The Imperial pilgrim has left the Holy City, El Cods, as the Turks themselves have it.  Amidst the silence of its holy places his turbulent majesty manifested itself in every direction.  He prayed, discoursed, telegraphed, wrote and conducted inaugural functions.  He made all the Stations of the Cross and preached to the German Colony in Jerusalem, telling them that amidst such surroundings “they should be possessed of a perpetual inclination to do good.”  And forthwith he proceeded to speak of his great friendship for the Sultan, for the individual who methodically suppresses Christians in his empire by killing them.

William has seen the tomb of David, which infidels may not approach, and whose stones only Mussulmans may lawfully tread.  The very dear friend of Abdul Hamid, he whom the Turkish troops salute with the same words as they use for the Sultan, has written to the Holy See, announcing his gift of a plot of land to the German Catholic Association in the Holy Land and adding “that he was happy to have been able to prove to Catholics that their religious interests lie very near to his heart.”

Leo XIII might have replied:  “Sire—­Let your Majesty do even more for Catholics; persuade your friend the Sultan to cease from killing them.”

November 24, 1898. [14]

William II’s journey to Palestine has completely proved the thorough understanding which he has established with Abdul Hamid—­that he should take possession of the Holy Places, as head of the Lutheran religion and as representative of the Catholics of his Empire.  France is, therefore, no longer de facto protector of Christians in the East, since she is not required to protect the German Catholics, now directly protected by their Emperor.  In the Far East, William II had already refused to allow France to protect his Catholic subjects.  The advantages which he derived from this decision were too great for him to abandon them elsewhere, since the murder of a single missionary had brought him Kiao-ohao.

Thus, then, ended this journey, accomplished in pomp and splendour, applauded at the same time by German Christians and by the slayers of Christians.  William II has attained his object in the matter of religious influence and of the emigration of German colonists, whom the Sultan will be pleased to receive with open arms.  The Kaiser paid his reckoning liberally by proposing the health of the Sultan at Damascus and by declaring his intention to help and sustain the Master and the Khalif of 300 million Mussulmans.  The seed of the words thus spoken will sprout and will inspire encouragement for every kind of revolt in the Mussulman subjects of France—­and, for that matter, of England also.