The Modern Proteus

l have nevcr knowo a rann who ii c full of resources as be. It is u f half a dozen iutellects had served to compoie his bead. Physical ud moral courage, ehrewdness and indomitablo will, wit and humor, sagacity and rockleusnees, a certain intuitive cotnprehension of men' oharacters and culm steadineas, I do nof knotr wliich of tlienc qualitio is most wonderfully developed ia thia, mo.dorn Proteus, tliis porsonification - to finish ihe QreL'k nimile - of both TTlysses and Ajax He knowg no jaotiual or theo retic-tl diffiiiuHy, and if there wcre atill a pron' p quired tliat he roally is a grea stste'iuan. it would be given in the fact thai lie fc .nrtlos the obfitacles thrown ia h wy x tho m'.st efficiënt weapon for ' aini it, hil end. Besidcs this, ha poiMiios a franknees doubly surprising, as it ulways hits the point, and e.rpresses itaelf somatimes in rough but alwayé signi&oant tcnus. Bismarok . peáis Engli.sh with a forcign aooeot, but likei to uao it wkh tiis Bnglish .viiitors, ana oever missos tbo right word or the right oxpri'ssion, or fails to givc a sharp point to his senteuue. He enohants all his viïiturs with tho afïublo mannerin which be trvats them. ïbey expoet to seo a stiff resurved state d'gnitary and the find a ready talkur, a witty oompanion, wbo laaght as hesrtily as tliey do, and wih tbo sjme irroi-erence, at the official and unoffi'-tal nonsenso which rules thia worl ! - who likes and makes a good j"ke, and chatg with thera as if they were o!d chums. In bis ueo of Btrong oxpressioos Bismarek cannot bo lurpassed ly the reidest radical. To a friend of raintj ho said : " If you have gome business with a high Prussian functionary, a Piivjr Oouncülor, you must be su rouh that to beat him would nppeer to be tha next rciort thou he will be polite and ibliginjr." And on nnother occasion j ' You have no idea of the sfllf-conceit of th whole royal race." When ho returnod from hi first interview with Napoleon at Binrntó, n gave his opia: ion of the Emperor, wbo was ttlmost deified at tho time, ia the few words : ' A good fellow, but a poor stick !" Tö the Austrian Minister, wheu this geotletnnn ratfaer incredulously received od of Biifflarok's a-sertiong, he 8íid a foir weeks before the out break of the war of 866 : " I never inako a fale slatement vheuever I can avoid it. In jour case t is not ueccsssry. Tuerefore, I hare, no earthly interest to decoive you, and! 'nu eau bclieve my words." Whsn I iw li ; in iii May lust, Bimnarok gave tne omu vcry intere-ting details about bis ndeavors to bring about the war HgaiLSt Austria. " 1 expeetud," be aaid, " to iave boen ;ady ia the spring of 1863, ut oiir Niebelung iroanure mean9 the nxkKili{&i í _iyaua -i ; ;. f rom tbe King. On iicoou'ut of the eoret uud opon opposition of the oourt dragons, and of the intrigue nd cotilliou iufluenues cf princely and noble oíd ffomen, it tok three yeara befare tho King figned the order of mobilization ai;d Jeclared war. I was like a bunter creepin on bis belly to got n shot at tha fíame, but I finaily etruck it after enormous pains and eöbrts. WBbnbrer I thought 1 had conquorcd al! resistanoe, new difficulties sprang up. To thiB court rabbie I ara indebted tor my nees not to my open ana secret eneane. I knew beforeband tbat in 18C6 we should beat the Austnaos. Our generáis, vvith the exoeption of great Moltke and bull-dog Steinmetz, were asses (Eëel), but our fightiog material was exuelleut; each soldier thought for himself, and the saliiltern otBcers cannot be to highly praised for their iotcliect, educa: ion and bravery. If we had been defeated at Koniggratz, I should have been obliged to leave the country, for to tbe batred I richly enjoyed on the part of the liberáis was addd tho bitter animosity of tbe ciurt rabble. An old friend and General who mat me on the battle-fitld iminediately after thovictorj was won, was peffccily right in saying to me : ' Thi time, Bismarck, our soldiors, with their ncedle-gur.s, have fiHght you out of the scrape, whioh is mueta butler th&n if the old women, with thoir sticks, had drivea you out of tho couutry.' In the Luxemburg queetioo, in 1867, 1 triod with all my power to avoid a war with France, for war is ! ways a poor, losifg business, groat uations have better things to do than to sirive for military laurel. Once go to wa and whero will it end ?" Each jear I gained, I conidered, an immense piofit. The ""reuch had ilso threatened E-Jtiland, and nevertheless it did not come to war. I thcrofore thought it my duty to avoid it. If the Frenuh in-, si-t upon a war they shall hnve it ; but" I apprt heud that we shall have a rept'tiiion of wars, succeeditig each other liko thoso Bt the end ot the last aud.in ibe beginning of the present century." Wlu-n Bmmurck spoke these words all Europe was in doep peaoe, and do one ci'uld bave foreseen tho thorough tbrushing wbiuh the Germana would give tho Frencb. "These diplomatiats at sraall courta,1' Bismiirek oontinues, taking up unotber subject, " are an unuiitiated nuiea'noe ; sballow lazy tellows wbo o not' éèe and ibserve public affairs, hut j ?clt up court ijossip fiool tha cliaajbennaid.s or ladiiFm-wailing. Wbat can you do with tbe-e good-for-untbiiig ccsmopolitan loitercrtt 't I cannot Bot of I should liko to, but iinoö I have been nt tfie tiead of the foreign d partment I bave at least ut down tho list of the fathbrlandleea excelliiucies to one balf of their original nutnber." Iu iliis way he went on f i r un hour witb seareely an interruption. Th:1 populurity, liowever, which ha Ima won by two ucccssful wars, will I ■oprahend, wiiber in Ihe time oí' peaee. iiiMiiuick Las ueither interost lor nor iiüderstauding f civil freedom, pelf-governmi'nt and constitutioaal liberty. Ho iü n despotio chaructor ; bo is an ingraioed ligiúiiiist, wlio considere it a (pecial callitig tü hold down popular dcvelbpment if it loon not dircctly era bis purposes. Wbat Guniiaíij nexfc neei) ia a Bif'marclc for its hoai; polioj, a man who knows how to duveh p mora iully, or ratlier to givo fioe saopj to, lhoe riob resourcea and qualities of ohüraetar by wbicb Gormany bas just won tha udmiratioQ of the civilizad .world, and earned td httrei of iht Vrcncli aiiá "tlm Fenianè In her uáys "of inisfoitrino ï.ufl natióriftl dfcgiatiatioo, flho had snoh f. Imn as fte gront Bsrm Rtcin. Will sho bc feas piodiiotive io tho 8B0C088 of hor military yrcatuoss and jperity?