CHAPTEE XLII 



AMERICA, GERMANY, AND THE CHINESE WAR-1899-1902 



N interesting event of this period was the appearance 

 in Berlin of ex-President and Mrs. Harrison. The 

 President had but recently finished his long and weari 

 some work before the Venezuela Arbitration Tribunal 

 at Paris, and was very happy in the consciousness of duty 

 accomplished and liberty obtained. Marks of high dis 

 tinction were shown them. The sovereigns invited them 

 to attend the festivities at Potsdam in honor of the Queen 

 and Queen Mother of Holland, who were then staying 

 there, and treated them not only with respect, but with cor 

 diality. The Emperor conversed long with the President 

 on various matters of public interest : on noted Americans 

 whom he had met, on the growth of our fleet, on recent 

 events in our history, and the like, characteristically end 

 ing with a discussion of the superb music which we had 

 been hearing; and at the supper which followed insisted 

 that Mrs. Harrison should sit at his side, the Empress 

 giving a similar invitation to Mr. Harrison. At a later 

 period a dinner was given to the ex-President by the 

 chancellor of the empire, Prince Hohenlohe, at which a 

 number of the leading personages in the empire were 

 present; and it was a pleasure to show my own respect 

 for the former chief magistrate by a reception which was 

 attended by about two hundred of our American colony, 

 and a dinner at which he and Mrs. Harrison made the ac 

 quaintance of leading representative Germans in various 

 fields. 



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