part05+-第66节

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！





duty　also　to　know　men　and　countries　outside　the　empire。　I　am　not



like　；〃　naming　a　sovereign　well　known　in　history；　〃who　never



stirred　out　of　the　house　if　he　could　help　it；　and　so　let　men　and



things　go　on　as　they　pleased。〃







This　union　of　breadth　and　minuteness　in　his　view　of　his　empire



and　of　the　world　is；　perhaps；　his　most　striking　characteristic。



It　may　be　safely　said　that；　at　any　given　moment；　he　knows



directly；　or　will　shortly　know；　the　person　and　work　of　every　man



in　his　empire　who　is　really　taking　the　lead　in　anything　worthy　of



special　study　or　close　attention。　The　German　court　is　considered



very　exclusive；　but　one　constantly　saw　at　its　assemblages　men



noted　in　worthy　fields　from　every　part　of　Germany　and；　indeed；　of



Europe。　Herein　is　a　great　difference　between　the　German　and



Russian　courts。　If；　during　my　official　life　at　St。　Petersburg；　I



wished　to　make　the　acquaintance　of　a　man　noted　in　science；



literature；　or　art；　he　must　be　found　at　professorial　gatherings



across　the　Neva。　He　rarely；　if　ever；　appeared　in　the　throng　of



military　and　civil　officials　at　the　Winter　Palace。　But　at　Berlin



such　men　took　an　honored　place　at　the　court　among　those　whom　the



ruler　sought　out　and　was　glad　to　converse　with。







As　to　the　world　outside　the　empire；　I　doubt　whether　any　other



sovereign　equals　him　in　personal　acquaintance　with　leaders　in



every　field　of　worthy　activity。　It　was　interesting　from　time　to



time　to　look　over　the　official　lists　of　his　guests　at　breakfast；



or　luncheon；　or　dinner；　or　supper；　or　at　military　exercises；　or



at　the　theater；　for　they　usually　embraced　men　noted　in　civil；



ecclesiastical；　or　military　affairs；　in　literature；　science；　art；



commerce；　or　industry　from　every　nation。　One　class　was



conspicuous　by　its　absence　at　all　such　gatherings；　large　or



small；　namely；　the　MERELY　rich。　Rich　men　there　were；　but　they



were　always　men　who　had　done　something　of　marked　value　to　their



country　or　to　mankind；　for　the　mere　〃fatty　tumors〃　of　the



financial　world　he　evidently　cared　nothing。







A　special　characteristic　in　the　German　ruler　is　independence　of



thought。　This　quality　should　not　be　confounded；　as　it　often　is；



with　mere　offhand　decision　based　upon　prejudices　or　whimsies。　One



example；　which　I　have　given　elsewhere；　may　be　here　referred　to　as



showing　that　his　rapid　judgments　are　based　upon　clear　insight：



his　OWN　insight；　and　not　that　of　others。　On　my　giving　him　news　of



the　destruction　of　the　Maine　at　Havana；　he　at　once　asked　me



whether　the　explosion　was　from　the　outside；　and　from　first　to



last；　against　the　opinions　of　his　admirals　and　captains；　insisted



that　it　must　have　been　so。







He　is　certainly；　in　the　opinion　of　all　who　know　him；



impulsiveindeed；　a　very　large　proportion　of　his　acts　which



strike　the　attention　of　the　world　seem　the　result　of　impulse；



but；　as　a　rule；　it　will　be　found　that　beneath　these　impulses　is　a



calm　judgment。　Even　when　this　seems　not　to　be　the　case；　they　are



likely　to　appeal　all　the　more　strongly　to　humanity　at　large。



Typical　was　his　impulsive　proposal　to　make　up　to　the　Regent　of



Bavaria　the　art　appropriation　denied　by　sundry　unpatriotic



bigots。　Its　immediate　result　was　a　temporary　triumph　for　the



common　enemy；　but　it　certainly　drew　to　the　Emperor　the　hearts　of



an　immense　number　of　people；　not　only　inside；　but　outside　his



empire；　and；　in　the　long　run；　it　will　doubtless　be　found　to　have



wrought　powerfully　for　right　reason。　As　an　example　of　an



utterance　of　his　which　to　many　might　seem　to　be　the　result　of　a



momentary　impulse；　but　which　reveals　sober　contemplation　of



problems　looming　large　before　the　United　States　as　well　as



Germany；　I　might　cite　a　remark　made　last　year　to　an　American



eminent　in　public　affairs。　He　said；　〃You　in　America　may　do　what



you　please；　but　I　will　not　suffer　capitalists　in　Germany　to　suck



the　life　out　of　the　workingmen　and　then　fling　them　like　squeezed



lemon…skins　into　the　gutter。〃







Any　one　who　runs　through　the　printed　volume　of　his　speeches　will



see　that　he　is　fertile　in　ideas　on　many　subjects；　and　knows　how



to　impress　them　upon　his　audiences。　His　voice　and　manner　are



good；　and　at　times　there　are　evidences　of　deep　feeling；　showing



the　man　beneath　the　garb　of　the　sovereign。　This　was　especially



the　case　in　his　speech　at　the　coming　of　age　of　his　son。　The



audience　was　noteworthy；　there　being　present　the　Austrian



Emperor；　members　of　all　the　great　ruling　houses　of　Europe　the



foremost　men　in　contemporary　German　history；　and　the　diplomatic



representatives　of　foreign　powersan　audience　representing　wide



differences　in　points　of　view　and　in　lines　of　thought；　yet　no　one



of　them　could　fail　to　be　impressed　by　sundry　references　to　the



significance　of　the　occasion。







Even　the　most　rapid　sketch　of　the　Emperor　would　be　inadequate



without　some　reference　to　his　religious　views。　It　is　curious　to



note　that　while　Frederick　the　Great　is　one　of　the　gods　of　his



idolatry；　the　two　monarchs　are　separated　by　a　whole　orb　of



thought　in　their　religious　theories　and　feelings。　While　a



philosophical　observer　may　see　in　this　the　result　of　careful



training　in　view　of　the　evident　interests　of　the　monarchy　in



these　days；　he　must　none　the　less　acknowledge　the　reality　and



depth　of　those　feelings　in　the　present　sovereign。　No　one　who　has



observed　his　conduct　and　utterances；　and　especially　no　one　who



has　read　his　sermon　and　prayer　on　the　deck　of　one　of　his



war…ships　just　at　the　beginning　of　the　Chinese　war；　can　doubt



that　there　is　in　his　thinking　a　genuine　substratum　of　religious



feeling。　It　is　true　that　at　times　one　is　reminded　of　the　remark



made　to　an　American　ecclesiastic　by　an　eminent　German　theological



professor　regarding　that　tough　old　monarch；　Frederick　William　I；



namely；　that　while　he　was　deeply　religious；　his　religion　was　〃of



an　Old　Testament　type。〃　Of　course；　the　religion　of　the　present



Emperor　is　of　a　type　vastly　higher　than　that　of　his　ancestor；



whose　harshness　to　the　youth　who　afterward　became　the　great



Frederick　has　been　depicted　in　the　〃Memoirs〃　of　the　Margravine　of



Bayreuth；　but　there　remains　clearly　in　the　religion　of　the



present　Emperor　a　certain　〃Old　Testament〃　charactera　feeling　of



direct　reliance　upon　the　Almighty；　a　consciousness　of　his　own



part　in　guiding　a　chosen　people；　and　a　readiness；　if　need　be；　to



smite　the　Philistines。　One　phase　of　this　feeling　appears　in　the



music　at　the　great　anniversaries；　when　the　leading　men　of　the



empire　are　brought　together　beneath　the　dome　of　the　Palace



Church。　The　anthems　executed　by　the　bands　and　choirs；　and　the



great　chorals　sung　by　the　congregation；　breathe　anything　but　the



spirit　of　the　Sermon　on　the　Mount；　they　seem　rather　to　echo　the



grim　old　battle…hymns　of　the　Thirty　Years'　War　and　the　war　in　the



Netherlands。







And　yet　it　must　be　said　that　there　goes　with　this　a　remarkable



feeling　of　justice　to　his　subjects　of　other　confessions　than　his



own；　and　a　still　more　remarkable　breadth　of　view　as　regards　the



relations　of　modern　science　to　what　is　generally　held　as　orthodox



theology。　The　fearlessness　with　which　he　recently　summoned



Professor　Delitzsch　to　unfold　to　him　and　to　his　family　and　court



the　newly　revealed　relations　of　Assyrian　research　to　biblical



study；　which　gave　such　alarm　in　highly　orthodox　circles；　and　his



fairness　in　estimating　these　researches；　certainly　revealed



breadth　of　mind　as　well　as　trust　in　what　he　considered　the



fundamental　verities　of　religion。







A　good　example　of　the　curious　union；　in　his　mind；　of　religious



feeling；　tolerance；　and　shrewd　policy　is　shown　in　various



dealings　with　his　Roman　Catholic　subjects。







Of　course　he　is　not　ignorant　that　his　very　existence　as　King　of



Prussia　and　German　Emperor　is　a　thorn　in　the　side　of　the　Roman



Curia；　he　knows；　as　every　thinking　German　knows；　that；　with　the



possible　exception　of　the　British　monarchy；　no　other　is　so　hated



by　the　Vatican　monsignori　as　his　own。　He　is　perfectly　aware　of



the　part　taken　in　that　quarter　against　his　country　and　dynasty　at



all　times；　and　especially　during　the　recent　wars；　and　yet　all



this　seems　not　to　influence　him　in　the　slightest　as　regards



justice　to　his　Roman　Catholic　subjects。　He　does　indeed；　resist



the　return　of　the　Jesuits　into　the　empire；his　keen　insight



forbids　him　to　imitate　the　policy　of　Frederick　the　Great　in　this



respect；but　his　dealings　with　the　Roman　Catholic　Church　at



large　show　not　merely　wisdom　b