The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-01-30
RECENT PUBLICATIONS.
Bismarck's Autobiography, as Die
tated by Himself in His Later Years.

tated by Himself In His Later Years.
The title of the English version of this
work is somewhat misleading In the Ger
man it was styled "Gedanken und ERIN
nerungen," or Reflections and Reminis-
Cences by Bismarck" The title of the En-
glish version is Bismarck: The Man and
the Statesman; being the Reflections and
"reminiscences of Otto, Prince Won Bis
marck, Written and Dictated by Himself
after His Retirement from Office" Bis
marck would not have characterized his
autobiography as THE Man and the
Statesman" This however is not material
and does not touch the merits of the work.
Taken in connection with other biographies
of Bismarck, especially the recent one by
Morritz Busch, it does contribute in very
interesting way to a knowledge of the man
and the statesman. No autobiography is en-
tirely frank, as the author has it in his
power to suppress, leave out gloss over, or
magnify or color as he pleases, but there
must be enough of truth to make the auto
biographer's portrait of himself interesting.
One thing is certain: An photographer
never makes an unfavorable showing for
himself This one is the authors defense of
Lis public career as the chief servant of
William | and as the molder of the German
empire The story is told in an unostenta-
tiOuS style, and with conspicuous absence
OF sell praise, yet with Sucn skill as TO leave
the impression that Bismarck was from first
to last the master mind and dominant power
in the creation of the empire 1t goes with
out saying that the personal "reminiscences,
and, as one might say, confessions of
statesman who reconstructed Europe, must
contain a great deal of historic as well as
personal interest. and in this case, while
Bismarck does not pose as great man.
one easily recognizes that he is. and that he
knew it. The book differs from most auto
biographies in that it makes no reference to
the authors ancestry. pedigree, birth,
childhood early training. The opening
sentence of the first volume is: Il left school
a Easter, 1892 normal product of our state
system of educatiOn pantheiSt and, If not
that the republic was the most natural
form of government " At this time Bis
marck was seventeen years old. His uni
VerSity life is barely referred to- his study
end early practice of law are passed over
hurriediy, and his entrance into politics Is
tive, which, thence on, moves with steady
and powerful current to a definite concu-
slon The world knows well enough what
the ruling ambition, the consuming desire of
Bismarck's public life was and how ten
acously he adhered to it, The story of its
in a great way. 1t is interesting from be-
ginning to end, and is illustrated and en-
livened by many side lights and personal
revelations Detached extracts would not
give an adequate idea of a work which en-
braces two large volumes and covers the
period from Bismarck's entrance into pub
lie life to his retirement, the text having
work of translation from the German, under
the supervision of Prof A. j. Butler, of
England. SENS to have been exceptionally
well done. Harper & Brothers.