The Portland daily press., 1895-03-19
Prince Bismark on Happiness.

A party of gentlemen from Leipsic. who
were invited to take luncheon with Prince
Bismarck at Friedriohsrlhe on sunday last,
had an interesting chat with the ex-Chan-
cellor, in tie corr e Of which one of them
called tue Prince "a happy man. There
upon the rinoe rems rhcd:
But have seldom been a happy man.
If ! reckon up the T. re minutes of real
happiness in my life. do not believe they
woull make more than twenty-four hour s
in all. In my poll ical lite | never had time
20 have the feeling of happiness. II was
continuous fighting and wrestling, and
when any success was achieved, then the
anxiety not TO lose it again, and to find out
how o turn it TO she bes. advantage in
stantly cropped up. But i'll ny private life
there have been moments of real hap i1iness.
] remember, for instance, a really happy
moment i'll my youth, when | shot my first
hare. In later years it gave ne pleasure to
see my irrigated meadows and plantations
thriving and at home / took pleasure in
my wife and CHILDREN.
THE enjoyment of happiness requires Il
certain gift which my late old master {the
late Emperor William mad in high degree.
possessing, as he did, the sanguiue and
phlegmat tic temperaments combined 1t
was often difficult to get him to make up
his mind. but once he had done so. one
could build houses on his resolution.
Clenrness and calmness kept lis mind and
heart in the dnest harmonious equilibrium.
rIrulh was dearer TO him Than aught
else. In my diplomatic work l also always
endeayored to speak the truth. but circum-
stances sometimes compelled us both to
deviate from the truth a little in public.
But how hard that always was for the old
Emperor. He always blushed on such ocea-
sions, and could not look at him and SO
quickly turned away.
1.-The old gentleman enjoyed much happi-
ness. but he also had his share of the oppo-
site. What an amount of suffering he went
through in tie four years of the conflict pc
riod.'"
Your Serene Hignness.'' observed one of
the yisitors, doubtless suffered no less
than the Emperor
10 this the Prince replied Eyes that was
what was there for, but my good master
felt it Sc verely.'
One of the guests here remarked that
1.-THE Prince had at least had for many
years the happiness of being revered with
passionate affection by generation"
Shereupon the ex-chancellor reElied Yes
in that respect am happy too. Hatred is
catching; that ] have experienced But
love is contag iuus too. learn that great
preparations are being made to show me
love and good will on my next birthday and
this puts all the hatred one has ever expe-
rienced out of ones head"
In the further course Of conversation the
Prince uSe1 stie ext ressiou ''BiSmarck-
fresser'' bismarck eater. Thereupon one
of the visitors rel orted anecdote in
which a nati,e OF ~chA ndau had spoken in
the Saxon dialectsof Prince Bismarck i'm
mediately after his visit to that place in
1892. Quoth the villager, "No l tell you
Prince Bismareh is very anna BILE gentle
man. One could eat him for love-" On
hearing this the Prince burst into loud
laugh.
Speaking oil the anti-re volution bill now
before the legislature. he said: Il have al
way S told our soyereigns il you combat So
cial democracy by all the means at your
comanInd. you suppress acute disease.
Care for the middle class. and you bring
on "a chronic disease difficult to cure''
Farleying with the evolutionary parties
seems to ne just as if, in case France de-
dared war against us, we were to send
lawyer to negotiate with her berlin Cor
respordence London STANDARD. Feb. 28.