OLD KAISER STILL.

Grey River Argus, 5 November 1928, Page 5

OLD KAISER STILL.

WILHELM IN EXILE. An Intimate Picture. (Australian & N.Z. Cable Assn). (Received. Nov. 4 at 5.5 pjn.j LONDON, November 3. On the cvj o£ the tenth aunivcrsan of the Armistice, a d-cade' aJmojt since the day that he tied ignominiously from his retreating armies, particular interest attaches to' an’ auth ntic account of the ex-Kaiser in his exile in Doorn, which was tcAegrapm cd from Doorti to-day by a specia. representative of th -‘Evening Standard,” who -ays:— ‘‘When I saw him, this man, who for forty years has an Emperor, and has been in exile lor a decade, - I found it impossible not to admire th youthful bearing of this man, who will tc seventy in January, as he stoops over a long saw pushing it to and f: with his right hand, his withered arm resting on the hip. He is like he was in the when on horseback at military reviews in his uniform <»t C(<nimaiider-in-Chief r .iiivh has now been put away for ever. To-day he is attired, in breech's, knee-top boots of light b'rown leath x, and beneath » uark reefer jacket, he wears a whit, stock tie, held together in the middle b v an enormous pearl pin. It is th typical dress a country gentle man.' He was bareheaded, and th. wind blew through his white hair and beard. Each, morning he drags hi> querrics and marshals down to tn. wqods, where there are two hours oi work in felling and sawing logs, a ready, the ex-Kaiser, largely by ins own labour has cl ared a wid'e area < n one side of the house, on which he ha:, planted a rosary, with an appropriate inscription here and there, th name Emperor and of Empress being fleets used. To-day as he sawed through a great fallen tr e, h‘‘ smoked cigarette, after cigarette, and, from time to t*mc gav * a sharp command to the workmen assisting. It was the old Kaiser disguised in th? rof er jacket. The equerries stood when he stood. Undo* the damp trees, which were dripping from a morning shew. r, there was a glimmering of the iron etiquette of the German Court. Th , ex-Kaiser works steadily from 9.30 a.m. to 11. JO a.m. Thence hv returns to .a frugal mua), *»1 which he is most' particular. In th afternoon he sits in the library and reads. During the evening he has on’ hour’s stroll iu Hie village streets. His programme rarely changes. IL mingles with the people of Doorn, who app atnot even to be mildly interested in him. He likes the fat, small chiidr* n they’ smile at his beard d, and e'en benign, figure. Most of his shopping is delivered, but often he does it. 11* runs an account witii a locaZ bookshop. The proprietor has to procure all the books of important- . Doorn is not visible from the railway station, a.. it< is a long distance from Utrecht, which is the nearest big town. The roads of Doorn are. winding, and a cpbblcd and crazy tramway threads the serpentine streets. Th.ire arc two hotels and a shop, which derives a profit on pictures of the ex-Kaiser which arc sold to American tourists at ,-!i cents each. The ex-Kaiser’s house, containing! fifty robins, is tho most depressing one imaginable, an., the gateway is most imposing. Inside there is a sina.l office, whefe* the ex-Kaiser’s watchman pounces out on all visitors. I’m informed that the library is ’as complete as any individual’s in th world. Everything which appeal's about himself is read with the. greatest care. There is talk of his going elscwh' re to reside. Nev.-r will be remain at Doom forever!”