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part05+-第57章

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formed more hope for the conservation of China as a great and



beneficent power than I had ever had before。







To this succeeded an episode of a very different sort。 For some



time Mr。 Andrew Carnegie had done me the honor to listen to



advice of mine regarding some of his intended benefactions in



Scotland; the United States; and elsewhere。 I saw and felt the



great possibilities for good involved when so noble a heart; so



shrewd a head; so generous a hand had command of one of the most



colossal fortunes ever at the disposal of a human being; and the



bright purposes and plans revealed in his letters shone through



the clouds of that mournful summer。 So it was that; on my journey



to America; made necessary by the sudden death of my son; I



accepted Mr。 Carnegie's invitation to visit him at his castle of



Skibo in the extreme north of Scotland。 Very striking; during the



two days' journey from London to Edinburgh; and from Edinburgh to



Bonar; were the evidences of mourning for President McKinley in



every city; village; and hamlet。 It seemed natural that; in the



large towns and on great public buildings; flags at half…mast and



in mourning should show a sense of the calamity which had



befallen a sister nation; but what appealed to me most were the



draped and half…masted flags on the towers of the little country



churches and cottages。 Never before in the history of any two



countries had such evidences of brotherly feeling been shown。



Thank God! brotherly feeling had conquered demagogism。







The visit to Mr。 Carnegie helped to give a new current to my



thoughts。 The attractions of his wonderful domain forty thousand



acres; with every variety of scenery;ocean; forest; moor; and



mountain;the household with its quaint Scotch usagesthe piper



in full tartan solemnly going his rounds at dawn; and the music



of the organ swelling; morning and evening; through the castle



from the great hallall helped to give me new strength。 There



was also good company: Frederic Harrison; thoughtful and



brilliant; whom I had before known only by his books and a brief



correspondence; Archdeacon Sinclair of London; worthy; by his



scholarly accomplishments; of his descent from the friend of



Washington; and others who did much to aid our hosts in making



life at the castle beautiful。 Going thence to America; I found



time to cooperate with my old friend; President Gilman; in



securing data for Mr。 Carnegie; especially at Washington; in view



of his plan of a national institution for the higher scientific



research。







It was a sad home…coming; but these occupations and especially a



visit to New Haven at the bicentennial celebration of Yale aided



to cheer me。 This last was indeed a noteworthy commemoration。



There had come to me; in connection with it; perhaps the greatest



honor of my life: an invitation to deliver one of the main



addresses; but it had been received at the time of my deepest



depression; and I had declined it; but with no less gratitude



that the authorities of my Alma Mater had thought me worthy of



that service。 In so doing; I sacrificed much; for there was one



subject which; under other circumstances; I would gladly have



developed at such a time and before such an audience。 But as I



listened to the admirable address given by my old college mate;



Mr。 Justice Brewer; when the honors of the university were



conferred upon the President; the Secretary of State; and so many



distinguished representatives from all parts of the world; it was



a satisfaction to me; after all; that I could enjoy it quietly;



with no sense of responsibility; and could; indeed; rest and be



thankful。







As to my own personal history; there came at this time an event



which could not but please me: the Royal Academy of Sciences at



Berlin chose me as one of its foreign honorary members。 It was a



tribute of the sort for which I cared most; especially because it



brought me into closer relations with leaders in science and



literature whom I had so long admired。







To finish the chronicle of that period; I may add that; on my



return from America; being invited to Potsdam for the purpose; I



gave the Emperor the very hearty message which the President had



sent him; and that; during this interview and the family dinner



which followed it; he spoke most appreciatively and intelligently



of the President; of the recent victory for good government in



the city of New York; of the skill shown by Americans in great



works of public utility; and especially of the remarkable



advances in the development of our navy。







One part of this conversation had a lighter cast。 At the close of



that portion of the communication from the President which



referred to various public affairs came a characteristic touch in



the shape of an invitation to hunt in the Rocky Mountain regions:



it was the simple message of one healthy; hearty; vigorous hunter



to another; and was to the effect that the President especially



envied the Emperor for having shot a whale; but that if his



Majesty would come to America he should have the best possible



opportunity to add to his trophies a Rocky Mountain lion; and



that he would thus be the first monarch to kill a lion since



Tiglath…Pileser; whose exploit is shown on the old monuments of



Assyria。 The hearty way in which the message was received showed



that it would have been gladly accepted had that been possible。







On New Year's day of 1902 began the sixth year of my official



stay at Berlin。 At his reception of the ambassadors the Emperor



was very cordial; spoke most heartily regarding President



Roosevelt; and asked me to forward his request that the



President's daughter might be allowed to christen the imperial



yacht then building in America。 In due time this request was



granted; and as the special representative of the sovereign at



its launching he named his brotherPrince Henry。 No man in the



empire could have been more fitly chosen。 His career as chief



admiral of the German navy had prepared him to profit by such a



journey; and his winning manners assured him a hearty welcome。







My more serious duties were now relieved by sundry festivities;



and of these was a dinner on the night of the prince's departure



from Berlin; given to the American Embassy by the Emperor; who



justly hoped and believed that the proposed expedition would



strengthen good feeling between the two countries。 After dinner



we all sat in the smoking…room of the old Schloss until midnight;



and various pleasant features of the conversation dwell in my



memoryparticularly the Emperor's discussions of Mark Twain and



other American humorists; but perhaps the most curious was his



amusement over a cutting from an American newspapera printed



recipe for an American concoction known as 〃Hohenzollern punch;〃



said to be in readiness for the prince on his arrival。 The number



of intoxicants; and the ingenuity of their combination; as his



Majesty read the list aloud; were amazing; it was a terrific



brew; which only a very tough seaman could expect to survive。







But as we all took leave of the prince at the station afterward;



there were in my heart and mind serious misgivings。 I knew well



that; though the great mass of the American people were sure to



give him a hearty welcome; there were scattered along his route



many fanatics; and; most virulent of all; those who had just then



been angered by the doings of sundry Prussian underlings in



Poland。 I must confess to uneasiness during his whole stay in



America; and among the bright days of my life was that on which



the news came that he was on board a German liner and on his



return。







One feature of that evening is perhaps more worthy of record。



After the departure of the prince; the Emperor's conversation



took a more serious turn; and as we walked toward his carriage he



said; 〃My brother's mission has no political character whatever;



save in one contingency: If the efforts made in certain parts of



Europe to show that the German Government sought to bring about a



European combination against the United States during your



Spanish war are persisted in; I have authorized him to lay before



the President certain papers which will put that slander at rest



forever。〃 As it turned out; there was little need of this; since



the course both of the Emperor and his government was otherwise



amply vindicated。







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