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.
[Illustration: "OUR FUTURE LIES UPON THE WATER"
THE EMPEROR ON SHIPBOARD IN THE AUTUMN OF 1898]
"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