An Emperor's Madness or National Aberration ? By Ernesto Lugaro.
(Routledge. 2s. 6d. net.)—This serious essay by the Professor of Neuropathy at Modena deserves attention. He rejects the theory that the war was caused by a mad Emperor, and considers that there is insufficient evidence to show that William IL is out of his mind. He is credited with " unbounded vanity, levity, instability of purpose, violent obstinacy, and a vindictive and petulant temper." But, adds the Professor, " the present war would not have happened if these defects had not been thoroughly in accord with the most intimate sentiments of the German mind." He proceeds to show how Germans as a race, and not merely their Emperor, are suffering from a " national infatuation," a megalomania accompanied by outbreaks of criminal violence, and he points out that their recovery from so dreadful a complaint is bound to be slow.
Previous page
