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was　refreshing　to　hear　and　to　read　various　utterances　of　his



against　gerund…grinding　and　pedantry。　He　recognizes　the　fact　that



the　worst　enemies　of　classical　instruction　in　Germany；　as；



indeed；　elsewhere；　have　been　they　of　its　own　household；　and　he



has　stated　this　view　as　vigorously　as　did　Sydney　Smith　in　England



and　Francis　Wayland　in　America。　Whenever　he　dwelt　on　this　subject



the　views　which　he　presented　at　such　length　to　the　Educational



Commission　were　wont　to　come　out　with　force　and　piquancy。







On　one　occasion　our　discussion　turned　upon　physical　education；



and　especially　upon　the　value　to　students　of　boating。　As　an　old



Yale　boating　man；　a　member　of　the　first　crew　which　ever　sent　a



challenge　to　Harvard；　and　one　who　had　occasion　in　the



administration　of　an　American　university　to　consider　this　form　of



exercise　from　various　standpoints；　I　may　say　that　his　view　of　its



merits　and　his　way　of　promoting　it　seemed　to　me　thoroughly



sensible。







From　time　to　time　some　mention　from　me　of　city　improvements



observed　during　my　daily　walks　led　to　an　interesting　discussion。



The　city　of　Berlin　is　wonderfully　well　governed；　and　exhibits　all



those　triumphs　of　modern　municipal　skill　and　devotion　which　are



so　conspicuously　absent；　as　a　rule；　from　our　American　cities。



While　his　capital　preserves　its　self…governing　powers；　it　is



clear　that　he　purposes　to　have　his　full　say　as　to　everything



within　his　jurisdiction。　There　were　various　examples　of　this；　and



one　of　them　especially　interested　me：　the　renovation　of　the



Thiergarten。　This　great　park；　virtually　a　gift　of　the



Hohenzollern　monarchs；　which　once　lay　upon　the　borders　of　the



city；　but　is　now　in　the　very　heart　of　it；　had　gradually　fallen



far　short　of　what　it　should　have　been。　Even　during　my　earlier



stays　in　Berlin　it　was　understood　that　some　of　his　predecessors；



and　especially　his　father；　had　desired　to　change　its　copse…like



and　swampy　character　and　give　it　more　of　the　features　of　a



stately　park；　but　that　popular　opposition　to　any　such　change　had



always　shown　itself　too　bitter　and　uncompromising。　This　seemed　a



great　pity；　for　while　there　were　some　fine　trees；　a　great



majority　of　them　were　so　crowded　together　that　there　was　no



chance　of　broad；　free　growth　either　for　trees　or　for　shrubbery。



There　was　nothing　of　that　exquisitely　beautiful　play；　upon



expanses　of　green　turf；　of　light　and　shade　through　wide…expanded



boughs　and　broad　masses　of　foliage；　which　gives　such　delight　in



any　of　the　finer　English　or　American　parks。　Down　to　about　half　a



dozen　years　since　it　had　apparently　been　thought　best　not　to



interfere；　and　even　when　attention　was　called　to　the　dark；　swampy



characteristics　of　much　of　the　Thiergarten；　the　answer　was　that



it　was　best　to　humor　the　Berliners；　but　about　the　beginning　of　my



recent　stay　the　young　Emperor　intervened　with　decision　and　force；



his　work　was　thorough；　and　as　my　windows　looked　out　over　one



corner　of　this　field　of　his　operations；　their　progress　interested



me；　and　they　were　alluded　to　from　time　to　time　in　our



conversations。　Interesting　was　it　to　note　that　his　energy　was



all…sufficient；　the　Berliners　seemed　to　regard　his　activity　as



Arabs　regard　a　sand…storm；as　predestined　and　irresistible；and



the　universal　verdict　now　justifies　his　course；　both　on　sanitary



and　artistic　grounds。







The　same　thing　may　be　said；　on　the　whole；　of　the　influence　he　has



exerted　on　the　great　adornments　of　his　capital　city。　The　position



and　character　of　various　monuments　on　which　he　has　impressed　his



ideas；　and　the　laying　out　and　decoration　of　sundry　streets　and



parks；　do　credit　not　merely　to　his　artistic　sense；　but　to　his



foresight。







This　prompt　yet　wise　intervention；　actuated　by　a　public　spirit



not　only　strong　but　intelligent；　is　seen；　in　various　other　parts



of　the　empire；　in　the　preservation　and　restoration　of　its



architectural　glories。　When　he　announced　to　me　at　Potsdam　his



intention　to　present　specimens　representative　of　German



architecture　and　sculpture　to　the　Germanic　Museum　at　Harvard；　he



showed；　in　enumerating　and　discussing　the　restorations　at



Marienburg　and　Naumburg；　the　bas…reliefs　at　Halberstadt；　the



masks　and　statues　of　Andreas　Schluter　at　Berlin；　and　the



Renaissance　and　rococo　work　at　Lubeck　and　Danzig；　a　knowledge　and



appreciation　worthy　of　a　trained　architect　and　archaeologist。







As　to　his　feeling　for　literature；　his　addresses　on　various



occasions　show　amply　that　he　has　read　to　good　purpose；　not　only



in　the　best　authors　of　his　own；　but　of　other　countries。　While



there　is　not　the　slightest　tinge　of　pedantry　in　his　speeches　or



talk；　there　crop　out　in　them　evidences　of　a　curious　breadth　and



universality　in　his　reading。　His　line　of　reading　for　amusement



was　touched　when；　at　the　close　of　an　hour　of　serious　official



business；　an　illustration　of　mine　from　Rudyard　Kipling　led　him　to



recall　many　of　that　author's　most　striking　situations；　into　which



he　entered　with　great　zest；　and　at　various　other　times　he　cited



sayings　of　Mark　Twain　which　he　seemed　especially　to　enjoy。　Here



it　may　be　mentioned　that　one　may　note　the　same　breadth　in　his



love　for　art；　for　not　only　does　he　rejoice　in　the　higher



achievements　of　architecture；　sculpture；　and　painting；　but　he



takes　pleasure　in　lighter　work；　and　an　American　may　note　that　he



is　greatly　interested　in　the　popular　illustrations　of　Gibson。







I　once　asked　some　of　the　leading　people　nearest　him　how　he　found



time　to　observe　so　wide　a　range；　and　received　answer　that　it　was



as　much　a　marvel　to　them　as　to　me；　he　himself　once　told　me　that



he　found　much　time　for　reading　during　his　hunting　excursions。







Nor　does　he　make　excursions　into　various　fields　of　knowledge　by



books　alone。　Any　noteworthy　discovery　or　gain　in　any　leading



field　of　thought　or　effort　attracts　his　attention　at　once；　and



must　be　presented　to　him　by　some　one　who　ranks　among　its　foremost



exponents。







But　here　it　should　be　especially　noted　that；　active　and　original



as　the　Emperor　is；　he　is　not；　and　never　has　been；　caught　by　FADS



either　in　art；　science；　literature；　or　in　any　other　field　of



human　activity。　The　great　artists　who　cannot　draw　or　paint；　and



who；　therefore；　despise　those　who　can　and　are　glorified　by　those



who　cannot；　the　great　composers　who　can　give　us　neither　harmony



nor　melody；　and　therefore　have　a　fanatical　following　among　those



who　labor　under　like　disabilities；　the　great　writers　who　are



unable　to　attain　strength；　lucidity；　or　beauty；　and　therefore



secure　praise　for　profundity　and　occult　wisdom；none　of　these



influence　him。　In　these；　as　in　other　things；　the　Hohenzollern



sanity　asserts　itself。　He　recognizes　the　fact　that　normal　and



healthy　progress　is　by　an　evolution　of　the　better　out　of　the



good；　and　that　the　true　function　of　genius　in　every　field　is　to



promote　some　phase　of　this　evolution　either　by　aiding　to　create　a



better　environment；　or　by　getting　sight　of　higher　ideals。







As　to　his　manner；　it　is　in　ordinary　intercourse　simple；　natural；



kindly；　and　direct；　and　on　great　public　occasions　dignified



without　the　slightest　approach　to　pomposity。　I　have　known　scores



of　our　excellent　fellow…citizens　in　little　offices　who　were



infinitely　more　assuming。　It　was　once　said　of　a　certain　United



States　senator　that　〃one　must　climb　a　ladder　to　speak　with　him〃；



no　one　would　dream　of　making　any　assertion　of　this　sort　regarding



the　present　ruler　of　the　Prussian　Kingdom　and　German　Empire。







But　it　would　be　unjust　to　suppose　that　minor　gifts　and



acquirements　form　the　whole　of　his　character；　they　are　but　a　part



of　its　garb。　He　is　certainly　developing　the　characteristics　of　a



successful　ruler　of　men　and　the　solid　qualities　of　a　statesman。



It　was　my　fortune；　from　time　to　time；　to　hear　him　discuss　at　some



length　current　political　questions；　and　his　views　were　presented



with　knowledge；　clearness；　and　force。　There　was　nothing　at　all



flighty　in　any　of　his　statements　or　arguments。　There　is　evidently



in　him　a　large　fund　of　that　Hohenzollern　common　sense　which　has



so　often　happily　modified　German；　and　even　European；　politics。　He



recognizes；　of　course；　as　his　ancestors　generally　have　done；　that



his　is　a　military　monarchy；　and　that　Germany　is　and　must　remain　a



besieged　camp；　hence　his　close　attention　to　the　army　and　navy。



Every　one　of　our　embassy　military　attaches　expressed　to　me　his



surprise　at　the　efficiency　of　his　inspections　of　troops；　of　his