, 1875-05-01
bismarck I'm Debate

mol even ready or Datarals orator. TIC
kmghtly appearance of the Prince,
ms ease OF manner, and above all, his
repntstlon as diplomatist and states.
man, would lead US to suppose him an
orator-eIther one who would deliver
a profound and well arranged speech
without hesitation or effort, or still
more, an orator of natural eloqueree.
whose words and figures would flow
from his lips as the creations of the
moment, and entrance or enkindle the
hearts OF his hearers. But this is not
the case. Occasionally lie may uo
seen at his desk winging bis way
rapidly with his quill over 4 narrow
strip OF paper, while some member is
on the platform. All know what this
means, and at a slight bow of bis
head the President announces that
Prince Bismarck, Chancellor of the
Empire, has the floor. AS he rises
there is a general demand for silence
all over the House, with the excIama.
tion, " He is speaking" He inclines
his body toward the Assembly, winds
his thumbs around each other, and
casts an occasional glance at the
House; bat he stops, heSitates, some.
times even stammers, and eorrects
himself; he seems to struggle with his
words which ascend unwillingly to his
lips after two or three there viii be
short pause, when one can almost hear
suppressed swallow. He speaks
without gesture, feeling, or emphasis,
ana often fails in the accentuation of
final syllables. so as to weaken his
thought. One wonders if this is the
man with a parliamentary career be-
hand hlm of more than quarter of q
century, during which period he has
been in every legislative body Of his
country, meeting with bitterest oppo-
sition from the liberal party in his
early career, parrying their most caus-
tic words in kind, and replying, with
wonderful presence of mind, by the
wittiest impromptus of the most cut
ting sarcasm. 1t is the same man,
and presently he will prove it. Gradu-
ally his speech flows with more
warmth, and unfolds its peculiar at.
fractions series of original, fresh,
gritty, and significant expressions,
which tell more by their power than
their beauty. His speeches are col
leciions of sentences rather than the
Development of a smooth and logical
train of reasoning. Many of them
haze g00e ia1o history as pc0FerSia3,
such as GatIliae exlstences,' y "B}ood
and iron," Austria must move It's
center of gravity toward the Orient"
etc. Some months ago, after listening
to long diatribes about the evils of
the recent wars, and the burdens which
they have brought upon the people as
nation, he quietly arose and said:
After each one of the recent wars
the nation has enjoyed a greater
amount OF parliamentary liberty than
before them" This was so strikingly
true that it was folly to argue that
they had led to tyranny. And he
closed by saying; But, neverthe-
less, gentlemen, the German nation
has right to expect from Us that we
shall prevent the return of such a
catastrophe and | am convinced that
the allied Governments desire nothing
so much as to effect this purpose"
With this beautiful admonition, simple
though dignified, and expressed with
feryor, he electrified the audience as
if he were the greatest orator, and
tle0 Sat 4QW2 and @eaeaiag aqqlaQss
from all parts Of the House. Thus,
with apparently no oratoricaI power.
he seldom takes the floor without con.
firming his nation in the belief that,
take him all in all, he is 0 statesman
such as Germany has never before en-.
rolled in her annals, and whom the
world at large may well envy her in
possesSlng.-Pr0f Willtam Wells.