The times., 1898-12-25
nls,nar.k.s Auaobio~r.


work. begun by the great chancellor Eve
six years ago. Lothar Bucher, the his
torian and dipiomatist, who was an in
mate of Bismarcks household for a great
part of the time after the latter's resig-
nation. had much 10 do with the early
drafts of his work. which were written
frcm the princes dictation. The Re
Elections and "reminiscences We're private
ly printed as early as 1898. Bismarck thee,
went over this printed copy two or three
times verifying and correcting II, and
whole chapters Were entirely recast eyen
within the last two years 1t has been
Translated under the supervision of A. j.
Butler. late. Fellow OF Trinity College.
Cambridge. and in the present English
simie Of handwriting. One of the por-
traits is from drawing made in 1884. the
other from n photograph of Won Lea
bach's painting The contrast between
the two is at first sight tremendous. The
earlier portrait shows young man with
waving hair and somewhat dreamy ex-
preston: the later one gives the familiar
features Of the helmeted head OF the old
war wolf Of United Germany, the ''man
of blood and iron" Yet on closer exami-
nation, there is not SO much difference
The profile is unchanged All that has
been altered is the setting.
There have been many character studies
Of Bismarck. hut the one which he has
here given Us of himself is probably the
hest that ever WAS or ever Will be printed.
His absolute frankness in regard to ms
own convictions. opinions and actions in
this volume OF "reminiscences carries out
his well-known diplomatic policy of tel
ing the truth wherever and whenever ne
chose. There is nothing which this man
cares to hide: nothing which it is worth
his while to conceal lie is Bismarck: that
is enough. He does not care what anyone
thinks of his behavior. There are as many
first personal pronouns 10 paragraph
in this book as IN one of Roosevelt 5
speeches. because the writer does not con-
Germ himself about trifies like that. Bis
marck knew perfectly well that in the
story he told he was the central figure.
and he did not take any trouble to dis
guise the fact that he knew 1t. Hence
the sublime and serene egotism OF the
narrative There is no particular huinii-
itv about 1t, either real or pretended, ex-
cent where II touches Cne point-that Is
ROYALTY. When It comes to ruling SOW
ereign- Bismarck Is as humble and as ue-
voted a servant ss any lodge Keeper or
an English estate. His reverence loT his
master" as he calls the old emperor
not a matter OF conviction atone pu, "
.onviction mingled with traditional 10y
~, md inbred instinct. That sentiment
&c something with which ne could not par
and still he Bismarck. He says toware
the end of the book, speaking OF the EN-
peror: ;.
lie v,s one Of rho.e fgiires prineely alike II
so,,l and body. whose qualities belong more 10 IN
heart than TO the matchmaking, ana eApia.' "a.
the life-and-deain devotion OF their ssINsn.s CO. @
adberen,s which appears rex and then IN the "sl
man character The extent OF monafchicai W us
yoticn Is not Identical as regards every Plitee '
il makes difference whether the iimlt i "a"
by political understanding or by ieeHhs,, !,
cssr,sir- measure Of devotion IS determined D.
the laws a still greater by political conviction
anything beyond that requires persona leeilii
of reciprocity, and this 1t IS which pllngs
about that loyal masters have loyal se.vah;
whose devotion extend beyond that whica
required for public considerations. II Is p
cniiarity OF royslisu feeling that anyene WI
il moved by it does not cease TO teei himsel
the servant OF the monarch, even when he Is coz
scicus that he influences the decisions oi "a
King. He had the true kingly feeling
no; only was the possession OF po"eIIui I'l
respected servant not di.agreeable TO him, bti
the thought was eleyating one to him.
suy irrT glIia. titles in a ruler WHO showed M
confidence and good will to such degree q ~
William / should be for NE OF the nature
Wis major which it was not for me TO resist
must look upon il as the weather. OF the sea; =
any natural event to which ] must accSmmodat
myself This impression rested on my personal ios
for the Emperor William l., not on my genera
conception Of the relation q king by the gfac
of God TO hI= servants T5ward him ! was nc
personally sensitive; he could treat me WIT
much Injustice without creating feelings of il
dignation in me- TIE feeling that i had Dee
insultea WAS one which | had toward him q
little as should have had in MY fathers hous'
Bismarck was simply medieval say
age transplanted from feudal age to tn
nineteenth century. He was an an
achronism. HIS ideas of right and wrong
of the state, of politics, of society. wer
all atayistic barking back to the days {
clans and chieftains of fortified frontier
and petty sovereignty. Happening on
time when feudalism had long disap
peared this man, who six hundred year
ago might have achieved fame as a lead
er in the crusades, became the unifier o
Germany. His field was considerable
wider than 1t might have been as peit
prince of the Middle Ages; but he wa
the same sort of man. In primegal ~
1t was not only a virtue but a necessit
for man to be loyal 10 his master. Thi
loyalty gave dukedoms and counties sol
idity. It had to be loyalty similar t
that of the son for the father but ia
exceeding that of the filial relation il
most families. 1t was in many cases I'm
thinking unreasoning, as instructive a
the worship of a dog for his master
This loyalty. along with the other e.e
ments Of the medieval character. wa
transplanted into the character OF Bis
narck. and he nailed his faith to the oil
anlv
of what a monarch should b., hut was az
tualiy ruler at the time. He determine
to accomplish the great task of so idify
ing Germany with the single-minded d
cision of a knight-errant: and he sue
ceeded because that was the only thin
he wanted to do. and because he wa
seeking, nots popular applause, who
always demands attention in several al!
ferent directions, but the approval of on
man-his master.
The task was perhaps as hard an
political undertaking that Bismarck coul
have chosen had he hunted all Europe fc
a problem 1t was made difficult by th
peculiarities of the German character an
the traditions of centuries. By curior
paradox the same circumstances whic
created the difficulties helped also to d'
stroy them. II there is one thing which
more noticeable in the German ctaracts
than any other thing it Is the power
concentration. 1t is almost impossible
eradicate notion from German brai
when 1t is once firmly fixed there. Oth'
men may fit from one branch of know
edge TO another. getting little wisdo
out of each: the German may select sin
worms. or stars, or midges, or moiecule
or the laws of psychology as his branch {
study. but he means 10 know all abol
that one thing before he goes on to an!
thing else: and as almost any subject HI
a great number of different phases II fo
lows that the variations of character