The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-03-20
STORIES ABOUT BISMARCK.
Pen Pictures From the Letters of j. L.
Motley.
From the Pail Mall Gazette.

"NHh ANOburOp mObley ouPPhOS AiHSh
pleasanter aspect of Prince Bismarck's
character than that with which the pub
lie has been made familiar. Here is a
picture of Bismarck at Frankfort in July,
1855:
The Bismarcks are as kind as ever-I am
there all day long. 1t is one of those houses
where every one does what one likes. The
show apartments where they receive formal
company are on the front of the house.
Their living rooms, however, are salon
and dining-room at the back, opening upon
the garden. Here there are young and old,
grandparents and children, and dogs all at
once. eating, drinking, smoking, piano.
playing, and pistol playing lin the garden),
all going on at the same time. 1t Is one OF
those establishments where every earthly
thing that can be eaten or drank is offered
yon-porter, soda water, small beer, cham
payne, burgundy or claret are about all the
time, and everybodyis smoking The best Ha-
wanna cigars every minute.
HOME LIFE AT vARzIN.
AS companion picture here is sketch
of a visit to Varzin:
We had an hour and half's drive from
the station to VarZin. AS the position
sounded his trumpet and we drove up to the
door, Bismarck, his wife, M, and Ii,
all came out to the carriage and welcomed
"a
him little changed in appearance since 1864,
which surprises me. He is somewhat stouter,
and his face more weatherbeaten, but as
expressive and powerful as ever. Nine. de
Bismarck is but little altered in the four
teen years that have passed since L saw
her. They are both most Kind and agree
able to Lily and she feels already as if she
had known them all her life. M is
pretty girl, with beautiful dark hair and
q Ell 10 cd nd a
father and mother, full of fun. The man
ner of living is most unsophisticated, as
you will think when | tell you tnaE we were
ma ched straight from the carriage into
the dining-room after dusty, hot journey
by rail and carrirge of ten hours ana made
to sit down and go on with the dinner,
which was about half through, as, owing
to q contretemps, we did not arrive until
an hour after we were expected. After
dinner Bismarck and l had long walk in
the woods, he talking all the time in the
simplest and funniest and most interesting
manner about all sorts of things that had
happened in these tremendous years, but
talking of them exactly as everyday people
talk of everyday matters-without any
affectation. The truth is he is 80 entirely
simple, so full of laisser-aller, that one is
obliged to be saying to ones self all the
time: This is the great Bismarck-the
greatest living man, and one of the greatest
historical characters. In the evening we
sat most OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES drinking tea,
some beer, some seltzer water; Bismarck
smoking a pipe. He smokes little now,
and only light tobacco in pipe. When
last knew him he never stopped smok-
ing the strongest cigars. Now he tells me
he could not to save his life smoke single
cigar.
THE GREAT MAN AND his DOG.
-.,f1 f. civ 10 We,
but the irregularity of the hours is great. l
usually came downstairs, as well as Lily,
between 8 and 10 O'clock. Nine. de Bis
marck, M, and the SONS came in pro-
miscuously and had breakfast with us.
Bismarck came down about II o'clock. His
breakfast is very light-an egg and cup
of coffee-and then he has meerSchaum
pipe. While he is sitting there and talking
to all of us his secretary hands him the
piles of letters with which he is goaded in
his retirement, and with lead pencil about
a foot long makes memoranda as to the an
swers and other disposition to be made.
Meanwhile the boys are playing
billiards in another part Of the
room, and a big black dog called
Sultan" is rampaging generally through
the apartment and joining in everybody's
conversation. After breakfast Bismarck
and l always took long walk, during
which he was always talking-generally
about the events of the French war. | have
given so many specimens in my letters to
YOU and Susan and Mary that it would be
foolish to attempt sending any more small
bricks as specimens of the house. The
nominal dinner hour was 3 o'clock, but
we rarely sat down earlier than 3:45
o'clock. No dinner dressing or evening cos
tune. Dinner always good and simple;
wine excellent.
BISMARCK AS A LETTER-WRITER.
Here is a characteristic letter from Bis
marck, apparently written between 1860
"a:
JACK, MY DEAR: Where the devil are
you, and what do you do that you never
WRIT line to mes | am working from
morn till night like niger, and you hav Q
nothing to do at all-you might as well tip
me a line as well as looking on your feet
tilted against the wall of God knows what
dreary color. | cannot entertain regu-
lar correspondence. 1t happens to me that
during five days do not find quarter Of
an hour for walk; but you, lazy old chap,
what keeps you from thinking of your old
friends2 When just going to bed in this
moment my eye met with yours on your
portrait and curtailed the sweet restorer
sleep, in order to remind you of aud lang
sgI,e. Why do you never come to Berlin
1t is not quarter of an Americans holt
day journey from Vienna, aud my wife and
me should be SO happy to see you once more
in this Sullen life When can you come, and
when will yous Iswear that l will make
out the time to look with you on old Logier'S
quarters, and drink bottle with you at
Gerolt's, where they once would not allow
you to put your slender legs upon chair.
Let politics be hanged and come to see me.
| promise that the stars and stripes shall
wave over our house, and conversati
aud the best old hook shall pour damnation
upon the rebels. Do not forget old friends,
neither their wives as mine wishes nearly
as ardently as myself to see you, or at least
to see as soon as possible word Of your
handwriting. Sci gut ind komm oder
Schrei6e, Dein, V. BISMARCK.
Haunted by the old song, I'm Good Old
Colony Times"
In letter dated April, 1868, Bismarck
wrote:
Ihate politics, but as you say truly, like
the grocer hating figs, | am none the less
obliged to keep my thoughts increasingly
occupied with those figs. | never thought
that in my ripper years | should be obliged
to carry on such an unworthy trade as That
of parliamentary minister. As envoy,
although only an official, still HAD the
feeling of being gentleman; as parliament
tary minister one is a helot. | have come
down in the world, and hardly know how.
| am sitting again in the house of phrases
hear people talk nonsense and end my letter.
Your battles are bloody, ours wordv; these
chatterers really cannot govern Prussia.
Now, an affectlolate fare well.