登陆注册
5437700000200

第200章

Pleasant to me was the last interview, on the presentation of my letter of recall. It was at Babelsberg, the Emperor's country-seat at Potsdam; and he detained me long, talking over a multitude of subjects in a way which showed much kindly feeling. Among other things, he asked where my family had been staying through the summer. My answer was that we had been at a hotel near the park or palace of Wilhelmshhe above Cassel; and that we all agreed that he had been very magnanimous in assigning to the Emperor Napoleon III so splendid a prison and such beautiful surroundings. To this he answered quite earnestly, ``Yes; and he was very grateful for it, and wrote me to say so; but, after all, that is by no means the finest palace in Germany.'' To this Ianswered, ``Your Majesty is entirely right; that I saw on visiting the palace of Wrzburg.'' At this he laughed heartily, and said, ``Yes, I see that you understand it;those old prince-bishops knew how to live.'' As a matter of fact, various prince-bishops in the eighteenth century impoverished their realms in building just such imitations of Versailles as that sumptuous Wrzburg Palace.

He then asked me, ``On what ship do you go to America?'' and I answered, ``On the finest ship in your Majesty's merchant navy--the Elbe.'' He then asked me something about the ship; and when I had told him how beautifully it was equipped,--it being the first of the larger ships of the North German Lloyd,--he answered, ``Yes; what is now doing in the way of shipbuilding is wonderful. I received a letter from my son, the crown prince, this morning, on that very subject. He is at Osborne, and has just visited a great English iron-clad man-of-war. It is wonderful; but it cost a million pounds sterling.'' At this he raised his voice, and, throwing up both hands, said very earnestly, ``We can't stand it; we can't stand it.''

After this and much other pleasant chat, he put out his hand and said, ``Auf Wiedersehen''; and so we parted, each to take his own way into eternity.

The other farewells to me were also gratifying. The German press was very kindly in its references to my departure; and just before I left Berlin a dinner was given me in the great hall of the Kaiserhof by leading men in parliamentary, professional, literary, and artistic circles. Kindly speeches were made by Gneist, Camphausen, Delbrck, George von Bunsen, and others--all forming a treasure in my memory which, as long as life lasts, I can never lose.

CHAPTER XXXII

MY RECOLLECTIONS OF BISMARCK--1879-1881

My first glimpse of Bismarck was obtained during one of my journeys through middle Germany, about the time, I think, of the Franco-Prussian War. Arriving at the Kissingen junction, we found a crowd gathered outside the barriers, and all gazing at a railway-carriage about to be attached to our train. Looking toward this, Irecognized the face and form of the great North-German statesman. He was in the prime of life--sturdy, hearty, and happy in the presence of his wife and children. The people at the station evidently knew what was needed; for hardly had he arrived when waiters appeared, bearing salvers covered with huge mugs of foaming beer. Thereupon Bismarck took two of the mugs in immediate succession;poured their contents down his throat, evidently with great gusto; and a burly peasant just back of me, unable longer to restrain his admiration, soliloquized in a deep, slow, guttural, reverberating rumble: ``A-a-a-ber er sieht sehr-r-r gut aus.'' So it struck me also; the waters of Kissingen had evidently restored the great man, and he looked like a Titan ready for battle.

My personal intercourse with him began in 1879, when, as chancellor of the German Empire, he received me as minister of the United States. On my entering his workroom, he rose; and it seemed to me that I had never seen another man so towering save Abraham Lincoln. On either side of him were his two big, black dogs, the Reichshunde; and, as he put out his hand with a pleasant smile, they seemed to join kindly in the welcome.

His first remark was that I seemed a young man to undertake the duties of a minister, to which I made the trite reply that time would speedily cure that defect. The conversation then ran, for a time, upon commonplace subjects, but finally struck matters of interest to both our countries.

There were then, as ever since, a great number of troublesome questions between the two nations, and among them those relating to Germans who, having gone over to the United States just at the military age, had lived there merely long enough to acquire citizenship, and had then hastened back to Germany to enjoy the privileges of both countries without discharging the duties of either. These persons had done great harm to the interests of bona-fide German-Americans, and Bismarck evidently had an intense dislike for them. This he showed then and afterward;but his tendencies to severity toward them were tempted {sic} by the minister of foreign affairs, Von Blow, one of the most reasonable men in public business with whom I have ever had to do, and father of the present chancellor, who greatly resembles him.

同类推荐
  • 庚申英夷入寇大变记略

    庚申英夷入寇大变记略

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 佛说八部佛名经

    佛说八部佛名经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 象山语要

    象山语要

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 孟冬纪

    孟冬纪

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 禅关策进

    禅关策进

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 跑出我人生

    跑出我人生

    重回少年时代的苏祖,得到了一个系统,走上了曾经梦想追逐的体育竞技之路。新书友群:666-502-656
  • 创造与魔法之遗失的文明

    创造与魔法之遗失的文明

    讲述了贝雅大陆发生的一段故事,一个少年从幼稚变成熟,慢慢发现了自己的身世跟这个世界的秘密。。。
  • 佛说十二游经

    佛说十二游经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • The Stolen White Elephant

    The Stolen White Elephant

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 谁动了首席妻

    谁动了首席妻

    他说除了我的心别的任何东西我都能给你,他不知道她想要的只有他的心而已。你只是她的影子,你们根本没法比,你不配!如今正品回来了,她这个替代品,只能鞠躬退场。我不是自杀,更不是为了让你愧疚,我只想让血流干,好让我把对你的爱连根拔起。让我们以吻为誓,承诺此生不再走入彼此的生命。从此擦肩而过我们只是陌生人。。。--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------“枫求求你救救我和宝宝好吗?”唐嫣看着她这个最爱的男人,希望他能看在孩子的份上,能够考虑一下,哪怕只是一秒!“不可能!”男人说出的话足以毁灭她所有的希望。“枫,你爱我吗?”仅仅三个字,她就可以安心地死去。“你枉顾我妹妹的死活,这样的你有什么资格得到我的爱!”呵!没想到全心全意的爱,连一份最基本的信任都换不来,她还在期待什么?永别了我的爱!现在的是雷萧的番外,前面两个故事已经完结,请亲们有时间去关注下恋的新文哈!
  • 巴顿传

    巴顿传

    乔治·巴顿,二战战史上最牛的将军。他的坦克军团驰骋欧陆,所向披靡,从诺曼底到柏林,从塞纳河到易北河,每一块鲜花初绽的土地上,都有他铁血军魂的贯注。他的部队如天降神兵,没有给纳粹德国任何一丝喘息的机会。他凭着出神入化的军事才能,堪称“20世纪的拿破仑”。
  • 泡沫之夏(全三册)

    泡沫之夏(全三册)

    同名电视剧由黄圣池、张雪迎、秦俊杰主演,2018年5月8日起在浙江卫视、爱奇艺上映播出。夏沫和洛熙都是孤儿,少年的他们在养父母家相识,因为童年留在内心的阴影,他们彼此充满戒备和防范。洛熙在夏沫和弟弟参加电视歌唱大赛遇到尴尬状况下为他们解围,两个孩子中间的坚冰在逐渐融化,而深爱夏沫的富家少爷欧辰为了分开两人,把洛熙送到英国留学……五年后的洛熙成了拥有无数FANS的天皇巨星,而夏沫作为唱片公司的新晋艺人与他再次相遇,欧辰失忆了,三大主角再度登场,爱恨纠葛,他们之间将会发生怎样的一段故事……
  • 我一定会拯救你

    我一定会拯救你

    为了[拯救],所以需要[杀戮]为了[守护],所以需要[毁灭]我,一定会拯救你.目前进度:前段后期由于剧情过长,所以进度会有些缓慢,还请各位大大莫要取消收藏[跪谢]顺带一提,本作的轻松基本全在一百万字的前期,从中期开始,剧情就会开始紧凑起来,含有部分血腥暴力成分。涉及题材:漆黑的子弹,绯弹的亚里亚,约会大作战,魔法禁书目录,加速世界,魔法少女小圆,命运石之门,灼眼的夏娜,re:从零开始的异世界生活,GOSICK,AngelBeats,fate/staynight,游戏人生,K,刀剑神域,未来日记,杀戮天使,机巧少女不会受伤参考题材(不会出现相关角色):龙族,超自然九人组,Re:CREATORS,以及部分假面骑士的设定ps:前面直到两百多章都算是黑历史,不想看的大佬可以直接跳过另外,说句各位大大可能不信的话……本作,或许会有一千万字左右.
  • 面具恶魔

    面具恶魔

    本书是一部西方恐怖小说选集,共收入22篇欧美作家的短篇恐怖小说,包括:《杀人油画》、《行尸走肉》、《荒宅魅影》、《与鬼为邻》、《树灵闪现》、《面具恶魔》、《恐怖庄园》、《无耳老人》等篇。本书以鬼怪、幽灵为主要描写对象,突出了超自然的神秘元素,故事情节曲折、诡异,故事场景逼真鲜活,悬疑与爱情交叠,结局难以预料……小说以阴郁的色调和神秘的气氛,完成惩恶扬善主题的宣泄。不仅具有极强的阅读价值,还具有较高的收藏和研究价值。
  • 异世界魔术商人

    异世界魔术商人

    贪婪,独裁,麻木,疯狂……一开始我们把一切引向常规,后来发现,常规是另一种扭曲。何谓“正义”?何谓“公平”?何谓“忠良”?何谓“法律”?一个无敌的人能改变少数人。但一群会犯错的少年少女,可以改变世界!