Plague, to the Prussian crown prince: “Back to Berlin! And bow to your papa, the old chatterbox, and tell him that I will be there in the spring.”
(Mucha, Warsaw, 1911)
(Crown prince Wilhelm, though lacking in foreign diplomatic experience, won approval to embark on a lengthy journey to Asia in November 1910, ostensibly to learn more about German interests in the far east. After much wining and dining with British colonial officials in India, Wilhelm cut short his trip late in February 1911. Originally slated to include Siam, Dutch Indonesia, China, and Japan, it was interrupted by news of an outbreak of plague in Calcutta, as well as reports of bouts in China that were already crossing the Russian border.)
Sic Transit Pestilentia 