Morning journal and courier., 1889-05-14
THE MAN OF IRON.
Personal PecuiiarItses of the German Chancellor and Tricks eff HIS Voice.

Personal PecuiiarItses of the German Chancellor and Tricks sf Ills Voice. From the Cologne Gazettel
 Bismarck has grown old during the last
 few years, his mustache is white as snow and
 his walk less erect than in former years, but the power of his face and the might of his eyes live still the same as they were ten years ago.. When he sits down it is as if he was enguard, his sword laid across his knees, as formerly old Hagen used to sit, and though he is no Hagen in guilt and wickedness, he is Hagen in faithfulness, and if need be in stern wrath. And he is on guard at the gates of the Fatherlsnd.
 Bismarck, as everybody knows, is not an \ orator. nearly said thank God he is no 1 orator. His speech has been hkened to a forest stream which rumbles over stones and | roots. The comparison is somewhat poor. | think I know q better, though a rather | technical one-namely, his speech is like \ quicksilver drawn out. Take a drop of \ quicksilver containing some lead or zinc, put f it on pane of glass and hold it slantingly.
 The drop swells and rolls, but presently il
 stops, becomes thinner and longer, remains
 i immovable for a moment, gathers new | strength to flow, becomes thin once again, | and so forth. Thus it is with the chancel- | lor's words; first half sentence comes out, then he hesitstes, stops or utters a short, in- ! articulate sound and goes on again. It is sv- | ident that to speak is physical exertion, but even when he is in frst-rate form he does not talk fuently.
 But on closer observation the reason ap- pears very soon. The form of his speech is improvised on the spur of the moment, but unlike many fluent speakers, he does not use the first expression which may come to his l mind, but while he is uttering tue first half of a sentence he is thinking of how to shape the second half, in order to express exactly what he wishes to say. If he makes joke or slight observation he speaks quickly and without hesitation, but as soon as he returns to the serious treatment of political sub- ject this painfully accurate expression, the result of mental work, becomes again appa- rent, which shows that he endeavors not to say syllable which he cannot reconcile with his responsible position. This is the reason why his speeches concerning foreign politics read like official diplomatic documents; eve " word is carefully considered.
 His voice is peculiar, high pitched and not very powerful It has been called a thin voice, but this only expresses one of it's qualities. Another is that it is so remarka- bly young that one would think it almost in credible for man of his age to possess such a voice. If one does not see him while he is speaking it is difficult to believe that it is not young lieutenant of twenty-eight who ! is speaking (which, by the way, is rather 8 | pity, since the snarl and the drawl of the German lieutenant is proverbially detestable.) ) But put in connection with this quality it can sound extremely soft and hattering, and should not be surprised if in former years, ! when he was ambassador, some of his per- ! sonal successes had been due just to this tim bre of his voice.