The Mena star., 1898-08-03

ments in the princess condition the public accepted the physicians asser- tion when he said there was no reason why Bismarck should not reach the age of 90 years
 Career of the Noted Statesman.
 Prince Bismarck or to give his full name and title, Prince Ot.o Eduard Leopold von Bismarck -Sehoenhausen, was born April f. 1915, on the knights estate of Schoenhausen near Stendal, in Prussian Saxony. He came of an old family of the lower order of Prussian nobility Several of hls parental ancestors were distinguished as soldiers and statesmen. From his father, retired officer and coun- try gentleman. Bismarck inherited strong love for country and family life-a trait which we sec woven in and Gus through his career A year after his birth his father moved to one of his estates near Stettin. in Pomerania, and 1t was there that he got his first imprs ssion of life In is32 when l7 years old. he matrcu- lated as student at the University of Goettingen His career at the university appears to have been that of the traditional German student One of his professors said that h. never saw him in his class room He rode, he drank, he fought, he faunt ths eolors of his corps, got himself up in gay jacket. monkey cap end top boots Twenty -efght duels recorded against him In July. lst7. he married Johanna von Putt kaner To the couple three children were 
 two sons Herbert, who married Countess Marie Hoyos of Vienna. and Wilhelm, who strongly resembles his father The princess died November 27 1894
 When the revolution of l84s swept over Eu- rope Bismarck rallied to the support or his sovereign His frs. political stand was taken undoubtedly from blind caste of prejudice What he saw was his beloved country sucked into torrent and he believed her safer in the hands of wisely guarded despotism than in a many-headed democracy. To him the ballot box was only the dice box" In 1851 he was sent as representative of Prussia to the diet Of Frankfort He became disgusted at his treatment by Austras young emperor and 1t was thought prudent to send him as am bassador to St Petersburg. He remained here fin the cold" or, as he put It. upon ice like champagne, until wanted" That time came in 1S6l when the death of Frederick Wilhelm " placed his brother upon the throne of Prussia as Wilhelm l. Bismarck was called upon to take the onsr- ous part of minister president with the port folio of foreign secretary. It was then that really began his great career an European statesman. His first undertaking as premier was to carry through tue army reorganization measure Of his king in the teeth of a power ful majority It was a four years strug- gle. The first foreign knot to be united was the Schleswig- Holstein question It re- suited in six months war; in which Austria uHu f-TuSSid, upon the pl6A or broken engage ments. attacked Denmark and wrested from her both duchies The trouble over the divi- sion led to the war of ls66 The decisive event Of the war was the battle of Koeniggraetz or Sadowa, which was fought July 9 l866 and was won by the Prussian forces King Wilhelm soon afterwards made his triumphal entry into Berlin, Bismarck by his side with the treaty of Prague in his pocket
 Bismarck devoted the years between iS66 and 1870 to the creation and consolidation of the North German confederation. Within this period fell the master stroke of his diplomacy While he knit together and formed the North German confederation he quietly formed with the South German states an alliance offensive and defensive He had allowed Napoleon to exercise some influence In negotiations in the character of mediator. but the French mon- arch lived 10 see in the Franco-Prussian war the troops of Bavaria and Wurtemberg march, ing with those of Prussia against Paris The story of 1870 need not be retold here. King William led his army across the Rhine and through the garden of lovely France toward Paris Victory followed victory, and what Irony of fate, the proclamation of the German empire was issued in the palace of Versailles
 One of the most important enterprises in which he engaged after the war was his cam- paign against the power of the Roman Catholic church in Germany He conceived that the unity of the nation and the authority of the government was endangered by the church of Rome a-d it's doctrines of papal in- fallibility A Utter struggle called the kulturkampf resulted with the vatican series Of laws. the Falk or May laws so-ealled, were passed. which were most stringent measures aimed against the Catholic hierarchy. The law closing monas- teries and convents was enforced with great strictness and thousands of men and women learned, but thoroughly unfamiliar with the ways of the world, or of any means of making living, were turned almost helpless out upon the world Afterwards however he modified some of the most oppressive of the anti-papal edicts.
 When Wilhelm l. died Bismarcks political opponents had much to hope from the attitude