part05+-第57部分

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interest：　he　has　great　reason　for　doing　so；　both　as　a　statesman



and　as　a　man。







As　a　result　of　observation　and　reflection　during　a　long　life



which　has　touched　public　men　and　measures　in　wide　variety；　I



would　desire　for　my　country　three　things　above　all　others；　to



supplement　our　existing　American　civilization：　from　Great　Britain



her　administration　of　criminal　justice；　from　Germany　her　theater；



and　from　any　European　country；　save　Russia；　Spain；　and　Turkey；



its　government　of　cities。







As　to　the　second　of　these　desired　contributions；　ten　years　in



Germany　at　various　periods　during　an　epoch　covering　now　nearly



half　a　century　have　convinced　me　that　her　theater；　next　after　her



religious　inheritance；　gives　the　best　stimulus　and　sustenance　to



the　better　aspirations　of　her　people。　Through　it；　and　above　all



by　Schiller；　the　Kantian　ethics　have　been　brought　into　the



thinking　of　the　average　man　and　woman；　and　not　only　Schiller；　but



Lessing；　Goethe；　Gutzkow；　and　a　long　line　of　others　have　given　an



atmosphere　in　which　ennobling　ideals　bloom　for　the　German　youth；



during　season　after　season；　as　if　in　the　regular　course　of



nature。　The　dramatic　presentation；　even　in　the　smallest　towns；



is；　as　a　rule；　good；　the　theater　and　its　surroundings　are；　in　the



main；　free　from　the　abuses　and　miseries　of　the　stage　in



English…speaking　lands；　and；　above　all；　from　that　all…pervading



lubricity　and　pornographic　stench　which　have　made　the　French



theater　of　the　last　half　of　the　nineteenth　century　a　main　cause



in　the　decadence　of　the　French　people。　In　most　German　towns　of



importance　one　finds　the　drama　a　part　of　the　daily　life　of　its



citizensennobling　in　its　higher　ranges；　and　in　its　influence



clean　and　wholesome。







It　may　be　added　that　in　no　city　of　any　English…speaking　country



is　Shakspere　presented　so　fully；　so　well；　and　to　such　large　and



appreciative　audiences　as　in　Berlin。　All　this；　and　more；　the



Emperor　knows；　and　he　acts　upon　his　knowledge。　Interesting　was　it



at　various　times　to　see　him　sitting　with　his　older　children　at



the　theater；　evidently　awakening　their　interest　in　dramatic



masterpieces；　and　among　these　occasions　there　come　back　to　me；



especially；　the　evenings　when　he　thus　sat；　evidently　discussing



with　them　the　thought　and　action　in　Shakspere's　〃Julius　Caesar〃



and　〃Coriolanus；〃　as　presented　on　the　stage　before　us。　I　could



well　imagine　his　comments　on　the　venom　of　demagogues；　on　the



despotism　of　mobs；　on　the　weaknesses　of　strong　men；　and　on　the



need；　in　great　emergencies；　of　a　central　purpose　and　firm



control。　His　view　of　the　true　character　and　mission　of　the



theater　he　has　given　at　various　times；　and　one　of　his　talks　with



the　actors　in　the　Royal　Theater；　shortly　after　my　arrival；　may　be



noted　as　typical。　In　it　occur　passages　like　the　following：　〃When



I　came　into　the　government；　ten　years　ago；　。　。　。　I　was　convinced



that　this　theater；　under　the　guidance　of　the　monarch；　should；



like　the　school　and　the　university；　have　as　its　mission　the



development　of　the　rising　generation；　the　promotion　of　the



highest　intellectual　good　in　our　German　fatherland；　and　the



ennobling　of　our　people　in　mind　and　character。。。。　I　beg　of　you



that　you　continue　to　stand　by　me；　each　in　his　own　way　and　place；



serving　the　spirit　of　idealism；　and　waging　war　against



materialism　and　all　un…German　corruptions　of　the　stage。〃







After　various　utterances　showing　his　steady　purpose　in　the　same



direction；　there　came　out；　in　one　of　the　later　years　of　my　stay；



sundry　remarks　of　his　showing　a　new　phase　of　the　same　thought；　as



follows：　〃The　theater　should　not　only　be　an　important　factor　in



education　and　in　the　promotion　of　morals；　but　it　should　also



present　incarnations　of　elegance；　of　beauty；　of　the　highest



conceptions　of　art；　it　should　not　discourage　us　with　sad　pictures



of　the　past；　with　bitter　awakenings　from　illusions；　but　be



purified；　elevated；　strengthened　for　presenting　the　ideal。　。　。　。



Our　ordinary　life　gives　us　every　day　the　most　mournful　realities；



and　the　modern　authors　whose　pleasure　it　is　to　bring　these　before



us　upon　the　stage　have　accepted　an　unhealthy　mission　and



accomplish　a　discouraging　work。〃







In　his　desire　to　see　the　theater　aid　in　developing　German　ideals



and　in　enriching　German　life；　he　has　promoted　presentations　of



the　great　episodes　and　personages　in　German　history。　Some　of



these；　by　Wildenbruch　and　Lauff；　permeated　with　veins　of　true



poetry；　are　attractive　and　ennobling。　Of　course　not　all　were



entirely　successful。　I　recall　one　which　glorified　especially　a



great　epoch　in　the　history　of　the　house　of　Hohenzollern；　the



comical　effect　of　which　on　one　of　my　diplomatic　colleagues　I　have



mentioned　elsewhere；　but　this；　so　far　as　my　experience　goes；　was



an　exception。







There　seems　much　reason　for　the　Emperor's　strenuous　endeavors　in



this　field。　The　German　theater　still　remains　more　wholesome　than



that　of　any　other　country；　but　I　feel　bound　to　say　that；　since　my



earlier　acquaintance　with　it；　from　1854　to　1856　and　from　1879　to



1881；　there　has　come　some　deterioration；　and　this　is　especially



shown　in　various　dramas　which　have　been　held　up　as　triumphs。　In



these；　an　inoculation　from　the　French　drama　seems　to　have



resulted　in　destruction　of　the　nobler　characteristics　of　the



German　stage。　One　detects　the　cant　of　Dumas；　fils；　but　not　his



genius；　and；　when　this　cant　is　mingled　with　German　pessimism；　it



becomes　at　times　unspeakably　repulsive。　The　zeal　for　this　new



drama　seems　to　me　a　fad；　and　rather　a　slimy　fad。　With　all　my



heart　I　wish　the　Emperor　success　in　his　effort　to　keep　the　German



stage　upon　the　higher　planes。







Another　subject　which　came　up　from　time　to　time　was　that　of



archaelogical　investigation。　Once；　in　connection　with　some　talk



on　German　railway　enterprises　in　Asia　Minor；　I　touched　upon　his



great　opportunities　to　make　his　reign　illustrious　by　services　to



science　in　that　region。　He　entered　into　the　subject　heartily；　it



was　at　once　evident　that　he　was　awake　to　its　possibilities；　and



he　soon　showed　me　much　more　than　I　knew　before　of　what　had　been



done　and　was　doing；　but　pointed　out　special　difficulties　in



approaching；　at　present；　some　most　attractive　fields　of



investigation。







Interesting　also　were　his　views　on　education；　and　more　than　once



the　conversation　touched　this　ground。　As　to　his　own　academic



training；　there　is　ample　testimony　that　he　appreciated　the　main



classical　authors　whom　he　read　in　the　gymnasium　at　Cassel；　but　it



was　refreshing　to　hear　and　to　read　various　utterances　of　his



against　gerund…grinding　and　pedantry。　He　recognizes　the　fact　that



the　worst　enemies　of　classical　instruction　in　Germany；　as；



indeed；　elsewhere；　have　been　they　of　its　own　household；　and　he



has　stated　this　view　as　vigorously　as　did　Sydney　Smith　in　England



and　Francis　Wayland　in　America。　Whenever　he　dwelt　on　this　subject



the　views　which　he　presented　at　such　length　to　the　Educational



Commission　were　wont　to　come　out　with　force　and　piquancy。







On　one　occasion　our　discussion　turned　upon　physical　education；



and　especially　upon　the　value　to　students　of　boating。　As　an　old



Yale　boating　man；　a　member　of　the　first　crew　which　ever　sent　a



challenge　to　Harvard；　and　one　who　had　occasion　in　the



administration　of　an　American　university　to　consider　this　form　of



exercise　from　various　standpoints；　I　may　say　that　his　view　of　its



merits　and　his　way　of　promoting　it　seemed　to　me　thoroughly



sensible。







From　time　to　time　some　mention　from　me　of　city　improvements



observed　during　my　daily　walks　led　to　an　interesting　discussion。



The　city　of　Berlin　is　wonderfully　well　governed；　and　exhibits　all



those　triumphs　of　modern　municipal　skill　and　devotion　which　are



so　conspicuously　absent；　as　a　rule；　from　our　American　cities。



While　his　capital　preserves　its　self…governing　powers；　it　is



clear　that　he　purposes　to　have　his　full　say　as　to　everything



within　his　jurisdiction。　There　were　various　examples　of　this；　and



one　of　them　especially　interested　me：　the　renovation　of　the



Thiergarten。　This　great　park；　virtually　a　gift　of　the



Hohenzollern　monarchs；　which　once　lay　upon　the　borders　of　the



city；　but　is　now　in　the　very　heart　of　it；　had　gradually　fallen



far　short　of　what　it　should　have　been。　Even　during　my　earlier



stays　in　Berlin　it　was　understood　that　some　of　his　predecessors；



and　especially　his　father；　had　desired　to　change　its　copse…like



and　swampy　character　and　give　it　more　of　the　features　of　a



stately　park；　but　that　popular　opposition　to　any　such　change　had



always　shown　itself　too　bitter　and　uncompromising。　This　seemed　a



great　pity；　for　while　there　were　some　fine　trees；　a　great



majority　of　them　were　so　crowded　together　that　there　was　no



chance　of　broad；　free　growth　either　for　trees　or　for　shrubbery。



There　was　nothing　of　that　exquisitely　beautiful　play；　upon



expanses　of　green　turf；　of　light　and　shade　through　wide…expanded



boughs　and　broad　masses　of　foliage；　which　gives　such　delight　in



any　of　the　finer　English　or　American　parks。　Down　to　about　half　a



dozen　years　since　it　had　apparently　been　thought　best　not　to



interfere；　and　even　when　attention　was　called　to　the　dark；　swampy



characteristics　of　much　of　the　Thiergarten；　the　answer　was　that



it　was　best　to　humor　the　Berliners；　but　about　the　beginning　of　my



recent　stay　the　young　Emperor　intervened　with　decision　and　force