that the di-
rector of this company who has placed at our
disposal the wonderful ship which bears my
daughter's name has gone forth as a courageous
servant of the Hansa, in order to make for us
friendly conquests whose fruits will be gathered
by our descendants.
In the joyful hope that this enterprising Han-
seatic spirit may be spread even further, I raise
my glass and ask all of those who are my comrades
upon the water to join with me in a cheer for
sailing and the Hanseatic spirit !
183
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [JUNE
THE GREAT ELECTOR
KIEL, JUNE 20, 1901
Because of his activity in founding the Branden-
burg fleet, a monument was erected to the Great
Elector at Kiel. His history has been touched
upon in chapter I. In connection with the ser-
vices of the Dutch admirals it is interesting to
note that one of the Emperor's heroes was the
God-fearing Dutch admiral De Ruyter, who always
offered prayers before battle. The Emperor once
laid a wreath upon his grave, and to-day on board
the battle-ships the Dutch prayer before going
into action is often read by the chaplains of the
navy.
What extraordinary progress has been made in
naval matters under the Emperor we may judge
when we remember that before the Franco-
Prussian War there were in Germany no con-
struction bureaus and no wharves in which cruisers
could be built. The first armored cruisers, Konig
Wilhelniy Kronprinz, Friedrich Karl, were bought
from England and France. In thirty years
Germany has here achieved not only complete
independence but something approaching very
nearly to supremacy. His service in this field
has been generally recognized. A German critic
not usually favorable to the Emperor speaks thus:
"Perhaps nowhere in the development of our
political life does the personal activity of the Em-
peror stand out so strongly as in the building up
of the German fleet. From the beginning he has
184
i90i] THE GREAT ELECTOR
displayed so much energy and perseverance, in
this respect, and has so emphatically carried his
will into effect that history will certainly credit
him with a great and unique service."
At the unveiling of the monument to the Great
Elector, the founder of the German navy, the
Emperor spoke as follows:
Downtrodden fields, desolate plains, razed vil-
lages, disease, poverty, and misery; these were the
conditions in the sandy mark when the young
Elector in his earliest youth was called to the
throne by the sudden death of his father. Truly,
no enviable heritage; a task that called for a man
who was mature, experienced, and conversant
with all branches, and one which, even so, might /
have proved too difficult.
Undismayed, the young man entered upon his
mission, and with wonderful ability he succeeded
in discharging it. With an iron energy, keeping
the goal which he had once set for himself ever
before his eyes, allowing nothing to turn him
aside, the Elector raised up and strengthened his
country, put his people in a position to defend
themselves, freed his borders of enemies, and soon
acquired for himself such a position that the con-
temporary world, and even his enemies, gave him
while still living that title, "The Great," which
in other cases a grateful people only bestows
185
THE GERMAN EMPEROR (JUNB
after an arduous life of service upon a departed
ruler.
And this youth who grew up to powerful man-
hood, who had directed his country in this work,
was the first prince who called our attention to
the sea; he was the founder of the Brandenburg
fleet.
If the German fleet, then, sets up a monument
to him, and if her officers and crews educate them-
selves and learn steadfastness of purpose by look-
ing at his statue, they are merely discharging
their honorable duty. God had so disposed that
the Elector should pass his youth in the Nether-
lands and learn to foster and appreciate labor,
industry, foreign relationships, and the advantages
of trade. He carried over into his own country
what he had acquired among that industrious
and simple folk of seafarers who come from Ger-
man stock. At that time it was, indeed, a most
important decision, and one which at first his
subjects and contemporaries could hardly under-
stand.
Under his powerful will and protection, and in
the hands of tried Netherlanders, the Admiral
Raule and his brother, the Brandenburg fleet
flourished. Only after the death of the Elector
did his creation fall to decay. They were not
destined to harvest the fruits of their labor. His
1 86
i9oi] THE GREAT ELECTOR
successors in power had first to establish through
battles their rights, in order to have a voice in
the world and to be allowed to rule, undisturbed
and in peace, the people within their borders.
As a result, our eyes were turned from the sea
again in order that after centuries of fierce con-
flict the mark and Prussia might finally be welded
together.
Thus, through the guidance of God and through
the labors of the successors of the Great Elector,
the power of his house was founded on that firm
foundation and with the corner-stone which he
had laid. It was this princely power that made it
possible for the house of Hohenzollern to take up
the German imperial dignity. They founded
that dynastic power which the German Emperor
must have in order to be in a position to care for
and protect powerfully the welfare of the empire
everywhere and to force its opponents to respect
its flag.
His monument now stands before the academy.
That younger generation to whom the future be-
longs, which is to cultivate the seeds that we have
sown and to reap the harvest of our labors, may
now direct its gaze toward this prince and be
edified by his example.
He was God-fearing and stern, inflexibly stern
toward himself and toward others; he trusted
187
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [JUNE
firmly in God and allowed God to direct him,
undismayed by any reverse or by any disappoint-
ment; as a Christian, he looked upon these merely
as trials sent him from on high. In this way the
Great Elector lived his life, and this is the example
which we are to follow. The motto which made it
possible for him never to lose his hope and courage,
in spite of all vexations, in spite of all reverses
and all grievous experiences and trials, was the
red thread which ran through his life and which
is expressed in his phrase: " Domine, fac me scire
viam, quam ambulem."
May this be true also of the officers and crews
of my navy ! So long as we work on this basis
we can overcome, undismayed, every grievous
phase in the development of the navy and of our
Fatherland which God's providence may have
in store for us. Let that be the way that
you shall go! Let that be the foundation on
which my navy is built up ! This will enable you
to conquer in battle and to endure all vexa-
tions until the sun again breaks forth from the
clouds.
I therefore turn over this new monument to the
navy. May she protect, cherish, and honor it, so
that in the future she may develop characters
which are like his who now stands before her !
Let the monument be unveiled !
1 88
igoi] PRINCE EITEL FRIEDRICH
ENTRANCE OF PRINCE EITEL FRIEDRICH
INTO THE ARMY
JULY 7, 1901
The second son of the Emperor took up his
service in the 1st Infantry Regiment of the Guard
on the completion of his eighteenth year. On
this occasion, in the presence of many princes,
officers of the army, and military attaches, the
Emperor turned over his son to the regiment
with the following words:
My second son, Prince Eitel Fried rich of Prus-
sia, having applied himself eagerly to his studies,
has now, according to the verdict of his superiors,
passed his examination with a "good." His
childish years lie behind him, and to-day he takes
up the tasks of life for which he has prepared
himself — his foremost task the defense of the
Fatherland — his noblest weapon the sword, his
noblest uniform the Prussian soldier's uniform,
the uniform of my 1st Infantry Regiment of the
Guard.
The qualities which the Prince has shown in the
course of his youthful development, as well as his
oath, are a pledge to me that he will be a thorough-
going officer and a faithful servant of his Father-
land. Particularly gifted for the military life,
with a quick eye for detail, the Prince, as soon as
189
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [JULY
he has passed his examination as an officer, will in
the ranks of the regiment devote himself actively
to the service for which he longs.
Although still very youthful, he should, never-
theless, be an example of earnestness, an example
in observing all military rules, an example above
all as an officer and man. I can think of nothing
more beautiful than this, that he may be an
earnest officer who turns an experienced eye upon
life, unbending as iron in everything which con-
stitutes the chivalry of the officer's position, stern
with himself and maintaining in strictest self-con-
trol the traditions of his house and of this great
regiment. May he go his way untroubled by
voices from without, with his eye firmly fixed upon
his goal, and responsible only to his God and to
his father!
But the regiment in which I have now enrolled
my second son gives me the assurance that the
young Prince will grow up in an environment,
where from all sides the glorious traditions of
Prussian history in good and evil days will be
brought before him. The grenadiers of this regi-
ment will be fully conscious of the honor which is
bestowed upon them through the fact that once
more a young Hohenzollern takes his place under
her flag.
My son, I wish you happiness of this day. Up
190
TRUE ART
to the present you have given me joy, and from
this time forth I hope that you will experience
joy in the life and the work which lies before you.
Step into the ranks and draw your sword !
TRUE ART
BERLIN, DECEMBER 18, 1901
The family of the Hohenzollerns has possessed
undoubted genius in many lines. Frederick the
Great and the Emperor's great-uncle Frederick
William IV were particularly gifted on the artistic
side. The present Emperor, whose versatility
is amazing, has taken a particular interest in
things literary and artistic, and has himself oc-
casionally assumed the role of creative artist.
The symbolic picture, representing the coming of
the "Yellow Peril," which he is said to have
painted for the Czar, caused much comment,
mostly unfavorable.* He has, however, assumed
a prominent if not a decisive role in direct-
'" Emperor William, one of the most comical persons of our
time, orator, poet, musician, dramatic writer, and artist, and, above
all, patriot, has lately painted a picture representing all the nations
of Europe with swords, standing at the seashore and, at the indica-
tion of Archangel Michael, looking at the sitting figures of Buddha
and Confucius in the distance. According to William's intention,
this should mean that the nations of Europe ought to unite in order
to defend themselves against the peril which is proceeding from there.
He is quite right from his coarse, pagan, patriotic point of view,
which is eighteen hundred years behind the times. The European
nations, forgetting Christ, have in the name of their patriotism more
191
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [DEC.
ing sculpture, painting, and drama in his capital.
Just as he has directed modifications in battle-
ships, so also he has directed modifications in
public buildings. As he is in a position to dis-
tribute rewards, his advice is frequently accepted
without question. The following anecdote, told
by a prominent German architect and recounted
by a recent writer, may serve as an illustration:
Drawings for a new church in Berlin were sub-
mitted to the Emperor for assent or correction.
His Majesty, intending to make a marginal remark,
with regard to the cross on the top of the steeple,
put a letter for reference above the cross and drew
a straight line from the letter down to the cross.
Having changed his mind, he drew an X vigorously
through the letter. When the architect received
his plans again he studied carefully all the Em-
peror's corrections, but mistook the cancelled
letter for a star. Knowing better than to ask
questions, he built the church and put a big star
on a huge iron pole above the top of the cross.
This strange excrescence was in existence a few
years ago and is probably still visible.
and more irritated these peaceful nations and have taught them
patriotism and war, and have now irritated them so much that,
indeed, if Japan and China will as fully forget the teachings of Buddha
and of Confucius as we have forgotten the teachings of Christ, they
will soon learn the art of killing people (they learn these things
quickly, as Japan has proved), and, being fearless, agile, strong,
and populous, they will inevitably very soon make of the countries
of Europe, if Europe does not invent something stronger than guns
and Edison's inventions, what the countries of Europe are making
of Africa. 'The disciple is not above his master: but every one that
is perfect shall be as his master' (Luke 6:40)." — TOLSTOI.
192
i9oi] TRUE ART
It is a curious fact that for all the Emperor's
insistence upon what might be called nationalism,
in artistic matters at least, in poetry, sculpture,
and the drama, he has very little sympathy with
the modern German tendencies. Klinger and
Stuck, Ludwig von Hofmann and Thoma have
found no favor, and no attention was paid to
Bocklin. His literary preferences will become
more evident after a reading of his talk with Gang-
hofer (November 12, 1906).
In the matter of sculpture, the achievement in
which the Emperor takes most pride is undoubt-
edly the famous Siegesallee in Berlin. It consists
of a number of monumental, heroic figures taken
from the history of his house. The avenue, the
general scheme, and the arrangement of many of
the figures were planned by him, and the figures
were chosen in consultation with his historiog-
rapher. The style is supposedly classic; there
are many incidental animal figures, and a sphinx
and the sibyl help to represent Bismarck. The
attempt to make heroic and classic certain of the
fairly mediocre representatives of his line, like
Albrecht, Otto and John, Joachim, Frederick, and
George William, seems to have been too difficult
a task even for that Berlin school of sculpture,
which the Emperor feels would bear comparison
with that of the Renaissance. Notwithstanding
his own efforts to awaken art "from the cold
sleep of unculture," it is perhaps significant that
powerful, independent personalities, Michelangelos
in sculpture and Bismarcks in politics, do not seem
to thrive under the Emperor's protection.
193
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [DEC.
This eighteenth day of December has a certain
significance in the history of our art here in Berlin,
from the fact that that revered protector of the
Muses, my late father, and my mother, who was so
gifted in the arts, dedicated on that day, fifteen
years ago, the Anthropological Museum. This
was in a way the last great closing act which my
father accomplished in this direction, and I look
upon it as a special piece of good fortune that it is
on precisely this day of the year that the works
for the Siegesallee could be completed.
I seize with joy the opportunity to express to
you all, first, my congratulations and, secondly,
my thanks for the way and manner in which you
have helped me to carry out my original plan.
The accomplishment of the programme for the Sie-
gesallee has required a number of years, and it was
the able historiographer of my house, Professor
Doctor Koser, who put me in a position to as-
sign to the gentlemen the tasks which it was pos-
sible for them to carry out.
Once we had found the historical basis, it was
possible to go ahead; and after the choice of the
princes was decided upon, then the most competent
men in the way of historical research were found
to help the gentlemen in their work. In this way
the groups were conceived, and, conditioned to a cer-
tain degree by history, they gradually took form.
194
i9oi] TRUE ART
After this part of the work was done, then,
naturally, came the hardest question of all: Would
it be possible, as I hoped, to find enough artists in
Berlin who would be in a position to give them-
selves entirely to the execution of this programme ?
I had in mind when I approached the solution
of this problem, if I were successful, to show to
the world what I considered to be the most ad-
vantageous method of solving an artistic question
of this character. The best way to go about it, I
believe, consists not in the appointment of com-
missions, not in the establishment of all possible
kinds of prize contests and competitions, but in
following the old established method which they
used in classical times and also later in the Middle
Ages. In this way, the direct intercourse between
the employer and the artist offers a security for
the favorable shaping of the work and for the
successful accomplishment of the task.
I am especially indebted in this particular to
Professor Rheinhold Begas in that, when I went
to him with these thoughts, he made it clear to me
without further ceremony that there was ab-
solutely no doubt but that there were enough
artists of all kinds in Berlin to carry out such an
idea without difficulty. With his help and on the
basis of friendships formed in the circle of sculp-
tors here through visits to exhibitions and studios
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [DEC.
I did, indeed, succeed in getting together a staff
with which to proceed in carrying out this task —
a staff the greater part of which I see gathered
about me here to-day.
I believe that you will not deny that I have
made the execution of the programme developed
by me as easy as possible for you. I have placed
the task before you and limited it in a general
way, but for the rest I have given you absolute
freedom, not only freedom in the combination
and composition but precisely that freedom to
put into it a certain amount of yourselves — a
thing that every artist must do in order to put
his own stamp upon his work; for every work of
art contains within it a kernel of the artist's own
character. I believe that this experiment, if I
may call it so, through which the Siegesallee was
completed, dare be looked upon as a success.
Although interviews have been necessary be-
tween me and the artists who were carrying out
the work in order to settle every doubt and to
answer every question, no difficulties of a more
serious nature have shown themselves. I believe,
therefore, that from this point of view we can
look back upon the Siegesallee with general satis-
faction. You have individually solved your prob-
lems as you saw fit, and I, on my side, have the
feeling that I have allowed you the fullest measure
196
TRUE ART
of freedom and time — a thing I hold to be neces-
sary for the artist. I have never gone into details
and have contented myself with giving merely
the direction, the impulse.
But it fills me with pride and joy to-day when
I think that Berlin stands before the whole world
with a body of artists who are capable of carrying
out such a magnificent work. It proves that the
Berlin school of sculpture stands at a height such
as could hardly have been surpassed even in the
time of the Renaissance. And I think every one
of you will agree, without jealousy, that the
effective example of Rheinhold Begas and his
conception, based upon his knowledge of the an-
tique, has been a guide to many of you in the
working out of this great task.
Here, also, we could draw a parallel between the
great achievements in the art of the Middle Ages
and of the Italians; since in that time, also, the
sovereign and art-loving prince who offered the
commissions to the artists at the same time found
the masters, about whom a crowd of young dis-
ciples gathered, so that a certain school was in
this way developed which was able to accomplish
remarkable things.
Now, gentlemen, the Pergamon Museum has
also been opened on this same day, in Berlin.
I regard that, too, as a very important portion of
197
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [DEC.
our art history and as a good omen and a happy
coincidence. A more magnificent collection cannot
be imagined than the abundance of beauty which is
displayed in these rooms before the eyes of the
astonished observer.
But how does art stand in the world to-day?
It takes its examples and creates out of the great
sources of Mother Nature; and Nature, in spite
of her great, apparently boundless, limitless free-
dom, acts according to everlasting laws which the
Creator has set for Himself and which can never
be infringed upon or overstepped without en-
dangering the development of the world.
It is the same in art. And in looking upon the
magnificent remains from the old classic period
we experience the same feeling. Here, too, an
eternal, unchanging law rules; the law of beauty
and harmony — of aesthetics. This law was ex-
pressed by the ancients in so surprising and power-
ful a manner and in so complete a form that we,
for all our modern perceptions and our power of ac-
complishment, are proud if it can be said of some
very especially good piece of work: "That is almost
as good as if it had been done 1900 years ago."
"Almost!" Under this impression I shall ask
you to take this injunction to heart. Sculpture
has for the most part remained free from the so-
called modern tendencies and influences; it still
198
1901] TRUE ART
stands high and sublime. Keep it so; do not let
yourselves be led astray by the judgment of men
and by all sorts of windy doctrines to give up
these great principles upon which it is based.
An art which oversteps the laws and boundaries
which I have indicated is no longer art; it is fac-
tory work, it is trade; and that no art dare be-
come. Through the much-misused word "free-
dom" and under her flag one often falls into
indefiniteness, boundlessness, conceit. However,
he who cuts loose from the law of beauty and
from the feeling for aesthetics and harmony which,
whether he can express it or not, every man feels
in his heart; he who thinks the chief thing is to
turn his thoughts in a certain direction toward
a definite solution of more technical problems, sins
against the very sources of his art.
Furthermore, art must help to educate the peo-
ple; it must also give the lower classes, after
their cramping exertions, the opportunity to right
themselves again through ideals. To us, the Ger-
man people, great ideals are a lasting possession,
while with other peoples they have been more or
less lost. It is now the German people whose
special province it is to protect these great ideas,
to foster them, to set them forth; and to these
ideas belongs the duty of giving to those classes
who tire themselves out through labor the op-
portunity to raise themselves through beautiful
199
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [DEC.
things and to work themselves out of and above
their ordinary circles of thought.
If, however, art, as often happens nowadays,
does nothing more than to make misery even more
hideous than it already is, then it sins against the
German people. The fostering of the ideal is the
greatest work of culture; and if we wish to be and
to remain a pattern in this for other peoples, then
we must all work together; and if culture is to
accomplish its full task, then it must penetrate
through to the very lowest strata of the people.
That it can only do if art lends a hand, if it raises
up instead of drawing down into the gutter.
As ruler, I often feel very bitter that art, through
her masters, should not be energetic enough to
make a stand against such tendencies. I*do not
doubt for a moment but that many an earnest
but misguided character, perhaps rilled with the
best intentions, is to be found among the devotees
of this tendency. The real artist needs no ad-
vertising, no press, no connections. I do not be-
lieve that your great examples in the realm of
science, either in ancient Greece or in Italy or in
the time of the Renaissance, used any such methods
as are now often practised through the press to
bring their ideas especially into the foreground.
They worked as God directed them; for the rest
they allowed the world to criticise.
And that is the way an honorable, sincere
200
MONUMENT TO VON ROSENBERG
artist must act. Art which stoops to advertising
is no longer art, were it praised to the skies. Every
one, be he never so simple, has a feeling for that
which is beautiful or ugly, and it is to foster this
feeling further among the people that I have need
of all of you; and that you should have accom-
plished such a piece of work in the Siegesallee,
I, therefore, thank you particularly.
I may now confide something to you. The im-
pression which the Siegesallee makes upon for-
eigners is quite overwhelming; everywhere an
immense respect for German sculpture is notice-
able. May you remain standing upon these
heights; may also my children and my grand-
children, if they shall one day be granted to me,
keep the same masters by their side! Then, I am
convinced, our people will be in a position to love
the beautiful and to hold high the ideal.
I raise my glass and drink to the health of all
of you; and, once more, my heartiest thanks.
MONUMENT TO GENERAL VON ROSENBERG
APRIL 20, 1902
A monument was erected to the famous cavalry
general Von Rosenberg, in Hanover. After the un-
veiling of the monument the Emperor responded
to Count von Waldersee's toast as follows:
201
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [APRIL
To-day I greet all the cavalry of the German
army. Even from his grave the general's per-
sonality has issued so magic and so powerful an
appeal that it has called the horsemen together
from all quarters of the German Empire and from
the contingents of my affiliated rulers, so that to-
day for the first time our German cavalry is
gathered together in a single great cohort.
We wish to draw a lesson from this day. As
the general recognized only his service and the
call of duty, may we do likewise ! The highest
reward that can come to an officer through his
service in life is to fill his position to his own com-
plete satisfaction. Looking back over the life of
General von Rosenberg, we can compose a proverb
which should apply to us also, now and for all
time: "Know your aim, and then exert every
effort." Let that be the standard for our cavalry !
So may we also create for ourselves from this
simple monument a symbol and an example. A
block of granite from the mark bears the features
of the general inlaid in bronze; so may we hedge
and protect that piece of granite of our army
which we call the cavalry and allow it to harden,
so that he who bites upon it may lose his teeth !*
* A phrase of Frederick the Great which Count Biilow had used
in the Reichstag January 8, 1902, in speaking of the English Colonial
Secretary Chamberlain's attack on the German army.
2O2
1902] THE OLD ORDER CHANGETH
With this wish I raise my glass and drink to the
memory of the general, to the German cavalry, and
to its most conspicuous representative, the General
Field-Marshal, Count von Waldersee. Hurrah !
THE OLD ORDER CHANGETH
An, JUNE 19, 1902
The Emperor, accepting an invitation from the
city, came to Aix with the Empress and the Crown
Prince. It was here that Charlemagne was prob-
ably born and here that he died. The present
Rathaus was built upon the ruins of his palace,
and it was in the so-called Coronation Room that
the Emperor delivered his address.
In the name of her Majesty, the Empress, and
in my name I thank you particularly for the in-
describably patriotic and enthusiastic reception
which has been prepared for us by all classes of
the city of Aix. I earnestly desired to visit the
city of Aix, and I thank you for the opportunity
which you have given me through your invita-
tion.
Who would not be deeply moved on such his-
toric ground as that of Aix by the breath and
murmur of the past and of the present? Who
would not think of the providential guidance of
Heaven as he looks back over the history of the
203
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [JUNE
centuries which our Fatherland has lived through
in its connection with Aix?
Aix is the cradle of German imperialism, for it
was here that Charlemagne erected his throne,
and the city of Aix shone in his reflected glory.
So important, so imposing was the figure of this
great German prince that from Rome the dignity
of the Roman Caesars was bestowed upon him,
and he was chosen to enter into the inheritance
of the Imperium Romanum — certainly a splendid
recognition of the capability of our German stock
as it appeared for the first time in history. For
the Roman sceptre had fallen from the hands of
the Caesars and their successors. Crumbling and
decayed, the Roman edifice was tottering to its
fall, and only the appearance of the victorious
Germans with their virtuous dispositions made
it possible to point a new and as yet untrodden
road for the history of the world. It goes without
saying that the mighty Charles, the great King of
the Franks, drew upon himself the gaze of Rome
which looked to him as to its bulwark and pro-
tector.
But the task of combining the office of Roman
Emperor with the dignity and burden of the Ger-
man King was too severe. What he was able to
accomplish through his powerful personality Fate
denied to his followers; and through their desire
204
1902] THE OLD ORDER CHANGETH
for a world-empire, the Emperors of the later
generations lost sight of the German people and
country. They turned toward the south in order
to maintain the world-empire, and in so doing
forgot the Germans. So gradually our German
country and people perished.
Just as the blossoming aloe gathers up all the
strength of the plant for this task and, striving
upward, develops flower on flower and fascinates
the eye of the astonished beholder, while the plant
itself withers and its roots shrivel away, so it was
with the Roman Empire of the German Nation.
Another empire has now arisen. The German
people are now blessed with another Emperor,
whom they had themselves gone out to seek.
Sword in hand, on the field of battle, the crown
was won, and the flag of the empire flutters high
in the breeze once more. With the same en-
thusiasm and love with which the German people
held to the imperial idea has the new empire en-
tered into being; but the tasks are now different.
Limited from without by the boundaries of our
country, it became our duty to steel ourselves
from within in preparation for the duties which
were then laid upon our people and which could
not be discharged in the Middle Ages.
And so we see the empire, although still young,
growing strong within itself from year to year,
205
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [JUNE
while confidence in it is becoming more and more
secure on every side. The powerful German army,
however, affords a support to the peace of Europe.
In keeping with the character of the Germans, we
limit ourselves from without in order to remain
free within. Far away over the sea our speech is
spreading, and far away flows the stream of our
knowledge and research. There is no work in the
realm of later research which is not written in
our language, and no thought is born of science
which is not first utilized by us in order later to be
taken over by other nations. And this is that
world-empire which the German spirit strives for.
If we, then, wish to discharge adequately our fur-
ther great responsibilities, we dare not forget that
the foundation on which the empire was built is
based upon simplicity and the fear of God as well
as the lofty moral conceptions of our ancestors.
Heavily, indeed, was the hand of our God laid upon
us at the beginning of the previous century, and
mighty was the arm of Providence which shaped
the steel and welded it in the furnace of misery
until the weapon was finished.
And so I expect of you all that, whether church-
men or laymen, you will help me to maintain re-
ligion among the people. We must work together
in order to preserve the moral foundations and the
healthy strength of the German stock. But that
206
1902] THE OLD ORDER CHANGETH
can only be done if we preserve its religion, and this
is true equally of Catholics and Protestants.
I am, therefore, the more pleased to-day, to
bring to the leaders of the church who are here
represented a bit of news of which I am proud
to be the bearer. Beside me stands General von
Loe, a faithful servant of his Kings. He was sent
to Rome to the jubilee of the Holy Father, and
when he delivered to him my gift and my con-
gratulations and in private conversation had ex-
plained how things stood in our German country
the Holy Father answered him that he was happy
to be able to say that he had always thought
highly of the piety of the Germans and of the Ger-
man army; he said he could even go further and
commissioned General von Loe to report the fol-
lowing to his Emperor: The German Empire is
the only* country in .Europe in which training,
order, and discipline rule, in which respect for
authority and reverence for the church exist, and
in which every Catholic can live freely and un-
disturbed in his faith, and for this he thanked the
German Emperor.
This, gentlemen, justifies me in saying that both
our churches, standing side by side, must forever
have before their eyes the idea of strengthening
* The word "only" has not received official sanction, but is printed
by Penzler.
207
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [JUNE
and preserving the fear of God and respect for
religion. The fact that we are modern men and
that we work in this or that field makes no dif-
ference. Whoever does not base his life upon
religion is lost.
And as it is fitting on this day and in this place
not merely to speak but also to make a pledge,
I hereby express my vow that I set myself and my
house, the entire empire, the entire people, and my
army, symbolically represented by this baton,
under the cross and under the protection of Him
of whom the great apostle said, "Neither is there
salvation in any other; for there is none other
name under heaven given among men whereby we
must be saved," and who has said of Himself:
"Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words
shall not pass away."
I drink to the health of the city of Aix in the
firm conviction that the words which I have
spoken will here fall upon good ground, just as I
am assured from what I have seen among both the
older and younger citizens of this city that our
house and our throne will in the future likewise
find firm support within their walls. Long live
the city of Aix !
208
1902] KRUPP AND THE SOCIALISTS
ALFRED KRUPP AND THE SOCIALISTS
NOVEMBER 26, 1902
The present speech and the one which follows it,
to the working men in Breslau, may conveniently
be taken together, as they both concern the Em-
peror's attitude toward the Socialists. Of all his
policies, his attempt to destroy this political party
has been least successful. It had increased from
763,000 in 1887 to 4,250,000 in 1912, when it
numbered more than twice as many voters as its
nearest competitor, the Centre party, 1,996,000.
The Emperor had tried to introduce repeatedly
subversion acts which would have made for the
persecution of this the largest political party in
his empire. When, on October 13, 1895, a manu-
facturer was murdered in Miilhausen by a work-
man who had been repeatedly convicted of theft,
William II telegraphed to his widow: "Another
sacrifice to the revolutionary movement engen-
dered by the Socialists." This hostile attitude
was unavailing and aroused the criticism of the
greatest German historian, Mommsen:
"It is unfortunately true that at the present
time the Social Democracy is the only great party
which has any claim to political respect. It is
not necessary to refer to talent. Everybody in
Germany knows that with brains like those of
Bebel it would be possible to furnish forth a
dozen noblemen from east of the Elbe in a fashion
that would make them shine among their peers.
"The devotion, the self-sacrificing spirit of the
209
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [Nov.
Social Democratic masses, impresses even those
who are far from sharing their aims. Our Liberals
might well take a lesson from the discipline of
the party." And again, only about a week after
this speech of the Emperor's Mommsen wrote:
"There must be an end of the superstition, as
false as it is perfidious, that the nation is divided
into parties of law and order on the one hand
and a party of revolution on the other, and that
it is the prime political duty of citizens belonging
to the former category to shun the labor party as
if it were in quarantine for the plague and to
combat it as the enemy of the state."
The Emperor has had many friends among the
leaders in the industrial world. Alfred Krupp
had stood in close relation to his sovereign and
had been one of the founders and prime movers
in the German Navy League, which, more than
anything else, had made possible the realization
of the imperial naval policy. The Emperor is
altogether mistaken in ascribing the stories cir-
culated about Krupp to the malignity of Social
Democratic editors. Very ugly rumors, whether
true or false, had long before this time circulated
about this industrial leader; they could have been
heard in other countries of Europe, especially in
Italy, and most particularly in Tiberius's island
of Capri, where he is said to have had a villa.
The address was delivered in the waiting-room
of the station at Essen on the day of Krupp's
funeral.
210
1902] KRUPP AND THE SOCIALISTS
I feel the need of expressing to you how deeply
my heart is moved by the death of this man. Her
Majesty, the Empress and Queen, wishes me to
express to you her grief also, and she has already
expressed it in writing to Frau Krupp. I have
often, with my wife, been a guest in the Krupp
house and have felt the charm of his lovable
personality. Our relations have become so well
established in the course of the years that I dare
call myself a friend of the deceased and of his
house. On this account I have not wished to
deny myself the privilege of appearing here to-day
at his funeral, and I hold it to be my duty to stand
at the side of the widow and daughters of my
friend.
The peculiar circumstances which accompanied
the sad event also make it incumbent upon me
to be here as the head of the German Empire, to
hold the shield of the German Emperor over the
house and the memory of this man. Whoever
knew the deceased intimately knows with what
a sensitive and delicate nature he was endowed
and that this was the one vulnerable point through
which to deal him a death-blow. He was the
victim of his unimpeachable integrity.
An event has occurred within the German coun-
tries so degrading and low that it has aroused all
hearts and must bring the blush of shame to the
211
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [Nov.
cheeks of every German patriot, because of the
disgrace brought upon our entire people. The
honor of a man, German to the core, who lived
only for others, who had in his mind only the wel-
fare of the Fatherland, but above all that of his
employees, has been assailed.
This deed, with its consequences, is nothing less
than murder; for there is no difference between
him who mixes a poisonous drink and offers it to
another and him who from the safe ambush of
his editor's office destroys the honorable name of a
fellow man with the poisoned arrows of his slanders
and kills him through the torment of soul caused
by them.
Who was it that began this shameful attack
upon our friend ? Men who up to the present
have been counted as Germans, but who are now
unworthy of this name, who sprang from the
classes of the German working people, who have
such a tremendous amount to thank Krupp for
and of whom thousands in the streets with tearful
faces waved a last farewell to the bier of their
benefactor.
You, Krupp's workmen, have ever held faith-
fully to your employer and have clung to him;
gratitude is not wiped out of your hearts. With
pride I have seen everywhere abroad the name
of the Fatherland honored through the work of
212
i9o2] THE WORKING MAN ONCE MORE
your hands. Men who wish to be the leaders of
the German workmen have robbed you of your
dear master. It remains for you to shield and
protect him and to preserve his memory from dis-
grace.
I trust, therefore, that you will find the proper
means of making it clear to the body of German
working men that it is important hereafter to
make it impossible for good and honorable working
men to have any community of interest or close
relationship with the perpetrators of this shameful
deed; for it is the honor of the working man that
has been besmirched. Whoever will sit at the
same table with these people deliberately lays
himself open to a charge of moral participation
in the crime.
I have sufficient confidence in the German
laborers to believe that they are conscious of the
extreme seriousness of the present moment and
that, as German men, they will find a solution for
this difficult question.
THE WORKING MAN ONCE MORE
BRESLAU, DECEMBER 5, 1902
That the working men of Breslau have decided
to come to me, their King and father, fills me
with the greatest satisfaction, for two reasons.
213
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [DEC.
In the first place, you have not disappointed the
expectations which I expressed in Essen; in the
second, you have helped thereby to maintain free
from reproach the memory of my late friend
Krupp.
From my heart I thank the spokesman for his
cordial, patriotic words. You show thereby that
an honorable attitude and a dependence upon the
King and the Fatherland are taking firm root
among you. Your condition has indeed become
the object of my deepest interest and considera-
tion, for I observed with pride in foreign lands
how the German working man was considered
above all others, and with justice. Your hearts
may exult and you may well rejoice in your work
and your condition.
Led by the remarkable message* of the great
Emperor William I, I have improved the social
legislation so that a good and secure condition of
existence has been created for the working men
through old age, and this has been accomplished
often at great sacrifice to the employer. And our
Germany is the only country in which legislation
relating to the welfare of the working classes has
developed to any great degree.
On the ground of the great concern which your
King has for your condition I am justified in
*See footnote to " First Declaration of Polity," June 25, 1888.
214
1902] THE WORKING MAN ONCE MORE
giving you also a word of warning. For years you
and your brothers have allowed yourselves to be
deluded by the agitators of the Socialists into
thinking that if you do not belong to this party
and acknowledge it no one pays any attention to
you and that you will not be in a position to obtain
a hearing for your just interests in the amelioration
of your condition.
This is a gross lie and a serious error. Instead
of representing you directly, the agitators seek
to stir you up against your employers, against the
other classes, against the throne, and against the
church, and have in this way taken advantage of
you, terrorized you, and flattered you in order to
strengthen their own power. And to what end is
this power used ? Not for furthering your welfare,
but for sowing hatred between the classes and for
disseminating cowardly slanders that respect
nothing as sacred; and finally they have outraged
the Almighty Himself.
As honor-loving men you cannot and dare not
have anything more to do with such people, and
you must no longer be led by them. No ! Send
us as representatives your friends and comrades
from your own ranks, the simple, plain man from
the shop who has your confidence. Such a man
stands for your interests and your wishes, and we
will gladly welcome him as the representative of
215
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [FEB.
the German working classes, not as a Social Demo-
crat. With such representatives of the working
classes, no matter how many there may be, we
will gladly work together for the good of the
people and of the country.
In this way your future will be well cared for,
especially since it naturally and closely depends
upon loyalty to the King, upon respect for law and
for the state, for the honor of one's fellow men and
brothers, true to the proverb: "Fear God, love
your brothers, and honor the King."
SCHOLARSHIP AND RELIGION
BERLIN, FEBRUARY 15, 1903
As a result of a lecture before the Oriental
Society of Berlin, a very serious controversy arose
in religious circles in Germany. The Emperor
gave his opinion in the following open letter, which
was printed in the Grenzboten. It is said that this
very significant letter shows the influence of the
court chaplain, Doctor Dryander. Certain of the
ideas are, however, thoroughly characteristic of
the Emperor.
MY DEAR HOLLMANN:
My telegram to you must have removed the
doubts which you still entertained regarding the
conclusion of the lecture. It was perfectly clearly
216
1903] SCHOLARSHIP AND RELIGION
understood by the audience and therefore had to
stand as it does; but I am very pleased that
through your inquiry the matter of this second
lecture was again taken up, and I am glad to take
this occasion, after reading through the section
again, to present my position in a clear light.
During an evening meeting among ourselves Pro-
fessor Delitzsch had the opportunity, with her Maj-
esty, the Empress, and General Superintendent
Dryander, to confer and discuss thoroughly for
several hours, during which I remained a passive
listener. He, unfortunately, departed from the
standpoint of the thoroughgoing historian and
Assyriologist and penetrated into the region of
theological and religious conclusions and hy-
potheses, which were hazy and bold. When,
however, he came to the New Testament it soon
became evident that I could not agree with him
in the ideas which he developed concerning the
person of the Redeemer, and I was compelled to
state my own standpoint, which was diametrically
opposed to his. He does not recognize the divinity
of Christ and therefore concludes in regard to the
Old Testament that it does not refer to Him as
the Messiah. Here the Assyriologist and investi-
gating historian ceases and the theologian with
all his lights and shades steps in. In this province
I can only advise him to go very carefully, step by
217
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [FEB.
step, and in any case to ventilate his theories only
in theological publications and in the circles of
his colleagues and to spare us laymen and espe-
cially the Oriental Society, before whose forum all
this is out of place. We excavate and read what-
ever we find and publish it for the advancement of
knowledge and history, but not in order to help
justify or combat the religious hypotheses of any
one of many learned men.
In Delitzsch's case the theologian has run away
with the historian, and the latter serves merely
as a point of departure for the former. I think it
unfortunate that Delitzsch should not have stuck
to his original programme, which he developed
in former years, namely, on the basis of the dis-
coveries of our society, to ascertain through scien-
tifically approved translations of the Scriptures
how far these offer an illustration of the chron-
icle of the people of Israel; that is, enlightenment
as to historical events, customs, and uses, tradi-
tions, politics, legislation, etc.; in other words, how
far the undeniably highly developed Babylonian
culture came into contact with the Israelites, could
work upon them, yes, even impress its stamp
upon them, and thereby accomplish, from a purely
human point of view, a sort of rehabilitation
for the Babylonians, who were, according to the
Old Testament at least, a very crude, shameful,
218
1903] SCHOLARSHIP AND RELIGION
and one-sided people. That was his original in-
tention, at least as I understood it, and a province
very fruitful and interesting to us all, the investi-
gation, explanation, and exposition of which must
have interested us laymen to the highest degree
and would have demanded our deepest gratitude.
But he should have stuck to this. Unfortunately,
however, in his zeal he has overshot the mark.
As was to be expected, the excavations brought
to light communications which bear in a religious
way upon the Old Testament. He should have
collated this material and pointed out and ex-
plained coincidences, when such occurred, but he
should have left it to the listener to draw for
himself all purely religious conclusions. In this
way his discourse would have commanded the
interest and good-will of the lay public. That,
unfortunately, he has not done. Pretending that
he could explain it all on historical and purely
human grounds, he has attacked the question of
revelation in a very polemical manner and more
or less denied it. That was a serious mistake,
because he touched many of his hearers in what
was deepest and most sacred to them. And
whether he was right or wrong — that for the mo-
ment is all one, since we are concerned not with
a purely scientific gathering of theologians but
with laymen of all kinds and conditions — he has
219
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [FEB.
overturned and rudely shaken many favorite con-
ceptions and images with which these people
connect sacred and cherished ideas and has ruth-
lessly shaken the foundation of their belief, if he
has not swept it away altogether, a thing which
only a mighty genius dare be bold enough to
undertake and which the study of Assyriology
alone does not justify. Goethe also once treated
this subject and pointed out especially that one
must be careful before a great, general public
to break down only " Terminologiepagoden" [the
pagodas of terminology]. The excellent professor,
in his zeal, has overlooked the principle that it is
very necessary to distinguish between what is
and what is not fitting to the place, the public,
etc. As a theological specialist he can, through
the avenue of special publications, express for his
circle of colleagues his theses, hypotheses, and
theories as well as his convictions, which it
would not do to express in a popular lecture or
book.
I would like now to come back once more to my
own personal standpoint in regard to the doctrine
or view of revelation, as I have often explained it
to you, my dear Hollmann, and to other gentle-
men. I distinguish between two different kinds of
revelation: one a continuous and in a manner
historical revelation; the other a purely religious
220
i9o3] SCHOLARSHIP AND RELIGION
one, preparing for the later appearance of the
Messiah.
In the first place, let me say, there is not the
slightest doubt in my mind but that God reveals
Himself, always and permanently, through the
human race which He created. He has "blown
the breath of His nostrils" into man; that is, He
has given him a piece of Himself — a soul. With
fatherly love and interest He' follows the develop-
ment of mankind; in order to lead and advance
it further, He "reveals" Himself in this or that
great sage or priest or king, be he heathen, Jew,
or Christian. Hammurabi was one, so were Moses,
Abraham, Homer, Charlemagne, Luther, Shake-
speare, Goethe, Kant, Emperor William the
Great. These He has sought out and made wor-
thy, through His grace, to accomplish according to
His will splendid and imperishable deeds for their
people in the spiritual as well as in the physical
world. How often has my grandfather expressly
said that he was only an instrument in the hand
of the Lord. The works of great spirits are given
to the people by God in order that they may
imitate them and feel their way further through
the intricacies of the unexplored regions of this
life. Certainly God has "revealed" Himself in
different ways at different times, according to the
condition and culture of the people, and still does
221
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [FEB.
so to-day. For, as we are overcome by the great-
ness and power of the magnificent nature of crea-
tion and are astounded to see in it the revealed
greatness of God, so, just as surely, do we thank-
fully recognize in every really great and splendid
thing which a man or a god does the splendor
of the revelation of God. He works directly upon
and among us !
The second kind of revelation, the more relig-
ious, is that which relates to the coming of our
Lord. From the time of Abraham on it is intro-
duced slowly but prophetically — the coming of
the All-wise, the All-knowing; for mankind would
otherwise have been lost. And now begins the
most wonderful phenomenon of all, the revelation
of God. The seed of Abraham and the people who
developed from it regard as the most sacred thing
in the world a rigorous belief in a single God.
They must cherish it — . Separated during the
Egyptian exile, the scattered portions, welded to-
gether a second time by Moses, strove ever to
hold fast to their belief in a single God. It was
the direct working of God upon these people
which allowed them to rise again. And so it
continues further down the centuries until the
Messiah, who was announced and foretold by
the prophets and psalmists, finally appears. The
greatest revelation of God in the world ! For He
222
1903] SCHOLARSHIP AND RELIGION
appeared in the person of His Son; Christ is God;
God in human form. He redeemed us, He in-
spires us, He draws us on to follow Him, we feel
His fire burning within us, His pity strengthens
us, His dissatisfaction destroys us, but His inter-
cession saves us. Sure of victory, building only
upon His Word, we go through work, scorn, sor-
row, misery, and death, for we have in Him the
revealed Word of God and He never deceives.
That is the way I look at these questions. The
Word of God has, through Luther, become every-
thing, especially for us Evangelicals; and as a good
theologian Delitzsch should not have forgotten
that our great Luther taught us to sing and to
believe: "Ye shall let the Word stand !" For me
it goes without saying that the Old Testament
contains a great number of extracts which are of
purely human origin and not "the revealed Word
of God." There are purely historical descriptions
of events of all kinds which took place in the life
of the people of Israel in the realm of political,
religious, moral, and spiritual matters. So, for
instance, the giving of the law on Mount Sinai
may be looked upon as inspired by God in only a
symbolical sense; for Moses was compelled to
have recourse to some means of giving new force
to old and well-known portions of the law (which
were probably derived from the Codex of Ham-
223
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [FEB.
murabi). Otherwise he might not have been able
to unite and weld together a people whose or-
ganization had become lax and incapable of re-
sistance. Here the historian can perhaps construe
from the sense and the run of the words some re-
lation to the laws of Hammurabi, the friend of
Abraham, which would perhaps be perfectly
logical; that would, however, in no way detract
from the fact that God inspired Moses to do it
and in so far revealed Himself to the people of
Israel.
As I see it, therefore, our good professor ought
hereafter to avoid handling and bringing forward
religion, as such, in his addresses to our society.
On the other hand, he may continue unmolested
to bring forward whatever connections there may
be between the religion, customs, etc., of the
Babylonians, etc., and the Old Testament. From
which I derive the following conclusions:
(a) I believe in one God, and one only.
(b) In order to teach this we need a form, espe-
cially for our children.
(c) This form has been up to the present time
the Old Testament in its present state. Through
investigation, inscriptions, and excavations, this
form will certainly change materially; that does
not matter, and even the fact that much will be
lost from the nimbus of the chosen people does not
224
1903] FREDERICK THE GREAT
matter. The kernel and the content remain ever
the same: God and His work!
Religion was never the result of science but the
outpouring of the heart and being of man in his
intercourse with God.
With heartiest thanks and many greetings,
Your true friend,
(Signed) WILLIAM, I. R.
P. S. You may make the fullest use of these
lines; whoever wants to may read them.
FREDERICK THE GREAT AND HIS ARMY
DOBERITZ, MAY 29, 1903
After conducting the manoeuvres of the guard
the Emperor dedicated the obelisk to Frederick
the Great. The character and achievements of
Frederick have been summarized in chapter I.
One hundred and fifty years ago, on these same
fields, his Majesty, Frederick II, who even in
his lifetime was called "the Great," gathered to-
gether a considerable part of his army in order to
train and steel it for the mighty struggles which
he foresaw in spirit through his prophetic vision.
So important was this preparation for him that
he did not hesitate to trust his columns to the
direction of his experienced field-marshals. Here
the great soldier King, working restlessly, not
225
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [MAT
overlooking details in his interest for the greater
concerns of history, trained his regiments for the
difficult tasks of the Seven Years' War, which was
soon to set in, and created that inner bond be-
tween himself and his soldiers which inspired
them to the greatest deeds of daring, while he
infused his spirit into his generals and so laid the
foundation for the unmatched results which found
their crowning achievement in the victorious over-
throw of a world in arms united against him. Let
these achievements be unforgotten; unforgotten
the names of the heroes of that great time.
Frederick's enemies derisively called his little
army the "Potsdamer Wacktparade" [the " Potsdam
Guard's Parade"] ! Well, he showed them what
he could do at the head of it ! And in later times
likewise the "Potsdam Guard's Parade" fittingly
showed the way to every one who tried to cultivate
too close an acquaintance with it. This obelisk
of northern granite is erected in memory of that
time. A memorial to "Fredericus Rex, the King
and Hero," to be emulated by us all in working
with unabated strength to the end that we may
be ready to strike in any emergency. When in a
moment the curtain shall fall, when the flags and
standards dip in greeting, swords are lowered, and
presented bayonets glisten — all this is done in
honor not only of this block of stone but of him,
226
i9o3] THE FUTURE OF GERMANY
the great King, his generals and field-marshals;
of his great successor, William the Great, and his
paladins, who now, assembled around the Great
Ally above, look down upon us; and in honor of
Prussia's glorious martial history and tradition.
Attention, present arms !
THE FUTURE OF GERMANY
The equestrian statue of Emperor William I
was dedicated in Hamburg, June 20, 1903. The
Emperor's interest in glorifying and occasionally
even in sanctifying his ancestors is frequently
noticeable. He has tried to assure to his grand-
father the title of William the Great, and the
Emperor's friend Ballin, of the Hamburg-American
Line, has -given this title as well as that of Impera-
tor to the well-known transatlantic steamers. It
is perhaps significant that Bismarck is not men-
tioned. The pedestal of this monument was left
blank. As has been noted, rumor has it that the
citizens of Hamburg were unwilling to bestow
this title and feared to offend with the simpler
"William I."
It has often been my task to express my thanks
to great cities and their enthusiastic citizens;
never have I found it so difficult to find the correct,
pertinent, and adequate expression for what I feel
and what I have seen and experienced.
227
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [JUNE
If, first of all, I may speak as grandson of the
great Emperor, whose bronze likeness the city of
Hamburg has just unveiled, I would like to give
utterance to the gratitude which so stirs my heart,
that the citizens of Hamburg have been able in
such a brilliant, handsome, and noble manner to
show their feeling for Germany and their gratitude
to the old hero. As his grandson, this has pleased
me greatly and has stirred me deeply.
For the rest, I cannot forbear to emphasize the
truly overwhelming reception which was accorded
me here by great and small, young and old, high
and low. The many thousand faces which lighted
toward me to-day gave evidence that the greeting
came from the heart and from feelings which were
deeply moved, and I beg the senate and the
citizens to accept my heartiest, sincerest, and
warmest thanks and to communicate them to
the city.
Indeed, for the younger generation which stood
with us about the bronze portrait to-day the
great Emperor is already a historical personage,
and the events which weave themselves about his
person and the time in which he worked are al-
ready described in history.
I believe that I am not presuming if I prophesy
that some time in future centuries the awe-in-
spiring figure of my grandfather will stand forth
228
1903] THE FUTURE OF GERMANY
before the German people, surrounded by at least
as many legends and as powerful and as conspicu-
ous for all time as once the figure of the Emperor
Barbarossa was. Truly, the younger generation
is accustomed to look upon what we call the em-
pire, together with what it has brought us, without
thinking what it has cost to arrive at this point.
And I believe we recognize the hand of Provi-
dence when we look upon that awe-inspiring
figure which stands yonder in its peaceful attitude
before the Rathaus, with its earnestness and its
silent tranquillity of old age. It was precisely,
this man whom Providence sought out to ac-
complish this hardest of all tasks — the uniting of
the German races. For no one could resist the
charm of the personality, the simple modesty,
the winning lovableness of the lofty ruler; and
so it was permitted to him, surrounded by his
powerful paladins who were devoted to him and
who worked with him, to smooth the way and
reconcile the differences; while he kept ever before
his eyes the goal, the union of the Fatherland.
During a long time of peace, in quiet work his
thoughts ripened and the plans of the already
gray-haired man were ready when the mighty
task came to him of once more reviving the
empire. I hope that the youth of Hamburg, when
they pass this monument, will never forget the
229
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [JUNE
time of preparation through which this noble ruler
lived.
With justice you speak of the time of Em-
peror William as great and powerful — powerful
in its impulses, mighty in its flaming enthusiasm.
Gentlemen, I think that our time is also great.
The tasks which were assigned to the great Em-
peror have been accomplished; yet when things
for a while seem dark and the tasks which are
assigned us seem too hard we must not forget
what that noble ruler endured. Let us not
forget that he lived through and remembered
Jena and Tilsit, and that, nevertheless, he never
despaired of the future of the Fatherland. From
Tilsit we travelled to Versailles !
And even so is it destined to be in the future;
there remain tasks for our time also. The great
Emperor with his great aides has laid the basis,
the corner-stone of the building; it is for us to
build upon it ! Therefore it is my opinion and
firm conviction that a great future awaits us also,
if we are but determined to make it so. Tasks are
assigned to us, and, whether they are light or
heavy, we must face them as well as we are able
and enlist all our strength. Then we shall be
able to accomplish them and I am convinced that
now as then the German Empire and the German
people will never lack the right sort of men.
230
i9o3] THE FUTURE OF GERMANY
For this reason I turn to-day to that place
where formerly from the depths of my heart I
issued an earnest appeal to the German people;
and I repeat again to-day: "May it remain true
to its ideals and to itself!" Then, as the block of
granite yonder bears the great Emperor, so will
the German people, true to their traditions, bear
upon their hearts and discharge with their strength
the new tasks and undertakings which come to
them. May they enter with decision upon the
work which Heaven assigns them without asking
whether it be easy or difficult, without worrying
as to how they shall accomplish it, provided only
they are going forward!
Raise your eyes ! Lift up your heads ! Look to
the heights, bend your knee before the Great Ally,
who has never forsaken the Germans, and who,
if he has at times allowed them to be sorely tried
and discouraged, has again raised them from the
dust. Put your hand on your heart, direct your
gaze into the distance, and from time to time give
a backward glance for memory to the old Em-
peror and his time, and I am convinced that,
as Hamburg is progressing in the world, so will
our Fatherland progress along the road of en-
lightenment, the road of improvement, the road
of practical Christianity: a blessing for mankind,
a bulwark of peace, the wonder of all countries !
231
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [MARCH
I give this as my firm hope and conviction, and
to this wish I empty my glass: Long life to the
city of Hamburg ! — Hurrah ! Hurrah ! Hurrah !
THE REASONS FOR JAPAN'S VICTORY
MARCH 9, 1905
It will have been noted that the Emperor
usually addresses his recruits in very simple
language. On the occasion of administering the
oath to the naval recruits at Wilhelmshaven, he
was concerned about explaining to them the
reasons for the Japanese victory, for he had
repeatedly told them that only a good Christian
can be a good soldier.
The speech was reported through a letter of
one of the recruits.
The Emperor spoke, among other things, of the
heroic deeds of the Japanese and explained that
they had sprung from the Japanese love of coun-
try and children, which had begotten a splendid
manliness in the army and navy. He said that
we must not conclude, however, from the Japa-
nese victories — the victories of a heathen over a
Christian people — that Buddha was superior to
our Lord Christ. If Russia was beaten, it was
due for the most part, according to his opinion,
to the fact that Christianity in Russia was in a
pretty bad way; and then, too, there were many
232
i9os] THE SALT OF THE EARTH
Christian virtues among the Japanese. A good
Christian is synonymous with a good soldier!
But Christianity is poorly off among the Ger-
mans also, and he — the Emperor — doubted
whether we Germans in case of a war would have
any special right to pray God for victory, to wrest
it from Him in prayer as Jacob did in his struggle
with the angel. The Japanese were the scourge
of God just as once Attila and Napoleon were.
And so we must take care lest God should have
to chastise us with such a scourge, etc. The Em-
peror spoke very earnestly but very impressively
and simply, so that he could be understood by
every one.
THE SALT OF THE EARTH
BREMEN, MARCH 22, 1905
The following address was delivered at the
Rathaus in Bremen on the occasion of the dedica-
tion of the monument to Emperor Frederick III.
The Emperor here presents his views on the mis-
sion of Germany in much the same spirit in which
it is expounded in a number of his addresses of
this time. He has become increasingly conscious
of her "manifest destiny" in the decade which
had passed after the celebrations of the twenty-
fifth anniversary of the Franco-Prussian War.
Germany had entered upon a period of great pros-
perity and had begun to possess the sense of latent
233
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [MARCH
power. The Emperor gives us here the purely
historical reasons which have led him to refrain
from pretensions to world-dominion. It is signifi-
cant that his next address will be delivered at
Morocco. The question naturally arises, what
hopes or aspirations were in the minds of the audi-
ence before whom the Emperor made this gran
rifiuto. It was in a time of insistent agitation by
the Navy League and the Colonial patty.
MY HONORED BURGOMASTER:
Will you allow me first, with a heart deeply
moved, to perform the duty of a son and thank
you sincerely for having transmitted to me the
wish of your countrymen that I should participate
in this festive day and be present at the unveiling
of the unique and splendid statue which the free
Hanseatic city of Bremen has erected to my
father?
I can assure you that it stirred me deeply to-day
as my eye wandered over the masses of people
to think that the former Prussian Crown Prince,
subsequently the first Crown Prince of the Ger-
man Empire, and, finally, second Hohenzollern Em-
peror, should be feted in a free German city just
as though this were his home. It is a proof that
his figure, as well as that of his great and illustrious
father, has become a common possession of the
entire German people.
234
1905] THE SALT OF THE EARTH
I sincerely thank the city of Bremen that it has
honored my father and his memory in such a
magnificent manner. You have created a work of
art, the like of which is not often seen in German
lands. And I am convinced that in later genera-
tions his powerful personality, which will have
become surrounded by the glamour of legend, will
through this statue be brought nearer to the
hearts of the people. And I am sure that the
generations of Bremen which are to follow, from
father to son, will never forget the second Em-
peror, whose noble Siegfried figure led the German
army to victory and whom we have to thank for
our unity.
And so, now, beautiful statues of both my
father and my grandfather stand in this loyal
German city and furnish mile-stones for the his-
tory of our Fatherland as well as for the city of
Bremen.
Truly, the historical retrospect which you have
been good enough to present us shows mag-
nificently the leadership of God and the grace
which Providence has bestowed upon our people
and our country. The portion of time which is
represented by both of these two noble leaders
who stand here in bronze has, like a foundation-
stone, been firmly laid in history. It remains for
later times and their generations to build upon
235
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [MARCH
the foundation which these great rulers have set
down.
You have had the goodness to express the
thoughts which stirred you upon a former occasion
in this same place. They correspond entirely to
what I myself thought at that time. When, as a
lad, I stood before the model of the Brommy* ship,
I bitterly felt the disgrace which our fleet and our
flag had been forced to suffer. And perhaps, since
on my mother's side a bit of sea blood flowed into
my veins, this was the thing which was to give me
my cue for the manner in which I would envisage
the tasks which henceforth were to confront the
empire.
I swore to the colors when I came to the throne,
after the mighty time of my grandfather, that, so
far as in me lay, the bayonet and cannon would
have to rest, but that bayonet and cannon, how-
ever, would have to be kept sharp and effective
in order that jealousy and envy from without
should not disturb us in the development of our
garden and our beautiful house. I have made a
vow, as a result of what I have learned from
* Bromme (called also Brommy) was a German seaman who served
in the Greek navy and who was later placed in charge of the Naval
Commission by the German National Assembly in 1848. He or-
ganized the first modern German fleet and as admiral drove off the
three Danish ships blockading the Weser. This navy was considered
merely a passing necessity, and in 1853 Bromme was retired, after
the little fleet had been sold at auction.
236
i9os) THE SALT OF THE EARTH
history, never to strive for an empty world-
dominion. For what has become of the so-called
world-empires ? Alexander the Great, Napo-
leon I — all the great warriors — have swum in
blood and have left subjugated peoples behind
them who at the first opportunity have risen up
again and brought the empire to ruin.
The world-empire of which I have dreamed
shall consist in this, that the newly created Ger-
man Empire shall first of all enjoy on all sides the
most absolute confidence as a quiet, honorable,
and peaceful neighbor; and that, if in the future
they shall read in history of a German world-
empire or of a Hohenzollern world-ruler, it shall
not be founded upon acquisitions won with the
sword but upon the mutual trust of the nations
who are striving for the same goals. To express
it briefly, as a great poet has said: "Limited out-
wardly, but with no limits upon inward develop-
ment."
You have mentioned the ships which here hang
memorially from the ceiling of this beautiful old
hall. The time in which I grew up was, in spite
of the great war, not a great and glorious one for
the seafaring part of our nation. I, too, have here
drawn the logical conclusions from what my an-
cestors have done. In a military way much had
been done within, as was necessary; now the
23?
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [MARCH
equipment of the navy had to be brought for-
ward.
I thank God that I do not have to make a
desperate appeal here in this town hall as I once
did in Hamburg.* The fleet is built and is on the
seas; we have material for crews. The eagerness
and the spirit are the same as those which filled
the officers of the Prussian army at Hohenfried-
berg, at Koniggratz, and at Sedan; and every Ger-
man war-ship which leaves the slips is one more
guarantee for peace on land. We are correspond-
ingly more powerful as allies, and our opponents
will be correspondingly less willing to offer us
any aggression.
To-day, as I scanned the citizens of Bremen,
I saw the old and the young standing next each
other — the old with their medals and their crosses,
comrades in battle and in deeds under both the
great leaders whose statues stand in this city,
and before them stand the youth who shall grow
up to the new empire and its tasks.
What will these tasks be ? To develop steadily;
to shun strife, hate, division, and jealousy; to
rejoice in the German Fatherland as it is and not
to strive after the impossible; to hold fast to the
* The appeal referred to is the speech delivered at Hamburg on
October 18, 1899, with its famous "Bitterly do we need a powerful
fleet."
238
i9os] THE SALT OF THE EARTH
conviction that our God would never have taken
such great pains with our German Fatherland and
its people if he had not been preparing us for some-
thing still greater.
We are the salt of the earth, but we must also
be worthy to be so. Therefore must our youth
learn to give up and deny themselves what is not
good for them, to put far from them the things
which have slipped in from foreign peoples, and to
preserve their morals, good conduct, reverence, and
religion. Then some day may we write over the
German people the motto on the helmet of the
1st Regiment of my guard: "Semper tails" —
"Ever the Same." Then we shall be looked upon
from all sides with respect and in a measure with
love as a safe and trustworthy people and can
stand with our hand on our sword-hilt and with
our shield grounded before us and say: " Tamen,
come what will."
I am sure that my words will fall upon good
ground here in Bremen. Earnestly I hope that
the golden peace which up to the present with
God's help we have maintained we may preserve
still further and that under this peace Bremen
may grow green, may bloom, and prosper. That
is my innermost wish. Long life to Bremen —
Hurrah ! Hurrah ! Hurrah !
239
VI
ON THE EVE OF MOROCCO
MARCH 31, 1905— NOVEMBER 17, 1906
THE MOROCCO QUESTION
TANGIER, MARCH 31, 1905
On the 8th of April, 1904, an entente which had
settled all outstanding questions between France
and Great Britain and gave to Great Britain a
free hand in Egypt and to France a free hand in
Morocco was formally signed in London. The
German Government officially declared that the
settlement between France and Great Britain
concerned only these two countries; but the Pan-
German Society, the Colonial Society, and the
Navy League began so insistent an agitation that
the government changed its attitude and the Em-
peror here declares in no uncertain terms that
what Germany undertakes in Morocco will be
done exclusively with the "sovereign Sultan."
Germany was evidently picking a quarrel with
France over Morocco, with or without warrant,
as the case may be, and was trying to ascertain,
it is generally believed, the closeness of the rela-
tionship between France and Great Britain. The
large commercial interests of which the Emperor
240
THE MOROCCO QUESTION
speaks were fairly negligible; though he doubtless
had the right to protect it, Germany's yearly trade
there did not amount to as much as that of an
ordinary department store or of a fairly success-
ful merchant. For the previous eight years it
averaged less than half a million dollars annually.
Her course here has usually been regarded as un-
necessarily belligerent.
True to his policy of personal diplomacy, the
Emperor suddenly appeared at Tangier and while
there made his speech to the German colony.
The whole question was taken up at the con-
ference of Algeciras in 1906. Although the policy
of "the open door," which protected Germany's
commercial interests was guaranteed, the very
general storm of protest in Germany, especially
on the part of the war party and Navy League,
showed that she had entered the contest with
more serious intentions. World policy by ag-
gressive interference had already been initiated
when, in the Spanish-American War, the German
Admiral Diedrichs started to hamper the opera-
tions of the American fleet at Manila. Morocco
was looked upon by some, Doctor Liman, for in-
stance, as a second defeat. In the Algeciras con-
ference Italy sided with France and England.
Italy had been continuing as a member of the
Triple Alliance partly through fear that the
French would annex Tripoli, which Italy desired.
England and France had now privately agreed to
give Italy a free hand. She sided with them and
it was evident that her vital interests in the Triple
Alliance had been considerably lessened. As
241
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [SEPT.
England and Russia were also settling all their
Eastern points of difference, Germany began to be
conscious of her isolation, which had been largely
a result of her attitude and unfortunate diplomacy.
I am pleased to make the acquaintance of the
pioneers of Germany in Morocco and to be able
to tell them that they have done their duty.
Germany has great commercial interests here.
I shall advance and protect our commerce, which
shows a satisfying increase, and for that reason
shall insist upon equal rights with all powers,
which is only possible through the sovereignty
of the Sultan and the independence of the country.
For Germany both of these must be unquestioned,
and I am, therefore, ready to intervene for them
at all times.
I hope that my visit in Tangier declares this
plainly and emphatically and that it will call forth
the conviction that what Germany undertakes in
Morocco will be negotiated exclusively with the
sovereign Sultan.
THE GREAT ALLY
SEPTEMBER 8, 1906
On this date the Emperor and his four sons
dedicated a monument to Frederick the Great
on the site of his famous bivouac at Bunzelwitz.
242
i9o6] THE GREAT ALLY
In the evening he addressed a banquet in Breslau,
in which he took up especially the services of the
Silesians to the crown. He particularly recalls
the support they gave Frederick William III in
1813, at the lowest ebb of that King's fortunes.
Divisions of patriotic volunteers, "free corps,"
were organized in the province, who, not being
Prussians, could not serve in the Prussian line.
The best known of these was that of Liitzow, to
which the poet Theodor Korner belonged. It is
from one of his most famous war-songs that the
quotation in the Emperor's speech is taken. The
manner in which he speaks of the coronation of
his grandfather "by the will of Heaven" and with
no mention of the Constitution, is to be found in
several of his speeches, notably the address at
Konigsberg (August 25, 1910). Most of these
speeches were made in his hereditary provinces,
Prussia, Silesia, and Brandenburg, and aroused
considerable protest in other parts of Germany.
MY DEAR PRESIDENT:
With a heart deeply moved, I take the op-
portunity to-day to speak as sovereign Duke of
Silesia to my Silesians, for the impressions which
have been showered upon me during the short
time that I have been among you are of so power-
ful and compelling a nature that words fail me to
express them or to find the proper form for the
thanks which I would like to communicate to my
people of Silesia. I do not refer only to yesterday's
243
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [SEPT.
demonstrations, which surpassed, if that were
possible, the jubilations on the day of my entrance.
And I do not mean only those on the part of the
old soldiers in black uniforms with their military
decorations on their breasts, who can say, "We
have been present at the time when history was
made," and who dare pride themselves on having
been fellows in arms of the great Emperor and his
noble son, my father, whose heart, as is known to
all of you, beat high for Silesia, but I mean to-
day, on my journey through the green Silesian
country to Bunzelwitz, Schweidnitz, and Rogau
and back — everywhere I have found the same
warmth, the same glowing, burning enthusiasm.
It is the old Silesian loyalty which breaks forth and
which proves the appreciation on the part of the
people for what the house of Hohenzollern has
done for them. This loyalty is rooted in ground
specially consecrated by history. For who will
deny that the province of Silesia, almost more
than any other, stands in closest union with the
history of our Fatherland and of our house ? And,
especially, how could any one speak of the develop-
ment of Silesia without first thinking of the one
powerful figure of whom the grenadiers sang from
the Rhine to the Oder: "Fredericus Rex, our King
and leader"? Wherever we look over the plains
of Silesia rise the memories of him, of the in-
244
i9o6] THE GREAT ALLY
comparable battles through which he made Prus-
sia a world-power, and also of the splendid work
of peace in which he sought to raise and strengthen
the sorely oppressed country. And again in later
times it was precisely to Silesia that it was reserved
to send a new ray of hope to that sorely tried
Hohenzollern King, Frederick William III, when
he encountered the ardent enthusiasm of the first
volunteers in Breslau, when the first raising of
troops took place here, and when the "wild, dash-
ing Liitzow hunters" started in their career against
the enemy at the Zobten. And so it has been ever
since. The sons of Silesia have fought whenever
it was a question of coming forward and sacrificing
their blood for the Fatherland. And so it may be
very well said that the history of our house is in-
dissolubly bound up with that of Silesia, one of
her most beautiful provinces. And when we glance
back over this great history we can characterize it
with the phrase which my great departed grand-
father used when, after fierce conflicts, through
the will of Heaven the imperial crown was set
upon his brow: "God was with us, and His be
the honor!" And when I stop to think how the
flags of the veterans passed me with proud bearing
I believe that we can apply this to the present
and thank God that He has disposed everything
for the good and profit of this province and of our
245
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [SEPT.
house; above all, for the fact that it has been
granted us to carry out our work in peace. But
if God was with us we ought earnestly to ask the
question whether we were worthy of His help.
Has every one among us also done his part by offer-
ing up his thought, his health, and strength to carry
on and develop the legacy which was bequeathed
to us by the past ? If every one with his hand
upon his heart asks himself this question sincerely,
many a man will find it difficult to answer. And
then, gentlemen, let us draw a lesson from the
personality of the great King and decide where it
was that we have failed in the work, where we
have allowed our spirits to flag, and where dark
thoughts and fears have bewildered our minds.
Away with them ! And just as the great King was
never left in the lurch by the old Ally, so our
Fatherland and this beautiful province will always
be near His heart. And so out of the beautiful
circle of memories and of golden loyalty which I
have Here encountered, let us coin a new vow:
from this time on, through offering up our strength
of soul and body, we will devote ourselves to the
task of urging our country forward, of working for
our people; and every one, according to his posi-
tion, whether high or low, will do this; and the
various creeds will unite to check unbelief; and
above all things, for the future, we shall keep our
246
i9o6] OPTIMISM AND LITERATURE
vision clear and never despair of ourselves or of our
people. The world belongs to the living, and the
living are right. I cannot endure pessimists, and
whoever does not take part in the work let him
depart and, if he likes, seek out a better country.
But I expect from my Silesians that they to-day
will unite in the decision to be ever mindful of
their great aims and examples, that they will
follow their Duke, especially in his work of peace
for his people. In this hope, I empty my glass to
the health of the province of Silesia and of all
faithful Silesians.
OPTIMISM AND LITERATURE
MUNICH, NOVEMBER 12, 1906
One of the men of letters whom the Emperor
has been particularly delighted to honor and in
whom he sees one of the glories of German litera-
ture is Doctor Ludwig Ganghofer, who is certainly
not more than an able writer of the second rank.
After a performance in the Hoftheater in Munich
the Emperor expressed the desire to see him, and
the following conversation took place which was
reported in a confusing combination of direct and
indirect quotation.
The Emperor said that he had recently read the
"Hohen Schein" and spoke at some length about
247
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [Nov.
it, going over the content and thought of the book.
From the way in which he spoke about it one
could see how intensely he was occupied with one
thing in particular.
What pleased him especially in the book was
the optimistic tone which pervaded it, the preach-
ing which stimulated belief in life, and the manner
of accepting the misfortunes of existence, as well
as the trust in the future and trust in humanity.
"This," said the Emperor, "makes such an im-
pression upon me because I am an optimist through
and through and will allow nothing to prevent me
from remaining one to the end of my days." He
spoke of himself as a man full of his work and one
who believed in his tasks. He said further: "I
will go forward. I would greatly rejoice if men
would understand me and would support me in
my desires." In this connection he spoke of the
difficulty every one encountered in his work on ac-
count of distrust. He again recalled a passage
from Ganghofer's "Schweigen im Walde" which
had also especially appealed to him because it
had expressed his own point of view concerning
life. The passage runs: "He who distrusts, com-
mits a wrong against another and harms himself.
It is our duty to believe that every man is good so
long as he does not give proof to the contrary."
"On this basis," said the Emperor, "I have always
248
1906] OPTIMISM AND LITERATURE
accepted every man with whom I had anything to
do. One may sometimes meet with unpleasant ex-
periences, but on that account he dare not give up.
One must always go on again with new trust in
humanity and in life."
The Emperor then directed the conversation to
a tablet which he had had made and which con-
tained, besides the above-mentioned quotation,
certain aphorisms of a like tenor from Ganghofer's
novels.
These quotations appealed to him so strongly
because they expressed entirely his attitude toward
life. With a good bit of optimism and a bright
and trustful outlook a man will go much further,
not only in his own personal life but in his vocation
also, than he will if he looks upon all things with
a pessimistic eye; and even in politics the case
is the same. The German people certainly have a
future, and there is one word, " Reichsverdrossen-
heit" [sullenness toward imperial destiny], which
always offends him as often as he hears it. "What
have we to do with sullenness ? Rather work
and look forward. I work — yes, not unwillingly —
and I believe that I progress."
In connection with this word, the Emperor de-
scribed the way in which he worked every day
and told how the difficulty of the many duties
and tasks which stormed in upon him often made
249
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [Nov.
him very weary. It was at such times that the
need overcame him to get out of harness and see
another part of the world, to become acquainted
with other men who stimulated him again. Thus,
his journeys to the north always invigorated him
both mentally and physically.
The Emperor described earnestly and vividly
how such a journey gradually rested and refreshed
him. In the first days there was of course an
abundance «of work. Telegrams and letters came
even to the boat, and he and those about him could
not leave work for long. Then it became gradually
more restful and solitary until eventually he found
complete rest and could give himself up to the
glories of nature. He then gave lively descrip-
tions of his journeys, of the special beauties of the
fjords, and of his impression of the midnight sun.
He spoke especially of his pleasure at the sim-
plicity and the cordiality of the people, who re-
sponded to him so naturally. Everything that
oppressed him was cast aside for a few weeks —
and yet the pleasures which he received were be-
grudged him by many people. He knew that he
had always been called the "travelling Emperor,"
but he had always taken it lightly and had not
allowed his pleasure to be spoiled by it. We dis-
cover friends in travelling, even in our own home.
He believed that the feeling of interdependence
250
i9o6) OPTIMISM AND LITERATURE
was strengthened in that way and added that there
were many Germans who did not know how beau-
tiful their own land was and how much there was
to be seen in it. He always rejoiced when he had
learned to know a new portion of Germany. The
south especially seemed to him beautiful, and he
was very much drawn to it by the manner of life
there. He always remembered, he said, with
particular pleasure a journey which he had made
many years before to Berchtesgaden and the
beautiful days which he had been allowed to
spend in the hills behind it with his uncle, the Duke
of Coburg. If only travelling were not accom-
panied by so many inconveniences ! It was always
necessary to take along so many paraphernalia.
Often he longed to seat himself in an automobile
and go whizzing off for a few days, to return satis-
fied and ready to work again. And such refresh-
ment was necessary in a serious calling like his
own — doubly necessary because he had to fight so
much misunderstanding; it was a thankless situa-
tion, because no one ever gave him credit for
being independent. If he succeeded in anything,
then all the world asked: "Who advised him?"
If he was unsuccessful, then they said: "He did not
understand it." "What in the cases of other
princes is accepted as self-evident becomes in mine
a matter of debate. And, nevertheless, the one
251
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [Nov.
answer is: 'Because I wish the good of the German
Empire and of the German people/
"Many times also I meet with pleasant experi-
ences— and most often on these very journeys
which are made such a reproach to me." So the
days in Munich would remain an untroubled joy
to him which he would never forget. The warmth
and heartiness in the behavior of the population
as well as the beautiful picture, gay with color, of
the city in its artistic decorations had completely
charmed him.
The conversation then turned upon several
questions of literature and politics. The Em-
peror also related some anecdotes concerning his
own family, and here the intimacy with which he
spoke was particularly agreeable. He said merely,
"my wife" and "my Buben" [boys]. In a partic-
ularly sincere manner the Emperor spoke of our
regents, whose energy and self-sacrifice in such
trying days he lauded, and expressed the wish that
the Great Prince might preserve us all for a long
time to come.
252
J9o6] LABOR LEGISLATION
TWENTY-FIVE YEARS OF LABOR
LEGISLATION
NOVEMBER 17, 1906
The policy of introducing legislation in the in-
terest of the laboring classes may be said to have
been inaugurated by Emperor William I in 1881.
If one of its aims was to alleviate the condition of
this class and to promote the welfare of Germany
generally, another and perhaps its most important
aim in Bismarck's eyes was to stem the growth of
the Social Democratic party and bring about a
greater sense of solidarity within the empire. In
this latter aim of "taking the wind out of the
sails" of the Social Democratic party it had not
proved successful at the time of the accession of
William II. He began his reign with the idea of
making still further concessions and on this point
broke with Bismarck. When these again failed
to conciliate the Social Democrats, he took mea-
sures to legislate against them. He declared, as we
have seen, on one occasion: "For me, every
Social Democrat is synonymous with enemy of
the nation and of the Fatherland." (May 14, 1889.)
The fact that the party has continued to increase
has always been a thorn in his side, and his attitude
has been more or less contradictory with regard
to the working classes; so that occasionally, as here,
he seems to attempt to threaten and conciliate
at the same time.
Twenty-five years ago to-day the late Emperor
and King, William the Great, made his memorable
253
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [Nov.
announcement, and I welcome the opportunity of
calling to mind with reverent gratitude this work
of peace through which my noble ancestor in-
augurated new lines of legislation for the protec-
tion of the economically weak. In obedience to
his lofty will, with the hearty approval of the al-
lied governments and the intelligent co-operation
of the Reichstag, we succeeded in so advancing
the difficult and multifarious development of the
state's labor legislation, in the domain of sick,
accident, and disability insurance, that those de-
serving help in their day of need now possess a
regularly constituted legal claim. Thanks to the
comprehensive acts of the realm and of the em-
ployers as well as to their own contributions, the
laborers have hereby attained a much higher de-
gree of security with regard to their means of
livelihood and the support of their families. But
the great and fruitful ideas in the imperial mes-
sage have not only inaugurated this condition in
our own Fatherland but have served as an epoch-
making example far beyond her borders. Un-
fortunately, through lasting opposition in the very
quarter which believes that it has a right to rep-
resent the interests of labor the fulfilment of
the highest aims of the imperial message is being
checked and delayed. Nevertheless, I believe
that a recognition of what has been done and a
254
i9o6] LABOR LEGISLATION
growing realization of the limits of the econo-
mically possible will in all circles of the German
people bring about its final triumph. Then the
hope of Emperor William that the laboring man's
insurance would be a lasting pledge of internal
peace for the Fatherland will have been fulfilled.
With this in mind, it is my firm will that legisla-
tion in the domain of social and political provisions
should not cease, but that it should be carried out
toward the fulfilling of the highest Christian duty
with regard to the protection and the welfare of
the weak and needy. But the task proposed by
the spirit of the imperial message and its lofty
framer cannot be carried out through merely legal
acts and provisions. I gladly recognize to-day
that in the German people there has never been a
lack of men and women who willingly and joyfully
gave up their strength in loving service for the
good of their neighbor; and to all of those who
devote themselves in unselfish sacrifice to the great
social work of our time I express my imperial
thanks.
I commission you to bring this decree to general
notice.
Issued to the Imperial Chancellor, Donau-
eschingen, November 17, 1906.
WILLIAM, I. R.
255
VII
THE CRISIS OF 1907
FEBRUARY 5, 1907 — OCTOBER 18, 1911
£
IMPERIALISM VERSUS SOCIAL DEMOCRACY
BERLIN, FEBRUARY 5, 1907
A number of scandals in army and colonial ad-
ministration had been exposed in 1906. It will be
remembered that for years back the Emperor had
been insisting on union between the various relig-
ious creeds. This was perhaps due in part to a
spirit of toleration, but to a larger extent it was
due to the fact that the Centre party (Catholic)
had for a number of years been in control. The
Reichstag of 1906 was dissolved, ostensibly over
the government's quarrel with the Centre party
over the comparatively paltry sum of $2,000,000
demanded for the Southwest African colony. In
reality the causes probably lay deeper. The late
Reichstag had voted an insufficient sum for the
navy and was beginning to object to the increasing
taxes on the necessities of life. The Navy League
was demanding a doubling of the German fleet.
The government seemed to wish to undertake a
256
190?! IMPERIALISM VERSUS DEMOCRACY
more rapid policy of expansion. Mr. Barker is
authority for the statement that leaders of the
imperialistic agitation had gone so far as to rec-
ommend that if the Reichstag did not vote the
credits necessary for doubling the fleet, a coup d'etat
should be effected by the government and that it
should levy the taxes and govern in case of neces-
sity against the will of the Reichstag or without
the Reichstag. The expansionist policy was
strongly advocated by the Colonial party and the
Navy League and was championed by the Chan-
cellor. As the Social Democrats opposed increases
in taxation, they were likewise now specially under
the ban of official disapproval. There are usually
about forty parties in the Reichstag. The issue
was, therefore, clearly drawn between a policy
of imperialism and a stronger insistence on world-
policy, on the one hand, and Social Democracy
and the opposition on the other. The Emperor
and the Chancellor, particularly the latter, threw
themselves vigorously into the campaign, and in
spite of the support of the Centre party the
Social Democrats lost thirty-six representatives
and their representation was reduced to forty-
three. Although the Social Democrats have to a
certain point supported the policy of commercial
expansion, their defeat here may be looked upon
as the unconditioned triumph of imperialism.
On the night of February 5, when it was an-
nounced that the Social Democrats had been de-
feated, a crowd gathered about the palace, and
when the Emperor returned at about midnight
from the meeting of the Electrical Society, where
257
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [FEB.
he had delivered an address, he stepped out on his
balcony and made the following speech to the
crowd :
GENTLEMEN:
With my whole heart I thank you for the
beautiful demonstration of homage which you
have shown me. It arises from the feeling that
you are proud to have done your duty toward the
Fatherland; in the phrase of our Chancellor, you
are able to ride, and you will ride down everything
that opposes us if all conditions and creeds stand
together in firm union. Do not allow this hour of
celebration to end like a passing wave of patriotic
enthusiasm, but stand firmly to the path on which
you have started. I close with the words of the
great poet Kleist in his "Prince von Homburg"
when old Kottwitz speaks to the Great Elector
somewhat as follows: "What do we care for the
rules according to which the enemy fights if he is
beaten in the fighting? We have now learned the
art of conquering him and are filled with the de-
sire to practise it further."'
The exact passage runs as follows, though the lines are separated
in the play and do not occur in this order:
"What, I pray you, do you care for the rule
According to which the enemy fights, if only
He goes down before you with all his flags ?
The rule that conquers him is the highest rule."
ACT V, SCENE 5.
258
J9o7] THE NECESSITY OF FAITH
THE NECESSITY OF FAITH
MUNSTER, AUGUST 31, 1907
The following address of a general character,
which represents the Emperor's faith in God and
in Germany, was delivered at a banquet in the
Westphalian Provincial Museum. It is somewhat
similar in its general attitude to the one delivered
about a month later at the unveiling of the na-
tional monument at Memel."
I wish to express to the representatives of the
province whom I have gathered about me to-day
my warmest thanks for the way in which I have
everywhere been received in this beautiful country
of Westphalia. I would also like to repeat to you
in the name of her Majesty, the Empress and
Queen, how disconsolate she is that it was un-
fortunately not possible for her to celebrate the
Westphalian days with you and to come into per-
sonal contact with the Westphalian people.
The province of Westphalia offers an attractive
picture of a state in which it has been proved pos-
sible to reconcile historical, religious, and industrial
differences through love and loyalty for a common
Fatherland. The province is made up of several
districts, of which many have for a long time be-
longed to the crown of Prussia, while many others
have been but recently acquired. They, however,
259
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [AUG.
vie with one another in their loyalty to our house.
As I make no difference between old and new
districts, so I also make no difference between the
adherents to the Catholic and the Protestant
creeds. Let them both stand upon the foundation
of Christianity and they are both bound to be true
citizens and obedient subjects. All the children of
my country stand equally near to my heart, which
is devoted to the Fatherland. In its industrial
relations the province also offers a highly edify-
ing example. It shows that the great branches
of industry do not need to harm each other and
that the welfare of the one works for the good of
the others also. The farmer diligently cultivates
his red Westphalian soil, holding fast to the tradi-
tions which have come down to him from ages
past; a sturdy character, with unyielding energy
and lofty purpose, of loyal nature, a firm founda-
tion for our state. Therefore, the protection of
agriculture lies especially near my thoughts.
Your citizen brings his cities ever nearer to per-
fection; there are works for the benefit of the
public — museums and collections, hospitals and
churches. And deep in your mountains lie hidden
the treasures which, mined by the diligent hands
of the brave mountain people, give to industry the
opportunity to develop itself — that industry, the
pride of the nation, wonderful in its progress,
260
1907] THE NECESSITY OF FAITH
the envy of all the world. May it be permitted
to gather together further treasures for our na-
tional wealth and to increase abroad the good
reputation of the thoroughness and excellence of
German work.
In this connection I am mindful also of those
laborers who, in these vast industrial undertakings,
tend the great blast-furnaces and of those who, far
from the daylight, accomplish their work with
steady hands in the leads of the mines. Considera-
tion for them, for their prosperity and their welfare
I have taken over as a precious heritage from my
late grandfather, and it is my wish and my will, in
the province of such social regulations, to hold
fast to the principles laid down in the memorable
message of Emperor William the Great.
The lovely picture of unity which the province
of Westphalia presents to the observer I would
gladly see made general over our entire Father-
land. I believe that for such a unity of all our
citizens, of all our conditions, only one means is
possible, and that is religion. Not, indeed, under-
stood in the sense of strict theological doctrine,
but in the broader sense, practical for daily life.
I must here go back to my own experience. In
the long period of my reign — it is now the twen-
tieth year since I came to the throne — I have
had to do with many men and I have had to en-
,6,
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [AUG.
dure much from them; many times unconsciously,
and unfortunately many times consciously, they
have hurt me grievously. And if at such moments
I have been in danger of losing my temper and
thoughts of revenge have arisen, I have asked
myself what were the means best fitted to temper
anger and increase moderation. The only one
which I have found is to say to myself: "All men
are like you, and, although they do you harm, they
bear a soul born in the realms of light above, to
which we all wish to return, and through their
souls they have a part of the Creator within them."
Whoever thinks in this way will judge his fellow
men mildly. If this idea of mutual forbearance
could only be spread among the German peo-
ple, then the first condition for a complete unity
would be established. This can only be accom-
plished if we tend toward one central ideal — the
person of our Redeemer, the Man who called us
brothers, who lived as an example for all of us—
the most personal of all personalities. He still wan-
ders among the people, and we are all conscious
of Him in our hearts. In looking up to Him our
people must find their union, and they must build
firmly upon His words, concerning which He Him-
self has said: "Heaven and earth shall pass away,
but My words shall not pass away." If they do
that, then they will succeed. To such co-operation
262
1907] THE NECESSITY OF FAITH
I should like to-day to invite especially the men
of Westphalia. For, as I have before explained,
in their province they have understood how to
present that charming spectacle of differences
reconciled. They will also understand me first
and best. In this spirit let old and new districts,
citizens, farmers, and laborers hold together and
unitedly work together through loyalty and love
for the Fatherland. Then the German people
will be the rock of granite upon which our Lord
God can build and complete his work of culture
in the world. Then will the words of the poet be
fulfilled when he says: "In contact with German
life, the world will grow well again." To whoso-
ever is ready to offer me his hand on this I shall be
most grateful and I will accept it joyfully, no
matter who or of what condition he may be. I
believed that I would be most quickly understood
by the Westphalians, and therefore I have turned
to them.
I now raise my glass with the wish that God's
blessing may rest upon the red Westphalian earth
and upon all its people, that I may be permitted
still longer to maintain peace in order that they
may follow their calling undisturbed. God bless
Westphalia ! The province of Westphalia — Hur-
rah ! Hurrah ! Hurrah !
263
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [Nov.
ENGLISH JOURNALISTS
LONDON, NOVEMBER 16, 1907
In November and December, 1907, the Emperor
paid a visit to England. On this occasion the
degree of Doctor of Civil Law was conferred upon
him by Oxford University. Ever since the Mo-
rocco incident, in 1905, the feeling between the two
countries had been somewhat strained and news-
papers on both sides of the channel had helped to
foment discontent. To a group of English jour-
nalists who had visited Germany during the sum-
mer the Emperor gave an audience and addressed
them as follows:
GENTLEMEN:
I greatly appreciate your greeting. It gives me
pleasure to think that your visit to Germany
during the past summer has been so fruitful and
that you are satisfied with the welcome accorded
you by my countrymen. The power which you
possess is great and extremely beneficial when it is
used as a means for strengthening the feeling of
friendship among the peoples. Your address
shows that this task lies near to your hearts. I
thank you, therefore, for your appearance here to-
day. I rejoice to have seen you and hope that you
will exert your influence to foster between our
two nations the friendly feelings which are so
necessary to the peace of Europe. We belong to
264
1907] ALSACE-LORRAINE
the same race and have the same religion. These
are bonds which should be strong enough to
preserve harmony and friendship between us.
ALSACE-LORRAINE
STRASBURG, AUGUST 30, 1908
The Emperor delivered the following address
at a banquet after the imperial manoeuvres in
Alsace-Lorraine. The general situation in Alsace-
Lorraine has been discussed in connection with
the address to the delegates of the Landesausschuss
on March 14, 1891.
I bid you, gentlemen, heartily welcome and
express to you the warmest thanks of the Empress
and myself for the beautiful reception through
which, here as in Metz, the people of Alsace-
Lorraine have given so telling an expression of
their love and loyalty. My heart also bids me
thank you once more for the restoration of the old
castle of Hohkonigsburg, especially the people of
Lorraine for their patriotic attitude and the dona-
tion of the charming Lorraine Room in the castle.
For more than thirty-seven years you have now
been able to follow your different callings in peace,
and beautiful Alsace-Lorraine, keeping pace with
the unexpected development of the German Em-
pire, has in this time blossomed forth most joy-
265
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [AUG.
ously. As inhabitants of this border-land, you
naturally have the greatest interest in the further
maintenance of peace, and I rejoice to be able to
express to you my innermost conviction that the
peace of Europe is in no danger. It rests upon too
firm a foundation to be easily disturbed through
instigations and slanders aroused in certain quar-
ters by jealousy and envy. A solid security of the
first rank is afforded by the consciences of the
princes and statesmen of Europe who know them-
selves responsible to God and feel for the life and
prosperity of the people intrusted to their charge.
On the other hand, it is the wish and will of the
people themselves to make themselves useful in
the further development of the magnificent ac-
quisitions of their progressive civilization and to
measure their strength in peaceful competition.
And, finally, peace will be secured and protected
also through our forces on water and on land-
through the German people in arms ! Proud of
the unequalled discipline and love of honor of her
armies, Germany is determined, without threaten-
ing others, to carry these to still greater heights
and so to expand as to further her own interests
without either favoring or doing harm to any one.
With God's help and under the protection of the
German eagle, you can therefore follow still further
your peaceful callings and garner the fruits of
266
i9o8] "DAILY TELEGRAPH" INTERVIEW
your industry. May the blessing of God rest
upon your work at all times ! Long life to the
German province Alsace-Lorraine !
THE "DAILY TELEGRAPH" INTERVIEW
OCTOBER 28, 1908
Perhaps the most startling incident in the Em-
peror's reign and the most extraordinary evidence
of what may be called his "personal diplomacy"
policy was brought out by the publication of an
interview in the Daily Telegraph of London.
German sympathies before and during the Boer
War had been strongly pro-Boer. On the third of
January, 1896, the Emperor had telegraphed to
President Kriiger: "I beg to express to you my
sincere congratulations that, without help from
foreign powers, you have succeeded with your own
people and by your own strength in driving out
the armed bands which attempted to disturb the
peace of your country and in re-establishing order
and in defending the independence of your people
from attacks from outside."
The German people had, therefore, assumed
that the Emperor shared their friendliness toward
the Boers and that the government was observing
a policy of neutrality at least. When they learned
that his General Staff had been called upon, and
that he had prepared a plan of campaign against
the Boers, a universal shout of protest was raised.
The publication of this interview, which was de-
signed to conciliate England, had a contrary effect
267
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [OCT.
upon Holland, and the feeling that their ruler was
held down by no sense of responsibility was borne
in forcibly upon the people. The matter was made
the subject of innumerable controversies, debates
in the Reichstag, and investigations. It was
originally announced that the interview had been
given to an English diplomat who had retired to
private life. It was discovered that such was not
the case. It had been granted to an English
journalist who had written certain flattering
articles about the Emperor. As for the text, it
was admitted that it was substantially authentic;
it had been shown to and had practically received
the vise of the German Foreign Office. The Em-
peror's Chancellor, however, had not seen the
interview and under the storm of criticism of-
fered his resignation. This the Emperor did not
accept, and the Chancellor attempted to defend
the Minister of Foreign Affairs. The Emperor
withdrew and for a time, like Achilles, pondered in
his tent. Even the Chancellor had to admit the
Emperor's indiscretion and to inform his sovereign
that it would be impossible to carry out any con-
sistent foreign policy if the Emperor did not ob-
serve a proper reserve in his public and private
utterances.
Any number of projects were presented in the
November debates of the Reichstag for changing
the Constitution, to bring about co-operation be-
tween the Reichstag and the Emperor in the ap-
pointment and dismissal of Chancellors and dec-
larations of war, and for introducing a law to
bring about ministerial responsibility. Nothing
268
igo8] "DAILY TELEGRAPH" INTERVIEW
came of these, however, and we shall see from the
Konigsberg speech (August 25, 1910) that the
chastening which the Emperor had received on this
occasion had no particularly lasting effect. Al-
though both the interview and the telegram are
undoubtedly authentic (the interview was pub-
lished in official government organs in Germany,
like the Norddeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung, and by
the Wolff Bureau), they are not included in any
official collection of the Emperor's utterances, and
Penzler, of course, does not print them with the
speeches. The interview as here given is taken
from the account of the London Times, of October
29, 1908.
The Emperor, who is stated to have spoken
with "impulsive and unusual frankness," began
by declaring that "Englishmen, in giving the rein
to suspicions unworthy of a great nation," were
"mad as March hares." "What more can I do,"
he asked, "than I have done? I declared with all
the emphasis at my command, in my speech at
Guildhall, that my heart is set upon peace and
that it is one of my dearest wishes to live on the
best of terms with England.
"My task is not of the easiest. The prevailing
sentiment among large sections of the middle and
lower classes of my own people is not friendly to
England. I am, therefore, so to speak, in a
minority in my own land, but it is a minority of
269
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [OCT.
the best elements, just as it is in England with
respect to Germany. That is another reason why
I resent your refusal to accept my pledged word
that I am the friend of England."
The writer reminded his Majesty that "not
England alone, but the whole of Europe, had
viewed with disapproval the recent action of Ger-
many in allowing the German consul to return
from Tangier to Fez." His Majesty replied,
"with a gesture of impatience," that German
subjects in Fez were "crying for help and pro-
tection."
"And why not send him ? Are those who charge
Germany with having stolen a march on the other
powers aware that the French consular represen-
tative had already been in Fez for several months
when Doctor Vassel set out ?"
The Emperor then reverted to "the subject
uppermost in his mind — his proved friendship for
England." It was commonly believed in England,
he said, that during the South African War Ger-
many had been consistently hostile to her. Ger-
man opinion, he admitted, was hostile — "bitterly
hostile"; but not so official Germany. In fact,
while other European peoples had received and
feted the Boer delegates who came to solicit Euro-
pean intervention, he alone had refused to receive
them at Berlin, "where the German people would
270
i9o8] "DAILY TELEGRAPH" INTERVIEW
have crowned them with flowers." His Majesty
continued :
"Again, when the struggle was at its height, the
German Government was invited by the govern-
ments of France and Russia to join with them in
calling upon England to put an end to the war.
The moment had come, they said, not only to save
the Boer republics, but also to humiliate England
to the dust. What was my -reply ? I said that so
far from Germany joining in any concerted Euro-
pean action to put pressure upon England and
bring about her downfall, Germany would always
keep aloof from politics that could bring her into
complications with a sea power like England. Pos-
terity will one day read the exact terms of the
telegram — now in the archives of Windsor Castle
—in which I informed the sovereign of England
of the answer I had returned to the powers which
then sought to compass her fall. Englishmen who
now insult me by doubting my word should know
what were my actions in the hour of their ad-
versity."
These were not the only proofs which his Maj-
esty had given of sympathy with the British cause:
"Just at the time of your Black Week, in the
December of 1899, when disasters followed one
another in rapid succession, I received a letter
from Queen Victoria, my revered grandmother,
271
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [Ocr.
written in sorrow and affliction, and bearing mani-
fest traces of the anxieties which were preying
upon her mind and health. I at once returned a
sympathetic reply. Nay, I did more. I bade one
of my officers procure for me as exact an account
as he could obtain of the number of combatants in
South Africa on both sides, and of the actual posi-
tion of the opposing forces. With the figures before
me, I worked out what I considered to be the best
plan of campaign under the circumstances, and sub-
mitted it to my General Staff for their criticism.
Then I despatched it to England, and that docu-
ment, likewise, is among the state papers at
Windsor Castle, awaiting the serenely impartial
verdict of history. And, as a matter of curious
coincidence, let me add that the plan which I
formulated ran very much on the same lines as
that which was actually adopted by Lord Roberts
and carried by him into successful operation."
In conclusion, his Majesty dwelt upon the im-
portance to Germany of a powerful fleet. Ger-
many must be able to protect her growing com-
merce and manifold interests "in even the most
distant seas." "Germany," he went on, "looks
ahead. She must be prepared for any eventuali-
ties in the far East. Who can foresee what may
take place in the Pacific in the days to come?"
Looking to the accomplished rise of Japan and the
272
i9o8] COUNT ZEPPELIN
possible national awakening of China, he urged
that "only those powers which have great navies
will be listened to with respect when the future of
the Pacific comes to be solved," and that even
England herself may welcome the existence of a
German fleet "when they speak together on the
same side in the great debates of the future."
THE EMPEROR AND COUNT ZEPPELIN
MANZELL, NOVEMBER 10, 1908
With Prince Fiirstenbergthe Emperor journeyed
from Donaueschingen to Manzell in order to be
present at a flight of the dirigible Z-i. Count Zep-
pelin received the Emperor and conducted him in a
motor-boat to the dirigible hangar. Prince Fiirs-
tenberg, Admiral von Miiller, and General von
Plessen ascended with the count. The Emperor
did not make the flight. After the landing of the
airship he bestowed upon Count Zeppelin the order
of the Black Eagle with the following words:
In my name and in the name of our entire Ger-
man people I heartily congratulate your Excel-
lency on this magnificent work which you have so
wonderfully displayed before me to-day. Our
Fatherland can be proud to possess such a son —
the greatest German of the twentieth century —
who through his invention has brought us to a new
273
THE GERMAN EMPEROR (Ju*E
point in the development of the human race. It is
not too much to say that we have to-day lived
through one of the greatest moments in the evolu-
tion'of human culture. I thank God, with all
Germans, that he has considered our people worthy
to name you one of us. Might it be permitted to
us all, as it has been to you, to be able to say with
pride in the evening of our life, that we had been
successful in serving our dear Fatherland so fruit-
fully! As a token of my admiring recognition,
which certainly all your guests gathered here share
with the entire German people, I bestow upon you
herewith my high Order of the Black Eagle.
[Then followed the investing by his Majesty and
the head marshal, Prince Fiirstenberg.] Now
allow me, my dear count, to bestow unofficially
upon you the accolade ! [Embraces him three
times.] His Excellency, Count Zeppelin, the Con-
queror of the Air — Hurrah !
The Emperor, as an enthusiastic yachtsman,
has made it a point to be present, as we have seen,
at nearly all of the Hamburg regattas. As he was
this year to visit the Czar in the furtherance of his
"personal diplomacy," he had already been forced
to decline their invitation; but finding it possible
274
1909] REGATTA AT HAMBURG
to attend at the last moment, he made all possible
speed to arrive at Hamburg, where his recently
constructed yacht Meteor was to make her
first start. The banquet, at which the Emperor
spoke, took place on board the Hamburg-American
Liner Deutschland.
YOUR MAGNIFICENCE:
I pray you accept my most cordial and heartfelt
thanks for this friendly greeting in the midst of
men so well known and sympathetic to me. It
was, indeed, a severe struggle of conscience for
me, placed between my duty and my pleasure, to
have to give up eventually the pleasure of being
the guest of Hamburg. But it goes without saying
that, as compared with the welfare of the realm,
personal wishes must be silent, and with a heavy
heart I decided, therefore, to send word that it
would not be possible for me to be your guest and
take part in the series of sports. Happily, how-
ever, things arranged themselves favorably. That
ship which you all know, delivered to me by
Vulcan, my yacht Hohenzollern, has again com-
peted with her ancient and renowned reputation.
We hurried and flew through the Baltic, and what
the yacht could not accomplish the railroad took
care of; and so it was possible for me to arrive in
time for the splendid arrangements for the Ham-
burg racing day and, while responding to the
275
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [JUNE
wishes of M. S.,* at the same time to enter again
that circle of men and women whom I prize so
highly. It is my duty on the present day to ex-
press my deepest gratitude to the city of Hamburg
for her warm and hearty reception, which seems to
increase from year to year, if that be possible.
I must also express my appreciation of the hospi-
tality extended to me in the house of your Mag-
nificence, and also for the beautiful boat which I
have received from the hands of a Hamburg
master of his craft. We have, therefore, at last
before us the proof for which I have been striving
for years — that, just as in the building of war-ships
and of liners, so too, in yacht construction, we
now stand upon our own feet. It is a worthy
vessel, built with German hands, out of German
materials, and manned from stem to stern by
German men. I hope that before the year is out
she will clip the waves and show herself to ad-
vantage in foreign ports. We follow sport here,
and not politics; but your Magnificence has been
good enough to touch upon points which now
deeply move all German hearts. I still hope that
the sense of collective responsibility will, in the
hearts of the representatives of our people, be
stronger than party feeling, for I assume that no
* Max Schinckel, president of the Racing Club, who had invited
the Emperor.
276
1909] REGATTA AT HAMBURG
one among you wishes to take upon his shoulders
the responsibility of thwarting a reform which is
absolutely necessary to the Fatherland's internal
and external welfare. [Bravo!] You have followed
with interest my journey to the Finnish coast,
where I was so warmly and hospitably received by
his Majesty, the Emperor of All the Russias, and
by his people. I am pleased to be in a position
to give you, as representatives of the commercial
and business world, the following interpretation of
the significance of that visit, since you are partic-
ularly interested in the peaceful shaping of the
future. His Majesty, the Emperor, and myself
have agreed that our meeting is to be looked upon
as an important pledge of peace. As monarchs
we consider ourselves responsible to God for the
weal and woe of our people, whom we wish to ad-
vance as far as possible along peaceful paths and
bring to fullest fruition. All peoples need peace
in order that under its protection they may devote
their undisturbed attention to the great cultural
problems of their economic and commercial de-
velopment. For this reason we shall strive as far
as lies in our power to work, with the help of God,
for the furtherance and maintenance of peace.
Naturally, in such a time, sport also can be de-
veloped to the fullest degree. I therefore empty
my glass to the hospitable city of Hamburg and
277
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [SEPT.
to my colleagues who are here assembled. Three
hurrahs for the city of Hamburg and the
Hamburg-American Line ! Hurrah ! Hurrah !
Hurrah !
REVIEW OF THE FOURTEENTH ARMY
CORPS
KARLSRUHE, SEPTEMBER n, 1909
The following address was delivered at Karls-
ruhe by the Emperor after his return from Austria
in 1909.
I extend to you my heartiest thanks for the
friendly words of welcome which in the name of the
citizens of Karlsruhe you have offered me. I have
so often stopped here at Karlsruhe that I am no
longer a stranger among you. With you I have
lived through joyful and sorrowful days. On the
present day, as you have said, I am here to inspect
this portion of our army. We Germans are a
people who rejoice in weapons and who lightly
and joyfully wear our uniforms, because we know
that it preserves the peace for us in which alone
our work can prosper. The review from which I
have just returned showed me the soldierly sons of
Baden, who, commanded by their distinguished
sovereign, have given me the deepest satisfaction.
As long as there are wars our army constitutes the
"rocher de bronze" upon which peace is based.
278
1909] EMPEROR BY DIVINE RIGHT
Our army serves to protect it and to maintain the
position in the world which is rightfully ours.
For this purpose also such strenuous days of effort
are devoted to its development. I am convinced
that, if need arises, with the help of God and under
His protection, it will give a fitting account of it-
self. I ask you, Herr Burgomaster, to be the in-
terpreter of ray thanks and of those of her Majesty,
the Empress, for the splendid and hearty reception
which the citizens of Karlsruhe have offered us.
EMPEROR BY DIVINE RIGHT
KONIGSBERG, AUGUST 25, 1910
It was at Konigsberg that the coronation of the
Emperor's grandfather took place, or rather, it was
here that William I crowned himself King of
Prussia. This express disclaimer of any responsi-
bility to the people may be found in several
speeches, but nowhere was the ex me mea nata
corona attitude more forcibly expressed than on
this occasion. Ordinarily there had been no cor-
onations in Prussia, as they were considered a
useless expense. As the predecessor of Emperor
William I had granted the people a constitution,
William I was evidently going to insist upon his
prerogative and did so by taking the crown unto
himself and making his famous statement. His
conduct and that of his predecessors has been
discussed in chapter I.
279
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [AUG.
My heart bids me express to the men of this
province the pleasure which her Majesty and I
feel on finding ourselves again within the borders
of this beautiful country and on having been re-
ceived with such enthusiasm by the citizens of
our loyal city and of the province. The sentiment
that finds expression now in Konigsberg proves
that it is an entirely unique bond which joins the
city and the province to our house. And, in fact,
if one looks back upon the history of the country
and of the house it becomes evident that great
and important portions are common to both. Here
it was that the Great Elector, by his own right,
created himself the sovereign Duke in Prussia;
here his son set the King's crown upon his head;
and the sovereign house of Brandenburg thus
became one of the European powers. Frederick
William I established here his authority as
"rocher de bronze"; under Frederick the Great,
the province shared in the joys and sorrows of his
reign. Then came the difficult time of trial. The
great soldier Emperor of the French resided here,
and after the power of Prussia had been shattered
he let both the city and the country feel his merci-
less hand. Here, however, the thoughts of raising
up and freeing the Fatherland were first put into
action. After Tauroggen,* when the old, unyield-
* In 1812 Prussia was ostensibly an ally of France. It was
due to General York, the commander of the Prussian Auxiliaries,
280
i9io] EMPEROR BY DIVINE RIGHT
ing York stirred up the people with his flaming
speeches, came the courageous decision of the
Prussian Diet to begin the work of liberation.
And here my grandfather, again, by his own right,
set the Prussian crown upon his head, once more
distinctly emphasizing the fact that it was ac-
corded him by the will of God alone and not by
parliament or by any assemblage of the people
or by popular vote, and that he thus looked upon
himself as the chosen instrument of Heaven and as
such performed his duties as regent and sovereign.
And adorned with this crown, forty years ago, he
rode forth to battle to win the Emperor's crown
also. Truly it was a long way to the time of the
famous telegram of the Emperor to my late grand-
mother: "What a change through the providence
of God!" This picture would, however, be in-
complete if I did not mention one figure which
especially in that year had occupied and gripped
anew the Prussians and, I may truly say, the
rather than to the Emperor's somewhat pusillanimous ancestor,
King Frederick William, that Prussia was liberated from the rule
of Napoleon. York commanded the Prussian troops who were to
serve as auxiliaries to Napoleon. On December 30, 1812, he, on
his own authority, concluded the convention of Tauroggen with the
Russians by which he broke with the French and declared his corps
neutral. The vacillating Prussian King, in spite of his country's
humiliation, was too solicitous about maintaining his throne to dare
venture upon any really decisive action. It was popular pressure
far more than the King's (or even the Queen's) initiative which
brought about the national uprising against foreign domination.
281
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [Auc.
whole German people. It is not possible to think
of the time of our collapse and our revival, without
remembering the figure of Queen Louise. The
people of the city of Konigsberg and the province
of East Prussia likewise saw this angel in human
form wandering among them and they were in-
fluenced by her and helped her to bear her
grievous ills. The noble Queen has been de-
scribed by many as going about among her sub-
jects, and our people hold her in grateful remem-
brance. But I think that one thing cannot be
sufficiently emphasized, and that is that in the
general shattering of our Fatherland, when even
the statesmen and leaders of the army gave up
everything as lost, the Queen was the only one who
never for one moment doubted for the future of
the Fatherland. Through her example, through
her letters, through her conversation, and through
the bringing up of her children she showed the
people the way in which to find themselves again.
She showed them the way back to religion and
with it to a recognition of and a confidence in
themselves. She encouraged our people in the
thought of rallying about the King again and of
winning back our freedom. And after she — a
noble martyr — had faded away and enthusiasm
flamed forth in the land again and old and young
seized their weapons to drive the intruder from
282
i9io] EMPEROR BY DIVINE RIGHT
the country, then, in spirit, she marched before
the colors and inspired the warriors with courage
that the great work could be accomplished. What
does the noble figure of Queen Louise teach us ?
It teaches us that, as she once imbued her sons
with the one thought of restoring the country's
honor and of defending the Fatherland, so we men
should cultivate all warlike virtues. As in the
time of the liberation young and old rallied to the
standard and gave everything they had — when
even women and girls did not spare their hair —
so we must ever be prepared and keep our equip-
ment intact, in view of the fact that the neighbor-
ing powers have made such astounding progress.
For only upon our preparedness does our peace
rest. And what shall our wives learn from the
Queen ? They will learn that the chief duty of
German women lies not in the province of meetings
and club life, not in reaching out after imaginary
rights so that they may do as men do, but in the
quiet work in the house and in the family. They
are to educate the younger generation, especially
in obedience and in respect toward their elders.
They are to make clear to their children and to
their children's children that it is not a question
to-day of living their own life at the expense of
others or of achieving their own aims at the ex-
pense of the Fatherland, but that they must
283
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [AUG.
singly and solely keep the Fatherland before their
eyes and singly and solely devote all their powers
and their thoughts to the good of the Fatherland.
That is the lesson which has been bequeathed to us
by this noble figure whom the Fatherland and the
citizens of this city have so beautifully described
on her simple monument as "the good genius of
the Prussian people." I cherish the hope that all
of the people of East Prussia who have gathered
here will understand me and that, as they return
again to their work and their occupation, they will
think of these things. We must co-operate for the
good of the Fatherland, no matter who and where
we are. And for me, too, the conduct of this van-
ished Queen will be an example, as it was for my
grandfather. Looking upon myself as the in-
strument of the Lord, without regard for daily
opinions and intentions, I go my way, which is
devoted solely and alone to the welfare and peace-
ful development of the Fatherland. But in this
work I need the co-operation of every one in the
country and to this co-operation I would like to
invite you also. I empty my glass in the hope
that this attitude may ever prevail in the province
of East Prussia and that it may lend me its as-
sistance in my labors. Long live the province of
East Prussia ! — Long may she prosper !
284
i9io] THE UNIVERSITY OF BERLIN
THE HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE
FOUNDING OF THE UNIVERSITY OF
BERLIN
BERLIN, OCTOBER n, 1910
The active interest which the Emperor has al-
ways taken in higher education in Germany is
evident in the following address. If he has given
it a powerful organization he has taken from it by
unconscious processes a large measure of its earlier
freedom. The professorial caste has always been
highly influential. During the Emperor's reign it
has been pressed into his service. Its present
system of organization and its connection with
the government puts the Emperor, or at least
the minister appointed by him, in a position to
distribute rewards. It is said that there are prac-
tically no Social Democrats teaching in higher
institutions of learning.
In the early years of its foundation the univer-
sity of Berlin rendered immense services to the
patriotic cause, especially through the work of
Fichte and Schleiermacher.
To my loyal Frederick-William University, I
offer greeting and congratulations on this its
hundredth anniversary !
From the day of its founding its fortunes have
been intimately bound up with those of the Prus-
sian-German Fatherland. When my ancestor
King Frederick William III called it into ex-
285
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [OCT.
istence a hundred years ago, he did so in order to
compensate the state with spiritual powers for
what she had lost in physical power. Thus the
University of Berlin was born out of the same
creative genius from which sprung the regenera-
tion of Prussia. And this spirit, which raised up
Prussian Germany and which lived in Fichte,
Schleiermacher, Savigny, and their friends, made
the university even in a few years the centre of
the spiritual and intellectual life of the Father-
land.
Truly, the University of Berlin was still far
from being a universitas litterarum in the sense of
William von Humboldt, but it has come ever
nearer and nearer to this ideal. A stronghold of
wisdom, she has won, far beyond the boundaries
of Prussia and Germany, an international signif-
icance. Through the exchange of teachers and
students these relations are visible externally.
Through the activity which it shares in common
with the rest of the universities of the country it
now forms the "general institute of learning"
which was intended at its founding.
In the meantime Humboldt's plan, which com-
prised besides the university the totality of in-
tellectual institutions, has not yet come to com-
plete realization, and these hours of consecration
seem to me especially fitted for preparing the way
286
j9io] THE UNIVERSITY OF BERLIN
for the completion of what appeared to him as
the goal.
His great educational plan demanded, besides
the academies of learning and the university, in-
dependent institutes for research as an integral
part of the general educational organization. The
founding of such institutions has not kept pace in
Prussia with the development of the universities,
and this defect, especially in our natural-science
equipment, is becoming more and more noticeable
as a result of the powerful forging ahead of the
sciences. We need institutions which reach out
beyond the limits of the universities, institutions
untrammelled by aims of instruction, yet in close
touch with the academy and the university, which
shall serve entirely for research.
To call such research institutes into being as
soon as possible seems to me a sacred duty of the
present, and I hold it as my task, as father of my
country, to bespeak the general interest for this
undertaking. This high aim requires great ex-
pense and can be accomplished only if all circles
interested in the progress of the sciences and in the
welfare of the Fatherland are ready to co-operate
in this significant task and to make sacrifices for
it. I should like, therefore, to-day to lay upon the
conscience and place before the eyes of every one
the new aim with the impressive warning: " Tua
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THE GERMAN EMPEROR [OCT.
res agitur." I hope and firmly trust that this work
will succeed; indeed, although the plans have
been disclosed only to a limited circle, from
various parts of the country I have already re-
ceived enthusiastic expressions of support and
very considerable means; between nine and ten
million [marks] have been placed at my disposal.
I feel the need of expressing here in this place my
warmest thanks to these unselfish donors.
But to secure lasting support for this under-
taking, it is my wish, under my protection and my
name, to found a society which shall set for itself
the task of erecting and maintaining institutions
for research. To this society I will gladly turn
over the money given me for that purpose. To
see to it that the institutions so founded shall not
lack help from the state will be the care of my
reign.*
So may to-day be not only an occasion of
jubilation for the University of Berlin, but may it
also signify a further step in the development of
German spiritual life!
And still one wish more I give to the university
. *On the Emperor's initiative, the Emperor William Society for the
furthering of the sciences was founded. It has already called into
being two scientific institutes, the Emperor William Institute for
Chemistry and the Emperor William Institute for Physical Chemistry
and Electrical Chemistry. They were dedicated by the Emperor,
October 23, 1912.
288
i9io] THE UNIVERSITY OF BERLIN
on its way into a new century. May she, in loyal
remembrance of the time of her founding, preserve
her Prussian-German character ! Learning is, in-
deed, the common property of the whole cultural
world, and her acquisitions to-day halt at no
boundaries. And yet — as every nation must
preserve its own manner of life if it would em-
phasize its independent existence and its value for
the whole — may the alma mater Berolinensis re-
main forever conscious that she is a German uni-
versity. As formerly, so may she be for all time
the seat of German manners and of German art !
And may every one who has the honor to investi-
gate, to teach, and to study within her walls de-
vote himself to his task, filled with the sense for
truth and for thoroughness with the earnestness
and the love for all work which Goethe prized as
the ornament of our people.
May the university further exercise her splendid
privilege of fostering true knowledge, which, as
Humboldt has so well said, comes from man's
inner being to be planted again in his inner being,
which creates and reshapes character. Let her
do this with that noble freedom which sets laws
unto itself and with that sense of exaltation which
comes from being the administrator of a trea-
sure which belongs to the whole of humanity.
"Communis hominum thesaurus situs est in magnis
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THE GERMAN EMPEROR [Ocr.
veritatibus"* But all truth is God's, and His
spirit rests upon every work which is grounded in
and strives toward the truth. May this spirit of
truth live also in you students; may it be found
in all the workings of my dear institution of learn-
ing! Then will her age be like her youth; she shall
remain a city upon the hill, to which the peoples
make pilgrimage, and an ornament and treasure
of the Fatherland.
THE EMPEROR IN BRUSSELS
OCTOBER 27, 1910
The Emperor and Empress, accompanied by the
Princess Victoria Luise, came to Brussels in order
to repay the visit which the King and Queen of
Belgium had made to Potsdam in May, 1910. At
the time of the visit of King Albert to Berlin the
Emperor did not take part in the festivities, as he
was suffering from a wound in the hand. The
honors were done by the Crown Prince. The Em-
peror's speech at the banquet at the Royal Palace
in Brussels calls for no comment.
The sincere words of friendship which your
Majesty, in the name of her Majesty, the Queen,
has just addressed to us, the Empress, my daugh-
ter, and me, as they sprang from warm hearts are
*This phrase is taken from Leibnitz's dedication of the Miscel-
lanea Berolinensia to King Frederick I.
290
THE EMPEROR IN BRUSSELS
welcomed by warm hearts. We remember with
greatest pleasure the visit which your Majesties
made to us last spring at Potsdam, and it was a
welcome duty of gratitude to return it as soon as
possible. The brilliant reception prepared for us
by your Majesties and the Belgian people in this
splendid capital has stirred us to the depths and
inspires us to heartier thanks in that we see in it
an expression of the close- bond which unites not
only our families but our peoples. It is with
friendliest sympathy that I and all Germany follow
the astounding results which have accrued to the
untiring energy of the Belgian people in all depart-
ments of trade and industry, the crowning display
of which we have seen in the brilliantly successful
World Exposition of this year. Belgian commerce
embraces the whole circle of the earth, and it is in
the peaceful work of culture that Germans and
Belgians everywhere meet. Their cultivation of
the more spiritual arts fills us with similar wonder
when we behold to what a conspicuous place the
poets and artists of Belgium have attained. May
the trustful and friendly feelings, to which in recent
times the relations of our governments bore such
pleasing evidence, be ever more closely preserved!
From your Majesty's reign may happiness and
blessing stream forth upon your house and upon
your people! It is with this wish, which comes
291
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [AUG.
from the very depths of my heart, that I propose
long life to your Majesties, the King and Queen
of the Belgians !
ALCOHOL AND THE SCHOOLS
CASSEL, AUGUST 19, 1911
The Emperor had been a student at the Fried-
richs Gymnasium in Cassel, and in 1875 his parents
had presented a flag to the school, which had now
to be replaced. In turning over the new flag to
the first man in the upper class, the Emperor took
occasion to give the students certain advice,
particularly with regard to the use of alcoholic
beverages. His attitude here marks a decided in-
novation in Germany, and if his address is com-
pared with the one delivered at Bonn (April 24,
1901), it will be seen how keenly aware he is of
the changing tendencies of the times.
I have decided to have a new flag woven for the
upper class instead of the one which my parents
bestowed when I was a student and which has
fallen a victim to time. The high school has asked
to have the old one back again; I will have it
mended so that it may be hung. I wish you to
remember, through it, that from your walls and
your studies a German Emperor has gone forth.
You have been busy with the studies of antiq-
uity. Do not lay too much stress upon the in-
292
i9i i] ALCOHOL AND THE SCHOOLS
cidents of their political life; for these relations
have so changed that they cannot be applied to
the present. You may well rejoice in many of
the great figures and characters of antiquity, but
Greek culture has one special trait which no other
nation has shown. The harmony which our own
time so sadly lacks, the Greek people showed in art,
in life, in their motions, in their dress, yes, even in
their systems of philosophy, and in the handling
of their problems. I especially advise you to read
what Chamberlain so trenchantly says on this
point in the Introduction to his " Foundations of
the Nineteenth Century."
And then, above all, strive to know the history
of your Fatherland. Learn to know the misery
of our people in the later years of the Middle Ages,
in the struggles between church and state and be-
tween the princes, in the strife of creeds during the
Thirty Years' War, when our people were trodden
down and brought into the service of foreign peo-
ples and dynasties with whom its interests had
nothing in common, until the final great downfall in
the time of Napoleon. The year 1870 first brought
us a united German state again. And if you enter
upon a political career, keep your eye upon the
field as a whole, and do not be disturbed by
parties. For these shove their interests before
those of the Fatherland and often draw a curtain
293
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [AUG.
between you and it. And if your political efforts
threaten to bewilder you, I advise you to withdraw
from them for a time — travel or go on a walking
tour — and let Nature have her way. Then when
you return you will have a clearer vision of the
real relations. If at any time the waves overwhelm
you, if the many phenomena of modern art and
literature bewilder and depress you, you can al-
ways turn to these ideals of antiquity as a means
of recovering your balance.
You are now ready to enter the university.
Therefore I would like to give you one more coun-
sel, which you must not take lightly, for it is
to me a very serious matter. Alcohol is a great
danger to our people, which, believe me, gives me
great anxiety. I have led the government now dur-
ing twenty-three years, and through the reports
which pass through my hands I know how many
crimes have been committed through alcohol.
Direct your gaze for a moment to a neighboring
land. The Americans are far ahead of us in this.
At their universities there they do great things,
as you may convince yourselves, since so many
students come to us from there. There, at the
reunions and at the great academic gatherings—
for instance, at the inauguration of a president-
no wine is seen on the whole table; and they get
along very well without it. If you enter the uni-
294
i9n] INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION
versity, steel your body through sport and through
fencing — a thing I would blame in no one — or
through rowing; but do not seek to make a record
for yourself by seeing who can gulp down the
greatest number of intoxicating drinks. Those
are customs which come to us from another time.
If you will take this attitude in the corps and
societies, I shall be grateful to you. We have other
tasks now than they had in former years and must
strengthen our knowledge of national economy
and finances. For it is worth Germany's while to
protect her position in the world, especially in the
world market. Therefore we must all hold fast
together.
I herewith turn the flag over to you. The
primus omnium, so I understand, will carry it and
will consider it an honor that he is the first one to
do so.
INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION
HAMBURG, AUGUST 27, 1911
After a religious service for the army, the Em-
peror and Empress visited the race-course at
Grossborstel. The relations between Germany and
England were becoming strained. At the time
of the uprising in Morocco on the twenty-first
of May, 1911, the French general Moinier took
measures, so he said, to protect Europeans in
Morocco and later besieged certain native cities.
295
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [AUG.
Germany, pursuing her world-policy, immediately
sent the gunboat Panther and later the cruiser
Berlin to the harbor of Agadir, and assumed a
threatening attitude, as she had done at Tangier
and as Admiral Diedrichs had done at Manila.
When the English made it plain that they would
support France, in accordance with the entente
reached in 1904, with regard to Morocco and
Egypt, feeling between the two nations became
tense and has remained so. The Emperor here,
while insisting upon the place in the sun, is at the
same time insisting on friendly competition. (See
the discussion of the speech of March 31, 1905.)
YOUR MAGNIFICENCE:
As often as her Majesty and I have the happy
opportunity of coming to Hamburg, it becomes our
duty to express our gratitude for the joyful recep-
tion and warm, heartfelt greeting which is ac-
corded us by all classes of the Hamburg citizens.
We have felt this again to-day and are constrained
to express anew our thanks for the welcome on the
part of the city. It is an index of how close the
relations have become between the citizens of
Hamburg and our house. As the highest com-
mander of my army, I would at the same time like
to express the joy I take in the fact that the Han-
seatic cities are now about to express again their
lively interest and their love and fondness for the
regiments which bear their names. To me it is a
296
i9n] INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION
proof that the relationship between the garrisons
and their cities is a deep and a close one, and that
they are proud to give some outward recognition
for the service which their sons have rendered in
the past and for the zeal which they showed in
their work of peace.
When, yesterday, the city of Hamburg enthu-
siastically greeted a portion of that army which
has so long maintained peace, she did a very
proper thing, for she understands that under the
protection of peace she can devote herself to her
labors. She is a world city and is situated on one
of the greatest rivers of our Fatherland, and the
breath of the sea and the wave beat of the tides
come to her wharves. Just as for the human body,
it is necessary for a nation to breathe in order
to live. The breath of the body politic gives
it life and strength. This breath is commerce.
Long ago the far-sighted Great Elector coined the
phrase: "Trade and navigation are the two main
pillars of my state."
In the twenty-three years since I mounted the
throne it has been a pleasure to me to follow the
progress which the Hanseatic cities and especially
Hamburg have achieved in their restless advance.
If I do everything that I can on my side to help
the Hanseatic cities, it is a duty that I gladly
discharge.
297
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [Auc.
But we need not wonder that the great increase
of trade in our newly united Fatherland has dis-
quieted many people in the world. I, nevertheless,
believe that in the domain of commerce com-
petition is healthful; it is necessary in order to
spur on states and nations to new achievement.
Indeed, it is the same thing with sports, as we have
seen to-day at the magnificent race-course, where
before the eyes of thousands of Hamburg's men
and so many of her beautiful women the officers
of my army rode in competition. There we see one
rider who in thought has already won first prize,
and on the right and on the left the next two work
up to him and it becomes an earnest contest be-
tween the three. Then he who up to this point
was at the head reaches for his whip, not in
order to strike his two rival riders but his own
horse, and he gives him the spur. In the same
way competition between nations can be fought
out in peace.
The powerfully developing German fleet of war,
which is distinguished by its cult of manliness and
discipline, has in the last decades been created by
the German people as a protection to trade and
navigation. It represents the will of the German
people to count for something upon the seas. This
growing young fleet is particularly proud of the
interest of Hamburg's citizens. If, then, I have
298
i9n] IMPERIAL GLORIES
correctly interpreted this expression of your en-
thusiasm, I believe that I dare assume that it is
your purpose to further strengthen our fleet in
order that we may be certain that no one will dare
challenge the "place in the sun" which should be
rightfully ours. I, therefore, raise my glass to the
health of the Hanseatic cities, and especially to
Hamburg, the greatest of them all ! The gentle-
men know what I think about Hamburg and how
I feel myself bound to her. And at the risk of re-
peating myself I say it again: the citizens of Ham-
burg and I understand each other ! The city of
Hamburg — Hurrah ! Hurrah ! Hurrah !
IMPERIAL GLORIES
Aix, OCTOBER 18, 1911
The special fondness of the Emperor for Aix is
indicated in the address of June 19, 1902. With
his assistance the cathedral had been restored in
this year, and a marble tablet had been set up
in his honor. If the Emperor's father was con-
cerned about restoring the splendor of the crown,
it is also true that he was by nature one of the
most liberal of the Hohenzollerns. The book
which Frederick I gave his son to read was in all
probability the magnificent volume, "Die Reichs-
kleinodien" by Doctor Fr. Bock, published in
Vienna in 1864.
299
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [OCT.
MY DEAR BURGOMASTER:
You have strengthened with your friendly words
of greeting the deep impression which I received
to-day as I found myself within your walls. I
thank you, the city magistrates and the citizens,
most heartily for this memorable day. I do not
see how the eightieth birthday of my father, who
was all too soon taken from us, could have been
celebrated more beautifully than through the
solemn unveiling of the magnificent equestrian
statue dedicated to his memory, which we owe to
the unselfish reverence of the citizens of Aix for
the favorite of the German people. I congratu-
late the city on this new monument, which will
serve as a bond and a joy for generations yet un-
born. It will indicate that, in spite of all the fric-
tions and political, social, and religious differences
of our time, a firm bond of love and trust, never-
theless, surrounds and binds together the prince
and the people.
If ever a prince deserved a monument here in
Aix it was my late father. From my childhood I
had occasion to observe with what interest he
devoted himself to the study of the German Em-
perors and of their traditions and how deeply he
was impressed by the power of their position and
the splendor of the old German imperial crown.
When as a lad I played in his room and had earned
300
i9n] IMPERIAL GLORIES
some reward through my good behavior, he al-
lowed me to turn the leaves of a magnificent
volume in which were represented the jewels,
insignia, robes, and weapons of the Emperors, and
finally, in brilliant colors, the crown itself. How
his eyes glistened when he told stories of the coro-
nations at Aix with their ceremonies and banquets,
of Charlemagne, of Barbarossa, and their great-
ness ! He always closed by saying: "That must
all come again, the power of the empire must rise,
and the glitter of the Emperor's crown must shine
forth once more. Barbarossa must be freed from
the tower again!" And it was granted him by
Providence to play a large part in the accomplish-
ment of this great work. On the bloody field of
battle he helped his honored father to win the
Emperor's crown and the unity of the German
people.
Educated by my father for the high position
which was one day to be mine, I grew up in wonder
and in reverence for the Emperor's crown, which,
with its burden and its responsibility, I have taken
over from him. It is a sacred jewel from which,
under God's protection, many blessings have gone
forth upon the Fatherland and which has proved
itself a shield for the national honor. All Ger-
mans can look up to it with trust, and it will show
itself the stronger the more it is surrounded and
301
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [OCT., 1911
supported by loyal affection and earnest co-
operation.
As my forefathers bestowed their special favor
upon Aix, so with me it has always been a pleasure
to be able to show her my interest and good wishes,
within whose walls here, in the extreme western
part of the empire, German culture and German
manners have found a place fortified by a famous
past and traditions many hundred years old. May
the city in the future also, with her salutary
springs and beautiful wooded hills, with her mani-
fold industries and her far-reaching commerce,
grow, flourish, and prosper! May the citizens,
through loyalty to God, King, and Fatherland,
pursue their work and enjoy the fruits of their in-
dustry in peace! The old imperial city and her
loyal citizens — Hurrah ! Hurrah ! Hurrah !
302
VIII
LAST MONTHS OF PEACE
FEBRUARY 7, 1912— JUNE 23, 1914
OPENING OF THE REICHSTAG
BERLIN, FEBRUARY 7, 1912
As a result of the Morocco crisis and the increas-
ing imminence of international difficulties, the war
footing of the German army had been increased
to 3,860,000 men. The navy had been steadily ex-
tended, and projects for further increases in both
army and navy were to be introduced at this
session of the Reichstag and to be granted. The
question of taxation was becoming more and more
serious. In view of the project for increased
armament and higher taxation, Chancellor von
Bethmann-Hollweg had earnestly urged all parties
to unite against the Social Democrats. His efforts
were not nearly so successful as had been those of
Biilow in 1907. One hundred and ten Social
Democrats were returned. It is perhaps significant
that at this session the Reichstag voted a bill
creating a German oil company, which was to
conduct its operations under the supervision of the
government and thus render Germany more in-
dependent of foreign countries in this regard.
303
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [FEB.
HONORED SIRS:
In the name of the affiliated governments, I bid
the newly elected Reichstag welcome !
To maintain the solid framework of the empire
and the order of the state undisturbed, to increase
the welfare of the people in all classes and con-
ditions, to protect and raise the strength and
credit of the nation is the aim of all my efforts.
In this I find myself in accord with my honored
colleagues, and I cherish the conviction that
you, as the chosen representatives of the na-
tion, will exert your best powers in this common
work.
For a generation past questions of social reg-
ulation have occupied a prominent place in the
legislation of the realm. Even at the last session
of the previous Reichstag the benefits of insurance
were extended to a large portion of the population.
The same social spirit with which the work has
previously gone forward must prevail even further.
For development does not stand still.
The finances of the realm have attained a firm
position. On the basis of definitely calculated
contributions from the states, we have succeeded
in establishing a balance in the imperial economy,
and by the help of the surplus which resulted we
have relieved the excess of the budget. By hold-
ing fast to the rigorous policies in vogue up to the
304
i9i2] OPENING OF THE REICHSTAG
present, the empire will within a short time arrive
at a complete restoration of its finances.
It fills me with satisfaction when I think to
what a point the free spirit of enterprise has at-
tained in industry and crafts, in trade, and in
commerce, and how, through the increasing per-
fection of its technic, agriculture has gradually
blossomed forth again. In view of this gratifying
progress, the affiliated governments will hence-
forth not neglect to strengthen the foundation of
our customs policy by means of alterations and
the addition of new trading regulations.
A project which will be shortly put before you is
to serve for the strengthening of the German in-
terests in foreign countries. It regulates depen-
dence upon the empire and the state in such a way
that it will be easier for natives of Germany in
foreign parts to remain citizens of the empire,
or, in case they have lost their imperial rights, to
recover them again.*
The success of our work of peace at home and
* This project resulted in a law promulgated by the Emperor July
22, 1913. It has been made the subject of considerable hostile com-
ment in foreign countries, as it would seem under certain conditions,
not definitely fixed, to permit a German subject to divide his allegiance.
Article 17 of this law asserts that (German) citizenship is lost
through the acquiring of citizenship in a foreign country. It, how-
ever, refers to Article 25, which makes the following conditions:
Art. 25, Sec. 2. Citizenship [German] shall not be lost by him
who, before acquiring citizenship in a foreign country, shall, on his
request, have received the written permission to retain [Germa:.]
305
LTHE GERMAN EMPEROR [FEB.
overseas depends upon the empire's remaining
powerful enough to stand for and protect its na-
tional honor, its possessions, and its rightful in-
terests in the world at all times. On this account
it is my continual duty and care to maintain and
strengthen by land and by sea the armies of the
German people, which does not lack young men
capable of bearing arms. Bills to this end are in
preparation and will be laid before you together
with proposals which will provide for the increased
expenditure. If, Honored Sirs, you help to carry
out this great project you will be doing the
Fatherland a great service.
We have given a new proof of our willingness
to settle international points of dispute amicably
wherever this can be done in accordance with the
dignity and the interests of Germany, through
the conclusion of our agreements with France.
In addition to strengthening our alliances with the
Austro-Hungarian monarchy and the kingdom of
Italy, my policy is directed toward the mainte-
citizenship from the proper authority in his home state. The Ger-
man consul is to be consulted before granting this permission.
Art. 25, Sec. 3. The Imperial Chancellor, on a vote of the Bun-
desrat, can decree that the permission specified in Section 2, shall
not be granted to persons who wish to acquire citizenship in a
specified foreign state.
On the face of it, this decree would seem to be open to the inter-
pretation that it lies within the power of the German Bundesrat to
allow a man who has ostensibly acquired citizenship in a foreign
country to be counted as a German citizen.
306
i9i2] BRANDENBURG ONCE AGAIN
nance of friendly relationships with all powers on
the basis of mutual respect and good-will.
I trust the healthy power of the German people,
and, counting upon the support of a gracious God,
I look out hopefully over the struggles of the day
toward the future of the empire. Therefore, at
the beginning of a new legislative session, I offer
you, Honored Sirs, my greeting in the hope that
your activities will be exejted for the benefit of
the people and the country.
BRANDENBURG ONCE AGAIN
MAY 30, 1912
The indications of particular good-will which
the Emperor had always exhibited for the Bran-
denburgers and the marks of special favor which
he had seemed to accord to them have occasionally
aroused a certain suspicion, not to say ill will, in
the minds of some of his South German subjects.
In his hereditary provinces, Brandenburg and
Prussia, it will be noticed that the Emperor had
always expressed himself most freely with regard
to his personal pretensions that he ruled by divine
right alone. The two speeches which have been
most criticised in this respect are the ones de-
livered at Breslau (February 3, 1899) and Konigs-
berg (August 25, 1910). They served, unfortu-
nately, to accentuate the differences which existed
between the subjects in various parts of the empire
and to remind them that they had a Prussian Em-
307
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [MAY
peror. If certain portions of his audiences here
acquiesced in these pretensions of their hereditary
ruler and were somewhat proud of the particular
confidence he vouchsafed to them, critics, and
even conservative critics, referred to these ideas
of "Gottesgnadentum," grace-of-Godism, with
touches of what was at least irony. After the
unfortunate crisis following the Daily Telegraph
interview Chancellor von Biilow had felt con-
strained to request the Emperor "henceforward to
observe, even in private interviews, that reserve
which is indispensable both to the interests of a
consistent policy and to the authority of the
crown." As we have seen, in spite of the Em-
peror's seeming acceptance of this necessity, it had
not modified to any particular extent the tenor of
his speech at Konigsberg in 1910. It may be that
by this time (1912) he had taken the admonition to
heart, for it will be noticed that, though we have
the customary reference to Frederick of Hohen-
zollern and the glorification of his ancestors, and
also the marks of special favor and trust in the
Brandenburgers, we miss any mention of the
theory of divine right.
La Fontaine has said that it is difficult to please
every one and his father. The Emperor must have
felt this when he learned that certain of his sub-
jects, nevertheless, resented that closing part of
his speech which would seem to imply that the
Franco-Prussian War was a sort of family affair
through which the grateful Brandenburgers de-
cided to present the imperial crown to their be-
loved overlord. Through such an interpretation
308
i9i2] BRANDENBURG ONCE AGAIN
the position and interests of Bavaria, for instance,
became for Bavarians somewhat too incidental.
If, then, foreign critics have drawn a distinction
between Prussia and Germany, the distinction has,
therefore, a certain warrant, since it seems to be
made by the Emperor himself. The heir to the
Bavarian crown took occasion to object in one of
his speeches to the conception that the affiliated
sovereigns are " vassals of the Emperor." That he
should have gone so far would indicate that, in his
mind at least, there was a disposition to make them
so. He was even more emphatic in a speech de-
livered in May, 1900, before the Association for
the Furtherance of Inland Navigation in Bavaria.
"I do not see," he said, "why we, if we belong to
the German Empire should not enjoy precisely
the same rights and privileges as North Germany,
for the German Empire was welded together just
as much through Bavarian blood as through the
blood of any other German stock; and for that
reason we do not wish to be regarded as minor
brothers, but as brothers with full rights and
privileges." So, too, it is said that the King of
Wiirtemberg left the Emperor's side in anger and
withdrew from the army manoeuvres in 1894. ^
will be plain to any one who reads the Emperor's
speeches that very few of them are made in South
Germany. Munich, Leipzig, and Stuttgart have
been visited by him less frequently than certain
foreign capitals. This is due in part, no doubt,
to the fact that the reigning sovereigns of these
capitals do not wish to see a greater at their side.
But it is likewise true that in most of these dis-
309
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [MAY
tricts the Emperor's reception at the hands of the
populace would be far less warm than that ac-
corded to him at Breslau and Berlin; for, if the
Emperor is warranted in expecting a particular
loyalty from his Prussians and Brandenburgers, so,
too, are the hereditary rulers of Bavaria, Saxony,
and Wiirtemberg warranted in expecting a partic-
ular recognition at home, which must necessarily
be deducted from the possible tribute which can be
paid the Emperor, who is likewise a rival King and
King of a province which has not always enjoyed
the favorable consideration of South Germans.
It was on this day, May 30, five hundred years
before that the Burgrave Frederick VI of Hohen-
zollern, the later Elector Frederick I., entered the
fortified place of Brandenburg, on the Havel. In
commemoration of this fact, a fountain and an
equestrian statue of the Elector by Professor Man-
zel were dedicated. The church of St. Catherine
had likewise been restored and was rededicated
on this day. After the unveiling, the Emperor
proceeded to the old town hall, where he in-
scribed his name in the city's Golden Book, and
after he had accepted the drink of honor offered
him by the burgomaster, he delivered the follow-
ing address:
I am deeply grateful to the city of Brandenburg
for having thought of inviting me to its celebra-
tion. It has been a celebration whose importance
extends far beyond the walls of Brandenburg, and
I rejoice that the Brandenburgers should have
310
i9i2] BRANDENBURG ONCE AGAIN
wished to have their Elector and Margrave with
them, just as it goes without saying that the
Elector is pleased when he can tarry among his
Brandenburgers. The changes of history which
have swept over the German Fatherland have
called forth and laid tasks upon many a dynasty,
and finally it was the dynasty of my ancestors who
first succeeded after many difficulties in laying the
corner-stone for the great work and at last in
building up the work itself1 — the establishment of
German unity on a Brandenburger basis and un-
der the leadership of Prussia. We must not forget
that it must have been a difficult decision for the
ruler of the land in those days and the later Elector
to undertake the task of coming into this country
and of bringing it back again to a flourishing con-
dition. For he came from the sunny south, which
had progressed in culture and whose knighthood
at that time was also in its fullest flower of cultural
development. We have already learned from
reliable lips what a frightful situation existed at
that time in the unhappy mark. And if he was
successful in re-establishing order little by little
and in sowing the seeds for new flowers, never-
theless the mark had to pass through many
grievous storms and became the arena of foreign
powers and foreign lords. But at last the Great
Elector and the great King drove away the for-
3"
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [MAY
eigners once for all and won for the people of the
mark and of Prussia the right to live for them-
selves without having to see the products of their
industry and labor fall a prey to the caprices of
strangers. And when at last, through the help of
God, the Prussian edifice was completed and my
grandfather, in the long period of peace, had
sharpened the sword which he must needs have
in order to achieve German union, then for a
second time, on a grander scale, the same work was
accomplished which had previously been accom-
plished for the mark. And he succeeded in finally
forbidding the strangers to trample upon our fields
and to destroy our labor for the mere sake of fol-
lowing their own interests. The German Empire
and the German crown rest upon a Brandenburg
basis and a Prussian foundation. On that account
we wish on this day to remember the people of
the mark and of Brandenburg and not least the
Brandenburgers who in 1870 risked their lives and
all that was near and dear to them in order to
win the imperial crown for the old master. As
long as a Hohenzollern lives and as long as there
are Brandenburgers both of them will remember
Constantine Alvensleben, Vionville, and the Third
Corps.* This was the old Brandenburger loyalty
*Constantine Alvensleben, commander of the Third (Brandenburg)
Army Corps, played an important part in the battle of Vionville, on
312
i9i2] HAULING DOWN THE FLAG
which had been preserved through all the centuries,
and I hope that this loyalty may be the possession
of the coming generations of the city of Branden-
burg. And I drink this cup in the hope that this
loyalty may never be extinguished.
HAULING DOWN THE FLAG
HAMBURG, JUNE 18, 1912
As usual, the Emperor was present at the meet-
ing of the North German Regatta Association.
Since 1897 he had been absent but once. Certain
references in his address here doubtless refer back
to the outcome of events at Agadir. It is difficult
to tell whether or not he is on the defensive.
Whatever his qualities or defects, it cannot properly
be said that he has often or indeed ever publicly
weakened in a position which he had once taken.
He has, however, occasionally shifted his ground.
Criticism, instead of giving him pause, has usually
had the effect of angering him and of immediately
drawing his fire upon his critics. So, in regard to
the criticism of his agrarian policy on the part of
the Prussian land-owning nobility, he replied that
"opposition on the part of the Prussian nobility
is monstrous" [ein Unding]. As the opposition
had been directed solely against certain policies
and not against him personally, his statement im-
plies that. he expected the Prussian nobility to
the i6th of August, 1870. He checked the French army operating
from Metz and held it until the arrival of reinforcements.
313
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [JUNE
support him in all of his positions. He expected
personal loyalty. As some of his opponents were
members of the Prussian Landtag, it is difficult to
see what would become of the idea of representa-
tive government in case the representatives of the
people waived their opinions and those of their
constituents in his favor. Some of the sharpest
criticism which the Emperor incurred was that
which followed the incidents at Tangier in 1905
and at Agadir in 191 1 . In both cases what may be
called the war party showed great resentment, and
certain of the criticisms made by them seem to
indicate that war, to them, was a consummation
devoutly to be wished, and the failure to make war
at these opportunities was looked upon as a de-
feat. The Emperor seems here to be insisting
upon the fact that the flag has not been dishonored.
Your Magnificence will certainly allow me to
thank you for the address, which glowed with
flaming patriotism and which was delivered with
such a sweep of oratory that, I am convinced,
it carried away all those here assembled. We saw
from the sketch which your Magnificence has
given us how in all centuries the history of our
empire and of our people, although in general
attached to the Continent, nevertheless always
stood in close relationship with the water and the
sea and that it has always been more or less in-
fluenced by it. But as you have shown, we formerly
i9i2] HAULING DOWN THE FLAG
failed in gathering together our strength. The
flourishing of the Hansa, interesting and beautiful,
and for a time powerful as it was, had to pass away,
because it lacked the support of the imperial
power. Through the founding of the empire under
my grandfather all things were changed, and now
the German merchant can go his way peacefully,
not under a foreign but under his own flag; he
can exercise all his capacities and be sure that,
when it is necessary, the protection of the empire
will stand behind him. That is only possible
when all our powers are united under our German
flag. But, as you all know, gentlemen, the flag
must wave in honor; and it dare not lightly
spread its folds to the wind nor be lightly set up
where we are not sure of being able to defend it.
You will understand why I have acted with this
reserve in extending the reach of the German flag
where many perhaps would have desired and longed
to see it. I have allowed myself to be guided
by an old Hanseatic proverb which stands in
significant letters over the town hall at Liibeck:
"The little flag is easily tied to the staff, but it is
difficult to haul it down with honor." Now,
gentlemen, I believe that I can say without fear
of contradiction that up to the present no one has
ever dared offer an indignity to our flag so long as
I have been reigning. I will promise and hold to
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [OCT.
it that wherever you go ahead there my flag shall
follow you. That is true in great as in little things.
Every man binds his flag to the staff in the morn-
ing and hopes to conquer. Not every one is suc-
cessful. In spite of that, we rejoice that on this
day of the Elbe regatta not only German but
also many boats of related and friendly peoples
are present and make the scene a picturesque one.
Therefore we rejoice, and again I whole-heartedly
express the hope that sailing and water sport on
the Elbe and on the Baltic, on the inland lakes as
on the sea, may grow and prosper. We, however,
who have gathered here under the flag of Hamburg,
on the beautiful ship of the Hamburg-American
Line, raise our glasses and drink to the health of
the city of Hamburg and all seamen here as-
sembled. The city of Hamburg — Hurrah ! Hur-
rah ! Hurrah !
ACCIDENT TO A ZEPPELIN
BONN, OCTOBER 17, 1913
Nineteen hundred and thirteen was a jubilee
year in the history both of Germany and in the
Emperor's reign. In the first place, it was the
one-hundredth anniversary of the famous bat-
tle of the nations at Leipzig, which marked the
turning of the tide in the fortunes of Napoleon.
On innumerable occasions the Emperor, in the
316
i9i3l ACCIDENT TO A ZEPPELIN
speeches already printed, has referred to this crisis
in the affairs of Germany; he was, curiously enough,
not to make the address on this famous occasion,
for the celebration was to take place at Leipzig and
the addresses were made by Doctor Clemens and
by the King of Saxony. The journals noted that
during the address of Doctor Clemens the Em-
peror, who was present, showed no enthusiasm and
looked bored. The joyous occasion had been
clouded by the unfortunate accident to the naval
Zeppelin L-2 on the previous day. As the Em-
peror had succeeded to the throne on the fifteenth
of June, 1888, the year marked also the comple-
tion of twenty-five years of his reign, and the week
of June 15 had been one of continual celebration
and many speeches. He issued innumerable par-
dons and conferred many titles and decorations,
among them the title of general on his Chancel-
lor, Von Bethmann-Hollweg. His many speeches
were, however, for the most part, merely ac-
ceptances of congratulations and, aside from the
renewed expression of his hope to maintain peace,
are not particularly significant to the student.
The sense of increased tension is evident every-
where and seems to have reacted upon him, as he
does not express himself with his former en-
thusiasm. He repeats his old themes, the neces-
sity of disregarding party divisions and in partic-
ular the need of holding fast to religious ideals and
of moral regeneration.
On the seventeenth of October, 1913, on the eve
of the great national celebration, the naval Zep-
pelin L-2, shortly after starting on a flight from
31?
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [JUNE
Johannisthal to Hamburg, met with a most dis-
tressing accident. An explosion occurred, the bal-
loon caught fire and burst, and the gondola fell
with its crew. The twenty-seven officers and men
were killed. From Bonn the Emperor issued the
following statement. The text, as well as that of
the speech of June 23, 1914, is taken from the
Berliner Tageblatt.
Again fate has laid a heavy hand upon my navy.
The dirigible L-2 was destroyed by an explosion,
and nearly thirty brave men, among them many
of the ablest in developing this new species of war-
craft, lost their lives. Their death in the service
of the Fatherland will be honorably remembered
by me and the entire German people. Our very
deepest sympathy goes out to their relatives. But
grief over what has happened will only spur us on
to renewed efforts to develop this so important
aerial weapon into a reliable engine of war.
WILLIAM, I. R.
WE GERMANS FEAR GOD, NOTHING ELSE
HAMBURG, JUNE 23, 1914
The following speech is, we believe, the last one
delivered by the Emperor before the murder of
the Archduke Franz Ferdinand (June 28), which
precipitated the war. True to his custom, the Em-
peror is again at Hamburg at the regatta which
318
i9i4] WE GERMANS FEAR GOD
usually marks the beginning of his summer holi-
day. This year his yacht Meteor was to win the
Hamburg prize. The banquet at which he or-
dinarily delivered his address was to be held on
board the Victoria Luise, and the president of the
association, Doctor Schroder, who made the ad-
dress preceding the Emperor's, alluded to the
disaster to the Z-i and the destruction of that
boat off Heligoland. He followed it with a dis-
cussion of Germany's progress in naval and aerial
development. The Emperor answers with his
usual compliments to Hamburg. His naval policy
and his policy of expansion had profited the sea-
port towns particularly, and he was always a wel-
come guest. In the year of his jubilee, 1913, the
Hamburg-American Line had done him the honor
to name one of their boats the Imperator, and
this year they had launched the great thirty-
thousand-ton Bismarck. If his speech on this oc-
casion shows nothing particularly new, one thing
at least is interesting from the change which he
introduces in Bismarck's famous statement. The
Emperor himself has quoted it previously (April
24, 1901): "We Germans fear God, nothing else
in the world." Here it seems to have in it a little
more of defiance and possibly of challenge: "We
Germans fear God and absolutely nobody and
nothing else in the world."
May your Magnificence allow me to express
my thanks for your friendly words and for the
picture of the past progress of important phases of
319
THE GERMAN EMPEROR (JUNE
our national development! I would like to in-
clude in my expression of thanks a heartfelt ap-
preciation of the delightful reception which this
year, as in other years, was accorded me by the
population of the city of Hamburg. It was
noticeable in the oldest citizen and in the youngest
child. I have been able to see how the hearty and
close relationship between Hamburg citizens and
myself nas gradually become traditional, for it
passes on from generation to generation. Your
Magnificence, has spoken of the sources which
provide us with the material for the Fatherland's
activity on the seas and has cited some brilliant
examples in this line. Although I, too, have noted
with pleasure how sport has developed greatly,
I would, nevertheless, like to call attention to the
fact that in one respect I believe our nation is
following the right path. We are right in at-
tempting to bring the mass to a higher level of
development rather than to scoop out isolated
great performances from a generally lowered
average. The water sports which we foster and
which have again brought us together here, have
also seen a new yacht appear under my flag, and
it has been successful in winning the Hamburg
state prize, for which honor I am joyously grateful.
The yacht is the creation of a German Hanseatic
shipbuilder and was built by experienced hands
320
1914] WE GERMANS FEAR GOD
at the well-known wharves of Mr. Krupp, on the
water-front. This, too, is an indication of the de-
velopment of our technical skill, which was possible
only in the long period of peace which was granted
us after the stirring years of military prowess.
It is a symbol of peace which the merchant, the
banker, the ship-owner needs in order to develop,
and which they have used each in his own calling
to such magnificent effect. I am sure I represent
the feelings of all those assembled here on this
beautiful and well-known ship of the Hamburg-
American Line when I thank that line particu-
larly for the great day they recently prepared for
us. As another symbol of the long period of peace,
a few days ago the Bismarck left its stocks. It is
the greatest vessel now afloat. We all of us know
very well that this was no ordinary launching,
both because of the size of the ship and because
of the impression and attitude of the spectators.
The Hamburg-American Line, through the build-
ing of this vessel, gave us the occasion for a great
national festival at the moment when the thirty
thousand tons glided down into the water. It was
as if all the dross had been taken out of the lives
of those of us who were present, and even from the
lives of all other Germans, as we may judge from
the expressions which come to us from all parts of
the country. Envy, pettiness, daily conflicts dis-
321
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [JUNE, 1914
appeared. All hearts beat higher and remembered
the great time and the great men who wrought
in it and thought of the Great Emperor and of
his Iron Chancellor. It is for us to administer
further the legacy that has come down to us. Just
as in our individual efforts and in our sports we
summon up and exert all our powers to reach our
goal, so too we must do the same for our Father-
land. We must be in a position to take to heart
and to exemplify practically one of the finest
utterances coined by the Iron Chancellor. We
must so live and act that we shall at all times
say with him: "We Germans fear God and ab-
solutely nobody and nothing else in the world."
With this feeling I raise my glass and ask you to
drink with me to the city of Hamburg, the Regatta
Association, and the Hamburg-American Line —
Hurrah ! Hurrah ! Hurrah !
322
IX
AT THE OUTBREAK OF
THE WAR
As there is no official edition of the Emperor's
recent addresses, the following five speeches and
decrees are taken from the Frankfurter Zeitung.
FORCING THE SWORD INTO HIS HAND
BERLIN, JULY 31, 1914
On the 3 1st of July the Emperor made the fol-
lowing address from the balcony of the Royal Pal-
ace in Berlin:
A grievous situation has come upon Germany.
Envious nations on all sides are forcing us to
justified defense. They are forcing the sword into
my hand. If my attempts are not successful in
bringing our opponents to their senses and in
keeping peace at the eleventh hour, I hope that
with God's help we may so use the sword that we
may be able to sheathe it again with honor. Enor-
mous sacrifices in life and property would be
demanded from the German people by a war;
but we would show the enemy what it means to
323
THE GERMAN EMPEROR {AUG.
attack Germany. And now I bid you go to the
church, bow down before God and ask His help
for our brave army.
AN END OF PARTIES
BERLIN, AUGUST i, 1914
After the order of mobilization, the Emperor
made the following brief speech from the window
of the Royal Palace:
If we must have war, all parties cease. We are
only German brothers. In times of peace this or
that party has attacked me; I forgive them now
with all my heart. If our neighbors are not satis-
fied to leave us in peace, then we hope and pray
that our good German sword will come out of the
struggle victorious.
OPENING OF THE REICHSTAG
BERLIN, AUGUST 4, 1914
The Emperor opened the special session of the
Reichstag with the following address:
HONORED GENTLEMEN:
At a time big with consequences I have as-
sembled the elected representatives of the German
people about me. For nearly half a century we
have been allowed to follow the ways of peace.
The attempts to attribute to Germany warlike in-
1914] OPENING OF THE REICHSTAG
tentions and to hedge in her position in the world
have often sorely tried the patience of my peo-
ple. Undeterred, my government has pursued the
development of our moral, spiritual, and economic
strength as its highest aim, with all frankness, even
under provocative circumstances ! The world has
been witness that during the last years, under all
pressure and confusion, we have stood in the first
rank in saving the nations of Europe from a war
between the great powers. The most serious
dangers to which the events in the Balkans had
given rise seemed to have been overcome — then
suddenly an abyss was opened through the mur-
der of my friend the Archduke Franz Ferdinand.
My lofty ally, the Emperor and King Franz
Joseph, wa^fgfced to take up arms to defend the
security of his empire against dangerous machina-
tions from a neighboring state. The Russian em-
pire stepped in the way of the allied monarchy
following out her just interests. Not only our
duty as ally calls us to the side of Austria-Hungary,
but it is our great task to protect our own position
and the old community of culture between the
two empires against the attack of hostile forces.
With a heavy heart I have had to mobilize the
army against a neighbor with whom it had fought
side by side on many a battle-field. With un-
feigned sorrow I saw broken a friendship which had
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [AUG.
been faithfully preserved by Germany. The im-
perial Russian Government, yielding to the pres-
sure of an insatiable nationalism, has taken sides
for a state which through its sanctioning of
criminal attacks has brought about the evils of
this war. That France, too, should have taken
sides with our enemy could not surprise us; too
often have our attempts to come to friendlier
relationships with the French Republic failed
because of her old hopes and old resentments.
Honored Gentlemen, what human insight and
power could do to equip a people for these utter-
most decisions has been done with your patriotic
assistance. The hostility which has been making
itself felt in the east and in the west for a long
time past has now broken out in bright flame.
The present situation is not the result of passing
conflicts of interests or of diplomatic conjunctions;
it is the result of an ill will which has been active
for many years against the power and the pros-
perity of the German Empire.
No lust of conquest drives us on; we are inspired
by the unalterable will to protect the place in
which God has set us for ourselves and all coming
generations. From the documents which have
been submitted to you, you will see how my
government and especially my Chancellor have
endeavored even to the last moment to stave off
326
1914] TO THE ARMY AND NAVY
the inevitable. In a defensive war that has been
forced upon us, with a clear conscience and a
clean hand we take up the sword. I issue my call
to the peoples and stocks of the German Empire,
that with their united strength they may stand
like brothers with our allies in order to defend
what we have created through the works of peace.
Following the example of our fathers, staunch
and true, earnest and knightly, humble before
God, but with the joy of battle in the face of the
enemy, we trust in the Almighty to strengthen
our defense and guide us to good issue. Honored
Gentlemen, the German people gathered about
their princes and leaders are to-day looking to
you. Come to your decisions quickly and unan-
imously. Such is my most earnest wish.
TO THE ARMY AND NAVY
BERLIN, AUGUST 6, 1914
On this date the following statement was issued
to the army and navy:
After forty-three years of peace, I call all the
available forces to arms. We must defend our
most sacred possessions, the Fatherland, and our
own hearths, against ruthless attack. Enemies
round about us ! That is the characteristic of the
situation. We must expect a great conflict and
to make great sacrifices. I have confidence that
327
THE GERMAN EMPEROR [Auc.
the old warlike spirit still lives in the German
people, that powerful warlike spirit which attacks
the enemy wherever found and at whatever cost
and which has always been the fear and terror of
our enemies. I have confidence in you, you Ger-
man soldiers. In every one of you there lives the
eager, unconquerable will to triumph. Every one
of you knows how to die like a hero if need be.
Think of our great and glorious past. Remember
that you are Germans. God help us.
(Signed) WILLIAM, I.'R.
BERLIN, August 6, 1914.
PROCLAMATION TO THE GERMAN PEOPLE
BERLIN, AUGUST 6, 1914
The following proclamation was issued on the
evening of this date:
To THE GERMAN PEOPLE:
Since the founding of the empire, for forty-three
years it has been the earnest aim of my ancestors
and myself to maintain peace with the world and
to further our powerful advance in peace. But
our opponents envy us the fruit of our labors.
In the consciousness of our responsibility and our
strength, we must endure overt and covert hostility
from east and west and from across the sea. But
now they wish to humble us. They demand that
328
1914] PROCLAMATION
with folded arms we should watch our enemies
prepare themselves for an underhand attack.
They do not wish to allow us in loyal determina-
tion to stand by our ally, who is fighting for his
position as a great power and with whose humilia-
tion our own power and honor will also be lost. So
the sword must decide ! The enemy surprises us
while we are entirely at peace. Therefore, to
arms ! Any wavering, any hesitation would be
treachery to the Fatherland. We must fight for
the existence or non-existence of our empire, which
our fathers lately founded for themselves; for
the existence or non-existence of German power
and German life. We shall fight to the last breath
of man and horse, and we shall continue this con-
flict against a world of enemies. Germany has
never yet been conquered as long as she was united.
Go forward with God, who will be with us as He
was with our fathers.
(Signed) WILLIAM, I. R.
BERLIN, August 6, 1914.
329
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