New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-03-31
pHINGE NINii1ECN.

Tomorrow will BE- Prince Bsmarck's Day. 1t
will be the actual cighlicth anniversary Of his
birth. and will be marked with The elimination
Of the festivities in his honor which have fillcl
much of the last week From the point OF view
of purely personal interest the occasion IS
worthy of the attention Of the world. Without
regard to party politics, or to international
fcu,lS and passions. universal tribute Is due
TO the man himself simply rs Il man. Despite
the auti-hcrosm and the gigman- worship so as
siduously pressed upon us In these later years
there is still some of the earlier and better fath
left upon earth; enough of il 10 enable mcA ~
apuraciatp 4 great man: enough of Il 10 make
the eye kindlc. the nerves thrill, III" heart throp
faster M contemplation Of such "A personality
as that of the grand old man Of Fr!odrchSTuh.
or plain Otto Won Bismarck at eighty years hl-
mainly may we'll be proud
When we narrow the field Of vision from a
man 10 an empire from personality 10 politics.
we may change cur sentiments in Kind but
scarcely in degree. We may admire and loy"
him with the true, nationalhoartcd German. or
hate and fear him with The bcrrhouSc Socialists
Of Berlin and the ultra-C hauviniSiS Of France.
Or we may regard him with The screen" Impair
TALLY BETTING Americans In their attitude
toward European affairs. But whatever "" DO
deny his greatness we canno'-'ih" afduon'
greatness OF things done II" has mad" Il
greater mark In European politics than any
other man for two full generations lie has
rcmadc The map Of Europe aad "caSt - ns;Iiu-
lions more than any other man since Bona
parfr: and has done n work which for pcrml-
nonco and hcnehcencc bids fair far 70 ouIrlnk
all the achievements OF that mctcorc genius.
And despite his years and private station. he IS
today incomparably the most potent parsonage
in the whole maze Of Continental politics; as
even the Kaiser himself is AT length reluctantly
constrained 10 admit Fr~lrchSrllh i, the real
capital OF Europe
Years ago one II Nr Trnnicrs happcsi car
ICONS in Punch" depicted Prince bismarck and
Mr. Gladstone meeting In wood, both retired
from public He, n they then temporarily w"rr.
To-day they are both again in retirement. and
in what is probably their FINAL retirement. D.
spite The odlousncSs Of comparisons therefore.
some association Of them Is inevitable; especial
IL since there IL no third man 10 b. named h"-
side them. Each has been the foremost states
man IN his own land for many years, ana stu
is But each has won his great distinction ana
accomplished his great work In a way didinetri-
callv opposite from the other. Mr. 'ladSton"
has been conspicuously and invariably aciuAtrd
by lofty moral purposes: but In policy he has
been the vercst wclthcrcoc shifting from
stern unbcnling Torysm 10 what we can
scarcely distinguish from rank Radcnlisn. lie
has. indeed, been typical Oplprtunis'. Prince
Bismarck. on the other hand. has been nilcXihle
as iron. Fifty years ago he came forward as
a Kings Man, pledged 10 the then visionary
scheme OF united and imperial Germany.
| Tbrouyh all the storm ana stress Of blood and
iron he has known from that ideal 10 varlaD"-
/ moss nor shadow Of turning. Dom!nccrinS over
Parllamcnts. chcckmatlng diplomats. making If
Europe "A battlefield and slaughtcrpcn. he was
always the sama-Kng's Man and champion of
the new German Empire. And today. despite
thc ingra;iude and the indignitlcs which he has
suffered. hc stands head and shoulders above
all his fellows, the lOyallcSt Kings Man be
! tween the Baltic and the Alps, and the suprcin-
| est incarnation of united and imperial Germany.