Milford chronicle., 1903-08-14
AN AMBASSADORS TRIALS.
Some Experiences Of the Hon. An
drew ID. White In Germany.

Some Experiences Of the Hon. An
drew ID. White In Germany.
It 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. kthat
could not enter my Office without meet.
ing some vexatious case. One day il
was 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 guard house; an
other day it was one who, feeling call
ed upon. in a restaurant, to proclaim
very loudly and grossly his unfavora-
bic 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 nay
time several curious cases. One morn;
ing a man came rushing into the lega-
tiOn in high excitement eXclaiming:
''Mr. Minister, l am in the worst nx
that any decent man was ever in.
want you to help me out of it!' And he
then went on with a bitter TRADE
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. have ROW come for my bride.
The wedding Is fixed for next Thurs
day; our steamer passages are taken a
day or two later, and I find that the
authorities will not allow me to marry
unless l present n multitude of papers
such as l never dreamed of! Some Of
them 1t will take months to get and
some I 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. l am
asked for a baptismal certiicate-a
taufsehein. Now, so far as l know, /
/ was never baptized. am required to
present a certificate showing the con-
sent Of my parents to my MARRIAGE, /
a man thirty years old and in a large
business Of my ownl I am asked to
give bonds for the payment of my
debts in Germany. I owe no such
debts, but I know no one who will give
such a bond. I am notified that the
bqnns must be published a certain num-
Der 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 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
Germany. AS to the baptismal GER
tifcate, 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. NJ
or baptismal certificate
was required at the time Of his birth
and to this was affixed with plenty
Jf wax the largest seal Of the legation
The fonm of the affidavit may be
Judged peculiar; but it was thought
best not to startIe 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
d as still in the backwoods and main /
Y tenanted by the aborigines. might
have omitted, in days gone by, to re- ,
luire a taufschein; but that an unbap- ,
lied Christian should offer himself to +
)e married in Germany would perhaps !
lave so paralyzeJ their powers of be- E
ief that permission for the marriage y
night never have been secured.-From
Chapters From My Diplomatic Life" 4
n Century. i