Lyon County times. [volume] (Silver City, Nev.) 1874-1907, 1875-06-13
Bismarck as an Orator.

The first time that one hears tins ex-
traordnary man he is struck at the con.
trast which exists between his organ OF
speech and hisphysique. Out OF his her-
culean body and immense portrlne issues
"a little thread of hOarse sound hardiy
perceptible. The greatest silence must
pervade the chamber in order to hear MIN,
and no orator presents in speaking more
curious spectacle. He seizes the nearest
object with his right hand, passes 1T over
to his left one, manipulates in nervous
manner huge pencil or swans quill from
which his pens are made. Formerly he
had new pen for each day, but the Por-
tiers of the Reichstag sold them TO Eng
lish souvenir hunters, and when ,he
prince found it out he put an end 10 t,iat
species of traffic If he fails to find his
pen when he begins his discourse, ne
seizes upon his scissors or those OF MS
secretary, or he grasps report or an
amendment, making it i'll roll which ne
brandishcs like baton. After the work
of his hand begins that of his body com
mences. He fairly puffs with heat, like
steam engine His head forms curious
study. One fancies, in looking at 1t, to
be able to follow the laborious workings
of his brain. Every nerve Is In action.
His look CLEANS with fevcrish brilliancy.
This man evidently takes into consldera-
ton the full value of his discourse; he
knows that in few moments each OF his
words will 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 woro
two or three times, re-attacklng II, turns
and returns it, seeking and feeling about
until he finds the exact expression OF his
thoughts. By this means he says only
lust what he wishes to say. he Inter
sects his phrases, and sometimes his
words. with sort of disagreeable hiccup.
Yet with all these defects no orator in the
world produces so great an effect as does
Bismarck One quickly forgets his unat-
tractive appearance in the keen desire to
hear what the orator has to say In
thought and style he is always admirable
The German Parliament never hears any
thing superior He is malicious and Ill
natured as anyone can be, and he possesses
to a supreme degree the accent of disdaln
in that lies his speciality. He is fertile in
wit. committing even puns without wink
ing. sometimes Hc cNohCo wv PC'AS ~
laughter such as one only hears IN the
Vallner theatre when Halmerdlng plays.
Usually Bismarck delivers his bon mots
with the most careless manner imaginable,
his physiognomy more impossible than
ever He has an air as if not at all com
pretending what he says. He filings his
words, so to speak, on the floor, instead OF
in the air, to give the chamber the fun OF
picking it up. But the German deputies
are not always nimble in doing that. The
most roguish ones give the signals for
laughter only after some seconds; the 9th
ers take it for granted that something
funny has happened, and the hilarity rises
from bench to bench, even up to the trl-
bune of journalists, who haven't heard a
word and at once begin asking, "What did
he saw" The Chancellor's discourses are
often enameled with quotations from
French, Latin, and even Greek, for he
knows the classics. He has the reputa-
ton in Germany of putting into circula-
ton quotations sometimes unknown to
savants. Discoursing he drinks enormous
ly of sugared water-at least dozen
glasses an hour. On 'feld days" when
the session is unusually stormy, he drinks
double that number.