with much ceremony in September. Situated before the entrance of that
long, tree-embowered avenue which is called the Old Scheveningen Road,
the edifice has an imposing exterior although a mixture of architects in
the process of building has given it something the look of a glorified
railway station. But the interior is altogether dignified and splendid,
more palatial, in fact, than any of the royal residences. It is lined
with costly marbles, rare Eastern woods, wonderful Japanese tapestries,
and adorned with gifts from all the nations, except the United States,
which had promised to give a marble statue representing "Peace through
Justice," to be placed on the central landing of the great Stairway of
Honor, the most conspicuous position in the whole building. The promise
had been standing for some years, but not the statue. One of my first
minor tasks at The Hague was to see to it that active steps were taken
at Washington to fulfil this promise, and to fill this empty place which
waits for the American sculpture.

Meantime the rich collection of books on international law was being
arranged and classified in the library under the learned direction of M.
Alberic Rolin. The late roses were blooming abundantly in the broad
gardens of the palace. Thousands of visitors were coming every day to
see this new wonder of the world, the royal house of "Vrede door Recht."

Queen Wilhelmina was still at her country palace, Het Loo, in
Gelderland. It was about the middle of October that I was invited there
to lunch and to have my first audience with Her Majesty, and to present
my letter of credence as American Minister.

The journey of three or four hours was made in company with the Dutch
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jonkheer Loudon, who represented the
Netherlands at Washington for several years and is an intelligent and
warm friend of the United States, and the Japanese Minister, Mr. Aimaro
Sato, a very agreeable gentleman (and, by the way, an ardent angler),
who now represents Japan at Washington. He talked a little, and with
great good sense and feeling, of the desirability of a better
understanding and closer relations between the United States and Japan.
I liked what he said and the way he said it. But most of our
conversation on that pleasant journey, it must be confessed, was
personal and anecdotic--fish-stories not excluded.

The ceremony of presenting the letter of credence, which I had rather
dreaded, was in fact qu