, 1898-08-01

w. thS a
royal residence, an hours ride from Ber-
lin. where after 1883 he went into the
messroom among his fellow guards.
His fathers estates were falling to
ruin. and he undertook to hear agricul-
tural lectures. The IONS took charge of
their parents estates in order to save
them from destruction. He went into
the provincial diet of Pomerania at Stet-
tin. but got tired of its monotony. AS
an ag~ricultnrist, however, he showed
some vigor and was a rather severe en-
ployer. yet after II hard days supervi-
sion he would get on his horse and ride
10 miles to some evening assembly in a
town. He was moody at times from the
want of real domestic life, and some
called him mad Bismarck"
Sometimes. tortured by dark thoughts,
he would dash through the fields in soil
tude and again bring in a loud com
pany and make a night of it, so that tales
were told of him as if he were some
haunted spirit. Sometimes he appeared
to be u Liberal in politics. In this coun-
try solitude at Kniephof, near the Baltic,
however, he read much in every direc-
tion-theology and philosophy as well as
history. He studied Spinoza deeply, Wis
tied France and England and had a re-
markable impudence with his official su-
periors. The DID ialher died in 1915, and
the sons divided the property, and Bis
marck kept Kniephof and Schoenhausen.
We must understand that Prussia had
undergone IL complete transformation in
the early part of the present century,
when she recklessly attacked Napoleon
and was overrun by him in one brief
campaign. He imposed upon her CON
ditions of the hardest character. Her
western provinces were absorbed i'll one
of his experimental kingdoms, and her
army was compelled to be kept at Il low
standard. Two remarkable men, Stein
and Scharnhorst, undertook to keep these
conditions and yet raise Prussia to her
former military rank. They therefore
compelled the whole population to be a
certain period under arms, and this was
the commencement of the great military
system of Prussia, and Bismarck's first
prominence in politics was in c%ontending
against the taxpayers who would not
allow the army to be kept mp to an ex-
%travagant standard at their expense,
while he meditated recreating Germany
by driving Austria out of it and console
dating the smaller states, which after the
| close of the French revolution governed
the diet at Frankfort, which was some
what like a weak congress in the United
| States.
In short. throughout Germany, until
Bismarck reformed it, there was some
thing like states rights, with a diet or
congress at Frankfort, in which Austria
and Prussia were the two great rivals,
to be compared to Virginia and New
York in the story of the United States.
1t may also be explained that Ger
many was peculiar among the nations Of
Europe after the conquest of the Roman
empire by the Germans whose different
tribes and leaders formed nearly every
kingdom in Europe. France pulled away
from the empire of Charlemagne and left
Germany to become the representative Of
the old Roman empire. The German en-
perors were also called kings of Rome
and after being elected in Il peculiar way
generally Went to Rome at their convent
ence to be crowned by the pope.
ALho iilASu iiillttl dId sIl1lltal
empire existed north of the Alps until
the time of Luther, when the minor
princes, feeling the popular inspiration
against so much Italian interference in
Germany, went into revolt. Prussia
was the especial country of Luther and
remained Protestant and was not much
affected, like other parts of Germany and
all France, by the Calvinistic second ref
6rmation.
A rather compact church was formed
in Germany, something like the Estab-
lished church of England, and this ac-
counts or the Lutheran priests every
where having such close control ovef
their congregations and schools. Luther
is regarded in Germany us the founder
of the literature, the common language
and the popular common sense and indie
pendence of the land. OF all these
things, in n certain way, Bismarck was
the old Tory representative, just as in
England the ultra advocates of the crown
were sticklers for the crowns religion.
1t was Bismarck's work to drive Aus
tria, the preponderating state, entirely
out of Germany and make Prussia the
ueW anu Ouly faustih, anu " dpsoLD
several of the states Extensively partisan
for Austria, and to reconstitute Germany
as she now stands, with Bavaria. Sax
ony, Baden. etc, accessory but obedient
kingdoms, all under the same military
autonomy.
He used, to involve and assail Austria.
the popular hostility to little Denmark.
The Danes owned Schleswig-H olstein, a
German fraternity, and were trying to
abolish the Germany language in the
laws and university. The little German
states made q great outcry at this, and
the two big German states had to rival
each other in going to Schleswig-Hol-
STEMS assistance.
In 1S42 Bismarck rescued his drown
ing servant in the public sight at great
peril to his own life and received for it
his first decoration, which he still wears
amid prouder stars, the Prussian safety
medal. He was u good while lieutenant
in the Uhlans and owned a mad chest
nut charger named Caleb.
He fell in love with his wife, Johanna
Won Puttkamer. while in the army.
Her father and mother both opposed the
marriage, but gave in before the young
woman's tears. They were married July
%, 1847. after Bismarck was 80 years
| old. She war net %. She saw him first
In his uniform.
Upon their wedding trip King Will
liam ~ of Prussia was at tho hotel in
Venice and commanded the groom to
dine with him. which he did in a Dor