The sun., 1919-03-09
BY w. B. MCCORMICK.

AFTER reading c. Grant Robertson's
n Bismarck, which is listed as the
seventh volume in the series of Makers
of the Nineteenth Century, this reporter
was impressed by the fact that TO make
perfect life-from the biographcr's point
of vicw-the subject of such study
should have died at his supreme moment.
That is, he never should have reached the
point in his life where either the perfect
illumination of age or experience or the
dlsillusion wrought by some bitter disap-
pointment should have changed the whole
current of his beliefs and habits. In
Schopenhauer we have perfect illustra-
tion of the first case through the words
OF Moebius, who wrote of him: SchO-
penhaucr as an old man enjoyed life and
vas no longer a pessimisi,' and Metehni-
koffsaid: Notwithstanding his pessimism,
Sfhopcnhaucr was convinced that health
was the greatest treasure, treasure be-
fore which everything else yielded"
bismarck furnishes proof for our second
case; for the love of nature that was so
strongly implanted in him in his youth
passed away from him completely in his
cid age-after the Emperor William
dropped the pilOt'-and mature
seemed 10 cry at every turn the hooking
truth that no longer could he find the
healing rest or the balm that had in the
past always been the prelude TO a
Inightier toll. In one place, and one
nlone-the Reichskanzerplais in the Will
hclmstrasse-wa the power that could
iatisfy" How different from the picture
Mr.. Robertson draws Of him on page 81:
Clowns and the life Of towns neither the
lad, nor the ambassador, nor the Imperial
Chancellor ever liked. Streets were
prison, townsfolk an unpleasant riddle
Yet he lived TO have his dreams filed with
the bitter passion Of living amidst Nature
when he wanted 10 be of the town and
ruling townsfolk. And the man who "was
\ terrible junker' in 1S4S, so much so
that "he deliberately inserted in his public
and private letters the Won in front of
his name" lived 70 tell Sir Charles Dixie
at Friedrichsruhe: people look on me
Rs monarchist Were it all to come over
ngain would be republican and demo-
erat; the rule of kings Is the rule of
women; the bad women are bad and The
good are worse"
The editors announcement Of this bog
raphy says 1T is not concerned alone with
The statesman and politician; it calls up
L.,
ating none Of his grosSncss, but, neverthe-
less, appreciative of what is great in
him" This summary docs scant justice
TO Mr.. Robcrtson's purpose and achieve
ment OF his purpose, he says: "This
book does not profess TO be history OF
Germany from 1915 to 1890, nor is it sPe-
officially biography. 1t is a study, ap-
proximately in biographical form, of Bis
.parcks statecraft and Of Bismarck him
self as one of the makers of modern Eu-
rope and of the German nation and En-
pire." OF his achievement we may say
that the volume is an extremely satisfying
analysis of Bismarck's career, one marked
by an unusual spirit of federation for a
man who wrought "the intolerable Thing
which has bathed Europe in blood for
four years, and which is execrated even
among the very people on whonl1$I'is-
marck worked his will for more than
forty years.
Mr.. Robertson hegins his study with a
chapter of forty eight pages devoted 10
Germany and the German Problem. For,
he writes: "Bismarck's career, indeed, il
illustrates throughout The truth, not too
familiar even 70 historical students, that
The chief difficulty Of scientific interpre-
4atinn of events docs not lie in an analysis
of the solution but in a reconstruction Of