Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1878-12-07
BISMARCK.
What He E.as to Say About .sin,scif

OH Ills fellglOuS HeIle1 ne draws aside The veil
by most men jealousy guarded:
Il cannot conceive how a man can live With
out belief In a revelation. in a God who orders
all things for the best, in Supreme Judge from
whom there Is no appeal, and in 4 future lie.
III I were not Christian should not rem hin at
my post for single hour. II did not rely on
Gcd Almighty l should not put M trust in
princes. have enough to live on. and am Suf-
fctently genteel and distinguished without the
chaHcellor's office. Why should | 90 on work
ing indefatigabiy, mourning trouble and annoy
ance, unless convinced that God has ordained
me to fulfill these duties? II were not per-
suaded that this German nation of ours. in the
diyinely appointed order Of things. Is destined
10 De something great and good, l should throw
up the diplomatic profession this very moment.
Orders and titles to me have no attraction The
f1rmneSs have shown in combating all man,
ner or abSurditieS for ten years past is solely
derived from faith. Take away my faith and
you destroy my patriotism. But for my strict
and literal belief in the truths Of Christianity
but for my acceptance OF the miraculous ground
work CT religion, you would not have lived TO
see the sort OF chancellor am. Find me Sue
ceSSOr as firm believer as myself and l Will
res On at once. But | live in generation OF
pa TGDS have no desire to make prnSeiyteS
but am constrained to confess nv faith. If
there is fmong us any selfd and devotion
10 King and country, 1t is a remnant OF religious
beIief ur CONSCIOUSLY clingins to our people from
the days of their sireS. For my part prefer
rural life to any other. Rob me of the faith
TIL uniteS me to God, and | return to Narsin to
devote myself induStrlously to the production
of rye and OATS
Prince BIsmarck's personal view of Christian
ty Is stil more accurately defined in tr ,it re-
corded In these memoirs. When fetched in hot
haste to receive the captive Napoleon at Sedan.
Sundry devotional books and tracts were found
scattered about his sleeping apartment Among
them was the ''Tagliche LoSungen der Bruder-
gemeinde fur 1870" the. .'Tagllche ErluicSllng
books. Edited By and for the Herrnhutcr or
Moravian Brethren congregations, they are
conceived In the spirit of the doctrine OF con-
ipltN -iv,gN
and the immediate and momentary interfer-
ence OF the Deity in our thoughts and acts: they
assert the Divine influence Of certain texts over
certain days of the year. and they carry mystic
providence ID the verse the eye first lights upon
onopenlng the Bible for counsel. These books
the Prince-aS his valet de clambre told our
extraordinarily reads at night.
In keeping with this nightly study IS the
Princes ayOWal OF his observance of DAYS and
dates. He objects to sitting down thirteen to
dinner. He Will conclude no treaties on Ffiday
convinced that they will not prosper. He will
not even negotiate on the anniversary of the
battles OF HOchkirch and Jena, it, being black
day In the PruSSlan calendar. He insists that
no P0mmeranian nOb!eman created a Count has
ever seen his progeny thrive. He confeSSeS hay
ing objected TO his own elevation on this score,
and Is not quite at his ease even now. HeknoWS
the year OF his death. deeming it number OF
mystic import In his family. After these robust
superstitions, we must not be startled at hear
ing the Prince deScant upon the perniclous
is on the wane. To judge from the Princes
t@nsure, following the opposite practice is no
panaceG either.
Side by side with his praise of absolutism. we
nave the most Skeptical remarks about the wis
dom OF crowned men and women. One evening,
November =, 1870 the conversation ran upon the
influence ladies were supposed to exercise in
poStpOning the bombardment of Paris. Another
day, the 4th of December, 1870, the non-b0m-
observed:
..Oh, if were Sovereign, should know how
to be hard, but am not sovereign. + l
am not consulted, or would go and hang my
self rather than consent to all these Sentimea-
tai measures
And again, on December %. 1870:
g A Chief OF staff is almost in as bad posi-
ton as Cabinet MiniSter-alwayS responsible
and never getting his own way; always annoy
ances and petty Vexations innumerable. Though
man may submit TO q good deal, still he likes
TO be well treated in the MAN.
If this explOdeS Prince Bismarck's theory
about the superiority OF abSOlutiSm as regards
soVereigns, he is equally averse from the rule OF
the CaDnet. On october 49, 1870, he complains
at a table:
alt is most tiresome that have to discuss
every plan with five or six persons, VINO some
times know very little upon the subject Yet |
must listen patiently and refute courte0usly. Ii
Is Just as reasonable as If, knowing nothing OF
military matters, were to attempt to teach an
officer how TO construct battery"
Al other passage illustrates the Chance,lor's
j dgment of Princes too pOintedly to be passed
over. On September IS, 1870, somebody at tea
-teaks OF the Prince OF HohenzOllern, whose
Prince Leopold was then with his regiment
lighting the battles he had unwittingiy coniured
up Us ne soldier or mere Prince!" asks
Bismarck, hearing his name. The answer being
favorable, Bismarck goes on:
Il am glad to hear it. conceived a good Opin-
ION or MIN when he communicated his election
TO the Spanish throne to the commanding Of
flcer as matter Of military duty"
hafw
STOCK Exchange Is topic on which Prince Bis
marck'S opinion is worth having:
ga diplomatist's forecast OF coming events is
very imperfect. Even if an event does fall ont
as he anticipated, its effect upon the exchange
is frequently retarded by other circumstances.
In no case can the date of the reaction upon the
bourse be calculated with certainty. OF course,
II makes difference If a man stoops so low as
TO create an alarm to make quotations fall The
Frenchman g. used to indulge in these dishOn-
orable transactions. He has doubled his for
tune. One may almost affirm war was made
for the purpose. The French Comte NJ Qull
name in the Originally, it Is said, also specuated.
not indeed for himself, but with his mistress
fortune. The thing beginning to ooze out he
died under very suspicious circumstances If a
Minister oil Foreign Affairs wished to profit by
his position in this way, he must get Officiou5
suDordlnateS at the various Legations to accom-
pany official political kilograms with dispatches
upon the state OF the money market. Political
kilograms having priority, some twenty or
thirty minutes are gained for turning them to
do the business in the interval. II report speaks
true, there are those who have acted in this
way. From GOO to $4,000 may be easily real
lied per day. After couple Of years, it comes
up TO pretty sum. However, my sons Shall
have no cause to blush for their father. Ii ne
cesSary, they may get rich in some other way"
Prince BiSmarck'S integrity has never been
doubted. A man of strict honor in all his per-
SOnal relations, he is good husband a loving
father, friend to his friends though perhaps
a hercer enemy to his enemies than is quite
compatible with ayOwed convictions. Herr
Busch tells us he lies awake at night revolving
and reSentinS injuries received.
JudiciOuS in all worldly transactions he is
equally so In money matters. Looking at Baron
Rothschild'S Chateau FerriereS, near Rheims,
where he Is Quartered with the king, he breaks
out:
Every costly and very uncomfortable. l
should not like to have 1t, were it only because
it is so over complete. After ALL the highest
enjoyment consists in creating. The necessity
OF economy adds fresh ZeSt to the Joy Of making
things grow under your hand. II man has to
calculate whether he can afford 5000 or 1O, 900
thalers for an Improvement, the ultimate graft
ncation Is greater and purer than If he has
enough and more than enough for anything he
may plan. There is nothing that pals sooner
upon the appetite than a superabundance of
money"
The least attractive part of these memoirs,
though Dy no means occupying the smallest
space, Is that which refers to personal incident,
prediction or antipathy.
AS may have been noticed, the Princes con-
vefsat1on Is always personal, referring either to
himself or to others. The personal Incidents
recorded In the book are numberleSS From