The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1886-02-04
PRINCE BISMARCK.
characteristics of the Man Who Rules the
German Empire.


German Empire.
The Chancellor is not avaricious, but
he is Prussian, and the Pantheon des-
tined for generous Prussians is known
to be still waiting for its first guest.
Without being avaricious, he is as fond
of order, economy and regularity as the
Great Frederick, and enters into details
of housekeeping to which one would
naturally suppose him a stranger. I
have heard him relate, with the broad
humor characteristic of him, that one of
his former Wallets had begged him for q
lease of an inn on his property at Var
Yin. ''As soon as he became the ten
ant" said Bismarck, "of the inn,
which used to yield 1000 marks, he be-
took himself, in the capacity of my ex-
valet, to the study of politics. He SUBJ
scribed to all kinds of newspapers, and
passed his time sitting in a large arm
chair reading them. When guests ar
| rived he treated them insolently for dis
| turbing him. He soon fell into disre-
pute as surly landlord, and travellers
| took care not to enter the inn. He now
earns scarcely enough to pay for his
newspapers. AS TO myself, | shall have
to evict him, for he has long ceased to
pay his rent" And you could see that
the loss of the rent affected him. Yet
the tone was not that of a miser, but
that of discomfort at having his calcula-
tons deranged.
| Prince Bismarck leads very method
ical life, and in the country, as in town,
no event is allowed to interfere with its
regularity. His grand dinners are
abundant, with mathematical suffi-
| cheney, without stint or waste. His
daily meals are those of a good family
| burgher, and the servants are methOdi-
cal, attentive and silent None of his
household ever commits the mistake of
speaking at the table before the master
of the house has, SO to speak, tacitly
| given him leave. All wait to see
tional mood, and when he is pleased TO
speak all are hushed, not to lose one of
his words. To this, in part, is due the
large number of words, anecdotes and
dialogues attributed to him, for it has
already long been customary for his
listeners to treasure up every word he
utters.
One of the Princes characteristics is
his love for a large dog, which he
makes his constant companion and
feeds himself--a dog, for intsanc like
the one that SO terrified Prince Gorts-
chakof. The dog follows the Prince
into his dining-room and stretches itself
on the carpet. In the course of the
meal the butler brings a large piece Of
boiled beef on one plate and bits Of
soaked bread on another. The Prince
in person cuts up the beef and prepares
the food for the dog, which stands by,
grave and attentive, pending the solemn
dog is never fed in any other way
There is something noteworthy in the
habits of this man, who personifies the
Prussian race in its most elevated char
acter.
Ii Bismarck is not close, he is not
generous either. He does what he
deems right, and expects everyone to dc
also what is right by him. Generosity
; in the ordinary sense of the term, is toe
mild, unreflecting, effeminate a quality
to enter into this colossal, rough hewI
nature. He treats men too much Ike
figures, to be added multiplied and di
vided at will, to entertain any tendel
, feelings toward them. He aspires les
to rule them by gentleness than by tn,
vigorous ascendency of his genius, and
he would not be greatly fattered by al
affection unmixed with dread and ad
miration. Even on the rare occasions
, where, in other men, what is called th'
heart comes into play, in him the mas
ter-nay, almost the tyrant-is to b
found. His very affection bears thu
character of oppression. and no GLOW
is thick enough to conceal the iron ham
beneath it.
] Yet such as he is, this man is tn
most prominent, most striking figure o
\ the age, and this is so true, that ami
all the execration he excites, it is her
considered mean by his very enemies t.
4 treat as the Re:chstag has done one Q
I the monuments of the century,
London Times.