part05+-第63章

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The　funeral　at　Potsdam　dwells　in　my　mind　as　worthy　of　her。　There



were；　indeed；　pomp　and　splendor；　but　subdued；　as　was　befitting；



and　while　the　foreign　representatives　stood　beside　her　coffin；



the　Emperor　spoke　to　me；　very　simply　and　kindly；　of　his　sorrow



and　of　mine。　Then；　to　the　sound　of　funeral　music　and　muffled



church　bells；　he；　with　the　King　of　Great　Britain　and　members　of



their　immediate　family　just　behind　the　funeral　car；　the



ambassadors　accompanying　them；　and　a　long　procession　following；



walked　slowly　along　the　broad　avenue　through　that　beautiful



forest；　until；　in　the　Church　of　Peace；　she　was　laid　by　the　side



of　her　husband；　Emperor　Frederick　the　Noble。















CHAPTER　XLIII







BERLIN；　YALE；　OXFORD；　AND　ST。　ANDREWS1901…1903







Darkest　of　all　hours　during　my　embassy　was　that　which　brought



news　of　the　assassination　of　President　McKinley。　It　was　on　the



very　day　after　his　great　speech　at　Buffalo　had　gained　for　him　the



admiration　and　good　will　of　the　world。　Then　came　a　week　of



anxietyof　hope　alternating　with　fear；　I　not　hopeful：　for　there



came　back　to　me　memories　of　President　Garfield's　assassination



during　my　former　official　stay　in　Berlin；　and　of　our　hope　against



hope　during　his　struggle　for　life：　all　brought　to　naught。　Late　in



the　evening　of　September　14　came　news　of　the　President's



deathopening　a　new　depth　of　sadness；　for　I　had　come　not　merely



to　revere　him　as　a　patriot　and　admire　him　as　a　statesman；　but　to



love　him　as　a　man。　Few　days　have　seemed　more　overcast　than　that



Sunday　when；　at　the　little　American　chapel　in　Berlin；　our　colony



held　a　simple　service　of　mourning；　the　imperial　minister　of



foreign　affairs　and　other　representatives　of　the　government



having　quietly　come　to　us。　The　feeling　of　the　German　peopleawe；



sadness；　and　even　sympathywas　real。　Formerly　they　had　disliked



and　distrusted　the　President　as　the　author　of　the　protective



policy　which　had　cost　their　industries　so　dear；　but　now；　after



his　declaration　favoring　reciprocity；with　his　full　recognition



of　the　brotherhood　of　nations；and　in　view　of　this　calamity；　so



sudden；　so　distressing；　there　had　come　a　revulsion　of　feeling。







To　see　one　whom　I　so　honored；　and　who　had　formerly　been　so



greatly　misrepresented；　at　last　recognized　as　a　great　and　true



man　was；　at　least；　a　solace。







At　this　period　came　the　culmination　of　a　curious　episode　in　my



official　career。　During　the　war　in　China　the　Chinese　minister　at



Berlin；　Lu…Hai…Houan；　feeling　himself　cut　off　from　relations　with



the　government　to　which　he　was　accredited；　and；　indeed；　with　all



the　other　powers　of　Europe；　had　come　at　various　times　to　me；　and



with　him；　fortunately；　came　his　embassy　counselor；　Dr。　Kreyer；



whom　I　had　previously　known　at　Berlin　and　St。　Petersburg　as　a



thoughtful　man；　deeply　anxious　for　the　welfare　of　China；　and



appreciative　of　the　United　States；　where　he　had　received　his



education。　The　minister　was　a　kindly　old　mandarin　of　high　rank；



genial；　gentle；　evidently　struggling　hard　against　the　depression



caused　by　the　misfortunes　of　his　country；　and　seeking　some　little



light；　if；　perchance；　any　was　to　be　obtained。　In　his　visits　to



me；　and　at　my　return　visits　to　him；　the　whole　condition　of　things



in　China　was　freely　and　fully　discussed；　and　never　have　I　exerted



myself　more　to　give　useful　advice。　First；　I　insisted　upon　the



necessity　of　amends　for　the　fearful　wrong　done　by　China　to　other



nations；　and　then　presented　my　view　of　the　best　way　of　developing



in　his　country　a　civilization　strong　enough　to　resist　hostile



forces；　exterior　and　interior。　As　to　dealings　with　the　Christian



missionaries；　against　whom　he　showed　no　fanatical　spirit；　but



who；　as　he　thought；　had　misunderstood　China　and　done　much　harm；　I



sought　to　show　him　that　the　presumption　was　in　their　favor；　but



that　if　the　Chinese　Government　ultimately　came　to　the　decision



that　their　stay　in　China　was　incompatible　with　the　safety　of　the



nation；　its　course　was　simple：　that　on　no　account　was　it　to　kill



or　injure　any　of　them　or　of　their　converts；　that　while；　in　my



view；　it　would　be　wise　to　arrange　for　their　continuance　in　China



under　proper　regulation；　still；　that　if　they　must　be　expelled；　it



should　be　done　in　the　most　kindly　and　considerate　way；　and　with



due　indemnity　for　any　losses　to　which　they　might　be　subjected。　Of



course；　there　was　no　denying　that；　under　the　simplest　principles



of　international　law；　China　has　the　right　at　any　moment　to　shut



its　doors　against；　or　to　expel；　any　people　whatever　whom　it　may



consider　dangerous　or　injuriousthis　power　being　constantly



exercised　by　all　the　other　nations　of　the　earth；　and　by　none　more



than　by　the　American　Government；　as　so　many　Chinese　seeking



entrance　to　our　ports　have　discovered；　but　again　and　again　I



warned　him　that　this；　if　it　were　ever　done　at　all；　must　be　done



without　harshness　and　with　proper　indemnities；　and　that　any



return　to　the　cruelties　of　the　past　would　probably　end　in　the



dividing　up　of　maritime　China　among　the　great　powers　of　the



world。　As　to　the　building　up　of　the　nation；　I　laid　stress　on　the



establishment　of　institutions　for　technical　instruction；　and　took



pains　to　call　his　attention　to　what　had　been　done　in　the　United



States　and　by　various　European　governments　in　this　respect。　He



seemed　favorably　impressed　by　this；　but　dwelt　on　what　he



considered　the　fanaticism　of　sundry　Chinese　supporters　of



technical　education　against　the　old　Chinese　classical



instruction。　Here　I　suggested　to　him　a　system　which　might　save



what　was　good　in　the　old　mode　of　instruction：　namely；　the



continuance　of　the　best　of　the　old　classical　training；　but　giving



also　high　rank　to　modern　studies。







We　also　talked　over　the　beginning　of　a　better　development　of　the



Chinese　army　and　navy；　of　better　systems　of　taxation；　and　of　the



nations　from　which　good　examples　and　competent　instruction　might



be　drawn　in　these　various　fields。　Curious　was　his　suggestion　of　a



possible　amalgamation　of　Chinese　moral　views　with　the　religious



creeds　of　the　western　world。　He　observed　that　Christianity　seemed



to　be　weak；　mainly；　on　the　moral　side；　and　he　suggested；　at　some



length；　a　combination　of　the　Christian　religion　with　the



Confucian　morality。　Interesting　was　it　to　hear　him；　as　a



Confucian；　dwell　on　the　services　which　might　thus　be　rendered　to



civilization。　There　was　a　simple；　kindly　shrewdness　in　the　man；



and　a　personal　dignity　which　was　proof　against　the　terrible



misfortunes　which　had　beset　his　country。　Again　and　again　he



visited　me；　always　wishing　to　discuss　some　new　phase　of　the



questions　at　issue。　I　could　only　hope　that；　as　he　was　about　to



return　to　China；　some　of　the　ideas　brought　out　in　our



conversations　might　prove　fruitful。　One　result　of　the　relation



thus　formed　was　that　when　Prince　Chun；　the　brother　of　the　Emperor



of　China；　came　to　make　apology　before　the　throne　of　the　Emperor



William；　he　called　upon　me。　Unfortunately　I　was　out；　but；



returning　his　visit；　I　met　him；　and；　what　was　more　to　the



purpose；　the　dignitaries　of　his　suite；　some　of　whom　interested　me



much；　and　I　was　glad　of　a　chance；　through　them；　to　impress　some



of　the　ideas　brought　out　in　my　previous　conversations　with　the



minister。　I　cannot　say　that　I　indulged　in　any　strong　hopes　as



regards　the　prince　himself；　but；　noting　the　counselors　who



surrounded　him；　and　their　handling　of　the　questions　at　issue；　I



formed　more　hope　for　the　conservation　of　China　as　a　great　and



beneficent　power　than　I　had　ever　had　before。