THE energy of the Emperor is proverbial. He never rests, and professes the deepest
horror of idleness. Moreover, his capacity for work is prodigious. Amongst those who
immediately surround him there is even some fear that his health will some day suffer from
his continual efforts to examine into all the affairs of the empire himself. To rest his
brain he indulges in all those physical exercises in which he excels.
The Emperor gets up at five o'clock in the morning. As soon as he is up he takes a cold
bath. His mother---who is a daughter of Queen Victoria, and an English-woman---has given
him a taste from his earliest childhood for cold water, which is so wholesome for those
who can stand it. After his bath, he dresses quickly and breakfasts at half-past six.
Immediately after breakfast the Emperor goes into his study, where piles of letters and
quantities of documents await him. There are letters received during the night at the
post-office and which special messengers bring the first thing in the morning to the
Palace of Berlin or the Palace of Potsdam. There are also reports in the handwriting of
the ministers and of high authorities. The Emperor, who himself sees to everything, has so
much to do in reading all these documents that if he wishes to examine each in
detail---which with him is a principle---he cannot allow himself an instant's rest. It is
very rarely that he postpones the consideration of any sort of business. He settles
everything at the hour he has appointed, even though, to do so, he has to take an hour or
two from his sleep.
The adjutants on duty are at their posts at half-past six. The Emperor discusses with
them the orders for the day, and at seven he usually goes to see his children. He then
betakes himself to the room where he receives, for the most part, the reports of the
marshals. Then some conferences with the functionaries under the orders of the master of
the household. In these interviews the details of such and such a ceremony are discussed,
the programme for some impending journey of the Emperor made out, and the probable expense
calculated, etc.
In the same way the Emperor, during his hours of work, looks into the affairs of the
imperial household, examines the accounts approves of orders given by the Grand Marshal,
and, in a word, settles all questions relating to the daily domestic life. On important
occasions he receives the ministers, the councilors with their reports, the prefect of
police, generals, and great functionaries. It is the greatest delight to the Emperor to
receive the reports of these persons, and to sign the papers they present to him. The
Emperor goes into all these reports with so much zeal, though they are coming all day
long, that he often says to those working with him, AI know I am giving you a lot of
trouble, but I cannot do differently. I have a great task myself to accomplish, and I
cannot make my decisions quickly."
If frequently happens that the heads of the different departments bring him twenty
papers to sign. Each of these is discussed, and of the twenty perhaps only three or four
are carried away signed. For the others, the sovereign is determined to have further
information concerning them. By nine o'clock in the morning the Emperor has thus
accomplished a good deal of business, and if the weather and the season permit, he goes
out for a drive and afterwards takes a pretty long walk. If the weather is unfavorable for
driving, he goes to the riding-school and rides for three quarters of an hour. The Emperor
is a good fencer, a good rider, and a good shot. When he is on horseback he likes to meet
with difficulties. He not only jumps hedges and ditches, but also banks, called Irish
banks, with the greatest ease. On days when a military inspection takes place, the
Emperor, who has thus had to ride in the open air for a long time, dispenses with his
drive. He remains in the saddle for five or six hours at a stretch willingly.
At about eleven the interviews and the reports begin again. This is also the time when
audiences are granted. Officers of high rank who have received promotion, or great
functionaries who have been accorded a rise, are announced. He also receives the envoys
and representatives of foreign countries, princes, and great lords. The Emperor converses
with each of them for a few minutes.
At levées the Emperor pays his guests some original attentions. During the
course of a levée he will change his uniform five or six times. Thus, for
instance, if the son of a deceased general of artillery comes to announce to William II
the death of his father, the Emperor does not fail to put on his artillery uniform to do
honor to the officer who has died in his service. He wears the uniform of a general of
artillery, of cavalry, of infantry, or the naval uniform, according to the person he
receives and the position that person occupies. If the Emperor receives foreign
representatives of military attachés of foreign powers, he wears the uniform of
the army of the country which the visitor represents, or at least the orders belonging to
that country. The fatiguing ceremony lasts till about half-past two. The Emperor then goes
again to join his children, who are already at table, and takes his second breakfast with
them.
He then visits certain great functionaries, generals, and ministers, and discusses
State affairs with them. He visits an artist and sits for a picture or a bust. He inspects
the barracks and the public offices, and, if he has time, he concludes the afternoon with
a carriage drive, which lasts till five or six o'clock. At half-past six he again receives
persons who have some communication to make to him, or who come to consult him upon
military or civil business. He reads reports, and signs papers which were presented to him
in the morning, but which he wished to think over. Finally, at seven o'clock he dines with
his family.
On leaving the table the Emperor devotes some time to his children, who have spent the
day in their studies, or in physical exercises; then he returns to work. In the evening,
as a novel recreation, the Emperor practices fencing. Towards ten he takes a light repast,
and then retires to his bedroom. At a little after ten he summons his valet to help him to
undress. On a table beside his bed there are always placed paper and pencil, in order that
the Emperor may make a note of anything that occurs to him before he goes to sleep or
before he gets up in the morning.
Such is one of the Emperor's working-days, in ordinary arcumstances. In extraordinary
circumstances William II imposes yet greater labor on himself. Think for a moment of the
additional work imposed on him by the visit of a king or any sort of prince. All the
business of the day is done by him, no matter what happens, even when the visit of some
great personage obliges him to spend half the day at repasts, drives and walks, and
ceremonies. On these occasions his time is so parceled out that it is often not till
eleven o'clock in the morning that he can go into his study to glance at the newspapers,
or read a new scientific, political, or literary book. It is past eleven at night before
he can dispose himself for sleep. Even then he rises, if need be, at four o'clock, and
begins again, without interruption, the business of the State. At the same time, visits,
military maneuvers, inspections outside Berlin, occupy a great deal of the Emperor's time.
During a journey he is never a moment idle. In the saloon carriage which is reserved for
him, he writes, looks at reports, signs papers, etc. By the evening, after all the
ceremonies at which he is obliged to be present, after the speeches and the toasts which
he has had to listen to, and to which he has had to reply, he is very tired; but,
nevertheless, when he is once more in his room, he looks at papers, runs through
documents, and appends his signature. When he is away from Berlin, which is the seat of
government, he is careful to attend to all business with even greater promptitude and
attention than usual.
During reviews and inspections the Emperor is on horseback from five o'clock in the
morning till two in the afternoon. He has hardly time to take his hurried meals.
Immediately afterwards he sets to work to study the business of State, has a levée in the afternoon, and assists at fresh ceremonies. Outwardly he does not show the least
fatigue or the least effort. There is a sort of coquetry in his way of having a pleasant
word for each of his visitors. In these exceptional circumstances the Emperor has often
not more than three hours for sleep. The next day he is on horseback again at the earliest
possible hour. Passionately fond of life by the sea, he is particularly fond of the
natural beauties of the North Sea coast. Even during his pleasure trips he devotes a great
part of his time to work. At every place where he stops he finds dispatches, letters,
reports for him, and even on his yacht his active spirit obliges him to read and study. It
is true that he takes somewhat long voyages during the summer, when the departments take
their holiday; but the government machine never stops, and William II has affairs to
settle which require prompt execution.
In spite of all the work which the Emperor imposes on himself, he finds time to read
most of the books of any importance which appear in Europe, whether literary, scientific,
religious, or philosophical. A distinguished linguist, having in particular a marvelous
acquaintance with French and German, he reads all these books, not in translations, but in
the original. Therefore he is rarely at a loss when there is any discussion of a new book.
In order to be abreast of all these studies, this reading, and these various labors,
William II is penetrated with the idea that only the most absolute regularity in the
employment of time can enable him to solve the apparently unsolvable problems of how to
have sufficient knowledge of everything which attracts human observation.
He was prepared for this life of work by the severe education he was subjected to. He
was, in fact, brought up in a hard school. Each day he had only half an hour to pursue his
own tastes. Knowing the value of time, it is seldom indeed that he puts anything oft till
the morrow. A little theatrical in his manner, even one might say cabotin, he has
nevertheless a strong sentiment that the chief of the State should not only be the
representative of authority, but also the most active collaborator in the life of the
country of which he is the head. His mystical ideas have led him to believe that he holds
his right to rule from the Deity. He is one of the last believers in Divine right, of
which M. le Comte de Chambord was the last representative in France.
