San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1894-03-31
Bismarck's Birthday.

BERLIN, March 3l.-Bismarck's
seventy-eighth birthday falls on
Sunday, but the celebrations
throughout the empire and wher-
ever the German tongue is spoken
begins today, and will close on
Monday. The anniversary is more
notable this year from the fact that
only recently the Emperor became
reconciled to "the Iron Chancellor"
A gift of great value has been pre-
pared for the Emperor, and he will
send 1T to FREDERICKSBURG with a
personal card of cong ratulation.
But the most notable feature of the
great days celebration Will be the
completion of the fund for the
great Bismarck monument, which
will be erected despite all opposi-
ton.
At FREDERICKSBURG, the home of
Bismarck, the family will cele-
brate the anniversary privately.
Counts Herbert and William Bis
marck, their sister and the Prin-
cess Bismarck, with a few other
intimate friends, will be present at
the birthday dinner.
1t was on Wednesday, March 26,
1890, that Bismarck had his last
interview with the Emperor prior
to retiring to his estate at Fried
richsruhe. The King himself must
have heard the wild applause of
the people that greeted the old
man as he came to and from the
royal palace. They said that his
face was beaming with smiles
as he came away, and
the observers drew from that hap
py inference that the interview
had been pleasant one, and that
perhaps the great Chancellor after
all would remain at his post like
the "Wacht am RheiD," with his
keen eye on the interests of his be-
loved Germany, and his keener
wits ready and alert to battle her
intriguing enemies.
But the hope was a vain one.
The rupture between the sovereign
and the Prime Minister was COM
plete. So fas as Bismarck, intense
royalist and intense patriot that
he is, could feel resentment toward
his sovereign, he undoubtedly
felt it toward the pert and in
solent youth, so absurdly his in
ferior in every respect that is of
real weight, who had so shabbily
requited his long services and his
grand genius. AS far back as 1916,
Bismarck had said, in speaking to
an American:
"YOu in America cannot under
stand how deep is the loyalty
which l feel toward my SOW
ereign."
Doubtless today, at the fresh
proofs of the reconciliation, this
same loyalty has come back with
all it's old intensity, in the old
statesman's breast.
The Berlin that is gay with
bunting and wild with enthusiasm,
over the chancellOr's birthday, re-
ceived the news of his descent
from power with an appar.
ent Indifference that astonished the
"OElu. DuG Jue luulu6ISuC6 WAS
only on the surface. At first the
city was too stunned with the por-
tentous news to find it's voice, and
when it had found its voice it was
a dangerous matter to use it in the
discussion of the great event.
But in those early days of the es-
arrangement the young Emperor
had no thoughts of reconciliation.
His only thoughts were of himself
and Of the glorious figure he was
to cut in the eyes of the nation.
Bismarck was at Kissengen
when he received the now historic
reconciliation message. The EN-
peror sent it from Hungary, while
he was attending the Austrian
army manOeuvres early this
year. The message itself was writ
ten in the warmest terms of SYM
pathy, and concluded by Offering
Prince Bismarck the use of all the