part05+-第42章

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concerned　which　swept　away　the　old　vicious　system；　partitioned



the　islands　between　the　United　States　and　Germany；　giving　Great



Britain　indemnity　elsewhere；　and　settled　all　the　questions



involved；　as　we　may　hope；　forever。







Among　my　duties　and　pleasures　during　this　period　was　attendance



upon　important　debates　in　the　Imperial　Parliament。　That　body



presents　many　features　suggestive　of　thought。　The　arrangement



under　which　the　Senate；　representing　the　various　states　of　the



empire；　and　the　House；　representing　the　people　as　a　whole；　sit



face　to　face　in　joint　deliberation；　strikes　an　American　as



especially　curious；　but　it　seems　to　work　well；　and　has　one



advantage　in　bringing　the　most　eminent　servants　of　the　various



states　into　direct　personal　relations　with　the　rank　and　file　from



the　country　at　large。　The　German　Parliament　has　various　good



points。　Some　one　has　asserted　that　the　United　States　Senate　is　as



much　better　than　the　British　House　of　Lords　as　the　British　House



of　Commons　is　better　than　the　American　House　of　Representatives。



There　is　much　to　be　said　for　this　contention；　and　there　are　some



points　in　which　the　German　Parliament　also　struck　me　as　an



improvement　upon　our　Lower　House：　they　do　less　than　we　in



committee；　and　more　in　the　main　assemblage；　German　members　are



more　attentive　to　the　work　in　hand；　and　spread…eagleism　and



speeches　to　the　galleries　which　are　tolerated　at　Washington　are



not　tolerated　at　Berlin。　On　the　other　hand；　the　members　at



Berlin；　not　being　paid　for　their　services；　absent　themselves　in



such　numbers　that　the　lack　of　a　sufficient　deliberating　body　has



been　found；　at　times；　a　serious　evil。







As　to　men　prominent　in　debate；　allusion　has　already　been　made　to



the　chancellor；　and　various　ministers　of　the　crown　might　be



added；　of　whom　I　should　give　the　foremost　place　to　the　minister



of　the　interior；　Count　Posadowski。　His　discussions　of　all　matters



touching　his　department；　and；　indeed；　of　some　well　outside　it；



were　masterly。　Save；　perhaps；　our　own　Senator　John　Sherman；　I



have　never　heard　so　USEFUL　a　speaker　on　fundamental　questions　of



public　business。　As　to　the　representatives；　there　were　many　well



worth　listening　to；　but　the　two　who　attracted　most　attention　were



Richter；　the　head　of　the　〃Progressist；〃　or；　as　we　should　call　it；



the　radical　fraction；　and　Bebel；　the　main　representative　of　the



Socialists。　Richter　I　had　heard　more　than　once　in　my　old　days；



and　had　been　impressed　by　his　extensive　knowledge　of　imperial



finance；　his　wit　and　humor；　his　skill　in　making　his　points；　and



his　strength　in　enforcing　them。　He　was　among　the　few　still



remaining　after　my　long　absence；　and　it　was　clear　to　me　that　he



had　not　deteriorated；that　he　had；　indeed；　mellowed　in　a　way



which　made　him　even　more　interesting　than　formerly。　As　to　Bebel；



though　generally　disappointing　at　first；　he　was　quite　sure；　in



every　speech；　to　raise　some　point　which　put　the　conservatives　on



their　mettle。　His　strongest　characteristic　seems　to　be　his



earnestness：　the　earnestness　of　a　man　who　has　himself　known　what



the　hardest　struggle　for　existence　is；　and　what　it　means　to



suffer　for　his　opinions。　His　weakest　point　seems　to　be　a　tendency



to　exaggeration　which　provokes　distrust；　but；　despite　this；　he



has　been　a　potent　force　as　an　irritant　in　drawing　attention　to



the　needs　of　the　working…classes；　and　so　in　promoting　that　steady



uplifting　of　their　condition　and　prospects　which　is　one　of　the



most　striking　achievements　of　modern　Germany。







Among　the　many　other　members　interesting　on　various　accounts　was



one　to　whom　both　Germans　and　Americans　might　well　listen　with



respectHerr　Theodor　Barth；　editor　of　〃Die　Nation；〃　a



representative　of　the　best　traditions　of　the　old　National　Liberal



party。　He　seemed　to　me　one　of　the　very　few　Germans　who　really



understood　the　United　States。　He　had　visited　America　more　than



once；　and　had　remained　long　enough　to　get　in　touch　with　various



leaders　of　American　thought；　and　to　penetrate　below　the　mere



surface　of　public　affairs。　Devoted　as　he　was　to　his　own



fatherland；　he　seemed　to　feel　intuitively　the　importance　to　both



countries　of　accentuating　permanent　points　of　agreement　rather



than　transient　points　of　difference；　hence　it　was　that　in　his



paper　he　steadily　did　us　justice；　and　in　Parliament　was　sure　to



repel　any　unmerited　assault　upon　our　national　character　and



policy。　He　was　clear　and　forcible；　with；　at　times；　a　most



effectively　caustic　utterance　against　unreason。







While　the　whole　parliamentary　body　is　suggestive　to　an　American；



the　Parliament　building　is　especially　suggestive　to　a　New…Yorker。



This　great　edifice　at　Berlin　is　considerably　larger　on　the　ground



than　is　the　State　Capitol　at　Albany。　It　is　built　of　a　very



beautiful　and　durable　stone；　and；　in　spite　of　sundry　criticisms



on　the　dome　in　the　center　and　the　pavilions　at　the　corners；　is



vastly　superior；　as　a　whole；　to　the　Albany　building。　It　is



enriched　in　all　parts；　without　and　within；　with　sculpture



recalling　the　historical　glories　of　all　parts　of　the　empire　and



calculated　to　stir　patriotic　pride；　it　is　beautified　by　paintings



on　a　great　scale　by　eminent　artists；　its　interior　fittings；　in



stone；　marble；　steel；　bronze；　and　oak；　are　as　beautiful　and



perfect　as　the　art　of　the　period　has　been　able　to　make　them；　and



the　whole；　despite　minor　architectural　faults；　is　worthy　of　the



nation。　The　building　was　completed　and　in　use　within　ten　years



from　the　time　of　its　beginning。　The　construction　of　the



State…house　at　Albany；　a　building　not　so　large；　and　containing



to…day　no　work　of　art　either　in　painting　or　sculpture　worthy　of



notice；　has　dragged　along　during　thirty　years；　and　cost　nearly



four　times　as　much　as　the　Berlin　edifice；　the　latter　having



demanded　an　outlay　of　a　trifle　over　five　million　dollars；　and　the



former　considerably　over　twenty　millions。







The　German　Parliament　House；　apart　from　slight　defects；　as　a



great　architectural　creation　is　in　a　style　worthy　of　its



purposea　style　which　is　preserved　in　all　its　parts；　while　that



at　Albany　is；　perhaps；　the　most　curious　jumble　in　the　whole



history　of　architecture；the　lower　stories　being　Palladian；　the



stories　above　these　being；　if　anything；　Florentine；　the　summit



being；　if　anything；　French　Renaissance；　while；　as　regards　the



interior；　the　great　west　staircase；　which　is　said　to　have　cost



half　a　million　of　dollars；　is　in　the　Richardsonesque　style；　the



eastern　staircase　is　in　classic　style；　and　a　circular　staircase



in　the　interior　is　in　the　most　flamboyant　Gothic　which　could　be



got　for　money。　To　be　sure；　there　are　rooms　at　Albany　on　which



precious　Siena　marble　and　Mexican　onyx　are　lavished；　but　these



are　used　so　as　to　produce　mainly　the　effect　of　an　unintelligent



desire　to　spend　money。







While　in　or　near　the　Berlin　edifice　there　is　commemoration　by



sculpture　or　painting　of　a　multitude　of　meritorious　public



servants；　there　is　nowhere　in　the　whole　building　at　Albany　a



statue　or　any　fit　remembrance　of　the　two　greatest　governors　in



the　history　of　the　State；　DeWitt　Clinton　and　William　H。　Seward。







The　whole　thing　plunges　one　into　reflection。　If　that　single



building　at　Albany；　which　was　estimated；　upon　plans　carefully



made　by　the　best　of　architects；　to　cost　five　millions　of　dollars；



and　to　be　completed　in　four　years；　required　over　thirty　years　and



an　expenditure　of　over　twenty　millions；　what　is　a　great　〃barge



canal〃　to　cost；　running　through　the　whole　length　of　the　State；



encountering　enormo