part05+-第38章

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



measure〃；　to　which　the　chancellor　rejoined；　〃We　will　then　do　with



the　rock　as　Moses　did：　we　will　smite　it　and　get　water　for　our



canal。〃







As　to　the　next　visit　of　importance；　I　was　especially　glad　to　find



at　the　Foreign　Office　the　newly　appointed　minister；　Baron　（now



Count）　von　Bulow。　During　the　first　part　of　my　former　stay；　as



minister；　I　had　done　business　at　the　Foreign　Office　with　his



father；　and　found　him　in　every　respect　a　most　congenial



representative　of　the　German　Government。　It　now　appeared　that



father　and　son　were　amazingly　like　each　other；　not　only　in



personal　manner；　but　in　their　mode　of　dealing　with　public



affairs。　With　the　multitude　of　trying　questions　which　pressed



upon　me　as　ambassador　during　nearly　six　years；　it　hardly　seems



possible　that　I　should　be　still　alive　were　it　not　for　the　genial；



hearty　intercourse；　at　the　Foreign　Office　and　elsewhere；　with



Count　von　Bulow。　Sundry　German　papers；　indeed；　attacked　him　as



yielding　to　much　to　me；　and　sundry　American　papers　attacked　me



for　yielding　too　much　to　him；　but　both　of　us　exerted　ourselves　to



do　the　best　possible；　each　for　his　own　country；　and　at　the　same



time　to　preserve　peace　and　increase　good　feeling。







Interesting　was　it　to　me；　from　my　first　to　my　last　days　in



Berlin；　to　watch　him　in　the　discharge　of　his　great　duties；



especially　in　his　dealings　with　hostile　forces　in　Parliament。　No



contrast　could　be　more　marked　than　that　between　his　manner　and



that　of　his　great　predecessor；　the　iron　chancellor。　To　begin



with；　no　personalities　could　be　more　unlike。　In　the　place　of　an



old　man；　big；　rumbling；　heavy；　fiery；　minatory；　objurgatory；



there　now　stood　a　young　man；　quiet；　self…possessed；　easy　in



speech；　friendly　in　manner；　〃sweet　reasonableness〃　apparently　his



main　characteristic；　bubbling　at　times　with　humor；　quick　to　turn



a　laugh　on　a　hostile　bungler；　but　never　cruel；　prompt　in



returning　a　serious　thrust；　but　never　venomous。　Many　of　his



speeches　were　masterpieces　in　their　way　of　handling　opponents。　An



attack　which　Bismarck　would　have　met　with　a　bludgeon；　Bulow



parried　with　weapons　infinitely　lighter；　but　in　some　cases　really



more　effective。　A　very　good　example　was　on　an　occasion　when　the



old　charge　of　〃Byzantinism〃　was　flung　at　the　present　regime；　to



which　he　replied；　not　by　a　historical　excursus　or　political



disquisition；　but　by　humorously　deprecating　a　comparison　of　the



good；　kindly；　steady…going；　hard…working　old　privy　councilors　and



other　state　officials　of　Berlin　with　fanatics；　conspirators；　and



assassins　who　played　leading　parts　at　Constantinople　during　the



decline　of　the　Eastern　Empire。　In　the　most　stormy　discussions　I



never　saw　him　other　than　serene；　under　real　provocation　he



remained　kindly；　more　than　one　bitter　opponent　he　disarmed　with　a



retort；　but　there　were　no　poisoned　wounds。　The　German　Parliament；



left　to　itself；　can　hardly　be　a　peaceful　body。　The　lines　of



cleavage　between　parties　are　many；　and　some　of　them　are　old



chasms　of　racial　dislike　and　abysses　of　religious　and　social



hate；　but　the　appearance　of　the　young　chancellor　at　his　desk



seemed；　even　on　the　darkest　days；　to　bring　sunshine。







Occasionally；　during　my　walks　in　the　Thiergarten；　I　met　him　on



his　way　to　Parliament；　and；　no　matter　how　pressing　public



business　might　be；　he　found　time　to　extend　his　walk　and　prolong



our　discussions。　On　one　of　these　walks　I　alluded　to　a　hot　debate



of　the　day　before　and　to　his　suavity　under　provocation；　when　he



answered：　〃Old　；　many　years　ago；　gave　me　two　counsels；　and　I



have　always　tried　to　mind　them。　These　were：　'Never　worry；　never



lose　your　temper。'　〃







A　pet　phrase　among　his　critics　is　that　he　is　a　diplomatist　and



not　a　statesman。　Like　so　many　antitheses；　this　is　misleading。　It



may　be　just　to　say　that　his　methods　are；　in　general；　those　of　a



diplomatist　rather　than　of　a　statesman；　but　certain　it　is　that　in



various　debates　of　my　time　he　showed　high　statesmanlike



qualities；　and　notably　at　the　beginning　of　the　war　with　China　and



in　sundry　later　contests　with　the　agrarians　and　socialists。　Even



his　much　criticized　remark　during　the　imbroglio　between　Turkey



and　Greece；　picturing　Germany　as　laying　down　her　flute　and



retiring　from　the　〃European　Concert；〃　which　to　many　seemed　mere



persiflage；　was　the　humorous　presentation　of　a　policy　dictated　by



statesmanship。　Nor　were　all　his　addresses　merely　light　and



humorous；　at　times；　when　some　deep　sentiment　had　been　stirred；　he



was　eloquent；　rising　to　the　height　of　great　arguments　and　taking



broad　views。







No　one　claims　that　he　is　a　Richelieu；　a　William　Pitt；　or　a



Cavour；　but　the　work　of　such　men　is　not　what　the　German　Empire



just　now　requires。　The　man　needed　at　present　is　the　one　who　can



keep　things　GOING；　who　can　minimize　differences；　resist



extremists；　turn　aside　marplots；　soothe　doctrinaires；　and　thus



give　the　good　germs　in　the　empire　a　chance　to　grow。　For　this　work



it　would　be　hard　to　imagine　a　better　man　than　the　present



chancellor。　His　selection　and　retention　by　the　Emperor　prove　that



the　present　monarch　has　inherited　two　of　the　best　qualities　of



his　illustrious　grandfather：　skill　in　recognizing　the　right　man



and　firmness　in　standing　by　him。







The　next　thing　which　an　ambassador　is　expected　to　do；　after



visiting　the　great　representatives　of　the　empire；　is　to　become



acquainted　with　the　official　world　in　general。







But　he　must　make　acquaintance　with　these　under　his　own　roof。　On



his　arrival　he　is　expected　to　visit　the　Emperor　and　the　princes



of　his　family；　the　imperial　chancellor；　and　the　minister　of



foreign　affairs；　but　all　others　are　expected　to　visit　him；　hence



the　most　pressing　duty　on　my　arrival　was　to　secure　a　house；　and；



during　three　months　following；　all　the　time　that　I　could　possibly



spare；　and　much　that　I　ought　not　to　have　spared；　was　given　to



excursions　into　all　parts　of　the　city　to　find　it。　No　house；　no



ambassador。　A　minister　plenipotentiary　can　live　during　his　first



year　in　a　hotel　or　in　a　very　modest　apartment；　an　ambassador



cannot。　He　must　have　a　spacious　house　fully　furnished　before　he



can　really　begin　his　duties；　for；　as　above　stated；　one　of　the



first　of　these　duties　is　to　make　the　acquaintance　of　the　official



world；the　ministers　of　the　crown；　the　diplomatic　corps；　the



members　of　the　Imperial　Parliament；　the　members　of　the　Prussian



legislature；　the　foremost　men　in　the　army　and　navy；　and　the



leaders　in　public　life　generally；and　to　this　end　he　must　give



three　very　large　receptions；　at　which　all　those　personages　visit



him。　This　is　a　matter　of　which　the　court　itself　takes　charge；　so



far　as　inviting　and　presenting　the　guests　is　concerned；　high



court　officials　being　sent　to　stand　by　the　side　of　the　ambassador



and　ambassadress　and　make　the　introductions　to　them；　but；　as



preliminary　to　all　this；　the　first　thing　is　to　secure　a　residence



fit　for　such　receptions　and　for　entertainments　in　connection　with



them。







Under　the　rules　of　European　nations　generally；　these　receptions



must　be　held　at　the　ambassador's　permanent　residence；　but；



unfortunately；　such　a　thing　as　a　large　furnished　apartment



suitable　for　a　foreign　representative　is　rarely　to　be　found　in



Berlin。　In　London　and　Paris　such　apartments　are　frequently



offered；　but　in　Berlin　hardly　ever。　Every　other　nation　which



sends　an　ambassador　to　Berlinand　the　same　is　true　as　regards



the　other　large　capitals　of　Europeowns　a　suitable　house；　or　at