The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1905-11-02

THE other evening THE MIRROR
editor called at my cell, asking
me to contribute to this paper.
shall do so with pleasure. He
suggested that ! write something
about John Hay Everything pertain
ing to the life and deeds of this la
mented parsonage, was thoroughly
ventilated in the public press only a
few months ago. I would, therefore,
be giving to myself testimonial,ot in
tellectual poverty if I started my debut
with a recapitulation of well-known
facts. But shall try to approach the
editors idea by writing something
about statecraft and diplomacy that
may be news to most readers.
The two appellations are not synony-
nous. Daniel Webster, VIM. Evsrts
and James G. Blaine were statesmen.
The former two had no equals, the
latter little opportunity to distinguish
himself as a diplomat in the proper
sense of it's meaning. And l may
mention right here that "the proper
sense" of the word received slight
rectification within the last half CEN
tury.
Diplomacy was first brought into
prominence by the three great cardi-
nails: Wolsey of England, and Richie
lieu and Mazarin of France. These
men, as we'll as Talleyrand, Metternich
and other famous diplomats, were
shrewd and highly intelligent states
men; but they frequently subordinated
the interests of their country to the
interests of partisanship and selfish
motives. They were by no means
choice in the means they employed.
Intrigue, deceit and falsehood we're
often resorted to. They employed
and took shelter behind female petty
coats. They made tools, not only of
queens, princesses and Influential ladies,
but also, and even more so, of royal
favOrites. In those Gays another pow
erful factor in the field of diplomacy
had to be reckOned with. This was the
Church of Rome which, for many cen.
turies, welded an influence in Eur
pean state affairs tar superior to that
of any earthly potentate, or even com.
binations of potentates. 1t was prln'
cipally the profoundly learned, polished
and highly cultured disciples of Igna
thus of Loyola who executed the
mandates issued from Rome, or from
the general of their own order. But
in no case did these emissaries force
their individual personality into ths
foreground, and that is the reason why
history does not record them as diplo
mats, tho they were, in reality
the greatest and most powerful o.
them all.
AS space does not permit me to en-
ter into too close details, shall come
at once to that period when diplomac.
had reached the very apex of perfec
tion, as far as skill and statecraft il
Europe are concerned That was onl,
forty years ago. Then England hat
Lord Beaconsfield (Disrael), Prussi
had Bismarck, Russia had Gortchako1
Austria had Beust, Italy had Cavoul
and France had Napoleon III. 1t ma.
surprise many that 1 class this las
parsonage among the greatest of states
men; hut insist that he properly be
longs there. In spite of his tragic ate
Napoleon Ill. was an unusually skillfu
diplomat, who for over two decade
was the leading figure in the polite
of the world. He had re-establishe
the empire of his great uncle an
namesake; had brought about the cos
lition against Russia (Crimean wa
1884; had set Victor Emanuel on tn
italian, and Macmillan on the Mexica
throne; had made Egypt quasi-d'
pendency of France; had constitute
himself protector of the papal domiI
ion, and, in fact, had "had his finger i
every pie" Only few months befol
his empire was shattered to the vino
by the German conquerors, Napoleon
by national plebiscite. had manage
to strengthen his hold on throne ths