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various　social　functions　instructive　and　pithy。　I　remember　in　one



of　them；　especially；　his　delineation　of　the　characteristics　and



services　of　Leibnitz；　who　was　one　of　the　founders　of　the　Royal



Academy；　and　it　was　perfection　in　that　kind　of　conversation　which



is　worthy　of　men　claiming　to　possess　immortal　souls：　for　it



brought　out；　especially；　examples　of　Leibnitz's　amazing



forethought　as　to　European　policy；　which　seemed　at　times　like



divinely　inspired　prophecies。　He　also　gave　me　a　number　of



interesting　things　which　he　had　noted　in　his　studies　of　Frederick



the　Great。　Some　of　them　I　had　found　already　in　my　own　reading；



but　one　of　them　I　did　not　remember；　and　it　was　both　comical　and



characteristic。　A　rural　Protestant　pastor　sent　a　petition　to　the



King　presenting　a　grievance　and　asking　redress。　It　was　to　the



effect　that　his　church　was　on　one　side　of　a　river　in　Silesia；　and



that　a　younger　pastor；　whose　church　was　on　the　opposite　side；　was



drawing　all　his　parishioners　away　from　him。　On　the　back　of　the



petition　Frederick　simply　wrote；　〃Tell　him　to　go　and　preach　on



the　other　side　of　the　river：　that　will　drive　his　people　back



again。〃







Hearing　Harnack　and　his　leading　colleagues　in　discourse　at　the



university　or　academy；　or　in　private；　whether　in　their　loftier　or



lighter　moods；　one　could　understand　why　the　University　of　Berlin；



though　one　of　the　youngest；　is　the　foremost　among　the



universities　of　the　world。















CHAPTER　XLII







AMERICA；　GERMANY；　AND　THE　CHINESE　WAR1899…1902







An　interesting　event　of　this　period　was　the　appearance　in　Berlin



of　ex…President　and　Mrs。　Harrison。　The　President　had　but　recently



finished　his　long　and　wearisome　work　before　the　Venezuela



Arbitration　Tribunal　at　Paris；　and　was　very　happy　in　the



consciousness　of　duty　accomplished　and　liberty　obtained。　Marks　of



high　distinction　were　shown　them。　The　sovereigns　invited　them　to



attend　the　festivities　at　Potsdam　in　honor　of　the　Queen　and　Queen



Mother　of　Holland；　who　were　then　staying　there；　and　treated　them



not　only　with　respect；　but　with　cordiality。　The　Emperor　conversed



long　with　the　President　on　various　matters　of　public　interest：　on



noted　Americans　whom　he　had　met；　on　the　growth　of　our　fleet；　on



recent　events　in　our　history；　and　the　like；　characteristically



ending　with　a　discussion　of　the　superb　music　which　we　had　been



hearing；　and　at　the　supper　which　followed　insisted　that　Mrs。



Harrison　should　sit　at　his　side；　the　Empress　giving　a　similar



invitation　to　Mr。　Harrison。　At　a　later　period　a　dinner　was　given



to　the　ex…President　by　the　chancellor　of　the　empire；　Prince



Hohenlohe；　at　which　a　number　of　the　leading　personages　in　the



empire　were　present；　and　it　was　a　pleasure　to　show　my　own　respect



for　the　former　chief　magistrate　by　a　reception　which　was　attended



by　about　two　hundred　of　our　American　colony；　and　a　dinner　at



which　he　and　Mrs。　Harrison　made　the　acquaintance　of　leading



representative　Germans　in　various　fields。







In　another　chapter　of　these　memoirs　I　have　spoken　of　President



Harrison　as　of　cold　and；　at　times；　abrupt　manners；　but　the



absence　of　these　characteristics　during　his　stay　in　Berlin；　and



afterward　in　New　York；　made　it　clear　to　me　that　the　cold　exterior



which　I　had　noted　in　him　at　Washington；　especially　when　Mr。



Roosevelt；　Mr。　Lodge；　and　sundry　others　of　us　urged　upon　him　an



extension　of　the　classified　civil　service；　was　adopted　as　a　means



of　preventing　encroachments　upon　the　time　necessary　for　his　daily



duties。　He　now　appeared　in　a　very　different　light；　his　discussion



of　men　and　events　showing　not　only　earnest　thought　and　deep



penetration；　but　a　rich　vein　of　humor；　his　whole　bearing　being



simple；　kindly；　and　dignified。







During　the　winter　of　1899…1900　came　an　addition　to　my　experiences



of　what　American　representatives　abroad　have　to　expect　under　our



present　happy…go…lucky　provision　for　the　diplomatic　service。　As



already　stated；　on　arriving　in　Berlin；　I　had　great　difficulty　in



obtaining　any　fitting　quarters；　but　at　last　secured　a　large　and



suitable　apartment　in　an　excellent　part　of　the　city；　its　only



disadvantage　being　that　my　guests　had　to　plod　up　seventy…five



steps　in　order　to　reach　it。　Having　been　obliged　to　make　large



outlays　for　suitable　fittings；　extensive　repairs；　and　furniture



throughout；　I　found　that　more　than　the　entire　salary　of　my　first



year　had　been　thus　sunk；　but　I　congratulated　myself　that　I　had　at



least　obtained　a　residence　good；　comfortable；　and　suitable。　To　be



sure；　it　was　inferior　to　that　of　any　other　ambassador；　but　I　had



fitted　it　up　so　that　it　was　considered　creditable。　Suddenly；



about　two　years　afterward；　without　a　word　of　warning；　came　notice



from　the　proprietor　that　my　lease　was　voidthat　he　had　sold　the



house；　and　that　I　must　leave　it；　so　that　it　looked　as　if　the



American　Embassy　would；　at　an　early　day；　be　turned　into　the



street。　This　was　trying　indeed。　It　was　at　the　beginning　of　the



social　season；　and　interfered　greatly　with　my　duties　of　every



sort。　And　there　cropped　out　a　feeling；　among　all　conversant　with



the　case；　which　I　cannot　say　was　conducive　to　respect　for　the



wisdom　of　those　who　give　laws　to　our　country。







But；　happily；　I　had　insisted　on　inserting　in　the　lease　a　clause



which　seemed　to　make　it　doubtful　whether　the　proprietor　could



turn　me　out　so　easily　and　speedily。　Under　German　law　it　was　a



very　precarious　reliance；　but　on　this　I　took　my　stand；　and　at



last；　thanks　mainly　to　the　kindness　of　my　colleague　who　succeeded



me　as　a　tenant；　made　a　compromise　under　which　I　was　enabled　to



retain　the　apartment　for　something　over　a　year　longer。







It　may　be　interesting　for　an　American　who　has　a　proper　feeling



regarding　the　position　of　his　country　abroad　to　know　that　the



purchaser　of　the　entire　housenot　only　of　the　floor　which　I　had



occupied；　but　of　the　similar　apartment　beneath；　as　well　as　that



on　the　ground　floorwas　the　little　Grand　Duchy　of　Baden；　which



in　this　way　provided　for　its　minister；　secretaries；　and　others



connected　with　its　legation　in　the　German　capital。







On　the　theory　of　line　upon　line　and　precept　upon　precept；　I　again



call　attention；　NOT　to　the　wrong　done　ME　by　this　American　policy；



or　rather　want　of　policy；for　I　knew　in　coming　what　I　had　to



expect；but　to　the　injury　thus　done　to　the　PROPER　STANDING　OF



OUR　COUNTRY　BEFORE　THE　OTHER　NATIONS　OF　THE　WORLD。　Again　I　insist



that；　in　its　own　interest；　a　government　like　ours　ought；　in　every



capital　where　it　is　represented；　to　possess　or　to　hold　on　long



lease　a　house　or　apartment　suitable　to　its　representative　and



creditable　to　itself。







Early　in　the　spring　of　1900　came　an　event　of　some　historical



interest。　On　the　19th　of　March　and　the　two　days　following　was



celebrated　the　two…hundredth　anniversary　of　the　founding　of　the



Royal　Academy　of　Sciences。　The　Emperor；　as　well　as　the　Academy；



had　determined　to　make　it　a　great　occasion；　and　the　result　was　a



series　of　very　brilliant　pageants。　These　began　by　a　solemn



reception　of　the　delegates　from　all　parts　of　the　world　in　the



great　hall　of　the　palace；　my　duty　being　to　represent　the



Smithsonian　Institution　at　Washington；　and　my　colleagues　being



Professors　White　and　Wolf　of　Harvard；　who　had　been　sent　by　the



American　Academy　of　Sciences。　The　scene　was　very　striking；　all



the　delegates；　except　those　from　America　and　Switzerland；　being



in　the　costumes　of　the　organizations　they　represented；　most　were



picturesque；　and　some　had　a　very　mediaeval　appearance；　those　from



the　ancient　universities　of　Wurzburg　and　Prague；　especially；



looking　as　if　they　had　just　stepped　out　of　an　illuminated



manuscript　of　the　fourteenth　century。　At　the　time　named　for　the



beginning　of　the　festival　the　Emperor　entered；　announced　by　the



blare　of　trumpets；　preceded　by　ministers　bearing　the　sword；



standard；　and　great　seal；　and　by　generals　bearing　the　crown；



scepter；　and　orb。　He　was　surrounded　by　the　highest　officials　of



the　kingdom　and　empire；　and　having　taken　his　seat　on　the　throne；



there　came　majestic　music　preluding　sundry　orations　and　lists　of



honors　conferred　on　eminent　men　of　science　in　all　parts　of　the



world；　among　whom　I　was　glad　to　note　Professors　Gibbs　of　Yale；



James　of　Harvard；　and　Rowland　of　Johns　Hopkins。







The　Emperor's　speech　was　characteristic。　It　showed　that　his　heart



was　in　the　matter；　that　he　felt　a　just　pride　in　the　achievements



of　German　science；　and　was　determine