part05+-第80章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！





appeared；　for　a　time；　a　hopeless　chaos：　the　unfamiliarity　of　our



president；　Baron　de　Staal；　with　parliamentary　usages　seemed



likely　to　become　embarrassing；　but　sundry　statesmen；　more



experienced　in　such　matters；　began　drawing　together；　and　were



soon　elaborating　a　scheme　to　be　presented　to　the　entire



conference。　It　divided　all　the　subjects　named　in　the　Mouravieff



circular　among　three　great　committees；　the　most　important　being



that　on　〃Arbitration。〃　The　choice　of　representatives　on　these



from　our　delegation　was　made；　and　an　ex…officio　membership　of　all



three　falls　to　me。







In　the　course　of　the　day　I　met　and　talked　with　various



interesting　men；　among　them　Count　Nigra；　formerly　Cavour's



private　secretary　and　ambassador　at　the　court　of　Napoleon　III；



where　he　accomplished　so　much　for　Italian　unity；　Sir　Julian



Pauncefote；　the　British　ambassador　at　Washington；　and　M。



Bernaert；　president　of　the　Belgian　Chamber。　In　the　evening；　at　a



reception　given　by　the　minister　of　foreign　affairs；　M。　de



Beaufort；　I　made　further　acquaintances　and　had　instructive



conversations。







In　addition　to　the　strict　duties　of　the　conference；　there　is；　of



course；　a　mass　of　social　business；　with　no　end　of　visits；　calls；



and　special　meetings；　to　say　nothing　of　social　functions；　on　a



large　scale；　at　the　houses　of　sundry　ministers　and　officials；　but



these；　of　course；　have　their　practical　uses。







The　Dutch　Government　is　showing　itself　princely　in　various　ways；



making　every　provision　for　our　comfort　and　enjoyment。







In　general；　I　am　considerably　encouraged。　The　skeptical　feeling



with　which　we　came　together　seems　now　passing　away；　the　recent



speech　of　the　Emperor　William　at　Wiesbaden　has　aroused　new　hopes



of　a　fairly　good　chance　for　arbitration；　and　it　looks　as　if　the



promise　made　me　just　before　I　left　Berlin　by　Baron　von　Bulow；



that　the　German　delegation　should　cooperate　thoroughly　with　our



own；　is　to　be　redeemed。　That　delegation　assures　us　that　it　is



instructed　to　stand　by　us　as　far　as　possible　on　all　the　principal



questions。　It　forms　a　really　fine　body；　its　head　being　Count



Munster；　whom　I　have　already　found　very　agreeable　at　Berlin　and



Paris；　and　its　main　authority　in　the　law　of　nations　being



Professor　Zorn；　of　the　University　of　Konigsberg；　but；　curiously



enough；　as　if　by　a　whim；　the　next　man　on　its　list　is　Professor



Baron　von　Stengel　of　Munich；　who　has　written　a　book　AGAINST



arbitration；　and　next　to　him　comes　Colonel　Schwartzhoff；　said　to



be　a　man　of　remarkable　ability　in　military　matters；　but　strongly



prejudiced　against　the　Russian　proposals。







As　to　arbitration；　we　cannot　make　it　compulsory；　as　so　many　very



good　people　wish；　it　is　clear　that　no　power　here　would　agree　to



that；　but　even　to　provide　regular　machinery　for　arbitration；



constantly　in　the　sight　of　all　nations；　and　always　ready　for　use；



would　be　a　great　gain。







As　to　disarmament；　it　is　clear　that　nothing　effective　can　be　done



at　present。　The　Geneva　rules　for　the　better　care　of　the　wounded



on　land　will　certainly　be　improved　and　extended　to　warfare　on



sea；　and　the　laws　of　war　will　doubtless　be　improved　and　given



stronger　sanction。







Whether　we　can　get　our　proposals　as　to　private　property　on　the



high　seas　before　the　conference　is　uncertain；　but　I　think　we　can。



Our　hopes　are　based　upon　the　fact　that　they　seem　admissible　under



one　heading　of　the　Mouravieff　circular。　There　is；　of　course；　a



determination　on　the　part　of　leading　members　to　exclude



rigorously　everything　not　provided　for　in　the　original　programme；



and　this　is　only　right；　for；　otherwise；　we　might　spend　years　in



fruitless　discussion。　The　Armenians；　for　example；　are　pressing　us



to　make　a　strong　declaration　in　their　behalf。　Poland　is　also　here



with　proposals　even　more　inflammatory；　so　are　the　Finlanders；　and



so　are　the　South　African　Boers。　Their　proposals；　if　admitted；



would　simply　be　bombshells　sure　to　blow　all　the　leading　nations



of　Europe　out　of　the　conference　and　bring　everything　to　naught。



Already　pessimists　outside　are　prophesying　that　on　account　of



these　questions　we　are　doomed　to　utter　failure。







The　peace　people　of　all　nations；　including　our　own；　are　here　in



great　force。　I　have　accepted　an　invitation　from　one　of　them　to



lunch　with　a　party　of　like　mind；　including　Baroness　von　Suttner；



who　has　written　a　brilliant　book；　〃Die　Waffen　Nieder；〃　of　which



the　moral　is　that　all　nations　shall　immediately　throw　down　their



arms。　Mr。　Stead　is　also　here；　vigorous　as　usual；　full　of　curious



information；　and　abounding　in　suggestions。







There　was　a　report；　on　our　arriving；　that　the　Triple　Alliance



representatives　are　instructed　to　do　everything　to　bring　the



conference　into　discredit；　but　this　is　now　denied。　It　is　said



that　their　programme　is　changed；　and　things　look　like　it。　On　the



whole；　though　no　one　is　sanguine；　there　is　more　hope。











May　21。







In　the　morning　went　with　Dr。　Holls　to　a　Whitsunday　service　at　the



great　old　church　here。　There　was　a　crowd；　impressive　chorals；　and



a　sermon　at　least　an　hour　long。　At　our　request；　we　were　given



admirable　places　in　the　organ…loft；　and　sat　at　the　side　of　the



organist　as　he　managed　that　noble　instrument。　It　was　sublime。



After　the　closing　voluntary　Holls　played　remarkably　well







To　me　the　most　striking　feature　in　the　service　was　a　very　earnest



prayer　made　by　the　clergyman　for　the　conference。　During　the



afternoon　we　also　visited　the　old　prison　near　the　Vijver；　where



the　De　Witts　and　other　eminent　prisoners　of　state　were　confined；



and　in　front　of　which　the　former　were　torn　in　pieces　by　the　mob。



Sadly　interesting　was　a　collection　of　instruments　of　torture；



which　had　the　effect　of　making　me　better　satisfied　with　our　own



times　than　I　sometimes　am。







In　the　evening；　with　our　minister；　Mr。　Newel；　and　the　Dean　of



Ely；　his　guest；　to　an　exceedingly　pleasant　〃tea〃　at　the　house　of



Baroness　Gravensteen；　and　met　a　number　of　interesting　people；



among　them　a　kindly　old　gentleman　who　began　diplomatic　life　as　a



British　attache　at　Washington　in　the　days　of　Webster　and　Clay；



and　gave　me　interesting　accounts　of　them。







The　queer　letters　and　crankish　proposals　which　come　in　every　day



are　amazing。　I　have　just　added　to　my　collection　of　diplomatic



curiosities　a　letter　from　the　editor　of　a　Democratic　paper　in



southern　Illinois；　addressed　to　me　as　ambassador　at　Mayence；



which　he　evidently　takes　to　be　the　capital　of　Germany；　asking　me



to　look　after　a　great　party　of　Western　newspaper　men　who　are　to



go　up　the　Rhine　this　summer　and　make　a　brief　stay　in　the



above…named　capital　of　the　empire。　I　also　receive　very　many



letters　of　introduction；　which　of　course　make　large　demands　upon



my　time。　The　number　of　epistles；　also；　which　come　in　from　public



meetings　in　large　and　small　American　towns　is　very　great；　some



evidently　representing　no　persons　other　than　the　writers。　As　I



write　the　above；　I　open　mechanically　a　letter　from　a　peace



meeting　assembled　in　Ledyard；　Connecticut；　composed　of　〃Rogerine



Quakers〃；　but　what　a　〃Rogerine　Quaker〃　is　I　know　not。　Some　of



these　letters　are　touching；　and　some　have　a　comic　side。　A　very



good　one　comes　from　May　Wright　Sewall；　would　that　all　the　others



were　as　thoughtful！







It　goes　without　saying　that　the　Quakers　are　out　in　full　force。　We



have　been　answering　by　cable　some　of　the　most　important



communications　sent　us　from　America；　the　others　we　shall　try　to



acknowledge　by　mail；　though　they　are　so　numerou