colleagues who represented a power especially interested in the
matter, the Emperor came up and at once entered into the
discussion. He stated the position of various powers in relation
to it, and suggested a line of conduct. There was straightforward
good sense in his whole contention, a refreshing absence of
conventionalities, and a very clear insight into the realities of
the question, with a shrewd forecast of the result. More
interesting to me was another conversation, in the spring of
1899. As the time drew near for the sessions of the Peace
Conference at The Hague, I was making preparations for leaving
Berlin to take up my duty in that body, when one morning there
appeared at the embassy a special messenger from the Emperor
requesting me to come to the palace. My reception was hearty, and
he plunged at once into the general subject by remarking, "What
the conference will most need is good common sense; and I have
sent Count Munster, my ambassador at Paris, because he has lots
of it." With this preface, he went very fully into the questions
likely to come before the conference, speaking regarding the
attitude of the United States and the various powers of Europe
and Asia with a frankness, fullness, and pungency which at times
rather startled me. On the relations between the United States,
Germany, and Great Britain he was especially full. Very
suggestive also were his remarks regarding questions in the far
East, and especially on the part likely to be played by Japan and
China--the interests of various powers in these questions being
presented in various aspects, some of them decidedly original and
suggestive. While there were points on which we could hardly
agree, there were some suggestions which proved to be of especial
value, and to one of them is due the fact that on most questions
the German delegates at The Hague stood by the Americans, and