The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, January 24, 1904, Page 11

THE SAN FRA {CISCO SUNDAY CAL 11 E A GERMAN JOURNALIST. NG the numerous Princes of al blood that grace Euro- {s there is one who 1ds foremoest in this 3 only by dint of f future power and the jon which some day will but even more, perhaps, be- attractive individuality, able personal traits peculiar charm to this e, the coming ruler of a , Crown Prince of Germany ir to the throne of Prussia, is a well-built youth of 21 years. featur without being regular, His are pleasant and interesting, especially to the feminine eye; his movements graceful and well defined, his manner prepossessing and cordial, yet dignified and showing strength of character and consciousness of the high position which birth has bestowed upon him. His tastes are those of a gentleman. While a predilection for the mlilitary profession—born in every scion of the house of Hohenzollern and carefully nursed by the .process of education— naturally prevails, the young Prince has shown the greatest interest in ath- letic sports, music and various branches of study, history and languages b ing his strong ‘points. The influence of family life, which in the imperial family of Germany is a more potent factor than ih any other reigning house of Europe, has exerted itself most beneficently in the educa- tion and development of Emperor Wil- liam's children. The infinite love which Empress Augusta Victorla, a true mother, in the #weetest sense of the word, bears for her children is dis- cernible in the well balanced disposi- tion and demeanor of the young AND Crowv Poivce FRIEDRICEH WrLHELA THE AAISER'S ELDEST SON. HIS TRAINING, CHARACTER Pu0TO @Y : 1€ SCHAARWACH TR ) BERUN “FIROM BLACK O WHITE Princes. This motherly love was par- ticularly helpful to the Crown Prince, who, as the oldest, was in duty bound to outstrip all his younger brothers in every branch of learning; it carried him over many a difficult task which the exacting demands of his imperial father had placed before the future ruler of Germany. Yet, strict—nay, inexorable—as the Emperor always has been with his children whenever the question of duty was concerned, he is wont to play and romp and frolic with them during their " RULER ¢v e of the il - leisure hours, and many a prett} tale about such family scenes is current in court circles. Emperor Willlam thought well of giving his boys in their early youth opportunities to become -acquainted with the important person- ages of his entourage. For this pur- pose he instituted the custom of having them come into the dinihg hall after luncheon to meet the inv'ted guests. The young Princes would then be in- troduced and chat with the Ministers of state, diplomats or generals who might happen to be present. On ome such occasion the Emperor, ‘being in particularly good humor, lifted the Crown Prince upon his shoulders, some high dignitaries of the court fol- lowing suit with the two other Princes that were present, and the procession filed out amid laughter and boyish shouting’ to pay a visit to the apart- ments of the Empress, who received the callers with smiles, while the younger members of the family sur- ‘rounding her clapped thelr tiny hands ‘in childish glee at the funny spectacle, Boyish pranks were not infrequent during this period. Once, when a dis- tinguished visitor had audience with the Emperor, the Crown Prince ob- served that the gentleman before being ushered into the august presence com- pressed his opera hat and laid it on a chair in the antechamber. The head- plece was a novelty for the Prince. He examined the same closely and experi- mented with it to his great satisac- tion. A few days later the Rev. Dr. Dry- ander, Court Chaplain, called to pay his respects to his Majesty. He wore a brand-new stovepipe and geposited his/ shining tile in the antechamber before going to the audlence. Crown Prince William, who happened to be near with his younger brother, Eitel Fritz, Immediately started to investi- gate the reverend gentleman’s hat and, remembering the interesting experi- ence with the opera hat, tried to com- press the stiff plug in the same man- ner. The efforts being far from success- ful, he placed the hat back on the chair, and assuming the tone of a su- perior officer, commanded his brother to sit down on it. The command was promptly obeyed, and the result was instantaneous and complete, the Court Chaplain’s hat belng reduced to the shape of a pancake. Of course, the misdeed could not be hidden, and the reverend gentleman was rather perplexed when the sad looking wreck came to his notice. Upon hearing the story of the experiment, however, he laughed heartily and in- sisted on keeping the hat as a souv- enir. - The course of education and train- ing prescribed for the imperial chil- dren is a very rigorous one, and the Crown Prince especially had a pretty strenuous time, until a few years ago he entered public life, attain- ing his majority on the eighteenth anniversary of his birth. Private tutors, under the immediate supervis- jon of the Empress, laid the founda- tion. The teacher who first intro- duced him to the elementary princi- ples of reading, writing and arithmetic was Professor Fechner, while a theo- logian, from Geneva, Switzerland, M. Girardin, taught him French. At the same time two military instructors were assigned to him, Lieutenant Gen- eral von Deines as military governor and Lieutenant von Rauch as aide-de- eamp. Early rising was a point the Em- peror insisted on with great severity. The lessons, which began at seven @’clock in the morning, were preceded by a light breakfast, consisting of & eup of coffee—very much milk and very little coffee—and a buttered roll. After two hours of instruction a more substantial breakfast was partaken of at half-past nine. Then the lessons would continue until luncheon, varied with fencing, military tactics, athletic exercises or horseback riding. After luncheon and some hours of leisure school work again; after supper an Bour in the apartments of the mother, and then bedtime. This was for years the regular daily routine. In April, 1396, fourteen years oid, Prince Willlam was sent to Ploen, the ‘renowned military academy in Hol- stein, where, separate from the ordi- nary cadet school, the “Prinzenschule™ is maintained, an educational institu- tion intended for the princes of royal blood. Here he continued his studles under the tutelage of Professor Ester- naux, an eminent teacher of lan- guages, history and geography, and Dr. Sachse, instructor in mathematics. As “military companions” were at- tached to his household Colonel von Pritselwitz and First Lieutenant von Stuelpnagei. The Prince’s associates at Ploen, however, were not at all of an exclu- sive character. It was the desire of the Emperor that his heir should not be isolated, but that he should mingle with the other cadets, and among companions could be found young men of bourgeols birth as well a ancient lineage. The studies pursued with great recess time the Prir boyish eagerness bicy on the beautiful Ploen back exercises and tennis playing. Tennis has remaihed his favorite sport up to the present time. He un- derstands the handling of a yacht as thoroughly as any gr 1 old salt, and to-day he is counted one of the best and most daring horsemen In the army. An example of his skill and fearlessness In the saddle he gave not lozig ago, when he rode at the head of his le riding, sailing Lake, horse- his compeny of the guards through the magnificent park at Potsdam, and, reaching the celebrated Castle of Sans Soucl, built by his ancestor Frederick N \_- the Great, he trotted up the high stair- cases stretching down from the palace in terraces to the park and disrpounted in front of the portal. This remarkable feat was aceom- plished without the slightest hitch with perfect ease. He then ordered his grenadiers to follow him and showed them through the palace, explaining to them all the numerous treasures of historic value that fill the edifice. While In the pursuit of his studies at Ploen the strictest kind of discipline was maintained and festivities of any description were absolutely tabooed. During his sojourn at the academy, which lasted for nearly four years, it was the standing order of the Emperor that no social entertainments should ba permitted to divert the Prince’s atten- tion from his work, and even when on his departure the city authorities of that little Holstein town desired to en- tertain the Prince at a banquet the stern veto of the Emperor forbade it; the time had not come when the heir to the throne might appear at publie festivities. The young man was ever taught that & Prince must merit the position he oe= cuples; he had to learn that self-con- trol, never ceasing work and painful consclentiousness are the essential at- tributes of royalty. This rather severs method of training and preparation #eemed to the Emperor the best way to form the Prince’s characer and to fit him for his important duties. And the Tesult seems to have justified the well considered judgment of his imperial father. Prince William’s military career be- san at the age of 10. In 1392 he re- ceived the appointment as lieutenant in the First Regiment of Foot Guards, the “Grenadiers” of olden times. whers his service started in the “Lefbkom- pagnie,” that crack company to which all princes of the royal bicod have been assigned for generations. The debut was made at the grand parade in spring, when Crown Prince passed in review with his regi- ment before the Emperor. An inter- ested spectator was the little Princess Wilhelmina, now Queen of the Nether- lands, who at the time was visiting the Berlin court with her mother, the Queen Regent. The young fellow had a hard time of it, for the First Foot Guard is composed of the tallest men in the kingdom of Prussia, and their strides are long; but Crown Prince Wil- liam kept up with them bravely and acquitted himself with much credit, to the great admiration the distin- guished onlookers. the His advancement In the mill- tary service _ has now brought him “to the of captain. At the same t Ids honorary commissions in German regi- ments, including Bavaria, Saxony and Whurttemberg, as well as in Russian and Austrian regiments. He is, fur- thermore, hor ary colonel of an Aus- trian regiment of hussars, a distine- tion conferred on him last spring while attending the aneuvers in Hungary ompany with his father. Having ssed through the mili- tary academy, where he graduated one of the first of his class, the Crown Prince served a short time with hiy regiment at Potsdam and then entered the university at Bonn- in the spring of 1901. His matriculation was per- formed with great ceremony in the “Aula,” the great hall of the univer- sity, beautifully adorned with flowers and palms for this extraordinary ece casion. The Emperor attended in persomy with him a host of statesmen, courtiers and high army officers, all the prefes- sors in their official robes and delega- tions of students shining in multi- colorefl sashes and rakish caps. The imposing register was placed upon a table under a canopy of palms. Here the Crown Prince inscribed hi¥ name and solemnly affirmed his willingness to abide by the laws of the univer< sity. For the eVening a “Commers,” as the festive gatherings are termed, had been arranged by the students, and there the Emperor introduced his son and heir to the large assemblage in a pretty speech. “It is my desire,” he said, “that my son, whom I now place in your midst, may enjoy as happy a time as was vouchsafed to me when I was a student. And when the foaming gob- let passes around and gleeful song * Continued on Page Twelve, [}