part05+-第39章

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sends　an　ambassador　to　Berlinand　the　same　is　true　as　regards



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



least　holds　a　long　lease　of　a　commodious　apartment；　but；　although



President　Cleveland　especially　recommended　provision　for　such



residence　in　one　of　his　messages；　nothing　has　yet　been　done　by



the　American　Congress；　and　the　consequence　is　that　every



ambassador　has　to　lose　a　great　amount　of　valuable　time；　effort；



and　money　in　securing　proper　quarters；　while　his　country　loses



much　of　its　proper　prestige　and　dignity　by　constant　changes　in



the　location　of　its　embassy；　and　by　the　fact　that　the　American



representative　is　not　infrequently　obliged　to　take　up　his



residence　in　unfit　apartments　and　in　an　unsuitable　part　of　the



town。







After　looking　at　dozens　of　houses；　the　choice　was　narrowed　down



to　two；　but；　as　one　was　nearly　three　miles　from　the　center　of　the



city；　selection　was　made　of　the　large　apartment　which　I　occupied



during　nearly　four　years；　and　which　was　bought　from　under　my　feet



by　one　of　the　smallest　governments　in　Europe　as　the　residence　for



its　minister。　Immediately　after　my　lease　was　signed　there　began　a



new　series　of　troubles。　Everything　must　be　ready　for　the　three



receptions　by　the　eighth　day　of　January；　and；　being　at　the　mercy



of　my　landlord；　I　was　at　a　great　disadvantage。　Though　paying



large　rent　for　the　apartment；　I　was　obliged；　at　my　own　expense；



to　put　it　thoroughly　in　order；　introducing　electric　light；



perfecting　heating　apparatus；　getting　walls　and　floors　in　order；



and　doing　a　world　of　work　which；　under　other　circumstances；　would



have　been　done　by　the　proprietor　himself。　As　to　furnishing；　a



peculiar　difficulty　arose。　Berlin　furnishers；　as　a　rule；　have



only　samples　in　stock；　and　a　long　time　is　required　for　completing



sets。　My　former　experience；　when；　as　minister；　I　had　been　obliged



to　go　through　a　similar　ordeal；　had　shown　me　that　the　Berlin



makers　could　never　be　relied　upon　to　get　the　apartment　furnished



in　time；　and　therefore　it　was　that；　having　secured　what　was



possible　in　Berlin；　I　was　obliged　to　make　large　purchases　at



Dresden；　London；　and　Paris；　and　to　have　the　furniture　from　the



last…named　city　hurried　on　to　Berlin　in　special　wadded　cars；　with



attendants　to　put　it　in　place。　It　was　a　labor　and　care　to　which



no　representative　of　the　United　States　or　of　any　other　power



ought　to　be　subjected。　The　vexations　and　difficulties　seemed



unending；　but　at　last　carpenters；　paper…hangers；　electric…light



men；　furniture　men；　carpet…layers；　upholsterers；　and　the　like



were　driven　from　the　house　just　five　minutes　before　the



chancellor　of　the　empire　arrived　to　open　the　first　of　these　three



official　receptions。　Happily　they　all　went　off　well；　and　thereby



began　my　acquaintance　with　the　leaders　in　various　departments　of



official　life。







On　my　settling　down　to　the　business　of　the　embassy；　it　appeared



that　the　changes　in　public　sentiment　since　my　former　stay　as



minister；　eighteen　years　before；　were　great　indeed。　At　that　time



German　feeling　was　decidedly　friendly　to　the　United　States。　The



Germans　had　sided　with　us　in　our　Civil　War；　and　we　had　come　out



victorious；　we　had　sided　with　them　in　their　war　of　1870…1871；　and



they　had　come　out　victorious。　But　all　this　was　now　changed。



German　feeling　toward　us　had　become　generally　adverse　and；　in



some　parts　of　the　empire；　bitterly　hostile。　The　main　cause　of



this　was　doubtless　our　protective　policy。　Our　McKinley　tariff；



which　was　considered　almost　ruinous　to　German　manufactures；　had



been　succeeded　by　the　Dingley　tariff；　which　went　still　further；



and　as　Germany；　in　the　last　forty　years；　had　developed　an　amazing



growth　of　manufactures；　much　bitterness　resulted。







Besides　this；　our　country　was　enabled；　by　its　vast　extent　of



arable　land；　as　well　as　by　its　cheap　conveyance　and　skilful



handling　of　freights；　to　sweep　into　the　German　markets



agricultural　products　of　various　sorts；　especially　meats；　and　to



undersell　the　native　German　producers。　This　naturally　vexed　the



landed　proprietors；　so　that　we　finally　had　against　us　two　of　the



great　influential　classes　in　the　empire：　the　manufacturers　and



the　landowners。







But　this　was　not　all。　These　real　difficulties　were　greatly



increased　by　fictitious　causes　of　ill　feeling。　Sensational



articles；　letters；　telegrams；　caricatures；　and　the　like；　sent



from　America　to　Germany　and　from　Germany　to　America；　had　become



more　and　more　exasperating；　until；　at　the　time　of　my　arrival；



there　were　in　all　Germany　but　two　newspapers　of　real　importance



friendly　to　the　United　States。　These　two　journals　courageously



stood　up　for　fairness　and　justice；　but　all　the　others　were　more



or　less　hostile；　and　some　bitterly　so。　The　one　which；　on　account



of　its　zeal　in　securing　news；　I　read　every　morning　was　of　the



worst。　During　the　Spanish　War　it　was　especially　virulent；　being



full　of　statements　and　arguments　to　show　that　corruption　was　the



main　characteristic　of　our　government；　cowardice　of　our　army　and



navy；　and　hypocrisy　of　our　people。　Very　edifying　were　its



quasi…philosophical　articles；　and　one　of　these；　showing　the



superiority　of　the　Spanish　women　to　their　American　sisters；



especially　as　regards　education；　was　a　work　of　genius。　The　love



of　Spanish　women　for　bull…fights　was　neatly　glossed　over；　and



various　absurd　charges　against　American　women　were　put　in　the



balance　against　it。　A　few　sensational　presses　on　our　side　were



perhaps　worse。　Various　newspapers　in　America　repaid　Teutonic



hostility　by　copious　insults　directed　at　everything　German；　and



this　aroused　the　Germans　yet　more。　One　journal；　very　influential



among　the　aristocratic　and　religious　public　of　Northern　Germany；



regularly　published　letters　of　considerable　literary　merit　from



its　American　correspondent；　in　which　every　scandal　which　could　be



raked　out　of　the　gutters　of　the　cities；　every　crime　in　the



remotest　villages；　and　all　follies　of　individuals　everywhere；



were　kneaded　together　into　statements　showing　that　our　country



was　the　lowest　in　the　scale　of　human　civilization。　The　tu…quoque



argument　might　have　been　used　by　an　American　with　much　effect；



for　just　about　this　period　there　were　dragging　along；　in　the



Berlin　and　other　city　journals；　accounts　of　German　trials　for



fraud　and　worse；　surpassing；　in　some　respects；　anything　within　my



memory　of　American　tribunals。　The　quantity　of　fig…leaves　required



in　some　of　these　trials　was　enormous；　and；　despite　all



precautions；　some　details　which　escaped　into　the　press　might　well



bring　a　blush　to　the　most　hardened　American　offender。　It　was　both



vexatious　and　comical　to　see　the　smug；　Pharisaical　way　in　which



many　journals　ignored　all　these　things；　and　held　up　their　hands



in　horror　at　American　shortcomings。　Some　trials；　too；　which　at



various　times　revealed　the　brutality　of　sundry　military　officers



toward　soldiers；　were　heartrending；　and　especially　one　or　two



duels；　which　occurred　during　my　stay；　presented　features



calculated　to　shock　the　toughest　American　rough…rider。　But　all



this　seemed　not　for　a　moment　to　withdraw　the　attention　of　our



Teutonic　censors　from　American　folly　and　wickedness。　One　of　the



main　charges　constantly　made　was　that　in　America　there　was　a



〃Deutschen　Hetze。〃　Very　many　German　papers　had　really　persuaded



themselves；　and　apparently　had　convinced　a　large　part　of　the



German　people；　that　throughout　our　country　there　existed　a　hate；



deep　and　acrid；　of　everything　German　and　especially　of



German…Americans。　The　ingenuity　of