The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-08-24
AN AMBASSADORS TRIALS.
Some Experiences of the Hon. An.
 drew D. White In Germany.

From Chapters From My Life" in Gen.
 tury
 It has sometimes seemed to me while doing duty at the German capi- tai in those days as minister, and at more recent period as ambassador, that l could not enter my office without meeting some vexatious case. One day 1t was an American who, having thought that patriotism required him in crowded railway carriage loudly to denounce Germany, the German people and the imperial government, h. passed the night m guard house: another day it was one who, feeling called upon, in a resta aurant, to pro- clain very loudly and grossly his un- favorable opinion of the emperor, was arrested; on still another occasion it was one of our fellow citizens who, having thought that he ought to be married in Berlin as easily as in New York, had found himself entangled in a network of regulations, prescriptions and prohibitions.
 Of the latter sort there were in my time several curious cases. One morn ing man came rushing into the lega- tion in high excitement, exclaiming: 'Mr Minister, 1 am in the worst fix tfat any decent man was ever in. want you to help me out of it!" And he then went on with a bitter tirade against everybody and everything in the German empire. When his wrath had effervesced somewhat he stated his case as follows: Last year, while trav- cling through Germany, fell in love with a young German lady, and after my return to America became engaged to her. l have now come for my bride. The wedding is fixed fer next Thurs day; our steamer passages are taken a day or two later, and find that the authorities will not allow me to marry unless 1 present a multitude of papers sucn as l never dreamed of! Some of them it will take months to get and some l can never get. My intended bride is in distress, her family evident ly distrust me; the wedding is post poned indefinitely, and my business partner is cabling me lo come back to America as soon as possible. I am asked for a baptismal certifcate-a tautschein. Now, so fa- as I know, l was never baptized. I am required to present certificate showing the con sont of my parents to my marriage-I, man 30 years old and in a large bus mess of my own! 1 am asked to give bonds for the payment of my debts in Germany 1 owe no such debts, but know no one who will give such a bond. I am notified that the banns must be published a certain number O. times before the wedding What kind of a country is this, anyhow"
 We did the best we could. In an interview with the minister of public worship I was able to secure a dis pensation from the publishing of the banns; then a bond was drawn up, which I signed and thus settled the question regarding possible debts in .ermany As to the baptismal cer tincate, I ordered inscribed, on the largest possible sheet of official paper, the gentleman's affidavit that, in the state of Ohio, where he was born, no taufschein, or baptismal certificate was required at the time of his birth, and to this was affixed with plenty of wax the largest seal of the legation The form of the affidavit may be judged peculiar; but it was thought best not to strike the authorities with the admission that the man had not been baptized at all They could easily believe that state like Ohio, which some of them doubtless regarded as still in the backwoods and mainly ten anted by the aborigines, might have omitted. in days gone by. to require q taufschein; but that an unbaptized Christian should offer himself to be married in Germany would perhaps have so paralyzed their powers of be- lief that permission for the marriage might never have been secured.