AMERICA, GERMANY, AND CHINA 1899-1902 185 



prince, on the 6th of May, 1900. To do honor to the 

 occasion, the Emperor Franz Josef of Austria-Hungary 

 had sent word that he would be present, and for many 

 days the whole city seemed mainly devoted to decorating 

 its buildings and streets for his visit; the culmina 

 tion of the whole being at the Pariser Platz, in front of the 

 Brandenburg Gate, where a triumphal arch and obelisks 

 were erected, with other decorations, patriotic and com 

 plimentary. On the morning of the 4th he arrived, and, 

 entering the city at the side of the German Emperor, 

 each in the proper uniform of the other, he was received 

 by the burgomaster and town council of Berlin with a 

 most cordial speech, and then, passing on through the 

 Linden, which was showily decorated, he was enthusias 

 tically greeted everywhere. No doubt this greeting was 

 thoroughly sincere, since all good Germans look upon 

 Franz Josef as their truest ally. 



Next evening there was a &quot;gala&quot; performance at the 

 Koyal Opera, the play presented being, of all things in 

 the world, Auber s &quot;Bronze Horse,&quot; which is a farcical 

 Chinese fairy tale set to very light and pleasing music. 

 The stage setting was gorgeous, but the audience was still 

 more so, delegates from all the greater powers of the world 

 being present, including the heirs to the British and Ital 

 ian thrones, the Grand Duke Constantine of Kussia, and 

 a multitude of other scions of royalty. One feature was 

 comical. Near me sat His Excellency the Chinese min 

 ister, surrounded by his secretaries and attaches, all ap 

 parently delighted; and on my asking him, through his 

 interpreter, how he liked it, he said, &quot;Very much; this 

 shows the Europeans that in China we know how to amuse 

 ourselves.&quot; Of the fact that it was a rather highly 

 charged caricature of Chinese officialdom he seemed either 

 really or diplomatically unconscious. 



On the following morning I was received in audience 

 by the German Emperor, bringing to him a warm message 

 of congratulation from President McKinley; and when 

 His Majesty had replied very cordially, he introduced me 



