My Four Years in Germany | Page 7

so
solemnly issued, but I believe that the higher authorities in Germany
earnestly desired that the people, and, especially, the officers of the
army and navy, should learn not to enjoy themselves too much. A great
endeavour was always made to keep them in a life, so far as possible,
of Spartan simplicity. For instance, the army officers were forbidden to
play polo, not because of anything against the game, which, of course,
is splendid practice for riding, but because it would make a distinction
in the army between rich and poor.

[Illustration: A SALON IN THE AMERICAN EMBASSY.]
[Illustration: THE BALLROOM OF THE EMBASSY. THIS WAS
AFTERWARD TURNED INTO A WORKROOM FOR THE RELIEF
OF AMERICANS IN WAR DAYS.]
The Emperor's birthday, January twenty-seventh, is a day of great
celebration. At nine-thirty in the morning the Ambassadors, Ministers
and all the dignitaries of the court attend Divine Service in the chapel
of the palace. On this day in 1914, the Queen of Greece and many of
the reigning princes of the German States were present. In the evening
there was a gala performance in the opera house, the entire house being
occupied by members of the court. Between the acts in the large foyer,
royalties "made the circle," and I had quite a long conversation with
both the Emperor and Empress and was "caught" by the King of
Saxony. Many of the Ambassadors have letters of credence not only to
the court at Berlin but also to the rulers of the minor German States.
For instance, the Belgian Minister was accredited to thirteen countries
in Germany and the Spanish Ambassador to eleven. For some reason or
other, the American and Turkish Ambassadors are accredited only to
the court at Berlin. Some of the German rulers feel this quite keenly,
and the King of Saxony, especially. I had been warned that he was very
anxious to show his resentment of this distinction by refusing to shake
hands with the American Ambassador. He was in the foyer on the
occasion of this gala performance and said that he would like to have
me presented to him. I, of course, could not refuse, but forgot the
warning of my predecessors and put out my hand, which the King
ostentatiously neglected to take. A few moments later the wife of the
Turkish Ambassador was presented to the King of Saxony and received
a similar rebuff; but, as she was a daughter of the Khedive of Egypt,
and therefore a Royal Highness in her own right, she went around the
King of Saxony, seized his hand, which he had put behind him, brought
it around to the front and shook it warmly, a fine example of great
presence of mind.
Writing of all these things and looking out from a sky-scraper in New
York, these details of court life seem very frivolous and far away. But

an Ambassador is compelled to become part of this system. The most
important conversations with the Emperor sometimes take place at
court functions, and the Ambassador and his secretaries often gather
their most useful bits of information over tea cups or with the cigars
after dinner.
Aside from the short season, Berlin is rather dull; Bismarck
characterised it as a "desert of bricks and newspapers."
In addition to making visits to the royalties, custom required me to call
first upon the Imperial Chancellor and the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
The other ministers are supposed to call first, although I believe the
redoubtable von Tirpitz claimed a different rule. So, during the first
winter I gradually made the acquaintance of those people who sway the
destinies of the German Empire and its seventy millions.
I dined with the Emperor and had long conversations with him on New
Year's Day and at the two court balls.
All during this winter Germans from the highest down tried to impress
me with the great danger which they said threatened America from
Japan. The military and naval attachés and I were told that the German
information system sent news that Mexico was full of Japanese
colonels and America of Japanese spies. Possibly much of the prejudice
in America against the Japanese was cooked up by the German
propagandists whom we later learned to know so well.
It is noteworthy that during the whole of my first winter in Berlin I was
not officially or semi-officially afforded an opportunity to meet any of
the members of the Reichstag or any of the leaders in the business
world. The great merchants, whose acquaintance I made, as well as the
literary and artistic people, I had to seek out; because most of them
were not _hoffähig_ and I did not come in contact with them at any
court functions, official dinners or even in the houses of the