Middletown transcript., 1898-08-06

mother was handsome and socially in
Auential. She was bad manager, how
ever, and spent too much money at the
summer watering places. She much de
sired Otto to become diplomatist.
In 1874 from the side of this father
Bismarck wrote to his sister: 81 live here
with father, reading, smoking, walking,
helping him eat 1ampreys and joining in
farce called fox hunting We go out
in the pouring rain or frost with three
servants, surround an old bush In a
sportsmanlike way, silent as the grave,
and the servants make the most prodi-
gious noise, while father stands perfectly
stock still, his rifle out, just as if he fully
expected some beast. Father asks me
in the coolest manner if have not seen
something, and | reply with the most
natural astonishment, Nothing in the
world Then growing at the rain we
start for another bush, find nothing and
play the farce over again. This goes on
for three or four hours without father
being in the least tired"
The tall young country squire was con-
frmed in his church at Berlin in 1880.
He was spoiled boy and early left his IA
ther's roof. He now and then went home,
taking the stage at Berlin in the evening
and getting to Stettin at noon the next
/ day, and by the third day he would reach
Kniephof and have his holiday Of three
weeks At school he loved the history of
his native country, Brandenburg, Prus-
sia and Germany, and his historical at
tainments were ever eminent. He was
not very good in Latin, but departed for
the University of Goettingen at II years
o age thin, graceful bov, quite tall
He is said not to have been very ami
mated and had rather blank but observ-
ant eyes, but was determined and en-
during. All persons had to approach
him with consideration. He loved dogs,
had strong memory and was first
class horseman, could swim, fence and
dance, but did not like athletics.
At Goettingen one of his college mates
was Motley, the American historian, who
was minister at London just after Bis
marck Inundated Austria. His mother
refused to send him to Heidelberg be-
cause she thought he would get the de-
testable habit of drinking beer there.
Before he left Berlin he had fought a
duel with a Jew lad named Wolf and
cut of VOLTS spectacles and received
wipe in the leg.
He was a jolly student and travelled
through the Harz mountains on foot,
and for throwing bottle out through
window after breakfast was summoned
before the faculty and came in with his
enormous dog, which caused him to be
fined thalers. He fought about 20
duels at Goettingen and was wounded
only once, showing the scar on his cheek.
He is said never to have attended lee
ture, rather displeased his fastidious
mother, yet he passed his examination
by natural gifts. He was full of hard
pranks.
At 20 he was made notary or exam
iner in Berlin and had much to do with
getting divorces. At court ball he met
his future master and king, who was
struck with his tall form and grim coun-
tenance. Justice" said Prince Will
liam, ''must seek her advocates accord
ing to their height in the guards" A
favorite cousin once gave him letter to
deliver, which he forgot, and when he
returned it to her in three weeks he said,
81 did not deliver this in order to entire
ly cure my cousin of the habit of intrust-
ing me with letters" Sometimes he
would let parcel of young foxes into
the drawing room.
A man of exalted spirits, to whom the
dry, common life of Prussia was insult
fcient, Bismarck was sure to attain dis
tinction only in some irregular, perhaps
oYerbearing, way. He was all the time
getting ready to be diplomatist, as his
mother desired, and for that reason went
to Aix-la-C -Chapelle, in the western section
of Prussia, where there was a special
court, but this was bathing resort, and
Bismarck fell in with French, Belgians
and Englishmen and went with them
on excursions everywhere. His first rate |
English made him favorite with the |
young men of that nation, but he got |
into many scrapes and consequently had |
himself transferred to Potsdam, the old |
royal residence. an hours ride from Ber- |
lin. where after 1888 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 sons 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 agriculturist, however, he showed |
some vigor and was rather severe en-
ployer. yet after 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 soli-
tude and again bring in loud COM
pany and make night of it, so that tales
were told of him as if he were some
haunted spirit. Sometimes he appeared
to be Liberal in politics. In this coun-
try solitude at Kniephof, near the Baltic,
however, he read much in every direc-
and philosophy as well as
history He studied Spinoza deeply, Wis
ted France and England England s;asiatdi s;asiatdi had
markable i1npudence with his official su-
periors. The old father died in 1845, and
The sons divided the property, and Bis
narck kept Kniephof and Schoenhausen.
We must understand that Prussia had
Undergone complete transformation in
he early part of the present century,
when she recklcssly attacked Napoleon
md was overrun by him in one brief
He imposed upon her con-
litions of the hardest character. Her
western provinces were absorbed in one
If his experimental kingdoms, and her
lrmy was compelled to be kept at low
standard. Two remarkable men, Stein
md Scharnhorst, undertook to keep these
conditions and yet raise Prussia to her
ormer military rank. They therefore
the whole population to be
ertain period under arms, and this was
he commencement of the great military
ystem of Prussia, and Bismarck's first
,rominerce il politics was in contending
gainst the taxpayers who would not
low the army to be kept up to an ex-
ravagant standard at their expense,