I pray you accept my most cordial and heartfelt thanks for this
friendly greeting in the midst of men so well known and sympathetic
to me. It was, indeed, a severe struggle of conscience for me, placed
between my duty and my pleasure, to have to give up eventually the
pleasure of being the guest of Hamburg. But it goes without saying
that, as compared with the welfare of the realm, personal wishes must
be silent, and with a heavy heart I decided, therefore, to send word
that it would not be possible for me to be your guest and take part
in the series of sports. Happily, however, things arranged themselves
favorably. That ship which you all know, delivered to me by Vulcan, my
yacht _Hohenzollern_, has again competed with her ancient and renowned
reputation. We hurried and flew through the Baltic, and what the yacht
could not accomplish the railroad took care of; and so it was possible
for me to arrive in time for the splendid arrangements for the Hamburg
racing day and, while responding to the wishes of M. S.,[43] at the
same time to enter again that circle of men and women whom I prize
so highly. It is my duty on the present day to express my deepest
gratitude to the city of Hamburg for her warm and hearty reception,
which seems to increase from year to year, if that be possible. I must
also express my appreciation of the hospitality extended to me in the
house of your Magnificence, and also for the beautiful boat which I
have received from the hands of a Hamburg master of his craft. We have,
therefore, at last before us the proof for which I have been striving
for years--that, just as in the building of war-ships and of liners,
so too, in yacht construction, we now stand upon our own feet. It is a
worthy vessel, built with German hands, out of German materials, and
manned from stem to stern by German men. I hope that before the year is
out she will clip the waves and show herself to advantage in foreign
ports. We follow sport here, and not politics; but your Magnificence
has been good enough to touch upon points which now deeply move all
German hearts. I still hope that the sense of collective responsibility
will, in the hearts of the representatives of our people, be stronger
than party feeling, for I assume that no one among you wishes to take
upon his shoulders the responsibility of thwarting a reform which is
absolutely necessary to the Fatherland's internal and external welfare.
[Bravo!] You have followed with interest my journey to the Finnish
coast, where I was so warmly and hospitably received by his Majesty,
the Emperor of All the Russias, and by his people. I am pleased to
be in a position to give you, as representatives of the commercial
and business world, the following interpretation of the significance
of that visit, since you are particularly interested in the peaceful
shaping of the future. His Majesty, the Emperor, and myself have
agreed that our meeting is to be looked upon as an important pledge
of peace. As monarchs we consider ourselves responsible to God for
the weal and woe of our people, whom we wish to advance as far as
possible along peaceful paths and bring to fullest fruition. All
peoples need peace in order that under its protection they may devote
their undisturbed attention to the great cultural problems of their
economic and commercial development. For this reason we shall strive
as far as lies in our power to work, with the help of God, for the
furtherance and maintenance of peace. Naturally, in such a time,
sport also can be developed to the fullest degree. I therefore empty
my glass to the hospitable city of Hamburg and to my colleagues who
are here assembled. Three hurrahs for the city of Hamburg and the
Hamburg-American Line! Hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah!
[43] Max Schinckel, president of the Racing Club, who had invited the
Emperor.
REVIEW OF THE FOURTEENTH ARMY CORPS
KARLSRUHE, SEPTEMBER 11, 1909
The following address was delivered at Karlsruhe by the Emperor
after his return from Austria in 1909.
I extend to you my heartiest thanks for the friendly words of welcome
which in the name of the citizens of Karlsruhe you have offered me. I
have so often stopped here at Karlsruhe that I am no longer a stranger
among you. With you I have lived through joyful and sorrowful days.
On the present day, as you have said, I am here to inspect this
portion of our army. We Germans are a people who rejoice in weapons
and who lightly and joyfully wear our uniforms, because we know that
it preserves the peace for us in which alone our work can prosper.
The review from which I have just returned showed me the soldierly
sons of Baden, who, commanded by their distinguished sovereign, have
given me the deepest satisfaction. As long as there are wars our army
constitutes the "_rocher de bronze_" upon which peace is based. Our
army serves to protect it and to maintain the position in the world
which is rightfully ours. For this purpose also such strenuous days of
effort are devoted to its development. I am convinced that, if need
arises, with the help of God and under His protection, it will give
a fitting account of itself. I ask you, Herr Burgomaster, to be the
interpreter of my thanks and of those of her Majesty, the Empress, for
the splendid and hearty reception which the citizens of Karlsruhe have
offered us.
EMPEROR BY DIVINE RIGHT
KÖNIGSBERG, AUGUST 25, 1910
It was at Königsberg that the coronation of the Emperor's
grandfather took place, or rather, it was here that William I
crowned himself King of Prussia. This express disclaimer of any
responsibility to the people may be found in several speeches, but
nowhere was the _ex me mea nata corona_ attitude more forcibly
expressed than on this occasion. Ordinarily there had been no
coronations in Prussia, as they were considered a useless expense.
As the predecessor of Emperor William I had granted the people a
constitution, William I was evidently going to insist upon his
prerogative and did so by taking the crown unto himself and making
his famous statement. His conduct and that of his predecessors has
been discussed in chapter I.
My heart bids me express to the men of this province the pleasure
which her Majesty and I feel on finding ourselves again within the
borders of this beautiful country and on having been received with such
enthusiasm by the citizens of our loyal city and of the province. The
sentiment that finds expression now in Königsberg proves that it is
an entirely unique bond which joins the city and the province to our
house. And, in fact, if one looks back upon the history of the country
and of the house it becomes evident that great and important portions
are common to both. Here it was that the Great Elector, by his own
right, created himself the sovereign Duke in Prussia; here his son set
the King's crown upon his head; and the sovereign house of Brandenburg
thus became one of the European powers. Frederick William I established
here his authority as "_rocher de bronze_"; under Frederick the Great,
the province shared in the joys and sorrows of his reign. Then came
the difficult time of trial. The great soldier Emperor of the French
resided here, and after the power of Prussia had been shattered he let
both the city and the country feel his merciless hand. Here, however,
the thoughts of raising up and freeing the Fatherland were first put
into action. After Tauroggen,[44] when the old, unyielding York stirred
up the people with his flaming speeches, came the courageous decision
of the Prussian Diet to begin the work of liberation. And here my
grandfather, again, by his own right, set the Prussian crown upon his
head, once more distinctly emphasizing the fact that it was accorded
him by the will of God alone and not by parliament or by any assemblage
of the people or by popular vote, and that he thus looked upon himself
as the chosen instrument of Heaven and as such performed his duties as
regent and sovereign. And adorned with this crown, forty years ago,
he rode forth to battle to win the Emperor's crown also. Truly it
was a long way to the time of the famous telegram of the Emperor to
my late grandmother: "What a change through the providence of God!"
This picture would, however, be incomplete if I did not mention one
figure which especially in that year had occupied and gripped anew
the Prussians and, I may truly say, the whole German people. It is
not possible to think of the time of our collapse and our revival,
without remembering the figure of Queen Louise. The people of the
city of Königsberg and the province of East Prussia likewise saw this
angel in human form wandering among them and they were influenced by
her and helped her to bear her grievous ills. The noble Queen has been
described by many as going about among her subjects, and our people
hold her in grateful remembrance. But I think that one thing cannot be
sufficiently emphasized, and that is that in the general shattering of
our Fatherland, when even the statesmen and leaders of the army gave
up everything as lost, the Queen was the only one who never for one
moment doubted for the future of the Fatherland. Through her example,
through her letters, through her conversation, and through the bringing
up of her children she showed the people the way in which to find
themselves again. She showed them the way back to religion and with
it to a recognition of and a confidence in themselves. She encouraged
our people in the thought of rallying about the King again and of
winning back our freedom. And after she--a noble martyr--had faded
away and enthusiasm flamed forth in the land again and old and young
seized their weapons to drive the intruder from the country, then,
in spirit, she marched before the colors and inspired the warriors
with courage that the great work could be accomplished. What does the
noble figure of Queen Louise teach us? It teaches us that, as she once
imbued her sons with the one thought of restoring the country's honor
and of defending the Fatherland, so we men should cultivate all warlike
virtues. As in the time of the liberation young and old rallied to
the standard and gave everything they had--when even women and girls
did not spare their hair--so we must ever be prepared and keep our
equipment intact, in view of the fact that the neighboring powers have
made such astounding progress. For only upon our preparedness does our
peace rest. And what shall our wives learn from the Queen? They will
learn that the chief duty of German women lies not in the province of
meetings and club life, not in reaching out after imaginary rights so
that they may do as men do, but in the quiet work in the house and in
the family. They are to educate the younger generation, especially in
obedience and in respect toward their elders. They are to make clear
to their children and to their children's children that it is not a
question to-day of living their own life at the expense of others or
of achieving their own aims at the expense of the Fatherland, but that
they must singly and solely keep the Fatherland before their eyes and
singly and solely devote all their powers and their thoughts to the
good of the Fatherland. That is the lesson which has been bequeathed
to us by this noble figure whom the Fatherland and the citizens of
this city have so beautifully described on her simple monument as "the
good genius of the Prussian people." I cherish the hope that all of
the people of East Prussia who have gathered here will understand me
and that, as they return again to their work and their occupation,
they will think of these things. We must co-operate for the good of
the Fatherland, no matter who and where we are. And for me, too, the
conduct of this vanished Queen will be an example, as it was for
my grandfather. Looking upon myself as the instrument of the Lord,
without regard for daily opinions and intentions, I go my way, which is
devoted solely and alone to the welfare and peaceful development of the
Fatherland. But in this work I need the co-operation of every one in
the country and to this co-operation I would like to invite you also. I
empty my glass in the hope that this attitude may ever prevail in the
province of East Prussia and that it may lend me its assistance in my
labors. Long live the province of East Prussia!--Long may she prosper!
[44] In 1812 Prussia was ostensibly an ally of France. It was due to
General York, the commander of the Prussian Auxiliaries, rather
than to the Emperor's somewhat pusillanimous ancestor, King
Frederick William, that Prussia was liberated from the rule of
Napoleon. York commanded the Prussian troops who were to serve
as auxiliaries to Napoleon. On December 30, 1812, he, on his
own authority, concluded the convention of Tauroggen with the
Russians by which he broke with the French and declared his corps
neutral. The vacillating Prussian King, in spite of his country's
humiliation, was too solicitous about maintaining his throne to
dare venture upon any really decisive action. It was popular
pressure far more than the King's (or even the Queen's) initiative
which brought about the national uprising against foreign
domination.
THE HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FOUNDING OF THE UNIVERSITY OF BERLIN
BERLIN, OCTOBER 11, 1910
The active interest which the Emperor has always taken in higher
education in Germany is evident in the following address. If he
has given it a powerful organization he has taken from it by
unconscious processes a large measure of its earlier freedom. The
professorial caste has always been highly influential. During the
Emperor's reign it has been pressed into his service. Its present
system of organization and its connection with the government
puts the Emperor, or at least the minister appointed by him,
in a position to distribute rewards. It is said that there are
practically no Social Democrats teaching in higher institutions of
learning.
In the early years of its foundation the university of Berlin
rendered immense services to the patriotic cause, especially
through the work of Fichte and Schleiermacher.
To my loyal Frederick-William University, I offer greeting and
congratulations on this its hundredth anniversary!
From the day of its founding its fortunes have been intimately bound
up with those of the Prussian-German Fatherland. When my ancestor King
Frederick William III called it into existence a hundred years ago, he
did so in order to compensate the state with spiritual powers for what
she had lost in physical power. Thus the University of Berlin was born
out of the same creative genius from which sprung the regeneration of
Prussia. And this spirit, which raised up Prussian Germany and which
lived in Fichte, Schleiermacher, Savigny, and their friends, made
the university even in a few years the centre of the spiritual and
intellectual life of the Fatherland.
Truly, the University of Berlin was still far from being a _universitas
litterarum_ in the sense of William von Humboldt, but it has come ever
nearer and nearer to this ideal. A stronghold of wisdom, she has won,
far beyond the boundaries of Prussia and Germany, an international
significance. Through the exchange of teachers and students these
relations are visible externally. Through the activity which it shares
in common with the rest of the universities of the country it now forms
the "general institute of learning" which was intended at its founding.
In the meantime Humboldt's plan, which comprised besides the university
the totality of intellectual institutions, has not yet come to complete
realization, and these hours of consecration seem to me especially
fitted for preparing the way for the completion of what appeared to
him as the goal.
His great educational plan demanded, besides the academies of learning
and the university, independent institutes for research as an integral
part of the general educational organization. The founding of such
institutions has not kept pace in Prussia with the development of
the universities, and this defect, especially in our natural-science
equipment, is becoming more and more noticeable as a result of
the powerful forging ahead of the sciences. We need institutions
which reach out beyond the limits of the universities, institutions
untrammelled by aims of instruction, yet in close touch with the
academy and the university, which shall serve entirely for research.
To call such research institutes into being as soon as possible seems
to me a sacred duty of the present, and I hold it as my task, as father
of my country, to bespeak the general interest for this undertaking.
This high aim requires great expense and can be accomplished only if
all circles interested in the progress of the sciences and in the
welfare of the Fatherland are ready to co-operate in this significant
task and to make sacrifices for it. I should like, therefore, to-day
to lay upon the conscience and place before the eyes of every one the
new aim with the impressive warning: "_Tua res agitur._" I hope and
firmly trust that this work will succeed; indeed, although the plans
have been disclosed only to a limited circle, from various parts of the
country I have already received enthusiastic expressions of support and
very considerable means; between nine and ten million [marks] have been
placed at my disposal. I feel the need of expressing here in this place
my warmest thanks to these unselfish donors.
But to secure lasting support for this undertaking, it is my wish,
under my protection and my name, to found a society which shall set for
itself the task of erecting and maintaining institutions for research.
To this society I will gladly turn over the money given me for that
purpose. To see to it that the institutions so founded shall not lack
help from the state will be the care of my reign.[45]
[45] On the Emperor's initiative, the Emperor William Society for the
furthering of the sciences was founded. It has already called into
being two scientific institutes, the Emperor William Institute for
Chemistry and the Emperor William Institute for Physical Chemistry
and Electrical Chemistry. They were dedicated by the Emperor,
October 23, 1912.
So may to-day be not only an occasion of jubilation for the University
of Berlin, but may it also signify a further step in the development of
German spiritual life!
And still one wish more I give to the university on its way into a new
century. May she, in loyal remembrance of the time of her founding,
preserve her Prussian-German character! Learning is, indeed, the common
property of the whole cultural world, and her acquisitions to-day
halt at no boundaries. And yet--as every nation must preserve its own
manner of life if it would emphasize its independent existence and its
value for the whole--may the _alma mater Berolinensis_ remain forever
conscious that she is a German university. As formerly, so may she be
for all time the seat of German manners and of German art! And may
every one who has the honor to investigate, to teach, and to study
within her walls devote himself to his task, filled with the sense for
truth and for thoroughness with the earnestness and the love for all
work which Goethe prized as the ornament of our people.
May the university further exercise her splendid privilege of fostering
true knowledge, which, as Humboldt has so well said, comes from man's
inner being to be planted again in his inner being, which creates and
reshapes character. Let her do this with that noble freedom which
sets laws unto itself and with that sense of exaltation which comes
from being the administrator of a treasure which belongs to the
whole of humanity. "_Communis hominum thesaurus situs est in magnis
veritatibus._"[46] But all truth is God's, and His spirit rests upon
every work which is grounded in and strives toward the truth. May this
spirit of truth live also in you students; may it be found in all the
workings of my dear institution of learning! Then will her age be like
her youth; she shall remain a city upon the hill, to which the peoples
make pilgrimage, and an ornament and treasure of the Fatherland.
[46] This phrase is taken from Leibnitz's dedication of the
_Miscellanea Berolinensia_ to King Frederick I.
THE EMPEROR IN BRUSSELS
OCTOBER 27, 1910
The Emperor and Empress, accompanied by the Princess Victoria
Luise, came to Brussels in order to repay the visit which the King
and Queen of Belgium had made to Potsdam in May, 1910. At the time
of the visit of King Albert to Berlin the Emperor did not take part
in the festivities, as he was suffering from a wound in the hand.
The honors were done by the Crown Prince. The Emperor's speech at
the banquet at the Royal Palace in Brussels calls for no comment.
The sincere words of friendship which your Majesty, in the name of her
Majesty, the Queen, has just addressed to us, the Empress, my daughter,
and me, as they sprang from warm hearts are welcomed by warm hearts.
We remember with greatest pleasure the visit which your Majesties made
to us last spring at Potsdam, and it was a welcome duty of gratitude
to return it as soon as possible. The brilliant reception prepared for
us by your Majesties and the Belgian people in this splendid capital
has stirred us to the depths and inspires us to heartier thanks in that
we see in it an expression of the close bond which unites not only our
families but our peoples. It is with friendliest sympathy that I and
all Germany follow the astounding results which have accrued to the
untiring energy of the Belgian people in all departments of trade and
industry, the crowning display of which we have seen in the brilliantly
successful World Exposition of this year. Belgian commerce embraces the
whole circle of the earth, and it is in the peaceful work of culture
that Germans and Belgians everywhere meet. Their cultivation of the
more spiritual arts fills us with similar wonder when we behold to what
a conspicuous place the poets and artists of Belgium have attained.
May the trustful and friendly feelings, to which in recent times the
relations of our governments bore such pleasing evidence, be ever more
closely preserved! From your Majesty's reign may happiness and blessing
stream forth upon your house and upon your people! It is with this
wish, which comes from the very depths of my heart, that I propose
long life to your Majesties, the King and Queen of the Belgians!
ALCOHOL AND THE SCHOOLS
CASSEL, AUGUST 19, 1911
The Emperor had been a student at the Friedrichs Gymnasium in
Cassel, and in 1875 his parents had presented a flag to the school,
which had now to be replaced. In turning over the new flag to the
first man in the upper class, the Emperor took occasion to give the
students certain advice, particularly with regard to the use of
alcoholic beverages. His attitude here marks a decided innovation
in Germany, and if his address is compared with the one delivered
at Bonn (April 24, 1901), it will be seen how keenly aware he is of
the changing tendencies of the times.
I have decided to have a new flag woven for the upper class instead of
the one which my parents bestowed when I was a student and which has
fallen a victim to time. The high school has asked to have the old one
back again; I will have it mended so that it may be hung. I wish you to
remember, through it, that from your walls and your studies a German
Emperor has gone forth.
You have been busy with the studies of antiquity. Do not lay too much
stress upon the incidents of their political life; for these relations
have so changed that they cannot be applied to the present. You may
well rejoice in many of the great figures and characters of antiquity,
but Greek culture has one special trait which no other nation has
shown. The harmony which our own time so sadly lacks, the Greek people
showed in art, in life, in their motions, in their dress, yes, even in
their systems of philosophy, and in the handling of their problems. I
especially advise you to read what Chamberlain so trenchantly says on
this point in the Introduction to his "Foundations of the Nineteenth
Century."