nt of the state," and long before
his court or indeed many of the housemaids of Berlin are awake, he is
up and attending to affairs of all kinds.

He is a great traveler, and knows Europe from the North Cape to the
Golden Horn; and while flying across country in his comfortable
vestibuled train, he dispatches business and acquires an excellent
idea of the country, and no traveler can speak more intelligently of
the countries through which he has traveled, and this information is
brought out with good effect in his excellent after-dinner speeches.

In speaking of the versatility of the Emperor, something should be
said of him as a sportsman. He has given a splendid example to the
Germans. He has tried to introduce baseball, football and polo, three
American games. This may be traced to the time when Poultney Bigelow
and J. A. Berrian were the Emperor's playmates. Fenimore Cooper was
one of the favorite authors with the young scion of royalty. The
Emperor is fond of hunting, yachting, tennis and other sports and is
never so happy as when he stands on the bridge of the royal yacht
Hohenzollern. He is a well known figure at Cowes and won the Queen's
Cup in 1891.

William II. was born January 27, 1859, in Berlin, and until he was
fourteen years old his education was intrusted to Dr. Hintzpeter,
assisted by Major Von Gottberg, who was military instructor. At this
time his corps of teachers was increased by the addition of Prediger
Persius, who prepared him for his confirmation, which took place
September 1, 1874, at Potsdam. As William was to lead an active life,
it was thought best to send him to the gymnasium at Cassel.

Orders were given that he and his younger brother Henry, who
accompanied him, should receive the same treatment as the other
pupils, and this order was strictly obeyed. He graduated from this
school January 24, 1877, just before his eighteenth birthday. After
this his military career began with his entrance as an officer into
the first Garde-regiment at Potsdam, that he might become thoroughly
acquainted with practical service. The young prince was assigned to
the company which his father had once commanded. After serving here
for a short time he went to the university at Bonn, and from there he
went back to the army again. Emperor William ascended the throne in
June, 1888, upon the death of his father Frederick III.

In 1880 he was betrothed to Augusta Victoria, Princess of
Schleswig-Holstein, and on