EXILE OF DOORN.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 212, 8 September 1938, Page 5

EXILE OF DOORN.

DEPARTED GLORY. INTIMATE PICTURE OF EX-KAISER. I GRANDSON'S UNSWERVING LOYALTY. A Prinee of the House of Holienssntlern. -son of tin* former (terman Cmun , Prince, jrives hero an intimate, closej up picture of his jrrand fa titer, ex- ; Kaiser Wilholm. who will soon have passed twenty years in exile at l>oorn, Holland. Louis Ferdinand wrote this article on his voyairc from San Francisco to Honolulu during his present ■ honeymoon trip around the world—a weddinjr ;rift from his grandfather— with his bride, the firaiul Duchess Kira j of Russia. j (By PRIXCK LOUS FERDIXAXD.) j It's often riititl that lam '"the Kaiser's : favourite grandson." 1 believe this is a j very well meant and amiable exaggemjtion of one great newspaper man friend ' of mine, who got the story started. I liate always looked upon my grandtather not as a military superior, as the head of my family, or a<s an historical figure, but mainly «»s a kindly and venerated mentor, who never would withhold his advice and whose friendship never would fail me. ItV under this human aspect that 1 want to portray my grandfather, from whom many thousand miles separate me at this moment, on the eve i of his eightieth birthday. (The ex-Kaiser | will be SO next January 27.) I -My pre-war recollections of my grandj father are rather dim, having been overshadowed by those earthquake-like events which came later, but I shall never forget those wonderful Christmas Eves, when the whole family assembled at the muschelsaal" (shell room) in the new palace at Potsdam. This room is particularly interesting because its walls are covered with shells and semi precious stones from all over the world. Little fountains run in the different corners. On Christmas Eve a big Christmas tree was placed in the middle of the room, and smaller ones on every table, where the presents were displayed.

Gorgeous Days Gone By. Xext to the shellroom was another large salon where all the members of the household and the Court received their presents. The Emperor would always go first to the other room and wc had to accompany him when he was making the round among the different tables, impatiently waiting for our turn to come. Finally the ordeal was over, a little bell rang and the doors of the shellroom were flung wide open. The spectaele was really gorgeous. The lights of hundreds of candles were reflected bv the stones and shells on the walls. The little fountains in the corners sprinkled gaily and wonderful Christmas muskfilled the room.

My grandfather used to take each of his grandchildren to his table, explaining the various presents. Then he went over to the tables of our parents and uncles, but soon he would be back with us eliil- | dren. We had parked ourselves on the | floor, giving our toy railways, motor cars and all sorts of other vehicles their first trial trip. Grandfather adopted the same horizontal position in order to instruct us in the operation of all these objects, generally the last word in technical tov development. These Christmas Eves are my dearest remembrances and nothing in the world will be able to destroy the joy they still convey to me from those gorgeoue days gone by. Lieutenant's Commission at Ten. There is another little incident which still stands quite clear before my eves. It was the first and only oflicial contact I ever had with my grandfather as supreme chief of our country and army. According to our Prussian tradition, the male members of our family entered the army at the age of 10 and were awarded a lieutenant's commission in the first regiment of the Guards (Erstes Garderegiment Zu Fuss). The Emperor happened to be at home at my tenth birthday in 1917, so I had to face the great moment of reporting to him as the youngest officer in his army. For this purpose I had to learn by heart a rather complicated set speech. It took me quite some time to learn the unusual words, but finally I had them all memorised. So at 10 a.m., on my birthday, I walked proudly into the room which*was used for such ceremonies, all dressed up in a brand new uniform. The Kaiser was standing in the middle of the room surrounded by many generals and other high officers. I stood at attention and began the first sentence, but after a few words I got completely mixed up, not knowing how to go on. The Emperor, noticing my embarrassment, acted as a prompter (souffleur) and helped me finish the whole thing. . When I finally got through, with a sigh of relief, my grandfather said with that charming twinkle in his eyes which he never has lost, "Well, my'boy, this was not so good, but from now until you get to be a general I hope you'll be able to remember all these words without needing your grandfather as a coach."

Grand Manner in Adversity. My grandfather, in spite of all the bitterness he has experienced, has always peserved this great ability to ease the tension of a very formal occaaion by some little humorous remark. All the serious End rigid faces soften down and generally everybody has a hearty laugh. This kindly and human attitude towards me on my tenth birthday, which in those days meant the end O' childhood and the beginning of a more serious life, filled up with studies and various other duties, remained deeply engraved in my mind and definitely won the heart of my grandfather's second grandchild.

This was the last time I saw my grandfather before the 1918 revolution. Several years elapsed before I saw him again, under very different circumstances, in Holland. I was immediately struck by his cheerful attitude and -the grand way he carried the heavy burden of his fate. He was just a* kind and thoughtful as in. the days I had seen him last. grandfather from the very beginning showed a vivid in the "life we were now leading in Germany under completely changed conditions. We had to show him our school marks (zeugnisse) and tell him about our experiences with our schoolmates. We had been put into a public high school at Potsdam, giving up the private instruction w e had been getting up to the revolution. He was especially interested in the progress of my Spanish studies, a country and language to which I had taken a great fancy. My grandfather lias the great gift of ignoring the lack of age and experience in a child or a young person, which often produces an inferiority complex and makes the conversation between younger and older people difficult, especially in Europe. So, talking to him after a short time, I found myself deeply engaged in a very cxciting conversation, on all kinds o"f subjects.— (X.A.X.A.) .(To be concluded.)