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labor　to　raise　the　character　of　the　younger　generation　of　Poles；



in　the　hope　that　Poland　might　do　what　Scotland　had　donerise　by



sound　mental　and　moral　training　from　the　condition　of　a　conquered



and　even　oppressed　part　of　a　great　empire　to　a　controlling



position　in　it。　This　advice　was；　of　course；　in　vain；　and　he　is



now　building　air…castles　amid　the　fogs　of　London。







In　my　life　at　Berlin　as　ambassador　there　was　a　tinge　of　sadness。



Great　changes　had　taken　place　since　my　student　days　in　that　city；



and　even　since　my　later　stay　as　minister。　A　new　race　of　men　had



come　upon　the　stage　in　public　affairs；　in　the　university；　and　in



literary　circles。　Gone　was　the　old　Emperor　William；　gone　also　was



the　Emperor　Frederick；　and　Bismarck　and　Moltke　and　a　host　of



others　who　had　given　dignity　and　interest　to　the　great



assemblages　at　the　capital。　Gone；　too；　from　the　university　were



Lepsius；　Helmholtz；　Curtius；　Hoffmann；　Gneist；　Du　Bois…Reymond；



and　Treitschke；　all　of　whom；　in　the　old　days；　had　been　my　guests



and　friends。　The　main　exceptions　seemed　to　be　in　the　art　world。



The　number　of　my　artist　friends　during　my　stay　as　minister　had



been　large；　and　every　one　of　them　was　living　when　I　returned　as



ambassador；　the　reason；　of　course；　being　that　when　men



distinguish　themselves　in　art　at　all；　they　do　so　at　an　earlier



age　than　do　high　functionaries　of　state　and　professors　in　the



universities。　It　was　a　great　pleasure　to　find　Adolf　Menzel；



Ludwig　Knaus；　Carl　Beeker；　Anton　von　Werner；　and　Paul　Meyerheim；



though　grown　gray　in　their　beautiful　ministry；　still　daily　at



work　in　their　studios。







Three　only　of　my　friends　of　the　older　generation　in　the　Berlin



faculty　remained；　and　as　I　revise　these　lines　the　world　is　laying



tributes　upon　the　grave　of　the　last　of　themTheodor　Mommsen。



With　him　my　relations　were　so　peculiar　that　they　may　deserve　some



mention。







During　my　earlier　stays　in　Berlin　he　had　always　seemed　especially



friendly　to　the　United　States；　and　it　was　therefore　with　regret



that　on　my　return　I　found　him　in　this　respect　greatly　changed：　he



had　become　a　severe　critic　of　nearly　everything　American；　his



earlier　expectations　had　evidently　been　disappointed；　we　clearly



appeared　to　him　big；　braggart；　noisy；　false　to　our　principles；



unworthy　of　our　opportunities。　These　feelings　of　his　became　even



more　marked　as　the　Spanish…American　War　drew　on。　Whenever　we　met；



and　most　often　at　a　charming　house　which　both　of　us　frequented；



he　showed　himself　more　and　more　bitter；　so　that　finally　our　paths



separated。　There　comes　back　to　me　vividly　one　evening　when　I



sought　to　turn　off　a　sharp　comment　of　his　upon　some　recent



American　news　by　saying：　〃You　must　give　a　young　nation　like　ours



more　time。〃　On　this　he　exclaimed：　〃You　cannot　plead　the　baby　act



any　longer。　More　time！　You　have　HAD　time；　you　are　already　three



hundred　years　old！〃　Having　sought　in　vain　to　impress　on　him　the



fact　that　the　policy　of　our　country　is　determined　not　wholly　by



the　older　elements　in　its　civilization；　but　very　largely　by　newer



commonwealths　which　must　require　time　to　develop　a　policy



satisfactory　to　sedate　judges；　he　burst　into　a　tirade　from　which



I　took　refuge　in　a　totally　different　discussion。







Some　days　later　came　another　evidence　of　his　feeling。　Meeting　an



eminent　leader　in　political；　and　especially　in　journalistic；



circles；　I　was　shown　the　corrected　proofsheets　of　an　〃interview〃



on　the　conduct　of　the　United　States　toward　Spain；　given　by



Mommsen。　It　was　even　more　acrid　than　his　previous　utterances；　and



exhibited　sharply　and　at　great　length　our　alleged　sins　and



shortcomings。　Certainly　a　representative　of　the　American　people



was　not　bound　to　make　supplication；　in　such　a　matter；　even　to　so



eminent　a　scholar　and　leader　of　thought；　and　my　comment　was



simply　as　follows：　〃I　have　no　request　to　make　in　the　premisesof



Mommsen　or　of　anybody。　The　article　will　of　course　have　no　effect



on　the　war；　of　that　there　can　be　but　one　result：　the　triumph　of



the　United　States　and　the　liberation　of　the　Spanish　islands　of



the　West　Indies；　but　may　there　not　be　some　considerations　of　a



very　different　order　as　regards　Mommsen　himself？　Why　not　ask　him；



simply；　where　his　friends　are；　his　readers；　his　old　students；　his



disciples？　Why　not　ask　him　whether　he　finds　fewer　clouds　over　the



policy　of　Spain　than　over　that　of　the　United　States；　of　which



country；　despite　all　its　faults；　he　has　most　hope；　and　for　which；



in　his　heart；　he　has　the　greater　feeling　of　brotherhood？〃







How　far　this　answer　influenced　him　I　know　not；　but　the　article



was　never　published；　and　thenceforth　there　seemed　some　revival　of



the　older　kindly　feeling。　At　my　own　table　and　elsewhere　he　more



than　once　became；　in　a　measure；　like　the　Mommsen　of　old。　One



utterance　of　his　amused　me　much。　My　wife　happening；　in　a　talk



with　him；　to　speak　of　a　certain　personage　as　〃hardly　an　ideal



man；〃　he　retorted：　〃Madam；　is　it　possible　that　you　have　been



married　some　years　and　still　believe　in　the　ideal　man？〃







His　old　better　feeling　toward　America　came　out　especially　when　I



next　called　upon　him　with　congratulations　upon　his　birthdayhis



last；　alas！　But　heartiest　of　all　was　he　during　the　dinner　given



at　my　departure。　My　speech　was　long；over　an　hour；for　I　had　a



message　to　deliver；　and　was　determined　to　give　ita　message



which　I　hoped　might　impress　upon　my　great　audience　reasons　for　a



friendly　judgment　of　my　country。　As　I　began；　Mommsen　came　to　my



sidejust　back　of　me；　his　hand　at　his　ear；　listening　intently。



There　the　old　man　stood　from　the　first　word　to　the　last；　and　on



my　conclusion　he　grasped　me　heartily　with　both　handsa



demonstration　rare　indeed　with　him。　It　was　our　last　greeting　in



this　world。







Would　that　there　were　space　to　dwell　upon　those　in　the　present



generation　of　professors　who　honored　me　with　their　friendship；



but　one　is　especially　suggested　here；　since　he　was　selected　to



make　a　farewell　address　on　the　occasion　above　referred　toAdolf



Harnack。　At　various　times　I　had　heard　him　discourse　profoundly



and　brilliantly　at　the　university；　but　came　to　know　him　best　at



the　bicentenary　of　the　Berlin　Academy；　when　he　had　just　added　to



the　long　list　of　his　published　works　his　history　of　the　academy；



in　four　quarto　volumes：　a　wonderful　work；　whether　considered　from



an　historical；　psychological；　or　philosophical　point　of　view。　His



address　on　that　occasion　was　masterly；　and　his　conversation　at



various　social　functions　instructive　and　pithy。　I　remember　in　one



of　them；　especially；　his　delineation　of　the　characteristics　and



services　of　Leibnitz；　who　was　one　of　the　founders　of　the　Royal



Academy；　and　it　was　perfection　in　that　kind　of　conversation　which



is　worthy　of　men　claiming　to　possess　immortal　souls：　for　it



brought　out；　especially；　examples　of　Leibnitz's　amazing



forethought　as　to　European　policy；　which　seemed　at　times　like



divinely　inspired　prophecies。　He　also　gave　me　a　number　of



interesting　things　which　he　had　noted　in　his　studies　of　Frederick



the　Great。　Some　of　them　I　had　found　already　in　my　own　reading；



but　one　of　them　I　did　not　remember；　and　it　was　both　comical　and



characteristic。　A　rural　Protestant　pastor　sent　a　petition　to　the



King　presenting　a　grievance　and　asking　redress。　It　was　to　the



effect　that　his　church　was　on　one　side　of　a　river　in　Silesia；　and



that　a　younger　pastor；　whose　church　was　on　the　opposite　side；　was



drawing　all　his　parishioners　away　from　him。　On　the　back　of　the



petition　Frederick　simply　wrote；　〃Tell　him　to　go　and　preach　on



the　other　side　of　the　river：　that　will　drive　his　people　back



again。〃







Hearing　Harnack　and　his　leading　colleagues　in　discourse　at　the



university　or　academy；　or　in　private；　whether　in　their　loftier　or



lighter　moods；　one　could　understand　why　the　University　of　Berlin；



though　one　of　the　youngest；　is　the　foremost　among　the



universities　of　the　world。















CHAPTER　XLII







AMERICA；　GERMANY；　AND　THE　CHINESE　WAR1899…1902







An　interesting　event　of　this　period　was　the　appearance　in　Berlin



of　ex…President　and　Mrs。　Harrison。　The　President　had　but　recently



finished　his　long　and　wearisome　work　before　the　Venezuela



Arbitration　Tribunal　at　Paris；　and　was　very　happy　in　the



consciousness　of　duty　accomplished　and　liberty　obtained。　Marks　of



high　distinction　were　shown　them。　The　sovereigns　invited　them　to



attend　the　festivities　at　Potsdam　in　honor　of　the　Queen　and　Queen



Mother　of　Holland；　who　were　then　staying　there；　and　treated　them



not　only　with　respect；　but　with　cordiality。　The　Emperor　conversed



long　with　the　President　on　various　matters　of　public　interest：　on



noted　Americans　whom　he　had　met；　on　the　growth　of　our　fleet；　on



recent　events　in　our　history；　and　the　like；　characteristically



ending　with　a　discussion　of　the　superb　music　which　we　had　been



hearing；　and　at　the　supper　which　followed　insisted　that　Mrs。



Harrison　should　sit　at　his　side；　the　Empress　giving　a　similar



invitation　to　Mr。　Harrison。　At　a　later　period　a　dinner　was　given



to　the　ex…President　by　the　chancellor　of　the　empire；　Prince



Hohenlohe；　at　which　a　number　of　the　leading　personages　in　the



empire　were　present；　and　it　was　a　pleasure　to　show　my　own　respect



for　the　former　chief　magistrate　by　a　reception　which　was　attended



by　about　two　hundred　of　our　American　colony；　and　a　dinner　at



which　he　and　Mrs。　Harrison　made　t