Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1905-08-24
BrsMARCK's OPINION OF VERMONT

The account of an interview of some
American gentlemen with Prince Bis
maick, the mighty chancellor Of the Ger
man empire. in which the latter spoke Of
Our State of Vermont as his ideal Of a
republican commonwealth, given by Mr..
r. d. Benedict in his address on Wedncs
day evening, must have attracted the
notice of many readers Of this paper.
The gentleman from whom the account
was received was DIR. Edward $. Peck
Of New York, a Burlington boy and grad
uate of the University OF Vermont in the
class of "a. The other graduate of the uni
versity present at the interview was. as
we suppose. The late Professor Charles
Hcrber. futile. L. V. NJ. 60. who was
in Berlin at the time, pursuing his stu
dies, corresponding for the London Times,
and gathering materials for his histories
Of Prussia.
The following fuller account Of the in
tcrview has been received from DR.. Peck,
with permission to print it:
INTERVIEW WITH PRINCE BIS.
MARCK.
ION an afternoon in May, 1873, three
American gentlemen were informally en-
tertained at FREDERICKSBURG. Il summer
residence of Prince Otto Won Bismarck.
The conversation was as free and general
as could possibly be INDUCED in by Il
company Of college bred men, who met
by arrangement in a German country
home, where farming. forestry, litera-
ture. song n good living predominated
College stories were told, college Jokes
repeated. peculiar customs of both Prus-
sia, the southern and the New England
States were detailed. Won Bismarck gave
us IL rapid resume of the politico-
ecclesiastical trend, which developed into
the 'Kulturkanpf,' that then was excit-
ing the Catholic Church of Bavaria and
the old Lutheran Church of middle and
north Germany. Two of the gentlcmen
were graduates of the University OF Vor-
mont and had met Herr DIR. Falt. Bis
marck's lieutenant, the then minister of
education and ecclesiastical affairs.
through whose agency that celebrated
strife was being waged. Turning sharply
to me. Bismarck asked II such a re.
ligicus strife were possible in the Con
federation of the North American
States"-a term frequently used in Ger
many IN abiding TO the United states.
l replied that ] thought not; that such
controversies could not assume Il national
aspect. there being no State religion; that,
While there were we'll established bounds
between the Roman and Protestant
Churches OF America. the organization OF
each had for its mairstay the hearts as
we'll as the purses of Northumberland
there must be a common unity of pur-
pose between them. one of whose ele-
ments was II total separation from pol
itics. Rejecting a moment. he then ask
cd II l thought the spirit of mihtarism in
fuenced our religious controversies? Hav-
ing begun a fresh pipe. he then leaned
forward In his arm chair, ard said: Herr
Doktor. yours Is a wonderful people; while
you arc not socialistic in the European
sense. you are one people in essence and
in fact He then remarked: Il would
like to tell you my idea of u republic
and ! think you win grant that ! am
somewhat Of n student of political his
tory. My idea Of a republic Is a little
State In the North Of our great coun-
try--the smallest Of the New England
statcs-vernont'-which he pronounced
with a decidedly French accent. an We
were conversing the German. We Yer.
n,onters. unknown to Bismarck MS such,
looked with establishment at each other.
}-askeds- Not MassachusstaE. He on