A PEN PORTRAIT OF THE EXKAISER.

Taihape Daily Times, 26 March 1919, Page 6

A PEN PORTRAIT OF THE EXKAISER.

A PERSONAL, PHYSICAL COWARD

(By Spencer Leigh Hughes, in Roy-

nolds 5 Newspaper.)

The day on which the Kaiser fled for refuge into Holland was just about twenty years to the day after the date iv:.cn I happened to see him posing and posturing and swanking in Damascus. It was in November .1898, that x saw him there, and watched him deposit a wreath on the tomb of Saladin, the great hero, near tho-great mosque in that ancient city. Now Saladin was what we call a , heathen in the sense that he was not and did not profess to be a Christian. But he was known and famous for two great qualities - personal bravery and noble humanity towards prisoners who fell into his hands. The Kaiser is technically a Christian, for when statistics are made up of the number of Christians and members of other religions in the world, the population of Gonnany is

counted among the Christians; yet the Kaiser is conspicuously lacking in these two qualities that distinguished Saladin—personal bravery and hu-' inanity. A MEMORY. Few Englishmen have known Germany better than the late Sir Charles Dilkc. He was personally acquainted with Bismarck and nearly all the leading men, civil and military, in Germany. And he told me that the universal opinion there was that the Kaiser was a personal coward, a physical coward, and that he would never go to war because he had net enough' courage. As the event turned out I■ believed he went to war because of tne very reason that he did not dare kep out of it. He was afraid of his war advisers, and he was afraid that his prancing son and heir was capturing the fancy of the mob. Thus going to war so far from being an evidence of courage, was the outcome of hip [.cowardice. A man may wear showy uniforms and a ferocious moustache, ,aud yet be the merest poltroon. And jfor such an abject- creature to pay .a tribute to the memory of Saladin the Great was surely the final climak of theatrical impudence. BISMARCK’S INSIGHT 1 i i Many a year ago Bismarck gave his opinion about the Kaiser, an opinion which later events have shown .to be admirably accurate. This is what the statesman said of William: “I pity that young man. He is like v young foxhound that harks at everything, and at last causes a complete upsiyt of everything, no matter how large the room may be that he is in.” That-pro-phetic judgment showed true insight. The mischievous young foxhound has developed into the mad dog of the world. And my view that muzzling such a creature or chaining him-up is not enough. He ought to be knocked on the head in the general interests of mankind. I have been -meeting

many people of late far away from London, cool headed people, not giving to raving, and I find everywhere that opinion of mine confirmed. Indeed, people are awaiting with impatience: an announcement that justicewill be done—and in such a case justice, if it be real, will be enough.

There -are some thing's that are beginning to madden people. Here i one when this arch-criminal moves

from place to place he uses a luxurious Royal train, and princes and other hangers-on, who have shared in his crimes, go about in lordly motor cars with every comfort. Whom our own men .released prisoners, weakened by starvation and ill-treatment, are set at liberty they have to tramp or limp over frozen roads, without food, and have to hobble along in this style for scores of miles. What plain man and women are asking is—why, if there are trains and motor cars available, should thoy r not he used for those who need and deesrve them, instead of being thoughtfully, given over for the comfort and convenience of these wretches? The day has gone for ever when men like William and. Son should be pampered because there was a time when they were looked upon as being more or less divine. But, of course, merely depriving them of luxury is by no means enough. It is high time that William was arrested and put, under lock and key until he can ho tried. Nor would I have any ornate or great ceremonial trial to please the fellow’s sense of self-importance. It should he a police court affair —if in this country, at Bow Street, with a policeman at each side of the prisoner in the dock, and if in any other country a

similar sort of procedure—with hand cuffs and the .usual trimmings.