Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-01-18

days of rapid means of communication
an ambassador is merely OH ted
messenger boy for his sovereign. He is
presumed, by those who do not know, to
possess no right of initiative, no sub
stantial power. These ideas are far from
the truth.
THE very rapidity of the age in which
we live make the task of an ambassador
more difficult than it ever was. CiviliZa-
ton and government are more complex.
Political conditions change swiftly. The
ambassador is the eye of his sovereign
in the country where he serves. and the
trusted adviser on matters concerning
that country.
NO nation lives to itself alone. 1t
must know certainly, surely, definitely
what is going on In the family of nations.
and it must know at first hand. 1t
must be on the alert for the preserva-
ton of its own interests in all countries.
No great nation in this modern age goes
seeking trouble. Its efforts are bent to
preventing trouble. The tirst-class pow
ers of the world are anxious to preserve
friendly relations among themselves. Am
bassadors are means to that end.
Now, ] have no doubt that Count Won
Bernstorff would be a success in any ma
ton in the world, so well fitted is he by
personality and training, but he has pc
culiar fitness for the Washington post.
He is Of the younger breed of diplomats
who do not believe that ianguage-and
particularly the language of diplomacy
is intended to conceal thought. What
we are pleased to term AngloSaxon
frankness he possesses abundantly- With
all his store of knowledge and with his
years-he is fifty-one-he yet maintains
that air of youth and virility that we
fondly believe is more typical of Amer
lea than of any other country.
For fifteen years he has served the
knows English-speaking peoples. More
over l know no man who is better in
touch with the spirit of modern progress
than he. In his mental equipment, his
habits of thought, his attitude toward
life he Is up to date. Is il any wonder
the Americans like him."
Let's ask him what he thinks about it
himself" suggested some one in the
group, and so, in the freedom of after
dinner converse. they did.
Modestly the count declined 10 assume
that the interest the American people
have shown in the German ambassador
was wholly a tribute to HIN person Il y.
He pointed out that both Intellectually
and racially there is a bond of SYM
patty between the German and the
Amer can peoples. and to that he at
tributed the interest.
One out of every two persons one
meets in America is either German or
can trace back to a German ancestry
he sa d, land my visits to American uni
versities and colleges have shown me
that very large proportion of the pro-
fessors of those institutions We're edu-
Gated in Germany.
From that the conversation flowed in
easy and interesting channels to fur
Their development of the ideas of the
ambassador. While it is not possible to
quote Count Won Bernstorn directly, the
tax made clear the fact that the am
bassaoor attributes to the influences he
mentioned the mutual understanding OF
the German and American peoples.
It is very probably true. it was pointed
out in the conversation, that many
Americans are not aware of a German
strain in their ancestry, but that such a
strain exists is apparent in their family
names. that either are frankly German
or Anglic.zed corruptions of German
Then. too there are those who are aware
of German ancestry whose names have