The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1914-09-22
AMERICAN DIPLOMATS, HEROES
OF PEACE IN TIME OF WAR
No Longer is Shirt Sleeve Variety of Diplomacy sneered
at-Fage, Merrlck, Gerard, Van Dyke and the Others
Do Valiant Service. 0"''

NIlCu needed I'M
ihediate attention, rolled like an ava
iahche upon the American Embassy
III London In regard to the American
tourists. Ambassador Walter Hines
rage was held personally responsible
LOT the satisfactory adjustment of
eacn ana every difficulty they repre-
Senteo. Ambassador Herrick in Paris
AMBASSADOR Gerard in Berlin and
Minister Van Dyke at The Hague had
~ meet a monumental burden Of the
same nature falling upon their shoul-
ders. Minister Brand Whitlock at
brussels had in addition to cope with
the hysterical mood Of his compa-
ulots who found themselves in the
actual heatre of war operations.
mat S~tupendOus load of RESPONSE
pllltv falling upon Mr.. Page in Lon
don and his brother diplomats bad
never been even remotely anticipated.
1t was covered in their commissions
from the President of the United
states by a agu little phrase touch
ing tnelr honor as gentlemen more
than their official duties, since il re-
ferred to their promise to succor their
FELLOW country people in distress by
all means i'll their power, within the
which they were accredited. The
summons to action in those days of
early August came like a flash of
lightning from a cloudless Sky. There
was no warning. no preparation, 40
means except such as were hastily i'm
proVlsed 20 meet the impetus of that
huge mOunta L of duty and difficulty
rolling forvs Fl to crush them.
The TeicpHOne-Day and Night.
At the little, dingy offices of the
American Embassy in Victoria street.
London, and at the Ambassadors resi-
dence the telephone bells rams like
mad all day and all night. A con-
! ctCnt ctrpo,o of to1aOyonL ord ~I1o
messengers rushed in and OF of the
corridors, a small army in themselves.
A SurSinS mob of tourists packed like
Sardines inside the embassy building
land extending far out into the street,
furious over the Inconvenience or
losses to which they had been sub
Jected, clamOred-each and every in
dividual-tO pour their stories direct
into the earS of the AmbaSSador.
Any one intimately cOnversant With
American diplomatic life in Europe
knows how every ambassador braces
himself long in advance fol-
the annual Fourth Of July
and callers from the and they al
call home" come to the embassy resi-.
!, dence, the majority of them strangers
and prompted Largely by curiosity
%partaking of his hospitality. and a:
likely as not criticising it afterward
IL AIflOdSSduOIS SpcI1u d week vi
, two recuperating from the fatigue
, not to mention the impossible recu
peration from the inroads upon theil
private resources to pay for the en-
, t~ertainn1ent. The ~terrors of this an
$ nuaI reception have probably beer
more largely responsible for d%eclinin:
: diplomatic honors than any one othe
: rasOn. Mr.. Page has had the priv
: lege OF receiving some five nousant
2 or so Of his cOmpatriots last July, ant
could well be pardoned if he consid
: cred hat he had done his chief dut.
q to them until another July. Blu
throughout the whole Of the month 0
r August he had it all over again, ever,
o day and all day, with fierce, unabat
ing regularity, and attended by prob
lens which needed for their solutiol
the generalship Of q Washington an
f the diplomacy Of a Franklin, the wis
g dom of a Solomon and the wealth of
O CrOeSus.
h In the Bathrooms of the Savoy.
The bathrooms of the Savoy Hote
a in London were utilized by the Resi-
| lent Committee assisting Mr.. Page
Many of the tourists went there. A
Of them had to go eventually to tn
American headquarters to get thei
n papers vouched for by the Govern
a ment representative before the
could board a steamer for home. Pro
a i oA'iS ioS NiAS -
v basSy from one to a dozen times be
q fore they got away. The AmbaSsa
dor, after the first or second hour @
those first twentyfour early in Au
gust, had to emerge from the privac
Of his inner office and come into per
IT. sonal contact with his daily mob G
"a callers. Various committees aSSiSte
him in addition to the Resident Com
mittee, but whatever they did coul
be done only under his supervision
4 He was primary authority and tn
"a final agent Of responsibility.
Whatever credit there may be,
% things have sometimes gone right, Wi
~ proba bly, be bestowed upon the kline
# hearted men and women who volur
teered their services in helping tn
:, Ambassador and his secretarle
Whatever blame there may be, Whetf
"a err imaginary or real, will W1thot
~ doubt be presented to the AmbaSss
ut dor.