As far as I could gather, in 1908-9-10, he was _chambré_, as liberal Germany said, surrounded by people who echoed his opinions, or who, while pretending to accept them, coloured them with their own.
It was surmised that he despised his uncle, King Edward. Evidences of this would leak out.
He admired our material progress, and he was determined to imitate our methods. The loquacity of some of our compatriots amused him.
He understood President Roosevelt so little as to imagine that he could influence him. There was one American he especially disliked, and that was Archbishop Ireland; but the reason for that will form almost a chapter by itself.
As I have said, it seemed to me most important that good feeling in the little countries of Europe should be founded on respect for us.
Somebody, a cynic, once said that the only mortal sin among Americans is to be poor. That may or may not be so. It was, however, the impression in Europe. It was difficult in Denmark to make it understood that we were interested in literature and art, or had any desire to do anything but make money. The attempt to buy the Danish West Indies, made in 1902, was looked on by many of the Danes as the manifestation of a desire on the part of an arrogant and imperial-minded people to take advantage of the poverty of a little country. 'You did not dare to propose to buy an island near your coast from England or France, or even Holland,' they said. This prejudice was encouraged by the German press whenever an opportunity arose. And against this prejudice it was my business to fight.
Until after the war with Spain--unfortunate as it was in some aspects--we were disdained; after that we were supposed to have crude possibilities.
German propagandists took advantage of our seeming 'newness,' forgetting that the new Germany was a _parvenu_ among the nations. Our people _en tour_ in Europe spent money freely and gave opinions with an infallible air almost as freely. They too frequently assumed the air of folk who had 'come abroad' to complete an education never begun at home; or, if they were persons who had 'advantages,' they were too anxious for a court _entrée_, asking their representative for it as a right, and then acting at court as if it were a divine privilege.