part05+-第67部分

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respect；but　his　dealings　with　the　Roman　Catholic　Church　at



large　show　not　merely　wisdom　but　kindliness。　If　he　felt　bound　to



resist；　and　did　successfully　resist；　the　efforts　of　Cardinal



Rampolla　to　undermine　German　rule　and　influence　in　Alsace　and



Lorraine；　there　was　a　quiet　fairness　and　justice　in　his　action



which　showed　a　vast　deal　of　tolerant　wisdom。　His　visits　to　the



old　Abbey　of　Laach；　his　former　relations　with　its　young　abbot；



his　settlement　of　a　vexed　question　by　the　transfer　of　the　abbot



to　the　bishopric　of　Metz；　his　bringing　of　a　loyal　German　into



episcopal　power　at　Strasburg；　his　recent　treatment　of　the　prince



bishop　of　Breslau　and　the　archbishop　of　Cologne；　all　show　a　wise



breadth　of　view。　Perhaps　one　of　the　brightest　diplomatic　strokes



in　his　career　was　his　dealing　with　a　Vatican　question　during　his



journey　in　the　East。　For　years　there　had　been　growing　up　in　world



politics　the　theory　that　France；　no　matter　how　she　may　deal　with



monks　and　nuns　and　ultramontane　efforts　within　her　own　immediate



boundaries；　is　their　protector　in　all　the　world　beside；　and



especially　in　the　Holy　Land。　The　relation　of　this　theory　to　the



Crimean　War；　fifty　years　ago；　is　one　of　the　curious　things　of



history；　and　from　that　day　to　this　it　has　seemed　to　be　hardening



more　and　more　into　a　fixed　policyeven　into　something　like　a



doctrine　of　international　law。　Interesting　was　it；　then；　to　see



the　Emperor；　on　his　visit　to　the　Sultan；　knock　the　ground　from



under　the　feet　of　all　this　doctrine　by　securing　for　the　Roman



Catholic　interest　at　Jerusalem　what　the　French　had　never　been



able　to　obtainthe　piece　of　ground　at　the　Holy　City；　so　long



coveted　by　pious　Catholics；　whereon；　according　to　tradition；　once



stood　the　lodging　of　the　Virgin　Mary。　This　the　Emperor　quietly



obtained　of　the　Sultan；　and；　after　assisting　at　the　dedication　of



a　Lutheran　church　at　Jerusalem；　he　telegraphed　to　the　Pope　and　to



other　representatives　of　the　older　church　that　he　had　made　a　gift



of　this　sacred　site　to　those　who　had　so　long　and　so　ardently



desired　it。







Considerable　criticism　has　been　made　on　the　score　of　his　evident



appreciation　of　his　position；　and　his　theory　of　his　relation　to



it；　but　when　his　point　of　view　is　cited；　one　perhaps　appreciates



it　more　justly。　I　have　already　shown　this　point　of　view　in　the



account　of　the　part　taken　by　him　at　the　two…hundredth　anniversary



of　the　Royal　Academy；　and　of　his　remark；　afterward；　contrasting



his　theory　of　monarchy　with　that　of　Dom　Pedro　of　Brazil。　Jocose



as　was　the　manner　of　it；　it　throws　light　upon　his　idea　of　his



duty　in　the　state。　While　a　constitutional　monarch；　he　is　not　so



in　the　British　sense。　British　constitutional　monarchy　is　made



possible　by　the　〃silver　streak〃；　but　around　the　German　Empire；　as



every　German　feels　in　his　heart；　is　no　〃silver　streak。〃　This　fact



should　be　constantly　borne　in　mind　by　those　who　care　really　to



understand　the　conditions　of　national　existence　on　the　continent



of　Europe。　Herein　lies　the　answer　to　one　charge　that　has　been　so



often　made　against　the　German　Emperorof　undue　solicitude



regarding　his　official　and　personal　position；　as　shown　in　sundry



petty　treason　trials。　The　simple　fact　is　that　German　public



opinion；　embodied　in　German　law；　has　arrived　at　the　conclusion



that　it　is　not　best　to　allow　the　head　of　the　state　to　be　the



sport　of　every　crank　or　blackguard　who　can　wield　a　pen　or　pencil。



The　American　view；　which　allowed　Lincoln；　Garfield；　and　McKinley



to　be　attacked　in　all　the　moods　and　tenses　of　vituperation；　and



to　be　artistically　portrayed　as　tyrants；　drunkards；　clowns；



beasts　of　prey；　and　reptiles；　has　not　yet　been　received　into



German　modes　of　thought。　Luther　said　that　he　〃would　not　suffer



any　man　to　treat　the　Gospel　as　a　sow　treats　a　sack　of　oats〃；　and



that　seems　to　be　the　feeling　inherent　in　the　German　mind



regarding　the　treatment　of　those　who　represent　the　majesty　of　the



nation。







And　here　a　word　regarding　the　relation　of　Kaiser　and　people。　In



one　of　the　letters　to　John　Adams　written　by　Thomas　Jefferson　as



they　both　were　approaching　the　close　of　life；　the　founder　of



American　democracy　declared　that　he　had　foreseen　the　failure　of



French　popular　rule；　and　had　therefore　favored　in　France；



democrat　though　he　was；　a　constitutional　monarchy。　Had　Jefferson



lived　in　our　time；　he　would　doubtless　have　arrived　at　a　similar



conclusion　regarding　Germany；　for　he　would　have　taken　account　of



the　difference　between　a　country　like　ours；　with　no　long　period



of　history　which　had　given　to　dominant　political　ideas　a



religious　character；a　country　stretching　from　ocean　to　ocean；



with　no　neighbors　to　make　us　afraid；　and　a　country　like



Germany；　with　an　ancient　historic　head；　with　no　natural



frontiers；　and　beset　on　every　side　by　enemies；　and　Jefferson



would　doubtless　have　taken　account　also　of　the　fact　that；　were



the　matter　submitted　to　popular　vote；　the　present　sovereign；　with



his　present　powers；　would　be　the　choice　of　an　overwhelming



majority　of　the　German　people。　The　German　imperial　system；　like



our　own　American　republican　system；　is　the　result　of　an　evolution



during　many　generationsan　evolution　which　has　produced　the



present　government；　decided　its　character；　fixed　its　form；



allotted　its　powers；　and　decided　on　the　men　at　the　head　of　it；



and　this　fact　an　American；　no　matter　how　devoted　to　republicanism



and　democracy　in　his　own　country；　may　well　acknowledge　to　be　as



fixed　in　the　political　as　in　the　physical　world。







Of　course　some　very　bitter　charges　have　been　made　against　him　as



regards　Germany；　the　main　one　being　that　he　does　not　love



parliamentary　government　and　has；　at　various　times；　infringed



upon　the　constitution　of　the　empire。







As　to　loving　parliamentary　government；　he　would　probably　say　that



he　cannot　regard　a　system　as　final　which；　while　attaching　to　the



front　of　the　chariot　of　progress　a　full　team　to　pull　it　forward；



attaches　another　team　to　the　rear　to　pull　it　backward。　But



whatever　his　theory；　he　has　in　practice　done　his　best　to　promote



the　efficiency　of　parliamentary　government；　and　to　increase



respect　for　it　in　his　kingdom　of　Prussia；　by　naming　as　life



members　of　the　Senate　sundry　men　of　the　highest　character　and　of



immense　value　in　the　discussion　of　the　most　important　questions。



Two　of　these；　appointed　during　my　stay；　I　knew　and　admired。　The



first；　Professor　Gustav　Schmoller；　formerly　rector　of　the



University　of　Berlin；　is　one　of　the　leading　economists　of　the



world；　who　has　shown　genius　in　studying　and　exhibiting　the



practical　needs　of　the　German　people；　and　in　discerning　the　best



solutions　of　similar　problems　throughout　the　worldprofound；



eloquent；　conciliatory；　sure　to　be　of　immense　value　as　a　senator。



The　second；　Professor　Slaby；　director　of　the　great　technical



institution　of　Germany　at　Charlottenburg；　is　one　of　the　leading



authorities　of　the　world　on　everything　that　pertains　to　the



applications　of　electricity；　a　great　administrator；　a　wise



counselor　on　questions　pertaining　to　the　German　educational



system。　Neither　of　these　men　orates；　but　both　are　admirable



speakers；　and　are　sure　to　be　of　incalculable　value。　I　name　them



simply　as　types：　others　were　appointed；　equally　distinguished　in



other　fields。　If；　then；　the　Emperor　is　blamed　for　not　liking



parliamentary　and　party　government；　it　is　only　fair　to　say　that



he　has　taken　the　surest　way　to　give　it　strength　and　credit。







As　to　the　alleged　violations　of　the　German　constitution；　the



same；　in　a　far　higher　degree；　were　charged　against　Kaiser　William



I　and　Bismarck；and　these　charges　were　true；but　it　is　also



true　that　thereby　those　men　saved　and　built　up　their　country。　As



a　matter　of　fact；　the　intuitive　sense　as　well　as　the　reflective



powers　of　Germans　seem　to　show　them　that　the　real　dangers　to



their　country　come　from　a　very　different　quarterfrom　men　who



promote　hatreds　of　race；　class；　and　religion　within　the　empire；



and　historic　international　hatreds　without　it。







So；　too；　various　charges　have　been　made　against　the　Emperor　as



regards　the　United　States。　From　time　to　time　there　came；　during



my　stay；　statements　in　sundry　American　newspapers；　some



belligerent；　some　lacrymose；　regarding　his　attitude　toward　our



country。　It　seemed　to　be　taken　for　granted　by　many　good　people



during　our　Spanish　War　that　the　Emperor　was　personally　against



us。　It　is　not　unlikely　that　he　may　have　felt　sympathy　for　that



forlorn