Milford chronicle. [volume] (Milford, Del.) 1878-1974, 1901-08-09

lat Profitable Trade In
All the Grent Capitals.

Conspicuous in society in every great
capital of the wOrld-in Washington as
in ST. Petersburg, Paris or Nienna-there
are certain number of men and women,
foreigners of distinction, plying a strange
but profitable trade. They are the agents
of their respective governments. Off
cially they are not recognized as diplO-
matists by the country they serve, much
less by the country in which they live.
Yet they are doing diplomatists' work,
often for more. than diplOmatists' wages.
To make clear the nature of this peculiar
profession, says the New York Sun, take
the case of the original secret service
agent.
For many years after the Crimean war
nihilist refugees were received with open
arms in London drawing rooms. Eng
fish poets, like Swinburne, who was then
passionate republican, celebrated nihi-
list heroism in ringing verse. This dis
position raging all over England did not
by any means suit the book of the st.
! Petersburg cabinet. Heads were laid to-
gether in the Winter palace to consider
the situation. Soon after there arrived /
/ in London a Russian lady of great intel
/ lectual power and social charm, who
/ brought letters from grand dukes and
statesmen Of Russia opening to her the
most exclusive doors in England. This
was the famous Nine. NovikOff, who was
charged with the task of revolutiOnizing
English opinion toward Russia. She
| proved a great success and created the
profession of unofficial diplomacy out Of
which many Of her successors have made
fortunes
Today she is one Of the most skillful
manipulatOrs of newspaper opinion in
London. Journalists Of the serious order,
the men who write the important polit-
ical editorials, are unfailing at her recep-
tons They call to get from her what is
called in Fleet street the picturesque
strokes for their articles. And she sup
plies them so skillfully that often a VIC
lent anti-Russian comes away half con-
WINGED that the ear is a democrat. that
; Siberia is a paradise and that the process
of being knouted is little less uncomfort-
able than that Of taking a Turkish bath.
Besides influencing journalists, Nine. No
vikoff writes herself.
e To take another notable example: AS
the Beers have had DIR. Leyds to repre-
' sent them officially for years in Europe,
Y so, since the war broke out, the English
/ have had their unofficial agents striving
n TO undermine the doctors work. In Paris
Il there is a woman who has long been
o known to be acting. and for money, as an
% English agent in the dissemination Of the
II English view of the matter, and at the
= exposition peace conference every speak
10 er took it for granted that Yves GuyOt
e the editor of the Paris Steele. was acting
70 under the instructions of Downing street
n in his articles and public speeches. Hi,
was absolutely the only definitely pro
# English paper in Paris at that time an(
m he the only public man who defended tho
At English.
, Most of these unofficial diplOmatists ar,
p exceedingly well paid. They have to b.
i people Of very marked ability, and the!
~ | must maintain n considerable state o
10 their work would fail pitiably. Som
- five or six years ago n German baroness
~ died suddenly in Paris. When her pa
,o pers were ransacked by the commissar
n, of police, it was discovered that she ha
~ been a secret service agent for her coun
:, try. From her diary and account book
- it appeared that she had received frOI
her government 5000 a month. the rent G
a superb apartment on the Avenue Fried
~ land by the Arc de Triomphe and th
al keep of her two horse brOughum, beside
n generous travelling expenses whenever 81
% was requested to visit Berlin. In add
,s. ton there were noted also the receipts
isa sums varying from $500 to $500 enterC
he as special recompense, presumably f.
In some exceptionally brilliant stroke
". diplomacy or some more than usual
on valuable item of information. The di
IA closures attracted a great deal of ate
ton ut the time and practically force
nd ont of Paris society one lady's nephe'
vo. who had married the daughter of a due
v,a house.
Thus the business has its drawback
ros 1t is one Of the pleasantest of trades
re. long as things 90 well. but woe be to t
NJ unfortunate agent who gets found OF
I'D That means ruin and shame.