The times., 1898-07-31

Kulturkampf, the chancellor was fairly
beaten. although, as was not by any means
! the first time, he put the blame of is on
| his minister Falk, who fra med the acts
relating to religious education in Germany.
Bismarck, in the great struggle fetween
church and state, had tried to crush out
religious education as distinguished from
secular education. and to bis end several
acts which placed the Catholics under
peculiar disabilities Were passed and IN
rorceI. The Pope, however. refused To
enter tEc argument on anything like
level ground He opposed Bismarck's
blood and iron" policy a temper so
different that the teiligerent chancellor
found nothing at which To strike One
ma wieid the battIe-axe OF King Richard
without being able to demolish a led OF
down. The POpe's will was as 70 BismaTck's
''as feathers To steel, but the weight was
there" The only other person By whom
Bismarck was ever outgsneraled was
DIsraei. and of this he has been wont
to say with bluff cynicism not unmixed
with genuine admiration that il was no
diseredit to any man to be outwitted by
Jew. because that was a matter of
course.
The breach between the present
Emperor and the iron-nerved chan
celier was one of temperament and
feeling rather than of any definite
policy; but the immediate occasion
OF II was the reception by Bismarck
OF several members of the Reiehstag az his
house. The iIDpetuous and youthful SOW
ereign took this as an unwarranta bic viola
ton or bis authority, and the veteran
statesman, epigrammatic ever, calmly
answered, My sovereigns authority ends
at the door OF my wire's dra wing-room.'
On the occasion of his leaving Berlin, the
29th Of March, 1890, the ex-chanceiIor
received, as he ironically remarked, "a
first-class funeral The deInOnstra tions
Unpopular regret Were such as, perhaps. no
other man in the empire chOuld have
ssOked- Bismarck lived in sort or semi
public retirement for some time. having
his say about public affairs on every
Occasion. and became in course of time
recorded with the Kaiser
Since Prince Bismarck ceased TO be an
active figure in interna tionai politics, his
personality has not attracted the popular
notice in this country that IL was
wont 10 in the days of his chancellor
ship, still there has never been a ques-
ton involving the commercial or other
relations of the empire and the United
States that has not received his atten-
tion, nor in connection with which his
utterances have not been awaited and
noted with great interest. AS long as
the state of his health allowed Of such
a possibility. it was always thought that
he might some day return to power and
this was an additional reason why his
views were sought and awaited with
anxiety upon every international ques-
ton.
At the present time il is chiefly worth
remembering by Americans that the de-
parted great man took the iveIiest inter-
est in the Spanish-American war and that
his views in connection with il have been
strong and marked by the exeusably but
proudly selfish Teutonism. which has been
the keynote OF his career. as well as OF
its magnificent success. Prince Bismarck
never viewed the industrial growth and
threatened supremacy of the United
States with entire equanimity. To a
man of his temperament and caliber a
rival was always an enemy until he had
been crushed and rendered helpless Yet
he recognized. and in his stern way. adj
mired the strength OF the young repabSfc1 ~
nevertheless often expressing the wish
that Europe could unite 10 check its
manufacturing and commercial progress
As 10 our difficulty with Spain. he always
counseled abstentiOn from Interference.
believing that it was not worth while 10
insult and assault a good and wealthy
customer and business correspondents for
the benefit Of nOn-purchaser who was
also a hopeless bankrupt
In his private life the prince was capa-
bic of warm and enduring friendships
Moved by mis- iron sense of first duty 10
the fatherland. in his capacity of states
man and national leader. he was often re-
lentlessIy cruel and as far as appear
ances went, heartless. But he was a man
with mission. and from his own point
of view il did not admit OF sentiment or
consideration for the good or III Of indi-
vidual men.
He died as he lived. the great. strong
hero of the German empire in the nine-
teeath century. He was spared to- see
the fruition Of his early dream He lin
gered on the stage for years 10 witness
the greatness of the united Germany he
created. He lasted almost 10 the end of
the century OF which he was one % the
most conspicuous and heroic figures The
man who can make one of the most pow
erful nations Of earth out Of the nebulae
of petty and mutually jealous states does
not often appear on this planet. When
he does. history cannot forget him.
though turned 10 dust for untold ages
The name and fame of Bismarck will be
81 eternal as the existence or memory
of European civilization