The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-08-13
AN INTERVIEW WITH BISMARCK.
Manners of Statesmen at Home and
Abroad.


remarkable. 1t is the scrubs, pretenders ana
parasites who are insolent and caddlsh.
A Bismarck will step aside with bow to al
low YOU to pass where the mud-bralned son
of a soap trust king walks pompously across
vour toes. | once saw the neavy-browed
and thoughtful young Emperor of Germany
the Lord of War" as he calls himself
wake from his abstraction and twist about IN
his saddle with swift eagerness TO acknowi-
edge the courtesy of a ragged old peasant
woman by the road side. His hand flew to
his hat, and his salutation to the
lonely beggar was as profound and respect
full us thou n she had been duchess. L
looked at her after the emperor had ridden
around a bend of the road. The blood
flushed her withered face, for the first time
perhaps in many years, and her eyes glst-
ened brightly. She looked as though ten
wears had been taken from her already
liberal score. 1t had cost the emperor an
effort, but ne made it with cheerf illness,
alacrity and polish Of man to whom cour-
tesy is inbred and natural.
/ called on Mr. Gladstone once, and, when
got up 70 leave the room, he stepped for
ward and opened the door with the manner
of man TO whom pOlitenesS comes without
a thought Men like Balfour and Parnell,
and they are probably as busy any two
men in the world to-day, always nave time
for the small attentions Of life. | could 90
on interminably. What calls it all to mind
was the fact that | dropped in TO see ex-
Senator Platt a day or two ago IN his office
ON Broadway A boz sat in the outer room
passing wrapper, On lot Of loose paper.
] asked him If the senator was in. He
looked at lie a moment and then said:
"WhatT
lis Senator Platt inf'
He ierked his head shortly toward the
door, and | walked in 10 find small man
with a ragged growth of beard, sitting at
a desk and writing after leisurely fashion.
He reminded me instantly of the mo
too cartoons / have seen 50 often, but, IN
other respects, he was a complete surprise.
] asked him a perfectly civil question, and
then l stood by and TRANQUILITY
viewed the snappishness and ill-breeding
of the ex United States senator as he an
swered my inquiries, and reflected that the
difference between presumption and prom1-
hence is about as great as that between
good breeding and boOrishness 1t is not a
matter of Importance beyond this-that, as
far as my experience goes, one may always
approach man OF absolute and recognized
ability with the certainty OF meeting cour
tesy; but beware of the man who thinks he's
great but isn't.
One day in Berlin, it occurred to me to
write a letter to Prince Bismarck The
fact that he was generally considered the
greatest man in the world did not deter me,
for | had nothing to lose and everything to
gain. | explained that there are two mil
lion Germans in America who are actively
and affectionately Watching the progress of
affairs in Berlin and ended by requesting an
interview don't mind saying that felt
"A violent desire TO smile as l read the letter
over for its presumption was monstrous. |
sent 1t around by my secretary. After
vast deal of maneuvering, he succeeded in
getting into the palace OF the chancellor in
Wilhelm Strasse. He waited in an ante
room while the secretary read the letter.
That functionary turned his back, shook
visiDly aud entered the chancellor's room
with the letter in his hand. A moment la
ter, q hilarious Teutonlc guffaw rang
through the palace. 1t was the chancellor
of the empire roaring and at my expense.
FOR a week / felt depressed Then 1t oc-
CURED to me that it would have been good
thing for Austria in '65 if she could have
made Bismarck laugh, and l sat down at
once and wrote him another letter. The re-
ply received was q verbal one to the effect
that | had amused his highness greatly. At
this point quit the role of buffoon and
went to Paris to see Blaine. About a month
later returned to Berlin, and among my
letters of introduction was one to the secre-
tary of the most stal wart and commanding
figure in Europe l delivered it to Bis
marck's chief factotum. and was promised
an audience by the chancellor the follow
ing day. Meanwhile, | wrote the prince the
third time. embodying some reflections on
German politics in the epistle. l believe
that prior to that time the only other Amer
lean who had succeeded in attracting Bis
marck's attention was Yank Adams, who
went TO Berlin and made Bismarck the lurid
offer of $500 a week to deliver lectures
at one-night stands through the northwes-
tern circuit.
When l called the following day there
were three OF four attaches of the princes
cabinet, including the secretary, and they
seemed rather disappointed to find that |
wore conventional attire and was without a
tomahawk and a buffalo robe. They were
superb looking men, all clad in the magnif-
cent uniforms of colonies or generals of the
Prussian army, they knew every language
under the sun, and they had the usual suav-
ity and polish of men in the diplomatic corps
of the foremost nation OF Europe. L had
met one of them in New York, fortunately
Baron Scerfeldt-and, after about twelve
or fifteen other men had been received by
the chancellor, this gentleman accompanied
me into the presence of the man who has
actually and unquestionably held the peace
of Europe in the hollow of his hand for over
thirty years. When | entered the
apartment Bismarck was half leaning, halt
dress OF a general, and us magnificent pic
ture of sturdy manhood as it has ever been
INV good fortune to see His stalwart ply
slque, broad shoulders, mighty chest, slim
waist and straight legs might have been the
envy of the youngest officer of the guard.
Though nearly four score years, he had re-
Gently trained his weight down from 260 to
$50 pounds. was presented after the con
ventional fashion, and the prince drew him
sell up, bowed, and at once relaxed again
into his easy position against the desk. One
of his attendants said to him quietly IL
German that was the American CORES
pondenU who had written asking him foI
au interview, and in an instant wave oI
hilarious good nature swept over the chan
csllor's face A dozen wrinkles spread ovel
his cheeks from the corners of his mustache
and ms big gray eyes stared at me, under
the bushiest eyebrows l ever saw, with 9
degree Of jollity, amusement, apd, ar
sorry to say, derision, imaginable. A wo
man with such expressive eyes could win
heartsck anchorite. The infection of hi,
laughter absolutely irresistible, and the
panUomime would have been PLAIN TO q
blind man. Without saying word he
gave me to understand that my PROPOSE
tions were SO preposterous as to be ludi
crous, but he was amused and not offended
Then the secretary 10 whom ] had been in
PRODUCED came in, and we talked for somt
time. The princes English is as perfect a,
- A "a al