The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1894-11-28
An American's Account of His Visi
to the Prince ut Nnrzin.

An Americans Account of His Visit
I" the Prince at Varxin.
On arriving at Narzin found only
few most primitive houses and in the street
some not very clean children, with bare
heads and feet, playing in the dirt, says
Prof Burmeister in the Baltimore Sun
we stopped al a watchmakers, who also
kept a sort of an inn, and his wife waited
on us and led us to the front of Bismarcks
house. There nobody was to be seen. All
the buildings seemed to be abandoned and
delicious quiet and peace reigned about
the whole ground. The door of the main
building was shut and we looked in vain
Tor bell. At last some life came on to the
scene. In the kitchen we heard furious
| scoldlng, and an old cook coming out from
there, We asked her to show us the right
way She had not yet stopped her temper,
and shouted to us that it was not her bust
ness to wait on strangers
Alter this kind reception we tried to get
into the house from the garden on the
other side and We're looking for an
trance when door opened and two i'm
mense, gray Danish dogs Jumped out |
knew at once they were Tyras and Re
becca, who always accompany their
ter on his walks. They seemed to have
the intention of giving us similar recep-
tlon TO the one we hau already experienced.
but just then the prince appeared himself.
Inc frst impression which the man of
blood and iron made upon me differed
very much from what l had imagined
iohi TIE HuIilDeTleSS portraits, caflcdtufeS
ana descriptions had pictured his face as
belng irregular, unsympathetic, bulldog like
the eyes dim. the skin red and wrinkled
and the figure bent with age | was thor
oughly disappointed. L was looking at an
arlStOcrat from tOp TO toe He carried his
huge but admirably well proportioned figure
very erect in spite of his so years. and his
clear and blue eyes, smooth, white COM
plexion and the energetic but noble features
! corresponded thoroughly with the image
tn 10 Of
| man.
The prince called to the dogs, and on
| walking towards at once recognized
Mrs. Burmeister, who had played at one
OF the afternoon teas in his castle at
Frisdsrichsruh last March. He greeted
us open heartedly and cordially. Our CON
versation touched neither politics nor mu-
sic. | imagined he was tired of the for
mer, and L knew of his Indifference to the
| latter. Our talk however soon became
| animated After some complaints about
| the weakness of his "old BONES" he began
| at once to speak about the United States
and their institutions, and took a special
interest in the situation of the Germans
living in America I assured him that
among them no German was more popular
than he, and gave him also an account of
the success of the German Historical So
ciety in Maryland. He asked whether
some descendants of the Palatines, who
emigrated to America about two centuries
ago, were still living in Maryland Penn
sylvania. Bismarck's memory in history
has always been marvellous one but I
did not expect such a knowledge of this
early emigration
We were talking about my native city,
Hamburg, and it's surroundings, when he
| suddenly broke out with an ironical smile
Yes. they tried once to make me a Lau-
| enberger.' Lauanburg is a dukedom near
| Hamburg, and was offered to Bismarck
| by the present emperor when the latter dis
missed him so unexpectedly in 1890 The
prince, of course, never accepted the Offer
and besides bears his tragic fate with the
greatest dignity, contrary to so many false
reports.
The prince is very fond of farming and
he spoke at some length about his farms.
the coming harvests and the damages
which the deluge of the past month had
done. In this way the conversation was
carried on from one subject to another,
the prince being in excellent fumor. His
manner of talking was very: clear, but
rather slow. 1t seemed as if he first had
to form the words before he uttered them
At the close of our talk he said he regret
ted much that could not see his wife
on account of her being seriously ill, and
we would find a comfortable hotel in VAR
Yin, which he is now building for his WIS.,
itors. When our visit came to an end we
were very much impressed by the hearty
and cordial way he asked us to come and
see him again next summer. if we were
still living.