part05+-第75章

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empire　are　brought　together　beneath　the　dome　of　the　Palace



Church。　The　anthems　executed　by　the　bands　and　choirs；　and　the



great　chorals　sung　by　the　congregation；　breathe　anything　but　the



spirit　of　the　Sermon　on　the　Mount；　they　seem　rather　to　echo　the



grim　old　battle…hymns　of　the　Thirty　Years'　War　and　the　war　in　the



Netherlands。







And　yet　it　must　be　said　that　there　goes　with　this　a　remarkable



feeling　of　justice　to　his　subjects　of　other　confessions　than　his



own；　and　a　still　more　remarkable　breadth　of　view　as　regards　the



relations　of　modern　science　to　what　is　generally　held　as　orthodox



theology。　The　fearlessness　with　which　he　recently　summoned



Professor　Delitzsch　to　unfold　to　him　and　to　his　family　and　court



the　newly　revealed　relations　of　Assyrian　research　to　biblical



study；　which　gave　such　alarm　in　highly　orthodox　circles；　and　his



fairness　in　estimating　these　researches；　certainly　revealed



breadth　of　mind　as　well　as　trust　in　what　he　considered　the



fundamental　verities　of　religion。







A　good　example　of　the　curious　union；　in　his　mind；　of　religious



feeling；　tolerance；　and　shrewd　policy　is　shown　in　various



dealings　with　his　Roman　Catholic　subjects。







Of　course　he　is　not　ignorant　that　his　very　existence　as　King　of



Prussia　and　German　Emperor　is　a　thorn　in　the　side　of　the　Roman



Curia；　he　knows；　as　every　thinking　German　knows；　that；　with　the



possible　exception　of　the　British　monarchy；　no　other　is　so　hated



by　the　Vatican　monsignori　as　his　own。　He　is　perfectly　aware　of



the　part　taken　in　that　quarter　against　his　country　and　dynasty　at



all　times；　and　especially　during　the　recent　wars；　and　yet　all



this　seems　not　to　influence　him　in　the　slightest　as　regards



justice　to　his　Roman　Catholic　subjects。　He　does　indeed；　resist



the　return　of　the　Jesuits　into　the　empire；his　keen　insight



forbids　him　to　imitate　the　policy　of　Frederick　the　Great　in　this



respect；but　his　dealings　with　the　Roman　Catholic　Church　at



large　show　not　merely　wisdom　but　kindliness。　If　he　felt　bound　to



resist；　and　did　successfully　resist；　the　efforts　of　Cardinal



Rampolla　to　undermine　German　rule　and　influence　in　Alsace　and



Lorraine；　there　was　a　quiet　fairness　and　justice　in　his　action



which　showed　a　vast　deal　of　tolerant　wisdom。　His　visits　to　the



old　Abbey　of　Laach；　his　former　relations　with　its　young　abbot；



his　settlement　of　a　vexed　question　by　the　transfer　of　the　abbot



to　the　bishopric　of　Metz；　his　bringing　of　a　loyal　German　into



episcopal　power　at　Strasburg；　his　recent　treatment　of　the　prince



bishop　of　Breslau　and　the　archbishop　of　Cologne；　all　show　a　wise



breadth　of　view。　Perhaps　one　of　the　brightest　diplomatic　strokes



in　his　career　was　his　dealing　with　a　Vatican　question　during　his



journey　in　the　East。　For　years　there　had　been　growing　up　in　world



politics　the　theory　that　France；　no　matter　how　she　may　deal　with



monks　and　nuns　and　ultramontane　efforts　within　her　own　immediate



boundaries；　is　their　protector　in　all　the　world　beside；　and



especially　in　the　Holy　Land。　The　relation　of　this　theory　to　the



Crimean　War；　fifty　years　ago；　is　one　of　the　curious　things　of



history；　and　from　that　day　to　this　it　has　seemed　to　be　hardening



more　and　more　into　a　fixed　policyeven　into　something　like　a



doctrine　of　international　law。　Interesting　was　it；　then；　to　see



the　Emperor；　on　his　visit　to　the　Sultan；　knock　the　ground　from



under　the　feet　of　all　this　doctrine　by　securing　for　the　Roman



Catholic　interest　at　Jerusalem　what　the　French　had　never　been



able　to　obtainthe　piece　of　ground　at　the　Holy　City；　so　long



coveted　by　pious　Catholics；　whereon；　according　to　tradition；　once



stood　the　lodging　of　the　Virgin　Mary。　This　the　Emperor　quietly



obtained　of　the　Sultan；　and；　after　assisting　at　the　dedication　of



a　Lutheran　church　at　Jerusalem；　he　telegraphed　to　the　Pope　and　to



other　representatives　of　the　older　church　that　he　had　made　a　gift



of　this　sacred　site　to　those　who　had　so　long　and　so　ardently



desired　it。







Considerable　criticism　has　been　made　on　the　score　of　his　evident



appreciation　of　his　position；　and　his　theory　of　his　relation　to



it；　but　when　his　point　of　view　is　cited；　one　perhaps　appreciates



it　more　justly。　I　have　already　shown　this　point　of　view　in　the



account　of　the　part　taken　by　him　at　the　two…hundredth　anniversary



of　the　Royal　Academy；　and　of　his　remark；　afterward；　contrasting



his　theory　of　monarchy　with　that　of　Dom　Pedro　of　Brazil。　Jocose



as　was　the　manner　of　it；　it　throws　light　upon　his　idea　of　his



duty　in　the　state。　While　a　constitutional　monarch；　he　is　not　so



in　the　British　sense。　British　constitutional　monarchy　is　made



possible　by　the　〃silver　streak〃；　but　around　the　German　Empire；　as



every　German　feels　in　his　heart；　is　no　〃silver　streak。〃　This　fact



should　be　constantly　borne　in　mind　by　those　who　care　really　to



understand　the　conditions　of　national　existence　on　the　continent



of　Europe。　Herein　lies　the　answer　to　one　charge　that　has　been　so



often　made　against　the　German　Emperorof　undue　solicitude



regarding　his　official　and　personal　position；　as　shown　in　sundry



petty　treason　trials。　The　simple　fact　is　that　German　public



opinion；　embodied　in　German　law；　has　arrived　at　the　conclusion



that　it　is　not　best　to　allow　the　head　of　the　state　to　be　the



sport　of　every　crank　or　blackguard　who　can　wield　a　pen　or　pencil。



The　American　view；　which　allowed　Lincoln；　Garfield；　and　McKinley



to　be　attacked　in　all　the　moods　and　tenses　of　vituperation；　and



to　be　artistically　portrayed　as　tyrants；　drunkards；　clowns；



beasts　of　prey；　and　reptiles；　has　not　yet　been　received　into



German　modes　of　thought。　Luther　said　that　he　〃would　not　suffer



any　man　to　treat　the　Gospel　as　a　sow　treats　a　sack　of　oats〃；　and



that　seems　to　be　the　feeling　inherent　in　the　German　mind



regarding　the　treatment　of　those　who　represent　the　majesty　of　the



nation。







And　here　a　word　regarding　the　relation　of　Kaiser　and　people。　In



one　of　the　letters　to　John　Adams　written　by　Thomas　Jefferson　as



they　both　were　approaching　the　close　of　life；　the　founder　of



American　democracy　declared　that　he　had　foreseen　the　failure　of



French　popular　rule；　and　had　therefore　favored　in　France；



democrat　though　he　was；　a　constitutional　monarchy。　Had　Jefferson



lived　in　our　time；　he　would　doubtless　have　arrived　at　a　similar



conclusion　regarding　Germany；　for　he　would　have　taken　account　of



the　difference　between　a　country　like　ours；　with　no　long　period



of　history　which　had　given　to　dominant　political　ideas　a



religious　character；a　country　stretching　from　ocean　to　ocean；



with　no　neighbors　to　make　us　afraid；　and　a　country　like



Germany；　with　an　ancient　historic　head；　with　no　natural



frontiers；　and　beset　on　every　side　by　enemies；　and　Jefferson



would　doubtless　have　taken　account　also　of　the　fact　that；　were



the　matter　submitted　to　popular　vote；　the　present　sovereign；　with



his　present　powers；　would　be　the　choice　of　an　overwhelming



majority　of　the　German　people。　The　German　imperial　system；　like



our　own　American　republican　system；　is　the　result　of　an　evolution



during　many　generationsan　evolution　which　has　produced　the



present　government；　decided　its　character；　fixed　its　form；



allotted　its　powers；　and　decided　on　the　men　at　the　head　of　it；



and　this　fact　an　American；　no　matter　how　devoted　to　republicanism



and　democracy　in　his　own　country；　may　well　acknowledge　to　be　as



fixed　in　the　political　as　in　the　physical　world。







Of　course　some　very　bitter　charges　have　been　made　against　him　as



regards　Germany；　the　main　one　being　that　he　does　not　love