Rensselaer Standard, Volume 1, Number 10, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 August 1879 — Bismark’s Personal Appearance. [ARTICLE]

Bismark’s Personal Appearance.

W. D. Kelly in Plilladephla Times. As the clock struck 2 the carriage of Mr. White entered the oourtyanl of Prince Bismark’s official residence, which, fronting on , Wilhelm strasse, surrounds three sides of a triangle. As we entered his room, Blsmark advanced and put me atease by the cordiality of his greeting. His personal appearance was a surprise to me. Portraits, busts aud statues had made me familiar with his face and head, but bad not told me that his height is more than six feet three, aud that his frame to broader than was that of General Scott, to whom in all physical respects, except iu the contour of his face aud head, he bears a closer resemblance than any man I have ever seen. Having turned his back upon the broad table, on which, from the papers spread uj on it, it was evident he bad been at work, he remarked that he was not so vigorous as formerly and could work but five hours a day at his desk, though be ought to work sixteen, and proceeded, with the easiest familiarity, to tell us how his habit of working far into the morning, and the pre-occupation of his thoughts by practical questions had made it impossible for him to sleep in the quiet hours of the night. “The silence that follows midnight is,” said he, “terrible. It wakens all the evil spirits of my mind; they lead me into phantasies, and to escape them I get up and walk or read or write. On many such occasious 1 have anticipated debates, and supposed what would be said in Opposition and what I would say in reply, and fearing that I would not remember my thoughtsand words, which seemed so effective, having risen and carefully written them out. But I have never once found them of use. They were always too fine to be available among practical men, and the paper aud peu which are always beside mv bed nave been useless and wasted. When the noises of the day begin I fall fast asleep and sleep till 11 o’clock, sometimes till 12 aud even 1 o’clock. At my home in the country I would not, 1 think, sleep any. but that the great burden trains, with three engines and more than 100 wagons, pass each other on a railroad about 300 feet from my house, and during this time, soothed by the noise, I go to sleep.”