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Autobiography　of　Andrew　Dickson　White　　Volume　II







by　Andrew　Dickson　White











VOLUME　II

















　



AUTOBIOGRAPHY　OF　ANDREW　DICKSON　WHITE







Volume　II











CHAPTER　XXXIII







AS　MINISTER　TO　RUSSIA1892…1894







During　four　years　after　my　return　from　service　as　minister　to



Germany　I　devoted　myself　to　the　duties　of　the　presidency　at



Cornell；　and　on　resigning　that　position　gave　all　time　possible　to



study　and　travel；　with　reference　to　the　book　on　which　I　was　then



engaged：　〃A　History　of　the　Warfare　of　Science　with　Theology。〃







But　in　1892　came　a　surprise。　In　the　reminiscences　of　my　political



life　I　have　given　an　account　of　a　visit；　with　Theodore　Roosevelt；



Cabot　Lodge；　Sherman　Rogers；　and　others；　to　President　Harrison　at



the　White　House；　and　of　some　very　plain　talk；　on　both　sides；



relating　to　what　we　thought　shortcomings　of　the　administration　in



regard　to　reform　in　the　civil　service。　Although　President



Harrison　greatly　impressed　me　at　the　time　by　the　clearness　and



strength　of　his　utterances；　my　last　expectation　in　the　world



would　have　been　of　anything　in　the　nature　of　an　appointment　from



him。　High　officials　do　not　generally　think　very　well　of　people



who　comment　unfavorably　on　their　doings　or　give　them　unpleasant



advice；　this　I　had　done；　to　the　best　of　my　ability；　in　addressing



the　President；　and　great；　therefore；　was　my　astonishment　when；　in



1892；　he　tendered　me　the　post　of　minister　plenipotentiary　at　St。



Petersburg。







On　my　way　I　stopped　in　London；　and　saw　various　interesting



people；　but　especially　remember　a　luncheon　with　Lord　Rothschild；



with　whom　I　had　a　very　interesting　talk　about　the　treatment　of



the　Jews　in　Russia。　He　seemed　to　feel　deeply　the　persecution　to



which　they　were　subjected；speaking　with　much　force　regarding



it；　and　insisting　that　their　main　crime　was　that　they　were　sober；



thoughtful；　and　thrifty；　that　as　to　the　charge　that　they　were



preying　upon　the　agricultural　population；　they　preyed　upon　it　as



do　the　Quakers　in　Englandby　owning　agricultural　machines　and



letting　them　out；　that　as　to　the　charge　of　usury；　they　were　much



less　exacting　than　many　Christians；　and　that　the　main　effort　upon



public　opinion　there；　such　as　it　is；　should　be　in　the　direction



of　preventing　the　making　of　more　severe　laws。　He　incidentally



referred　to　the　money　power　of　Europe　as　against　Russia；　speaking



of　Alexander　II　as　kind　and　just；　but　of　Alexander　III　as　really



unacquainted　with　the　great　questions　concerned；　and　under



control　of　the　church。







I　confess　that　I　am　amazed；　as　I　revise　this　chapter；　to　learn



from　apparently　trustworthy　sources　that　his　bank　is　now　making　a



vast　loan　to　Russiato　enable　her　to　renew　her　old　treatment　of



Japan；　China；　Armenia；　Finland；　Poland；　the　Baltic　Provinces；　and



her　Jewish　residents。　I　can　think　of　nothing　so　sure　to



strengthen　the　anti…Semites　throughout　the　world。







A　few　days　later　Sir　Julian　Goldschmidt　came　to　me　on　the　same



subject；　and　he　impressed　me　much　more　deeply　than　the　head　of



the　house　of　Rothschild　had　done。　There　was　nothing　of　the



ennobled　millionaire　about　him；　he　seemed　to　me　a　gentleman　from



the　heart　outward。　Presenting　with　much　feeling　the　disabilities



and　hardships　of　the　Jews　in　Russia；　he　dwelt　upon　the



discriminations　against　them；　especially　in　the　matter　of



military　fines；　their　gradual　and　final　exclusion　from



professions；　and　the　confiscation　of　their　property　at　Moscow；



where　they　had　been　forced　to　leave　the　city　and　therefore　to



realize　on　their　whole　estates　at　a　few　days'　notice。







At　Paris　I　also　had　some　interesting　conversations；　regarding　my



new　post；　with　the　Vicomte　de　Vogue；　the　eminent　academician；　who



has　written　so　much　that　is　interesting　on　Russia。　Both　he　and



Struve；　the　Russian　minister　at　Washington；　who　had　given　me　a



letter　to　him；　had　married　into　the　Annenkoff　family；　and　I　found



his　knowledge　of　Russia；　owing　to　this　fact　as　well　as　to　his



former　diplomatic　residence　there；　very　suggestive。　Another



interesting　episode　was　the　funeral　of　Renan　at　the　College　de



France；　to　which　our　minister；　Mr。　Coolidge；　took　me。　Eloquent



tributes　were　paid；　and　the　whole　ceremony　was　impressive　after



the　French　manner。







Dining　with　Mr。　Coolidge；　I　found　myself　seated　near　the　Duchesse



de　la　Rochefoucauld；a　charming　American；　the　daughter　of　Mr。



Mitchell；　former　senator　from　Oregon。　The　duke　seemed　to　be　a



quiet；　manly　young　officer；　devoted　to　his　duties　in　the　army；



but　it　was　hard　to　realize　in　him　the　successor　of　the　great



duke；　the　friend　of　Washington　and　of　Louis　XVI；　who　showed



himself　so　broad…minded　during　our　War　of　Independence　and　the



French　Revolution。







At　Berlin　I　met　several　of　my　old　friends　at　the　table　of　our



minister；　my　friend　of　Yale　days；　William　Walter　Phelpsamong



these　Virchow；　Professor　von　Leyden；　Paul　Meyerheim；　Carl　Becker；



and　Theodor　Barth；　and　at　the　Russian　Embassy　had　an　interesting



talk　with　Count　Shuvaloff；　more　especially　on　the　Behring　Sea



question。　We　agreed　that　the　interests　of　the　United　States　and



Russia　in　the　matter　were　identical。







On　the　4th　of　November　I　arrived　in　St。　Petersburg　after　an



absence　of　thirty…seven　years。　Even　in　that　country；　where



everything　moves　so　slowly；　there　had　clearly　been　changes；　the



most　evident　of　these　being　the　railway　from　the　frontier。　At　my



former　visit　the　journey　from　Berlin　had　required　nine　days　and



nine　nights　of　steady　travel；　mainly　in　a　narrow　post…coach；　now



it　was　easily　done　in　one　day　and　two　nights　in　very　comfortable



cars。　At　that　first　visit　the　entire　railway　system　of　Russia；



with　the　exception　of　the　road　from　the　capital　to　Gatshina　only



a　few　miles　long；　consisted　of　the　line　to　Moscow；　at　this　second



visit　the　system　had　spread　very　largely　over　the　empire；　and　was



rapidly　extending　through　Siberia　and　Northern　China　to　the



Pacific。







But　the　deadening　influence　of　the　whole　Russian　system　was



evident。　Persons　who　clamor　for　governmental　control　of　American



railways　should　visit　Germany；　and　above　all　Russia；　to　see　how



such　control　results。　In　Germany　its　defects　are　evident　enough；



people　are　made　to　travel　in　carriages　which　our　main　lines　would



not　think　of　using；　and　with　a　lack　of　conveniences　which　with　us



would　provoke　a　revolt；　but　the　most　amazing　thing　about　this



administration　in　Russia　is　to　see　how；　after　all　this　vast



expenditure；　the　whole　atmosphere　of　the　country　seems　to



paralyze　energy。　During　my　stay　at　St。　Petersburg　I　traveled　over



the　line　between　that　city　and　Berlin　six　or　eight　times；　and



though　there　was　usually　but　one　express…train　a　day；　I　never　saw



more　than　twenty　or　thirty　through　passengers。　When　one　bears　in



mind　the　fact　that　this　road　is　the　main　artery　connecting　one



hundred　and　twenty　millions　of　people　at　one　end　with　over　two



hundred　millions　at　the　other；　this　seems　amazing；　but　still　more



so　when　one　considers　that　in。　the　United　States；　with　a



population　of；　say；　eighty　millions　in　all；　we　have　five　great



trunk…lines　across　the　continent；　each　running　large



express…trains　several　times　a　day。







There　was　apparently　little　change　as　regards　enterprise　in



Russia；　whatever　there　might　be　as　regarded　facilities　for



travel。　St。　Petersburg　had　grown；　of　course。　There　were　new



streets　in　the　suburbs；　and　where　the　old　admiralty　wharves　had



stood；for　the　space　of　perhaps　an　eighth　of　a　mile　along　the



Neva；fine　buildings　had　been　erected。　But　these　were　the　only



evident　changes；　the　renowned　Nevskii　Prospekt　remaining　as



formerlya　long　line　of　stuccoed　houses　on　either　side；　almost



all　poor　in　architecture；　and　the　street　itself　the　same　unkempt；



shabby；　commonplace　thoroughfare　as　of　old。　No　new　bridge　had



been　built　across　the　Neva　for　forty　years。　There　was　still　but



one　permanent　structure　spanning　the　river；　and　the　great　stream



of　travel　and　traffic　between　the　two　parts　of　the　city　was



dependent　mainly　on　the　bridges　of　boats；　which；　at　the　breaking



of　the　ice　in　the　spring；　had　sometimes　to　be　withdrawn　during



many　days。







A　change　had　indeed　been　brought　by　the　emancipation　of　the



serfs；　but　there　was　little　outward　sign　of　it。　The　muzhik



remained；　to　all　appearance；　what　he　was　before：　in　fact；　as　our



train　drew　into　St。　Petersburg；　the　peasants；　with　their



sheepskin　caftans；　cropped　hair；　and　stupid　faces；　brought　back



the　old　impressions　so　vividly　that　I　seemed　not　to　have　been



absent　a　week。　The　old　atmosphere　of　repression　was　evident



everywhere。　I　had　begun　my　experience　of　it　under　Nicholas　I；　had



seen　a　more　liberal　policy　under　Alexander　II；　but　now　found　a



recurrence　of　reaction；　and　everywhere　a　pressure　which　deadened



all　efforts　at　initiating　a　better　condition　of　things。







But　I　soon　found　one　change　for　the　better。　During　my　former　stay



under　Nicholas　I　and　Alexander　II；　the　air　was　full　of　charges　of



swindling　and　cheatery　against　the　main　men　at　court。　Now　next　to



nothing　of　that　sort　was　heard；　it　was　evident　that　Alexander



III；　narrow　and　illiberal　though　he　might　be；　was　an　honest　man；



and　determined　to　end　the　sort　of　thing　that　had　disgraced　the



reigns　of　his　father　and　grandfather。







Having