6
THE SUNDAY OREGONIAN, PORTLAND. MARCH 15, 1914.
in'Caci dwyva Jzotn fifim cffflcsi a
64i$ Power inc?jdej& AfimJe feess.
1! - yv?vVv s 1 lit J , - jf l
lift- - f I ilii i II I i i X ..A r .". v - :. .- .'v3rS
l " ZZe
BT G. H. CAMPDEN.
BERLIN, March 5. (Special Corre
spondence.) Wilhelm the Second
is Europe's helpless man. He can
not do what he likes. Other Germans
(except at Zabern) are free in a mod
est way to run their own affairs, but
Wilhelm the Second has lost that priv
ilege. The trend of politics is against his
power, and against even his liberty.
The Kaiser's "autocracy" legend, which
lp bluffed the credulous world for
fie and twenty years, no longer bluffs
Germans; and wlien they tallc of "au
tocracy" they talk with tongue in
cheek, much in the spirit of Jacobin
Young Turks, who call themselves
"slaves of the Padishah."
Wilhelm the Second's autocracy has
disappeared In Wilhelm's own reign.
By irony of fate tho monarch who
whJ started out as divine-right prophet
has lost all rights of every sort. He
is the slave and mandatary of a small,
reactionary, militarist clique, without
whose indorsement he cannot call his
soul his own.
After resisting successfully the dem
ocratic revolution from tho Left the
revolution of radicals and socialists
he shows himself helpless against the
ariatocratic-military revolution from
the Right. When he dares to differ
from the artlstocrats-militarists. his
views are ignored, his acts revoked;
and his authority abjured and discred
ited. One thing only remains of his
autocracy. That is his power to be
growled against. When things go wrong
the same Germans who dictate what
ho shall do make him responsible. His
position is that of a whipping boy for
other men's sins. From the post of
real guide and pilot of the Empire he
lias hren l?nominlously dismissed.
This trend in German politics has
long been plain. The Zabern crisis has
made it plainer. The Affaire Zabern
proved nothing but a series of defeats
for Wilhelm the Second. From the
first, Wilhelm held sane, anti-militarist
views. Anti-militarism has been
the imperial tendency for years past;
the radical writer, Gneist, declares that
"the whole spirit of our militant press
is repugnant to him"; and on this score
the militarist press has for years past
been firing off veiled reproaches.
It was the Kaiser who first took
steps to remedy the Zabern muddle.
While .Bethmann-Hollweg, frightened
by the Reichstag outburst and doubly
frightened by the reactionaries, hesi
tated, the Kaiser ordered General von
Dtemling to keep his soldiers within
the limits of the law; sent a concilia
tory general to Zabern to restore peace;
and ordered that the guilty officers be
court-martialed at once.
His view was that the officers must
be punished. As a result of the Kaiser's
action. Lieutenant Forstner was sen
tenced to 43 days in jail. Then came
developments which proved that Wil
helm the Second has no power to direct
events. The conservatives and Jingoes
broke out into open revolt; next came
the demonstrations of Berlin's Police
President Jagow and the Crown Prince;
and these outbreaks took a distinct
anti-Kaiser color. The Kaiser was ac
cused of "weakness" in face of the
Reichstag Democrats.
All sorts of vague threats were made,
and soon a "conservative revolution"
was in full course. Wilhelm the Sec
ond precipitately gave way. The sec
ond trials of the Zabern offenders were
held in the opposite atmosphere from
the first. It was decided to acquit.
Furstner's convictic a was quashed; and
the other officers went free. The
Kaiser's policy of reconciling the
Democrats, and restoring the domina
tion of law, was foiled.
Zabern showed that the Kaiser's
"autocracy" really exists only so long
as Wilhelm the Second lets himself
meekly be run Ty conservatives and
militarists. The motto of these parties
is the poet Chamisso's verse:
TJnd der Konlg absolut,
Wenn er unsern Wlllen thut.
"Let the monarch be autocrat,
(On condition he obeys our orders)."
The history of the Prussian franchise
reform, an issue even more Important
than Zabern, shows similarly that the
Kaiser has lost all political power ex
cept when he exercises it at the will
of the reactionaries. The - Kaiser set
his heart on bringing Prussia's medi
eval franchise up to date. The Prus
sian Cabinet, which is appointed and
dismissed solely by the Kaiser as King
of Prussia, had to follow.
The Kaiser regards the backward
ness of Prussia's Legislature, a result
of the antique franchise, as a serious
peril to imperial unity. In two speeches
from the throne In 1908 and 1910 he de
clared his will to modernize the fran
chise, and he described this task aa
"the most pressing problem of the
day." Yet every attempt to execute
these promises has failed against the
opposition of the Prussian conserva
tives. In 1910 Chanoellor Bethmann
Hollweg laid a bill before the Reich
stag. The democratic press, and the
government emphasized the Kaiser's
personal will that it should pass.
. The Diet, "the real rulers," aa the
members call themselves, showed ironi
cally their respect for the Kaiser's will
by turning the bill inside out. Where
the bill provided secret ballot they
put in open ballot, and where it pro
vided direct voting they put in Indirect.
The conservatives in the upper house
further mutilated the bill, and amid a
chorus of derision Bethmann-Hollweg
had to withdraw the project.
According to a story told at the time
angry Wilhelm II exclaimed: "Oh, that
the '60s were back!" meaning that he
sighed for the days when Bismarck
boldly defied and triumphed over the
Diet.
' Since then four years have passed;
the Kaiser and Chancellor have not
found courage to bring in a fresh bill.
The Kaiser's promise remains, and
every Diet sossion the Democrats
acidly call attention to it. They get
vague answers, sufficient proof that
Wilhelm II has not the stomach to try
a second fall with the all-powerful con
servatives. Wilhelm II has lost his autocratic
power precisely in the way that was
predicted by Bismarck's factotum, Lo
thar Bucher. Bucher declared that "a
Prussian sovereign is always secure
against Democratic attempts to steal
his prerogatives; because while our
democracy grows in numbers it does
not grow in strength. The real pur
lolners of the Kaiser's and King's pow
ers are the conservatives, who grow
more powerful every day. Also the
army tends to limit the sovereign's au
thority." This predicioin is today ful
filled. The Democrats have failed in their
attempts to control the Kaiser's minis
ters and to diminish the Kaiser's ex
ecutive power. The present Reichstag,
with a liberal-radical-socialist major
ity, has attempted and failed. But the
Prussian conservatives, the militarists
and the army have increased their in
fluence. They are taking the offensive
all along the ync. Their citadel is the
Prussian Diet.
Just now the Diet is making a fierce
assault upon democratic tendencies and
upon the Reichstag. It is backed up
by the clique which is vaguely called
the Crown Prince's party. The Crown
Prince's party is not organized, but it
exists. Its chief fighting man Is Herr
von Oldenburg of Januschau, an ex
guards officer, ex-Reichstag member
and rich country gentleman, whoBe
estate is not far from Danzig, where
the Prince spent 1912 and 1913. It
was Oldenburg who, four years ago,
rose in the Reichstag and exclaimed:
"The Kaiser could send a lieutenant
and a squad of infantry and shut up
this parliament." Oldenburg is a most
intimate friend of the Crown Prince.
He is a tough, resolute, reckless, ultra
reactionary; quite incompetent in po
litical affairs', but cleverer than the
Crown Prince, whose Incorrigible
school-boy attitude to life amazes his
friends.
The so-called "fronde" of Oldenburg,
the Crown Prince, and the militarists
proess to be directed toward strength
ening the Kaiser's power. The Kaiser,
the rebels make out. Is meanly sur
rendering powers which are essential
to a strong monarchy, and therefore,
to national prosperity. In realiity the
revolt is against the Kaiser personally,
and the meek way in which Wilhelm
the Second is taking it justifies the
conclusion that he no longer feels sure
of himself.
Wilhelm the Second's helplessness
against the army Is as plain as his
helplessness against the conservatives
and civilian militarists. The outcry
here is "save the Kaiser's 'command
power' " that is, his specific rights,
independently of the legislature, to
control the Prussian army in time of
peace and the whole imperial army in
time of war.
The "real rulers," that is, the con
servatives, spread the notion iu tho
army that it is the democratic Reich
stag which is filching the "command
power," with the aim of creating a
"parliamentary army." In reality the
"real rulers" are setting the army In
opposition to the Kaiser. The Kaiser
himself has always been jealous of
his "command-power." The complaint
is even made that he arrogates to
himself more power than the constitu
tion and the laws give him; that he
runs the army irresponsibly through
General von Lyncker, chief of his mili
tary cabinet. This army autocracy ex
ists only as long as the army is com
manded in reactionary sense. When
the Kiiaer shows progressive spirit, he
is threatened with an army revolt or
ganized by the conservatives, militar
ists. Crown Prince, Oldenburg, Jagow
and the whole of Prussian junkepdom.
He finds himself helpless.
During- the height of the protest
against the sentence on Forstner the
conservative press threatened an army
strike if Kaiser and Chancellor did not
have the sentence revoked. " News
papers related how officers were la
menting that they could not fight ef
ficiently in war if their coat was dis
honored by vulgar imprisonment; aud
how famous military families which
had served Prussia for 200 years would
in future choose civil careers for their
sons.
Wilhelm the Second seems to have
been taken in by this bluff. He im
agined that after losing the conserva
tives he would lose the array and be
left face to face wltti an anti-monarchical
phalanx of radicals and social
democrats. The conservatives, with
the army under their thumb, would not
help him. They would themselves
"kick the King's crown into the Elbe."
So the Kaiser quickly climbed down;
and after he had emphatically taken
the civilian side, he took no less em
phatically the militarist side.
In his conflict with conservatives,
militarists. "Crown Prince parties" and
other revolters, William the Second is
showing himself to be a weak man.
This encourages the rebels; and their
agitation always carried on in the
name of loyalty increases every day:
and takes daily a more seditious
character. Open jibes ut thu Kaiser
are common. After the Jagow anil
Crown Prince militariEt demonstra
tions, a conservative paper said that
"we need men liko the polire president
and the Crown Prince at the head of
our government."
This was tacked onto an attack on
Bethmann-Hollweg, but the dragging:
in of the Crown Prince showed that the
real target was the Kaiser. The
Kaiser is afraid to retort with meas
ures against tho rebels. If he is to
take measures he must rind support in
some party; and party he has nonp.
With the socialists he is at feud: the
radicals themselves aim at reducing
his powers, and the center regards him
doubtfully as a supposed foe of Ca
tholicism. If he defies the conserva
tives and militarists, he must do so
without allies. That is a dangerous
position.
It is easier and safer to placate tho
conservatives at any cost; eat the leek:
and take their orders as to the policy
of the empire. That is what has been
done co far; .ami what was done over
Zabern. It can be done also in future
because ,thc democrats, despite their
numbers, are extremely weak and ir
resolute. But it means that Wilhelm
the Second's so-called "autocracy" or
"half-autocracy" has come to an end.
It means that the monarch who morn
than any other made pretensions to
divine right is unable to make his
pretensions good.
mm
mmm
lfflP
v ON'T you think it's a great
idea?" said Whittler, looking
at his wife enthusiastically.
Mrs. Whittler, her mind on other
things, hadn't taken in the full sig
nificance of what her husband said.
From surface indications she seemed
rather indifferent.
"I wasn't listening closely," she said.
"Tell me over again, my dear."
Whittler sot up and sat down near
her, with an earnest look on his face.
"Mary, do you remember our honey
moon days? How quickly the hours
passed by, and what a heaven it was!"
"There, there!" said Mrs. Whittler,
somewhat bruskly. "That's all right,
my deal- of course I remember it very
well; but this is one of my busy days.
Get down to the point."
"The point is simply this we never
see each other alone nowadays. Just
think tf It! Why, we really don't see
each other at all. What I purpose is
that we shall set aside one day in, the
week when we can be together."
Whittler'8 eyes gleamed with senti
ment. He iook his wife's hand in his.'
"Isn't it a grand idea? he whispered.
"One solid day enjoying each other's
60ciety!"
"Do you mean one dav in each week,
or just one day?" asked Mrs. Whittler,
whose experience with a multiplicity
of outside things had made her cau
tious. "J mean one day in each week, of
course; why not? Do you realize, my
dear girl, that the whole human race
puts aside one day in the week to rest,
or to say that it rests, but two people
who love each other as we do don't
even take that much time together,
or a fraction of it? Why, it's really
pitiful when you come to think of it!
Now, "I've selected Saturday."
"Saturday!" exclaimed Mrs. Whittler.
"Don't you know that's my busiest
day?"
"Well, any day that you say. I will
arrange my business to suit. I con
sider that love between two people
who understand each other as well as
we do is more important than any
thing else. How about Monday?"
Mrs. Whittler began 'to smile. The
impact of the idea had passed; but it
realty appealed to her.
"It was considerate of you," she said,
"to speak of this. Do you know I
have often thought of it myself. Here
we are ostensibly living together, but
in reality seeing practically nothing of
each other; and besides" she put her
soft hand upon his "you work too
hard, my dear. We ought to see more
of each other. It would do us both
a great deal of good. Let me see" she
paused thoughtfully "how would Wed
nesday do?" f,-
"Suits me!" said Whittler, somewhat
dramatically.
"We might try Wednesday first and
see."
"You mean one Wednesday?"
"Yes; and after that "
"Don't you worry!" exclaimed Whit
tler. "After that it will be an es
tablished habit with us. Every Wednes
day! I will put that down in my cal
endar, and we'll begin right off."
He kissed her enthusiastically, and
with a new light in their eyes they
went their respective ways.
IL
"Well!" exclaimed Whittler, coming
down to breakfast on Wednesday morn
ing. "This is the day of days, in
deed! I have arranged everything. I
did all my ordering yesterday and gave
instructions not to be called up over
the telephone. In fact, nothing can
happen that I have not fully antici
pated. I am yours, my dear, for the
entire day!"
They chatted agreeably almost ec
statically during 'the entire course of
the meal. When it was over, Whittler
got up, went to his wife's chair, and
kissed her on the forehead.
"By Jove," he exclaimed, "I am so
happy I can scarcely see! Now, what
shall we do?"
"Anything you say."
Whittlor reached over and picked up
th- morning paper with an almost in
Btinctive movement. Then he put his
hand into his pocket, pulled out a
cigar, anl proceeded to cut off the end.
"I am yours," he replied.
As he spoke, ha took out a match;
but, arrested by the look that appeared
on his wife's face, he suddenly stopped
in the act of lighting it
"Evidently, my dear," said Mrs.
Whittler, "you are forgetting your
self!" "Forgstting myself?"
"Certainly."
"What do you mean?"
"You didn't smoke and read the
newspapers on our honeymoon. Do
you realize what you are about to do?"
Whittler slid the cigar back into his
pocket and tossed the paper on the
table,
"You're right!" he said in a dazed
tone. "My dear, it only goes to show
how far away we are from each other.
It was just a matter of habit with me
to read the paper; and as for smok
ing why, of course, I didn't think
about it Suppose we read the paper
together? I will look over the head
lines, and if anything is interesting I
will read it to you."
Mrs. Whittler folded up her napkin
and rose from the table.
"There may be other things more
unpleasant than being read to, but I
cannot think of them Just at this mo
ment. No, thank you, my dear! I like
to absorb my own information at first
hand." .
Whittler handed her the paper.
"Perhaps you would like to read it
now," he said. "Don't let me Interfere
with your enjoyment. The pleasure of
sitting here and looking at you is
quite enough."
- Mrs. Whittler grabbed the paper and
riveted her eye on a full-page adver
tisement. Then she. too. tossed it aside.
"I was just about to do what you
were doing," she said.
They strolled into the living-room.
Both sat down.
Whittler crossed one leg and then
crossed the other. The laok of his
morning cigar was a pretty severe test
of his temper. He drummed on the
table with his hands.
"You seem nervous this morning,"
said Mrs. Whittler.
"Never felt better in my life. I have
it! Let's take a walk."
"I hate walking."
"Well, can't you suggest something?"
Mrs. Whittler's eyes brightened.
"There's one thing," she said, "now
that we are both home together. You
see, we can do it together, too. It's
a sort of common aim and purpose
that we have." Her eye gleamed with
anticipatory joy.
"Do you know,'- she continued, "1
hadn't thought of it before, but it's
exactly the thing!"
Whittler sniffed suspiciously.
"Is it something to do," he mur
mured faintly, "around the house?"
His wife jumped up energetically;
the scent of the furniture trail and the
Spring cleaning was upon her.
"Yes!" she exclaimed. "For some
time I've thought that the furniture in
this house wasn't arranged right. Now.
let's .go over the whole thing and fix
it as we want it. I can have your
judgment upon it your superb judg
ment and besides, it will give us both
exercise. Above all, we'll be together!"
Whittler sat up with his hands in
his pockets.
"This is not any deep-laid scheme of
yours, is it?" he asked. 'It looks kind
of queer to me; because you know that
if there is anything I hate, it's mov
ing furniture. No, my dear" with a
simulated burst of affection he took
both of his wife's hands in his "you
know that would be just as bad."
"Bjit we must do something. We
can't just sit here with folded hands."
"Why not? That's what we did on
our honeymoon just sat and looked at
each other, and the hours flew by!"
Mrs. Whittler sighed.
"You forget," she said, "that things
are different now. Perhaps, after all,
it would be a good idea for you to
read your paper while I go upstairs
and look after a few things."
"Well, it might not be a bad scheme,"
replied Whittler, "although please re
member that I am not asking you to
go."
Thereupon he sat and smoked for two
hours.
IIT.
At noon Mrs. Whittler reappeared.
The telephone bell had rung a few
minutes before; but Whittler had re
mained supremely indifferent to it.
"It's strange,'.' said Mrs. Whittler.
"of all the days in the week, that "
"What's up now?"
"Why, Mrs. Van Antler wants me to
fill in at her bridge club. It's really
quite urgent."
"Never!" Whittler faced his wife
desperately. "So this is the outcome,
of it all, is it?" he exclaimed. "Here
we make arrangements to stay heme
and enjoy each other's company, and
the first thing you want to get out
of it!"
"But, my dear, I don't; this is simply
a question of obliging a friend. I
would much rather stay here with
you. ril tell you what Til do I'll
take auother afternoon off, and stay
home with you some other day besides
Wednesday."
"No!" Whittler's tone was emphatic.
"A bargain's a bargain," he added.
"Very well, my dear!"
Mrs. Whittler telephoned to her
friend, excusing; herself, - and then sat
down to lunch with her husband. After
it was over he grew suddenly thought
ful. At last he said:
"I don't know, after all, but you're
right. If it is not too late, why don't
you telephone her again, and tell her
you'll come?
Mrs. Whittler frowned.
- "What do you mean?" she exclaimed.
"Yon have something on your mind."
Whittler picked out a cigar this
time without any timidity.
"Well, the fact is," he replied, "I
have thought -of something at the of
fice that really ought to be done. If
you don't mind, my dear, I'll run down
there for a. few minutes and come
right back."
"Don't hurry yourself on my ac
count." "You're not angry, are you?"
"No, I'm not angry." She came over
to her husband and put her arms
around him. "On the contrary," she
said, "I'm delighted simply delighted!
I never in my life wanted to get rid
of anybody so much as I do of you.
Ever since this morning I have been
absolutely and unutterably miserable."
Whittler, in response, clasped her
more closely in his arms.
"My dear girl," he exclaimed, "I foci
exactly the same way! I don't know
when I have been so unhappy, either.
I can't wait to get down to the office;
and as for you, do anything you please.
Telephone Mrs. Van Antler and tell her
you will be over there right away."
He rushed out to the hall and put
on his hat.
"Good-by!" he exclaimed. "I haven't
a minute to lose. Next time we make
such fools of ourselves, don't let any
body know about it. Don't forget to
telephone Mrs. Van Antler!"
His wife opened the door and shoute.l
after him:
"Don't you worry I've done it al
ready!" (Copyright, the Frank A. Munsey Co.)
DREAMS ECHQS OF PAST
(CONTINUED FROM PAGE FOlR.
bears who lived, say, in the Middle
Ages. When we dream, we resume, to
gether with ancient memories, the mor
al and mental point of view of a more
or less remote antiquity at all events,
to some extent.
Says Professor Pfister: "I have a
friend. He is & physician. Like most
other people, he has recurrent dreams.
But his only striking dream of this
kind takes him back to a baronial
castle of a period which he supposes
to be about the year 1300 A. D.
"The castle is cold and dark and
damp. Windows are few and small;
no attention whatever is paid to ven
tilation, and the air is filled with
smoke from poorly-constructed fire
places. The floors are covered with
rushes, which abound in fleas. Down
the middle of the main hall runs a
great table, flanked by rude benches.
There are no knives or forks; there
are no plates or dishes; there are no
drinking vessels provided for indlv
uals. - Every hand is dipped into the
trencher and everybody drinks from
his neighbor's horn.
"Presently, by one of those sudden
translations peculiar to dreams, my
friend finds himself walking through
the streets of a city of the same epoch.
They are not paved. The second stories
of the houses extend out over the side
walks, in order that the inmates may
be able to throw all kinds of filth and
waste into the middle of the street
without endangering the comfort of
passers-by. There is no system of
sewage disposal, and the condition of
affairs from a sanitary standpoint is
frightful.
"A swinging :.ign, crudely painted,
invites my friend into an inn an es
tablishment corresponding in purposes
of hospitality to the modern hotel, but
dirtier and worse-kept than the aver
age stable of today. Night has suddenly
fallen, and each guest gathers up a
bundle of rushes from the floor,
spreads out his cloak, and. lying down
upon it, goes to sleep (the strongest
nearest to the fire), thus virtually con
verting the common room into a vast
bed.
"About this time my friend wakes
up. But he says that nothing he has
ever read has conveyed to his mind so
vivid and impressive a notion of .con
ditions of, living as they were a few
hundred years ago. The dream is not
only Interesting but instructive. When
ever it comes back he goes through it
again with an eagerness for practical
Information half-conscioiys, as it
would seem, that he is enjoying an
exceptional opportunity for profes
sional study. When he considers the
number of rats harbored in the ancient
castle, and the excellent opportunities
they had for securing food, he is not
surprised that one-fourth of the en
tire population of Europe should have
perished from plague in the outbreak
which occurred in the fourteenth cen
tury. And he readily perceives how
easily a single 'carrier' of cholera, or
typhoid co,uld have infected every per
son who dipped his hand into the
trencher with him. In addition there
was the fllthiness of personal habits.
In those good old days there was no
such thing as a weekly washday,
clothes being worn until they were
too, dirty for further use.
"My friend cails this remarkable
dream a professional object lesson.
Other people may read about such
things; he has seen them and observed
them at leisure. Are we to suppose
that they represent actual experiences
of his own in a past state or existence?
It is impossible so to assert, but not
unreasonable to imagine that sovh
may be the cae."
For dreams of certain kinds we are
at a loss to account for inatane.
those of flying, or of lovitatlon. the
dreamer imagining himself to be
floating in the air, in defiance of
gravity. We also hare dreams of faJl
ing from great "-eights. Nobody has
ever been able to explain them. A
kind of dream familiar to every one of
us is that of rinding oneself naked,, or
insufficiently clad, on the street or in
some other puolic piace.
Dreamland is a mysterious territory,
peopled with the dead whom wc have
known in life, and also with a .great
many persons whom in our waking
moments we have never met. Its topo
graphy is unfamiliar to our waking
consciousness. Seemingly it is made
up, together with its inhabitants, of
memories that run back into a more
or less ancient past. When we go out
of this life, says Professor Pfister. It i3
possible that we shall pass back into
this dream world to be recalled
thonce, later on. for another period of
cxistenae. and carrying with us in our
nocturnal visions the added recollec
tions of experiences, pleasant or other
wise, which we are now undergoing.