Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1881-11-12

democracy and OF "cOnstltutlOnallsm,
which Bismarck once characterized to q
Partisan as Ia democratic en- dimanche,
or democracy in its Sunday best. Bis
marck, who is an 0mnivOrous reader,
with a MUD full OF scraps, once defend
cd his notable assertions about towns in
cold blood. saying that Plato disliked
big cities, which ls true enough. Oi
Bismsrck's energy in acquiring knowl-
edge, one instance will be enough. He
was once lnvalided in an old country
house in Denmark for SIX weeks. He
turned the time to such good account
that he spoke Danish very fairly before
he lett. though he had not known a
word on his arrival. Moreover. he had
no masters, and not even a grammar;
only q dictionary and some Danish
books. Sure enough, the occasion came
when the acquired language proved
useful. 1t was In 1864. When the British
opinion was sore on the
subject of the Schleswlg Holsteln war.
that Bismarck pronounced England to
be in her decline. The previous year
she had ceded the formal isles, and q
power which contracted her boundaries
was necessarily decaying. "While we
have been building arsenals. England
has been building iactories." He added
after . pause, "this ought ye to have
done, and not to have lett the other un-
done;" for Bismarck knows his bible
we'll and generally reads chapter OF
the New Testament before going to bed.
Once in bed, naively relates DR.. Bush,
the chancellor thinks quietly over what
scores he has to pay of, and leisurely
devlses means of vengeance against
anyone whom hs owes o grudge. To
do him justice, it is not a question OF
personal feeling, but Of policy. Like
Warren Hastings, he considers it i'm
prudent ever to pass over an injury, for
that would be to invite others. But il
heaping Goals of fire on the enemy g
head would do the business he would be
willing enough to take that way. Lord
Holland we'll observed that most great
men have been good-natured, and Bis
marck is no exception to this rule. He
enjoys life too much to spoil it by ILL
temper. HIS largeness of ideas, more
over, necessarily renders him generous
whenever he deems it possible TO be so.
He once said the lesson oi his life had
been that one must forgive and forget
much. Frenchmen are SO far IN error
when they attribute the bombardment
of Paris to the determination OF Bis
marck to humble them that the exact
contrary is the truth. Bismarck urged
the generals to consider whether it
would not be possible to spare the city.
1t was Moltke who was intlexible; and
it must be remembered that Bismarck
held no command.
1t Is, moreover, q complete mistake
to suppose that Bismarck Is or has ever
been omnipotenL in Prussian councils. He
has less than the power of an American
president or even of an English prime
minister, and for the most obvious rea-
son-tho king of Prussia being always
an important lactor in the political stu
alton. To Intimate friends Bismarck has
complained bitterly OF the difficulties
constantly thrown in his way by the
court people. A caoal of highnessss led
by feminine majesty can give more
trouble than the senate gives to Gen.
Arthur or the house OF lords to Mr..
Gladstone. The old empero: likes and
trusts his minister, but he will some
times have his own way. though it hap
pen to be nobody else's. In such q case
it does not occur to Bismarck to resign !;
he would think it disloyal to his sover-
eign to do 50. Threats OF resignation
may be used to coerce the reichstag, but
not to force q gracious master to act
contrary to his own will.
The multitude imagine Bismarck's will
to be law because he has now been min
lister for nineteen years, and during that
period Prussia has fought three success
iul wars. The country's victories have
shed lustre on her chief statesman, and,
to . certain extent, Justly. The credit
OF Sadowa and Sedan belongs, IN the
first place, TO the long line OF military
adminisl rators beginning with Scharn-
horst and ending with Won Room, who
commenced their work of reorganization
on the morrow of Jena. 1t belongs also
to Moltke and Prince Frederick Charles,
and in one respect-perhaps the most
important OF ALTO Bismarck. That
the spirit, first Of the Prussian aud next
of the German nation, rose to the emer-
gencies OF 1866 and 1870; that the peo-
pie cheerfully contributed the resources
and threw themselves heart and soul
into the struggle Tor empire-,his was
undoubtedly his work. AS WAS said
of Chatham, "the ardor OF his soul had
set the whole kingdom on fire." He had
spoken such language to Germans as
they had not heard since the days of the
Othos, the Henrys. and the Fredericks,
aud it was music to their ears.
What fortunate thing, humanity
speaking it was for his country that
Bismarck's sympathles were long of the
nartowest kind Time was when he
disdalned the appelIation OF Gc.m.1,
and declared that he was content to be q
Russian aud nothing else. Had he