The occasion of the Kaiser's birthday united the members and friends of the Germania Club at a solemn and quiet celebration. Hundreds of representatives of the German-American element from all walks of life gathered to pay their respects, in a dignified and quiet manner, to the man under whose leadership Germany is fighting against a world of enemies. The feature of the evening was an address by Professor Eugene Kuehnemann of the University of Breslau, who sketched an excellent picture of the Kaiser's character and described his importance to the German people. Patriotic community singing was alternated with renditions by the Germania Male Chorus. Luther's battle hymn, "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God" made a particularly deep impression on the audience. The Chicago Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Albert Ulrich, played Weber's "Jubilee Overture" 2and the Radetzky March.

The large auditorium where the celebration was held was lavishly decorated with potted palms and was hung with the German and Austro-Hungarian colors and the Stars and Stripes. Pictures of members of the imperial family and of German military leaders adorned the walls. All sections of the German element were represented among the audience, but representatives of the world of science and commerce were in the majority. Mayor Carter H. Harrison, who always poses as a great friend of the Germans, had been extended an invitation honoring him as the chief executive of the city, but he could not find the time to attend. However, his campaign opponent, Robert M. Sweitzer, was present, and, as a descendant of a purely German family, was more acceptable.

On this occasion a splendid picture of the Kaiser was dedicated to the 3Germania Club by Mr. Fritz von Frantzius. The life-size portrait which shows the Kaiser in uniform, his greatcoat folded back, was painted by a local artist, Mr. Frank A. Werner, who studied in Berlin under the tutelage of Max von Koner, the well-known painter of the Kaiser's portraits.

The picture was painted ten years ago in Berlin in Koner's studio, where the artist had frequent occasion to study the Kaiser. Frank A. Werner, who has been living in Chicago for years, and has always participated in exhibits at the Art Institute, is the son of the well-known German-American, Paul J. Werner, of Akron, who has a national reputation as a publisher. President H. O. Lang of the Germania Club accepted the picture in behalf of the executive board.

The birthday celebration began with several selections played by the 4Chicago Symphony Orchestra. A brief address by President Lang followed. He spoke as follows:

"Ladies and Gentlemen! The occasion which has brought us together here tonight is a special one. It is the birthday of His Majesty, the German Emperor, which we are solemnly celebrating.

"On this occasion we not only want to honor William II in his capacity as emperor, but primarily as the great man whose name will live forever like that of his famed ancestor, Frederick the Great.

"But above all we are celebrating this anniversary to honor the German people, and to honor the one who, because of his exalted position as German emperor, represents the power, the strength and the genius of the German people.

"These are great and glorious times. Many of us look back with admiration to the wars of liberation, to a time when a Bluecher [Prussian general], a Koerner [poet], and many others inspired the people and lead them to victory, just as at this time a Kluck and a Hindenburg [general], on land; a Weddigen [submarine commander] and a Mueller [sea captain] of the Emden [warship], at sea; and a Zeppelin [dirigible] in the air are doing heroic deeds. There are many others whose fame will also be remembered by the German people, whose deeds will become legendary, whose feats will live on, not in a "Nibelungen Lied" or a "Rolandlied" [two famed poems], but in the hearts of the German people; and outshining them all is Kaiser William II, the great, nay the greatest!

"Like Barbarossa [emperor with a legend] he will live on in the hearts of the German people, because finding expression in his personality are all the character traits which make us Germans what we are: the best liked, and at the same time the most hated nation on earth.

"Our enemies hate us alright, but they cannot help giving us their respect and admiration. We Germans can get enthused over an idea, we can fight for our ideals, while the French and the English fight for material gains.

"At first, it was intended to let this day pass unnoticed, without any celebration, just as the Kaiser had preferred in the old country; but in this country our desire to celebrate this day was too great. We wanted to come together, to see each other and shake hands; we wanted to talk about the Kaiser and the Reich and reflect upon its power and its glory; we wanted to unite in a silent and fervent prayer for the old country.

"God protect you, German people.

"It is a wonderful experience to see a gathering of so many people for 7a celebration like this; for men seem to become greater, better and stronger, when they come together for a noble purpose. The better instincts are aroused on such an evening, so let us all grow tonight in strength. May we become greater and better; may our wishes at this moment sweep across the storm-lashed seas to the German land to tell the German Kaiser and the German people who are giving blood and fortune for the fatherland, that here in our hearts there is only one thought, only one desire, and that is: God bless and protect you, German Kaiser and German people; and may your just cause lead you to victory!"

After the audience had sung the "Wacht am Rhein," the speaker of the evening, Professor Kuehnemann, delivered the following address:

"It is a solemn occasion which has brought us together here. It is something very beautiful. It has become an institution. But this time we 8are not celebrating in the usual manner, with merrymaking and goblets tinkling. We have not come together to enjoy good food, but for quiet meditation and earnest reflection. It was the Kaiser's wish that this celebration be a quiet one, for he himself is aware of the gravity of the hour. He has risen to true greatness. It is not the ruler, the Emperor, whose birthday anniversary we are celebrating, but the great man with whom all of Germany is united in sentiment, and to whom we pay our respects. The Kaiser could prevent a noisy celebration, but he could not prevent his people's being with him in spirit at the front; he could not stop those millions of prayers for him, the standard-bearer of the German idea: the man who considers it his greatest and foremost duty to preserve Germany, and who is fully aware of his responsibility.

"When his grandfather went to the front, everybody in Berlin knew the day and the hour of his departure. When he himself, much younger than the old emperor, went to the front, nobody knew about it. 'What difference 9do my personal feelings make? It is only Germany that counts now,' he said.

"The Kaiser has changed a lot during these times. He has aged. His face is gaunt. His eyes are serious, almost tragic; they reflect the grave responsibility of the decisions he has to make. His is the countenance of a personality of world-historical aspects. The responsibility is weighing upon his soul and he is willing to bear it. Never, in all the world's history, has a responsibility such as Kaiser Wilhelm II has to bear been placed on the shoulders of one man. We can think of but one comparison, and that is Frederick the Great during the Seven Years' War. He did not have a powerful and united people behind him such as William II can count on. Let us suppose Frederick II [the Great] had been defeated. Nobody at that time could have foreseen the consequences of such a defeat. Today we know that Germany could have never developed to its present status. Prussia, and necessarily Germany too, would have disappeared from the 10scene of history. But with present-day Germany things are different. The German people are awakened and conscious of their tremendous power. Germany is a huge and vast arsenal of vital strength. This Germany would perish if the war should end disastrously for her. Nobody knows that better than the Kaiser. The future of the German people for many generations to come is at stake. The outcome will determine whether a thousand-year-old culture is to be trampled underfoot by either the Russian hordes or the British. William II is conscious of his responsibilities, and this really makes him the emperor; because he bears for the entire nation the responsibilities which have been entrusted to him. During these months he has proved himself a truly great man.

"The Germans, in making the Kaiser's birthday a national holiday, do not honor a man; they honor themselves as a nation. They want to express the unity of their national existence. The American conception of monarchs and monarchies is often erroneous. We must realize that a monarchy in Germany means 11something different than in other lands. The King of France was the most privileged individual among a privileged aristocracy which exploited the country. That led to the revolution. In England, the historical development led to a republic ruled by an aristocratic oligarchy with the King as a decorative figurehead. He could be removed without any damage to the political structure. In Russia, the Czar is absolute ruler, assisted by a privileged officialdom which exploits the people. The Russian despotism was therefore frequently assaulted by revolutions. Germany, with her Prussian royal house of the Hohenzollerns, is like one big family. Without this royalty, a great nation could never have developed out of the frugal plains of northern Germany."

By his reference to Prussia's history since the Great Elector, Professor Kuehemann proved the fallacy of the belief that the monarchical principle was an obstacle to freedom. On the contrary as the Professor brought out, the monarchy provided the proper background for the liberty of the people 12who had grown to be as one with their rulers. These rulers had become accustomed to regarding themselves as the executors of the people's will. The same could be said of the Kaiser. Then, in brief and distinct outlines, the speaker sketched the political activities of Kaiser William since his ascendency to the throne.

"When Kaiser William II ascended the throne, still a young man, his head was filled with a lot of new ideas. He wanted to blaze new trails to lead his people to greater glory. He loved pathetic (sic) oratory. He proclaimed the gospel of the mailed fist. By that he merely meant to give plastic expression to the ancient principles that the essence of the state was power. His Gottesgnadentum [translator's note: Illustration: We, William II, by God's Grace, German emperor.....], which was subject to such frequent misinterpretation here in America, expressed merely the simple, constitutionally established fact, that the King rules by virtue of his royal birth. Out of that the idea has developed that he bears 13the responsibility before God for everything he does. The expression [by Gods' Grace] is one that expresses the profound sense of responsibility with which he is imbued. He is conscious of his responsibility for every act of commission or omission, and he is ever ready to give an accounting before God.

"The result of the Kaiser's activities was a tremendous prosperity of the German Reich, for which he was in part directly responsible. In his soul there lives the desire to go down in history as the greatest'prince of peace'. He knew that Germany needed a long peace for her internal development. At the beginning of his reign he had a youthful ambition to direct the entire life of his people. He has awakened in his people the highest sense of independent thinking and action in all phases of national life. He furnishes the proof that a monarchy is not detrimental to independence, but advantageous to it.

"The war was forced upon him. He found the right word for that on that memorable July 31, when he said: 'Enemies all around are forcing us to defend ourselves. The sword is pressed into our hand.' The war has united the people. For that, too, the Kaiser found the right expression: 'I don't know parties any longer, I only know Germans'.

"This war to him is the renaissance of Germany, with the disappearance of all political partisanship and a unanimous desire to sacrifice everything for the fatherland.

"The new Germany will not indulge any more in ridiculous internal political strife. Everybody will co-operate in the further development of the German state [nation]. The new policy cannot be anything but a policy for the people. Confidence in a state [government] which has proven its merits will be preserved. An ultimate peace will create a people who are working 15with determination for their future. The real hero of the war is the German people. Kaiser and people are one. Never did a people see more clearly that it could trust its ruler as a loyal and willing executor of its will, than in this solemn and fateful hour. No wonder the Kaiser is loved by his people."