Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1903-09-24
AN, AMBASSADORS TRIALS.
Some Experiences of the Hon. AM
drew ID. White In Germany.

Some Experiences of the Hon. An-
drew ID. White In Germany.
1t has sometimes seemed to me while
doing duty at the German capital in
those days as minister, and at a more
recent period as ambassador, that
could not enter my office without meet
ing some vcxatious case. One day 1t
wns an American who. having thought
that patriotism required him in a
crowded railway carriage loudly To-
denounce Germany, the German peo-
pie and the imperial government, had
passed the night in a guard house: an
other day 1t was one who. feeling call.
ed upon. in restaurant, to proclaim
very loudly and grossly his unfavora.
BILE opinion of the emperor. was ar
rested 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 pro.
hibitions.
OF this latter sort there were in my
time several curious cases. One morn.
ing man came rushing into the lega-
ton in high excitement. exclaimirg:
MIR. Minister, | AIN in the worst f
that any decent man was ever in.
want you to help me out of IT, And
then went on with a bitter TRAD
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 young German lady, and after
my return to America became engaged
to her. | have now come for my bride
! The wedding is fixed for next Thurs.
| day; our steamer passages are taken
| day or two later and | find that the
| authorities will not allow me to marry
unless | present multitude of papers
such as | never dreamed Of. Some Of
| them it will take months to get and
some | 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 to come back to
| America as soon as possible. am
| asked for a baptsmal certificate-a
| taufschein Now. so far as l know,
| was never baptized | am required to
present n certificate showing the con
sent of my parents to my marriage,
a man thirty years old and in a large
business Of my own. | am asked 10
give bonds for the payment of my
| debts in Germany. ! owe no such
debts, but | know no one who will give
such bond. | am notified that the
banns must be published a certain num-
bcr Of times before the wedding. What
kind of country is this, anyhow?"
We did the best we could. In an in.
terview with the minister of public
worship | was able to secure a dis
pensation from the publishing of tho
banns; then a bond was drawn up,
which I signed and thus settled the
question regarding possible debts in
Germany. AS to the baptismal GER
tificate, ordered inscribed. on the
largest possible sheet of official paper.
the gentleman's affidavit that, In the
state of Ohio, where he was born. nU
taufschein or baptismal certificate,
| .
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 thong {
best not to startle the authorities with
the admission that the man had not
been baptized at all. They could
easily believe that a state like Ohio.
which some of them doubtless regard
ed as still in the backwOods and MAIN
ly tenanted by the aborigines, might
have omitted. in days gone by, to re-
Quire taufschen; but that an unbap.
tized Christian should offer himself to
be married in Germany would perhaps
have so parayzed their powers of he
lief that permission for the marriage
night never have been secured.-From
Chapters From My Diplomatic Life
in Century.