The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1871-05-18
Two Eminent Germans-Bismarck and
MOltke.

Two Eminent Germans-BismaTck and
MOltke.
The Berlin correspondent of the
Chicago Tribune furnishes the following
sketches of two eminent Germans:
BISMARCK. .
Bismarck is an immensely large man.
When he goes through one of the doors
of the chamber he fills the whole space,
and must stoop beside. He is tall,
straight, and proportioned. His
broad shoulders and full breast bespeak
an immense force. He is not fat (where
a German ought to be fat), but his
cheeks are SO fat as to almost close his
eyes, though since the war he seems to
have grown little thinner. He has a
large head, which is bald on the top
(the comic papers invariably represent
him with three hairs), and on the sides
has little short half-gray hair, which
is in marked contrast with his full white
Imoustache. His nose is rather short,
and his eyes embedded under heavy
brow. His face is almost as white as
his moustache, and is full of vigorous
expression. When he sits he commonly
leans forward, as if Just ready to get up
and those portraits of him appear most
natural which represent him in this
position. His only joint would seem to
be in his loins for his back and
neck are always kept straight. He is
commonly in uniform. and his coat
shines all over with bright buttons and
brilliant badges. He is man that any
one would pick out of crowd as a lead
ing character. When he enters the
oho bor ,c {,r cd 4o bif md
many show him special marks of honor !;
so that his first movements on entering
are to politely return these signs of re-
spect, both to the members of Reichstag
and to visitors For as often as he has
already appeared in the Relchstag, the
general curiosity to see him has never
abated, so that everybody must look
when Bismarck comes. He always sits
at the Minister'S desk, and seems to pay
little attention to the debate, though he
is always ready to speak. His speeches
are generally short, and always go di-
rect to the'point. One need never wait
long to know what he is going to talk
about, of what view he is going to take
on the matter. His speeches sparkle
with strong, bold points, and he is al
ways interesting. His voice is rather
high and broken, and is not very strong.
He half mumbles his words, and, from
his fast speaking, is often little indis-
tinct. He gesticulates but little and
swings his body slightly backward and
forward while speaking. When he rises
| all the noise of the chamber at once sub
sides and everybody listens with great
attention, though during most OF the
speeches the members carry on their
conversation as if the Reichstag were
not in session. He speaks often, writes
great DEAL and is much engaged with
different persons in conversation. After
the session is adjourned he is the last to
leave the chamber, for he seems to have
business with almost everybody. Very
often he is called from his place during
the session to wait on some message or
messenger in the ante-room. To give
! an idea of the immense amount OF work
that Bismarck performs, 1 might men,
ton that, in an official report lately
made of the letters issued from the
bureau which accompanied him to the
field, the monthly average was over
1000, reaching in January to 1850
These, if not fully written or dictated
) by him, were yet required to pass under
his supervision. He is much aided in
, his work at present by the chancellor
, officials which he has assembled around
,, him, at the head of which is that CHIEF
of bureaucrats, Mr.. Delbruck.
, MoLTKE.
Moltke is by no means man OF like
prepossessing appearance. In TACT, from
his personnel, one would not concede tC
; him any special ability. His head ap-
pears to be smaller than the average
His face is long and his chin so pro
jecting as to give him an appearance o.
merely stubborn persistence, such as il
, often found in quite ordinary person
ages. If we We're to Judge of the char.
acter of his military ability from hi
features, we should say that his success
has been due to the resoluteness will
I which he kept to his original and only
plan. Such man could not have two
ways of doing a thing, or have any
patience with notifications or deviation
from his plan. When walking he slightly
bends, and moves slowly along in {
straightforward direction, as if tryinG
to keep q bee-line. His gestures arr
quite angular, and he has in general {
r stiff and awkward way about him. Hi
| udll, "llCu 10 gray, 10 hCPo WI otOi
l a la n,alcontent. He dresses in plain un
= form, and would not in crowd be sig
7 nailed out as of Importance. AS states
l man, Moltke has not been without in
| fuence. He had much to do with tn
/ original development of the plan whicl
, has led to the present elevation OF Prus
} sia. 1t was civil rather than mill
r tary idea that moved him, even prior II
: the Schleswig- -Holstein war, to advocat
l in the Prussian Diet the building of
3 central power under the King of Prussia
5 whose mission should be to protect tn
, peace of Europe for he claimed tha
r under the States which then had tn
0 supremacy, there could never be peac
l to be relied upon. He maintained open
= ly, therefore, that Prussia must prepar
t herself to take the lead in European at
= fairs. He then set on foot the famou
/ military reorganization by which tn
l Prussian army has been brought to 1t
= present state of perfection. So strongl
q was he persuaded of the necessity c
3 this policy, and SO strongly had he an
3 his colleagues impressed its'necessity o.
s the King, that the King determined t
= push it through, even contrary to law
), over the opposition of the Legislativ
= body. When he saw that this was hkel
not to succeed, and that the Represents
t tives would not conciliate their opposi
tion, he resolved to abdicate entirely