Part 7 (1/2)

Militarism and militarism only, the pa.s.sion for which is ever recurrent with William II, can satisfy his morbid craving for movement and action.

Thus we see him celebrating the Anniversary of William I by a review of his troops and by a speech, so seriously threatening a breach of the peace, that even the newspapers of the opposition hesitate to reproduce it. All France should realise that _the German Emperor will make war upon her without warning and without formal declaration, just as he surprises his own garrisons_. By his orders, the statement is made on all sides that the rifle of the German army is villainously bad. Let us not believe a word of it. On the contrary, we should know that the greater part of the Prussian artillery is superior to ours; let us be on our guard against every surprise and ready.

April 28, 1891. [7]

On the occasion of the presentation of new standards to his troops, the Emperor observed that the number 18 is one of deep significance for his race, that it corresponds with six important dates in the history of Prussia. ”For this reason,” he added, ”I have chosen the 18th of April as the day on which to present the new standards.” As William II himself puts it, this day, like all the ”eighteenths” that went before it, has its special significance.

The strange words uttered by the monarch on this occasion--always intoxicated with the sense of his power, and sometimes by _Kaiserbier_--are denied to-day, or perhaps it would be more correct to say that the _Monitor of the Empire_ has not published them. ”Let our soldiers come to me,” he proclaimed in the White Hall, to ”overcome the resistance of the enemies of the Fatherland, abroad as well as at home.”

On the one hand, after the manner of the Middle Ages, he reveals to us the ancient mysteries of the Cabal, on the other, as an up-to-date emperor, he compels his brother Henry to become a sportsman like himself.

On occasion he will don the uniform of the Navy, interrupt a post-captain's lecture, and throw overboard the so-called plan of re-organisation, so as to subst.i.tute a new strategy of his own making for the use of the German fleet.

So Field-Marshal von Moltke is dead at last. His place is already filled by the Emperor, who is willing to be called his pupil, but a pupil equal in the art of strategy to his master and a better soldier. The remarkably peaceful death of Von Moltke only reminds me of the violent deaths that he brought about. It was to him that we owed the bombardment of Paris. Only yesterday, Marshal Canrobert said ”he was our most implacable foe, and in that capacity, we must continue to regard him with hatred and contempt.” Von Moltke himself was wont to say ”when war is necessary it is holy.” He leaves behind him all the plans in readiness for the next war.

William II, you may be sure, will proceed to depreciate the military work of Von Moltke, just as he tries to depreciate his diplomatic and parliamentary work. He has reached a pitch of infatuation unbelievable; and is becoming, as I have said before, more and more of a Nero every day. At the present moment he is instigating the construction of an arena at Schildorn where spectacles after the ancient manner will be given. These, according to William, are intended to afford instruction to the ma.s.ses as well as to the cla.s.ses. A very fitting conclusion this, to the fears which he has expressed about seeing the youth of the German schools working too hard and overloading its memory. For the same reason, no doubt, he has made Von Sedlitz Minister of Public Instruction--it is an unfortunate name--an individual who has never been to College, who has never studied at any University, and who only attended school up to the age of twelve.

Now, it seems, William II is bored with the Palace of his forefathers.

For the next two years he is going to establish his Imperial Residence at Potsdam; consequently all his ministers and high officials are compelled to reside partly at Potsdam. His mania for change leads him to destroy the historic character of the old castle; his scandalised architects have been ordered to restore it in modern style. And Berlin, his faithful Berlin, is abandoned. It is said that at a gala dinner the other day the Emperor uttered these words: ”The Empire has been made by the army, and not by a parliamentary majority.” But it is also said that Bismarck observed to the Conservative Committee at Kiel: ”It is best not to touch things that are quiet, best to do nothing to create uneasiness, when there is no reason for making changes. There are certain people who seem singularly upset by the craving to work for the benefit of humanity.” It requires no special knowledge to interpret this sentence as a thinly veiled criticism of the character of William II.

May 12, 1891. [8]

There is an att.i.tude frequently adopted by William II, that German socialists are in the habit of describing, as ”the whipping after the cake.” He has now had the socialist deputies arrested, and he is introducing throughout the country a system of espionage and intimidation, which is only balanced to a certain extent by his fondness for sending abroad a cla.s.s of reptiles who go about preaching, writing and imparting to others the doctrines which he endeavours to strangle at birth in his own country. In spite of his brief flirtation with socialism (in which he indulged merely to copy the man whom he opposes in everything and cordially detests), William II has now come to persecute it. One of his amiable jokes is to try and lead people to believe that the order which he has given, for the dispositions of his troops on the frontier _en echelon_, has no other object but to prevent Belgian strikers, from coming into Germany. But can it be also to repel this invasion of Belgian strikers that the entire German army now receives orders just as if it were actually preparing to begin a campaign?

Sentinels of France, be on your guard!

It goes without saying that during the past fortnight we have had our regular supply of speeches from William II. At Dusseldorf he said three things.

The first, coming from the lips of a sovereign known all the world over for his mania for change, is calculated to raise a smile--

”From the paths which I have set before me, I shall not swerve a single inch.”

The second was a threat--

”I trust that the sons of those who fought in 1870 will know how to follow the example of their fathers.”

The third and last was meant for Bismarck--

”There is but one master, myself, and I will suffer none other beside me.”

For the future William will only make his appearances accompanied by heralds clad in the costumes of the Middle Ages, bodyguards drawn from the n.o.bility, surrounding the _summus episcopus_, pope and khalif of the Protestant Church.

The extremely curious mixture which unceasingly permeates the character of William II may be observed in the orders which he, the mystic, the pious, has recently given to the chaplains of the Court, viz. that they are never to preach in his presence for more than twenty minutes.