Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (May 18, 1913)
THE SUNDAY OREGOyiAX. POKTLAflTP. MAY 18, 1913. V .n mmm . - 1 " " " ) r . Kara Him A BT BASIL. LAJlBEFft BERLIN. May 7. (Spectal ' Corre spondence.) Kaiser Wilhelm is again bard up. k A patriotic Impulse haa caused him to subject himself and 20 other rulers to the new War Tax, and Wilhelm. who la worth only $37,000,000, must pay down a pretty sum. This is only one of his financial mis fortunes. He lately made a bad deal by buying; land near Klein Glienicke; he must pay the costs of his thrice fought lawsuit with lessee Sohst of El bing. and his gilt-edged securities are down. Also, he has Just redecorated four big halls In the 8chloss at vast expense. And generally his financial destiny looks rather unkind. This Is all the worse for Wilhelm because most of the affairs to which he has hitherto set his hand have in volved him in loss. He has managed his investments indifferently. TheBe Investments are big. None of the sal ary of $4,600,000 which he receives as Prussian King is ever invested, for ex travagant Wilhelm spends that and But there are large trust Investment CHARLES r.-ff . .- . ' r ?v v "V ' . j ' ' -obt. iwi. by iaf. Pubiuhin. . " " j . THEY TAJSE A IIOEJUKQ- EUHV Egotism Costs Pr gfty Penny He Though He Had Business Acumen but Now He Knows Better in funds and In land; there are four theaters which ought to bring la a profit; there is a thoroughbred stud farm; a fish farm, a porcelain works, a tile factory. n-nd Interests In number less private corporations. These af fairs mostly go ill. The Cologne financial writer, Zach ary, even says that Kaiser Wilhelm Is a hopelessly bad business man, and that he will be the first Hohensollern ruler since the age of the extravagant Friedrich Wilhelm I who will leave nis family worse off than he found it. The reason given for the mismanage ment of Wilhelm's affairs is the lack of single homogeneous authority to deal with them. In theory the affairs are- subject to the Civil Cabinet, tho chief of which Is Herr Von Valentin!. In reality. Wilhelm II meddles every where unknown to his Cabinet, and ho further takes advice from his business friends. Eome are good advisers others bad. Among the good ones was the Banker Ludwlg Delbrueck, who died a few weeks ago. Delbrueck was- a member if a reat rmancnai-poimcai mmuy and a relative of the present Imperial I Minister of the Interior. As he was 1 rendered to tne "get-ncn-quic.. temp-, DANA GIBSON'S PICTURESTORY 3 I 3 ismsii 1 It--v- ,tZi?51 i .... - ir.tAi a? 49 rornorations and member- of the Control Council of 21 - - .hat V a wb about. Delbrueck's relations with the Kaiser were kept secret to the end. but he ex- j a .im trffiiiATinA and man aged to keep Wilhelm clear -of several dangerously speculative emerjinaea Tli. a.rnnrt s.dviser of Wilhelm 13 his friend the Prince of Fuerstehburg. i?..tanki.ff vat th .nl5!Ar to invest part of the Frederick 'Vilhelm savings in the Upper Silesia coal and Iron groups, ana WHhelm here did well. Kaiser Wilhelm eo it Ib said also owns shares in the Commerce and Dis count Bank and In the Dresden Bank; but these are said to be registered un. der the name of a non-existent Count. Two other advisers are Albert Ballin, the Hamburg-America man, and Baron von OppenneJm, the greatest corpora tion man in the empire. If Wilhelm II had always taken the advice of these Lrieiiua, auu iiwi j.wfc tation. his modest I37-.000.000 would to day be nearer JTO,000,000. sni.i. w t AAA (inn CTtlhelm Is the TV1LU hid f " 'i ' fourth or fifth richest man In Prussia. His wealth Is made up mainiy ji iuub and chateaux, with about i4.oou.ouo savings left by King Frederick Wil liam XII: several iarouy trust iuuub. i wrAr.iil to Wilhelm I by the Empire soon after the victories over France., " iV Most of tne iana anq ntjrijr u money is locked up by trust deeds, and Wilhelm II can only touch the profits or interest. About $12,000,000 is In vested In various ways and a mystery is made of the investments. A consld- .M. sum nrnhahlv S5.000.000 haS been loaned at 54 per cent interest to Krupp, of Essen. Kaiser Wilhelm invested this money anr-rta vfirfl &srn when KnifiD wanted capital to extend his works. He was to get a bonus in a certain contingency. The contingency has not occurred. The Balkan War has somewhat damaged Krupp's reputation, and all the minor European states which do not build their own cannons threaten to give or Amwm in futnra to thu Frpnffh Schnetder- Canet firm, which successfully armed the victorious .Bulgarians. Kaiser Wilhelm has invested most ot the Notpfennig the "Need-Penny" left by Frederick Wilhelm, in English, Austrian, and other foreign securities. The "Need-Penny" is a sum of $2,400,000 which . Wilhelm's ancestor declared should be preserved and never spent ex cept In an hour of great emergency. As the only emergency in which the Hohenzoilerns would want such a small sum as $2,400,000 would be a revolu tion ending in their expulsion, the "Need-Penny" could not be invested in Germany. About $900,000 is Invested in the names of three trustees in English consols, bearing only 2tt per cent. Wil helm has lost badly here; the consols were bought in 1902. when they were quoted at 93, and of late they have been 10 points or more lower; $400, 000 is invested in Austrian government stock. Where the rest of the "Need- A ray of light came into Wilhelm's life when he turned manufacturer, mis attempts to manufacure china, and to reform the Koyal Porcelain Manufac tory Into a profitable affair ended dis astrously; but his tile and majolica factory at Cadinen is turning up t-mna Thn nrnflt. ' nnWAVAr. COmeS more from the inherent snobbery of mankind than from Wlineims Dusmess talents. Because of the. advertisements, ..aln.ia Anna a n I BtnrM nr. rlACnT&tint? their premises with Wilhelm's tiles and majolica at pricessiar aoove me uc First began Kempinsky, a big restaur ateur in the Leipzlgerstrasse. Kempin sky sent Kaiser Wilhelm an order to decorate with pottery a new hall. Wilhelm II obeyed, and when the hall was ready he paid It a visit of inspec tion. The newspapers printed columns, and both Wilhelm and Kempinsky got big advertisements. Some anti-semltic organs began to grumble at Kaiser Wil helm selling tiles to a jew, mu ." grumble increased Wilhelm's advertise ment. The Jews were so pleased that Welhelm got an order te decorate the new Charlottenburg synagogue. Wert heim. the biggest department store in Europe, next patronized Kaiser Wil helm. They gave his Cadinen works an order worth $260,000 for the lining of the walls of a Winter garden in their stores with tiles and majolica. Wertheim got from this a good boom, though Kaiser Wilhelm refused this time to visit the stores. Wilhelm has since got two big orders from Cologne, and an order from a new Leipzig hetel company which will take three years to complete. These will bring him in $150,000. This majolica' business is the one stroke of real business done by Kaiser Wilhelm. Whether the factory would succeed If it were In private hands Is doubtful. The art critic Velthein crit icises the Cadinen majolica, and swears that "any private firm would turn out more artistic majolica at half the price." However, Wilhelm despises critics, who short-slghtedly leave out of account the fact that any private firm could not employ Kaiser Wilhelm to boom its gooas. 1L NOT 5H AVE UNTIL Y0U(DMEBA0PME,, ONTLTJCON, .Bourbon County France, May 2. (Special.) In the nnolunt street of the Lockmakers, a sad scene took place. As I stopped among a throng of whispering neigh hra a. diatiniTuished acred woman. beautifully dressed, unmistakably Par- isienne, emerged from one ot tne poor old houses, weeping 'bitterly. A lady's companion and oonfldental valet In black aided her to mount into the amarteat lirftTV ROUDO Of the CitV. The coachman whipped up and they dashed oft. . "Serves her right," the neighbors murmured. Whereby hangs the romance of the man with the longest beard . In the world. Louis Coulon, who was 85 years old on February 26, 1911. had his'photo graph taken for the occasion, standing beside his grand-niece. Mile. Francolse Louvols, who held the wonderful beard in her two bands. And they do aj that zephyrs from the plains of "Vichy blew through it aeollan accords of ravishing sweetness and melancholy. " The beard Is 11 feet 2 Inches .long. It has grown continuously since July 21, 1847, when Louis Coulon was a hand some young fellow of 21. who had Just finished his apprenticeship and become a full companion of the guild of model carvers, earning wages to keep a wife in gay comfort. He loved and was beloved 'by Lallie Vignaud, the prettiest girl of Mont lucon. They were engaged to be mar ried in September. To obtain a richer trousseau, Lallie consented to pay a few weeks' visit to her Aunt Agnes In Paris. The petulant beauty, before de parting, mourned and sulked that Louis might be tempted to flirt wfth Mont lucon girls during her absence. An idea came to the generous lover. "Listen, Lallie," said Louis. "I'll not shave till you come back. I'll be a sight." "Do you promise, dear?" said Lallie. "Sure," he answered. 'Til not shave till you come back." And Lallie never came back. Her Aunt Agnes, in Paris, being dresser to the ladles of the Theatre Francals, on terms of respectful Inti macy with talent and beauty of high standing; In the art-loving capital, was amassing a competence. The engage ment of her beautiful niece to a mere mechanic shocked her. She would adopt Lattle. Lattie should become an act ress. The beautiful " girl, dressed" In taste, had glimpses' of another world. Her stay In Paris lengthened. She en tered the Conservatoire. Her letters to Montlucon became few and far be tween. The faithful Louis Coulon let his beard rush. In 1850 It was Jetty black and point ed. It was the year In which ne naa ed. it was tne ynar m "" " . . . . w . . 1 ..... A r-n A . receivea news in uate from the Cbnservatoire. "I've got LV VI' . 9. - ' - - v. v.Aa T.A. onf4 "'sua mav neefljjflonuuww. " - "A WIDOW AND HER & -'Vi W rt.t'l ? llU tin -IBI pJ jfck S me." There was no railroad. He trav. elod by stage coach, and put up at the Hotel des Princes in the rue Richelieu. "Lattie mustn't be ashamed of me," he said. He pushed his way into the Commencement ef the Comedy section where his decent black broadcloth suit . . ... made a mourning blotch amid the bril liant throng. Lattie, with a First Ac cesslt, ten bouquets and throng of Theater-Francals celebrities of both sexes to fete the triumph of their lit tle friend and niece of Ma'ra Agnes, their dresser and gossip, disappeared from the stage, and Louis never got word with her. In 1852 he received, back his engage ment ring by mail. The beard hid his shirt-front. He let the beard rush over. In 1862 it was at his waist. To those who urged him bitterly to. cut It off and marry, he had ceased to answer back an argument. He let it rush. In 1868 It touched his knees. "I promised not to cut my beard till Lattie came back " he used to whispen to himself in the gloaming. "She'll come, one of these days." The beard had been longer, and my my story shorter, had not three feet I burned on in isio. wueu I 1 . AAmnonlnna frftm tflA tAr. rescuea iww ---- --- ribl fire at the Bt Jacques works. for growth," he laughed. And he let it rush. In 1S80 the beard was making for his knees again. And Lattie was a famous actress In Paris. She retired rich. In 1890 It was down to his leet, ui- tie lost her only son, accidentally shot .i,n knntinv Khrt nuit Paris for ner wime uuuL.ii6. -' chateau on the Loire, and devoted her self to good works. ... In 1902 the beard was under Louis feet and up his back to his coat tails. In 1910 it was up to the top of his head. One day his niece Francolse said: "Why, look. It's longer than we thought!" She pulled it down and hid his face. The beard went all around him lengthwise, he a man of 5 feet 4 inches. In 1911 they measured it. The beard was 11 feet to its tip. In 1912 the beard grew another Inch. And "in 1913 Lattie came back. Rich and aged woman, she at last took the train with her servants, and found the little house in the ancient street of the Lockmakers. She desired the pardon of the man that she had wronged so cruelly. She fell on her knees before him. Faded roses! Was their perfume in her heart still? The neighbors swear that she asked him to marry herl "Too late," said Louis Coulon. "I'll not cut my beard now. "Why, do you Know, Lattie, It grew an inch last year!" f FRIENDS