542 IN THE DIPLOMATIC SERVICE-V 



"University of Philadelphia." Although I demonstrated 

 to them the worthlessness of such sham degrees of a non- 

 existent institution, they evidently thought that to obtain 

 one would aid them in their professions, and were inclined 

 to make a purchase. From time to time there were slurs 

 in the German papers upon all American institutions of 

 learning, based upon advertisements of such diplomas; 

 and finally my patriotic wrath was brought to a climax 

 by a comedy at the Royal Theater, in which the rascal of 

 the piece, having gone through a long career of scoun- 

 drelism, finally secures a diploma from the "University 

 of Pennsylvania"! 



In view of this, I wrote not only despatches to the Secre- 

 tary of State, but private letters to leading citizens of 

 Philadelphia, calling their attention to the subject, and es- 

 pecially to the injury that this kind of thing was doing 

 to the University of Pennsylvania, an institution of which 

 every Philadelphian, and indeed every American, has a 

 right to be proud. As a result, the whole thing was broken 

 up, and, though it has been occasionally revived, it has not 

 again inflicted such a stigma upon American education. 



But perhaps the most annoying business of all arose 

 from presentations at court. The mania of many of our 

 fellow-citizens for mingling with birds of the finest feather 

 has passed into a European proverb which is unjust to the 

 great body of Americans; but at present there seems to 

 be no help for it, the reputation of the many suffering for 

 the bad taste of the few. Nothing could exceed the per- 

 tinacity shown in some cases. Different rules prevail at 

 different courts, and at the imperial court of Germany 

 the rule for some years has been that persons eminent 

 in those walks of life that are especially honored will 

 always be welcome, and that the proper authority, on be- 

 ing notified of their presence, will extend such invitations 

 as may seem warranted. Unfortunately, while some of 

 the most worthy visitors did not make themselves known, 

 some persons far less desirable took too much pains to 

 attract notice. A satirist would find rich material in the 



