SNUBBING THE KAISER.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 3, Issue 249, 20 November 1914, Page 1 (Supplement)

SNUBBING THE KAISER.

SOME BITTER MOMENTS OV PRUSSIA'S WAK LORD AND EVENTS WHICH HAVE LED UP TO THEM. Despite his suporo pride and his •strong belief in trie .sacred character ot his imperial mission, the Kaiser has suffered, .since his accession to the throne, some cruel snubs, which have proved uj him that his exalted j>osition as Europe's War Lord cannot save him hot.! humiliating rebuffs, affronts, and disappointments.

One of his most poignant disappointments has been the tierce determination of the French not to tolerate his presence in Pans. For years he overwhelmed the French with attentions, sent flattering telegrams on public occasions, released spie l -. entertained French literary and artistic celebrities. subscribed to French charitable fumK and even sent his mother, the Empress r'roderivk, to Paris, in order that she might astertain, by personal observation, »diet her the Kaiser could depend upon a welcome from the Parisians. LEFT IN A HURRY. Swift was tho answer. The. Empress had to leave Paris suddenly, the. Government having declined to guarantee her saf'ty beyond another twenty-four hours. Singularly enough, one of the Kaiser's most serious snubs was administered by his mother.

While he* husband, tho Emperor Frederick, was lying at death's door she persuaded him not l;o leave her n' the mercy of hi* eon of whose alloc tion she was very dubious—and with good reason. The Emperor arranged that throxquarters of the total sums becoming due to her alter his death, togctliei w'jfch ihe douru's >of her daughters. should b.' paid immediately by the Impeiia! Treasury, and that the rest should be paid before the new Etnporor (Xiuld exercise any control over thesi funds. Evervlhing was duly signed and scaled, and Bismarck was compelled to order the payments to lie made under the promifco of secrecy. A few mi.i. iiU's aft or the death of his father, tlu> present Kaiser took possession of all State papers and had Ins mother, his sisters the members of tho Court, an 1 all .servants, locked up ill the Palace Thev were not released until he bad rummaged everywhere' for official documents, "including hi* father's seeu't diary, which he never found.

A HITTER SURPRISE. He iv;i, nind with liny when lie discovered that liis mother hati cleverly contrived to become tuKiiifuilly independent of him. One day, iii the middle oi December, the Kaiser invited Prinoe Hohonlohe, his Chancellor, to meet him at Potsdam lift seven in the morning, to accompany him to Spandau, and read, ou the way, certain otiicial ireports. A\hen the train arrived, the Princess Hohenloho stepped out. "The prince is not ill, is he?" asked the Kaiser, visibly annoyed. "No, thank God. Ho is still asleep. "Still asleep, when his nuuster has ordered him to meeJt him!" said the astounded monarch, in very sharp tones. "Tut, tut, my dear nephew ! ' t>aid his aunt. "You are forgetting his age, ilia rank, and the special arrangements made mliea he took office to obligo you. You wanted his report; here it is.'' " Bi<t this is very irregular—most inconvenient! And, ol course, discipline " "You are joking. William!" interrupted the old lady seveiely. "This sort of tiling might do for C'aprivi, you know, hut it is simply odious as l*<tweou equals, liko ourselves. Just take tills document and road it at once.' And he obeyed, secrt'ily furious. THEIR FATAL DRAWBACK. The Kaiser lias always considered llimself a military stfrategi>t (<f the first r;uik. Yet General von HuelsenHaeseler, reputed to have inherited Moltke's military genius, once remarked : "The b:ittie plans elaborated by the Emperor are magnificent, and have only one drawback —they always terminate like the legendary combat between two cats, whoso tails alone survived the tremendous struggle. As to the dead, if the Emperor's theories

were pift into practice, I really don't know who would bury them." liv Kai-cr heard of this criticism, and never forgave the outspoken general. About tuc years ago it was reported that, after a violent scene !>etween the War Lord and his general, the Kaiser, in a paroxysm of blind lage. struck his old friend, who was so heartbroken that he rushed up to Jus room and shot himself. His death wan ascribed by the authorities to "heart disease.''

Heferonce to tlio "mailed list" recalls the report that a £<>uns naval officer, when returning wit 11 tho Kni]>eror froui .Norway, was struck bv luui. The otiiccr hit back—and m cffectiyo lashjou. too—and tlicu went on shore and shot himself. Wiffiam returned homo with a black eye—officially attributed to a rojH) tailing irom tile maAs. Ip to the preseni the hai-er's military capacity has never Ihhii put to the test anywhere but at peace manoeuvres. There ho was guilty of some frightful miliary "bowlers,'' which excited billet criticism by Count WaJdcrsew, who .succeeded the great -Moltke. Iho Kaiser, morulied and disgusted. relieved ih w count ot' his ottice. On .several wcabtous tho Kaiser's troubles havo arisen from tuianciat eau-e&. Uncc lie suddenly delurnitnoU to extend and beau lily las Berlin Valuer. When ho was asked where Mi* money was to conic troni lie replied carelessly. "Oil, Irom a lottery or a loan.'' But Press aud public fiercely opposed thN extravagant project. •'.Not a fai'ihiug of public money or an inch 01 the city's laaid lor such a ma J scheme," was tlie verdict, ot the ros|>onsibir> author .*tirs. Finally, a minister announced in Parliament Lhat the* projects had never existed except "in the. disordered imagination of the journalists and architects." When l-ticmarck heard of this declaration. he drily remarked: "f ho biggesjl itnbe-i-iiee arn usually the greatest liars.' INSULTS MNCOrI!AGI-.D. Another time the Kaiser impulsively resolved to iucrea.se tho salary el Prince Hohenlolw* by drawing *u|>on iho ttmd that bad been placej at, his disposal for assistant. wounded or disabled soldiery and * heir widow.s Jud orphans. When thi.-, project liecame ktinwn there was a scandal in the Press and in Parliament. Prince Holienlohe. seeing his personal dignity thus compromised, disgusted tho Kaiser by coldly declining tliis humiliating "rise." At on»» time there was only on<, slip of Prussian territorv where o\orybody could criticise the Km per or—the Principality of Reuss. The K a iter having aliuwed :'ii amusing aii<>dot,> about l.'t" Prim-,, ol Pi n--, tii eirculaied in his dominions, the piiuc«- r<v.nlvcd to his revenge bv decreeing that no insult offered to tllf llohe'i'/ollei should prnrcL'Jcd aguuj-t on his tenftory.

This comical edict remained in force fir some considerable time, so tnat newspapers seized in Germany for insults to his Ma jestv the Ka user circulaled freely in the principality of .Reuss. Even the Empress herself lias "let •Mie Kaiser down.'' There is a legend that the Kaiser displayed a marked admiration for the wife of a young diplomat accredited to the Court of Berlin. Endowed with a captivating U-auty, accomplished, the lady attracted general admiration, and the Kaiser's taste 'was duly admind. Suddenly this beauty's hu.slvand was recalled by his Government, and it was reported that the Kaiser, furious, demanded from the amkassador, the young diplomat's chief, tho reason ior thus mysterious recall, about which h«*. the Kaiser, had not been consulted. Th«> ambassador tx>uld only say that, )>eyond the order for his recall, lie had 'received nothiiilg whatever from his Government. OX THE ROYAL NOSE. iS"'" 1 According to Berlin gossip, tho Empress had written to a friendly Queen, soliciting her Help in "shifting" the two-charming Madame . And this sudden departure was tho result. In former tmuvi the person of tho German Einpi ror was regarded by the In \V as sarred ; hut this drastic act lias .since Ix'en modified —happily for a small boy, who, engaged in a gam© of snowballing, missed another boy and struck the Kaiser, who happened to be passing, full on the nose. Under the old law this l>oy would have lyen. promptly marched off to prLson, tried, and sentenced to a long term of imprisonment for " insult to his Imperial Majesty." But tho Kaiser was, that day. in a particularly good humour; >o that, instead of having the boy arrested, lie merely brushed the snow off his no-o and face and laughed heartily. Delighted with his escape, the boy ran homo to relate his great adventure.