Chapter IV: Part 4

This is my wish for the new regiments.

ON ADMINISTERING THE OATH TO THE RECRUITS

BERLIN, NOVEMBER 18, 1897

After the administering of the oath to the recruits of the
garrisons of Berlin, Charlottenburg, and Spandau by the
representatives of the Evangelical and the Catholic churches, the
Emperor took the occasion to deliver the following admonition:

To-day I greet you as soldiers of my army, as grenadiers of my guard. With the oath to the flag you have sworn allegiance as German men, and even before the altar of God, under the open skies, and upon His crucifix, as good Christians must. He who is not a good Christian is not a brave man and no Prussian soldier; and he cannot fulfil under any circumstances what is demanded of a soldier in the Prussian army.

Your duty is not easy; it demands of you self-control and self-abnegation, the two highest qualities of a Christian, and in addition unconditional obedience and subordination to the will of those who are appointed above you.

But you have examples before you out of the history of the German army. Thousands before your time have sworn their oath and kept it. And because they did keep it our Fatherland has become great and our army victorious and unconquerable. Because they kept their oath, their flags stand before you, garlanded with honor and covered with the tokens of glory, and wherever they are shown, heads are uncovered and regiments present arms.

In the time of your service temptation will surely draw near to many of you. If it does approach, either with regard to your personal conduct or with regard to your relationship as a soldier, turn it from you with the thought of the past of your regiments; turn it from you with the thought of your uniform, which is the uniform of your King. Whoever offends against the uniform of the King lays himself open to the most grievous punishments. Wear your uniform in such wise that you will compel respect from the world and from those who oppose you.

My glorious ancestors look down upon you from the vaulted heavens. The monuments of the Kings look down upon you and, above all, the statue of the great Emperor. When you are discharging your service remember the grievous times through which our Fatherland had to pass; remember them when your labor seems heavy and bitter. Stand firm in your inviolable faith and trust in God who never forsakes us. Then will my army and especially my guard be equal to its task in all times, whether in peace or war.

It is now your task to stand faithfully by me and to defend our highest possessions, whether against enemies from without or from within, and to obey when I command and never to forsake me.

THE CHINESE SITUATION AND THE MAILED FIST

DECEMBER 15, 1897

In accordance with her general colonial policy, Germany had for
some time been attempting to obtain a footing in China. Already
in 1895 the German consul-general had arranged an agreement with
the Chinese authorities which was to allow the establishing of
a base at Hangchow. German explorers had examined the coast and
had noticed the favorable situation of the harbor of Kiaochow.
In November, 1897, two German Catholic missionaries were
murdered. Admiral Diedrichs, who is remembered in America for
his interference with Admiral Dewey at Manila Bay, resolved upon
immediate action, steamed into the harbor of Kiaochow and took
possession of the island of Tsingtao. He announced the occupation
of the bay and of all the islands and dependencies on November
15. An indemnity of 200,000 _taels_ was demanded, as well as the
repayment of the expenses of the occupation, a ninety-nine year
lease of the captive territory, and the cession of all mining
rights and railway privileges. All this was granted, and Germany
made good use of her privileges. At the outbreak of the European
war the country had been developed and reclaimed to such a degree
that Tsingtao with its buildings and forts looked like a bit of
Prussia set into the Chinese coast.

Through her occupation of this rich province and through the
fact that Germany thus established a naval base opposite Japan's
coast, she incurred the ill will of Japan. This ill will was
later to be increased through Germany's conduct with regard to
commerce regulations. At the time of the occupation Germany
declared that Tsingtao was to be a port open to all the world.
Subsequent regulations which she had made amounted to very serious
discrimination against the commerce of other nations, especially
that of the Japanese, which had already attained considerable
importance. A plan was evolved in 1906 according to which Chinese
customs duties were allowed to be collected in the colony in return
for an annual consideration, which amounted to twenty per cent of
the entire customs duties of the Tsingtao district. In this way,
what she allowed China to collect from German merchants she forced
China to pay back to her. Other merchants were, of course, likewise
forced to pay the duties, and Germany received a considerable
percentage of the toll. The discrimination, if not obvious, was
very real, and the feeling of the Japanese distinctly hostile.

Prince Henry was sent out to take command of the increased East
Asiatic Squadron on December 16, 1897, and took command in the
following March. On the eve of his departure a great farewell
dinner was given him in the Royal Palace at Kiel. The Emperor spoke
as follows:

MY DEAR HENRY:

As I rode into Kiel to-day I thought of the many times on which I had visited this city joyfully at your side and on my ships, either to be present at the sports or at some one of our military undertakings. On my arrival in the city to-day an earnest and deep feeling moved me, for I am perfectly conscious of the task which I have set before you and of the responsibility which I bear. But I am likewise conscious of the fact that it is my duty to build up and carry farther what my predecessors have bequeathed to me.

The journey which you are to undertake and the task which you are to accomplish indicate nothing new in themselves; it is merely the logical consequence of what my departed grandfather and his great Chancellor inaugurated politically and what our glorious father won with his sword on the field of battle. It is nothing more than the first expression of the newly united and newly arisen German Empire in its tasks beyond the seas. The empire has developed so astonishingly through the extension of its commercial interests that it is my duty to follow up the new German Hansa and to give it the protection which it has a right to expect from the empire and the Emperor.

Our German brothers of the church who have gone out to their quiet work and have not spared risking their lives in order to spread and make a home for our religion on foreign soil have placed themselves under my protection, and it is now a question of providing support and safety for these brothers who have been so often insulted and oppressed. For that reason the undertaking which I intrust to you and which you must fulfil in company with your comrades and the ships which are already out there is really one of protection and not one of defiance. Under the protecting banner of our German flag of war we expect that the rights which we are justified in demanding will be guaranteed to our commerce, to the German merchant, and to German ships--the same right which is vouchsafed by strangers to all other nations.

Our commerce is not new; in old times the Hanseatic League was one of the most powerful enterprises which the world has ever seen, and the German cities were able to build a fleet such as the sea's broad back had never carried in earlier days, but finally it came to naught because the one condition was lacking, namely that of an Emperor's protection. Now things have changed; the first condition, the German Empire, has been created; the second condition, German commerce, flourishes and develops, and it can only develop properly and securely if it feels itself safe under the power of the empire. Imperial power means sea power, and sea power and imperial power are so interdependent that the one cannot exist without the other.

As a token of this imperial sea power the squadron which has been strengthened by your division must now take its place, with all the comrades of the foreign fleet out there in close relationship and on good terms of friendship, but for the purpose of protecting our particular interests against every one who might be tempted to intrude upon the right of the Germans. That is your task and your mission.

Make it clear to every European there, to the German merchant, and, above all things, to the foreigner in whose country we are or with whom we have to deal, that the German _Michel_[16] has set his shield, decorated with the imperial eagle, firmly upon the ground. Whoever asks him for protection will always receive it. And may our countrymen out there cherish the firm conviction, whether they are priests or merchants or whatever profession they follow, that the protection of the German Empire as exemplified in the Emperor's ships will continuously be granted them! But if any one should undertake to insult us in our rights or to wish to harm us, then drive in with the mailed fist and, as God wills, bind about your young brow the laurels which no one in the entire German Empire will begrudge you!

[16] The German _Michel_ is the proverbial representative of the German
character, as Uncle Sam is of the American or John Bull of the
English. He is usually pictured as a simple, good-natured fellow.

In the firm conviction that you, following good examples--and, God be praised, examples are not wanting in our house--will carry out my thoughts and wishes, I raise my glass and drink it to your health, with the wish for a good voyage, for a happy issue to your task, and for a joyous return. Long live his Royal Highness, Prince Henry! Hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah!

ADDRESS TO THE REGIMENTS OF THE BODY-GUARD

POTSDAM, JUNE 16, 1898

On the day of the tenth anniversary of his coming to the throne
the Emperor assembled the regiments of the guard in the gardens of
Potsdam and made them the following address:

The most important heritage which my noble grandfather and father left me is the army, and I received it with pride and joy. To it I addressed my first decree when I mounted the throne. As I enter into the next decade of my reign I again address it in these words: You who are now assembled here constitute the 1st Infantry Regiment of the guard, in which I grew up; the Regiment of the Gardes du Corps, the most distinguished regiment of the cavalry body-guard of the Prussian Kings; the Hussar Regiment of the Body-Guard, which I have always commanded; and the Cadet Corps of the Infantry Battalion, which represents the entire army and which in Potsdam enjoys the honor of providing the guard for the King and his house.

Perhaps never did an army suffer such severe loss as in the year 1888. Never has an army lost in the course of a single year two such powerful leaders crowned with laurel and honor, who were at the same time its war lords.[17] I look back gratefully upon the years which have passed since that time.

[17] It is interesting to note that the Emperor here himself explicitly
makes the distinction between commander of an army, _Heerführer_,
and war lord, _Kriegsherr_, a title which can only be bestowed
upon the Emperor.

Seldom has so difficult a task fallen to the lot of a successor who in a brief period had been forced to see both his grandfather and his father carried away by death. The crown was weighed down with heavy cares. Every one lacked confidence in me; everywhere I was falsely judged. One alone believed in me, one alone had faith--that was the army. And leaning upon her, trusting upon our old guard, I took up my heavy charge, knowing well that the army was the main support of my country, the main support of the Prussian throne, to which the decision of God had called me. I therefore turn to you first to-day and express to you my congratulations and my gratitude, and in these expressions I include likewise with you all your brothers in the army. I am of the firm conviction that, through the self-sacrificing devotion of the officers and men in their faithful work of peace, the army during the last ten years has been maintained in the same condition in which I received it from my departed predecessors.

In the next ten years, faithfully bound together, let us seek further the unconditional fulfilment of our duty in old and unremitting labor, and may the main supports of our army remain forever intact! They are courage, sense of honor, and unconditional, iron, blind obedience.

That is my wish which I to-day address to you and with you to the entire army.

ON THE DEATH OF PRINCE BISMARCK

FRIEDRICHSRUH, AUGUST 2, 1898

After the founding of the German Empire Prince Bismarck, who
initiated and carried through many of the policies which brought
great prosperity to the German people, was looked upon with much
favor and enjoyed great popularity. Emperor William II, as has
been noted, dismissed him from his post as Imperial Chancellor in
the second year of his reign. His attitude toward Bismarck has
already been discussed (March 26, 1895). In most of his speeches
which recount the progress of the empire the Emperor is strangely
silent about this great figure in German history. When Bismarck
died, however (July 30, 1898), the Emperor immediately interrupted
his journey into the north and returned on the second of August to
pay his respects at the bier of the first Imperial Chancellor in
Friedrichsruh. On the same day he issued the following statement
which appeared that evening in the special edition of the
_Reichsanzeiger_.

It is noticeable that on this occasion the Emperor speaks of
his grandfather as "William the Great." His tendency to set
his ancestors upon lofty pedestals and to praise them somewhat
extravagantly finds expression in many of the speeches. He was
very desirous of having his grandfather called by this title, and
here as everywhere took the initiative. His lead, however, was not
generally followed. When the city of Hamburg erected a monument
to William I the pedestal was left without an inscription. This
has been explained by the fact that they were unwilling to say,
"William the Great," and afraid to say merely, "William I."

With my lofty peers and with the whole German people I stand in mourning at the bier of the first Chancellor of the German Empire, Prince Otto von Bismarck, Duke of Lauenburg. We who were witnesses of his masterly work, who looked upon him as the master of statecraft, as the fearless champion in war as in peace, as the most devoted son of his Fatherland and most faithful servant of his Emperor, are deeply shaken by the demise of the man in whom the Lord God created the implement with which to carry into effect the deathless idea of Germany's union and greatness.

At this moment it is not fitting to recount all the deeds which the great departed accomplished, all the cares which he bore for the Emperor and the empire, all the successes which he won. They are too powerful and manifold, and only history can and will engrave them upon her brass tablets.

But I feel constrained to make some expression before the world of the whole-hearted grief and grateful reverence which to-day fill the entire nation and, in the name of the nation, to make a vow that what he, the great Chancellor, built up under Emperor William the Great I shall maintain and develop and, if need be, defend with our possessions and our blood.

In this may the Lord God help us!

I commission you to bring to public attention this, my decree.

WILLIAM, I. R.

To the Imperial Chancellor.

"OUR FUTURE LIES UPON THE WATER"

STETTIN, SEPTEMBER 23, 1898

A previous address shows that in the mind of the Emperor the idea
of world-empire carried with it the idea of naval supremacy. In
this period he was increasingly interested in the industrial and
especially the naval and maritime expansion of Germany. A number of
his speeches take up this subject; so, for instance, he was present
at the opening of the new harbor at Stettin and delivered this
address:

With full heart I congratulate you on your completed work. You began with a fresh spirit of daring. You were able to begin it, thanks to the interest of my departed grandfather, the great Emperor, who built the iron girdle around the city. After the moment when this iron mantle fell you could take a larger and wider point of view. You did not delay but carried it out with real Pomeranian recklessness and obstinacy. You have succeeded, and I am pleased that the old Pomeranian spirit has again come to life in you and has driven you from the land upon the water.

Our future lies upon the water, and I am deeply convinced that this work which you, Herr Burgomaster, have carried out with foresight and care and energy will always be linked with your name, even after centuries, by the grateful citizens of the city of Stettin and that your work will always be recognized.

But I, as lord of the land and King, express my thanks to you that you have brought the city of Stettin to such a flourishing position. I hope and expect, yes, I might say, I demand, that she shall go on developing at this same rate, not divided by party strife and with her glance fixed upon the great whole, in order that she may come to a state of development such as has never yet been achieved. That is my wish!

THE JOURNEY TO THE HOLY LAND

BETHLEHEM, OCTOBER 30, 1898

On the 12th of October, 1898, the Emperor and Empress set out on
their journey to the Holy Land, accompanied by many representatives
of the church. In Venice they visited the Italian King and Queen
and passed on by way of Messina and Constantinople. They reached
Jerusalem on October 29. During his stay at Constantinople the
Emperor obtained the rights to a piece of land, the _Dormitio
Sanctæ Virginis_, and turned it over to the German Catholics in
Jerusalem. On November 4 they began their return journey via
Damascus. Though the dedication of the Church of Our Redeemer
constituted the ostensible object of the visit, the Emperor had
also other purposes in mind. He took the occasion to announce that
he would protect the interests of all Germans of whatever faith.
This is the more significant when we remember that up to this time
the French had always been allowed to assume the duty of protecting
the Catholics there. The Emperor likewise had in mind increasing
his prestige in the East. One of the outward indications of the
growing friendliness between Turkey and Germany which was then
strengthened may be found in the fact that the building of the
Anatolian railway was intrusted to a German company, to which was
also granted a concession for a harbor and permission to extend the
line through Bagdad to Bassora.

It will be noted that the approach to Jerusalem aroused a very
unfavorable impression in the Emperor. Nevertheless, he had
somewhat unusual preparations made for his entrance. The old
walls of the sacred city were breached in order to allow him to
make his entry in imperial state. In pursuance of his policy as
a world-emperor he attempted during his visit, as we have seen,
both by his acts and by his speeches, to conciliate all sects and
creeds; the Catholics through the grant of land, which likewise
pleased the Centre or Catholic party at home; the Evangelicals
through the dedication of a church; and the Moslems incidentally
and through his speech nine days later at Damascus, in the course
of which he said: "May the Sultan and may the three hundred
million Mohammedans who are scattered over the face of the earth
and who recognize him as their caliph be assured of the fact
that at all times the German Emperor will be their friend!" This
friendship of the Emperor for the Sultan was not to be clouded by
the Armenian massacres, nor did the assassinations in Asia Minor
evoke any protest. Indeed, we are told by a well-known foreign
correspondent that "five days after the great massacre of August,
1896, in Constantinople, when Turkish soldiers shot down their
fellow citizens under the eyes of the Sultan and of the foreign
ambassadors, William II sent to Abdul-Hamid for his birthday a
family photograph of himself with the Empress and his children." At
Damascus, he likewise laid a wreath upon the tomb of Saladin.

After the service in the Evangelical Church at Bethlehem the
Emperor gathered about him the Evangelical ministers and made them
this address, which was reported by E. Bosse, who at that time was
the Prussian _Kultusminister_.

If I am to give you the impressions of these last days, then I must tell you that, above all, I am very much disappointed. I did not wish to say that here, but after I had heard that the same thing had happened to others also, and among them to my court chaplain, for instance, I no longer wish to hide this from you. It may, indeed, be that the very unfavorable approach to the city of Jerusalem has contributed to this impression, but when one sees such conditions in the holy places and sees how things happen there it cuts one to the quick.

That the emanation of the love of the Creator took place here where we are now standing is a fact of extraordinary import, and yet how little does it correspond to what we have seen! I am, therefore, doubly pleased to have received my first elevating impression in the Holy Land at this service among you. The particular example of Jerusalem warns us insistently that we must suppress as far as possible the slight deviations in our sects, and that the Evangelical Church and the Evangelical creed must put forward a firmly united front here in the East. Otherwise we can accomplish nothing. We can only work through example, through the practice and proof that the gospel is a gospel of love in all quarters of the heavens and that it bears other fruits.

Only the life of Christians can make any impression upon the Mohammedans. No one can criticise them if they have little respect for the Christian name. Our churches divide against each other. Indeed, they must be restrained from quarrelling through the external power of arms. In the political world, under all possible pretexts we take away from them [the Mohammedans] one piece of territory after another, for which we have no justification, so that our influence has been much weakened and we have fallen to a very low level.

And now it is our turn! The German Empire and the German name have now won a consideration in the entire Ottoman Empire such as has never existed before. It is, therefore, for us to show what the Christian religion really is, that the practice of Christian love even toward the Mohammedan, not through dogmas and attempts at conversion but merely through example, is our plain duty. The Mohammedan is a very zealous believer, so that preaching alone will not suffice. But our culture, our institutions, the life which we live before them, the manner of our conduct toward them, and the proof that we are united among ourselves, these alone will have effect.

It is a kind of examination which we must pass for our Protestant faith and our creed. Through this we must give them proof of what Christianity is. In this way we may inspire in them an interest for our religion and for the Christian creed. See to it that this remains so!

DEDICATION OF THE CHURCH OF OUR REDEEMER

JERUSALEM, OCTOBER 31, 1898

The Church of Our Redeemer at Jerusalem was dedicated in the
presence of the Emperor by the general superintendent and head
court chaplain, Doctor Dryander, of Berlin. The church had been
planned by King Frederick William IV. After the dedication there
was a special church service, and after the prayer by the general
superintendent the Emperor offered the following address:

God has been gracious enough to allow us to dedicate in this city, which is holy to all Christians, and in this place, which is consecrated by labors of true love, a house of worship which we have built to honor the Saviour of the world. Through the building and dedication of the Church of Our Redeemer there has now come to successful issue a plan which my blessed predecessors cherished for more than half a century and sought to carry out as the protectors of the work of love which was founded here in Evangelical interests.

Through the saving power of the love which serves, all hearts should now here be brought to the consideration of those things in which alone the troubled human spirit may find salvation, rest, and peace here and hereafter.

All Evangelical Christians, even far beyond Germany's borders, are following our service here with closest interest and sympathy. The delegates of the Evangelical congregation and many who share the Evangelical faith from all parts of the world have come with us to this place in order to be personal witnesses to the completion of this work of faith and love through which the name of our great Lord and Saviour is to be glorified and the kingdom of God upon earth to be advanced.

Jerusalem, the lofty city on which our feet are standing, calls to mind memories of the great act of redemption of our Lord and Saviour. She shows us the common labor which unites all Christians, regardless of confessions and nations, in the apostolic faith.

The power which renewed the world through the gospel which originated here drives us to follow Him; it warns us to look up in faith to Him who died for us upon the cross. It warns us to be patient Christians and to carry out the doctrine of unselfish love of our neighbor in regard to all men. It promises us also that if we hold firm to the true teaching of the gospel even the gates of hell shall not prevail against our dear Evangelical Church.

It was in Jerusalem that was born the Light of the World, in whose splendor our German people has grown great and powerful. What the Germanic peoples have become they have become under the protection of the cross upon Golgotha and through the practice of self-sacrificing love of their neighbors. Just as two thousand years ago, so to-day that call, "Peace upon earth," which voices the earnest hopes of us all, should go forth to all the world.

Not splendor, not might, not glory, not honor, not earthly goods it is that we seek here. We pant, beseech, and strive only for the one highest good, the salvation of our souls, and as I now on this solemn day here repeat the vow of my ancestors who are resting in God, "I and my house, we will serve the Lord," so I ask you all to make the same vow. Let every one seek according to his position and his calling to bring it about that all those who bear the name of the crucified Lord will live their lives under the sign of His holy name to a victory over all the dark powers which are begotten in sin and selfishness.

May God grant that rich streams of blessing may flow back from here into united Christendom, and that on the throne as in the hut, that at home as abroad, trust in God, love of our fellows, patience in affliction, and thorough labor may remain the brightest jewels of the German people, and that the spirit of peace may permeate and hallow the Evangelical Church more and more.

He, the God of grace, will hear our prayers; that is our expectation. He alone is the strong and safe retreat upon which we build.

"Did we in our own strength confide,
Our striving would be losing;
Were not the right man on our side,
The man of God's own choosing.
Dost ask who that may be?
Christ Jesus, it is He;
Lord Sabaoth His name,
From age to age the same,
And He must win the battle."[18]

[18] Luther's "Ein' Feste Burg," translated by F. H. Hedge.

BY DIVINE RIGHT

BRANDENBURG, FEBRUARY 3, 1899

There is a particular whole-heartedness noticeable in all of the
Emperor's speeches to his hereditary subjects, the Brandenburgers.
He seemed to take them most fully into his confidence and expect
from them a higher degree of loyalty and understanding. For them
he felt a particular kinship. His personal pretensions are,
therefore, set forth in these speeches and in those to the
Prussians, as for instance in his Königsberg speech (August 25,
1910) with less reserve than usual, if we may speak of reserve in
one who shows but little and who is unusually frank and personal
in his statements. It is for this reason that these speeches have
occasionally been severely criticised by his South German subjects,
as for instance by Doctor Liman in his "Der Kaiser." This address
was delivered by the Emperor at a banquet which was given by Doctor
von Achenbach, _Oberpräsident_ of Brandenburg Province and Minister
of State, to the members of the Provincial Assembly. The wording
is taken from the "_Reichsanzeiger_." The historical facts here
referred to will be found in chapter I.

MY HONORED PRESIDENT AND DEAR MEN OF BRANDENBURG:

The speech which we have just heard has laid before us in small compass and in patriotic spirit, embellished with poetic flights, the deeds of my house and the history of our people. I think that I speak from the heart of all of you when I say that there were two circumstances which made it possible for my ancestors and my house to discharge their tasks in this way. The first and prime circumstance was the fact that, above all other princes, and even in a time when perhaps such thoughts and feelings were not yet current, they felt and discharged the personal responsibility of the ruler toward Heaven. The second circumstance is the fact that they had behind them the people of the mark. Let us look back to the time when Frederick I had been named Elector and when he exchanged his magnificent Frankish home country for the mark, which at that time was in a condition which we can hardly picture to ourselves even from the description of historians. We can only understand this exchange on the assumption that the ruler felt within himself the call to journey to this land, which had been intrusted to him by the imperial protection in order here to bring about a better-ordered condition, not only for the Emperor's sake or for his own sake, but he was convinced that the task had been given him from above.

The same conviction we shall find in all of my ancestors. Their great battles without and the development and the making of laws within the country have always been dictated by the thought that they were responsible for the people given over to them and for the country which had been intrusted to them.

Your President has been kind enough to mention our journey to Palestine and the acts which I accomplished there. I dare say that many different impressions of a lofty nature forced themselves upon me, and they were partly religious, partly historical, and partly drawn from modern life, but aside from the celebration in our church (October 31, 1898), the loftiest and the deepest was the consciousness that I was standing on the Mount of Olives, that I was treading upon the very place where the greatest battle which was ever fought out upon the earth, the battle for the salvation of mankind, had been fought out by our Saviour. This fact moved me, as it were, on that same day to renew my oath to the flag above that I would leave nothing untried in order to unite my people and to push aside whatever might be able to divide it.

But as I was tarrying in the far country, and in different places where we Germans feel so keenly the lack of dear woods and beautiful waters, I remembered the lakes of the mark with their dark, clear waves, and the woods of oak and of fir, and I thought to myself that, although in Europe they sometimes looked down upon us, we are none the less much better off in Brandenburg than in foreign countries. And when I think of the tree and of the use we make of it and our love for the woods I am reminded of an incident that is very interesting for us as we begin to develop the empire.

It was after the great and noble achievements of the year 1870-1. The troops had returned home; the tumult and the enthusiasm had subsided, and the old work of founding and developing our newly conquered Fatherland was now to begin. There, for the first time, the three paladins of the great old Emperor, the great General,[19] the powerful Chancellor,[20] and the faithful Minister of War,[21] were sitting together at their common meal. After they had emptied the first glass to the Lord of the Land and to the Fatherland, the Chancellor spoke and turning to his two colleagues said: "We have now achieved everything for which we have striven, suffered, and fought. We have reached the highest point of which we had ever dreamed. What can there now be, after what we have lived through, which shall interest or elevate or inspire us?" There was a pause and then the old master of battles said suddenly, "We can watch the tree grow," and a deep silence fell upon the room.

[19] Moltke.

[20] Bismarck.

[21] Roon.

Yes, gentlemen! The tree which we watch growing and for which we must care is the German imperial oak. A healthy growth is in store for it because it stands under the protection of the people of the mark in whose land it is rooted. It has lived through many a storm and has often been threatened, but the stalk and the shoot which are sunk in the sands of the mark will, God willing, endure to all eternity!

I can merely vow once again to-day to do everything for it that is in my power! And even the journey to hallowed shrines and places will help me in this, and I shall be better able, therefore, to protect this tree and to watch and foster it, cutting back like a good gardener the branches which are superfluous, and keeping watch upon and exterminating the animals which would gnaw at its roots. I hope that I may then see this picture. The tree will have developed gloriously and before it the German _Michel_ will be standing, his hand upon his sword, and looking out into the distance in order to protect it. That peace stands firm which stands under the shield and under the sword of the German _Michel_.

It is a magnificent thing to begin with the idea of bringing peace to all the nations; but an error is likely to slip into our calculations. So long as there is unregenerate sin in humanity, so long there will be war and hatred, envy and discord, and one man will try to take advantage of another. But the rules which govern men govern nations also. Therefore we must see to it that we Germans, at least, stand together like a firm block. Far beyond the seas[22] and here in Europe, may every wave that threatens peace break upon this "_rocher de bronze_" of the German people! But it is the mark and its inhabitants first of all which are called upon to help me in this, and as I assume that it is not hard for you to follow the black and white banner and your red one,[23] so I hope that I shall be understood by you when I say that I intend to look for aid to the mark now and hereafter, and that I count upon its loyal support!

[22] The Spanish-American War was ended by treaty December 10, 1898.

[23] The flag of Brandenburg is a red griffin on a white field.

Therefore I raise my glass and call out: Long live Brandenburg and the inhabitants of the mark. Hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah!

THE HAGUE CONFERENCE

WIESBADEN, MAY 18, 1899

On the Czar's birthday the Emperor was present at the banquet given
in Wiesbaden, to which the Russian Ambassador, Count Osten-Sacken,
had been invited. The Emperor proposed the following toast. On the
same day the peace conference at The Hague had been opened and the
Russian delegate De Staal had been elected its president. At the
end of August, 1898, the Russian Minister for Foreign Affairs had
issued the following communication to all the representatives of
the powers in St. Petersburg. "The maintenance of universal peace
and a possible reduction of the armaments which burden all nations
in the present state of civilization is an ideal for all the world
toward which all governments must be directed." The Czar believed
that a conference might achieve this object, and he suggested that
they might regulate the reduction of armaments all around and
eliminate many of the horrors of war through the establishment of
certain humane principles. The programme was presented by Russia on
January 11, 1899, and the conference was called on her invitation
for May 18 of that year.

Every year I offer my toast to the health of his Majesty, the Emperor of Russia, with deep feeling. To-day I add to it my heartiest good wishes for the success of the conference which owes its inception to his Majesty's initiative.

My honored Baron, my wish includes the hope that the two tried and experienced statesmen, his Excellency Baron de Staal and Count Münster, may succeed in their efforts and that they may conduct the conference on the old, established tradition which unites my house to that of his Majesty and the German people to the Russian; and by doing so, in accordance with the exactly similar orders which the Emperor and I have issued, that the conference may result to the entire satisfaction of his Majesty.

His Majesty, the Emperor Nicholas! Hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah!

THE HOUSING OF LABORERS

EARLY JUNE, 1899

Kadinen is one of the Emperor's many farming estates and is
situated in the neighborhood of Elbing, in East Prussia. It was
here that he expressed the following sentiment:

Many things must be changed at Kadinen; especially the housing of the laborers must be changed. Here in the east this seems still to be a particular evil. The fine cattle stable in Kadinen is a veritable palace compared to the homes of the laborers. We must see to it that the pigsties are not better than the laborers' houses.

FRENCH HEROISM AT ST. PRIVAT

THE BATTLE-FIELD OF ST. PRIVAT, AUGUST 18, 1899

The following noble address of the Emperor's was delivered at the
dedication of the monument to the soldiers of the 1st Regiment of
the Guard, who fell in the battle of St. Privat (August 18, 1870).
In it he speaks of the splendid heroism of the French troops who
were fighting for their Emperor. It should be remembered that the
monument was erected in the provinces which had been conquered
from France by Germany. At this time the Emperor had adopted a
conciliatory attitude toward the inhabitants of these provinces.
(See speech of March 14, 1891.) If, therefore, it may seem
ungracious, it is nevertheless merely just to call attention to
the fact that when he later (March 28, 1901) presented a painting
of the battle of St. Privat to the Alexander Regiment of the Guard
in Berlin he did not mention French heroism and speaks a different
language.

Serious and solemn memories surround this day and make our hearts beat high. My 1st Infantry Regiment of the Guard is represented here by my company of the Body-Guard, by its glorious flags, and by many old comrades who once fought and bled in this place. They are to-day to unveil this monument to their fallen comrades. This ceremony will take place in the presence of my youngest regiment,[24] and the troops of the Fourteenth Army Corps, which represent the entire German army.

[24] Infantry Regiment No. 145, garrisoned at Metz.

It has been almost the only regiment which up to the present has not been represented by a monument in this place, where so much blood was shed, and yet it had full claim to be thus commemorated. Through its history it is closely associated with my house, and it is called upon to train its Princes and Kings, and may therefore be properly regarded as a family and a house regiment. Nevertheless, my imperial grandfather did not hesitate a moment to hazard these troops, which were so dear to him, for the good of the Fatherland.

History teaches us how the regiment fought and bled and respected its oath to the flag and how its conduct, its sufferings, and its losses won the praise and the tears of the great Emperor.

With me as its oldest comrade the regiment now erects this shaft to the memory of the heroes that rest beneath the green sod. The form of the monument differs from that which is usually found on battle-fields. The archangel in armor, peacefully at rest, is leaning upon his sword, which is decorated with the proud motto of the regiment, "_Semper talis_."[25] I therefore wish that a general significance should be attached to this figure. It stands upon this bloody field as the guardian of all the brave soldiers, both the French and our own, who fell here. For bravely and heroically the French soldiers sank to their honored graves, fighting for their Emperor and their Fatherland. And if our flags touch each other as they are lowered before the bronze monument and sadly rustle over the graves of our dear comrades, may they also wave over the graves of our opponents and whisper to them that in reverent sorrow we remember the brave dead!

[25] By an unfortunate error Penzler prints the motto as "_Semper
talio_"--"Retaliation forever." The reading has been changed, as
the motto of the regiment is in reality "_Semper talis_"--"Ever
the same."

Let us look up to the Lord of Hosts and thank Him for the guidance graciously given to our great Emperor. Let us picture to ourselves to-day that the souls of all those who once opposed each other in fierce conflict upon this field are now gathered about the throne of the Supreme Judge and that, united in the everlasting peace of God, they now look down upon us.

V

THE GREATER NAVY

Many of the speeches which follow will be found to bear upon the question of increasing the navy, and from this time forth, for various reasons, that idea will be uppermost in the Emperor's mind. His statement that he had, from the first, strongly urged an increase in the navy must be accepted with certain reserves. Such increases as were suggested were slight as compared to the programmes now to be urged, and his speeches of that time give little evidence of any particular insistence or disappointment at his failure in this regard. He really begins to preach the need of the greater navy insistently in the last years of the century, and his present statement, "Bitterly do we need a powerful German fleet," is his sharpest pronouncement up to this time. It takes on an added significance if we remember that it was made nine days after the Boer ultimatum which began the Boer War had been despatched. In this connection it is well to read the telegram sent to President Krüger, printed with the _Daily Telegraph_ interview (October 28, 1908).

William II had in 1889 divided the admiralty and appointed a naval officer to act as head of the organization and development of the fleet. It was only in the late nineties, however, after the appointment of Admiral Tirpitz, that this work began to go forward with leaps and bounds. That German sentiment was quick to follow the lead of the Emperor is shown by the immense enthusiasm which has made the German Navy League (organized in 1898) so great a success. In 1907 it already counted a million paying members, and its journal, _Die Flotte_, had a circulation of over 370,000 copies, which is about as large as that of nearly all other important German monthlies combined.[26] Shortly after the disaster of Spion Kop Admiral Tirpitz spoke thus: "We do not know what adversary we may have to face. We must therefore arm ourselves with a view to meeting the most dangerous naval conflict possible." The preamble to the German navy bill of 1900 reads: "Germany must have a fleet of such strength that a war against the mightiest power would involve risks threatening the supremacy of that power." Emperor William protests, and there is no reason for doubting his sincerity, that this policy of increasing the navy was not primarily directed at England. It was necessary to protect Germany's commerce and increase her prestige. On this point his famous interview given to the _Daily Telegraph_ is interesting. Undoubtedly, however, this rapid increase in the navy, which began with the navy bill of 1900 and which happened to coincide with the events of the Boer War, did much to heighten the ill feeling which had already begun to spring up between England and Germany. The idea of increasing the navy met with more general support among the people than any other policy of the Emperor's, though it called for very decided increases in taxation. How keen was the Emperor's personal interest in the matter we may judge from the fact that in 1897 he sent to all the members of the Reichstag and innumerable other officials a memorandum comparing the naval strength of Germany, France, Russia, America, and Japan. The appropriation bill of that year calling for 240,000,000 marks was voted with a slight reduction. The sense that the struggle for naval supremacy with England was impending made necessary immensely larger appropriations in the bill of 1900.

[26] These are the figures given by J. Ellis Barker in "Modern Germany."

"BITTERLY WE NEED A POWERFUL GERMAN FLEET"

HAMBURG, OCTOBER 18, 1899

The _Kaiser Karl der Grosse_ was launched in Hamburg on the 18th
of October, 1899. It will be noticed that the Emperor is always
careful to observe the anniversaries that commemorate the military
prowess, the birthdays, and the achievements of the members of his
house. The present date is again an anniversary of the battle of
Leipzig, 1813. In the evening the Emperor spoke as follows at the
banquet in the Rathaus:

It is with particular pleasure that I find myself among you again on this historic anniversary. It always gives me new strength and vigor when I feel around me the dashing spray and bubbling life of one of the cities of the Hanseatic League. It was a solemn act that we have just witnessed when we gave over to its element a new portion of the floating defense of the Fatherland. Every one who was present must have been impressed with the thought that the proud ship would soon be able to take up its calling. We feel its lack, and bitterly do we need a powerful German fleet.

Its name reminds us of the first glorious days of the old empire and of its mighty protector. The first beginnings of Hamburg date from that time, even though it was merely the point of departure for the missions in the service of the powerful Emperor. Now our Fatherland has been newly united through Emperor William the Great and is in a position to take up its glorious outward development. And right here in this great emporium of trade we feel the sense of power and energy which the German people are capable of putting into their enterprises through the fact that they are bound together and united. But here, too, we can most readily understand how necessary it is that we should have powerful support and that we can no longer continue without increasing our fighting strength upon the seas.

But this feeling penetrates all too slowly into the German Fatherland, which unfortunately wastes its strength in fruitless party strife. I have had to watch with deep concern how slow is the progress of interest in, and political comprehension of, the great world problems among the German people.

If we look about us we can see how in the last few years the face of all the world has been changed. Old world empires are disappearing and new ones are arising. Nations have appeared among the peoples and are taking their place in the competition--nations which previously the layman had scarcely noticed. Events which change the whole field of international relationships and the whole field of our national economy, and which formerly were accomplished only in the course of centuries, now take place in a few months. Through this fact the tasks of the German Empire and the German people have grown greatly in extent and demand from me and my government extraordinary and serious efforts. They can be crowned with success only if the Germans stand behind us firmly united and give up their party divisions. But our people must make up their minds to make sacrifices. Above all things, it must give up the attempt to find the highest by dividing itself more and more sharply into parties. It must cease to put the party above the good of the nation. It must put a check upon its old hereditary failing to make everything the occasion of unrestrained criticism, and it must realize the boundaries which its own vital interests draw for it. For it is precisely these old political sins which are now being visited upon our interests on the sea and upon our fleet. I insistently requested and warned that it must be strengthened in the first eight years of my reign, and if these requests had not been continually refused, and refused in ways which heaped scorn and ridicule upon me, we would have been able to advance our growing trade and our oversea interests far differently.

But my hopes that the German will choose the manlier way have not yet disappeared, for in him love of the Fatherland is great and powerful. The October fires which to-day he lights upon the hills and by which he celebrates the noble figure of the Emperor[27] who was born on this day bear eloquent witness to this fact.

[27] Frederick III.

And, in fact, Emperor Frederick with his great father and his great paladins did help to build a wonderful edifice and left it to us as the German Empire. It stands before us in glory, as it had been yearned for by our fathers and celebrated by our poets! Let us no longer, therefore, as heretofore, dispute uselessly as to how the particular rooms, halls, and apartments of this building are to look or how they are to be furnished; but may the people, burning like these October fires with an ideal enthusiasm, strive to follow its ideal second Emperor, and above all things let it rejoice in the beautiful edifice and help to protect it. Let it be proud of its greatness. Let it be conscious of its inner worth. Let it watch every foreign state in its development. Let it make the sacrifices which our position as a world-power demands. Let it give up the spirit of party and stand united and firm behind its princes and its Emperor--then only will the German people help the Hanseatic cities in carrying out their great work for the benefit of the Fatherland.

That is my wish to-day, and to it and the health of Hamburg I raise my glass.

ON THE THRESHOLD OF THE NEW CENTURY

BERLIN, JANUARY 1, 1900

The military New Year's celebration took place near the armory, and
the standards of the entire Berlin garrison were for this purpose
brought from the Royal Palace. The Empress and her younger children
watched the celebration from the windows of the armory.

The first day of the new century sees our army, that is our people under arms, gathered about its standards and kneeling before the Lord of Hosts. And, indeed, if any one has particular cause for bowing down to-day before God it is our army.