part05+-第49章

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



eminent　a　scholar　and　leader　of　thought；　and　my　comment　was



simply　as　follows：　〃I　have　no　request　to　make　in　the　premisesof



Mommsen　or　of　anybody。　The　article　will　of　course　have　no　effect



on　the　war；　of　that　there　can　be　but　one　result：　the　triumph　of



the　United　States　and　the　liberation　of　the　Spanish　islands　of



the　West　Indies；　but　may　there　not　be　some　considerations　of　a



very　different　order　as　regards　Mommsen　himself？　Why　not　ask　him；



simply；　where　his　friends　are；　his　readers；　his　old　students；　his



disciples？　Why　not　ask　him　whether　he　finds　fewer　clouds　over　the



policy　of　Spain　than　over　that　of　the　United　States；　of　which



country；　despite　all　its　faults；　he　has　most　hope；　and　for　which；



in　his　heart；　he　has　the　greater　feeling　of　brotherhood？〃







How　far　this　answer　influenced　him　I　know　not；　but　the　article



was　never　published；　and　thenceforth　there　seemed　some　revival　of



the　older　kindly　feeling。　At　my　own　table　and　elsewhere　he　more



than　once　became；　in　a　measure；　like　the　Mommsen　of　old。　One



utterance　of　his　amused　me　much。　My　wife　happening；　in　a　talk



with　him；　to　speak　of　a　certain　personage　as　〃hardly　an　ideal



man；〃　he　retorted：　〃Madam；　is　it　possible　that　you　have　been



married　some　years　and　still　believe　in　the　ideal　man？〃







His　old　better　feeling　toward　America　came　out　especially　when　I



next　called　upon　him　with　congratulations　upon　his　birthdayhis



last；　alas！　But　heartiest　of　all　was　he　during　the　dinner　given



at　my　departure。　My　speech　was　long；over　an　hour；for　I　had　a



message　to　deliver；　and　was　determined　to　give　ita　message



which　I　hoped　might　impress　upon　my　great　audience　reasons　for　a



friendly　judgment　of　my　country。　As　I　began；　Mommsen　came　to　my



sidejust　back　of　me；　his　hand　at　his　ear；　listening　intently。



There　the　old　man　stood　from　the　first　word　to　the　last；　and　on



my　conclusion　he　grasped　me　heartily　with　both　handsa



demonstration　rare　indeed　with　him。　It　was　our　last　greeting　in



this　world。







Would　that　there　were　space　to　dwell　upon　those　in　the　present



generation　of　professors　who　honored　me　with　their　friendship；



but　one　is　especially　suggested　here；　since　he　was　selected　to



make　a　farewell　address　on　the　occasion　above　referred　toAdolf



Harnack。　At　various　times　I　had　heard　him　discourse　profoundly



and　brilliantly　at　the　university；　but　came　to　know　him　best　at



the　bicentenary　of　the　Berlin　Academy；　when　he　had　just　added　to



the　long　list　of　his　published　works　his　history　of　the　academy；



in　four　quarto　volumes：　a　wonderful　work；　whether　considered　from



an　historical；　psychological；　or　philosophical　point　of　view。　His



address　on　that　occasion　was　masterly；　and　his　conversation　at



various　social　functions　instructive　and　pithy。　I　remember　in　one



of　them；　especially；　his　delineation　of　the　characteristics　and



services　of　Leibnitz；　who　was　one　of　the　founders　of　the　Royal



Academy；　and　it　was　perfection　in　that　kind　of　conversation　which



is　worthy　of　men　claiming　to　possess　immortal　souls：　for　it



brought　out；　especially；　examples　of　Leibnitz's　amazing



forethought　as　to　European　policy；　which　seemed　at　times　like



divinely　inspired　prophecies。　He　also　gave　me　a　number　of



interesting　things　which　he　had　noted　in　his　studies　of　Frederick



the　Great。　Some　of　them　I　had　found　already　in　my　own　reading；



but　one　of　them　I　did　not　remember；　and　it　was　both　comical　and



characteristic。　A　rural　Protestant　pastor　sent　a　petition　to　the



King　presenting　a　grievance　and　asking　redress。　It　was　to　the



effect　that　his　church　was　on　one　side　of　a　river　in　Silesia；　and



that　a　younger　pastor；　whose　church　was　on　the　opposite　side；　was



drawing　all　his　parishioners　away　from　him。　On　the　back　of　the



petition　Frederick　simply　wrote；　〃Tell　him　to　go　and　preach　on



the　other　side　of　the　river：　that　will　drive　his　people　back



again。〃







Hearing　Harnack　and　his　leading　colleagues　in　discourse　at　the



university　or　academy；　or　in　private；　whether　in　their　loftier　or



lighter　moods；　one　could　understand　why　the　University　of　Berlin；



though　one　of　the　youngest；　is　the　foremost　among　the



universities　of　the　world。















CHAPTER　XLII







AMERICA；　GERMANY；　AND　THE　CHINESE　WAR1899…1902







An　interesting　event　of　this　period　was　the　appearance　in　Berlin



of　ex…President　and　Mrs。　Harrison。　The　President　had　but　recently



finished　his　long　and　wearisome　work　before　the　Venezuela



Arbitration　Tribunal　at　Paris；　and　was　very　happy　in　the



consciousness　of　duty　accomplished　and　liberty　obtained。　Marks　of



high　distinction　were　shown　them。　The　sovereigns　invited　them　to



attend　the　festivities　at　Potsdam　in　honor　of　the　Queen　and　Queen



Mother　of　Holland；　who　were　then　staying　there；　and　treated　them



not　only　with　respect；　but　with　cordiality。　The　Emperor　conversed



long　with　the　President　on　various　matters　of　public　interest：　on



noted　Americans　whom　he　had　met；　on　the　growth　of　our　fleet；　on



recent　events　in　our　history；　and　the　like；　characteristically



ending　with　a　discussion　of　the　superb　music　which　we　had　been



hearing；　and　at　the　supper　which　followed　insisted　that　Mrs。



Harrison　should　sit　at　his　side；　the　Empress　giving　a　similar



invitation　to　Mr。　Harrison。　At　a　later　period　a　dinner　was　given



to　the　ex…President　by　the　chancellor　of　the　empire；　Prince



Hohenlohe；　at　which　a　number　of　the　leading　personages　in　the



empire　were　present；　and　it　was　a　pleasure　to　show　my　own　respect



for　the　former　chief　magistrate　by　a　reception　which　was　attended



by　about　two　hundred　of　our　American　colony；　and　a　dinner　at



which　he　and　Mrs。　Harrison　made　the　acquaintance　of　leading



representative　Germans　in　various　fields。







In　another　chapter　of　these　memoirs　I　have　spoken　of　President



Harrison　as　of　cold　and；　at　times；　abrupt　manners；　but　the



absence　of　these　characteristics　during　his　stay　in　Berlin；　and



afterward　in　New　York；　made　it　clear　to　me　that　the　cold　exterior



which　I　had　noted　in　him　at　Washington；　especially　when　Mr。



Roosevelt；　Mr。　Lodge；　and　sundry　others　of　us　urged　upon　him　an



extension　of　the　classified　civil　service；　was　adopted　as　a　means



of　preventing　encroachments　upon　the　time　necessary　for　his　daily



duties。　He　now　appeared　in　a　very　different　light；　his　discussion



of　men　and　events　showing　not　only　earnest　thought　and　deep



penetration；　but　a　rich　vein　of　humor；　his　whole　bearing　being



simple；　kindly；　and　dignified。







During　the　winter　of　1899…1900　came　an　addition　to　my　experiences



of　what　American　representatives　abroad　have　to　expect　under　our



present　happy…go…lucky　provision　for　the　diplomatic　service。　As



already　stated；　on　arriving　in　Berlin；　I　had　great　difficulty　in



obtaining　any　fitting　quarters；　but　at　last　secured　a　large　and



suitable　apartment　in　an　excellent　part　of　the　city；　its　only



disadvantage　being　that　my　guests　had　to　plod　up　seventy…five



steps　in　order　to　reach　it。　Having　been　obliged　to　make　large



outlays　for　suitable　fittings；　extensive　repairs；　and　furniture



throughout；　I　found　that　more　than　the　entire　salary　of　my　first



year　had　been　thus　sunk；　but　I　congratulated　myself　that　I　had　at



least　obtained　a　residence　good；　comfortable；　and　suitable。　To　be



sure；　it　was　inferior　to　that　of　any　other　ambassador；　but　I　had



fitted　it　up　so　that　it　was　considered　creditable。　Suddenly；



about　two　years　afterward；　without　a　word　of　warning；　came　notice



from　the　proprietor　that　my　le