The sun., 1897-08-29
BIsMARCK,s TABLE TALK.
England'a Perndy-Poiitics an Art, Not
scIence-A baroness to start HE Big Pipe.

Eneland's Perfdy-Poiitics an Art, Not .
scIence-A baroness to start His Big Pipe.
Although the Bismarck interview with tho
interviewer seems to be thing OF tho past, the
visitors who see the Old Chancellor in his Fried
richsruhe home nowadays come away invarin-
bly, with interesting patches OF his table talk on
politics, diplomacy, his big pipe, his career and
his family. The man toward whom he feels
most bitterly just now is Joseph Chamberlai n
In a recent discussion Of South African affairs
he applied some carefully selected invective to
the Birmingham politician who administers the
London colonial office.
In general" he remarked, after closing the
subject of Chamberlain, " 1t is noteworthy what
difference there Ia between the character and
conduct OF the Englishman in private life and
those of the Englishman in politics. The Eng
lishman in private life Is respectable and trust
worthy. To give him the lie is the worst insult
you can offer him. As politician and diplo-
matist, however, he is at the other extreme.
English diplomacy lacks in every respect the
characteristics of English private life. Its most
striking characteristic is its hypocrisy. 1t uses
oil the means which the individual despses.
"In France. OF course they have not been
always very choice OF the means they adopted
to a diplomatic end for instance, in their policy
toward weak tribes and peoples abroad they
have been as cruel and brutal as the English;
violence and treachery have been part of their
policy now and then, just with the English.
However, nobody can contend that French
diplomacy is SO, permeated with incredible
hypocrisy and perhdy as is the English.
Bismarck 81 ems to think that the Turks are
comparatively respectable. He called them re-
rest of the people in their part Of the world he
described as more or less demorallzea ana
politically untrustworthy:
Returning to the subject OF central European
politics the Prince said:
{" 1t makes me sad when I see things going
badly tor us, but cannot do anything. At al
events. l ind it pleasant now and then. when l
read OF this or that complication to think am
"Of course it would be impossible for me to
give advice in most cases. supposing / was
asked togve it. because would not be able to
watch officially over the execution of IL. Poll
tics is more art than science; 1t can not be
| taught; man must be born to ii. The best ad-
vice amounts TO nothing If 1t is not carried out
properly to iii the circumstances. II is the same
as IN riding. Call out to a man on horseback
got it in hm and if he doesn't suit your advice
to the horse he RIDES, you VIII see the horse get
Referring TO the Russo-German neutrality
treaty. which existed contemporanr rously with
the Triple Alliance, the old Ch .nceI;or stid:
"Of course II was Compicated-all politics are
| complicated. for that matter The old Emperor
used to say to me occasionally:
! "'Whcw! would not care to be in your skin.
| Sometimes you seem 10 me like the rider who,
while sitting his horse. tosses and catches five
balls without letting one of them fall. y
|
| two weeks ago with visitor, most persons
would like to hear more about. 1t was the readi.
| ness OF German postal officials to surrender to
! the Government any letters which il might call
| for. " In view of certain recent occurrences
| is the phrase with which the Bismarck rem.
! iniscences are introduced. but the writer did not
venture to state Just what liberties Emperor
| Williams Government had been allowing
| itself with other persons letters. Under
| the administration of Philippsborn. prede
ccssor Of tho late Stephan. Bismarck said ii
was perhaps possible, now ami then. for
| the Government to get. demand, the
! letters it desired from the mails. Under Stephan
| IL much more difficult 10 get private letters
| These remarks by Bismarck give some food fol-
reflection when one recalls that Emperor VII
partment Won Podbielski. a, retired General
whose Prussian sense of loyalty dictate| abso.
| Lutte obedience to the royal and imperial Com
| mander-i in. Chief.
The whole thing was done very neatly in the
! days of the old Thurn and TaNis post said
| for such work; with several practiced official:
| representing the different German governments
One would melt the seals with hot knife. an
| other would steam the envelopes made fast
| with paste; third would open the envelope; a
fourth would copy from the letters any extract.
| that were needed, and a fifth would close tht
| envelopes again..
| The amount Of drauRht necessary to start hi
| big pipe has become a cause of pain to the ole
| Chancellor. The exertion aggravates his neu
| ralRia, as anybody who has sucked smoke
through three feet of Wechselholz and china
| can well understand
| when the thing is once lighted am ali
| right" explained the Prince; but the lighting
| and the hard putting start my neuralgia regu
| larly. Generally my grandsons and my son.in
law help me out. Now they are not here, my
lovely neighbor the Baroness Merck, Is kind
| enough n do IL for M