Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1893-02-12
A JOURNALIST.
What M. De Blowitz Has to Say
About Him.
A VERY RADICAL DIFFERENCE
Between a OiplomaiIsl and a Newspaper Man,
the Latter Must Talk About What Ne
Doesn't Know, The Former Must Not
Talk About What Ne Does Know
Gor the Sunday Gazette.)
Third raperl


] said one day to Count Beust:
The difference between q journalist
and dplomatist is that the latter
must not tell what he knows and that
the journalist must talk about what he
docsn know"
Indeed diplomatists have the pride
of discretion and do not readily forgive
being dragged out VI their incomito.
II they have succeeded Ia obtaining
IRON u diplomatist confidence or any
information his name must bc kept rig
OrOusly secret SO long as he knows
ms identity 90 I've concealed he remains
cnlm aud trunquilizcd. II yOu do not
alarm him there Is no one with whom
relations are more delightful His per
icct trimming the exquisite attention he
pays 90 you, the unuhility Of his
manner have special charm. and the
Duke DpcVes was quite right In say
ing: when ! perceive Tint ] am be-
coming annoyed with a dipomaHst l
Immediately say to myself that | am
not nt the level of my companion
but II for one reason or another n
diplOmutst's incoguito is revealed no
being eau be- more implucdhle. Twice
IN my life | have made this mistake
aud twice ] have bitterly rcpynted &c.
Dnce-uud everybody knows about
this quawcl-l mentioned the name of
Count Munster while relating "a page
of history which | bad from his lips he
lieying, wrongtully as | ann aware. that
/ was authorized to do So
The fury of his man ordinarily SO pO-
lite, this gentleman M impecCnhly bred
from AN ancient line, was such that he
not only denied the narrative related TO
me, a thing which was perhaps eXcusa-
BILE, but In writing a letter TO Count Her
bert Bismarck on this subject he al.
| lowed himself 90 utter such express
..t... IA D.
I'm publishing 10 thought he ought To
give lesson TO Count Munster 10y sup
pressing the rude language used tow
ard me. On another Occasiou--aud, 80
| tO speak. ia spite of myself men
| toned diplOmatist from whom | had
a communication. This dplomatist.
who still occupies q highly important
| post, wrote 20 me- in 1916 as follows,
| thanking me for an invitation 10 dinner
! addressed TO him ON the Intervention Of
! u common friend 81 have for q long
| time desired To- make the acquaintance
| of man whose reputation is based on
| journalistic work beyond and above
| an criticism. etc
We were soon on the best Of terms
| and ! know few persons whose gift Of
! lively piQuunt nupcdOticm talk WIS SO
/ fine as his One day. while passing
through Paris, he fell IN at hotel /
| went To- sec him aud showing me q copy
| of confidential dispatch addressed To
! his government lac said; "SHr-n-lapu
! pire," 0his was his way vi saying Sac
a.paperJ Road that, il would br
amusing TO publish
was naturally of his opinion aud lac
ended 10y giving IL ia me, urging me to
! cut Out anything which appeared 10 lee
! compromising, / went through this
| work OF expurgation most conscieu-
uously The telegram appeared IN o
| remote corner IN the outer sheet of the
| paper II did not make the stir ] had
! expected and, indeed II was very little
spoken of. But the minister Of foreign
| affairs 10 whom It WIS addressed mo-
| ticed its publication aud spoke of It 10
| my friendly informant, who forthwith
wrote me violent letter. as IL ! had
abused his confidence, quite forgetting
that it was be- himself who had cntrus-
I'd the dispatch 60 mc for publication.
/ have never seen this remarkable and
| charming man since; and the loss of his
friendship rs the price ! had 10 pay for
having involuntarily stripped him, as
| regards his chief of that useful anOny-
nifty. behind which alone trained
| diplOmnust manages 20 preserve the
! sweetness of his manners and the
charming smile Of bis lips.
Need | recall for the ediicution Of
any Journalist who reads me that in his
relations with diplomacy he must al
ways remember that the tr &c diplomat
| ist necessarily knows nothing of graft.
| tudc: that he regards the journalist rs
! an auxiliary, sometimes useful and al
! ways dangerous. and that he will never
hesitate TO throw him overheard when
II suits his ideas Of his duty To do 80. In
| this connection ] recall "A striking aud
decisive illustration.
II was in 1874 at the moment when
! the Arnim trial was going on In Ger
many. Baron Hostein, who had played
30 curious a role iu connection with
| Count Arnim, was second secretary OF
the German embassy nc Paris. His in
teryentiOn i'm this terrible question be-
| tween Arnim and Bismarck was not
liked aud was badly judged here.
/ French public opinion looked askonce
on the hand of Germany In the interior
/ politics of the country, and Baron HOl-
stein was violently attacked for his
role In this matter
The Journal dies Debates, which en-
joyed then real power and influence,
was particularly noticeable in It's cam
paim against Baron H0stciu, and its
attitude was such that. II presented Ia,
Baron HOlsciu's stay 80 Paris must
necessarily have bccomr impossible
was az this time hat ! received q
visit from Mr.. Ruduiph l.indnu who
WAS also al the German embassy, md
fying Baron Holstciu. BY very cOnymc-
ing arguments be showed mc that
ought to undertake his defence against
thc Journal des Debats ia the then
state Of French pubic opinion this was
heavy task; but / undertook it con.
scientiously ais a duty, and / had the
satisfaction. always 80 rare, however
uf seeing this paper lay down It's arms
before my argument,
This took place toward the end OF
December. 1874 and on the Both OF this
month Baron HOlstein wrote 10 me that
II he had not been Kept at home by an
attack of Ia grippe he would have hast.
ened 20 come iu person 10 thnuk me. a
week later, On Jan y. 1879, indeed. he
aid come and thanked me warmly
had made he said. by my courageous
Intervention. his stay in Paris possible
We tnlkcd for some time of his personal
situation. / told him that ! was myself
ust then in q critical place, not surely
knowing whether or no ! should succeed
MIR Hartmann as chief correspondent
All The London Times and thar ! had
81 course. many competitors 10 whom
could oppose only NY devotion aud my
Some days after TINT Is, on Jan. No.
a friendly hand sent nae letter OF
Baron Holstcin. sixteen octave pages hi
length. bearing the supersription
1 ssIkaisarli,a Detsche BOthschaft 10
Fraukreich' and entirely written and
. signed By the haron hand. ~ was aa
dressed 70 one % the lnost intimat,
friends ~ Mr. John Delane' edltnr u
4 |.aH