GERMAN EMPEROR'S POSITION.

Taranaki Daily News, 21 August 1915, Page 11

GERMAN EMPEROR'S POSITION.

A CHANGE OF VIEW. London, June 25. The present war has upset all traditions. It is not a war of men or deeds. Personal prowess counts for little. Men and their achievements are of no importance detached from the great common task. Acts bravery or heroism of the little individual soon fade from view, and are of little influence on the ultimate outcome, .lust as manual labour has been to a large extent supplanted by machinery, so in this war, a man. whether he be a private or a general, must be content to carry out with clocklike precision the tasks entrusted to him. And so it is with rulers of States. When last August the German Emperor proclaimed that by his will a state of war existed between himself, Russia, and France, he was following old traditions of Imperial prerogative. Later, when he let it be known that he intended to make a triumphal entry into Paris on a certain date, he was following the same traditions. t Then came the reaction. When the advance on Paris failed, it was whispered among the higher classes in Germany and afterwards in the street, that the Emperor had interfered with the plans of the Grand General Staff and had ordered the hasty forward march on Paris when, according to better authority, the Eastern campaign 'should have been given attention. It was alleged that he had differed from the Chief of Staff, General von Moltke, and had compelled him to resign. These stories became current gossip, and the Emperor's prestige declined visibly. People avoided mentioning his name. At the cinema the portrait of other personalities of the war were more loudly applauded. Six months ago the German people privately thought their Emperor to be a meddler in military matters, in which he was not an expert. The Crown Prince, the "Victor of Longwy," was then immensely popular, ON THE WRONG TRACK. j But as soon as the Emperor became aware that he was on the wrong path, he changed his tactics and vanquished from the scene. He no longer made proclamations and speeches, he let it be known among the lower classes—and the stories,have this time crept upwards that he no longer interfered with military matters. His whereabouts were kept secret. One day he was on the Western front; the next in Poland. In various cities of the Empire it would be whispered: / "The Emperor passed through here last night." No one had seen him, but it was known, or at least believed, that he had been in the city. On another day he would appear suddenly in Berlin unannounced, and in the early morning drive rapidly down Tint or den Linden in a new motor-car, wearing the grey field service uniform, the ends of his upturned moustache clipped short, his face pale, his eyes deep-sunken and grave. As suddenly as he had come he would vanish. Afternoon tele-grains would thou report his presence among victorious troops in Alsace. The figure of the Emperor became occult, mysterious, almost unreal. He ws everywhere at once, and gradually became the symbol of the unity of the Gorman people. From a German standpiont tliis transformation is unquestionably vaiuaMc. Tho Emperor is now regarded as exercising the true functions of a modern Sovereign. It would be no exaggeration to say that he is to-day venerated by the great mass of the people. This feeling seems thoroughly sincere and vun3 all through the country, but it is especially strong in the Prussian Rhine Provinces. It reminded me of the feeling of the Japanese towards their Emperors. To the German people the Kaiser had caused concern. He filled so much space in public affairs that he often obscured the horizon. This seems now to have changed. William II has lo3t much of his personal influence, and has become, or has made himself, an institution. He is no longer the irresponsible, unchecked power that might at anv uioment de-ll-ct or impede the onward motion or' the organised State at war and interfere in matters of vital importance. He is the symbol of Imperial Germany. Ue has risen far above the attributes of mere, sovereignty and has assumed Imperial dignity in the true sense of the word, paving the way for what Germans proud ly believe their new destiny.

CROWN PRINCE UNPOPULAR. Yet, while regard for the Emperor has increased, the feeling is not dynastic. In strong contrast with the increasing respect and admiration for William 11., the former popularity of the Crown Prince is daily Waning. The gossip about his escapades in France and elsewhere finds ready credence in Germany. His behaviour is held to be inconsistent with the dipnity of the position he occupies, not mcvely as Heir-Apparent, but as a commanding officer. I heard it stated in Ge.ntuy on the b;*t av.flority tin; the n a.ior responsibility for the defeat of the Gentian arms in the battle of the Mavne lies at the door of the Crown Prince, whase array failed to do its allotted werk. This point future historians will decide; but it is significant that the only serious reverse which German arms have suffered since the beginning of this war should be directly attributed to 'he Heir to the Throne.

It wpuld almost appear as though the Ciown Prince were deliberately inviting criticism. His absence from the ceremony of the baptism of his only daughter in the latter part of May seemed inexplicable to many Germans. Nor was the official excuse., that for military reasons the Crown Prince could not relinquish his command, deemed satisfactory by the people, in view of his many known loaves of absence. Of the other members of the Hohenzollern family little is heard. They are fighting with the various armies, but no particular significance is attached to their Royal birth. The war would appear to have obliterated many of these distinctions. In (lennany to-day birth and rank count for little. Energy, ability, and efficiency are the principal requirements. I heard the belief very generally expressed that after the war there would be great changes in Germany; the Army and Navy, find, above all, the diplomatic service, would be open to all, and intelligence and fitness would be the sole qualifications. Already, even in Germany, the old ideas of "lese-majeste" and other heritages from bygone times arc being swept away by the torrent of the great war. As I was standing in front ot'bne of the great hotels in the Untev din Linden an open Imperial carriage passed, driven by a coachman dressed In the elaborate IStli century fashion, his chest covered with silver luce and medals. The occupants were two small boys, accompanied by a tutor; policemen and soldiers stood at attention, but I noticed that no civilians bowed, I uslced a bystander wh,Q the boys wen:. "Oh, Iho one on thin side will perhaps rome day bo Emperor I Wlio knows* Who knows?" was the «s«w_<jg.