part05+-第48章

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wishing　him　to　order　their　compositions　to　be　brought　out　at　the



Royal　Opera。







All　these　requests　culminated　in　two；　wherein　the　gentle　reader



will　see　a　mixture　of　comic　and　pathetic。　The　first　was　from　a



person　（not　an　American）　who　wished　my　good　offices　in　enabling



her　to　obtain　a　commission　for　a　brilliant　marriage；she　having



in　reserve；　as　she　assured　me；　a　real　Italian　duke　whom；　for　a



consideration；　she　would　secure　for　an　American　heiress。　The



other；　which　was　from　an　eminently　respectable　source；　urged　me



to　induce　the　imperial　authorities　to　station　in　the　United



States　a　young　German　officer　with　whom　an　American　young　lady



had　fallen　in　love。　And　these　proposals　I　was　expected　to



further；　in　spite　of　the　fact　that　the　rules　for　American



representatives　abroad　forbid　all　special　pleading　of　any　kind　in



favor　of　individual　interests　or　enterprises；　without　special



instructions　from　the　State　Department。　Discouraging　was　it　to



find　that　in　spite　of　the　elaborate　statement　prepared　by　me



during　my　former　residence；　which　had　been　freely　circulated



during　twenty　years；　there　were　still　the　usual　number　of　people



persuaded　that　enormous　fortunes　were　awaiting　them　somewhere　in



Germany。







One　application；　from　a　truly　disinterested　man；　was　grounded　in



nobler　motives。　This　was　an　effort　made　by　an　eminent　Polish



scholar　and　patriot　to　wrest　American　citizenship　for　political



purposes。　He　had　been　an　instructor　at　various　Russian　and　German



universities　had　shown　in　some　of　his　books　extraordinary



ability；　had　gained　the　friendship　of　several　eminent　scholars　in



Great　Britain　and　on　the　Continent；　and　was　finally　settled　at



one　of　the　most　influential　seats　of　learning　in　Austrian　Poland。



He　was　a　most　attractive　man；　wide　in　his　knowledge；　charming　in



his　manner；　but　not　of　this　world。　Having　drawn　crowds　to　his



university　lectures；　he　suddenly　attacked　the　Emperor　Franz



Josef；　who；　more　than　any　other；　had　befriended　his　compatriots；



was　therefore　obliged　to　flee　from　his　post；　and　now　came　to



Berlin；　proposing　seriously　that　I　should　at　once　make　him　an



American　citizen；　and　thus；　as　he　supposed；　enable　him　to　go　back



to　his　university　and；　in　revolutionary　speeches；　bid　defiance　to



Austria；　Russia；　and　Germany。　Great　was　his　disappointment　when



he　learned　that；　in　order　to　acquire　citizenship；　he　would　be



obliged　to　go　to　the　United　States　and　remain　there　five　years。



As　he　was　trying　to　nerve　himself　for　this　sacrifice；　I　presented



some　serious　considerations　to　him。　Knowing　him　to　be　a　man　of



honor；　I　asked　him　how　he　could　reconcile　it　with　his　sense　of



veracity　to　assume　the　rights　of　American　citizenship　with　no



intention　to　discharge　its　duties。　This　somewhat　startled　him。



Then；　from　a　more　immediately　practical　point　of　view；　I　showed



that；　even　if　he　acquired　American　citizenship；　and　could



reconcile　his　conscience　to　break　the　virtual　pledge　he　had　made



in　order　to　obtain　it；　the　government　of　Austria；　and；　indeed；



all　other　governments；　would　still　have　a　full　right；　under　the



simplest　principles　of　international　law；　to　forbid　his　entrance



into　their　territories；　or　to　turn　him　out　after　he　had



entered；the　right　of　expelling　undesirable　emigrants　being



constantly　exercised；　even　by　the　United　States。　This　amazed　him。



He　had　absolutely　persuaded　himself　that　I　could；　by　some　sleight



of　hand；　transform　him　into　an　American　citizen；　that　he　could



then　at　once　begin　attempts　to　reestablish　the　fine　old　Polish



anarchy　in　Austria；　Russia；　and　Germany；　and　that　no　one　of　these



nations　would　dare　interfere　with　him。　It　was　absurd　but



pathetic。　My　advice　to　him　was　to　go　back　to　his　lecture…room　and



labor　to　raise　the　character　of　the　younger　generation　of　Poles；



in　the　hope　that　Poland　might　do　what　Scotland　had　donerise　by



sound　mental　and　moral　training　from　the　condition　of　a　conquered



and　even　oppressed　part　of　a　great　empire　to　a　controlling



position　in　it。　This　advice　was；　of　course；　in　vain；　and　he　is



now　building　air…castles　amid　the　fogs　of　London。







In　my　life　at　Berlin　as　ambassador　there　was　a　tinge　of　sadness。



Great　changes　had　taken　place　since　my　student　days　in　that　city；



and　even　since　my　later　stay　as　minister。　A　new　race　of　men　had



come　upon　the　stage　in　public　affairs；　in　the　university；　and　in



literary　circles。　Gone　was　the　old　Emperor　William；　gone　also　was



the　Emperor　Frederick；　and　Bismarck　and　Moltke　and　a　host　of



others　who　had　given　dignity　and　interest　to　the　great



assemblages　at　the　capital。　Gone；　too；　from　the　university　were



Lepsius；　Helmholtz；　Curtius；　Hoffmann；　Gneist；　Du　Bois…Reymond；



and　Treitschke；　all　of　whom；　in　the　old　days；　had　been　my　guests



and　friends。　The　main　exceptions　seemed　to　be　in　the　art　world。



The　number　of　my　artist　friends　during　my　stay　as　minister　had



been　large；　and　every　one　of　them　was　living　when　I　returned　as



ambassador；　the　reason；　of　course；　being　that　when　men



distinguish　themselves　in　art　at　all；　they　do　so　at　an　earlier



age　than　do　high　functionaries　of　state　and　professors　in　the



universities。　It　was　a　great　pleasure　to　find　Adolf　Menzel；



Ludwig　Knaus；　Carl　Beeker；　Anton　von　Werner；　and　Paul　Meyerheim；



though　grown　gray　in　their　beautiful　ministry；　still　daily　at



work　in　their　studios。







Three　only　of　my　friends　of　the　older　generation　in　the　Berlin



faculty　remained；　and　as　I　revise　these　lines　the　world　is　laying



tributes　upon　the　grave　of　the　last　of　themTheodor　Mommsen。



With　him　my　relations　were　so　peculiar　that　they　may　deserve　some



mention。







During　my　earlier　stays　in　Berlin　he　had　always　seemed　especially



friendly　to　the　United　States；　and　it　was　therefore　with　regret



that　on　my　return　I　found　him　in　this　respect　greatly　changed：　he



had　become　a　severe　critic　of　nearly　everything　American；　his



earlier　expectations　had　evidently　been　disappointed；　we　clearly



appeared　to　him　big；　braggart；　noisy；　false　to　our　principles；



unworthy　of　our　opportunities。　These　feelings　of　his　became　even



more　marked　as　the　Spanish…American　War　drew　on。　Whenever　we　met；



and　most　often　at　a　charming　house　which　both　of　us　frequented；



he　showed　himself　more　and　more　bitter；　so　that　finally　our　paths



separated。　There　comes　back　to　me　vividly　one　evening　when　I



sought　to　turn　off　a　sharp　comment　of　his　upon　some　recent



American　news　by　saying：　〃You　must　give　a　young　nation　like　ours



more　time。〃　On　this　he　exclaimed：　〃You　cannot　plead　the　baby　act



any　longer。　More　time！　You　have　HAD　time；　you　are　already　three



hundred　years　old！〃　Having　sought　in　vain　to　impress　on　him　the



fact　that　the　policy　of　our　country　is　determined　not　wholly　by



the　older　elements　in　its　civilization；　but　very　largely　by　newer



commonwealths　which　must　require　time　to　develop　a　policy



satisfactory　to　sedate　judges；　he　burst　into　a　tirade　from　which



I　took　refuge　in　a　totally　different　discussion。







Some　days　later　came　another　evidence　of　his　feeling。　Meeting　an



eminent　leader　in　political；　and　especially　in　journalistic；



circles；　I　was　shown　the　corrected　proofsheets　of　an　〃interview〃



on　the　conduct　of　the　United　States　toward　Spain；　given　by



Mommsen。　It　was　even　more　acrid　than　his　previous　utterances；　and



exhibited　sharply　and　at　great　length　our　alleged　sins　and



shortcomings。　Certainly　a　representative　of　the　American　people



was　not　bound　to　make　supplication；　in　such　a　matter；　even　to　so



eminent　a　scholar　and　leader　of　thought；　and　m