AUF KOSTEN DER DYNASTIE 235
malizia, fa piuttosto per una certa naturalezza.“ Wieich die Veröffentlichung
des Kaiserbriefs an Franz Josef I. während meiner Amtszeit verhinderte,
so habe ich auch den Brief des Kaisers an seine Mutter seinerzeit nicht ver-
breitet, lasse ihn aber nachstehend folgen, da er nur noch historisches Inter-
esse hat, für die geschichtliche Wahrheit aber ein wertvolles Dokument ist:
* ‚Most beloved Mama,
Your kind letter respecting the publishing of Prince Bismarck’s ‚Remi-
niscenses‘ reached me yesterday on my arrival in this lonely and lovely
spot on the frontier! I fully agree with your judgement of the worth, the
tenor and of the intentions which moved this man Busch to issue them. To
us they bring nothing new. To the B.’s ‚Clique & tout prix‘ they scem a
violation ofthe saintety of their most cherished idol, and therefore — though
they know perfectly well, that it is all plain truth — they kick up a row and
try to disown them! But to the more sober part ot the Germans, even of
Prince Bismarcks friends and admirers — these revelations will be an
‚eyopener‘ and they will be deeply mortified, though they will not show it,
and understand many things which till now perhaps remained more or less
ariddle to them; and they will quieily recant! Busch himself has been best
characterized by his namesake Wilhelm Busch, who once published a little
poetical pasquill about the once famous book. ‚B und seine Leute‘, where
he recites:
‚Manchmal liest der Mensch bisweilen
In den Büchern ein’ge Zeilen
Und spricht ohne Schmeichelei
Für den Autor schon: Ei! Ei!
Aber was will das bedeuten
Gegen ‚B’s seine Leuten‘,
Wo uns wie mit Fäusten packt
Gleich ihr angeborener Takt!“
Moritz Busch in this affair shows once more the truth of Mephisto’s angry
diselaimour: ‚Ich bin ein Teil von jener Kraft, die stets das Böse will und
stets das Gute schaflt—.“ His object is the same, the late B.’s was to be
glorified and admired and worshipped by the People at the expense of our
Dynasty and House, which he made the good People of Germany believe
he was ever ready to die for and which he had raised to the German
Imperial throne! But that is all without avail, the People will little by little
find out all about him, and such manner of publications will only help to
further the process of enlighting the masses. His ultimate ends are correctly
stated by you, and the ways and means he adopted. But against one
* Deutsche Übersetzung siehe Anhang.
