Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1898-08-05
BISMARCK rs NO MORE.

bISMAhCh 10 W. MOHH
"Princes aud Lords may perish or may fade,
A breath can make them as breath has
made"
Closely following the death OF Gladstone,
and obeying similarly natures memorable
law Of the limit of living, Bismarck passes
of the stage of European politics.
Cicero, when about TO speak Of Pompey,
congratulated himself that he had theme
SO crowded with ponderous associations that
he could not fail to interest his audience, for
the exploits of the great Roman transcribed
those Of the proudest names 10 imperial his
tory, and conferred increased spendor upon
the republic. As we come 10 write briefly
of this ponderous man let this be our In
spiration-for with his own pen he fastened
his own autobiography upon the brightest
and most startling pages Of the history oil
the world.
BY birth, influence, eminence and death
Gladstone and Bismarck are bracketed to-
gether and working equally powerful in
fiuences, though in opposed directions,
they remain associated by contrasts which
make both names greater. The measure oil
Gladstone's influence belongs TO history
which will deal with morality and ethics,
but Bismarck's history requires nothing to
complete it. The one lett influences, the
other left acts, and on his gravestone may
be written, 1.-THE German Empire" and his
tory will recognize his place of rest.
No man has lett so clearly defined his
effort 10 life. No man in history has done
30 much, and 30 nearly shrouded himself in
his work. To those who have personal re
collection of the French and German war,
he stands as an active factor with Moltke,
Kaiser Wilhelm and Unser Fritz. towering
above the giants by perceptible stature.
But when the story of the federation of the
German Empire is told in history that has
no local nor lurtve color, the real giant will
be Bismarck. II that were all he did he
might have lived TO see the fabric drop into
pieces in The weak hand that now attempts
to hold II. Perhaps his last days were EN-
FILTERED by that apprehension, but his work
was complete when he put the crown of an
Emperor on his King and gave him an en-
plre that was a fact, not bundle Of treaties
II has been said Of Bismarck that he was
a diplomat. II a diplomat is one working
TO results through the ordinary channels
which made Disraeli, that he was all Of it
and more. A diplomat may grasp inteli-
gently the relations Of powers and draft
letters which stir cabinets, may summon
fleets and mobolize armies and with threats
extort treaties. To Bismarck these were
the lrifes of trade which BY his skill he
lifted into the dignity of science. He
shifted the power of Europe from Catholic
TO Protestant centre. He took an imperial
sceptre from the weak hands OF the Ru-
dolph and put IL In the strong hands of a
Brandenberg and gave 1t new motto in
the words "bIood and iron" and to these
words a new significance by writing one
without the other.
Another master OF Europe has indicated
the way to success by the words Paudsce,
toujours raudace" Bismarck gave TO this
daring new quality, for TO audacity of &C
ton he also gave purpose and wisdom, and
TO none of these was lacking any factor
which advanced his race whether by arms
or policy. He breathed new life into his
people, and whatever the spirit of the Teu-
tonic race is to.day-however active and
potential Its genius, no one, not even Goethe
nor Schiller, has given it more activity than
Bismarck, who has passed to his last home
on earth