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part05+-第43章

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his manner; but not of this world。 Having drawn crowds to his



university lectures; he suddenly attacked the Emperor Franz



Josef; who; more than any other; had befriended his compatriots;



was therefore obliged to flee from his post; and now came to



Berlin; proposing seriously that I should at once make him an



American citizen; and thus; as he supposed; enable him to go back



to his university and; in revolutionary speeches; bid defiance to



Austria; Russia; and Germany。 Great was his disappointment when



he learned that; in order to acquire citizenship; he would be



obliged to go to the United States and remain there five years。



As he was trying to nerve himself for this sacrifice; I presented



some serious considerations to him。 Knowing him to be a man of



honor; I asked him how he could reconcile it with his sense of



veracity to assume the rights of American citizenship with no



intention to discharge its duties。 This somewhat startled him。



Then; from a more immediately practical point of view; I showed



that; even if he acquired American citizenship; and could



reconcile his conscience to break the virtual pledge he had made



in order to obtain it; the government of Austria; and; indeed;



all other governments; would still have a full right; under the



simplest principles of international law; to forbid his entrance



into their territories; or to turn him out after he had



entered;the right of expelling undesirable emigrants being



constantly exercised; even by the United States。 This amazed him。



He had absolutely persuaded himself that I could; by some sleight



of hand; transform him into an American citizen; that he could



then at once begin attempts to reestablish the fine old Polish



anarchy in Austria; Russia; and Germany; and that no one of these



nations would dare interfere with him。 It was absurd but



pathetic。 My advice to him was to go back to his lecture…room and



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
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