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this　aroused　the　Germans　yet　more。　One　journal；　very　influential



among　the　aristocratic　and　religious　public　of　Northern　Germany；



regularly　published　letters　of　considerable　literary　merit　from



its　American　correspondent；　in　which　every　scandal　which　could　be



raked　out　of　the　gutters　of　the　cities；　every　crime　in　the



remotest　villages；　and　all　follies　of　individuals　everywhere；



were　kneaded　together　into　statements　showing　that　our　country



was　the　lowest　in　the　scale　of　human　civilization。　The　tu…quoque



argument　might　have　been　used　by　an　American　with　much　effect；



for　just　about　this　period　there　were　dragging　along；　in　the



Berlin　and　other　city　journals；　accounts　of　German　trials　for



fraud　and　worse；　surpassing；　in　some　respects；　anything　within　my



memory　of　American　tribunals。　The　quantity　of　fig…leaves　required



in　some　of　these　trials　was　enormous；　and；　despite　all



precautions；　some　details　which　escaped　into　the　press　might　well



bring　a　blush　to　the　most　hardened　American　offender。　It　was　both



vexatious　and　comical　to　see　the　smug；　Pharisaical　way　in　which



many　journals　ignored　all　these　things；　and　held　up　their　hands



in　horror　at　American　shortcomings。　Some　trials；　too；　which　at



various　times　revealed　the　brutality　of　sundry　military　officers



toward　soldiers；　were　heartrending；　and　especially　one　or　two



duels；　which　occurred　during　my　stay；　presented　features



calculated　to　shock　the　toughest　American　rough…rider。　But　all



this　seemed　not　for　a　moment　to　withdraw　the　attention　of　our



Teutonic　censors　from　American　folly　and　wickedness。　One　of　the



main　charges　constantly　made　was　that　in　America　there　was　a



〃Deutschen　Hetze。〃　Very　many　German　papers　had　really　persuaded



themselves；　and　apparently　had　convinced　a　large　part　of　the



German　people；　that　throughout　our　country　there　existed　a　hate；



deep　and　acrid；　of　everything　German　and　especially　of



German…Americans。　The　ingenuity　of　some　German　papers　in



supporting　this　thesis　was　wonderful。　On　one　occasion　a　petty



squabble　in　a　Roman　Catholic　theological　school　in　the　United



States　between　the　more　liberal　element　and　a　reactionary　German



priest；　in　which　the　latter　came　to　grief；　was　displayed　as　an



evidence　that　the　American　people　were　determined　to　drive　out



all　German　professors　and　to　abjure　German　science。　The　doings　of



every　scapegrace　in　an　American　university；　of　every　silly　woman



in　Chicago；　of　every　blackguard　in　New　York；　of　every　snob　at



Newport；　of　every　desperado　in　the　Rocky　Mountains；　of　every　club



loafer　anywhere；　were　served　up　as　typical　examples　of　American



life。　The　municipal　governments　of　our　country；　and　especially



that　of　New　York；　were　an　exhaustless　quarry　from　which　specimens



of　every　kind　of　scoundrelism　were　drawn　and　used　in　building　up



an　ideal　structure　of　American　life；　corruption；　lawlessness；　and



barbarism　being　its　most　salient　features。







Nor　was　this　confined　to　the　more　ignorant。　Men　who　stood　high　in



the　universities；　men　of　the　greatest　amiability；　who　in　former



days　had　been　the　warmest　friends　of　America；　had　now　become　our



bitter　opponents；　and　some　of　their　expressions　seemed　to　point



to　eventual　war。







Yet　I　doubt　whether　we　have　any　right　to　complain　of　such　attacks



and　misrepresentations。　As　a　matter　of　fact；　no　nation　washes　so



much　of　its　dirty　linen　in　the　face　of　the　whole　world　as　does



our　own；　and；　what　is　worse；　there　is　washed　in　our　country；　with



much　noise　and　perversity；　a　great　deal　of　linen　which　is　not



dirty。　Many　demagogues　and　some　〃reformers〃　are　always　doing



this。　There　is　in　America　a　certain　class　of　excellent　people　who



see　nothing　but　the　scum　on　the　surface　of　the　pot；　nothing　but



the　worst　things　thrown　to　the　surface　in　the　ebullition　of



American　life。　Or　they　may　be　compared　to　people　who；　with　a



Persian　carpet　before　them；　persist　in　looking　at　its　seamy　side；



and　finding　nothing　but　odds　and　ends；　imperfect　joints；



unsatisfactory　combinations　of　color；　the　real　pattern　entirely



escaping　them。　The　shrill　utterances　of　such　men　rise　above　the



low　hum　of　steady　good　work；　and　are　taken　in　Germany　as　exact



statements　of　the　main　facts　in　our　national　life。







Let　me　repeat　here　one　example　which　I　have　given　more　than　once



elsewhere。　Several　years　since；　an　effort　was　made　to　impeach　the



President　of　the　United　States。　The　current　was　strong；　and　most



party　leaders　thought　it　best　to　go　with　it。　Three　senators　of



the　United　States　sturdily　refused；　their　leader　being　William



Pitt　Fessenden　of　Maine；　who；　believing　the　impeachment　an



attempt　to　introduce　Spanish…American　politics　into　our　country；



resolutely　opposed　it。　The　State　convention　of　his　party　called



upon　him　to　vote　for　it；　the　national　convention　of　the　party



took　the　same　ground；　his　relatives　and　friends　besought　him　to



yield；　but　he　stood　firmly　against　the　measure；　and　finally；　by



his　example　and　his　vote；　defeated　it。　It　was　an　example　of



Spartan　fortitude；　of　Roman　heroism；　worthy　to　be　chronicled　by



Plutarch。　How　was　it　chronicled？　I　happened　to　be　traveling　in



Germany　at　the　time；　and　naturally　watched　closely　for　the　result



of　the　impeachment　proceedings。　One　morning　I　took　up　a　German



paper　containing　the　news　and　read；　〃The　impeachment　has　been



defeated；　three　senators　were　bribed；〃　and　at　the　head　of　the



list　of　bribed　senators　was　the　name　of　Fessenden！　The　time　will



come　when　his　statue　will　commemorate　his　great　example；　let　us



hope　that　the　time　will　also　come　when　party　spirit　will　not　be



allowed　to　disgrace　our　country　by　sending　out　to　the　world　such



monstrous　calumnies。







As　to　attacks　upon　the　United　States；　it　is　only　fair　to　say　that



German　publicists　and　newspaper　writers　were　under　much



provocation。　Some　of　the　American　correspondents　then　in　Germany



showed　wonderful　skill　in　malignant　invention。　My　predecessors　in



the　embassy　had　suffered　much　from　this　cause。　One　of　them；　whom



I　had　known　from　his　young　manhood　as　a　gentleman　of　refined



tastes　and　quiet　habits；　utterly　incapable　of　rudeness　of　any



sort；　was　accused；　in　a　sensational　letter　published　in　various



American　journals；　of　having　become　so　noisy　and　boisterous　at



court　that　the　Emperor　was　obliged　to　rebuke　him。　Various　hints



of　a　foul　and　scandalous　character　were　sent　over　and　published。



I　escaped　more　easily；　but　there　were　two　or　three　examples　which



were　both　vexatious　and　amusing。







Shortly　after　my　arrival　at　my　post；　letters　and　newspaper



articles　began　coming　deploring　the　conduct　of　the　Germans　toward



me；　expressing　deep　sympathy　with　me；　exhorting　me　to　〃stand



firm；〃　declaring　that　the　American　people　were　behind　me；　etc。；



etc。；　all　of　which　puzzled　me　greatly　until　I　found　that　some



correspondent　had　sent　over　a　telegram　to　the　effect　that　the



feeling　against　America　had　become　so　bitter　that　the　Emperor



himself　had　been　obliged　to　intervene　and　command　the　officials



of　his　empire　to　present　themselves　at　my　official　reception；　and



with　this　statement　was　coupled　a　declaration　that　I　had　made　the



most　earnest　remonstrance　to　the　Imperial　Government　against　such



treatment。　The　simple　fact　was　that　the　notice　was　in　the



stereotyped　form　always　used　when　an　ambassador　arrives。　On　every



such　occasion　the　proper　authorities　notify　all　the　persons



concerned；　giving　the　time　of　his　receptions；　and　this　was　simply



what　was　done　in　my　case。　On　another　occasion；　telegrams　were



sent　over　to　American　papers　stating　that　the　first　secretary　of



the　embassy　and　myself；　on　visiting　Parliament　to　hear　an



important　debate；　had　been　grossly　insulted　by　various　members。



The　fact　was　that　we　had　been　received　by　everybody　with　the



utmost　kindness；　that　various　members　had　saluted　us　in　the　most



friendly　manner　from　the　floor　or　had　come　into　the　diplomatic



gallery　to　welcome　us；　and　that　there　was　not　the　slightest



shadow　of　reason　for　the　statement。　As　an　example　of　the　genius



shown　in　some　of　these　telegrams；　another　may　be　mentioned。　A



very　charming　American　lady；　niece　of　a　member　of　Mr。　McKinley's



cabinet；　having　arrived　on　the　Norwegian　coast；　her　children　were



taken　on　board　the　yacht　of　the　Emperor；　who　was　then　cruising　in



those　regions；　and　later；　on　their　arrival　at　Berlin；　they　with



their　father　and　mother　were　asked　by　him　to　the　palace　to　meet



his　own　wife　and　children。　A　few　days　afterward　a　telegram　was



published　in　America　to　the　effect　that　the　Emperor；　in　speaking



to　Mrs。　White　and　myself　regarding　the　children；　had　said　that　he



was　especially　surprised；　because　he　had　always　understood　that



American　children　were　badly　brought　up　and　had　very　bad　manners。



The　simple　fact　was　that；　while　he　spoke　of　the　children　with



praise；　the　rest　of　the　story　was　merely　a　sensational　invention。



One　of　the　marvels　of　American　life　is　the　toleration　by　decent



fathers　and　mothers　of　sensational　newspapers　in　their



households。　Of　all　the　demoralizing　influences　upon　our　people；



and　especially　upon　our　young　people；　they　are　the　most　steadily



and　pervasively　degrading。　Horace　Greeley　once　published　a



tractate　entitled；　〃New　Themes　for　the　Clergy；〃　and　I　would



suggest　the　evil　influence　of　sensation　newsmongering　as　a　most



fruitful　theme　for　the　exhortations　of　all　American　clergymen　to



their　flocks；　whether　Catholic；　Jewish；　o