part05+-第59部分

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telegram　of　hearty　approval　being　usually　the　first　thing　they



received　on　coming　within　reach　of　it；　and　substantial　evidence



of　his　gratitude　meeting　them　later。







On　the　other　hand；　as　to　his　faculty　for　minute　observation　and



prompt　action　upon　it：　a　captain　of　one　of　the　great　liners



between　Hamburg　and　New　York　told　me　that　when　his　ship　was　ready



to　sail　the　Emperor　came　on　board；　looked　it　over；　and　after



approving　various　arrangements　said　dryly；　〃Captain；　I　should



think　you　were　too　old　a　sailor　to　let　people　give　square　corners



to　your　tables。〃　The　captain　quietly　acted　upon　this　hint；　and



when；　many　months　later；　the　Kaiser　revisited　the　ship；　he　said；



〃Well；　captain；　I　am　glad　to　see　that　you　have　rounded　the



corners　of　your　tables。〃







He　is　certainly　a　working　man。　The　record　of　each　of　his　days　at



Berlin　or　Potsdam；　as　given　in　the　press；　shows　that　every　hour；



from　dawn　to　long　after　dusk；　brings　its　dutiesduties　demanding



wide　observation；　close　study；　concentration　of　thought；　and



decision。　Nor　is　his　attention　bounded　by　German　interests。　He　is



a　keen　student　of　the　world　at　large。　At　various　interviews　there



was　ample　evidence　of　his　close　observation　of　the　present



President　of　the　United　States；　and　of　appreciation　of　his　doings



and　qualities；　so；　too；　when　the　struggle　for　decent　government



in　New　York　was　going　on；　he　showed　an　intelligent　interest　in



Mr。　Seth　Low；　and　in　various　other　American　matters　there　was



recognition　of　the　value　of　any　important　stroke　of　good　work



done　by　our　countrymen。







As　to　his　view　of　international　questions；　two　of　the



opportunities　above　referred　to　especially　occur　to　me　here。







The　first　of　these　was　during　the　troubles　in　Crete　between　the



Greeks　and　the　Turks。　As　I　talked　one　evening　with　one　of　my



colleagues　who　represented　a　power　especially　interested　in　the



matter；　the　Emperor　came　up　and　at　once　entered　into　the



discussion。　He　stated　the　position　of　various　powers　in　relation



to　it；　and　suggested　a　line　of　conduct。　There　was　straightforward



good　sense　in　his　whole　contention；　a　refreshing　absence　of



conventionalities；　and　a　very　clear　insight　into　the　realities　of



the　question；　with　a　shrewd　forecast　of　the　result。　More



interesting　to　me　was　another　conversation；　in　the　spring　of



1899。　As　the　time　drew　near　for　the　sessions　of　the　Peace



Conference　at　The　Hague；　I　was　making　preparations　for　leaving



Berlin　to　take　up　my　duty　in　that　body；　when　one　morning　there



appeared　at　the　embassy　a　special　messenger　from　the　Emperor



requesting　me　to　come　to　the　palace。　My　reception　was　hearty；　and



he　plunged　at　once　into　the　general　subject　by　remarking；　〃What



the　conference　will　most　need　is　good　common　sense；　and　I　have



sent　Count　Munster；　my　ambassador　at　Paris；　because　he　has　lots



of　it。〃　With　this　preface；　he　went　very　fully　into　the　questions



likely　to　come　before　the　conference；　speaking　regarding　the



attitude　of　the　United　States　and　the　various　powers　of　Europe



and　Asia　with　a　frankness；　fullness；　and　pungency　which　at　times



rather　startled　me。　On　the　relations　between　the　United　States；



Germany；　and　Great　Britain　he　was　especially　full。　Very



suggestive　also　were　his　remarks　regarding　questions　in　the　far



East；　and　especially　on　the　part　likely　to　be　played　by　Japan　and



Chinathe　interests　of　various　powers　in　these　questions　being



presented　in　various　aspects；　some　of　them　decidedly　original　and



suggestive。　While　there　were　points　on　which　we　could　hardly



agree；　there　were　some　suggestions　which　proved　to　be　of　especial



value；　and　to　one　of　them　is　due　the　fact　that　on　most　questions



the　German　delegates　at　The　Hague　stood　by　the　Americans；　and



that　on　the　most　important　question　of　all　they　finally；　after　a



wide　divergence　from　our　view；　made　common　cause　with　Great



Britain　and　the　United　States。　I　regret　that　the　time　has　not



come　when　it　is　permissible　to　give　his　conversation　in　detail；



it　treated　a　multitude　of　current　topics；　and　even　burning



questions；　with　statesmanlike　breadth；　and　at　the　same　time　with



the　shrewdness　of　a　man　of　the　world。　There　were　in　it　sundry



personal　touches　which　interested　me；　among　others；　a　statement



regarding　Cecil　Rhodes；　the　South　African　magnate；　and　a



reference　to　sundry　doings　and　sayings　of　his　own　which　had　been



misrepresented；　especially　in　England。　One　point　in　this　was



especially　curious。　He　said；　〃Some　people　find　fault　with　me　for



traveling　so　much；　but　this　is　part　of　my　business：　I　try　to　know



my　empire　and　my　people；　to　see　for　myself　what　they　need　and



what　is　going　on；　what　is　doing　and　who　are　doing　it。　It　is　my



duty　also　to　know　men　and　countries　outside　the　empire。　I　am　not



like　；〃　naming　a　sovereign　well　known　in　history；　〃who　never



stirred　out　of　the　house　if　he　could　help　it；　and　so　let　men　and



things　go　on　as　they　pleased。〃







This　union　of　breadth　and　minuteness　in　his　view　of　his　empire



and　of　the　world　is；　perhaps；　his　most　striking　characteristic。



It　may　be　safely　said　that；　at　any　given　moment；　he　knows



directly；　or　will　shortly　know；　the　person　and　work　of　every　man



in　his　empire　who　is　really　taking　the　lead　in　anything　worthy　of



special　study　or　close　attention。　The　German　court　is　considered



very　exclusive；　but　one　constantly　saw　at　its　assemblages　men



noted　in　worthy　fields　from　every　part　of　Germany　and；　indeed；　of



Europe。　Herein　is　a　great　difference　between　the　German　and



Russian　courts。　If；　during　my　official　life　at　St。　Petersburg；　I



wished　to　make　the　acquaintance　of　a　man　noted　in　science；



literature；　or　art；　he　must　be　found　at　professorial　gatherings



across　the　Neva。　He　rarely；　if　ever；　appeared　in　the　throng　of



military　and　civil　officials　at　the　Winter　Palace。　But　at　Berlin



such　men　took　an　honored　place　at　the　court　among　those　whom　the



ruler　sought　out　and　was　glad　to　converse　with。







As　to　the　world　outside　the　empire；　I　doubt　whether　any　other



sovereign　equals　him　in　personal　acquaintance　with　leaders　in



every　field　of　worthy　activity。　It　was　interesting　from　time　to



time　to　look　over　the　official　lists　of　his　guests　at　breakfast；



or　luncheon；　or　dinner；　or　supper；　or　at　military　exercises；　or



at　the　theater；　for　they　usually　embraced　men　noted　in　civil；



ecclesiastical；　or　military　affairs；　in　literature；　science；　art；



commerce；　or　industry　from　every　nation。　One　class　was



conspicuous　by　its　absence　at　all　such　gatherings；　large　or



small；　namely；　the　MERELY　rich。　Rich　men　there　were；　but　they



were　always　men　who　had　done　something　of　marked　value　to　their



country　or　to　mankind；　for　the　mere　〃fatty　tumors〃　of　the



financial　world　he　evidently　cared　nothing。







A　special　characteristic　in　the　German　ruler　is　independence　of



thought。　This　quality　should　not　be　confounded；　as　it　often　is；



with　mere　offhand　decision　based　upon　prejudices　or　whimsies。　One



example；　which　I　have　given　elsewhere；　may　be　here　referred　to　as



showing　that　his　rapid　judgments　are　based　upon　clear　insight：



his　OWN　insight；　and　not　that　of　others。　On　my　giving　him　news　of



the　destruction　of　the　Maine　at　Havana；　he　at　once　asked　me



whether　the　explosion　was　from　the　outside；　and　from　first　to



last；　against　the　opinions　of　his　admirals　and　captains；　insisted



that　it　must　have　been　so。







He　is　certainly；　in　the　opinion　of　all　who　know　him；



impulsiveindeed；　a　very　large　proportion　of　his　acts　which



strike　the　attention　of　the　world　seem　the　result　of　impulse；



but；　as　a　rule；　it　will　be　found　that　beneath　these　impulses　is　a



calm　judgment。　Even　when　this　seems　not　to　be　the　case；　they　are



likely　to　appeal　all　the　more　strongly　to　humanity　at　large。



Typical　was　his　impulsive　proposal　to　make　up　to　the　Regent　of



Bavaria　the　art　appropriation　denied　by　sundry　unpatriotic



bigots。　Its　immediate　result　was　a　temporary　triumph　for　the



common　enemy；　but　it　certainly　drew　to　the　Emperor　the　hearts　of



an　immense　number　of　people；　not　only　inside；　but　outside　his



empire；　and；　in　the　long　run；　it　will　doubtless　be　found　to　have



wrought　powerfully　for　right　reason。　As　an　example　of　an



utterance　of　his　which　to　many　might　seem　to　be　the　result　of　a



momentary　impulse；　but　which　reveals　sober　contemplation　of



problems　looming　large　before　the　United　States　as　well　as



Germany；　I　might　cite　a　remark　made　last　year　to　an　American



eminent　in　public　affairs。　He　said；　〃You　in　America　may　do　what



you　please；　but　I　will　not　suffer　capitalists　in　Germany　to　suck



the　life　out　of　the　workingmen　and　then　fling　them　like　squeezed



lemon…skins　into　the　gutter。〃







Any　one　who　runs　through　the　printed　volume　of　his　speeches　will



see　that　he　is　fertile　in　ideas　on　many　subjects；　and　knows　how



to　impress　them　upon　his　audiences。　His　voice　and　manner　are



good；　and　at　times　there　are　evidences　of　deep　feeling；　showing



the　man　beneath　the　garb　of　the　sovereign。　This　was　especially



the　case　in　his　speech　at　the　coming　of　age　of　his　son。　The



audience　was　noteworthy；　there　being　present　the　Austrian



Emperor；　members　of　all　the　great　ruling　houses　of　Europe　the



foremost　men　in　contemporary　German　history；　and　the　diplomatic



representatives　of　foreign　powersan　audience　representing　wide



differences　in　points　of　view　and　in　lines　of　thought；　yet　no　one



of　them　could　fail　to　be　impressed　by