WILLIAM II AT CLOSE RANGE A great deal has been said about the firing lines of the different European countries, but little is known of the war lords at close range. Though I have never hobnobbed with royalty I have lived for long stretches of time in the different capitals and cities of Europe, especially in Berlin. There I have seen the Emperor and most of his family. I have seen William II driving through the Brandenburger gate hurrying from his city. I have seen him taking five-o'clock tea with his wife, his sons and their wives at Sans Souci, in Potsdam. I have seen him addressing his people out on the balcony of his palace after war had been declared. In these three instances I saw three different types of man; the statesman, the father of a happy home, and the war lord. He is more than average tall and well built, still in the prime of life. His strong body and healthy color mark him as a man alive with energy. He stands for the famous Hohenzollern, challenging eyes, full lips, retroussé mustache and imperious air. Still, as I looked at him more closely, I noticed that his left arm is withered--almost of no use. In spite of this hindrance he is an excellent, easy horseman, as much at home in the saddle as are his great generals. When at manoeuvres he has been known to sit nine hours at a time without any feeling of exhaustion. He proves himself no less energetic when hunting, which has been a favorite pastime for years. He has made a record of shooting for hours at a time without feeling much fatigue, even when bringing-down game two a minute. He has made hundreds of speeches on all subjects, that showed a gift of natural eloquence as well as a keen and impetuous nature. He believes in the divine mission of the Hohenzollern. As he expresses it: "It is a tradition in our house to consider ourselves as designed by God to govern the people over which it is given us to reign. Every day I think of ways of helping you, but you must help me, not by means of the opposition parties that you have so often rightly combated, but by explaining to your sovereign and having confidence in him." Bismark disputed the Emperor's right to act directly with his ministerial colleagues, citing a decree attributing to the Prime Minister alone the responsibility for official acts and prescribing that no important measure should be adopted without prior submission to him. It is to his army that he looked for greatest strength and support. "In my army we are made one for the other, and we shall remain closely bound whether God gives us war or peace. It is the soldier and the army, not majorities and parliamentary decisions, that have forged the unity of the German Empire."