South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1917-09-20
By Frank {. Herring,
In the Eagle Magazine
for september.

Europe were established. their CON
! hicting international interests also
| demanded the task OF the diplomat
| ist, whose duty IL was 70 maintain
| the delicate balance OF power" up
on which the very existence OF the
European nations has ever since de
pended. These early diplomatists
/ were. literally, double dealers"
Machiavelli. an early Italian writer
on statecraft, laid down the rule
that in the affairs OF government the
| ordinary morality Of private life
| could not apply, because the relation
OF the governing officials and the
| governed class was such that each
must be expected TO lie, cheat. and
| defraud the other. a relic Of this
! old morality remains. not only in the
! expressions of present autocracies.
/ but in the disposition on the part OF
the governed 10 evade-even in a
republic. Men perfectly honest in
/ private relations will practice graft
as officials, and conceal their prop
erty as taxpayers.
For many years, the Machiavellian
doctrine permeated all diplomacy.
/ Even moral philosophers held that,
| while truth between individuals in
private life is essential TO society, an
| official lie" is often necessary. An
am bassador was defined as IAN hon
est man sent abroad TO lie for the
good OF his country" The most sue
cessful liar was esteemed the ablest
I diplomatist. "A prime article in the
| catechism Of the foreign represen-
! tative Of his government. whatever
his religion. is 10 invent falsehoods
and go about making people believe
them" SO universally was this prin-
ciple adopted that Bismarck once
I cynically avowed that the best way
TO deceive was 20 tell the truth In
addition 10 being an Eek officiO liar"
the ambassador was required to be
an "honorabl spy"-to look after
the affairs of his own country and
find out about the affairs of the
other. using whatever means TO this
end ne found necessary. our own
country has recently had experience
with such ambassadors.
The most startling example Of dip
lOmatic achievement was in the
three partitions of Poland-1772 10
1795-when the monarchs of Rus
STA. Prussia. and Austria, acting as
their own diplomatists. blotted out
an ancient state and divided its ter
ritory between them. A more dra-
matte and fateful act can scarcely
be conceived, than when catherine of
Russia, who held the balance of
power" drew her pencil across the
map of Poland. saying: Il take this;
you can have that"
The great work of modern diplo-
macy grew out OF the revolutionary
changes wrought by the Napoleonic
wars. old dynasties had been over
thrown or were trembling for their
existence; new states had been
brought into being; a spirit of free
dom had been awakened in the
masses; readiustments, demanding
concessions and compromises on
| every hand. had become imperative.
These readjustments could be at
tanned only by consultations between
the powers affeCted-consultati
that could be hest carried on by rep
resentatives of the various nations
at the council boards The occasion
demanded the talents of those best
fitted for the work, and brought in
TO prominence men who thereby
gained historic reputation In the
last decade Of tho 18th century and
the first half Of the 18th, the mer
who thus directed the destinies OF
| Europe and became world-renowed
as diplomatists were Talleyrand OF
| France, Stein of Prussia, Meter
Mich OF Austria, ard Sastlereagh and
| Canning of England. Later. in the
| same category. are Bismarck of Ger
| many and Cavour of Italy.
| As stated above, part of the dip
lomatic tasks of a nation are per.
| formed at the international councils
and part at home in directing the
1 policy of the nations own govern
| merit To make a nation respected
| abroad. il must he strong at home
| / Accordingly. domestic affairs. as wei
as foreign, occupied the thought and
| activities OF these distinguished dip
/ lOmatists. IL may be added that the
/ leaven of liberty which tie French
/ revolution had hid in the meal OF
| European society was slowly work
| ing. II early emphasized two OPP
1 posing theories of government-tht
/ absolutiSt and the liberal or con
stitutional Metternich and Castle
| rcagh adopted the former theory
| TaHeyrand. stein, Canning. and Ca
| YOUR the latter Bismarck worked
] out an ingenious compromise be
L tween the two.
Each of these great diplomatist
was loyal 10 his own country and de
/ voted his talents To her service in tn,
/ ways which he deemed the wiseSt
/ Stein was for Prussia. and the in
i ternal reforms which he inaugurated
too liberal for the king became tn,
/ foundation for her later greatness
/ Metternich was for Austria. In he
i interests. he favored or opposed Ma
/ poleon as occasion seemed TO de
/ mand sought alliance with o
/ against Russia as circumstances die
1 tated. but chiefly used his influence
/ among the German states TO pre-
/ serve their independence and pre-
vent the ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF Prus
STA To him there was no alterna