part05+-第55部分

快捷操作: 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! 如果本书没有阅读完，想下次继续接着阅读，可使用上方 "收藏到我的浏览器" 功能 和 "加入书签" 功能！





work。　The　man　is　indeed　fortunate　who　can　go　through　a　long



career　without　blame；　and　how　much　more　fortunate　if　he　adds



great　achievement　to　blamelessness。　You　have　the　singular



felicity　of　having　been　always　a　fighting　man；　and　having　gone



through　life　without　a　wound。







I　congratulate　you　most　on　your　physical　and　mental　ability　to



enjoy　the　rest　you　have　chosen　and　earned。。。。







My　wife　joins　me　in　cordial　regards　to　Mrs。　White；　and　I　am



always；　　　　　　



　　　　　　　　　　　　



Faithfully　yours；　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　



（Signed）　JOHN　HAY。











DEPARTMENT　OF　STATE；



WASHINGTON；







November　7；　1902。







DEAR　MR。　WHITE：







I　cannot　let　the　day　pass　without　sending　you　a　word　of　cordial



congratulation　on　the　beginning　of　what　I　hope　will　be　the　most



delightful　part　of　your　life。　Browning　long　ago　sang；　〃The　best



is　yet　to　be；〃　and；　certainly；　if　world…wide　fame　troops　of



friends；　a　consciousness　of　well…spent　years；　and　a　great　career



filled　with　righteous　achievement　are　constituents　of　happiness；



you　have　everything　that　the　heart　of　man　could　wish。　　　　　　　　　　　　　



　　　　　　　Yours　faithfully；　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　



（Signed）　JOHN　HAY。　　







His　Excellency　ANDREW　D。　WHITE；　etc。；　etc。；　etc。











FROM　THE　CHANCELLOR　OF　THE　GERMAN　EMPIRE。



　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Wilhelm　Str。　77。







MY　DEAR　AMBASSADOR：







On　the　occasion　of　this　memorable　day；　I　beg　to　send　you　my　best



wishes。　May　God　grant　you　perfect　health　and　happiness。　Be



assured　that　I　always　shall　remember　the　excellent　relations



which　have　joined　us　during　so　many　years；　and　accept　the



assurance　of　the　highest　esteem　and　respect　of　your　most



affectionate　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　



BULOW。　



7　Nov。　1902。















CHAPTER　XLIV







MY　RECOLLECTIONS　OF　WILLIAM　II1879…1903







At　various　times　since　my　leaving　the　Berlin　Embassy　various



friends　have　said　to　me；　〃Why　not　give　us　something　definite



regarding　the　German　Emperor？〃　And　on　my　pleading　sundry



difficulties　and　objections；　some　of　my　advisers　have　recalled



many　excellent　precedents；　both　American　and　foreign；　and　others



have　cited　the　dictum；　〃The　man　I　don't　like　is　the　man　I　don't



know。〃







The　latter　argument　has　some　force　with　me。　Much　ill　feeling



between　the　United　States　and　Germany　has　had　its　root　in



misunderstandings；　and；　as　one　of　the　things　nearest　my　heart



since　my　student　days　has　been　a　closer　moral　and　intellectual



relation　between　the　two　countries；　there　is；　perhaps；　a　reason



for　throwing　into　these　misunderstandings　some　light　from　my　own



experience。







My　first　recollections　of　the　present　Emperor　date　from　the



beginning　of　my　stay　as　minister　at　Berlin；　in　1879。　The　official



presentations　to　the　Emperor　and　Empress　of　that　period　having



been　made；　there　came　in　regular　order　those　to　the　crown　prince



and　princess；　and　on　my　way　to　them　there　fell　into　my　hands　a



newspaper　account　of　the　unveiling　of　the　monument　to　the　eminent



painter　Cornelius；　at　Dusseldorf；　the　main　personage　in　the



ceremony　being　the　young　Prince　William；　then　a　student　at　Bonn。



His　speech　was　given　at　some　length；　and　it　impressed　me。　There



was　a　certain　reality　of　conviction　and　aspiration　in　it　which



seemed　to　me　so　radically　different　from　the　perfunctory



utterances　usual　on　such　occasions　that；　at　the　close　of　the



official　interview　with　his　father　and　mother；　I　alluded　to　it。



Their　response　touched　me。　There　came　at　once　a　kindly　smile　upon



the　father's　face；　and　a　glad　sparkle　into　the　mother's　eyes：



pleasing　was　it　to　hear　her；　while　showing　satisfaction　and



pride；　speak　of　her　anxiety　before　the　good　news　came；　and　of　the



embarrassments　in　the　way　of　her　son　at　his　first　public　address



on　an　occasion　of　such　importance；　no　less　pleasing　was　it　to



note　the　father's　happy　acquiescence：　there　was　in　it　all　a



revelation　of　simple　home　feeling　and　of　wholesome　home　ties



which　clearly　indicated　something　different　from　the　family



relations　in　sundry　royal　houses　depicted　by　court　chroniclers。







Not　long　afterward　the　young　prince　appeared　at　some　of　the　court



festivities；　and　I　had　many　opportunities　to　observe　him。　He



seemed　sprightly；　with　a　certain　exuberance　of　manner　in　meeting



his　friends　which　was　not　unpleasing；　but　it　was　noticeable　that



his　hearty　salutations　were　by　no　means　confined　to　men　and　women



of　his　own　age；　he　was　respectful　to　old　men；　and　that　is　always



a　good　sign；　it　could　be　easily　seen；　too；　that　while　he



especially　sought　the　celebrities　of　the　Franco…Prussian　War；　he



took　pains　to　show　respect　to　men　eminent　in　science；　literature；



and　art。　There　seemed　a　healthy；　hearty　life　in　him　well



befitting　a　young　man　of　his　position　and　prospects：　very



different　was　he　from　the　heir　to　the　throne　in　another　country；



whom　I　had　occasion　to　observe　at　similar　functions；　and　who



seemed　to　regard　the　whole　human　race　with　indifference。







Making　the　usual　visits　in　Berlin　society；　I　found　that　people



qualified　to　judge　had　a　good　opinion　of　his　abilities；　and　not



infrequent　were　prophecies　that　the　young　man　would　some　day



really　accomplish　something。







My　first　opportunity　to　converse　with　him　came　at　his　marriage；



when　a　special　reception　was　given　by　him　and　his　bride　to　the



diplomatic　corps。　He　spoke　at　considerable　length　on　American



topicson　railways；　steamers；　public　works；　on　Americans　whom　he



had　met；　and　of　the　things　he　most　wished　to　see　on　our　side　the



water；　altogether　he　seemed　to　be　broad…minded；　alert；　with　a



quick　sense　of　humor；　and　yet　with　a　certain　solidity　of　judgment



beneath　it　all。







After　my　departure　from　Berlin　there　flitted　over　to　America



conflicting　accounts　of　him；　and　during　the　short　reign　of　his



father　there　was　considerable　growth　of　myth　and　legend　to　his



disadvantage。　Any　attempt　to　distil　the　truth　from　it　all　would



be　futile；　suffice　it　that　both　in　Germany　and　Great　Britain



careful　statements　by　excellent　authorities　on　both　sides　have



convinced　me　that　in　all　that　trying　crisis　the　young　man's



course　was　dictated　by　a　manly　sense　of　duty。







The　first　thing　after　his　accession　which　really　struck　me　as　a



revelation　of　his　character　was　his　dismissal　of　Bismarck。　By



vast　numbers　of　people　this　was　thought　the　act　of　an　exultant



young　ruler　eager　to　escape　all　restraint；　and　this　opinion　was



considerably　promoted　in　English…speaking　countries　by　an



ephemeral　cause：　Tenniel's　cartoon　in　〃Punch〃　entitled　〃Dropping



the　Pilot。〃　As　most　people　who　read　this　will　remember；　the　iron



chancellor　was　therein　represented　as　an　old；　weatherbeaten



pilot；　in　storm…coat　and　sou'wester；　plodding　heavily　down　the



gangway　at　the　side　of　a　great　ship；　while　far　above　him；　leaning



over　the　bulwarks；　was　the　young　Emperor；　jaunty；　with　a



satisfied　smirk；　and　wearing　his　crown。　There　was　in　that　little



drawing　a　spark　of　genius；　and　it　sped　far；　probably　no　other



cartoon　in　〃Punch〃　ever　produced　so　deep　an　effect；　save；



possibly；　that　which　appeared　during　the　Crimean　War　with　the



legend　〃General　February　turned　Traitor〃；　it　went　everywhere；



appealing　to　deep　sentiment　in　human　hearts。







And　yet；　to　meadmiring　Bismarck　as　the　greatest　German　since



Luther；　but　reflecting　upon　the　vast　interests　involvedthis　act



was　a　proof　that　the　young　monarch　was　a　stronger　man　than　any



one　had　supposed　him　to　be。　Certainly　this　dismissal　must　have



caused　him　much　regret；　all　his　previous　life　had　shown　that　he



admired　Bismarckalmost　adored　him。　It　gave　evidence　of　a　deep



purpose　and　a　strong　will。　Louis　XIV　had　gained　great　credit



after　the　death　of　Mazarin　by　declaring　his　intention　of　ruling



aloneof　taking　into　his　own　hands　the　vast　work　begun　by



Richelieu；　but　that　was　the　merest　nothing　compared　to　this。　This



was；　apparently；　as　if　Louis　XIII；　immediately　after　the　triumphs



of　Richelieu；　had　dismissed　him　and　declared　his　purpose　of



henceforth　being　his　own　prime　minister。　The　young　Emperor　had



found　himself　at　the　parting　of　the　ways；　and　had　deliberately



chosen　the　right　path；　and　this　in　spite　of　almost　universal



outcries　at　home　and　abroad。　The　OLD　Emperor　William　could　let



Bismarck　have　his　way　to　any　extent：　when　his　chancellor　sulked



he　could　drive　to　the　palace　in　the　Wilhelmstrasse；　pat　his　old



servant　on　the　back；　chaff　him；　scold　him；　laugh　at　him；　and　set



him　going　again；　and　no　one　thought　less　of　the　old　monarch　on



that　account。　But　for　the　YOUNG　Emperor　William　to　do　this　would



be　fatal；　it　would　class　him　at　once　among　the　rois



fatneantsthe　mere　figureheads〃the　solemnly　constituted



impostors；〃　and　in　this　lay　not　merely　dangers　to　the　young



monarch；　but　to　his　dynasty　and　to　the　empire。







His　recognition　of　this　fact　was；　and　is；　to　me　a　proof　that　the



favorable　judgments　of　him　which　I　had　heard　expressed　in　Berlin



were　well　founded。







But　this　decision　did　much　to　render　him　unpopular　in　the　United



States；　and　various　other　reports　which　flitted　over　increased



the　unfavorable　feeling。　There　came　reports　of　his　speeches　to



young　recruits；　in　which；　to　put　it　mildly；　there　was　preached　a



very　high　theory　of　the　royal　and　imperial　prerogative；　and　a



very　exa