BISMARCK'S LOVE FOR LADY NICOTINE.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXVI, Issue 10060, 30 January 1909, Page 2 (Supplement)

BISMARCK'S LOVE FOR LADY NICOTINE.

CMirfti 1 *v(iii KlfiU'rhoru.) I

Kveryonc wlm writuh about. I'rim <> lti„. marck, on tlie persona.! side, always tnakin sonic mention of I In* ness I'm- tobacco. In his younger day, lio rivalled lieiieral Uratit' as a smoker »( cijtarettt*. of 'wtiiclv lie uhukll}' oarrVj several' doy.oir about liim in a huge livitliet cigar-ease. ' 'L'ln\y were of all Kiws ,imj brands, some of tlu<m'long and thick i lt jj black, others of them lighten 11 nil mildft , ami ' smaller. Tlk« Amerienn Motlev, ( iii an aceouhf which lie gave oj a visit to Uismarek's country house, num. lions tin.' fact that boxoti.ol cigars lay promiscuously around in drawing-iimnm aiul, dining-i'iionis alike—on chaiiw and tables. and pin in W. An the. ("ham gVew old. his physician compelled ||i,j to (;o lilicU to the old-fashioned I i"i mini pipe with its pni'i elain howl I ' ami Intjjj toni. a change ■ at which Itiuiuril uriiuibled greatly. '• lint in IBGh'hin constitution wat 'n| iron, iintl' it''.wan in that year thai, ho used his cigar-ease at a, critical it in on ler to got some ililoniial inti ]'<)p which he ili<l not like to lisk. For a. century l'russia ha<l ■ licen t.iuMii|> to the position of a .second-rate I'owiif, while Austria haughtily, hold the loailiM-. shin among'all tile lieriiian 1 .Stater,, with Prussia following subserviently at lior heels. This siille of lliihgs itt'ilaleil t|i,i licry soul of liismarck. ami'he i'ii.ulvml 1,0 ' elTcct a political transformation, "This," as lie said in his famous phraso, "can lie dune only hy blond and irnii." lie resolved to liiakc the army the I inest ii^litinn' army in the Nviii'lil. |( took liini a long time to ).>el the cnnKiint of ol<l 1 King William to his plans; l>ni. when lie' had oncii secured Iliis, lie wont <m eagerly anil ruthlessly trt the attain: ment of this end. He wanted money to purchase great supplies' of the newly-ill. vented needle-gun, and tlie Prussian, I'ifo liamcnt refused to vote the minify. Ho • wanted the improved artillery of Kni|i|i Imt'the Prussian Parliament saw nn jh'l'cl for it. Above nil, he wanted men''ln vast numbers—men who ertuld lie tialiiwl by the tens of thousands into porMt lighting machines —and' the Prussia!! iwifi liamcnt refused to increase Oil' mimm>h) of the army. ' '' Then Hisinurck took his Courage 'in both hands and, with the Kind's i imsi'iil, igndred the Parliament alt o'g-ct lior. Ho levied tuxes in the King's name and wit||. out' any warrant of law. 'He pnri*li;iKo(| whole parks of urtillei'y. H<* forced iiitb the. ranks, by tt. rapid conil'.riptinn, lill able-bodied Prussians, to be 'divided into regiments, brigades, and army corpo. }( was a daring thinn" to <lo. All I'mwm seethed 'with discontent, but tor a littjj while there was' no open rebellion. lift! •marck and Von MoHkc had their way! The Austrians look<x[ on with amused eoft: tempi. The Fivul'h Kmjieror was i|ult« conteilled that his two (Wfrtlii.it rilnin should tight each nihil' to t'lieit" lu>artJi' content, and he was very sure that trill- would win. ' .' So thought all l'hiro])e, wbeii, in .lumi 1866, liismarek tlunjj,- down the of deliance alid Moltkiv set in motion liltttao. nificetitJy itiprippivl batlalions towaiil tuj AiWtriiin fronl-H'i'. This w.is the I'aihdtn .Seyen Wooks' Fjiir. Kvenlu movi'<l'Aviih wonderful rapidity, so that, on July K"tli# igl'eat and <lie<Jisive bati'lu iH's'an tu'imnil tlm' Jittle Bohl'inian village of Sadown. Two .hundred audi twenty thoiis'an<l AilS. ti'ians, 1 under' their Field Miirsluil VoA Ik'iieiU'k, OitendO'tl their loilf; lines "la thougb to .iMivelop 'tlici'.Prurisiaii iiraiy'in iiiv.ision. The I'nissialid. on 'lihe 'iiiiiucdf. ato scene of hattlo were lower in iiuliibifl' than their Austrian aMMiilnnlfi, althMijA their woajions were superior/ A jifefliu , Prussian army, however, under Ihe Oi'uwii Prince Frwlerick, luid, been delaclied, . was expectixl to arrive and sl'rilie I'lio Aiik. | trians ou tile Hank. ' „ The battle began, with the roar ol' call- , non in the early morning, arid was , \villl desper;ition. The Prussian ' \'on !Moltkc, and .Bismarck himself, hlouil . upon a. ihilloek, which oyorhiiiked thi' cnij). bat, and pnoriMl anxioiiitly through |U , eannon-sntokc to leai-n tlm fori lines of Uu day. At. noon, the whitc-oiialed y\ustri<jfi had jiu.slicd back the Prussian centre. .5 lookiK.l, a.s though I lie IwtttJe m'igbt' Where was the Owiwij' i'Wndft - !' '"llittjjf uon had not. yet. lieguii to seenioid as though,'lie might arrive ton laU. , It 'is then that, lor the 'one limo in his life the stout-hearted liisniarck it ; most lust his courage. "I fell." lie. af(<>f , ward declared, "that ] was lyliUn;: \vi()i i a rope, ;ibout, iny neck." i And no wonder. lie was haledi nil i through Prussia. lie had scorned linlli | Parliament and the laws. , 11" this hattl# i went, a.gainsl. liim, In.' would Ijo <ll'licinticodi l'i« a usurper, a, traitor, a:n <i|icmy of.ljiij country, anil he, would have, to pay tlm forfeit with his head. Not. even, the King . could save him then, for the King's uvni i safety would be also threatened. Tlie^

fore, everything was istali'ixl upon the ifisuu of the battle. , liisniarck turned and looked: at (hi l impassive face of Von, Moltko, the soldier who, as was often «aid, "could; be silent in seven languages." His countenance \va» inscrutable. He issued' order after oi<l(f, Swept the face of tho -country willi lib field glass, made noUw iijmn the map, .liul spojoo not a, single! wdrd. HismindkV anxiety igrew intense. Who'nil Jiujiu lent! What did Von. Moltke think? .liismani longed, to know, and yet. lie dared not ask in words, just as a. patient soiiiethiKß docs not daixi to ask the opinion of s physician while an .examination is going Oil:. Then a clever thought entered his ininil. lie drew from his pocket Iris ljiige cigarcase, and, without a. word, linnded. it,to Von Moltke. The great, genicral. look it silently, opened, it, and. eafaftifly scrutinised the inisco'llaneons .collection .ol cigars,: now feeling of omi and now snilf • -ing .afc another wiWi a critical cxprcNiiuf. Finally, lie selected a. cigar that miitd liini, :lighted it slowly, a:nd biigau ,(o smoke us lie went, on with. tlMi. conduct of the battle. "Then," said! Hismarck afterward, I knew that our affair was by no nieaiii hopeless. If tilings had been going vury wrong, Von Moltko would ■ not liM« stopped to pick, and clioohu,, Init would either not. havo smokod ut all, or wo(iH have taken a cigar at random. It .broiijtl comfort to my; heart; and. stir©, enoiijl. not loilg nftel'w.nitl, wo heard, tho eamw shots which told of tho nrlivtfl of tl> Oown I'rinoe and his »miy.". it Tho battle ended in an Austrian rout. It placed, Prussia, at. the head of Uormartfl and when Hismarck returned to Merlin, fil former foes cheered him vociferously an fo passed along'tho,streets. Kailurtt.-would nave moan destruction; but smj'cewi 'lulil brought .him one of the greatest triniujihs. of his life. , , i • There is another story about Hismarck which has to do with )iis cigars,. ami ;: t may _best.be given iii his own langnaj,"'The incident. happened directly after tJi« battle of Nadowa, and is narrated by l!l#marck in a letter to'liis wife, ' lie wi-otii "I rode my chestnut horse, nutl w<w thirteen hours in the saddle without giving him a feed, lie held out excellently and was afraid of neither shots iior corpses, nibbling, as ho did, ears of coin and leaves at the most terrible moments. At the end of tho day, as ] rode oil tin' field, 1 had only one cigar left in m,V pocktiL 1 had carried it through the iW few bourn as a miser would carry his g»W, waiting for the time when 1 could ."enjoy some rest iuid a tranquil smoke. 'Hat, a noor fellow oil the ground, wounded in both arms, appealed to me I'yr Searching my pockets, 1 .found,nolliintf lull money, ami tliat was of jto u:;e ,lo him. Suddenly. I remembered cigar—my beloved cigar! 'l'ughtcd' it ajjd pni, between his teeth. You ought'to Intvn seen the poor fellow's grateful smile! CJf all the cigars that I "have ever had, tuiii" has .tasted so good to me,as thjs oni; uiiioli I didn't smoke !" ;