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Another　man　whom　I　saw　from　time　to　time　during　this　period　was



the　Vice…President；　Mr。　Stevenson。　I　first　met　him　at　a　public



dinner　in　New　York；　where　we　sat　side　by　side；　but　we　merely



talked　on　generalities。　But　the　next　time　I　met　him　was　at　a



dinner　given　by　the　Secretary　of　War；　and　there　I　found　that　he



was　one　of　the　most　admirable　raconteurs　I　had　ever　met。　After　a



series　of　admirable　stories；　one　of　the　party　said　to　me：　〃He



could　tell　just　as　good　stories　as　those　for　three　weeks　running



and　never　repeat　himself。〃







One　of　these　stories　by　the　Vice…President；　if　true；　threw　a



curious　light　over　the　relations　of　President　Lincoln　with　three



men　very　distinguished　in　American　annals。　It　was　as　follows：　One



day；　shortly　before　the　issue　of　the　Emancipation　Proclamation；　a



visitor；　finding　Mr。　Lincoln　evidently　in　melancholy　mood；　said



to　him；　〃Mr。　President；　I　am　sorry　to　find　you　not　feeling　so



well　as　at　my　last　visit。〃　Mr。　Lincoln　replied：　〃Yes；　I　am



troubled。　One　day　the　best　of　our　friends　from　the　border　States



come　in　and　insist　that　I　shall　not　issue　an　Emancipation



Proclamation；　and　that；　if　I　do　so；　the　border　States　will



virtually　cast　in　their　lot　with　the　Southern　Confederacy。



Another　day；　Charles　Sumner；　Thad　Stevens；　and　Ben　Wade　come　in



and　insist　that　if　I　do　not　issue　such　a　proclamation　the　North



will　be　utterly　discouraged　and　the　Union　wrecked；and；　by　the



way；　these　three　men　are　coming　in　this　very　afternoon。〃　At　this



moment　his　expression　changed；　his　countenance　lighted　up；　and　he



said　to　the　visitor；　who　was　from　the　West；　〃Mr。　；　did　you



ever　go　to　a　prairie　school？〃　〃No；〃　said　the　visitor；　〃I　never



did。〃　〃Well；〃　said　Mr。　Lincoln；　〃I　did；　and　it　was　a　very　poor



school；　and　we　were　very　poor　folks；too　poor　to　have　regular



reading…books；　and　so　we　brought　our　Bibles　and　read　from　them。



One　morning　the　chapter　was　from　the　Book　of　Daniel；　and　a　little



boy　who　sat　next　me　went　all　wrong　in　pronouncing　the　names　of



Shadrach；　Meshach；　and　Abednego。　The　teacher　had　great　difficulty



in　setting　him　right；　and　before　he　succeeded　was　obliged　to



scold　the　boy　and　cuff　him　for　his　stupidity。　The　nest　verse　came



to　me；　and　so　the　chapter　went　along　down　the　class。　Presently　it



started　on　its　way　back；　and　soon　after　I　noticed　that　the　little



fellow　began　crying。　On　this　I　asked　him；　'What's　the　matter　with



you？'　and　he　answered；　'Don't　you　see？　Them　three　miserable



cusses　are　coming　back　to　me　again。'　〃







I　also　at　that　period　made　the　acquaintance　of　Senator　Gray　of



Delaware；　who　seemed　to　me　ideally　fitted　for　his　position　as　a



member　of　the　Upper　House　in　Congress。　Speaker　Reed　also　made　a



great　impression　upon　me　as　a　man　of　honesty；　lucidity；　and



force。　The　Secretary　of　State；　Mr。　Olney；　I　saw　frequently；　and



was　always　impressed　by　the　sort　of　bulldog　tenacity　which　had



gained　his　victory　over　Lord　Salisbury　in　the　arbitration　matter。







But　to　give　even　the　most　hasty　sketch　of　the　members　of　the



Supreme　Court；　the　cabinet；　and　of　both　houses　of　Congress　whom　I



met　would　require　more　time　than　is　at　my　disposal。







This　stay　in　Washington　I　enjoyed　much。　Our　capital　city　is



becoming　the　seat　of　a　refined　hospitality　which　makes　it　more



and　more　attractive。　Time　was；　and　that　not　very　long　since；　when



it　was　looked　upon　as　a　place　of　exile　by　diplomatists；　and　as



repulsive　by　many　of　our　citizens；　but　all　that　is　of　the　past：



the　courtesy　shown　by　its　inhabitants　is　rapidly　changing　its



reputation。







Perhaps；　of　all　the　social　enjoyments　of　that　time；　the　most



attractive　to　me　was　an　excursion　of　the　American　Geographical



Society　to　Monticello；　the　final　residence　of　President



Jefferson。　Years　before；　while　visiting　the　University　of



Virginia　at　Charlottesville；　I　had　been　intensely　interested　in



that　creation　of　Mr。　Jefferson　and　in　the　surroundings　of　his



home；　but　the　present　occupant　of　Monticello；　having　been　greatly



annoyed　by　visitors；　was　understood　to　be　reluctant　to　allow　any



stranger　to　enter　the　mansion；　and　I　would　not　intrude　upon　him。



But　now　house　and　grounds　were　freely　thrown　open；　and　upon　a



delightful　day。　The　house　itself　was　a　beautiful　adaptation　of



the　architecture　which　had　reached　its　best　development　at　the



time　of　Jefferson's　stay　in　France；　and　the　decorations；　like



those　which　I　had　noted　years　before　in　some　of　the　rooms　of　the



university；　were　of　an　exquisite　Louis　Seize　character。







Jefferson's　peculiarities；　also；　came　out　in　various　parts　of　the



house。　Perhaps　the　most　singular　was　his　bed；　occupying　the　whole



space　of　an　archway　between　two　rooms；　one　of　which；　on　the　left；



served　as　a　dressing…room　for　him；　and　the　other；　on　the　right；



for　Mrs。　Jefferson；　and；　there　being　no　communication　between



them　save　by　a　long　circuit　through　various　rooms；　it　was　evident



that　the　ex…President　had　made　up　his　mind　that　he　would　not　have



his　intimate　belongings　interfered　with　by　any　of　the　women　of



the　household；　not　even　by　his　wife。







But　most　attractive　of　all　was　the　view　through　the　valleys　and



over　the　neighboring　hills　as　we　sat　at　our　picnic…tables　on　the



lawn。　Having　read　with　care　every　line　of　Jefferson's　letters



ever　published；　and　some　writings　of　his　which　have　never　been



printed；　my　imagination　was　vivid。　It　enabled　me　to　see　him



walking　through　the　rooms　and　over　the　estate；　receiving



distinguished　guests　under　the　portico；　discussing　with　them　at



his　dinner…table　the　great　questions　of　the　day；　and　promulgating



his　theories；　some　of　which　were　so　beneficent　and　others　so



noxious。







The　only　sad　part　of　this　visit　was　to　note　the　destruction；　by



the　fire　not　long　before；　of　the　columns　in　front　of　the　rotunda



of　the　university。　I　especially　mourned　over　the　calcined　remains



of　their　capitals；　for　into　these　Jefferson　had　really　wrought



his　own　heart。　With　a　passion　for　the　modern　adaptation　of



classic　architecture；　he　had　poured　the　very　essence　of　his



artistic　feelings　into　them。　He　longed　to　see　every　stroke　which



his　foreign　sculptors　made　upon　them。　Daily；　according　to　the



chronicle　of　the　time；　he　rode　over　to　see　how　they　progressed；



and；　between　his　visits；　frequently　observed　them　through　his



telescope；　and　now　all　their　work　was　but　calcined　limestone。



Fortunately；　the　burning　of　the　old　historical　buildings　aroused



public　spirit；　large　sums　of　money　were　poured　into　the



university　treasury；　and　the　work　was　in　process　which；　it　is　to



be　hoped；　will　restore　the　former　beauty　of　the　colonnade　and



largely　increase　the　buildings　and　resources　of　the　institution。







During　my　work　upon　the　commission　I　learned　to　respect　more　and



more　the　calm；　steady；　imperturbable　character　of　Mr。　Cleveland。



Of　course　the　sensational　press　howled　continually；　and　the　press



which　was　considered　especially　enlightened　and　which　had



steadily　supported　him　up　to　this　period；　was　hardly　less　bitter；



but　he　persevered。　During　the　period　taken　by　the　commission　for



its　work；　both　the　American　and　British　peoples　had　time　for　calm



thought。　Lord　Salisbury；　especially；　had　time　to　think　better　of



it；　and　when　he　at　last　receded　from　his　former　haughty　position



and　accepted　arbitration；　Mr。　Cleveland　and　the　State　Department



gained　one　of　the　most　honorable　victories　in　the　history　of



American　diplomacy。















CHAPTER　XL







AS　AMBASSADOR　TO　GERMANY1897…1903







On　the　1st　of　April；　1897；　President　McKinley　nominated　me



ambassador　to　Berlin；　and；　the　appointment　having　been　duly



confirmed　by　the　Senate；　I　visited　Washington　to　obtain



instructions　and　make　preparations。　One　of　the　most　important　of



these　preparations　was　the　securing　of　a　second　secretary　for　the



embassy。　A　long　list　of　applicants　for　this　position　had



appeared；　several　with　strong　backing　from　party　magnates；



cabinet　officers；　and　senators；　but；　though　all　of　them　seemed



excellent　young　men；　very　few　had　as　yet　any　experience　likely　to



be　serviceable；　and　a　look　over　the　list　suggested　many



misgivings。　There　was　especially　needed　just　then　at　Berlin　a



second　secretary　prepared　to　aid　in　disentangling　sundry



important　questions　already　before　the　embassy。　The　first



secretary；　whom　no　person　thought　of　displacing；　was　ideally



fitted　for　his　placein　fact；　was　fitted　for　any　post　in　the



diplomatic　service；