Story of the Life Work of the Late Prince
Bismarck—Ranks First Among the
Statesmen of Modern Times.
Prince Bismarck Is dead, and all
Germany Is in mourning. Germans In
every land are sorrowful because ho
that was the founder of the great em
pire Is no more, and people of every
civilized race lament the death of the
master hand that changed the map
of Europe from what It was In 18(18
to what it is In 1898. Even in Franco
Bismarck Is not hated. He was a
worthy foe, and the French love a
hero.
Bismarck’s life would read like a ro
mance were he not a Prussian. His
inarch to fame wag steady, and never
for a moment retrogaded.
LIFE OF PRINCE BISMARCK.
Sketch of the Career of the “Iron j
Chancellor” of 4J«rinany.
Karl Otto Eduard Leopold von Bis
marck Cchoenhausen, diplomatist and
statesman, prince of the German em
pire and fieid marshal-general, came cf
a Brandenburg family which traces Its
records back to the fourteenth century.
The family came originally from Sten
dal, a district about sixty miles from
Berlin. Bismarck himaelf was born
April 1, 1815, at Schoenhauccn, which
for a long time was bis favorite seat,
and the name of which he added to r.is
own to distinguish himself from the
many other branches of his family.
The family quitted Burgstall. near the
town of Stendal, toward the begin
ning cf the seventeenth century in
consequence of trouble.! with the elec
tor John George, and took up its resi
dence in Schoenhausea. There have ,
been fifteen Bismarcks in direct line
from the prince who has just died back I
to the first whose name has been pre- j
served, who lived nearly 630 years ago. ■
It Is a stock of powerful virility, shot i
through and through in all Its branches
with energy. Cool diplomacy, eecen- j
tricity that Is full of method, intoler
ance of opposition, with a touch of the
true Mephistophelean humor—those
have been characteristics of the Bis
niarcks as far back as tueir genius cas
been matter for study and record.
Prince Bismarck'* Youth.
Prince Bismarck in youth showed no
trace, according to the best of his
German biographers, of the qualities j
that later won him the title of “the \
man of blood and Iron.” Ln his sixth i
year he was cent from the family resi
dence on the Kniephof estate in Po
merania to an educational institute in
y
PRINCE BISMARCK.
Berlin, where, it is said, “the extreme
severity of the treatment wounded toe
hoy’s soft nature. He had found his
brother Bernhard there, but still he
suffered greatly from homesickness,
and could not watch the plowman
plowing the fields without giving way
to tears. The two boys passed from one
Berlin school to another, according to
their progress and ages, and later the |
direction of their studies was confided
to private tutors." During this time
Otto was a pupil of the great theolo
gian. Schletermacher, who also con
firmed him in the Lutheran commun
ion. The tutor who at this time had
him in charge says he was a lad of
singularly quick apprehension and of
excellent memory. From the private
instructor he passed to the university
of Goettingen in 1832. It was intend
ed that ho should study jurisprudence,
but he disappointed his parents and
justified the observation of his early
tutor ln showing no especial liking or
even aptitude for any study but that <>f
T
history. The history of his own coun
try was a passion with him. As 'sr
the rest of student life, young Bismarck
was ready for it all. His "soft nature ’
had now become so tnoroughly subju
gated that It Is recorded that in three
semesters at the university he fought
no less than twenty-seven duels, in
every one of wlch ho was victorious.
In I’rufulnn Lan<tt*(?.
In the eariy part of the year cf hla
marriage Bismarck was elected a mem
ber of the newly constituted Prussian
landtag. It was a time of popular
ferment. Radicalism was on the in
crease. The common people were
showing a disposition to question the
righteousness of every time-honored
prerogative, and not a ruler hut felt
his throne a-tremb!e with the premon
itions of the storm that was to break
In the coming year. Bismarck was
now 32 years old. The day of his birth
had dawned but a few years after his
country had begun ltd feeble and seem
ingly hopoleja struggle against dis
memberment at the hands of Napoleon
I. In 1807 Bismarck's discouraged
countrymen had seen 130,000 French
troop3 encamped upon soil that nour
ished but 4,000,000 Prussians, who had
to pay Napoleon a war Indemnity that
emounted to $73 for every man, wo
man and child. Baron von Stein, For
eign Minister ven Hardenberg and
War Minister FVharnhorst were labor
ing to kindle Prussian patriotism and
eolidify the remnant of the state.
Three months before the banishment to
St. Helena of the author of this ruin
was born Btomarck, who should re
trieve the wreck.
Oppose* Conttltutlonnl Reform.
The young member of the house cf
burgesses was unmoved by the mut
terings of democracy. He scorned the
movement of the people, believing
soulfully In the ability cf the aristoc
racy to maintain What ho believed to
be its divine prerogative—that of gov
erning. The broken pledges of King
Pec rlopiolr TV 1111 o m TIT f o ndva Vila POA.
pie a written constitution had receiv
ed new sanction from Frederick Wil
liam IV., who was no more willing
than his predecessor had been to ful
fill hi3 promises. In the speech from
the throne he declared to the united
diet that be would suffer, nothing to
change the natural relation between
sovereign and people; no conventional,
constitutional regime should Intervene;
never would he consent that a written
document should intrude between the
Lord God in heaven and his country
in place of the ancient faith. Such
royal tenacity promised ill for consti
tutional reforms. Bismarck wanted no
constitutional reforms. He bluntly
told the united diet it had no excuse
for convening. Those who had sus
pected the young man of "liberalism”
saw their mistake. When an assault
on the Hohenzollerns woke him up it
awoke the most ardent of royalists—
one who saw no place In the human
order for democracy; one who saw
even in constitutionalism only a tem
porizing expedient for use in critical
situations. Bismarck saw in the con
test a struggle between the principles
of order and the principles of dis
order—a contest which was not to be
decided by debates and majorities.
"Sooner or later the God of battles
must cast the die.”
Leader of the Conservatives.
In the second session of the Prus
sian landtag (1850-1) Bismarck was
recognized as the leader of the con
servatives. At its close he was ap
pointed Prussian minister plenipoten
tiary In the Frankfurt diet. Here ho
showed himself the Arm opponent of
Austrian pretensions. But a brief ex
perience at Frankfurt convinced him
that little was to be hoped for under
the existing constitution. Already he
had come to believe that the malady
of the country could be healed only "by
fire and sword.” The tedium of his
post at Frankfurt was interrupted by
diplomatic missions to Vienna and
Pesth (1862), to some of the South
German courts, and (1855) to the Em
peror Napoleon at Paris.
I^W—I I --—
In January, 1839, he was appointed
ambassador at St. Petersburg. Here
he remained three years, and ingratl
ated himself with many leading per
conages in Russian society. In May
1852, he went to Paris as ambassador
from which post he was recalled in
September to become Prussian minis
ter-president and chief adviser to the
king. Both as regards domestic and
foreign affairs his position at first was
one of extreme difficulty. At home he
found himself engaged in constant con
flict with the liberal majority of the
landtag on developing the constitu
tional system and assuming control
over the military budget, which Bis
marck was determined to retain In the
hands of the crown. Abroad he found
himself menaced by Austria, which
was striving to obtain the hegemony of
Germany, and by Kmperor Napoleon,
w hose eyes were fixed on Belgium and
the Rhine province*. The skillful
diplomacy by which he averted the lat
ter dangers was unknown to the pub
lic, and his open defiance of the par
liamentary majority made him ex
tremely unpopular in Prussia.
Sfhlfmljj.MoUtnln Question.
The tide began to turn when he
brought the Schleswig-Holstein ques
tion (1863-4) to a successful conclusion.
By extraordinary firmness and adroit
diplomacy he succeeded In excluding
the Interference of neutral powers and
In securing the duchies for Germany.
After the Banes had been driven from
these states he assorted that tfcejr must
be annexed to Prussia, and refused to
allow the creation of a new seml-lnde
- --
.. ■"•<*« —» f ». .
FRIEDRICHSRUH. BISMARCK'S
LATE HOME.
pendent principality on the northern
frontier of the kingdom. The dispute
with Austria over this question became
so violent that It waa plain it must
eventually end in wet. Bismarck's
greatest anxiety luring this period waa
to secure the neutrality of France
without buying It by the ceeslon of
German territory. In this he was
completely successful, chiefly owing to
Napoleon’s mistaken belief that the
war would end In the defeat and hu
miliation of Prussia.
Attempt on HU Life.
On May 7, lvC6, tr, attempt was made
on Bismarck’s life by a youth named
Lionel Cohen, who hoped to avert the
coming struggle In Germany l>y the
assassination of the unpopular minis
ter. Bismarck escaped with a trifling
wound. On June 11 the federal coun
cil, by a majority of nine votes to Rix,
declared war againet Prussia. Among
the states which supported Austria
were Hanover, Saxony and Hesse.
Within the next few days the three
states were overrun and disarmed by
Prussia. Before the end of June the
Prussian armies had crossed into Bo
hemia; July 3 the Austrians were de
feated in one of the decisive battles of
the world—that of Sadowa or Konlg
gratz. Bismarck was by King Wil
liam’s side throughout the combat. At
its close the resistance of Austria was
over; but all Bismarck’s diplomatic
skill wa3 required to prevent the fruits
of victory being snatched from his
grasp by Emperor Napoleon.
Treaty of Peace.
After prolonged conferences at Nl
kolsburg. the definite treaty of peace
waa concluded at Prague, August. 1866.
By this treaty the German bund was
dissolved, a North German confedera
tion under the presidency of Prussia
was erected, and Hanover, Schleswig
Holstein, Hesse and a large part of
Saxony wa3 annexted to Prussia. The
supremacy of Austria in Germany was
at an end, and that of Prussia estab
lished. The war of 1866 left Bismarck
the most popular man next to the king
in Prussia. But he still had his diffi
culties with the parliament, for the
liberals and the radicals continued
their efforts to establish a constitu
tional regime on the English model,
and Bismarck was equally determined
not to weaken the position of the crown
or to resign its control over the mili
tary organization. He well knew that
a greater conflict than that of 1866 lav
before the country.
I _ «.f . .—. « <tt»flBaP3«S,*5Si
THE RCITIIIU or BUMtAKC* A\a NAEOUCOB ATI twit SKIIVN.
Chancellor of the North German Con
federation.
In 1867 he became chancellor of the
j North German confederation. For
three years he wag engaged In prepar
j lng for the struggle with France, which
j as he foresaw, was inevitable. Deeply
I mortified by the results of the Sadowa
campaign and the NiKolsburg confer
ence, and knowing that his position in
France was becoming dally more un
certain, Napoleon was only awaiting
an opportunity to attack Prussia, rely
ing on the assistance of Austria, or at
least of the south German states. After
ineffectual attempts to make an excuse
for war out oi the Luxemburg question,
and even of that of the St. Gothard
railway, Igniis Napoleon found one in
the candidature of Prince Leopold of
Hohenzollern for the throne of Spam.
In Berlin there wag little relurtanco
toward a war, for which Prussia was
Infinitely better prepared than France,
but Blgmarck's astute diplomacy put
Napoleon III completely In the wrong,
and compelled him to force on hostil
ities by a series cf insults to the Prus
sian nation and its popular sovereign.
IlUmarrk'* Hlir.nrii Stroke,
The wanton and apparently unpro
voked aggression of the Frenc’i emper
or roused the spirit of the whole Ger
man people, and Bavaria and Wurtem
berg entered into the war with alac
rity. A master stroke of Bismarck's
policy diverted the sympathy of the
neutral powers, and especially that of
Bngland, from the French. On July
26 he published In the Times a draft
treaty drawn up by the French am
bassador, Benedetti, according to which
Prussia and France were to arrange
for the annexation of Belgium by the
latter power. UlsmarcK nail receivea
the draft In Benedetti’s handwriting
as far back as 1867, but had adroitly
contrived to avoid committing hlms'lf
to a decisive reply. The effect on Eu
ropean and English public opinion was
Instantaneous. On July 19 Bismarck
announced In the relehstag that France
had declared war. On July 31 Bis
marck left Berlin with the king and
the headquarters staff of the German
army. He was present In the earlier
battles of the eventful campaign that
followed. On the night of Sept. 2 be
arranged with the Emperor Napoleon
the preliminaries which led to the ca
pitulation of Sedan. In October he
moved with the king to Versailles and
took up his quarters In a house In the
Hue de Provence, whenct he directed
the foreign policy of the federation and
received and repulsed the attacks of
the French provisional government to
make peace on easy terms, and the
efforts of the neutral 3tates at media
tion.
Work for the Uirmnn Kuiplro.
At the same time that he was dic
tating terms cf peace which compelled
Franco to restore to Germany the prov
inces of Alsace and Lorraine, which
Louis XIV. had taken, and to pay a
war Indemnity ot nearly $1,000,COO,000
—or three times the amount exacted
from Prussia by Napoleon I.—Bis
marck was not losing sight of his am
bitions for the house of Hohenzollern.
He now concerned himself with the
transformation of the North German
bund inta the German empire. The
free town of Frankfort had received a
Prussian garrison, in spite of indig
nant protests. Immediately after the
war with Austria; Hanover was Incor
porated with the Germanic confedera
tion, and at the close of 18o6 Bismarck
had concluded with Bavaria, Baden and
Wurtemberg treaties of peace and al
liances offensive and defensive, with a
proviso that In the event of war Prus
sia should have the chief military com
mand. The North German confedera
tion, organized In 1867, which compris
ed twenty-two states, represented a
population of 22,090,000. The king of
Prussia was at the head of this power
ful combination, and a federal council,
composed of delegates of the different
stales, was estaDiisneu, togemer wun
a dleto or common parliament, the
members of which were elected by uni
versal suffrage. The great work of
making all the states of this confed
eration acknowledge the sovereignty
of Prussia and the overlordship of the
Hohe'nzollerns—Bismarck's life work—
he accomplished Jan. 18, 1871. At
noon on that day the assembled Ger
man princes, with the king of Ba
varia at their head, acclaimed King
William as “Dcutscher Kaiser,” and
the chancellor read the solemn proc
lamation which the emperor addressed
to the united peoples of Germany. Ten
days later, after several conferences
between Bismarck and the French for
eign minister, Jules Favre, a truce was
concluded, and the Parisian forts were
handed over to the Prussians*. On Feb.
21 the negotiations were resumed by
M. Thiers on the part of France, and
on the 26th the French statesman was
forced to agree to the hard conditions
laid down by the conquerors. These
Included the cession of Alsace and
German-I-orralne and the payment of
a war Indemnity of 5.040.000.000 francs,
j On the first day of the following month
Bismarck accompanied the German de
tachment which marched into Paris.
On the 21st he was created a ftierst of
the empire. This is an untranslatable
title, rendered Into English “prince."
I although the German word for
“prince” Is "prlnz." Ilk creation a*
count date* from 1*65.
< h turelior of I tie empire.
prime Ulsuiarvk had already been
nowluated. Jan. 19, 1*71, chancellor of
the reconstituted empire. May 14 ho
signed the detinue treaty with France
! at Irankfort On June 16. arrayed In
[ Ike uniform of his regiment, the Mag
detuiig futrasMlere. he rt*l» In the
grand p» s etcsi' ii which celsbrwled the
return of the victorious in»|v to ller
| tin tin either side of hint rod# Count
von Molike and the war uilutster. Von
1 Ituon and cUtee behind them e*»me the
i Emperor William
After the Franco-Prussian war. and
Up to the lime of his di agreement
i
with Emperor William II. and retire
ment, Prince Bismarck held a position
almost unique among the European
statesmen. He was the controlling
force in international politics and the
arbiter of peace and war. His chief
aim was to avoid conflicts between
the great powers which more than
cnce threatened, and to preserve tho
peace of Europe. With this object he
exerted himself to prevent war be
tween England and Russia, which
seemed likely to arise out of the events
In the Balkan peninsula in 1877. It
was chiefly through his efforts that the
great congress of Berlin (June, 1878),
for the settlement of the eastern ques
tion was held and brought to a satis
factory conclusion by the treaty which
settled, for the time at least, the rela
tions of the Btates of southeaeern Eu
rope to Turkey and each other.
As chancellor of the empire Bis
marck made It his task to consolidate
It with authoritative and stable Institu
tions within, while forming alliances
and political combinations which
would secure It from attack from with
out. Fearing the Influence of the
church of Rome as rivaling the power
of the state with Its doctrine of papal
In falllWllty, he was led—many ob
servers deem unfortunately—Into the
long and bitter struggle with the Vat
ican known ns the Kulturkampf. Un
der his load laws of great severity,
known as the Falk laws or May laws,
were passed by parliament, beginning
In 1873, by which many hundred Jesu
its were banished and several Roman
Catholic bishops were Imprisoned for
refusal of obedience, and many schools
and churches were closed.
tjmirrrl with Wllhrlm II.
It Is no easy task for any man to
p-v* *• *4* IlliiricciiUI LC1UU1/ UU
feudal principles, especially one whose
nature Is Imperious, whose will is un
bending and whose realm is not yet
thoroughly welded together. Annoy
ance at the balking of his plans at cer
tain points Joined with herculean la
bors and vast responsibilities and with
the burden of advancing age to red ice
his strength. The young ecipersr
wished no instruction from any one,
and he may well have seemed to the as
tute but wearied Bismarck a problem
the solution of which be would prefer
to leave to time and to oth"r Investi
gators rather than to hasten It actively
In his own person. The aged states
man found his young sovereign eager
to assume the personal control of all
matters relating to the empire, and
when the emperor, restive under the
restraint of the veteran, announced hit
determination to assume absolute con
trol of all public affairs and declared
further that Bismarck was assuming
rights as chancellor which were the
prerogatives of the emperor, It was Im
possible for the prince to continue In
the service of the state. For a long
time there was a breach between the
independent old chancellor and his for
mer master, but the German people
were loyal to Bismarck, on whom iney
fancied the emperor had put numerous
slights. In 1394 came an urgent invi
tation to the ex-chancellor to visit his
sovereign at Berlin. Bismarck accept
ed the ofTer of reconciliation, and the
whole city rose to meet him in an ex
pression of intense popular regard.
BISMARCK LEAVING EMPEROR’S
PALACE AFTER RESIGNING.
The emperor afterward returned thl3
vl3lt at Frledrichsruh.
BtranTfinent Hastened the End
More than any ether cause, the
death of Prince Bismarck’s wife hast
ened hi3 end. it is said the ex-chan
cellor was never the same after he bur
led the princess in Yarzin in Novem
ber, 1894. The princess left three chil
dren—Countess Marie, torn in 40P ;n
hausen Aug. 21. 1848. and new Count
ess von Ratiau; Herbert, torn In Ber
lin Dec. 2S, 1849. and married to Mar
guerite, Countess Hoyos, ami William,
born in Frankfort-on-the Main Aug. 1.
1852. and married to Sybille von
Kroehleadorff. The marriage of Bis
marck’s daughter Is childless; Herbert
is the father of three end William of
four children. Herbert, the eldest son.
■luccesus to his great father's estate.
It was therefore very much to Bis
marck’s chagrin that ha did not marry
luto the German nobility, but chose
| an Austrian wife of Hungarian extra '
! tion. This marriage was so much the
more painful to the old man because
It happened only two years after the
forced resignation of the Iron chauc*!
I lor, It was only very gradually that
f Bismarck become reconciled to this
| "Austrian alliance,1* as be was went tc
call tbe marriage.
A HrsirsS Vctcvea.
• Ms). |)udick is tusking a great war
record, Isn't he?”
I "I’d like to kaow bow you make that
out. Ilea stilt here."
"I kgow, but be'* making all the
I daf prssentat.on ijwerhe' #>* it# var
i tutu <ompaniea ate being *»ut assy
I to the front. '
The right of women to vote at a
school meeting for a director of a dis
trict Is held. In Harris Vs. Burr (Or.t
39 L. R. A. 768. to be allowel by a con
stitutional provision limiting to male
citizens the right to vote "at all elec
tions authorized by law,” where an
other provision gives the legislature
power to provide a system of common
schools.
Despite tne circumstantial story
credl’sed to the lady herself, that Lieu
tenant Hobson and Miss Leila Cook,
of Oswego, are engaged to be married,
the gentleman says he has not the hon
or of Miss Cook's acquaintance.
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