part05+-第69章

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pride；　speak　of　her　anxiety　before　the　good　news　came；　and　of　the



embarrassments　in　the　way　of　her　son　at　his　first　public　address



on　an　occasion　of　such　importance；　no　less　pleasing　was　it　to



note　the　father's　happy　acquiescence：　there　was　in　it　all　a



revelation　of　simple　home　feeling　and　of　wholesome　home　ties



which　clearly　indicated　something　different　from　the　family



relations　in　sundry　royal　houses　depicted　by　court　chroniclers。







Not　long　afterward　the　young　prince　appeared　at　some　of　the　court



festivities；　and　I　had　many　opportunities　to　observe　him。　He



seemed　sprightly；　with　a　certain　exuberance　of　manner　in　meeting



his　friends　which　was　not　unpleasing；　but　it　was　noticeable　that



his　hearty　salutations　were　by　no　means　confined　to　men　and　women



of　his　own　age；　he　was　respectful　to　old　men；　and　that　is　always



a　good　sign；　it　could　be　easily　seen；　too；　that　while　he



especially　sought　the　celebrities　of　the　Franco…Prussian　War；　he



took　pains　to　show　respect　to　men　eminent　in　science；　literature；



and　art。　There　seemed　a　healthy；　hearty　life　in　him　well



befitting　a　young　man　of　his　position　and　prospects：　very



different　was　he　from　the　heir　to　the　throne　in　another　country；



whom　I　had　occasion　to　observe　at　similar　functions；　and　who



seemed　to　regard　the　whole　human　race　with　indifference。







Making　the　usual　visits　in　Berlin　society；　I　found　that　people



qualified　to　judge　had　a　good　opinion　of　his　abilities；　and　not



infrequent　were　prophecies　that　the　young　man　would　some　day



really　accomplish　something。







My　first　opportunity　to　converse　with　him　came　at　his　marriage；



when　a　special　reception　was　given　by　him　and　his　bride　to　the



diplomatic　corps。　He　spoke　at　considerable　length　on　American



topicson　railways；　steamers；　public　works；　on　Americans　whom　he



had　met；　and　of　the　things　he　most　wished　to　see　on　our　side　the



water；　altogether　he　seemed　to　be　broad…minded；　alert；　with　a



quick　sense　of　humor；　and　yet　with　a　certain　solidity　of　judgment



beneath　it　all。







After　my　departure　from　Berlin　there　flitted　over　to　America



conflicting　accounts　of　him；　and　during　the　short　reign　of　his



father　there　was　considerable　growth　of　myth　and　legend　to　his



disadvantage。　Any　attempt　to　distil　the　truth　from　it　all　would



be　futile；　suffice　it　that　both　in　Germany　and　Great　Britain



careful　statements　by　excellent　authorities　on　both　sides　have



convinced　me　that　in　all　that　trying　crisis　the　young　man's



course　was　dictated　by　a　manly　sense　of　duty。







The　first　thing　after　his　accession　which　really　struck　me　as　a



revelation　of　his　character　was　his　dismissal　of　Bismarck。　By



vast　numbers　of　people　this　was　thought　the　act　of　an　exultant



young　ruler　eager　to　escape　all　restraint；　and　this　opinion　was



considerably　promoted　in　English…speaking　countries　by　an



ephemeral　cause：　Tenniel's　cartoon　in　〃Punch〃　entitled　〃Dropping



the　Pilot。〃　As　most　people　who　read　this　will　remember；　the　iron



chancellor　was　therein　represented　as　an　old；　weatherbeaten



pilot；　in　storm…coat　and　sou'wester；　plodding　heavily　down　the



gangway　at　the　side　of　a　great　ship；　while　far　above　him；　leaning



over　the　bulwarks；　was　the　young　Emperor；　jaunty；　with　a



satisfied　smirk；　and　wearing　his　crown。　There　was　in　that　little



drawing　a　spark　of　genius；　and　it　sped　far；　probably　no　other



cartoon　in　〃Punch〃　ever　produced　so　deep　an　effect；　save；



possibly；　that　which　appeared　during　the　Crimean　War　with　the



legend　〃General　February　turned　Traitor〃；　it　went　everywhere；



appealing　to　deep　sentiment　in　human　hearts。







And　yet；　to　meadmiring　Bismarck　as　the　greatest　German　since



Luther；　but　reflecting　upon　the　vast　interests　involvedthis　act



was　a　proof　that　the　young　monarch　was　a　stronger　man　than　any



one　had　supposed　him　to　be。　Certainly　this　dismissal　must　have



caused　him　much　regret；　all　his　previous　life　had　shown　that　he



admired　Bismarckalmost　adored　him。　It　gave　evidence　of　a　deep



purpose　and　a　strong　will。　Louis　XIV　had　gained　great　credit



after　the　death　of　Mazarin　by　declaring　his　intention　of　ruling



aloneof　taking　into　his　own　hands　the　vast　work　begun　by



Richelieu；　but　that　was　the　merest　nothing　compared　to　this。　This



was；　apparently；　as　if　Louis　XIII；　immediately　after　the　triumphs



of　Richelieu；　had　dismissed　him　and　declared　his　purpose　of



henceforth　being　his　own　prime　minister。　The　young　Emperor　had



found　himself　at　the　parting　of　the　ways；　and　had　deliberately



chosen　the　right　path；　and　this　in　spite　of　almost　universal



outcries　at　home　and　abroad。　The　OLD　Emperor　William　could　let



Bismarck　have　his　way　to　any　extent：　when　his　chancellor　sulked



he　could　drive　to　the　palace　in　the　Wilhelmstrasse；　pat　his　old



servant　on　the　back；　chaff　him；　scold　him；　laugh　at　him；　and　set



him　going　again；　and　no　one　thought　less　of　the　old　monarch　on



that　account。　But　for　the　YOUNG　Emperor　William　to　do　this　would



be　fatal；　it　would　class　him　at　once　among　the　rois



fatneantsthe　mere　figureheads〃the　solemnly　constituted



impostors；〃　and　in　this　lay　not　merely　dangers　to　the　young



monarch；　but　to　his　dynasty　and　to　the　empire。







His　recognition　of　this　fact　was；　and　is；　to　me　a　proof　that　the



favorable　judgments　of　him　which　I　had　heard　expressed　in　Berlin



were　well　founded。







But　this　decision　did　much　to　render　him　unpopular　in　the　United



States；　and　various　other　reports　which　flitted　over　increased



the　unfavorable　feeling。　There　came　reports　of　his　speeches　to



young　recruits；　in　which；　to　put　it　mildly；　there　was　preached　a



very　high　theory　of　the　royal　and　imperial　prerogative；　and　a



very　exacting　theory　of　the　duty　of　the　subject。　Little　account



was　taken　by　distant　observers　of　the　fundamental　facts　in　the



case；　namely；　that　Germany；　being　a　nation　with　no　natural



frontiers；　with　hostile　military　nations　on　all　sides；　and　with



serious　intestine　tendencies　to　anarchy；　must；　if　she　is　to　live；



have　the　best　possible　military　organization　and　a　central　power



strong　to　curb　all　the　forces　of　the　empire；　and　quick　to　hurl



them。　Moreover；　these　speeches；　which　seemed　so　absurd　to　the



average　American；　hardly　astonished　any　one　who　had　lived　long　in



Germany；　and　especially　in　Prussia。　The　doctrines　laid　down　by



the　young　monarch　to　the　recruits　were；　after　all；　only　what　they



had　heard　a　thousand　times　from　pulpit　and　school　desk；　and　are　a



logical　result　of　Prussian　history　and　geography。　Something；　too；



must　be　allowed　to　a　young　man　gifted；　energetic；　suddenly



brought　into　so　responsible　a　position；　looking　into　and　beyond



his　empire；　seeing　hostile　nations　north；　south；　east；　and　west；



with　elements　of　unreason　fermenting　within　its　own　borders；　and



feeling　that　the　only　reliance　of　his　country　is　in　the　good



right　arms　of　its　people；　in　their　power　of　striking　heavily　and



quickly；　and　in　unquestioning　obedience　to　authority。







In　the　history　of　American　opinion　at　this　time　there　was　one



comical　episode。　The　strongholds　of　opinion　among　us　friendly　to



Germany　have　been；　for　the　last　sixty　years；　our　universities　and



colleges；　in　so　many　of　which　are　professors　and　tutors　who；



having　studied　in　Germany；　have　brought　back　a　certain　love　for



the　German　fatherland。　To　them　there　came　in　those　days　a　curious



tractate　by　a　little…known　German　professorone　of　the　most



curious　satires　in　human　history。　To　all　appearance　it　was　simply



a　biographical　study　of　the　young　Roman　emperor　Caligula。　It



displayed　the　advantag