part05+-第37章

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palace　at　the　time　appointed；　is　ushered　into　the　presence　of　the



sovereign；　delivers　to　him；　with　some　simple　speech；　the



autograph　letter　from　the　President；　and　then；　after　a　kindly



answer；　all　is　finished。　But　an　ambassador　does　not　escape　so



easily。　Under　a　fiction　of　international　law　he　is　regarded　as



the　direct　representative　of　the　sovereign　power　of　his　country；



and　is　treated　in　some　sense　as　such。　Therefore　it　was　that；　at



the　time　appointed；　a　high　personage　of　the　court；　in　full



uniform；　appeared　at　my　hotel　accompanied　by　various　other



functionaries；　with　three　court　carriages；　attendants；　and



outriders；　deputed　to　conduct　me　to　the　palace。　Having　been



escorted　to　the　first　of　the　carriages；myself；　in　plain



citizen's　dress；　on　the　back　seat；　my　escort；　in　gorgeous



uniform；　facing　me；　and　my　secretaries　and　attaches　in　the　other



carriages；we　took　up　our　march　in　solemn　processioncarriages；



outriders；　and　allthrough　the　Wilhelmstrasse　and　Unter　den



Linden。　On　either　side　was　a　gaping　crowd；　at　the　various　corps



de　garde　bodies　of　troops　came　out　and　presented　arms；　and　on　our



arrival　at　the　palace　there　was　a　presentation　of　arms　and



beating　of　drums　which；　for　the　moment；　somewhat　abashed　me。　It



was　an　ordeal　more　picturesque　than　agreeable。







The　reception　by　the　Emperor　was　simple；　courteous；　and　kindly。



Neither　of　us　made　any　set　speech；　but　we　discussed　various



questions；　making　reference　to　our　former　meeting　and　the　changes



which　had　occurred　since。　Among　these　changes　I　referred　to　the



great　improvement　in　Berlin；　whereupon　he　said　that　he　could　not



think　the　enormous　growth　of　modern　cities　an　advantage。　My



answer　was　that　my　reference　was　to　the　happy　change　in　the



architecture　of　Berlin　rather　than　to　its　growth　in　population；



that；　during　my　first　stay　in　the　city；　over　forty　years　before；



nearly　all　the　main　buildings　were　of　brick　and　stucco；　whereas



there　had　now　been　a　remarkable　change　from　stucco　to　stone　and



to　a　much　nobler　style　of　architecture。　We　also　discussed　the



standing　of　Germans　in　America　and　their　relations　to　the　United



States。　On　my　remarking　that　it　was　just　eighteen　years　and　one



day　since　the　first　Emperor　William　had　received　me　as　minister



in　that　same　palace；　he　spoke　of　various　things　in　the　history　of



the　intervening　years；　and　then　ensued　an　episode　such　as　I　had



hardly　expected。　For　just　before　leaving　New　York　my　old　friend



Frederick　William　Holls；　after　a　dinner　at　his　house　on　the



Hudson；　had　given　his　guests　examples　of　the　music　written　by



Frederick　the　Great；　and　one　piece　had　especially　interested　us。



It　was　a　duet　in　which　Mr。　Holls　played　one　part　upon　the　organ；



and　his　wife　another　upon　the　piano；　and　all　of　us　were　greatly



impressed　by　the　dignity　and　beauty　of　the　whole。　It　had　been



brought　to　light　and　published　by　the　present　Emperor；　and　after



the　performance　some　one　of　the　party　remarked；　in　a　jocose　way；



〃You　should　express　our　thanks　to　his　Majesty；　when　you　meet　him；



for　the　pleasure　which　this　music　has　given　us。〃　I　thought



nothing　more　of　the　subject　until；　just　at　the　close　of　the



conversation　above　referred　to；　it　came　into　my　mind；　and　on　my



mentioning　it　the　Emperor　showed　at　once　a　special　interest；



discussing　the　music　from　various　points　of　view；　and　on　my



telling　him　that　we　were　all　surprised　that　it　was　not



amateurish；　but　really　profound　in　its　harmonies　and　beautiful　in



its　melodies；　he　dwelt　upon　the　musical　debt　of　Frederick　the



Great　to　Bach　and　the　special　influence　of　Bach　upon　him。　This



conversation　recurred　to　me　later；　when　the　Emperor；　in　erecting



the　statue　to　Frederick　the　Great　on　the　Avenue　of　Victory；



placed　on　one　side　of　it　the　bust　of　Marshal　Schwerin；　and　on　the



other　that　of　Johann　Sebastian　Bach；　thus　honoring　the　two　men



whom　he　considered　most　important　during　Frederick's　reign。







After　presenting　my　embassy　secretaries　and　attaches；　military



and　naval；　I　was　conducted　with　them　into　the　presence　of　the



Empress；　who　won　all　our　hearts　by　her　kindly；　unaffected



greeting。　On　my　recalling　her　entrance　into　Berlin　as　a　bride；　in



her　great　glass　coach；　seventeen　years　before；　on　one　of　the



coldest　days　I　ever　knew；　she　gave　amusing　details　of　her　stately



progress　down　the　Linden　on　that　occasion；　and　in　response　to　my



congratulations　upon　her　six　fine　boys　and　her　really　charming



little　daughter；　it　was　pleasant　to　see　how







　〃One　touch　of　nature　makes　the　whole　world　kin；〃







her　eyes　lighting　up　with　pride　and　joy；　and　her　conversation



gladly　turning　to　the　children。







It　may　be　added　here　that　the　present　Empress　seems　to　have



broken　the　unfortunate　spell　which　for　about　half　a　century　hung



over　the　queens　and　empresses　of　the　house　of　Hohenzollern。　I



remember　well　that；　among　the　Germans　whom　I　knew　in　my



Berlin…University　days；　all　the　sins　of　the　period；　political　and



religious；　seemed　to　be　traced　to　the　influence　of　Queen



Elizabeth；　the　consort　of　the　reigning　King　Frederick　William　IV；



and　that；　during　my　first　official　stay　in　the　same　capital　as



minister；　a　similar　feeling　was　shown　toward　the　Empress　Augusta；



in　spite　of　her　most　kindly　qualities　and　her　devotion　to　every



sort　of　charitable　work；　and　that　the　crown　princess；　afterward



the　Empress　Frederick；　in　spite　of　all　her　endowments　of　head　and



heart；　was　apparently　more　unpopular　than　either　of　her　two



predecessors。　But　the　present　Empress　seems　to　have　changed　all



this；　and；　doubtless；　mainly　by　her　devotion　to　her　husband　and



her　children；　which　apparently　excludes　from　her　mind　all　care



for　the　great　problems　of　the　universe　outside　her　family。　So



strong　is　this　feeling　of　kindness　toward　her　that　it　was　comical



to　see；　at　one　period　during　my　stay；　when　she　had　been　brought



perilously　near　a　most　unpopular　course　of　action；　that　everybody



turned　at　once　upon　her　agent　in　the　matter；　saying　nothing　about



her；　but　belaboring　him　unmercifully；　though　he　was　one　of　the



most　attractive　of　men。







These　presentations　being　finished；　our　return　to　the　Kaiserhof



Hotel　was　made　with　the　same　ceremony　as　that　with　which　we　had



come　to　the　palace；　and　happy　was　I　when　all　was　over。







Of　the　other　official　visits　at　this　time；　foremost　in　importance



was　that　to　the　chancellor　of　the　empire；　Prince　Hohenlohe。



Although　he　was　then　nearly　eighty　years　old　and　bent　with　age；



his　mind　in　discussing　public　matters　was　entirely　clear。　Various



later　conversations　with　him　also　come　back　to　meone；



especially；　at　a　dinner　he　gave　at　the　chancellor's　palace　to



President　Harrison。　On　my　recalling　the　fact　that　we　were　in　the



room　where　I　had　first　dined　with　Bismarck；　Prince　Hohenlohe　gave



a　series　of　reminiscences　of　his　great　predecessor；　some　of　them



throwing　a　strong　light　upon　his　ideas　and　methods。　On　one



occasion；　at　my　own　table；　he　spoke　very　thoughtfully　on　German



characteristics；　and　one　of　his　remarks　surprised　me：　it　was　that



the　besetting　sin　of　the　Germans　is　envy　（Neid）；　in　which　remark



one　may　see　a　curious　tribute　to　the　tenacity　of　the　race；　since



Tacitus　justified　a　similar　opinion。　He　seemed　rather　melancholy；



but　he　had　a　way　of　saying　pungent　things　very　effectively；　and



one　of　these　attributed　to　him　became　widely　known。　He　was



publicly　advocating　a　hotly　contested　canal　bill；　when　an



opponent　said；　〃You　will　find　a　solid　rock　in　the　way　of　this



measure〃；　to　which　the　chancellor　rejoined；　〃We　wi