The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1898-06-28
BISMARCK'S
DAILY LIFE
From the New York Evening Post.


He has always been late sriser and OF
late. owing TO inability TO sleep until late
at night, he often does not ges up until il
O'Clock and later. Then he takes warm
bath in little room adjoining his bed
room, whereupon he sits down to a solitary
breakfast. The table then is covered with
his assorted mail. and ne is apt to linger
over Nc for an hour or two. Bismarcks
appetite and digestion have remained rather
good, although he is more careful now in
his food, eschews Coffee tea and other ex-
citants, and exercises much more care than
formerly in the matter of liquids. His
breakfast consists of steak, mutton chops,
toast. fresh boiled eggs. rolls. honey, fruit
in season, etc. and he often eats a pound
of meat at this meal, mpnching it leisurely.
and fumbling all the time the printed mat
ter before him.
When the weather is fine. and his health
permits it. Bismarck likes to take ride
in the early hours of the afternoon and the
large and beautiful forest that stretches
far away on his estate. the Sachsenwald.
with the sawpill on its edge, is then fire.
quently the objective point This spring.
however Bismar rex has not been able to do
this, except four or five times, and then
only for brief spell. Ii is an event of
the while of Friedr.chsruhe when the prin
goes out for a ride, The whole population
assembling at the principal gate of his
park to see him off and to cheer, even the
uniformed stationmaster being among the
crowd. Bismarck has to the full the dis
tinctive love of the German for the forest,
and nothing gives him greater pleasure than
a drix he foI alxr
and frs and elms of the big forest that
forms a major part of the estate of Fried
richsruhe. Nesting in the shadow of the
west wall of his park the cottages of
a number of his more trustworthy and
faithful workmen and retainers, and these
look, indeed, quite pretty and inviting, with
their lace curtains and potted flowers on
the window sills But the larger part of
his mill men are by no means of dyllic
disposition. and several times there have
been strikes among them. 1t is, in fact,
stated on local authority that the ma
jority of his mill men are socialists and
THAT they will vote the blood-red ticket Of
! Bebel's choice on June 16.
As this is great annoyance to Bismarck.
he has vainly tried to GUST the "Krakeh-
ler,'' as he calls them, and to replace them
by more peaceful and reliable men, But
how much he appreciates the decent, quiet
toiler in his employ he showed in
January last, when one of his mill hands,
the father of large family, had twins born
to him. Although he himself was by no
means in good health, he not only sent
beautiful presents to the mans cottage, but
became himself the godfather of these two
at the christening a fortnight later.
Dinner at 6 is the principal meal of the
day at Frledrichsruhe, and this Bismarck
still loves to make an enjoyable occasiop
for everybody about the house. himself in-
Guided. 1t is then that he unbends and
thaws out, and though Schweinger has fors
hidden undue excitement and guests have
become very scarce at Friedrcbsruhe, and
though the deep rotations which Bismarck
loved formerly are thing of the past, and
a good many, too, Oh his favorite dishes
are now tabooed by order of the physician,
dinner is still the pleasantest hour for him
even today. When he feels at all well he
will then enjoy spirited table talk about
current topics, art, but, above all, politics
and cognate subjects. Sometimes too, he
has an item of interest that has escaped
him read by his daughter. Coutess Marie,
Rantzau, or DR.. Chrysander, and the gos-
sip of Friedrichsruhe, or in fact, any other
kind of gossip, 50 1T be bright and inspirit-
ing, finds ready listener in him then. One
anecdote told by one of those present I'M
variably starts Bismarck off in the same
line anc his marvellous gift as a finished
reconteur and table orator has remained
intact with him to this late day. His voice.
which for so gigantic a body and so capa-
cious chest as his has been all through
his life, rather thin and high pitched, tends
itself, nevertheless admirably to each
story telling at meal time, and the whole
table is often convulsed with laughter at his
tales and "reminiscences, the effect of which
is heightened by his gifts as an imitator of
voices.
Among Bismarcks sorrows hot the least
is the fact that his faithful Eckard,'
Schweninger, has once and for all forbidden
him to drink more than one single glass
of Moselle wine at dinner, more than
two glasses of his beloved Munich beer
after supper. Generally speaking, this :
peremptory order is conscientiousiy obeyed
by Bismarck, but his daughter looks after
this as after most of her fathers bodily
needs; but once in while, even today, Bis
marck will have his own way. This hap
pened on a festive occasion early last Will
ter when the prince was feeling unusually
strong and lively. On that occasion, as he
afterward laughingly and rather proudly
told Count Waldersee during a visit the lat
he drank not less than five bottles of Mo-
selle wine that day, and topped them off
in the evening with several big mugfus
of Munich beer How that feat agreed
with him. was unable to learn, but Pro-
fessoor Schweninger, who heard 1T through
that very friend, wisely abstained from
maintaining the matter to his patient.