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part05+-第45章

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of German science; and was determined that no efforts of his



should be wanting to increase and extend them。 After the close of



the function; which was made in the same stately way as its



beginning; my colleagues drove home with me; and one of them



said; 〃Well; I am an American and a republican; but when I am in



a monarchy I like to see a thing of this kind done in the most



magnificent way possible; as it was this morning。〃 A day or two



afterward; at the dinner given to the ambassadors by the Emperor;



I told him this story。 He laughed heartily; and then said: 〃Your



friend is right: if a man is to be a monarch; let him be a



monarch; Dom Pedro of Brazil tried to be something else; and it



did not turn out well。〃







Impressive in a different way were the ceremonies attendant upon



the coming of age of the German crown prince; on the 6th of May;



1900。 To do honor to the occasion; the Emperor Franz Josef of



Austria…Hungary had sent word that he would be present; and for



many days the whole city seemed mainly devoted to decorating its



buildings and streets for his visit; the culmination of the whole



being at the Pariser Platz; in front of the Brandenburg Gate;



where a triumphal arch and obelisks were erected; with other



decorations; patriotic and complimentary。 On the morning of the



4th he arrived; and; entering the city at the side of the German



Emperor; each in the proper uniform of the other; he was received



by the burgomaster and town council of Berlin with a most cordial



speech; and then; passing on through the Linden; which was



showily decorated; he was enthusiastically greeted everywhere。 No



doubt this greeting was thoroughly sincere; since all good



Germans look upon Franz Josef as their truest ally。







Next evening there was a 〃gala〃 performance at the Royal Opera;



the play presented being; of all things in the world; Auber's



〃Bronze Horse;〃 which is a farcical Chinese fairy tale set to



very light and pleasing music。 The stage setting was gorgeous;



but the audience was still more so; delegates from all the



greater powers of the world being present; including the heirs to



the British and Italian thrones; the Grand Duke Constantine of



Russia; and a multitude of other scions of royalty。 One feature



was comical。 Near me sat His Excellency the Chinese minister;



surrounded by his secretaries and attaches; all apparently



delighted; and on my asking him; through his interpreter; how he



liked it; he said; 〃Very much; this shows the Europeans that in



China we know how to amuse ourselves。〃 Of the fact that it was a



rather highly charged caricature of Chinese officialdom he seemed



either really or diplomatically unconscious。







On the following morning I was received in audience by the German



Emperor; bringing to him a warm message of congratulation from



President McKinley; and when His Majesty had replied very



cordially; he introduced me to the crown prince standing at his



side; to whom I gave the President's best wishes。 Then came; in



the chapel of the palace; an impressive religious service; the



address by Dr。 Dryander being eloquent; and the music; by the



cathedral choir and; at times; by a great military orchestra;



both far above us in the dome; beautiful。 At its close the crown



prince came forward; stood before the altar; where I had seen his



parents married twenty years before; and the oath of allegiance;



which was quite long; having been read to him by the colonel of



his regiment; he repeated it; word for word; and made his solemn



pledge; lifting one hand and grasping the imperial standard with



the other。 Then; after receiving affectionate embraces from his



father and mother; he was congratulated by the sovereigns and



royal personages。 The ambassadors and ministers having been then



received by the Emperor and Empress; the young prince came along



the line and spoke to each of us in a very unaffected and manly



way。 He was at that time somewhat taller than his father; with an



intelligent and pleasant face; and is likely; I should say; to do



well in his great position; though not possessing; probably;



anything like his father's varied gifts and graces。







In the evening came a dinner in the White Hall of the palace to



several hundred guests; including the Emperor of Austria…Hungary;



the King of Saxony; and other visiting personages; with the heads



of the diplomatic missions; and the leading personages of the



empire; and near the close of it the Emperor William arose and



made an excellent speech; to all appearance extemporaneous。 The



answer by the Emperor of Austria…Hungary was read by him; and was



sensible and appropriate。







That this visit did much to strengthen the ties which bind the



two monarchies was shown not merely by hurrahs in the streets and



dithyrambic utterances in the newspapers; but by a mass of other



testimony。 One curious thing was the great care everywhere taken



in the decorations to honor the crown and flag of Hungary equally



with that of Austria; and this; as was shown by the Hungarian



journals; had an excellent effect。 By this meeting; no doubt; the



Triple Alliance was somewhat strengthened; and the chances for



continued peace increased; at least during the lifetime of the



Emperor Franz Josef。 As to what will follow his death all is



dark。 His successor is one of the least suitable of



men;unprepossessing; and even forbidding; in every respect。



Brought up by the Jesuits; he is distrusted by a vast mass of the



best people in the empire; Catholic and Protestant。 A devout



Catholic they would be glad to take; but a Jesuit pupil they



dread; for they know too well what such have brought upon the



empire hitherto; and; indeed; upon every kingdom which has



allowed them in its councils。 His previous career has not been



edifying; and there is no reason to expect any change in him。 The



Emperor Franz Josef is probably as thoroughly beloved by his



subjects as any sovereign in history has ever been。 His great



misfortunesfearful defeats in the wars with France and Germany;



the suicide of his only son; the assassination of his wife; and



family troubles in more recent timeshave thrown about him an



atmosphere of romantic sympathy; while love for his kindly



qualities is mingled with respect for his plain common sense。



During his stay in Berlin I met him a second time。 At my first



presentation at Dresden; two years before; there was little



opportunity for extended conversation; but he now spoke quite at



length and in a manner which showed him to be observant of the



world's affairs even in remote regions。 He discussed the recent



increase of our army; the progress of our war in the Philippines;



and the extension of American enterprise in various parts of the



world; in a way which was not at all perfunctory; but evidently



the result of large information and careful observation。 His



empire; which is a seething caldron of hates; racial; religious;



political; and local; is held together by love and respect for



him; but when he dies this personal tie which unites all these



different races; parties; and localities will disappear; and in



place of it will come the man who by force of untoward



circumstances is to be his successor; and this is anything but a



pleasing prospect to an Austro…Hungarian; or; indeed; to any



thoughtful observer of human affairs。







Interesting to me at this period was a visit from representatives



of the 〃Kriegerverein〃German…Americans who had formerly fought



in the war between Germany and France; who had since become



American citizens; and who were now revisiting their native land。



They were a very manly body; evidently taking pride in the



American flag which they carried; and also in the part they had



played in Germany。 Replying to a friendly address by their



commanding officer; I took up some current American fallacies



regarding Germany and Germans; encouraged my hearers to stand



firm against sensational efforts to make trouble between the two



countries; urged them to keep their children in knowledge of the



German language and in touch with German civilization; while



bringing them up as thoroughly loyal Americans; reminding them



that every American who is interested in German history or



literature or science or art is an additional link in the chain



which binds together the two nations。 The speech was of a very



offhand sort; but it seemed to strike deep and speed far; for it



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