210 IN THE DIPLOMATIC SERVICE -XVIII 



principal of the university had conferred the doctorate of 

 laws upon several of the guests, including Mr. Choate, the 

 American ambassador at London, and myself, Mr. Car 

 negie gave his rectorial address. It was decidedly origi 

 nal, its main feature being an argument in behalf of a 

 friendly union of the United States and Great Britain 

 in their political and commercial policy, and for a simi 

 lar union between the Continental European nations for 

 the protection of their industries and for the promotion 

 of universal peace, with a summons to the German Em 

 peror to put himself at the head of the latter. It was 

 prepared with skill and delivered with force. Very amus 

 ing were the attempts of the great body of students to 

 throw the speaker off his guard by comments, questions, 

 and chaff. I learned later that, more than once, orators 

 has thus been entrapped or entangled, and that on one 

 occasion an address had been completely wrecked by such 

 interruptions ; but Mr. Carnegie s Scotch- Yankee wit car 

 ried him through triumphantly: he met all these efforts 

 with equanimity and good humor, and soon had the au 

 dience completely on his side. 



Returning to Berlin, there came preparations for clos 

 ing my connection with the embassy. I had long before 

 decided that on my seventieth birthday I would cease to 

 hold any official position whatever. Pursuant to that reso 

 lution, my resignation had been sent to the President, with 

 the statement that it must be considered final. In return 

 came the kindest possible letters from him and from the 

 Secretary of State; both of them attributing a value to 

 my services much beyond anything I would dare claim. 



On my birthday came a new outburst of kindness. 

 From all parts of Europe and America arrived letters 

 and telegrams, while from the Americans in various parts 

 of Germany especially from the Berlin colony came a 

 superbly engrossed address, and with it a succession of 

 kindly visitors representing all ranks in Berlin society. 

 One or two of these testimonials I may be pardoned for 

 especially mentioning. Some time after the letter from 



