Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1875-03-05
BISMARCK AS An ORATOR.
A Graphic Pen Picture OF the Great
est Statesman Of Modern Times.

The first time that one hears this ex-
traOrdinary man he Is struck with as
constituent at the contrast which exists
between his organ of speech and his
physique. Outof bis herculanean body
and immense pOitTjHe issues a little
thread Of hoarse sound hardly percep-
tible. The greatest silence must per-
wade the chamber In order 10
hear him, and no orator pre-
sents IN speaking a more curious
spectacle. he SEXES the nearest OBJ
iect with his right hand, passes it over
to his left one, manipulates IN a ner-
vous manner a huge pencil or swan $
quill, from which his pens are made.
Formerly Bismarck had a new pen for
each day, but the porters of the Reich
stag sold them to English souvenir
hunters, and when the Prince
found it out he put an end 70
that species Of traffic. If he fails
to find his pen when. he begins his
discourse he SEXES upon his scissors or
those Of his secretary, or he grasps a
report or amendment, making 1t II =
roll, which he brandishes ike q baton.
After the work Of hand begins that OF
his BODY commences. He fairly puffs
with heat, ike a steam engine. His
head forms a curious study. One fan
cies, IN looking at 1t, to be able to fol-
low the labOriOus working Of his brain.
Every nerve Is IN action. His look
CLEANS with feverish bIillianCy.
This man evidently takes into con-
sidsration the full value OF his dis
course; lie knows that each Of his
words VIII IL Il few moments be sent
all over the world, and that peace or
war lies in the province of his speech.
Which may account for his total lack
Of facility. He attacks q phrase, two
or three times reattacking 1t, turns aud
returns it, seeking and feeling
about until be finds the exact re-
preston Of his thoughts. By this
means he says only just what he
wishes to say. He intersects his
phrases, and sometimes his words, with
a sort Oh disagreeabie hiccBp. Yet
with all these defects no orator In the
world produces as great an effect as
does Bismarck. One quickly fOrgets
his unGttractive appearance IL the keen
desire TO hear what the orator has TO
say. In thought and style he IS al
ways admirable. The German Pariia.
ment never hears anything superior.
He Is malicious and i'll na-
tured as one can be, and
he possesses to . supreme degree
the accent Of disdain; IN that lies his
specially. He Is Fertile jim wit, COM
hitting even puns without wInking.
Sometimes he evokes peals Of laughter
such as one only hears IN the Yallner
Theatre when Helmerding plays. Usu-
ally Bismarck delivers his bon HlCtS
with the most careless manner imagin-
able, his physiOglOmy more impossible
than ever. He has an air as if not at
ali comprehending what he says.
He filings his words, so to
speak, on the floor instead Of
in the aiT-t0 give the Chamber
the fun Of picking them up. But the
German deputies are not always nimble
In doing that. The most roguish ones
give the signal for laughter only after
some seconds: the others take 1t for
granted.Jhat something funny has hap
pened, and the hilarity rises from
bench to bench, even up t. the tribune
Of the journalists, who haven't heard a
word and at once begin asking, What
did he say?"
The Chancell0r's discoul ses are Of
ten enamelled with quotations from
French, Latin, and even Greek, for he
knows the classics. He has the repu-
tation in Germany Of putting into cir
culauon quotations sometimes unknown
to servants. Discoursing, he drinks
enormously Of suggared water-at least
a dozen glasses an hour. On "feld
days, when the session is unusually
stormy, he drinks double that number.