part05+-第58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！





recent　stay　the　young　Emperor　intervened　with　decision　and　force；



his　work　was　thorough；　and　as　my　windows　looked　out　over　one



corner　of　this　field　of　his　operations；　their　progress　interested



me；　and　they　were　alluded　to　from　time　to　time　in　our



conversations。　Interesting　was　it　to　note　that　his　energy　was



all…sufficient；　the　Berliners　seemed　to　regard　his　activity　as



Arabs　regard　a　sand…storm；as　predestined　and　irresistible；and



the　universal　verdict　now　justifies　his　course；　both　on　sanitary



and　artistic　grounds。







The　same　thing　may　be　said；　on　the　whole；　of　the　influence　he　has



exerted　on　the　great　adornments　of　his　capital　city。　The　position



and　character　of　various　monuments　on　which　he　has　impressed　his



ideas；　and　the　laying　out　and　decoration　of　sundry　streets　and



parks；　do　credit　not　merely　to　his　artistic　sense；　but　to　his



foresight。







This　prompt　yet　wise　intervention；　actuated　by　a　public　spirit



not　only　strong　but　intelligent；　is　seen；　in　various　other　parts



of　the　empire；　in　the　preservation　and　restoration　of　its



architectural　glories。　When　he　announced　to　me　at　Potsdam　his



intention　to　present　specimens　representative　of　German



architecture　and　sculpture　to　the　Germanic　Museum　at　Harvard；　he



showed；　in　enumerating　and　discussing　the　restorations　at



Marienburg　and　Naumburg；　the　bas…reliefs　at　Halberstadt；　the



masks　and　statues　of　Andreas　Schluter　at　Berlin；　and　the



Renaissance　and　rococo　work　at　Lubeck　and　Danzig；　a　knowledge　and



appreciation　worthy　of　a　trained　architect　and　archaeologist。







As　to　his　feeling　for　literature；　his　addresses　on　various



occasions　show　amply　that　he　has　read　to　good　purpose；　not　only



in　the　best　authors　of　his　own；　but　of　other　countries。　While



there　is　not　the　slightest　tinge　of　pedantry　in　his　speeches　or



talk；　there　crop　out　in　them　evidences　of　a　curious　breadth　and



universality　in　his　reading。　His　line　of　reading　for　amusement



was　touched　when；　at　the　close　of　an　hour　of　serious　official



business；　an　illustration　of　mine　from　Rudyard　Kipling　led　him　to



recall　many　of　that　author's　most　striking　situations；　into　which



he　entered　with　great　zest；　and　at　various　other　times　he　cited



sayings　of　Mark　Twain　which　he　seemed　especially　to　enjoy。　Here



it　may　be　mentioned　that　one　may　note　the　same　breadth　in　his



love　for　art；　for　not　only　does　he　rejoice　in　the　higher



achievements　of　architecture；　sculpture；　and　painting；　but　he



takes　pleasure　in　lighter　work；　and　an　American　may　note　that　he



is　greatly　interested　in　the　popular　illustrations　of　Gibson。







I　once　asked　some　of　the　leading　people　nearest　him　how　he　found



time　to　observe　so　wide　a　range；　and　received　answer　that　it　was



as　much　a　marvel　to　them　as　to　me；　he　himself　once　told　me　that



he　found　much　time　for　reading　during　his　hunting　excursions。







Nor　does　he　make　excursions　into　various　fields　of　knowledge　by



books　alone。　Any　noteworthy　discovery　or　gain　in　any　leading



field　of　thought　or　effort　attracts　his　attention　at　once；　and



must　be　presented　to　him　by　some　one　who　ranks　among　its　foremost



exponents。







But　here　it　should　be　especially　noted　that；　active　and　original



as　the　Emperor　is；　he　is　not；　and　never　has　been；　caught　by　FADS



either　in　art；　science；　literature；　or　in　any　other　field　of



human　activity。　The　great　artists　who　cannot　draw　or　paint；　and



who；　therefore；　despise　those　who　can　and　are　glorified　by　those



who　cannot；　the　great　composers　who　can　give　us　neither　harmony



nor　melody；　and　therefore　have　a　fanatical　following　among　those



who　labor　under　like　disabilities；　the　great　writers　who　are



unable　to　attain　strength；　lucidity；　or　beauty；　and　therefore



secure　praise　for　profundity　and　occult　wisdom；none　of　these



influence　him。　In　these；　as　in　other　things；　the　Hohenzollern



sanity　asserts　itself。　He　recognizes　the　fact　that　normal　and



healthy　progress　is　by　an　evolution　of　the　better　out　of　the



good；　and　that　the　true　function　of　genius　in　every　field　is　to



promote　some　phase　of　this　evolution　either　by　aiding　to　create　a



better　environment；　or　by　getting　sight　of　higher　ideals。







As　to　his　manner；　it　is　in　ordinary　intercourse　simple；　natural；



kindly；　and　direct；　and　on　great　public　occasions　dignified



without　the　slightest　approach　to　pomposity。　I　have　known　scores



of　our　excellent　fellow…citizens　in　little　offices　who　were



infinitely　more　assuming。　It　was　once　said　of　a　certain　United



States　senator　that　〃one　must　climb　a　ladder　to　speak　with　him〃；



no　one　would　dream　of　making　any　assertion　of　this　sort　regarding



the　present　ruler　of　the　Prussian　Kingdom　and　German　Empire。







But　it　would　be　unjust　to　suppose　that　minor　gifts　and



acquirements　form　the　whole　of　his　character；　they　are　but　a　part



of　its　garb。　He　is　certainly　developing　the　characteristics　of　a



successful　ruler　of　men　and　the　solid　qualities　of　a　statesman。



It　was　my　fortune；　from　time　to　time；　to　hear　him　discuss　at　some



length　current　political　questions；　and　his　views　were　presented



with　knowledge；　clearness；　and　force。　There　was　nothing　at　all



flighty　in　any　of　his　statements　or　arguments。　There　is　evidently



in　him　a　large　fund　of　that　Hohenzollern　common　sense　which　has



so　often　happily　modified　German；　and　even　European；　politics。　He



recognizes；　of　course；　as　his　ancestors　generally　have　done；　that



his　is　a　military　monarchy；　and　that　Germany　is　and　must　remain　a



besieged　camp；　hence　his　close　attention　to　the　army　and　navy。



Every　one　of　our　embassy　military　attaches　expressed　to　me　his



surprise　at　the　efficiency　of　his　inspections　of　troops；　of　his



discrimination　between　things　essential　and　not　essential；　and　of



his　insight　into　current　military　questions。　Even　more　striking



testimony　was　given　to　me　by　our　naval　attaches　as　to　his　minute



knowledge　not　only　of　his　own　navy；　but　of　the　navies　of　other



powers；　and　especially　as　to　the　capabilities　of　various　classes



of　ships　and；　indeed；　of　individual　vessels。　One　thoroughly



capable　of　judging　told　me　that　he　doubted　whether　there　was　any



admiral　in　our　service　who　knew　more　about　every　American　ship　of



any　importance　than　does　the　Kaiser。　It　has　been　said　that　his



devotion　to　the　German　navy　is　a　whim。　That　view　can　hardly



command　respect　among　those　who　have　noted　his　labor　for　years



upon　its　development；　and　his　utterances　regarding　its　connection



with　the　future　of　his　empire。　As　a　simple　matter　of　fact；　he



recognizes　the　triumphs　of　German　commercial　enterprises；　and



sees　in　them　a　guarantee　for　the　extension　of　German　power　and



for　a　glory　more　permanent　than　any　likely　to　be　obtained　by



military　operations　in　these　times。　When　any　candid　American



studies　what　has　been　done；　or；　rather；　what　has　NOT　been　done；



in　his　own　country；　with　its　immense　seacoast　and　its　many



harbors　on　two　oceans；　to　build　up　a　great　merchant　navy；　and



compares　it　with　what　has　been　accomplished　during　the　last　fifty



years　by　the　steady；　earnest；　honest　enterprise　of　Germany；　with



merely　its　little　strip　of　coast　on　a　northern　inland　sea；　and



with　only　the　Hanseatic　ports　as　a　basis；　he　may　well　have



searchings　of　heart。　The　〃Shipping　Trust〃　seems　to　be　the　main



outcome　of　our　activity；　and　lines　of　the　finest　steamers　running



to　all　parts　of　the　world　the　outcome　of　theirs。　There　is　a



history　here　which　we　may　well　ponder；　the　young　Emperor　has　not



only　thought　but　acted　upon　it。







As　to　yet　broader　work；　the　crucial　test　of　a　ruler　is　his



ability　to　select　MEN；　to　stand　by　them　when　he　has　selected



them；　and　to　decide　wisely　how　far　the　plans　which　he　has　thought



out；　and　they　have　thought　out；　can　be　fused　into　a　policy　worthy



of　his　country。　Judged　by　this　test；　the　young　monarch　would　seem



worthy　of　his　position；　the　men　he　has　called　to　the　various



ministries　are　remarkably　fit　for　their　places；　several　of　them



showing　very　high　capacity；　and　some　of　them　genius。







As　to　his　relation　to　the　legislative　bodies；　it　is　sometimes



claimed　that　he　has　lost　much　by　his　too　early　and　open



proclamation　of　his　decisions；　intentions；　and　wishes；　and　it　can



hardly　be　denied　that　something　must　be　pardoned　to　the　ardor　of



his　patriotic　desire　to　develop　the　empire　in　all　its　activities；



but；　after　all　due　allowance　has　been　made；　there　remains



undeniable　evidence　of　his　statesmanlike　ability　to　impress　his



views　upon　the　national　and　state　legislatures。　A　leading　member



of　one　of　the　parliamentary　groups；　very　frequently　in　opposition



to　government　measures；　said　to　me：　〃After　all；　it　is　impossible



for　us　to　resist　him；　he　knows　Germany　so　well；　and　his　heart　is



so　thoroughly　in　his　proposals；　that　he　is　sure　to　gain　his



points　sooner　or　later。〃







An　essential　element　of　strength　in　this　respect　is　his



acquaintance　with　men　and　things　in　every　part　of　his　empire。



Evidences　of　this　were　frequent　in　his　public　letters　and



telegrams　to　cities；　towns；　groups；　and　individuals。　Nor　was　it



〃meddling　and　muddling。〃　If　any　fine　thing　was　done　in　any　part



of　the　empire；　he　seemed　the　first　to　take　notice　of　it。　Typical



of　his　breadth　of　view　were　the　cases　of　various　ship　captains



and　others　who　showed　heroism　in　remote　parts　of　the　world；　his



telegram　of　hearty　approval　being　usually　the　first　thing　they



received　on　coming　within　reach　of　it；