The Dickinson press., 1898-08-27


BISMARCK'S HUMOR.
SIDE OF THE PRINCES PERSONALITY
SELDOM TOUCHED UPON.
h Humor Wa b Result Of Great II.
telleos-A View Of Napolson Uaiqul
onsr to nlustrass-Diplomaoy In Gard
Playipg-His Resort TO Sarcasm.
It is n Of the Characterization Of the
Germans that they expect their national
heroes to develop a pronounced humor.
GUS vein. For instance, a figure 60 abso.
lutely barren Of humor as that Of the
first Napoleon could never have become
popular in Germany even il he had
been to the manner born. The humorous
traits Of men like Luther and Frederick
the Great became generally known
quickly and were better comprehended
and liked than their real achievements.
Particularly in the case Of the late
Prince Bismarck was humor a strong
element of his popularity.
1t is characteristic in this connection
that the humorous Bismarck figure al
typified by the Kladderadatsch-a sort
Of German Puck published in Berlin
was the first popular Bismarck type.
And now, since the founder Of the new
German empire has beeHA called hence,
and since much Of what was stern and
almost forbidding in this giant Of his.
tory has been softened by retrospect, II
may MT be amiss to consider a side Of
his character which has been touched
upon comparatively seldom. Bismarck's
humor, in the first place, was not a
matter Of sentiment, but Of sense; more
correctly stated. it was the result Of a
great intellect.
Bismarck's humor was probably 60
sharply pronounced because it rooted
In the mans home surroundings and in
practical life. After the achievements
Of 1866 Bismarck characterized the
"Prussians by force the MUS Preps-
gen.. as a flannel garment which may
be disagreeable when first worn, but
which soon becomes comfortable and
Indispensable. This, homely smile will
readily be comprehended by every one
who has ever worn flannel next to the
akin.
Being the bunker, j" the feudal land.
ed proprietor par excellence, Bismarck
was always ready to make use Of
information and knowledge CLEANED in
agriculture for his humorous remarks.
A we'll known radical representative in
the reiohstag who continually harped
upon Bismarok's medieval and feudal
views on the internal affairs of the
state was promptly silenced. by the
comparison to a poor school rider upon
q tired pillow mare, and another member
Of the opposition, who had more useless
theoretical views than practical appli-
cation, was dubbed "a watering pot for
useless phraseology."
But Bismarck had another and deeper
source for his humor. His literary
knowledge. while it can scarcely be said
to have been Of a universal character,
was profound in the realm Of the inn
mortal Shakespeare. Goethe and schil-
ler. When he first met the king after
the settlement Of the Sleswick.H olstein
affair, he proposed to greet him like
the s%alutation of the witches to. Mac
beth, "Hail, thee, thane Of Lauenburg
hail, thee, thane Of Kiel; hail, thee,
thane Of Sleswick.
Napoleon III Jared badly at the. hands
OF Bismarok's wit. He whom common
report depicted as a deep and sphinxlike
imperator was briefly styled ignorant
and sentimental.
When as a student in Gottingen he
offered to illustrate to the university
| judge the throwing Of a bottle out of q
window at a carhouse by Selling The
heavy inkstand to hurl it at the exam
liner, he showed as much sense Of his
superiority as when he said Of the
French: "You may administer a sound
t%hrashing to him if you only at the
same time make a nice speech to him d
liberty and of the dignity of the nation.
He will imagine that he is not being
licked" Bismarck frequently saved diff.
ficult situations by keeping his most
drastic humor at play.
His action at a game Of quinze dur.
ing the treaty negotiations with Count
Blome, the Danish ambassador, at Gas.
tein has become historic. Bismarck
himself was but a poor hand at cards,
but on this occasion he played reckless
~. He had heard that the Danish dip
lomat had claimed that the nature of .
man could be judged from his attitude
at quinze, and Bismarck rapidly LOS
several hundred dollars. His adversar,
promptly came to the conclusion tina,
the Prussian minister, was a reckless
man, who would not be trif1ed with
and he did agree to the treaty proposed
by Bismarck. IT lost q few hundred
dollars and won two dukedoms," wa.
all the latter said when he related til,
incident.
This "humor militans, " 80 to speak
stood Bismarck in good stead when b,
succeeded Count Won Rochow as Prus
sian ambassador to the old German fed
eral diet. Count Won Hohenstein, th,
Austrian ambassador and the presiding
genius Of the august body, was the onl.
one Of its members who smoked durin,
the deliberations. Bismarck at once fol
lowed suit. "The immediate result
was" he himself once said, ''that ever.
member smoked, even poor Count Beust
the Sa1onian minister, though the frs
few pulls at q cigar always made hin
deadly sick. However, he thought 4
due his royal master not to give in t
Prussia. It broke the 'hegemony' Q
Austria in the federal diet and subse
quently in the German empire"
Humor dangerously akin to bitin
sarcasm was always at the prompt dis
posal Of Bismarck. When Jules Faure
startled at the amount Of war indemn1
ty asked from France-5,000, 900, 90
hanos-exclaimed, "The sum is so tn
mendous n could not count 1t even
one would start at the birth of Christ,