Personalities. KAISER NEVER CROWNED.

Alexandra Herald and Central Otago Gazette, Issue 361, 9 April 1903, Page 2

Personalities.

KAISER NEVER CROWNED.

3KIXHE reason why is something of a ■ mystery, Btatf a the Paris Messinger, but *he explanation most •'" generally accepted is that the original imperial crown of the emperor of Germany is in the hands of Austria, and that she shows no disposition fci allow it to leave Vienna. Bourrienne records; that Napoleon said on one occasion:, * I have not succeeded Louis XVI., but Charlemagne/ and adds, that in 1804, shortly before he was crowned, he had tho imperial insignia of that monarch brougbt from the old Prankish capital and exhibited in Paris with those made for his own coronation. Bat Mr, Bryce, in his ' Holy Roman Empire,' writes that if this is not a trick of Napoleon Bourrienne was in error, as the regalia of Charlemagne had been removed from Aix-la-Chapelle by Austria in 1798. The coronation of a German emperor would be an event of such prodigious historic interest as to throw all other coronations into the fehade. Perhaps there are those living who may yet witness it. ,

A STRANGE BED In 1850 James, Liddy, a blacksmith's assistant, after having eaten hie lunch in a buggy, decided that the motion of the springs was so pleasant that a bed made upon similar principles would be very comfortable. A bed of buggy springs he therefore made which has now, 52 years later 3 been umarthed from an old disused garret in Watertown, N.Y. Letters and papers found wita it indicate that it was a great curiosity at the time, and that many of the surrounding farmers travelled many miles to see the ' baggy bed.*

TOLD OF KITCHENER. * I had some interesting conversations with him,' said Col. Little,' and always regarded him as a most extraordinary personality. He is a quick, nervous,' energetic sort of fellow, and a hard worker. In numerous ways he reminds me of an American. As far as I could see, he was possessed of a good many democratic notions. During my interviews with him we developed quite a way of twitching each other about our respective countries. One day, when wo were having quite a long argument about this line, I told him that I was certainly thankful that I had been bom an American. • fig 'lt's all right, general,' I said,'tobe an Englishman, if you are born far some high station, but in America we are all born on an equal footing. I know there are lots of men who have more brains than I have, but still it is Bome satin* faction to know that they did not get any the best of me in their start in life.' He replied with considerable warmth that Enghnd was just as democratic as America in this respect. ' Bat,' said I,' how about your house of lords?' • The house cf lords,' he answered,' why join it. Anybody can get there if they ]ust go about it right.' I have no doubt that such was his intention at that time,

and as everyone knows he has sinoe •joined' the house of lords. To ;come to think of it, he reminds one a good deal of President Roosevelt Both are < hard workers, high-spirited and vigorous in their measures. While I was there Kitchener was making his preparations to take the British army to Khartoum, Prom his conversation I eonld easily see that he considered this stroke his opportunity and the goal of his ambition. In fact he told me once that he did not have that to look forward to. However, I doubted it at the time, for he was getting J83.500 a year as a commander of the Egyptian army, and out of Egypt his rank, and pay waß only that of a major. ♦So far as 1 could see there, was very little sentiment about Lord Kitchener. He had the typical American's notions of the practical strongly stamped Hs na+ure. For instance, 1 was with him once when an Egyptian officer eame to him with a tale of woe to the effect that a brother officer had insulted him and he asked that he be given psrmi tbn to challenge him to a duel. Kitchener would not hear of such a thing, and from what I learned afterwards he simply 'horselaughed' the Egyptian out of the notion.. He seemed to possess .the same aversion for women than that be does now. He lived in lonely splendor in a palace at Cairo. I visited him several times there. It was a beautiful pla2o. ' I read a despatch from South Africa recently which stated that in conversing with De Wet Kitchener slapped the Boer general on the back and told him to * cheer up,' or words to that That struck me as being a very characteristic thing of Kitchener as I knew him. While he was not of the bail-fellow-well-m>t type with everybody there was much of the politician about him when it came to carrying his point with men under him and about him.'